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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. jmlease1
    Yeah, I'm no longer surprised by it, but I still wonder whether it's going to be effective. And I do think it's almost entirely about injury prevention, but I don't know that this gets to the cause of those injuries. Doncon is having a nice start to the season. Be great if he continues to hit like this in the FSL. I don't expect him to stick at SS, but if he can hit like this he won't need to be a real prospect.
  2. jmlease1
    It's worth a try to see if Larnach can bring some offensive thump to a lineup that needs it. Wallner looks lost right now and with an option available it makes sense to send him to Saint Paul to try and work on some things and maybe rebuild his confidence. We'll see if Larnach can handle MLB off-speed stuff this time around. If neither Wallner nor Larnach prove able to hold down a corner spot this season, it might be a long year...but it'll also open up opportunity for Martin and Rodriguez. There's always someone else behind looking for a chip, a chair, and a chance.
  3. jmlease1
    It's not time to start worrying about the Twins INF defense. The problem at 1B isn't defense, it's offense, as noted in the article. Julien looks solid enough at 2B, so the right side defense is fine. And it's hard to get too spun up about our SS defense when Correa should be back soon and looked excellent before picking up a ding. Maybe you can wonder about 3B since Miranda isn't great there and we don't really know when Lewis is going to be back, but it's not like Miranda is a butcher out there. I'm not worrying about the Twins infield defense. I'm worrying about their offense. With Correa out, Santana awful, and neither Castro nor Farmer hitting anything, the offense is a problem. (Julien's lack of contact is concerning, but he's still producing. Miranda is doing a nice job in a small sample size at the plate) With Correa out, we're getting basically nothing from SS or 1B on offense. The defense is fine, but we can't afford to have half the infield stink on offense on a given night. And right now Castro, Farmer, and especially Santana are awful a the plate. (technically Farmer is "worse", but he's also hit a lot less and an OPS+ difference of 2 pts is meaningless) infield offense is also not helped by Vazquez being a zero again at the plate when he starts. (His defense is still quality, but he's been brutal at the plate)
  4. jmlease1
    I don't think this has much to do with service time manipulation, more about utilization of options to keep fresh arms in the bullpen. The good thing is with the AAA club being in Saint Paul, it's less of a burden on the player than it used to be getting sent down for a short stint and called back up or vice-versa. Between injuries and the doubleheader, the Twins were in a bit of a squeeze. I expect Alcala back soon. I've been pleased with his output so far, and I think he's going to be an impact arm this year. Is it worth sending a good arm down and having him not available until the recall time passes to have a fresh arm vs going short for a couple of days when that pitcher isn't available because of extra work? YMMV. Not sure if was worth it for a "fresh" Bowman, but who knows.
  5. jmlease1
    I think they'll look at it around midseason. He's still very young, and right now this is all small samples. If he's still rolling at midseason, then I could see them bumping him up to Saint Paul. It's certainly the problem I want to have and the conversation that makes me smile.
  6. jmlease1
    I hope it's not a minor league development rule. We see our starters going 6 or more in MLB, and while I get not wanting to overstress young arms and build them up, at a certain point they do have to get some game experience in trying to pace themselves through longer stretches. nice game by Keaschall. He's on a roll right now at the plate. Hasn't seen much time in the field though...wonder why?
  7. jmlease1
    The injuries are certainly buying Santana playing time. Because dropping Kirilloff in at 1B right now...we're a bit short guys at DH and corner OF spots. I think Wallner would get sent down for a re-set if Larnach was ready but he's just started a rehab assignment. I mean, right here you want to drop Wallner and aren't happy with Margot or Buxton...I totally agree with you about Santana, but we are where we are now, so until some guys get healthy Santana is going to get more chances to turn it around. Farmer has enough of a track record that tossing him on the trash heap this early doesn't make a lot of sense, and with Correa down we need him to be an option at SS with Castro (which also pulls Castro out of the OF a bit) The offense isn't where it needs to be yet, but let see where things land at the end of april and we're a little past the small sample size/overreaction phase.
  8. jmlease1
    Kind of a strange career indeed, but nice to hear he's continued to work in baseball and coach in the minor leagues. Did not realize he was from Venezuela, so appreciate learning more about him. I wonder what happened in 1989 that made the Twins decide that Shane Rawley was a better option than giving Straker another chance? The immortal Freddie Tolliver got 5 starts for the '89 Twins and they wouldn't take another shot with Straker?
  9. jmlease1
    The question is whether the MLBPA would fight for something like this, or if they'll spend all their capital on things that benefit the top players making the biggest contracts. It's why there's been a split in the MLBPA recently, including the current internal union strife. But something like this is achievable.
