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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    Good article. This game was definitely about pitching, and showed the best formula the Twins have had in a long time. Mahle for six, then Fulmer, Duran, and Lopez to finish it off. This is the way it's supposed to work in modern baseball without the game-finishing giants of yesteryear. This is what the Twins traded for. Is Mahle an ace? Not like Verlander, no. But there are so few such pitchers now, it's unfair to expect a guy to pitch 8 or 9 innings anymore. The new model of course has the starter pitch 5 or 6 innings, keeping his team no worse than a couple runs behind when he leaves. Mahle did much better than that today, but he didn't need to. Looking forward, the Twins now have three starters that look like they can go five or six innings without digging too deep a hole. After that, it's Archer, Bundy and a rotating cast. This will continue to put a heavy burden on the bullpen. Thielbar seems pretty reliable for one inning, Magill looks capable, Jax can sometimes go two innings, and Pagan is a complete crapshoot. Jovani Moran should replace Pagan, who should be DFA'd. Even if the bullpen pans out reasonably well, the starters will need to keep trying to finish 6 innings, or the pen will get worn out.
  2. jimbo92107
    I'm most concerned about Kirilloff. His wrist issues are definitely career-threatening. Such a good hitter, and he appeared to be a savvy ballplayer, too. He was supposed to be a stalwart bat in the middle of the order for about ten years. Now, who knows...
  3. jimbo92107
    Put Buxton on the IL until his knee feels better. Playing him hurt all year is futile and demoralizing. Get it fixed, see ya next year. Also put Kepler back on the IL, then rehab in St Paul for at least ten games, or until he stops whiffing and hitting weak grounders. Kepler looks unhappy to be playing in pain. Play a healthy outfield. Cave, Gordon, Celestino. Bring up Contreras again. He looks pretty good. Meanwhile, time to tinker some more with the pitching staff. I'd move Archer to the pen, DFA Pagan, then bring up whoever's next in line from the minors. 2022 isn't going to be the big year. The Dodgers have been kind enough to show us that. Twins need to have all their stars healthy and playing well to win a playoff series, much less a Super Bowl. Maybe all the guys coming off the 60 day IL will be great..!
  4. jimbo92107
    Isn't Varland's promotion to AAA Saints a bigger promotion than Lee's move to Cedar Rapids? Which was the headline referring to?
  5. jimbo92107
    Went back and watched Cole Sands' three innings of work. Wow. His stuff isn't overwhelming, but Sands was making it look easy to get out the Blue Jay lineup. If this is what Sands looks like when he's relaxed, then I think he's got a good career ahead. Great job tunneling his curve off his fastball down in the zone. This guy is a pitcher, not just a thrower. Very tactical approach, with lots of help from Sanchez, who appears to enjoy working with the young guns.
  6. jimbo92107
    Shortening an arm bone, my god, that's drastic. Poor kid, he doesn't deserve crap luck like this. Let's hope the surgery and recovery go as well as possible. Good luck, Alex!
  7. jimbo92107
    Like Drew Butera, Sandy Leon finds other ways than a high average to be useful. Butera was a very good bunter, too. Still looking for another Mike Redmond...
  8. jimbo92107
    I wouldn't count out Tyler Duffey just yet. It's possible he could get back some of his greatness by getting a cruel pilates coach and hardening his soft body into muscles of stone. I remember when Duffey first came up, I dubbed him "Bender" for his curveball hooked so hard almost nobody could touch it. After a while, he started using it more and more, because his heater never was much of a challenge. After Wes Johnson tinkered with his mechanics, Duffey's heater suddenly became a weapon at 94 mph, and for a while, he seemed able to spot that pitch, making it extremely effective. Unfortunately, his old curveball became a so-so offering. Today, after various adjustment and experiments, Duffey has nothing that a good hitter can't smash. Is it just the march of time, his arm and body worn out? That's what I thought about Caleb Thielbar, but look at him now. Wouldn't it be a hoot if all Duffey needed to get his stuff back was to smack the ball into his glove mid- delivery, like Thielbar?
