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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    Or you could be a pragmatist, and come to the conclusion that since you aren't in the room you have an opinion based on what's outside the room! For example W/L records? Or if you want to do deeper, offering big money to a moderate NL pitcher when you have NO chance of winning anything? As for the Donald, if I wanted to read about him, I would go to a real news site, like Fox! . In closing, remember that people who are, shall we say, "pro TR" aren't in the room either! :). That said, there's nothing wrong with witty reparte!
  2. Platoon
    I for one do not disrespect Ryan, he is a baseball lifer! But the results for his tenure do in no way indicate he is a successful GM when using W/L as a criteria. If you use the "successful business model" as a criteria, he is a raving genius. I guess it's in the eye of the beholder. If you view the team as a sports entity whose goal is to win games, and build a consistent talent pool, or if you want it to be run like one of the Pohlads car dealerships. Either or, it's a signifantly different mindset!
  3. Platoon
    You can be an excellent scout, and even listen to the stats guys. But that doesn't make you a good, or bad GM. I really believe Ryan knows a ball player when he sees one. But do you adjust your evaluations to the game and your needs. Ryan is very late to the game with power arms. And when the game was being played with big bats and lots of HR's we were the Piranhas! And now that it's switched to pitching and elite defense we are the next '27 Yankees! I wore my powder blue leisure suit to work today. I am either behind the times, or a trend setter. Whether he actually is a excellent scout, or a great GM, the bottom line is the results do not support that. I am very glad he didn't trade youth, or lock into long term contracts with a FA this year. But I am not sure if this was by design, or simply the function of a broken clock being right twice a day!
  4. Platoon
    Thank you. You did an excellent job of putting into words some of the things I have been thinking. There was a good article the other day comparing KBO hitting stats MLB stats. Also a comparison of Park and Kang. It correctly pointed out that Kang is a much different style of hitter than Park, and the adjustment might be easier for a higher contact guy. I am not one of the ABW guys, yelling his name from every rooftop, and have seen neither him nor Park play in person. But statically they seem somewhat similar. And Walker is far younger and much cheaper, and allowed the Twinss far more flexibility roster wise. While this roster is seemingly set, it's also has a lot of intermingled pieces. You won't get to just move one, without moving a couple others. If Suzuki starts behind the plate, and Buxton ends up in Rochester, this has the potential to be a god awful defense baseball team with what is still a PTC staff!
  5. Platoon
    I tend to agree with you. I am not a huge free agent guy, and even if I was, it would never work with this FO. Why? Because it's not there operating platform. And to go out willy nilly and buy a guy here and there is not going to work. It's an all the time process. This FO prefers to develop talent, and I agree. My differences with them is their apparent acceptance of mediocre veterans over high upsid youth. It often takes and injury to get rid of a middling vet, and heaven forbid that they would ever trade one when his value is at its peak! I think they know talent, but seem to relish the security and comfort a veteran provides, vs the potential for upside, and yes downside a younger player provides. This will play out in Nolasco v Duffey this spring, and in the BP!
  6. Platoon
    I never thought I would see Arcia look "small".
  7. Platoon
    I I didn't see any adjustment at all. He got an inordinate amount of high FB to hit again in the first half of the year. Maybe it's harder to not throw that pitch than I would assume. But when he doesn't get one, it's a ground ball to SS. Perhaps explains his low BABIP in the second half. I will say that he seems to have the ability to hit a high % of that certain pitch put of the park, but that's about it. And that does not indicate adjustment.
  8. Platoon
    How about the Twins? They seem to have a well documented stomach for poor RF defense. My bet is by the end of the year, Arcias glove will look fairly decent compared to our new RF'er!
  9. Platoon
    On the serious side, I agree with Lefty, Park will not hit 30. And there is no way Dozier hits 25. His days of the high inside fastball are mostly over, and if he decides he wants to go the other way, there isn't any natural power to that side of the field.
  10. Platoon
    But no cameras or recorders. What happens at "Leftys Wrong" stays at Leftys Wrong!
  11. Platoon
    Your last paragraph begs this observation! Either your theory that if you can't play RF you can't play third base is false, or else it follows that Plouffe can't play 3B. This is due to the fact that it's been proven that he can't play the OF! I don't know about RF, but I have saw him in LF, and his pitchers should have sued for non support. You can extend that to EE, who is a absolutely lousy MLB outfielder. Catching fly balls that would otherwise hit you in the head, does not an OF make. If simply being a better fielder than Nelson Cruz and Bautista is our criteria, we need to raise the bar a bit.
  12. Platoon
    Funny you mentioned The Big Pelf! It was he I had in mind when I brought up Nolascos mentality. I agree he would have no one else but himself to blame, but that doesn't change the attitude. And remember, if the Twins decide they need to make the Nolasco thing work, then Duffeys performance must exceed both Nolascos and the Twins need to protect their investment. Sort of like a prize fight, the challenger can't just win a decision, he's gotta whup the champ!
  13. Platoon
    The more I think about it, the more I think that the "Nolasco to the pen" scenario will not play out. I think the Twins will look long and hard for a reason to send Duffey down. This allows Nolasco a starting gig, and means they have room for Tonkin. It also solves the problem a a VERY unhappy veteran pitcher forced to the pen. The Twins pitching puzzle is going to take a long time to resolve. They are not prone to eating salary, and that's basically what needs to happen.
