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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    Yes, I agree that Breslow's game has gone downhill for the last few years. However, supposedly he has tinkered with his mechanics and found a better technique. If so, Breslow is an effective reliever. Meanwhile, O'Rourke has looked very inconsistent in limited use on the Twins. That said, I'll grant your general point that you'd rather have a younger guy with a live arm than a vet trying to hold onto a couple more years of pro play. This may feed into what appears to be the plan, which is to start the season with vets, then transition to the abundant young arms in AA and AAA.
  2. jimbo92107
    Craig Breslow has always been better than O'Rourke. As long as Breslow can bring it above 90 mph, his stuff will play well at the mlb level.
  3. jimbo92107
    Justin Haley looks like a bright spot this spring. He's big, strong, young, works fast, downward plane, stays around the zone, live arm. If Haley takes the long man role from Tonkin, that allows Tonkin to work more as a setup guy, keeping his arm fresher. Otherwise, the only reason I see to start the season with a back end of older veterans is if the Twins aim to replace them in coming months with guys like Chargois, Wimmers and whoever gets hot in Rochester or Chattanooga. Speaking of AAA and AA, take a look at their pitching rosters. Whew, there's a lot of young arm talent bubbling up! I didn't realize all these guys were now in AA... Seven youngest pitchers on the Lookouts: Fernando Romero Kohl Stewart Stephen Gonsalves Randy Rosario Tyler Jay Felix Jorge Nick Burdi That's half a future pitching staff right there. Then combine that with these guys... Four youngest pitchers on the Red Wings: Jose Berrios Jake Reed Mason Melotakis J.T. Chargois The future looks pretty good.
  4. jimbo92107
    Here's an idea: Trade Vargas to Boston. I hear they like huge, power-hitting first basemen that don't like the Twins style of spraying singles around the park. Maybe the Red Sox will know what to do with a guy like that.
  5. jimbo92107
    The counter argument is Duffey's control of his curve. If a guy can throw curves as well as Duffey, to me that means he understands the fundamentals of arm slots, which means he should be able to spot his other pitches with the same concepts as spotting his curves. Even if his heater never gets above 92, with good control a guy like Duffey can master the art of pitching, which is about disrupting the batter's timing and fooling his eye. The league has plenty of room for a starter whose game revolves around a great curve ball. Could be that Duffey's just waiting for a catcher that knows how to take advantage of his stuff.
  6. jimbo92107
    Agree with drjim. All indications now are that Buxton's minor league power is back, and that is potentially huge. A guy like that belongs somewhere in the first three batters so he gets max at-bats. At #3, he's just ahead of Sano, encouraging the team's primo masher to continue swinging flat to get fat contact as much as possible. Anything Sano hits to the wall has the potential to drive Buxton home, even from first base. This is an explosive batting order.
  7. jimbo92107
    Okay, I'll take a second shot at this without name calling. Fashion choices. When it comes to ragging on other people's cultures, their taste in bling, or even the color of their skin, it's a fashion choice, which puts it into the category of trivial issues. If Ian Kinsler chooses to spout off about his disapproval of Latin players, then he is simply revealing himself to be an unimpressive person outside of his ability to play professional baseball. Should we care? Not much, not unless people like that take over the government.
  8. jimbo92107
    Dang, I can practically see it happening: They'll cut Tonkin, he'll get snapped up by the Dodgers, and then he'll pitch like a freakin' all star. Ghaaaaaa!
  9. jimbo92107
    Duffey now has at least four pitches: 4-seamer, 2-seamer, curve, and change. If he actually is able to add a legit sinker, I'm not sure how a hitter is supposed to guess which pitch comes next. Except in pressure situations I still guess his curve. If Duffey can throw a sinker or a change in place of his high-pressure curve, he could befuddle many a flailing batsman. They, as I, will continue to guess curve long after the charts say it will be something else.
  10. jimbo92107
    I've been a Rosario fan for two reasons: First, the man's got game. You can see him scheming ways to beat the other team, whether it's a surprise bunt, a pretend nonchalant fielding play, or a bluff steal. Second, when he hits the ball, he nails it in every direction. Power to all fields means Rosario has fantastic balance and poise at the plate. All that's been missing is to go up there with a more professional plan, which takes experience. Now it's year 3...he's got some experience. As Brandon mentioned, sometimes a great player doesn't really find his game until a few years in. I think Eddie Rosario is going to be a great player. This could be the year it starts to happen.
