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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    Once again, Eddie Rosario is one of the few ballplayers that is always ready to take advantage. Quick break on the past ball, easy steal.
  2. jimbo92107
    I like that from Mejia. He fought through a rough inning, didn't give in. Tough kid.
  3. jimbo92107
    I tip my cap to Boyd for keeping a civil tongue when the home plate ump came to the mound. Well done, sir.
  4. jimbo92107
    Sanoo-my goodness did he scorch that ball!
  5. jimbo92107
    Grossman takes another walk. Why oh why do pitchers fear Grossman?
  6. jimbo92107
    The main reason I see for leaving Mauer in the lineup is his glove at 1st base. As usual, Mauer has refined his fielding technique to the point where he's practically flawless at his position. I'm pretty sure Molitor recognizes the value of having almost perfect fielding at first, what with Sano and Polanco across the diamond. When you know your 1B is tall, athletic and has a great glove, it gives you confidence to cut loose and fire the ball on every play. Ask Sano when he threw one high, and Mauer hauled it down from about nine feet in the air. Would Palka catch that? Vargas? Park? Maybe so, maybe no. They're not bad, but Mauer is the best fielding 1B this team has had since Hrbek.
  7. jimbo92107
    "No recording of this game may be disemboweled...dismembered...disengaged..." The new announcer has a little problem with, um, words... That's Torii Hunter?? Oh, the pain...
  8. jimbo92107
    Sano with the arm. ZANG!!
  9. jimbo92107
    Brother Brian, good write-up! Man, this team needs some spark at the plate. Call up Palka, Park or Vargas, somebody with more pop at DH than Grossman. Mauer should NOT be hitting 4th behind Sano.
  10. jimbo92107
    It's also possible that Buxton has gotten into the the classic bad habit of looking ahead at his wonderful hits before they happen. It's a daily struggle to keep turning your nose down and to the right when all the glory is up and to the left. I know - I missed tons of glorious hits that way!
  11. jimbo92107
    Obviously an impressive physical specimen, and the sound off his bat is like a firecracker. On the other hand, some of those hits would have been fielded... ;-) No wonder they didn't have any kids in the infield. Somebody might get hurt. It does give me one idea, tho: Why not send Byron Buxton to Cuba for a little "vacation?" See if he can find the guy that taught Luis Robert to swing like that, and to follow the ball all the way in.
  12. jimbo92107
    As Harold Reynolds pointed out, Byron Buxton is not following the baseball all the way into the bat. This dead-simple fundamental habit should be part of Buxton's practice routine so that he doesn't have to think about it in games. Last season it was Buxton's puzzling lack of expertise while attempting to execute bunts, and his odd lack of skill stealing bases. He got a little better at both those things. This season it is watching the ball. It pains me to bring this up, but it is possible that this enthusiastic, earnest, hard-working young man is neither the sharpest bulb in the box nor the brightest tool in the shed. If so, his baseball career will not be like a rocket taking off, but more like the gradual whittling of a daft but talented hayseed sculptor, carefully carving a perfect cow over several years.
  13. jimbo92107
    Yeah, this makes sense. Vargas offers the best mix of attributes, plus the team really needs some power hitting at 1B. Mauer could play the field and bat second like last year, while Vargas at DH would provide better protection for Sano. When Joe sits, Vargas at 1st is about average, plus Mauer would be a good defensive replacement and pinch hitter. Grossman has had an impressive start, but his history indicates that he will cool off to the usual sub-.250 average, tho his opb will stay high. It's actually fun watching him work his magic with plate discipline. Kind of a lost art in mlb. However, using Grossman as a DH is not going to provide the power you want at DH. As for who goes, I was thinking Breslow, but now I'm leaning Tonkin because Molitor has never favored him. Tonkin needs to be set free so he can get a fresh start and be used as a 1-inning setup guy. I remember thinking he might be the future closer, but he never showed that kind of attacking precision. He's got good stuff, but somehow hasn't found a niche on this club.
  14. jimbo92107
    With a really savvy catcher, Tyler Duffey could be an excellent starting pitcher. First, Duffey should embrace his unique gift of a mind-bending curve ball. Expand on its use, throw it at many different speeds, using the fastball mainly to surprise hitters that are clearly waiting for the curve. Meanwhile, the guy that should hit the pen is Kyle Gibson. Mr. Nibbles needs to learn to just throw the dang ball for strikes, and nothing teaches that like being a relief pitcher. I'd swap Gibson and Duffey before I called up Berrios.
  15. jimbo92107
    Dang, Reynolds was dead on right. Buxton simply isn't following the ball into the bat. This is fundamental for every stick-hits-ball sport. Watch a slo-mo of Roger Federer hitting a forehand, you see his nose pointing at the point of contact a full half second AFTER the ball is gone. Same goes for all good baseball hitters, and even golfers like Jack Nickolaus, who famously would keep his left lead eye on the ball until only the tee remained at the finish of his follow through. It may seem hard to believe, but you really can see the ball hit the bat (club/racket) if your eyes follow it all the way in. What's even crazier is that your body can actually make adjustments at that speed to hit the ball on the sweet spot. Buxton clearly isn't doing that. Great spot by Harold Reynolds.
