Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

JD-TWINS

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,479

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by JD-TWINS

  1. JD-TWINS
    IMO - Farmer/Castro/Solano can cover 3B til Lewis is ready. Wallner up - Miranda down!!
  2. JD-TWINS
    Most people here in Cincinnati (been here since ‘91) would tell you they haven’t been good since 1990. High standards. The FAN base is in let’s win NOW mode, even though they are supposed to be astute “in a baseball town”. The rational FO probably never considers trading Friedl. Many people probably didn’t think the Twins FO would trade Arraez after 3.5 solid years & then a batting title in his final season - right? Reds have a log jam of talent and some decent but inconsistent young arms to go along with their line-up. Varland types. Couple young pitchers hurt through at least this month. Maybe they want a veteran arm - presence? Maeda - J Lopez - Winder? A veteran that’s not a fluent english guy might be a deterrent? There’s been talk of other guys needing spots to come up to big club - “too many infielders” - DeLaCruz to CF has been brought up more than once, even before he left AAA. Glut of SS/infielders & ability to put the fastest guy in the game in CF for 15 years & he can throw high 90’s. Very Eric Davis like - that plays here. Just a wish thinking deal from my point of view……after seeing Luis go, prior to this year’s success & notoriety, seems almost anything can be considered? My main point - not stated - is we don’t need RH hitting corner outfielder, we need an everyday, LH hitting center fielder……we face WAY more RH pitchers than we do LH arms.
  3. JD-TWINS
    I agree - the current OF is really up in the air. Taylor should play CF late in games if needed & when LH pitchers start - occasional pinch hitter. Castro in similar role. Wallner has to be given an opportunity or featured in a trade in the next 3 weeks. Gotta see somebody different in either right or left field!! Larnach is better option than Gallo in LF…….if only for the upside potential. Gallo has run out of upside as he’s repeating the same thing as the past 3 -4 seasons for him. If there’s confidence in the current staff holding up, I Trade SWR - J. Lopez - Varland for the Reds starting CF ….. Friedl. He has speed - team control - BA around .300 - energy guy. Reds need pitching and can win now with pitching. It’s a big sale of arms but it solves our issues for years to come & helps them now & future. We are at #3 league wide at DH, so that’s not our problem - 28th in CF & 26th in LF is what we need to improve greatly & right away. Lewis will solve 24th at 3B. Those 3 changes and we are in the top 11-15 offensively for last two months.
  4. JD-TWINS
    Kirilloff is the starter at 1B for a few years with a healthy wrist. Get used to that.
  5. JD-TWINS
    I don’t see anyone trading an everyday asset at any position for a 2 month rental. Just doesn’t seem realistic. Mitanda or Larnach - Gray - some prospect from A or AA. Gray & some upside. Only a Top 10 team would trade for Gray & can’t imagine they could afford to trade a real starter away from tha type of Club. I think we would not miss a beat last 2 months………..he hasn’t pocketed a win since end of April.
  6. JD-TWINS
    So, we have the best Team ERA in the game and you want to see if we can field a better team in 2026 - that’s the goal? Trade Griffin Jax??? I get being pissed about 2023 performances. Let’s get younger and see if we can get better performances from youth…….. Gray & Maeda not being under contract going forward make them weak pieces for decent return value. If we have a shot at Division Title I hang on to these two. Polanco is hurt so much, he doesn’t feel like he’s part of this team. Gallo/Kepler being gone through whatever means makes some sense! Constantly hoping guys we haven’t seen play are going to potentially be great and we are on the leading edge of a franchise flush with years of success in the near future………is wishful thinking. Make a couple roster moves and try to ride the Staff to 85-86 wins! Build in that next year.
  7. JD-TWINS
    Quiet & modest guy that was robbed of tremendous promise (could have had 3 MVP’s) at the Apex of his career with the freak concussion. After the Twins had let him go it was great that he bounced back with the Rockies and got an NL batting crown. That Crown coupled with his HR Derby Crown speaks to the total hitter he was. Reminds me in accomplishment & demeanor to Lou Gehrig. Not an expert on Lou but he seemed modest and super talented, just like Justin!
