KOHG

You are correct - location is more important to an extent. However, the slower the pitch the more time you have to react to where the location of that pitch is (pitch recognition). So 161 strikeouts - apparently, he couldn't recognize pitch location when facing 85 mph. Not to mention the fact that high velocity can cause you to get away with pitches every once in awhile that will likely get crushed at 85 mph simply because of reaction time. Not to mention its not like the Korea league is full of Greg Maddux es. I am worried..and the fact that the twins won the bidding war at 12 million makes me more worried that A) it only took 12 million 25 other teams didn't think to bid higher C) 29 years old not much room for growth - he is what he is D) Position value is nothing E) Way to many high strikeout guys as it is.

Please explain to me how a guy who strikeout 161 times in 528 at bats facing 85 mph fastballs is supposed to have transferable success facing 93 mph plus fastballs and breaking pitches the same speed as fastballs in the Korean league? 3 - 5 mph difference in pitch speed is a lot of reaction time.If you can't make consistent contact against 86 mph how can you make consistent contact against 92 mph? As the article stated - You have the Target Field center right field factor - not to mention that he hit most of his HR on fastballs and only 7 against 90 plus fastballs - isn't this enough to diminish his plus power factor? If his power is diminished then how do you justify the strikeouts? I just don't see it with this guy it seems like a big long shot and someone just looked at his HR numbers.

People seem to be looking for reasons for the twins success this season. Yeah, having even a remotely decent starting rotation helps, but something i think that people are over looking is team speed, not individual speed but team speed. Something that the stats and variable don't put enough weight on. Think about it... what can team speed do for a team.... 1) Stretch a single into a double. 2) Ability to take that extra base from 1st to 3rd. 3) Maybe stay out of a double play. 4) Get an infield hit. 5) Put the runners in motion. 6) Able to tag from 1st to 2nd or from 2nd to 3rd taking the extra base 7) RANGE - ESPECIALLY IN THE OUTFIELD - A DOUBLE TURNS INTO FLY OUT 8) Range defense can turn a double into single for the opposition. 9) Stolen bases, not the be end and end all, but can be a positive that puts pressure on the opposition pitcher and defense. 10) Range and speed can turn looping singles into sliding catches. etc..... 11) The opposition defense may have to play in opening up the field. Molitor Baseball! Now look at the twins players with what I would say plus average speed. Rosario, Hicks, Dozier, Santana, Schafer, Nunez and Robinson... Hunter, Mauer, Trevor, and Suzuki, are not Bartolo Colon either. Think how many times in a single game that a few of those 11 situation can occur in a game! Now replace those situation with Willingham, Arcia, Vargas. Those guys have to put up pretty great numbers to justify their short comings and lack of speed which up to this point they haven't so far - in the case of Vargas and Arcia. (Willingham did for one season) SPEED KILLS and this twins team has it. Just not the complete emphasis on stolen bases. I think that team speed is a major reason for the twins success this season and should be considered going forward in the present baseball state and future roster decision.

I guess back problems are also an indication? Hopefully its not serious.

This thread isn't about Joe not hitting home runs or 23 million etc..I have heard everything under the sun regarding his down year. What I haven't heard and what I might expect is that he is getting old fast. Has his bat really slowed down that much? He is missing pitches that I don't think I have ever seen Joe miss. Is their evidence that can prove this? Bat speed? Strikeout rate on specific pitch location that he normally hasn't had in previous years? etc

This angels lineup is good like 4th in all of baseball in runs! After Gibson performance yesterday and now Pino I am going to hold off judgement until a few more starts from Pino. It also looks like both pitchers are getting sqeezed this game. I am just hoping the Santana injury isn't the knee....This team and prospects and injures is unbelievable.

Aaron Hicks...Yes, its his career, but the twins have spent alot of money, resources, and time that could have been used else where on his career. He is an employee he needs to do what the employer wants. They are paying him and developing him.

Injury update on Buxton? Did they amputate civil war style and top it off with medication from a 1920's medicine cabinet When is this guy expected to play again? I understand caution, but how serious is this thing? With Alex Meyer's short high pitch starts - is their concern regarding the shoulder? Is their some type of statistical track record (their has to be) regarding minor league players who have been demoted in the minors AA to A and from like A to Low A and what type of success rate do they have at getting to the majors? What type of player at the majors do they turn out to be? What percentage drop off does being demoted affect percent chance of making the majors compared to others who have not experience demotion at any time in there professional career in the minors.

