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MileHighTwinsFan

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Everything posted by MileHighTwinsFan

  1. MileHighTwinsFan
    A Plouffe DFA makes no sense. If the goal is to deal Plouffe, then he needs to be in the lineup everyday to restore some value by kicking off rust and tantalizing a team that could use a solid third baseman down the stretch. With rosters expanding in September, it is an easy call for a team to put him on the major league roster and see what he can do.
  2. MileHighTwinsFan
    The real question is not who, but why someone would be sent down. The case for demoting Sano has been already been debated at length in this thread. What is the benefit or reason for demoting any of the other players? Regarding Santana. While he has clearly been an underperformer - it makes little sense to jettison a player with 1 month left for 25 man rosters. You keep him on the roster, plant him at the end of the bench through September and consider your options. Vargas would seem to benefit the organization by staying up and getting a start a couple of times of week. Vargas could still be the DH of the future or a valuable trade chip as the team tries to add some veterans to round out the roster. Showcasing him and giving him a chance to state his case as a viable DH and backup to Mauer makes sense. I am confounded with why they kept Polanco at second base in Rochester when Dozier has clearly locked down this position for the future. You could send him down and put him in the lineup everyday with heavy reps at 3rd or short to see if he could be a solid utility player. If not, keep him up and showcase him as a trade chip for a team looking to rebuild and who needs a second baseman.
  3. MileHighTwinsFan
    For the record, I don't think Sano gets sent down and suspect that Vargas will play out the minor league season and then get recalled in September. Plouffe will spell Joe at first allowing Sano a couple of games a week at third. The big question is what happens this off season. Kind of hard to let Plouffe go until you have confidence in Sano. If they resign themselves to the fact that Sano is their primary DH, then either Vargas or Park, if not both will go.
  4. MileHighTwinsFan
    To be clear. My intention with this post was not that Sano should be "punished" or "sent a message" with a demotion, but merely that he go down to Rochester and get his game back together. With Plouffe about to come off the DL, it would appear to be a sensible option. Also, when you consider that Polanco has been playing well, I think he deserves an opportunity to stay with the big club. I would be shocked if the team DFA'd Santana - although a waiver wire deal is possible. Who else should be sent down? I completely agree that Sano is a rare talent - but if the club is not going to stick it out and play him everyday at 3b, I think time in Rochester makes some sense.
  5. MileHighTwinsFan
    Let's be clear, Sano has been an unmitigated disaster at 3B and it is very possible that his struggles are starting to affect his hitting. With the team sitting him more often because of both his glove and bat, he is clearly not one of the best nine Molitor would put out there everyday. If he is the third baseman of the future, wouldn't it make sense to send him down to Rochester for a month, put him in the lineup everyday at 3B to get his game back together? Bring him back in September and hopefully have him end the season on a high note. The fact that Molitor can't put his name in ink on the lineup card everyday suggests that this should be considered.
  6. MileHighTwinsFan
    Kepler did not homer in his third at bat, but what he did do in his 3rd at bat was hit a ground ball to the right side to advance Mauer to third with less than 2 outs. Kepler's amazing night at the plate included a solid fundamental baseball play that winning teams consistently execute. If this talented group can do the amazing and the fundamentals this team will be competing at a high level soon and for a long time.
  7. MileHighTwinsFan
    Isn't he just a stop gap until Plouffe gets healthy? I would love to see him stay - but it is clear that he has no position. They have not played him at either SS or 3rd. If they thought he had a future at either of these positions, knowing what they have in Dozier, wouldn't they have played him at those positions in Rochester? I really wonder if he is a trade chip, possibly a piece in a three way trade. I would not be surprised if they start him at 2nd once or twice this weekend - putting Dozier at DH - to see if they can get something in return.
  8. MileHighTwinsFan
    Don't forget the pitching. Santana and Duffy have been great. Gibson, Milone and Nolasco have been solid - if not remarkable. I also really like what we are seeing in the pen with Kintzler, May, Pressley, Rogers, Tonkin and Abad. I remain optimistic that the team will play at or above .500 the rest of the way.
  9. MileHighTwinsFan
    I would expect to see a rotation among Plouffe, Mauer and Sano with Sano getting 2-3 starts per week at 3rd when he is not at DH, Plouffe in the field everyday between first and third and Mauer DH'ing 2-3 times per week when he is not at first.
  10. MileHighTwinsFan
    I am buoyed by what we saw from Duffy, Gibson and Berrios these past few days. With the typical TD caveats about sample size put aside, it is easy to see a future rotation with these three and May. I would be in favor of giving these four getting the bulk of the starts in August and September. I also am getting more enthusiastic about a bullpen featuring Kintzler, Rogers and Pressley. I see great potential for them to be the anchors for the 7th, 8th and 9th.
  11. MileHighTwinsFan
    Not arguing that Rosario has been hot and Grossman had cooled off. However, Grossman is still taking walks, which is keeping his OBP at a reasonable level. When Rosario slumps, he doesn't have his ability to work a walk as an option. Rosario was .200/.218/.313 with the Twins this year. With a similar batting average between the two of them- Grossman is a 100 points better than Rosario on OBP. I think the stats make my point - Grossman is a far more consistent, if not as flashy presence in the lineup.
