Trov

I think what this article really highlights is his developing other pitches really allowed him to go back to using his fastball more and have it be more effective. The hitters need to at least respect his other pitches which allows him to use the fastball to great effectiveness. I think what also helps when he throws his fastball down not just up. It used to be if the ball was down it was always offspeed. He seems to mix up the location more.

Paddack generally only goes 5 innings as well. This year he has 3 starts more than 5.1 innings. Most starts are 5 innings. Not saying his replacement would be pitching as many innings but it is not like Paddack is some workhorse.

I have no names to through out because I have no clue what the other teams thought of value of Paddack right now is. If the Twins want to keep staying relevant they need to strike when value is highest. There may be very little value from other teams out there, and if there is not, then okay lets hold onto him and hope he has a career year and let him walk. However, there has to be a team out there willing to pay something of decent value.

After watching yesterdays game and watching Paddack have a great overall game, it got me thinking that his value has to be near the highest it has been since we traded for him. The Twins should look to find a team starved of pitching and willing to take a swing for him this year. Get your best deal possible and be happy. Some will say, but you cannot have too much pitching and he is having a good year, by far his best with the Twins and best since his rookie year. Keep in mind it is a contract year, most players have boost in those years. His numbers have been good, not cy young or anything. However, I think he is set for some great regression and if there is team willing to hope he is not we need to pounce. His record is not great, but that is due to a lack of run support, yesterday he got 0 runs while out there. He pitched 8 innings, would have been complete game 1-0 loss had we not tied it in 9th. The one run was a pitch out of the strike zone for a HR from a guy that right now is locked in hitting all pitches for HR it seems. However, Paddack K-rate is way down, 6.9 per 9. Walks at all time high, 2.8 per 9. His hits per 9 are way down from career average, and HR are just below career average. I have not done a deep dive into why his hits per 9 are so much lower, outside of his rookie year, he is a full 2 hits per 9 less from career average. This is not the real Paddack, but there has to be teams out there willing to jump at him for this year hoping this is an outlier season and ride him to the finish line as a good 4th or 5th guy. Right now the way he is pitching he slots into our 4th best pitcher. But is he that much better than Festa, SWR, or Matthews, most likely no. There has to be a team facing injuries or lack of back of rotation that they will give up value for Paddack based on his current run. I would be calling any team fighting for playoffs that need starter and see what they would give up for Paddack right now. Strike while his value is high.

I would look to move Paddock if you want offense. I agree, there is no such thing as a true pitching prospect, and as you pointed out they get hurt a lot. Which is exactly why you need as many arms as you can get. Paddock is gone after this year, so trade him for offense this year, and maybe too some minor league depth too. That is what Cleveland does. On back to back years they traded away one of their best pitchers in their rotation for depth and offense. They had the arms ready to come up from minors to not fully replace abut to fill in well enough. Then the guys that got traded away gave little value the next season to the teams that traded for them, and a couple of times their careers were basically over. I have said for years, unless you are a future HOF pitcher most top pitchers fall off a cliff around age 30. Some bounce back after injuries and learn how to pitch differently, but many just keep getting chances with teams hoping they can be something again.

Interesting part of the bill that no one has really talked about that I have seen, until here. I agree, not sure how taking money away from owners would cause them to want to reduce ticket prices. I think it they are really trying to do is decrease the contracts players are getting because owners will now have to tell the players well we are now paying more in taxes and the money we used to pay you cut against our taxes, so to make up for that we either need to raise ticket prices or pay you less. If that part of the bill is finalized by Senate all the next CBA's will be very interesting.

There are differences, rather slight, but they are not the same pitch. The splitter is normally held on laces on the finger tips. This will produce more spin with slightly more control. The fork ball is not held on the laces and will have much less spin, more similar to a knuckle ball. The screw ball is held more like a curve ball or slider, but you snap the arm the opposite way it is normally done, causing the break to opposite way a curve or slider normally would.

I fully agree, you get so much info and break it down to the littlest things sometimes you start overthinking everything. Should my foot be here, or there, should my hands be half an inch lower. Yes, there has always been the tried and true things, but if baseball has taught people anything over the years, there is no 100% right way to do something. We have seen crazy stances make great results, then we would see guys like Ripken Jr. coming up with new stance every year it would seem. We would hear the sage advice of find a good pitch to hit and not miss it. I remember for years Buck would be told a new way to hit and he would struggle then say I am going back to what worked for me my whole life. I have not heard much about changes he has made lately, but it seems like we adjust the young hitters saying if you do not fix this issue you will fail, but then you are asking to change something that is so ingrained in their mind at the smallest adjustments. This can be hard to do.

Hopefully he can put these injuries behind him, but sadly he will most likely fall in the, well if he can just stay healthy pile as most of our top guys have been for years.

I sure hope they call Wallner back up this weekend. Not sure what more they want to see him being ready to come back up.

