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Kwak

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Everything posted by Kwak

  1. Kwak
    My guess is that Deduno was told: "you're injured". In this way Deduno can be kept off of the Active Roster yet not be exposed to someone claiming him were he optioned to Rochester. IMO, Ryan abhors the concept of Deduno in the rotation (ergo why he was removed from the 40-man Roster)--but far worse were some team claim him from the opton process to Rochester, and then become a 15+ game winner!
  2. Kwak
    No, it won't. Any contract will be determined by total dollars and the number of years. A signed contract will define "control". It is highly unlikely that Hicks would be able to include such perks as: "no or limited trade clause", or position in the field, or position in the batting line-up given his limited service time/status on the Twins totem pole. Most likely the best course of action for the Twins would be to trade Hicks (if he becomes the player selected) for multiple players. There are so many good OFs in the franchise--and so many needs elsewhere, any issue of control is totally meaningless. The Twins need quality players and trading one for several is a time-honored way to do so. Refer to trades of Knoblach and AJ (and what was supposed to occur with Santana).
  3. Kwak
    Batters can change grips too--AJ attributed his HR increase to a change in his grip and in his swing. Deduno may "improve" by a relaxation of the rigidity of Twins philosophy of "manage by pitchcount" and its concommittant bashing of pitchers who "walk too many" or "throw too many pitches", and simply focus on runs allowed.
  4. Kwak
    Discussion about control is totally bogus. If Hicks is "a miss", who cares? If Hicks is a star, he will be signed to a 4+ year contract after 3 years, or he will be traded for multiple players. The Twins will still have an excess of CF and a shortage of ML quality pitchers after the 2015 season making trading Hicks a viable option.
  5. Kwak
    It appears that Benson doesn't actually have as many tools as advertised. Consider the 2011 callup--strike 1; all of 2012--strike 2; so far 2013 is shaping up as strike 3. There are just too many OF prospects in the franchise to "Casilla" Benson.
  6. Kwak
    "Command the strike zone" can be interpreted two ways--1) consistently placing the ball on the fringe of the zone, but avoiding the middle of the zone; or 2) pounding the strikezone incessently such that it is rarely missed, accepting the inevitable that there will be many pitches left in the middle of the strike zone. Since the Twins have made a religion of limiting walks it is clear the Twins use definition 2). That strategy isn't working.
  7. Kwak
    Maybe it isn't finding better pitchers, maybe the A's are better at developing pitchers? The Twins are legend of adhering to their dogma, and just maybe the A's philosophy of pitching is better? There are other factors than initial selection.
  8. Kwak
    Deduno's biggest hurdle is: Ryan. Placing Deduno in the rotation is spitting in Ryan's face. The premise for starting pitchers in The Twins Way is 6 innings in 100 pitches with 3 earned runs or less, and taking the ball every 5th game--"manage by pitch count". Deduno is known to "use too many pitches" in order to keep runs off of the scoreboard, thus he would either get pulled before 6 complete or would force Gardenhire to ignore pitch count, leave him in there, and only remove him for obvious fatigue or yielding too many runs (like they used to do in yesteryears). If Deduno is permitted to "break the rules" then perhaps others should also be afforded that concession. Were that "change" to be applied to most of the rotation--then the premise of "manage by pitchcount" is demonstrated to be bogus. One could then reasonably conclude that the Twins were operating under a flawed philosophy for many years. I just don't see that happening by the present administration.
  9. Kwak
    Likely more than those drafted in the first round--because the Twins have had precious little success with pitchers selected in the first round.
