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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. Last year was a pretty good rookie campaign for Kennys Vargas. He came up as a powerful, switch-hitting first baseman, slugged some big home runs, played solid in the field. Unfortunately, pitchers figured him out during the off-season. Long swing, a sucker for changing speeds and the old dying duck curves off the outside corner. After some awkward flailing in the spring, Twins sent Vargas down to AAA to make some adjustments. It took a while, but oh my goodness, did he make some adjustments! Meet Kennys Vargas 2.0: Short, compact, powerful swing. Excellent plate discipline, perfectly willing to take a walk. Because of his more compact, direct hitting style, Vargas now is able to wait longer to swing or check, so he is much less vulnerable to sweeping sucker pitches. What is more impressive is that Vargas does not appear to have sacrificed much if any power by shortening his swing. When he barrels up a pitch, it sizzles off his bat. Vargas appears to have increased his plate coverage, and appears now to hit the ball hard in every direction. I don't see how a team could do a defensive shift on Vargas. He's not pull happy, he doesn't slice balls oppo. He pretty much hits balls where they're pitched. Kennys Vargas is good example of a guy that came up on talent, then went back down to AAA to learn how to stay in the majors. He learned exactly what he needed to learn, and now it's paying off big time. Vargas now looks like a major league starter.
  2. Get ready for flashes of brilliance and frustrating inconsistency. Even great young pitchers rarely have it all right from the beginning. I kind of hope they send down Duffey. He needs to figure a few things out with less pressure. His 4-seam heater has no movement, so he needs to learn a cutter to bend left while his 2-seamer bends right. The 4-seam he can use for chin music, climbing the ladder, and pitch outs. I think Duffey has the physical talent to nick corners with fastballs, while his curves get whiffs and his change keeps 'em off balance. Meanwhile, bring on Jose!
  3. Looks like nothing is going to come easy for Buxton when it comes to hitting.
  4. The downside of Grossman looking for walks is that a pitcher can nip the corners on him at 3 and 2, leaving yet another Twins runner stuck on base. Grossman needs to widen his swing zone a bit in that situation.
  5. Has anybody noticed that Polanco looks a lot like Robinson Cano?
  6. I feel like Karma is kicking my ass right now. Ouch.
  7. I really like Abad. Slow, tantalizing curves and changes, and a 93mph heater, which you may never see...
  8. You know who else was a crappy third baseman at the beginning of his career? Greg Nettles. Kid couldn't keep from blowing grounders, so the Twins traded him to the Yankees.
  9. Both guys threw out the runner by about six inches. That is NOT ironic, but it's a cool coincidence. What's ironic is when everybody on one team wears the same color shirt. What are the chances??
  10. Just imagine when he learns to throw hard.
  11. On the other hand, Max did pretty good just then... Huge grin.
  12. Agreed, but he could improve his form. Kepler doesn't use his back and torso enough. He needs to turn his back more, tilt his head, then use the bow action of his back to create a full-body whip action. The best I ever saw at that was Dave Parker of the Pirates. He would literally throw himself off his feet and finish with a shoulder roll on a throw to home. The ball came out of his hand even harder than Michael Cuddyer's.
  13. I hope Max Kepler was watching that. When he grows up and gets big and strong, maybe Max will throw baseballs like Adam Eaton just did.
  14. I found out something very important today: Don't put eggshells and celery into your garbage disposal.
  15. Congratulations to Eduardo Nunez. He's gone from a terrible situation in NY to frustration in Minneapolis, fought through it to emerge finally as an All-Star infielder with a hot bat. I hope he has a great time in San Francisco.
  16. Beautiful pitching just met crappy hitting. Three K's in a row.
  17. Quintana threw that jug-handle curve, looked like it caught the corner but fooled the ump.
  18. Brian Dozier's trade value will be at its highest peak any moment now... wait for it... NOW! Trade Dozier, Polanco to 2B. Makes sense from player control, career arc, etc. Do it now, and Polanco will be a regular by the time the rest of the new wave gets comfortable.
  19. I could see Duffey trading places with Berrios for two or three weeks while Duffey straightens out his inconsistent mechanics. He's got the talent to be a good mlb pitcher, especially with his dominant curve. His biggest flaw is that his 4-seam fastball doesn't move a bit, and it hovers between 89 and 92mph. He should stop throwing his 4-seamer anywhere near the zone. Stick with the 2-seamer, learn a cutter to break left, then sprinkle in the change. Duffey's 4-seamer should be reserved for chin music and pitch-outs.
  20. I saw that throw. You're right, Nunez still gets his feet a little screwed up when he has an extra count to wait. Sure helps to have a serious glove at first base. On the other hand, Park blasted 3 homers in AAA today...
  21. Kepler is starting to show traces of style. I like it.
  22. Man, listen to Bert and Dick hawking Nunez for a trade...sigh.
  23. Nice inning. Everybody hitting the Orioles' relief staff.
  24. I am an atheist. In all the time I've been watching baseball, I have never detected the slightest difference in performance whether or not a player is religious. Some guys wear it on their sleeve, some keep it private, but all of them seem to realize that the ballpark is not a church (post-game prayer fests notwithstanding). Being a Christian will not determine whether or not Alex Kirilloff makes it in the pros. I'm sure he and his father realize that hitting major league pitching will require an approach that includes film study, careful planning, zone hitting, situational hitting, etc. If Kirilloff can combine all that with his sweet swing, then he has a chance to be a good hitter at the mlb level. If he can't do all that, then even magical beings won't help him hit that outside curve.
  25. Chapman takes pressure off the rest of your pitching staff. Shortening the game is no illusion, it's how the Yankees dominated with Rivera all those years. If the Cubs are flush with infielders, then it's a good deal to trade a top SS prospect for the game's best closer. It's a World Series year for the Cubs.
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