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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    I'd love to see Zach Grienke not just pitch for the Twins, but also become an assistant pitching coach. That guy has encyclopedic knowledge of all things pitching. Also, he knows something vital: How to get guys out without a high-90's fast ball. Teach that to the kids, sensei Zach!
  2. jimbo92107
    Here's my idea to solve the Twins DH problem: Designate $20 million dollars for the season to the DH position. At the end of the season, split that amount among all the players that DH for the team, according to how many times they served that purpose. Hard to imagine players will feel bad about DH'ing on their days off from fielding, when they get to take bites from that $20 million dollar apple. This would be especially tasty for rookies and young players that haven't reached arbitration money. Assuming roughly 550 At Bats for DH, 20,000,000 / 550 = over $36,000 bucks per At Bat...the price of a very nice car. Three AB's gets you a Tesla. 'Scuse me, I gotta go to the batting cage for a while...
  3. jimbo92107
    I'm not counting Smokin' Joe Ryan on this list because I'm assuming he'll be the team's #1 for the next few years. He's a starter that needs to be properly managed, not a "prospect." Jordan Balazovic - Once he's properly groomed, Blaze should push Baily Ober out of the #2 slot. Jhoan Duran - ...and then Duran should push Blaze out of the #2 slot... Sadly, those are the only two prospects whose stuff I have seen for more than a few pitches. Even so, if we assume (for once, not entirely crazy) that the first four guys do okay, that gives the Twins a very nice, very young front four. Add a veteran or a Dobsie, and you've got something like a pitching staff. If you can land a Pineda or a Maeda, you've might have a pretty good front ro. Best part is, that leaves some very good prospects ready to make the leap from the crowded nest of the minors, flutter their wings as they tumble down thru the first few appearances, then bounce with charming clumsiness on the forest floor of their careers. Matt Canterino, Cole Sands, Drew Strotman, and Josh Winder all are expected to be good pitchers very soon. I and I tummy get a pleasant feeling.
  4. jimbo92107
    Nice rhythm in his swing, but it looks like his spray chart would land every hit ball within a ten foot circle. Hoping Twins coaches can help him spread the hits a little more around the park. Good throwing motion, needs to cock his head over a bit more and develop more accurate footwork to get more consistent results. Oh how I miss Michael Cuddyer's rocket arm, and Pucket's gun from center...Both those guys could throw a freaking strike to 2B right from the warning track. Aaron Hicks, too. What an arm! I remember that very few runners would challenge Hicks, especially after they saw him gun one to the infield. Right center to third base, on the fly, steee-rike! Left field to home, on target, 105 mph... Sheesh! Power pitchers that convert to outfielders...find me more of those!
  5. jimbo92107
    Let's see, how would I order that list... 5. Martin. Least familiar, supposedly ranked up there with Lewis. Sounds like a star defensively, hoping he develops more pop with the bat. Who's a better 4th OF, Martin or Celestino? Can Martin play SS? 4. Lewis. For all I've heard about his limitless potential, I've only seen a few clips of him swinging the bat. So much missed time...! Twins need to get him up early, see what he needs to work on. 3. Polanco. The top three are huge here, but Polanco has the most prospects that could take his place: Lewis, Palacio, Martin, 2. Kirilloff. Twins gotta have that bat in the lineup to compete. Hoping he sticks at 1B. Sano could be going bye-bye with his 300k's and so-so defense. I'll take that same defense at 1B with a guy that bangs it off all walls and hits about .285. What was Killer's KO percentage with runners on base? I figure he'll drive in a few more runs with fly balls instead of K's. 1. Buck. With him, they won. Without him, they lost. That was pretty important in 2021. If nothing else, the Saints should have one hell of a team this year.
  6. jimbo92107
    At one point in my early 40's I worked my way up to the top speed of a machine that supposedly threw 92mph. With a light bat, I could hit a line drive about half the time, missing clean the other half. Weird yellow balls with dimples. Next time I tried was a several years later. 80mph was a blur, but I didn't work my way up. Couldn't get around on it because It came out of the hole at random times, often drifting all over the place outside the zone. Crappy machine. Not worth the money. I cannot imagine what it must be like to try hitting an 87mph slider or a 92mph cutter. Can you imagine how hard it was to hit a Maddox heater, when he could bend it a foot in either direction with pinpoint control, and no way to read it?
  7. jimbo92107
    That's what popped into my head when I just watched Sabato hit a homer. Kind of a heavier, slower version of Rooker, who has more pop in his bat. How the Twins choose their first round picks mystifies me sometimes.
