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James

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Everything posted by James

  1. James
    I agree that we should be cautiously optimistic, but Vargas has shown some good plate discipline in the minors, so it looks like he knows how to take a walk. By the sounds of it, he knows that he's going to have to be more disciplined to make an impact as well. I think we can be a little optimistic than we were with Parmelee as well. Vargas got about 3 times the plate appearances that Parmelee did in his first trip up. Probably not enough to really make a decision on him, but it's at least a bigger sample to go on.
  2. James
    I can't agree more. I think Hicks will start on the big league team. Hicks' OBP does look good, but it just seems like that can't be sustainable unless we starts learning how to hit. He has been slow to get going at every level he has been at, and I can see why the adjustment period would be the slowest at the MLB level. Maybe between working with Carew and getting some mentorship from Hunter, he will finally put things together. My guess is he hits a little better to start the season, but the OBP comes down. He ends up hitting about .230 or so in April and part of May before he gets the ax. I hope I'm wrong and he figures it out and breaks out this year, but odds are kind of against it.
  3. James
    You know, I don't know how I feel about this. I don't really think it needs to happen. I would definitely wait on this for a bit. I don't actually hate the pitch clock... in the minor leagues. I think the great thing about it is that it will teach players how to work faster in the minors. Hopefully, we won't need a pitch clock in the major leagues because all the pitchers will be used to working at that pace by the time they reach the majors. The umpires do need to be more vocal with getting the players back in the batters box though. Some of the things some of those guys do are just ridiculous. But, you get pitchers used to working at a faster pace, and keep the batters in the box, the games will start moving and you probably won't need to enact a rule like this and will keep all the purists happy.
  4. James
    I agree that a list this big makes it clear that they don't do their homework for every prospect on the list. They also have Yohan Pino listed for the Twins at 520. If you look at the description they have for him, it just says "undefined". You're right about another thing; this makes a person realize how great TD is as a resource.
  5. James
    I was just going to mention that. I'm assuming that this is the same Joe Benson that the Twins lost to Texas, played in the Miami system last year and according to his Wikipedia page signed a deal with the Atlanta Braves on January 10th, 2015. Hmmm, indeed. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Benson
  6. James
    That's what I remember. What I was wondering was if other teams that drafted in similarly high positions (and got more eventual WAR from their draftees) were also spending close to the signing bonus recommendations, or did some regularly spend more allowing them to sign players that other teams had passed on due to "signability" issues. I don't think that would completely explain why it looks like the Twins did not do as well in the draft. I'm just wondering if that was contributing factor. I mean, even high priced prospects end up being busts, right?
  7. James
    This was a very good article. It was an interesting analysis, and made some very good points. I'd be curious to see how this changes post 2012 bonus pool limits. I have a feeling that some teams probably didn't select a player because they wanted more money than their recommended slot bonus, which may have left the door open for a higher revenue team to spend more at a later draft position. Hence, some team may have gotten a 10 5 or 10 talent much later in the draft because they could outspend smaller market teams on bonuses. I haven't looked at all the signing bonus data, so I don't know if this is the case or not though. I think I remember the Twins not liking to go over the slot recommendations during that time though. Jut another possible factor to mention.
  8. James
    I agree, but that would mean that there would be potential for free beer. That could lead to disaster. Those who do not learn from their mistakes are doomed to repeat them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ten_Cent_Beer_Night
  9. James
    I would have to say that there is some potential. I would think something like 74-80 wins is probably what we'll end up seeing. I do have to say though, I am getting excited for the season to start. I think that the team will be fun to watch, even if it doesn't translate into a lot more wins. It felt like last year was a lot more fun to watch than the previous few as well. Maybe because we were starting to see some of the young guys that we've been reading about for so long finally start to show up. At least, that was part of it for me. I also feel like the Twins were just playing better baseball last year. The starting pitching was still bad, but it felt like that it was getting better. It also felt like they were hitting enough and that they were never really out of a game. The few seasons prior, it seemed like they would give up 3 or 4 runs and you just knew that the game was over then. Last year, it kind of felt like the team could make that up and get back into the game. At least, that is the perception I had. I'm hoping that this year, I feel like they are in every single game.
  10. James
    I'm really just jealous. If I were him, I'd probably be doing something very similar. It reminds me of a trip my buddy just took around the country. He got laid off, sold some stuff and got one of those big engine scooters and drove it all around the country for a few months, camping all over the place. I'm sure Norris has a little bit more of an agenda/timeline, but it sounds like something that I'd like to do.
  11. James
    You'd think he'd be able to afford a better van. I'm sure the Blue Jays don't want him spreading all that "Hippie Hillbilly" ideology around the team. http://www.blogto.com/sports_play/2015/01/blue_jay_daniel_norris_makes_waves_for_hillbilly_lifestyle/ Why don't you just get in that van and haul your butt to a Mumford & Sons instead of spring training!
  12. James
    I guess that I don't see the point in this. If you think you want to sign Zimmerman to a long term deal, and he's going to be a free agent next year, why would you give up other key prospects to get him now? I understand you could negotiate an extension while he's here, but in your proposed scenario you're giving up three players for the right to talk to a guy for a year? If you feel that you have a good relationship with his agent, and you're making him a priority, you do that next off-season. I just don't see a fit here on the Twins end.
