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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. True. The Twins really need both guys. Oswaldo Arcia can bat behind Miguel Sano against RH pitchers, and Max Kepler can sub for either Aaron Hicks or Joe Mauer, and be available for pinch hitting and pinch running. The strongest argument for calling up Kepler is when you compare him to Shane Robinson. Despite being a young rookie, Kepler looks like he'd be a distinct upgrade in every aspect, except possibly arm strength. Otherwise, Kepler is bigger, faster, stronger and a much better hitter than Robinson. With 10 triples and 16 stolen bases in 88 games this season, Kepler clearly has the edge over Robinson in speed and power hitting. The one intangible is baseball savvy, where doubtless Robinson has the edge. However, savvy doesn't get enough hits to sway the balance. Meanwhile, everybody here is a bit puzzled by the Oswaldo Arcia situation, but we all know what he can do at the plate. So do major league pitchers, and that's the most important factor, because right now nobody batting behind Sano is scary enough to make them stop pitching around him. Sano has showed admirable restraint by taking walks, but then there's nobody behind him to cash in on those walks. Torii Hunter and Trevor Plouffe have tried, but the fear factor just isn't there. Power hitters in the Twins system are scarce, so Arcia right now is the only option to fill that gap. Who knows if and when Kennys Vargas will be back, and literally no other power hitter is on the horizon in the Twins system. It's either Arcia, or no change.
  2. Too bad for Tyler Duffey. His first start reminded me of another guy that had a rough first few. Trevor May.
  3. Well...First grand slam on ya, kid? It won't be the last one.
  4. Duffey's yanking his fastball and falling away on his curve. No way that's his good stuff. Nerves.
  5. Hey Tyler, they only got two runs off you, man! That's a good inning against this team!
  6. I like the look of this kid. He's actually got a live arm and good tilt to his breaking pitches. When he gets over his nerves, he could be a good pitcher.
  7. Whoopsie. Maybe throw more change ups.
  8. Ten more runs and this kid's got a chance...
  9. Good, concise write up BK. Thanks! They still haven't called up Oswaldo Arcia...sigh. Sano can look forward to more junk off the outside corner, with no terrifying threat behind him. In stark raving contrast, look at that Toronto lumber company. Second deck homers from everybody 1 through 6. Jose Bautista is no longer the biggest masher on his own team. Good luck, Tyler Duffey, or as I like it, "Extra E." At least he's right handed...
  10. I agree that Joe Mauer is a hometown hero, but when was the last time somebody went to a Twins game just to see him? There's nothing special about Mauer as a player anymore. As a first baseman his fielding is about average, and his hitting is a bad fit for that position, where you want a power hitter. He's also lost about 50 points off his career batting average, and the ball no longer jumps off his bat with the same velocity. At this point Mauer is indeed blocking the emergence of Max Kepler, whose speed and bat appear ready for the jump to the major league level. If the Twins want to continue their slow ascent in quality, they have to be willing to make changes to improve the long-term quality of the lineup. That includes moving Mauer to a platoon role, and same goes for Torii Hunter. Both older vets need to make room for younger, faster guys like Kepler and Arcia.
  11. They refuse to call up the one man that can save them: Oswaldo Arcia. Lefty power bat behind Sano against a soft-tossing rightie pitcher. Boom boom boom boom.
  12. At this rate, one home run every other inning off Hughes might be the best we can hope for. Them's some majorly bangin' bats.
  13. "Did you catch that??" "Yeah, I caught that." "How..."
  14. Jermaine Palacios (Spanish for "pertinent palace") sounds like his body is as thin as his bat. Somebody give that kid a sandwich! I still think Der Kid should get hitter of the month. Come on, AA is a lot tougher pitching than that Gulf Coast kiddie pool! Still, it's good that Pertinent Palace looks like a top prospect. Infielders that can hit, can you believe it?
  15. The two areas that need the most help are hitting and pitching. Hitting: Jorge Polanco and Oswaldo Arcia. Put them in and play them for the rest of the season. They're both supposed to have good bats; Polanco is supposed to be a decent SS, and Arcia needs work at corner OF, but can DH and PH. Plus, Arcia is the best bat in the Twins system to sit behind Sano against rightie pitchers. Pitching: We all agree that Blaine Boyer isn't getting it done anymore, and Duensing hasn't looked much better. Replace them with Jose Berrios and Taylor Rogers. Extended looks for both, no matter what (throwing in the towel). Beyond that, other promotions and shuffling should favor just the younger, more promising players, not more shuffling of veteran retreads. I'd get Max Kepler to AAA right now, working on OF and 1B, then look at a September call-up. It's still too hard to imagine moving Joe Mauer to the bench, but at some point you've got to get more power at 1B. I would also move batting coach Tommy Watkins to AA Chattanooga. He was the last coach that had Adam Brett Walker's K rate at 20 percent. Whatever he was doing worked much better that what Chad Allen is doing. Results have to count for coaches, too.
  16. I know this much from doctor shows: Preventive medicine is much less effective after the patient is dead. Also, I slept at a Motel 6. Some years ago.
  17. Yeah, but arguments like that start to sound circular after a while. Why does TR chase his tail so much? Because it tasks him, and he will have it!
  18. It's the right team for Valencia. Now he can pump iron and try to jack every pitch out of the park, just like when he was with the Twins. And he's probably no worse a 3rd baseman than the one they've got...
  19. LaTroy Hawkins, still throwing 96 friggin' miles per hour. Incredible. I wonder if that guy could rare back and hit 100mph. Wouldn't surprise me.
  20. O'Rourke is fun to watch. He has really good tilt to his curve.
  21. Sad news today. The ballboy hit by the bat died. http://www.rawstory.com/2015/08/nine-year-old-kansas-batboy-critically-injured-by-blow-to-head/ Watch it when you swing a baseball bat. Very dangerous.
  22. No matter how you slide, you have to learn to see what's in front of you and minimize straight-on collisions. Slipping punches, shoulder rolls, slides, pivots, etc, all keep you from smashing directly into things or vice versa. Of course none of these will keep you from getting hit in the back of the head by a baseball thrown by a stupid outfielder during practice, and I was unconscious for two minutes from that one...grrr.... Lucky now I can think all gooder again.
  23. Before his last outing, I thought Mike Pelfrey was wearing down. Now I think what's really happening is that it depends what kind of team he faces. Pelfrey has trouble against really aggressive offenses, like the Brewers, Reds, etc. He has trouble holding good base stealers, and it upsets his game when guys like Carlos Gomez and Billy Hamilton are on base. Also, like a lot of pitchers, he seemed to have trouble handling that first spell of really hot weather this season.
  24. Trevor May's predicament may have more to do with his perceived versatility than anything else. In the starting rotation he began a little rough, but then quickly improved. Sent to the bull pen, he struggled a bit, but look at him now, he's nailing the corners at 96 or better, with a nasty slider...a little like we wish Glenn Perkins was still doing. Question is, where do you put a guy that's so versatile? You put him where the greatest need is, as a late inning reliever. Or as the guy that gives Perkins some time off. Last couple times out, May was throwing the ball just like a good closer. If Perk is nursing a muscle pull or something else, if anybody's going to step up to fill that role, it will be Trevor May. The guy is such a good athlete, he seems to adapt to whatever role they ask him to fill. What other single pitcher could do that right now? This guy really impresses me.
  25. And Mauer grounds out to end the game. And Mauer grounds out to end the game. And Mauer grounds out to end the game. How is Max Kepler doing in Chattanooga?
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