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IndianaTwin

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Everything posted by IndianaTwin

  1. IndianaTwin
    Even on the radio he sounded fast.
  2. IndianaTwin
    Many teams are wearing goofy hats in spring training.
  3. IndianaTwin
    Maybe go with a thinner cut when games count?
  4. IndianaTwin
    Gladden is in mid-season form. Three batters into the lineup and we get, "A-rose-a-rain-ya." He finally figures out how to pronounce an enye on a Spanish name, and he uses it where it doesn't belong.
  5. IndianaTwin
    You know how every food item tastes better when served in a plastic helmet? Every lineup looks better when written on a dry-erase board mounted on a cement block wall. And speaking of lineups, that looks like a pretty formidable one for the home team, one that would look pretty good in Game Seven.
  6. IndianaTwin
    The 1968 set is another favorite set of mine. I got my first baseball card, a 1974 Rod Carew, as a gift from my college-age older brother when I was eight. I was able to buy a few cards the next year and went as whole-hog as a 10-year-old kid could go in 1976. It must have been the Christmas of 1976 or 1977 when my brother-in-law gifted me all of his cards, which were almost exclusively 1968 and 1969. While the 1968s are a little ugly, the 1969s were completely bland, so I preferred the 1968s. My individual favorites are the Carew and the “Manager’s Dream,” at least in part because of also being inspired by Clemente. Alas, over the next number of years I approached life like a GM. What major league team wouldn’t trading a single stud for two really good players, for example? That meant I was trading away a Reggie Jackson rookie for a Sal Bando AND a Joe Rudi or a Nolan Ryan rookie for a Jon Matlack AND a Rusty Staub. I know that I had multiple of both the Ryan and Jackson rookies. I know that I also had way more college debt than I should have. 🤑
  7. IndianaTwin
    Um, if DeSclafini is indeed increasing his workload, there’s no way they put him on the 60-day IL and commit to not using him until the end of May. They also don’t risk the wrath of the MLBPA by indiscriminately putting him there. Second, there’s no reason to put anyone on the 60-day IL unless you need an open spot on the 40-man roster. I haven’t been following spring training closely, but it doesn’t sound like there’s any non-roster invitee banging on the door. EDIT to add: The March 13 injury update on MLB.com says DeSclafini is scheduled to pitch on March 16 and is still expected to be ready by Opening Day. Keep in mind that “Opening Day” for a No. 5 starter doesn’t come until April 3.
  8. IndianaTwin
    Yes. And the corollary is that both teams can "win" a trade, because both received what they needed in exchange for something they needed less. In fact, the ideal is when both teams "win" the trade, because you get a good reputation and are able to make future trades. Trades aren't a zero sum game, particularly when they happen across league lines. In my vast experience as a geezer, even in my half-vast experience, seeking to "beat" the other person in a negotiation situation is rarely a long-term winning strategy.
  9. IndianaTwin
    Twins/Rays is at the same time as Jays/Yankees. Guess which one is on TV...
  10. IndianaTwin
    I assume this is the same game that was on replay on MLB Network when I woke up at four and couldn't get back to sleep. I saw two of his at bats, and he looked really good physically. Didn't see the stolen base, but saw the homer. This isn't a "the FO is so stupid for letting him go" post, but based on those two at bats and how he looked physically, I don't think we'd mind having him in spring training. Kudos to Sano for what's clearly been a lot of work on his part. I hope he makes their team.
  11. IndianaTwin
    You guessed it. It’s a cool set overall, but it’s got a great picture of him, the little “Topps All Rookie team” trophy and it’s the first “solo” card in the regular sets. Honorable mention goes to the 1976 card, but that’s primarily for the set as a whole, since it’s the set I spent the most time sorting as a kid and the first set I ever completed (as opposed to buying a few complete sets over the years).
  12. IndianaTwin
    A variation on your “favorite card in the set” is to identify the favorite card of a given player. If you are going in chronological order, I will soon find out if you rank my favorite Oliva card as the best in that particular set. Keep the posts coming!
  13. IndianaTwin
    This is shaping up to be a fun series @Al from SoDak. I’m looking forward to more posts. Last fall, I had a blog post describing the project of making a wall display of a complete set of Oliva cards, along with a bunch of Carews, Killebrews, Hrbeks, Puckett and others. See That blog included an in-process picture, so here’s my final result (as if projects of this nature are ever “final”). Near the upper left is the Oliva from this set, which I wasn’t familiar with until I began working on this. Olivas make up the first five rows on the left half.
