KirbyDome89

"Minnesota still has plenty of games remaining against the division's dregs to help fuel a rapid climb." If they're fighting for the last WC spot then sure, that's an advantage, but right now they're at the bottom of that group and honestly it's generous to even include them. IMO the division title is a long shot but if that's their only way into the postseason then the advantage of playing a poor divisional schedule is erased. I get that there's 3/4 of a season left to play, and I still think the WC is their best shot at getting in, but the hole they're digging is putting them in a position where they're forced to win the division. I'm not sure that the games left with KC, Det, and CHI are as much of a safety blanket as we thought they'd be.

I would say yes and no. In theory I agree. It certainly can be more difficult to help an individual with something you find extremely easy. That said, I'm not sure how much is Molitor taking little things for granted because they came easy to him, and how much of it is him working from an assumed knowledge base that maybe doesn't exist for some of the players. I don't think it's unfair of Molitor to assume that all these guys have a strong understanding of all the little things listed. That doesn't mean he has no responsibility to reinforce some of those concepts in given situations but things like getting a lead at 2B w/o getting picked off, learning to differentiate between a lefty going home vs. 1B, throwing to the cutoff man/correct base, ect. are all hammered out in the minors if not well before then. Maybe it's as simple as the players not being reminded about situational awareness, but given how shocking some of the mental mistakes are I have to think the issue runs deeper than the major league manager not preparing them.

Wow...

Teams have guys go on rehab assignments to shake off any rust because they have quality MLB players filling in. MN can't say that for at least 1/3 of the lineup right now. In a perfect world Sano is able to get a few games in before returning to the Twins, but right now even a rusty Miguel is better than a good amount of what they're putting on the field.

Not quite the elephant in the room but how much longer are we going to watch Adrianza? Gordon and an insert name here glove first guy can't be any worse.

Here me out here: I want Buxton in the lineup. He's been terrible this year, no doubt, but if he isn't contributing by playing CF then why is he with the team? I have no desire to see him sent to AAA but I'm not sure how much longer that opinion will last. Either pencil him in every day and let him try to work through his "slow start," or send him down. He just missed a month; he doesn't need to sit 2 out of the last 7 games. It's honestly the worst of both worlds if he's sitting on a bench not seeing pitches. I'll also add that if he's sitting because they're worried about/resting his toe then he needs to hit the DL followed by an actual rehab stint. If he isn't physically healthy enough to play every day and/or it's significantly affecting his performance there's no reason to run him out onto the field.

I didn't hear anything about the Twins getting angry but this is the same team that got upset after a bunt beat their shift earlier in the season.

Yes. No.

Basically yes, a little bit no. The FDA is limited in their ability to regulate anything considered a "supplement." In the pharmaceutical industry companies are pouring millions into R&D/testing (not a defense of drug costs here, just the reality of the difference in these industries) while companies that manufacture supplements, i.e. anything labeled as not intended to cure/prevent disease can essentially skip the testing and go straight to market. I've never worked in the supplement industry so I can't attest to how much time is invested in mechanism, metabolism, purity, ect. but I can say from the other side they're viewed as snake oil salesmen. I believe the FDA does have some power in an instance of contamination that you mentioned, but obviously even then they don't have much muscle to flex.

In theory it sounds nice, but those same supplements ect. are one phone call and shipment away too. If these guys can't be bothered to check into what they're ingesting (assuming it's accidental) or contact their teams to ensure everything is approved, then I'm not sure having a team physician in the DR will really be all that effective. At some point it's just a matter of personal accountability. IMO we're seeing part of the risk teams take when handing out contracts.

There almost has to be. Stay tuned I suppose.

So the Twins purged a lefty with good zip, and decent numbers at AAA, yet their bullpen continues to be an issue. What am I missing here?

I seriously doubt Miller is resigned. I just don't see Cleveland being so far out of the race for the title in arguably the worst division in baseball that they're selling by mid-late July. It would be shocking to say the least.

They're 2 seasons removed from a WS berth, 1 season removed from winning 100+ games, and the team is for the most part still intact. IMO Given their recent success and the outlook of the division, Cleveland would have to be truly awful from now until almost the deadline for them to even consider a sale.

When the number of games missed is being linked to his weight I'm not sure how else I'm supposed to read it. Chalk it up to a misunderstanding then I guess. I've repeated this endlessly. It's only a "debate," because of the armchair fitness diagnosis. You can list off every risk factor for injury and recovery and I'm not going to fight you on them. The issue is whether or not they apply to Sano. Nobody knows what an acceptable level of fitness for him is, or what it looks like, but apparently we're all certain he isn't there. The other issue is that it's being used to make character assessments, i.e. "a symptom of the seriousness with which he takes his career." When posts presume to understand the psyche of a player I think it's time to take a step back. I've said my peace on 16' and I'm not going to bury him because of a disappointing but short second half in 17' and a bad 10 game stretch to start 18'. We'll just disagree on the significance of those samples. I 100% agree, the most likely cause is something either mechanical and/or an approach issue. You're not going to get any arguments that an OPS just above .700 is ideal.