His K-rate at AAA right now is like 25% it was worse at MLB before injury. It was worse last year. Yes, it is only 5 games and 23 PA so just a few games can swing that, but how is a K-Rate lower than it has been his whole career in his very SSS in AAA "back to where it should not be"?

I would argue that McCusker has not continued to grow, but has an amazing SSS in AAA that fans for some reason think will be more than that. That is the point I am trying to make. I am not big on either. I do not expect either do much if anything at MLB level. I pointing out that because McCusker was undrafted took 2 years in independent ball to hit, then took 2 years in our minors to have a hot 38 games. I am trying to bring this to the attention that we give more praise to a guy who as you point out seems to be growing, where a guy like Sabato failed right away and slowly grew but his expectations were that they would be better out the gate. Both had similar numbers at similar level at similar age, but the path both got there are different so we view them different.

I am comparing their same age season at same level. I pointed out that McCusker was hitting better at AAA this year than he did last year, but the league the Saints are in are known to be a hitters league. What I was pointing out is that fans have been big on a guy at age 27 finally hitting like crazy, some were talking about him last year I recall, but Sabato is doing slightly better than what McCusker did last year same age. Of course, Sabato would have to hit at AAA too. I also wanted to point what some comments brought up, Sabato was a first round pick that might finally be doing okay at age 26 and we say he is not MLB worthy, but he is doing what McCusker did same age same level.

I am sure most will see the question and say loudly NO! However, I only ask because I read so many fans saying lets give McCusker a chance. Many are upset he is getting little run on his call up. Yes, McCusker has been crushing at AAA this season, but last year at AA in his age 26 season he slashed .281/.357/.489 with a HR every 28 plate appearances and a K-rate around 30%. Sabato at his age 26 season in AA so far this year is slashing .293/.398/.478 with a HR every 27 plate appearances and a K-rate around 30%. So I ask again, should we have some excitement for these numbers of Sabato? If he comes up to AAA, a well known hitter league, and put up similar numbers still to McCusker do we change our toon on him? Or because he was drafted high and never did well enough to warrant a call up soured us, but when McCusker the undrafted guy that moved up to AAA and doing well there mean we believe he has a shot? Personally, I say no we should not be, maybe if he moves up to AAA and crushes we can give him a shot at 1B, but my main point is we are upset McCusker is not getting more time but someone like Sabato in similar situation we would never want to see given a shot.

I never said I was mad at the manager, I was pointing out that is how Rocco has always managed. Many fans want to see guys with big numbers in the minors to be given a chance at the majors, but there is plenty of times they do not, and normally there is a reason for that.

This is nothing new with Rocco. He has never just given a guy at bats to give them a shot. He has always put who he feels gives him the best shot to win. Even late last season many were calling for giving Kerisay a shot, not that September numbers mean anything, but he did not get thrown out over and over, but Rocco kept doing what he does. It was clear the Twins do not have a ton of fait in McCusker but it was his turn to get called up. I believe the team looks a lot more about how a guy does in BP, and his minor league at bats than just his output. As many point out on here, just because someone is hitting well does not mean that is sustainable. How much of the SSS is luck? When you swing and miss as much as McCusker does at AAA how much worse will it be at MLB? Now, I agree you can give him a few full games and see what he looks like at MLB level. Clemons has never been a good MLB player, just average bench guy. He is on a crazy hot streak so ride it out. Now talking about trusting him over McCusker is not really something to compare as one is OF and one is IF.

I actually feel McKusker will get very little chance to show he can stick at MLB level. He will play against lefties, but outside of that, Keirsay will play against righties, Larnach and Bader will have the other 2 OF spots. Could McKusker get a chance at DH maybe, but we have seen Rocco not play a guy just because he is up and we want to see him, Rocco plays who he thinks will give him best chance to win. There has been many times we wanted to see someone get a shot only to ride the bench for a few games and then back down when someone comes of IL.

What I got out of the article is if he can make contact and hit the ball hard he will be fine, but his ability to hit the ball at this level will be in question. When he hits the ball it generally is hard. So see ball, hit ball, swing hard, sounds good.

His AAA have been decent this year. ERA a little skewed because his runs he gave up are 5 more than earned runs, which without looking the unearned may be more his fault. I will not go into my issue with earned runs rule. Either way his WHIP is respectable with nice K rate. Walk rate still a little high. However, clearly he is not ready for MLB pitching. Still has nice K rate, but his walking guys at an insane rate in his 2 games 8 walks in 5.1 innings to just 7 strike outs. He is giving up even more hits, 13 over the 5.1 innings. He is still young, got a taste of what he needs to work on. I would not call him a bust for Reds yet, as his AAA have been decent, but he is not displaying top prospect or ace type qualities. Such is the risk with high school guys, they are so hard to project.

