Old Twins Cap
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Everything posted by Old Twins Cap
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Buxton! Swing it, Baby! Swing it sweet.
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Unplug la maquina? Whatever it takes to get more consistency on his curve ball command.
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At the end of the day, you end against the Yankees. They throw Cole, Paxton, Tanaka. We throw Berrios, Odorizzi, Maeda/Pineda. Twins have to find a way to win 2 of those three games. Part of it is starting pitching, part is relief pitching, part is defense and a big part is -- can you get a big hit with men on base? Last year, they didn't pitch well, field well or hit well, and they lost in three, and deservedly so. But, these are baseball games not statistically representative board games in which each team comes out exactly where you would expect them on paper. You play the games, your players have to make plays and hit the ball. The team that does that, wins. No matter who they play or who they acquire, Twins have to play well, and it's not something they have done in the playoffs in a long, long time.
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Yeah, no. Twins made a bad deal in trading Ramos, but, to reach back to that point in time and connect it to the current moment is what is called a reach. An over reach. Not buying this. AT ALL. Twins need starting pitching quality, not prospects. The window is open. They got a pitcher who can start, relieve and has high K numbers. And playoff experience. That's what this is. Okay? Terry Ryan is gone. Gardy is gone. Orlando Hudson is gone. Joe Mauer is gone. Morneau, gone. The list is long on why there is no connection. How did you even come up with this? The stories in your head must be terrifying. Once upon a time the Twins made a bad move, and you won't ever overcome that? Grow a pair, my friend. The World Series is at the door. Stop finding ways to make us fear the coming season.
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Who knows on Graterol? What are the odds he pans out as a starter? Low. As a reliever? Better. Maeda is a solid starter, which Twins need going forward even beyond this year. This is a move you make when you know your team is solid. Will Twins miss Graterol in 2020? No. Will Maeda win them a pennant? That's why you play the games.
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- kenta maeda
- brusdar graterol
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What a great situation to put the young guns out there, see who can pitch, who can't. I hope they use an opener for one of the spots and keep the shuttle going between Rochester and Minneapolis. The other slot, do a true split, Dobnak and Smeltzer, try to get four out of each of them. Pitchers need to pitch, especially young pitchers. Once Hill and Pineda come back, there will not be an opportunity to grow the staff.
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Awesome lineup, solid bullpen potential, decent starting pitching -- a lot of prospects on the farm. What's not to like? Or, do we want to go back to the thousands of speculative comments about what we might get for Dozier from the Dodgers? Falvine have turned this ship in the right direction, steaming toward the playoffs.
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Front Page: On Steps and Sano
Old Twins Cap replied to John Bonnes's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
How he look? In shape? No limps, no injuries? -
Yankees don't need to cheat at Yankee stadium. For years and years, they have had the home plate umpire -- what else do you need?
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He will rise as high as he can control his curve ball, and be consistent with it. Don't know if it's release point, feel, or the weather, but Jose and his curve ball are not always in synch. Sometimes it's loopy, sometimes it's sharp, sometimes it sweeps, sometimes he can't throw it for strikes. That inconsistency, and abandonment of his pitch mix when it's off, allows hitters to sit on the fast ball and change-up.
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Prospects are the competitive advantage in baseball. This has been proven over and over again, so smart management always keep their prospects. It's the only way you can win as a mid-market team: catch a wave of talent and ride it as long as you can. Twins are a good team, maybe a very good team, in a league with some juggernaut franchises that can spend, literally, twice what the Twins can. So, we the underdogs. We need to embrace that, play like that, build like that, and hope, one day, we will get our shot and win it all.
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It's not ever going to be easy to get back to the World Series. A lot of things have to align, not just planets. When the last time Yankees made it? So, I get the disappointment of fans, we want a great team to root for. Personally, I think we have one now, and, importantly, back on the farm, the kind of stock that can maintain competitiveness over the long term. KC had their day in the sun and got it done, which was great for baseball. But, look how far they have fallen. Is that what fans are wanting?
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Only problem with batting Arraez at leadoff is, then, where is Kepler, where is Polanco, where is Garver? It's not so much about where in the lineup these guys hit, but, how often they get back to the plate. In other words, who do you want to get the most ABs amongst your players? If Garver or Kepler or Polanco drop down in the lineup, that means that in the 7th, 8th or 9th inning, they may not get that 4th or 5th AB, and on an analytical level, over the course of a season, do you want that to happen to them? That's where the HR power matters, is number of ABs per game, per week, per season. I bet Rocco crunches such numbers and continues to lead off his highest HR per AB guys, along with guys that take the most pitches and earn the most BBs.
