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Hunter McCall

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Everything posted by Hunter McCall

  1. Hunter McCall
    Thank you for your thoughts! I agree with most of your assessment! When it comes to speed on the bases, I don't think they're necessarily slow, I think the lack of steals is just kind of the way Rocco rolls. I recall in 2019 he was asked about his lack of willingness to take extra bases and he eluded to not wanting to risk outs due to their power approach at the plate. When a team is full of guys who can hit for power, everyone is in scoring position. I think he still kind of lives by that principle belief that it isn't worth it to risk the out on a stolen base. Now, whether this school of thought morphs with the new rule changes or not, I guess we'll see. Thanks again for your thoughts!
  2. Hunter McCall
    That was one of the biggest concerns and one of the reasons I advocated for a Pablo Lopez trade long before it happened. Arraez is a bottom of the barrel fielder with chronically bad knees. I loved his personality and his ability at the plate, but the Twins had a much greater need for a stud pitcher. I wish Arraez nothing but health and success, but yes those issues were well known beforehand.
  3. Hunter McCall
    They've looked good the last few days! Jorge Polanco has provided a solid spark! Hoping to get AK back soon as well!
  4. Hunter McCall
    As I mentioned, the start players are going to come out of their slumps. Buxton and Correa are going to return to form and be the most efficient contributors to the lineup. As far as the pitches out of the strike zone, I think all that is dependent upon approach. Yesterday I saw the Twins foul off a lot of pitches out of the zone with two strikes which to me is a very good thing. I thought the at-bats the Twins have put together the last two days have been phenomenal. They have seen a ton of pitches (forced both Brito and Cortes out of the game early) and fouled off tough pitches they couldn't drive. The strikeouts have been relatively low in recent games as well. I see where you're coming from, it would obviously be better to take pitches off the plate, but I think extending at-bats by fouling them off has been very valuable for them the last couple games.
  5. Hunter McCall
    You're right about the depth! The Twins have loads of guys that could help out in a pinch as we've already seen. As far as the bullpen, if the back four guys (Duran, Lopez, Thielbar, Jax) stay healthy, the bullpen will be one of the better bullpens in baseball. Where the bullpen has struggled is out of the long-reliever role. That role should be the easiest role to fill, and the Twins just have to find the right guy. The long-reliever should only be in the game when either the team is way up, way down, or there's an injury to the starting pitcher. They should be able to find a low-leverage guy who does well in that role (maybe Brock Stewart?) As long as the back four remain good in high-leverage situations, I consider the bullpen a major asset.
  6. Hunter McCall
    I appreciate your two-yen's worth, and I agree with you! Michael A. Taylor is pretty crafty with his bunting skills. We've seen him bunt several times already this year. I don't think he tries it all too often (neither does really anyone in the league) as he has seen the ball pretty well, and would rather swing than bunt. I think if he was slumping and in a game where the team needed a base runner he wouldn't hesitate to lay one down and put some pressure on the defense. As far as Correa, you may be surprised to hear that he actually started slower last year than he has this year. On April 27th last year, Carlos Correa was hitting .167 with one home run and a .504 OPS. It was right around the start of May where he started to turn it on. He has started to heat up a bit here, but him heating up is a much slower process than someone like Buxton who heats up with one swing of the bat and then sets the world on fire. So yes, I agree that he will eventually be okay and be a star sooner than later. As for Jose Miranda, he has looked putrid to start. However, he too started very slow last year, and was actually demoted back to AAA at one point. I think he too will figure it out. His hitting profile says that he should, we just haven't seen it yet this year. The defense as a whole has looked great! The spots where you need good defenders are where the Twins have acquired really good defenders. Carlos Correa is back looking like the gold glover he once was, Joey Gallo looks phenomenal at 1B, Christian Vazquez (despite a couple recent blunders) has been among the leagues best in framing and overall defense, Michael A. Taylor is as good as advertised, and Max Kepler is solid as well. Jorge Polanco will always be a below average fielder. As you mentioned Jose Miranda has looked shaky as well. He's made some nice plays but his arm strength is questionable. Trevor Larnach has also been not great in the field. He had that one bonehead play against the Nationals that eventually cost the Twins the game, and then again last night it looked like he could have canned Aaron Judge at the plate in the 1st inning, but delivered a horrible throw up the line. I think both Kepler and Gallo hose Judge on that play. Overall though, there's no glaring weakness on the team defensively.