  10. Kwak
    Talk about hijacking a thread... . "Traditionalists" (which include Gardenhire) often spoke about "bat control" for a #2 hitter--the ability to hit a ball in a certain direction, etc. Other skills under that heading include: patience (taking a pitch or two to allow a SB as well as trying to build a "favorable count"), hitting ground balls behind the runner, fouling-off pitches to extend a PA (and frustrate a pitcher), and bunting (as a sacrifice and for a hit). Part of "The Twins Way" is "productive outs". Speed (which is actually easily measured with a stopwatch) and OBP are both oversimplified for use as a sole criteria for position in a lineup. The above sentences start to define why the Twins like guys like Carroll--they do things that aren't easily included in a stat sheet. Example: the stolen base; not only does it take speed to steal (and some clever skills by the stealer to know when to go), but also a willingness by his manager to "greenlight him", and (oh yes) his teammate at bat to not hit the ball. There was a post comparing Trout and Jackson that make it appear as if Jackson was some slug on the bases as opposed to the Tigers preference to not risk out-on-the-bases in order to provide more RBI opportunities to the two guys that are very highly paid to do exactly that. There are other factors that those that get compiled on stat sheets when it comes to player evaluations.
  11. Kwak
    The A's have had a great deal of success by trading high-quality SPs for multiple SPs. They wind up with a higher number of quality pitchers (who are also younger and haven't yet been injured) that coincidentily have a much lower salary. It seems to me that these guys don't spend much time in the minors before being promoted to the ML (as opposed to the Twins).
  12. Kwak
    Benson's floor?--is what last year was, and this season is shaping-up to be--a Bust! He's got about 2 months to show that he might become a MLB player or else be relegated. The Twins have many high-quality OF prospects that rising in the system.
  13. Kwak
    Does your arm hurt when these guys "pitch too many pitches". Deduno would only "tax the pen" (which is why they are there in the first place) by religiously adhering to the philosophy of "manage by pitch count". That might be OK for a pitcher in his early 20's that the team has plans to keep him long-term--but for a guy who is in his late 20's and who is rojected to be a place-holder for a year or two, it isn't. Part of what is hurting the franchise is rigid adherence to philosophy and style rather than end result. It seems that winning isn't sufficient if winning wasn't done "the right way". If Deduno requires 120 pitches to go six innings of three or less, so be it. Gardehire's (and also Ryan's) arm will be just fine the next day.
  14. Kwak
    Boston's package's included Coco Crisp and NYY offer included Melky Cabrera--plus their salaries. The Mets were only offering guys would be paid at the minimum. Oh, and "some" were "in love" with Carlos Gomez and all of his "tools".
  15. Kwak
    Or, maybe Gardenhire just wanted to see Butera get a MLB paycheck? Now that Drew has an arbitrated contract, I believe he gets the same money whether he's in Minnesota or Rochester. Gardenhire's mission is accomplished--hence he can "let go" of his requirement for 3 catchers.
  16. Kwak
    I have not heard of any SS or C named as potential "top 5" talent--therefore, it's clear--Best Available Pitcher. True, we have all read about the high prospect rankings for some Twins minor leaguers. Sadly, many prospects don't pan out--so a franchise had better be loaded with them to ensure a steady flow of quality pitching advancing to the parent team. The Twins need to overstock on pitching.
  17. Kwak
    When/if Mauer needs to move from Catcher--then that can be done. Oh my, all the scsred Sallys--Mauer might get hurt. Anybody can get hurt. That factor was included in the evaluation to extend him that 8-year contract. He truly wants to play catcher, he is able to do so at a high level, and that's where his value lies. You people sound like the Twins should just use Mauer to wave to the crowd before the game, and lead the 7th inning stretch's "Take me out to the ballgame". Maybe we should just build a statue of him and permanently display his picture on the scoreboard--so he won't get hurt?
  18. Kwak
    Free Mauer!!--Let him catch as much as he wants. There is no need to put a 1B glove on Joe, the position is well-staffed. Limiting his catching starts like last season wastes much of the value Mauer brings to the team--lots of offense at a position most teams (and all too often the Twins) simply grin-and-bear-it and hope for anything positive. Use the DH position as it was intended--for someone who hits a great deal, but often is a liability in the field.
