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jmlease1

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Everything posted by jmlease1

  1. jmlease1
    Farmer looks completely lost at the plate right now. Just a brutal slump. I don't think he's completely forgotten how to play baseball or had his skills utterly wiped out by age yet, but right now he's so far inside his head that he desperately needs some kind of reset. If Correa were back I'd say it's time for the 10 IL stint with a "sore back". Maybe some naked BP. Throw yourself in the laundry machine with your uniform on. Call in someone to cast out the demons & evil spirits (I know a guy, Kyle!). Anything to get him out of his head. This is painful, and he's a good dude. The dingers from Ryan are concerning, but as long as he's not putting guys on in front of them, it can be managed. But that's a bit of a tightrope. He's still getting plenty of K's, so it's pretty clear that he just gets punished hard for his mistakes. But he still got through 6. Bullpen has been good. We thought it would be a strength and they're doing well. Bowman...the results have been good, but some of the underlying numbers make me a little concerned. Stewart and Jax, though: no worries there. Looking forward to adding Duran back to the mix so they don't get overused though.
  2. jmlease1
    He's a very interesting prospect and I'm intrigued that he's working with looks like a 5 pitch mix at his age and level. a lot of young pitchers start out with a fastball and maybe 1-2 off-speed pitches and they really spend a lot of time trying to add an effective 2nd/3rd pitch as they go through the organization. I think it's a little more unusual to be working with 5 at this level, but it does present opportunities to refine and remove pitches later as they discover what's most effective for him. Glad to see him working in A-ball and he'll be fun to track as he progresses. Lot of talent.
  3. jmlease1
    Twins seem to be pretty high on De Andrade; I'll be interested to see if he can hit enough as he keeps moving up in the organization. Cespedes is having an excellent start to the season at Cedar Rapids. He's a little old for the level, but it is his first experience at high-A, so maybe this is a breakout opportunity.
  4. jmlease1
    Lopez having a rough game against the ChiSox was the worst part about this game. We need him to be good and he wobbled pretty badly against a team he could have gotten well against. Hopefully it's more about the weather than anything else, because we're a bit thin in the rotation with Varland having been (deservedly) sent down. Offense scratched it through late, but the lack of walks in this one is the bad signal for me. 14Ks against 1 BB is not a good formula, but they were able to bunch their 10 hits together enough to get it done. Larnach is certainly seizing his opportunity, which is good to see and Buxton looks like he's heating up as well. And Jeffers certainly has picked up where he left off from last season, which is huge. Hopefully they can hold it together until Correa and Lewis get back. Sands seems to have found something this season. Still small samples, but he really does seem legitimately better. Okert & Jackson have been underwheming but it's still early. Funderburk got it done, but I'm a little concerned about how hittable he's been. the big K numbers aren't as impactful when you're also giving up a hit every inning; hopefully that's just sample noise. No style points, but a win is a win and we're not in a position to question how we're getting them right now. It's not like you get extra credit in the standings for making it pretty! Bet parking was a mess last night with the Wolves playing at the same time across the street.
  5. jmlease1
    Yes, it's the ChiSox who are awful. But even jaw-droppingly, historically dreadful teams win 30% of their games so you have to take them seriously and beat the team in front of you. It was very nice to have a easy win. Paddack did the job very well, kept the ChiSox locked down. The changeup has always been good, but the fastball seems to be holding that additional velocity and the curveball has been better this year. Hopefully this is a start he can build on. Good job by the offense jumping on the ChiSox early and keeping it going. Is Max Kepler back? Be interesting if he's the catalyst
  6. jmlease1
    Doncon is really raking to start the season. While I don't expect him to stick at SS, if he keeps this up that bat will play wherever he lands in the infield. Good to see Schobel and Winokur getting going. Keaschall is having a terrific start to the season. He looks really good so far. I'm really impressed with the 12-9 walk to strikeout ratio. He's also doing making good contact and doing damage when he swings. Not bad at all. He stays on this track and he'll be in Wichita this year for sure.
  7. jmlease1
    Dang it was cold at the game! pre-game on the mall was brutal with that wind. Ober looked really good early and was mixing his pitches well. Tough call on pulling him: he was still doing ok, but was starting to wobble a bit. But it was really nice to see him throwing that cutter down and then getting in that good fastball at the top of the zone, changing speeds and eye-level. Hope they've figured out what he's tipping for KC, because it's clearly something. Martin's doing pretty well for a rookie. Hopefully he can keep legging out some doubles. I would like to see him given the green light on the bases when he does stop at 1B: he's got good speed and the skill to swipe bags. (I would like the Twins to run more generally; Julien, Martin, Buxton, and Castro are all guys who can give us an advantage on the bases but so far we're not seeing much there. Some of it's probably situational, but getting more aggressive on the bases should help generate some more runs too)
  8. jmlease1
    Keaschall is having a really nice start to the season: showing good pop and patience, plenty of contact, swiping some bases...he's even getting time back out in the field again. Great way to start the year for him. He was pushed pretty aggressively, so it's good to see him doing well out the gate. Good to see Winokur have a good night; he's been scrabbling a bit. I'll be interested to see where he sits in a month
  9. jmlease1
    the team that wants to only need 6-7 starters to get through a season and have them throw enough innings that they're not hoping a couple of meh relievers can give them 70-80 innings of competent relief? At a certainly point we're going to burn through so many starters that the surest way to a winning season is keeping your rotation mostly healthy...even if they're not elite. Which will be better: 30 starts from a decent starter who can consistently throw 6+ or 10 from an elite guy, 10 from a decent guy, and 10 from a garbage fire? It's an interesting question. I don't think we're there yet, but it could be a real factor if trends continue. I suspect baseball isn't going to deaden the ball...
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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)
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. 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?
  16. 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.
  17. 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?
  18. 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.
  19. 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.
  20. 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.
  21. 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!
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  24. jmlease1
    This story does just keep getting wilder and wilder. $16M is a LOT of money, even for Ohtani.
  25. 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.
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