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Sousy

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Everything posted by Sousy

  1. Sousy
    In retrospect, the offseason move that made the biggest difference in how I watch / consume baseball was the new Twins AAA affiliation with the St. Paul Saints. I paid more attention to the AAA / AA levels than I really had in the past, mostly because the various beat writers were able to actually go see the teams - and so could we. Having the AAA players be in the media market is a great thing for being able to connect to and track the progress of these players. A year ago I don't know that I would have really known some of these guys beyond what I could find on the internet, but going to actually see Ryan Jeffers catch Bailey Ober earlier in the year really cemented that mental / emotional connection in a way that reading about the Rochester Red Wings on the internet didn't.
  2. Sousy
    If there are plate appearances for Astudillo, there are certainly open plate appearances for Miranda. The decision there might be one of the 'when and how much' Miranda could be called up to the Twins - while he naturally slots at 3B (for now) he might have a chance to do some stints in the MLB on those weeks if there are opportunities for Donaldson to rotate to DH like they did in the back half of this year. It might depend on how much they want him to be hitting / playing every day. This (of course) assumes that the other blockers (i.e. Astudillo) have other options available.
  3. Sousy
    The Twins lost mostly because rather than playing matchups there were huge chunks of the season where it seemed like they were calling up whoever could slot onto the 40 man roster and fill an at bat. There was a low point where (and no slight to the player himself) where the only option they had at center field was calling up Celestino from AA. While it was great to see some growth from him (and Gordon) it was pretty obvious that the fit was far from comfortable in the beginning.
  4. Sousy
    I certainly vote 'no' for the reasons noted here. Other thoughts: Given how these things go, baseball is unique in that not having the league / union dictate salary caps or floors, This means that the financial situation of each team is dependent on how the owner sees a path to profitably. Some owners are content to not really compete because the TV revenue sharing and a low payroll is a way to provide a good margin of profitability. Even way back when, Connie Mack knew that fielding a team that had a low payroll 'but not last place' was typically the most profitable years he could have as an owner and liked to sell off players after a winning stretch. Being 'competitive' is such a tough thing to predict at many different points. This year the Padres, Cardinals and Giants are pretty good examples of things you might have expected at the beginning of the year not being true at the end of the year. It seems to be the case that teams catch lightning in a bottle with teams that they might not have considered to be at the peak of a 'competitive window'. It's a different scenario now with expanded playoffs - but the '87 and '91 Twins were a pretty good example of decent teams getting hot at the right time. Who wants to watch your team get pounded year in and year out in the hope that a development pipeline bears fruit? As successful as Tampa has been at selling off players for prospects, it sure doesn't seem that they're building a strong and loyal fan base.
  5. Sousy
    It's hard to classify this one. 2011 and all the injuries seem to be the closest, but this season feels like a mix of bad luck in terms of injuries and bad luck in terms of nearly every free agent signing turning into a bust. There's also a number of younger players coming up in terms of the lineup and pitching that don't make the future seem that dire. 1993 and afterwards was a total different universe of disappointment - from a bad season to labor disputes to what felt like a nail in the coffin in 1995. I suppose the good news of those memories is that no matter what happens from then on out, there's always a reason for optimism.
  6. Sousy
    Switching over to MLB's "Big Inning" after the Twins game jumped right to this at bat: https://ftw.usatoday.com/lists/dodgers-brusdar-graterol-silly-102-mph-pitch
  7. Sousy
    If a player is called up to the 40-man but not played, does that still entitle them to the post-retirement benefits (e.g. health plans, etc.) of an MLB player? UPDATE: A Google link says 'yes' https://www.bclplaw.com/en-US/insights/blogs/benefits-bclp/major-league-baseball-pension-and-healthcare-benefits.html If Maggi does decide to call it quits at age 32 after this season - that's one hell of a benefit. Even if Rocco didn't play him (boo) having him sit on the bench in Toronto is hardly a slap in the face.
  8. Sousy
    The AAA players would only be getting 10 days off this time around.
  9. Sousy
    I find it interesting that when it comes to special events in the NHL, the teams are 'consulted' but the design choices are ultimately the decision of the league office. The good news is that they've done a remarkable job - from introducing the North Stars / Reverse Retro for the Wild or this year's Winter Classic jerseys. Truthfully, I was a little 'meh' on the Wild Winter Classic jerseys until I read the press release about the league wanting to highlight the minor league history of Minneapolis / St. Paul minor league hockey. It's a purposeful echo of Minnesota baseball history - the Wild will be playing in those jerseys under the giant "Minnie and Paul" sign that ties together the special histories of baseball / Twins and hockey / Wild in the Twin Cities metro. Now I'm actually fired up about the whole idea. https://www.nhl.com/wild/news/wild-winter-classic-jersey-100421/c-326079228
  10. Sousy
    I agree. Even though I get the little nostalgia dopamine hit from the baby blues, once in a great while is often enough. I'm also of the mindset of it being great to either bring back the pinstripe creams as an alternate, or just bring back the pinstripes for the normal home jersey. I don't know why, but the plain white is just a little too 'blah'. I've also always preferred the script "Twins" over the block letter look.
