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ToddlerHarmon

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Everything posted by ToddlerHarmon

  1. ToddlerHarmon
    To me, this means he had a successful audition for the 2022 club, and now on to auditioning others and fixing Sano
  2. ToddlerHarmon
    I think good defense is extremely valuable, and I think this strategy would help us to another quick exit were we to make the playoffs, BUT I am afraid this is the best way for the Twins to maximize their assets and save all surplus cash and talent for the rotation.
  3. ToddlerHarmon
    He would at least be the busy side of a platoon, but then who is the other side? What does that look like? An outfielder that hits lefties well enough to be in the lineup, can defend when he's out there, but hits righties poorly enough to use Kepler instead? That's a specific pedigree, and maybe not useful enough for a roster spot. Platooning is how you make do with the roster you have. It's a real hard way to build a roster. As to whether better development is to blame, that's hard to know. But the ease with which effective staffs keep all the Twins off the bases is worrisome
  4. ToddlerHarmon
    It's winter of 2020: you're about to turn 22 you just had a rough offensive season in A ball your minor league competition was the first overall pick and fall league MVP the big league club signs a former MVP to a 4-year contract to play your position, and the minor league season gets cancelled Fast forward to summer of 2021: your minor league competition is out for the season the struggling big league club needs to trade expensive, useful position players to allow them to buy next year's starting rotation, and the guy blocking you is top of that list you lapped the league in AA, and you make an historic, 3-HR debut in AAA on the day you turn 23 Talk about seizing an opportunity
  5. ToddlerHarmon
    I said it at the time, and will say it again. The ability to make contact and get on base needs to become a higher priority for the Twins. Yes, it's nice to hit home runs like the big boys, but contact is the irreplaceable offensive skill
  6. ToddlerHarmon
    Seems accurate, if relatively brutal. No obvious breakouts waiting to step in.
  7. ToddlerHarmon
    Among committed 2022 salaries to trade out of, Sano is the obvious choice. Beyond that, you are starting to trade away pieces that you need to be competitive. So, the question becomes, do you: - trade Donaldson, sign Berrios and Buxton, and hope that 2023 dawns with 2 starter prospects having proven worthy, OR - keep Donaldson, stay in arb with Berrios and Buxton, and buy one amazing starter and take your championship shot before everyone becomes a free agent? - surprise birthday pony option 3: increase payroll by $20M I can't see option 2 being a good idea, unless you think the White Sox are frauds
  8. ToddlerHarmon
    So excited that the Twins are building something everyone wants to be a part of. Sigh
  9. ToddlerHarmon
    Got nothing lol
  10. ToddlerHarmon
    The 2019 Stashak is nowhere to be found. And Rocco knows it, as he has him pitching once a week
  11. ToddlerHarmon
    One benefit of a year like this is we can now start to see some of these prospects debut. Some hard choices probably have to be made about which of them have a future in the bullpen, because that need is now
  12. ToddlerHarmon
    I wonder if the Twins themselves agree. Dobnak has again shown he belongs in the rotation, leaving a spot open for an effective long man
  13. ToddlerHarmon
    Another option, which the late minor league start has complicated: Use one of the starter prospects, probably Duran, as a short reliever for this season. Yes, I know it has risks. But it alleviates the crowding of the 40-man and of the bullpen with unusable arms. And it's better than trading them. Starting pitching depth was supposed to be a thing we have, right? We always intended to need more relievers. Well, it's not convenient, but time to see what Law, Hamilton, Gibaut can do. And another thing: not all analytics-driven strategies work. Pulling your starters when they struggle in the fourth or fifth may need to be re-evaluated. Especially when the quality of pitcher available is so far below the starting corps.
  14. ToddlerHarmon
    The playoff losing streak, the 2019 explosion, the disappointing encore last year, the White Sox' spending spree, and their own offseason moves add up to a lot of pressure. Good. I'd rather them have 140 games to figure out how to play to high expectations than just the three in October.
  15. ToddlerHarmon
    Maybe this is obvious to everyone here, but it seems like Sano and Garver, unlike Donaldson and Cruz, do not have the contact skills to be consistently taking first pitch strikes. If they want to swing for the fences, fine, but hoping that the second strike of every at bat is a meatball is too easy to pitch around. Yes, when the weather warms, both of them will make more contact with the crap they see with two strikes. But the approach still limits them
  16. ToddlerHarmon
    Best defensive lineup probably only has one spot in question: pitcher 1 Berrios 2 Jeffers 3 Sano 4 Polanco 5 Donaldson 6 Simmons 7 Cave 8 Buxton 9 Kepler
  17. ToddlerHarmon
    I am pleased that the Twins are generally keeping and starting the better defenders. That seems to be the case with Cave vs the other available options.
  18. ToddlerHarmon
    To add more calming words, Dobnak probably isn't ready to throw 180 innings anyway, so consider the time waiting in the wings as preemptive rest? It appears that Dobnak will make the roster, and that he will pitch substantial innings early. So, the odds that he gains a layer of rust while waiting are low. As for Darius' question, every professional sport has teams that allocate playing time according to contract size. That said, it isn't a good idea, which you can see by looking no further than our local NBA "team."
  19. ToddlerHarmon
    The good news is that Nelson Cruz will play DH forever. I am curious what the injury exposure for just batting and baserunning. Speed probably amplifies the risk here, too
  20. ToddlerHarmon
    With the exception of Garver, that 2013 draft class, oof
  21. ToddlerHarmon
    I could go along with just about any direction here. But the Twins' own evaluators need to decide which horses to bet on. Roughly going on ceiling, I think you have to stay committed to Kepler, and you have to make sure that Kirilloff is challenged and progressing. The harder question is what are you passing on if Rooker or Garlick are marginalized? But while we are in spring panic mode, should any of the uncertainty make us concerned about the coaching? This spring is showing a continuation of the production backsliding we saw all through the MLB lineup. I get that 2019 must have been an outlier for some Twins, and that the league may not have adjusted to the whole team approach, but should that really add up to regression in 8 out of nine players at once? Oh, for a larger sample size
  22. ToddlerHarmon
    I don't see it. I count 5 or so guys that could fill out the 8th spot competently, and none of them are named Smeltzer
  23. ToddlerHarmon
    Let's say Arraez has a week (6 games) like this: Starts for Polanco at 2B Starts at 2B, allowing Polanco to start for Simmons at SS Starts for Donaldson at 3B Starts for Kirilloff in LF Starts for Cruz at DH That's five starts in 6 games, which you'll notice is the same as the starts for Polanco, Simmons, Donaldson, Kirilloff, and Cruz. So Arraez replaces a righty 3 days a week, and everyone gets about 135 games, about 500 PA, and lots of rest. It's a great plan to rest our infielders, all of whom have bad wheels one way or another. Is that realistic every week? Maybe not if everyone stays healthy. But if any of the 6 miss two weeks, there's 10 extra starts for someone else. I agree, I don't know how you get Arraez the same at bats as everyone else unless he spends some time at LF or 1B. (Note my guess is they have a similar plan for Rooker, but will only try to get him in the lineup half time)
  24. ToddlerHarmon
    I love this. It gives you something to do with Buxton's speed. It seems to imply Buxton 8, Simmons 9, Arraez 1. I can even go for that, since Buxton has good power, so better to hit him ahead of Simmons.
  25. ToddlerHarmon
    Most center field prospects, if you could guarantee they would have Carlos Gomez' career, you would take that, perhaps grudgingly. If that's where Buxton ends up, that's a damn shame.
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