Jump to content
Our free agent ranking is up to 100 names, and now you can filter by player position! Click here to check it out! ×
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

JD-TWINS

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,522

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    4

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by JD-TWINS

  1. JD-TWINS
    Nostradamus is back…….how about we add him to the roster and he grabs a bat & then we start discussing all the ways the coaching staff & Baldelli will mess him up? Everyone’s “afraid” of nearly every move the Team makes. 95% of the moves are so logical they could be made from somebody’s couch in Hibbing. Players play…….. they shouldn’t need to be reminded every other inning to be aggressive on the bases ……. make contact with 2 strikes …… go first to third on a ball hit to right ……. make good solid throws to the first baseman’s chest from the mound. I haven’t played baseball for nearly 50 years as I got into Tennis as a teen. These basic things are so simplistic and yet people here act like Baldelli is 100% responsible for the players knowledge on how to make every play. When does responsibility fall on guys making between $760K - $37M Baldelli hit .290 the first 3 years he was in MLB and averaged 3.0 WAR …… age 21-24. The people at TD don’t think he knows how to help mentor a young hitter coming up? I just don’t get the never ending Chicken Little viewpoint with the club & the Manager. 7-13 to start ‘24 and then 23 games over .500 for next 4 months. No guarantees for ‘25 but it’s only April 18th. Keaschall is up now because Martin/Miranda/Lewis are all hurt & Gasper sucks. He’s needed depth for the Show - that’s it, he’s not ideally ready for this opportunity. I too would love to see him get a bunch of at bats at DH but Baldelli’s job, contrary to many, is not to “let guys get AB’s and hope” it’s to WIN games with best possible line-up & strategy…….hopefully, Keaschall will earn time over next few weeks. Been asking for Keaschall to be a key piece since January but he’s not 100% yet and will be used as needed.
  2. JD-TWINS
    He’s going to have to hit for a pretty extended period before his performance has any bearing on Larnach’s future. It’s possible Bader hits .160 over the next month and Larnach hits .280……….. no history that says this scenario isn’t likely. To me, Kiersey is the obvious guy that’s out over time if Keaschall succeeds. Castro would move to “role” OF with Keaschall playing at 2B 20-30% of the time………, assuming Gasper will be the move today. No 40-man & obviously no 26-man move involving Keaschall yet on the net……just media reports. Gasper or Kiersey being displaced? Bride has taken Wallner’s spot.
  3. JD-TWINS
    When FO signed Correa the annual payroll spend was increasing about 5% per year……..sloppy math takes 2023’s $154M spend up to an expected payroll in 2025 of around $170M. Ownership pulled FO back in ‘24 & then “no increase” and we’re for sale in winter of ‘24/‘25. Tough to have a cohesive plan with this type of chain on spending right after signing Lopez & Correa……..Baseball Reference has the Team’s “committed $$” at $134M for ‘25. I assume this is accurate? Even if the spend is $144M …….,that’s $26M less than the expectation when those two guys were signed……..if Ownership committed to 2023 salary level of $154M they’d have another bat from FA on the roster (theoretically, effective bat) and this discussion would be moot. Lewis - Lee - Keaschall - Wallner are all pretty affordable going forward next year $3.2M ……..Larnach - Bader - Castro equates to $15M. With these guys in place along with some increases in Rotation costs and PEN costs, they still have plenty of room for Pablo’s contract. New ownership is necessary!! ’21 - $125M…..’22 - $135M …….’23 - $154M …… ‘24 - $130M ……’25 - maybe $134M ……this progression and regression doesn’t help FO scheme.
  4. JD-TWINS
    Agree - too early but no other viable options on the offensive side - we’re rostering Gasper & Kiersey - need to try something that has potential at least. Maybe only be 3 weeks or so this time. Hope he crushes the ball! 🤞
  5. JD-TWINS
    Julien’s the every day guy at 2B for the foreseeable future - right? Can’t imagine the organization/training staff risking Keaschall’s future by green lighting him for any duty he’s not ready for at this point. DH is fine with me. Maybe he gives France a day off or two over the next couple weeks at 1B? If Bride can play 3B & Lee at SS until Correa can go, & then as Castro feels better he can be the 3rd/4th OF. Bader can be used more strategically if Larnach is freed up to play some LF v. RH pitching……..Keaschall at DH. Bride looked like desperation to me - probably cheap enough to try. However, he hit .272 last year with a good OBP & 11 dingers in 272 AB’s. Seems a little reactionary for Marlins to let him go so early. Maybe they thought the .100 BA would not interest anybody? He has some potential at least as a depth piece.
