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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. jmlease1
    I think Ryan had a real chance until he gave up 5 HRs to Atlanta. While one start shouldn't determine an all-star selection, it was his last chance to impress before the picks were made and unfortunately he had a really bad one when people were watching. Duran is certainly worthy of being selected, but there were always going to be some real snubs this year when only 4 teams had representatives in the starting lineup. Duran might have been hurt by the fact that the Twins don't use him as a 9th inning-only guy, which would be a shame because saves are still overrated as a stat, but that shouldn't be a reason to change our usage of him. Good for Sonny Gray. he's been terrific this season and deserves the nod.
  2. jmlease1
    I'm not sure we have enough evidence to be sure on this one: Duran has only pitched in 10 games total on 0 days rest. It's worth watching to see if he can't consistently be effective on back-to-back days, but I'd rather not write him off on that after 10 games. Twins had a lot of hard-hit balls go right at people yesterday, which sucked. They had a lot of balls die on the warning track which also sucked. Bad hitting or bad luck? they certainly were putting the ball in play plenty yesterday (only 6 Ks). Bit of an odd series that's sort of emblematic of the Twins season: they outscored the O's 10-3 for the series, but only won 2 of 3. they're underperforming their run differential for the season by 4 games right now, and I feel like if they were just even on that one people would feel better about the team. Still and all, while I'm disappointed they didn't sweep after getting another excellent start, winning a road series is always good especially against a team that's been very good this year. Now, about Miranda and that double play... (I felt like I saw that one coming as soon as he stepped to the plate. Argh.)
  3. jmlease1
    Glad to see Austin Martin playing again. Was concerned that the "rest and rehab" plan for his elbow had fallen apart when he went back on the injured list, so it's good to see that he might be catching a break there. I know Keuchel doesn't rely on velocity to get outs, but it's hard to get too excited about a guy throwing mid-80's, even if he's the king of not giving up hard contact. To me, he's a "break glass in case of emergency" option rather than someone we should seek to add to MLB.
  4. jmlease1
    I think it's a fair question considering how well he was pitching and how low his pitch count was. Not saying it was the wrong decision (reasonable to not push Ober who has had injury issues, bullpen was rested and ready, and sometimes it's good for a starter to make sure they leave with a lead and a chance for the win) but he was really dealing yesterday. For me, this is one of those fun "would you let him go for another inning?" questions rather than anything too contentious.
  5. jmlease1
    Ober was fantastic today. He really had the O's flailing and had command of all of his pitches. Great work. Wondered if he might go out for the 8th, he was going so well, but with a rested bullpen hard to complain about Jax getting the call (and Jax did a nice job as well). Really good pitching today. I'm glad to see Kepler showing the glove again; his defense had definitely slipped and we need him to be quality out there with runs at a premium. Gallo's moonshot was big; looks like he's locked in again right now. He's still going to drive some people crazy with the low BA and plethora of Ks, but the overall OPS is good. Hope Royce isn't out for long, he's been a great addition, and if there's anyone who deserves to get a run of good health it's him. At least it's not his knees? Good win. Hope they can get the sweep!
  6. jmlease1
    He's doing well right now and there's definitely things to like about him as a player. As a prospect, the age thing does work against him...there's no getting around it. It's one of the things that can be tough with college bats: if they get hurt or something disrupts their development path, suddenly you're looking at a player who is older than their competition in the minors and you have to wonder if their success is a little too much about beating up on the younger kids. If the power production is real while maintaining his speed, though, he could be interesting. Michael A. Taylor might not be back next year, Celestino has questions, Martin has been hurt, and Lewis might stay on the dirt...maybe there's a window for him to prove he belongs.
  7. jmlease1
    Seriously. there's already 30+ pitchers signed for 2024 with salaries at $15M+, and that number will definitely go up. Lopez is a good pitcher and we have him locked down on a great contract.
  8. jmlease1
    A test for the Twins in this series, but we have the starting pitching to give us a chance against anyone. It's going to be on the offense to step up and make something happen: they need to string together some hits in the same inning, not expand the strike zone, and get a couple of dingers. Atl is playing very well this year, it's a big challenge. Twins have kind played to the level of competition this year, IMHO, so I expect it to be competitive, but YNK. (I presume there will be a call to trade all the vets, fire the manager, and clean out the front office if they drop the first game...)
  9. jmlease1
    He's seriously dominant, but makes it look easy. I think the Twins are generally using him very well, and I appreciate the fact that he's willing to be a fireman, rather than just a closer. He's easily the Twins best reliever (which isn't a dis on the rest of the bullpen, since he's also easily one of the best in all of baseball) and I want him facing the other team's best hitters and locking them down, regardless of whether it's the 9th inning. Relievers that can throw 100+mph gas can dominate. Reliever with a nasty curve can dominate. Relievers who have 3 pitches they can throw for strikes and miss bats can dominate. Duran has all three. Hitters can't touch any of his stuff!
  10. jmlease1
    Nice to see Rosario have a big game; he's been scuffling a bit lately. That said, I am impressed that he's been maintaining plate discipline even when the hits having been falling as easily; lots of young players start to expand the strike zone when they go through a cold patch and Rosario hasn't done that. Schobel is on a real heater. He's really pounding the ball and looks ready for a move up. Be nice if Salas, Miller, and Urbina could get on a run at the plate too. (Cavaco just looks like a bust)
  11. jmlease1
    Buxton's knee won't let him play CF right now. He's not healthy enough to play there. Austin Martin hasn't played in weeks because of his elbow injury, he's not coming up this year. Injuries are what they are, and you can't start making roster decisions like they can be magically waved away.