That was an error on Willingham correct? Dozier comes through after struggling. Needed this win. I do like the move of bringing in your best relief pitcher with the game on the line on the road in a tough spot to get out of the jam and if you do take the lead the next relief pitcher has a lead and a fresh inning if you don't it doesn't matter either way...its a good move by Ventura and out of the box thinking. So Gardy won't think to do that. I also think its pretty obvious that Perkins back is bothering him...evident by the high pitches. Good win, time to see what the minor league guys did tonight.

The thing is all these hitters would have to do is not even bunt, but adjust the back foot that would change the angle. Just an inch either way. Do that and you can't help but hit the ball where they are not. I used to get shifted on in Babe Ruth and in highschool ball which is 100% comparably with MLB and that's what I did. You cant swing across you body is forces you to hit the ball where you plant... If Joe wanted to pull the ball to beat the shift he would need to go with a more wide open stance. However its very difficult for players who have done something for along time and had success to change. Just like anything else, but success can lead to complacency. Hell you wouldn't even need to change you feet, but cut down your swing. Eventually, team will have to play you honest. I always though shifting was kind of cowardly...Smart but cowardly.

Can he hit with runners in scoring position or get a big hit? This is what this team needs, guys who want to drive runs in.

Do you think Morales may have a multi year contract with the twins at the end of the season. Especially, when both KC and Willingham are coming off the books.

One more question... A SS is far more valuable then a CF...but what about splitting or 1/3 of Santana's starts in the minors when he gets sent down to be in CF to gain experience as a backup plan. With his arm and speed he should be able to play both positions very well.

I don't know how you guys managed to keep talking about roster transaction when watching the game out of the corner out of your eye and having a walk-off and not show any emotion and manage to stay in character... are you robots or really tired? I was yelling and screaming...wasn't Nunez out of the base line? He practically ran a triangle into left field? I love the show, you guys know your stuff and keep us informed on the minor leagues which most us don't follow enough to know enough. Thanks

I agree with the idea of specialization and specific weight training is the cause. Looking at stats of inning of pitchers in the 20-40s its amazing how much throwing they did. The thing is - those players also worked for a living. They had jobs on the farm in the off season giving their body more of an overall workout especially when they where young. Now a days a kid goes to school and all he does is throw a baseball once every 5 days. Weight lifting is "specific" it targets one group of muscles. However, the other muscles, ligaments, bones aren't keeping up strength wise because they are not being strengthened at the same rate because they are not being targeted. Its like building a brick house and using wood glue for the motar..eventually its going to break. Also, they used to throw alot more when they where younger building up arm strength targeting the exact muscles, bones, and ligament that they would be using - the key was constantly and consistently. Another way to look at it...My dad was a sheet metal worker for 25 years he would lift and adjust a sheet metal slab for his lazer cutter he never had back problems or muscle problems he would come home and then work in the yard. I did that one time along time ago for a couple of weeks and I thought my legs and back where on fire and I couldn't move the next day. Its about consistency over a long period of time, its about an "overall" workout which strengthens all parts of the body at the same rate. Its also about some of these justin beiber, metro sexual kids who spend all of there time with there face in a tablet or pc not really doing any type of physical labor work over along period of time, when all of the sudden they have too and things break. Also, they just don't throw enough early and often, they should throw more not less. These guys just aren't as tough as the greatest generation because they don't have to be. This is my theory anyway

Besides colabello letting the ball go between his legs allowing a run:(

1) When is Nunez going to be up? 2) Any concern about Gibson's strikeout rate going to catch up with him? 3) Colabello seems to have cooled off alot which was to be expected probably wasn't going to knock in 200 runs, but where do you guys project Colabello final line to be avg, ops, hr etc... I find myself rooting for the guy more so then others, but I worry that he might not be able to cut it....What does Colabello have to do to stay in the majors for the twins? 4) Now that the book is out that the twins are not a good hitting ball club so why heck aren't you throwing them strikes. Teams are now throwing them strikes....What adjustments to the roster are the twins going to need to make to reboost the offense.

The problem with Florimon is that they can't hide his bat in this offense - when it returns to the mean (which it will be bad). You can't have Susuki, Hicks, Florimon in the lineup at the same time and expect good things. You would need Susuki and Hicks to be better then league average and I just don't see that happening right now to cover Florimon's bat.

