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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    I have never been able to understand union members who stay at a job (or 5 jobs) and dislike unions. Maybe it’s the above average pay, security, health care and generous paid time off that’s so aggravating. There’s lots of "at will" jobs available, and lots of people who would love to replace disgruntled ex union members. As for the owners, it’s truly hard for me to feel sorry for someone who makes as much money as they do, and has, in the first place, the wherewithal to buy into a franchise that for many is both, at a minimum, an asset that will appreciate dramatically and entry into a pretty exclusive good old boys club. Finally a word to the 75% who think with "hard work" they can make it into the 1% bunch. Really? You got to be kidding me! It’s thinking like that that not only keeps you out of the upper 1%, but likely keeps you in the lower 50%. Wealthy people love thinking like that.
  2. Platoon
    Remember if you trade Buxton for prospects, which are an unsure thing, you are trading an unsure thing for them. Basically with Buck you have a 50/50 chance of playing Buxton, or Jake Cave, a fourth OF carried for insurance. I like Buxton, and have always believed in his talent even when he struggled, but since everyone uses stats on this site, here’s a stat: he only plays half the time. I am not sure if Cave and the other fill ins have a negative War or whatever you call it, but it should be subtracted from Buxton for the the CF value. Signing Buxton to see him play is one thing, signing him to win is another. As good as Buxton is he won’t make a team a winner that has two? SP, and basically no SS. Mike Trout can’t move the Angels, and they don’t have near the problems the Twins have. I like Buxton, you want to sign him so we can maybe watch him play fine I am good with that. If you are signing him to make the organization better in the long run, then it’s a mistake.
  3. Platoon
    Let’s see? A player that could matter to the Twins? Hmmmmm? I know one. Eddie Rosario. He could have made the Twins better this year, or then again maybe not? That’s the wonder of Eddie, you just never know. The only thing for sure was that he was often entertaining and aggravating on the same day!
  4. Platoon
    So true. Which is why managers are not simply someone who reads where some stat sheet tells him where to play his SS? There are different personalities involved. Some can handle certain stresses and some can’t, despite seemingly identical talents. It’s the managers job to discern these differences and put the player in his best position to succeed.
  5. Platoon
    Truth be told there are coaches adverse to velocity, since it generally entails walks with the strike outs. That said velocity is the third of the three legged pitching stool, but if you don’t have it the first two legs aren’t as effective. If you can’t get a hitting thinking about keeping up with your fastball, your change up just isn’t as effective despite the difference in velocity. But the big difference maker here is matching consistently low velocity "pitch to contact" pitchers with mediocre defense. Yes we have Buxton, some of the time. But short of that the teams overall defense has been uninspiring for quite awhile. If you don’t have high SO rates by your staff, someone better be turning that contact into outs!
  6. Platoon
    Co-hitting coaches? Ugh! If you want a hitting coach fine, the find one you like and let him coach. Two hitting coaches mean two opinions, even if they are similar.
  7. Platoon
    And what happens if the Twins sign Buxton to big bucks, long term? And then his injury history remains constant? Will he get the same "love" Mauer got from many fans? That’s not a reason to trade him, it’s just a curiosity. The only way the Twins would sign him is if they get the home team discount and I don’t see that happening. While Buxton may have the Twins over a small barrel, Mauer, with the new stadium and being a local, had them over a huge barrel.
  8. Platoon
    I am not going to grade him. But I will make two comments. 1. This team plays fundamentally poor baseball. Some is mental from a seeming disregard for basics, ie, cutoff men and throwing to the correct base. Some seems a lack of focus, lollygagging throws in the infield. 2. Analytics? Analytics have their place, and yes everyone uses them. But, and there is always a but, turning the game over to your BP in the 6th is fine, if you have 4 capable RP available and healthy. Just turning it over on some days when your already suspect pen is deleted by usage or injury isn’t managing, it’s reading a spreadsheet. I did see that later in the year he opened the playbook up and bunted and ran on occasion trying to generate some scoring opportunities. Yes, the book says a 3 run homer or two run double is more productive. But someone better be hitting them in that case. I thought Rocco got dealt a poor hand this season due to injuries, FO mistakes, and subpar years by some players, possibly due to some of those players being over hyped? So there were limits to what he could do. No matter the cause, he didn’t exceed expectations. BTW, any conversation that Rocco is a players manager has to take into consideration the Maggi situation. Absolutely bush league!! It would make me hesitant to buy a used car from him!
  9. Platoon
    This was a just ok OP, until I got to the Christian Ponder part at the end! Nailed it!
  10. Platoon
    Fundamentals? This is a horrible team fundamentally. Fundamentals won’t overcome poor talent, but they will help make a average team very difficult to beat. Talent? Is it possible that fans, and media overestimated this group. My thought on this is somewhat driven by constant references to 2019, a year of career years for some on this roster. Also, a year where the roster and the baseball in use made a perfect match. This allowed a very productive offense to cover up some inherent flaws in the roster, such as the aforementioned fundamentals, defense, and an overall lack of pitching talent.
  11. Platoon
    The Twins win when they go on a HR rampage. They lose when they don’t. Obviously you will win more games when you hit more dingers. But, that won’t ever be the route to the WS or a WS ring. In baseball it’s virtually impossible to win consistently in the playoffs with offense. Pitching rules late in the year.
