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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. Hey, if Mejia was starting every five days, 91 pitches doesn't look that bad. Kind of a lot for a bullpen guy, tho...
  2. Not as disciplined and precise, but yes, Jordan Balazovic does look like he's doing a good impersonation of Verlander's throwing motion. Not a bad guy to emulate. Let's hope he refines his game the same way that Verlander has done. On the other hand, then the Twins won't be able to afford him...
  3. OMG, look at that pitching motion of Jordan Balazovic. Loose, easy arm whip. Hard to read the pitch at the release point. Effort per pitch looks well below maximum. This guy could be a serious stud horse starter. I saw what looked like two plus pitches for sure, a hard overhand curve and a major fastball. If he develops a decent change, he'll be making a ton of money in the bigs very soon.
  4. El Cherubo, El Peloton, La Tortuga...I just like cooking new nicks for him.
  5. Well, to be truthful, I was imagining pool noodles behind a perforated barrier, itself protected by rugged cast iron spikes. You don't want these players getting spoiled!
  6. Actually, this could be a very good idea. First, if you looked at a combined spray chart of all hitters, I'm guessing you'd see more balls hit to the corner OF areas than to CF. Second, if you shift outfielders to compliment shifting infielders, you could use Buxton in RF to ease the need for pull shifts to that side because he covers so much ground. Third, the oblique wall collisions you mentioned, tho Buxton would have more chances to get hurt on foul balls down the line. Arguing against is the obvious reduction of coverage in CF with Kepler back there, tho he is in fact a rather good, reliable outfielder. Also, Buxton does appear to be getting better at timing and mitigating his wall collisions. Then there are collisions with the walls in foul territory. Third would be collisions with 2nd basemen streaking out to make a football catch in shallow right. Would he even hear Buxton shout "I got it" before they collided? They would need to train very carefully to avoid that scenario.
  7. I can't claim credit...somebody else got there in a previous thread. I forgot to give a hat tip.
  8. Moar important question: Why doesn't MLB insist on better cushions for its outfield walls? When million-dollar athlete/entertainer collides with brick wall, the wall wins, but the rest of us lose. Major League Baseball has it in its power to solve this problem. Hell, they could pad the walls with pool noodles and prevent a few injuries that way. Or have some public-spirited mattress company showcase its products in every park. We have the technology to prevent bone-breaking collisions with outfield walls. Why not get it done?
  9. B Squad games normally are kinda lame, but in this case it was fun because we didn't know what we had on the bench. We still aren't completely sure, but Garver, A-Stud and Austin can sure swing the lumber. Austin's late hit was like a knuckled 3-iron. Garver's swing spells long career, and El Cherubo is going to give opposing pitchers chaos headaches. I think I saw Grande Tortuga whiff on one swing the whole game. Seeing Astudillo makes me wonder, why do all these other professional baseball players miss the ball so often?
  10. Astudillo gets a clutch hit and scores the winning run in the 10th. El Cherubo continues to impress and entertain. This is a team where a lot of players step up at key moments. I really like the look of this squad overall. Very selfless, smart baseball.
  11. Right now I'd be looking at ways to get Astudillo batting right behind Buxton. I'd have Buck bat 5th or 6th, with Tortuga right after him. Hot bats in order, great contact behind blazing speed. That might mean sitting Gonzo so Torts can play 3B. So be it. Not quite ready to bat Buck at 1, but if he keeps hitting, he's designed by nature to be a leadoff. At that point, I do believe I'd bat the little chubby guy 2nd. El Cherubo?
  12. This should be another test of Wes Johnson's heel drive efforts. If we see an bump in velocity from a few of these guys (especially Gonsalves), that makes the whole experiment worth it. Else, it looks like a very solid AAA roster. They could dominate.
  13. La Tortuga may not be the best nickname for Astudillo. How about "Pelotero?" The man is a ballplayer, pure and simple. He hits the ball, catches the ball, throws the ball, and understands the game as well as anybody I see out there, including Rosario. If you're wondering about his catching, ask CJ Cron. Astudillo not only fielded Polanco's throw off the fence, he then quickly gunned the ball exactly where it needed to be for Cron to make the tag. That's a ballplayer, my friends. That's a guy you want on your team...playing, not on the bench. Otherwise, I like watching Pineda pitch. Something comforting about a big man that just flips the ball down at the strike zone with so little effort. Perez looked good, too. You really see him driving off the heel the way Wes Johnson says. Ryne Harper I do not understand. I know, I know, his low velocity is fooling people...for now. Hard to believe it will hold up, but baseball does have room for peculiarities. Falvey and Levine seem to like players with high baseball IQ. This team looks smart in the way they move and play. They seem to like each other, too. Baldy might just have himself a good team.
