Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Rod Carews Birthday

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,695

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    2

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by Rod Carews Birthday

  1. Rod Carews Birthday
    Those are all really great signs -- much better than if they skewed the other way! While you can't put too much stock into ST numbers, whether great from France or lousy from Wallner, they're not nothing either. Who is having at terrible ST so far?
  2. Rod Carews Birthday
    I don’t think he’s overlooked as much as put out of mind because his health has been so unreliable. When healthy, he’s been excellent. When he’s not available, he’s completely useless to the point that the team needs to design their bullpen without him necessarily in it and then think of him as a bonus reliever when he’s healthy. He has been really good, but at this point he’s just a bonus for me.
  3. Rod Carews Birthday
    As always, the "logjam" of people looking to make the roster always seems to magically resolve itself once the injury bug comes by. I'm just glad that the injuries so far appear to be confined to the more minor potential contributors to the Twins 2025 success. Also, for those in back who weren't listening: "There is no such thing as too much pitching depth!" Hopefully we don't need to absorb any more.
  4. Rod Carews Birthday
    At this point, given the injury history, I would rather that he picked his spots VERY selectively. If it's a close game and the extra base makes a big difference, absolutely go for it. But on a generic single in the fourth inning, I'd sit it out. It may be more valuable (and more momentum shifting in the game) for him to try to stretch for an extra base turning a single into a double or a double into a triple, so I would focus on that. The self-preservation instinct isn't strong in Mr. Buxton.
  5. Rod Carews Birthday
    Last season, while he made some errors throwing, his defense was acceptable as long as he continues to hit. He is at an age and (limited) experience level at the position that he should continue to improve defensively. In the beginning, he had to rely on athleticism to get him through, but as he grows in the role he should be able to master the footwork and technique to make him into a solid defender. If he hits, it’s not like we’re benching him, so it’s up to his bat to make it happen.
  6. Rod Carews Birthday
    I have no problem with this. He’s a veteran that has at times been pretty effective (it’s in the fifth starter spot after all), plus if he does “show” something, it increases his potential trade value at the deadline or before, when he could be flipped for a missing piece bat somewhere where it is needed more. He can’t be sent down to AAA. DFAing a player with a $7.5M salary seems pretty shortsighted. The other guys can be sent down, and in fact doing so slows their clock AND allows their innings to be controlled a little bit more than with the big club. My ideal situation is that Paddack pitches pretty well and gets flipped for a bat when someone inevitably has an injury on a contending team. I just hope that team isn’t us.
  7. Rod Carews Birthday
    I think putting Castro in one spot everyday ruins the benefit that he can provide for the team. He MIGHT be our best bet for second base, although if Julien or Lee get themselves straightened out that shouldn’t be true. However, putting him there means that our options become much more specific as to who can be subbed in at a given position, and, if he is moved at the time of another substitution, it makes for even more upheaval defensively, which we probably don’t need out there. Simply put, I’m going to assume that he can put up similar numbers in either situation offensively. He’s worth more if he is plugging holes all over the field while providing that production.
  8. Rod Carews Birthday
    Since he’s not on the MLB side, he’s probably not worth talking about at the moment. If we’re worried about the limited success Lee and Julien have had and whether they can make it, then Eeles pretty much has no track record to build on. I would venture to believe that he’s in minor league camp because he has so little experience, even if he did have helium last year. Let him prove he belongs at AAA for awhile before we anoint him the latest shiny object in the room.
  9. Rod Carews Birthday
    I agree with this statement. It's not that they are nearly as terrible as some would make them out to be, but they really really have worn out their welcome and it's time to move on. Let's find another buyer.
  10. Rod Carews Birthday
    Second base right now is a little bit of a problem. Castro is the easy solution, but that dilutes his value and effectiveness by tying him to one position. Julien needs to re-discover how to hit, which may or may not happen. Lee has to figure out how to hit, because you can't live off of hype forever. Keaschall is the everyone's new favorite prospect to overhype, but he hasn't proven anything. All of that being said, someone will have to step up and do it, and each of them have potential to have a real impact. I hope that Julien and Lee battle it out in spring training games and that one of them materializes as a good option. I think the Twins want it to be Lee, but I'm more in the Julien camp. Wouldn't it be great if they both figured it out?
  11. Rod Carews Birthday
    It’s pretty unknowable whether he would have been a good owner for the Twins because we don’t know what is going on inside his head. He’s got plenty of money, as will whoever buys the team. He’s (or his brother) made some decisions that don’t work so well in the NBA world, but MLB is a different world where you CAN spend your way out of trouble if you screw up. Whoever buys the team will probably make a little splash to get people on board with the team ownership, but what happens five years down the road is anyone’s guess. He might have been excellent or he might have been terrible. It’s hard to know and not worth the time to speculate since we are definitely moving on to someone new, hopefully quickly.
  12. Rod Carews Birthday
    It does make sense that Buxton is the bridge from one group of players to the next. He was on the young end of the Sano, Berrios, Rosario, etc. group, but was signed to a long term extension which means he gets to stick around while others go elsewhere (or out of baseball entirely). This time around, he gets to be the veteran on the team while the next wave of players is coming up and having their chance at it. This actually happens quite a bit in MLB, with a holdover or two providing stability for the next wave of talent. It's certainly a change in clubhouse role, but the goal is the same. Go out there and win some ballgames.
  13. Rod Carews Birthday