  8. jimbo92107
    Duffy's success depends on commanding his heater at 96. If he loses command at that velo, or his velo goes down, then he's in trouble. But at 96, he can get K's, and he can get guys to swing early at his off-speed stuff, It also makes his curve an out pitch.
  9. jimbo92107
    I'd trade him or waive him. Sano doesn't fit the Twins system, which requires much more balanced, versatile players at every position. Sano needs a fresh start, anyway. The organization now has plenty of prospects that are athletic and versatile. Bring them all up in '22, along with all the best pitching prospects. Quit with this ridiculous trickle of guys. Bring up Miranda, Martin, Lewis, Larnach, etc. The best guys at AA and higher. Sink or swim, boys. Let's see if you're any good at this "baseball" thing you've been playing all your lives. Then play like the Rays. Pitchers throw strikes, or find somewhere else to play. Position players must be able to handle at least one other position with MLB average fielding stats. This includes SS and C. Hell, any catcher should be able to play 1st base, right? Then I wanna wanna see aggressive offense. Bunting, run and hit, base stealing, and at least one trick play per game. Oh, and during warmups, players should sometimes throw the ball behind their back. Skill guys can even try catching one like that. Show off while you're young! Ok, lemme squeeze the last helium out of this balloon. Every Twins pitcher must develop some kind of "trick" pitch they can throw for a strike. Eephus, behind the back, knuckler, hesitation...something to break up the monotony.
  10. jimbo92107
    Emmanuel Rodriguez'a swing reminds me of a lefty Garver, but with a freer follow through. Short to it, long through it. Screaming line drives and low-angle home runs. He will damage fences. Rosario's swing...good lord. Not just the power, but the carry of the barrel through the zone...almost like Hank Aaron. This kid will hit some mammoth home runs. If these two kids carry decent numbers into the bigs, they won't be counting their money, they'll be weighing it.
  11. jimbo92107
    Free Josh Donaldson! Much as I like his gung-ho attitude, Miranda is the heir apparent at 3rd base, and he should get slotted into that spot next spring. Miranda and Sweet Luis Arraez can take turns at the hot corner. Time also to move on from Andrelton Simmons, whose strong glove does not quite make up for such a weak bat. Personally I would love to see our two young sports cars, Royce Lewis and Austin Martin compete for the starting shortstop role, the loser going to...the outfield and part time shortstop. Get both young superstars onto the big league club. See if they can hang with major league pitching. Every season is an experiment. This season we discovered two important pieces of the playoff puzzle: Ober and Ryan. Next season we need to see if we can get better hitting and speed from the infield. Spring Training should also be when we find out if Duran, Balazovic and a couple other prospects can flash enough greatness to contribute a significant amount to a playoff run. Time for the kids to show their stuff!
  12. jimbo92107
    Good Pineda game. This is why the Twins should keep him. Sunday I'd love to see Berrios pitch opposite Joe Ryan. Who's with me on that one?
  13. jimbo92107
    Count me as pleasantly shocked. I was certain Thielbar was done a couple years ago. Now here he is again, pitching better than ever.
  14. jimbo92107
    In Bailey Ober we are seeing the emergence of an excellent mlb pitcher. Deceptive fastball, good change-up, sharp curves... As he matures and gets better command of his curves and sliders, I think hitters will find it even harder to solve his riddle. Good to see Big Mike out there again, dealing as usual with no respect from his aching joints while he mows down hitters. I hope the Twins bring him back for 2022. He's fun to watch. Polanco had another great game at the plate, and now it looks like Buxton is rounding into form...just in time for the season to end. Ghaaaaaa..! The last couple things I want to see this season: Jordan Belazovic start a game for the club, and Jose Miranda start a few games at 3rd base, getting his first few hits out of the way. If we all click our heels at the same time...make it so!
  15. jimbo92107
    Griffin Jax continues to improve in small increments. Looks like his ceiling will be a steady #3 or #4, able to keep his team in games through about 5 innings, 6 on a good day. This is why it is going to be sooooo important for the Twins to get a look at some of their position players of the future. Call up Jose Miranda, puh-leeeze! He's the guy that takes Donaldson's place at 3rd, right? Fabulous, now let's find out how wobbly his glove is. Gots to know. Meanwhile, keep moving Gordon around the field. He may not be a shining star, but the guy's a serious competitor beginning to show signs of clutch hitting.
