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diehardtwinsfan

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Everything posted by diehardtwinsfan

  1. diehardtwinsfan
    For the talk about a better product on the field, the front office tried that. We were all quite happy when they went out and go Nolasco and Hughes. Pelf was a bit different example, though most of us figured he'd be better than he was. Gibson improved and yet the pitching was still horribly bad. Offense, on the other hand, improved quite well. So I'd argue that the front office did attempt to put a better team on the field. That said, last year, this team was better than their pythagorean numbers by a signficant margin. This year's team was worse than those same numbers by a large margin. This tells me that while it didn't show up in the wins column, the team is better. I do think there's something to be said for patience. The offense was pretty good and should improve next season. With some tweaks, the defense should too. It comes down to pitching. Will Nolasco rebound? Will Hughes regress? Will Gibson and May build off of this season? Will Meyer make an impact when he comes up? Will they find a way to get rid of some of these guys to make room for a FA signing?
  2. diehardtwinsfan
    Thing about Garver is that he was picked in round 9. That means the Twins passed up on him 8 times, and so do most other teams. When picked that low, he obviously has some glaring weaknesses. I don't have too much of an issue letting him play in Cedar Rapids as I'd imagine that was the point... It's a league where he shouldn't have too much issue competing, but also one that will allow him to work on whatever those weaknesses are. I'm pretty excited about the guy b/c he performed very well there and showed all the requisite skills that are necessary to succeed at higher levels. I don't fault the Twins for putting him there, they had reason. I do think that he's got the potential to be a good major league catcher. He's got 3 more seasons until he's a 40 man decision. Next year should give us a real good idea if he's for real.
  3. diehardtwinsfan
    If you owned the Twins, would you be willing to jettison the Nolasco and Pelfrey contracts? I think Jim P. is first and foremost a business man and I while I could see him calling Pelf a sunk cost, Nolasco is going to be a different story with 36M left on teh table. I think that's a pretty big deal, b/c if they go out and get another expensive FA pitcher and that doesn't work, then what? At one point, these contracts make it very difficult for them to be competitive. What I do think is that it might be in the Twins best interest to see about aquiring a stud pitcher and/or a stud LF in the high minors. They do have some minor league depth to pull it off, and if it could be achieved without giving up on Sano, Meyer, and Buxton, then I think they would be wise to do it. I'd note though that I think the odds of pulling this off are pretty low given that those pitchers are very very expensive. Their major league trade chips (Plouffe, Escobar, and maybe Gibson) combined with a lesser minor league prospect might get something to a team looking to win now (particularly an LF), but I don't see those guys netting a quality pitcher.
  4. diehardtwinsfan
    Commander as in Gardy? No, I'd get rid of him. As in Ryan? I've been on record saying that I think Ryan should stick around another year or two, but that the team should move on from him at that point, though I really hope moving on isn't Krivisky or Anthony.
  5. diehardtwinsfan
    Personally, I'd like to see them get rid of everyone on the coaching staff minus Molitor, Bruno, and Cuellar. I'd consider getting Dougie or Jake M. up on the ML staff and would want to pilfer someone from another org... Probably a coach on the St. Louis staff and if it's an option, I'd go hard after Joe Maddon as well.
  6. diehardtwinsfan
    I'm really curious about Sickle's rankings of the system this offseason. I'm guessing Garver would garner a C+ ranking right now as a guy far down with some very nice upside... Looking at these lists, I'd imagine he's going to have quite a few C+ guys, well more than the 20 to 25 he normally does. I wouldn't be shocked if he has 15 guys with a B- or better. That alone is pretty impressive given how stingy he can be with those letter grades.
  7. diehardtwinsfan
    I'm guessing it was. I don't think either were hands down winners, but both choices were justifiable for various reasons.
  8. diehardtwinsfan
    I disagree with Mackey in that I think this lies solely at the feet of the coaching staff. Their job (like many in management) is to motivate. I think with all the rookies coming up, a good drill seargent would likely be something that woudl benefit them until they get established and can start managing that aspect of the culture on their own. Hicks is a real good example here as I think his teammates would have dealt with that so that Gardy didn't have to... The problem is I dont' think there's that person to take care of it in this current clubhouse... Also, I think coaches tend to outlive their usefullness. They don't necessarily become bad coaches, but when they've been established for a while, that voice tends to get ignored. I think an overhaul of the staff shoudl fix a lot of that.
  9. diehardtwinsfan
    Some day, I suspect that there will be some sort of WAR based stat for coaches. I think they are much like players in that they can add wins/losses to a team over the course of a year. I think most of that falls on the manager, but baseball is a game of adjustments, and a good coach will be able to help his/her players adjust better when baseball adjusts to them. I'm not sure how that quantifies Anderson. I'm sure he has a pitching philosophy, and I'm guessing it plays to the strenghts of guys like Hughes whereas it plays up to the weaknesses of other players. I'd also add that decent coaches should have a good influence on the locker room. I get that winning cures a lot of illnesses, but even when things are going well, some people don't get along. Good coaches have a way of making that aspect of things better... or at least I'd hope they do.
