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ToddlerHarmon

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Everything posted by ToddlerHarmon

  1. Not in the camp that thinks we are better off with Marwin. But willing to see a silver lining in that Astudillo gets an extended audition.
  2. All true, but Gagne may have been the best defender among the regular shortstops. Huge range, and reliable.
  3. Considering the lack of contracts to starters after 2019, whatever the Twins do, they must not foreclose on him being part of the 2020 rotation. I expect that by the second half of of 2019, he is either a reliever on a contending Twins team, or a starter on a Twins team that is playing for next year.
  4. Excellent work! I'd love to see how this trends over more seasons, but the ranges aren't all over the place. The biggest outliers are small market teams, so clearly doing things differently can provide an edge. The trade silence is starting to show issues as we look at the unbalanced ML and AAA rosters, where we have a backlog of outfielders and free swingers, depth problems with middle infielders, and a shortage of high end pitchers and high-quality contact hitters.
  5. Thanks for the research. This is a topic to wonder about, but it is very hard to break the stats away from things like league-wide trends and team talent levels. For example, I always had the impression that Vavra was an effective hitting coach. What does it mean that the 2006 team had the same offense as a less-talented 2012 team? Did he do well in getting the most out of talent? For me, since I root for the Twins to win championships, I am most focused on whether major league coaches get elite performance out of elite talent. It strikes me that our most recent coaches have failed at this, though again it is hard to know whether our belief that we have elite talent is correct.
  6. Am I correct that the Twins have ZERO dollars guaranteed to anyone next year (notwithstanding buyouts)? Talk about playing for their jobs. That colors whether we "should" add anyone. This looks like Falvine are ready to see whether the team competes in the first half. If so, add some oomph at the deadline, and expect to pick up options and start signing extensions next year. If not, they can clean out a lot of roster spots, and still keep enough talent to jump-start a rebuild. The roster guess sounds reasonable. I think it's possible for Vasquez, Astudillo, and/or Austin to break camp with the team, with Duffey being the most likely to drop on performance alone. I would like to see Astudillo get a chance, and not just for entertainment. He seems the easiest way to add consistent OBP, which is the missing element in this lineup.
  7. Not bad, but maybe if Buxton gets it together, he at least walks enough to have an OBP: Buxton Polanco Rosario Cruz Sano Kepler Cron Castro Schoop
  8. Interesting that they are all projected to get 2 year deals in the same price range. Also interesting that none of them blocks any prospects even beyond that window. And who said dumpster-diving? All four are actual talents, with multiple years of proven performance including 2018. The only reason for their affordability is they are part of no one's five year plan. I've seen worse uses of payroll and roster spots in these parts
  9. Hmmm Buxton portaging Astudillo. More momentum when he hits the wall, but also more padding. It checks out.
  10. Yes, creative, and a good talker, but I only like the Astudillo idea. All of Keplers WAR value is currently due to being a good outfielder, so you're going to move him to a spot that demands more offense and less defense? May is too good and needed where he is to mess with. Plus with 2 years of his prime lost to injury, relief would give him a better career. And Romero is too young with too much stuff to give up on him starting. If other options develop for outfield or relief pitching, or if Romero fails to develop as a starter, then maybe. But right now each of these players has the potential to be the best on the team at their current position. Why short-circuit that?
  11. I like this skeptical look at the Twins. I have hope still for Sano, Buxton, Kepler, and Polanco, but they have to establish themselves consistently at a high level this year. Assume Rosario and Garver will be ok. Even then you need a shortstop (Polanco to 2B), first, and DH. Gordon, Rooker, and Cave? Possible, but it will be painful for all this year, Gordon is not looking like a future starter or a glove-first backup, and Cave probably doesn't have that much offense in him. Basically, this year is where we find out whether Lewis and Kiriloff complete the picture in 2020, or whether they are the reset button. Scary stuff.
  12. I agree with many of the commenters that any near-term success depends on Buxton and Sano turning things around. However, it is not a reasonable expectation for that to happen in 2019. That situation will be better understood at the end of this year, so I endorse planning around 2020 and beyond. As to trading Kepler, the other thing we hope to see this year is better instruction and coaching at the major league level. That is essential for ever getting Sano and Buxton right, but it might also salvage Kepler, whose only flaw is that his contact is too soft.
  13. I'd call that a mistake on Dozier's part. Laziness? Not really, IMO.
  14. We have a catcher in Rochester with a 2% K rate who cam pick runners off first without looking, and he's blocked by Bobby Wilson?
  15. Nothing more adventurous, like replacing Grossman or Wilson, or Adrianza out instead of Petit? I think the Twins need to be bolder if they are going to make that leap.
  16. As others have commented, they seem to be holding a chair open in case an infielder hits the waiver wire in the next few days. Is Profar a possibility?
  17. Incredible story, well done!
  18. The eye test says Rosario's a good candidate for number 3 hitter: great contact, good power, decent speed Also, if you look at 2017 season stats, you have the following top Twins hitters: AVG: Mauer, Rosario, Dozier, Sano OBP: Mauer, Dozier, Sano, Morrison SLG: Morrison, Rosario, Sano, Dozier That's right, there are only 5 hitters on the Twins covering the top 4 of all three triple-slash categories. Seems pretty obvious who the top 5 in the lineup should be. With Rosario's potential for a high average with power, he seems the likeliest #3 of these.
  19. I disagree about Granite vs. Grossman on the bench. Grossman can allow any of 4 lefties to sit vs LHP, and is stronger as a RH, especially at getting on base. Now, if it comes time to replace a starting oufielder due to injury, Granite is definitely your guy. Especially because Adrianza already provides some speed off the bench.
  20. So, adding up the damage, we drop: Mejia, Duffey, Busenitz, Curtiss, Reed, and Vargas. We see less projected time from: Hughes, Gibson, and Grossman. More importantly, these are now the guys who step in for injuries or ineffectiveness. Looking at the list, these would have been the highlights of our 2016 pitching staff. So things are looking up.
  21. I like these lineups, except maybe that Granite wouldn't be a better choice than Kepler, even against lefties. The other point I would make is that there is a lot of flexibility if someone struggles or takes off. Things won't fall apart from one injury or slump. The potential is tremendous. Buxton, Polanco, and Kepler are all candidates to improve on last year's season numbers dramatically, and be offensive stars. Yet they begin the season as the most likely choices for the 9 hole. Nice.
  22. Trying to interpret FanGraphs, he struggled with fastball control last year, but threw the slider more effectively than ever. So either the fastball control comes back and yay, or he becomes a junkballer and meh. But for Palacios, it's hard to imagine this being a big loss for the Twins.
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