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joemama

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Everything posted by joemama

  1. joemama
    The pitching was good, but it was also reflective of generally weak hitting across both the AL and NL Central divisions. That lack of hitting showed up in the playoffs: Minnesota 0-2, 2 runs scored; Cleveland 0-2, 12 runs scored...against the Yankees, who are out; Chi Sox 1-2, 11 runs scored...against the A's, who are out; Chi Cubs 0-2, 1 run scored; St. Louis 1-2, 16 runs scored...against the Padres, who are out. Cincinnati 0-2, 0 runs scored; and Milwaukee 0-2, 2 runs scored. TOTAL 2-14 and 44 runs (2.75 per game). Against teams still playing, the Twins, Reds, and Brewers went 0-6 combined and scored 4 runs. Brutal. I think we (our Twins) can be better - several guys were struggling down the stretch - but there's clearly a need for some changes.
  2. joemama
    How excited were you when we signed Matt Wisler? I think our guys know what they're doing. We have four clear starters for the post-season in Maeda, Berrios, Pineda, and Hill. If Odo is ready, we're at 5. That's a big if. Likely need to someone else ready in case Odo isn't. That's probably Dobnak, unless his struggles haven't been worked out. If they haven't, maybe it's Bailey. If he's no good tonight, it's Plan C.
  3. joemama
    You don't start testing unproven prospects in the middle of a pennant race when you have a proven producer who's healthy. Yes, Eddie makes stupid outs on the basepaths - though from what I saw and heard about the one today, it helped secure the run by drawing the throw to third instead of home. He also delivered with the bat. Is his OBP worse this year, despite the improved walk rate? Yes. Kepler, Garver, and Polanco are also down - you want to dump them too? No, you don't. And Eddie IS heating up. After the season, if you're convinced Kiriloff or Larnach will step up - maybe. But don't forget how long it took Buxton to figure out hitting at the MLB-level. Be careful what you wish for.
  4. joemama
    As far as comparing to Berrios & Odorizzi, the jury is still out on Maeda. AL vs. NL matters. Facing a pitcher (not named Baumgarner) at least twice per 9 IP has to be worth 1.5 or so K's/9, plus improve your ERA.
  5. joemama
    Jack played for the Blues; Dan played for the Reds: https://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/lloyd-bentsens-mic-drop-moment-1988-vp-debate-58255800 The Blues won this moment, but the Reds won the season.
  6. joemama
    Agree on your comment on the Pressley trade, but Nick Anderson is far from being Falvey's David Ortiz. Anderson has had one good year. That's like comparing Dan Quayle to Jack Kennedy.
  7. joemama
    8; missed Polanco and the Bonus. And YOU, dear author, got our corner outfielders positions wrong! And if you'd started with the DH, then the numbers would have corresponded to their numbered positions in the scorebook. ;-) It's amazing how similar some of the stat lines are. Thanks for doing this.
  8. joemama
    So...you think this is final? Me thinks this never ends! :-0 (<< that's my face, turned sideways.)
  9. joemama
    Balazovic (and Duran) are rated below Graterol in MLB's prospect rankings but that's before the new sentiment that Graterol is more suited to the pen. Red Sox were probably willing to take Balazovic, but the Twins wouldn't give. Our top SP prospects are probably close to untouchable, as it's a clear future need. OF is an area of surplus in our system, and Raley (who came FROM the Dodgers in the Dozier trade) was not among the top 5 or so OF prospects, despite putting up very good numbers at AAA last year.
  10. joemama
    I agree with what many of you have said: good, low/no risk, cheap insurance policy, with some upside. Most have considered this insurance in case two of Dobnak, Smeltzer, and Thorpe really struggle in camp. I consider the bigger "insurance" factor to be insurance against injury. Prior to this signing, there were really only 6 viable candidates for the season-opening rotation - the three above plus Berrios, Odorizzi, and Bailey. It's pretty easy to imagine a couple guys having minor issues (or worse) come up during camp and needing short stints (or worse) on the I.L. It's nice to have insurance, especially insurance with upside.
  11. joemama
    That's also 16 games assuming no injuries. Injuries happen. What if we learn on March 20th that Berrios or Odorizzi is out for two months? I sure hope we bring in another vet or two on a minor league contract. Yes, Walker would be nice - and this seems like a good situation for him. But as noted in a prior article, he's probably holding out for now, hoping for a better opportunity.
  12. joemama
    I'll go with Austadillo as long as all Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, and Gonzales are all basically healthy. Cave doesn't offer much when that's the case. It might be good to try to trade him for someone relatively equivalent but right-handed - or maybe weaker offensively but better defensively. Easy to say, harder to do.
  13. joemama
    It's good to have diversity of opinion ... makes you think!
  14. joemama
    There are also two solid switch-hitting, multi-positional players outside of the starting 9 who will get slotted in frequently. With so much offensive talent and flexibility, we may see 100+ combinations yet again!
