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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. Platoon
    I am not sure that Buxton wasn’t always that good. Maybe he did listen to too many helpful voices. And maybe he wasn’t as strong then as he is now. But maybe what really held him back was his inability to stay on the field for extended periods of time. While he has already missed a few games this year due to minor maladies, none of them have been extended. He’s always been good, and right now he is more than good. It’s just possible we never had a chance to see it until this year. Hopefully he can stay on the field, and we can finally enjoy his enormous talents in all phases of the game. For an entire season.
  2. Platoon
    IF you have a team that had a year offensively like the Twins did in 2019, and that team really thinks that’s what they really are, you will get exactly what you are getting now. Big games, big droughts, tons of strike outs, lots of attempts at 5 run HR’s. Basically an all or nothing offense. While I know some of that is the "new" baseball, and it’s endemic around the game, the Twins seem to have taken the term situational hitting completely out of their vocabulary!
  3. Platoon
    Rocco won’t be fired, but he should be questioned. He obviously doesn’t have a premiere BP, and some of his big sticks are not so big after all. At the same time some of his pen decisions defy logic, There is no doubt that spreadsheet managing is here to stay. But the spreadsheet doesn’t cover a relief pitcher who is on a seriously bad roll, and maybe needs a breather to work himself back into a place of leverage. I am also not a fan of his rest schedules, but that criticism is somewhat muted by the lousy health of this squad at the current time. It’s hard to know who’s resting, or who’s broken, on any given day. But there are other things that mystify. Pulling Donaldson last week and throwing the IF into chaos was just one. Plus his distaste for "no doubles defense" late in a game is frankly pretty odd. IIRC it’s cost us two games already. Lastly, the fiasco the other night with having to pull Berrios because he forgot that he sent his pitching coach out earlier that inning was odd at that level of play. It’s possibly a sign he has too much going on in the dugout for him to track. Whether it’s a lack of a bench coach, or his head is buried so deep into the green bar, that he is missing the game on the field, which is where it’s actually played, is hard to say. But some his decisions indicate his attention is spread too thin.
  4. Platoon
    A lot of the points you make are true. Including the last two paragraphs, the last of which is one of the key pieces. In the second last par you mention, correctly, how difficult it is to retire MLB hitters today. Which I agree with. I do wonder though what the average pitch count is for todays SP v a SP of yesteryear? It would seem to be somewhat lower? Which obviously magnifies the difference in innings pitched. The last par touches on the cost of today’s pitching. It may be the most pertinent point of the discussion. Owners have huge amounts invested in a serviceable SP. While I can see the desire to "protect" that investment, there certainly seem to be different opinions on how to do so. One could ask if you are getting your money’s worth from said investment, if the manager turns every game over to a far inferior talent coming out of the pen for the last 3-4 innings? The answer doesn’t seem simple. You have a pen like the one KC had a few years ago, it may even be an upgrade. You have one like has populated downtown Mpls. some years, and it’s often a waste of your SP investment. While there are stats encouraging teams to avoid throwing that third time through the order thing, it also depends who is throwing those pitches.
  5. Platoon
    Thomas, you missed the qualifier. I have nothing but admiration for his talent. He is the only player the Twins have who can as the saying goes, "stir the drink". But he can’t do that from the dugout, or the IL. Buxton’s ability changes the teams level. When he plays.
  6. Platoon
    There is never a set lineup. You don’t know if you are a lead off hitter, a middle of the order hitter, or a back of the lineup hitter. In the pen, are you a closer, a setup guy, or an innings eater? Only the SP sort of know what their role is. While I am well aware of the fact that how baseball is now "managed" has changed, what hasn’t changed is what goes on in players minds. While some uncertainty is probably useful as a motivational tool, constant uncertainty is in essence chaos. As to the talent of the individuals involved: Its not as good as hoped for. The keys, Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Polanco, and Garver are all not performing as anticipated and didn’t last year. I regrettably include Buxton since he yet again is sitting with some leg problems. I think the Twins have 12 games in, and he has been out twice already. About average. As for Rocco, he is often lauded for his management of the clubhouse. That may be all true, I have saw nothing to contradict that legend. But the game is played on the field. Whether it’s perception or fact, his spreadsheet lineups and his willy nilly use of the pen leave him open to quite a bit of consternation, justified or not.