Ryan Pressly should be up. He was really good last season and hasn't done anything not to deserve a 25 man roster spot. Tonkin, Pressly, Perkins, Theibar... That could be a really nasty bullpen....in a good way. I will say this about contracts and extending... Don't the Oakland A's go year by year with their players. If you produce your paid if you don't produce your may not have a job next season simple as that. I would do this with bullpen guys, bench players, and position players who are average or replaceable. Job security is a great thing, but it can lead to complacency. The pressure of fighting for a job and your next big paycheck can be a real motivator ask just about every american. Alot, of this also depends on the individual as well. Oswaldo Arcia I would never until I had too give a multi year contract too. I would very rarely give a multi year contract to any player 30 and above.

Simple, compact, short swing, with great bat speed, and power. That's a swing the can translate well over higher levels. What if anything did they say about his pitch recognition. I suppose we won't have a better idea until he moves on to higher levels. You take that kids frame, bat speed, short powerful simple compact swing, and any type of plate recognition you might just have something. Prediction: he is going to move up the prospect ranking very very fast. I like this signing. Do we know which scout scouted him?

Was their any sense of more moves coming while you where their? I sure hope some more moves are coming. I have no faith in the lineup coming out of spring training. All the starting pitching in the world isn't going to save this lineup. Need some hitters. Alot of people say wait for Buxton and Sano, but they are atleast a year and 2 years away and it will take time for them to adjust to the majors. They are not going to come up and be Miguel and Trout right off the bat or ever will. I say stack the deck and get some more offense in here. The payroll is still lower then last season with the new tv revenue and they could go up atleast another 20 million. Not to mention that the twins where one of the most profitable clubs in baseball according to Forbes. Spend the money on the product go get some hitters

Apples and Oranges...Those drugs are not HGH or Steroids. Those drugs don't extend a players productive years well past their prime. The effectiveness of current medication and drugs compared to the ones in 1940's, 1950's and 1960's are night and day, but most important is access to these drugs. It would be very hard to say that those drugs where more wide spread then PED's in the steroid era, just based on knowledge and availability. As for the distinction. Baseball is a game of numbers and the only way for those numbers to be compared to past individual numbers is to have a somewhat reasonable level of fairness. Keep the game the same and the integrity of the game intact. PED was and is a technological advantage brought into the game which compromised that fairness to past players accomplishments that the HOF is comparing. Even if it wasn't illegal. Just because something isn't banned from baseball and isn't illegal that doesn't mean that it doesn't compromise the numbers and integrity of the game.

Its nice and fancy wording, but its still only about the numbers. If those factors played any significant part in the voting Babe Ruth would not be in the HOF. Ty Cobb would never even been considered. Voters care about the numbers fans care about the numbers. They are looking at the numbers, 500 hrs, 3000 hits, 300 wins etc... They really could care less about integrity, sportsmanship, character otherwise a lot of players would never see the HOF or be kicked out of it if that was possible. Clemens, Bonds cheated the numbers by using drugs that provided better recovery time and prolonged production that shouldn't have been the case into their late 30's and early 40's. They didn't just cheat the fans who witnessed fake moments in baseball history, but cheated past players whose numbers are legit. Hank Aaron is the home run king. Roger Maris has the single season HR record.

Hall of fame is about the numbers not the characters of the individual. PED blew up the numbers against previous players numbers. Pete Rose should be in the Hall of fame. Bonds, Clemens should not be because the way they cheated the game inflated their numbers. Cap Hanson, Ty Cobb, Pete Rose etc.... Bad human beings, but didn't do anything to blow up their numbers.

1)Do you see the twins doing anything to improve the offense - which as it stands now has alot of "maybes" and "what ifs" in the current lineup with some of the projections more wishful thinking then any type of possibility. With the idea that Buxton and Sano probably won't be impacted players until atleast 2016. Along ways off.. What if any moves do you see the twins who set a record for strikeouts last season and I think where 25th in runs scored actually making to improve the offense. 25th is pretty bad. Hmmm, Terrible starting pitcher and 25th in runs scored...no wonder the twins won 66 games last season 2) What is the biggest difference in Vance Worley we saw last season vs his good year in philly besides good and bad. Is it velocity dropped, location was way off, his pitches lost their bite, AL/NL, Health etc...Pitchers just don't fall off the map like that. 3)Who (if anyone) would either of you take in the rule 5 draft? 4)Where do you think the payroll will end up at it seems pretty clear that Terry Ryan isn't done yet... Well, atleast I hope not - we still have the winter meetings.