  14. Tom, those charts are amazing, and revealing. If this trend continues, the Twins might wind up with the whole starting rotation competing for most K's in the season!
  15. Garver's pitch framing was not what I would call good. I count 7 pitches in the zone that were called balls, and only 2 pitches out of the zone that were called strikes. That's hardly magician level sleight-of-glove. Still, I do like his new one-knee stance. He looks athletic and relaxed that way.
  16. Those cheap bucket pools are just booby traps for puppies, kittens, squirrels, possums, fawns, bear cubs, and raccoons. On the other hand, you toss in some taters, carrots, a little Louisiana hot sauce, light a little fire... that's mighty good eatin' for just pennies!
  17. Berrios looked great, but you can see why Kluber is in the running for multiple Cy Young's. Kluber peppers the edges of the strike zone from all angles with every pitch, and he can throw a curve that bends a foot outside, or few inches outside. That kind of command will always give your team a chance to win. One thing I'd like to see more of is Berrios's two-seam fastball. I saw him throw just one, and it startled the Cleveland hitter. Mixing in a few more of those would make his other pitches more effective. Berrios definitely looked the part of an ace in his first game. His stuff looked great, and he kept his emotions under control, not trying to throw his heater more than 94, or trying to bend his curve three feet. If he mixes in a few more change-ups and two-seamers, hitters won't have a clue what's coming next.
  18. Moar than a stream of consciousness, Seth. It was a river of objective observations and wisdom. Let us hope this river remains within the banks of reason, and winds slowly to a sea of success. May the 2019 Twins season offer all of us a reasonable amount of satisfaction, with more good surprises than bad. May the players avoid injury. May sunlight break through clouds to inspire victory. Load the butter churns! Rake the lawn! Ring the six-ton Norwegian cowbells of war! Buy a motorcycle, and ride responsibly! Gooooo Twinnnnsss!
  19. I noticed the only scoring was done by guys the Twins brought in from the outside. Oh how nice if this team could generate offense from guys that came up through the system!
  20. Youth, talent and merit seem to be served by this lineup. I like it. And so my friends, once again we play our dangerous game. Grown men throwing balls, hitting balls, catching balls, and occasionally running into each other. Feathers will be ruffled, and feelings will be hurt. Messages will be sent, and received, oh yes. This group of twenty five, this band of ballplayers, in this nineteenth year of the 21st century since somebody did something to somebody, shall embark upon yet another epic journey, writing their names in history with each throw, each swing, each catch, each dash to the next base. Meanwhile, we fans will cheer and boo, trying in earnest to remember when to do which, between gulps of over-priced beer and bites of food that no doctor would ever recommend. Sound the Gjellyhorn! Pound the drums! Cut loose the hot dogs of baseball! Here come the 2019 Minnesota Twins!!
  21. I like to tell 'em, "Hey, just throw it like Nolan Ryan." The guys that did that, increased their velocity significantly.
  22. A relief pitcher that depends on a big, slow curveball to offset his underwhelming 90mph heater? If your goal as manager is to see how much gray hair you can sprout in one season, this is how you do it. Don't get me wrong, I'd be fascinated if Harper makes the team. But after these hitters study film and see him a couple times, will that slow curve still get so many wild flails? I'm afraid the biggest advantage Harper has is that hitters haven't seen his stuff yet. That might provide dividends for the first couple weeks in April. After that...eh.
  23. I'd bet on May, if he stays healthy. Otherwise I don't mind having no specific closer. I agree that every relief pitcher should consider it his job to go get guys out whenever called upon.
  24. Wes Johnson has his work cut out for him. All he needs do is make this pitching staff throw overwhelming stuff all season without their arms falling off. Reminds me of that Superman movie where the villain says to his sidekick, "All I asked of you was one thing: Kill Superman."
  25. Speaking of which, you should see my wipe-out sinker. I hold it with that V grip, then throw it at about 50 mph. The downward sink is amazing. In fact, all my pitches bend down like that, at about 50 mph, including my sinking fastball and my 12 to 6 curve. Sadly, the curve never quite makes it to the plate. Maybe if I try to throw it over the back stop...
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