  7. Platoon
    Buxton always has been the key to the Twins success on a daily basis. Yes, a stud SP would take over that role in a playoff series, but for the first 162 it would still have to be Buxton. He is just simply a game changer day in and day out. And the day in and day out is the problem. He hasn’t proven his ability to stay on the field for extended periods. Some seem to be chronic such as his migraines. Others self inflicted by running into a fence at full speed, at a 90 degree angle. Others tend be be simply bad luck. But the sum of these parts is that until he can stay healthy, he won’t have the impact or be worth the money that could have been. That would make for a pretty tough decision for management if he cannot change his current injury history. Even now as you watch his talent displayed, I imagine everyone has in the back of their mind, "how long before he is on the DL?"
  8. Platoon
    Your comment is absolutely correct. But one also has to consider that sabermetrics has driven the ability to bunt, and the desire to bunt into submission. If you can hit a major league pitch, you can bunt. The fact a player doesn’t want to is more likely the problem. Sabermetrics cuts both ways. If you have a hitter up who statistically is likely to hit into a DP or strike out, bunting someone into scoring position makes sense. Relying on extra base hits is wonderful if you have the talents to do it. It’s like the 3 in basketball has become. Everyone knows you can score more points that way. But few seem to acknowledge that first the ball has to go into that little metal ring. For a,local example see Pitino, Richard!
  9. Platoon
    Lots of talk about lack of offense here about a team who’s lineup is supposedly an offense I’ve juggernaught. That seems misplaced, until you take the Toddlers comment above into consideration. Hitting mistake pitches. It’s true that hitters rely on them for success, and to pad stats. But those pitches are fewer and farther between in the playoffs as the mistake prone pitchers disappear into an early off season. Then your own pitching staff and defense come into prominence. There is no way around the fact that the Twins middle IF defense and catching defense has been subpar, and this flaws make their average pitching even more so. It’s not easy to seriously upgrade starting pitching, regardless of how much you spend. It’s by far the hardest position fill.
  10. Platoon
    You maybe could not have, but the majority of the wits on here, self included, wouldn’t have batted an eyelash. Btw, is it Vampires or Werewolves that are repelled by Garlick? I assume it’s vampires, since werewolves don’t seem subtle enough for that to work?
  11. Platoon
    Since the ball used the last few rears was nicknamed "Titleist", will the new one be "Titleist2". Sadly I doubt this will change the swing from the heels approach baseball has adopted. But it may do two things. The bad news, more boring fly balls! The good news, Instead of running into the wall, the new ball will, they said, come up 1-2’ short. That should knock at least 15 days off of Buxtons DL stints this year!
  12. Platoon
    With the long pitching rosters and the short benches you need someone to FILL in for a short term emergency. Not someone who needs to be in the playing rotation. There really aren’t many guys who can catch and play both corners in the IF, and apparently have some OF experience in winter ball. Will he perform to the starters standards? Not a chance, or else he would be one. Btw, as a defensive catcher, this is a team that played Mitch Garver behind the plate? While The Turtle is not Joe Mauer, we lowered that standard quite a few years ago. If you don’t have excess roster spots for specialized subs, and you don’t want to let your future starters mold on the bench, then you end up with a "26th man" type. Ala La Tortuga. What I really found interesting is that Nick yelled "our beautiful baby" at the tv over a roly poly catcher, and his GF still married him?
