Jump to content
If free agency is too rich for your blood, click here for the 35 players most likely to be traded this offseason. ×
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

USAFChief

Twins Daily Contributor
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    36,746

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    580

 Content Type 

Profiles

Minnesota Twins News, Rumors & Analysis

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Rankings

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Minnesota Twins Trade & Free Agent Rumors

Minnesota Twins Fan Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks & Signing Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by USAFChief

  1. USAFChief
    gut punch. lots of blame to go around. Offense. Dyson. Poppen last night. Dyson. Baldelli's decision to use Dyson fresh off the plane. Dyson. A bullpen that features waaayyyyy too many "internal options."
  2. USAFChief
    SAM DYSON'S TWINS ERA IS LITERALLY INFINITY!!1!!!111!@@!!!!
  3. USAFChief
    Yes, seriously. How is that different than trying out a 6th starter, just in case you need a 6th starter? The principle is exactly the same. In both cases, you're benching the player you've determined is better, on the chance he won't be available at some point in the future. All while already knowing what the solution will be. If the Twins lose a starter, one of Smelzer or Thorpe will get the starts. Which one is anyone's guess, but sans giving them both 10 starts to figure out which one, you just make your best call and live with it. And that goes for any of the Twins starters, not just Perez, by the way. There's nothing gained by trying it out before it needs to happen. You already know the answer to the question.
  4. USAFChief
    Gallen was traded yesterday...for Jazz Chisholm.
  5. USAFChief
    Again...if you think Smelzer or Thorpe is better than Perez, then put him in the rotation. That's completely different than what you originally posted. If you need to know at the drop of a hat, take your pick. Just exactly like you'd do if you were "determining who is the 6th starter." You'd pick one, and try it. Then what? Give the other a try? That's not different than what you'd do if the need aroze. In the meantime, your 5th starter is sitting there not pitching, while you try to prepare for a decision that might not be necessary at all, and for which the solution is exactly the same as, and does you no more good than, waiting for the actual need to arise. You've weakened your team for however long your 5th starter isn't in the rotation, and he would probably need to be stretched out again. Should they put May in the closer role for a while, in case Rogers gets hurt? Call up Gordon and sit Polanco for 3 weeks, to see if he can handle SS for 3 weeks in case they need a SS for 3 weeks?
  6. USAFChief
    Bumgarner? But if I'm a Giants fan, I'm glad my GM gave my team at least a fighting chance at continuing the wild card run. He kept MadBum and his top 2 relievers, and still managed to sell off some less important parts. Also in both Wheeler and Bumgarner's cases, teams have the option of a qualifying offer.
  7. USAFChief
    You have to admire an organization that has been able to--in a day and age when top flight pitching is scarcer and more valuable than extra paid vacation days--trade for Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, and Zack Greinke (and perhaps the majors best reliever, a dude named Pressly) in the space of a few years. And have them all on the same team. That's some pretty fancy wheelin' and dealin', you have to admit. Big boy baseball.
  8. USAFChief
    1. Well, "does it make them weaker" is a different conversation. If you think Smelzer is better than Perez, put him in the rotation, permanently. But don't put him there to "identify our 6th starter." 2. Maybe. But I'm pretty sure they've already made any decision about him playing the field, else he'd have done so by now. I'd guess they risk it in the post season if they find themselves down in a series and feel like they need the offense. A game or three during the regular season won't help much, if at all, in prepping for that.
  9. USAFChief
