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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    With Correa and Lewis both on the IL, this is an "all hands on deck" situation. Granted, Kyle Farmer has been a good replacement for Correa, so far. But with the playoffs looming, the team needs to bring up the most effective reinforcement for two key positions, shortstop and third base. That does not call for Austin Martin, that calls for Brooks Lee. Like Martin, Lee is an excellent base runner, but Lee was raised to be an infielder, and Lee is a switch hitter with good plate discipline. Also, Lee has never showed signs that he is overmatched at any level. The game is not "too fast" for him, nor do the pitchers throw too hard. He grew up a baseball junkie, under the tutelage of his father, a high-level college baseball coach. Lee's game may benefit from refinements and adjustments, but that didn't stop the Twins from keeping around Kirilloff for the playoffs, or Julien this season. Both guys needed to improve their fielding, and both did so. Lee already is an excellent fielder, and the "pressure" of playoff baseball is hardly likely to traumatize the young man. I think Brooks Lee is ready to put pressure on this team's opponents. The Twins should get a spot on the 40 man roster ready for Brooks Lee.
  2. jimbo92107
    I wouldn't do that, unless injuries forced my hand. Rather have Jax close, or Brock Stewart. Might even think about Maeda for closer - the man has no fear. Varland isn't accustomed to high-leverage relief.
  3. jimbo92107
    Congratulations to Rocco and his boys. Long, tough season, but the Twins kept grinding, and now they're back in the playoffs. One thing they might consider, as a secret weapon... Bring up Brooks Lee. The rookie would be a valuable bench add for various reasons, including subbing for 2B, SS, or 3B, plus pinch hitting and pinch running. Give him a cuppa for a good season in the minors. If he takes off, keep him around.
  4. jimbo92107
    This game showed a lot of things, one of which might have been: Hunter Greene. That kid has dynamite stuff, and he's got the build to have a good career. We got Royce Lewis, an everyday player that also looks like he'll have at least a good career. We also got to see Willie Castro confirm his status as one of the best players on this team. Meanwhile, Jorge Polanco showed that he's still a clutch player, showing guys like Eddie Julien and Brooks Lee that 2nd Base isn't up for grabs anytime soon.
  5. jimbo92107
    Twins FO is a little more willing to move on from previous stars to new kids. The Sano/Buxton window has closed. Now, it's time to move on to the next group of stars, possibly before Correa moves on. Notice they've already moved on from last season's hired guns, like Mahle. This new group looks more reliable, putting pressure on opponents most of the time. When you've got Gray and Lopez to start the playoffs, then Ryan, you're looking pretty good. With Maeda and Ober backing them up with spot starts and long relief, that's a pretty strong playoff rotation. At that point, you've got some pretty good bats in the lineup, led by Lewis, who is having a phenomenal second half. Any of Correa, Polanco or Kirilloff could get hot at any time. Castro is clutch, Wallner has serious pop, and Kepler can emerge anytime. This is a squad that can win more than a few playoff games.
  6. jimbo92107
    Bring up Martin as super utility along with Castro. Lewis to CF, Miranda to 3B, and be ready for Lee to crowd the infield after burning it up in St Paul. That's a huge amount of flexibility, which the Twins love. I hate to say it, but it's time to move on from Buxton. He's a superstar when healthy, but he's so seldom healthy...
  7. jimbo92107
    I don't expect Varland to be as effective as Jax has been this season out of the bullpen. Jax has a full set of good pitches and great control...until lately. Varland has one plus pitch, plus one good pitch. If the cutter fails, his heater isn't enough to survive. For that reason I'm hoping Brock Stewart gets very healthy very quickly. I'd rather see Steward in the BP than a tired Jax or Paddack, who is a scary long-shot. If I'm the Twins, I don't pitch Paddack unless every other option is injured.
  8. jimbo92107
    I saw Chris Paddack when he first came up for the San Diego Padres. I was immediately impressed with his stuff (think Joe Ryan plus 3 mph on each pitch). I was sure he was bound for superstar status. He even appeared to have an easy, throw-all-day motion. Boy, was I wrong about that! Now, after two TJ surgeries, can Paddack's arm survive the intense stress of throwing a baseball at high velocities? Did Twins coaches figure out what it was about his mechanics that caused the problem, or was it simply genetics? Is Paddack now doing exercises to prevent further damage? We'll see some answers pretty soon. The Twins would be most fortunate to get an arm of Paddack's magnitude in their bullpen.
  9. jimbo92107
    Frustration is the diagnosis. Pressure is the answer. Pro hitters like to talk about "process," rather than isolated instances of success or failure. They spend years refining their processes, which consist of purifying their swings, analyzing game situations, reading subtle physical signs that pitchers and other players give off, etc. The result of all that work isn't a guarantee of getting a hit at any particular time, but it is supposed to make hits more likely. That is where pressure comes in. If a hitter is doing all the stuff he has been practicing, then the pitcher should face maximum pressure from each of that player's at bats. If that is not happening, the first thing to look at is if each batter appears to be applying as much pressure as possible, in the form of plate discipline, situation analysis, swing mechanics, etc. Even acknowledging how hard it is to hit a baseball thrown by a major league pitcher, it is hard for me to believe that the entire Twins lineup was applying as much pressure as they could.
