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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    Byron has more speed, but so far has not had the control that Mays had. Mays always seemed to know where he was and when he made spectacular catches he was not in danger of bodily harm. Byron this spring looks like the batter we all hoped he would be. He is sensational, but so was Mays. In Mays' 1954 MVP season his line was 345/411/667/1.078 and he was 23. Byron was 27 last year when he had his best line 301/358/647/1.005. To me the comparison is a long way from equal. I understand what you are asking and I just cannot make the full comparison. Mays is what I wanted for the last seven years and last year was the first hint at Buxton's ceiling. However at 28 he is already reaching a point where, like Trout, his speed will continue to diminish. I do think that CF is Buxton's much longer than Trout. You can look at Byron's stats at age 27 and then you compare to Trout after his age 27 year. 305/419/591/1.000 are his totals. Mays after his age 27 year 320/393/627/1.021 - these are the stats after Mays came back from military service in 1954.
  2. mikelink45
    I still have a difficult time putting Trout ahead of Mays. But yes, longevity is part of Mays' resume - he was always a CF. Let's look at their accomplishments: Mays 156.1 WAR, lifetime 301/384/557 660 HR before the PEDs His OPS+ before he left the Giants - 157+ (21 years) 3293 hits and 23 years. Trout 76.1 WAR 305/419/583 310 HRs 1419 hits 176 OPS+ 11 years. Now he needs to maintain this for 12 more years to match Willie. Buxton 16.2 WAR 248/299/461 401 hits, 70 HRs OPS+ 102 for 7 years. Why is this even a debate? Check in 10 years from now if Byron stays healthy. I love his play, but right now he is on the outside looking in on this discussion.
  3. mikelink45
    I know it is every fans wish, but the few short seasons of production are a tease rather than a promise. He has all the talent in the world, but let's wait a few seasons before we put him in the Trout, Mays category. In the meantime I hope he is both healthy and productive and then the debate will be settled by him!
  4. mikelink45
    The White Sox are still dealing. Kimbrel for Pollock. And as Twins fans everyone wants to downgrade the Sox. Don't do it. They have a lineup that can match ours, pitching in both the rotation and pen that surpasses ours and I think they are driven to win it this year. So the numbers are too low and they will win 95. The next four are more of a toss up, but I like Detroit. Their pitching has been maturing and their rookies are stepping in at the right time. I put them second. Sentiment makes me put the Twins third and KC seems like an obvious fifth. The Guardians are really a puzzle. The way they run their team makes me wonder if they ever really want to win. (I know we got out FO from them). No team in baseball has screwed up their OF like the Guardians and yet they have Terry Francona and the fact that we are not just ignoring them is because of his leadership. Put them down for fourth.
  5. mikelink45
    Send them all to the minors - see how the season plays out and if we need to make changes. If that means we lose one it is not a big loss. But right now the question is not if these players should be on the roster, but who do we want to get rid of that is on that roster? No more Jake Cave - please. What is this love affair that the team or Rocco seems to have with him. Celestino can cover CF much better and almost all the options can hit better than him. Notice no team tried to claim him when we removed him from the 40 man.
  6. mikelink45
    Nice reflection - I agree with your points and it leads to these questions: Is Sonny Gray not ready to start? I know the ST was short. How long before Archer is ready to start? Is Ryan now set up to be our number one and matched against the other number ones in the league? Is Ober number two? I hope they keep Winder and let him start.
  7. mikelink45
    Thanks for another thoughtful analysis. I have enjoyed these position reviews. I keep hoping some team will offer us a bag of balls or something equivalent and take Sanchez off our roster. I would like Sano to be there, Kiriloff at 1B and Larnach in LF. I have no faith in Rooker and you have documented why that is. Miranda and Arraez are interesting options and Miranda would be the one most likely to produce DH numbers.
  8. mikelink45
    Minor league fillers are fine as long as they do not block the young arms that might really provide us some upside.
