Lee-The-Twins-Fan
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Everything posted by Lee-The-Twins-Fan
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I don't have a problem with any of the above proposed rule changes. I think they would all help, but I do question 'what constitutes a mound visit?' If a catcher stands up and takes a few steps to the mound, says something to the pitcher and then throws the ball back and returns to behind home plate, is that a "mound visit?" With no runners on, there is no prohibition against the catcher hanging on to the ball for a few extra seconds, before returning it to the pitcher. At some point, I suspect, the MLBPA will instead want managers, pitchers and catchers to have radio headsets (like they do in football) to communicate. That would indeed speed up the pace of play.
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Why Yu Darvish Will Be Cheaper Than Everyone Thinks
Lee-The-Twins-Fan commented on Andrew Thares's blog entry in Rounding Third
I doubt it. With the marquee names coming out as free agents after the 2018 season, the competition will be wild in the next offseason. MLB on track budget-wise after 2018? I'll believe it when I see it. -
Yes, he did, and he did it with style. I hope to see Buxton do that for the Twins in 2018's World Series!!
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Article: What If Miguel Is Really Kyle?
Lee-The-Twins-Fan replied to Ted Schwerzler 's topic in Twins Daily Front Page News
People who suggest that nearly anyone can just move over and play 1B need to wake up. 1B touch the ball more often than any other fielder other than the P and C. You need to have a GOOD 1B if you want to make the playoffs. That's why i would advocate for keeping Mauer at 1B beyond 2018, if healthy. It has taken years, but he has turned into a really good 1B, who can scoop thrown balls in the dirt and elsewhere, making Dozier, Polanco and Sano look much better – fewer errors, more outs. Mauer also gets to the batted ball better than any other 1B defender on the Twins team. I'm not suggesting we pay Mauer $23 million a year starting in 2019 – more like $10 million. He does have value as a 1B, as a hitter, and as a quiet clubhouse leader. Moving Sano to 1B would be a disaster. Keep him at 3B, or let him DH a lot. Do not move him to 1B. As for the assault allegations, I suspect he will get a 30-day suspension. The Twins and MLB cannot take this lightly, but there was no sexual assault (there may have been that intent, if you believe the allegations). But it's also hard to prove with no other witnesses. -
Pen Provies Possible Upside In Minnesota
Lee-The-Twins-Fan commented on Ted Schwerzler 's blog entry in Off The Baggy
We will have to wait until spring training to find out about Hughes. He can't be sent down, so the choice would be to keep him, put him on the DL or release him. I agree you cannot count on having Hughes or May on the opening day roster, but that doesn't mean one or both will not be there. (Ugh.. double negative). If Hughes could return to his 2014 form, it would provide a valuable starter for the Twins – but that's a HUGE if. We cannot count on it. -
I'd love to see Darvish in a Twins uniform. But I also question the wisdom of a long-term contract for any pitcher. I think we should offer him a 4-year deal, for say $20 million a year plus three option years which would automatically kick in (one at a time0 if he pitches at least 150 innings as a starter, or 50 innings as a relief pitcher the previous year. So his 2018-21 seasons would be guaranteed; his 2022 season would be guaranteed if he pitches 150 innings in 2021, etc. or would be a team option. I'd be OK with a 3-year player opt-out as well.