  19. Kwak
    This raises the question: Should Ryan have just saved that $10MM and rolled with last year's rotation--and either lose 100+ and select very early in the draft, or give those fellows one more shot to prove themselves? Hint: Based on earlier threads, the Twins aren't supposed to block the new talent from promotion.
  20. Kwak
    "...4 runs in his 5-6 innings...". Hmm, ERA from 6.00 to 7.20, my oh my! 2 years of this "upgrade".
  21. Kwak
    27 games is far more than "rarely". I prefer that Mauer's starts are far more heavily weighted as catcher than DH. Starting Mauer at C for 120 games would be great. If he needs rest, let him sit. Willingham can be the alternate DH and one of the young OFers can takeover LF. This would allow some rest for both Mauer and Willingham plus meaningful playing time for an up-and-coming OF.
  22. Kwak
    Hunter provided far more than statistics. He was the rock of the OF and permitted pitchers to challenge hitters because of his outstanding defense. When Hunter stole a base--it came at a time when it was really useful--often late in close games. If Hicks becomes that CF, the Twins will be really lucky.
  23. Kwak
    Amen. The cronyism is endemic. The owners get their profits and see no reason to change. We were led to believe Ryan just "burnt-out in September 2007 and needed immediate replacement. Coincidental was a disappointing team result and a significantly higher payroll. Sure. The assistant is promoted and voil`a Santana is traded and Hunter waved Bu-bye. Payroll builds for "the season" (2010) with veteran players added (I guess this was management's way of thanking the fans). Then disaster. The assistant is reassigned and Ryan has recovered sufficiently to resume as GM. Wow, he gets more effective medical care than the players. Spin, spin, spin cut deadwood, make trades (more spin--"these guys are gonna be real good" [someday]). Scrape the dumpster, raid the leper colony, cross fingers, and proudly state "we will compete", "we're going to do things 'the right way' , but we don't want to 'block' anybody". Meanwhile, we're supposed to be "good fans", cheering everybody never complaining and "trust in Terry", because the twins "know what's best" [for us].
  24. Kwak
    Away from the Pohlads and back to Reusse's article--the premise of this thread. He learned his "journalism" from Don Riley decades ago and often repeats the theme of rabid homerism and the derision of outsiders. Well that's part of "Minnesota Nice"--and the folks here drink that Kool-Aid by the gallon. The Twins (and their management) have been bashed bloody this off-season (Reformation) and the Jesuits have been summoned (or should I have used the Russian example? substitute Cossaks then) to beat the "haters" (apostates) back to the "True Faith" (Trust Us and trust Terry). This response was inevitable. The tome expected--"Them" are: unrealistic in their expectations, ungrateful for the gifts bestowed, unappreciative of the wisdom and love provided and must immediately repent or face eternal xxxxnation. Reusse is bashing those who use electronic media to vent--which is basically what he gets paid to do. He needs a "timeout". My points of contention with the Twins lie in the following areas: 1) their duplicitious nature 2) their arrogance and 3) their sense of entitlement.
  25. Kwak
    ML pitchers require one "dominant" pitch for long-term success. Most pitchers use a fastball of one sort or another. Then there are the breaking-ballers, the change-up guys, and finally the "trick" pitches (forkball, split-finger, etc.). Does Hendricks have a "dominant" pitch? The poster Falcon25 cited "...mistakes cost him dearly...". ML hitters do just that. I imagine Hendricks was developed to "pitch The Twins Way--attacking the strikezone mercilessly" to obtain low pitch counts via short plate appearances. This can work really well against lesser opposition--but breaks-down against the heavy-hitters of the major leagues because they thrive on "mistakes" and hit them very hard. I think that that is Hendricks "problem". Hendricks could plow-through minor-league hitters without developing/using a "dominant" (out) pitch, but lacking that arrow in his quiver, he struggles mightily at the major league level.
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