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KGB

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Everything posted by KGB

  1. KGB
    Jepsen is an example of why you don't want to sign relief pitchers to long term contracts, up one season down the next. Go young and 1 year contracts.
  2. KGB
    Twins have 22 pitchers on the 40 man roster and Berrios who you would expect to be on the 40 man soon, so I don't see why they are removing catchers from the roster. Looks like they need to make more decision on what pitchers they want and start clearing space through trades instead of just losing players through waivers. I understand not wanting to keep a player like Kepler on the bench, so adding Murphy to the bench would help. But if that is the reason, I think Mastroianni would have been better selection. I pray they are not bring in Murphy with the plan to give him playing time and sitting the younger players.
  3. KGB
    http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mauerjo01.shtml The other HOF indicator are not as favorable. The JAWS system uses only best 7 years which is about 80% of Mauer's career WAR. That's much higher than the other players. The batting titles & MVP will help but I think WS & market size also play a roll in voting. I hope I'm wrong but I think he going to have a tough road to get to the HOF
  4. KGB
    I'm don't think Ernie Banks is universally consider a shortstop. http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1960647-ranking-the-10-greatest-shortstops-in-mlb-history#articles/1960647-ranking-the-10-greatest-shortstops-in-mlb-history But even if you consider Mauer's average of 92 catching games a year over his catching career his primary position, you have to remember the HOF isn't looking to fill a roster and catcher have not faired very well in the voting. Here's a listing of catchers around Mauer's WAR and HOF voting percentage: WAR HOF % Ted Simmons 54.2 3.7% Brian Downing 48.4 0.4% Joe Mauer 45.7 Gene Tenace 45.0 0.2% Bill Freehan 44.8 0.5% I would expect Mauer to do better (probably more borderline like Oliva), but I think a he needs a few more good years to give him a shot at the HOF.
  5. KGB
    So if WAR is a driving factor, shouldn't we also compare him to non-HOF's also, like Gene Tenace WAR wRC+ OBP Mauer 45.7 128 .395 Tenace 45.0 140 .388 I would like to see Mauer get into the HOF, but I he going to need a few more productive years if he wants to get there.
  6. KGB
    In the off-season, you had to have a lot of concerns on what you would get from Arcia, Mauer was on a 2 year decline and Sano was entering his second year. So I think the signing was a smart move. When Sano starts hitting and if Mauer, Arcia and Park continue to hit, you should have some very valuable trade assets in Arcia and Park that will be expendable for the Twins.
  7. KGB
    My question would be at the end of Mauer career, can you really consider his career as a catcher primary? He probably going to play more games at other postions and be at least 50% less games at catcher than other HOF catchers. Games at Catcher Mauer 920 Cochrane 1,451 Piazza 1,602 Craig Biggio is closer to Mauer as a catcher, then he is to the other HOF catchers.
  8. KGB
    This is why they sign a players like Murphy and Nunez. They can be a bench players/veterans who don't need to play everyday and still contribute. You don't want your young players having to be bench players at the majors when they can be playing in the minors. But with options running out and players ready to contribute at the majors, they will soon have to make decisions on which players they want to keep long term.
  9. KGB
    Agree, that's why his strike out rate is so important. Not being a power hitter, he's got to get put the ball in play. His K% had been increasing since 2011 and if he's got that back under control, he should be back as a .300+ hitter. This is even before the sunglasses effect, I don't think he broken them out yet this year.
  10. KGB
    It's great to see him controlling the strike zone and striking out again around 10% instead of 18%. The additional 8% of balls in play will add about .025 to his batting average pushing him back to a .300 hitter.
  11. KGB
    Working on it and fixing it are two different things. Fixing a hole in your swing will have more to do with the player than coaching. Coaching can only take you so far, otherwise hitting coaches would be paid $20 million a year. I'm not saying the position change has zero impact, but I think it's a lot less than we are trying to make it up to. All the other things I listed are equally possible for Sano slow start. After 8 games, don't you think it a little early to try and blame someone elso for Sano's slow start?
  12. KGB
    Parker Hageman @ParkerHageman Miguel Sano had 0 hits last year in the upper third of the strike zone. Orioles pitchers have honed in on that so far these two games. 6:33 PM - 6 Apr 2016 I would think teams might have noticed this, but I could be wrong. It might be hard to blame the FO or the change of position for this weakness.