  16. jimbo92107
    The Twins will sport a very different starting rotation in 2022, one thing we can all agree on. Personally I think they can get by (but not get to the playoffs) with the following team owned starters: Joe Ryan - the John McEnroe of baseball. Are you serious?? Bailey Ober - the stingy one with the mystery fastball. Griffen Jax - our military bulldog. Sic 'em, Griff! Michael Pineda - more tics than a bird dawg, but the man throws strikes. Randy Dobnak - want ground beef? Go to store. Want ground ball? Go to Dobs. Alternatives: John Gant, Jordan Balazovic, Jhoan Duran, Devin Smeltzer,
  17. jimbo92107
    Baily Ober for sure. He's not going to suddenly forget how he was getting hitters out this season. Joe Ryan for sure. You get him with a professional pitching coach, teach him the right grips, he'll be flicking curves, sliders, cutters, change-ups, etc. This kid's talent and demeanor are screaming future ace. The few heaters he threw up and away to lefties were nothing more than rushing the delivery a bit. When he does his deliberate follow-through, he commands the zone. Seriously, if Ryan spent an afternoon goofing around with Zach Greinke, he'd finish the day with a new 50 mph curve ball. This kid could learn a new pitch in one day. Randy Dobnak. He's a ground ball machine with enough whiffability to get out of jams a couple different ways. Big Mike. Pineda still has the stuff to keep his side in games, if he can stay relatively healthy. If not... Griffen Jax. Why not? He looks a little better each start, but for one hiccup, and every starter has a bad game now and then. He's a grinder. Looks like a #5 guy for several years. Blaze. Twins need to start cashing in on their minor league top prospects. Balazovic has the talent to get guys out right now. Can he learn to fill the zone with strikes? Whoops, did I forget to mention giving multi-million dollar contracts to yet another handful of mediocre journeymen pitchers? Silly me.
  18. jimbo92107
    Staff ace. I'm making the call right now. Joe Ryan is going to dominate on a regular basis. Kid's a winner, a warrior with swag, like Berrios, but I think Ryan will be more consistent because his heater is a refined weapon already.
  19. jimbo92107
    Jordan Belazovic definitely uses his lower half to power his pitches, but one thing does worry me. His drive leg/hip does carry through in the recommended "hop on a bicycle" fashion, but Belazovic's leg and hip follow through as if he's hopping on a bike that then makes a left turn towards first base. Reminds me a bit of Liriano, but not quite so wild a spin. My fear is that a smoked line drive would either tattoo him in the right butt cheek or somewhere else along his unguarded right flank. What if some young ball smasher hits a blur at his head? In his current form, "Blaze" would have no positive options. I suspect that the lad gets wonderful movement on his slider, as did Liriano. But the tradeoff is a dangerous position on follow through. I just don't see how modern pitchers get through little league without learning to follow through in position to field a line drive right at their face.
  20. jimbo92107
    Joe Ryan belongs in a major league uniform right now. Get his skinny butt up here!
  21. jimbo92107
    My hat is off to Caleb Thielbar, too. He left the Twins after some good years, flailed, then came back. Now he's as good as ever. Maybe better.
  22. jimbo92107
    Ober looks legit, but that's what I thought of Dobbsie, too. See if he can keep it up and stay healthy. Jax kinda came out of nowhere, but he's not a nibbler with just a couple favorite spots. He has a good mix of pitches, spreads the ball around the periphery, and has just enough heat so they can't just sit on his curves. Seems more of a grinder than a tightrope walker. I don't expect explosions of runs off him, but his stuff doesn't look that dominant. I do expect all three young pitchers to remain starters, but maybe not all of them with the Twins. Meanwhile, bring up Miranda and Blaze! Give the kids a taste, see if they like it.
  23. jimbo92107
    Not that hard, really. Assuming all these guys are gone, who's left? Of those guys who is cheapest? The Twins will take the cheapest and oldest of that lot. After every other team picks them over, of course.
  24. jimbo92107
    OMG. That cutter Richardson threw...same motion as Mariano Rivera. Watch how his throwing hand follows through into his left armpit, the way it flops loosely at the wrist at the finish. That's how Mariano threw the cutter nobody could hit. I saw a video where Rivera was teaching that same motion to some other pitcher. Kid, keep throwing that pitch. Mix it in with a two-seem fastball, and hitters will have no clue where the ball will be. Mix it with a change-up, and you'll be looking at Cy Young awards.
  25. jimbo92107
    Everybody wins with this deal. Cruz goes to a playoff contender, as he thoroughly deserves. Two young pitchers on the cusp of The Show should get late-season tryouts, along with Blaze and Duran. Twins might wind up stocked with young starters.
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