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1985Fan

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Everything posted by 1985Fan

  1. 1985Fan
    Looks like Rocco decided to “demote” Jax after all. After all your blathering about how emotional and ridiculous a suggestion it was to move Jax down the pecking order, Rocco has pitched Jax in the 7th inning in two games against the lowly White Sox. So Rocco’s answer to your question is yes, Jax should be moved down the BP pecking order to get himself back on track.
  2. 1985Fan
    Because Kiersey can’t bunt doesn’t mean that can’t be done. Those were the first bunt attempts in a very long time. Rocco can’t be blamed for Keirsey or anyone’s particular AB. What Rocco can do is work on bunting during BP. They should be working on fundamentals during ST and every day, based on the way this team performs. That is what Rocco can control. TK used to have infield drills during pre-game everyday to drive home fundamentals. As someone else said earlier, manager should be part of everyday work that the coaches plan with players, including BP. I read earlier this year that Rocco was sitting in on hitter meetings reviewing scouting reports and game planning for the first time ever! That tells me he is not managing the team completely. Leaving the coaching up to his staff isn’t working. Can you imagine Bellicheck leaving the game plan up to coaches? Manager has to be engaged and part of fixing the problems. Or he can shrug his shoulders and blame the players. This is his first job as manager and it shows. He clearly is overmatched during games and is not doing enough between games.
  3. 1985Fan
    Rocco does have an impact. Can you defend his constant pinch hitting LH hitters in the 5th inning last year? Other managers don’t PH starters in the 5th inning for good reason. Notice how he hasn’t been doing that this year. But he did it for a year, leaving bench players in key AB’s later in games while starters sat watching. Then there is pulling SP early, burning out the BP, etc. I saw Rocco pulling SP early in the first game of a series several times last season. Stresses the BP for the next two games and has cumulative effect for the season. He constantly pulls the infield in to try to cut down runners early in the game. It rarely works and instead, it usually leads to a bigger inning than trying for a DP. A good manager would try to jump start a dormant offense by calling a hit & run, sac bunt a runner to third with no outs, steal more bases, etc. I didn’t see that from Rocco last year during the collapse or this year during current slump. He follows the script regardless of the situation. Terrible in game manager. He is not responsible for poor player performance, but part of his job is to maximize the talent on the roster. Especially with young players finding their way in the league. Instead the young guys don’t seem to improve, they go backwards. Julien, Lee, Lewis, Wallner, and Larnach. As far as the Pohlads being cheap, the Twins have one of the highest payrolls in the AL Central, if not the highest. Cleveland, Detroit, and KC outperform Twins roster. This year they be passed by CWS. Being outperformed by the entire AL Central reflects badly on manager and FO.
  4. 1985Fan
    I’m not “randomly guessing” three or more bad appearances by Jax. His record is 2 blown saves and 2 losses. His stat line is 8 innings pitched, 10 ER, 14 hits, in 9 appearances. That is more than two bad appearances.
  5. 1985Fan
    A little emotional?! Yes, 4-1 in the 8th inning is high leverage. Switch spots with Varland. If you have seen Jax last three or so appearances, you would have to admit he is struggling. Even the Apple TV announcers had to point that out, so it is obvious to all except for you and Rocco. So far this year he’s pitched 8 innings, given up 14 hits and 11 runs. He’s been charged with 2 losses and 2 blown saves. I think that’s enough information to say he’s struggling and Rocco should put him in low leverage spots until he shows he isn’t going to implode.
  6. 1985Fan
    The eye test would tell the manager that Jax’s recent past blown outings are who Jax is at this point of the season. He’s not pitching like last year’s stats. Rocco cant understand what any casual fan can see; Jax doesn’t have it right now. It’s simple, Rocco could adjust the BP order so Jax is not pitching high leverage innings until he shows his stuff is back on track. But Rocco sticks to his rigid game plan and Jax keeps blowing it.
  7. 1985Fan
    No, I’m saying that Rocco/ Twins don’t have the patience to stick with young players like Detroit did.
  8. 1985Fan
    No excuse. I’m agreeing with Detroit way of handling their young guys compared to Falvey/Rocco. Detroit stuck with their young guys and let them play. It paid off.
