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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    If you get a chance, go back and watch that 6-run 7th inning again. Notice how the Twins did just about everything right to take advantage of KC's pitching troubles. First, Jorge Polanco's scratch hit. Doesn't that kid just look like a good young baseball player? Then Kepler's excellent strike zone discipline, waiting for a good pitch to bunt, followed by an excellent bunt and great hustle down the line. Then up steps Eddie Rosario, and he does exactly what we love: He saw the SS not in position to execute the wheel play, so Eddie punches a bunt right to Moustakas, handing him an out at first, but now the Twins have runners on 2nd and 3rd. All along, they did the smart thing, and executed just right. Walk to Dozier, and then Robbie Grossman does what he does best...draw a walk to score Polanco. Other than Buxton, who is still flailing early in the season, just about everybody did his part to keep advancing runners. Even the new catcher came up with a clutch hit to drive in two runs. More than just a win, this game looked like a statement. This team seems far more competent than last season. They read situations better, and execute correctly. Great outfield defense, and the middle infield looks solid. Joe Mauer at 1st base could be one of the better fielders at that position now. If only the pitching staff holds up...
  2. jimbo92107
    Hughes does have one major factor in his favor: He has always had excellent command. The same basic pitching mechanics that have allowed him to have a crazy-low walk percentage should also allow him to tinker successfully with new pitches. That said, it's his spring velocity that gives me the most hope. I was worried that Hughes would be stuck around 89 mph with his heater, a speed that won't allow him to beat major league hitters. 91 or 92 mph is much more workable. It provides the upper end that makes his off-speed pitches more effective. His first couple starts should be very interesting.
  3. jimbo92107
    I'm a big Eddie fan, so I have to temper my enthusiasm. I think Seth has hit the exact middle of the range of Rosario's performance this season. "Eddie Rosario: 516 at-bats, .274/.306/.452 (.749), 29 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs." Of those numbers, I suspect Rosario can beat 6 triples easily. His gap power is excellent, and he can spray the ball into corners, getting difficult bounces. Eddie has shown that he has quick recognition of weakness when an outfielder is off balance, misjudging a ball or bobbling a ball, and his speed is sufficient for adding an extra base. I have seen him bluff slowing down to 2nd base several times, then turn on the jets to reach 3rd. 29 doubles actually may be a tad high, partly because I expect Eddie to push for 3rd base whenever it seems possible, meaning fewer doubles and a few more times gunned down at 3rd. This brings me to the reason I love Eddie Rosario: He loves the game of baseball. Not just the attention and the money, but the contest to see who can find a way to win. Rosario looks for the little things, like an outfielder that lags just a bit when fielding, or a pitcher that isn't paying attention to the runner. He sees those things and looks to spring traps on people that aren't fully engaged. For this reason it's difficult to capture what Rosario represents with a string of statistics. He may "swing at everything" most of the time, but then, at some key point in a game...maybe he won't. Rosario's reputation as a free swinger is well known among pitchers, who may decide to dangle a high heater or an outside curve at a crucial moment, 3 and 2 with a couple runners on, tie game. Rosario knows this, and he's always looking to take advantage... What will he do? Eddie Rosario knows the game well enough to operate at the level of an expert poker player. He masks his own intentions with an impassive poker face, while reading his opponents for any signs of their intentions. This is so cool, I can hardly tell you. I love Eddie Rosario. He's a real player.
  4. jimbo92107
    Bear in mind also that the minor league pitchers I listed were the YOUNGEST on the AA and AAA pitching staffs. Assuming some of the older minor leaguers are more than filler, some of those guys... AAA older guys: Yohan Pino P R R 6' 2" 190 12-26-1983 Active No Nick Greenwood P R L 6' 1" 180 09-28-1987 Active No Buddy Boshers P L L 6' 3" 205 05-09-1988 Active Yes Nick Tepesch P R R 6' 4" 240 10-12-1988 Active No Alex Wimmers P L R 6' 2" 215 11-01-1988 Active No Seth Rosin P R R 6' 6" 265 11-02-1988 Active No Matt Tracy P L L 6' 3" 215 11-26-1988 Active No Drew Rucinski P R R 6' 2" 190 12-30-1988 Active No Nik Turley P L L 6' 4" 195 09-11-1989 Active No David Hurlbut P L L 6' 3" 221 11-24-1989 Active No Jason Wheeler P L L 6' 6" 255 10-27-1990 Active No and AA older guys: Raul Fernandez P R R 6' 2" 180 06-22-1990 Active No Luke Bard P R R 6' 3" 202 11-13-1990 Active No Zack Jones P R R 6' 1" 195 12-04-1990 Active No Trevor Hildenberger P R R 6' 2" 211 12-15-1990 Active No Todd Van Steensel P R R 6' 1" 215 01-14-1991 Active No Mason Melotakis P R L 6' 2" 220 06-28-1991 Active Yes Brandon Peterson P R R 6' 1" 190 09-23-1991 Active No Ryan Eades P R R 6' 2" 200 12-15-1991 Active No Paul LeBlanc P R R 6' 4" 185 03-07-1992 Active No Aaron Slegers P R R 6' 10" 245 09-04-1992 Active No ...some of these guys could be pitching on the Twins instead of the 30-something retreads the team is using now. What are they, chopped liver? Cubed beef? Beef chuck for chili? Chicken fried steak? Chorizo? Bacon ends? Dang, now I'm getting hungry...
