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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    I wonder if during the game they will track the exit velocity of the young player who OD'ed on prune juice between innings?
  2. Platoon
    My oldest daughter long proclaimed that "there is no way she is chasing around to a sporting event every night". I remind her of this while we sit at the games!! The good news is she now knows which side of second base the SS stands. (Or at least used to)
  3. Platoon
    Golf. Camping. Bowling. Not necessarily in that order.
  4. Platoon
    It's quite possible that both could have a MLB career. Arrez may be a better hitter for average. I have no distinct take on his defense yet, but I doubt it's "elite". He does appear to be a tough out and the AB the other night was exceptional. He will likely regress, his current numbers would seem unsustainable. Astudillo? Nothing in his game indicates he is baseball stupid. His combination of eye and contact rate will allow him to adjust to MLB pitching. And like Arrez, he won't hit .350 as he had at one time. His versatility and in game awareness are definite pluses. Players who can catch, play OF, and IF are rare, and valuable. Unless you expect that versatility to be combined with elite level defense? Either way it may be too early to anoint Arrez, and the same too early to bury La Tortugas!
  5. Platoon
    To the defensive lapses you can add Cron's footwork on that Sano throw. He got himself locked up and didn't shift his feet, or he could have likely saved that play. Another negative play was, I assume, Arrez not diving on the ball up the middle to knock it down, that would have saved a run at the time. The night before a passed ball. This just has not been even a decent defensive team recently.
  6. Platoon
    107% with Mikelink on the desire for actual baseball to be played. Great SS's, speed, steals, hustle doubles, and hold unto your Nick Punto bobblehead and occasional squeeze bunt. Sooner or later fans will tire of watching the Jason Castros of the world hit 20 dongs in a season. HR's will become yesterday's singles. As for the ball? It does seem that according to the people who throw it and hit it every day, it has changed. And, if MLB wants to change the ball, they can. It's their league, and their gazillions of dollars floating around it. But then don't let the Manferd (sp) stand there and tell us it isn't any different. That's insulting.
  7. Platoon
    The reason that everyone was so surprised that the Twins started the season with the record that they did, is that it was unexpected in relationship to the talents of the players on the field. This isn't meant to be derogatory. But it is surprising. Raise your hand if you expected the Twins to run at a 103 clip all year! They spent ten weeks with numerous players operating at career high levels. Normally you have a couple, this was practically an entire roster. There were some younger players who will continue at a higher than previously shown levels due to their maturation, but some of the veterans have seen their peaks for the season. In essence, the Twins weren't THAT good, and the Indians weren't THAT bad. They are headed towards where they likely belong, very close to each other.
  8. Platoon
    Also lost in the chaff was the ball off Polancos glove, not an error (at least in MLB) but not an impossible play either. As for the other side of defense, the throw by Marwin was truly one of the better ones I have seen made. No setup, just turn and heave. Also nice footwork by Castro to anticipate the hop and set up the tag!
  9. Platoon
    Maybe some of the Twins hitting success can be attributed to hitting your pitch when you see it. If someone is sitting behind you constantly telling you to take a few pitches, your pitch may be gone by then. Being an agressive hitte is not synonymous with being a stupid hitter. Take a walk if you get one, hit your,pitch if it shows up, no matter the count!
  10. Platoon
    Can I TRIPLE like this? Let's put the shoe on the other feet. The hated Sox, fill in your color, have someone on third with one, or no outs. Our beloved Dick/Bert surmise for all to hear that our esteemed hurler desperately needs a K. They don't say he needs a GB to the SS playing back. Or a fly ball. The only other option is an IF pop up. Yes a bases loaded DP is wonderful, but if the hitter struck the ball, it won't necessarily go to an IF's mitt. But a SO will go to the catchers mitt!
  11. Platoon
    Excellent point, pretty soon catcher will become an offensive position like RF.
  12. Platoon
    I agree how hard it is to quantify fielding. Then there is the issue of guys like Sano and Polanco, guys who the harder the ball is hit, the better they field it. Little hippoty hops drive them crazy. Astudillo won't ever look good fielding, he doesn't present athleticism. Cron has surprised me with his digs. Cave? I have wondered from almost day one why anyone wanted him on an MLB roster. His glove is suspect, his arm is no better, and he sure isn't playimg for his bat. Catching has changed so much. An arm isn't even necessary except to throw the ball back to the pitcher. Blocking the ball is very important, makes the pitcher secure in the low breaking stuff. But calling a game?? Have asked this question forever, if the catcher is calling the game, why is he always looking towards the dugout between pitches? Is PaPa Johns delivering soon? Lol
  13. Platoon
    Sano has become the poster child for the 3 true outcomes hitter! SO swinging! SO called! SO checked swinging!
  14. Platoon
    Well there's doubling down, and then there is doubling down! The commentator who made the point about finding relief arms to miss bats basically disposes of the theory that SO's are simply another out. A SO makes your BABIP a moot point. It could be .800, it could be .173, but if you don't hit the ball it makes no difference. With runners in scoring position, especially third with less than two outs, nothing would please me more as a pitcher than to see him standing in the batters box. If I executed my pitches, he is almost a certain SO. No hit, no sac fly, no chance of an error, or even a walk. Last year I thought it was his conditioning. This year, in better shape, is more of the same. Maybe he will work his way out of it. I thought he would be a generational power hitter. He is young enough to do that, but so was Arcia. Arcia didn't have quite his talent, but they are on the same path.
  15. Platoon
    I am convinced the Sox walked Kepler unintentionally, intentionally one time, and should have done it twice to get to Sano. Obviously the last Kepler AB that was not an option. While the upside for Sano v La Tortugas is considerable, no one will convince me that Twins at the current time are not a better team with The Turtle at third base and Sano in either the Twins dugout, or Rochesters. Last night should have put a fork in the theory that strike outs are simply just another out!