  10. jmlease1
    Great job by SWR! Hope it's a sign of things to come. I've always been a fan of his talent and it's not like he's old for AAA. If the mechanical fix can keep his fastball up and he commands his pitches like he did today it's a good sign. His outing should give people a little more confidence in our ability to manage an injury to the rotation? Love sweeping a doubleheader. Maybe this will help get the team out of its funk and start them on a bit of a run. Still plenty of work to do, but these were good wins. Funny game, baseball.
  11. jmlease1
    you don't get extra for style: a win is a win. considering how much the team has been struggling with offense, I do not care how they got to the 11 runs. interesting game for Ryan: pretty dominant, yet punished for mistakes. 12 K's is 6 innings is pretty good work, though.
  12. jmlease1
    At some point the Twins have to let Marco Raya throw 80-90 pitches and 5-6 innings. I get that it's only his second start of the season, but this is starting to get silly. If he's not going to get more rope and an opportunity to test himself, he's not a starting pitching prospect, and they might as well just move him to the bullpen. He averaged more innings per start at 19 than he has at 20 or 21. I understand they're trying to protect him and keep him healthy, but he's never going to build up the endurance to be a real starting pitcher if he's never allowed to actually pitch real innings in the minors. It's not like it's his first taste of AA either; he had 11 starts last year in Wichita. I have a real questions about how they're handling Raya's development; if this continues he should be dropped at least 10 places on the prospect list at midseason regardless of how well he's pitching because he simply isn't a starter if they're so worried about keeping him healthy that he never throws more than 3 innings. 13 starts in AA and he's only thrown 35 innings. Emma continues to crush it. Which is good, because no one else on the prospect list had a particularly good day. Hard to worry about the 3Ks too much when he hammers a triple and a dinger, but his K rate will be worth keeping an eye on. But he sure doesn't seem worried about AA pitchers!
  13. jmlease1
    what will be funny is how little of a difference it will make. If the players don't play better, changing the manager isn't likely to make much difference. This isn't a case of the Twins having an incompetent manager who has lost the team (what MN fans refer to as a "Les Steckel Situation"). It's a bad storm of poor play, some injuries, and ownership forcing a payroll cut. Really thought the Twins were going to get rolling when they were taking good ABs against Skubal and pumping up his pitch counts in the 3rd & 4th, but they couldn't make him pay. You could see Lopez struggling with his grip in the weather on the other side. Not a fun game. Team's in a real funk right now. Hope the Correa injury doesn't sink them deeper.
  14. jmlease1
    Emma is off to a rollicking start in AA, and I love it. He's really got everything cooking to start the season: 5 of his 7 hits are for extra-bases, he's still collecting his walks nicely...dude is even a perfect 4-4 on SBs! the jump from A-ball to AA can be a hard one, and it doesn't seem to have fazed him a bit. roll on mah dude. Morris is interesting, and threw well. He was way too hittable last season in his first taste of high-A, and while he didn't get punished for it much last season I'm sure he knew he had to do better. So far, the result are what you want to see: he's keeping guys off the bases, striking out a ton of guys, and looking good. I like that he finished 6 this time out; it would be great to see him get deeper into games and consistently show he can go into the 6th or 7th inning. Could this be the year Cavaco figures it out? (I'm not putting money on it) Nice to see him actually hitting, but at 23 he needs to get out of A-ball.
  15. jmlease1
    This story does just keep getting wilder and wilder. $16M is a LOT of money, even for Ohtani.
  16. jmlease1
    Chourio is off to a very nice start. It'll be interesting to see how his development goes over this season and what he looks like as a prospect at the end of the year. Any one know how his defense looks? Winokur has serious power. Can he make enough consistent contact? Will there be too many holes in his swing? I suspect we won't really know until he makes it to the upper minors. Be fun to track Jenkins, Winokur, and Chourio together since they're all in their age-19 season in low-A.
  17. jmlease1
    A good win. The offense still needs work, but it was good to see 5 BBs on the table today. only 1 walk in the previous 2 games really helped keep the offense down, and more baserunners will help. Bullpen did great work, they've certainly been quality to start the year, even with the injuries to a couple of key guys. glad to see it. Correa has been absolutely fantastic to start the season. he really looks rejuvenated. no question the foot is feeling ok!
