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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. jmlease1
    Cedar Rapids has a really nice collection of hitting prospects right now. Great to see them getting it done and having guys position themselves for a promotion to AA. Looking forward to Amick getting healthy and rejoining the wrecking crew. Especially pleased to see Culpepper doing so well while playing a quality SS. He looks like he could stick there, which would be awesome if his bat keeps producing. Long way to go, but you can see why they took him in the first round.
  2. jmlease1
    I was hoping to see Festa back up, but if he's got a health issue (even if it's just preventative) then bringing up Matthews makes sense. He's been quite good and very effective in Saint Paul so far this season and certainly seems ready to get another bite at the big leagues. It's going to be interesting to see if the increased velocity is impactful for him in MLB and whether he's sharpened his other offerings enough to be successful. Looking forward to seeing what Zebby has to bring to the table.
  3. jmlease1
    Nice job scratching out another win. Love when they jump out to a quick lead. Hope Castro is ok; he was finally back from the oblique injury and getting unlucky like this is a bummer. He really looked like he was in a lot of pain, and I suspect it influenced his ability to complete his AB. Bad timing too, we really need his positional flexibility right now. I';m guessing his knee started swelling up on him, but hopefully it's just a bruise that will ease off after treatment. But he could end up on the IL again. Ryan wasn't efficient, but he stayed effective. Glad he was able to navigate through 6, even without finishing guys off quickly. He's been excellent this year. Brock made me a little nervous, but the K's were flowing for everyone last night. Love seeing the staff rack up 16 Ks. Sands looked plenty comfortable handling the 9th. Jax is having a weird year: far too hittable, yet still able to strike anyone out. Love starting the series with a win!
  4. jmlease1
    Nope. We don't have to consider every other possible scenario as it relates to every other player or circumstance in order to judge Pete Rose. That's the ultimate "whataboutism" that inevitably lets everybody off the hook for their actions. Voter failures in the past aren't an excuse for doing the wrong thing NOW. It doesn't matter what the NFL or Basketball Halls of Fame do or don't do; different institutions, different rules, different games. Doesn't matter that Michael Jackson was a messed up dude who has been credibly accused of heinous acts. The fact that many gifted people have also been horrible people is irrelevant. Pete Rose should be judged on the acts and character of Pete Rose. And while he accomplished many remarkable things on the baseball field as a player, he also broke the cardinal rule of baseball and was deservedly banished. He's already represented in Cooperstown as part of the museum showing the history of baseball; induction into the Hall of Fame is an honorific that he is unworthy of because of his own acts in gambling on baseball. I can understand MLB taking him on the "ineligible" list after he died; he's now permanently ineligible to participate in baseball. I don't think announcing it was in any way wise or good judgment, just cowardice from a flunky of a commissioner. But that's a different issue.
  5. jmlease1
    It's a nice collection of hitters in Cedar Rapids right now, and it'll be fun seeing who gets tapped for promotion to Wichita in the next month or so. Right now GG has to be at the top of the list and DeBarge is definitely a contender as well. The fact that DeBarge currently has more walks than K's is pretty exciting. (the steals are fun, but the lower ranks of the minors don't exactly do a great job of holding runners on or throwing people out, so I'll hold judgment on whether he's a true base-stealing threat for a while. but it's a nice potential option) Eeles just needs to get some swings in, show he's healthy, and get back to Saint Paul. Anything he does in FL right now is a little meaningless in terms of results. The real question is what does he look like against advanced pitching in AAA and can he repeat the great work he did last season to get a shot at MLB. He's a fun story and I'm rooting for him.
  6. jmlease1
    But for forgiveness to be granted and mercy shown, doesn't there also need to be contrition shown, behavior changed, and full honesty and recognition made? I'm not going to get into the religious implications here, but at the end of the day, Pete Rose couldn't stop himself from gambling, he couldn't stop lying about what he did, and he could never, ever actually truly admit that he was wrong. Even the late in life "I'm sorry I bet on baseball" signings were a sham, because it was just another way to make a buck for him. There's an odor of "yeah, he sinned but we can let it pass now" to this argument and I think Greggory's real point is, for Baseball this is something that should never be forgiven. And it's a fair one, IMHO. Let individuals forgive him or not based on their beliefs, but institutionally, Baseball still excluding him and the Black Sox is actually a good thing. Baseball could have been destroyed by the Black Sox scandal, and part of how it survived was to make gambling on it by people in Baseball the #1 no-no in the sport. It's not like Rose didn't know. It's not like there's wiggle room and exceptions littered across the rule. It's not confusing or complicated. And to the people who think it's unacceptable to have a Hall of Fame that doesn't have the "Hit King" in it...I'm pretty sure he's not blacklisted from any mention in Cooperstown. Let the Hall reference his accomplishments as a player and the teams he played for that won titles and so on. They should show the full history of Baseball, which includes Pete Rose. They should also reference his ban from the game and why. Doesn't mean he should be honored by induction. Because at the end of the end, that's what induction into the Hall of Fame really is: being granted an honorific that puts you into a special class. It neither creates nor removes what was done in history.
