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Brandon Brooks

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Everything posted by Brandon Brooks

  1. Brandon Brooks
    Yup - the reports that Ramos was supposed to be the centerpiece to get a prime Cliff Lee from Seattle are the real stinger in this deal. Instead of pivoting to another frontline starter (or standing pat if there wasn't a fit anywhere else) it felt like the team made a knee-jerk reaction to get something done at an important deadline.
  2. Brandon Brooks
    That September 25th game to complete the sweep, down 2.5 games, remains the best baseball game I've ever been to in person. In a lot of ways, it felt like the Piranhas' Last Stand -- the final big Dome win against Ozzie Guillen's White Sox. Ken Griffey, Jr. and Jim Thome against - Go-Go and Casilla. It's just one of those games that I remember beat-for-beat. Mauer doubles in a run in the home first, and then Slowey rattles off three perfect innings before everything just explodes in the fourth. But then it was just off to the races for the speedsters - Gomez RBI triple in the fourth, followed by a Span RBI doubleGomez triples and scores on a Span squeeze play in the sixthGomez singles in a run and scores on a game-tying Span triple in the eighthJust an unreal night from both of those guys. "0-1 to Casilla...LINER TO CENTER! AND THE TWINS MOVE INTO FIRST PLACE!"
  3. Brandon Brooks
    I always wondered if the 2015 team makes the playoffs if Ervin doesn't get suspended. We only finished three games back of the Wild Card. That being said, we actually only had four other guys start a game (who weren't in the regular rotation.) Three of those guys (Duffey, May, and J.R. Graham for a game) had decent years, too. Still, swap three Ervin starts for three or more of Nolasco (6.75 ERA, 1.71 WHIP) and that team could have actually snuck in. Of course, we would have faced the Yankees in the Wild Card Game, anyway...so maybe best not to dwell!
  4. Brandon Brooks
    I get the thinking (keeping everyone fresh certainly looked like it helped the offense) but I don't agree with it on the pitching front because: - We already lack proven pitching depth, and a six-man rotation means it takes longer to get our pair of All-Star starters back on the mound and - One of those starters (Berrios) was noticeably better on four days' rest than five last year: 3.29 ERA, 1.020 WHIP, 6.33 K/BB ratio on four days' rest (65.2 innings) VS 4.21 ERA, 1.442 WHIP, 2.91 K/BB ratio on five (102.2 innings)
  5. Brandon Brooks
    This is what I'd put my chips on right now -- and also what I'd enjoy seeing the most, I think. I'm not sure what the effectiveness is of stretching a guy back out via primary pitching vs. gradually increasing minor-league pitch counts (and there's not a lot of data on that comparison, obviously.) 1. Berrios 2. Odorizzi 3. Trade acquisition 4. Randy Dobnak 5. Opener ft. Brusdar Graterol After 40 games, Pineda slots into that three spot, maybe Graterol is ready to be the full-time #5 guy and bumps Dobnak, maybe he gets sent down for more work in Rochester and Dobnak is the number five.
  6. Brandon Brooks
    I really don't hate this at all, and I pretty much agree with everything you said here. One dependable bulk arm (I would have liked Teheran for that kind of job.) Randy Dobnak has been more or less lights-out at every professional level and I'm excited to see what he can do. Graterol could be starting mid-season and could be on the Opening Day roster if we're using more openers. Lots of question marks, yes, which necessitates a surer bet signing on either the trade/FA market. But like you said, Tampa Bay has had a lot of success with this in the past while only ever having one or two "true starters" actually on the roster. Playing the matchups and shuffling consistently did wonders for the offense last year, and digging into that philosophy for the pitching staff could produce similar results. Two reigning All-Star starters, adding a mid-tier arm, and running with some rookies -- complemented by what is a good on-paper pen.
  7. Brandon Brooks
    There's every possibility that the Royals don't win anything in 2015, and plummet to where they are now without anything to show for it. That's the risk of going "all-in" -- nothing is guaranteed. The Nationals had a worse record than all but two of last year's playoff teams, and they beat the 107-win Astros. Every time you get into the postseason, you have a chance to do something. More postseason appearances = more opportunities for the chips to fall your way. An extended run of success would make Minnesota a much more attractive free agent destination than it is now. Which brings in higher-profile talent, which (theoretically) turns into higher-quality playoff showings. I like our odds of winning the World Series more if we have five good division-winning teams next decade than if we have a 116-win team next season.
  8. Brandon Brooks
    It's funny that this decade was bookended by the Twins signing big-name, veteran DHs - ones who were getting up there in age, but still came and produced. But lest we forget...the best free-agent signing of the decade was obviously Willians Astudillo.
  9. Brandon Brooks
    Certainly miiighty proud, I say, I'm always mighty proud to say it... Perhaps seeing my favorite musical in the gamethread will be a lucky charm for us tonight.
  10. Brandon Brooks
    I will go to bat for Mejia every time his name comes up in conversation. Struggled with efficiency last year, but still put up a win above replacement, looks great at Rochester this year, is a lefty, and is only 25. I think he has a future on the roster.
  11. Brandon Brooks
    Outstanding fielding inning for Berrios.
  12. Brandon Brooks
    He should...they let Gibby go back out there with a high pitch count the other day.
  13. Brandon Brooks
    Some baserunning thoughts... The Twins are 13th in the league with a team BsR of 1.5. (BsR is Fangraphs' metric for baserunning, which is included in the WAR calculation.) 10 BsR is roughly equal to one win. Only the Tigers have gained a whole win from baserunning, at 10.3, while the Blue Jays have lost one at a -10.4. BsR is, quote, "a decent snapshot of past value but usually requires more than one year of data to become reasonably predictive of future BsR." So, while it might get worse over the rest of the year, the Twins are still above league-average as a whole baserunning unit. Of course, the argument could be made that the majority of the league is poor on the basepaths, and that Minnesota is above-average by default.
  14. Brandon Brooks
    I opine that we should not get swept by the Texas Rangers.
  15. Brandon Brooks
    I hope so...I was really interested in him after last season. I think he could stick at this level if he gets more efficient with his pitches.
  16. Brandon Brooks
    Escobar is an American hero.
  17. Brandon Brooks
    Surprise! It's the ZDE!
  18. Brandon Brooks
    Wow! What a strikeout.
  19. Brandon Brooks
    Okay, Hildy. One out to get
  20. Brandon Brooks
    A DOUBLE FOR DOUBLE-E!
  21. Brandon Brooks
    This is a huge opportunity right here.
  22. Brandon Brooks
    I was just going to say that it might be fun to watch a perfect game. Nice going, Adrianza! Now we can win instead.
  23. Brandon Brooks
    Berrios keeps getting out of jams...we need to put an inning together or we're not gonna be able to hold 'em.
  24. Brandon Brooks
    Key web gem right there!
  25. Brandon Brooks
    Key strikeout right there.
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