  13. James
    My favorite quote from this article: I think that also says a lot about the guy. Obviously, there are all the quotes about how hard he works, and that is great by itself. But this quote adds a lot to that for me. He's not just working hard for himself, he's working hard for the rest of the team as well. I was at the Futures game, so I got to see him pitch at Target Field already, but I'm really looking forward to see him pitch at Target Field while wearing a Twins uniform.
  14. James
    It's not actually $30M per year. It's $15M per year over 14 years, playing for 7. I've never been a fan of deferred contracts, but then again, it's not my money. You are still right though that this will probably end up not looking very good for the Nationals, unless he helps them win the world series this year.
  15. James
    I typically stay to the end of the game. It's really rare that I leave early. There were a few times that really stick out in my mind: 2009 - Watching a good number of people leaving the game early as the Tigers took the lead in the 7th inning. The Twins ended up tying the game back up in the 8th. It was pretty sparse by the 13th inning when Joe Crede hit a walk off grand slam. That was a pretty awesome thing to witness. 2014 - A horrible game against the Miami Marlins. The Twins lost big time, and most of the place emptied out pretty early. It was memorable for me because we moved up pretty close to home plate and started having fun heckling the Marlins. The best was when Giancarlo Stanton was up. A solid group of drunkards (myself included) started heckling. It was mostly just calling him "Mike", but I'm not sure he really appreciated it. He proceeded to crank a double off the right field wall. We got a little stare back from him when he was standing on second. There isn't really anything special about that game in general, I just remembered it being a lot of fun to be shown up by a pro. (Also, calling a player by his previously preferred name seems like such a "Minnesota Nice" way to heckle).
  16. James
    I have a feeling that the Astros were not really interested in Valbuena as a 2B. The've already got one that is pretty darn good. But, I think you're right that it would have taken someone like Plouffe to get Fowler from the Astros. It's a pretty good comparison overall though.
  17. James
    This was a fun article. I enjoyed his equation that he used to figure this all out as well. I also think that the Twins are closer, but I'm not going to put too much stock into this, especially after reading the super mathematical equation used to determine these graph position. What's even better is the comments section where one poster is going through the lineups of every team and trying to show why the Reds are ranked too low on the scale and are apparently the best team in baseball. He didn't compare the Twins to the Reds, but I would love to see it. According to him, comparing Jose Abreu to Votto is "Unrelevant" because he is a DH and not a 1B. It.Is.Brilliant.
  18. James
    Minor league deal... for sure. Why not? I think a lot goes into figuring out if he should be in the bullpen or start. We have some other starters out there that we should probably check out first, especially if they are performing well in ST or AAA. It'd be fun to see Johan in a Twins uniform again though.
  19. James
    I had a great time last year, and this year's lineup of guests sounds great. Unfortunately, I have to go a friend's wedding. I know, it's very selfish of him to get married the same day as the winter meltdown, but not everyone is as selfless as I am. Is there a plan to have another summer meetup like the one before the Home Run Derby?
  20. James
    Thanks for posting. This was interesting. I always like hearing TR talk, and I think he was very open and honest about some things. These aren't the normal press conference types of questions, so you get sine different answers. The most interesting thing was the ranking of the managerial candidates. That was pretty cool. There is some fluff in there as well, but it kind of gives a little more insight into TR's thought process. He talks about Sano and Buxton for a while too. Not just athletic ability, but character as well. It's worth a listen.
  21. James
    Mine too. If it is money, just give it to charity.
  22. James
    I am going with... he doesn't start a game there. I know Molitor wants Santana to play SS, but my guess is that Santana would start a game at CF before Torii does.
  23. James
    I did the exact same thing. It's hard not to like Dinkelman. It's just a great name. I have to say that I'm extremely excited for a lot of the prospects the Twins have at the moment. I brain wants me to say that my favorite is Sano, Buxton, Berrios, Thorpe or Meyer, but even if I am a huge fan of all of them, I have to say my favorite is: Max Kepler Maybe it's because I was a German minor in college, or that I've been to Germany a few times (especially in my teenage years) and I have a soft spot for the country. But it's more than that. I think it has more to do with being such a unique background for a baseball player. I haven't even had a chance to see him play yet, but I'm really pulling for the guy. I also find myself trying to read up a lot on ABW II. I guess he's kind of a favorite too. Maybe a second favorite.
  24. James
    Right. Like I said, I feel really good about the catchers down on the farm. What I like about what I've read about Turner is that many think his defense is good enough for the big leagues already. That's a pretty good report for a kid that just finished A+ ball. I don't know exactly how true it is, because I haven't seen him play, but still good to read anywhere. It's actually great that we can compile a list of 30 guys that we're excited about and still have guys that don't make the list that could turn into something special. I know excitement and actual prospect status are different, but in this case it seems like they coincide a lot more than in years past.
  25. James
    Woah... I've been on TD for a long time and from what I can tell from your posts... there's no way that you know how to do math. It is a fun list. Definitely some fun names to watch. It's also great that there are still a lot of other names to watch that didn't make it on to the list at all. As far as catching prospects go, I think we're in a decent spot. I don't think there are going to be any Mauer's or Posey's in the group, but those guys are the exceptions. I'm liking what I read about Turner and Garver for sure.
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