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EddieMatthews

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Everything posted by EddieMatthews

  1. EddieMatthews
    Vargas 2016-17 .244/.322/.466 (.788 OPS), HR/18.7 ABs The first slash line is a small sample size, and it inspires hope. Unfortunately we haven't seen that hope convert into steady results. The Twins as a team had a slash line of .260 / .334 / .434 OPS .768. With expanded pitching staffs, the DH and bench needs to have positional flexibility. A player who can only play 1B and DH needs to produce at bat and on the field. If the Twins had a couple of plus .300 hitters, they could consider a low BA hitter with a high HR rate. We have two HR guys (Sano and Dozier) who need to continue to improve their BA. Buxton may also produce HR and BA. I am not hopeful about Vargas. Last winter we had a similar debate about Vargas platooning with Mauer. I'm glad that didn't happen. The line was that Mauer couldn't hit lefties. Well, he hit .308 in 2017. I wish Vargas well, but am hopeful it won't be with the Twins.
  2. EddieMatthews
    No specific info, just IMHO. He's Dominican, large contingent of his people in NYC, and he has spent time there in the off-season. It has nothing to do with the current 3B situation for the Yanks, where they play Headley (age 33) and Frazier (age 31) and get mediocre results there. Plus, what up and coming star doesn't want to play in Yankee Stadium?
  3. EddieMatthews
    I think Sano wants to play in the Big Apple. Manage his playing time and salary accordingly. His value as a (designated?) hitter will determine long term pay. His value as a fielder will decrease over time until it reaches Ortizian levels. In the current MLB roster crunch where teams need to carry 13 pitchers, a full-time bench player is a liability for many teams.
  4. EddieMatthews
    I had Buxton as MVP. IMHO, he single-handedly stopped at least a dozen pitcher meltdowns with his defense. Add to that the impact as a hitter and as a base-runner and BB was a game changer. The Twins record could have been 73-89 and worse than all AL teams except Chi and Det. My only issue with Dozier is that he is in the 1-hole. He's not a lead-off guy. He should be batting with ducks on the pond. With his HR numbers his RBI totals should be triple digits. The lead-off spot should be filled by management with someone who excels at getting on base. Having said that, Dozier deserves credit for improved hitting, clutch hitting, leadership, and power. This may be the last time Dozier leads the Twins in HR. Sano, Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Escobar all have a shot at most HR.
  5. EddieMatthews
    If you average the 8 relievers you get a B-. The 'pen was not reliable in 2017. We dumped an all-star stopper in July and had to scramble to elevate someone in that role to finish the season. Perhaps a better grade can be found by counting the number of pitchers who appeared in relief. The Twins had a full roster - 25 relievers on staff in 2017. It was the Bad News Bears. We need a relief corps in 2018 that earns a B grade. The 2017 staff was not worthy of that grade.
  6. EddieMatthews
    Most Improved: Mauer, coming back from a career threatening concussion. Others were dealing with learning and growing up. Rookie: Hildenberger, no contest. Pitcher: Santana, no contest. MVP: Buxton, he held the pitching staff up all by himself. When others make a spectacular catch it saves a single, but when Buxton makes a catch it saves runs. He became a threat at bat and on the bases. The game changes when he is in it.
  7. EddieMatthews
    I carry some disappointments regarding Santana's career, not for Johan's play, but for how he was (mis)managed. In 2002 and 2003 he was used in relief and as a starter, and couldn't break into a full time starter until 2004. Even with a 2.99 ERA in 2002 and 3.07 in 2003 he had Kyle Lohse, Matt Kinney, Kenny Rogers, Rick Reed, Joe Mays, and Brad Radke getting starts that should have gone to Johan. In Johan's first year as a full time starter, he wins the Cy Young. Followed that up with three more great years before the trade to the Mets. In my opinion, if Santana had stayed in Minnesota, playing with a good run scoring team, and for a manager who "coddled" pitchers, he may have continued for several more years of success. In NY he had one great year, and then tapered off, encountering injuries that ended his career. So Santana lost four years of greatness and posted mediocrity instead. That would have given him HOF credentials, and we wouldn't need this discussion.
  8. EddieMatthews
    Recker has pitching experience.
  9. EddieMatthews
    I have not been a Gibson fan, more of a doubter. The big "if" for me when the team ended Spring Training was the performance of Gibson and Hughes. Both were big question marks and there were no starting pitchers waiting in the wings. Last night Gibson was good enough to give me hope. So I hope he holds this trajectory. We still lack a stopper, but if we can have three solid starters in Santana, Berrios, and Gibson, it will give us the opportunity to compete on most nights.
  10. EddieMatthews
    AL Central Standings Cleveland 44-37 Twins 43-40 (-2) Kansas City 42-40 (-2.5) Chicago 37-45 (-7.5) Detroit 37-45 (-7.5) KC won yesterday so now have same record as Twins (43-40). Cleveland lost so now are at 44-38.
  11. EddieMatthews
    We should know by the middle of the second which Kyle Gibson shows up. Should have included this in the choices, "light Gibson or real Gibson". Hope the hitters wake up, after last Tuesday's orgy. Gibson needed a bunch to win then. Bauer may not be easy.