  9. jimbo92107
    I threw some old chicken bones on the floor. You know what happened? The dog found 'em, that's what. Snapped 'em up before I could get a decent read, and now, I'm all out of chicken bones! That's a bad sign. There isn't a decent chicken-bone store in town, and it takes weeks for the DIY bones to dry out. I feel like I'm going blind! Oh, we were talking about baseball? Heckuva sport. Twins are looking so good, they must be getting ready to sell the team to a billionaire car dealer. Do they have cars in the Tennessee Tri-State? Watch for what they did to the "North Stars." My dad spilled it to me when they dropped "North" from the logo. See if the Twins new logo is just a couple giggling babies. Then you'll know.
  10. jimbo92107
    Can't wait to see Mahle pitch, but even if he's average, it's a great trade day. Solidifying the bullpen gives the Twins a chance to do a KC-like run, which featured a great pen backing up some average starters, plus a pretty good hitting lineup. Twins now have that strategy in place, which to me means they win the division and maybe even win a playoff series! On the other hand, if Mahle turns into gold..!
  11. jimbo92107
    We may look back and realize that the luckiest thing about last month was that Matt Wallner's bat fell off the edge of the flat earth in July. Otherwise, we might be saying bye-bye to our future right fielder, too. Meanwhile, good luck to Steer, Strand, and the other guys the Twins traded away. I hope they all have good careers in the Show.
  12. jimbo92107
    I'd just like to stop for a moment and ask everybody - did you notice how HEALTHY the Twins bullpen seemed? After Ryan exited, we got to see an extremely competent Michael Fulmer mow down a few guys, then Thielbar, then Duran, and finally Lopez. None of them appeared a bit shaky or dubious. Each one dominated for an inning. Especially sweet was Lopez. So efficient, so commanding. Not quite the sheer velocity of Duran, but almost no wasted pitches, no walks, and hardly even any foul balls. Faster than summer love, game over. Even without Mahle, this new pair of RP's will improve things vastly. As for who should be the closer, I see Duran as a young power pitcher whose overwhelming stuff allows him to dominate as a relief pitcher. Lopez is a star closer because his command of the corners with filthy stuff lets him snuff out three hitters in about two minutes. Until Duran can do that, I say Lopez is your closer, unless they want to give him a day off. Then Duran is fine, even if it takes him three times as many pitches to get three outs. In beer units, you could finish half a cup before Duran gets three outs. Lopez lets you have just a few sips. That, friends, is a closer. Jorge "three sips" Lopez.
  13. jimbo92107
    I agree they should be prepared to swap rolls as setup and closer. However, in his very first appearance Wednesday, Lopez displayed a level of command that we rarely see from Duran. He was picking low corners with both his fastball and his slider to end the game. Those Detroit batters looked absolutely helpless. What do you do when a pitcher can nail the corners at that velocity? Twins should offer this guy a new contract asap. They might just have another Nathan/Aguilera kinda guy (mediocre starter becomes star closer). Too bad they missed on Liam Hendricks, but on the other hand, he really, really wanted to be a starter, so the Twinkies gave him every chance....
  14. jimbo92107
    Great trade day overall because it greatly expands the options for how to use Bundy and Archer. In a playoff series both now can be either a starter or a long reliever if a starter exits early. Before today, your option was Griffen Jax, and then...who? Now they can turn to a couple starters, Jax, or even Duran, knowing that the ninth inning is pretty secure in the hands of Jorge Lopez.
  15. jimbo92107
    Good trade. Other than Povich, remarkably little bleeding. Cano has a lively arm, but was not reliable. Baltimore's pitching coaches must think they can solve that problem. The other two guys are just throwers at this point. Povich could blossom into a good starter. Good luck to him. Jorge Lopez was one of the prime trade targets, and they got him. If they trade for one good starter, then Twins can move Archer to the pen, where right now he might still contribute. That would largely fix the whole pitching staff with reasonable arms.
  16. jimbo92107
    Miranda could easily clear 25 homers this season, maybe even 30. Don't trade him. Don't trade him. Don't trade him...
  17. jimbo92107
    Bring up Spencer Steer and Matt Wallner. Plug Wallner into RF, see what he's got. Steer becomes another infield super sub. Hot bat gets to play in the field.
  18. jimbo92107
    Any good acquired starter will allow the Twins to put Archer in the bullpen as long relief. One more good reliever after that would change this staff a lot. DFA Sano? Not if I could include him in a trade package.