  13. KGB
    I'm afraid we are getting into Mauer territory where you are either: a. Mauer is the greatest Twins player of all time and you can't question anything about him (or) b. You are a Mauer hater
  14. KGB
    You are just missing the whole point, he doesn't have to be 270 lbs and the Twins didn't want him to be 270 lbs when they made the plan. The excuse of it's just normal weight gain for a 22 year old is ridiculous, which is what my Cabrera example was used for. If you want a more current example, look at Max Kepler, he was the same size as Sano at 16 and there is no comparison now. I agree that at 270, he probably not going to be a good outfielder but at that weight he probably not going to be a good at third either. He didn't have great minor league fielding reports and he now 20-30 lbs bigger. And I agree with your point of Cabrera gaining weight as he grew older and stopped playing the outfield. Now consider that with Sano, are we looking at a 300+ DH in a couple years? Even at 250 lbs, Sano might not be a good outfielder because he might lack just the natural skills to play out there. But I'm glad the front office isn't just coddling him and saying, "You have eaten yourself in the DH role at 22, we are just hoping you don't eat yourself out of the league by 30." The irrational fear that the FO is somehow trying to CYA by feeding stories about his weight to the press is hilarious. A reporter or anyone would have to be blind not to notice his weight. Sano is this franchises future, everyone wants him to be the best player he can be and that is going to take work.
  15. KGB
    I would bet that around May, once he get into shape, the results will be different and he'll start hitting. Other players have made position changes and not gone into a slump. I would think the weight on losing a child last year was a bigger burden then the position change. He hit well in spring training and he probably going to hit his home runs in streaks. As far as his size, I think Ryan wanted him closer to 245-250, not 265-270 when they planned on the position change. The weight gain problem is on Sano, not Ryan. Miguel Cabrera signed as a 185 lbs 16 year old (Sano was 190) and when he switched to outfield in the majors (only a couple games in the minors) he weighted 220 lbs. But, if it make everyone feel better, we can blame Ryan.
  16. KGB
    There are many plausible reason for a slow start, he had a high strike out rate last year and had a high BABIP which he probably not going to retain. Teams have a better book on him and he needs to make more adjustments. He didn't come into the season in playing shape. Or it's just 7 games and he is a streaky hitter. I think we are looking hard to blame the move to right just because we don't like the move.
  17. KGB
    So you don't see any opportunity for a player to improve his fielding ability? No ability to get into better shape to improve mobility and work on his game in the outfield? Nobody should have thought Sano was athletic enough to make the leap to playing the outfield? I know we want to blame the FO for everything, but the players on the field have a part in the teams success or failure also. Probably more than the FO.
  18. KGB
    http://makenolittleplans.net/age-position-and-injury-risk-in-baseball/ There is some data that show right field is the least likely injury risk and third base the highest risk. Third is a quick reaction position, which I would think would increase the risk of pulling muscles. I'm not sure watching Sano diving for ball at third would be more healthy than running in the outfield.
  19. KGB
    I think being more aggressive eariler in the count would help. His contact rate is still very good and if he would jump on pitches earlier, he would see the decrease in K's. I know that might take away from some of his value in getting walks, but I believe it would still increase his overall offensive production.
  20. KGB
    As someone who doesn’t believe the drop off in 2014 was created by the concussion (2013 BABIP was 40 point higher than career average and he just went back to his 10 year average in 2014), I think getting back to a closer to his career BABIP in 2016 should see him increase his line to around .280/.350/400 One thing I am encouraged about is his changing to wearing sunglasses. Not that it’s a medical breakthrough to consider wearing sunglasses if you have glare from the sun, but a sign Mauer is ready to make changes. There is really no reason for a player with Mauer’s swing to strike out a much as he’s been doing for the last 5 years. A more aggressive approach at the plate would decrease the K’s and raise his average closer to .300
  21. KGB
    Just like all players, I hope his playing time isn't guaranteed. He may have a longer leash than most, but if the Twins are a serious playoff team, they need to play the best players.
  22. KGB
    I agree the production was sliding before the concussion, his K's rate had been increasing for years and his high BABIP hid the reduced production. Once the BABIP went back to his career normal in 2014, you saw the big drop in BA. But cutting Mauer makes no sense. If he doesn't produce this year, you can just reduce his playing time. He not worth what they are paying him, but he not a terrible player. He's still a Twins HOF player and he should get respect for his prior contributions.
  23. KGB
    With the number of pitching option they have in the system, they need to make roster space to see what they can do in the majors. If they fail, Ryan can alway add bullpen through a trade.
  24. KGB
    I hope Jay's ceiling is a 1-2 starter, because if it's lower, you are waisting time trying to convert him to a starter. Keep him in the bullpen where he has the potential to be a shutdown relief pitcher.
  25. KGB
    http://twinsdaily.com/topic/20211-mauer-lack-of-training-and-overflow-of-excuses-catching-up-to-him/ So when Mauer says he's doesn't have any symptoms, isn't training by choice, or is in the best condition of his career - we shouldn't believe him. When is says he has blurred vision and some training problems, we should believe him and conclude that is the reason behind his drop in production?
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