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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    I love a pleasant surprise - but the cynic in me says - too early. His trend has been a steady increase in ERA with a one season dip, so I am not ready to see him as a number 2 in the rotation. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/s/santihe01.shtml
  2. mikelink45
    Lets not mess with another pitcher like we did May and go back and forth with tantalizing suggestions that he could be a starter but is a reliever now. He was a reliever and he is doing well - don't mess with success. Right now Haley, Breslow, Tonkin, Belisle look like replacement level at best pitchers. I do not trust Pressly to be consistent and Rogers and Kintzler look good. If you take Duffey out of this mix it looks really bad for the long run. http://www.espn.com/mlb/team/stats/pitching/_/name/min/minnesota-twins On the other hand Mejia and Santiago (to my shock) have looked decent in the rotation behind Santana who is off the charts in the small sample size while Hughes and Gibson look like what they have been the last two years - not much. I would love to see Berrios again, but putting Duffey in the rotation limits his use and impacts the pen while doing only minimum to upgrade the rotation. At this point Duffey is a starter only if we run out of starters. So if we think of rotations needing 7 - 8 starters to make it through the season and Berrios is currently number 6 and Gonsalves is an injury risk, who are numbers 7 and 8?
  3. mikelink45
    Who comes up if we reduce the pitching staff by one or let Santana go? Palka is hitting, but Granite is all around. Vargas vs Palka or Paulsen - who is the DH? Fun to follow the minor league games.
  4. mikelink45
    It doesn't really mean anything, but I thought this was a fun posting. We should reflect on past trades and decisions. Lets look at the end of the season. I hope Ryan is still in the minors and Garver is in the majors and I would love to see Hicks do well no matter how it reflects on the team.
  5. mikelink45
    The argument over ACE is getting tiring. He is our Ace and it is good to have him there. He has done all we could ask of an ACE, but trade him? Yes. Take a look at this 2012 article on pitcher regression: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/pitcher-aging-curves-starters-and-relievers/ Age does matter and it matters where he has a half year off for drug rest or not. Age just happens and the body breaks down. Move him at his peak and we will be better off. Only a few freaks like Nolan Ryan and Warren Spahn keep pitching well into their 40's.
  6. mikelink45
    Romero rated number 1 prospect - is this another Twin prospect wilting under the spotlight? Please no. Get him straightened out we need more starters.
  7. mikelink45
    I understand what you are saying, but nuances eventually come out as we discover in all things that statistics are only the facts that we put together to make truth and the truth varies from one telling to the next as we add layers to the information we have and fill in the blanks in the current truth. Not all walks are of equal value, not all hits are of equal value. Is hitting behind the runner more valuable than hitting in front of the runner? That is implied to be better, but would there be a hit instead of an out when you hit in front? I do not have the answers, but I am suspect when there is one blanket answer for any given line item - like walks.
  8. mikelink45
    This is really an interesting discussion. As an old time baseball fan (Milwaukee Braves in the 1950s, I see the value of sabremetrics and I also have some deep questions about some of their conclusions. The object is to score runs. On base is great, but it does not always score runs. Sacrifice flies were created because they recognize that getting the runner home is the objective. Walks are great, especially for the top two players in the lineup, but an out that gets the run in is better than the walk that is stranded. I am not against walks, but we have not come up with an analytic tool that measures all the variables about walks in different situations. It is the same with Ks. I am not one who accepts the strikeout as just another out. When a ball is put in play the defense is challenged, runners can advance, errors can happen. Mauer is a player for whom I hold no grudge. He did not write his own contract, but he is a bottom of the order guy now and there is value to an end of the lineup guy who gets on base. I think Morris is fine in his evaluation and it is not Mauer bashing nor is it just old school.
  9. mikelink45
    This was an exceptional break down. A very basic explanation that really makes sense. Please Twins - invest in your most promising player. Clear the table of advisers and get one person to work with him, a person Byron can trust and listen to who has a simple straight forward message. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=72jJIkczWlc
  10. mikelink45
    Its time for Berrios to be back. It is obvious he is beyond the minors. Lets start working on the rotation of the future.
  11. mikelink45
    I agree it is foolish, but what has the current brand stood for? How popular is the T wolves clothing? We have 8 seasons of 500 or better out of 28. One season in the conference finals, no other playoff series wins. A collective .391 winning percentage. What else are you going to do? How about changing the logo?
  12. mikelink45
    If it causes people to buy new gear they will be happy and when the sales wane they will create a new logo.
  13. mikelink45
    No apologies needed. The purpose of this site is to get people talking and thinking and you did that. You made a successful posting.
  14. mikelink45
    I like the speculation, but most options are not very inspiring. I think Garver is in a really tough situation. I understand that they love Giminez and Garver sits, but when Giminez goes into the field it is ridiculous. Right now Berrios is really the only interesting SP prospect until the younger guys get established through the season and relief pitching is completely confusing since we have been reading about all the great minor leagur relievers for years and all we have so far is Tonkin and Rogers from the minor league pool. I do not count Pressly as one of our minor league developments. I keep looking for 3B because I do not believe Sano is long for the position and I am not seeing the next player to fill that spot.
