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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    There it is again, Hicks is hitting the ball so hard that the infielders have almost no chance to field it. We are seeing Aaron Hicks 2.0, with a much better swing.
  2. jimbo92107
    I'm just glad that Miguel Sano seems to be overcoming his natural shyness at the plate. Tee-hee.
  3. jimbo92107
    I hope they bring out another rightie. I want to see Hicks keep smashing the ball from the left side, he's sooooooo happy right now!
  4. jimbo92107
    ohshoothediditagain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG OMG OMG, that ball flew like a freeekin' 3-wood!
  5. jimbo92107
    Those last two Hicks line drives are a good illustration. Before his new kick-wave, the ball would leave his bat probably 10 mph slower. Now it streaks into the outfield, no chance to field it.
  6. jimbo92107
    Wow, quite the gun from Nunez...
  7. jimbo92107
    Then there's the Sano Swat...!
  8. jimbo92107
    From the Mel Brooks movie, Blazing Saddles. The entire cast of Brooks's movie busts through the sets of other movies, including a Busby Berkley dance number with Dom Deluise as director. The actors are doing a very fey dance number while singing, "...stick out your tush, hands on your hips, give 'em a push, that's how we're doing the French Mistake..." something like that. Some batters do the "French Mistake" by shoving their butt away from the plate as they swing the bat. This is a very effective way of removing any significant power from your swing, leaving only your arms to propel the bat. Aaron Hicks was doing the French Mistake until he came back from his most recent demotion to AAA. Now he's doing the Cuban Kick and the Dominican Bat Wave, two far better dance moves at the plate. The results are what we are now seeing from Hicks.
  9. jimbo92107
    This goes back to his last demotion to AAA. Hicks apparently adopted the Cuban-style leg kick and bat wave from both sides. It has taken longer to get comfortable with the new mechanics from the left side, but it's coming along. He's finally getting real drive from his rear leg, and he's learning how to really snap the barrel through the zone. His "French Mistake" butt push is finally gone. Nothing temporary about it. This is Aaron Hicks 2.0, with a full-body swing. From now on he will have home run power from both sides, and his average will go up at least 50 points from the left side, simply from the extra velocity.
  10. jimbo92107
    Texas scouting report on Hicks: Go ahead and challenge him with fastballs down the middle. He's got no power from the left side. ;-)
  11. jimbo92107
    While it's true that Aaron Hicks doesn't have the same power from the left side of the plate, this much power will suffice. It all came together on that swing. Now he knows it's there.
  12. jimbo92107
    The difference between an art and a science is measurements, but the ability to quantify something as complex and subtle as "pitch framing" doesn't sound like it has crossed the line into science. For one thing, we're talking about the perceptions of umpires regarding the behavior of catchers, a combination whose variables themselves vary from one instance to another. Even so, clearly there is something going on. If a catcher stabs his glove away from the strike zone to catch every pitch, his "pitch framing" will probably be awful no matter the umpire. A slightly better technique is to position the glove outside the zone and move it inwards. Then there's the trick of freezing the glove after the catch, having moved it slightly in towards the zone. Then there are other, more subtle tricks, like positioning your body a certain way, knowing the ump looks a certain way over your shoulder, to make certain pitches seem more centered in the zone. Or really obvious tricks like saying, "Wow, that was a great pitch," after a close one. You can seen catchers lobbying in this way, sometimes pointing a finger at the pitcher to say "great pitch," sometimes freezing the glove, etc. Maybe what the Twins need is a catcher that's also a used car salesman. You want a polite, chatty, optimistic, enthusiastic guy that's certain his pitcher has great stuff today, and by the way ump, you're looking particularly good, too!
  13. jimbo92107
    Trevor Plouffe is a really good athlete, so there's not much I would put past him. Becoming a starting-level catcher is one of the few things I don't think he could do, not at this stage of his career. As Brock said, it's almost like asking a hockey defenseman to become a goalie. Catcher is that specialized. As for using Plouffe in a new position, you'd have better luck with him as a pitcher, which he did in high school. A better short term move would be to bring up Stewart Turner in September. Even though Turner is hitting just .269 in AA, he's still reportedly a real stud defensive catcher, and calls a good game. Twins could then decide next spring whether to keep Turner around or send him to AAA to keep working on his hitting. Then I'd promote all the catcher prospects a level for the remainder of the season, especially Garver and Navaretto.
  14. jimbo92107
    Agreed, but like others I'm a little leery of his innings. TR said he doesn't have Jose Barrios on a specific innings count, but I'm sure they'll be keeping a close eye on him. I like that Berrios already has the makings of a complete pitcher. His delivery is deceptive, he varies speeds on his pitches, and he's even good at picking off runners. Question: Did the Twins really "develop" this kid, or were they just really perceptive/lucky to find him? It sounds like Berrios had the fiery ambition right from the start. Maybe that's a factor the scouts should be looking for.
  15. jimbo92107
    Naw, I'm just reflecting the trendy pessimism of about half the guys here. As soon as some "broken" player leaves the Twins, he has a career year. Should have used the /snark tag... ;-)
  16. jimbo92107
    I can't wait to see Berrios. The kid sounds like a real competitor with great stuff.
  17. jimbo92107
    No point even speculating on resigning Hunter until after Buxton is back in the lineup, and after the Twins promote Kepler. If they play the way they are touted, then there won't be much need for Hunter to come back, except as a coach.
  18. jimbo92107
    By your theory, the logical thing to do would be trade Kennys Vargas to Boston, where he would proceed to become Big Papi 2.0, the switch hitting version. I say let's keep Vargas around for a while. He's a big, friendly guy with a decent swing from both sides. He'll make a good teammate to bat behind Miguel Sano against lefties and righties.
  19. jimbo92107
    You guys do realize that Nolasco will have a fantastic comeback season next year, right? Twins give up on an injured pitcher, he goes anywhere else, he shines. Same thing could happen to Arcia. Send him to Boston, watch him become another home run hitter of historic dimensions, tho Boston would much rather have Vargas.
  20. jimbo92107
    One encouraging thing is the rise of Bryce Harper. In his first year, some were wondering if Harper could avoid nagging little injuries, much like Buxton. I derive some hope from Harper's progress in that area. Buxton is a smart guy. I'm sure he's aware that if he keeps breaking fingers and whacking heads with teammates, he's not going to do the Twins much good.
  21. jimbo92107
    This thread makes a legitimate point. The longer Twins management delays the changes we can all see are needed, the less interesting the team becomes. When will it become more interesting to watch re-runs of MASH rather than a Twins game. Not to mention Gilligan's Island..! Mary Ann!
  22. jimbo92107
    Miguel Sano is learning a lot today.
  23. jimbo92107
    And Joe Mauer grounds out to second. Or strikes out... OMG. Proved me wrong, Joe.
  24. jimbo92107
    Before texting, there was the signal drum.
  25. jimbo92107
    They say you learn more from failure than from success. The Twins are really learning a lot today. This is one mean regression.
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