  14. Platoon
    I had not given much consideration to Duffey in AAA, but with him there and Nolasco in the rotation, it solves a mess of roster problems. (not enough time or ink to get into who caused them). Duffey would not be the first guy to have a good fall, and then end up back in the minors. Now if the question is would I do that, no. But I can easily see the Twins doing it.
  15. Platoon
    " Enough with the rumors and the sarcastic comments about the lack of activity." As compared to the sarcastic comments about the activity? That's what's so fun about the beginning of the season. There can be two opinions on almost any player or move, and most people will have both of them!
  16. Platoon
    In Town Ball, we called it "Bunting for Beer"! We would put a 5 Gal pail down on its side, down the line about 30'. Anyone who put one of their bunts into the pail got free beer after practice. It's amazing how hard one can work for a can of beer!
  17. Platoon
    Taking CF for example. On this team, at this time Buxton should start there, and stay there. It's time. If you sign Jackson, and he has a "decent" start, he will be here in August unless injured. Ryan does not dump first year FA who can still walk. I am ready to move past decent fill ins, and see if we have some "good" young players to build on. Fill in FA tend to become permanent in Twins Territory!
  18. Platoon
    This is the year to find out whether the Twins are ready, willing, and able to make a transition to a core of harder throwing RP. In reality it's the last year to tweak the roster, before they either get serious about contending, or this turns into a middle of the pack roster. Baseball fortunes seem to run in 5 year cycles, ours starts this year. Will they truly move on from PTC, or will they stick with the security blanket of BABIP. There are only two avenues of change in an orginisation, change the philosophy, or change the management. Since managers who don't follow the company line, don't last long, philosophy comes from above, and "above" remains in place. The Twins now have the pieces to completely rebuild their BP in a new direction. but it will require some cringe inducing moments, and the acceptance that this isn't 2007 anymore.
  19. Platoon
    With the lineup the Twins are proposing bat wise, I wish we had a slick fielding SS with great range to cover for Plouffe and Doziers mediocre range. Use the SS spot for elite defense, and let someone else provide the offense. I feel the same about CF, but that guy is waiting in the wings already. With some very possible offense as an added benefit. Maybe the game has changed, but I still don't give a rats posterior about whether a SS can hit or not.
  20. Platoon
    I personally would keep Buxton here unless ST was a total train wreck, which I highly doubt. But I also doubt he will hit to an extent to "force" Ryan to keep him. That leaves Dan San in CF. I just cannot see an OF of Arcia, Rosario, and Sano, if for no other reason than the groundskeepers would revolt! Methinks, from Ryans POF that Santana in CF solves a no option problem, and allows one of the "Usual Suspects" on a MiLB make good deal to come north. This is important in Twins Territory! And if he is thinking far enough ahead, it allows him and the league to develop a taste for an eventual trade of Santana or Nunez. Sooner or later one should have to go.
  21. Platoon
    The Deduno thing puzzled me from day one. The one guy who really needed a low ball blocking veteran catcher and they give him Pinto. I have always believed there was an ulterior motive behind that idea. I say that because once you eliminate common sense, all you have left is an ulterior motive!
  22. Platoon
    Being a sub par FB hitter and having poor stats in the later innings is related. And not good. The obvious trend in relief pitching will only excarbate that deficiency. Discussing Plouffe is like chasing your tail. He is a decent enough player to argue for. But to me, a meh player. His HR's negated by the endless DP GB, and lack of foot speed. His decent glove mitigated by his lack of range. On some teams I might agree with the need to keep the veteran presence. And while the Twins are trending younger, they aren't exactly berift of vets. Plouffe may be a more solid 3B than Sano now, but I bet Sanos range would have made the extra errors a wash. Especially with EE at SS. But where keeping Plouffe will really hurt is in the OF. And instead of the camera panning the player after the misplay, it might be better to point it at the GM in his perch. That's where the mistake was really made.
  23. Platoon
    I think Suzuki might be the poster boy for my FO frustration. Everything about the first half of his first season screamed regression/abberation. And while Ryan is on record about not trading FA signees because it would cause other potential FA's to pass on the Twins, that does not mean you have to extend a guy at the top of his market. Many posts have been written lately regarding a belief that "no GM would be foolish enough to (fill in the blank)". This is generally pointed out in an attempt to prove that if we, of the day jobs, can figure out something they certainly will also. Not necessarily true. Kurt Suzuki found a GM who valued veteran leadership and stability above career production. This allowed that GM to use Suzukis unlikely first half 2014 as a rationale for an even more unlikely contract extension. It's a lesson to be learned before throwing up ones hands and saying "aw heck, no one would ever make that trade"! Someone, somewhere just might!
  24. Platoon
    I have never saw Vielma play. But all I hear about him is he can pick it. I also hear he can't hit, but his numbers at A ball aren't that terrible it seems. Given a choice I always want a elite fielding SS and CF over an offensive one. It makes your pitchers better, and allows you to hide that corner OF power guy. As for Polanco, I was surprised at the choice. His knock has been poor defense. That's not saying he could not replace Dozier, who I think gets style points on defense which camouflage his deficiencies. And his offense is at a crucial stage. He is either going to have to start going the other way, and give up trying to hit 30 HR's or he will end up the second half version of BD all year. I look for him to be the offensive disappointment of the year for the Twins.
  25. Platoon
    "Twins pitchers better"? I don't think I ever heard those three words strung together before? At least in several years. Secondly, if the current crop of pitchers are better than the offense, then it's gonna be a long year.
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