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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. 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...)
  2. 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!
  3. 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)
  4. 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.
  5. 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)
  6. jmlease1
    when you've decided the manager must go, every decision point is an opportunity to pile on; consistency in arguments is not required.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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.
  16. 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.
  17. 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!
  18. 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?).
  19. jmlease1
    I think doing a concert series like this is a great use of Target Field and a smart promotion by the Twins. I think it's cool that they're trying a range of options for shows to appeal to different fans, and I hope everyone had a great time.
  20. jmlease1
    and positional flexibility. the only spot on the dirt Kepler can play is 1B. Castro can actually play a passable SS in a pinch. I don't want to make a bigger deal out of Willi Castro than we need to; he should be a minor part of the team. He's got utility, and more utility than someone like Kepler does at this point, sadly. But sending him down for a week probably won't make much difference...and shouldn't. I increasingly like Castro as a 26th man; he's been doing all the things you need from that spot: playing wherever we need a guy, giving you a speed option in late games, etc. But he's also going to be overstretched as a starter, and will have weeks where he couldn't hit water if he fell out of a @&%#% boat.
  21. jmlease1
    I don't think it's obvious at all. Gray is feisty, a competitor, and never wants to come out of a game, especially if he's been struggling a bit. Whether he has a personal issue with Rocco or Maki or the front office or whomever is total guesswork right now, and might always be. he's not taking personal shots at anyone, we're not seeing blind quotes or any of the old "sources behind the scenes say" stuff to suggest that there's a real conflict or a problem there. I think Gray is just a little different cat than some: he's direct, pretty honest, and very very competitive. but he also seems like a good teammate who doesn't go after guys in the press (whether it's management or players) just because he's mad.
  22. jmlease1
    I'm really confused why you think changing the manager will significantly cut down on the hitter's strikeouts. A new manager isn't swinging the bat. Twins pitching was bad last night, and it sucked. They let a meh Tigers squad feel hope instead of stomping on their faces. Gray did not have it and was fighting his command. I get there are those who thought he should have gotten a chance to get it back in the 5th, but he did nothing in the 4th to show he should. 3 walks in an inning is pretty bad, and it's not like he was getting squeezed by the ump. Moran couldn't hold it down, and Lopez let them tack on extras in the 9th which technically didn't change the outcome but sure felt like they put it out of reach. Just not a good night for the pitching staff outside of Pagan (man, that feels weird to type). Offense was a bit toothless last night outside of the 2nd, but Boyd did a good job hitting the zone. Got to re-set for Friday and put this one behind them.
  23. jmlease1
    These 4 game sets are something. sweep it and you're off to the races and thrilled. 3-1 and you're still feeling very good about things, but you only net 2 games. 2-2 and you're frustrated and disappointed, 1-3 and you're ticked off and wondering what's wrong with the team, and if you get swept you're heating the tar, plucking the feathers, sharpening the pitchforks, and lighting the torches. I'd love to see the offense really get on a roll here, the bullpen to settle down, and the starting pitching to keep rolling. this is the perfect time to punch the Tigers in the mouth and send them to the beach early in the year.
  24. jmlease1
    Cossetti is an interesting prospect. He's unlikely to make any national lists (too old, no pedigree, etc) but catchers sometimes develop later and if he can keep hitting as he advances through the minors and stick at catcher as a good receiver back there he could get very interesting. Took Mitch Garver a while to make it to the majors, but that worked out pretty well for the Twins. Soularie is having a decent season at AA as well. I think if he's going to K this much that he's going to need to show most consistent pop in his bat, but it'll be fun to see where he finishes the year. He struggled at the plate last season, so it's nice to see him doing better even after moving up a level again. I would like Brooks Lee to keep pushing the average up, but it's good to see him knocking doubles out there. I'll be interested to see how his splits wind up by the end of the season; so far he's been significantly better hitting from the left side; if he can tick up the OBP and SLG a bit from the right I'll be feeling more confident about his ability to be weapon from both sides of the plate in the future.
  25. jmlease1
    Value play. Reardon was the closer on a championship squad and got the job done. Aguilera & Nathan were both better, but you had to find savings somewhere because of the $$ restrictions in this scenario. felt like the drop off to some other positions was higher. Give me another $2-4 to work with and I'm probably looking a lot harder at Aggie or Nathan.
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