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PopRiveter

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Everything posted by PopRiveter

  1. PopRiveter
    Bravo, Nick! I wholeheartedly concur. This casting decision seems to leverage only the weaknesses of the pitcher with the best chance to be their best starter.
  2. PopRiveter
    Bleeeeccchh. Drew is a solid grade C player at the end of his prime. Bat? OK. Career OPS =.764 Glove? I only know what I've read. Words like "average, solid, unspectacular." There just isn't enough bat (or youth) there to be worth giving up defense or playing time (that can serve as an audition for a younger player.) I'd rather watch Florimon field the position at grade A level and bat just .221 with 9 HR than watch Drew field it at a C level while hitting .253 with 13 HR while being paid so much that management won't remove him from the position when someone on the rise outplays him. Are we seriously pining for Stephen Drew? Look at his bbref similarity scores list. Try to overcome the bright glare of stars like Pat Meares and Yuniesky Betancourt.
  3. PopRiveter
    The answer at leadoff? I gottit! Trevor Plouffe. I know you're thinking, "What? This commenter doesn't understand the tools a leadoff hitter needs to be successful." Fair enough. Ignore that and consider this. Trevor Plouffe with the bases empty=.255/.313/.459 with 34 bombs in 695 AB. Trevor Plouffe with men on base=.220/.284/.348 with 14 wall-scrapers (likely wind-aided) in 531 AB. That's like having Tom Brunansky in his prime when the bases are empty vs. Denny Hocking (in Pat Meares' prime) when anyone is on any base. What do you think? Will Gardy be bold enough to eschew coventional baseball wisdom and properly leverage Mr. Plouffe's inability to hit with men on base? If not, this could be a long season. (Insert laughter and raucous applause as I respectfully drop the microphone and return to my seat)
  4. PopRiveter
    Totally misread this headline as, "Tanaka, Topless Twins, and Correia." Turned out to be much more appropriate.
  5. PopRiveter
    "it is looking like Pinto will make the roster because the Twins need his bat." "I think Gardenhire would like to have Chris Colabello on the team, but it's going to be tough to fit him along with a third catcher." Seems to me, they'd add more offense by making room for Colabello than by making room for Pinto, even if he's just half of a platoon dh. That said, I'm really struggling to find enthusiasm for Kurt Suzuki at bats.
  6. PopRiveter
    Yuck. Deduno is the only one of the seven who I actually look forward to watching start. Looks like a summer's worth of dvr-ing games to watch offensive halves of innings. I see the value in all these guys, but I literally have no interest in actually watching any member of the rotation. I haven't felt that way about a Twins rotation since I started following the team as a grown-up (2000.) Lame.
  7. PopRiveter
    Sorry, dudes. Worst. Episode. Ever. Help us, John Bonnes. You're our only hope.
  8. PopRiveter
    " He provided NO power in his limited time last year. He is not, at all, a bench bat. " Just because we didn't get to see it in 81 at bats last year (36 which were post-concussion) doesn't indicate the power isn't there. He's regularly a 15-20 HR player in the shortened minor league seasons. Judge him on that. I see a way he makes the team- injuries. He provides some quality, mlb-ready depth. He's no one's idea of a starter, but he's good for a replacement player.
  9. PopRiveter
    Phooey. This felt inevitable. Too bad it wasn't just a little more apparent to the docs last fall. This has to be so frustrating for a ball player on the verge. Can't wait 'til he's back!
  10. PopRiveter
    I love when Madre Dos drops comments like this! It's a great reminder that these players are real people. It makes following prospects that much better. Don't feed Jose Berrios shrimp. That advice may never come in handy for me, but I'm taking note anyway
  11. PopRiveter
    Thrylos, you made a number of points in this thread that I applaud, but I'll never understand your disdain for Michael Cuddyer. Every mention of his name seems to rub you wrong. I sure wouldn't have complained about having his 2013 production in right field over Parmelee's. I guess you got your wish on that one. But more to the point, having your "mentor-type" SP be a 30 yr old with a sturdy track record and 90-94 velocity is a win in my book. The clubhouse chemistry angle is nice, but it's not like he's earned this job on his personality alone.
  12. PopRiveter
    His 1996 season in which he posted 8.6 wins above replacement (via baseball-reference.com) still stands as the Twins' second best season as measured by that statistic (Rod Carew's 1977 season was the highest). Seems pretty clear- 2nd highest WAR season in Twins history. There are a lot of ways to measure a successful season. WAR is one.
  13. PopRiveter
    I totally get this, Mike. I was more satisfied watching Hicks struggle last year than watching Doumit be sort of okay. There is a hope when watching a younger/higher-ceiling athlete take his lumps. However, I think they actually are moving guys fast. Gibson sure didn't spend much healthy time developing. Hicks skipped AAA and Arcia barely dipped a toe in AAA before debuting with the Twins. Rosario was likely to have a shot at making the club this spring if not for his suspension. Sano still may. Buxton is moving fast. I think they're doing just what you're asking. But not every player will be a Puckett or a Hrbek. Some will be Bobby Kieltys or JT Bruetts.
