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Ben Noble

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Everything posted by Ben Noble

  1. Ben Noble
    I remember words like “raw” and “toolsy” getting thrown around a lot when the Twins drafted Baddoo, so I’m especially impressed that such a young player has such a mature approach to the game. Sounds like he’s got a lot of self awareness, and I love that he’s focused less on immediate results and more on a process that will lead to good results for both himself and his team.
  2. Ben Noble
    Meh, he's almost 26 and has pitched a grand total of one inning above AA, 27 total innings pitched over the past three seasons combined. He's spent parts of four seasons in AA and put up a WHIP of 1.46 at that level. Hitting triple digits is great, and I love a good comeback story, but I don't think he'd help the Twins pen any more in 2019 (or 2020 or 2021) than he did as a supposedly fast-rising sure thing in 2014. Hope I'm wrong.
  3. Ben Noble
    yes
  4. Ben Noble
    I feel you on this. And it's frustrating. So frustrating. Use of 'openers' in the minors does give me some hope that changes in pen usage could, maybe, possibly be coming at the MLB level. If those changes ever do happen, though, they'll undoubtedly come as directives from the FO, not from Molitor.
  5. Ben Noble
    I've come across references to Thorpe's 'injury history' a few times recently. Pretty sure he's just had the one injury to his UCL that required TJ. Also had a bad case of mono coming off TJ recovery so they shut him down for a second straight year, but that's obviously not an injury. Am I forgetting something?
  6. Ben Noble
    Both of these. I'd like to see May in that fireman/stopper role, and I want the pitcher in that role to be able to go more than three outs. Ideally, I also want my closer (or/and setup man) able to go more than three outs depending on matchups, and I think Odorizzi could work well in that role...although I have no idea how he'd pitch coming in with men on base. Mejia might be an option for one of these roles, too, but I'd keep him as a starter until either he or a starter in the minors forces the issue. Still, would be nice to have three pitchers that could step into one of those roles so that no one gets overused in May, Odorizzi and Mejia. Even if you moved Odorizzi and Mejia to the pen, and didn't make any trades or FA signings, you could still open 2019 with a rotation of: Gibson Berrios Pineda Romero everyone else I'd go hard after a #1 this offseason, but that's a different topic. So to the topic at hand, I want my closer able to go more than an inning and want to see May, Odorizzi and possibly Mejia (when healthy) in high-leverage outings of more than three outs the remainder of the season to get an idea of how they'll slot into my pen next year, or who I might need to go after from outside the org over the offseason to fill those roles if the internal candidates aren't up to snuff.
  7. Ben Noble
    Is it showboating when a player makes the sign of the cross, fist bumps his chest, kisses that fist, then points and looks skyward? Rhetorical question maybe, and I'm certainly not picking on you...
  8. Ben Noble
    That's totally fair. Austin has actually put up very good numbers in MLB against LHP in limited AB, I would be okay rolling into 2019 with him penciled into a platoon with Mauer at first base...the operative words here being 'okay' and 'penciled.'
  9. Ben Noble
    ...and Austin has an .850 OPS in AAA right now.
  10. Ben Noble
    Would've much preferred that Austin got the call.
  11. Ben Noble
    While he was worth more in the Twins lineup over the last two months, I wonder if he was worth more out of the Twins clubhouse over the last two months. Conjecture, of course...but I really do wonder if that dude's 'tude played into the trade.
  12. Ben Noble
    Posted it here when it was first published. I agree, very interesting read.
  13. Ben Noble
    Maybe it's optimism, but reading between the lines in the linked report makes it sound to me like the front office thinks the team can/will be competitive next year.
  14. Ben Noble
    He states that he would "trade Escobar at the deadline." But he also acknowledges that there are totally valid arguments for keeping him and offering the QO. I've appreciated the debate on these boards as far as what to do with Escobar, and I myself flip flop on it. It's nice to hear an informed writer with a national perspective and no emotional connection to the team or Escobar basically say that he could reasonably go either way.