  7. jmlease1
    concussions are extra scary to Twins fans after the Mauer & Morneau Experience. Hopefully this is a minor evaluation and a day or two off and they're ok.
  8. jmlease1
    no regrets about getting the sweep. well done, twins. Good job throwing the O's an anvil instead of a life preserver.
  9. jmlease1
    Love seeing Paddack roll through 7 against this Balto squad. Hope the bullpen can send them to the showers quietly and the streak continues!
  10. jmlease1
    It's a fair decision. SWR has the option remaining, Festa has been excellent and Matthews has shown plenty as well. While I like SWR's range of pitches and ability to battle, he's been the worst starter out of the group so far. Paddack hasn't been a lot better, but has shown more peak value and when you look at their starts SWR has really only had 2 good ones all season. Paddack has had 3 good ones and hasn't had an implosion since his second start and seems to be finding a bit of a groove. SWR really struggled yesterday and it's hard to see him getting deep into games. I'd like it to be Festa, who did fine the last time he was up and looks ready for the challenge.
  11. jmlease1
    honestly, I'm more worried about Correa on the concussion side since he got hit more in the back of his head. But regardless, it's an awful collision and I hope it's much less serious than it looked. Pretty amazing that Buxton still made the play and held on to the ball.
  12. jmlease1
    GG continues to have a fine start in Cedar Rapids. He's looking quite good at the plate. While I like seeing some pop from De Andrade, I'm a little concerned with where his batting average is sitting. He's chasing Winokur for the K lead right now and while he's still getting on base, I have concerns about his contact rates. Congrats to Kala'i Rosario for getting over the Mendoza line? Boy, he had a rough start to the year. He's had a nice stretch, but has a long way to go to show he's deserving of being considered a real prospect these days. The K-rate is abysmal (50 K's already?!?) so he's going to need to stay on a tear for a while. Cory Lewis has really disappointed so far in AAA. Sure, he's pitching in a bandbox in Saint Paul, but he's really struggled. He's still just barely past 200 IP in his pro career, so hopefully this is just a developmental bump from a guy who simply isn't that experienced and dealt with some injuries. But he looks like a re-set is needed. Maybe dropping down to AA would be worth a look?
  13. jmlease1
    It's pretty small samples so far, so who knows. But if his bat speed has legitimately improved and he can make enough contact, he could be a useful bench bat. His general disinterest in taking a walk will definitely limit his upside, though. But maybe they can improve that for him, you never know. I'm not buying any real estate on Kody Clemens Island or anything. He's got some positional flexibility, which again, helps make him potentially viable as a bench bat. But if he falls off the table with an 0-22 stretch, he's probably a guy you can let go.
  14. jmlease1
    anything to keep the streak going! Nice to see the lineup pick up the starters, and Larnach is doing a fine job. Funny seeing the Twins put it on Cano twice in a week. Wild seeing every pitcher in the bullpen get used in one day, but that's what happens when neither of your starters goes long in a doubleheader. Funderburk did fine (and good for Alcala in taking 2 innings) but I really wish the Twins could find a decent middle reliever who could go 2+ innings without needing a week off. But I love seeing the streak continue. Let's go sweep these guys! (btw, who do you think is the most likely member of the Twins to pull a Roy Kent: rip up a bench in the locker room in a fit of rage and then tell the team "let's go get these $@&*%" and have everyone lose their minds? LOL)
  15. jmlease1
    too bad, it's a GREAT stadium to watch a game. I loved going to Camden when I was living in DC
  16. jmlease1
    Oof, a short start is not what we needed from Ober, especially with SWR the next man up. But maybe that'll be an opportunity for someone to step up. Happy to see another win. Hope the Twins can keep beating up on Balto while it's down. Think we've been disappointed in our team's start this season? Talk to O's fans to see really disappointment. Nice to Larnach doing the job. He'll lose PT when Wallner comes back, but when he's playing this well it makes it easier to wait until Wallner is 100%, be smart about Bader's PT and add options at the DH. He's always had talent with the bat, but needed to make some big adjustments once MLB pitchers stopped throwing him fastballs. He's doing a good job putting together competitive ABs. Appreciate the HR from Vazquez, from whom any offense is a bonus these days.
  17. jmlease1
    Maybe Martin isn't the best comp to hang our hats on, though. Austin Martin lost most of his last season in college to COVID, was sent immediately to AA after a 2020 draft that is shaping up to be quite a first round mess. Amick is in his first pass at High A in his first full pro season. Martin never even spent a day in A-ball. If they're still working Amick at 3B and he's bad there in AAA, then maybe it'll be time to get more concerned. But remember, Koskie needed quite a while before his defense really rounded into form at 3B. It does happen where guys go from average to good or poor to ok in their minor league development.