  12. EddieMatthews
    Yes, good graphic. At first glance, I thought it was the bullpen in alphabetical order, and thought that was Molitor's strategy in choosing the next reliever with the closer always at the bottom. Then I saw it was not quite alpha ordered. Then I thought "maybe Molly doesn't spell well". I thought I was onto something related to the sometimes questionable relief pitching selection. Hmmm.
  13. EddieMatthews
    Buxton takes a lot of pressure off the pitching staff. They know they can make a mistake and still get the out. He also expands the coverage in left and right, allowing them to shade a couple of steps closer to the foul lines. I like him. Offensively, he is so fast to first, and can stretch any hit another base. He will continue to make better contact and raise his hitting stats.
  14. EddieMatthews
    All the talk about trading Santana on another board makes me question whether the Twins will ever get a quality starting five. Or three for that matter. Or two? The pitching staff looks like 2016 or most other years since we had Johan. The revolving door needs a little oil because it will be in use for a few more years. Same goes for the relief corps. A blown save that results in a loss is better that a blown save that results in a 15 inning disaster that burns out the entire staff.
  15. EddieMatthews
    The Twins play relaxed on the road. Their pitching remains suspect. Hopefully the "up" Santana will show up Thursday. Tuesday and Wednesday the bats need to be swinging. Using the elevator analogy, let's hope they push the tenth floor button for a few days. Good news is that Gibson will not pitch until Friday. Go Twins!
  16. EddieMatthews
    I'll agree with your cherry-picked stats, and add the stats plus my observations that, to me, indicate that Sano needs to improve his performance. First is his BA at .241, which is 28 points below his rookie year, and lower than Dozier's career numbers which have been soundly criticized on this site. Second, Sano's K-rate is unsustainable if he will attain leadership, At his current rate, his K's for the year will be close to his weight, redefining the Mendoza line. Third, he seems to not be present at all times on the field. Base running, fielding (.942), and hitting are affected by this. Your comment about "leaders" is accurate, and probably should include Sano (and Mauer?) as "not yet leaders". That leaves a big gap in leadership IMHO.
  17. EddieMatthews
    Whew! A very hot topic. A big part of the conundrum for the Twins is that, in addition to questions about their fifth starter (Mejia) and their fourth starter (Gibson), they have serious concerns about their third starter (Hughes). Add to that, Berrios is not a guarantee to successfully replace any starter. Hence there are 13 pitchers on the 25 man roster based on the expectation that starting pitching will break down. Looking at the pitchers formerly on the roster, they have made good decisions in discarding Pelfrey, Nolasco, Milone, Dean, Albers, Meyer, etc. They still need someone who can start and make it to the 6th inning. Just as important, the hitting has been mediocre and trending downward. The expected leaders, Sano, Dozier, Buxton, Mauer, Rosario, are all underperforming. They may not improve a lot from current performance. Could be a long season.
  18. EddieMatthews
    There's a lot of time spent looking for "losing" trades by Minnesota teams. If this was a trade of two big names, it would be worth the ink. Not so for Hicks and what's-his-name. Wishing the best for Hicks. He seems to be a good guy who is having a struggle getting a career started. Same for Murphy. Not everyone is going to be a star. Most professional players strive to make their team better and that they can make a positive contribution. I hope that our minor league teams can improve their player development and deliver players who will struggle less as they make the jump to MLB. Go Twins!
  19. EddieMatthews
    Maybe if teams keep 13 pitchers, there may be some job security for relievers (or even starters) if they buy a first baseman's mitt or learn to run bases. If Sano could play RF, maybe a pitcher could too. Could a skilled pitcher backfill a position player? Would they be any worse than Danny Santana? Lots of opportunities and should be some spare time in the minors to diversify the skillset. It would surely make late innings more interesting to watch.
  20. EddieMatthews
    I thought that Gibson made a good bid for the "odd man out" today. He hasn't had a year good enough to indicate that we should keep him in the rotation. His stats are comparable to Slo / Bake / Burn a few years ago. I'd rather give a prospect some seasoning than keep running out Gibson every 5 days. Even if he has a good day once a month, he has reached his peak and we will not see anything better from him.
  21. EddieMatthews
    Maybe Sano can put some of that juice on his hat to catch any pop-ups that miss his glove.
  22. EddieMatthews
    No discussion of KC strike calls would be complete without the Twins strike chart. Anyone? Comparing CALLED strikes between teams could indicate bias or incompetence (or normal variance in the process).
  23. EddieMatthews
    From Baseball-Reference.com. We haven't seen the Twins in 1st Place in AL Central in a long time. 2017 Minnesota Twins Statistics Record: N/A, 1st place in AL_Central (Schedule and Results) Manager: Paul Molitor
  24. EddieMatthews
    Spot on regarding Sano and Polanco! Making the routine plays means not giving the opponent an extra out or giving away an out on offense. If the Twins can stay competitive in most games, they will be a fun team to watch this year.
  25. EddieMatthews
    I am less concerned about Joe Mauer at first and his back-ups than I am about the pitching. It looks like the brain trust has doubts about the starters going more than 5 innings. They may not want to overwork the bullpen in April. There is a stretch of 16 games in a row coming up. Worst case, Mauer has fresh legs and should hold his own against lefties for a couple of at-bats until the right handed reliever comes in for the opposing team. I hope the starting pitching can perform. Getting 6+ innings on the average will lessen pressure on relief. May has a day off every week. We can expect roster changes by end of May, so let's hope Park is one of the call-ups.
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