  10. jimbo92107
    The team the Twins want to avoid is Detroit. Luckily, that does not appear to be an upcoming problem this season. Everybody else, in my opinion, will be easier to beat.
  11. jimbo92107
    "The front office put the team in this position, and when their weak bullpen hurts their chances to make the playoffs or, more likely, destroys their opportunities to make a playoff run, they'll have nobody to blame but themselves." Well, that's not necessarily true. I'll take the blame myself...but I'm gonna want some serious money up front, like a hundred dollars.
  12. jimbo92107
    A couple hundred years ago, Twins catcher Bryan Harper seemed to thrive on 2-strike counts. But Harper was one of the best bat-to-barrel guys I've ever seen. It's rare for a guy to thrive on 2 strikes. Mauer was good, Harper was good, but it's rare.
  13. jimbo92107
    Sounds like the Twins have another good starter in Dallas Keuchel. Not the greatest start, but he still gets guys out. Skol!
  14. jimbo92107
    It's also possible that, for whatever reason, Ryan has been throwing his fastball too close to the middle of the strike zone. Regardless whether it's from mid-season muscle fatigue or a tweaked groin muscle, if Ryan's command is not sufficiently precise, if it gets too close to the middle zone, he gets killed. The middle is lava.
  15. jimbo92107
    Think about it: At the beginning of the season, Ryan's fresh arm was making his fastball ride quite a bit, causing batters to consistently swing under it. As the season wore on, and Ryan's arm has worn down, his fastball isn't riding as high as before. Now players that were trying to adjust to it are succeeding. Also, we have observed that when a hitter does adjust to Ryan's fastball, the ball jumps off the bat like a rocket. Right now, Ryan's fastball is little better than high-speed batting practice. He definitely needs to skip a start, then re-evaluate his approach for the remainder of the season. If his heater ain't rising, he needs to do something different.
  16. jimbo92107
    Pierson Oh's behind-the-back catch got a grin even from the opposing team's first base coach. Priceless. Meanwhile, why isn't Dallas Keuchel at least a long man in the Twins bullpen? Let Gray go four strong innings, then let Keuchel go four strong, then closer.
  17. jimbo92107
    Oppo Taco Papa bobs another oppo taco! Wait a minute... All Kirilloff did was hit one home run? For shame!
  18. jimbo92107
    He likes hunting, fishing, and golf. Might as well be a Minnesota native. Welcome to Minnesota, kid. Biggest difference will be the northern accent. Oh, and there's this thing called, "winter..." ;-)
  19. jimbo92107
    I like Nick Gordon, and I really admire how he fought back from all his physical ailments to become a good mlb ballplayer. However, Hunter is right: Willie Castro is better in every respect except pure power. Castro adds a lot of little, but important elements that are lacking in Gordon's game. Castro is slightly faster, but noticeably quicker with his first step, both stealing and fielding. Castro's arm is definitely stronger, and at least as accurate as Gordon's. Castro is a much better bunter, and a better all-around baserunner. Last, I would rather see Castro in the game during a clutch situation, whether you need a perfect fielding play, a steal, or need to get one more hit. Willie Castro has displaced Nick Gordon as a super utility player. This is not to say Gordon has no value. It's just that Castro is even better.
  20. jimbo92107
    Alex Kirilloff, the Oppo Taco Papa! Eddie Julien, the Poutine Power Bopper! Trevor Plouffe tried Bailey "Nightmare" Ober.... Hmmmm... Swing and a miss? I might try, "bet the Ober Under," as in, he keeps the opposition down.
  21. jimbo92107
    "The cutter was pretty much an emergency pitch when the slider wasn’t working." Then work on perfecting your cutter, so you can take your time developing your slider.
  22. jimbo92107
    Regardless how he does in baseball, I hope Jorge Lopez feels better about himself. An imperfect pitching performance does not indicate a flaw in your character.
  23. jimbo92107
    You can see why pitchers depend so heavily on physical preparation and perfecting their mechanics. They are operating right on the edge of injuring various parts of their body, particularly the elbow tendons and the shoulder joint. Even "little" things like a finger blister, strained finger tendon, impingement, groin pull, or various lower leg problems can sideline a pitcher for weeks, if not longer. weitz41 mentions Paddack regarding Mahle's case. Paddack is supposed to return sometime in August, I believe. Twins should hold off on contract talks with Mahle until they see what they have in Paddack. If he looks good, then Mahle becomes just one of several pitchers on the outside looking in for 2024.
  24. jimbo92107
    Dallas Kuechel is another veteran pitcher that gets outs with placement, spin and changing speeds. Like having a lefty Kenta Maeda. I don't mind that at all.
  25. jimbo92107
    It is sneaky fun watching Baily Ober pitch, because hitters clearly are wondering why they aren't pounding the ball on him. On the other hand, Griffin Jax's innings are kind of boring, because nothing ever happens. Which is kinda like saying a bowler is boring because all he does is throw strikes.
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