Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

IndianaTwin

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    6,561

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    27

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by IndianaTwin

  1. IndianaTwin
    Jeffers has seen 21 pitches in his three plate appearances.
  2. IndianaTwin
    When on the bump, Bailey is looking like a Natural. Let's hope he doesn't run into a wall.
  3. IndianaTwin
    When Bailey pitches like this it's a wonderful life.
  4. IndianaTwin
    His April OPS (.778) is just a smidge above his career OPS (.762)
  5. IndianaTwin
    I get the sense he got the message another way.
  6. IndianaTwin
    And is on pace to play in 162 games!
  7. IndianaTwin
    I do enjoy the part where Chicago appears to have started at about 0.5 percent and have trended downward. I was not expecting anything out of them, but woooow…
  8. IndianaTwin
    Any idea how many pitches the non-Lopez/Ryan starters got up to during spring training? I don't know, but I wonder if it wasn't a whole lot more than 70 or 75, at least not more than once or maybe twice. He's probably not that far off from what they perceive as a rookie starter's workload. But yeah, you're right. It probably doesn't matter how many pitches he throws if 45 percent of them are balls, the way they were in his first three starts. Last night was also a huge step forward in that regard, bringing that number down to 33 percent. I don't know what's considered good. (Also, I just noticed that the number of batters he faced has gone 12-13-14-16, so if that counts as an indicator, he's moving on up. Just two more and he's at the magic "two times through the order.")
  9. IndianaTwin
    It is an interesting question. I suppose part of the equation is whether the decent starter will remain decent if he backs off a bit. It seems that teams aren't willing to take that risk. Or, they're trying to turn the equation to at least 12 starts from the elite guy, 10 from the decent and only 8 from the garbage fire. Personally, I think the next step in "preserving arms" will be the gradual transition to a six-man rotation [even if that means adding a 27th player (i.e., 14th pitcher), since that guy will be cheap.] With the minor league schedule set up so nicely with six-game series, it seems like the logical next step in their "development," which transitions to the majors when the guys coming up are used to being on that calendar. You hear about Japanese guys being the "Friday starter" based on that type of schedule. And note that I didn't say "preferred" next step. It just seems to me like the direction they are heading. Check back with me in 2028. Oh, and I agree. I don't think they'll deaden the baseball. More runs equals more (perceived) excitement. It's also counterproductive in this case, since it also means more pitches needing to be thrown.
  10. IndianaTwin
    If it's helpful context, his starts have been... 3.0 innings, 49 pitches 2.2 innings, 50 pitches 2.2 innings, 69 pitches 4.0 innings, 57 pitches The number of pitches per inning in the previous games is a problem. Turns out he'd walked nine in the 8.1 innings going into last night. I'd also like to see him build up further at some point, particularly if looks like he's going to be up soon. But in addition to the overall "load management" things people have noted, I wonder if there's also a confidence factor. They could say, "Nice job, dude. Four baserunners, five strikeouts and no runs over four innings. That's the guy you can be. Way to bounce back. Let's feel good about this outing, call it a day and leave with a good taste in your mouth.*" After his previous three games, I don't mind going that route. WIthout knowing the rest of the context, for last night I'd rather him pulled an inning too soon vs. an inning too late. *Which may or may not be the ballpark nachos.
  11. IndianaTwin
    Didn't think of this -- is 1979 the first year Topps put their logo on the front, other than as part of "Topps All-Star Rookie," etc.? I wonder if they were already anticipating the market divergence of 1981 that gave us Donruss, Fleer, etc.
  12. IndianaTwin
    Phooey. With the headline, I was hoping Jhoan had started a rehab assignment I wasn’t aware of.
  13. IndianaTwin
    I'll put more weight on Kepler's career 103 OPS+, including the 110 over the past five years, than I will on a five-game sample. March/April is historically his second-best month if you want to add that to the historical context. Regarding Bieber, you're overstating my argument. Go back to the original post and the one it was responding to. (Those were my last sentences on this discussion, which clearly isn't going to change anyone's perspective.)
  14. IndianaTwin
    True. Though he DHed in the second game of the year, so apparently there was at least some willingness to use him as a DH when he wasn't catching. Since then, he's DHed three more times, so maybe that would have been one or two extra games. Look, we're never going to know the exact breakdown. But it doesn't change my argument. Guys who have sucked would have gotten a lot fewer plate appearances if Lewis, Correa and Kepler were healthy.
  15. IndianaTwin
    Kepler last played April 6. With the way the Twins use people in multiple positions, you're saying that having Kepler available for an additional 10 games wouldn't have affected Wallner's playing time? Sorry, but I'm not seeing that. And soft tissue, hard tissue, what does it matter? Lewis has two plate appearances and would have had a lot more if he was healthy. But whatever. Go ahead and allocate the 110+ plate appearances differently than I did (and I should have included Margot). The point still stands that guys who have sucked would have gotten a lot less at bats if those three were healthy. EDIT to add: Sorry, I didn't realize that Wallner has as few plate appearances as he's had. It wouldn't have cut his plate appearances by the number I listed. But the 40-ish plate appearances Kepler has missed would have affected some combination of Wallner, Margot and Castro.
  16. IndianaTwin
    Sorry, one of more comment. Based on this sentence, I wonder if the question you were really trying to get to was "Where does Thielbar fit in the bullpen," rather than "Is it time to pass the baton."
  17. IndianaTwin