  13. Platoon
    See the ball hit the ball...... ⚾️⚾️⚾️
  14. Platoon
    Someone, or several, lamented a lack of offense in the playoffs? I think loss of offense in playoff games is fairly normal. You are facing league best pitching and teams. Many of them are in the playoffs because they allowed less runs than the teams that are home. In theory you can Bomba your way through the playoffs, but in the time frame of several long series it ain’t likely to happen. Good pitching needs good defense, ask any pitcher. In the term of a season, it’s hard to have a solid pitching staff with a weak middle. Buxton gave us a strong OF middle, when he could stay on the field. Going from there to the backstop, hmmmmmmm. Last years first playoff game lacked offense on both sides, until the left side of the Twins IF kicked two ground balls. Yes, 5 bombas would have made this irrelevant, but playoff games just normally do not go in that direction. Winning in baseball with offense is sort of like winning in basketball with the three pointer. It’s effective and entertaining when you are hitting and shooting well. But when you run into a good defensive team, giddy numbers generally disappear.
  15. Platoon
    I like this.. pitching in this game comes first, but if you haven’t been able to improve that then adding an elite SS takes away some of that slack. And he is elite. I had virtually forgotten that SS’s could cover that much ground, have that much arm velocity, and throw over the top. For someone like me who enjoys a great defensive play as much or more than a Bomba, this is a good day.
  16. Platoon
    Wow! I gotta make my "IF’s" bigger I guess. I didn’t say the guy couldn’t pitch in the middle of the order, and I certainly hope he can pitch at the bottom of it. Nor did I say our minor leaguers should be there in place of him. I SAID that IF he ends up as a #1 as someone speculated was possible, which was not me btw, and IF our milb pitchers do not have the talent to exceed his level, then it could be a long year. I didn’t suggest any of the milb pitchers be brought up, I was solely expressing the opinion that the level down there must not be awe inspiring if we can’t fill the 5 hole with one of them. He isn’t a bad pitcher, or at least hasn’t been. But really, the thought of him as the best pitcher on a team makes one easily and likely correctly assume that the rest of the staff is nothing to hang your hat on. Nor does even the hint of him being a #1 bring forth any optimism for this team to bring a halt to our current playoff streak. Do I think he will ever achieve that lofty status on the Twins? I sure hope not. But yes, he can fill the 5 hole nicely on a contender. He will be a piece, but there had best be a separation above him to allow you to contend. Like I said, it ain’t a godawful move!
  17. Platoon
    This isn’t a godawful signing, but it brings up two issues. If he is better than anything your minor leagues can produce in the SP area, then there ain’t much down there. A) If he ends up the teams #1, as you speculated, then it’s gonna be a long year.
  18. Platoon
    Kevin Cash got the old spreadsheet out. "........Snell’s reward for his work: the hook. That’s what Tuesday night amounted to: The analytics-driven Rays removed a starting pitcher who had a 1-0 lead, who had gotten one out in the sixth, who had struck out nine, who had given up two measly singles and hadn’t walked anyone. Read that sentence. Know the result. Consider whether it makes any sense" From WAPO article on WS game 6. Here’s the link. https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/10/28/blake-snell-kevin-cash-world-series/
  19. Platoon
    The strikeout thing puzzles me. We look for pitchers who can rack up the K’s as it’s an important metric in pitching. At the same time we minimize the impact that strike outs do vs the chance that the hitter may hit one over the fence. (See Sano, Miguel). When your middle of the order hitters are prone to strike out at least a third of the time, is simply has to impact the teams production. There is nothing inherently wrong with power. It has its place. But thinking it’s an end all on offense is oversimplifying baseball. There are times and places for the other aspects of the game. Right now so many hitters (and coaches) are so invested in the long ball that players without the ability to be a consistent HR threat are still trying to jack one. With the often expected results. Ran down on the track, or more likely the catcher tossing the ball to the third baseman!
  20. Platoon
    Give him away, nope. Move him for a needed piece, yup. WHEN he hits the ball it’s awesome. It’s the ‘when’ thats the problem. Add in his mediocre defense, his injuries, and what still could be considered a questionable dedication to his craft make him very expendable. Yes, it’s hard to look past that awesome power, but for me it’s still the ‘when” that’s the problem.