  16. jimbo92107
    This Otani guy throws real heat, reportedly 165 kph, which is over 102 mph. He also swings a bat a bit like Ken Griffey, Jr. It would be great to have a guy like this on the Twins, but his game suits the National League much better. How would the Twins use him when he pitches? Forget the DH? And when he's not pitching, he plays outfield instead of who, Kepler?
  17. jimbo92107
    Good lord! Ye gods! Gad zooks! Baseball Mania!! Great job Vanimal!
  18. jimbo92107
    Yes, I have seen Duffey toss benders in the low 70's, which is why I think he could learn to throw them even slower. It is very difficult for guys that train to hit mid-90's heaters to hold their bat and wait...and wait...and wait... for a super slow ball. They wind up looking like bad softball players, swinging and whiffing as they try to drive it 600 feet. Of course I realize this isn't going to happen. Nobody is going to approve a major league pitcher throwing 80 percent curves of varying speeds and spins. It would be like some guy refusing to spin the ball at all. Can't possibly work...!
  19. jimbo92107
    As for Tyler Duffey, this article is giving up on him far too quickly as a starter. His best pitch is his curve, which I think is one of the best in baseball. Rather than developing a standard four-pitch mix, I would rather see Duffey develop a wider range of curves, and then throw them almost exclusively. I would like to see him throw versions in the 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. Similar release points, you just don't know how fast and where it's going to cross the hitting zone. Would they sit on the curve? Of course. However, if you aren't sure where how fast or what trajectory that curve is going to have, it could be very difficult to square it up. Suppose he starts you with a 55mph rainbow. Looks like the second one is the same pitch, but you wind up behind the 70mph harder curve. A lot of good hitters miss Duffey's hooks by half a foot or more as it is. If he starts adding more variations, it could drive hitters crazy.
  20. jimbo92107
    Actually, putting Gibson in as a closer might help him be a better starter. A closer can't afford to nibble, not at all. Being forced to go after guys in the strike zone might get Gibson to attack more, which later on would make him a better starter. For that reason alone I'd be willing to swap Gibson and Duffey for a while. Let Duffey have another go at starting, and let Gibson learn how to attack the zone.
  21. jimbo92107
    I agree that Grossman has an almost freakishly good ability to get on base. He squeezes out walks better than just about anybody I've ever seen. Not sure why pitchers don't challenge him more - he's not that good a hitter! The advantage with Granite is that he's also pretty good with the bat, but more of an offensive threat than Grossman. In a tight game, if you've got a guy on second base, do you want your hitter to walk, or get a single? Plus, Granite is maybe the best outfielder in the Twins minor league system, where Grossman's D is borderline. Last, would you rather have Grossman or Granite be that guy on second base in a tight game? Who's the better pinch runner? I don't mean this as a knock on Grossman. I do like him as a ballplayer despite his limited gifts. He's a smart player and a shining example of plate discipline. However, overall it looks like Zach Granite would provide more benefits.
  22. jimbo92107
    Cut Craig Breslow and Robbie Grossman, bring up Kennys Vargas and either Zach Granite or Nico Goodrum, depending if you need infield or outfield replacement. I'd lean towards Granite because he's blazing fast if you need a pinch runner, and he's an excellent outfielder, unlike Grossman. Put Granite anywhere in the OF, there's little or no drop off defensively. Meanwhile Vargas is adequate at 1B and provides decent power from both sides of the plate. Looking at Goodrum's fielding stats, it looks like he's a possible super sub, playing anywhere on the field. I like both Breslow and Grossman, but they don't fit this team. Breslow is pretty close to done in baseball, tho I'd love it if he became a pitching coach for the Twins. Grossman still can be valuable to a team that needs a high OBP pinch hitter.
  23. jimbo92107
    From what I gathered, they decided that Berrios was releasing the ball at too low a point, creating pitches that traveled too flat. He was getting away with it in the minors because of his velocity and movement, but at the mlb level you need more of a downward plane to keep the world's best hitters from mashing your offerings.
  24. jimbo92107
    1. Jason Castro. Replacing long-past his prime Kurt Suzuki with a healthy, talented young backstop has been huge. Castro frames better, calls good games, defends better, and hits better than a aged Suzuki. 2. A healthy starting five. Cross fingers, but it's been a while since the Twins started a season with five guys that weren't coming off injuries or breaking down. 3. Much better bullpen. Now we have a pen fairly well stocked with guys that could be and have been starters. Most of them can go multiple innings if needed, and they will most likely be needed. 4. Another year for the future stars. Sano, Kepler, Buxton, Rosario, Polanco - Each of them scuffled at some point last season, and now they're back with more experience, a little less rookie nerves. The outfield now looks great, and the infield is surprisingly solid...so far... 5. New management. The Pohlads finally shucked the old school guys and brought in modern management. I respected them, but it was time for a fresh approach. I suspect this new attitude has reverberated throughout the organization.
  25. jimbo92107
    Dang, Haley got shelled all of a sudden. I think he's a better pitcher than that, but he left a couple balls up.
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