  15. Ben Noble
    Romero is in AAA. He may or may not take a Berrios-like step forward next year, but I suspect he will. If he does, Berrios - Gibson - Romero would be the best top of the rotation we've had in a long time.
  16. Ben Noble
    I just really appreciate that the organization is trying something different, trying to stay ahead of (or with) the curve, and that they're getting their pitchers acclimated in the minors to a potential change in routine rather than just throwing it against the wall in MLB and seeing if it sticks.
  17. Ben Noble
    Per Berardino, July 9: "RHP Michael Pineda said he threw 50 pitches off the regular mound with Ehire Adrianza standing in today. Plan is to throw another such session on Friday, then head back to Fort Myers for a couple of live BPs. Rehab assignment could start around Aug. 1." Other brief reports I came across suggest that he's on track to return to the majors in a limited role in September, which was the original forecast. We'll probably start to get more clarity on how realistic that timetable is once he starts the rehab assignment.
  18. Ben Noble
    Couldn't agree more with Sickels on Tyler Watson (from the Kintzler trade) as a big-time sleeper, I really thought he'd bust out this year. Still only 21, but his numbers are definitely not moving in the right direction.
  19. Ben Noble
    Used to live in SD and was just there for a game last month vs ATL, really great park. Few things: The grassy area by the bullpens is really cool: you can sit and picnic like at Saints games. There's a mini diamond for kids to play on and staff on hand to supervise, too. Very family friendly.BBQ and pizza??? Dude: fish tacos. Seriously, come on. They're overpriced like stadium fare everywhere, but they sell amazing swordfish tacos at Petco.The site lines are the best, bar-none, especially along the third base line. First game I went to in like 2007 it freaked me out a little, like I felt a little TOO close considering I was in left field.I like to drink beer, but I've never drank an IPA there or been to either of the bars you're talking about. Wasn't a big fan of the Gaslamp in general, but Petco is also a quick train to/from the beach communities. Guess this is a roundabout way of saying that there's something for most tastes/preferences at the stadium and it's centrally located.
  20. Ben Noble
    Also worth noting that they slotted Graterol just one spot behind Hunter Greene...
  21. Ben Noble
    When I was a little kid, Jim Eisenreich lined a foul ball towards where my dad I were sitting at the Dome. Some guy about five rows in front of us stood up and put his hand out to catch the ball, and it audibly SMACKED off his hand and landed next to my dad. The guy turned around and said something to my dad about wanting the ball, but my dad just laughed in the guy's face and handed it to me. I still remember how magical it felt to hold that ball, like I had broken the fourth wall or something. Lost the ball somewhere along the way, but that's why I use Jim Eisenreich's photo on this site.
  22. Ben Noble
    Idk, Jeff Sullivan at Fangraphs wrote that "even the Triple-A pitch-framing numbers see Astudillo as more or less average," and he's thrown out 35% of base stealers this year with one passed ball in over 250 innings.
  23. Ben Noble
    Short hand, it's potential vs realized potential. And for many prospects, yeah, it kind of is about batting practice: young guys that can crush a straight fastball in BP but it hasn't showed up in games yet. This is probably most often due to pitch recognition issues (they're not waiting for their ball to square up and end up hitting a lot of singles that have the potential to turn into doubles and HR as they advance), but also mechanical flaws that need to be ironed out, as well as the expectation that frames will fill out as the player physically matures.
  24. Ben Noble
    Love this guy and have been waiting for him to get called up, was just thinking about it last night. Doesn't walk and doesn't strike out. The true two-outcome player: hit or put out.
  25. Ben Noble
    They traded Aguilera in '95 then resigned him as a FA in the offseason. Signed Molitor, Roberto Kelly, Dave Hollins that offseason, too. Signing a FA to more than one year then trading him in the same season is bad mojo, but that's not what's being proposed here.
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