  5. jimbo92107
    Another thing about Breslow is his high intelligence. I'm pretty sure he could seamlessly transition from pitcher to pitching coach at the pro level. A guy like that should be considered for a position in the Twins organization when he finally hangs 'em up.
  6. jimbo92107
    Yes, I agree that Breslow's game has gone downhill for the last few years. However, supposedly he has tinkered with his mechanics and found a better technique. If so, Breslow is an effective reliever. Meanwhile, O'Rourke has looked very inconsistent in limited use on the Twins. That said, I'll grant your general point that you'd rather have a younger guy with a live arm than a vet trying to hold onto a couple more years of pro play. This may feed into what appears to be the plan, which is to start the season with vets, then transition to the abundant young arms in AA and AAA.
  7. jimbo92107
    Craig Breslow has always been better than O'Rourke. As long as Breslow can bring it above 90 mph, his stuff will play well at the mlb level.
  8. jimbo92107
    Justin Haley looks like a bright spot this spring. He's big, strong, young, works fast, downward plane, stays around the zone, live arm. If Haley takes the long man role from Tonkin, that allows Tonkin to work more as a setup guy, keeping his arm fresher. Otherwise, the only reason I see to start the season with a back end of older veterans is if the Twins aim to replace them in coming months with guys like Chargois, Wimmers and whoever gets hot in Rochester or Chattanooga. Speaking of AAA and AA, take a look at their pitching rosters. Whew, there's a lot of young arm talent bubbling up! I didn't realize all these guys were now in AA... Seven youngest pitchers on the Lookouts: Fernando Romero Kohl Stewart Stephen Gonsalves Randy Rosario Tyler Jay Felix Jorge Nick Burdi That's half a future pitching staff right there. Then combine that with these guys... Four youngest pitchers on the Red Wings: Jose Berrios Jake Reed Mason Melotakis J.T. Chargois The future looks pretty good.
  9. jimbo92107
    Here's an idea: Trade Vargas to Boston. I hear they like huge, power-hitting first basemen that don't like the Twins style of spraying singles around the park. Maybe the Red Sox will know what to do with a guy like that.
  10. jimbo92107
    The counter argument is Duffey's control of his curve. If a guy can throw curves as well as Duffey, to me that means he understands the fundamentals of arm slots, which means he should be able to spot his other pitches with the same concepts as spotting his curves. Even if his heater never gets above 92, with good control a guy like Duffey can master the art of pitching, which is about disrupting the batter's timing and fooling his eye. The league has plenty of room for a starter whose game revolves around a great curve ball. Could be that Duffey's just waiting for a catcher that knows how to take advantage of his stuff.
  11. jimbo92107
    Dang, I can practically see it happening: They'll cut Tonkin, he'll get snapped up by the Dodgers, and then he'll pitch like a freakin' all star. Ghaaaaaa!
  12. jimbo92107
    Duffey now has at least four pitches: 4-seamer, 2-seamer, curve, and change. If he actually is able to add a legit sinker, I'm not sure how a hitter is supposed to guess which pitch comes next. Except in pressure situations I still guess his curve. If Duffey can throw a sinker or a change in place of his high-pressure curve, he could befuddle many a flailing batsman. They, as I, will continue to guess curve long after the charts say it will be something else.
  13. jimbo92107
    This perturbs me.
  14. jimbo92107
    I'll trust Kepler's judgement for a very simple reason: He's a dedicated student of the game, and he has gotten better each year. The technique Kepler is attempting to perfect is a mental model that either will help him, or not. Regardless how Kepler translates or mis-translates this meme through his verbal description, the results will be revealed in how well he hits in games. The only important interpretation is between Kepler's head and his hands. If he's onto a good technique, then he'll be mashing screaming line drives with backspin. If he winds up pounding weak grounders to the second baseman, then it'll be time to tinker with his grand theory.