  18. jmlease1
    I was thrilled to see him making a diving catch and pop up like he did it every day. He looks great out there, running freely, and it's so fun to see him back to being his best self in CF. He also looks good on the basepaths and is once again dangerous there too; I'm looking forward to a 3B or SS airmailing a throw to 1B because they rushed their throw on what should have been a routine grounder because Buxton flew out of the box. When healthy, he's the most consistently exciting player I've ever watched in a Twins uniform. (I didn't say "best"; lots of arguments on that, but for pure excitement he's #1)
  19. jmlease1
    Reasonable questions. 1. I think my biggest issue with this one is that all of the hitters you named are RH and 2 of them are not OF (Farmer can play there, but it shouldn't be anyone's first or second choice and Miranda has never played the position). I do think Miranda and Martin have the ability to be every day players, but as 1 for 1 replacements for Kepler it's a different fit. 2. I fear (and believed from the start) that the answer to the first part of this is no. And my biggest concern every time we sign a veteran like this is that the sunk cost fallacy will rear it's ugly head and we'll stick with them far past their sell-date in order to try and recoup some value. (Of course, I was also one of the people who thought Kepler had fallen into that boat and was ready to dump him in June, and felt only Gallo's presence as the first to be cut and other injuries made it ok for him to keep his job. His second half was the flip side of this argument and I was proven wrong) 3. I loved Polanco and didn't want him to go. (He's having a dreadful start to his season in Seattle though) But he made the most sense to move with his contract and the depth we have coming up at 2B. Did we make the right deal? Maybe not, but what else was out there? We'll never know. 4. Kirilloff is pretty much in an every day role right now. he's second only to Buxton and Correa in PA's and has played in every game. he's had little opportunity against LHP so far, but I'd bet he'll get more chances if he keeps murdering RHP and being the best offensive player in the lineup. Part desperation, part performance? I think part of what they're doing with Kirilloff is trying to keep him healthy, and it's not unreasonable to sit him against a lefty starter if you are trying to manage his playing time a bit to keep him healthy. He's always hit when he's been right, and every time he falls apart at the plate there's been an injury in play, so trying to manage him for health does make sense.
  20. jmlease1
    I do love the outdoor baseball and it's far better than the Dome. But it's a bit of a crapshoot in april or october.
  21. jmlease1
    Hopefully just a bad day, but 3 errors in one game does pop out. Of course, that's how it happens sometimes for a young player: botch a play and it gets in your head, then you tank another one because you're thinking too much, and then inevitably the ball finds you again and you go to the zoo. Hopefully he can laugh it off and get back to business.
  22. jmlease1
    If he doesn't solve his 3-run HR problem, he'll be in the bullpen. Giving up too many HRs are a problem for any starter, but it's mitigated when you keep runners off base in front of them. If you give up a hit and walk and then the bomb, you're in big trouble. I do still like SWR as a potential rotation option.
  23. jmlease1
    I think it has more to do with how inconsistent weather is in april in MN; today is going to be in the 60's and lovely. monday was dreary, cool, gray, and with showers. people don't want to spend a packet on tickets and then have it be cold and/or rainy for baseball. when it's sunny and nice, a day game at Target Field is glorious. when it's cold and grey and raining...it's ain't as fun. and night games when it's in the 40's can be rough.
  24. jmlease1
    And if Ober had given up the 3-run dinger you'd be burying Rocco for that. If Varland had gotten yanked you'd be burying him for not giving the kid a chance or something. Position noted: you hate the manager, you hate the front office, and want them all fired. Got it. If the offense doesn't get going, it might happen to all of them. That said, anyone who thinks that winning a playoff series last year was a bad thing isn't much of a Twins fan.
  25. jmlease1
    Nick has it nailed that regardless of the reality baseball has a perception problem regarding umpiring, especially with balls and strikes. while no one expects 100% accuracy, the egregious calls really stand out. (Ed Julien's experience against the Dodgers last season stands out, when he was rung up on a "strike" call that was clearly outside, confirmed by aerial view cams, and so dreadful that the Dodgers broadcast crew started laughing about it.) Those are the ones that you just can't have happen. The broadcast box being out of synch with how the umps are graded is a real issue, because the broadcast box is not going away. It's an innovation that fans like and would complain about loudly if MLB somehow managed to bully the broadcasts into dumping it, and that would lead to a bigger perception problem: that MLB did it to cover something up. If they can get it consistently closer to what umps are graded on it would certainly help. Overall the umps are pretty good, even if there are some holdovers who act as if they're who people came to see. (considering training for officials in every sport they usually mention that your best performances are ones where no one remembers you were there, this is a bit odd...but weird umps like Ron Luciano (who was actually very skilled) did make the game more fun) But if MLB can't get a handle on this the cries for the electronic zone are only going to get louder. I'm increasingly ready, because I'm sick of talking about an ump having a shocker.
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