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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    I was amused by the news that the Molitor will maybe go with a 4 man rotation until mid April. I am not sure whether it was Molitor, or the writer who made it seem like this would mitigate the loss of Big Erv. Now if the loss had been one of our numerous candidates to fill the #5 slot, then that would make sense. We may need to devise a metric for "explanations"? Give them some sort of numerical grade. We could call it pWOE. Pronounced Pee Woe. 'pulling Wool Over Eyes'.
  2. Platoon
    I like a lot of the things Falvine is doing in general. Draft, develop, orginisational changes, metrics adoption*, and at first glance the additions to the BP. I am in essence a build from within guy. That makes life easier because the Twins can't logically compete with the big markets year to year for FA. Now, here comes the but. Almost all major sports rely on filling in your roster with an important piece or two if you are in a playoff window. The Twins are in one, or very close. That's when you roll the dice. And yet they have not, when it's obvious the SP is not playoff caliber. I think Falvine, and in all honesty Ryan are/were in a bad postion. They get judged by the fans on how many games the team wins. They get judged by JP on the annual P&L. Those two criteria are counterproductive. I never expect them to make any money oriented splashes. All I hope for is they can make up for their owner implied restraints by putting together an extremely solid year to year operation. * While not a metrics afficianado, I realize that like the switch to the internal combustion engine, times do change!
  3. Platoon
    Well I have not seen Navarreto play, just going by reports of outstanding defense. As for Garver, his history is some bat aptitude, but he was always behind Turner with a glove. And the few times I saw him catch last year, he frankly looked completely lost. Poor positioning on blocks, always at an angle. And really struggled to receive the ball comfortably. Jitters? Possibly. But his rep in MiLB as a defensive catcher seems to indicate this isn't nerves. But again, like the SS position, some see the offensive part of the job to have more importance than others. I am not of that philosophy.
  4. Platoon
    It's a shame when "an acquisition" and a "?" are 40% of your SP. And that after an off season when the competion for FA was weirdly stilted. The Navrreto backup catcher idea is intriguing. Garver was supposed to, and maybe someday will, hit enough to cover up for his defense. So far that hasn't happened. Add that to the fact that he appears to be a very mediocre defender, and you end up with an awful lot of games for Castro. I would think after having Mauer behind the plate for those years, and suffering through Suzuki, that the value of a defensive backstop would be more apparent.
  5. Platoon
    The sad part is without some SP, whether or not Kepler breaks out is a moot point to the teams success. As are Doziers HR's, Sanos leg, and Mauers last contract year. So I would likely trade Kepler for Archer. But if Molitor would then insist on putting R. Grossman in the OF 5 times a week, I would have to wonder if the net WAR would be worth it. He is practically Sano without the arm out there.
  6. Platoon
    I don't think the opt out clause is cut and dried, bad or good. If you need a pitcher for a window of opportunity and you sign a six year FA, opt out or not 6 yrs is the most years possible. If your projected window is 3 years, win or lose you then have a chance of getting out of that contract. And if he walks, you still have that contract off the books and can resign someone else if you think It makes sense. Now if it's a younger arm, and your window is 4 years and he wants a 2 year out, then it's not a good idea. Point being, opt outs are not simple yes or no's.
  7. Platoon
    I am somewhat sympathetic to this opinion, but maybe not as harsh on Falvine. They will next likely read from their 3x5 card. The one that says how JP will let them spend anything they wish to improve the club. This is a Pohlad enterprise. There ain't gonna be no cash folks. That said I would take a run at Archer. While I was always and am a Kepler fan, none of the position players are worth anything in reality without pitching. I would rather miss Kepler than see a whole roster wasted trying to out slug the entire league.
  8. Platoon
    All that, and in MN he could zip line across the Mississipi! Let's see him try that in LA across the Pacific!
  9. Platoon
    There is an old Cajun tale about a coon hunter stuck in a tree at night with a bobcat. He yells at his partner "Shoot shoot!" The partner is afraid he will hit the guy by mistake. The treed hunter says "just shoot, I don't care which one of us you hit!" And that's the Twins, just do something. That said, I can see going for a Darvish in this time frame. But don't get fooled into thinking they are going to play with the Big Boys. That's a fools errand. IF the new FO is flexible and imaginative they can compete with regularity by moving assets around. Something the old FO did not. They got hung up on sacred cows and waddled in limbo for years.
  10. Platoon
    I could see the Nunez idea given the Sano situation, and my agreement that EE will not replicate 2017. But any move that puts Grossman anywhere near a fielders glove has to be considered suspect.
  11. Platoon
    I liked the point on Grossman. True he walks, and it's basically the factor in his OBP, but there are stretches where he seems to think he is calling the balls and strikes. I know there are others, but I always wondered why pitchers nibble on guys like RG. There offensive abilities don't merit that respect. Why walk a guy who basically can't hurt you with his bat. Meaning if he gets to a three ball count, belt high fast balls until he proves he can really take advantage of them.
  12. Platoon
    I always refer to them as 'bad ball' hitters. My memory of Tony Oliva is he was one of the best of them. It's not necessarily a talent one would encourage, but some players do possess it.