  6. JD-TWINS
    To date, Varland has thrown the most innings from the PEN - his workload to date projects to 77 innings for the year……Coulombe projects to 53 innings ……..Topa projects to 53 innings ……..Duran projects to 69 innings ……. Sands & Jax project to 62 innings. IMO, the Starters will continue to get longer looks as they stretch out through April.
  7. JD-TWINS
    ?? not sure the angle here? Bader was out….. they don’t overturn umpires w/o a real clear view…….our guy at 1B was out and called safe. Not sure why there is any complaining from our side in a win? Maybe I don’t get the conversation ?
  8. JD-TWINS
    FESTA was toast. He had thrown about 30 plus pitches over the previous 3 outs. He was at 51 pitches with 2 outs in the 3rd and finished at 74……..Bases loaded. Gotta go to veteran that’s ready - fresh - used to pressure jams. Also, day off Thursday as you point out. Don’t exactly have a run scoring machine of Festa gives up a base hit or walks a guy……I guess I’m more than OK with the move. How about the PEN making the Team better by bailing the starter out of a jam?
  9. JD-TWINS
    The velocity is obviously interesting & very positive! Good results across varying levels is more than encouraging! He just needs to be consistent at AAA to sell me on his ultimate promise or likelihood for success…………Matthews is doing that now in St. Paul………another 6-10 outings and maybe he can get some MLB work in July/August to get some rotation guys a missed start here or there?
  10. JD-TWINS
    Gosh - I hope you are correct! Festa to the rotation to replace Paddack is a definite upgrade……….Paddack’s innings capabilities fit the PEN with 1-2 innings per outing and max effort! Could upgrade both parts of Staff. Duran - 1.08 ERA …. Coulombe - 0.00 ERA ….. Varland - 3.00 ERA ……. Sands - 2.50 ERA ….. Topa - 1.45 ERA ……..pretty solid group! Jax - 7.04 ERA ……… Alcala - 13.50 …….couple pretty reliable guys struggling or we have best PEN in baseball. Add Paddack & it could be really good going forward!
  11. JD-TWINS
    Festa - sure thing on 3rd time through. Just can’t do it after he loads the bases. Stewart was sent somewhere this week to start his re-hab assignment. Not sure what’s up with Jax? Sure seems to have good life in his pitches - didn’t see his stint today, grooving pitches? 4 hits and a hard hit last out is not cool. Who comes up for Wallner? Martin is hurt - Miranda is hurt. Per performance, gotta be Keaschall. ……. I see they bought an IF from Miami today …….guy’s hitting .100 in FLA. Notcsure how acquisition fits on 40 man. Seems he might be the alternative to Gasper?
  12. JD-TWINS
    I get your angle but remember Cave played “regularly” when everyone else was hurt and there were no other options - Wallner is hurt - Kiersey is getting opportunities. By the way, he failed with another sacrifice bunt attempt again this afternoon v. the Mets. 3rd baseman on edge of grass - SS 3 steps from 2B with a guy on Second. Gotta get the ball on the ground (fair) to make the 3B play the ball. Simple stuff in the game of baseball.
  13. JD-TWINS
    Kiersey AB’s 2022-2024 …..425 - 490 - 443 ……he’s got nearly 1400 AB’s of Professional Baseball in last 3 years, plus 10 years or more of baseball prior……..gotta be able to bunt by now if you’re a speed OF.
  14. JD-TWINS
    Executing a sacrifice bunt has nothing to do with “breaking out”. His role as a fringe player is doing the little things right. He could have another 150 PA’s and not be asked to bunt once. It’s not about MLB reps to bunt. He needs to be smart enough to take a pitch letter high and inside edge…….he didn’t get it done! That happens……….no fun to watch. No reason to try and rationalize his pop up bunt to somehow being the fault of “many others” as you elude…….management’s fault? Come on. Not being able to execute a bunt - creating a free out for the defense doesn’t give the Manager any reason to change his mind - guys that execute and produce get played more………..not give a bunch of AB’s to a guy and hope he comes around. Why not let Gasper hit everyday then?
  15. JD-TWINS
    Gotta be Keaschall up first? ……Is he on 40 man? He may only be able to hit? (DH) Gasper at 1B & 2B defensive depth. Nobody on left side for depth - right? Maybe Correa just sits a couple days? I saw Wallner pull up in replay this morning - 10 day IL almost certainly.
  16. JD-TWINS
    Keaschall at DH or &/or PH as needed as soon as April 16th if either Wallner or Correa are out for 10 days.
  17. JD-TWINS
    12 hits - 5 BB - an opponents timely error…..all in 8 innings……..6 runs & a W. Jeffers 3 hits - Buxton 2 hits - Julien & Lee both adding offense……nice to see! I was back & forth during the broadcast. Are both Wallner & Correa hurt? Seriousness?
