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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    I guess I come from the old school of baseball. But I don't think our unwritten rules were quite as intricate. Last nights Cubs game reminded me of an exact situation we experienced in amateur ball. The other teams star pitcher buzzed or hit our top two hitter several times in the season, and in our playoff loss to them. And pitchers hit. So our guy plunked him in the butt his last AB. He knew he was going to get hit, and our guy hit him low, and he jogged to first base, and not a word was said. Next year his control improved remarkedly. My point, there are unwritten rules in all sports. There is and was nothing wrong with them as they were for years. But To extend them to bat flips, and excitement on the bases is juvenile. If Molly and Kurt want to make fools of themselves on TV for a minor bat flip, go for it. To the teams credit they left it at that. As it should have been.
  2. Platoon
    I really would like to think Plouffe will be traded, catching will be upgraded, Hunter will not be back, and we will find a left handed hitting DH to balance the lineup. That's what I would hope for. ( I am not delusional enough to hope for a #1 SP) But reality and past history make this seem wishful thinking. There is nothing, not one thing in Ryan's history that makes me believe anything aggressive or innovative will happen.
  3. Platoon
    This is going to be one of the most interesting off seasons in years. I just hope it does not turn into one of the most frustrating? Your comparison to the Cubs is interesting, and fairly relative. Some of the same opportunity lies in front of the Twins, but it's going to take some really proactive movement. Will we grab the opportunity, or be satisfied with the more traditional "tweaking" that has become the "Twins Way"?
  4. Platoon
    I don't know whether Mays comments on his hip being a problem when relieving vs starting is factual, or the opening salvo in an attempt to talk the team into moving him back to the rotation, but it is factual that he was not healthy in the pen, and missed some important games. They should trade Plouffe, hopefully for a catcher. But trading Gibson, probably there steadiest young arm, and keeping middling veterans with spendy contracts, would mean it's business as usual at One Twins Way. It's gonna be a fun winter!
  5. Platoon
    I don't remember Butera dominating at several levels below the majors, I don't think he was a #1 pick, and it takes about 4 years to accumulate 2500AB's. Trout wasn't Trout at the 120 AB level either. Patience, patience patience!
  6. Platoon
    Without being critical to this post at all, I am always surprised by how reactive we are to immediate, current, and somewhat short term performances. We celebrate Hicks finally getting it, after having determined as recently as this spring that he is basically a failure. Now we, and again, I am not referring specifically to this poster, have determined that Santana and Arcia have little chance of succeeding. There are like rumblings about the offense of Buxton after approx 120 AB's. Which is 5% of the 2500 AB's many consider to be the demarcation line for evaluating a potential career. It took KC severl years for their young talent to mature into what it is today. They took their lumps, stuck with them, and have been rewarded. This is not going to happen overnight, or likely next year. As for the current SP, having 8 #3&4 starters is not the definition of depth I would consider a recipe for success!
  7. Platoon
    I am nowhere near the stats guy that some on here are, so correct me if I am wrong. This appears to be a very very average team, with the middle of the order considerably below that? My perception of the Twins this year, and in the recent past is that they have no "true" #1,3, or 4 hitters in the generally defined definition of those spots in the order. Hopefully as the roster turns over in the future, some players will emerge to fill those slots. A baseball season is a long drawn out affair. And if you have a roster of nice, average, solid players you will always be competitive. But that is not the same as being a legitimate contender for one of, at least, the final four teams in the playoffs.
  8. Platoon
    We should have done this, this year. But May got in the way! And I ain't talking about Trevor either. Will we look back at 2015 like one looks back at a very big, very fun party? It was a great time. But the "hangover" will hurt?
  9. Platoon
    Nada. We do have a lot of these posts, but that was the first quote I saw from him that clearly said playing part time was not acceptable. And if it would not be next year, you can about imagine what the negotiations were last year.
