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Rod Carews Birthday

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Everything posted by Rod Carews Birthday

  1. Rod Carews Birthday
    You don’t get to average 5.6 innings per start (tied for the league lead, and a substantial increase over last year’s injury riddled mess) just because there are no blowups. You have to have pitchers who are pitching deeper into games so that that number increases. Since their innings per start are currently on par with the best pitching staffs in the league, I’m going to give them credit for doing something right rather than nitpick that on a nightly basis.
  2. Rod Carews Birthday
    I like this roster a lot. I would probably carry one less outfielder (Buxton - who is not that likely to be healthy anyway) and add Keuchel to the bullpen. He’s an awfully nice “Break Glass in Case of Emergency” pitcher to have out there just in case something silly happens (injury, sudden wildness, etc.) and you need innings covered in a game without destroying your bullpen. I do think that Bailey Ober is a better pitcher than he is, but I would also leave him off of the roster and in waiting for the second round, where he might be the fourth starter.
  3. Rod Carews Birthday
    Thanks for a wonderful(?) trip down memory lane and making me think about how old I really am! I’m looking forward to Twins fortunes changing this year. Disappointed to not hear from “old man shouting at clouds” or “drunk college sophomore at the U”. We need those kinds of characters more often! I used to be superstitious in that the two Twins World Series triumphs came when I moved to Iowa each time. First, to take my first teaching job in the fall of 1987, and, after I had moved across the border to Minnesota, in 1991 when I moved back to Iowa again for grad school. Unfortunately my third time around didn’t work out as well in 1997, so I have stayed in Illinois ever since. Added benefit, lots of incredibly cheap aftermarket tickets for Twins games at Comisky/US Cellular/Guaranteed Rate field.
  4. Rod Carews Birthday
    Big Luis Arraez fan. Big Pablo Lopez fan. It’s definitely a win/win trade for both teams, which ultimately is what is nice to see. It makes for more willing trade partners now and in the future. I think we all need to notice that the Twins actually traded someone when he was at peak (or certainly nearly peak) value. It’s a bit of a leap of faith to do that. Too often we hang onto players until they no longer have any value and then complain that we can’t find top return for them. Good job. Let’s make more trades like that.
  5. Rod Carews Birthday
    What is it that you think “gut feel” is based on? Observation - numerical and anecdotal. That’s statistics (and analytics). Gardy used them. So did TK. Gene Mauch certainly did. I’m sure Billy Martin and Sam Mele also. Just because Rocco’s gut feel doesn’t line up with ours doesn’t make it instantly wrong. He has a lot more info at his disposal than we do, plus I’m pretty sure he’s forgotten more about baseball than I’ll ever know.
  6. Rod Carews Birthday
    Agree completely with this. Being in the bullpen vs. being a starter is a distinction without a difference at this point. Gray and Lopez (in some order) will start games one and two. One of Maeda or Ryan starts game three and the other is "in the bullpen", which basically means they are ready for the next game or to finish a short start (or earlier if Gray or Lopez struggle) in game three. I think Ober and Keuchel are locks for the roster/bullpen as well. This will say goodbye for now to players like Floro and make the staff potentially really good. Let's hope this all works and then we start this all over again for the next round!
  7. Rod Carews Birthday
    @DocBauer Grow up listening to Herb Carneal on WNAX? I did!
  8. Rod Carews Birthday
    The last quote sounds like they are on the right track. If he can't play in the field, there is really no point in making him the DH. It just clogs up the lineup. Besides that, I think in his current physical state, Buxton is probably the backup to MAT in CF. Take the winter off. Heal.
  9. Rod Carews Birthday
    Sprint mode happens when the playoffs start. Since it doesn't look like there is any way that the Guardians or the Tigers overtake us, right now we are just positioning ourselves for the playoffs. The end of the world isn't coming. In fact, I'm pretty sure there is going to be a lot of subpar baseball played over the course of the rest of the regular season. People are going to be rested. Things are going to be tried. Who knows? Having a veteran bat that is capable of pinch hitting in a situation like that could be useful down the road. My guess is that is what he was after. We can certainly debate whether that pinch hit was going to come from the backup catcher, but YMMV. As for Julien -- terrific player, I really like him -- he's a rookie. He's not that delicate. If he was offended in some way, maybe he uses it as motivation. Again, I probably wouldn't have made the call, but at some point I think I let the manager manage on his own, since he isn't calling me in the near future.
