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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    Smalley would have been good, but he did not come out of our system. Like Cristian Guzman he was a trade acquisition, as was Nick Punto and Gagne. Got to go back further.
  2. mikelink45
    I am seeing this list under a very different lens than the TD listers. When I read the 'What's left to work on" section I think this is not a top ten guy. He has too much to prove yet. Another pitcher that I would put Winder ahead of. I hope he fulfills the expectations. I am slowly beginning to understand that these lists are so different from the last few years because of all the players who are no longer eligible because they have been called up. So in the past I was looking for the next one to take Target field and in this list I am seeing more wait and see and hope with the exception of a few arms I still hope to see this year.
  3. mikelink45
    Too high - as usual I prefer to see some minor league performance before giving a top 10 ranking unless they are one of the no minor league phenoms and Petty is not. The list of hazards is too long to list. Right now he does not belong about Winder and others who have shown that they are progressing. Good luck to him, but I have no expectations at this point which is the difference between prospects and potential.
  4. mikelink45
    Rated too low. I think he is ready if his injury is behind him. Why not both Winder and Balazovic in the rotation?
  5. mikelink45
    I had to look up how much he played - 48 games in three years and 32 were in CF. I know we all expected a lot from him. He was in 15 seasons as a major leaguer.
  6. mikelink45
    let us hope that Buxton plays out his contract and we can take our time sorting through the prospects for CF. In the beginning it was Lenny Green (61 - 62) to Jimmie Hall (63 - 65) - Uhlaender (66 - 69) - Tovar (70 - 71) Bobby Darwin (72) Larry Hisle (73} Steve Brye (74 ) Dan Ford (75, 78) Bostock (76 - 77), Landreaux (79 - 80), Mickey Hatcher (81) Bobby Mitchell (82) Darrell Brown (83) and then Puckett and the group in this essay. Comparing both ends the Puckett to Buxton is the best, but Lenny Green was really played for us six years and had a line of 270/359/384 - 743. Jimmie Hall started out like a HOF and then had a power outage and a downward trend after being hit on the cheek by Bo Belinsky. (Like Morneau we can only wonder what he would have been without the injury). Larry Hisle and Lyman Bostock were both good and Bostock became another tragic what if story when he was shot and killed during the baseball season while playing with the Angels. His line in three years with the Twins was 318/366/446 - 812.
  7. mikelink45
    I am reluctant to jump on the band wagon, but do appreciate the profile. We have had so many SS prospects that just did not make it into the bigs and from HS to MLB is a long road to travel. If he does it I will be really happy, but until I see a couple minor league seasons I cannot become as enthusiastic as many of you prospect listers. We once saw Polanco as the SS of the future and now their is weeping and gnashing when he is suggested for playing there again. WIth all the anticipation of Lewis we keep reading he might not be a SS, same with Austin Martin. We drafted Gordon high and SS might be his best position, but is not good enough for the major leagues. miracleb mentioned Levi Michaels. Wander Javier seemed to flame out, Cavaco is all promise and no results. I remember when we brought up Palacios way to young, way to early and yet it looked like a sign - which of course meant he went away and then we got him back as a minor league free agent. Thus my reservation about SS excitement. Thanks for the enthusiasm, now keep us informed as he progresses.
  8. mikelink45
    I can agree up to a point, but think about a career like Griffey's (I know he is exceptional). He was traded to Cincinnati at age 30 and his career from that point on was not the HOF track that he had had in Seattle. My point is that players who make it young provide potential for longer and more productive careers and those who come later can still be outstanding. Hoyt Wilhelm did not begin his HOF career until he was 29 so age is not the full determinate. My comments refer to potential of prospects which I look at as their major league contributions. Just some thoughts - not an argument.
  9. mikelink45
    I have to see more than press releases to put Noah at #11. But Celestino is the player in the group I am most excited about. We pushed him, challenged him, but luckily we did not break him. He went back to AAA and just improved. He is my number 11. I like the local boys Wallner and Varland, but both are 24 and need to break out this year to earn their rankings. I really expect that Wallner will and I look forward to seeing them in tougher competition. I know players break in at older ages, but the really special ones get in young. What is their path. I have seen Sands name in many write ups but I do not have a good image of who he is, he just keeps moving forward and that is a really good trait. How close is he to MLB?
  10. mikelink45
    The truest athletes are those who could shine in many different sports. Winfield is a truly great athlete. Bo Jackson, Deion Sanders, Gene Conley, Jackie Robinson, and Jim Thorpe are the prominent names, but here is a list of other two sport stars. Here is another look at the best 21 two sport stars including Minnesota's Ernie Nevers and Babe Didrikson. This list of 70 includes Jim Brown in Football and Lacrosse - I never knew this. It has a broader look at sports and is fascinating.
