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JD-TWINS

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  1. JD-TWINS
    Wow - that’s the problem - the Manager? How about (2021 level) $124M payroll?? Louie Varland sucked in 4 outings due to zero 5th starter option ….. Lopez looks like a guy that’s in his own head in most outings…….6 walks last night & 0-2 count Hit Batsman - that sucks a bunch!! That’s 5 of the 29 losses, w/o much thought, squarely on starting pitching! Joe Ryan gave up somewhere near 4 HR in a start in last couple weeks. Starters are going to blow up occasionally - understood - it’s not a Manager problem though. They have been competitive to pretty good in a whole bunch of games as well but Managers can’t pitch or stop run scoring onslaughts - guys gotta perform.
  2. JD-TWINS
    He’s Giancarlo Stanton with less power and better speed……his pull rate going up over 10% from one year to the next is not great! He should be hitting double after double to right center on the away pitches - easier said than done - can’t pull sliders away!!!
  3. JD-TWINS
    Am totally unfamiliar and essentially ignorant of what’s going on at AAA with the electronic zone. Do know it’s been used regularly at times (some rotation of human and electronic). My question is, are we assuming there are no problems, minimal problems, based on reality or just much less scrutiny because it’s AAA and not as many eyes on the approach? Am curious. If it’s substantiated as Useful & Highly Accurate, it should be used in Spring Training ‘25 or on Memorial Day weekend next year for a 3-day trial or somewhere in the Show to get everyone’s feet wet. I guess, umpires are “highly accurate” so the electronics need to be essentially flawless…….that’s a high bar!
  4. JD-TWINS
    I get the doom & gloom v. Yankees. The going back over 20-25 years every time they play seems over done - gotta talk about something I guess. This year is disheartening, but as another contributor pointed out, they have a $306M payroll v. our $124M (approximately?). Last year the Twins were 4-3 v. Yankees. Couple of BIG catches in OF for them last night and a couple of non-plays by Margot & Castro made a bunch of difference. Paddack’s throwing horace pitches in zone on 0-2 is unacceptable (Rizzo’s AB in 1st - double) as are his failures to not throw middle-middle with his fastball. After 1st inning he did neither, and had success. Good stuff - terrible execution early! Yankees have best record in the game & we face them once more……….hopefully, Pablo is ready to go tonight……and some bats, other than just Lewis.
  5. JD-TWINS
    Agreed! ………also, 100 games left to improve the record v. teams over .500. They were very competitive last year and I think they are, with health, a better Team this year.
  6. JD-TWINS
    Are they 7th & 6th in A.L. or in “baseball”?
  7. JD-TWINS
    So, I yelled at the umpire through my TV on the missed strike 3 to Judge - that’s what fans do. After seeing the replay……Vazquez sets up down and away and Ober throws a slider that backs up and barely catches the zone up & in ……probably only a strike to guys over 6’4”…..the guy missed it but it had no effect in runs scored nor a balloon in pitches thrown. Not really anything other than an irritant relative to the game! So Classe lost 9 games last year, I believe. He’s been nearly perfect. It’s a long season. The kid that threw last night is pitching through injury and could drop any start the rest of the year - much more potential than with others for injury. They are playing great - no doubt!!! Are they great? I think they are pretty good and finish in the low 90’s for wins. Just my opinion. Don’t understand the Polanco dismay other than it being sentimental? Polanco has performed worse than Julien. We got 4 players……one pitcher is way more than a long shot, agreed. Gonzalez may become something or we may make him part of another trade - perceived value at a minimum. DeSclafani an obvious bust! Topa is here at least through next year if not longer and he can still bring considerable value. Frankly, there’s no production from the traded player that makes any difference for the Twins - right? 2-3 weeks ago, Polanco was leading the A.L. in K’s and was hitting .196……haven’t looked since.
  8. JD-TWINS
    Varland - Em Rod to get a pitching talent like Luzardo could be interesting. Keeping Varland around for 4-5 more years of control, particularly in a relief role, has some significant value. ‘Em Rod seems to be progressing pretty well. No trade Twins like has the value Marlins want at this point…… Can’t just trade non performers……..am assuming there would be plenty of competitors around baseball looking to gain his services. Luzardo, couple young guys they have now, along with both guys coming back from surgery gets them competitive from a pitching standpoint, as soon as ‘25.
  9. JD-TWINS
    So who is your left field choice that insulates them from not making the Playoffs? They were 6 games over .500 on September 5th for the first time last year……..if they’re swept in New York, it hardly sinks the Team’s chances. I’m not suggesting that Margot is a star, but last year most fans (nearly 100%) wanted to lynch Max Kepler by this time of the season…..Margot is historically a better average hitter than Max and now he gets to platoon to fit his ability v. LH pitching. I just think it’s silly to think Margot being on the Team is going to sink it …….and that there is no potential for improvement. Is Julien a below average? Vazquez below average? Farmer below average? Was Kepler below average last year? Do you cut half the Club every 6 weeks? Rake up the acorns in your yard.
