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birddog

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Everything posted by birddog

  1. birddog
    I agree. Money was not going to be an issue with the new stadium. Why give up prospects in a trade when you have enough money to buy them? Nolasco's deal is looking terrible, but how bad would it look if we had given up good young prospects who are now putting up good numbers for other teams to get him? We are only out money.
  2. birddog
    Popular move? No. Necessary move for Moli to make based on what he is given by TR? Yes. Right now there is not that much difference between May as a starter and the others auditioning for the role. But May is much better than the options Molitor has right now for the 7th/8th innings. We need to relax a bit here and realize how long the season is. What happens in April will seem like eons ago when we get to the AS break. And by then we will have the answers we need. Did Nolasco finally pan out and allow us to peddle him? Did Mauer revert back to superman or is he still Clark Kent without glasses? And are we better off with him in the OF than Sano? Berrios? Duffey? Kepler? Lots of questions, but the season is long enough to find out in April when we know for sure instead of December when it's all a guess.
  3. birddog
    These two are still way too young for us to give up on them, unless of course we get good value for them in a trade. Arcia is out of options so he is our 4th OF if he doesn't start. Vargas has an option left, so if he can't help us this year he goes to Rochester with strict orders to increase his slugging percentage. Too much hitting?--a great problem to have.
  4. birddog
    It is so refreshing to read positives about the Twins and more importantly, how the present is looking good. We've been reading for way too long that the future is bright. That future is now here. By the way, I too would have included Duffy even if you had to call this the top 6. He was surprisingly dominant with a curve that had even Bert salivating. If he has a good spring, he deserves to go north as a starter.
  5. birddog
    Mauer emits a lot of "hope". Fans hope he can stay healthy. We hope he can remain a catcher. We hope he can hit more HRs after moving to 1B. We hope he trades part of his salary for team ownership. Now we hope management plays the player who deserves to play. My hope now is that Joe realizes that what he does to get ready for the season isn't working any more now that he is beyond his prime. Maybe fully recovering from his concussions will grant him the nanosecond it takes to determine whether to swing or take, but I think only a good workout regime will bring back his bat speed. Spend some money and time with the right trainer. I hope (although I don't believe) Joe gets back to his batting champion form; if not I hope management does what is best for the team to win.
  6. birddog
    TR proved most of us wrong with his deadline acquisition of Jepsen. He didn't panic and give away young talent to land a SS and C, and Escobar and Suzuki have responded. I know there are a lot of TR bashers here in TD land, but in spite of the bad luck we've had with our free agent SP's--and I believe it is bad luck and not bad signings except for Hughes' extension--he has done a decent job of turning this team around. We knew it wouldn't happen overnight. He knows talent, he knows the Twins needs, and he knows what other teams covet. He may make a trade for Storen if the price is right, but if they are asking a king's ransom he will find a better way to improve the team. It will be an interesting and busy off-season for TR, but I am confident he is the right man to make the Twins even better for next year and the future.
  7. birddog
    I saw him in ST and could have sworn I was watching Morneau in every aspect of his game. He Ks only once every 6.5 ABs, with almost a 1-1 in BB/K and 17-21 in SBs. Very impressive athlete. His ceiling could be a left-handed Paul Goldschmidt when he develops more HR power, which IMO he will.
  8. birddog
    Great article. Kepler should be up as soon as rosters can increase. Look at the players we assigned to the Lookouts. I don't think we owe them any more this season. If we have the best coaches at the major league level, wouldn't you want your best young players to work with them asap? Doc brought up a good point with Berrios not being on the 40-man, who do we release? I'd love to see him, but it's a tough decision. I figured there'd be a pitcher whom we could easily give up, but I'm not so sure. Maybe Shane Robinson? He may have some trade value after the season since he can play CF. Easy to criticize TR, but he has a very tough job. Maybe it's best to wait until next year to see Berrios.
  9. birddog
    It's a shame we don't have an established SS. We have two utility IF who try to put a non-sticky bandaid on the position, which leaves us with no pop off the bench. I hope TR can get us the quality SS we need for the future or at least a decent stop gap and keep one of them as the utility guy--but please don't go shopping in Japan.
  10. birddog
    You gotta love his approach at the plate. Some of his walks have been more impressive than his HRs, so his chances for stardom are good. He has the attributes it takes: God-given talent, work ethic, and the desire to be the best. If the Twins surround him with the talent needed so teams don't pitch around him, the sky is the limit--although I don't think he'll ever hit for average like Cabrera. Just wondering though, how many had Danny Santana and Kennys Vargas labeled for super-stardom after last year?
  11. birddog
    I think being a Twins fan these past 4+ years has taken its toll. It used to be "kid had a great rookie year, can't wait to see how he builds on it." Now it's like we expect regression. In my mind the eyes have it. You look at Rosario's eyes when he steps to the plate, they mean business. He expects to get a hit. Santana's eyes always looked like the proverbial "deer in headlights". Even in 2014 Santana had no look of confidence in him and I think he was just happy to be there. I think the future for Rosario, like Sano, is only going to get better. Their confidence at the plate and the "no big deal" look when they get big hits is what gets me excited about their futures. Don't forget that Eddie hit 21 HRs at Elizabethton in 270 PAs, a 40-HR pace for a whole season. I'm not expecting 40 HRs from Eddie in his career--Sano oh yeah!-- but I think we will see even bigger things from him than what he's showing as a rookie. Maybe not the uncanny consistency he's shown this year, but I like his ceiling.
