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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    I like Kepler for a number of reasons. His work ethic is a good as anybody's. He seems eminently coach-able, but what's better is that he appears to have a knack for incorporating the right things into his habits, the way Joe Mauer does. Also like Mauer, Kepler flashes very little ego about his accomplishments. He's a modest guy with great athletic talent. I expect Kepler to continue building upon his solid foundation of baseball knowledge. His career is shaping up to be a good example of how to do it right.
  2. jimbo92107
    Sort of an inverted W, but not quite. I'm hoping Twins coaches will smooth out that over-extension, tho it's not as extreme as what we see in Greene, whose throwing forearm is near vertical, not pointed sideways like Wright's. Plus, Wright's moment of acceleration starts with a pronounced leg drive, but smooth acceleration to more of a forward position of his elbow before the final rotation of the forearm, where it causes less stress on that elbow joint. Great photo!
  3. jimbo92107
    If "expert" knowledge is any guide, then yeah, Greene could be more vulnerable to tearing his elbow than some others. I can testify personally that proper form really, really matters. As a kid I got tennis elbow from hitting with too much wrist flip, too much forearm rotation, an aluminum racket, and even from Kevlar strings. That condition is a lesser form of the same injury that could tear completely for a guy trying to throw a ball with max effort, whether it's a fastball, a slider or some other pitch. Form counts a lot, which is why some people spot the "inverted W" as a sign of over-torquing the elbow, and a possible predictor of TJ trouble. Strassborg did it, and so does Greene. Wright does not, his form appears to be less punishing on the elbow. BTW, McKay does an inverted W, too, but not as severely as Greene does. This might explain why Greene's high school coach shut him down before the end of the season. Could be that one or more scouts spotted this problem and recommended that he simply stop pitching until professional coaches could work to give him better form. I hope that's what happened, and that Greene wasn't already feeling pain in the elbow.
  4. jimbo92107
    I just watched a Youtube video, "Hunter Greene 102mph Pitching Mechanics and Contralateral Tilt - Ep360." Scared me. Two guys that appear quite knowledgeable went through a fairly detailed analysis of why Hunter Greene could be in danger of popping his TJ ligament. Basically it boils down to not using his legs and lower body enough, trying to create speed with his upper body and torquing his forearm. Their solution was for whatever team drafts Greene to put him on a physical training program to add 30 pounds of muscle, then clean up his pitching mechanics to preserve his elbow. They practically predicted TJ surgery if this was not done. Whatever people have been saying about easy velocity, this sure didn't sound like it. Sounded more like an ambitious young kid throwing as hard as he can, with just enough knowledge and development to wreck his arm. If the Twins do draft Greene, I hope they seriously consider a year of building up this young man's physical strength, and then breaking down his mechanics from the ground up.
  5. jimbo92107
    Part of the problem is identifying buyers. As Christie says, teams right now are trying to assess their own chances at making a run. We can also assume the market will be limited to American League teams, as Santana probably hasn't swung a wooden bat in years. So, who in the American league is ready to make a playoff run, but needs another excellent starter so much that they'd be willing to sell big chunks of their farm system for one? I suppose the Twins would prefer to sell to the Astros, but does Houston need another starter? Who wouldn't want a pitcher with the lowest ERA since the second half of last season, and is capable of pitching complete game shutouts? When the Twins played Houston in Minnesota, it was clear the home team was over-matched. Houston's lineup chewed up that bullpen and spit it out like old tobacco. The Astros have to be considered the best team in baseball right now. A team like that might be willing to cough up a couple high A prospects and maybe a top AA prospect for Santana. We could use a good hitting catcher and maybe some young flame throwers.
  6. jimbo92107
    I like the look of Gonsalves's delivery. He appears to get efficient thrust out front, where it won't stress his shoulder so much. It's a smooth delivery without max effort. To me, that means he will be able to gain velocity by gradually refining his rhythm. Good to see. A pitcher with good rhythm can last a long time.
  7. jimbo92107
    After reading more about Wright, I'm starting to lean in that direction. He's already a fine pitcher with all the tools to become a major league starter, where Greene is completely raw and McKay looks like he'd fit better in the National League. With Wright, there would be no argument where he should play: pitcher. He's really good at pitching, everybody says so. Do the Twins need a good starting pitcher? Within a couple years? YES.