  21. Platoon
    Rocco’s persistent attempts to rest everyone all the time creates lineup instability all the time. The baseball players I have known liked knowing where they stood, and liked a general idea of what was their "job" on the team. Am I a lead off guy, a middle of the order guy, a bench guy, or maybe a regular only against lefties. Pitchers are no different. Am I a starter every 5th day? A long reliever/backup starter. Do I come in only to eat innings, or do I come in to get a big K under pressure? The 8th inning man, or the closer. Players are not robots, they don’t enjoy watching someone put into their slot for no particular reason. Yes they are pros and have to roll with it, but if you have no idea what your responsibilities are on a given day, it’s hard to excel. Certain players can handle the stress of a big moment be they hitters or pitchers. Others can’t. Either Rocco can’t discern this, or just thinks that anyone on his spreadsheet can be plugged into any situation. Rocco may run a good clubhouse. Or he may not? I certainly would not know. But his mind boggling batting orders and his pitching substitutions leave an awful lot to be desired. I am sure he will be back, but I would hope in his third year he stabilizes his roster management.
  22. Platoon
    Your point about power is well stated. Power isn’t trying to jerk every pitch towards your pull side over the fence. See Dozier, Brian. Yes, if you get a nice cookie early in the count go for it. If not, that’s where discipline comes in. Sometimes later in the count you simply must concede the advantage to the pitcher, and go with what he throws you. But since power has become so over emphasized in baseball today, hitters are still trying to pull that 1-2 slider off the corner down the line. The outcome is predictable. Guys like Cruz and Miguel Cabrera have figured this out. The Sano’s of the world may never get a handle on it. I do think the emphasis on hitting the ball in the air has compounded the problem. Players are human, and they start to hit a few HR’s and it becomes a narcotic. The temptation to think you can do it with regularity becomes hard to resist. If I am a pitcher, the guy I want to see come up late in the game with men on base is one of these wannabe power guys with 20 HR’s, all 50’ from the foul pole. He’s as good as money in my bank.
  23. Platoon
    Offensively if you think you can simply bash the ball ofer the fence regularily game after game and win playoff series that way you must have missed decades of baseball. Bombas are great fun, but they get harder to hit the further you get into the playoffs. Offense built on swinging from the heels is simply unsustainable. This teams defense may have looked somewhat better this year, but with the loss of Donaldson and Sanó at first, Polanco at SS, and Arraez at 2B this isn’t exactly a gold glove group. And as is often the case, the weak links showed up big time. Then the team gets two excellent starts and for some inexplicable reason Rocco sets them after 5. There just doesn’t seem to be any rationale for that move in a playoff game. His handling of pitchers, and pinch hitters bordered on bizarre. I don’t know if those ideas came from the spreadsheet, or a lack of experience but it certainly didn’t indicate any feel for the game. Lastly, enough with the whining about the strike zone. Yesterday it was said it was "the worlds smallest zone". If you can’t hit when a pitcher is forced to zone it, then it’s doubtful you ever will. And the umpire didn’t run into outs, kick ground balls, and jerk pitchers who were on a roll!
  24. Platoon
    The word "Ace" in MN has become synonymous with the word "Unicorn". We have heard they exist, but at least locally, haven’t see one in years. The last being Johann Santana. Our desire to find one of these rarities has led to a raft of "Is (fill in the blank) our ace? An Ace? i agree that’s Maeda is the current occupant of that elusive role. But I also appreciate that you have differentiated between Ace and ace.
  25. Platoon
    I don’t think it’s unfair to say the Cards have had more success in the pitching department than the Twins, be it draft, development quality, or retention. For whatever reason the Twins have either focused more on, wisely drafted, or lucked out more on the hitting side of the game. They also have had their fair share of success in the CF area. At the same time, SS and catching seem to have been, overall, a organizational black hole with the exception of the Mauer era.
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