  7. Hunter McCall
    Exactly right! Also keep in mind that the early schedule for the Twins was perceived as the difficult part of their schedule. Series' against the Astros, White Sox, Red Sox, and Yankees X2 made it look like the Twins were going to be tested early. While a couple of those teams are below pre-season expectations, the Twins have navigated the schedule very well. They have positioned themselves well early, and just need to continue to win series'! I really want to watch playoff baseball again in Minnesota! The World Series is a long shot for every team, but if you stay healthy, get hot at the right time, and make the right moves at the deadline, you always have a chance! First things first though, you have to be in the dance!
  8. Hunter McCall
    It's understandable to be cautiously optimistic! The team was in a good spot last year, as you mentioned, until basically September. There's a difference with this team though in my opinion. Last year's squad relied on Chris Archer and Dylan Bundy to take the mound two out of every five days. It was a terrible experience that hindered the bullpen and really wore on the team in general. That's not an issue this year as the team has six starters who they can feel comfortable sending out on any given day and give the team a chance to win. This is a huge difference between the 2022 and 2023 teams, and should allow them to stay competitive. Another difference is the depth of the team. We already got to see a lot of that depth early in the season with the injuries that piled up early. The Twins are getting healthy now, and the lineup is looking much better, but those replacements that had to play kept the team afloat while the starters healed up. I trust the depth much more than years past!
  9. Hunter McCall
    My sincerest apologies... Ummmmm... CHEAP POHLADS!!! TWINS SUCK!!! CAN HE PITCH!?!?!? How's my form??
  10. Hunter McCall
    More information about "Early Season Review: Will the Twins Be Contenders?"
    Less than 20% into the season, the Twins are 13-10 and two games up on the Cleveland Guardians. After a disappointing series against a bad Nationals team, some fans wonder if this Twins team should be considered contenders going forward. To that, I say…. deep breaths. It’s far too early to count any team in or out, regardless of their record. The Pirates are 16-7 at the moment and have built that record with their most exciting player sidelined with a broken ankle. The two defending American and National League champions, the Astros and Phillies, have a combined record of 23-23. Many teams that were projected to be contending teams have struggled early. This happens during April baseball. The cream will rise, and if the Twins are the team we thought they were, they will be very competitive this season. So, what has gone well for the Twins so far? Pitching has been the brightest spot for the Twins so far this season. With a team ERA of 3.25 so far, the Twins' pitchers have done an excellent job keeping the team in almost every game they’ve played. Starters have pitched deeper into games than we’ve seen in years past due to increased efficiency, allowing the bullpen to stay fresh and avoid being overused. Speaking of the bullpen, the four horses the Twins rely on out of the back of the bullpen, Caleb Thielbar, Griffin Jax, Jorge Lopez, and Jhoan Duran, have been lights out when called upon to finish games. All four guys sport red hot baseball savant pages to support their dominance. When called upon, the backend of the bullpen has mostly done its job by inducing soft contact and striking guys out. The Twins have lost three series’ in the young season to the Red Sox, Nationals, and Marlins and have yet to suffer a sweep in any series. While these series losses came to subpar teams, the Twins also hold quality series wins over the Astros and White Sox and split a four-game series at Yankee Stadium. The Twins remain in first place in the division, aided by a slow start to the rest of the division. The primary cause for concern for many thus far has been the lineup. Many Twins hitters expected to be key contributors in the lineup have struggled out of the gate. Jose Miranda, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, and Nick Gordon all have struggled to meet expectations at the plate for one reason or another. Is there reason to be concerned going forward? My opinion is no, not yet. The Twins lineup has been banged up all season and is finally getting closer to full strength. Jorge Polanco has just returned from a knee injury and provided a spark in the middle of the lineup. Joey Gallo missed some time with a side injury but is back and continues to hit the ball very hard. Michael A. Taylor has provided more than was ever expected of him at the plate. The Twins aren’t scoring a boatload of runs, but the lineup has had bright spots. The guys who are struggling are the big named guys. Buxton and Correa are going to be very good throughout the season. They are established stars in the game, and it’s a matter of when, not if, they heat up. Miranda has hit at every level he’s played at, and while he isn’t as established as Buxton or Correa, I expect him to get going as well. Larnach needs to improve his ability to hit off-speed pitches, and Gordon needs to change his entire approach at the plate, but both guys have been productive in the past. Kepler will probably continue to Kepler: good defense, .225 BA, power, and many frustrating at-bats. Moving him to the bottom of the lineup would probably benefit everyone involved. While it is easy to be frustrated with the lineup’s performance thus far, I urge you to practice optimism. If Twins pitchers continue to pitch the way they have and the team stays healthy, the depth and talent on this team suggest they will be very successful down the stretch. This lineup is too talented not to heat up. As long as significant regression doesn’t come on the pitching front, the Twins will be in the thick of the playoff hunt. What are your thoughts on the season thus far? How do you see the Twins faring the remainder of the season? Let me know! Go, Twins!
