Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

jimbo92107

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,666

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    1

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    Fire up the merry-go-round between Twin Cities. Alexander Colomé should get bounced to St Paul immediately, with any power arm coming up in his place. Until Colomé finds his mojo, he's almost guaranteeing a loss.
  2. jimbo92107
    Andrelton Simmons Best signing since Nelson Cruz, even with this Covid crap. Donaldson could match him, if he can stay healthy. If they both stay healthy (130+ games), the Twins chances for post-season go up dramatically. Alexander Colomé Not yet a reliable closer. I'd rather see Alcala closing at the moment, which is not a good sign. J.A. Happ If he gets any sharper, he'll be the equal of Pineda. Trending up. Matt Shoemaker I like his stuff, but can he last a full season? Hansel Robles, RP Teetering on the edge of demotion. Twins system is stocked with power arms. Crank up the merry-go-round.
  3. jimbo92107
    This goes back to basic slugger theory, that you must have somebody following your slugger that can punish a pitcher for working around him. If Donaldson stays healthy for a while, I hope to see him batting behind Sano.
  4. jimbo92107
    He turned me into a newt! ...I got better... - Holy Grail It's always the unexpected, isn't it? The pen was supposed to be the team's strength this season. Look at those arms, man! Indeedy, the Twins this year have a mid-90's relief staff, but as we have also seen, a mid-90's pitch still gets pounded WHEN YOU THROW IT DOWN THE MIDDLE! In fact, one of the only 'good' pitches that got slammed was a Duffey offering to a lefty batter: a medium curve low inside, about where you'd tee up a golf ball. Funny how so many lefties love that pitch. Duffey caught the inside corner on that pitch, where every pitching coach would tell him that pitch absolutely must miss inside by at least half a foot. BOOM. Almost all the other BOOMS came from pitches that drifted down the middle. Pretty much every MLB player can hit stuff thrown there. This is not to say you cannot throw a pitch down the middle, but you don't do it with runners on base in a close game. I roll up my newspaper of ire and wave it threatening in their direction! Bad! Bad!
  5. jimbo92107
    Most guys the Twins send to the pen manage to ramp up their fastball a couple mph. Dobnak has not done that. He pitches in relief the same way he would pitch as a starter, with the same velocity. The difference appears to be command. As a starter, I don't see (haven't seen) his stuff drift over the middle as much as it did yesterday. No real mystery what was troubling Twins pitchers yesterday. The stuff getting pounded was almost all right down the middle. One exception, a lefty golfed a homer off a down and in curve.
  6. jimbo92107
    The good news is that Pineda looks like historical average Pineda. Pitches about half a game, gives up about 2 runs. The bad news is that too many Twins looked lame at the plate. However, I suspect a few of them are on the verge of busting loose. When redemption come town, somebody gonna pay.
  7. jimbo92107
    The process continues. Sano right now is swinging for hard contact, which is why he's been bashing line drives to the walls, rather than over them. I've been able to call hot streaks before, by seeing a rash of hard contact. It's harder than average to read Sano because his approach at the plate is pretty unique. What I want to see next from him is a hard drive to opposite field. That will tell me that his timing is pretty close to calibrated. After that, clear the runway.
  8. jimbo92107
    There's definitely something different about Byron Buxton this season. He seems somehow more "complete" than before. Maybe it was the off-season of pumping iron and working on his swing. He has a look of confidence I've never seen before. Hard not to be happy the way things are going. With that huge swath of area he covers, he commands the outfield. With that powerful swing, he's pounding baseballs off into the distance like a giant. Right now we are seeing the Byron Buxton the Twins hoped he would become. A true 5-tool superstar. Let us bask in his reflected glory, and pretend we knew it all along!
  9. jimbo92107
    This 2021 team fields better than the Bomba Squad. If they can stay healthy, Simmons and Buxton could subtract many hits and runs from the opposition over the season. At the plate they appear to be searching for an identity. Piranhas or Bombas? I'm fine with a bit of a split personality. Maybe they can execute either approach when needed. Surprised and pleased that Simba appears to be a high-contact guy, like Luis and Torts. The whole lineup has home run potential, tho maybe not in the bunches of the Bomba Squad. Hard to repeat that after the league took a couple psi from the ball. More and more impressed by the bullpen. Not perfect, but quite effective.
