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bird

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Everything posted by bird

  1. bird
    Yes, the whole question of leadership and all the non-physical factors influencing performance are intriguing. We can only guess at what impact it all has on wins and losses and individual stats. We can't measure it. But think of how frequently athletes attribute their individual performance or team performance to things like attitude, confidence, desire, or approach as opposed to some mechanical or strategic adjustment, and we know Yogi was right. And it's why character and make-up should not be dismissed as part of the judgment of players by GM's and field people.
  2. bird
    Great job, Seth. Pelfry exemplifies what Terry Ryan frequently talks about. Pelfry wants to be here, and he has a positive make-up. Those aeren't empty phrases coming out of Ryan's mouth, and they are important attributes not evident on Excel spreadsheets.
  3. bird
    In a deeper draft than last year, when Eades was our pick a that spot. And it's good to remember that Eades is thought to be our 11th best prospect by two experts out here, and a consensus top 20. That's nothing to sneeze at.
  4. bird
    I'd guess that Meyer's and Stewart's rankings mostly reflect the fact that the minor leagues are loaded right now with elite pitching prospects. We just graduated three prospects (Gibson, Hicks, Arcia), which was two more prospects that the White Sox had on last year's list. To be even a top 5 system is huge these days, because the changes in the rules are making it much more difficult to improve your farm system relative to others. I look at the AL Central and see KC as the big threat (ranked #7) because they have three elite pitching prospects ready soon, and good overall depth to eventually supplement their young nucleus in the show. Then teams fall off the cliff. Cleveland is ranked #17, Chicago #26 and Detroit #28?
  5. bird
    I'm wondering if they're just trying to keep the pressure off of Pinto and in reality expect him to win the job this spring.
  6. bird
    What I like is that Cleveland, Detroit, and Chicago have no combo comparable to Buxton/Meyer, Sano/Stewart, Rosario/Berrios, Polanco/Thorpe, or Pinto/May.
  7. bird
    Some things that stick out to me: 1. Pinto is the 4th-highest ranked catcher at #56. 2. Five of the top seven prospects are SS's, 9 in total, which bodes well for finding an alternative to Florimon via trade in the near future. 3. Compared to our 8 selections, Detroit (1, #37), Chicago (2, #'s 67 and 93), and Cleveland (2, #'s 6 and 36) have a total of 5. 4. KC has four pitchers on the list, three in the top 50, and 7 prospects in all. Watch out for KC! 5. According to this list, we have six prospects beter than Chicago's best. Wow, those poor White Sox fans.
  8. bird
    Yeah, I know, and I get and would usually not question your argument regarding the SS rarity, but wonder if this next abberational wave (something like 6 of the top 15 prospects?) doesn't factor into a decision to meet the demands of Boras on a player like Drew. I'd like to have Drew here for a couple years, but can fully see why there may be reasons not to shoot that bullet.
  9. bird
    Starting with caring about wins: I doubt ticket sales will soar because of those two extra wins that a guy like Drew brings to the table, so I think that's a shallow statement. Most of us are reacting to the new FA pitchers because it represents a positive change, not because we're thrilled with the thought of a 82-win team. I don't have a strong opinion about particular players out there, but yes, I was talking about incumbent SS's becoming available in much larger numbers because of guys like Lindor, Baez, Profar, and a few others displacing guys, some younger and/or better possibly than Drew. And LF candidates of the kind the Twins are likely to "like" are a dime a dozen every year, Chief. Ask Kubel.
  10. bird
    The bonding documents are a matter of public record. It's also a matter of widespread understanding that the bonds are being paid down via revenues generated from sales taxes, as thrylos correctly explains. The misunderstanding comes from innaccurate statements, intentional and otherwise, like the ones above.. It's not like the poor taxpayers of Hennepin County got handed a bill we didn't ask for and were forced to cut down on our purchase of baby formula to cover our massive new personal tax levy.
  11. bird
    But wouldn't you agree, Chief, that the risk of not being able to find a LF and SS for 2015 is extremely limited. In fact, nonexistent? The question is opportunity cost. Unload your weapon now on Drew, for example, to tack on a couple wins during a .500 season (at best), when 2015 will be the first full season for a half-dozen SS's who were top 100 prospects last year. Why not wait for a better opportunity under the circumstances? Who carews about a couple extra wins in 2014?