  11. Hunter McCall
    I've been thinking this exact thing for the last couple weeks. Gordon has been atrocious so far and is getting outplayed by everyone. Originally, I assumed the Twins would DFA Donovan Solano once everyone was healthy, but you can't do that. On top of Gordon's poor performance so far, the Twins also have reinforcements coming. Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Eduoard Julien, and Austin Martin all could fill very similar roles in the future that Nick Gordon has filled in the past, and likely be much better at them. This softens any potential blow of losing Gordon. It will be an interesting decision for the team to make if/when they call up AK and Kyle Farmer returns from the IL. Good article!
  12. Hunter McCall
    Okay, you can continue to hold a grudge over Correa because he didn't originally take less money to come running back to the Twins. What a weird argument. He was offered two $300M deals. There isn't an athlete in the game who would've turned down the offers from the Giants or Mets to accept the Twins' worse offer. He owed the Twins nothing. I choose to be very happy that one of the biggest stars in the game eventually landed with the Twins in free agency. As far as his ankle, obviously I was referring to the fact that he hasn't had treatment on it since his original injury, but go off I guess.
  13. Hunter McCall
    This is exactly my point! You articulated the reason why I just despise booing your own team very well. The guy's out there helping the team any way he can behind the scenes and as a leader, and our home fans are booing him seven games in. Just a lousy thing to do in my opinion, which is why I called it out. I appreciate your comment!
  14. Hunter McCall
    DocBauer, I always appreciate your comments! I love you're positivity and view of the Twins, as it is always very similar to mine! I love reading your thoughts on the topics that I bring up! You rock man! As I kind of already eluded to, I agree with almost everything you said! I too think Wallner will be a good player with the Twins and there's a good shot a spot opens up next season (assuming the Twins don't resign Gallo). Thank you again for your comment!
  15. Hunter McCall
    Thank you for the compliment on the article and I appreciate your comment. I will say though, I think it's my right as a Twins fan who was also at the game to criticize fans for booing a player in the seventh game of the season. I agree that we should demand and expect him to live up to the deal he signed, but my point is, it's far too early to boo the guy for striking out. Carlos Correa has done nothing but gone above and beyond for his teammates and anyone associated with the Twins, I think booing him after a meager first week of the season is worthy of my criticism. I just don't like the negativity of a small portion of the fanbase. Again, thank you for reading and commenting, I understand if you disagree, but wanted to let you know where I'm coming from.
  16. Hunter McCall
    So we're upset that a superstar shortstop eventually signed with us? Also, the health concerns were about the ankle, which too this day he has never received treatment on. He eventually signed with the Twins, I think holding a grudge over the fact that he originally agreed to two better offers to go elsewhere before the deals fell through resulting in him returning is a little silly.
  17. Hunter McCall
    I agree with you that Correa was subpar during the most important time of the year last year. The problem was he was one of few impact Twins that were healthy at that time. How big would his September surge have been if he had help around him that led to them staying in contention! That's why you're correct that health is going to be the biggest part. Correa will need the studs around him to stay healthy because no matter how well he plays, he won't be able to do it himself.
  18. Hunter McCall
    While the strength of schedule has been awful, that is still a very impressive feat. Great way to start a season that's for sure!
  19. Hunter McCall
  20. Hunter McCall
    I had heard rumors of that, and I actually wondered at the time of the play if he had gotten hurt. I thought the play at the plate should've been much closer than it was. Hopefully he's back soon, and thank you for that update!
  21. Hunter McCall
    I think it's probably too early for Julien, but the profile hasn't been great defensively. He is going to hit in the majors, but he needs to find a defensive home for sure.
  22. Hunter McCall
    It's very unlikely he gets replaced, the only way it happens in my opinion is if everyone gets healthy and Royce Lewis needs somewhere to play and Kepler is hitting below .200. I still like Kepler and hope he comes back and hits!
  23. Hunter McCall
    This is a legit possibility, especially if the Twins get healthy. Kepler provides great defense, but if Gallo, Kirilloff, Larnach, Lewis, and Buxton are all healthy and Kepler isn't hitting, I could see him losing playing time. The hopeful solution is that he returns and hits and life is fine and dandy, but it's worth keeping an eye on!
  24. Hunter McCall
    Pretty spot on take here! Starting 8-4 with the injuries the team has experienced, as well as winning series' against the Astros and White Sox is a great start to the season. Get the team healthy for a run down the stretch. I think the team is in a good spot as well!
  25. Hunter McCall
    I'm not exactly sure when it started or how many appearances he had after. All I know is Rocco suggested it had been something they were aware of for a couple days before having him sit and that it shouldn't cause any issues long term.
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