  10. jimbo92107
    I know I shouldn't hide my feelings. It's bad for the lombargo. So here's my real take on Baddoo. First, congrats to the kid. Detroit snatched him out from under our noses, and at the moment it looks like the steal of the year. Second, I like to say, Ghaaa. Sounds good, but I'm not actually that upset. The Twins have several good OF prospects in their system. Baddoo was considered promising, but a bit injury prone, and not quite ready to take on pro pitching. Kiriloff, Larnach and Rooker are considered better bats, and Celestino is considered a better CF if Buxton goes down again. Frankly, if Baddoo pans out better than Broxton, Detroit's scouts deserve praise. He's still a long shot to be a star in the league, but his first couple weeks sure have looked good. I hope he does well, but I'm not upset with the guys the Twins decided to keep on the 40. A certain amount of talent will escape an organization now and then. Good for the players.
  11. jimbo92107
    Andrelton Simmons: Key play of the game. How many Twins shortstops in the last 20 years make that play? Not a one. Simmons is faster, stronger arm, and better baseball IQ than all of them. Plus he's a scrappy good hitter. Gold bars for his weight. Maeda: He said it in the post game interview - he's been trying out stuff he'd been working on in spring training. I saw him try a few of his new-look curves. They didn't work, so he resorted back to last year's pitches. He looked irritated, like "what am I doing different?" I suspect he'll figure it out. Boyd: I agree with Morneau on this one. Put in a L/R/L/R lineup against him. He'll be less comfortable. Baddoo: Ghaaaaaa!
  12. jimbo92107
    With guys like El Cherubo I sometimes wonder 'what if.' What if he really got himself into physical shape? What if he showed up one spring looking like an NFL running back, or even a reasonable facsimile thereof? He might find himself driving baseballs another twenty feet. He might find himself fast enough to steal some bases, fast enough to stretch more bases from hits. Fast and flexible enough to bare-hand that grounder and gun out the runner headed for first. How good could Willians Astudillo really be? Sometimes I wonder.
  13. jimbo92107
    My favorite part of the game was watching Duffey follow Thielbar. Both guys are curveball masters that used to have low-90's heat. Both guys did Johnson's power pitching course. Now Thielbar has a 94 mph heater to complement his assortment of slow curves. Not just higher velo, but with control. With that extra weapon he befuddled Detroit's hitters for a couple innings. When Duffey followed, I thought I could see him using the same approach with his new amped-up heat (94 to 96 mph) to go with his harder curves and occasional change. Clearly the extra couple mph - with added control - is helping both these guys dominate. Even better, the new mechanics appears to be easier on the body, which bodes well for longevity.
  14. jimbo92107
    Gaaaaa, Baddoo is monster zero for Detroit! Gaaaa! Dobbs had a hiccup. Chill, peebles!
  15. jimbo92107
    The team looked great today. Arraez comps better to a young Tony Gwynn than a Rod Carew. Have the Twins assembled Bomba 2.0? Garver sez yeah. Simmons sez, 'Hey, sprinkle some of them sparkles on this here baseball glove, too.' Michael Pineda makes me feel sorry for all those little pitchers that need to perfect their mechanics. Pineda just leans his massive frame towards home, gives a little kick, and THWOP, another low-90's pitch zips in somewhere low around the zone. The big righty had the Brew Crew looking like they were playing whack-a-mole most of the five innings he pitched. Baldy did well to yank him after a long 5th. Long season ahead. Get those new relief arms some innings. Is Alcala for real? Sure looked real today! Buxton out with some illness. Not covid. Chicken soup! I think I will stop worrying about Kepler's hitting now. Now I worry about Polanco's bat. Meanwhile, Akil Baddoo began His Storied History with a first career at-bat home run (Rosario 2.0?). Just as I glumly predicted, he's going to be a great one...for the Detroit Tigers. Next, Twins will DFA Nick Gordon, who will then pump iron for six months, pack on 30 pounds of muscle for a total of 160, then become Detroit's star SS for the next ten years. Gaaaaaa!
  16. jimbo92107
    We get an idea how good Berrios can be when his mechanics are...just...right. Suddenly his heater hops up to 96. Suddenly his curve breaks a foot in the last ten feet of travel. Suddenly he's popping all his pitches within inches of where the catcher holds his glove. Glorious. Reminds me of mid-career Roger Federer, who could effortlessly serve a tennis ball into a far corner or right down the middle. Almost always it was 127 mph. Federer himself said he could hit it harder, but there was no need. Perfect control at 127 will do just fine. Same is true for Jose Berrios. When the mechanics are...just...right, the ball explodes out of his hand, with minimum effort. Because of this, a hitter cannot key off of the pitcher's "muscling up" to heave a big heater, much less read the change up, which was getting helpless whiffs. Same goes for his curve: By getting all the power early from his legs and torso, with such good poise, he can toss the curve wherever he wants. Funny thing is, Berrios should be able to dominate even more, if he can hang onto the mechanics he had Saturday. This could be quite a season for the guy we all want to become the ace of the Minnesota Twins.