  19. jimbo92107
    "The dude is an absolute wall behind the dish." You had me at "The dude is an absolute wall behind the dish." Kid, you're hired. Have you ever waved a wooden stick at a baseball? 19 dingers, and fewer K's than BB's??? Shoot, bring him up right now! How'd a guy like this make it past the second round? Is he playing with one arm? He's playing with one arm, isn't he!!! Somebody count his arms!
  20. jimbo92107
    As loyal Twins fans, we should NOT endorse trading away players that constitute the identity of the 2022 squad. That is, you don't trade away Correa, Polo, Kepler, Miranda, or frankly any of the current position players. My one exception might be Larnach, because the Twins have a good number of at least decent outfielders. Trades of position players should happen only in the off-season. Otherwise, who are we cheering for? Prospects, yes. Of course you want to limit them to ones that are getting close to Rule 5 problems, but that's secondary to getting a deal done, especially for a stud starting pitcher. Unfortunately, some of the franchise's top pitching prospects, usually the most valuable trade pieces, currently are not doing so well, or are on the IL. Steer and Wallner stick out as trade bait, tho I'd just as soon not trade Wallner right now. He's who I think could replace Larnach. Same kind of power, better arm. Reading through other people's comments, it looks like people are ready to part with Steer, Ober, Larnach, and Martin. Would Cincy take that package for Castillo? That would give the Twins a pretty formidable top three in the rotation: Castillo, Gray, Ryan. Those guys could win a playoff series or two.
  21. jimbo92107
    Blaze, Martin, Obi-Wan and Wallner, all for just Castillo? Is he in contention for this year's Cy Young? If not, then that's too much. I could see maybe Cole Sands in place of Blaze, and Larnach in place of Wallner, who I think will be a better all-around player. Otherwise, I go talk to Oakland for a smaller deal.
  22. jimbo92107
    Like Kyle Gibson, once again the Twins bet on an injured college pitcher to become a bargain basement ace. Gibson panned out pretty well, and I suspect Connor Prielipp could be even better. A lot of us have bet on medical technology in our lives. I had my appendix removed by some Navy doctor with a sharp spoon. Lived through it to become a mediocre Coast Guardsman. Others among us have had surgeries to remove everything from tonsils to hamsters, to replace heart valves, brains with bits of sponge, etc. In contrast, professional athletes have access to some of the best surgeons in the world. I have heard brag that a repaired elbow tendon is actually stronger than the original because they use a larger piece of tendon as replacement. As with most eye surgeries these days, TJ surgeries are now very commonplace and well understood. Why did Prielipp fall to the Twins? Because a lot of teams still think of TJ surgery as the risky procedure from a few decades ago. That, and most teams don't have as much confidence in their coaches to tinker with a prospect's delivery to reduce further strain on that elbow, while actually adding a couple mph and better command. From the few pitches I saw, to me it looks like Prielipp could get more power from below the waist, that he's using too much upper body and forearm muscle to generate velocity. Twins coaches might be able to smooth that out for a healthier long-term future for this prospect. They have the technology. They can rebuild him!
  23. jimbo92107
    I remember Morneau's win over Hamilton, who was trying to set a record for most homers in the competition's history. As a result, Hamilton wore himself out with ferocious swings in the second round. By the final, he was clearly arm-weary, and angry. I felt a little bad for him, but not as much as I was happy for our boy. Morneau became an MVP partly because he was very smart.
  24. jimbo92107
    If Buxton can drag himself out there, he'll play. His career has been marred by so many injuries, nobody can say whether he'll ever be an All Star again. We all know he's got the talent, but then he collides with a wall or gets hit by a pitch... Buxton is built for extreme speed, but he's not built to take a lot of punishment. This is having a pronounced impact on his productivity. One of the best base stealers in the league has attempted just a handful of steals. He gets regular playing days off. He sometimes stops at second base when it looks like he could make it to third. On the other hand, he still covers tremendous ground in center field, and few runners challenge his arm. At the plate, when he barrels up a pitch, it goes a long way. Buxton continues to contribute in the main two ways: His bat and his glove help win games.
  25. jimbo92107
    Of course it's a snub, but it's an understandable one. Twins are a small market team, and they don't have a Stanton to hit home runs. We thought Sano would be that guy, but he didn't pan out. Prove me wrong, Miguel... Meanwhile, for Buck and Luis, the usual rec: Have a monster second half, embarrass the judges.
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