  11. Sousy
    It's the glasses.
  12. Sousy
    My favorite currently is the navy alternate; it’s the classic script with a bit more modern design (yes, even the gold). Unfortunately they replaced the off-white pinstripes which is my favorite of all the Twins uniforms.
  13. Sousy
    If there's going to be a position player pitching... it's time for Rortvedt.
  14. Sousy
    So who's left to pitch the second game today? If this one goes to extras, might have to finish the second game with a pitching machine.
  15. Sousy
    If I interpreted Shoemaker's comments correctly, he felt that the pitching coaches were expecting pitchers to pitch to a certain type of plan. I would have interpreted that generously as "they didn't let us pitch as individuals", but in Shoemaker's case there are also some obvious ways his game needs to change. I've also never read / heard anyone downgrading the clubhouse atmosphere as being terrible. Maybe Hrbek would complain if the trainers felt that an ice cream sandwich dunked in a beer wasn't a proper training diet for an athlete.
  16. Sousy
    If anything, seeing a starter effectively go that deep into a game certainly makes bullpen issues easier to resolve.
  17. Sousy
    My thought is that we'll trade some corner depth (LF/RF, 1B/3B) for pitching prospects. I don't see it really being Polanco or Arraez just because the Twins really seem to lack options when it comes to 2B/SS/CF both on the MLB club and in the minors. I think Polanco stays where he is at 2B and Arraez is a depth piece there or in the corners. On the other hand, when Kirilloff returns next Spring - where does he fit? Would the Twins look to move a Sano / Kepler to bring in a Kirilloff / Miranda / Larnach? I'll note that I have a particular emotional attachment I can't explain to Kepler / Buxton / Polanco / Rogers. There could be a perfectly logical reason to trade any of them but I'll still be mad.
  18. Sousy
    The order you listed is probably close to what many of us already think. I also would really like to see the Strotman / Balazovich / Duran, etc, list of prospects improve and/or return to full health and contribute down the stretch to the MLB club, even if it is as depth pieces for stretches of the season. OFFSEASON PREDICTION: We're going to trade a position player we really like for more AAA potential pitching prospects.
  19. Sousy
    It will be interesting to find out more about Larnach's injury. He was a guy that looked like the real deal early on that struggled with breaking balls, then continued to struggle more than we would have liked at AAA. Kirilloff in retrospect has / had that incredible ability to completely adjust his hitting style after the wrist injury. Assuming rehab goes well he seems to be the kind of guy that will bounce back pretty well.
  20. Sousy
    Totally agree. Gordon doesn't seem to be the 'everyday starter' type of player anymore either, just due to his problems with health / weight, etc. I also can't imagine the Twins adding Maggi to the 40 man roster at this point of his career. That has the feeling of 'total disaster', even though the Twins org in general seems pretty short of middle infielder prospects.
  21. Sousy
    In terms of the Cruz trade, both teams seemed to get what they needed as of mid-season 2021. Tampa needed to add some offensive spark to a hitting lineup for a playoff run, the Twins need some high caliber pitching prospects to build for the future. I don't know if that qualifies on anyone's part as fleecing.
  22. Sousy
    Nope - as mentioned service time doesn’t work like that any longer, and unless he really tanks this year / in training camp there is probably not a reason to keep him in AAA. The time for his shot is now / next year.
  23. Sousy
    I watch this market through the eyes of my ten year old that really likes the idea of cards, but there are big parts of the market that exceed a ten year old’s budget. I’m not sure what to think about cards in that context - there is not the ubiquity there once was, and it’s interesting that cards become a digital currency in games like MLB The Show. What is probably my biggest concern is all of this concentration of brands under the umbrella of the Fanatics company. They already seem to control much of the merchandising and all of the online presence of MLB and others; it’s not the best experience for fans and seemingly not for teams. The Twins online store is a Fanatics site that has far fewer products available than you can find in person at Target Field for instance - and that retail arm of the Twins has no online presence. I’m curious what that experience will translate to for card collectors. I’m not confident that a one source for all things baseball will be a good thing.
  24. Sousy
    Agreed - and watching Joe Ryan last night it was interesting to see how different his delivery is from an Ober, or Pineda, etc. It's also hard to compare a Bert Blyleven who had a 20-some year career with an ERA that was consistently below 3 or so to the majority of pitchers who cycle through MLB and might have a 3-4 year career. Blyleven was certainly a guy that was an outlier in his own era, much less today.
  25. Sousy
    From what I know of Tommy John surgery, it seems unreal that something like that actually works. I have no idea what "internal brace" means, but here's hoping he can come back healthy.
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