  14. PopRiveter
    Hrbek debuted at age 21, Puckett at age 24. Sano and Buxton are each 20. BB just turned 20 last month and has played 173 games of professional baseball. Seems a bit premature to complain that Terry Ryan is promoting too slowly.
  15. PopRiveter
    It's nice to see he got off to a solid start. I will be rooting for him. I need to have more trust in Twins Daily readers to pick up on my dumb jokes.
  16. PopRiveter
    "Tanner Vavra... hit just .246 in E-Town, but got on base about 36% of the time." Sounds like Tanner Vavra has a good eye. Anybody get it? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
  17. PopRiveter
    Thrylos & OldTwinsCap, Seth opens the article by first acknowledging what we all know-the season was difficult for MN and their fans. You both obviously love baseball deeply. We all want our favorite team to win it all every year. That won't happen. One of the things I love most about baseball is how a long, bad season can produce a fantastic game on a given day. And just one or two steps back from that, I see a parallel-a poor team can produce compelling storylines. Sure, these storylines probably wouldn't happen if the Twins were at the top of the division in 2013, but they weren't. That doesn't mean we don't get to enjoy them. If you really love baseball, you gotta understand that right? It's what makes guys like us something more than just football fans. InsertSmileyFaceEmoticonHere
  18. PopRiveter
    Unlikely that all 4 veteran starters will be healthy enough to start the season. Starting pitchers are just too fragile to expect all those arms to be sound. Chances are, the 1 opening we see today will be 2 when camp breaks. Between Deduno, Gibson, Diamond, there will also be at least one starter disqualified either by injury, or meltdown. It is easy to imagine scenarios whereby Diamond is the odd man out of the organization. I hope Deduno is healthy and forces his way in, as he is my favorite to watch out of this year's group, but it is way too soon to know who will really be the final five.
  19. PopRiveter
    I also want Parmelee playing everyday (in AAA.) If he takes the field for the Twins this year, it should be because he's earned it by dominating @ Rochester. I don't buy that he struggled because he only played 80% of the time. Parmelee had 531 PAs last year (333 @ MLB.) The team didn't leave him rotting on the bench.
  20. PopRiveter
    My heart says, "yes!" I don't put anything beyond Johan. I'd enjoy a Santana comeback attempt more than the Pelfrey/Harden/Zumaya attempts. ...or, a Scott Baker reunion could make even more sense. Heck, get the band back together!
  21. PopRiveter
    Can you honestly find one example of "fans and media alike" hailing him as an ace? I read and listen to a lot of Twins content. Sure seems from here that everyone has enjoyed the pleasant surprise, but none are fooled into thinking that an 86 MPH fastball puts a pitcher in "Ace" conversations. Alex Meyer and Kohl Stewart have been targeted for high upside. To a lesser extent, JO Berrios, Trevor May, Mason Melotakis. Albers doesn't make the list of pitchers who the Twins hope will rise to ace status. I don't think the Twins will stop looking because of Albers' 2 good starts. In a season like this, a good storyline is a bright spot. Finding a potential building block (even if it is a low-ceiling guy) is good thing where there haven't been enough good things. Your article may be overreacting to a nonexistent opinion.
  22. PopRiveter
    I wanted to claim him of waivers for my neighborhood team but my internet was down.
  23. PopRiveter
    I think momentum affects players. I believe Hicks (or Arcia, or Parmelee, or anyone) is more likely to find success in the majors when following a hot streak in AAA than he would be when following a 4-month slump in the majors. I think they should demote him to help him get some traction and some confidence. Arcia has come up hot 2x this season and it has served him well. Thomas did the same. Colabello too. Conversely, Parmelee and Hicks have spun their wheels all year.
  24. PopRiveter
    Thanks for the great post, Seth. I look forward to these updates. When it comes to Colabello, I think you have to make room for him in the majors. You would have to take some outfield starts from Parmelee/Hicks/Thomas, some DH time from Doumit, and the occasional start from Morneau. I don't think it should require a trade. Either demote Hicks and play Clete in center everyday (Escobar would be emergency backup CF-ugly, but we're on pace for 90+ losses) or demote Parmelee. None of the group of Parmelee/Doumit/Hicks have produced to a level that really demands the playing time they're getting this season. I'm all for Colabello stealing some at-bats from all three.
  25. PopRiveter
    Tapani was the first starter I can remember caring about. Viola was just a guy to me when I first started watching as a kid. As such, I learned to love the affordable, better-than-average-but-not-dominant player rather than the Cy Youngs and MVPs of the world. I'm sorry young Brad felt victimized while young Reed discovered his upper middle class hero.
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