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Dman

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Everything posted by Dman

  1. Dman
    I agree with most of this. I expected the Twins to get their young players experience. I expected the farm to produce a few more young options for next year as well. I didn't have grand hopes of them being much over or under 500 this year. I will say when they signed Correa and traded for Paddack coupled with the hot start that my perception did change for a brief moment. Still this team and especially the bullpen was flawed from the start and given all the injuries I can see why they fell backwards. The bullpen gave away way too many winnable games. Even with their bad second half the Twins could still be in the hunt if the pen didn't give up so many games early in the season so often. Clutch hitting with the bases loaded was another issue for this team. They had horrible at bats in those situations just mind boggling. Sorry but I don't have a good vibe for next year either with older pitchers like Gray, Maeda, Mahle, and Paddack they seem likely to break down as the season wears on and the pithing pipeline hasn't produced anything solid yet other than Ryan who they traded for. This is a flawed team until they can get pitching figured out. Unlike some I still like this FO and I don't see Rocco as a problem as managers generally just manage by the numbers these days so I don't think change there changes much of anything. My only message to the FO is draft pitching, pitching and more pitching. Take arms early and late. Trade for good young pitching. Until this team can match the top teams rotations it will be seasons like this one over and over again.
  2. Dman
    I know you are not asking me but they desperately needed arms so I can see why they did that. Not sure every pick had to be a pitcher as I am not certain how you would find room in the system for all those arms but the Guardians took the same approach that year with 19 out of 21 picks being pitchers and one could argue they know what they are doing. I think there are times when doing something like that could be prudent. In fact I would argue the Twins should do something similar next year. The system is loaded with decent bats but the pitching pipeline looks depleted. IMO they should look to go heavy on the pitching side to rebalance the system. Again not sure all 21 picks need to be pitchers but 15 to 16 out of 21 wouldn't be a bad idea.
  3. Dman
    I really like your list I could let that stand pretty easily and I like that you took chances on Williams and Isola. Personally I think you have Miller to high but that is just me. I love the writeups. Thanks for the list!
  4. Dman
    Agree that Jullien deserves it more but they are probably keeping AA's best hitter for the playoffs at AA since the Saints are not in the running for the playoffs. Jullien will start at AAA next year and will be a phone call away from the MLB team so a few missed AAA chances won't change anything. As for Lee same thing. The Kernals need bats for the playoffs and Lee will be set to start AA next year and if he performs well they might want to make room on the 40 man for him but odds are they don't do that until 2024 but we'll see. If he truly is special he has a shot to make it next year but no reason to rush him anywhere right now IMO.
  5. Dman
    Not sure what to think about Lawyerson. He looks like a max effort pitcher to me so IMO not really starter material and I wonder how his stuff would translate but to this point his results speak volumes. Still will the Twins find room on the 40 man for him? Hard to say at this point if you ask me.
  6. Dman
    I don't know for sure but I have to believe part of the reason he has been fast tracked is that he is already 23 and he has handled each level he has been at to this point well, granted in a very SSS. I think if you want a player at that age to have much of any prospect status moving him faster than slower is the way to go. I thought it was an interesting pick when the Twins made it. A true lottery ticket that saved draft money. In college while older he was an On base machine with good slugging to go with it. If it translates it will be interesting to see where he fits. So far AAA has been hard on him but with only 10 at bats hard to say where he is truly at. It is a steep learning curve for him but I like the way the Twins are using him and it looks like he has a good enough of an approach to make it IMO. Next year we will know much more but I hope the Twins hit the lotto on this one.
  7. Dman
    It is interesting that at the beginning of the season that most of us thought this was about a 500 team or maybe slightly worse and I was fine with that as they were likely going to need to bring up the young guys. The calculus changed some with the Correa signing and the hot start but true to form the pitching started hurting the team and lost opportunity after lost opportunity finally caught up to them. Honestly it is a minor miracle that the Twins were even in it to the end given their level of play. Granted the Twins made some moves at the deadline to get a better starter and closer but in true Twins fashion they both hurt the team more than helped. There is Atlanta who makes moves that shouldn't even work and then the Twins who appeared to make decent moves and got less than nothing out of it. Baseball is crazy. At any rate this just isn't a very good team. They might have great team chemistry but they fail in clutch situations and don't have enough difference makers to make a difference. Not sure that I feel much better looking at next year either because if the pitching doesn't improve by leaps and bounds this is the same old Twins team we have been watching for years. Don't have elite pitching and can't hit when it really matters. They really need to focus on drafting pitching higher in the draft and also find their later reclamation projects. Until this team can pitch better they might as well just keep losing for high draft picks because being mediocre or slightly worse just really sucks.