  9. 1985Fan
    Detroit was not good for a long time before things clicked and the young players started playing up to their potential. They were in rebuilding mode and could afford to stick with the young guys and it’s paid off. Compared to Larnach, Julien, and Wallner’s handling, it shows a different approach. Larnach and Wallner were drafted 1st round, so there must be talent there. The difference is in how they were developed and managed once they hit the show.
  10. 1985Fan
    The problem with Rocco constantly changing lineups, and moving players positions around is how it affects the younger players. When young players are trying to learn how to hit or play at this level, they need two things; repetition, and confidence. When a young hitter has a bad day at the plate, the best thing for him is to go out the next day and get right back at it, knowing your manager trusts you. This instills self confidence in the player. If self doubt creeps in, the hitter is lost. This is what I see when watching Larnach, Miranda, Julien, Lee, and others for their AB’s. Their confidence may be gone at this point, after failing, demotions, bench role, etc. Maybe they don’t have the talent to succeed, but they have shown flashes and had a lot of hype at one time. Rocco can defend his style by saying that the team has to win games. But Falvey has put him in the position that in order to win, the young players have to perform. Unworkable situation if you ask me. Shouldn’t rely on young players to perform at high level immediately on being called up. I hope Keaschall doesn’t think he has to carry the team, but that is the expectation. Too much pressure on the kid. If things don’t turn around this season, they can change the expectations from contenders to rebuilding. Then call up your young players and let them play and develop at the MLB level. Not with Rocco running the team. He’s not a teacher or people person.
  11. 1985Fan
    Seems premature, given the TJ surgery. Could be ok if he’s DH to see if his bat is an upgrade to current roster. Hope this doesn’t jeopardize his arm in anyway. If he’s primarily DH, what to do with Julien? He’s finally having good AB’s and getting some hits. It will be interesting to see what Keaschall will do.
  12. 1985Fan
    I’m not going to take the time to look through 2024 free agent SS/infielder listings or go over MLB rosters for names. That’s what Falvey gets paid to do. Point is when your starting SS has recent injury problems and is injury prone, there have to be solid backup options on the roster. To argue that there were no trade or low cost FA options out there doesn’t hold water. To say that there was no room on the roster when Gasper is sitting on the bench also doesn’t make sense. Here’s a recent TD article about the lack of depth at SS: https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/the-minnesota-twins-lack-of-depth-at-shortstop-is-scary-r18011/ Given the new information that Correa had wrist problem last season, if the FO knew about it, that is mismanagement to not have depth.
  13. 1985Fan
    I would think that with Correas injury history it would be a priority. It’s not rocket science. There were veteran options available instead of Gasper! Come on, that’s the move he made and now Gasper is indispensable? That just shows two things; Twins aren’t serious about contending, and Falvey is a terrible judge of talent.
  14. 1985Fan
    With Correa’s foot injuries last year, the possibility for him to be on long-term IL was high. Relying on Castro to play significant time at SS is not a good plan. Even Rocco stated that last year. Lee is unproven at SS position and at the MLB level in general. Lee didn’t look like the answer there in SSS last year. From what was written this spring, Lee was given the 2nd base job until he got hurt. No plan for a quality defense first SS at all. If FO knew that Correa had sore wrist last year, they should have gotten a MLB level backup SS. They’re not serious about contending anyway, so it doesn’t matter.
  15. 1985Fan
    Quote from story in MLBTR: “Shortstop Carlos Correa was removed from yesterday’s game with some left wrist soreness. He told Nightengale that he’s been dealing with it since late last year.” https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/04/twins-acquire-jonah-bride.html if Correa is down for a long time, Twins infield defense is in trouble. Did FO know about this? If so, why didn’t Falvey do something about it in the offseason? FO malpractice if injury history is true.
  16. 1985Fan
    For once II’m ok with Rocco making the pitching change when he did. Just ok, don’t agree with it. Tomorrow is an off day, so the BP can recover and reload for Atlanta. At some point, Rocco is going to have to understand it’s a long season and every out from the starters makes the BP better. Great pitching, some clutch hits, and decent defense for a series win. I am pleasantly surprised.
  17. 1985Fan
    I don’t think Jeffers is a keeper at catcher. I watch him miss foul pop-ups 20 ft from home plate, miss balls in the dirt, and he doesn’t have success throwing out runners. On top of all that, he positions himself with his throwing hand exposed and tried to catch a ball with it instead of blocking it, and now he has a thumb injury again. I was taught in little league to keep your throwing hand behind your back and not to reach for the ball with it. Use your body to block pitches in the dirt. Jeffers is not a major league catcher. He’s not hitting the ball either, so it’s time to move on from him. Give Camargo a chance. Can’t be worse than Jeffers. Wait, the player development in this organization has been sending players to the majors with serious defensive flaws. The system is broken. What a far cry from the past when pitching and defense were the hallmark of the Twins. Not anymore with Falvey in charge.
