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Althebum82

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Everything posted by Althebum82

  1. Althebum82
    So, at a time when medical knowledge and technology were significantly less advanced, knees were the body area that ultimately brought a somewhat premature conclusion to Tony O's career. He may have had other body challenges as well, but none were as prominently documented as Buxton's other injuries. Everyone hopes for healing and recovery for our franchise outfielder. But knees are still a serious area that can effect everything from sleep and mental health to performance on the job. He is a fighter and wants to overcome all obstacles that get in his way of being the best he can be. But some obstacles can ultimately be too much, as we saw with Tony O. He has provided well for his family, and it may be in his best interest to "walk away" from the game while he still can. Literally. It is certainly a legitimate question to ask and I appreciate this article doing so.
  2. Althebum82
    He has shown that when healthy, he has the promise of a long MLB career. The Twins did what they felt they had to do to get a return on their other starting pitcher investments and balance his contribution as well. It was an unorthodox, but logical approach. The hope is that it will pay off in a brighter future for both him and the team over time. I'm okay with that. By the way, the only way he can pitch for the Twins in October is with league approval due to the injury of a September 1 roster player, correct?
  3. Althebum82
    With every start as the season progresses Lopez has shown how important it was for the Twins to acquire him. Arraez is truly special, but a quick look at across the river (along with the signings of Solano and Farmer) shows how much infield depth this franchise has which made Arraez expendable. Even Steer and ES were expendable, unfortunately the expected return for giving them up didn't pan out like Lopez has.
  4. Althebum82
    You know, sometimes the desire for a return on investment gets in the way of making smart choices regarding the true best interests of the team. Wow, to if CC has really been playing through this much pain, it would at this point be smart choice to help him provide us with a max return on his investment by resting him so he is more ready for the playoffs. We do have competent options as others have stated. Moving him down in the line-up is also smart. His glove and team leadership qualities really make him truly a special player. Let's not throw away the potential for a good long career with the Twins for some games in September of marginal importance. Frankly, we have been down this road with Buxton before as well. If he is not able to experience good health on his rehab assignment, shut him down for this year if it means a better chance to deliver results over the rest of his contract. This is a well thought out and well written piece, Cody. As exasperating as CC's season has been offensively, he is always a battler and plays an important role in this team's success. Also, it is clear that there are young players who have emerged to cover the short comings of our key veterans' performances this year. Let's keep focusing on strengths where they exist on this team, and do the best we can with our short comings so that we can all enjoy the unique experience of October MLB baseball.
  5. Althebum82
    Quite frankly Martin, Garlick, Keirsey, Stevenson, and Prato (who played OF to start the season in Wichita) are all overachieving expectations as well as infielders Hernan Perez, and Severino. It's pretty easy to argue that at least one of these guys should have Luplow's roster spot. In the end, most likely he will be gone when Willi Castro completes his rehab assignment and we can all go back to calling out Joey Gallo again.
  6. Althebum82
    Excellent piece, very comprehensive and a joy to read. I had really hoped that Ortega would earn his keep. His limited career MLB appearances, though, have all added up to be too home run prone for whatever reason. In a different TD article it was mentioned that Keuchel would no longer be part of the rotation. I have not seen that reported anywhere else, but I will confess that my reading exposure is limited to a few sources online. If this is true, then surely there is a roster move of some kind approaching shortly that may create an opportunity sooner rather than later. No doubt Gallo has earned his position as the current TD reader whipping boy. But I just can't see this team moving on from the known to the unknown much at this point of the season. Any adds to the roster at this point will most likely be limited to those with existing MLB experience, and most likely be injury-connected in some way.
  7. Althebum82
    No. Not really even a fan of using him at DH, but agree he has earned an increase in his share of the catching load. Every team wants to try to get a max return on a big dollar free agent investment, but the more I see Vasquez in the line-up, the more I cringe. Playing either guy at 1B only exposes the limited return on his signing.
  8. Althebum82
    Here's an observation......the last time the Twins had only two catchers on their active roster over an entire season was 1995 with Walbeck and Merullo. Granted they only played 144 games as a team that year and utility guy Reboulet did fill in an inning, but the point is that the odds of Vaquez and Jeffers staying healthy enough to handle the entire season and possibly playoffs alone is historically daunting. No one else is on the 40 man roster, and we only add two more now in September to the active roster instead of an unlimted number basically in years past. Should Camargo or Williams be added to this list? By the way, love the premise of the article and the conversation it inspires!
  9. Althebum82
    Aaaaaannnnd right on cue, note that Kepler has been kept out of tonight's line-up due to being hit by a pitch on his foot in Monday's game........after supposedly being ruled "just fine" earlier in the day. Hopefully, not a reprise of his 2022 2nd half toe injury for which he had surgery...... Even if it is, I still think that the general consensus opinion of "yes" to the option signing will still continue to be accurate.
  10. Althebum82
    There can be little doubt about the benefits of a recency effect. Had he started out red hot the first half of the season and then crapped out down the stretch posting his current numbers as final, the answer would be no. Overall his total season numbers right now are okay but unspectacular and not worth $9M given other player options noted by others. But no doubt it is a thoughtful question the way the season has unfolded for him. Kinda makes you wonder if the issues that have lead to some IL time were more of a lingering battle than we all knew. Maybe it took this long to fully get back to his physical potential. On the other hand, maybe that thought should really be completely irrelevant. I guess only Kepler himself knows. It is fun to see him making the contribution to the team success that we all expected from him. In the end, I also believe they will do the extension.
