Twodogs

So running hard is now risking significant injury? I mean he should probably stay on the IL a little while longer then. I mean I get he can possibly hit .275 with some power, but he's hitting a dollar seventy five. Sometimes I think if a player starts to hold back, they will also struggle with normal stuff too, because they are not letting their body just do things. They are thinking too much, about holding back. I just think he has to play the game they way he has always played it, if he is still too injured to do so, then stay on the IL a little longer until he is 100%.

Thanks for the info. Maybe I'm getting old and senile, but it hasn't always been like this, right? They used to have pre game before all of the game regardless of home or away. Or am I imagining things? Again thanks, I will quit looking for the pre game on away games.

Is there a reason why I can't watch the Twins pre-game? I have to watch the brewers pre game? Is that because of the new TV situation and all of that stuff?

Hope they continue to ride this wave for awhile!!!

Now his on base percentage is .341, highest of his career. And his OPS is .796. his stats will go down and then they'll go back up again and so on. He will have an ok season in Philly.

Divisions can't be won in April but they probably can be lost. I don't think getting rid of the manager is going to do much. I feel like when it's time for a change it's Falvey that'll need to go, or he will just replace Rocco with another Rocco. Someone who does everything he tells him to do. A lot of today's game is controlled be the GM's it seems like a lot of managers don't have complete control of their lineups and whatnot. So if the Twins stay stagnant, that probably means that Falvey assembled a flawed team. Which in turn would mean Falvey would need to go along with a new manager, etc..... hopefully a new ownership group too?

I know people are bringing up money paid to said relievers and what not. But I think the biggest argument is the fact that a team is really carrying extra pitchers on their roster. So instead of having a 13 man pitching staff you really have a 14 or 15 man pitching staff because you can continuously DFA guys and bring other players up. Maybe they just need to say these are our 13 pitchers for the week. Then at the end of the week they can manipulate the roster with minor league guys and DFA a couple of guys or option them if they have options. Then at least they have to have 13 dudes they can trust for the week?

I think that is every MLB players hope after they get DFA'd. The thing with Dobber is that he gets paid no matter what. He did his job, I think he probably can't throw again for about 4 days so I'm assuming the Twinkies are bringing in someone who can so as to not be short in the bullpen. JMO

Probably leads the Twins in innings pitched right now? Did his job and now will wait around until needed again.

I remember watching Popeye and the Rocky and Bullwinkle show on KMSP when I was a little kid!! 🤣

We need to be saying our nightly prayers that Buck doesn't get seriously injured at all this year. 140 - 150 games out of Buck and the Twins are probably sitting at the top of the division at the end of the season!

Reminds me of the Victory Sports discussions back in the day!

I sure hope not. I want Larnach and Wallner to get 500 PA's if healthy. If also like to see Miranda get some extended at bats. That would mean spending some time at the DH. Just my hopes, I want to see what these guys can do for a full season.

Which was put in there by Derek Falvey. 😂

It doesn't really matter to me one way or another. Personally I wouldn't have brought in Harrison Bader or Ty France. Ty France has seemed to do well this spring, so hopefully he can keep producing. But back to Dobnak, I mean he has pitched at the MLB level a few times albeit mixed results. However, he seemed to pitch very well at the minor league level last season! So he has shown some upside at times. He's obviously a good clubhouse guy or they wouldn't be bringing him along and he can perform many different roles. With the question of don't you think you would have seen it by now, well last year in the minors he looked sharp. But I start to think of guys like Ronel Blanco for Houston. I mean he's already 31, he spent many many years in the minors and then last year he had a good season. So I mean it can happen whenever. Also I think of Frank Viola, yes he finally got good at much younger age, probably like 25, but his first 2 seasons he went 11 - 25 with about a 5.40 era in an era where guys weren't hitting 40 - 50 Hrs per year. In fact one season he led the league in earned runs. If Viola had come up in today's game with those numbers he would have been cut and he'd be playing for the Pecos League or for the FM Redhawks. So give him a chance to be a mop up guy, he may surprise, he probably won't, but he isn't going to hurt the squad and the young guys need every day innings so they probably are better off in the minors rather than sitting on a bench in the majors right now. JMO

But his quad and hammy injuries have occurred from running the bases? So I'm not sure how standing around 1st vs standing around 3rd during a game really makes that big of a difference? I mean when 1st basemen hold runners on they have to explode off of the base to get into fielding position every pitch. At 3rd he just has to prep step on every pitch? I mean they are both corner infield positions, not a huge difference in wear and tear. Not the same a moving Mauer from behind the plate to 1st to save on wear and tear. I mean maybe he should just go and DH if we are trying to save on wear and tear?