  8. Dman
    I think you are pretty spot on. I keep looking at who might have top of the rotation potential and have to squint just to see Varland and SWR. We are pretty much looking all the way back to Prielipp now and he hasn't even pitched this year yet. Maybe Festa but given his build he looks more like a future pen arm than starter although he did hold up this year. Povich was the only other guy that looked like a possibility and he got traded for a bag of magical beans that gives up leads in the 9th more than he creates saves. The OP is right I went into the year defending the FO for a pitching pipeline that had Balazovich, Sands, Henriquez, Winder, Duran, Enlow on the horizon, Varland, SWR, with some young guys coming up in Povich, Hajjar and Petty with outside chances in SGL, Headrick, Mooney and Festa. Almost all of it has cratered or been traded away. It almost feels like they are back to square one. To say there is ton of pressure on the pitching pipeline feels like an understatement. They will never compete in the division and ultimately the playoffs if they can't do better than this. I like Falvine but if they don't get some wins on the pitching side I don't see how they end up any better than the Ryan regime and that is not saying much.
  9. Dman
    I have been on the Sisk Bandwagon for a while now. Not sure that the Twins don't like from the dominant lefty but it must be something. He has been good to great start to finish this year.
  10. Dman
    I honestly didn't think it would happen for Louie this year. I was thinking next year but I love this move. He has been the most consistent pitcher in the high minors this year. Somehow he even turned it up a notch after getting to AAA. He has earned and deserved this shot IMO. Go gettum Louie the fans are behind you win or lose.
  11. Dman
    Happy for Steer. He is ready. Cinci got a versatile defender and well rounded bat in that deal. He should be a good player for them for a long time.
  12. Dman
    Man what a game for Wallner. I am always hard on him with the K rate but when he has nights like last night all the little stuff gets forgotten. 5 for 6 and hits for the cycle just a special, special night for him. He started off slow but with that performance has finally moved his OPS into the 800 range at AAA. If he stays locked in then he could still reach the 900 mark which he will need to press for MLB time. With Helman the base stealer at the top of the order then Wallner and then Williams who might have the hottest bat in the system and the stronger Palacios, that is a tough top of the order for any pitcher to face. Wallner's power is something to see. The ball gets out so fast seems like the camera has a hard time catching up to it. Jullien is the heart and soul of that Wichita team. Another HR and another walk with 3 total hits and only one out on the night. Not sure what more this guy can do as he is AAA bound next year for sure. Sabato with a good night and finally moved his OPS in the 700 range not that great but it is better than Martin's 674. Feels like the arms in the system are tired as the scores in these games are getting out of hand but still a very good night for lot's of the hitters in the system.
  13. Dman
    I hadn't thought about that before but if he can OPS what Kepler can or more and play just as good defense then that makes a lot of sense to me. He has the speed. He has the arm. Now he seems to have the bat so if they wanted to get some value from Kepler they could. It would help make room for Wallner as well. I like Kepler but this team needs to find room for young guys and I think Kep could be the odd man out.
  14. Dman
    I tend to agree. Of the three Canterino can still come back and be an elite pitcher. I still kind of think he will end up a pen arm given his age and recovery time but he could be an elite one. I really think Martin will have a bounce back year next year. He has a good eye at the plate and good bat to ball skills. I am a little concerned teams have shifted him and he is not getting those hits up the middle he used to get. He also is one of best base stealers we have in the system. I know that is not a coveted trait anymore but it can help especially when you need to push a run across late in the game. I wouldn't give up on him just yet. Of the three Balazovich worries me the most. Lot's of evaluators said long lever's can make control of pitches difficult and it seems like that is coming true. Balazovich has the stuff to be successful but if he can't control it he will never make it. I am surprised there has been very little improvement the entire year. I don't know if he comes out of this funk or not but have to give him another try next year to see if he can. He has too much potential to just throw away at this point. At any rate I agree I think we need some patience yet with these three and IMO I think they will be worth the wait.
  15. Dman
    Had to look twice and check the Box score to validate Miller walked 5 times. For a player with such good plate discipline you would think the BA would be higher than .212. Not sure why he is having contact issues but I thought he might get better as the season went on but so far this seems to be who he is. I get that he is only 19 with plenty of time to learn I just thought given the apparently good eye at the plate he would also have the ability to barrel more balls.
  16. Dman
    The Twins needed that win and it was nice to see them score on another teams pen for once. I kind of thought after that ugly inning the Twins might not score again but was happy to be wrong. I also thought they would throw Gordon something low and away out of the zone with two strikes as he does like to chase but they didn't and his HR was the back breaker. Happy for Nick who is moving that OPS into MIranda range and looks like someone who could hold down a legit full time position now. He finally seems to have found a bit more power which has changed the calculus on what he can do at the plate. Anyway the Twins need to keep on winning to either catch the Indians or grab a wild card spot. So keep it going please.
  17. Dman
    Finally got one of those much needed big time hits with the bases loaded and that was the difference maker. If this team could just come up with those a little more often they would still be leading the division. At any rate a solid game all the way around for these guys and hoping they keep the win streak going because the Yankee's are coming and I expect this team to lose those games.