  10. diehardtwinsfan
    I think Garver should be higher on the list. His defense is good and his approach at the plate indicates that he should hit well in the majors. He's a bit old for his league, so I don't think he has a future of .880 OPS type work, but I think he can be a good hitting/good defending catcher and eventually take the role every day.
  11. diehardtwinsfan
    I could definitely see getting an LF for 3 year deal and a 1 year stop gap in CF. Based on the FA market though, I don't think there's much for options out there unless the Twins want to pickup a decent production on a bad contract.
  12. diehardtwinsfan
    I'm really trying to figure out how Ryan would move Nolasco this offseason. That would be impressive. There aren't going to be suitors for him, even if the Twins ate a bunch of salary.
  13. diehardtwinsfan
    Agree on all counts... lots of these guys would be much higher on other lists. That bodes well for the future of our system.
  14. diehardtwinsfan
    I suspect several coaches will be gone. Whether Gardy quits b/c he doesn't have Anderson anymore I don't know, but my guess is that Gardy will stay in a lame duck scenario and Anderson and a couple others go.
  15. diehardtwinsfan
    That would be an interesting aquisition. I wouldn't mind mind picking up another high ceiling arm to pair with Meyer/Berrios, and they did give up Bauer last year for a pretty questionable return. That said, I'm not sure what we would have that they would want.... maybe they are high on Escobar.... One could hope..
  16. diehardtwinsfan
    Yeah, apologies... Not much of a podcast guy in general. Don't really listen to any of them, just like to read. I do remember the name now... Still surprised to see it that high given the depth of talent in the system.
  17. diehardtwinsfan
    JT Chargois sighting.... Here's to hoping his name can stay in the box scores all year long next year.
  18. diehardtwinsfan
    I'm a no on the FA route here as well. Too many guys coming up. That said, I also think it's would be unwise to turn over the entire pen. The Twins do need to start turning things over as some guys are already blocked. What I expect: Burton will not have his option picked up. Duensing and Swarzack will be traded or non-tendered. Pelfrey will not earn a spot to start and Millone will be the 5th starter. Perkins Fien Thielbar Pressley Pelfrey Tonkin Oliveros/Guerrero/Achter/O'rourke/Thompson I don't see any of the hard throwers taking the job out of spring. They aren't on the 40 man, and there are too many very good options sitting in AAA. Pino, Darnell, and Meyer get to be the AAA 6th starter. I expect Meyer to force his way on to the roster at some point, most likely relacing Millone if no one gets hurt.
  19. diehardtwinsfan
    I don't see Pelfrey getting traded this offseason as there's always guys like him looking for 1 year deals to reclaim their value. Teams aren't going to give up money and a prospect for that purpose. I could see him being added to irrevocable waivers and given the option to latch on to anyone who claims him for his salary, but I have a feeling he'd remain a Twin and go unclaimed. As for the 2015 rotation, what I want is Hughes, Nolasco, Gibson, May, and Meyer. However, I think Meyer is the odd guy out and it will be one of Pelfrey or Millone unless someone gets hurt or Meyer absolutely destroys ST while the other two stink it up. Johnson, Darnell, and Pino stick around as AAA depth and remain on the 40 man for injury callups.
  20. diehardtwinsfan
    Chattanooga isn't that far from here. Now if only the Twins could replace Rochester with Indianapolis, I'd be quite happy.
  21. diehardtwinsfan
    I think (if memory serves me right) that 'most people' (and I use that term loosely) were big believers in giving up our second rounder to sign Drew this offseason. The question at hand, from my perspective is this: Do you trade a 3-4 year deal of Steven drew at a high 7 or 8 figure salary for Nick Burdi?
  22. diehardtwinsfan
    I doubt any of those trades would happen. Also, isn't Burton a FA this offseason?
  23. diehardtwinsfan
    I'd expect improvement from Mauer, Arcia, Gibson, May, and maybe Plouffe. To counter that, though, I'd expect a drop off from Vargas and Santana. I think the best place to make up the difference would be targeting improvements in the OF.
  24. diehardtwinsfan
    Given the quality relievers coming up from the system, I really think the Twins are doing May and themselves a disservice if they were to move May to the pen. He's pitched, what, 7 starts? 7 starts is not enough of a sample size to judge a player by... especially a high ceiling player. May has gotten Ks everywhere he's went. This season, he dropped his walk rate down to very good levels and saw the other peripherals improve with it. I'd say his floor as a starter right now is going to be a 3 once he gets himself established, and he has a higher ceiling than that. But to get that, you have to let him pitch through his growing pains. Signing another FA starter to a contract you won't be able to trade or waive creates another Nolasco type situation. I'm not sure we want that.
  25. diehardtwinsfan
    I understand that, but I see it as room for improvement. I also think that a hit is still more valuable than a walk, especially with runners on. I'd agree that the key would be to up the OBP with it, but for a guy with a career minor league average of just under .300, a .230 BA is a bit concerning I think. I also think that if he does a better job putting balls in play for hits, the power numbers may recover a bit too.
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