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Willihammer

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Everything posted by Willihammer

  1. Willihammer
    And if you were to invent a League Factor, it might look something like this 30s: 30 60s: 60 00s: 90 which is why you can't make a 1:1 comparison of stats. Ruth played in a country club, Bonds played against Japanese, black Dominicans, etc.
  2. Willihammer
    What do fans of Hunter's leadership think about bringing him back as a coach? Would the impact be there if he's not lacing up as a player?
  3. Willihammer
    So he is swinging at more fastballs inside in an attempt to pull the ball more. He is attempting to pull the ball in order to a. beat the shift and b. hit for more power. However by swinging at these pitches he is neither improving his BABIP or Slg%. At what point do the Twins declare failure at turning him into a "corner profile" guy and just let him do his thing again?
  4. Willihammer
    According to at least one source, ABWII's specific weakness is breaking balls at the knees. Isn't the difference between AA and AAA pitchers, that AAA guys throw better breaking balls and command them better? I thought I read that on these boards somewhere.
  5. Willihammer
    Speaking of Perot, he's not dead! Maybe he would run too and complete the 1992 reunion
  6. Willihammer
    Even if DH-ing Sano delays his defensive development (which I doubt, as Dave said there is nothing stopping him shagging ground balls and drilling til the cows come home), that is a small price to pay for adding a potential impact bat to the lineup in a contention year. Not to mention the fact that Sano is probably destined for 1B or DH anyway due to his size (at least that's what the consensus seems to be in some circles around here).
  7. Willihammer
    I do think there's a slice of the populace that would mobilize for a "man on the moon" type campaign, myself included (haven't voted since 2004). I think Millenials (or whatever the generation just after millenials is called - the kids who grew up during the Bush wars) want something pure and uncomplicated to rally behind instead of the complexity of terrorism, religion, etc.
  8. Willihammer
    Molitor wants righties in today against Wacha (RHP): http://www.startribune.com/robinson-in-the-lineup-but-it-s-not-a-favor-to-cardinals-fans/307622751/ Never realized he had such splits.
  9. Willihammer
    Disappointing year. I had big ideas for him but there's still a lot of season left. It would be good to see him turn in a few weeks of 1.000 ball like he has in prior options.
  10. Willihammer
    I have this experience all the time as a fan and more at work which involves the restuarant/bar business. It is amazing how many bars in this town dedicate literally no TVs to a Twins game until asked. That said, if you want to drive up Snelling to Grumpy's they will usually have the game going on at least a couple TVs. My personal go-to spot for any MN-based sports viewing is Mac's Industrial on University & Central. They usually pipe the audio as well and most of the patrons are there to watch the game.
  11. Willihammer
    Here's a fun one. Brian Dozier has a higher ISO (273) than Albert Pujols (.272) Miguel Cabrera (.251) Jose Bautista (.246) Jose Abreu (.220) among many others
  12. Willihammer
    There has been some at-bats recently where there is a man on and Mauer is hacking at pitches in even or hitter-counts and then asking the umpire immediately afterward if it was a strike. I think there might be a conflict with the team asking him to be a run producer and Mauer's ongoing attempt to figure out the expanded strike zone. I wonder how much simply bumping him up in the order and asking him to a run SCORER would change things.
  13. Willihammer
    The Twins desperately need someone in the bottom half of the lineup who can work a count (other than Hicks). It would be great if Rosario could turn into one of those guys and Vargas could get back to drawing the occasional walk like he did in the minors. Rosario's plate coverage is so good, I think he should not be afraid to let a count go to at least strike one before taking the bat off his shoulder.
  14. Willihammer
    http://insatiablebooksluts.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/JonStewartUgh.gif
  15. Willihammer
    It was a devastating misplay, no question. He blew it and he knows it, hopefully it doesn't happen again for a long time. IMO his plate appearances have been better, even if the results aren't there (yet).
  16. Willihammer
    You might be right about power being a worse predictor than Avg or OBP. Then again, if the industry's understanding of OBP was wrong before, maybe its wrong again? Maybe there is some other aspect of Walker's game that is more important than all of it. The ability to turn on a high fastball, perhaps. Just as easily the inability to lay off breaking pitches at the knees could render his career DOA. All we know for sure is that our understanding is never perfect, and that "non-prospects" will continue to break out and have productive MLB careers (less often than "prospects").
  17. Willihammer
    Yeah I've heard it too. I vividly remember Nick Blackburn telling that to the KFAN morning show guys around May 2011, for instance. First things first. Gibson did throw 7 innings in that Brewer game and got 13 ground balls to 5 fly balls. Only, 3 of those 5 left the park. So it was far from his worst outing. In fact he's had some very good starts on 5 days rest (Apr 26, May 12, May 24). Obviously I can't say for a fact he would perform materially better with 5 than 4 since its never really been tried for any length of time with him or really on any MLB team ever (they do it in Japan however). There's a lot of research out there backing up the theory that increased velocity leads to increased effectivesness - sinkerballers included. I would also point to spring training when Gibson was consistently 94-95 and just dominating. Pelfrey too - he's always been more effective at 94+. Less than that, and he gets knocked around. Leaguewide, the best sinkerballers are hard throwers - Zimmerman, Lynn, Kluber, etc. Its a myth that sinkerballers need to be "tired" or they become ineffictive at higher velocities. The opposite is true.
  18. Willihammer
    Dozier? Kubel? Koskie? Mientkewicz? Pinto?
  19. Willihammer
    Sounds dubious. No source. Not a peep from anyone local saying it. And it doesn't really make sense if you've been following this team. Didn't another writer say the Twins should be buyers for a "back of the rotation" starter at the deadline? This seems about as plausible as that IMO.
  20. Willihammer
    Because its a cherry picked sample?
  21. Willihammer
    Actually that would be 17 (including Walker). They won't add all of them but I count the following probables: Walker Duffey Baxendale Melotakis Jones Rogers Buxton and Berrios would make 8. Does that seem realistic? It will be interesting to watch whatever their plan is unfold. One way or another they are going to have some roster turnover.
  22. Willihammer
    Ah yes the old, too strong to get anyone out excuse. I love that one.
  23. Willihammer
    Getting back to the original question - I think its an interesting idea for a few reasons. Like the Mets, the Twins have some starters coming off arm injuries. We are all too aware of how starkly different an unhealthy Nolasco and Pelfrey look compared to being at full strength. If an extra day of rest / fewer starts is good for their health, it ought to be good for their output too. Gibson, May, and Hughes are healthy, though not pitching well enough to really force the issue IMO. And there is a lot of team control left for all 3 so maybe conserving innings now, while the opportunity is there (and when Santana returns), might be prudent. And as Chief has pointed out, there's no point carrying 13 pitchers if 2 of them are going to sit all the time. Swapping a reliever for a starter who is guaranteed innings might trim some of that inefficiency.
  24. Willihammer
    I think the offense misses Arcia's bat. He needs to get it going.
  25. Willihammer
    I don't want to go through the entire roster but again there are 14 other '15 eligibles - Duffey, Harrison, Hicks, Jones, Rogers, Baxendale, for example. Then 16 more in '16 - Buxton, Berrios, Garver, Turner, etc. the full list is in the Organizational Chart area. Seems like with a flood of prospects coming through the system, keeping a roster spot for Walker will be the challenge, not running out of option years.
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