  10. Rod Carews Birthday
    And if he gets a hit, Rocco's a genius. Watching baseball (and managing baseball) is like the stock market. You can't jump off a cliff at the end a bad day because tomorrow's another day (and another game) and that one might turn out as far to the good as the previous one to the bad. I'm certain there isn't a manager that any of us would agree with on every call, but he did get them this far and that is a lot more than nothing. Did I love the call? Nope, but do we really know what Rocco was trying to find out/do by doing it? Also no. It's a marathon. Not a sprint.
  11. Rod Carews Birthday
    While we never know how anyone will react to pressure, it seems likely that the Twins younger players won't be any more affected by the pressure of the playoffs than anyone else. They are all high level professionals and even if they haven't been through this particular set of difficulties before, they have all been through plenty of tense situations. The good news is that they are young enough to not really realize how good they are, how unique this is, and that there is a bit of a pattern of the Twins losing playoff games. I think they'll be fine. Now if we can just get everybody playing well at the same time. . .
  12. Rod Carews Birthday
    Some of the previous posters have correctly pointed out that the starting pitching situation gives the Twins a better shot at victory than in the past, but I think that what the author is trying to say is more elaborate than that. There is something for everybody to like on this team. Like veterans? Check. Like Rookies? Check. Like Sluggers? Check. Like speedy guys? Check. Want lights out starting pitching? Check. Want a 100 mph closer? Check. LIke unsung heroes? Check. There is certainly more. While previous teams had some of these things as well, this year’s version seems to have more boxes checked and thus more things for a variety of fans to embrace. Baseball freaks like me don’t need all of those things because we are just die-hards, but the casual fan needs a reason to embrace the team and this year’s team gives them plenty of choices. It is also likely true that a balanced approach that all of these variables represent is a better way to go into the playoffs than in the past. Maybe we can win some games. At least we hope so!
  13. Rod Carews Birthday
    The thought that Kepler and Pagan would come around this season is mind boggling and yet it happened. The thought that Correa and Buxton wouldn’t really hit this season is also mind boggling and again it happened (although Correa has been a little better and is exceedingly valuable defensively. With all of the potential additions to the pen going into the playoffs, it doesn’t make me unhappy at all that we failed to add relief pitchers at the deadline. This may not work, but these are definitely quality arms so I think it is a reasonable play. Plus we didn’t have to trade away any more young talent.
  14. Rod Carews Birthday
    That is likely true but he still didn’t need to be trashed by the NY media on his way out the door. They’re a particularly brutal group. They’ve trashed everybody from Bobby Mercer to Reggie Jackson to Dave Winfield and beyond.
  15. Rod Carews Birthday
    Unfortunately there would be little hope that he returns as a good to great player (at least this season), since he hasn't hit well at all this season and hasn't been able to be on the field at all. I'm just hoping that the Twins don't decide to carry him in the lineup as the shell of his former self he has been this season. As has been said before by many, as a DH he severely clogs up the lineup and doesn't provide much upside. Shut him down. Get him whatever the best medical procedure he should have is. Recover and come back next year.
  16. Rod Carews Birthday
    Gosh. . . the NY media going out of their way to trash a guy that didn't play well for the Yankees? I'm shocked. Shocked I say!
  17. Rod Carews Birthday
    Given his injury history, I would say the Twins were quite successful this year by getting him mostly all the way through a season injury free. He is certainly a building block for the future. Even thought they obviously could, it is a little weird that they sent him down instead of putting him on the IL, but maybe they wanted to buy a little time with making a decision of whether he could be used in relief in the playoffs, which is easier to do in St. Paul. The service time issue I'm sure doesn't make him happy, but it really only matters if he is on the edge of the cutoff point for arbitration/free agency. I don't know his exact situation, but odds are he will blow by it by 1/2 a season and it won't matter. He is also the type of player that the Twins could sign to a long-term deal before that becomes an issue.