  10. JD-TWINS
    Seriously? After 1/3 of the season it appears they have a great shot to Win 91 games. How’s…..the math tells you they would be expected to win 91 games? They have won .559% of their games and that projects to 91 Wins, is that more eloquent? My WAG is they will win somewhere near 91 games.
  11. JD-TWINS
    Apparently not, since they are on a 91 Wins pace without Lewis since the 3rd inning of game 1. That’s w/o ever seeing DeSclafani and Varland going 0-4 in 4 starts. Duran down, Topa down, Correa down, Buxton down & Wallner disappearing, along with Julien not performing……not to mention the hated Margot - Farmer - Vazquez trio. Somebody’s gotta play. Kirilloff is coming around again…..Santana has steadily climbed ………Margot has hit .254 - .274 - .264 the past 3 seasons ………he was hitting .150 a few weeks ago and is trending in the right direction as he’s now at .209…..I’d expect .230 by All-star break.
  12. JD-TWINS
    If he was a 29 year old he’d be a bum is my assumption? ……….As mentioned previously, he hasn’t hit a home run since April 25th so taking those 7 HR’s and blending them over 10 weeks of play is just fooling oneself into thinking he’s a “league average” hitter. How is .207 over the year & zero power for the last 60% of the season a league average hitter……..? If he was League average he’d be in the line-up Tuesday night. Can’t imagine that Martin wouldn’t be more effective at 2B at this point……but that shouldn’t be the bar. He’ll be back within a month if/when he responds in St. Paul.
  13. JD-TWINS
    Not trying to be smart here but Eddie needs to focus on hitting RH pitching as that is where he’s been at .190 for the past 6 weeks……it’s also who he’ll be facing when he comes back up. He needs to add some level of being able to be more aggressive on pitches in the zone and not just try to outguess the pitcher. Hitting a home run or three in AAA might help his mental make-up as it’s been since April 25th since he’s had one of those.
  14. JD-TWINS
    Are we crippled if Margot doesn’t play CF. Julien plays ONLY 2B! I really like Eddie!! He’s not performing at the plate - nowhere near good - that’s a fact or he wouldn’t have been sent down after the Manager stood behind him and said “he needs to work things out here”. He hit 7 HR’s in 24 games and hasn’t hit one since April 25th……through June 2. 4 good weeks don’t make 10 acceptable weeks…..he has stunk at the plate for the most part for 30 plus games. His OBP is almost 80 points lower than last year and 55 of those points are batting average DROP. He strikes out trying to walk, routinely. He needs to figure out a way to be more of a complete hitter with 2 strikes - coaching, mental refresh, something! What???? Seriously do not believe sending him to the plate in the Show & having him work it out now makes sense. If he gets help & then can still get plenty of opportunity from July 1 forward, that seems smarter. He can be back as soon as June 14 series if that makes sense - he’s not banished from the Roster. The converse situation………They DFA Farmer - Julien pulls a hamstring 3 days later - they are scrambling……Castro loses position flexibility & Lee isn’t ready……..It’s only June 3rd lots more changes to come.
  15. JD-TWINS
    His last HR was April 25th after 7 in his first 24 games. He strikes out routinely while trying to walk. He’s hitting a few points less than a struggling Margot. All of these things point to this being the right thing for the player because he needs a mental refresh.
  16. JD-TWINS
    Julien has had way more OPPORTUNITIES to play well, as he should. 169 AB’s v. 92 AB’s for Farmer……..he had a .380 OBP in ‘23 as a Rookie - big shift so far this year and he needs a refresh. Options, when faced with a Roster Crunch are always part of the deal. Farmer hit .256 last year in 120 games & he was out a month after getting hit in the face……his career Average coming into ‘23 was .255. To me, Margot is in the OF playing time mix with Larnach, Castro, Kirilloff, & Wallner……he’s becoming more effective, slowly bringing his average up. With a .255 career Average as well, he’s hit .254, .274, & .264 over the past 3 seasons. Wallner had a really good 10 weeks ….. Julien had a really good 4 months…..hasn’t hit a HR since April 25th ……,something needs to get fixed …..,maybe a coach or a Sports Psychologist or maybe film study - I don’t know, but he’s better than his performance over the past 6 weeks. The fact that Margot is 45 points under his career Average & many want him DFA’d and Julien is hitting lower says a lot about Julien’s performance.
  17. JD-TWINS
    Unless somebody gets hurt during a game, I can’t imagine Miranda at 2B! Castro regularly v. RH pitching with Farmer v. LH pitching AND more innings in 2nd half of games as needed/appropriate for Farmer. I think this is a two - four week opportunity for Farmer to get in the mix or he may be gone in July. He & Vazquez have improved contact and aren’t getting very good fortune but at some point the numbers are what they are & a change will come. I think Farmer steps up!!
