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IndianaTwin

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Everything posted by IndianaTwin

  1. IndianaTwin
    Call me silly, but I think Nelson Cruz makes the roster as well. [Also, you've got six infielders listed, rather than the (5) showing.]
  2. IndianaTwin
    Only in the sense of having gotten a late start because of COVID.
  3. IndianaTwin
    I haven't seen speculation on this, but with only two starts under his belt (and just one more scheduled, I assume, plus probably a simulated game around the 31st), I'm skeptical about Happ's likelihood for starting the season on the active roster. Starting him on the IL opens a roster spot for someone for the first week or two.
  4. IndianaTwin
    The walk-back music after every strikeout he gets...
  5. IndianaTwin
    Given the way catchers are used, I'd grade them in a pair, with Garver/Jeffers vs. Grandal/LuCroy, which narrows any gap considerably.
  6. IndianaTwin
    I've always been a Robertson fan, so yes, on the condition that it also comes with a $250K/$500 buyout on the option for 2022.
  7. IndianaTwin
    You neglected what I see as another plus in the Shoemaker signing -- not having to rush Happ to get ready. The Twins COULD skip their No. 5 with a couple early off days, but they don't tend to do that. I especially don't see them doing that this year, with the concern about guys who didn't pitch a full year. So with Shoemaker, they can start Maeda on Thursday (4/1) and then have Berrios-Pineda-Shoemaker-Dodnak-Maeda-Berrios in the six-day stretch before the off day on the 9th. So, they could IL Happ at the beginning of the year, avoiding the need to rush lengthening him out. Then, on the 10th, they start the stretch with 12 straight days, so they could start Happ then, or wait until as late as the 15th. By that point, they could have all back and make the decision of whether to go with a six-man rotation for a time or move Dobnak to the bullpen or St. Paul. And by then, someone else could have easily gone down, still leaving them with five stretched-out guys and Thorpe stretched out in St. Paul (assuming he gets the extra option).
  8. IndianaTwin
    In the cases of Dobnak and/or Thorpe, I think you need to keep them stretched. With the late start to the AAA season, the question becomes whether it's easier to keep them stretched out while in the bullpen, potentially helping the team, or at the alternate site.
  9. IndianaTwin
    Never mind on the previous comment...
  10. IndianaTwin
    Hopefully the comment wasn't written WHILE driving. Doesn't Illinois have some laws about that? :-)
  11. IndianaTwin
    if you want a triple header week, the weeks of May 25 and July 6 can get the Saints at Iowa and Cedar Rapids and Wichita at home.
  12. IndianaTwin
    I'll take that a step further, Doc. I went through the 2019 AL stats and totaled the games started by what appeared to be a team's top three starters. They averaged 82 per team, thanks to injuries, etc. Small sample size, sure, but I'm guessing that's pretty typical of most seasons. So basically half your starts from the top 3 and half from "everybody else." I'm with you in saying that I think our top 3 is very close to theirs, but I like our "everybody else" considerably better. And which team is has a better top 3 if one of their top 3 gets hurt? For them, if someone is hurt and the dumpster fire starts at No. 3, they are in trouble. Overall, I think the Twins rotation does more than just match theirs -- I think it exceeds it.
  13. IndianaTwin
    I thought of the 6-man rotation option as well, and would concur on that being more likely (and better) than the pen. Word is that teams are worried about guys bouncing back to a full season after the abbreviated version. In the Twins case, it seems wise to be planning for the possibility of going well into October, something that's less of a consideration for, say, the Tigers. And perhaps especially with the signing of Shoemaker, the Twins are in the enviable position of being able to make this decision based on ability, not necessity. If all six are pitching well, go with that and take advantage of the extra rest. If not, go with five.
  14. IndianaTwin
    Let's just say that my fastball has an above-average amount of vertical drop. (And a pretty high launch angle, both when thrown and when hit.)
  15. IndianaTwin
    They were already outside the umbrella of organized baseball, so they are free to sign with anyone, just like you and me (though at least in the case of me, they are more likely to do so — I’ve found the market for mid-50s knuckleballers sorely lacking).
  16. IndianaTwin
    And though they added him to the 40-man, I’d be a little surprised if they jumped Ober to AAA to start the season, with only four starts in AA and a 79-inning season in 2019 under his belt. The delayed start to the season for AA seems built for keeping minor league guys from needing to a make a significant jump in innings after having a season off from competition.
  17. IndianaTwin
    Uh, Dobnak? If the MLB rotation is Berrios-Maeda-Pineda-Happ-Shoemaker, I’d rather see Dobnak staying stretched out as a starter in St. Paul over being used in the MLB bullpen. Odds are someone from the Saints will be needed to make a Twins start before April is over.
  18. IndianaTwin
    Very well done! I also enjoyed the Randy Bush song. For those interested in baseball-related music, here's a link to an all-baseball show by folksinger John McCutcheon. Included in the show was a lengthy interview with Kaat. https://www.facebook.com/166909916655518/videos/232156791448433
  19. IndianaTwin
    Interesting approach to scheduling. Almost exclusively in six-game series, and every Monday off for travel. Being located in northern Indiana, I like that there's two trips to Indianapolis, one to Toledo.
  20. IndianaTwin
    My top three picks for spending a couple million are Jeffress, Jeffress, and Jeffress, with Clippard a close fourth.
  21. IndianaTwin
    I look at it this way. I don’t want to start the season with a rookie in the rotation. I’d prefer not starting the season with a guy with just 15 career starts in the rotation. With Shoemaker, they can start spring training with the hope of five veterans (Maeda, Berrios, Pineda, Happ and Shoemaker) in the rotation and settle for Dobnak if (when) one of them gets hurt. Without Shoemaker, you hope for four veteran starters and Dobnak and settle for Thorpe or Smeltzer if (when) one gets hurt. To me, that’s a significant upgrade. (I also don’t consider Dobnak for the bullpen. He’ll be needed to start a game for the Twins before the end of April — someone will be hurt by then.)
  22. IndianaTwin
    Hopefully Shoemaker can toe the rubber and cobble together some good performances.
  23. IndianaTwin
    I honestly don't think Buxton will ever steal 30 bases. It's not that he couldn't -- I just think there are several things against him. There's both the tendency for Rocco not to use stolen bases a lot and and the fear of injury, but there's another factor as well. Because of the power that he's developed, outfielders have to play him deep. Because they are playing him deep, his bloop singles become doubles and he's already on second. It's for the same reason that I don't think he'll ever lead the league in triples. Outfielders are playing him deep, so there's less chance of splitting the gap or having the outfielder needing to run a long way to field the ball.
  24. IndianaTwin
    The notion of one team “winning” a trade and the other “losing” a trade is a false dichotomy. In baseball trades, as in life, the goal in negotiation ought to be for both sides to “win.” In this case, I think the Twins “won” in that they fulfilled a need in having a top-notch starter in place. The Dodgers didn’t need that particular piece, but wanted more prospects for the future. So far, it appears that he is developing into what they were looking for, so they may have “won” as well.
  25. IndianaTwin
    I've been for Clippard all along for veteran stability. It's hard to see Thorpe winning a starting job over Dobnak, so with no options, he may indeed be the elephant in the room, as Doc says, and headed to the pen. But between the first seven you listed, Clippard and Thorpe, I'd take the chance that at least one pitcher out of nine will open the year on the IL. I'd like to see another starter brought in on a major league contract and perhaps another on a minor league deal. Whether or not that happens, Dobnak and Smeltzer need to stay lengthened out as starters, so if they don't make the rotation, they'll be at St. Paul.
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