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bird

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Everything posted by bird

  1. bird
    Yeah, the notion of a disconnect among scouts drafting fireballers, Ryan signing "control" FA's, and developers struggling to get the Burdi's of the world to the next level is interesting. One thing that seems to stick out is that guys like Burdi, Jones, and Reed struggled, but not because of reduced velocity. Their problems were more about control, right? So I'm not sure that leads us anywhere.
  2. bird
    Yeah, I thought this was really interesting. Platoon describes it in post #42. It was cryptic and vague insinuation rather than something definitive, but telling nonetheless. Just wish we had a journalist who would pursue the topic.
  3. bird
    Didn't mean to annoy you Hosken. Funny, but I watched a lot of baseball this season and missed every single one of those conversations you're describing here. If I heard Perkins or Gibson say something this inane, I think I would have noticed.
  4. bird
    Steve, You're probably right. If you have heard about this "philosophy" from opposing scouts, from every prospect website and scout talker on the planet, from execs who've been here before, great, I'll take your word for it. Personally, I can't recall ever seeing anything in writing describing this philosophy from a single source who heard it firsthand from the Twins. What are your thoughts about why you haven't heard this philosophy described by someone employed by the Twins?
  5. bird
  6. bird
    I'm still lacking a verifiable explanation for the Twin's low K/9 rate historically. Is it philosophical? Do the results truly confirm some action on their part, or is it attributable at least in part to other factors? The tendency here is to just conclude that the results are evidence of a philosophical direction, and while I can see how the results point to either this or an ineptitude of some sort, I'm still skeptical. I lean towards judging their philosophy on something more than a perception of what their actions have been.
  7. bird
    My skepticism gets heightened because Nick Blackburn seems to be the poster child for your argument that the Twins had been passing up high-velo guys repeatedly over the years. Blackburn was a 29th-rounder. Which high-velocity hotshots did we pass up in favor of Blackburn? Who incidentally was pretty decent for awhile (see 2008). The Twins, probably like almost everyone else, has taken its share of high-velo guys in the early rounds, especialy more recently. A lot of those guys flame out, with the Twins and with other teams. Bullock, Chargois, Burdi, Bard, Jones, Reed, and Cedaroth all immediately come to mind in answer to your question. Most of those guys were early-round selections I think.
  8. bird
    I'm not disputing this necessarily, and I'd tend to think there's something to the theory that the Twins emphasized command and control over velocity, especially when that extra velocity was packaged with a lack of command and control. But I very much wonder about the second part, where you claim the Twins have repeatedly passed on prospects with high velocity who were more highly rated as prospects than a player that was taken. I'm skeptical that there's a pattern here.
  9. bird
    "As to the Twins, their low K/9 rates over the years are not due to poor scouting, bad luck, or a statistical fluke. It's an orginisational philosophy, and has been for years." I'm not interested in creating a poopstorm, but I don't believe I've ever read anything from a Twins source that supports the idea that the Twins have or even used to have an organizational philosophy that promoted low K/9 rates or even subpar velocity. I really wish someone would introduce some validated context to the theory that the Twins have been doing something intentionally that has led to their low team K/9 rates. I'm not of an opinion that there isn't an explanation for it. I just don't know what it is. Anyone? Buehler? Is this taking the thread off course? If so, please disregard.
  10. bird
    The players on the teams from the second half of the 1960's are still my favorites, but 1987 was the most special season for me. Lived downtown at the time. My wife and I walked to and from the games with stops along the way before and after. And the welcome home celebration is thoroughly etched in our minds as among the best memories we share together.
  11. bird
    Love me some outfield defense.
  12. bird
    Fourth!!
  13. bird
    yes
  14. bird
    I do. Naturally.
  15. bird
    Their current one scares the hell out of THEM.
  16. bird
    That's a massive assumption on your part that they would step in and help the Twins right now by performing better than Hunter, or Escobar, or any one else you could mention that would sit on the bench while Kepler and Polanco "helped". What would actually be "pretty outrageous" is to sit virtually anyone in the current lineup in favor of either of these two, since neither can pitch or catch.
  17. bird
    Thanks for the lookback Seth. I remember feeling "realistic" about our chances back then. That team had its flaws. And I've been feeling realistic about our chances this year for the same reason. I can't quite picture Plouffe, Dozier, and Mauer putting the team on their back, I'm skeptical that Buxton, Sano, and Rosario will step into the spotlight, although after last night-My Lord. But whatever happens, it's already been a better ride than we thought possible, and it could be, just maybe, one of those seasons you remember like 2009.
  18. bird
    Cleveland worries me.
  19. bird
    Yeah. Because eggs.
  20. bird
    We exchanged talent that we drafted for some of these guys. Scouted and signed some others. A lot of the best of them were drafted and developed by the Twins.
  21. bird
    This is a fun exercise. However, I can imagine several false conclusions being reached. To get things started, here are my own false conclusions: 1. The most troubling weakness of the Twins and Ryan over the years has been management, and especially the "disposal" of player assets. Not so much bad trades, but more the timing. My own view has been that they have lacked a "sell discipline", and the result has been sub-optimal returns on those assets on a regular basis. 2. Perhaps the organization's greatest strength gets evidenced by this thread. I wonder how many other organizations can boast of producing players prolifically enough to have three dozen of them still good enough to play for other teams. A roster and a half of players! Scouting, drafting, and developing talent is a strength for this organization in my mind.
  22. bird
    Why do I feel like I'm overhearing a conversation in the lobby of the assisted living hovel my mother-in-law so deservedly lives in?
  23. bird
    Geez, how many bad pitchers can you HAVE in the back of a bullpen? That's right, now I remember. It's eight.
  24. bird
    Ah, you're right about that.
  25. bird
    First, let's eliminate the old, the injured, the mediocre, and the guys who started in A-ball. That leaves Taylor Rogers, who has been mediocre at best recently. This is not a list of prospects who would have added a win, and most would have added a loss or three.
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