  15. mikelink45
    Is your over reaction to over reaction part of what has to be a Twins phenomenon. Of course people jumped on the wagon. If they have been part of TD for the last five years they have been waiting to express an all out excitement. I understand. I feel like the Grinch when I keep saying I have to go three times through the rotation before I can judge anything, but I do understand the pent up angst. Afterall this is MN where teams are filled with promise and seldom deliver. Happily in the Twins 50+ year history they have two championships which is more than all the other major male sports. Only the Lynx can match it. So be ready for bandwagon jumping, the great Minnesota sport and relax as people do this. To my knowledge noone has been hurt by it yet!
  16. mikelink45
    Yup - Danny Santana with his .100 average and mediocre fielding is sure an upgrade on Buxton. What is going on? Second time through the rotation, against an average team, not quite the same as beating up on the sox and Royals. This is why we wait to judge. Even this is too early. Three times through the rotation, then lets make some judgments and changes if needed. It would have been eventful on April 11, 1954 if not for the rain. Poor Charlie Brown was ready for the game of his life. http://peanutsroasted.blogspot.com/2011/06/sunday-april-11-1954-im-getting-worried.html
  17. mikelink45
    I am not one who thinks it is a challenge unless you want to flip a coin between Haley and Breslow - neither are necessary or showing the upside we need. Haley was supposed to be a long man in the pen, but if he can only do one inning we have nothing to gain. Move him, use Duffey more in that role, get Vargas up, send down Santana and bring up a true fourth outfielder. Eventually we will need a 3B defensive player who can hit and Sano will move to DH or 1B. The Twins should be lining up their options.
  18. mikelink45
    I might add that when we think of the Twins and defense we seldom think of the pitchers, but in this list of the best fielders at each position they choose our Jim Kaat as the left handed pitcher in the line up. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/7787-glove-love-major-league-baseballs-all-time-fielding-team And finally here is an article listing the best Twins fielders at each position. And surprise - Dozier is number one at second base. http://statgeekbaseball.com/fieldingcmin.html
  19. mikelink45
    Look at Earl Weaver's Baltimore Orioles to see what defense can accomplish. They were known for HRs and pitching, but the defense made the pitching staff better than expected. When we look at the cubs the talk is about bats, but defense is what makes their pitchers look goodI . The Royals in their recent great run did not have the starters you expect, nor was their lineup a killer murderers row. It was defense and speed (calling Byron Buxton). I like this article on the best defensive teams of all time - http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/67824/the-best-defensive-teams-of-all-time it includes the 1984 Twins in the discussion. I suspect the value of outfield versus infield defense is also affected by your staff - ground ball versus flyball pitchers.
  20. mikelink45
    I cannot muster as much optimism as everyone else, but I do enjoy what has been going on. Perhaps number one is the change in attitude of Twins Fans, Number two is the insistence on batting Mauer 3/4 even though his line is only better than Buxton. Number three the outfield defense is terrific and flyball pitchers like Hughes are going to benefit. Number 4 we have not seen enough of Mejia and Haley to know if what we saw is what we will get, and number 5 it is nice to been up on bad teams, but in the next two rounds of the rotation we will finally have a better view of the season.
  21. mikelink45
    I believe this is five games. I was not mad at him last year, but I cannot get on the bandwagon before we are three times through the rotation. Not mad or glad - just waiting and watching.
  22. mikelink45
    I think Buxton is the most frustrating prospect I have seen with the Twins. He has so much ability and yet there is something that happens when the season starts. Has Parker done an analysis of the pitches and places that are devastating Buxton? I hate to say it, but I would have him bunt 2 - 3 times a game until he gets a sense of where the pitches are coming. He needs something to get him focused again.
  23. mikelink45
    I believe the Yankees had a can't miss first round pitcher a few years ago that was a sure star - Brien Taylor http://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=taylor002bri that does not mean we should not draft a high profile high school kid, but as good as he is, prospects really are challenged to get to the MLB clubs, unlike the other sports. It might be the minor league challenge that keeps some of our better athletes from going the baseball route. I hope the Twins get a great prospect and that we do not have the opportunity to draft this high again for the next decade or two.
  24. mikelink45
    Is Del Rosario like the old pitcher Tom Hall (150 lbs) who had a decent career for us? http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hallto01.shtml
  25. mikelink45
    The dictionary of etymology has it beginning in 1960 in baseball but I think they missed the real beginning of sweep: sweep (n.) Look up sweep at Dictionary.com mid-13c., "stroke, force," from sweep (v.). Meaning "act of sweeping" is from 1550s. From 1670s as "range, extent of a continued motion." In reference to police or military actions, it is attested from 1837. Sense of "a winning of all the tricks in a card game" is from 1814 (see sweepstakes); extended to other sports by 1960. Meaning "rapid survey or inspection" is from 1966. As a shortened form of chimney-sweeper, first attested 1796. sweep (v.) Look up sweep at Dictionary.com early 14c., "make clean by sweeping with a broom;" mid-14c., "perform the act of sweeping," of uncertain origin, perhaps from a past tense form of Middle English swope "sweep," from Old English swapan "to sweep" (transitive & intransitive); see swoop (v.), or perhaps from a Scandinavian source. Related: Swept; sweeping. From late 14c. as "hasten, rush, move swiftly and strongly;" also "collect by sweeping." From c. 1400 in transitive sense "drive quickly, impel, move or carry forward by force;" mid-15c. as "clear (something) away." Meaning "win all the events" is 1960, American English. Sense of "pass systematically over in search of something" is from 1966. To sweep (someone) off (his or her) feet "affect with infatuation" is from 1913. I could not get any further either, but it was an interesting question.
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