I'm watching them on NESN right now?

Well at least with DirecTV the team they are playing will be broadcasting it.

I think the idea to free up money is a good one, but the Twins would likely not do anything with it. You know you have a real good defensive catcher in Vazquez, you don't really know what you have in the two young guys. So at this point I'd keep Vazquez for sure. If the Twins were going to use the savings to make the team better I'd have a different opinion for sure. But those of us hanging around in Twins land kinda already know that they wouldn't do anything with that money.

Well except that Polanco hasn't done a whole lot either? Hopefully he has a bounce back season this year for Seattle. Just not against the Twins.

Great point context is key. That's why I was just saying that a lineup needs to be balanced. A couple of high K guys are ok if they are coming up to bat with guys on base, so when they do hit that one bomb here and there it's doing some damage. https://www.mlb.com/stats/team/2024 I pulled up the K totals of teams and Seattle and Colorado led the league in K's. Followed by I think Boston, Pittsburgh, and Oakland. Not exactly your high powered offenses. The Dodgers and the Yankees finished 19th and 20th overall in K's, so in the bottom half of the league, or in the category of closer to the least amount of K's rather than the most K's. K's aren't good for everyone, but maybe they don't hurt as bad if only a couple of guys rack a few of them up.

Line drives have a negative correlation to K rate. Trying to hit it out of the park has a positive correlation to K rate. You kind of proved me right with the runs scored per line drive. Line drives turn into home runs. But most line drives turn into base hits and doubles. When hitters are trying to hit home runs they tend to hit fly balls. A lot of fly balls leave the park, but a lot of those swings turn into K's also. How many line drives did Tony Gwynn hit? The idea is that you can stay back a little let the ball travel and hit a line drive. AKA Joe Mauer. You can't really stay back trying to hit a bomb, you kinda need to catch that out front which gives you less time to see spin etc.... I can name line drive hitters all day long that don't produce hardly any K's. The argument wasn't that line drives were bad it was that K's are bad. And I said some K's are ok, just can't have a whole lineup of them.

I hope this argument continues all the way into July when they induct Ichiro Suzuki into the Hall of Fame. I think balance is the most important. I feel like the straight analytics guys believe there is only one true great player. That said player has to fit certain criteria to be a great player. I believe the best baseball team are made up of players that provide balance. Yeah you need an occasional strike out prone hitter or two in a lineup to provide that extra pop. But you also need a couple of those guys that hit those occasional ground balls and cause havoc on the basepaths. If you have a one robot type player a pitching staff can figure out how to get that one guy out and they will get everyone out up and down the lineup. But if you mix in a Tony Gwynn here or there then the pitching strategies change when there are guys on base. Not too many pitchers realistically care about a solo shot. Three of those over 7 innings mixed in with a ton of strikeouts usually results in a win for the pitcher. Now mix in a couple of guys that don't K and now one of those bombs is a 3 run shot and you've got a win. I think what is being missed here is that there is a need in every lineup for all of the different types of hitters. Reggie Jackson K'd more than anyone, but he wouldn't have been as successful if everyone in his lineups K'd just as much as he did. He wouldn't have gotten as many at bats, nor would he have had as many RBI's as the bases would have been more empty with all of the K'd. So in my opinion there is a place for all of those types of hitters to make a lineup less predictable and more successful in all situations, not just some situations. Now on to the next argument, all bunts are bad. Wait a minute, I think Rod Carew is calling?

I totally agree that a .717 OPS says he should be a bench player. But the Twins brought in Bader with a .657 OPS and Ty France and his .670 OPS that kinda puts Willi in front of those guys. However, I've seen a lot of predicted lineups having Willi as the lead off hitter and I think that is ridiculous. Because of that .717 OPS. That's kind of why I'd have him as my 7th hitter. But I don't get to make any decisions. So it is what it is. I hope if Bader and France play a bunch this year that they both have an OPS north of .800, but I haven't seen it over that last couple of seasons? So we shall see. Hopefully they can use some smoke and mirrors and win the division.

Well like I said though that this is what I hope plays out. I mean Castro kind of plays everywhere. He plays some SS, some 2B, some OF, some 3B, I mean he plays all over. I didnt have an all over position listed, so he needs to be in the lineup as the team is currently constructed so I slid him into the DH position. I know Buxton will play a lot of DH, but you and I both hope he plays more CF than Castro does. Lewis is going to slot into the DH position quite frequently also, so as to limit injury but again I sure hope he plays more 3B than Castro does. Castro had to be in my lineup. But those are the guys who I'd like to see play the most innings at those positions that I listed.