    My money is also on Julien, because I think that the Twins view Keirsey as not having much of a future. I can't say that I agree, but they do have a great deal more information about the players than I do (and it's their money!), so I'm willing to defer to their judgement. I remember a few years back when we had a couple of guys who were relief pitchers in Rochester (AAA at the time) who were tearing it up and the Twins refused to bring them up for a long time while we as fans were clamoring for them. When they finally did bring them up, they weren't good at all -- so there's that. As for said Mr. Julien, I really do think he either sinks or swims this season. I don't think he's an MVP, but a good version of him is an excellent bat with passable defense - a starter on most teams in the league. If he can't find his stroke, I would guess he becomes a throw in for a trade in the near future.
  14. Rod Carews Birthday
    I’m sure I speak for many when I say that I’m glad you started the blog and that it eventually became a part of Twins Daily. It really is amazing that blogging, which didn’t exist when the Twins last won a World Series, has gone from people in their dorm rooms and parents’ basements to a very mainstream part of the media world. The writing, indeed, has also come a long way since those humble beginnings. Twins Daily, and blogging in general, is a little bit like a trip to Costco. I had no idea that I needed some of this stuff, but now I can’t imagine how I could function without it!
  15. Rod Carews Birthday
    Ultimately some of those "surplus arms" will make it to the big leagues and be successful. Some will not, but right now, all of them still have value. The best case scenario would be to trade the couple that we think might not make it (but other teams do) while they still have value and keep the ones that develop well. That's really hard to do, in fact I would argue it's a little bit of guesswork, but those are the kinds of trades that make a team better and the GM into a genius. Guess wrong and you're an idiot! I'm with @chpettit19 on them making a larger trade of one of their big three at the end of this year, assuming some younger arms develop. Having all three of those contracts leaving at the same time when they expire would be really messy at best and possibly disastrous at worst. I like all three and would weep a little, but they really need to do it.
  16. Rod Carews Birthday
    Absolutely! Now, if they can just stay healthy. . . On the specific question in the article, are these the RIGHT guys to bank on. . . unless you are going to spend big bucks, then it's ultimately kind of a crapshoot. Some of the group of about a dozen guys are going to be better than anticipated (see Santana, Carlos) and some are going to be terrible (see Margot, Manuel). I think they have chosen based on what the team thinks is their collective potential for success. Are they right? Who knows? Their position is defensible, but we'll know for sure when we play the games.
  17. Rod Carews Birthday
    I think that both clubs got something they wanted out of the deal. It doesn't really move the needle much either way in the long term in terms of direct on the field benefit, but if it helped us sign Correa and Lopez, I do the trade 10/10 times again. I remember thinking that we had an amazing catching situation with Garver, Rortvedt, and Jeffers at the time, but it all seemed to evaporate very quickly. Jeffers seems to have become the best of the lot, so I guess we kept the right one, but none of them have become an all-star, either with the Twins or with another team.
  18. Rod Carews Birthday
    It’s not shocking because he showed a lot in the majors in 2023.
  19. Rod Carews Birthday
    I find it interesting that people have tremendous amounts of faith in Lewis and Lee fixing their bats going into 2025 as though it’s just a simple fix, while they act like Julien fixing his bad is advanced calculus. He was very good at the plate for his entire career until last season. It seems obvious he knows something about hitting, plus he has hitting coaches to help. I’m taking the over.
  20. Rod Carews Birthday
    If indeed his OPS versus LHP improved from .481 to .611 year over year, that would suggest he’s on a good path and could potentially be more than acceptable against lefties in 2025.
  21. Rod Carews Birthday
    If he isn't going to even hit the field until March 17-20 or so, then he definitely shouldn't be on the opening day roster. Let him go to AA or AAA and get some at bats and play the field to get back to a good comfort level before bringing him back up. While he doesn't have a lot to prove at AA, just easing back in after pretty major surgery is important as well. If he is as advertised, he will force his way to the majors soon enough.
  22. Rod Carews Birthday
    This new team may lack personality, but at least they will hit!
  23. Rod Carews Birthday
    The more I think about it, the less I have major concerns about the position. There are LOTS of options, none of which is ridiculous. If Julien comes back and hits while maintaining the improved defense that he started the year with last year, he’s extremely valuable and the likely second baseman. If he doesn’t hit, then I think it is Lee’s to try to keep or lose, and since it is widely assumed that he has great potential, I think he could easily be that guy. I think Keaschall and Eeles are too far down in the pecking order to factor in at this time. Austin Martin, formerly highly touted prospect (which doesn’t happen by accident, he has some skills), could also slot in the spot if given a chance for regular work. That’s three legit possibilities BEFORE you get to the break glass in case of emergency candidate, Willi Castro. Castro, it should be noted, isn’t the break glass candidate because he’s bad, but because he would serve the team better with a more flexible role. I don’t agree with those who have declared that “these guys all suck.” There is unquestionably a good second baseman in that group, maybe two or three. Figuring out the right mix will be the challenge and may not sort itself completely out until midseason.
  24. Rod Carews Birthday
    Barring a trade, I can't imagine that Festa and Matthews won't be starting some games for the Twins. If they are NOT needed, it would likely mean that they are injured or the rotation is having a season for the record books. Alcala is a real wild card (how many years in a row has that been written?). I could see him stick, sent down because this is their last chance to do so, or just traded. Time will tell. I think Varland will definitely be a part of the bullpen very soon, if not from opening day. I think he will force his way in by pitching well in St. Paul.
  25. Rod Carews Birthday
    He may well be very worth keeping, but that doesn't necessarily translate into a guy you want taking up a space on the 26 man roster for the entire season in 2025. If the coaches see that he has real potential to be good down the road, then a trade would be in order so that he can be optioned to the minors without having to give him back to the Phillies -- assuming that a reasonable price can be agreed upon.
×
×
  • Create New...