  11. mikelink45
    Interesting group. I am not as high on Enlow as most people are and I am happy to see Hajjar break in to the top 20 giving me another pitcher to follow. Thanks for the write up.
  12. mikelink45
    Thank you. Do you or the voters look at these lists when you are making your own decisions? I know you have your own methods of evaluation, but these lists do provide more information.
  13. mikelink45
    I had to check other rankings to see how this lines up with different perspectives. MLB.com has Cavacco #11, Urbina #12, Sabato #16, Strotman #17, Soularie #18 Prospects 1500 has Sabato #10, Moran #11, Urbina #15, Cavaco #16, Soularie #20 Keith Law has Povich at #14, Urbina #16, Cavaco #17, and Strotman #19. Raya, Soularie and Sabato are on Law's others of note list. Gleeman on the Athletic has Strotman #18, Sabato #20, Povich #22, Soularie #23, Raya #25, Moran #26, Urbina #27, Severino #29 and Cavaco #30. He definitely comes closest to this honorable mention list. It is fascinating to see the different perspectives. Cavaco has fallen for me and might be at the bottom of honorable mention yet these three lists all have him in the top 20. Moran being ready to perhaps be a RP for the Twins all year seems to be ranked to low in this honorable mention list. The fact that Sabato is on the lists is no surprise because of his high draft status, but your honorable mention list is a better place for him. Someday I would love to see an analysis of the prospect listers. What bias do each of them bring to their lists? I look forward to the TD top 20.
  14. mikelink45
    CF and C are the two most important places on the field. SS used to be with them, but with all the shifts and the emphasis on fly balls CF has risen and SS has dropped in importance. (I still want a good SS) And Buxton has taken this command post and made it something special.
  15. mikelink45
    Just sad. Thanks for the review of other disrupted seasons. I know it is unbalanced, but I think they should just start wherever point they are at in the schedule and just lose the ones that were missed even if it does mean we lose a chance to see the Dodgers at home. No arbitrator, no counter offer by the owners, significant issues for the players. Will we wake up one morning and see that both sides capitulated and the lockout/strike is over? It is my dream.
  16. mikelink45
    Thank you for this look at three tragic figures. Of course we can add Puckett to the gone too soon list. That is a long list. The Twins minor leaguers also include Ryan Costello who went to Auckland in hopes of switching to Australian league baseball and died at 23 in his room of natural causes and Yorman Landa of the Fort Myers Miracles who died in a car accident at age 22. Baseball has had a number of tragedies like Ray Chapman being killed by a pitch, and Roy Halladay, Roberto Clemente and Thurman Munson in plane crashes. It is good to look back on these stories. Here is a list of baseball players who died too soon.
  17. mikelink45
    The Twins continue on the Yawn express. Can we sign someone of significance? I know it is a lockout, but this is not enough to get my pulse to change.
  18. mikelink45
    I think you chose a good three to bring out discussion. Royce Lewis has had a strange career. In 2019 he did not look that good until the Fall League and now he has missed two years and who knows what will happen in baseball this year. It is a bad luck career so far and thus we have no real measure of who he is. Potential is an elusive friend. The other two are still not on my radar for the Twins team. Good luck to both. Keoni is will be 21, it is about time for him to show he was draft worthy.
  19. mikelink45
    Where is that extra league that can challenge these entrenched owners? I want baseball games not board room games.
  20. mikelink45
    I want the best players on the team from day one unless you want to say that games in April and May do not count. If a players is good the teams extend them. How many players do we keep until they run out of their control years? What if the player is hurt in the minors before we get him up? We trade, sign, cut. No I do not want the current rule and they can address these issues in a way that the best team leaves spring training intact.
  21. mikelink45
    I would love to see him make it into the rotation. Also Balazovic. Can we possible get rid of the rule that makes them spend two months in the minors before they debut? That would be one positive from the cba debates.
  22. mikelink45
    It could be, or he could surprise and be an all-star again. The issue with the Twins is that they seem to have all 2Bs or DH/1B and we need to fill all the positions. It is a good situation for trades, but until then Polanco is the best guy on the current roster.
  23. mikelink45
    I would say that this presents a bleak picture for the Twins.
  24. mikelink45
    I remain a Kepler skeptic. The only reason he led off is because the manager was stubborn. There are too many ways that I need to see him improve. I'm just glad that he's a good fielder
  25. mikelink45
    There is no obvious solution because neither side seems to feel a sense of urgency. I suspect the owners will try to hold on until the players really feel the pinch and capitulate. I know the big buck stars won't be hurting, but there are a lot of minimum salary players out there. You might add to your observations TD going back to the best articles from past years - obviously there is only so much to write about for this season.
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