  12. bird
    We don't know what the Twin's thought process is , but my speculation is this: 1. They would balk at a third year, at anything resembling market price ($9M, say). This simply because of the risk with a player likely to decline precipitously by then. 2. Daniel Santana is one of the Twins better prospects, and they have others too. There are evaluators that insist Santana is ready in 2015. In a year when the most optimistic among us projects a .500 record, perhaps one more year of Florimon, and maybe a slightly improved version, is viewed as a better option than a huge investment in Drews. 3. There are a half-dozen or so star-quality SS's beginning their big league careers as Scotty points out. Maybe the Twin's calculus factors in opportunities to solve the problem via trade once those opportunities increase.
  13. bird
    Chicks.
  14. bird
    There was nothing even remotely offensive about what Gardy said. I was 15 feet from Mr. and Mrs. Joe Mauer when this line was delivered, and like virtually all the rest of us in attendance, they laughed. It was completely bereft of even the slightest hint of denigration or objectification, so yes, you're looking for something that wasn't there. BTW, a few women do in fact play baseball. Four women took part in this season's Fantasy Camp in Fort Myers. Comparing Gardy's comment with those infamously made by Calvin Griffith IS offensive though.
  15. bird
    Who's your nsource, johnny?
  16. bird
    On the surface this looks to be a high-quality decision by the Brewers. Sounds like a steal. We'll probably never know if the Twins were presented with and rejected a similar offer. I think it's fair to say that in any event it was wise to pull the trigger on Nolasco and Hughes when the opportunity presented itself.
  17. bird
    I'll be at the Diamond Awards tonight with all my besties like Jimmy P.
  18. bird
  19. bird
    Not an appeal to authority at all, but an appeal to expertise. If I decided to critique owners, coaches or players on here, I'd expect to be asked to back up my claims. I'd expect to get some pushback. You know yourself, mike, that you are usually negatively critical, and that's great. Sometimes you're right. In my view, you're often wrong or over the top in how harsh you are with the criticism. It's healthy when criticism, positive or negative, is the subject of some friendly debate. Our first debates, I recall, were about two years ago when I commented on the positive critiques on what was happening in the farm system and pushed you about your views, which were extremely negative. I guess I reply to your posts more often than others because, to be honest, I simply disagree with your take so often. No offense intended whatsoever.
  20. bird
    Everybody DOES feel the same way, actually. We just know that the Twins are going to do their very best to promote only when it is in the player's best interest as in aligned with a certain level of readiness. No sense whining about things, especially when so much of what's happening is extremely positive.
  21. bird
    Now, come on, mike. Did Hunter peak when he first came up? Arcia? Hicks? Cuddyer? Viola?To say that the Twins want players to peak when they first come up (and who doesn't, actually) is such utter nonsense. Yes, you should just accept the very clear fact that you have to (by definition) wait for the future. And it's a bit revisionist to claim that Hrbek and Puckett proved to be subjected to some sort of OJT program when they first came up. Like the other players, they peaked later but performed admirably if not imperfectly right away. I have a nasty hunch, mike, that the dozens of staffers evaluating Sano and Buxton will have a terrific grasp on whether these players are ready for the bigs. You and I have absolutely zero clue.
  22. bird
    Amen. And for any of us to suggest that Ryan "or any other GM" is too slow to promote Sano and Buxton is to suggest that we know what we're talking about and those GM's don't. How laughable is that?
  23. bird
    Three things stick out: first, Crawford describes pitching as the highlight of our system. Other than quiet hints from the Twins since a year ago, no one has said this to my recollection. Second, he said that "several" Twins prospects that did not make our top 14 would be ranked in othewr systems perhaps even as top five prospects. That is an amazing thing to contemplate. Third, Crawford believes we have three pitching prospects with top of the rotation potential. Kepler as #9 excites me a lot.
  24. bird
    Let's turn the tables: why do you think the Twins organization should not care about money at all? Or about second round draft choices? And why do you think their judgment about whether Drews is a good acquisition is inferior to your own judgment, which comes so easily in part because you have nothing on the line financially or otherwise?
  25. bird
    I really admire the way the Twins are going about the very difficult task of rebuilding their talent pool. Almost no reasonably sane amount of spending on FA would have catapulted this team into contention during the previous two years. Money was better spent elsewhere. You can argue that you were entitled to more, but the Twins improved their prospect pipeline from middle-of -the -road (many here wrongfully believe it was one of the worst) to one of the elite. They spent to improve their international presence, which is a huge part of the improvement. The results, as measured by the W-L record for the big club, will probably not be evident for yet another year. The reason I can wait it out is because I think most fans are significantly underestimating how prodigiously talented this farm system is, in both high-end talent and depth. Much of this talent is on the doorstep. So, while I can understand the frustration that more spending on FA hasn't taken place, I agree with Nick's premise here. I love the fact that there is room for further spending when better opportunities arise, better ones than Stephen Drew for sure.
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