  18. Dman
    I have to believe both will be gone at the end of the year. I like Bundy's style for the most part. I like the way he attacks hitters despite the lower velocity fastball. I think he is a solid 5th starter but honestly I think the Twins will pass on bringing him back next year. Pagan just hasn't been good in a long time and I would hate to lose a player in Rule V to save Pagan. The Twins need to build a solid pen and he just doesn't have that great of control and he allows HR's like no one I have ever seen out of the pen. It is past time to move on and give him a fresh start. The Twins are going to have some tough decision to make at some point on the 40 man. They traded for Mahle and have Gray and Ryan locked in as well. They have Maeda, Winder, Paddack, Ober and Dobnak set to come back from the IL and will count against the 40 man at some point and then they have Balazovich, Enlow, Strotman, Sands and Henriquez all sitting on the 40 man currently as dead weight. If they want to keep them then they need to add SWR, Canterino and Varland as well. That is 15 pitcher's right there not even including the pen taking 40 man space. Hopefully they choose the right arms as we are going to need better arms to compete with Cleveland next year. I don't think Bundy, Pagan or Archer are difference makers for this team next year so if it were me I would let them go.
  19. Dman
    I agree the Mariners are taking on a lot of risk here. We in Minnesota know just how hard it is to keep center fielders healthy and the M's will be locked into the higher salaries as he hits his most likely to be injured longer years. The bet has to be that they see salaries for elite players moving into the 40M range. Still I think the injury risk alone would have had me waiting to do this. I guess they think his comp might be Soto and they don't want to end up like the Nats losing a potential generational player. I get that they have a pretty young roster and the cap space to front load this deal but they don't seem to be gaining "that" much on the backend to me if he performs at the MVP level they anticipate and even if he turns into a pumpkin and they decline the options they are on the hook for good junk of money. If things work out well this could be a good deal for the M's still but I am inclined to agree with Bean that at the current market rates I don't see this as a slam dunk "great" contract for the M's. if the rates for star players rise then maybe this could be a steal of a deal but to me this looks like a very good deal for Rodriguez. He gets more money earlier in the deal and he is covered for any decline in performance as well. Very good risk mitigation on the player side and if he performs well he won't be cheated that much on his yearly salaries over the life of the deal. I like this deal for the player and if he performs the team comes out OK too if not then that is a fair bit of money to be tied to an average or below average player over time.
  20. Dman
    With Beckham batting .400 at St. Paul I really thought he might be able to make some noise at the MLB level. I guess not. Well can't say the Twins didn't try to use a hot bat.
  21. Dman
    I don't know the players were singing his praises at the start of the year with the great club house vibe and how Rocco communicates what his plan is for each player. He is a players manager, has his players backs and nothing but high praise when they perform well. I think he is good for the club house and keeping guys loose. Whether that leads to winning or not is another story. Like others above I think he is completely inline with how the FO views the roster and what the percentage play is. Like a lot of teams they believe in the numbers and are going to play it by the spreadsheet for the most part. If they got another manager it would be the same things happening with a different face and that's about it. I think Rocco is a good face for the players and the organization. I don't see them blaming Rocco for all the player performance issues. I agree with others that it comes down to what the FO provides to the team. They gave him a crappy pen and a rotation that is average at best. I think they got what they gave this year with or without Rocco.
  22. Dman
    I will second this. Varland has been the most consistent pitcher in the upper levels this year. I know there are pitchers coming back from injury but it would be nice to see what he can do at the MLB since this team isn't going anywhere anyway.
  23. Dman
    Totally agree with you here. All reports I have heard have the team doing their best to monitor Buxton's health\readiness to play. They have given him time off whenever he needs it to rest various ailments so they are not pushing him to play every day. I am not privy to any of the conversations they have but I assume his whole situation has been dealt with in good faith for helping the team and Buxton. The team and Buxton mentioned at the beginning of the year he would be getting extra days off throughout the season to try and mitigate nagging injuries. They had a plan from the start of the season and this was it. Also remember he has an incentive laden contract and the Twins certainly appear to be doing what they can to help him earn the incentives and Buxton is trying to help the team by playing when healthy enough to play. I know he has been shut down with the hip issue but I still think the team and Buxton will continue to do what they can to help each other be successful. He has the offseason to rest up and heal and maybe there are more preventive measures they can take for next year but I don't see a reason to put him on the IL until both parties agree it needs to be done.
  24. Dman
    It might me time to shut him down but when a player has incentive clauses in his contract that becomes a tougher decision for both sides. Shutting him down might be the right thing to do but I don't think they will do it.
  25. Dman
    From what I understand Williams hasn't caught much this year so he fits as emergency backup catcher option maybe like an Astudillo role? He has mainly been 1st base and DH and keeping him healthy seems to have improved his bat's production. I thought Seth said once that Isola was good behind the plate but someone also said he has only thrown out 1 runner in 20 some tries so not sure just how viable he is back there. I would think he has a decent chance to stick at catcher but I don't know much other than what other people have said about his defense. If memory serves most teams pick defense first guys in the Rule V draft. I know we lost Turner to the Reds one year via Rule V. Not sure if an Offense first catcher with no MLB experience would be too large a risk or not. We will know more about how the Twins feel about Isola when Rule V roles around.
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