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Platoon

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Everything posted by Platoon

  1. I can't even think of any words that could appropriately convey my excitement at hearing this wonderful news! Hopefully they are working on an extension as we type!
  2. . In theory I don't even disagree, maybe I should have had my tongue further into my cheek? . That said, my first thought, and admittedly not my most rational one was what an odd coincidence! The first cuts of camp, included the three players who have drawn the most interest, speculation, and drooling in the last several years of mediocre baseball. A conspiracy theorist would ask, was there a message here to the public? Of course since I am not a conspiracy theorist, I must leave that to others to contemplate!
  3. with tongue only slight planted in cheek, yes, you would not want to confuse the issue with a pitcher who was better than the ones in question!
  4. I thought he was going to be ok, but after yesterday I don't know. Some guys just never have the concentration and desire to use their physical talents to the max. I am beginning to think Hicks is one of those. Btw, kudos to Molitor for jerking him if he is out there half asleep!
  5. If you have umpired, it is easier to understand the difference that the catchers reception of the ball makes. For example, for a horderline ball at the knees, if you catch it with a downward motion, it's going to look lower. If you catch it palm up, you are showing the ump a lot of ball. Same goes for the corners, especially the outside one. Also, you do want to catch the ball with as little movement as possible. Grasping at it does no good. As for "pulling" a pitch? If you have to pull it, maybe it wasn't a strike? . It is also a lot easier to call a game over a catcher who sits low. Pinto looks like he has his butt too high in the air. Get low, and work up. Catch that wide breaking ball closer to the plate. Framing is simply helping the guy behind you get a good look, and helping him look good doing his job. It truly is not rocket science.
  6. I listened to the first game Blyleven pitched. 287 wins, 3.31 lifetime ERA, and the third most SO's in history! And it took how many years to get into Cooperstown?
  7. I don't remeber giving you permission to use my picture on here! .
  8. If you only consider who would be the best of these 3, Mauer, Plouffe, or Sano in a corner OF spot, it would be Mauer hands down. He likely does not run as well as Sano, but I bet he can go get a fly ball, and I have no doubt his arm would be quite suited to RF. This does not mean I advocate such a move for any of them. It would just be the lesser of three evils!
  9. Agreed. While the metrics of pitch framing might be a work in progress, the art itself is a big part of balls and strikes. Umpires are human. They are emotional, they like certain practices, and they like to be made to look good. A catcher can contribute to that a lot. It's not easy to define, or describe, but certain catchers get strikes called more often than others on the same pitch. Consistently catching the ball just off the outside corner with your glove turned slightly in will get you a few of those. Catching that pitch with an away motion gets you none of them. There are a lot of others, but suffice it to say that how the ball is caught can make or break the call on close pitches over the course of a game.
  10. While they got an occasional one here and there I don't recall our other catchers putting up HOF numbers in the throwing department either. Pinto also was saddled with the honor of being named as Samuel Dedunos personal catcher! Nothing says managerial brilliance as much as pairing a high strung pitcher who needs a stabilizing catcher, with an inexperienced young catcher whose defense, pitch calling, and framing is being questioned by that very same manager! As for running on breaking balls and on good counts, that is hopefully something that Twins runners work on also. It takes an awfully good jump to steal on a letter high fastball.
  11. I saw him in Beloit at third. I have no idea what he weighed then, but movement and athleticism was not his problem. As for Plouffe keeping him down on the farm, consider this. If Sano was and apparently still is one of the top 5 prospects in baseball, and he cannot move Plouffe off of third one of 3 things is going on! The rankings are total BS, the Twins FO does not know talent at all, or Trevor Plouffe is the most under ranked third baseman in the history of MLB!
  12. In the discussion between metrics and the eye test, the above topic is where the eye test still rules. While baseball is in many ways an individual sport, the roster construction is one of the "team" aspects of the game. It's making sure your 25 players are of ML quality is not enough. The pieces have to fit!
  13. i certainly hope you have already contacted a copyright attorney?? :)
  14. I understand the parallels, but there are several important points. Garnett does not seem to care if he actually plays regularly. Hunter has, and will continue to insist on when, and where he plays. The Wolfies have a lot of their future here, there is no real minor league NBA, so Garnett is not blocking someone he is supposed to be "mentoring"! And of the 4 players you listed as being exciting for the fans to watch perform, while showing up at the game to see Torii, there is a fair chance they will have to got to Rochester or Chatanooga to see 3 of them.
  15. The low level of fair ball bunts does not at all surprise me. It's part of what makes sac bunting such a poor strategy, except in very limited scenarios.
  16. whoops, I probably was not clear. I was soley referring to sac bunts. I personally prefer a steal vs a sac bunt to move up a runner, ie, not giving up the out to move up. I find it particularly aggravating to see 2 half hearted bunt attempts, and then most likely a weak out! I am a firm believer if you don't want to bunt on the first 2 strikes, maybe your desire will improve significantly on the 3rd?
  17. This is getting to be a little like "why did the chicken cross the road?" But we won't ever know if he gets run over?
  18. i think there might be some validity to the stubborn part. I found he was often correct, in that a called strike was not really a strike. There is also the issue of his not getting the "catchers zone" anymore. Umpires, at least smart ones, do not ring up catchers on borderline strikes. If they do, they get to listen to 9 innings of begging for that strike for his pitcher! That makes for a long day!
  19. . If 70% is the break even on stolen bases, does anyone have any idea on what the success rate on sacrifice bunts is? I am not advocating nor am I a fan of the bunt usually. Most of the time it puts the hitter in the hole due to a lack of desire to execute. But the benefits of moving up a base without giving up an out are pretty significant. Running on the right count, with the right runners goes a long way to increasing the success.
  20. But if he doesn't steal second....... He might stil get stranded
  21. I don't understand the Mauer hitting second philosophy. You could just as well have a right handed pull hitter bat there. It does not take saber metrics to know that he hits like a machine. Most everything he hits is to the left side, the stuff he hits to the right side is generally on the ground. Singles to left do not move a runner from first to third. And ground balls up the middle or to the right side, and into a shift end up as 4-6-3. This is not a denigration of Mauer as a great hitter. He is one of the best ever. But his perfection is to a fault. Shifts are very effective against him because he will hit the ball where it's pitched over and over.
  22. I would let Santana at top until he proves he can't stay there. He is an aggressive runner, a needed commodity on this team. Oddly if not him, then Mauer. He is a very good, very odd hitter, and hard to place because of his quirks. He should not hit #2 because of his inside out swing, and because most balls to the right are ground balls. Also a fairly easy DP candidate. Fairly slow, but an instinctive base runner, he could lead off. 3 hole has always been a stretch because of the lack of power. It seems odd to put a .300+ hitter in the 6 or 7 hole, but that is where a lot of the other parts of his game fit. As for Hunter, do not be surprised if he finds out how sorely he misses Miggy standing in the on deck circle behind him. I think that is an oft overlooked scenario.
  23. I would like to think that if he is healthy and steady in ST, he gets a chance to move north quickly. I can understand getting some rust removing AB's in the minors. But, not only is there no no one blocking him, there is no one, period. There can only be one acceptable reason not to bring him up early this year. That is because there is a "Grand Scheme"! That because of contractual and time of service reasoning the Twins are going to wait until after the ASG to do a major rebuild. I can live with that. But if they try and spend another year pretending that this team has a chance of winning anything, I do think I will start watching hockey!
  24. The guy who sold it to you is now the Director of Player Personnel for the Twins!
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