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mluebker

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Everything posted by mluebker

  1. mluebker
    Keaschall at first; Lewis struggling to find consistency at the plate and a defensive home on some other team.
  2. mluebker
    The Twins have already figured out a solid second baseman in Kody Clemens, who fields better and hit better and more consistently than Lewis this year, with less drama and who will cost less in the long run. Lewis has shown everyone who he is and what he can do. The idea that he’s somehow just not had the chance to “develop” seems more like wishful thinking than reality at this point.
  3. mluebker
    When they have enough data to draw a meaningful conclusion, it’s going to come down to whether Keaschall’s hitting is creating more runs than his defense is giving up. If not, he’s the Twins’ next first baseman and Lewis is playing somewhere they’ll let Royce be Royce.
  4. mluebker
    That seems optimistic. Although they haven’t tried him at catcher yet.
  5. mluebker
    You may be right. I was predicting first base was Royce Lewis’s destiny a year or two ago, and he hasn’t stepped up and taken ownership yet and maybe never will. On the other hand, the outfield depth chart already is pretty crowded with actual outfielders. At some point the question with Keaschall is going to be, “Where can they park him where he won’t cost them more runs that his bat generates?”
  6. mluebker
    I like Clemens, but right now he’s the best second baseman they have. Keaschall is probably the worst, and there aren’t really any viable choices in between. Unless they want to rent another veteran for a year, I gotta think 1B is Keaschall’s destiny. Might as well get him over there and learning to play there ASAP.
  7. mluebker
    Yeah, but other than that, they could be contenders next year.
  8. mluebker
    Ouch! But not much to argue with…
  9. mluebker
    I’m with the guys above who said Keaschall. They need his bat in the lineup and his base-stealing skills once he gets on. First base means he doesn’t have to think too hard about how to field a lot of batted balls or where he needs to be. A smaller set of choices, less things to learn. And he’s still young enough that he could actually get good at it.
  10. mluebker
    Amen. And your scenario for next year actually had me looking ahead with something that I think might be optimism. Maybe it’s just too much coffee today, but either way, I haven’t felt that for a while.
  11. mluebker
    I’d sooner sign Clemens for 3-4 years. He’s hit and fielded better and doesn’t prance around the field wearing war-paint he hasn’t earned.
  12. mluebker
    Moving to Colorado hasn’t improved my baseball-watching choices, that’s for sure.
  13. mluebker
    The author sums it up succinctly: “There's certainly talent there. The problem is that most of it is projection.” I’m all for trying to build a solid team by developing the talent within the organization, but the Twins have put too much emphasis on “athleticism” and potential, but not enough on developing complete players. They have a roster bulging with guys who probably could be DHs, but haven’t learned to adequately play a position in the field at the MLB level. When we’re talking here about where to hide 2-3 defensive liabilities and looking at prospects instead of aging stars at DH because they can’t field, but could turn out to be capable everyday offensive contributors, it’s less building a solid core than holding never-ending auditions.
  14. mluebker
    And I think he’s kind of a head case and hasn’t taken well to being moved around in the field, which may be part of why he can’t hit. Either way, we agree on the “can’t hit.”
  15. mluebker
    Surprising, then, that he couldn’t make the throw to first when they first started playing him there. I still remember him as the Twins’ “shortstop of the future,” until they signed Correa. (At that point someone helpfully explained to me he’d gotten too big to play SS, anyway.) On the other hand, I absolutely agree with you on why he can’t hit.
  16. mluebker
    You may be right. But I wish the team would be working out stuff like where a guy allegedly can play in the field before they bring him up to the big club. I think part of what’s ailing Royce Lewis is he hasn’t really had a definite defensive role since they brought him up, and dealing with uncertainty—like hitting pitches off the plate—doesn’t seem to be anywhere in his wheelhouse.
  17. mluebker
    If he hasn’t figured that out yet, he’s living in a fantasy world.
  18. mluebker
    I’ve heard worse ideas, some of them mine. But I’d rather see Rodriguez in the outfield where he belongs, and Keaschall (who doesn’t) at first.
  19. mluebker
    Boomer hate? Boo! But you’re right about needing a little more assertive coaching for guys like Mr. Creative Face Paint. Billy Martin is long gone, but Doug Mientkiewicz is still out there someplace.
  20. mluebker
    Yet it says something that Mr High Ceiling’s actual performance has been compared to Clemens all season. That’s pretty much the level he’s been operating at without the defensive versatility as an upside.
  21. mluebker
    Whose turn is it for the Tommy John surgery this year?
  22. mluebker
    I’m kinda surprised they haven’t tried him at catcher or attempted to teach him to pitch. Seems like he’s had a chance everywhere else
  23. mluebker
    Say goodbye to Lewis and try Keaschall at first to open up an outfield spot. Maybe he’s less of a defensive liability there. I hate to see the position turning into the last chance for ex-prospects to prove that they can play somewhere, but whose bat would you rather see in the lineup, Lewis’s or Keaschall’s? Ditto for Larnach. Too many potentially better outfielders stacking up behind him. Buxton moves to one of the corners, Jenkins plays center, and it’s a competition for the other starting and fourth outfielder slots. But keep Ober. I keep dreaming he’s going to evolve into the Twins’ version of Greg Maddux, more about control than heat.
  24. mluebker
    A one-year contract isn't something the Twins are going to offer for a season likely to be truncated by the CBA negotiations/lockout. And who knows what the new deal is going to look like? If they really want him--and I think they should--they're going to have to offer him a multi-year contract and hope he likes it here well enough to take less money than some other team is likely to put on the table.
  25. mluebker
    Less terrain to cover, less strain on an already fragile, aging body. Will he still get injured? Of course. But maybe not as often.
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