TJSweens
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Everything posted by TJSweens
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The Twins Need a Different Strategy for Developing Players
TJSweens commented on Paved Paradise's blog entry in On Target
Matt Garza and Kyle Lohse had longer careers than Boswell, not better. Boswell had his career cut short when his shoulder exploded in the 69 playoffs, pitching his 10th inning. Lohse and Garza never had a stretch anywhere close to what Boswell did in those first 6 years. Keep in mind Griffith produced his players in half the time the time of the Pohlads. -
The Twins Need a Different Strategy for Developing Players
TJSweens commented on Paved Paradise's blog entry in On Target
Santana didn't come out of the Twins system. You want to throw in the Hall of Pretty good? How about Hrbek, Gaetti, Viola, Bob Allison, Gagne, Versailles, Earl Battey, Graig Nettles, Lymon Bostock, Pascual, Dave Boswell, Dave Goltz, Mincher. Many of these guys were at the core of 3 World Series teams and a few near misses. By any objective measure, the Griffith organization produced a higher quantity of quality major leaguers in less time than the Pohlad ownership. -
The Twins Need a Different Strategy for Developing Players
TJSweens commented on Paved Paradise's blog entry in On Target
Drafting and development futility is a hallmark of the Pohlad ownership. They just don't hire good baseball people. In 24 years in Minnesota, that north end of a southbound brontosaurus, Calvin Griffith, produced six Hall of Famers...Killebrew, Carew, Oliva, Kaat, Blyleven, Puckett. In the following 42 years, the Pohlad ownership has produced Joe Mauer. -
The Twins Are Waiting On an Offer They Can’t Refuse
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Del- 71 replies
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- joe ryan
- byron buxton
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The Twins’ Updated Bullpen Picture is Missing Pieces
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Who is being blocked by Rogers?- 56 replies
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- taylor rogers
- cole sands
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The Twins’ Updated Bullpen Picture is Missing Pieces
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
The best part of the Rodgers signing is that it reduces the talk of Prielipp to the pen. There is no reason not to continue stretching him out now. There are a few starting prospects who failed at AAA and are candidates to move to the pen. Raya, Morris, Festa and Lewis can all move to the pen. There is no reason to move Prielipp, who has yet to fail.- 56 replies
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- taylor rogers
- cole sands
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Prielipp just turned 25 on January 10 and that's how old he will be all season. His elbow surgery set his time line back. I would guess that in his second year back his secondary pitches will be sharper and his pitch count and innings can be stretched. He could appear as a starter this year.
- 36 replies
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- eduardo tait
- kalen culpepper
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Culpepper as #2 seems right. His defense last year was a revelation. Everything I have read indicates the Twins are more than satisfied that he can stick at SS long term. Great approach at the plate. I think the whole launch angle debate is over rated. Tait sounds good, but he is too far away to worry about it. E-Rod concerns me because of health and strikeouts. Seems like a little Julien in him, who would rather look at strike 3 than try to foul that close pitch off to keep his AB Alive. Prielipp is only in the conversation as a starter. There is no debate about he is better suited. A move to the pen is predicated on need and getting Prielipp to the majors sooner. In my opinion, that strategy in short sighted. Especially when the Twins are not going to contend this year.
- 36 replies
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- eduardo tait
- kalen culpepper
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Derek Falvey and the Art of the Late Offseason Move
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
And keep running him out there as a pinch hitter when he is 0 for 30 as a pinch hitter.- 29 replies
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- carlos correa
- harrison bader
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Derek Falvey and the Art of the Late Offseason Move
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
I've said before that Twins approach to free agency is like Howard's strategy for picking up women on the Big Bang Theory... "First we let the lawyers and the jocks thin the herd, and then we go after the weak and the old and the lame." The Twins late acquisition strategy amounts to letting other teams fill their needs first and then combing through the leftovers. Sometimes they get a Bader and sometimes they get a Staumont.- 29 replies
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- carlos correa
- harrison bader
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I always hate these lists because it always amounts to picking a favorite member of the WAR family tree. Sorry folks, they just aren't the be all and end all stats that they are made out to be. There are numerous pitchers in Twins history than Radke. Don't get me wrong, I loved Brad. He was a solid, sturdy gamer. Jim Perry, Frank Viola, Camillo Pascual, hell even Dave Boswell, who was on the verge of a monster career before his shoulder exploded in the 10th inning of his playoff start was a better pitcher than Radke.
- 24 replies
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- johan santana
- bert blyleven
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2026 Minnesota Twins International Signings
TJSweens replied to Sherry Cerny's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
Merlo is the only one rated in the top 50 international prospects. He comes in at #34.- 42 replies
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- enmanuel merlo
- abel sosa
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How many slow footed, league average hitting, subpar defensive, figures to spend time at DH players do we need?
- 47 replies
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- ryan jeffers
- victor caratini
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Moving Raya to the pen seems a logical move. Moving Prielipp, arguably their best pitching prospect, is not. Move Prielipp to the pen at 25 years old and he won't return to the rotation. Complete waste of a top pitching prospect. It would make more sense to move guys like Zebby and Festa to the pen short term. They have built up enough innings to easily transition back to starting if the Twins want to.
- 35 replies
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- connor prielipp
- marco raya
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Inside the Twins First Base Pipeline
TJSweens replied to Cory Moen's topic in Twins Minor League Talk
I think your playing fast and loose with the phrase first base pipeline. -
C Mauer 1B Hrbek 2B Carew 3B Killebrew SS Smalley LF Puckett CF Hunter RF Oliva DH Morneau Rotation Santana Blyleven Perry Kaat Pascual I'd love to say Walter Johnson, but I don't know if Senators are eligible.
- 42 replies
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- kirby puckett
- kent hrbek
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The Santana to Prielipp comparison is apples to oranges. Santana was never exclusively in the pen. Even in year 1 when he was only on the roster because they had to keep him or lose him, he got 5 starts. He was then a mix of pen and starts for a couple of years. Santana also had good health, unlike Prielipp. At 21, Santana had almost 300 minor league innings. Prielipp at 24, has 112 innings. Move Prielipp to the pen and he is likely 27 if they transition him back and build up his innings. Not likely. Santana was in the Ryan, Kelly, Gardenhire era when the Twins things like break a pitcher in from the pen and move him to the rotation. Under Falvey, moves to the pen are permanent.
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I'll get on my Prielipp soap box once again. I'm dead set against moving him to the pen. 1. He projects as a top of the rotation starter and the focus should be on getting him there. Top starters are more important than closers. They need to build his innings since he has pitched very few. That's hard to do in the pen. 2. When this regime moves someone to the pen, they almost never move back. Duran was supposed to be a temporary move. He wanted to start again after his first year in the pen. The Twins said no. 3. If the Twins were in position to contend it might be worth moving arguably their best pitching prospect to the pen. They aren't contending. This year is about using place holders until top prospects are ready. There is no point in rushing Prielipp to the majors via the pen.
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What Comes Next for Twins and Joe Ryan?
TJSweens replied to Cody Christie's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
The Pohlad's are surpassing themselves as cheapskates on this one. $6.35M for an all star starting pitcher is an extreme bargain and the Twins are haggling over $500K. At the same time, they are minimizing his trade value. They should have worked out a multi-year deal by now.