  10. Platoon
    Re: Hunter. If I had a dime for every veteran player who said he was retiring immediately after the sudden end of a season, I would be retired and trolling on TD.............. Hmmmmmmm
  11. Platoon
    This quote from Hunter in late Saturday's online Trib. Not only does this seem to quash the thought that he would be a 4th OF/DH, it tells you that his playing time and position were likely negotiated prior to his signing. It also explains the puzzling (to me) OF switch for Arcia. There’s a possibility this could be my last game,” Hunter said in a somber clubhouse after the Twins’ hopes of a postseason invitation were officially dashed Saturday with a 5-1 loss to the Royals. “There’s a really good chance.” That’s because he doesn’t know, in the immediate bleakness of elimination, whether he really wants to play past 40, and whether the Twins will invite him back. The latter has been considered a mere formality once Hunter began smashing home runs — 22 in all, with 81 RBI — but he knows better than anyone how many talented outfielders roughly half his age are on their way. If the Twins suggest he return with quasi-emeritus status, perhaps play half the games? “I wouldn’t come back for that,” said Hunter, who has started 135 games this year. General Manager Terry Ryan has not discussed his plans for the team’s oldest player, but said, “We have a lot of things to talk about.” Hunter is proud of his season, and proud of the influence he has had on the Twins, having transformed a library-quiet clubhouse into a rollicking, supportive bunch in his return after seven years away.
  12. Platoon
    Last year when Dozier went into the HR hitting contest at the AS game should have been the first clue. The fact that he hits only one pitch, to one spot in the seats should have been another. It seemed to take pitchers longer than usual to figure out that of the 9 spots on a hit chart, he only consistently hits in two of them. Anyway, once they found out that he would not move the away stuff to right field, and had a hard time laying off the breaking ball, the results were fairly easy to forecast. He became in reality a better fielding version of Arcia. His problem was very succinctly summed up by the Chief, a regular TD contributor. His take: BD thinks he's a home run hitter, but hes not! I concur! Conditioning is always an easy unquantifiable excuse. If BD does not change his approach next year, look for post AS game numbers to be the norm.
  13. Platoon
    Trevor May has already alluded to the fact that relief pitching impacts his hip/back issues. When starting, the days off allow his back to "heal" and when RP the day to day grind does not allow this. True? I don't know. But if it is, there are two options. Back to the rotation, or a trade before his back does a Perkins on the Twins. Catcher? Kudos to Kurt for being one tough SOB. He would be a wonderful backup catcher. But you can deal with a defensive catcher who can't hit, or an offensive catcher who can't field, but the combo of both is not good. As for EE. Unless Santana pulls a Hicks and does a turnaround, which is very possible, or someone comes out of the minors earlier than expected, he is the best option at SS. But after you watch guys like a Corria, Lindor, or even his namesake in KC, the lack of range, and arm is stunning. To expand on another post. Can he play SS in the majors? Yes. Is he the SS on a consistent pennant contender? Not likely.
  14. Platoon
    MVP Sano. Why? This teams offense was poor and getting worse when he arrived. It's been so long since we had a stick like this I don't think we knew what we were missing. Without him holding down the 4 hole this team would have been done two weeks ago. ROY.... Co winners. Duffy because without him, there would be no playoff game this evening. And Rosario, because he gave us a second above average defensive player in the OF, and had a lot of big hits. His strike zone discipline can be cringe inducing, but so can his triples to the opposition. Most improved. Hicks in a landslide. Escobar was the starting SS last year, and ended up the starting SS this year. Hicks was what last year?? Vs what this year. That's not even close. Most valuable pitcher. May. Pretty good starter, then moved to the bullpen for reasons that could be debated, but won't be here. Adjusted well and was the type of 8th inning guy we need, and likely still would be if his hip/back were healthy. Gibson a very close second. On a side note, Mays comments about his back a starter vs as a reliever might preclude his return to the pen next year.
  15. Platoon
    Since the Twins have an excess of healthy and high quality pitchers, I can see no reason for them not to initiate a bean ball war today! Besides none of the suspensions would likely be served until 2016!
