Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

mikelink45

Old-Timey Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    10,079

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    27

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    Nice essay. I sure hope this is as good as it sounds. On the other hand, I think that their judgment of the pitching development and coaching is flawed. Duffey needs a third pitch, Berrios is not harnessing his talent...those are jobs for coaches to straighten out.
  2. mikelink45
    Well at last I see something positive for this season and the reason the pundits give us a better win-loss record than last year. It is because there is only one team in the division that is truly worthy of post season so we will be better because the teams we play the most will be better! Positive energy is flowing now. All we need is for Cleveland to underestimate us again and relax and let us play near .500 against us for the season. This is a good summary of the Indians and I enjoyed the insights and thoughts. But I would add one more thing - Terry Francona. His managing both player and game was really good and if there is a WAR for managers he has a high one.
  3. mikelink45
    Why does every article on Twins pitching make this season seem so depressing - everytime I look at one of the rotations with so many replacement level and below starters, hangers on like Vogelsong and Tepesch, returning injured arms like Perkins and Hughes, head scratchers like Santiago, and statements about all that Berrios has to learn (who is teaching him) - I am looking for some light somewhere. Then we justify Haley because we are admitting our rotation is so inept we need a mop up guy, maybe two to just soak up innings - would not matter if the era was in double digits. Where is the hope? Wait until next year? Its only been five years, what's one or two more? Something has to change.
  4. mikelink45
    It is the ability to be close, but also to be unpredictable. When they assume a ball and you throw a tough strike - that is pitching.
  5. mikelink45
    Thanks for the update. I did not know this, but it is false hope for me since I would love to see Santiago packed and gone. I think Escobar is better than Ehire for the bench. Gibson has one more year to show that he has more than one good year in him. He would be next after Santiago to be moved to clear the deck.
  6. mikelink45
    Nicely done. I hope you did not tear a rotator cuff typing this.
  7. mikelink45
    This is a bad reflection on the new FO. Santiago is no mystery and he is no salvation. Getting him last year to get rid of Nolasco was smart. Keeping him this year is not.
  8. mikelink45
    I cannot judge this, I only think of all the injuries over all the years where we have waited and delayed and then finally did what was needed. I hope that this was not poor judgment, but there have just been too many instances where we wait and wait and suddenly the player is lost for a longer period.
  9. mikelink45
    This is a depressing column. Not that it is wrong, it's just that a 103 loss team should be adding quality not questions.
  10. mikelink45
    I would have to say that based on this Tweet the new design is the best ever. Now I have to go and look at it.
  11. mikelink45
    Garver is my pick - this line "He might be the best combination of offense and defense of the group." says it all for me. He is 26 - its time to move on and see him in the majors, this is not a young man like Ben Roverdt who needs time to develop. Giminez as a replacement level player is not moving the bar, but I suspect that FO and Molitor will lean to the vet despite our cries for open competition and the future.
  12. mikelink45
    Nice synopsis. We have been commenting on the individual rankings, but in reality what counts is the big pitcher and the ability to develop at all the positions as needed.
  13. mikelink45
    Nicely done. Unlike some of the more informed I had no idea who would be number one and this is a really fun way to kick off the new season of hope and give me someone to try to follow. Lets hope the Twins can get the right pitching coaches to bring along the potential new rotation. I would say that 1965 and 1970 were our two best rotations when we try to look at a complete rotation and not just the stars: http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/MIN/staff.shtml Lets hope these young guys in the 1 - 20 rankings can join Berrios and get near the top of the list.
  14. mikelink45
    As a person who was at the first game as an usher and has now 55 years of watching and reading I can say the Twins have hardly ever had a good rotation. Maybe two top guys, but look at the 87 world champs - that rotation was scary. If this group can come through and we can push out the old and mediocre it would be wonderful.
  15. mikelink45
    I like the variation in speed - it is not just speed, but the ability to affect timing and I hope I have not misread the description, but it seems like Gonsalves has a lot of things that are working for him. I just hope the coaching can get a strong third pitch. Just as they should have done with Duffey. I look forward to seeing him in the rotation and I hope they move him quickly. My only concern and it is a big one - the shoulder pain. These warning signals are serious.
  16. mikelink45
    Nice to see a good looking hitter moving in to the lower levels. A strong minor league would not have someone this raw at number three, but at least we are seeing talent here. Our excitement has to be on hold for a year or two - injuries and personal factors are always a bane to young players. It will be very exciting to watch him progress and it would be great to see him advance quickly like the Griffey's and other phenoms. Maybe he should play both left and right - who would he replace Kepler or Rosario?
  17. mikelink45
    No. Mauer was a HOF catcher and I have no criticism of that. I am not trying to stretch every decision to be a poor one.
