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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    Sometomes I regret that TD only allows a simple like, not one that can be elevated to say a 10. One of the hardest things to find is an elite glove at SS. Simply trying to justify substandard leather at that position, with offensive chops borders on delusional. We have spent so many years looking at mediocre defensive SS, we have become complacent about the importance of the position.
  2. Platoon
    I want to semi like this! . But until Molitor proves he will handle a 4th OF as a 4th OF, any moves in that area are kinda scary. That said, if he uses a R. Grossman that much, maybe there is nothing to be done. I just hope if Molitor doesn't change his ways, the axe is swift and early. I can't watch another year of auditioning veteran AAAA players, while the future sits on the bench!
  3. Platoon
    I was surprised to find Keplers MiLB reps were that low in RF? I do think he isn't going to be a defensive problem in the future at all. I also think Sano will be an astounding 3rd basemen. He will astound you with a great play one inning, and astound you with a horrible play later. But you have to give him a shot, it's one of the cores to getting back on track. I have never saw Vielma play, but all accounts say he can pick it. There are various pieces that have to all be moved to make this happen. Dozier for a pitcher, getting Polanco to second, and a glove at SS. There will no doubt be a few struggles originally with offense, but teams who play what I call "clean" baseball are more successful and can improve. As someone else here said, this team is not as far away as some think. I agree. But it all hinges on putting this jigsaw puzzle together.
  4. Platoon
    All in all very valid, and well written. But it ignores one simple fact. The team is not winning with its offense at second base. Nor will it improve greatly if you keep Dozier, and replace the at least 15 HR's he won't hit this year with Sano's, Buxtons and Keplers. It's still going to leave you weak up the middle, and short of pitching. Now if you replace Dozier with a pitcher, and find Polancos second base defense a wash, and his hitting for a higher avg and plenty EBH's , and superior speed, you still have what better be an improved Sano et al in place, plus I would hope at a minimum a #2 starter. And move on a defensive SS upgrade ASAP. There's nothing wrong with keeping Doziers hitting, but frankly he's needed for bigger things. Pitching. As for the Twins relying on BD for power, if in two years he's your best power hitter, the problems this team now faces, are minsicule.
  5. Platoon
    Making the ASG the determination of home field always made me wonder how Selig ever got to a position like his in the first place. Yes, I know money had a lot to do with it! But if you make that kind of thin skinned decision over the outcome of a glorified exhibition game, just think of what happened when real pressure was placed on him. All ASG are about players, not "teams". Who gives a rats rear end whether the NL or AL wins. The NBA seems to have the best handle on this. Shoot early, shoot often, and don't get hurt!
  6. Platoon
    Teams "hide" poor gloves on the corners. But to do that you need the middle guys to take as many chances as possible away from them. Polanco doesn't do that, and Doziers range isn't elite either. Buxton fulfills that criteria in center, but we have become so complacent to substandard SS play that many were content with Nunez? Good grief. One can just not afford to underestimate the impact a quality middle IF brings to a team, especially one with a PTC history. This team butchered double plays last year in an alarming fashion. That alone needs to improve.
  7. Platoon
    I liked the Castro signing and some of the 40 man pruning, I don't really care if they overpaid for him, something had to be done behind the plate, my only concern with his offense would be Molitors seeming lack of interest in platooning. That would nullify the theory of Ryan picking up the RH at bats. And leaving Plouffe walk started the process of clarifying the direction of the roster, a process which is going to take well into next year to accomplish in full.
  8. Platoon
    The things I would trade Dozier for: 1. Pitching 2. Pitching 3. Pitching 4. Someone to flip for pitching 5. An elite defensive SS. Teams that pitch and field well, always have a chance to win. And a chance to win improves the overall attitudes and efforts of everyone. Too many games played with MiLB talented SP, who give up 2 runs in the first inning wear on a team. Hitting would improve also, it's always easier to hit when your ahead. Bottom line, nothing this team does, or trades for should use offense as a criteria. No player like Puig. Pitching and improving defense, especially up the middle.