  12. Platoon
    Is there a dissonance between managers and FO people on call ups? In a season like this there is no reason not to let Maggi play. I don’t say that because I think he is an improvement on anyone else on the roster. He is a minor league lifer. This is his shot. Whether the Twins lose 90, or 91 won’t make any difference to me. Molitor used to do this also.
  13. Platoon
    It was a running joke around our house, how do you get Hunter or Cuddyer out? Intentionally walk the bases full, and throw them 3 breaking balls off the outside corner. The more men on base, the harder they tried to hit that big HR, and usually the less they succeeded. Both good ball players, but the tendency to chase on "clutch" situations kept them no more than that.
  14. Platoon
    "That said, when Sano makes contact, a lot of good things happen, so I for one would certainly love to see him make more contact." And therein lies the problem. Contact. To me the saddest? thing about watching him hit is that when he gets 2 strikes, the only thing keeping him from striking out is whether the pitcher can locate that breaking ball just off the bottom corner of the strike zone "box" off the outside corner. I know it’s coming, he knows it’s coming, and by now my wife knows it’s coming. And he still swings at it, while pulling away, over and over and, well you get the picture. Yup, he can ruin an opposing pitchers day. But while he does that, there are few that wouldn’t want to face him in close RBI situations. Few runs are driven in with a K. But lots are with a deep fly ball, or even a GB.
  15. Platoon
    Nothing ups the click count like a good Twins Yankees game, and some questionable calls by the plate ump. I hope that if they go to Robo Umps everyone will be happy, and there won’t ever again be any whining over balls and strikes. But I highly doubt that, just as I doubt that the change will improve the Twins chances against NY.
  16. Platoon
    Some of this can be explained thusly: In 2019 more than several players had career years, especially offensively. In 2021 many did not. Basing your hopes on a best case scenario is most often a loser. Basing it on a worst case scenario often leaves you pleasantly surprised. The injuries didn’t help, but much of the hype and hope for this team was based on offense. Definitely the hardest talent to repeat and replicate.
  17. Platoon
    I meant will bringing him up affect his service time, ie cost the Twins a year of control?
  18. Platoon
    Is this about service time?
  19. Platoon
    No matter what the final outcome is remember this. If the MN Twins make a decision on who they will call on to play SS for next year, you can guarantee one thing. They will bleep it up! I was all for signing Simmons, and somehow we turned one of the best fielding SS’s in history into a blah player. Or I should say he turned himself into one, probably because of the lack of interest due to being out of the race on April 7th? Be that as it may, an infield of Polanco and Arreaz should make baseball purists flock to MLB to watch! ?
  20. Platoon
    If Sano is a guess hitter, then he is the worst guess hitter of all time. Anyone else want to guess what the 1-2 pitch will be from a RH? The bottom line may be all he wants to do is hit HR’s? He shows no inclination to going the other way. But, I am I’m pressed by his ability to get his SO rate into the 30’s! Bottom line, is that nothing will convince me that a player striking out 30-40% and plays mediocre defense is helping you win ball games. Which lest we forget is the whole theory in any sport.
  21. Platoon
    Not to be a Sano apologist whatsoever but the Twins still ended up with the same situation, man on second two outs, IIRC? The Turtle kept running to second, good base running. This doesn’t negate Sano’s grade school base running though. The other team inexplicably ran Sano to the forward base, not the back one. Basically something taught to infielders in Jr. high school. I had to check to see whether it was Detroit or the Twins who committed that bungling mistake?
  22. Platoon
    I would not know if JP has put out a salary cap or not. Nor would I know if Bill Smith had one? I wonder if Bill Smith knew? ???
  23. Platoon
    I believe that Buxton is everything everyone says he is. And I believed it when he was struggling in the past. He is one of the players in the game that changes a team when he is on the field. I don’t believe the assertion that his injury history gives the Twins a chance to sign him on the cheap valid. I doubt a player of Buxtons age, or ability, looks at himself as vulnerable to age or injury. Despite recent history. I get the uninformed perception that he doesn’t want to stay here. Only he, and people far closer to the situation know if that’s true. If it is, money won’t do it. After that I agree with wsnydes. If you don’t think you can sign him, trade him. Get the best deal out there. Do not keep him through 2022 and maybe get a comp pick. That would simply add to the loss.
  24. Platoon
    I am not sure what these stats refer to? You mentioned stats for passed balls in your first paragraph. Btw, neither of the pitches I referenced were passed balls. They were definitely wild pitches, which he didn’t block. While he’s generally bad at that task, he’s particularly bad to his right. I will say this about both him and most MLB catchers, MLB coaches and their FO types are not doing their catchers or pitchers any favors by making the one kneed thing so universal. The idea that a "stolen" low strike is more valuable than moving up two runners in that situation isn’t very sound. Possibly with a solid base and level footing he knocks one of those down, changing both the situation and the pitch selection? Who knows. Every play changes a game!
  25. Platoon
    Garver has become predictable. He will hit the long ball. And then not block the low ball. One could say neither missed block made a difference. Or one could say that the second one virtually guaranteed a tie game. Not to overly defend Berrios, but no pitcher can have confidence really working the ball low with the tying run on third with that kind of defense behind the plate. We traded a glove first catcher for a bat first catcher. We giveth and we taketh away.
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