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Willihammer

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Everything posted by Willihammer

  1. Willihammer
    Watching the Tigers broadcast yesterday, the announcer commented "The Twins playing Victor Martinez straight up. They are one of the few teams who doesn't shift against him." Sure enough the third of Martinez's 3 hits was a grounder up the middle, too far to the left of Santana's reach. I know its a 1 lonely data point but this isn't the first batter I've heard this about. JJ Hardy is another (which I thought was funny - didn't the Twins try to coach Hardy stop pulling the ball?). Brian McCann is a third (earlier this year Gardy said they didn't shift on McCann because they didn't have enough data on him). They don't need Cal Ripken Jr at shortstop; they need to be positioned better. There is no excuse for a team as tight fisted as the Twins, not to be on the cutting edge of shifting - those outs are free.
  2. Willihammer
    I like Santana too. His changeup has turned into a real weapon.
  3. Willihammer
    A suggestion download the PDF Print it.
  4. Willihammer
    IF we're not supposed to take #3 seriously, does it therefore mean we are supposed to take your thoughts seriously?
  5. Willihammer
    No reason to give it to him. FA's don't want to play in MN anyways
  6. Willihammer
    Free agency is an avenue. Trades are an avenue. Waivers and the Rule 5 draft are avenues. But you'll have to do better than Jim Hoey, Matt Capps, Dusty Hughes, Matt Maloney, Nishioka, Marquis, Correia, Nolasco, Doumit, Florimon, Pressly, and co. Its like Marthaler said on the Sportive yesterday. The Twins track record on FA and trade transactions is so pitiful that you just assume that if a guy is incoming that he stinks and if he's outgoing that he's a pretty good player. "A special brand of hopeless incompetence" is what he calls it. "Wait and see on draft picks" has only become the default motto of this rebuild because they have failed so miserably in every other avenue of acquiring talent that we can't yet say with the same certainty that they whiffed on guys who are still in the minor leagues.
  7. Willihammer
    Have you ever waited at the stoplight at Oak and Washington? Or Stinson and 88? Or tried driving down 35W at about 4:00? Minneapolis has some great neighborhoods but the traffic approaches Chicago levels of gridlock in spots. In Saint Paul, there is all the same stuff, just fewer cars in your way getting there.
  8. Willihammer
    Caught a break there.
  9. Willihammer
    Bacon? Or maybe just, instead of Crisco or butter, bacon grease. Mmmm
  10. Willihammer
    I'd definitely look at Tomas for a corner OFer. Barring that, I'd talk to the Dodgers about swapping Nolasco for Kemp or Crawford. Among FA SPs, I like Maeda, Santana and Liriano. Among FA relievers I like the 2013 Red Sox WS team -Uehara, Tazawa, Miller are all FA's, am I forgetting anyone?
  11. Willihammer
    So why are we talking about it? Its impossible not to read between the lines a little. This "story" reminded me of the Zimmer interview on Barreiro last week. He said his players were his family and he's stand behind AP, a man accused of child abuse, as if he were a son or daughter afflicted with cancer (he later recanted the statement). Gardy throws Hicks under the bus when asked a simple question about his availability for Sunday's game. But as you said he played on Monday so I'm sure there was absolutely nothing to that statement.
  12. Willihammer
    Nolasco for Crawford? Crawford's actually had a decent bounceback. He is owed 24m more than Nolasco over the next 3 years. edit: Looks like CC has a limited no-trade clause in his contract.
  13. Willihammer
    So the clubhouse opens at 9:30, and Hicks got there "shortly after" 10:30. I've been as frustrated with him as any fan but that's pretty small beans. Its not like he was caught beating his kid with a stick or something.
  14. Willihammer
    Nolasco, like Correia, Worley, Marquis, can only point to past success in the NL. I don't know how many more of these guys we need to whiff on but it should be clear that an average #3 in the NL is probably an average #4 in the AL and if he moves to the Twins from the NL becomes an average #6. Nolasco also had an elbow injury which isn't totally reflected by his 32 game stint on the DL. By his own admission, it had been bothering him prior to hitting the DL so there is a gigantic red flag for future injury & ineffectiveness right there. Counting on him to "rebound" into the healthy player he was in the NL seems pretty foolish at this point, and thankfully that doesn't seem to be Ryan's plan.
  15. Willihammer
    Nolasco for B.J. Upton? I still can't believe how Upton tailed off. No injuries in that time frame apart from a 21-day stint for a groin pull. Would anyone have any interest in him as a reclamation / swap?
  16. Willihammer
    Probably didn't help that Nolasco didn't cover first on the grounder to Parmelee last night.
  17. Willihammer
    The only thing more depressing than the thought of watching another Gardy led team in 2015, is the thought of watching a Gardy led team through the rest of the 2010s
  18. Willihammer
    That's not quite far. Herrmann hit that ball high off the fence in front of the bullpen. It was not a cheap 2 bagger IMO. I never thought I'd say it but I'm kind of intrigued by Herrmann. His approach has changed, higher hands. Seems to be swinging harder.
  19. Willihammer
    The only part of that sequence that bothers me is the decision to have Santana bunt. Schafer can get to 2nd on his own, we don't need to give free strikes and probably a free out to accomplish that, certainly not from a guy batting .320. In fact, Schafer is fast enough to score from first so there is really no need to get fancy at all in that spot IMO. Not until there are 2 outs.
  20. Willihammer
    Every year since 2003, the Twins have had 1 qualified starter finish in the bottom 10 in K%. The average ERA of the same starter in the year following those bottom-10 seasons? 5.05 This year's winner will be Kyle Gibson.
  21. Willihammer
    Perez at-bat, runners at first and third, nobody out. 0-2 count. Bert says "here is where you need to trust that your catcher can block a pitch in the dirt. Curveball in the dirt. "Now throw that curveball again only about a foot higher." Curveball a foot higher. Strike 3 swining. It was impressive.
  22. Willihammer
    The average xFIP- of all qualified relievers in 2014 is 92.0. The average xFIP- of qualified relievers who throw between 70% and 90% fastballs is 94.1 (n=25). Those with an average velocity above 95.0 mph (n=7) have an average xFIP- of 86.9. Those with an average FB velocity between 93.0 and 94.9 (n=8) have a xFIP- of 97.8. And those with an average FB velocity between 91 and 92.9 (n=6) have an average xFIP- of 101.6. As reliant as Pelfrey is on the fastball, its going to come down to the radar gun. 95+ or bust.
  23. Willihammer
    I think maybe the best thing about watching May's starts is listening to Bert's commentary.
  24. Willihammer
    I agree. Kluber, Salazar, Bauer... I don't know who else they have coming up but that's a pretty good start.
  25. Willihammer
    OK fair enough. Target Field's outfield is actually smaller than the Dome's. The point about the big scoreboard in RCF and the taller fences made me think: Are the Twins being unfairly penalized by UZR and the defensive metrics for all the balls the opposition hits off the scoreboard & fence?
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