  18. jmlease1
    Really good pitching performances from a deep staff coupled with effective defense and just enough offense is the formula for victory for this Twins team. If Royce can find himself and Wallner doesn't need another month to be Wallner again, this team could do some damage. And if Brooks Lee can get things going against LHP, we should start feeling pretty good about him: he's what we thought he would be defensively, and doing ok at the plate. I think there's more in there as a hitter, though. Pretty great homestand. Sure, Balto is a mess right now, but SF was coming in hot. A fine week.
  19. jmlease1
    Amick is splitting time at 3B and 1B. dumping him down the defensive spectrum while still in A-ball is probably too soon: we've seen guys develop defensively before to where they can be at least passable, and if Amick can be a 3B-1B guy he'll have substantially more utility. Other than getting injured, he's doing everything the Twins could ask for from him, though and is off to a nice start for his first full professional season. McCusker is in a tough spot, not being on the 40-man. With this front office, they're unlikely to DFA someone they might lose to another organization just to promote McCusker unless absolutely forced to, either because of positional scarcity or McCusker annihilating the baseball at such absurd levels they look stupid leaving him down there. They're probably not there yet; while McCusker has done great, Saint Paul is a bit of a bandbox. Team OPS is sitting at .797, which is pretty wild. And notably, Mickey Gasper, who looked somewhat overmatched in MLB has gone back to AAA and is destroying the baseball again.
  20. jmlease1
    I think McCusker just has to keep sustaining it and hope for an opportunity. If he were on the 40-man, he might have gotten a look already? But OF just isn't where we're short right now, especially with Castro back. Would he provide more offense than Keirsey? Almost certainly, but Keirsey is mostly being used as a pinch-runner/defensive replacement right now anyways, which isn't something McCusker brings to the table. And when the Saints are collectively putting up a .797 OPS, McCusker's 1.058 does lose a little of its luster. Mickey Gasper looked overmatched in MLB, then immediately started destroying AAA pitching again. The step from AAA to MLB is treacherous. Hope DeBarge comes back soon; hate seeing guys miss extended time from getting HBP. Good to see GG hit another dinger too. I think seeing where his power production is at will determine how quickly he gets bumped to Wichita, but he's on a nice path so far.
  21. jmlease1
    Yeah, fearful managing of the bullpen right now and over reliance on Jax...whose stuff has been there but the results have not. Why not the well-rested Stewart? Maybe he had the same bug that nailed some of the other guys. A very nice gritty win. wouldn't have complained about a series win, but a sweep is great. Rest up and let's go throw Balto an anvil and see if Jim Bowden can write a fire sale article for them like he kinda did already for us! :P
  22. jmlease1
    Excellent win to clinch the series. Eventually the win streak will end; the trick will be not to let a losing streak creep in, but to keep winning series. With the pitching staff going like this, we have a real chance to keep up this kind of excellence. Really nice work by Ryan, especially coming off the illness. (sounds like the stomach flu went rampaging through the Twins clubhouse!) SF had been on a nice run and was beating up on the AL coming into this series. Nice to see the Twins take down a pretty good team.
  23. jmlease1
    GG having a very nice start to the season. Looks healthy and hitting well. He's a guy on track for a promotion to AA if he keeps this up for another month or so.
  24. jmlease1
    Great job by Paddack, exactly what the team needed. The bullpen had been worked pretty hard recently, so it's great to have him going deep into the game and only needing 2 guys to finish off the win. Love a Buxton triple. Most exciting play in baseball. Twins have the pitching to compete with anyone in baseball. Hopefully the warmed up offense can keep up their end of the bargain like they have during this lovely little win streak. Team's been a little unlucky so far (3-6 in 1-run games) but they're playing very good baseball right now.
  25. jmlease1
    It'll be very interesting to see where the data lands by the end of the season. One of the biggest concerns with the 4-seamer is that with a loss of velocity (which is funny when it's still averaging 100mph, but he isn't humping it up to 102-104) whether or not he could get by simply blowing it past guys. But if they can't catch up to it enough to more than foul it off, it still generates strikes, even if it's less effective in finishing a hitter off. The splinker is still ridiculous. The fact that he can throw that at 98-99 mph is absurd. But the curve is flat-out filthy as well. If he's able to mix in a sweeper and balance his pitch mix even more, he's well positioned to keep dominating without needing to hit 104. There's some concern about the walks, but with dominating stuff, I'd rather have him walking the extra guy from time to time than giving up hits. baserunners are less scary with a guy throwing this kind of gas, deadly K-rates and a WHIP under 1.00. He's doing very well, and his consistency has been nice in a season where Jax has had some awful luck, fluky results, etc.
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