  8. JD-TWINS
    What I can’t explain is if this hitting (lack of it) issue is an organizational problem how did Luis have a career BA of .316 after 4.5 seasons in the Show? Did he tell the coaches to screw themselves? Did he get lucky? No, he the batter, was accountable for his own approach & his own success!!! We have guys making 10’s of millions of dollars and we are making excuses for them by saying the hitting coach has ruined the roster’s approach. Did our coaching hurt Gallo? Nope, he has the identical, mediocre stats he’s had for past 2-3 years! Kepler has sucked, for the most part, for 3.5 years! Buxton has always been streaky & struck out more than anyone would care for…..! Farmer - Taylor - Castro - Jeffers are all what their previous stats would tell you they were going to be. If CC gets going, we are what we thought we’d be. Lewis & Kirilloff are the only real multi-talented hitters we have in the line-up. Vazquez is down - Solano is up……that’s baseball year to year. Larnach, a disappointment, but more of what we’ve seen previously. I don’t love our hitting coach - some adjustments should be being made - but come on, it’s the player’s issue!
  9. JD-TWINS
    Balazovic will stick! HOPING that in later July we have some evolution to our “stretch run” Pen: Balazovic - Moran - Stewart - Thielbar Sands - Jax - Duran - (Ortega-Kuechel-Headrick-López) battling for 8th spot. Do we get to add an arm in September - not sure of roster expansion rules?
  10. JD-TWINS
    To date in ‘23: 120 AB’s for Polanco - .250 BA - 9 doubles - 5 HR - defense he brings - 30 games, 16 RBI - .450 SLG% - experience 125 AB’s for Julien - .256 BA - 8 doubles - 6 HR - defense he brings - 41 games, 11 RBI - .464 SLG% - positive energy Offensively, pretty comparable, IMO. Defense seems to be the decision point if both healthy - right?
  11. JD-TWINS
    Agreed on his progress to date - qualified statement with, “if Lee does what’s expected” …..he may never play 2B for us.
  12. JD-TWINS
    Again, have been choosing Polanco over an unproven rookie with 100 AB’s or less since he came up, and people (many, not you) anointed him a star from his performance at WBA or whatever it’s called. You did mention he was 2nd best hitter in our line-up…….if that were obvious he’d have a hard time being displaced by Polanco or anybody else. Enter the defensive side of the game…….his potential to play elsewhere if Polanco is in the line-up. How’s describing him as “he’s the new guy & he isn’t hurt 50% of the time like Polanco” for a description. I get it. I think Polanco, if healthy is a better option with his experience - I guess we agree to disagree.
  13. JD-TWINS
    If Lee is what is expected next year by mid-season, I don’t see a spot on the field for Julien. Have been saying this same thing since late April. Not a hater by any means but trying to be realistic……..Miranda - Julien - Winder - Varland/Maeda - Larnachvare all reasonable trade pieces to fill our holes.
  14. JD-TWINS
    I realize people love Julien because he’s the shiny new guy. In August/September I’ll take a veteran (if healthy) that’s been clutch many times before. His defensive value is real as well……..writers here state Julien is fine and if not at 2B, at 3B or 1B, it doesn’t work that way. They don’t play on paper. Other writers don’t think he can field at all. I don’t look up stats on defense but I do watch almost all innings played - he’s mechanical, a little slow, but adequate with a good bat. Certainly is adequate if Polanco can’t play. Over the short-term, recent 3-4 weeks, CC - Lewis - Kirilloff - Solano seem to be our guys getting hits…….Julien has contributed…….he’s not a star.
  15. JD-TWINS
    Bailey Ober could be the most underrated pitcher in the game today. Seriously. His key stats are top 3 & top 5 in the game per the Apple broadcast team. With Maeda looking the way he has over past 3 starts, we have maybe the best 1 to 5 guys in the game. Gotta BUY! Get ONE bat in next 3 weeks - Lewis - Polanco healthy & our offense should produce down the stretch. Need a relief pitcher to add some depth……Moran & Pagan/Lopez should be #7 & #8 and we need Thielbar in our top 6 guys. Stewart coming back strong is pretty questionable for the near-term (this season). Gotta trade for one effective depth piece. Duran will be OK if he stays healthy. Jax is lights out!
  16. JD-TWINS
    No more 2nd innings - appears he’s not able to do it mentally. WHERE WAS HIS FASTBALL? I’m not sure if he threw one over the entire 21 pitches. That’s concerning!! Not sure where to find this stat but I seriously don’t recall a fastball thrown.
