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Otto von Ballpark

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Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    I don't know if a 103 loss team, with so few changes/additions, can truly have a roster crunch.
  2. Otto von Ballpark
    I don't think Meyer would solve anything, but he would have been an interesting option to keep around through his last option year. He showed some progress at the end of 2016 with the Angels. I'd probably rather have him than Santiago right now (even if Meyer was optioned to AAA, it would open up a rotation spot for Duffey).
  3. Otto von Ballpark
    So that means "mop-up duty" right? I'd add Santiago to Duffey's potential piggypack list in the early going. Hopefully he doesn't injure his back in the process!
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    Adderall Mejia. His starts will be the ones to stay awake for and pay attention to.
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    To focus on the positives: Very exciting that Mejia made the rotation! While I also wanted to see Duffey continue starting, I guess it will be nice to see him in the majors too. Hopefully with Haley around, Duffey isn't just put into mop-up spots either.
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    Grossman has never played a professional inning at first base. Has he been worked there this spring?
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    I love that Gimenez owns a 1B mitt and has played a few games there in the past, but I hope that's not their 1B platoon partner for Mauer...
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    That is a good observation. Who is the backup 1B? If the backup is the LHB Kepler, that probably doesn't bode well for platooning Mauer. Or could it be Sano? Has he taken any reps there this spring? He only has 14 career pro innings at the position.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    In other words: Danny Santana is kind of the position player equivalent of Tonkin at the moment, no?
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    I hope not. There was nothing to really suggest that was going to happen, or that it would be a good thing.
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    I agree with all of this. Belisle was kind of a "meh" way to commit a bullpen spot, with Kintzler already in the fold, not to mention Pressly. Plus Breslow? Plus Haley? We should have been able to target some kind of upside there instead, and still give Tonkin one last shot if no one else pushed him aside this spring.
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    Single season in the current decade, you mean? Millenium would be Morneau's 2006. Total this millenium or decade, Delmon is only 10th in Twins RBI.
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    I think Melotakis was slowed by injury early in camp, no? And Hildenberger ended last year with some elbow issues and isn't on the 40-man. And neither has pitched in AAA yet. I think it makes sense to let them both debut at AAA to open the season. I fully admit Tonkin shouldn't hold those guys back in a month or two, or even hold back a decent waiver claim starting today, but at present time, he's the most logical option to occupy that bullpen spot.
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    Which looks suspiciously like the strategy of the old FO too...
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    No doubt, he had issues. But would you rather trot him out there again and see what happens? Or cut him to add a warm body like Wimmers? That's the choice we face today.
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    10 K/9 over a full MLB season, versus only 3 BB/9, is a sign of success. If Chargois or one of the relievers you listed had already done that, I'd probably want them on the roster too. Is there a better alternative than Tonkin to plug in today? Surely not Wimmers. Probably not quite Chargois yet either. I could have gotten behind a theoretical winter acquisition taking his spot, but today I just don't see one in the org. No point in flushing that away today for no good reason.
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    To be fair, I still think Vogelsong would have had the inside track (at least for a bullpen job) with any kind of acceptable performance this spring. But he sort of made the decision for us. Although that's definitely a step up from TR/Antony, who wouldn't even let Jason Bartlett retire after a 4-for-43 spring...
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    I wouldn't quite put Tonkin in that group today. Beyond K rate, he's actually dominated in the high minors and shown signs of success in MLB too. And not necessarily because he's older -- he first reached AAA and MLB at age 23, although he's hung around now for a few years. He's obviously not a sure thing, but I think he clearly deserves one more chance over the alternatives available today. Even if reliever moves are by definition pretty low-margin, I would have been upset had we cut him today in favor of Wimmers.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    While looking at reliever stats, I noticed Minnesota native Brad Hand had a pretty good relief season with the Padres last year. He was claimed off waivers from the Marlins last April. Off the top of my head, Will Harris was an Astros waiver claim from the 2014-2015 offseason and has turned out pretty good too. Hopefully the Twins can make some good claims in the next month (and hopefully they have the lowest waiver priority in the league after that ).
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    FYI, league is only the top priority for August trade waiver claims. For outright assignment/release waiver claims, the first priority is record regardless of league. http://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3525
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    That would be huge, but so far Sano is trending the wrong way. Here are Bryant's spring training K rates: 2014: 55% (11/20) 2015: 32% (14/44) 2016: 24% (15/62) 2017: 21% (12/58) Here are Sano's to date: 2016: 31% (20/64) 2017: 43% (22/51)
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Three Rule 5 relievers have already been returned. Any of them more interesting than Tonkin or Haley? Caleb Smith: http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=smith-005cal Tyler Jones (former Twin!): http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=jones-002tyl Hoby Milner: http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=milner001hob Jones is actually slightly older than Tonkin...
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    I too would have liked more interesting options acquired this winter. But not much more you could do with this group, right now. Given their past usage of Tonkin, I don't think they will hesitate to drop him when a better option comes along, so that's good. In the meantime, might as well roll with him again.
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    To get his 2016 line up to a .260 AVG, Sano would need to add 10 hits, for a resulting BABIP of .371. That K rate is going to have to come down for that average to go up, and it doesn't look like he's made any progress toward that goal so far this spring. (Although to be fair, leaguewide AVG is down about 15 points in the last 10 years -- .259 was the MLB non-pitcher average last year. Maybe there's not so much shame in a lower average, although it would cap his upside at "good hitter" rather than "great hitter")
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    Mauer moved back to Minnesota in 2013 after the birth of his daughters: http://www.twincities.com/2016/02/16/fatherhood-has-grounded-joe-mauer-but-twins-first-baseman-anxious-to-win/
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