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bird

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Everything posted by bird

  1. bird
    Let's not give ourselves too much credit. Reusse isn't any more sensitive about you and me than he is about a fly landing on his cheeseburger. By blocking us, he's just swatting us away.
  2. bird
    I'm not the one bothered by any of this. Lots of stuff has been written about all three of these other guys, and none of these guys are changing positions under great scrutiny and with incredible angst being expressed by fans. There have been some questions raised about how much effort Mauer and Perkins have put in to stay in shape. It was recently reported that Dozier hired a nutritionist and changed some things this winter, but not before questions were raised about whether he was wearing down during the season. It was reported that Perkins looks to be in better shape, which had been a frequent criticism of him. Mauer's vision issue has been widely discussed. Arcia's dedication this off-season and his fitness have gotten plenty of print, including from Reusse. Had Sano come to camp 20 pounds leaner and was out early taking fungoes in RF, perhaps that would have been Reusse's observation. But that's not the set of facts we're dealing with The question I have is why are so many of you so bothered by this? Even if Reusee committed a minor transgression of judgment, it seems to me that the reaction here is off he charts.
  3. bird
    I think we're taking a big detour from the point here. Reusse's been in Fort Myers for weeks this spring. He's hearing comments daily about a future superstar who everyone in baseball is watching. He's hearing scouts say things, like that he looks pretty unpolished out in RF, that he looks like he could be in better shape, that it looks like he could benefit from seeing a few thousand more fungoes. He sees Sano come to camp weighing more, not less, than last year. He sees a whole bunch of players voluntarily working out early every day. Most of these players, Arcia for example, aren't dealing with the extra challenge of learning the nuances of a new position. He sees Sano come and go. He hears from the field staff that they'd like, and probably expect, more effort and time from Sano. So, according to some, Reusse is a hack, the article is garbage, and he's being unfair and petty. I wonder if a lot of this isn't just backlash from people who are as disdainful of Reusse as Reusse is towards us, who he seems to think of as a bunch of hyper-judgmental know-it-alls. I don't have to like Reusse to accept his observations at face value and accept his conclusions as somewhat meritorious. I don't think Reusse was seriously questioning what Sano did with his time away. It was about whether Sano was expected to be at camp putting in the work.
  4. bird
    Let's remember that Duffey's repertoire plays markedly more variably than "two pitches". He has both a 2 and 4 seamer, throws his curve at different speeds, with different spin, maybe even from two arm slots I think. And he's not just dabbling with this change-up, he's aggressively incorporating it already, albeit with less than the intended effect so far. Lastly, if you read the latest FanGraph's interview with him, he really seems to have a handle on what he's trying to do to hitters in terms of getting them off balance, changing eye level, etc. This probably means he's not long for AAA. However, the reality is that injury, and not ineffectiveness, will likely be the reason he gets the call, and injury could strike someone other than the Reviled One.
  5. bird
    True story: my wife was in the ad business and oversaw the Spam account for her agency for years. She said they never had to advertise Spam to Filipinos. They just bought the stuff on their own.
  6. bird
    KC, Chicago, and Detroit combined to have 8 prospects on the list. Cleveland has impressive depth now, with ten names. The only two prospects in the division getting better than a B+ grade were Buxton (A) and Berrios (A-). The Twins had five on the list before Detroit posted its first of three. KC had two prospects, both in the lower half of the list. The Sox had three prospects on the list.
  7. bird
    I just can't get all worked up about the 5th starter decision, and the main reason is because the rotation will be a fluid thing. I recall reading something a couple years ago, I believe from one of the FanGraphs guys (Sarro?). I'm going to get this wrong by a few unimportant digits, but here's some of what I think I recall: 1. The average team's rotation starting off a season remains intact for 36 games, or 22% of the entire season. 2. Teams have a 65% chance of having two of their original starters out at the same time, with the average DL time being about 60 days. 3. Teams have a 32% chance of losing three starters to injury over the course of a season, again with the average DL time being a couple months. 4. The average team give six starts in a season to their #8 starter. So, I frankly don't care much if Duffey polishes up some things with Berrios, Meyer, and gang, in fact I like it. And one can always dream that some team struggling to find a #5 starter, let alone a #8 starter, will make a phone call to see if Ryan has a price in mind for Nolasco, or Milone... It's a huge luxury to have May, Duffey, Berrios, and perhaps others in the wings. This is a luxury shared only by Cleveland in the division.
  8. bird
    Bad follow-through.
  9. bird
    Like I said, if you read the article closely, you'll see that he did not call Sano fat. I'm a little uncertain if you're just being a bit obtuse for the fun of it, or if you just aren't following the story here. Others coined the Fat Kid nickname for Killebrew, even though, as Reusse could not have pointed out with more clarity, Killebrew was not thought of as fat. What Reusse is saying, thrylos, is that Sano is not yet accomplished enough to warrant comparisons to Killebrew, and suggests if Sano plans to get further along in that regard, he needs to get more serious about it. That's all.
  10. bird
    I don't think most people are complaining about his OPS at all. I would submit that most of the concern on the part of the Twins has a lot more to do with their perception about his level of dedication to learning and practicing his new position, and not about his weight, or concerns about his offensive production.
  11. bird
    If you read the article carefully, you'll see that he did not call Sano fat.