  17. JD-TWINS
    Turner is interesting as it could slide Lewis to 2B in September…….contributes to a stout line-up v. LH pitching……….he’s a great bat off the bench if not starter! His experience & mutual swagger could help lift CC & Buxton to new heights. Robertson - Leiter - Hand - Harvey - Martin……any one of these would be a Big boost!! I’m wondering who we are trading in any of these scenarios??? …………………… My (probably unattainable) guy is Friedl - CF for Cincinnati. Fast - BA of .300 - perfect compliment to Taylor in CF, but still just a piece in a sea of young value in Cincinnati & they are starved for pitching. Gray - Winder?…….doubtful for Reds Winder - SWR - Maeda?…….a Vet that’s in a groove & couple upside guys Varland - Winder? ……..a proven horse for innings in Varland with an upside future, plus immediate BP help from Winder
  18. JD-TWINS
    Why not trade for him this year as a potential enticement to sign going forward if it’s a mutually positive experience in ‘23? I live in Cincinnati and see how crowded their line-up is with young talent. They need pitching. My trade target is for a left-handed hitting CF. Friedel fits the bill for Twins to play everyday against RH starters. Bellinger or Friedel are both lofty targets but they have nice fits for our needs…….gotta give up pitching in either trade…..probably 2-3 young guys in Friedel’s case. Hand or Robertson would be a major shot in the arm for our Pen!! Any one of these 4 guys would be a big deal! I don’t see the need for a RH bat! Play-off Line-up v. lefties: Solano - 1B Kirilloff - RF CC - SS Farmer - 2B Lewis - 3B Jeffers - C Castro - LF Taylor - CF Buxton - DH Seems solid to me!!
  19. JD-TWINS
    I saw in the re-cap that he had 74 of 100 pitches for strikes, which is your point, but 25 …….1 of every 4 were called strikes. Gotta be moving the ball around & fooling guys with stuff around the black all night. Very impressive regardless of the competition!!
  20. JD-TWINS
    As a guy who’s called for Max being DFA’d more than once this year…….if you go deeper than the occasional eye test and look at the numbers presented Wallner isn’t as good, & Max is reasonable. I watch most every game and Kepler’s defense in the last week probably out shines anything Wallner could do in 5 years. There’s value in that even though it’s tough to remember when Max taps out to the second baseman. If he can stay at average OPS of .730 - hit 24 HR’s in 130 games - hit .235 plus, with his defense, he should start v. every RH we face and probably against half the LH as well. He may well exceed these expectations. Clubhouse positive is part of why he’s been kept - gotta be with his tenure. If he keeps playing at the pace we’ve seen lately they will definitely pick up his option for ‘24. …….gotta say that part of his problem is staying healthy but some seems to be between his ears - sure seems his mind is right over past couple weeks on O & D…..big hits & big catches!!
  21. JD-TWINS
    He gets one - maybe two more starts. Slow grounders to 2B & pop ups in the infield are no way to work your way back into the line-up. Errors and wild throws over 3-4 games don’t help either. Gotta let Castro & Farmer cover 3B and get Wallner in Miranda’s spot after the break.
  22. JD-TWINS
    Guys on MLB Network…….I saw a comparison of Arraez to Gallo maybe 6 weeks ago. Gallo was hitting around .225 but much better power numbers. It was interesting “runs generation” analysis. Brian Kenney had to yield to the .410 BA but it took 15 minutes of back & forth. Gallo was making contact about 29% of the time at that point - by my memory. The national pundits are united in the lack of interest in BA. I saw this morning in a TD article that if CC was hitting .270 …….much closer to his ‘22 BA of .291 that his OPS would be above 800. His power numbers mirror ‘22 or are close but his .220 BA drags his OPS down close to 700. This comparison of CC’s ‘22 & ‘23 seem to make it obvious that BA has a big effect on overall run generation.
  23. JD-TWINS
    Sure doesn’t sound like much of a leading performance!
  24. JD-TWINS
    Within physical boundaries (reasonable rest) & mental expectations (maturity) the Manager inserts players and PLAYERS make things happen or not. Strategic decisions fall on the Manager but hitting a ball or not looking foolish trying to hit a ball or not throwing into the middle/middle of the plate are ALL driven by the players. There’s no accountability to the manager that a $35M/yr player can’t hit - leads the league in batted into double plays!! Buxton has fantastic exit velocity over past 15-20 AB’s - CC has approximately 7-8 hits in past 4 games - Kepler is playing inspired defense and has had two 2-hit games in past 4 - Gallo is contributing………they all didn’t just react to Baldelli’s taking accountability for their play. It may be we’ve run across some just “OK pitching” but it appears that hitting with 2 strikes is glaringly better over the past 4 games……adjustment by hitters.
  25. JD-TWINS
    Experience is a big deal - confidence is even a bigger deal if paired with experience………he seems to have both right now. He could be a nice shot in the arm, innings eater in August/September as a starter. He could be the long reliever as well. With his kind of stuff, it seems you may only want guys to see him once? He’s Maeda with less velocity. He does/did have a nice sinking fastball at on point. Once he’s up he can’t be sent down without someone else claiming him. If he’s successful in St. Paul over the next 3-4 weeks I would expect they’ll make a spot for him……for no other reason, just to keep others fresh.
×
×
  • Create New...