  11. Althebum82
    Yeah, there could very well have been a gentleman's agreement with Boras where they need to keep playing Gallo and then Boras would extend a little courtesy back by asking Keuchel to not abandon the Twins at the earliest opt out date. It would be a reasonable benefit for both parties, especially if Gallo had actually turned it around. But, that time has now passed. Chris Williams has earned at least a look. And, Gallo is clearly in his way.
  12. Althebum82
    Mr Belinski, your wish is granted. Moran is down, and welcome back Headrick. Not sure that Headrick has actually earned a call-up, either, but he is left handed I guess. It is a move that most certainly reinforces the message of the original post.
  13. Althebum82
    They certainly had a basis for hope that Alcala's return from last year's injury would make an impact, but it appears that year #2 will be mostly a wash as well. At this point, it is hard to envision him has ever making a meaningful contribution to this bullpen again.
  14. Althebum82
    In Rocco's Thursday pregame radio interview, he confirmed the present issue is Buxton's knees (plural) and he was not a candidate to even pinch hit for either Wednesday or Thursday games. Aside from the fact that no dramatic need for a pinch hitter actually presented itself in either game, it is writing-on-the-wall time when a statement like that is asserted with such total confidence. Whatever the training staff is doing to "restore" him enough to struggle through multi-strikeout games with the rare two homer burst of hope is very likely not in his best interest physically. It is true that medical technology is far more advanced than in, say, Tony Oliva's end of career knee situation. But for the sake of his now newly expanded family as well as himself in my opinion the time has come to explore those medical options as best he can and consider the possibility of concluding his playing career. Of course this is easy for me to say since I am not the one that would be walking away from a large multi-million dollar committment by the Twins. And, most likely his agent would advise to the contrary. But on the other hand, at least he may still be able to walk. Period.
  15. Althebum82
    Thank you Josh Winder for stopping the bleeding. And how many games did Walner overachieve in Saint Paul before we could squeeze him in to the underachieving big league line-up?
  16. Althebum82
    Good observation, I was actually thinking this same thought.....in any other division they should be sellers. But not the AL Central and not this season. Egads Segura has hit the wall hard making a fine career through last season appear to be very over.
  17. Althebum82
    Last year two significant moves (plus renting Sandy Leon) at the deadline frankly failed. The Floro trade, although minor, could even fail. Perhaps we should celebrate the fact that no additional failures were accumulated this season?
  18. Althebum82
    Great article! Enough to convince me that Spears needs to be promoted to help the big league club score more runs and strike out fewer times...... This development highlights just how deep this franchise is with infielders, and why Urshela, Arraez, Encarnacio-Strand and Steer were considered expendable for pitching.....Yake also looks like he is coming into his own! Farmer and Solano have been solid signings, but it appears we don't have to feel pressured to hang onto them with Prato, Helman, Martin, and one could also add Lewis still at this point as well Miranda to make an impact on the Twins future.
  19. Althebum82
    Agreed, great comment about Lynn.....he has actually done quite well since leaving the Twins, but this season has been the worst of his career and very problematic for the White Sox. The Twins did well to capitalize on this!
  20. Althebum82
    Today Rocco stated that Polanco will be getting reps at 3B while on assignment, and that they do not intend to hurry his return.
  21. Althebum82
    Oddly, this is Polanco's second rehab assignment this season with the Saints and he has struggled both times. Last time, though, when promoted he made an immediate positive impact upon his return to the big club so hopefully history will just repeat itself. It is clear, though, that this time the Twins should not send Julien back down. Will one play 2B and the other one move to 3B (Polanco does have some experience but it was 7 years ago and he is playing 2B/DH so far on rehab)? Can Buxton finally play defense so that Julien can DH?
  22. Althebum82
    Welcome back to Wallner.
  23. Althebum82
    A very thoughtful analysis of an enigma of a player. Not sure how relevant the Jayce Tingler connection is to his performance, but it apparently had an impact on him landing with the team which is interesting. I also thought the signing was a poor fit for this team and still hold that opinion. But, yeah, if he can finish with an 800+ OPS in an injury-impacted season and exhibit the positive qualities pointed out by others here, he may have been an expensive FA to pursue, but one who has proven worthy of pursuit nonetheless.
  24. Althebum82
    Love to see all of the positive recognition (with caveats, as always) for the highlights of this game. It certainly makes for a refreshing post-game read. Miranda's only mildly saving grace today was starting a double play, but his error lead to an unearned run and he seems to be flummoxed by average to below average major league pitchers. He needs to go back (assuming an option remains) and figure it out while Castro is limited to the infield with Walner's return so richly earned.
  25. Althebum82
    McCusker was in his third season with the Tri-City Valleycats (Troy NY) playing independent ball for former MLB star Pete Incaviglia. This year he has been chasing the league's triple crown leading the Frontier League in HR, RBI. and BA. He graduated in 2021 from Oklahoma State but was undrafted. Supposedly the Twins had visited with him after his freshman year at Folsom Lake (CA) Junior College but things fizzled out when he decided to continue on with his college education and career. A native of Sparks, NV he is reportedly 6'8" and 250 pounds.
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