  12. MileHighTwinsFan
    Not sure saying Grossman does not fit into the long term plans makes sense. While not a flashy player - he is a mature and stable presence in the lineup right now. He takes walks, can hit with power and is a solid if not stellar defender. In many respects he is everything Rosario is not. I think left-field is Grossman's for the foreseeable future. With Kepler proving to be a far more consistent and reliable player than either Rosario and Buxton - it appears that the issue is between Eddie and Byron. Both have a huge upside, but I am beginning to think there may not be room for two young, talented, strikeout prone outfielders on this team. I am sure the team still sees Buxton as having the bigger upside between the two. I also think the team is pretty comfortable with Santana as the fourth outfielder. I would not be surprised to see Rosario wearing a different uniform either this season or next.
  13. MileHighTwinsFan
    Trade deadline is about clearing a path for the next generation, but also looking for ways to build the club for the future. The Twins do have lots of trade chips in the minors and if they can make a deal for a quality MLB player with a few years of player control - why wouldn't they consider it? For example, could they package Santana and a younger player in the minors to get something of higher quality in return? As much as I love Polanco, he may be blocked by Dozier for years to come. I would think pairing him with Santana could yield a valuable piece to the bullpen or even rotation.
  14. MileHighTwinsFan
    At least Buxton can play defense - not sure he has much to gain from a AAA gig at this point. Park is only valuable as a hitter and he is not getting it done. I think time in AAA getting his head and swing back together would make sense.
  15. MileHighTwinsFan
    You're right. I got a little carried away.
  16. MileHighTwinsFan
    Not even close to rock bottom. I would actually argue that they hit rock bottom during the multiple 90 loss seasons when they were carrying unproductive veterans and had no farm system to speak of. While this season is clearly a step back - I still remain very optimistic for the future. If this young crop of players can mature and compete, they will be making money hand over fist with a bunch of players in the starting lineup under team control and playing at the major league minimum or the very least in very favorable arbitration deals. While the losing may continue this season - I would be willing to bet they will begin to sell more tickets when they make the full transition to rebuilding in August and September. People want to see Polanco, Rosario, Sano, Kepler, Buxton in the same lineup everyday with Berrios, Gibson, and Duffy in the rotation and Burdi and Chargois in the pen. Get Tyler Jay, Stephen Gonzales and Kohl Stewart up with the big club next season and Nick Gordon at short by September next year - and then we have the team that will compete for five to six years.
  17. MileHighTwinsFan
    I will take it a step further and argue that Abad should be the closer - at least until Perkins is healthy. You have Rogers and Boshers in the pen for situations - give Abad a chance to close. I feel like the time to let guys work out their difficulties are over. If guys are not turning their numbers around by now, changes need to happen.
  18. MileHighTwinsFan
    Not sure why we are waiting to get Chargois up here.
  19. MileHighTwinsFan
    Please give Abad the 9th.
  20. MileHighTwinsFan
    #BuxtonsHappening
  21. MileHighTwinsFan
    While Polanco slots at 2nd, I would be interested in seeing a Sano, Polanco, Dozier, Mauer infield. Likewise, a Kepler, Rosario, Buxton outfield would be great. I want to see Nick Gordon in September. I would hate to part with Nunez - for all his faults, he plays the game hard and seems to be a key veteran presence for this team moving forward. Plouffe needs to go and Dozier may need to as well, but he will be saved because of his contract. Gibson needs to come back and become the anchor of this rotation until Berrios, Stewart, Gonzales and/or Jay stake their claim. For crying out loud get J.T. Chargois in the bullpen. Yes, it has been only 10.00 innings in AAA but he is averaging almost 2 Ks per inning and has only given up one run.
  22. MileHighTwinsFan
    Bottom line is that Plouffe is not a middle of the order bat. I think he could easily be the 3b for the foreseeable future if they had confidence that Sano, Buxton, and Park could do the heavy lifting offensively. In my mind he slots nicely into the 7th spot in the order - but because we don't have proven and successful offense in the rest of the lineup, he is pushed into the heart of the order. What will be interesting to watch is whether Kepler can stake his claim for a corner outfield spot. If so, it seems like it makes little sense to keep Plouffe if you can field Buxton, Kepler, Rosario in the outfield and return Sano to third. I think there is a very reasonable chance that both Plouffe and Dozier are gone by September 1 and we have a lineup with Polanco at 2nd, Sano at 3rd and Buxton, Kepler and Rosario in the outfield.
  23. MileHighTwinsFan
    More than anything I am looking for some confidence at the plate. I see many similarities between him and Hicks when he first came up. They employed a passive, take pitches approach hoping to work themselves into favorable counts, only to find themselves consistently behind. Hicks, with a new batting stance, became far more aggressive at the plate and showed some promise. I think if Buxton can convince himself to be more aggressive, by looking for pitches to hit early in the count, putting the ball in play and relying on his incredible speed, he will see some success as well. The strikeouts may still be too high, but I would suspect to see him make more consistent, solid contact. Once the confidence is there, he can make the adjustments he needs to be a more complete hitter.
  24. MileHighTwinsFan
    I would not be surprised to see Park get sent down if he doesn't pull out of his slump soon. Vargas would get a chance to DH against righties and get spot starts at first. On another note, it is getting increasingly difficult to keep Buxton in AAA. He is now up to .333 with a 3-4 night and a homer. With Mastrionni out, Buxton could get a call back soon.
  25. MileHighTwinsFan
    He needs to be benched, but now that Polanco has gone down it has to be Nunez at second and Escobar at short. Adding Escobar's high strikeout rate does not equal improvement. I would rather had Polanco get the at bats. He profiles as a contact hitting second baseman who can move runners and still has pop in his bat. A much better alternative to Escobar and Dozier at this point.
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