  18. JD-TWINS
    Looking at Batting Averages just now…….3-4 guys get hot for a game or two (Correa - Larnach - Buxton - Jeffers) and most of the Team will be at League Average, which is a meager .235. Gasper & Kiersey are a combined 2-24 ……. if they can be replaced by Keaschall & Lewis over the next few weeks, I still think this team can generate some reasonable offensive production……….once these two are on Roster Castro can shift to many more OF innings & Larnach can play more in LF which has Bader sitting down v. RH pitching - we’ll have 2 others available to DH in Lewis & Keaschall.
  19. JD-TWINS
    What’s happening in 2025? ……..did I say we were in 2012? It is NOT incorrect per your own statement…….Team’s pitchers are pitching the same amount of innings OR More than other staffs around baseball. Why are so many people complaining? It’s not 1975 nor is it 2005! With max velocity as the goal, starter innings have dropped & arm injuries are up - it’s not new.
  20. JD-TWINS
    They are 16 games into the season……..how is the bullpen being abused? …….starters are often built up on pitches over the first 3-4 starts of the year - pretty typical. Through Saturday, 7 of the guys in our PEN currently have thrown between 4.2 - 6.1 innings to date. Varland had thrown 8.0 innings. An average Starter’s innings in 2023 was 5.18 & in 2024 it was 5.24……….in 2024 the Twins starters averaged 5.26 innings. This includes the Bailey Ober 1 2/3 inning blow ups, etc. Nobody expects Paddack to throw more than 110-120 innings all year - SWR is going to push for 150 innings plus - Festa, maybe 135 innings. 5.25 innings x 30 starts is 157.5 innings for the year. Lopez has averaged about 185 - 190 innings over past 2 years - Ryan, if healthy is targeting 180 innings (5.8 innings per start in ‘24) - Ober, essentially same as Ryan (178.1 innings in ‘24). Do not see any glaring issues with how pitching is being deployed…….”length of games” is certainly not a criteria to manage by at any level.
  21. JD-TWINS
    Nobody contributes at .192 & striking out - Buxton will come around……time and a couple of breaks will help. Correa’s leadership seems overhyped to me - he is a professional most of the time but he has lapses like most. His bat is what the Team needs and he seems lost. Larnach makes the minimum but has the potential (‘24) to be a solid contributor when healthy. If he stays fit he should come around. Group effort in the line-up breeds pressure on opposing pitchers and everyone benefits. Need the group to pick it up one guy at a time.
  22. JD-TWINS
    SEVEN straight solid starts by 6 different guys over the last 7 days. Not really on same page with overuse of the PEN strife? 3-4 relief pitchers are a pretty normal usage throughout today’s game…..get used to it since Team has been doing this for years. Relievers gotta be able to throw 14-18 pitches every other day without being “overloaded” …… that’s 4 innings a week in a busy week! If Team scored more than 3 runs routinely the Twins would be in first place. Ty France, for now, seems to be the least of the Team’s worries……..Buxton .192 BA …… Larnach .189 BA ……..Correa .164 BA …….Lewis out & we’re counting on Brooks Lee for an offensive spark. I do agree that Julien has earned AB’s with recent scrappiness and performance at the plate. Does Matthews pitch on Monday or Joe Ryan?
  23. JD-TWINS
    Didn’t get through all of this but certainly agree with Doc that nearly every respectable bullpen has the same similar approach as the Twins. 6 guys mixed & matched according to match-ups and recent workload ………then, if available, a couple guys taking the ball routinely (in winning situations) in the 8th/9th. Do not understand the “strategy” discussion specific to the Twins?
  24. JD-TWINS
    Miranda move can’t be bad - it may turn out to be neutral offensively? Hope not! Wallner batting lead-off - 2 RBI this year - nobody is ever on base when he’s in the box. I back Baldelli and put the responsibility on the players at every turn - this strategy is nuts!! Total HR for Larnach - Jeffers - Correa - Julien to date, ZERO. To me, that’s not Rocco. Last April Julien had 7 HR himself. OPS: Castro .671 - Buxton .564 - Larnach .522 - Correa .488. Again, to me, that’s not Rocco. #1 Picks (two of them #1 overall) Buxton - Lewis - Correa - Martin - Lee ………..getting unbelievably low contributions from this group!!
  25. JD-TWINS
    Lee - Lewis - Keaschall are all hurt or slowly mending. They certainly displace Gasper at 29 …….. Vazquez, unless he resigns for $4.5M is in his last year at around 33………France will be gone unless he has a career year……. Emma will be playing next year and Kiersey, at 29, won’t be around. Age isn’t the issue - lack of playing to capabilities/expectations are the problem.
×
×
  • Create New...