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Oh, oh, the thread is finding its depth now. I say they do: the list is long on this team's successes. Signing Polanco and Kepler to extensions. Stocking a lot of young pitching talent. Cruz. Arraez. Garver. Baldelli. No stupid contracts. Wes Johnson? 101 wins? Most HRs ever? -- the one time they beat the Yanks, and which just might stand once they lower testosterone in their balls. Oops. Sure, it sucks to get Yanked in the playoffs again, but realistically, tough to beat Houston or New York. And, impossible when you swing and play like Twins did. Our franchise is much improved, on many levels.
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And why not go with young guys? How does a team ever develop pitching if young guys don't pitch to MLB hitters? Let two of them tag-team a game every five days and see where they get and who shines. Better to do this next year: a.) identify the keepers now while it still matters; b.) you have a great offense to score them runs and infuse a winning bravura. We will need championship caliber pitching in 2020 or 2021; Falvine knows this and will land it at some point -- without compromising a long-term competitive approach.
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Hill is recovering from elbow surgery and will need a roster spot? Bailey, didn't he throw a couple times against the Twins recently, kind of 5 to 6 innings of swing and miss stuff? Hill, on his game, can be a playoff pitcher; maybe Bailey too for 4 or 5 innings. It's something at least.
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Oh crap, you mean the Twins are going to have to play good baseball to win the division next year? We can't just put on the jock and ride? What are we going to do? You know, it used to be, you wanted to be in the best division in baseball because that meant you had to be good to advance. That, when you get to the playoffs, you got some added confidence knowing that you won the best division in the game. Not anymore. We want a free-ride into the playoffs and that qualifies us for unlimited complaining once the Yankees torch us. Buck up Minnesota. Bring on the Whities. Then the Yanees. Then the Astros. Then the Dodgers. Bring 'em all.
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Front Page: Ryu To Sign with Toronto. Now What?
Old Twins Cap replied to John Bonnes's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
I'm intrigued with the idea of starting the season by running out a couple of "openers", buttressed by bulk-innings guys. Tampa Bay did pretty well in that system last year, and the Twins are sitting on a bunch of MiLB guys who have had some success, but are still in MiLB. How do you get better as a MLB pitcher? By pitching innings. Twins run this "opener" and "bulk" system for a couple months -- they will find out who looks like they are making the next step -- Graterol, Smeltzer, Balazovich, Dobnak. Remember, there is a 26th guy this year. And, under MLB rules, guys can be shuttled back and forth to Rochester in the year their option is being excersized. It's kind of a "exploiting the under-utilized market" of the roster to be giving your best MiLB prospects access to regular MLB pitching -- not crunch time pitching -- but early-inning bulk experiences. It's how you develop pitchers, and from that, starters and relievers who have experience and learned what to throw. So, rather than putting my head in my hands for one guy, I think they take two slots and do the Rochester shuttle. They should sign one other bulk pitcher though, on a bounce-back deal. -
Front Page: Twins Sign Tyler Clippard
Old Twins Cap replied to Seth Stohs's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Remember next year, relievers are "all in" on at least 3 hitters, unless they get out of the inning. Clippard's ability vis-a-vis lefties could be an under-valued aspect of the market since teams have not experienced the new system yet. He's also got what we used to call a "rubber arm": when everyone else is gassed, and Clippard is too, you still bring Clippard into the game and he gives you credible pitches at opportune moments. -
Kid wins MVP in Arizona Fall League and people are wringing their hands about him? Love that kind of problem.
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Your post seems high. Are you high? I'm high.
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I guarantee that Sano is in Dominica right now with Tom Kelly, going over 1B footwork and how to scoop bad throws. He wasn't good at 3B and it will be a long time before he's good at 1B, but when you factor in risk of injury trying to make sprawling, charging, chasing pop-up plays at 3B, it's a no-brainer decision. Three days in a row at 1B, a couple days at DH, a day off, and that Sano bat will play up. Big time.
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Some on this Board may think it's sexy to have a 3B at 6' 4" 280 lbs, and he did make some remarkable plays last year, but, reality is reality, and the metrics and the eye-test and the risk of injury all demonstrate beyond a doubt, that Miggy is, was and always should have been -- Joe Mauer excepted -- a 1B. Get on with it Twins.
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Fans gotta realize, does a player like Odorizzi, who has said plainly he likes it here, really want to sit around for three months and see where he ends up and for what kind of contract? Don't know him, but, if a family is involved, the relocation on short notice, the stress of starting over with a new bunch of people, a new team and city -- at a certain point, you gotta say, "They paying me $17M next year? If I am smart and disciplined, that can support me the rest of my life." It's a bet on himself for sure, as next year there is no QO, but, it's also a bet on what an awesome situation he is in to just focus and do his thing -- and life will be fine.
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There is something about Eddie's swing, the length of time his bat is in the zone, the strength of his wrists and lower arms, the drive to the ball... don't know how to describe it, but, it is one of a kind. Does that translate to WAR or some other statitistic? Prolly not. But, if harnessed, he could be, might be, will be, special. Story of an athlete's life I guess. "Eddie, is it in you?"