  15. jimbo92107
    Assuming Hughes stays healthy, this is shaping up exactly the way most of us figured. We all know his velocity is well below what he used to have as a power pitcher. Command is not really an issue, but he now lacks an 'out pitch' in favorable counts. What should he do? What other aging veteran power pitchers do is find a new pitch, like a really slow curve he can dangle over the inside or outside corner, difficult to square up because it's coming at 65 mph and bending two feet. Of course that can backfire, too. Balls like that sometimes fly the other way about 450 feet. I think Hughes needs to average 92 mph on his heater to survive as a starter. If he doesn't reach that velocity, he'd better start developing that bolo curve.
  16. jimbo92107
    Well, if they won't hire a drinking buddy, I'm not even going to apply. So there! ;-)
  17. jimbo92107
    Spring training could provide answers. If Hughes is sitting mid-80's in spring, then move him to the pen. If he's touching 91 or 92 fairly consistently (with control) then maybe he's back. The other reason to try Hughes in the pen is his super-low BB/9. That's exactly what you want from a late reliever or setup man - no walks, and get it done fast. Hughes does have a good record of working quickly. One other reason to move Hughes to the pen is the logjam at starter. The Twins have several young candidates on the verge, and the team is still in rebuilding mode, so why keep aging vets as starters? What are they afraid of, another losing season?? It's too late to play the "respectability" card. This team rates no respect from anybody, so they might as well use the whole season for tryouts...at every position.
  18. jimbo92107
    Hughes has seen his velocity drop significantly over the past few years. Maybe it was due to injuries, but it is also pretty well established that pitchers really do simply lose their velocity as they enter their thirties, with very few exceptions. All I'm doing is projecting based on historical trends league-wide. The best use of a guy like Hughes tends to be as a setup man. Fewer pitches means he doesn't have to pace himself for seven innings, so maybe he gets a few mph back over 20 pitches. I would rather have an effective setup guy than another completely mediocre starter that is likely to break down before July.
  19. jimbo92107
    Hughes needs to go to the pen as a setup or closer. He can't go a full season anymore as a starter. He'll break down in the first month.
  20. jimbo92107
    This is where historically bad pitching brings you. It is a stinky place with no toilet paper.
  21. jimbo92107
    I have finalized a list of the best Twins starters for 2017. Unfortunately, it's a little hard to read. To create the list, I filled several small balloons with bright paint, drank half a bottle of whiskey, then hurled the balloons at a large canvass across the room while channeling the spirit of the great Walter Johnson. When I woke up the next morning, there it was. Granted, what I had thought was a large canvass was in fact the side of my landlord's Winnebago, but the meaning was clear. Here was the list of starters. Interpretation may prove difficult, although when I squint I swear I can see an 'Ir', which obviously means Irvin Santana. After that, it's not so clear at the moment. More whiskey!
  22. jimbo92107
    I remember several years ago when I spotted how Francisco Liriano was tipping his pitches. Basically from the set he pointed his lead shoulder where he was going to spot the ball. It was so obvious that I wrote about it repeatedly, with no results. Finally he stopped doing sometime the next season. While he's working on changing his change-up, Berrios could do one other thing: Grip the fastball just a little different, so his pinky sticks out. If batters think that's going to be a change, he'll blow it right by them. As long as they can't be sure what they're seeing, the visual indication will no longer be reliable, and will become a distraction.
  23. jimbo92107
    If Dozier wants to hit his 40th home run, this would be a good time.
  24. jimbo92107
    Who says Garver is going to make it? That's the problem, nobody knows. There is no obvious, outstanding prospect at catcher in the Twins system. That's why Garver didn't get the lion's share of games behind the dish. You want great defense? Call up Turner, he's far better than Zuki or Centeno right now. You want better offense? Garver, but his defense is still developing. No catcher in the organization has both great offense and defense right now. Nobody. The Twins don't have a great prospect at catcher right now. Fact of life. They waived Suzuki and nobody claimed him because he can't throw out a base runner anymore. Centeno can hit a little, throws pretty good, but he lets dirt balls bounce all over the place, which is awkward for a team with a bunch of soft-tossing sinker ballers. Garver may get a September call up, and that's fine, but don't be shocked if he's not ready. As you said, 60 games isn't many at catcher. For whatever reason, the Twins haven't had much luck developing catchers lately. Or pitchers. Or shortstops...
  25. jimbo92107
    Stuart Turner swinging a hot bat, yeah baby! I'm hoping this guy can start really hitting, so he can finally move up and out of the minors. Twins could really use a defensive ace behind the dish. But we don't want another Drew Butera 2.0.
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