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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    3.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!
  4. 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.
  5. 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.
  6. 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!
  7. Platoon
    Terry Ryan made a few comments about his leaving last summer. The article said he dispelled rumors of a difference of direction with Pohlad. But Ryans quote, "I better not get into that" seems to infer that all was not duckies and bunnies. And while Falvey had made a comment that TR would be welcome back into the orginisation in some capacity, that also seemed to be somewhat in question. Two other tidbits included. One on the Twins new hitting coach, and Bill Smith leaving which is already another post on TD. http://www.startribune.com/ex-twins-gm-terry-ryan-i-just-didn-t-win-enough-games/404151466/
  8. Platoon
    I personally like Napoli, and in a different time in Twins history would be all for this. Giving up the roster spot, to win a couple more games in what promises to be a mediocre season makes no sense to me. I would rather roll the dice with Park and Vargas, and I am not even a big believer in Parks abilities. But since you can't get anything for either of them now, one might as well find out if you have something or not.
  9. 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.
  10. 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.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. 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.
  14. Platoon
    Or, heaven forbid, he baited the trap with just the right amount of cheese?
  15. 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!
  16. Platoon
    I totally agree with you on the hands off owner viewpoint. I wish he had extended that philosophy to Molitor. The business connection between their descendants could be a conflict, or it might not be. But his attachment to Molitor seems excessive.
  17. 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?
  18. Platoon
    I understand the Ryan "fans", but he was just being Ryan. The Turkey was Pohlad who allowed him to continue in his position far longer than any owner who had an interest in a competitive team would have. Whether it was from what I believe was the use of the bottom line to asses the teams success, or Pohlads actual inability to discern Ryans failures, is a moot point. At my feast, Molitor would have been the yams, Ryan the dressing (or stuffing for some), but JP was the grand entree!
  19. Platoon
    Perhaps a signal that defense will count? That said I wish the Twins had invested a few of those very precious 59 wins in getting a look at him. Lord knows we had the book on Robbie G. And whichever Shaefer we had that week? I am glad he is going to get a shot somewhere else. I always thought it would be pretty disappointing to be a Walker type guy, stuck in the minors. Not wanted, and not traded! Ugh! I know there is a Plouffe thread, but there is a correlation. Players you can't use, won't use, or have a plethora of, but won't trade or waive them. NThis is how you end up with a 40 man roster like we have had for quite awhile.
  20. 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?
  21. Platoon
    . Agree on most of this. It takes a lot of poor play, bad luck and bad decisions to get to 103. And one of those was Molitors incoherent lineups. There is a difference between not having enough pitching to win, and putting out head scratching lineups daily. I sincerely hope the only reason Molitor is still here, is so he can be replaced as soon as the FO gets itself organized!
  22. Platoon
    I know you can't just completely gut the operation in a few days. But so far there is an awful lot of the old guard left in place to continue the TwinsWay. I wouldn't normally even say this, except the part about keeping TR on as a "special advisor" kind of threw me. Ryan might be an excellent talent evaluator, or he might not be. But having him around only complicates matters for his old sycophants.
  23. 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!
  24. Platoon
    If I keep him, I ride him out. For the simple reason he is going into his thirties as an average glove at second, with a below average arm, and a pull only mentality. That profile ain't gonna get better when he is 33. I look at the idea of trading him thusly: If you can get a .player(s) in our areas of need, trade him, move Polanco over, and deal with the SS issue. You lose nothing by moving Polanco from SS. If you can't trade Dozier now, keep him, puddle along with Polanco at SS, and look for an opportunity to trade Dozier down the road. But paying him at 32-33 for what he did at 29-30 would be yet another TwinsWorld maneuver.
  25. 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.
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