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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    This 2019 Twins squad is better than both the '87 or '92 teams that won the Series. Unfortunately, the Astros are better than either of those teams, too. Also, the Yankees at full strength will be damn good, the Dodgers are still powerful, the Blue Jays could shock the world with a couple superstar rookies, and the Red Sox have a dangerous team. Today's Twins have excellent hitting up and down the lineup, solid starters, and surprisingly good relievers. Last night their best reliever Rogers coughed up a one-run lead after Pineda's solid start. Then Miguel Sano opted for three home run swings in a situation that called for a line drive base hit, allowing Sader to throw his riding fastball over Sano's bat. Whiff, whiff, whiff. What was irritating about Sano's AB was that he was right on time with his swing, but he wanted to be a hero with the big old uppercut, so he whiffed out of an opportunity to tie the game. That's a mental error, but fortunately it's correctable. Sano needs to learn that he doesn't have to carry this team, it's got plenty of power hitters. Get the much easier single, and your team is still in the ballgame.
  2. jimbo92107
    Sounds like Devin Smeltzer rates a cuppa coffee if anybody ever did. I wonder if beating cancer will give him the kind of perspective on pressure that combat veterans have for professional sports. People that have faced death sometimes laugh at the idea that a 3-2 count with a runner on third base is pressure. If they fail, a guy moves ninety feet, and a number changes on the scoreboard. Hahahahahaha! May your life experiences serve you well, Devin Smeltzer. Welcome to the Show.
  3. jimbo92107
    I don't usually vote up schtuff like that, but thish one was schpecial.
  4. jimbo92107
    When Kyle Gibson is pitching like this, he's basically your ace. He has always had that vexing slider that gets whiffs from righties and lefties. Now it looks like his whole repertoire has solidified, giving him command of all his pitches. It's beautiful to watch the man pursue his art. On the other hand, the Twins appear to have three other guys pitching like aces. Odorizzi's command looks razor sharp. Perez has a devastating cutter and a powerful fastball. Berrios has at least three whiff pitches, but his command of each one varies from day to day, even within one ballgame. Coming off a prolonged absence, Pineda is lagging behind, but he has steadily improved, and appears to be rounding into form, chugging along with his low-zone cutters and sliders, pegging the low corners with his 92 mph heater and his baffling change. He's not flashing mid-90's heat (so far), but he's laying down quality starts without it. All in all, the Twins appear to have the best starting rotation in baseball.
  5. jimbo92107
    The way the starters are pitching, I hope Baldy will keep sending out the weaker relief pitchers, let guys like Rogers rest a while. Oh wait, there's only one guy like Rogers. Hmmm. Well, they're all pitching pretty well right now, so keep sending them all out!
  6. jimbo92107
    That's just below Jack Morris's guarantee: You give me ten runs, I guarantee a win! Close enough...
  7. jimbo92107
    Two things: 1. Twins hitters are barreling up the ball and mashing line drives more than I have ever seen this team do. 2. Zach Littell is another succeeding Wes Johnson project, a guy with new life on his heater and a new pitch (combo slider/splitter). He looked great. Everybody in the pen except Harper is now throwing mid-90's heat. I approve of these developments.
  8. jimbo92107
    Tempted to ask what the heck happened to Austin Adams today, but don't we all know? It was nerves, of course. Gigantic lead, second appearance, boss tells you to "just throw strikes." Most veterans do just that, but when your roster spot is at risk, the pressure is higher than it appears from our angle. Adams was over-throwing his fastball bigly, and he couldn't back off. The good news was two innings earlier: Tyler Duffey is learning to command his amped up lower half. He looks to be transitioning from a finesse pitcher to a power pitcher. Two K's with 96mph fastballs? Never seen him do that before. Maybe Duffey is the reliable 2-inning right hander the Twins needed.
  9. jimbo92107
    If Santa is asking, I'll have a healthy Hildy and a right-handed Taylor Rogers. Then I'm fine. If not, then bring up Romero again. Gotta find one more reliable two-inning guy.
  10. jimbo92107
    No need to change the meaning of "coddle." Its denotation of excessive care or kindness is fine for that word. Its connotation of spoiling children has its place, too. Just use a different word, like "nurture." Baldelli apparently understands that men treated with respect, sympathy and a positive regard for their emotional as well as physical health tend to perform better on the field. Shocking! Imagine the nightmare if we all treated each other like that! Our prisons would be empty! Our military would spend its time building houses and swimming pools for everybody around the world! Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins will be where every baseball player wants to play.
  11. jimbo92107
    Luis Arraez has a bit of a Tony Gwynn look to him. I'm okay with that, I guess... Could the Twins use a young Tony Gwynn in the lineup? Seriously, this kid looks like a guy that could average well over .300. How the heck did the Twins luck into him? Hate to say it, but there's no way they keep Adrianza around with Arraez's hot bat in the lineup. Not even sure how they keep Arraez on the bench at all. He could bump Schoop from 2nd base. Sweet Luis could force his way into the lineup.