  12. birddog
    TR was damned if he didn't, damned when he did. We all agreed with his FA signings at the time figuring at worst they could be traded for some value if they performed at their normal level. Indeed a mistake to give new contracts to Hughes and Suzuki, so I see everyone's "buy high". We had to give Kendrys away when he put up Punto type of stats--but we all lauded his signing. He has shown in KC the player TR thought he was getting. I think TR has been much more unlucky than bad. I pray his luck changes during the offseason.
  13. birddog
    Perk has not been good since the All-Star break, but it seems like many of his worst efforts were when the score was tied, not in save situations. It seems no matter who the closer is, Kimbrel and Chapman included, they aren't the same pitcher unless it is a save opportunity. I would like to see the stats of the best closers in save and non-save situations to see how it varies. We can't trade Perk now with his value down and the Twins "in contention". Ryan wouldn't trade him next year near the all-star break if the Twins are contending. If he peddles him it has to be during the off season, but as someone who watched Ron Davis it can get a whole lot worse than what Perkins has given us.
  14. birddog
    I think too much is made about progressing to AAA from AA. Sano has shown he is MLB ready and Rosario has a higher average with the big boys than in AAA (though with only 95 AB there). I, too, agree Kepler probably starts next year in AAA until he is needed and/or to save service time; however, Twins fans will be cheated if we don't see Kepler in September as a semi-regular at both OF and 1B.
  15. birddog
    I like this idea as it allows playing time to the young guys and allows Torii a graceful way to walk off into the sunset without looking as if he's being benched. Can we do the same for Mauer? As mentioned before on TD, why can't Mauer get hurt in a year in which he's hurting the Twins?
  16. birddog
    I replied before Elizabethton posted. We have all had more than enough losing and watching pathetic baseball these last five years to last a lifetime. No one can turn it around overnight unless you have the Dodgers' money. First half was entertaining and provided some hope. Now it's time for TR to step to the plate and get it done.
  17. birddog
    I, too, am amazed 24 teams passed on Trout. I might be in the minority of those who still believe in TR. I don't see the Pohlads ever firing him, but I do see him resigning if he feels he is not capable of finishing the rebuilding process. He cannot feel good about any of his latest signings, but signing Moli and his staff was a great hire and they got the team to overachieve the first half. I believe TR is a good judge of talent. I think we give him the rest of this season to make some waiver wire deals and the off-season to make the deals needed to finish the job. If he can't do it in one year, I think his last act as GM would be to appoint a successor who will.
  18. birddog
    The thought of trading Dozier really scares me, as 2B is the only position we have the answer; however, how much value does anyone else in the organization really have? If we are going to land any value in trades, we have to give up something other teams want. We need some power in the lineup and if it isn't going to come from 1B it has to come from the corner OF spots, 3B and DH. I like the numbers Rosario has put up, but if those numbers were coming from a 2B they would be even more impressive (much like Mauer's stats wouldn't be so bad if he were still catching--though I know he will never catch again). If we must trade Dozier, we have to get a ton of talent for him. And if we do trade him maybe we move Rosario back to 2B which opens up a corner OF spot for a Kepler, Arcia, or even Sano, or anyone with 20+ HR potential. As stated earlier, teams expecting to contend don't replace established players with question marks. Other than 2B and closer, we have lots of questions.
  19. birddog
    And at one point I believed in Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. I am praying Mauer shows some sort of pulse, but I am afraid his bat has flatlined and no defibrillator is in site. His bat is slower than Tim Conway falling down the stairs on the Carol Burnett Show. If his playing time in September doesn't fall dramatically so we can see the young guys, we are stuck with him getting 140+ games for the rest of his contract.
  20. birddog
    With regards to trade value for Pelfrey, remember we got a fairly high prospect for Drew Butera. We have to find out in August and September what our top prospects can do so put Pelf on the shelf. I would like to think this team can stay in the race for the wild card, but I don't think we have the horses to do it so let TR find out what he has and he can make the right deals in the offseason.
  21. birddog
    Great article. I agree with all points including May in the pen for this year, but if he's one of the top 5 next spring, he starts. Right now Mauer has less pop than Escobar. It is scary how the outfield shift challenges him to pull the ball--but he can't. If he does, it is hit weakly toward second baseman. Granted they are pitching him away, but mistakes that are in are inside-outed to left. Should he be moved out of the #3? Definitely. Will he? Never under Gardy, but I hope Moli will soon see that it has to be done. Not sure if his bat speed is down or if his reaction time to read pitches has been affected by the concussions, but either way it does not add up to a #3 hitter any more.
  22. birddog
    I agree with your picture of the plan. It will be interesting to see TR's waiver wire deals in the upcoming weeks. Maybe he can sneak through a SS, C or RP? We have to be at least satisfied with the team this year so far. Emphasis on so far. Are we in our annual collapse or is it just bad results against good teams? This is not the team to get us to the promised land--yet. Still lots of questions and holes to be filled and I think it will be easier for TR to address the issues in the off season after seeing more prospects in September. Hopefully we will see if Max Kepler and some of the pitchers who are on the 40-man belong. Twins fans have been more than patient since the Nishioka jinx (sometimes referred to as the Billy Smith era) set the organization reeling. We have been preached to that the future is worth the wait. I sure hope so.
  23. birddog
    I wonder if Twins offered same deal to the Padres for Benoit or if his salary was too high?
  24. birddog
    Again I repeat that I don't like the trade, but TR was damned if he did, damned if he didn't. Fans have to believe he knows a lot more than we do. Please TR show us you know more than we do.
  25. birddog
    Hu's stats are much more dominant at Fort Myers than Kohl Stewart, and once again two players who are years away from having to be added to the 40 man. I join the list that don't like this trade.
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