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Wizard11

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Everything posted by Wizard11

  1. Wizard11
    I think a reasonable argument can be made for cutting Phil Hughes loose. I think it is unlikely he is looked at as a future contributor and he is a sunk cost regardless. If he is only improbable at best as a future asset, why use a roster spot on him?
  2. Wizard11
    Neil Allen likely had little input on the pitching roster he inherited. He may not have been the problem but he wasn’t the solution either. His big accomplishment seems to have been teaching every pitcher to throw the changeup or to increase the frequency of use. We need someone who can take a more Rowson-esque approach of individualing the coaching. It would also behoove us to have someone highly skilled at the cutting edge of analytics and technology. Well...and to have more pitchers with high ceilings. Best wishes to Neil Allen as he seems like a good guy
  3. Wizard11
    A refreshing perspective. This view may not play well with those who want to attribute no credit to Falvey, Levine, or for that matter Molitor. With the current leadership in the front office and on the field it has felt like things makes sense again. Even at the times when I strongly disagree with their decisions, I can follow their thought process. The vibe has changed with this team and it has changed for the better. Young Players like Buxton, Rosario, Sano, and Polanco are reaching their potential and in the case of veterans such as Mauer, Gibson, Escobar, and Belisle, they have raised their performance from the recent past. Players added such as Gee, Castro, and Gimenez have brought upgrades. Youngsters like Hildenberger and Busenitz who were fringe prospects have flourished. The vibe has changed with this team. Time to give credit where credit is due even when it doesn’t fit our biases or theories.
  4. Wizard11
    For my part, I really enjoyed Dozier's bunt in Detroit. ;-)
  5. Wizard11
    Here's hoping Moya can adapt quickly and be an asset for these last 19 games. His windup reminded me of a Cobra with the body movements before a rapid strike. Seth, I really appreciate all of your quality and timely work on here. We all benefit from that as well as your even keel with dissenters.
  6. Wizard11
    I have enjoyed LaTroy keeping it real. He is not afraid to speak his mind but is also not bombastic. I am not a Smalley fan as he reminds me of Joe Morgan. They each broadcast as if they invented baseball. When Smalley starts speaking from the Mount, I reach for the mute button.
  7. Wizard11
    Wow, was that the "happy" leaving the room? Nick, for my part I really appreciate the consistent and regular good work you produce on here.
  8. Wizard11
    Some reactions to this "news" seem a bit overwrought. There may be more here than meets the eye, such as undisclosed minor injuries, transactions involving other teams, matchups in early games, etc.. Also, it seems to me that rosters moves made 2 weeks or so into the season stand a better chance of retaining a player that is being removed from the 40 man roster. I definitely understand the frustration of the years of losing. I do like some of the thought processes in play here as they suggest it is not business as usual. Mejia as the 5th starter, Grossman (high OBP) vs Park (SLG), a new pitch for Tonkin, a consideration of Duffey as a bullpen arm, etc. I am not saying I agree with all of it but to me it is encouraging that there is a willingness to do things unconventionally relative to the former process known as the "Twin's Way".
  9. Wizard11
    Nick, Thank you for this article. It is a refreshing and hopeful perspective that is grounded in cogent observation. I think sometimes as fans we focus only on roster construction. This is understandable given the dark years of the recent past. I am really looking forward to potentially seeing the implementation of data driven decisions that occur pre-game and in-game utilizing whatever roster assets are active. Lineups, positioning, pitch sequencing and location, fatigue metrics, etc.. To use a time worn analogy, it would be quite fun if the Twins leadership can be the "Piranhas" (thanks Ozzie) of baseball strategy. Aggressive, cunning, and unexpected. It sure would be a welcome change from the backward strategic and tactical approaches of the last regime. Tired of feeling embarrassed about being a Twins fan. I live in San Diego and travel the country monthly. The Twins were once well respected outside of the TC for the hard nosed, fundamentally sound, and somewhat retro brand of baseball. Not so much now.
  10. Wizard11
    Well Done Sir!
  11. Wizard11
    Santiago has pitched 180 innings each of the last 2 years, has a career K/9 of 8.0, 29 years old, LH, and modestly priced. He is not blocking any MLB ready prospect. He had a rough start to his Twins career. Not too many pitchers would look very good if dumped on to the 2016 Twins mid-season. IMO Berrios is the likely 5th starter. For those who loath Santiago, who exactly should be in Santiago's spot?
  12. Wizard11
    To me for 2017 I think Joe Mauer is ideal as a lead off hitter against most pitchers. He still does a good job of working pitchers and seeing a lot of pitches. I do think this would turn him into an asset as opposed to the liability he is as a 3 hitter. The strategy of using a non-speed guy at the top of the order is not really that new. A good compo for Joe Mauer would be Wade Boggs who spent much of his career as a lead off hitter. Although probably none of us expect batting titles from Joe anymore. I would rather see Dozier in the 3 spot.
  13. Wizard11
    Thanks for the memories TP! It WAS FUN watching you go from a scrawny SS to a "husky" 3B. You were always classy with the fans. It seemed like you were willing to be a standup guy for the team when someone needed to talk to the media or if the team needed a positive message. Pretty cool relationship with your Mom too. I hope you land somewhere with a great opportunity to win. Keep ripping Gladden and the other codgers!
  14. Wizard11
    Tom, I like your thought process here and I would trust the new management team to successfully implement it. I also like the flipping analogy. It is apt and in this context we are greedy for some talent in these parts.