  9. Platoon
    When I consider trading Dozier I take several things into consideration, and as one poster said, some irrational and likely baseless. Dozier has peaked and is going into his thrities. I personally have never considered him an actual power hitter, and I think that anyone who tried to use him in the middle of the order would find that out in a hurry. He would definitely get pitched differently. We needed the good Dozier twice in the last two years. The end of '15 to finish of the drive to the second WC, and the beginning of '16 to get off on the right foot. He was nowhere to be found. And lastly while Polanco will likely not hit the number of HR's, he will end up a better hitter overall, and no worse a second baseman. Plus it removes Polanco from SS, a position that the Twins really need to upgrade past his level.
  10. Platoon
    Short of trading one of the building block young players the Twins have almost no other means of acquiring some talent in the starting pitching dept other than trading Dozier. And with our dirth of SP I would take the best offer out there this off season. With another player, I might roll the dice and wait for 2017 to see if we could capitalize on his value with a contender desperate for help in the middle of the year. But Doziers history of lengthly cold spells makes that a real gamble. Which BD would one be trading next July? In this case I would go with the bird in the hand option.
  11. Platoon
    Robbie may be like Larkin, but that was when bench spots were easier to come by. The seemingly 24 man pitching staff makes roster decisions different now than then. That said, RG just cannot be left loose in the OF. He makes DanSan look like Torii Hunter. And whether he could be construed a s a DH bat, that's a position over populated already. Watching Robbie play OF is bad for the analytical crowd. They see him on the field, in action, and end up throwing their laptop at the tv!
  12. Platoon
    I do think the FO plans for Murphy to be the "yin". I just hope that Molitor does also. To me the big unknown will be whether Molitor will change his style to coincide with the FO vision? And if not, how big will Pohlads safety net be?
  13. Platoon
    What I wonder about is whether the new FO will change the on field field approach of reinstating someone like Perkins automatically, then letting games slip away before they find out he isn't what he once was?
  14. Platoon
    I would think that this is in essence a rebuild. Too many areas that need tweaking, to be tweaking. They have to find a way to trade Dozier and ??? For a competent SP. You won't get an ace, but a decent two or good three would help enormously. They need to rebalance the roster. Some of the DH/1B fodder has to go. Guys like Park, Vargas, ABW, Palka et al, take up too many roster spots for that position. Lastly they need to commit to defense at SS and catcher. Easier said than done, but any decision in these areas should be made on a glove first basis. The OF is liveable, at least for now. And with any luck health wise, I think the BP can be repaired internally. Plus the need for a closer does not have to be a point of emphasis until the rest of the team is competitive!
  15. Platoon
    I can't say I know exactly how a new regime will accomplish it, or how long it will take, but if Sano and Polanco are standing next to each other on the left side of the IF, and Centeno is still on the roster, then the defense is still going to be sub par. If one looks at the roster, and wants to try and keep the core, that is an inescable fact. The only glove first player on that roster is Buxton. While I really hate to see almost any of these players moved, the sad fact is some trades have to be made to change the mix of the roster.
  16. Platoon
    The Twins can move up a couple notches on the ladder simply by putting defensive players in defensive positions. Basically, stop worrying if your catcher or SS hit .245 or .205. Worry more about them generating defensive outs. Then move on to some very difficult roster decisions which will churn the tummies of many on TD. It's not going to be easy, but with a little luck they could look like an actual MLB team by the end of 2017, making it possible to fine tune in 2018.
  17. Platoon
    You forgot to add, "Oh woe is me"
  18. Platoon
    The Nunez trade, and the Willingham non trade are all one needs to know about the past FO. And you may also throw in the Suzuki non trade in 2014. I truly believe that how the new FO handles a few things early will indicate where we are headed. A valid attempt to move Dozier for pitching and emphasis on defensive improvement. These two decisions will morph into the third. How much influence does Molitor have on the structure of the roster, and how much of a leash does Falvey/? have, if Molitor becomes an impediment to the vision of the new FO? If Molitor perceives he has JP's protection, it could be a bumpy winter!