In what way have I moved them? I think my stance has been consistent. We agree that this is a thread where the overarching theme is Sano's level of conditioning. If his perceived lack of fitness isn't being painted as a reason for a decline in performance since his rookie year, why is that dip constantly brought up? What I'm pushing back against is the portrayal of obvious speculation as fact. You're missing the point about the comparison I made. Apart from pure speculation based on how Sano looks, the rationale for a necessary increase in fitness level is his declining performance and his injury history. I realize this thread is about Sano, but we don't see any other threads devoted to the fitness of players like Morrison, Hughes, or Lynn. All of them have body types that could arguably fit the mold of "needs work," as laid out by previous posts in this thread, and they've all had performance issues this year. Dozier has hit quite the rough patch recently, but speculation about his fitness hasn't follow his poor performance. I would argue that Buxton has had more severe injury/performance issues than Sano, but I've never seen his fitness questioned. Does that mean I think Buxton, Dozier, Morrison, ect. have conditioning problems? Absolutely not, but don't you think the inconsistency with which these heuristics are applied is at least slightly problematic, especially when they're considered the strongest "evidence," for Sano needing work? I am disappointed in his performance since his rookie year. I'm not sure how anybody who following him through the minors wouldn't be. I agree, HE needs to be better, i.e. the issues at the plate and in the field are on him. Our paths diverge at the question of how much weight factors into that.

We're moving the goalposts now. Of course being in peak physical shape gives any athlete an advantage long term. Is anybody arguing otherwise? It's one thing to say being in the best possible shape is advantageous, it's completely different to assert that his current weight and/or fitness was/is the culprit for the failure to replicate his 15' season. The pushback is against the latter. If the angst is simply about reaching peak physical condition then why don't we see these kind of threads/articles about Lance Lynn, Morrison, or Hughes? If its a situation where performance determines fitness then why haven't we been treated to similar backlash regarding Dozier or Buxton?

I don't care what you choose to do with your expectations, but feel free to stop categorizing a fractured shin due to a foul ball as a weight induced injury, and a subpar 30 game stretch prior to that injury as a terrible half season.

Does anybody else get irritated listening to Dick pronounce Pressly as "Prezzly?"

It's nice to not dread Gibson starts. Hopefully this is the pitcher, more or less, we see all year, but I can't say I'm confident that happens. Fair or not, I'm continually waiting for "bad Gibby," to show up.

I'm using oWAR because he played half his games 16' out of position in RF and was miserable there. That had a significant impact on measuring value.

Meh, I think his oWAR has him in that solid-ish range but we can probably split hairs. You aren't going to get any arguments about his defense, the guy certainly isn't going to win gold gloves. I'd be happy with passable. This season that hasn't been the case.

I never said there was anything wrong with being disappointed, at least to this point. It's fair, the expectations were set high for Sano, and for good reason. What I find unfair is characterization of any performance below peak Miguel Cabrera as "mediocre." If we're setting the measuring stick as a 1st ballot HOFer then we also have to realize there's a wide area between that level of production and "mediocre." It isn't an either/or situation.

It isn't being questioned though, it's being stated as fact. That's the issue. Nobody knows how his weight is fluctuating, the degree to which it affects his performance, or what constitutes a agreeable level of fitness. Even amongst those who are certain his weight is the root cause of all issues there isn't consensus on how much he should weigh and/or what his body should look like. I would hardly consider any evidence to be stacked up. I haven't spoken in any absolute terms, in fact it's precisely what I've pushed back against. I acknowledge that his weight/fitness very well could be part of the problem, but there's a world of difference between accepting that and representing it as absolute truth. IMO his weight has been used rather irresponsibly as a catch all. He fouled a ball off his shin and fractured it so severely he needed a titanium rod inserted. That's conveniently being lumped in with "injury due to weight." Again, distinction is important. If you're upset that he isn't consistently a 150+ OPS guy I can't tell you not to be, all I can say is that maybe it's time to readjust expectations. I can understand the angst over him not living up to the hype, especially after the torrid rookie season, but I also think we need to be realistic about criticism. When I look at his 16' season I see offensive numbers that fall in the range of a solid starter. Did we expect more? Yes, but again, what is the measuring stick? IMO people get so caught up in the fact that he isn't 2015 Sano, that they lose perspective of his actual contribution.

That isn't what I've said, and you're asking me to prove a negative, which is impossible in this situation. He played only 30 games in the second half last year before wrecking his shin. He's played 20 games this season. We're talking about, in total, a quarter of a season, and he hasn't been terrible for all 50+ games during that stretch. Can we at least be a little honest about the sample size we're working with? He certainly wasn't mediocre compared to the rest of the league in 16' and I wouldn't call an ASG appearance last year mediocre either. The column was targeted at his psyche, i.e. his mental makeup, and the weight was an extension of that. Why is it that calling for a pause on the "Weight is clearly affecting Sano's play," claim requires evidence but making the absolutist claim does not?