    I give the Twins a "C" grade for this deadline. A passing score, but ain't gonna get them on the Honor Roll, nor help with that academic scholarship. The bullpen was a glaring need from day one, there's really no way to argue otherwise, and it was pretty easy to see it wasn't going to last the season. So they found a way, in an admittedly somewhat tough market, to make the minimum acceptable additions to patch two holes, which I'd call the minimum number of patches required to keep the ship afloat. They didn't make the pen a strength, nor aid any other portion of the roster. A starter to pitch game 1 or 2 of a postseason series would have been an obvious target, but I can't give them a fail on that, there weren't a lot of options. But I can't give them a success for finding one, either. A couple other teams managed to do just that...although in Houston's case, Greinke probably slots in 3rd in the postseason rotation. Sick. So, a C. Passing grade, just probably not going to make Grampa proud.
  10. USAFChief
    1. I don't like the idea of intentionally weakening your team, just to get an idea of what it will look like once it's been weakened. We can identify the 6th starter when the need arises for a 6th starter. IF the need arises. Give one or the other innings then...if needed. 2. Concur. Although if he's truly bad in RF, or at 1st, the dropoff might be worse than the gain over Cron's offense. It's always been a minor, but real, drawback to Cruz. Well worth it though, in the long run. I don't know for sure, but I really don't think he can be a corner outfielder--and I'm someone who doesn't put much worth on corner OF defense. But major league players can catch throws and shorthops, it's possible he can play a passable first base. Maybe they already know that from practice, and they'll do it in the WS, but don't want to add injury risk for regular season games. Maybe just the opposite...they already know he can't.
  11. USAFChief
    I bet i can find similar quotes about acquiring Verlander.
  12. USAFChief
    Houston plays big boy baseball.
  13. USAFChief
    Meh. Better than nothing.
  14. USAFChief
    so...the problem is the Twins minor league system is too good?? Gotta admit, I hadn't thought of that angle. Seems like an easy fix though.
  15. USAFChief
    well, if you wait till doomsday to predict doomsday, it's not much of prediction any more, now is it?
  16. USAFChief
    not just talks ... but SERIOUS talks,??!?11?
  17. USAFChief
    dude. Give me a little more credit than trying THAT, ferpetesakes. I'm not THAT stupid. ... By now.
  18. USAFChief
    would your wife accept any of those excuses for why the lawn still isnt mowed? I know for certain Mrs Chief wouldn't. Because, you know...excuses.
  19. USAFChief
    I completely disagree with the idea that a lack of results doesnt mean a lack of activity. It means EXACTLY that. The grass doesnt get mowed because you talked about it all day. A wise old man once said there is no try. There is only do, or not do.
  20. USAFChief
    There really isn't a good reason for NOT beefing up the pitching. They deserve an angry fan base if they waste this opportunity and engaged fans.
  21. USAFChief
    I dont mean to imply Romo has bad control, or even bad command. On the contrary, i think he has excellent command. He gets ahead, then lives just on the edges, or just off the edges of the zone. He creates the illusion of strikes by starting pitches in the zone, but by the time they reach the plate, they aren't quite there any more. And he's good at it, particularly with that slider. And he's careful to make sure if he misses, he misses more outside the zone, than letting a pitch miss toward the middle of the zone. He has to do this. He absolutely cant be successful if he's consistently throwing strikes anywhere near the middle of the zone. It's important for any pitcher to pitch ahead in the count, but IMO even more so for Romo. Being put in a position of having to throw a strike is bad news for him. Fortunately, he's been able to do this for a long time.
  22. USAFChief
    either way, buckle in when he's on the mound, gonna be stressful ABs. He seems to be able to get away with it though. That slider is just a really tough pitch.
  23. USAFChief
    thanks Brock, I misremembered, just over 40 percent.
  24. USAFChief
    3-2 is the most common count to send the runner. It's not a "hit and run," the idea is this 3-2 pitch will either be taken for ball 4 or put in play, and you're trying to stay out of a GIDP. Unlike a true H&R, the hitter has the option of not swinging if the pitch is a ball. Arraez is an excellent candidate for this play, as he has a good eye, and is an unlikely K candidate. Both of which he failed at this time of course. Go figure.
  25. USAFChief
    I think I read somewhere Romo throws strikes less than 40 percent of the time. Gets people out on pitches out of the zone. Saw a lot of that tonight. Nerve wracking, but he's been doing it successfully a long time. Hope it continues into November.
×
×
  • Create New...