  16. Platoon
    "An Ineffective Offense"? Picking nits here a little, but just a couple points. Good. Pitching. Beats. Good. Hitting. This wasn't as much a case of an ineffective offense, as it was a case of an excellent pitching performance by Porcello. As it was by Berrios. Much more a case of effective pitching! And a much more interesting game to watch. Dick and Jack made a valid point. Games like this each pitch counts, vs just waiting for the next three run bomb.
  17. Platoon
    Correct. I was referring to fans who thought he should return some to JP. I assume they thought JP would then go find the elusive bullpen arm.
  18. Platoon
    I was a big fan of both players. And both as noted had an unfortunate injury that upended their careers. While I am not a believer that athletes owe me anything other than their production on the field, I was still sorely disappointed when the somewhat sordid details of Pucketts personal life became known. To me that did indeed tarnish him, both on and off the field. Mauer on the other hand has had not a blemish, with the exception of bi lateral leg weakness, on his resume. Fans who think his contract diminished his value are wrong. Fans who thought he should give some of it back are simply delusional. Joe Mauer wasn't the reason the Twins didn't spend more money, that matter lies soley with ownership. While the two can co-exist as players, Kirbys personal issues will always taint him, at least in my eyes.
  19. Platoon
    Jason Castros HR rate is accelerating this year, as is Andrianzas and approximately 300 other players in MLB. From the numbers put up in May, they must be hitting golf balls!
  20. Platoon
    Swinging hard for the fences on every pitch will increase the SO rate of any hitter, regardless his talent level. It's just not rocket science! As a hitter you have to adjust to the count, just as a pitcher adjusts what he throws to the count. Trying to hit a 5 run home run with no one on base simply makes the pitcher lick his chops. As for the idea that outs are all that matter? Yup, I get it. As for the idea that a SO is basically the same as a batted ball out? Hmmmmmmm. Let's see, the BABIP on a SO is .000. (Yes I know there is no BABIP during a SO) Take that versus the BABIP of the hitter in question, and my advanced statical analysis leans towards hitting the ball somewhere, somehow!! This is where situational hitting and RBI's actually prove their existence. If I have a guy on third and less than two outs, there is no one I would prefer at the plate more than a Sano. Of course I am speaking as an opposing pitcher. Almost 4 chances out of 10 you get a K? I'll take those odds, versus a contact hitter!
  21. Platoon
    Ahhhhh the new baseball! Where striking out almost 40% of the time is acceptable. There is no doubt he will destroy a ball that he guessed right on. But oh those sliders off the plate are still irresistible! He sort of hits like the pitcher with the big fastball and no control. It's amazing to watch and the potential for the big play is always there. While it doesn't happen often, you just can't turn away!
  22. Platoon
    Oddly during a discussion on Andrainza and the idea of releasing him, someone who was posting made the comment that Gonsales would be an adequate backup to Polanco because the Houston manager considered him there best defensive SS? Do I know this for a fact? No! In fact I found it odd having watched him play. I think his defense overall is over rated. My point being that defensive ability remains very subjective. And defensive abilities also are colored by the players bat. I did not imply that Garver was a catcher who could hit, I implied that he is a hitter who can catch. He is the behind the plate version of Polanco who is a hitter who can play SS. Neither is particularly adept at their defensive positions, but their obvious success with the bat covers those shortcomings. I am not suggesting they shouldn't play, I simply prefer to differentiate between the two different aspects of the game. It's similar to the old bugaboo of giving a Gold Glove to a ham handed first baseman who hits 32 HR's, even though he didn't hit them with his glove! And yes, even I cringed at some of the balls Astudillo swung at recently. He needs to narrow down the zone, but that zone for him like Rosario doesn't include simply the strike zone. He won't ever have the power Rosario does, but one has to have a short memory not to remember the hacks Eddie took for a couple years. You could have filled a book the size of War and Peace with the calls for his demotion both offensively and for his route running on fly balls. Patience in baseball is a virtue!
  23. Platoon
    Astudillo has impressed me as being a "baseball player". He is aware of what goes on during a game, and is involved. Like Rosario, Puckett, Oliva, and some other "bad ball" hitters he needs to determine which bad balls to lay off of. I think he will. I am a little surprised by the shade thrown at his glove. One comment was that he had flexibility but wasn't good at any position. That comment on itself doesn't make sense. Players who aren't good at any position aren't flexible, they are likely the 4th OF. You don't get sent to three IF positions, two OF ones, and catch if you aren't any good at any of the positions. That doesn't mean you are a gold glove winner at anyone of them, but you are easily adequate. If that were not the case Sano would be an OF, Gonsales would catch, and Buxton would be at second base. Trust me, none of this will happen! Lastly, while Garver has worked hard and made his glove work less offensive, I don't see anything remotely giving him an edge behind the plate defensively. Garver is a hitter who can catch. He is not a catcher who can hit. And yes, there is a difference.
  24. Platoon
    Without being Danny Downer, one has to remember a few facts: The Twins have been healthy overall. The Yankees on the other hand have an injured list that could possibly win the Central Division. Houston has some serious history in the playoffs, we don't. The Twins have an abundance of players operating at or above career highs. There is no upside. Baseball is littered with offensive teams that flame out in short series playoffs. When quoting odds, remember this one: Good pitching (usually) beats good hitting!
  25. Platoon
    The BP problem isn't simply the one that is currently here. It's the question of where is one going to get replacements. There doesn't seem a viable option at the time. No MiLB barn burner in the wings, and no FA left. That leaves trading prospects for a RP. That's somewhat dicey. but something has to be done. Miggy won't be hitting "pop ups" like the one last night all the time.
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