  12. bird
    But this completely misses the point. Why is it so difficult to accept simple observations like the ones being offered about Sano without irrationally trashing the observers? Look, Sano came to spring training heavier than last year. He had an opportunity to devote more time to his craft than he did. This caught the attention of those around him. The thoughts are almost exclusively focused on the matter of Sano optimizing his potential, mostly now but also down the line. I haven't seen one criticism about what Sano produced in 2015, and yet you keep bringing it up as if it's relevant to what Reusse and pretty much everyone else is talking about, and it isn't, Dave.
  13. bird
    Don't you think it's entirely reasonable to suspect that, had Hrbek taken care of his body via diet and exercise, etc., that he could have extended his playing career instead of having it peter out like it did? I'm sure there were some people in the organization who behind the scenes wished Hrbek's "priorities" involved a greater devotion to his health and fitness. And I recall comments from fans about Hrbek's weight, just like we've been hearing comments from fans about Sano, with the main difference being perhaps the frequency and tenor of both critical and defensive comments. Social media in action. I kinda feel the same way about what I'm seeing with Sano that I felt with tons of past Twins, including Hrbek. My thought is, gee, wouldn't it be great if he did everything possible to live up to his full potential? It hardly reaches the level of criticism to think this, so I'm not sure we're really seeing a lot of Sano-bashing going on here as opposed to merely intense observation and scrutiny of a future star in the making who has captured our imaginations like no Twin before him.
  14. bird
    I was referring to Molitor's comments, which alluded to what might have been expected of him over the winter and during spring training, so yes, really.
  15. bird
    I love Reusse's stuff, and this superb piece is an example of why he's unique in this market. Granted, Patrick enjoys writing about subjects that are perched on a pedestal, but he's pretty good at pointing out why the pedestal has gotten a bit tipsy. Reusse used real information to make his points. Sano came to camp heavier than he was even last spring. Sano had an opportunity to put in more time, and he opted to spend a couple of those weeks elsewhere. Reusse has made a few observations about Sano's teammate Oswaldo Arcia, noting that he's in terrific shape and that people around the complex have been impressed with how focused he's been on improving. Sounds like Reusse might have heard comments around the complex to the effect Sano might have been expected to give up just a tad more of all that "family time". Molitor's comments seem to make it pretty evident that Sano hasn't exactly exceeded expectations. Nice job by Reusse once again. I suppose if one is craning one's neck to peer up at Sano on his pedestal, one might think of the piece as "garbage" despite its fairness and truthfulness.
  16. bird
    Reading this made me reflect on and feel extreme gratitude for every one who makes Twins Daily so incredibly exceptional. My own gratitude extends to writers and to community members. And I see the quality of coverage in an almost opposite vein! It's nothing short of excellent, especially when one considers the challenge regarding access and I'm guessing some financial constraints as well. If the access media probed even 20% as deeply and exerted themselves even half as much as the contributors to TD, we'd really have something.
  17. bird
    I'm sorry, h2oface, I misinterpreted your post. My bad. But also, don't you think guys like Maestro are smart enough to read the tea leaves regarding their chances? Guys like Sweeney, Benson, Quentin, and Maestro have a pretty fair idea that they face an uphill battle to earn a roster spot over Rosario, Sano, Buxton, Arcia, and Santana. They didn't stupidly fall for some disingenuous "pitch" from the Twins, right?
  18. bird
    Be the beneficiary of an injury or two.
  19. bird
    There's no real connection. Other variables are obvious.
  20. bird
    The flaw in your thinking regarding Maestro is that decisions get made on the basis of what happens in a few spring games, and that all the rest of what goes on in camp, the billion things you and I don't see, are meaningless. Maestro likely didn't get the job because the judgment is that others are likely to contribute more to the team. His performance during games probably helped him make a stronger case, but it should be pretty clear to the Twins (and to us, frankly) that Maestro has certain limitations. They show up every year over the course of a season. Had he made the team, we'd have some grumpy TD'ers I think.
  21. bird
    In fact, we DO know with this front office. We know that they honor their word. This reputation is clearly why guys like Quentin and Sweeney are willing to trust "gentlemen's agreements" with the club. And it's why guys like Sweeney express gratitude for how the Twins treated him, and why player sentiment in general is favorable towards this organization with very few exceptions, which get brought up ad nauseum with absolutely no attempt at fairness.
  22. bird
    Both players lack positional experience, and both players are being counted on to adequately fill their roles. Not sure what could be more consistent than that.
  23. bird
    If a poll were taken of managers and coaches who have seen Freeze and Plouffe play over the past two years, does anyone really think Freeze would get any votes as the better of the two? Especially looking forward to the 2016 season? Raise your hand if you honestly think Freeze is going to produce more than Plouffe in 2016. Thought so. Should Terry Ryan have limited his arbitration offer to Plouffe to $3M? If so, on what basis? A glance into a crystal ball? Is criticism of the offer to Plouffe based on what Freeze just signed for grasping for an excuse to be critical perhaps? The two events simply aren't connected in any remotely meaningful way.
  24. bird
    That's a prediction and not a projection, right? Predictions are so much more reliable. Nick predicts. PECOTA projects. Nick is right.
  25. bird
    IIRC, the Twins received decent, but not stellar grades from the experts who handed out team-by-team grades. Bleacher Report, I think, gave them a B+, and that might've been the high mark from the graders. My recollection is that the grades on TD were decidedly more mixed. Go figure. As for the strength of the draft class itself, I think Seth is right in saying it was regard as being a little weak, at least depth-wise.
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