  14. IndianaTwin
    From the OP: "The Twins' payroll situation has been discussed at length from multiple perspectives at Twins Daily." -------- Ad nauseum would be a suitable replacement for the words "at length," in my opinion. I get it -- salary is less than what many here want it to be and/or think it should be, but all of our "analysis" is done with incomplete information and without being privy to the internal discussions of what's going on. Not to mention that it's a little hard to compare "Opening Day" salaries when we're still a couple weeks from Opening Day. A late spring training trade or a signing of the Boras However Many Are Left by any of these teams changes the list.
  15. IndianaTwin
    He had an OPS+ of 100, 94, 100 and 100 in his ages 19-22 seasons, even being an All-Star at age 20. But they averaged 104 losses per season, so most of the time, he was about the third-best hitter on the team.
  16. IndianaTwin
    Also, Gus.
  17. IndianaTwin
    Is this any relation to Joey Chestnut? I hear he eats like a horse.
  18. IndianaTwin
    I wouldn't say Max has been inconsistent at all. In five of his seven full seasons, he's had an OPS+ from 92-98, which is a very tight range. His two outliers have been significantly better than that (and are actually very tight with each other). Going backwards, his bWAR is 2.9, 2.1 and 2.0 and would have extrapolated to 2.7 in the shortened 2020. Again, consistent. "Counting on a particular level of production" implies having a consistent floor. With Kepler, you can count on a floor that is very close to average offensively, partnered with what's seen as outstanding defense, particularly in a home park that can be tricky. We can talk about whether his contract his justified for a right fielder who is significantly above average defensively and a known floor OPS+ of 95. But inconsistency isn't the issue. There's not many people who have been as consistent as he has. For the record, I do think the contract is worth it and can understand why he "escaped the budget crunch," to borrow the phrase from the title. With the potential that's in the rest of the lineup, stick him in the nine hole to start the season and move him up if he gets on one of his rolls. If you've got a 95 OPS+ at the bottom of the lineup, that's pretty impressive.
  19. IndianaTwin
    The 19 from last year does include 10.1 combined innings over four combined appearances from Paddack, Woods Richardson and Derrick Rodriguez. There were 16 that pitched 12 innings or more, which probably isn't far off. I should have included a separate grouping for Moran, "Likely out for the season," so there are actually just 17 bodies listed, aside from the guys working as starters. I don't know if any of the NRIs include an opt-out, but between that possibility, an injury or two and general incompetence, a couple of those 17 won't make appearances. However, that list also doesn't include fast-rising prospects already in minor league camp. And odds are that one or more of the "currently working as starters" will actually get some relief appearances, whether because of a shift in role or because of load management. With all of those options, it seems likely to think they won't need to pick up many bodies along the way, a welcome change from prior years. This eternal optimist likes what they've done.
  20. IndianaTwin
    So last year the Twins used 19 "relief pitchers." I put that in quotes because it doesn't include that Maeda (1) and Keuchel (4) each entered a game from the bullpen. Nor does it include Luplow and Castro. Given that they are almost certainly going to go through more than the 11 "relievers" currently on the 40-man roster, I got noooo problem with rolling the dice with a minor league invite to the Brighams of the world.
  21. IndianaTwin
    Help me out here -- is this our current list of bullpen guys? Considered locks, if healthy: Duran, Jax, Staumont, Thielbar, Topa. On the 40-man, out of options: Jackson, Owert, Stewart. On the 40-man, with options: Alcala, Funderburk, Weiss. Non-roster invites/minor league contract: Balazovic, Bowman, Brigham, Duarte, Jensen, Henriquez, Moran. Being used as a starter, but at least a few folks on TD thinking of them as a bullpen option: Varland, Canterino, Headrick, Sands. Am I missing anyone? And I don't really care whether Stewart should be a lock and Topa not, etc, I'm just trying to put together a list of bodies. I feel like my wall needs one of those magnetic boards with movable nametags.
  22. IndianaTwin
    Of note (though maybe not a very large note), the trade where he went from LA to Miami was a 13-player trade. When was the last time you've heard of a 13-player trade?* *Please don't say, "Just now."
  23. IndianaTwin
    The great thing is that they've constructed a bullpen where he's not someone to be counted on. He's what, eleventy-seventh on the depth chart? As others have noted, virtually no risk -- anything he provides is a bonus. And even if he is mediocre in St. Paul, there's still a role for "guy who covers innings so the real prospects can stay on their regular rhythm."
  24. IndianaTwin
    This article in The Athletic seems timely: https://theathletic.com/5299395/2024/03/05/kyle-farmer-2024-twins/ Since you need a subscription, I'll summarize for those who don't have one. The gist is that Farmer himself was expecting to get non-tendered, but that he's very glad to be back. It also talks about why the Twins wanted him back and is very complimentary from a number of sources. I just posted a comment to this effect in another thread, but I think it's another example of the Twins treating players right, and I think that goes a long way in their success and player recruitment.
  25. IndianaTwin
    It's also another example of the Front Office having a reputation for treating players well.
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