  19. Platoon
    You brought up an interesting point on Tonkin. He doesn't seem to do well with inherited runners. But he did do well in closing situations during his MiLB career. Given the season we just experienced, some would have tried him in that role during the year, instead of trying to keep us within 33 games of first place? I don't know if Tonkin can do it in MLB, but I do know that certain players have certain strengths. Putting players in position to take advantage of these strengths is what a good manager does! As for next seasons team, we don't need to spend money on a closer until we the team to a place where there is something to close. Picking up a FA on a two year deal, completely wastes a year of it. As for Kintzler and Perkins? Not closers for my team.
  20. Platoon
    Why have the stepping out thing at all. Do this. in exchange for getting rid of the foot on the step, you get two replays. You don't lose any if you are correct. BUT, if you want to call for one, you toss a flag, bean bag, empty snoos can, whatever before the next batter enters the box, or pitcher toes the rubber. No more guy in the clubhouse viewing video. If it's bad enough for a replay, you should be able to call for one. It would also eliminate the picky late off the bag calls almost completely. Basically, it's bleep or get off the pot for the manager!
  21. Platoon
    Your points in the article seem symptomatic of the Ryan Administration. Many moves of lower level talent, talent which would struggle but not totally implode. No six walks in 3 innings types. Maybe 4 poor innings where one could say, "gee, just that ONE pitch that was crushed, otherwise he only gave up 2 other runs"! Berrios, Meyer, and Chargois all had games where they imploded, early, and Ryan and Molitor can't seem to handle the learning curve. As for Beresford, I had no problem with his month in the sun. He earned it. Not with talent, but with perseverance and loyalty. Good orginisations know that it is necessary to reward that trait also. Playing Suzuki, Centeno, and Grossman at years end had much more to do with missed prospect evaluation than did Beresford.
  22. Platoon
    . While there certainly will be people who buy tickets based on a certain player, Dozier, Hunter, et al, the reason to keep or trade a player is what will he do for you in the future, and will the trade make you a better team or not. The reality is if you win, you sell tickets, and if you lose, even with a player who once hit 40 HR's you don't. Doziers future should be decided on the basis of whether his presence, or trade helps the team win long term.
  23. Platoon
    I would trade BD. I think the defense is close to a wash, with Polanco eventually being better than Dozier. And while Dozier had a four month stretch like few before him, I think Polanco is easily a much better pure hitter, and will continue to be so. Will he hit 40 HR's? Nope, and I really don't think Dozier will ever do that again. Or for that matter 30. They have added done and in to off the plate in how he is being pitched, and it's been very effective. He will still hit his 20 HR's, which is nothing to sneeze at. But I would sell as high as I can on him, while I can.
  24. Platoon
    Molitor had some help in his journey to 103. The Park signing, which morphed into Sano RF, and Plouffe still here, were out of his control. As was the SP. for that he gets my sympathy. But he loses all of that soft and fuzzy over his total lack of concern regarding the teams defensive shortcomings, his inability to define relief pitchers positions, his lack of rapport with younger players, his inconsistent attempts at discipline, his attraction to mediocre roster filler level vets, and his dart board lineups. Taken as a sum of these parts, and the fact that many of the same issues will recur next year, it's time to try someone else. While no one knows how that will work, most can be pretty sure how leaving Molitor in place will (not) work!
  25. Platoon
    There is a difference between talent and 'worst'. And disappointment. This team didn't disappoint me, as any successes would be from youth, an unreliable segment to rely on. The pitching, defense, and roster construct were borderline atrocious. The team may have been the worst, or one of, but the talent level, pitching excluded, wasn't. It was just too young and the manager was too (you may fill in the blank, there are so many choices). Needless to say, pitching and defense were the reasons for the record, but the reasons for the pitching and defense being subpar were based on decisions the FO made beginning a couple years ago with extensions to players who ran a hot streak, to the Hunter return, to roster decisions based on offense, and a pie in the sky view of the pitching staff. Throw in a manager who I firmly believe was pushed unto Ryan, a manger with little time or patience to develop what should have been an emerging roster, and you have 103, and counting. A new GM, versed in metrics will have an interesting take on this bunch. But there are some things you don't need metrics for. And haven't since Abner decided to play kitty corner across a square. If you don't pitch well, and catch the ball, you won't win consistently. For some reason Terry Ryan forgot that. And we ended up with some talent, but few wins.
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