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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    Neither could Falvey I am sure. But the guy writing the checks didn't seem concerned. .
  2. Platoon
    A couple general thoughts. First of which is Buxton is not your typical 9 hole hitter. He is there, and rightfully so to correct the mistakes made when he came out of ST and was stuck in the 3 hole. To say he didn't respond well is an understatement. I won't argue with the "lineup order means nothing crowd", but I will argue that the number on the spot that a batter hits in, matters to that player. It causes expectations. For example, we didn't sign Cruz to hit leadoff or 9. Why? Becasue middle of the order hitters are "expected" to provide power and production. Cruz knows this, Buxton would assume this, and Dozier would have struggled to attain this. I likely wouldn't have agreed with Molitor on what day of the week Easter Sunday was on, but I did agree with his sticking with Dozier leading off. BD was an ambush fastball hitter. You don't see many of those in high leverage situations, you see double play low breaking stuff often, nothing to lift. As for Buxton, leave him be. Let his confidence and pitch selection mature. There is lots of time to move him. This lineup will have plenty dry days to do that. One last thought. IMHO, trying to move hot and cold guys around in an order in a long season is sort of like buying stocks when they are high, and selling them when they are going down. Your always chasing your tail. If a player has a history of producing, and there is no external rationale, then to quote an old saw, "dance with the one who brung you"!
  3. Platoon
    I can easily wait til the Twins play crappy division play day after day...... Nothing is less exciting than watching a 16-3 baseball game against what appears to be a AA team. Yawn!
  4. Platoon
    I had no idea Game of Thrones was still on? I quit watching when they cut off Ned Starks head. Oh well. I sort of lost interest in Sci Fi Super Heroes once I noticed that Superman looked an awful lot like Clark Kent did. The glasses confused me for awhile, but once I got HD tv, I saw through the ruse.
  5. Platoon
    IIRC a couple years ago Rosario trotted over to third in a similar situation and was henceforth and forthwith dispatched to Rochester the next day. Luckily for the Toronto guy they don't have a team in Rochester, so he's safe for now. Shifts are all well and good if hitters refuse to go against them. But runners on base should limit your options to shift. Someone has to cover third, or second in those situations. It leaves the impression that either the players are poorly placed by one of the 12 coaches in the dugout, or else they have consciously decide to play only the batted ball? If you believe in stats, and the stats say that someone hits GB's to that spot 64% of the time, you have to remember that he hits GB's somewhere else 36% of the time. I think shifts work. Whether they make for a more interesting baseball game would be up to debate.
  6. Platoon
    So using this formula: Astudillo started pro ball at 16? Garver after or during college, let's generously say 21? Meaning that Garver has until age 33 to develop as a catcher to the level Astudillo is now? What was Garver doing after classes in college?
  7. Platoon
    I dont know where either Astudillo or Garver will end up as hitters, or catchers. But why is Garver considered a developing 28 year old catcher? First off, that's already getting along in MLB years. Secondly it seems it's a rationale for him getting a developmental nod over Astudillo. Sort of strange considering Astudillo is 27! Garver at the present is not as good a catcher, not as good a hitter, and does not have the positional flexibility of Astudillo. . Plus, Astudillo is younger, ergo more time to develop, if that is indeed a factor?
  8. Platoon
    Thats ridiculous. Not only can't turtles read, what do you expect them to do? Hurry up? Walk faster? Look both ways?
  9. Platoon
    I have always believed baseball is not a good game when played in bad weather. The Twins confirmed that belief last night. While it's not easy for the fielders to throw a wet cold ball accurately, that has nothing to do with throwing to the wrong base, or not knowing when you pick up the ball what you want to do with it. Whether or not the weather is a factor, this team is not playing clean baseball at all.
  10. Platoon
    Bad Wall Instincts (BWI). A new metric? . He keeps getting injured because he is aggressive. He keeps getting injured because he, for some reason, doesn't read the wall ball well and can't tell an impossible catch from a possible one. He keeps getting injured because he is reckless. The play in question was simply dumb. It was just as poor a defensive play as when you come in, dive early, and the ball goes by you for a triple, or more. But at least the grass is soft!
  11. Platoon
    Perceiving and/or correcting faults when winning is probably more important than correcting them after losing a bunch of games. For example, sloopy defense or baserunning is the same during a win, or a loss. It's still sloppy.
  12. Platoon
    Becasue they 'worked the count' into a pitchers count? Because HR's are over emphasized? Hitting a baseball is difficult, and it's more difficult if one of "your" pitches comes early in the count and you take it. I also think that there are a lot of Brian Dozier like players in the game today. Players who make a conscious, and not irrational, decision that their career and money will be made by hitting HR's, which for them will require giving up contact as an attribute. For some as in Dozier it works, for some it doesn't. But for most of them the strikeout rates go up. Add all those ex contact hitters to the mix, and the strikeouts mount. Good for the game? That depends on how much one thinks of HR ball?
  13. Platoon
    Come late September the Twins are going to seriously regret that lone blemish on their almost perfect season that occurred last week. . But after removing my tongue outa my cheek, I will say this team is looks more competitive than in many a year, including the WC year. I do think they have to clean up their defense somewhat, there's been some sloppy play, albeit cold sloppy play. The pitching staff isn't good enough to survive too many 4 out innings. I do think the offense has some promise, but I am not sure all the hopes for home runs will occur. Asking too many players to match some of their peak output is a recipe for disappointment. Viva La Tortugas! (Or however you would say it) .
  14. Platoon
    Tom, is it simply because it's the home 9, or is there any substance to the impression that the Twins have more difficulty scoring a run in a bases loaded, none out situation than other teams. Where do they stand statically in that scenario over (under) other teams over the past years? As for Buxton. At this rate one of these days we will read he ran full speed into the side of the bus on the way to the park and is "day to day". That attempt tonight bordered on "for show" only!