  15. Wizard11
    I understand the Jepson move in the context of last year. Ryan was mostly criticized at the time for not doing more. However, contracts offered to Fien, Milone, Jepson, and Plouffe last winter equaled somewhere in the neighborhood of $19MM. Seems like those dollars could have brought something much better. 3 of the 4 have already been DFA'd this year. Hughes, Nolasco, Perkins, Ervin, and Park have not worked out well (yet?) either, although in the context of the timing of those contracts, they were somewhat defensible. Jepson is just the latest indictment of the extremely poor allocation of team resources. GMs are routinely given seven figure salaries in part because of the perception that they will be "right" much more of the time, than a random individual selected from a phone book. Jim Pohlad is a lot more patient than I would be if that was my money
  16. Wizard11
    If Ryan can not get any kind of return for Plouffe then waive him. That would be yet another squandered asset but it would be unlikely and pointless to give Plouffe $10mm next year to continue to clog the roster. A half season more of Plouffe in 2016 is of zero value to the Twins. For my part, I would send Danny Santana out the door with him. DS has a great "bag of tools" but has shown no meaningful progress as a hitter. Also there is scant evidence that he possesses a major league infielders glove. That means we are dedicating a roster spot to a pinch runner and third string CF behind Buxton and Kepler. Polanco should get the roster spot and get into a middle infield rotation with Escobar and Dozier. If a quality, almost major league ready catcher can be had for Dozier or Ervin and any other combo of veterans then Ryan should jump on it.
  17. Wizard11
    Although FO's are not constructed this way, I have long thought that TR should only be in charge of the last 5 guys on the roster. He has always been the "Master of the Dumpster Dive" and has often been able to come up with usable freebies like Grossman, Abad, Boshers, Kintzler, etc. What is missing is a forward thinking GM who fills out the entire Rotation, late inning relievers, and the Starting 9. (Just a hint of sarcasm here). TR should be subordinate to a strong GM and then his years of baseball experience could be properly utilized. His tool set and vision are not IMO functional in today's game as a GM.
  18. Wizard11
    I would have to question what Danny Santana has done to earn his roster spot. Grossman, Kepler, Park, Arcia, and Buxton have all been mentioned as possibilities to lose their 25 man roster spot. What exactly has Danny Santana done in either MLB (or MiLB for that matter) to preempt any of the above players? At age 25 it seems like the his upside is to grow up to be a serviceable utility player. Is there a good argument at this stage of the rebuild for a half baked UT to take playing time from anyone on the roster who may be potentially be a future starter? OK, that probably is a little harsh, but do others see D. Santana as part of our future starting 9?
  19. Wizard11
    One more cliche to add to the mix..."addition by subtraction". At this point doubling down on a bad decision in an attempt to get "perceived value" for Plouffe is hubris. Ditch him already. On another note, I am curious and mildly hopeful that R. Grossman turns into a serviceable starter. He has an excellent pedigree in that he was once viewed as a good prospect and may be a late bloomer. It has been awhile since Shane Mack and we are due for a success story of such ilk. (Yes, I know Mack was a rule 5). I realize the probable outcome for Grossman is likely something much less.
  20. Wizard11
    I was furious at the time about this choice. A younger version of me even wrote letter to Terry Ryan campaigning for the Twins to keep Ortiz.(The only time I have ever done anything like that). The local media had been speculating this would happen. It did in fact seem to be a major mistake to many fans, myself included. Torii Hunter spoke out against this decision as well. Tom Kelly criticized Ortiz regularly on his Sunday radio show in regard to "Mr. Ortiz's inability" to hit to the opposite field. He was very condescending with fans who called in about his Ortiz views and would frequently make very critical comments of their perspective. It was clear he had strong views on David Ortiz and they were not terribly favorable. TK retained influence with the Twins FO. I remember one show where he essentially compared his skill set to Pedro Munoz or Bernardo Brito. Bit wrong there as it turns out. He also frequently mentioned Ortiz's defensive limitations but it was in juxtaposition to Mientkiewicz's exceptional defensive skills. Dave Ortiz was a serviceable 1B on a team that already had exceptional defense there. The issue of offering him arbitration was framed in part around DH but at that time many thought Ortiz would do fine at 1B as well. So it was keep 2 of 3 from Dougie, LeCroy, or Ortiz. Fun fact, David Ortiz was originally known as David Arias. Some sort of "misunderstanding" with birth certificates
  21. Wizard11
    Dr. N, I agree with your well considered observations on Joe Mauer. I think 100% of posters on this thread would agree that Mauer's performance the past 3 years has been a disappointment. There does not seem to be any disagreement on that. Rather I think what sounds like a defense of Mauer is in fact the varying degrees of fatigue many have with having the same conversation for 3 years. It would be great if the media would take up this conversation and raise the profile of the issues.
  22. Wizard11
    Minniman...That would be great if the Twins as a roster hit like Boston and Mauer still stunk. The record would certainly look better and they would be a lot more interesting.
  23. Wizard11
    Yep Chief, we definitely do not have the equal of Toronto's lineup. It does seem though like the individual parts should add to something exceeding a .244 winning percentage. In 50 years of watching Mahor League baseball, I strain to remember a team with this bad of record 41 games in. (I strain to do a lot of things these days). The few that come to mind were much more obviously bad.
  24. Wizard11
    Nah Mr.B, I am cool with the negative views on Mauer. I think like a lot of readers, I am just wore out on the Mauer complaints.
  25. Wizard11
    Chief, I agree it is a problem. Seems in fact to be a roster full of problems. It would be interesting to be a bug on the wall in that clubhouse and have a chance to get direct info on the mood and commitment. On paper this team does not look anywhere near this bad.
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