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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. 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.
  2. mikelink45
    Do not look past Vargas. I think he has talent and we have underestimated it.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. mikelink45
    I think criticism is too easy. What I most wonder about is whether this is a column that leads us back to the article posted in TD about the mishandling of Polanco by the Twins. Did we do the best job with the talents and potential of Santana?
  7. 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.
  8. 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?
  9. 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.
  10. 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
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. 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.
  15. mikelink45
    I think my biggest issue and most consistent post has been about the coaches. The approach needs to be more flexible and strong to get the potential of the individual moved forward and secondly, we need Latino, black, Asian coaches. The MLB has become a landscape of immigrants and they need to hear voices that they recognize. I am pleased that Vargas talked with Manny. This is a very mature approach by a young player with a lot of potential that the team has not been able to harness.
  16. mikelink45
    Old and skeptical. I will wait to judge. Baseball draft is way behind basketball, hockey, football in ability to get the best - they all fail at times, but the fact is we are looking at high school players, international players, and we are still guessing at the development of body and skills, attitude and adjustment. For the most part universities and colleges have supported the other three major sports and given a showcase for performance. I would love to know what the analytics are at this point unless they are college draftees I question them.
  17. mikelink45
    I am in the minority - I say Berrios. Since the question did not cover the other choices most of which I would get rid of I will stay with Berrios vs. May. Berrios has shown what he can do in the minors. Doing it again proves nothing. We pay for coaches to help athletes reach their potential. Time for the pitching coach to step forward. Berrios is the future and while we have been debating May to start of relieve he is actually aging too. At this stage I am going to be consistent with what I have been stating all winter - go young and make it work. If you want May to replace one of the older guys I am all for that.
  18. 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.
  19. mikelink45
    I remember the Ernie Banks cubs. He hit 40 regularly SS and 1B, he even had HOF Ron Santo and HOF Billy Williams and even HOF Fergie Jenkins and they were perpetually in last place. Do you think that if things were the same back then that they might have sacrificed Banks for another pitcher? In fact Ernie his 40 + six times http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bankser01.shtml Sure he wanted to play two, but I bet he would have loved a post season team. An interesting essay about this hall of famers team - https://launiusr.wordpress.com/2011/07/15/the-1969-chicago-cubs-the-best-team-that-never-made-the-postseason/
  20. 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.
  21. 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.
  22. mikelink45
    I like Jay and Gonsalves better, but what I really don't like is the logjam in MLB that needs to be cleared. Jay, Gonsalves, Berrios, May, Mejia would be a nice rotation to see at the end of the year. It's time to quit investing in old and average (or worse) and start getting these young arms ready to compete. In addition, teach Duffey a third pitch, like coaches are supposed to do. I want coaches to do their job and get us set up for a good number of years to be competitive. The bats are lining up, lets get the arms ready too and if we suffer some this year at least we have the potential for next year and beyond. What is Vogelson, Santana, Santiago going to do for us in 2018 and beyond?
  23. mikelink45
    I am pleased to see Battey as the second catcher. We talk about vet presence and in an era when racism was still rampant on the field Battey handled Latin pitchers like Pascual and Ramos and black pitchers like Mudcat Grant as well as Kaat and other pitchers with equal ability. He was ahead of his time in controlling the field and it is hard to use the WAR and current analytics to capture his true worth to the team. I enjoyed watching him play in all aspects. I also remember both Vic Power and Mudcat Grant as really exciting players for the Twins for their short duration and Bernie Allen was an enjoyable player as a second baseman. It is hard to compare eras - complete games in the early Twins years wore down players like Pascual and Ramos. They pitched long and often (4 man rotation) and we do not have a good system that would eliminate the innings 7 - 9 runs and hits that current rotation pitchers do not face since we are asking for only 5 - 6 innings per start. Gleeman's top fifty Twins column is fun and I appreciate having it posted here. I am like so many who want to take the Senators off the list. I love the old ballplayers, but the Twins have been here over 50 years and have their own history. They are not tainted by the pre-integration period and provide us with a sense of team that is only hinted at when we refer to pitchers like Johnson who may have been the best pitcher ever, but was definitely not a TWIN.
  24. mikelink45
    I guess it is a reflection of the weakness of our current system because so far the top ten to date has looked really poor. I hope Stewart can turn things around, but until he does he is not a top ten candidate. At this stage is he really better than the pitchers you had in the 11 - 20 list? I would not think so. Only his draft number is better, but for me I would take Gonsalves and Jay above Stewart and a few of our Latin American pitchers far above him. The post that I like the best is the question about coaching. We have been watching prospects for years not materialize at the MLB level no matter what their potential seems to be. Why didn't Duffey learn a third pitch in the minors, why wasn't Berrios mentally ready? Why did it take so long to get Gibson to the majors and why has his career been so pedestrian? We have sought the Vogelsongs and Nolascos of the world instead of creating a miLB conveyor.
  25. mikelink45
    Since the Twins pitching stinks I thought I would take a look at a really good staff - the Mets, they list seven pitchers competing for the starting rotation - ages Snydergaard 24, De Grom 28, Harvey 27, Matz 25, Gsellman 23, Lugo 27, Wheeler 26. I look at the Twins and I see Ervin Santana (34), Hector Santiago (29), Kyle Gibson (29), Phil Hughes (30), Jose Berrios (21), (Trevor May (27), Tyler Duffey (26), Ryan Vogelsong (39), Justin Haley (25)) Mets average age 25 for the seven Twins average age 28.8 for the nine If we were good this would not be a problem, but for the long run it is. Why we would even sign Vogelsong even if he is our best pitcher is beyond me. We need youth, we need a future. I am not happy, even if the projections are correct, with a .500 team. I want a team that will compete for the top. Our AAA team Jason Wheeler (26), Adalberto Mejia (23), Aaron Slegers (24), Nick Tepesch (28), David Hurlbut(27), Drew Rucinski (28), Nick Greenwood (29), Yohan Pino (33) averages 27+ Starting in AA we are looking like we should. Years ago when Puckett, Hrbek and others were here the Twins were promoting from AA and saying that was there style. It looks like that needs to be the same thing now. Only one of your top 10 is in AAA and if you were to include the MLB team in your top 10, who would be there?
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