  13. Platoon
    Nice job, thank you. I would have likely went with Gagne over Smalley simply because SS is the ultimate defensive position in baseball. An offensive styled SS has to be quite a hitter to make up for the outs that escape him if his defense is lacking. Regardless, it a nice article and well thought out. And should garner lots of arguments, er, discussion. I told my son years ago, if you took ten solid experienced HS BB coaches and sit them in the bleachers, and worked out 25 good players in front of them, you would get ten different lineups.
  14. Platoon
    I still think Morris Game 7 was the ultimate baseball performance I have watched. Situation, pressure, force of will, and the backing up of his "let's get it on" comment all contribute. Yes I (we) are biased, as well we should be.
  15. Platoon
    There was an adult curmudgeon in our very small town who constantly dissed Harmon. And he ragged me because he knew I was a big fan. The middle of one season we bet a pop (it was years before I found out some people call it soda) on whether The Killer would hit 50 HR's that year. Needless to say that was his 49 year. Probably a good thing, it maybe was the impetus for my dislike of all things gambling?
  16. Platoon
    Walk down memory lane. I wasn't as aware of the Vikings right away as the Twins. WCCO assured that. My moms sister and their family lived not far from the Met. South and a little west I believe. They lived on a street with houses on one side and corn fields on the other. Probably within a mile of the Met. Harmon and Camillo were my first pro sports heroes. Anyway, thanks for the memories of a simpler time. Better? Who knows. But dertainly different.
  17. Platoon
    If this same old same old approach doesn't change we are destined to be the poster boys of: Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me! Sadly I think we are well past twice.
  18. Platoon
    Or if the second half was played against mostly teams with subpar records. I know you have to play em sometime, but IIRC the schedule ended up tilted that way.
  19. Platoon
    IF I had any belief, or the Twins had any history of signing a top flight FA, I could buy into the strategy of evaluating the questions in this years staff, May, Gonsalves, etc. Then when those results are in, buy a mid season rental, or a big signing next year. But there isn't anything in the Twins DNA that shows that a legitimate possibility. NADA.
  20. Platoon
    When using a deep playoff run, not just a one and done second WC as a bench mark, I think that window is open, but not as far as I had thought it would be a few years ago. The failure of so many of the high velocity BP arms to produce, the continuing lack of a legitimate #1 starter, and a fairly mediocre level of defense in the IF makes this a far more difficult project than I had anticipated. Spring training will flesh out the roster issues somewhat but it seems the SP issue will go unresolved, some due to options, and some due to indecisiveness. And the Sano issue could be an all season problem for any of several reasons. If the division is as weak as it seems we may pad our win total to allow a second WC appearance. Yawn.
  21. Platoon
    Your article never addressed the most compelling question. What exactly did you guys decide to eat? Or did you even manage to order before the lunch menu time frame expired? Instead of the intern you should have taken me. For one thing I have never been to a Cheesecake Factory. And for another I will go with anyone who picks up the tab. Plus I am decisive. I would have immediately went with the spaghetti and meatballs, likely the cheapest option. This also would have given you a closer comparison to what being Falvine is really like. .
  22. Platoon
    The problem with extending Dozier is you almost have to then trade some MI talent. And they haven't shown any indication of trading anything so far. If you can't count on one or two of their MI prospects making the jump soon, there is no sense in having a scouting or analytical dept. Tat said, I would not extend Dozier, and since it's too late to effectively trade him I would let it play out. I highly doubt I would then keep him. In a perfect world I would use that money on pitching.
  23. Platoon
    I agree three years for Yu is about the farthest I would go. But, and there is always a but, then there has to be an alternative. And I don't see one. They exist, for example a trade for someone like Archer, or signing a top end arm next year. But neither really seems plausible. The teams window is now. That is the only thing that makes me think Darvish at 5-6 years makes any sense at all. He should fill a spot when it's most needed. Five years from now, if Twins history and MLB history in general are any bell weather, Darvish and his dead contract will be a moot point. They won't have the talent to compete anyway. They will be back into full rebuild mode, and his money won't really make a difference. While I said I don't think a trade for an Archer type would happen, it would still be my preference. A Sano for Archer? Crazy? It could be if you thought that Sano would fulfill the prophecy and become the elite hitter he was projected to be. I wish he would, but I just can't see it. There's too many flags already, and I doubt we have saw the last of them.
  24. Platoon
    I think the impression was that the new Twins FO would make for a change in the manner in which high end FA were pursued. The Twins have always proclaimed themselves in on the newest shiny object. The Twins were always "interested", be it FA, trade possibilities, or Cubans. But so far in the SS alloted to the new FO the process is eerily familiar. While Darvish has yet to announce, it seems very much like the ever familiar "gosh, we were right into until the end, we thought we had a very good chance". This is likely the reason skepticism abounds, and optimism is bleak as regards any significant action on the pitching front. Whether one thinks Darvish is the answer or not, the fact of the matter is the Twins are never going to significantly change their position on top flight FA's. While I do believe there is a chance for the new FO to improve the roster by some better evaluation of talent, and hopefully improvise MiLB functions, I have no hope for big time acquisitions or trades. In those two instances the new FO is just like the old one, simply with more hair.
  25. Platoon
    "The goal at the end of the day is to try to help your pitcher keep as many strikes as possible," Castro said. "And to not do anything to take away from presenting pitches that are in the strike zone to the umpires that would lead them to believe that any given pitch is not a strike." Maybe the most pertinent thing said on this topic so far. Don't give away strikes being jumpy or awkward.
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