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DJL44

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Everything posted by DJL44

  1. DJL44
    Both Steer and Encarnacion-Strand have been lousy this season. Are you really wishing they were on the Twins?
  2. DJL44
    What the hell, Willi Castro. He forgets how many outs there are WAY too often.
  3. DJL44
    Which big bat are they trading for and what position do they play?
  4. DJL44
    Not when you include defense. Gasper is a below average defender basically everywhere. He's at the bottom of the defensive depth chart for every position. I'd like a free trip to Europe. If Gasper or McCusker could play defense, they would have a job in MLB. That's essentially ALL Dashawn Keirsey can do, and he got the roster spot.
  5. DJL44
    Playing Gasper instead of Bader is a downgrade. Playing Gasper instead of France is a downgrade. Playing Gasper instead of Buxton or Correa is a definite downgrade. I'm not going to bet that Gasper's LH bat is better than Kody Clemens and his defense is clearly worse. If the Twins want a switch-hitting utility player to rest other players, they're far better off using Willi Castro instead of Gasper. The only advantage Gasper seems to have versus anyone on the roster is he can potentially hit lefties better than Jonah Bride. That makes him a platoon candidate with either Larnach at DH or Clemens at 2B. The best fit for that role is Luke Keaschall and the second-best fit is Austin Martin. Too bad both of those guys are hurt.
  6. DJL44
    Either one of them would be sitting on the bench 80% of the games. You're swapping out the short-side platoon infielder with Clemens taking the bulk of the at-bats.
  7. DJL44
    The pitching coach can call the game instead of the catcher. That happens all the time. The catcher will still be expected to receive pitches and help control the running game. The latter seems less relevant in this era because teams don't steal that many bases, but it is still the #1 criteria that weeds out catchers defensively and contributes to the lack of offense. Players have to achieve a minimum pop time, or they can't play catcher in MLB. The strategy may change with sinkers at the bottom of the zone. ABS will get those pitches called a strike and you'll need a catcher who can block the ball in the dirt. I think there will still be defensive specialist catchers, but the emphasis will shift from framing to blocking pitches and controlling the running game. A drop in stolen bases is a foreseeable unintended consequence of ABS. If the catcher no longer needs to frame pitches, they can set up to receive pitches in a stance that allows them to decrease their pop time. Instead of framing the pitch in the middle of the zone for the umpire, they can receive it like a pitch out and ready themselves to throw a few tenths of a second faster.
  8. DJL44
    Bride isn't getting any playing time now which makes him mostly irrelevant. If they gave all of Bride's playing time to Mickey Gasper people would still be complaining that "he's not getting a fair shot". They could release Bride and have Gasper sit on the bench instead, but it wouldn't matter in the end results.
  9. DJL44
    I'm not in love with Ty France, but I've been impressed with how much his defense at 1B has improved this season. The Twins seem to have a knack for grabbing the 1B nobody else wants and turning them into a gold glove contender. The real question with Mickey Gasper is whether he or Kody Clemens is the best choice for playing time until Keaschall returns. Clemens has the advantage defensively and has more experience. They both had a good May at the plate, but Clemens did his damage in MLB, not AAA.
  10. DJL44
    So, bring one of those guys up and bench a starter? That's not really the point of an injury replacement.
  11. DJL44
    Can you imagine how much worse they would be if they hadn't signed Bader and France?
  12. DJL44
    If you think Vazquez only has a 15% chance of getting the bunt down, then it's probably the right move. I'm betting he gets a hit less than 15% of the time against Hader.
  13. DJL44
    I doubt either will be useful.
  14. DJL44
    Almost always, but not when the #9 hitter with a batting average of less than .200 is up to the plate and the top of the lineup is coming up behind him. That's the sometimes, rarely counterexample.
  15. DJL44
    He's hitting well. His defense has been better in the past.
  16. DJL44
    Milwaukee comes to town this weekend.
  17. DJL44
    Then there's the Tigers - who did a soft sell, made the playoffs and have the best record in the AL the following season.
  18. DJL44
    Wow. Does that mean the ball went into orbit?
  19. DJL44
    You're betting on 13-25 between now and July 31. I'll take the over. They play 9 games against the Rockies, Marlins and Pirates in July.
  20. DJL44
    Bride isn't walking as many batters as Raya and has a lower RA9. They both have a WHIP > 2.
  21. DJL44
    "only 9 games out of 1st place" is a lot of games out of 1st place. I think there is merit to dealing this year and pushing chips in on next year. My list wouldn't be as long as the list above (keep Larnach and Duran) but I'd be open to selling if the team is .500 at the deadline. If they slip below .500 again, it's a clear sell. You can't count on another 13 game win streak. It's a difficult decision. This team has been streaky as hell so you can't rule out a win streak in October.
  22. DJL44
    All 4 of those pitchers profile as relievers if they ever make the majors. This cadence gets them more innings than they would if they were strictly 1-inning relievers. Not a bad way to develop future bullpen arms.
  23. DJL44
    He got promoted to AAA like last week.
  24. DJL44
    How many players has this investment produced?
  25. DJL44
    He could probably add marginal value in the near-term over Woods-Richardson. However, when Zebby Matthews returns, SWR will be headed back to the minor leagues. Now you have Civale on the team, so they'll be forced to either cut their brand-new acquisition or send Festa down to the minors. In that situation you have a veteran re-tread blocking a more talented minor leaguer who might actually be part of the team's future. I've read thousands of words on Twins Daily from people who are really tired of seeing below average veterans block rookies from getting playing time. They don't desperately need Civale right now, they'll probably need him even less later. If they happen to need a 5th starter in the future it shouldn't be that hard to find some other veteran off a bad team's roster.
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