  16. Platoon
    Pelf should have been in the pen, and May in the rotation. But Pelf got the veteran/big agent treatment. I know GM have to keep agents happy, or else FA and contract negotiations become even more difficult, but this capitulation cost dearly.
  17. Platoon
    If he had bunted, or been on base and stole third with that big lead, yeah that's rude! Excited about hitting, for him, a rare HR, that's mostly youthful exuberance. BTW, is there any clear audio of what Molly was saying. To touch on Daves point, it appears to me that Molitor was showing Suzuki not only a better arm angle when throwing to second, but the actual general location of the bag.
  18. Platoon
    Yo Vanster! Not sure if you accept back to back collect calls, but while watching Twins/Cleveland I got to wondering! What would the Twins have to give up besides Duensing to pry Francisco Lindor from the Tribe? I know he's young and might need a couple more years at Rochester, but I still think he would be worth it?
  19. Platoon
    Hey Van Man, 7th time listener, 3 time caller! (I keep track). Torii Hunter? Great Twins Player? Or Greatest Twin ever? On a more important subject, do you know where I can get a good hamburger in Cleveland? I'll hang up and come back later for your reply!
  20. Platoon
    There's a Moose team? I need to go further back into the sports pages!
  21. Platoon
    I posted this knowing it would start a bleep storm! And it did. But to me, the almost bigger issue is that we, Minnesota fans in general, have "sunk" to the level that we have discussion or accept discussion, that Hunter could be a MVP, or earlier in the year whether Hughes is a league Ace? And it's not just the Twins. We too easily embrace mediocrity. I admittedly have never lived in another market, so I cannot definitively say other areas aren't similar. But I have been puzzled for a long time over our, for lack of a better word, excitement over performances that in NY, Boston, St. Louis, or LA would probably be considered "meh". Hunter had a better year than I thought he would, but an MVP year? Puhleeze!
  22. Platoon
    And therein lies the problem! No matter what is said, when he is resigned, and he will be, he will play as a regular. And because he is a regular, someone from the Buxton, Kepler, or Arcia list will not be here. They likely won't sit a young guy on the bench, meaning we will end up with in essence, a Robinson type player instead of a Buxton. IF they were going to use Torii as a 4th OF, it's not a terrible idea. But they won't, and he has made it clear this year that sitting out games is not acceptable. Mentoring does have its limits!
  23. Platoon
    I cannot listen to the Dazzle Man at all. It's gotten so bad, when he does the play by play, I mute the sound and just watch the radio!
  24. Platoon
    When I first saw the headline I assumed he was talking Twins MVP. But apparently Torii has been more instrumental to the teams success than I had noticed? Molitor also made it clear he wants Hunter back next year. From Bernadino yesterday: “I think guys have bought into the energy that he brings in. He’s probably been a big reason we’ve been resilient the way we have, so I don’t know if I can really quantify it. I just know that it’s made a vast difference.” Among American League position players, 172 have accrued 200-plus plate appearances. Hunter ranks 104th among those with a Wins Above Replacement of 1.0, as measured by Fangraphs.com. That places him between fellow outfielders Jacoby Ellsbury of the New York Yankees and Alejandro De Aza of the Boston Red Sox. According to Baseball Reference, which computes WAR differently, Hunter has brought sub-replacement value (minus 0.6 wins). However, due to Hunter’s strong clubhouse influence, Molitor could see the merit in his right fielder drawing Most Valuable Player consideration, at least on a down-ballot basis. “Different voters quantify their MVP vote differently,” Molitor said. “You think back to some of the MVPs the past 30 years that maybe weren’t even close statistically to some other people yet either won or came close. (Kirk) Gibson for the (1988 Los Angeles) Dodgers comes to mind for me.”
  25. Platoon
    The thought Blair expressed above has nagged me for weeks. Everyone, me included expects this team to be markedly better next year. But why? This off season will give us a rare chance to build an excellent team for the future. But it's going to take some aggressive moves, a little imagination, spending some of the bosses money, and saying goodbye to some sacred cows and probably a young outfielder. Will it happen? Or will there be a weeping and knashing of teeth across the frozen tundra?
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