  15. Platoon
    Castro is likely the best defensive catcher of the three, but his knee surgeries may make that determination moot. It's hard to tell which of Garver of Astudillo is better, since Astudillo hasn't caught much up here. But I personally think he's better than Garver. Garver is supposedly catching because of his hitting. But the problem is, at this time Astudillo is a far better hitter, so that should settle the decision between those two. I like defensive catchers, but I don't think Castros defense is enough to make the difference. Calling the game? Until someone tells me what every catcher is looking at when the turn to the dugout before each pitch, I will continue to think the the dugout is calling, or suggesting the pitch.
  16. Platoon
    Yarnivek has an interesting observation. And I feel a valid one. Things like run expectations are an average of what will happen with non identified players in a certain situation. I think Mauer led the team in RISP last year? I doubt Andrianza did. So I can easily see a Mauer swinging away with someone on second, no outs. But having a lesser light in that position and having him swing away likely will not have the same result. For the sake of this post I will stick with the first batter. A Mauer AB likely raises the run expectancy level above the norm. An Andrianza AB lowers it. That's why MLB managers get paid lots of money, to make those decisions. If you simply manage by the spread sheet, you could probably get some 30 something guy to manage who has never managed a baseball game in his life, and stick him in the dugout?
  17. Platoon
    It's early, it's cold, and Pineda had TJ. Nothing wrong with getting him out of their ahead of the game. They also made it clear for quite awhile Perez would be a stretched out reliever, then starter. Other than that, so far pretty confused by Rocco. He didn't PH for Kepler the other day, used a bottom of the order RP with a full compliment of relievers, and writes the same lineup 3 days in a row, with the exception of catchers who simply bat in the 8 hole. Looks more like a 1960's guy than an analytical wizard? Who knows, maybe it's simply early, he doesn't want to rock the boat, or over manage. It will be interesting once the games pile up and the pen gets stressed. As for La Tortuga, it's getting to the point where he is going to have to show management why he SHOULDNT be playing. He's already shown them why he SHOULD be playing!
  18. Platoon
    I need help with the Garver balls and strike chart. I see three "balls" called strikes and 7 "strikes" called balls? 5 in one corner. Cuzzi was not giving that corner apparently? Or Garver was not framing it? Or both? But that chart didn't show me that Garver had a great day on a plus minus type of rating.
  19. Platoon
    Teds point about the team not giving some MiLB relievers a shot is certainly valid. Frankly it seemed a continuation of precious years also. When you haven't been a truly competitive baseball team in more than several years, you need to take a flyer once in awhile on young promising raw talent. There is nothing to lose. All a bullpen full of low level, long term arms will do for you is guarantee your commitment to mediocrity. I am on board with a plan to scout, develop, and promote. But that process requires some serious roster management, always looking to upgrade the talent level. Frankly it's a lot harder to do than buy someone else's player who had 3 good years, two years ago. i hope they can make it work. The potential ceiling is much higher. Of course the potential floor is bottomless!
  20. Platoon
    DieHard has an astute observation. Without the contributions of either Sano or Buxton, I doubt 92 is going to happen. I think Buxton will evolve into a major contributor. I hope he does, his talent is scary. Sano is another matter. It's been very hard to figure out exactly where he is at a lot of the time. If he can get everything together health wise and mentally his ability to mash baseballs is profound. But I think the getting it together thing is far more in question with him than it is with Buxton.
  21. Platoon
    From those of us in the back: "In theory you always start away from the zone and move in. Your goal is to give the guy the best look possible" As my quote from early in my piece said, yes I do understand the theory that starting away and moving in is very productive in presenting the ball. And frankly that's all this is about. Presenting the ball in its best light. Not about deception. None of this is new! Get low, set up for the proposed pitch, start out and work in subtlety, and don't pull pitches that can't be retrieved. While there are certainly new metrics, and I am sure exercises that will emphasize this, the concept isn't rocket science. The fact that Garver came up here using his glove like it was a frying pan is an indictment of both the Twins coaching and evaluation staff. It was almost embarrassing to watch him catch a baseball. I have no doubt that Mitch Garver works hard at his craft. Whether that will translate into a decent MLB starting catcher is yet to be determined. Catching is all about the hands, and some have them, and some don't.
  22. Platoon
    You want to show the umpire the ball if at all possible, face of glove to plate makes it look better. In theory your always start away from the zone and move in. Your goal is to give the guy the best look possible. As for Garver, some of those pitches he pulled six inches were insulting to an umpire. The old "if that was a strike why do you jerk it that far"? come to mind. And yes, after you do that it diminishes your more fluent efforts. You can't turn a pigs ear into a silk purse should be remembered. Lastly, if Robo umps do become a part of the MLB game, there would seem to be no value in framing whatsoever? Then? A return to blocking and throwing? Second lastly. Some of this stuff is simply repackaged. Getting low as you can? That's been a prerequisite for a decent catcher umpire relationship since catchers started wearing masks. You better not have heard this for the first time in A ball if you had any experience behind the plate whatsoever!
  23. Platoon
    I would note that we also were subjected to R. Grossman in RF, yet another situation where the guy with the arm (Rosario) was left in place. And Willingham in LF because of 'veteran deference'? Sort of like Dozier leading off. Putting players in positions they prefer vs positions that help you win is one of the reasons you are no longer managing a MLB team. And rightfully so.
  24. Platoon
    I dread to consider what you consider "old people", but I do acknowledge that ice (and concrete) are far harder than I remember them to be in my past!
  25. Platoon
    Astudillo could end up playing with the other tortugas on a farm, in Upstate New York. Rochester to be specific!
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