  17. jimbo92107
    If Donaldson stays hurt, then Kirilloff gets the nod, because Garlick bats right, and his spot goes to Rooker if he scuffles at the plate. As mentioned, Arraez must keep his bat in the game, so he goes to 3B. Thank goodness Arraez is so position flexible.
  18. jimbo92107
    Wander Javier...once considered an all-world prospect, now a trivia question. Where did he go? What happened to him?
  19. jimbo92107
    Pineda's first start worries me. The big guy will find his mojo soon, but Milwaukee might try to jump all over him in the first few innings. If his change-up isn't ready, it could be a disaster. Lucky the Twins have a very talented infield.
  20. jimbo92107
    Fasten your seatbelts, wear a mask, wash those filthy hands, and don't ride motorcycles. Do tons of careful stretching, mind your mechanics, try to do everything the right way. Carve that on a stone tablet (not too heavy) and give it to Baldelli. Long season ahead. Pull the chocks, weigh anchor, and do your pre-waddle checklist. Where are my car keys? Did I leave the stove on? Oh, and take your vitamin D. That stuff is good for everything!
  21. jimbo92107
    We have seen it before...guy scuffles his first few times up in the bigs. Then, somewhere along the line he "figures some things out" like no more swinging at outside curves. After that, he's a major league ballplayer. Kyle Garlick could be one of those guys. If spring performance means anything at all, the best hitter in spring should get a legitimate shot. Integrity move by the Twins. Now, most of us are assuming that Garlick will cool off at the plate, but that's our own bit of homer bias. We would prefer the kid that came up through the Twins system to get the nod. With this group of young outfielders, anything could happen. Garlick could stay hot at the plate, or he could scuffle, opening up an opportunity for Rooker, Celestino, or Larnach. It's going to be fun watching each one struggle to find their game and hang on.
  22. jimbo92107
    Garlick is good for morale - baseball is supposed to be a merit system, not playing favorites. Garlick had a better spring than Rooker, thus he gets a roster spot. Rooker did look well-schooled in left field. Catches with both hands, good footwork, etc. If he continues to hone his hitting on the taxi squad, he'll be the first one called up, should Garlick...um, lose his initial allure. Sorry. Tip-toeing around all those pungent puns.
  23. jimbo92107
    Nice deal for both sides. Given Dobsie's origin story (so similar to Wolverines), these millions give a good man a solid nest egg. Meanwhile, the Twins get a bargain basement version of Kenta Maeda, at the very start of a career that looks good now, but could get even better.
  24. jimbo92107
    Akil Baddoo makes the cut in Detroit! Ghaaa, it's happening! They just got Puckett 2.0! Next they'll get Nick Gordon, who will pump up to 180 pounds and become a power-hitting SS for ten years! Ghaaaaaa!
  25. jimbo92107
    Here we are once again at the Clearance Table of the Bargain Basement of Major League Baseball. Over there is a box of miscellaneous electrical fixtures, a pile of dangerous extension cords, some lamps, a collection of brooms, and a baby crib full of league veterans. Now and then a savvy shopper will emerge from this place with a Nelson Cruz or even an Ichiro Suzuki with a couple good years left in him. Usually they wish they'd just grabbed some of those cheap extension cords. The Minnesota Twins are famous for trying and failing to get great deals here. Truth is, all the teams shop here, and usually fail. Age and injuries wear down even the best players. Here we are again, spinning that big wheel on Happ and Shoemaker. Yep, the probability is low that either one of them will shine as bright as in their late 20's, but each guy was a star for a while, so maybe... Come to think of it, we don't just do this for them. Whom amongst us did not smile when old Bartolo Colon fooled a few more hitters, then did his behind-the-back flip to first, then hit an improbable home run? The story of the Savvy Veteran is as old as the game itself. Some of us dream that a little of that old glory rubs off on our crusty selves, don't we? Good luck to Happ and Shoe. We got plenty of backup, if they fail.
×
×
  • Create New...