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Mauer's Future
Lee-The-Twins-Fan commented on Matthew Lenz's blog entry in Musings from Twins Territory
I just posted this on another thread, but it seems even more appropriate here. Nick Nelson, on 04 Jan 2018 - 09:15 AM, said: Question for you: If the Twins suddenly didn't have Mauer available to them, how much worse off are they? Move Sano to first, start Escobar at 3rd, find a DH or just use Grossman. And then you've got an extra 23 mil to spend elsewhere. He's a fine player but he's just not indispensable to the franchise in any way at this point. Other than maybe Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, do we have anyone who's "Indispensable"? I would not argue that Mauer is indispensable, but I respectfully disagree with your premise; They would be much worse off without Mauer. He's not indispensable, but he is important - especially for his defense and his on-base skills. Sano does not have the defensive skills at 1B that Mauer has. He's fine at 3B, but not at 1B. Mauer digs balls out of the dirt and reaches high for balls thrown by other infielders. He makes Dozier, Polanco and Sano much better, because they know he will get their throws. On other teams, how many throws (that Mauer gets now) go down as throwing errors because the !B could not dig it out of the dirt? And who's going to replace his on-base ability, and his ability to hit with 2 strikes? Mauer may not be indispensable, but he's very important to the Twins. Has he been overpaid during his contract? Sure. But i'd be willing (if I were the Twins GM) to offer him three or four more years at $10-$12 million a year. He brings a lot of value to this team. -
Other than maybe Byron Buxton, Brian Dozier, Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios, do we have anyone who's "Indispensable"? I would not argue that Mauer is indispensable, but I respectfully disagree with your premise; They would be much worse off without Mauer. He's not indispensable, but he is important - especially for his defense and his on-base skills. Sano does not have the defensive skills at 1B that Mauer has. He's fine at 3B, but not at 1B. Mauer digs balls out of the dirt and reaches high for balls thrown by other infielders. He makes Dozier, Polanco and Sano much better, because they know he will get their throws. On other teams, how many throws (that Mauer gets now) go down as throwing errors because the !B could not dig it out of the dirt? And who's going to replace his on-base ability, and his ability to hit with 2 strikes? Mauer may not be indispensable, but he's very important to the Twins. Has he been overpaid during his contract? Sure. But i'd be willing (if I were the Twins GM) to offer him three or four more years at $10-$12 million a year. He brings a lot of value to this team.
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- eddie rosario
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I disagree, but it's real close. Lewis has more years available than Berrios. That's the biggest difference.
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To me, Kepler and Polanco should be in the teens... I like them both, but have a hard time seeing any higher ceiling for either... But then, I did not see Dozier's power explosion coming in 2016 either.
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I would put Mejia at #20, and pull those in between up a spot. I suspect Mejia will be in the bullpen by the end of 2018. Otherwise a great read and list. As for Mauer, I doubt if he makes the list, with his contract and only one year left. He's valuable to the Twins, but not as a potential trade piece or long-term asset. Dozier might make the list, as a lower cost alternative with a longer and brighter future, but he, too, has only one year left. If both Mauer and Dozier get extensions, that might be a different story.
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If the Twins cannot sign Darvish, I would ignore the next level (Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn) as all three would mean losing a second round draft pick. I'd set my sights on Jason Vargas. A lefty, with the Royals last year, he won 18 games, even though his ERA was above 4.00. The Royals paid him $32 m over 4 years; entering his age 35 season, we could get him maybe for three years for $18 m? Not as big a splash as landing Darvish, but it would help. The Twins should want a top pitcher like Darvish, but if they cannot land him, they should keep looking. There are other good fish in the MLB sea.
- 107 replies
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- brian dozier
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As a writer, I've often wanted to submit a story to TD, but I've never known how. Add two buttons to the top of your website: • How to submit a front page story, which reveals the guidelines, limitations and process for submissions, and • Submit a story. An email address or other means to submit a story – potentially for the front page. If you make it easier, you will undoubtedly get an influx of stories for consideration. of course it's up to you as editors to decide what goes on the front page. As you get more stories, you will likely get more readers and more advertising dollars.
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Back to the main story... a story with a question mark in the headline – and that the author really wants answered! How refreshing? Regarding Kinley, I'm guessing some scout or maybe a pair of scouts saw him pitch and liked what they saw... they wrote up the report which got to Falvine's desk, and he (they) thought he might make a good addition. Who knows?
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It drives me crazy too. To me, defensively speaking, a strikeout is the same as a ground out or fly ball. It's an out. It's not two outs, but one. Hitters can beat the strikeout pitcher – and nibbler - by being more selective at the plate and by not trying to hit a home run all the time. Hitters who are not afraid to take a walk, or get a single. Hitters who are more selective can be beaten by the strike thrower and solid defense. That's pitching. And that's baseball. If – as a pitcher or hitter – your strikeout 'pendulum' swings too far one way or the other, you are in danger of losing effectiveness.