  18. 1985Fan
    Another example of Rocco’s genius. Pull the young pitcher with 2 outs in the fifth. Now your BP is going to be stressed for the rest of the series. Paddack pitching tomorrow. What’s the chances of another short start?! Castro with his usual great defense. But, oh he can play multiple positions! Stone Hands Julien also had one clang off his glove. Those errors may not have resulted in runs, but extra outs are further stress on the pitching staff. Rocco has Gasper at DH instead of Julien? If Gasper is a bat-first guy, Falvey is a failure at talent evaluation.
  19. 1985Fan
    As someone else posted here; we’re stuck with Baldelli until new ownership takes control. I hope they will fire both Falvey and Rocco. Falvey has failed to put decent players on the roster that can hit. Give him credit for the pitching pipeline he’s developed, but the lack of players coming through the system that contribute at the MLB level is the problem. A lot of hype for Lewis, Wallner, Larnach, Lee, Julien, etc., but they have not shown they can hit consistently. They can’t score runs and add in Rocco’s game time management errors and you have a perfect cocktail for a losing season.
  20. 1985Fan
    The product they’re selling isn’t in high demand. It’s that simple. All of the posts here about the team, the stadium, the fans reluctance to travel to watch a game, the high cost of tickets and food/beer, etc. are all part of the product. You can’t expect fans to flock to TF to see this team after the collapse last year and generating zero interest in the offseason. Who wants to pay to watch this team get beat and play Rocco ball? Not me! Get rid of Falvey and Rocco, rebuild with the young guys, get rid of the veterans, and maybe they’ll generate fan interest. When you’re running out the same product that isn’t winning, can’t hit, can’t play defense, can’t run the bases, and a manager that mismanages, they’re not going to sell tickets.
  21. 1985Fan
    No way Falvey fires his chosen one. New owners will have to clean house. Doesn’t look like new owners will happen until offseason, at the earliest. If Pohlads even sell the team. Going to be a long season.
  22. 1985Fan
    Four K’s for Buxton. He looks totally overmatched at the plate. 3 of 4 AB’s were not competitive either. 4 pitches each. No fouls in his AB’s, so he must not be seeing the ball at all. Not good. Take a day off to reset.
  23. 1985Fan
    I just don’t think Keaschall has played enough MiLB to justify being called up. I’m old school and believe player development should trump adding him in an attempt to salvage the season. I think it hurts the player and the team in the long term. I know that rapid promotion is more common now and some players have had success without spending time in the minors. If you call up Keaschall now, he’ll have to learn at the MLB level instead of the minors. That could be ugly if he struggles (like Lee is) on a team that thinks they’re contenders. Too much pressure on the kid could destroy his confidence and set his development back. That’s the risk. After the Twins are out of contention (could be within a month), then call him up when there isn’t pressure to perform. That would be ok, but I still think he needs to get games under his belt at AAA. When I hear that he plays 2B and OF, I’m concerned. Twins push the utility aspect without teaching how to play the position properly. We end up watching a team that doesn’t play fundamentally sound baseball. This teams defense is bad outside of Correa, Buxton, and Bader. That’s a different subject….
  24. 1985Fan
    They’re back to not hitting like they did during the collapse last year. This shouldn’t be surprising to anyone. It’s the same players as last year. Bader and France aren’t/can’t carry the hitting load. Lewis isn’t going to save the day. He’s a suspect hitter after his performance during the collapse last year. He needs to prove he can hit at MLB level. We’ll see if Correa and Buxton can get going at the plate, but I don’t think they’re capable of carrying the load consistently. If the answer is Keaschall and Rodriguez, this team is in trouble. Relying on rookies to be MLB hitters out of the gate is putting too much pressure on young players. Adding them to a functional offense would be ok, but throwing them into this mess might set their development back. Let them play at AAA until they’ve set the world on fire there and the season is over for the Twins. That might be by mid-season the way Twins are playing.
  25. 1985Fan
    Twins have called up Blewett and designated McCaughan.
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