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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. 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!
  2. 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!
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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!
  6. 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.
  7. Platoon
    Totally concur! In the context of baseball this was stupid! The fact that he didn't catch the ball before he hit the wall is a moot point. While this ball was sort of a straight on run to the fence, some of his other collisions are the result of not rounding off his route on the way back so he runs parallel to the fence. He can be a great player, but as Bud Grant often reminded us you can't be a great player unless you can stay on the field. Buxtons value is greatly enhanced by his speed. That attribute will be the first to go if he tears up a knee senselessly. And this one was senseless.
  8. Platoon
    I think it's very difficult to determine whether Rogers will end up being overused. Brock noted he was somewhat over burdened early in the year, but not recently. That could be due to the difference in game margins. Lately it's been blowout city, I coulda have pitched the 9th. More disturbing to me is that Baldy has a penchant for using him when behind, or after he gets them behind. IF he is your best, you save those pitches for a later day. Will be interesting what happens now that both Hader and our version of Hader threw last night.
  9. Platoon
    2:53? Well there were 76 runs scored. I wonder if they sold beer and brats at the game? How was the "park experience"? Any statues of former greats in the Plaza? Was Sid there.? So many questions.
  10. Platoon
    It's Friday evening. I just got done watching Polanco air mail a toss over Crons head. So not everything is quite fixed. But he can hit, there is nod out about that. I am not sold on him at SS, and likely never will be. But with the proliferation of shifts, range becomes less of an issue by the week.
  11. Platoon
    The amount of HR's the Twins are hitting seems almost bizarre. Some players are approaching career highs, in the first quarter of the season. It's going to need to continue if they want to cover up for the pitching. The FO office seems to have been able to make some good finds on the offensive side, hopefully they can duplicate that on the mound. As for Royce: I watched some video of him at SS, seems very impressive. Good arm, and athletic. While it may have not been an intent to "show up" the other team, doing push-ups on the bag at second base isn't a good idea in any league. Disrespectful is disrespectful, anywhere. This isn't about the unwritten rules in baseball. You do anything that sophmoric in any sport, the other team will retaliate. Baseballs way is just more visible.
  12. Platoon
    It's like they are taking batting practice. . I see Rocco has a little TK in him. I know Berrios pitch count was high, but removing a starter who is underperforming given the situation at 4 2/3 innings to deprive him one in the win column was one of TK's motivational tools.
  13. Platoon
    I am not an analytical savant! (I know, a shock to some of you) So, when analyzing the defensive contributions of, say, a SS, how does the fact that he is already deep in the hole during a shift, affect the analysis of his ability to go deep into the hole and make a play? Is it analyzed by the amount of feet he travels from start to gloving the ball? Or is it the slot the ball is hit into? It just seems to me that either way, any positive, or negative, aspects of range that the SS displays is muted by the restricted lack of open range. If the club sends the 3B to the right of second on a left handed shift, then his range comes into play moreso.
  14. Platoon
    Some notes. To me Polanco is a second baseman playing SS. With the shifting the import of defense at that position has been diminished, and the hitting aspect becomes even more important. You can't compare today's shortstops to those of ten years ago, defensively. Even I have the range to play the position with three guys spaced in 90'. I have always liked Polanco as a hitter, and think he will only get better. But to compare him to Sir Rodney at this stage for his career seems a little premature. Rod Carew was one of the best hitters in the history of MLB. I don't think Polanco even has a batting title tacked to his name yet?
  15. Platoon
    This. Offense feasts against average pitching. You don't get those chances in 5 or 7 games series as often. You may roll into Houston or New York and miss a one or two level starter in the regular season. That won't happen in October. The pitching match ups will often be head to head. In tight playoff baseball, offense is the least important arrow in you quiver.
  16. Platoon
    Maybe we are confusing catching and hitting. Garver could always hit, it's whats kept him in the game. He is still a sub standard receiver, blocking the low ball is still a mystery to him. The good news that no one steals anymore, so throw out rates are passe.