  15. joemama
    Along with all other Twins fans, I've been hoping for one stud SP, which can now come only via trade. But I've also been hoping we sign Wood...consistently good numbers prior to his injury, AND a great WS start in Game 4 in 2017. Andy McCullough just wrote a great article for The Athletic (subscription required) about Wood and that start. Post-season results matter to me, and he was the only guy to beat Houston in Houston that year. Kershaw, Darvish, Severino (twice), Tanaka, Sabathia, and Sale all lost. No to Hill...age significantly increases the reliability risk and his recent episode in the news raises a flag on his character. Relatively indifferent on Walker. He would be a decent addition, but only as an alternative to Wood...unless, of course, we aren't able to trade for that stud.
  16. joemama
    Unless he shows something in the next two weeks, it just can't be Gibson. He hasn't had a decent start since August 3rd, and that was against the Royals. If the health issues were contributing, then he has to prove that he's recovered from them. It won't surprise me if he's left off a post-season roster. Perez has been much better than Gibby over their past 6 starts. He's had two bad outings, but he's had four pretty good ones: 8/13 @ Mil: 6 IP, 6 H, 4 BB, 0 ER 8/18 @ Tex: 5 IP, 5 H, 4 BB, 2 ER 8/25 vs Det: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 BB, 2 ER 9/5 @ Bos: 6 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 1 ER Smeltzer and Dobnak both have potential to provide 5 innings. My guess is one of them (probably righty Dobnak) relieves Perez if Perez can't get thru 4 or 5, and then Smeltzer starts Game 4. Or you go lefty-lefty w/ Perez-Smeltzer so that you can go righty-righty w/ Dobnak-Graterol. Is there any chance Graterol could be stretched out?
  17. joemama
    https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/2d245b16-c9ad-4a0e-a470-5e53446049d3
  18. joemama
    A 6'9" guy whose FB is in the low 90s (up from the 80s), has a really good change-up, and relies on control (and gives up only 2 BB in 27 IP in August)...this sounds really promising.
  19. joemama
    Spot on ... public praise, private criticism ... recipe for success. Maybe Moli practiced it until he couldn't stand it anymore, but I don't think so. Rocco was selected in part for his personality and this is a part of it.
  20. joemama
    Generally agree with this - he isn't anywhere near as graceful with the wall as Torii or Puckett or Trout or other great CFs. I also think that at times it seems like he's overly dramatic after he hits the wall. The play Tuesday night did not look very serious. Just look at the picture above - he's braced, compact, and hitting the wall with the side of his body. I played a lot of contact sports and that is a great body position for contact. Don't get me wrong - I love Buck and what he brings, but I can't stand it when players over-dramatize injury. Get up already.
  21. joemama
    I'm guessing Cron & MarGo swap spots if we're facing a lefty SP.
  22. joemama
    Feels very different to me, especially from the perspective of clubhouse chemistry. LoMo was redundant (1B/DH only) and with a questionable rep, and MarGo provides coverage all over with a great rep. I love this move!
  23. joemama
    Sell baby sell. The injuries to Santana, Castro, Buxton, and Sano (late last season, and the slow recovery) obviously didn't help, and hindsight is 20-20, but IMO Falvine brought in too many new faces and created too much clubhouse cultural upheaval. Odorizzi spoke well of LoMo, who'd been working out with Lynn, and all of a sudden you have this little three-man clique, upsetting the good vibe that had developed last year. I really think that impacted both Dozier and Kepler. It shouldn't, but I think it did. I liked the Odorizzi acquisition but the LoMo signing never made sense, and like Seth, I can't stand watching Lynn...works slowly and often poorly. I felt the same way about Jaime Garcia last year, and was happy when we quickly moved him. I hope LoMo and Lynn are both gone next year...hopefully sooner. Addition by subtraction. A large part of the under-performance has to fall on Moli as well. It's his job to get the most of his players and create a good clubhouse vibe. He's clearly failed in that respect.
  24. joemama
    Okay, I've done some searching (as any good GM should). Pittsburgh looks like they could use a 5th starter. Their backup C, Elias Diaz, isn't exactly a vet, but he is known for his defense, and he seems to have a bit of a stick too. Final checkbox: he's stuck behind a solid starter (Cervelli). Go get him. This game is pretty easy. ;-)
  25. joemama
    It was mentioned in a thread yesterday about Castro but I'll suggest it again: see if there's a taker for Lynn. Maybe he needs to go back to the NL? That's where he was apparently most comfortable; maybe he needs that pitcher's spot in the batting order to come up every couple innings to give him an easy out. Even better if that NL team has a surplus veteran catcher who's known for his defense and can come in and mentor Garver like Castro was (and Wilson is) but who has a little better stick than Wilson. I don't know the league well enough to know if there's a good fit out there.
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