  12. jimbo92107
    I agree that Buxton has fixed his swing. In fact, a man with a swing like that belongs a lot higher in the lineup than ninth. Given what we've seen so far this season, I would go 1. Polanco. Switch hitter, highest avg, good all around offensive player. 2. Buxton. Great swing, fast as hell on base. 3. Rosario v. righties /Cron v. lefties. 4. Cruz. 5 thru 8...whatever, tinker with it. 9. Kepler. Good reverse leadoff for Polanco.
  13. jimbo92107
    2018 was supposed to be the first year where this wave of core players (Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Berrios, Polanco) were supposed to compete for a championship. Instead, Santana missed the season, Sano and Buxton were mostly gone, Kepler had a down year, Polanco was suspended half the season, etc. This extreme bounce-back should not really surprise anybody. Management added three very good veterans in the field, Schoop, Gonzo and Cron. They also added three valuable pitchers, Perez, Pineda, and Ryne Harper. In addition, Garver has continued to improve both at and behind the plate, and El Cherubo has shocked the world by being a legit utility player, and a surprisingly good backup catcher. But the thing that should surprise nobody is that the core of this team is now healthy, and they are entering the prime of their careers. They should be competing for championships for the next five years, before they all get old, hurt, or traded. Better still, a new influx of talented players will be arriving over the next few years. Graterol, Kiriloff, Lewis and others should help maintain the talented core, possibly for several more years. Meanwhile, for 2019 I fully expect Twins management to keep tabs on possible late season adds, especially if the team looks poised for a post season run. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Marcus Stromen on the team sometime late. We have arrived at the window. I see fun times ahead.
  14. jimbo92107
    Johan Santana was pitching great out of the bullpen, and then they had to go make him a starter. Batting Buxton lead-off threatens the same kind of disruption of the status quo. Who are we to acknowledge Buxton's mature new approach at the plate? I say we stay here in Europe, where the world is nice and flat!
  15. jimbo92107
    "High ankle sprain." Hey, at least it ain't a broken ankle. He'll be back in a few days, I bet.
  16. jimbo92107
    Just when you think some records will last forever, everything goes digital. Jorge Polanco does just about everything the way you want a baseball player to do it. If the Twins don't win the Series this year, I won't blame Polanco. Who will I blame? Hmmm, I'll think it over. Maybe one of the moderators...
  17. jimbo92107
    Tyler Duffey actually looked like a very different pitcher in his one relief appearance. His fastball, previously mired in the low 91 to 93 range, has jumped to the 95 range, hitting 96 more than 94. In his outing, Duffey blew his heater past a couple guys for K's. That might not sound so unusual, but he was leaning on the heater, not on his estimable assortment of curve balls to get guys out. Is this more evidence of Wes Johnson's coaching? I've never seen Duffey's fastball consistently going that fast. If so, Johnson could breathe new life into several Twins arms that have bounced around between AAA and the majors.
  18. jimbo92107
    First time I've ever seen Tyler Duffey blow a side away with just his heater. Lots of 95's and a few 96mph fastballs, and it looked like he was commanding their location. Has Duffey been talking to president Wes Johnson, too?
  19. jimbo92107
    Thing about May is, for some reason his stuff doesn't whiff bats much. Even tho Hildy blew it, his stuff gets a lot more whiffs, so, like Ryne Harper, they keep putting him out there. Hildenberger does seem to have some extreme up's and down's.
  20. jimbo92107
    Stubborn people... Reminds of of this guy I know, Charles. Terrible doubles player. Every first serve, he tries to hit an impossible angle, missing by at least four feet. Then he pops a little puffball second serve in the middle of the service box. It usually gets crushed right at his cringing partner. I asked him once why he keeps doing that, wasting his first serve. "One of these days, I'm gonna ace somebody, and you'll all be sorry." Terrible doubles player.
  21. jimbo92107
    Given what I've seen happen this season, I would let Wes Johnson decide which draftable pitchers he thinks he could build into stars. Hand this man an entire draft of pitchers, see what he can do.
  22. jimbo92107
    I get it! Game of Thrones, y'all! ;-)
  23. jimbo92107
    Miguel Sano will be returning to 3rd base the moment he's healthy, be assured of that. What's different this time around is that Sano will be surrounded by a good mix of solid veterans and his own peers entering the prime of their careers. Can you think of a more powerful motivating factor than that? Oh wait, there's more: the Twins have the best record in the league. The social atmosphere of this club is close to ideal for Sano. Others are leading by example, so he doesn't have to feel he must carry the offense. He can just mash baseballs, without trying to hit a homer every time. That should allow him time to find his swing at the mlb level, and after that he can try to add more power.
  24. jimbo92107
    I'd trade Kirk Cousins for Stromen, straight up. Do it quick, before anybody notices.
  25. jimbo92107
    "Face of the Twins" is a tough question to ask, especially right now, when each game a different guy or set of guys is thumping taters or making spectacular plays in the field. Rosario and Polanco are tied for first in my mind right now. Both could wind up on the All Star team this season. On the other hand, so could most of the Twins pitching staff, the way they're dominating hitters. Does that make Wes Johnson the face of the franchise? Nah, it's got to be a player.
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