  11. jimbo92107
    Eddie put on a show with his arm several times early last season, but then seemed to lose accuracy somewhere around mid-season. Maybe it was sore or something... who knows with mlb players, they'll never admit they're dinged up.
  12. jimbo92107
    And I prefer it when my stocks go up!
  13. jimbo92107
    Glad a couple guys got the Yogi gag.
  14. jimbo92107
    This perturbs me.
  15. jimbo92107
    I think the first guy should always lead off.
  16. jimbo92107
    Thanks for the heads up, Heezy. It actually makes sense with all the recognition software that somebody might be able to develop it for pitchers, tho I suppose the problem would be money for development, since it's a pretty small marketing niche. On the other hand, it would be nice to have an app to show me how to swing a bat, or a racket, or a golf club using the camera on my phone or my lappy. (Side question... do you really need the 1323 on the end of your handle? That many Heezy's out there??)
  17. jimbo92107
    I'll trust Kepler's judgement for a very simple reason: He's a dedicated student of the game, and he has gotten better each year. The technique Kepler is attempting to perfect is a mental model that either will help him, or not. Regardless how Kepler translates or mis-translates this meme through his verbal description, the results will be revealed in how well he hits in games. The only important interpretation is between Kepler's head and his hands. If he's onto a good technique, then he'll be mashing screaming line drives with backspin. If he winds up pounding weak grounders to the second baseman, then it'll be time to tinker with his grand theory.
  18. jimbo92107
    I wonder if somebody has developed a technology for athletic analysis where they could attach sensors to the body at the stick-man points, then do an engineering analysis for stress points using the dynamic motions of a live pitcher like Gonsalves. Maybe it would reveal some subtle hitch in his motion that is causing a stress focus at the shoulder location. So many popped elbow ligaments and torn shoulders. There must be a way to at least reduce the mechanical stress.
  19. jimbo92107
    Assuming Hughes stays healthy, this is shaping up exactly the way most of us figured. We all know his velocity is well below what he used to have as a power pitcher. Command is not really an issue, but he now lacks an 'out pitch' in favorable counts. What should he do? What other aging veteran power pitchers do is find a new pitch, like a really slow curve he can dangle over the inside or outside corner, difficult to square up because it's coming at 65 mph and bending two feet. Of course that can backfire, too. Balls like that sometimes fly the other way about 450 feet. I think Hughes needs to average 92 mph on his heater to survive as a starter. If he doesn't reach that velocity, he'd better start developing that bolo curve.
  20. jimbo92107
    Well, if they won't hire a drinking buddy, I'm not even going to apply. So there! ;-)
  21. jimbo92107
    Dang, he's got a HUUUGE hitch in his fielding motion. Gotta pound that out with a hammer.
  22. jimbo92107
    Spring training could provide answers. If Hughes is sitting mid-80's in spring, then move him to the pen. If he's touching 91 or 92 fairly consistently (with control) then maybe he's back. The other reason to try Hughes in the pen is his super-low BB/9. That's exactly what you want from a late reliever or setup man - no walks, and get it done fast. Hughes does have a good record of working quickly. One other reason to move Hughes to the pen is the logjam at starter. The Twins have several young candidates on the verge, and the team is still in rebuilding mode, so why keep aging vets as starters? What are they afraid of, another losing season?? It's too late to play the "respectability" card. This team rates no respect from anybody, so they might as well use the whole season for tryouts...at every position.
  23. jimbo92107
    Hughes has seen his velocity drop significantly over the past few years. Maybe it was due to injuries, but it is also pretty well established that pitchers really do simply lose their velocity as they enter their thirties, with very few exceptions. All I'm doing is projecting based on historical trends league-wide. The best use of a guy like Hughes tends to be as a setup man. Fewer pitches means he doesn't have to pace himself for seven innings, so maybe he gets a few mph back over 20 pitches. I would rather have an effective setup guy than another completely mediocre starter that is likely to break down before July.
  24. jimbo92107
    Hughes needs to go to the pen as a setup or closer. He can't go a full season anymore as a starter. He'll break down in the first month.
  25. jimbo92107
    Buxton clearly was missing something fundamental at the plate, and he finally found it his last trip to Rochester. Once he started making good contact, his confidence came back, and now we're seeing a little of what he can do offensively. Let's hope he continues to refine his hitting, bunting and base stealing. Then he'll truly be the pretty good player that Tom Kelly wants to see.
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