Fleeced in the trade for Lopez? Why do you say that? Yes, Lopez was terrible for use with little help. Cano had 1 great year in 2023, an okay year last year, but so far a bad year this year. Povich has been below replacement starter. The other 2 have not made the majors. I would say yeah we did not do great in the trade, but if you look at this year the 2 MLB players we gave up we would not even have on our roster right now. Everyone of our starters have had more value than Povich, and doubt he would even be on our 40 man, most likely lost to a rule 5 at some point or waiver pick up. Only Jax has been as bad as Cano, but has been much better lately.

I was thinking about how people had been big on Carson McCusker, even coming into the season, but now some are really big on him due to his hot start in AAA. He was an undrafted guy, after a pretty average college career and summer leagues. His first 2 years in independent ball was okay, again nothing crazy. Then at age 25 he is on fire independent league, leading to the signing of the Twins. He did fine moving up the leagues and was decent, but nothing crazy in A and AA. Then age 26 he has a decent time at AA and moves up to AAA. Now age 27 season he is crushing AAA causing many to call for him coming up expecting him to hit like that at MLB. He is now on TD 19th prospect. This is not a forum on McCusker and if he deserves to be on the list, but he is rising up the prospect list, because at age 27 he is starting to really show some talent. Now I want to look at someone else, I will not name him, as I am not saying he should be on a prospect list or anything, but want to compare his history and how people view him versus someone like McCusker. This guy crushed in college with over 1.100 OPS in his college time. McCusker was under .900 OPS in college. The second guy had more HR in 2 years in college than McCusker did in 4. The second guy was drafted high in draft, unlike McCusker being undrafted. The second guy was put on prospect list right away, he is now off it after spending several years in minors putting up OPS around .750 ish. He is putting up similar numbers to McCusker did in AA at age 26 season, .852 OPS. McCusker OPS was .848. I believe that even if the second guy finishes the year similar to McCusker and gets to AAA and starts off as hot as McCusker anyone will want to move him back into prospect lists, and will not be pushing to a call up, but still call the second guy a bust. The point I am trying to make is how if a guy is expected to be good, but struggles early, we write them off, even if they turn it around, but if they start off not good and becomes good later on we have hope they will be a diamond in the rough. Two players at similar age putting up similar numbers, I could do deeper in them just used OPS as a general, but they are all pretty close, but two different views in how fans think of them as possible prospects. Yes, player two would need to build off what is going on similar to McCusker, but if he does I still doubt fans will be high on him. The reverse though is true. If a guy like McCusker would have been drafted, maybe would have in the old 50 rounds, but if he did not do well after a year or two he would have been cut having to go independent ball route and until he tears it up like he did he would get no second chance. Where guy number two because of his draft status and his college number he is given several years of trying to figure it out.

Being sent down is not the end of a career. Sure, the returns have not been great, but assuming we would not have resigned Berrios, we would not have got anything in return anyways. Also, he has not been amazing or anything. He had a terrible 2022. His last 2 years were good but not ace level or anything. Last year Berrios was better than SWR, but not by a ton. SWR still young, could continue to grow. Could we have looked to move Berrios somewhere else and got a better deal, most likely, but do not act like we gave up a HOF pitcher or anything.

I honestly would say if you address number 1 then 3 and 4 will fix themselves. I would not know if the increase in velo is leading to less control, it would make some sense. If you are not a super fast guy, having great control is better. Mixing up locations, and keeping the hitters guessing helps. However, if you are falling behind, missing your spots you need to start grooving pitches allowing the hitters to tee off.

Okay, I think we are going a little overboard on Keaschall in this article. Yes, he came up and was great in his 19 ab, but it was 19. To talk about how we need to hold things together until his arm heals because he is some driving force is crazy. It was 19 AB. I remember Brooks Lee last year in his first few games was on a tear, only to become unplayable for times.

To say a team is failing to draft and develop players because the drafted WAR is not 50% is crazy. I agree that you cannot build your team through just FA, and the Twins have not done that. Much of their team is done through trades and drafting. On the current roster, about half were drafted by the team. However, that does not mean the rest were FA. Many were from trades when they were in the minors. In our pitchers on the current roster. Ober, Varland, Sands, and Jax were only ones we drafted. However, Ryan, SWR, Alcala, Duran, were guys traded for as minor league guys and developed in our system. Lopez, Paddock, and Topa were all traded as MLB guys, using players developed by the Twins. Specifically, Arraez, Rodgers, and Polanco, all of which trades have been decent for team. In terms of hitters similar about half were drafted by the team. There are a few that came in FA, but outside of CC none were major FA signings. Castro was a DFA guy they unlocked to be a valuable player. I am not saying Falvey is perfect, but judging a GM just by drafts is a terrible way to judge. They should be judged by the team they build, and if you can continue to have guys ready to fill in that is a good thing. You will never find a single GM that hits on every draft. Sometimes using those picks to help the current roster is good.