  17. Platoon
    I keep getting confused. Those of us in the back of the room have been wondering for a long time what working the count does for a hitter? One passes on a dead red FB, to swing at a 2-2 slider off the plate? "In every AB you are going to get one pitch to hit, you better hit it" has been around for a long time. There's a reason for that. There's also a reason for pitchers wanting to get ahead in the count, hitters averages drop dramatically late in a negative count. Pitchers and hitters work at diametric opposites. What's good for one is bad for the other. And both adjust to realities. If Twins hitters continue to "ambush" early fastballs they will likely get the Dozier treatment. Early off speed stuff in the zone. It's a constant battle. As for the GB rate? That's pretty hard to maintain in this HR, SO, high pitches in the zone style of play we see today. The constant shifts and emphasis on launch angles somewhat precludes the ground ball.
  18. Platoon
    The Twins are running on all cylinders right now, and seem to be unstoppable. The SP is above reasonable expectations, the core relievers are at least acceptable, and the hitters are producing. And Sano waits in the wings, or Florida? Hopefully the FO will not rest on its laurels and keep tweaking. If I have a concern it's regression. For this ride to continue there would have to be some other worldly numbers put up. At a fifth of the schedule, this means Rosario with 60 HR's? Garver hitting mid .300's with 35 HR's? Buxton with 70 doubles might have a chance. There is definitely room for Cruz to up his game though Polanco seems the most likely to be able to hold his current level with the stick. I do think the Twins win the division, but 92 games is quite a few. Clevleand just plain has suffered too many lost players to be a threat.
  19. Platoon
    So when La Tortugas returns someone leaves? Cave? Andrianza? Then Sano returns? Someone leaves? Cave? Andrainza? (Sp) I can see Cave leaving, but I can't see them letting their backup SS go, unless they truly believe Marwin can play SS for a day. I can't believe they go down to 12 pitchers. What I fear but don't want is that Astudillo ends up the odd man out. I think it will come down to the choice between two utility players, Marwin and The Turtle. If that's the case, this FO will not dump their off season signee.
  20. Platoon
    In order of preference, I follow a game on 1) TiVo. 2) live tv. 3) Radio. Sunday was my first extended radio listening of the year. So glad to see Dan Gladden has not lost it. From his exuberant "got him" on a 3-1 pitch, to his declaring Tauchman "overmatched" in the beginning of his home run AB, he quickly reminded me of why when I listen to the Twins on radio I take CCO's advice and "turn down the sound"
  21. Platoon
    The most impactful story I saw here this week was the one Chief passed along about pitcher Rich Hill and his family. It's a stark reminder that players are people, not just a bunch of statistics in a uniform. That's not always easy to remember. As for "baseball" itself, I like Toms game write ups and Ted's posts on team topics. One other thought. GT are back, and the numbers seem decent. But I miss the old GT's. The ones where if you commented on the game, or used math, you were soundly castigated! For those who didn't attend in that long bygone era, there were some extremely intelligent and very humorous comments made pertaining to almost anything. Except baseball.
  22. Platoon
    I sort of thought the umpires lost interest when neither team could catch a fly ball, field a ground ball, block a ball in the dirt, throw a ball 60' to 1B or decided to run into an out at the plate by 15'. Or maybe they fell asleep during the 16 consecutive outs the Twins made. While the umpires didn't have a good game, nothing they could have done would have changed the outcome. The teams made sure of that.
  23. Platoon
    If Glunn turns you down you can stay here. Of course I am assuming you have an as yet WS that is not spoken for?
  24. Platoon
    A few years ago during the offseason the Twins were dangling Dozier to the Dodgers, I commented that I would let Dozier go for less than others thought. My rationale was that the Twins should move Polanco to second and find a "glove" to play SS until Lewis or Javier is ready. I opined that Polanco would turn into a much better hitter than Dozier. It wasn't one of the most popular post I ever made. But Polanco just always seemed like hitting wasn't really a problem, that you just do it. A very calm approach. And while he probably won't hit 40 HR's like BD did, he also won't spend 162 games trying to do so!
  25. Platoon
    I doubt that. Falvine signed Gonsalves as his super utility player to have Rocco sit him and play his 3rd? string catcher ahead of him this early in the season. Not that I would object, but don't think for a minute that Rocco is in total command of the lineup. That form of front office/dugout collaboration seems to be becoming more prevelant as baseball "evolves".
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