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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    Are we all over-rating the minor league arms? Reading TD and following the threads it seems like we have lots of good arms, but stepping outside our community it seems a little sparse. And then there is the question - why are we all assuming Dylan Bundy can be part of a good rotation?
  2. mikelink45
    So far the pitchers we have added each year have not given me much faith in the FO.
  3. mikelink45
    Lawton is one of our truly underrated OFs. He was our main man for a period and reminds me a lot of LaMonte Wade. I hope Wade can have that career. Lawton had a slash of 277/379/428/808 for seven years with the Twins.
  4. mikelink45
    Mark Appel was a similar high risk pitcher who did not sign with his first team and now has six mediocre at best seasons in MiLB. Pitchers are volatile, but when there is a red flag it worries me. What does he want to do?
  5. mikelink45
    We never really know how the MLB career for a prospect will work out, but there is no reason not to be excited about Miranda. What a year. I wish he had gotten an MLB taste the end of last year, but that is just being picky. The lack of position is a real issue. Does he go to LF with Kiriloff at 1B? How will Larnach look this year - still shell shocked or ready to assert himself? With Buxton and Kepler that only leaves LF for the two of them. DH is Sano, 2B is a traffic jam with Arraez, Polanco, Gordon and 3B is Donaldson. I am sure he will not be at SS. And yet, I really want to see him play and not rest on the bench.
  6. mikelink45
    As soon as I see Boras I want to hide - he is the boogyman of agents and dealing with him leaves me cold. That said, what really stops me is the physical unknown.
  7. mikelink45
    I agree - this trade made all the difference for the team. Your essay made me try to think of trades that the Twins made that did make a big difference. Jack Kralick for Jim Perry really jumps out at me, as well as, Gerry Arrigo for Cesar Tovar. And trading Dick Stigman for Mudcat Grant and Vic Power was an absolute steal - Pedro Ramos was at the end of his career. And trading Jim Merrit for Leo Gardenas gave the Twins there best SS in franchise history. Thanks for the memories.
  8. mikelink45
    I have been waiting for him. He is the talent that really looked like he could be a fixture in a rotation. I do hope to see him this year.
  9. mikelink45
    I saw the number 3 starter and wondered what crystal ball you were looking at. Pick a number one and two from Ober, Bundy, Dobnak, Thorpe... He is the default number one right now.
  10. mikelink45
    Good look at one of the true victims of this negotiation nightmare. And I am skeptical of the negotiations, which in fact could have been done during the last season.
  11. mikelink45
    That was really enjoyable. Very nice presentation.
  12. mikelink45
    Yes - but, it might make it possible to trade him as a DH to the NL. If that is the case the extension is a good thing. But we have to start moving players - Kepler and Sano are high on that list for me - if anyone wants them. Both are extended and by MLB standards they are affordable with some true value in the right place. If might be interesting to list the potential surplus - players for whom we have a replacement and that have some trade value as well as a list of what another team would see and who would want them. The old conundrum - we want to trade someone - but we need someone to want them.
  13. mikelink45
    Mid winter dreams keep getting around to the same stars (Story) and a mix of questionable acquisitions that, at best, block the Twins from trying out another young arm. I am waiting, done speculating, frustrated with the current situations in MLB and Twins. But please let's do better than mediocre or leave the rotation to develop itself.
  14. mikelink45
    So the premise is that we take what we got for Berrios (close - not exact) who we traded because he had only two years of control and trade them to Oakland for a pitcher who has only two years of control? That we go backwards and sign Odorizzi (who Houston did not trust to start in the playoffs) and Pineda which would be a continuation not a backwards signing. No thanks. I have no reason to believe that Ober and Ryan will have the same success in 2022 or that Bundy can return to his partial season level. Just start the merry-go-round and lets see what the arms we have can deliver.
  15. mikelink45
    Nicely done. There are many of us who just do not get enough baseball content and you really stepped in and filled that need with great quality. Thank you.
  16. mikelink45
    This is a pitcher I am really excited about, but see my note on Rice University pitchers. I just hope he breaks through the curse because I would love to see him get a dozen starts for the Twins this year.
  17. mikelink45
    You made me think about this - here is a 2011 article with that same theme , "The theme "Rice pitchers get hurt" seems definitely true. Over a 20-year-period, the only Rice products who have done much at all in the majors are Jeff Niemann and David Aardsma, and neither of them had smooth development paths. " J. T. Chagois is another Rice pitcher that we drafted. He has had an injury plagued career. "Jul 09, 2021 · Diamondbacks release injury-prone pitcher Jon Duplantier Former Rice baseball player Jon Duplantier is featured. USA Today " Not conclusive, but I see where the statement comes from.
  18. mikelink45
    That is a fun exercise because it points out that we are a last place team if this is the reality for 2022. Kc and Detroit would love it,
  19. mikelink45
    We have Miranda coming up - No to both of these.
  20. mikelink45
    And Law says about Austin Martin our highest ranked Twin on his top 100 (Martin is 25) " In the field, he’s athletic enough to play almost anywhere, certainly to be a plus defender at third base, but he’s had throwing issues since the start of his junior year and at this point is probably going to end up in centerfield or at second base. " Miranda (96) "The Twins have tried him at several positions, including second, first, and left, but so far he’s looked best at third base, where he’s still only fringe-average and may not get better given how much he’s filled out. " No one else in the top 100 except Balazovic Lewis is not in the top 100 any more, but he is number 4 on the Twins list by law and Law says,. "he’s always been better suited to center than shortstop, where he was below-average the last time we saw him." There are no other SS in Laws Top Twenty for the Twins.
  21. mikelink45
    Kiley McDaniel on ESPN has Lewis as the number 56 prospect on his top 100 list and says this, "The most likely outcome here is a super-utility player every good team needs" Not what has been expected. He has Austin Martin at 57 and lists him as a 2B. "He now looks to be a bit overmatched at shortstop and will be on an upper-minors Twins utility merry-go-round with Royce Lewis, Jose Miranda and Spencer Steer." "I think second base is Martin's best long-term fit" He looks at Miranda at 3B and says,"Miranda has migrated from a primary second baseman as an amateur to now fitting best at either third base (where he's fringe-average) or first base (where he'll go if he regresses at third base)." For top 100 prospects those are not glowing statements. What is really apparent is that no one outside the Twins sees them as answers at SS. I have no idea who Kiley McDaniel is, but it is still interesting to read.
  22. mikelink45
    I am hoping Kepler's contract is low enough to entice another team to trade for him. I think he peaked for us and now can be a good trade chip to maybe bring in another pitcher.
  23. mikelink45
    The essay brings up a question for me - which is harder on a pitchers arm - pitching out of the bullpen 3 - 4 times a week (including warmups) or starting once a week? I do not know the answer, But I do know RP are very erratic and few can match a Nathan for consistency from year to year. I do hope Duran can start. I can never subscribe to modular pitching so I will pass on that. But if it is to be the BP I fine, but I do hope he is up this year and producing for us.
  24. mikelink45
    I hope you are right
  25. mikelink45
    For two years in Detroit it looked like Niko Goodrum was the best SS the Twins had developed, but his last two years were not good at all. Can Cavaco make it? Can Noah Miller? They are too far off and at their stage Gordon, Lewis, and Polanco looked like future SSs. Of course so did Austin Martin and no one talks about that anymore.
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