  12. jmlease1
    It'll be interesting to see how DeAndrade's season ends up. He's hitting decently so far this season, but goodness he's got to get those Ks under control or he's going to get annihilated by more advanced pitchers. Glad to see him drop a bomb out there. Wallner really has nothing left to prove in AAA at this point, but until Kepler or Gallo get hurt again there's no spot for him in MLB. (and Kepler has actually been playing well the last couple of weeks, go figure)
  13. jmlease1
    when you've decided the manager must go, every decision point is an opportunity to pile on; consistency in arguments is not required.
  14. jmlease1
    I'm not going to worry about his attitude & body language too much at this point. He's still so young and this is part of what the minors are for: iron out some of the professionalism you need in MLB and I think he'll get there. The error wasn't great, but I think he'll learn from it. Nice to see Urbina have a good game. He had a pretty slow start to the season, but maybe his bat is starting to heat up.
  15. jmlease1
    Nice win. Good to see Kenta Maeda looking healthy and locked in; 8 Ks in 5 innings is impressive. Royce Lewis is playing very well right now, and it's so fun to see. He's had such a tough journey with the injuries, and it's awesome to see him getting to play and let his talent and skill shine. He's probably going to need to be a little more selective at the plate eventually as pitchers start to react to him, but right now he's bashing it, so roll on Royce! The umpiring continues to frustrate. Really tired of seeing Kirilloff get screwed on a bad call (he's gotten nailed more than any other Twin it seems like) and Michael A. Taylor isn't a complainer so him getting tossed says something. I'm more than ready for the electronic strike zone.
  16. jmlease1
    E-Rod really showing why he's considered a top 50 prospect in all of baseball. I'd say he's feeling recovered from the injury! He's having a dominant stretch right now: in the last month he's got an OPS of .975 and as many walks as Ks. He's showing better control at the plate and it's great to see how much contact he's making, because the ball is exploding off his bat.
  17. jmlease1
    I don't mind them signing him to a minor league deal to see if he has anything left. The rotation is still solid, but having another potential veteran depth option if a significant injury hits us can't hurt. As long as there's no guarantee of a MLB shot, then sure. Don't think this hurts anything, and maybe a few guys can learn something from the crafty veteran in the minors while he's in Saint Paul.
  18. jmlease1
    I don't mind them signing him to a minor league deal to see if he has anything left. The rotation is still solid, but having another potential veteran depth option if a significant injury hits us can't hurt. As long as there's no guarantee of a MLB shot, then sure. Don't think this hurts anything, and maybe a few guys can learn something from the crafty veteran in the minors while he's in Saint Paul.
  19. jmlease1
    Love me some Joe Ryan. He was masterful today, and it was fun to watch. Really nice win today. Hopefully this is the team getting back on track and we'll see this continue. Offense and pitching showed up at the same time, and that was great. Can't say it's a bad thing at all for the bullpen to get a day off.
  20. jmlease1
    Schobel was just drafted in 2022 and is in high A at 22. By your formulation basically every college player we draft has to start their career in AA or they don't matter. This is Schobel's first season in full-year baseball, starting at Cedar Rapids is just fine. Everyone wants "difference makers" but age doesn't decide that, and I'd rather the team make decisions about where to place a player be done based on their individualized development track, not their age.
  21. jmlease1
    Yep, he's definitely on a roll in June. He's still so young, so it's great to see him back on track and looking recovered from the injury. Schobel is on a heater right now, and could get an early promotion too. He's improved every month at the plate and looking like a dangerous player. It'll be interesting to see how he does when he faces more advanced pitchers, but nice to see a 2nd round pick doing well early. Really nice wave of position players at Cedar Rapids right now: Rosario, Rodriguez, Schobel, Cossetti, and Cardenas are all looking good, and there's still tons of potential in Urbina, Salas, and Miller. (I'm not sure how Morales fits in; at 24 and repeating a level he needs to be crushing it...but catchers often develop later) But there's a ton of talent on that roster and players that are going to be pushing for promotion.
  22. jmlease1
    Prices are higher, parking is harder? They still seem to be doing fine for AAA. Congrats to Balazovic for making it to MLB and having a good first outing. He's had a long and complicated road, and it's good to see him doing well especially after the messy spring training.
  23. jmlease1
    Do the Twins intend to stretch Raya out at all this season? I'm all for being cautious with a young pitcher coming off an injury, but 47 pitches? At some point you have to let a starter throw 75 and start finding out what you really have in a guy. It's the middle of June, not April.
  24. jmlease1
    hard to know with a guy like this. Maybe he just needed the development time and could be an asset in MLB. Maybe he's a AAAA player who can nuke AAA pitching but will get pushed around by MLB. It'll be interesting to see if he gets an opportunity. It's always one of the hard calls, whether you can count on players like this to be our depth layer in AAA as a hedge against injury. Maybe he's figured something out that lets him make enough contact to let his power stroke play, but he was doing this in Wichita last season and then kinda stunk when he got promoted. He's hammering the ball right now, making good contact, drawing walks, and doing everything right at the plate...but his overall AAA slash line is good not "you must allow him to play in MLB NOW". It would be great if he turns out to be a late-bloomer, though!
  25. jmlease1
    Pick one argument, eh? First you want him to manage the team, then you want him to not touch the lineup (I assume you meant lineup rather than roster?).
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