  18. Rod Carews Birthday
    Jose Miranda is a player with enough talent that he shouldn't just be discarded. With a good amount of team control left, he could be dealt to a rebuilding team, possibly for an established 1 or 2 year "rental" CF or other OF. I agree that it might be best to build up a little value in St. Paul, but it really depends if his issues can be blamed entirely on injury or if he is viewed as a flash in the pan by other teams. Hopefully it's the former, as it gets the Twins more in return and allows Miranda to get on with his career.
  19. Rod Carews Birthday
    The numbers cited are actually quite positive and moving in the right direction -- and smill SSS. Does he look smooth and slick? Nope, and he doesn't need to. Actually, lots of IF prospects come up and struggle defensively -- Trevor Plouffe, Corey Koskie, even Rod Carew -- and then they develop, just like they do at the plate. I like Polanco a lot, but he's a lot less than awesome with the glove too. Give Julien some time. At this point he's been playing professional baseball for about 3 years. I'm willing to forgive a lot for the right offensive profile, and he certainly has that.
  20. Rod Carews Birthday
    In his current state it's not a surprise that Correa isn't contributing more on the bases. Plantar Fasciitis is not fun. What amazes me more is how effective he has remained on defense. It obviously speaks to his tremendous defensive game smarts and some pretty good reaction times.
  21. Rod Carews Birthday
    Absolutely! When players come up to MLB for the first time, there is tremendous pressure to perform OFFENSIVELY. They know that not hitting will get them demoted in short order so unless they are a defensive wonder, putting all of their focus on hitting can make their defense suffer. As they get comfortable, maybe defending like a butcher for a while, they can start to improve. It's not uncommon at all. He is improving and based on everything I see/hear about his athleticism and work ethic, I think will continue to improve. He does need to adjust his hitting, but again, his track record says he will. Give him time to improve and either make himself indispensable to the team or increase his trade value enough to demand a return like Arraez. I'm very happy that he is good enough to make that a viable thought.
  22. Rod Carews Birthday
    I am not a big critic of the FO, Manager, philosphy, etc. I think that they have largely done their jobs and put us in a position to do well. The team doesn't always do that, but the players have to remain healthy, perform, etc. in order for that to happen. Where I do agree with you however, is the tendency to sign veterans and stick with them over their own up and coming players. I get that it's a conservative approach to not get your team out on a limb with young talent that could go south in a hurry, but they have really been over the top with it. I'm not sure that I agree that Gallo is the worst thing they've ever done, nor that Correa and Buxton are right behind. Thinking those things ignores some other fun signings like Sydney Ponson, JA Happ, Matt Shoemaker and the like. Correa, if he recovers his bat some, might be fine, but Buxton looks to be in some short-, mid-, and long-term trouble. All that said, when they turn out to be right, like in Max Kepler's situation (never thought I would type that!), it only fuels the fire to stay with the vets. You forget that Lewis was recovering from his second major knee surgery this offseason. I'm glad that the recovery went so well, but that was far from a sure thing. Hindsight is 20/20.
  23. Rod Carews Birthday
    Any time you trade for bullpen pitchers (or acquire them on August 31) you are inherently dealing with a super small sample size. In a month, an often used relief pitcher might pitch 15 innings max. If he has two blowups, his stats look terrible and then the trade looks like a bad one on paper. If he has a good start with his new club, then everybody thinks he's amazing. Unfortunately that's the nature of relief pitching and it makes projecting good trade targets very difficult. The Twins need relief pitchers now more than in the postseason, provided that they don't completely wear out their high leverage guys. Once October hits, they can insert a number of other guys into the bullpen that might make the need much less. That even makes it more important that they can take care of business in the next week or so in order to have a cushion and rest some guys. Long way around to say. . . yes, it would have been nice to get a fifth or sixth guy in the bullpen, but it won't likely make or break this team going forward. Just having the offense finally producing will make it so the bullpen no longer needs to dance on a knife blade to keep a game in the win column.
  24. Rod Carews Birthday
    I believe the Twins record was held by some guy named Killebrew. Obviously his career didn't last long. . .
  25. Rod Carews Birthday
    Walter Johnson may have been the best pitcher ever, so that title is safe! That said. I have no complaints about Lopez. I'm excited to learn that he is closing in on some good team milestones. I think his first start of the year said it all. He didn't really have his best stuff, but he was a good enough pitcher to win anyway. That characteristic is an essential ingredient to becoming an "ace". Let's hope he just gets better and better.
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