  9. mikelink45
    And you did not even list Homer Bailey, J A Happ, Shoemaker... So thanks for that wonderful trip down memory lane!
  10. mikelink45
    Nice essay - yes - IF!
  11. mikelink45
    Today MLB.com listed the five pitchers who will rule the ninth inning. The top two have Twins lineage - Hendriks and Pressly. At least Graderol and Chargois are not on the list! Rogers is not there either.
  12. mikelink45
    Let's move Cave to a coach so Rocco can continue to have him around. We have so many coaches I could not even list their positions let alone their names. Then let's get serious about the OF. I cut Rooker - we do not need more Ks - we have Sano and Sanchez for that and we do need a glove - something Rooker has not figured out. All the nonroster guys are easy cuts. And then I cut Stashak. What will be really interesting is what happens when they go from 28 - 26. Then it is based on Duran and Winder's effectiveness and the need for Godoy.
  13. mikelink45
    It is interesting to read about LF and RF in these analyses. I believe there was Akil Baddoo and LaMonte Wade in the system and they are now established starters for Detroit and the Giants. Meanwhile we kept Cave. But you really hit on the key complaint - Baldelli put him in a spot where his weaknesses were magnified - leadoff where we want hits, middle of the lineup where we want power. As someone else said, as a 7 - 9 hitter we would not have been as anxious about his production. But in the long run RF needs to produce more.
  14. mikelink45
    I am still curious about Duran and whether he stays a starter or reliever. He has the stuff to blow batters away.
  15. mikelink45
    Interesting take on Gordon. I agree with you. Letting him go would be like the decision to keep Cave and let LaMonte Wade leave. The giants were delighted to get him.
  16. mikelink45
    MLB ranks of SP did not even have us in honorable mention. Our BP did not make the ranks either. The outsiders are not as excited as Twins fans and I do not think it is a coastal bias. The note on the Twins in the honorable mentions is that Sano and Sanchez have to hit for the lineup to really be good.
  17. mikelink45
    Don't go backward - Cave and Garlick are not answers. Neither is Smeltzer. We need some high upside players, not retreads, or rehabs. We want to be a championship team and that means we want players better than the other teams in our league and division.
  18. mikelink45
    Let's not let the FO off our fandom hook. They blew it. A great SS may save us 3 - 5 games, but a great pitcher can mean 10. Having our current rotation, I hate to say this, but I would just as soon see Bundy and Archer blow out quickly and get replaced by our young guys. I want a high ceiling - I am not worried about the floor.
  19. mikelink45
    I would remove Rooker, Romero and Sanchez - but it would be Godoy first.
  20. mikelink45
    Canterino and Balazovic are my hopes for this year. You have now given me some new prospects to watch.
  21. mikelink45
    For a prolonged period - Celestino is the only one who looks good to me. Remember that Buxton also looked over matched when he first came up. Don't judge a player on a call up that is too early.
  22. mikelink45
    If only the other team agreed
  23. mikelink45
    If Rooker's only asset is the fact he hits right handed I am not ready to give him a spot. He does have versatility - he can play bad defense at multiple positions. Gordon and Arraez I am not sure about Godoy since he can be right across the river if the need for a third catcher comes up. I think Larnach might just make it allowing Kiriloff more time at 1B. The Sano/Sanchez log jam is an issue. Then I am stuck, but I hope not one of the last two - they require a DFA (if Rooker I am okay).
  24. mikelink45
    Huascar Ynoa, Luis Gil, Brusdar Graterol, and Chase Petty - They look pretty good to me. I would be happy to have all four on our staff right now. I am not against the "junk ball" pitcher as a change of pace in the BP and I hope Smith does well. Like Bundy and Archer, we just have to wait and see.
  25. mikelink45
    I forgot to add JT Chargois - 6 - 1, 1.5 WAR, 2.52 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, in 56 games for the Rays to the list of pitcher that did not click under the current leadership.
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