  18. mikelink45
    Polanco is just part of a thought process that, I hope, is in the process of being rectified. Most blatant last year was Sano in RF. In some ways, even the Mauer to 1B decision was handled similarly. The team attitude seemed to be that we should fill out a line up and then just stick them in any available hole in the field. I hope that is changing. Polanco at SS this season does not bother me, when we have someone ready to take his place hopefully he can slide to 2B or take Escobars utility position and we can start moving towards a glove first infield as it should be. I remember well the old 59 White Sox, the latest hitless wonders with Aparicio and Fox in the middle of the lineup and Jim Landis in Center with Sherm Lollar behind the plate - they defined up the middle defense - http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/CHW/1959.shtml and their pitching staff prospered because ot them. The other team that figured out that field wins games and improves your pitching was the Oriole's under Earl Weaver - in 1970 he played Belanger at SS even though his pitchers could outhit him. Brooks Robinson at 3B and Davey Johnson at 2B with Paul Blair in CF. His reputation was great starters and wait for a HR, but defense was his secret weapon. http://www.baseball-reference.com/teams/BAL/1970-fielding.shtml
  19. mikelink45
    Lots of good things to think about. I like your defensive/offensive decisions. They seem to make a lot of sense. Pitching is always our worst area in both performance and discussion because we hav put ourselves in a corner. We have locked in Santana, Hughes, Santiago, Gibson and it seems like we always have to start the discussion on number 5 in the rotation. Signing Santiago seems like another of a series of mediocre decisions. May and Berrios give us something to build on. Eventually Gonsalves and Jay will be moving in so I have to hope for midseason trades to clear the logjam, but that said, I think that we are wasting an arm having Berrios go back to AAA AGAIN. He is fun, talented, and in need of good coaching. Isn't there a Latino pitching coach out there that we can hire? In the bullpen I will be most depressed if Craig Breslow is kept. Move on. I am fine with Tonkin being cut, but leave Duffey or O'Rourke.
  20. mikelink45
    Okay, I give up on hoping for an exciting end to the listing and I am convinced that the national rankings of our system are correct. That said, Gordon is my definition of a good player. Not great, just good. Reminds me of one of my all time favorites - Johnny Logan who played for the championship Milwaukee Braves in the late fifties. Nothing about Johnny was outstanding. He did not have any one amazing attribute, he was reliable, he was durable, and he caught what he should catch and hit enough to fill a good lineup. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/l/loganjo01.shtml I would take that any time. That means I am happy to have him top ten, I am sorry the national rankings have him number 1 and I have tried not to anticipate who is in front of him, although the comments sections seem to have it nailed unless you can pull off a great surprise (which would be fun). I write these knowing I really no nothing. I have not seen these guys, I just read what you and the other opinion and scouting reports say and try to process them. Thanks for keeping us involved.
  21. mikelink45
    "Does he have the full arsenal, and the physical makeup, to pan out as a starter? No shortage of doubt there." This statement is not what I like to see as the preface to the description of the #5 prospect on the Twins list. Then at the end you say, "but it's hard to look at Year 1 of Jay's transition as anything other than a setback. During his 15 starts with the Miracle and Lookouts, he never reached 100 pitches. He wasn't yet at 80 innings in mid-July when the org sent him to the bullpen citing workload concerns, and finished with less than 85." This would be okay if he was #15, but I am beginning to feel like a pessimist or curmudgeon as I read each of these player bios which is a strange place for me to find myself. Still hoping 1 - 4 will perk me up.
  22. mikelink45
    The DH has made the bench different from the old days and a reluctance to bring in the second catcher means we only have three bench players. So one is OF, one is IF and the third has to have a special quality, probably a bat, but could also be legs. Molitor has to look at the teams strengths and how he will rest players and handle the later innings. I do believe that in the age of relievers a larger roster is in order.
  23. mikelink45
    With our resources and reputation is still comes down to developing what we have. Get the best pitching coaches throughout the season. Only the young pitchers count.
  24. mikelink45
    I think, "What's Left To Work On. Everything. I mean, come on… The kid is just 18 years old." Says it all. This is a dream listing. Are we really so short on MLB in the next two years prospects that we have to put so much "wish and hope" into the top ten list? So far I am ready to swap the 11 - 15 for the 6 - 10. I am hoping for much more in the top five, but maybe we just don't have that much gas in the minors right now. I just hope that your hope is on track and there will be a blazing move forward for these prospects, but my old mind wants to see at least a full year in the minors before I can sort out anything.
  25. mikelink45
    Keep bringing in the young, move on from Tonkin, get Vogelsong to give vet presence during the spring and send him away with a nice Easter Basket. Tell Breslow it was nice to see him again and give him his Twin vet returns award and send him off. Rotate players between AAA and MLB until the right mix is achieved. We have been hearing about these relievers for a long time and it is a good year to see what they have. I want to play for a great future and not a mediocre present.
×
×
  • Create New...