  18. JD-TWINS
    Unless somebody gets hurt during a game, I can’t imagine Miranda at 2B! Castro regularly v. RH pitching with Farmer v. LH pitching AND more innings in 2nd half of games as needed/appropriate for Farmer. I think this is a two - four week opportunity for Farmer to get in the mix or he may be gone in July. He & Vazquez have improved contact and aren’t getting very good fortune but at some point the numbers are what they are & a change will come. I think Farmer steps up!!
  19. JD-TWINS
    IMO, Farmer for sure v. southpaws, or he shouldn’t be on the roster. Can’t imagine Kirilloff or Larnach sitting v. RH pitching anytime soon!………..seems Santana will be the odd guy out v. RH pitching, much more often. Kirilloff at 1B - Larnach in LF - Castro at 2B - Miranda at DH……….v. RH pitching would seem to be the regular line-up. What an interesting position the Team could be in, IF, Wallner & Julien & Lee all come together over next 3-6 weeks…..hoping for tough decisions!
  20. JD-TWINS
    Agree about nobody getting Alvarez out ……I think the Thielbar comment refers to broad problems historically & potentially more going forward in key spots. I do think the Catcher pitch calling issues are a “group effort”. Meaning the coach & Catcher & Pitcher are mostly on the same page. They get together between nearly every inning. I’m not in love with the calls for certain pitches either through the season but the pitcher can shake it off OR execute. (Also, there are 140 to 175 pitches thrown per game - lots of chances for 3-4 bad choices or poor execution - they’re human) Typically, more about where the pitch is thrown v. what pitch is thrown.
  21. JD-TWINS
    Agree! Starting Miranda v. LH pitching ahead of Santana at 1B won’t happen. Pretty sure they’ll give the veterans (Margot/Farmer) an inordinate amount of time to regress back to their norms ……….no real logical reason not to if the guys supplanting them are inconsistent young guys like Wallner & Julien……,hope it happens at some point and those two “force themselves” back in to the MLB roster. As an aside, Vazquez isn’t going anywhere until the end of ‘25. If Jeffers were to get nicked up the Team can’t have the “fallback position” only be guys currently in AAA.
  22. JD-TWINS
    So the move is the clear cut correct one in my opinion. Even if Lewis wasn’t coming back, Julien needs to refresh his approach. I think most of it is between his ears with approach but I’m not an MLB player - just seems he has the capabilities to overcome adjustments the League has made against him as well as his 2 strike mindset. I think you are saying above that Castro will play LF & Farmer at 2B v. LH pitching? I think Farmer will be in games more or at least sooner as circumstances evolve in the games. I do think this is an opportunity for Farmer to prove his worth, or without an improvement, it further justifies his DFA move in the future. How about Miranda? He won’t let up - looks more polished all the time - nice aggressive approach! I do not see Miranda DHing more, or better said, ahead of Larnach at DH v. right handed pitching. I think Santana & Kirilloff will continue to get 95% of the reps at 1B……,Miranda pinch hits couple times per week …….starts at 3B once or twice to ease Lewis into regular time…….DH once or twice. I think getting Kepler some regular rest with Kirilloff & Larnach (occasionally) in the corners could happen going forward with Lewis at DH or 3B along with Miranda. Do not see Jeffers kicking up time much at Catcher this early in the year. His hitting drop has come from regression to the norm but his playing nearly every day probably has an affect as well. He may pinch hit a little more with the ability to come in and catch late in Vazquez starts………bottom line is Staff is doing well, Vazquez is part of that, don’t see pushing Jeffers with 100 games left to play. He may catch 53 - 50 with Vazquez here on out but not much more, IMO. Kepler pinch hit for fellow LH hitting Julien the other day……..I could see Jeffers coming up to pinch hit for Vazquez after the 5th in a key situation. Tough for Vazquez but he’d still be getting time/starts & working with the rotation on the regular.
  23. JD-TWINS
    The change of atmosphere - pressure - competition level - absolute “need” to perform that a guy feels in the Show changes in St. Paul. It’s not about X’s &O’s of the swing. …….try to relax a bit - build some confidence - feel you can get it done. I like the rotating pitcher idea - resting Paddack (IL stint) & then possibly SWR (optioned) as well by sending a guy (Festa, Varland) up to pitch and then back down, as Mr. Bell suggests….as I type though, it seems the roster swell on the day the AAA guy pitches creates the same 27 man total, if there are 14 position players - right? Seems to ME that Julien is the logical guy relative to plate performance and need of a refresh.
  24. JD-TWINS
    Tired arm ….. arm strain……bad back…….he “could” have a whole bunch of things bothering him.
  25. JD-TWINS
    Makes perfect sense - his “to do list” was quit walking guys!
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