  8. jimbo92107
    I'm glad Aaron Hicks is doing well. It's sad that he needed to get away from Twins coaches in order to fix the real problems in his approach to hitting, which was far too passive. With his build and athleticism, Aaron Hicks should have been taught to swing the bat like Dave Winfield, not like some light-hitting utility infielder looking to squeeze out a ton of walks. The Yankees saw the offensive potential in Hicks, and coached him in the cocky, assertive Yankee Way. It's working. Go figure. Have a blast as a Yankee, Aaron.
  9. jimbo92107
    I am sitting in a little park just off Main St a couple miles from Angel stadium. Beautiful sunny day in socal. A couple brothers are hitting baseballs to each other while I type this in the shade of a gazebo. Should I tell them I'm a scout?
  10. jimbo92107
    If Gibson can pitch 5 innings like that per outing, he's a very valuable pitcher. I was just observing that he seems to lack the stamina for today's standard of starting pitchers. It's not like he's throwing high 90's gas, either.
  11. jimbo92107
    Joe Mauer is playing gold glove defense at first base, and he has raised his season average to .294 with a scorching hot May. This is the closest we've seen to a fully healthy Mauer in several years. He looks confident and strong at the plate. Yay!
  12. jimbo92107
    Gibson showed last night why the Twins don't want to give up on him. His stuff can be dominant, but only if he mixes it up better and pitches inside. His pitching slump had everything to do with nibbling the outside corner and being too passive about making the hitter move his feet and chin away from the plate. For one evening at least, we saw what Gibson can do when he pitches with an assertive attitude. He didn't throw at anybody, but he did pitch inside, and the result was gratifying to watch. On the other hand, Gibson appeared totally gassed after about 82 pitches. Suddenly his command was practically gone, and he barely made it through 6.2 innings. These guys are supposed to be in physical shape to throw a strong 100 pitches, aren't they? It's not like asking them to compete in an Iron Man competition. We're not asking them to be Roger Clemens and fire high 90's heat for 120+ pitches. Gibson is an excellent athlete, but it looks like he needs to build up more stamina. Back to optimism. Randy Rosario, y'all! That's a hot young hurler with a very live arm. Looks like he can spot his 93mph heat low and outside to righties, and his slider has a wonderful down and in tilt that will get tons of whiffs. In the lineup, Grossman looks like he's blossoming into a real pro, Kepler looks like der uberphenom, Sano continues to crush balls and make plays at third, Mauer appears to be finally symptom free, swinging a deadly bat and playing gold glove 1B, while Polanco and Eddie Rosario are scratching out key hits and making plays on defense.
  13. jimbo92107
    Nothing mysterious here. Dodgers are simply having a look at a big, healthy arm to see if they can get some value out of him. We saw Wheeler's modest stuff in his debut. Maybe they think their pitching coaches can show him something different than he was getting from Twins coaches. It may be unlikely, but every now and then it happens.
  14. jimbo92107
    You can ride shotgun, I'll be in the back seat, reloading. LA traffic be fierce, brah...
  15. jimbo92107
    Why isn't Derrick Rodriguez listed as a prospect? And how does a guy tagging up on second base score on a sac fly? Oh, I bet I know, somebody pegged a wild throw past the cutoff man...
  16. jimbo92107
    See you on the highway, guys! I'll be the one slaloming between lanes with a squad of cops on my tail!
  17. jimbo92107
    Yep, a little of everything for the rookie pitcher. Hangs a slider, BOOOOM. Welcome to the bigs, kid!!
  18. jimbo92107
    Rosario's got a very live arm. Nice to see.
  19. jimbo92107
    A little of everything for Randy Rosario. First out, first K, first hit, first earned run...
  20. jimbo92107
    1-2-3 for Randy Rosario's first mlb inning. Book it, Dano!
  21. jimbo92107
    Hey, it'll be fun to see a talented rookie make his debut. Welcome Randy Rosario!
  22. jimbo92107
    Okay, glad to be wrong. Good hit, Byron!
  23. jimbo92107
    Please Buxton, let this guy self-destruct...
  24. jimbo92107
    I'd love to see Buck get a hit here, but his stance doesn't look good.
  25. jimbo92107
    LA traffic can get really aggressive, which can be bad news for motorcyclists. Still, my little ackie was purely a matter of inexperience, not the inherent dangers of traffic, which was well within the San Diego area anyway. I just gotta get better at it, and I will. BTW, I wear armor when I ride. I'm kinda dumb, but not that dumb.
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