    Based on this response, I'm taking this as willing to hear feedback. Where it came across as gloomy to me is that your questions at the end of paragraph 1 and 4 all set the stage for a downward spiral, which is followed by a reference to an 81.00 ERA that really means nothing after one inning. I think for me the feel would have been different had you gone paragraph 1-5-2-3-4 and then picked up from there. Paragraphs 1 and 5 are the lead, 2 and 3 are the context and 5 and 6 (or even combine them) ask the question you are trying to resolve. In your defense, while I can't speak for others, my response also comes in the context of what's felt like increased negativity on TD over past months. They have sucked so far this year, I get it. But a lot of TD articles have felt like kicking people when they are down, and from the beginning of the article, I was anticipating another.
  18. IndianaTwin
    If you're talking about using injuries as scapegoat, I assume you're talking about the hitters. Other than DeSclafani, all the starting pitchers are healthy, and the bullpen has been effective. In terms of injuries to hitters on the teams ahead of them... Cleveland has George Valera and Angel Martinez on the IL. Yeah, I'm not sure who they are either. Detroit has Andy Ibanez on the IL and Ryan Kreidler listed as "day-to-day." Kansas City has Michael Massey on the IL (as of Monday). I think Correa, Lewis and Kepler top any of those in terms of production lost. I'm guessing that the loss of any one of those (particularly Correa or Lewis) would be more than what any of these teams has lost. Collectively, the Twins have lost more than these three teams combined. Many of the guys who are healthy are playing like crap, but by definition, those guys would have around 110-120 fewer plate appearances if those three were healthy. The Twins have 604 plate appearances as a team going into today. That means close to 20 percent of the plate appearances have gone to guys playing because someone was on the IL. Consider the Twins offense with, say, 32 fewer from Martin (who hasn't been bad, but who is only up because of injury) and 20 fewer each from Wallner, Santana, Castro and Farmer. It seems to me that injuries have played a HUGE role in how the offense has performed to date.
  19. IndianaTwin
    If that's a genuine question and you're seeking honest feedback -- yes, it did to me.
  20. IndianaTwin
    Why? In his last outing he cut his ERA by two-thirds! Point being -- I'm with those who say it's way too early for such an article.
  21. IndianaTwin
    Larnach is out of options, right? So in other words, they pretty much have to try him sometime this year or risk losing him.* I suppose it makes some sense to give him a little more time in the minors to get his current mojo together, but I'm not sure that he's going to "learn" anything new (i.e., how to strike out less) with more minor league time. His OPS is .838 in the minors and has been at least .822 at every level of the minors. Given that, and that Wallner is really struggling, they might as well make the switch and let Larnach have at it now. If he succeeds, great. If he struggles, he's probably still better than where Wallner has been this year, and it gives Wallner the chance for the reset. And if he stinks at this year's Wallner level, it's better to find that out sooner rather than later. *I get that some might not see much risk in losing him. That's not my point. My point is that if he's going to get another chance, now's as good of a time as any, given the factors above.
  22. IndianaTwin
    Another fun article. 1. The 1979 season was the last year in which I went into the store and bought packs with gum, except for a one-year blip in 1988. I eventually was able to complete the set. For that reason it's a favorite set, but I agree with your "just OK" in terms of the actual look. 2. I remember Gary Serum, but I don't remember the circumstances of his career ending, including whether there was injury at play, etc., but it seems surprising that someone with 1.9 bWAR as a 21-year-old didn't get picked up somewhere, particularly in a time so quickly after expansion in 1977. His restaurant looks good, however. 3. I've always enjoyed leader cards too. I've also always been surprised that Parker didn't get more HOF consideration. His vote totals are amazingly consistent. He stayed on the ballot a full 15 years, but spent the last 11 years in a tight window of 10.3-11.6 percent. Most people either trend up or fall off. In looking closer, he probably doesn't belong, but he's very close to Tony Oliva in both categories used in JAWS. He, Jim Rice and Dale Murphy are these three outfield contemporaries who were monsters for several years, but weren't able to sustain at the level needed. I'm sure Parker's issues with drugs hurt him significantly with the voters. 4. Goltz/LaLoosh -- I can see it, particularly in the sideburns and hairline. I also see a bit of the "Well played, Mauer" guy in Goltz's face. Keep them coming.
  23. IndianaTwin
    He's at 8.1 innings through 16 games, which is pace for more than 80 innings for the year. That ain't happening. Add to that the schedule, which unfortunately includes the reality that an extended outing from the pen isn't out of the realm of possibility while facing Baltimore in these three games, followed by three more against a team he's just seen. And as someone noted, the Baltimore lineup is lefty-heavy, so three lefties in the bullpen isn't a bad thing. So yeah, load management. I'm guessing he'll have about three or four one-inning outings in the next two weeks and be back in the minimum number of days, unless an injury happens sooner.
  24. IndianaTwin
    First -- my apologies. I had forgotten about the potential second year, though in reality, mutual options are rarely used by both. Either the player is lousy and the team doesn't want to pick it up or the player does well and wants to try free agency. Second -- yes, the Twins didn't have to put him on the roster and could have let him walk. But if you are using that logic, don't you need to add anyone else they tendered contracts to, along with picking up the options on Kepler and Polanco?
  25. IndianaTwin
    They didn’t give Farmer a two-year contract while cutting $30 million. Nor did they add him this year.
×
×
  • Create New...