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- minnesota twins
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I think it depends on Romero's off-season workouts - strengthening the core, building stamina for a long season. Great list Seth. You know these players far better than I do. I have seen some games at Chattanooga this year, but it was rainy that weekend, so they played a DH on Sunday (two seven-inning games). I wanted to see Romero pitch, but did not.
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gunnarthor, on 28 Nov 2017 - 10:04 PM, said: If you think Santana can pitch about 190 innings next year with a ERA+ of around 100 then you should keep him because we don't have five pitchers that will beat that. He's not blocking anyone and the Twins window is currently open. They shouldn't worry about 2019 when they should be worrying about 2018. And if you think ownership is worried about paying a 36 year old pitcher 14m then how are you going to convince the same owner to pay Darvish 25m per year for his 35-37 years?gunnarthor, on 28 Nov 2017 - 10:04 PM, said: The idea of trading off Santana doesn't make sense unless you think he'll turn into a pumpkin - in which case you should also think he has no trade value, esp to rebuilding teams that should horde younger players. If you think Santana can pitch about 190 innings next year with a ERA+ of around 100 then you should keep him because we don't have five pitchers that will beat that. He's not blocking anyone and the Twins window is currently open. They shouldn't worry about 2019 when they should be worrying about 2018. And if you think ownership is worried about paying a 36 year old pitcher 14m then how are you going to convince the same owner to pay Darvish 25m per year for his 35-37 years? The bottom line is, is Darvish THAT much better than Santana? Santana plus $11 million per year (the difference in their projected salaries at age 36)? Yes Darvish may be better. We should be going after top-of-the-line starting pitching talent. No question. But to add Darvish and trade Santana – when you need two pitchers at the front end of your rotation makes little sense. We should pursue Ohtani too – I'd love to see him hit AND pitch in a Twins uniform. But he's never pitched in the minor leagues here, or in the majors. No one knows how he will do. He could be another Darvish, or a Kevin Tapani or a Mike Pelfrey. No one knows. So you can hope he'll be great, but you cannot count on him for the top of your rotation, like you can a Darvish or Santana.
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I hope so too. Littel has been so dominant - at least from a win-loss perspective – that it makes me wonder. He could be legiit or he could be one of those guys who dominate in the minors but can't find the same success in the majors. Time will tell.
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Seth: Regarding Lewin Diaz, you say "but clearly, first base is his position." Does this mean he's defensively limited? A poor fielder? Or does it mean – like Joe Mauer - he's an excellent fielding first baseman? Or does it men he just does not have a decent throwing arm? I am one who looks at defense as well as offense. I would find it hard to rank anyone high on a prospect list (even in the age of the DH) if he cannot play adequate defense. Some teams put their worst defender at first base, but Mauer has shown the value of having a very good defender at the position – scooping up throws in the dirt, and diving after balls some first basemen – like Vargas - can't even try to reach. A first baseman touches the ball a lot; having a good fielder there is a tremendous asset, and Mauer (among others) is under-rated if his first base defense is not included in his value.
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The New Management Team - How are they doing?
Lee-The-Twins-Fan commented on mike8791's blog entry in mike8791's Blog
Boy, you are hard on Falvey and Levine, considering where the Twins were a year ago. You failed to mention the changes made to the analytics department and process - making the scouting and analytical reports more streamlined and applicable. Maybe that had an impact on the pitching and hitting – and ultimately on the season? But I also think it's important to remember what they did not do - they did not trade Brian Dozier last offseason, and I suspect an extension is more likely than a trade regarding him. So yes, they did not bring in a lot of relief help last offseason. But I expect them to this winter, and to bring in a good starting pitcher or two. Next winter - 2018-19 – should be even more interesting with Mauer's and Dozier's contracts coming due. I'd give them a B or B+ on the year. In hindsight, they should not have traded Kintzler or Garcia. But at the time, I understood the reasoning. The goal of all 30 teams, ultimately, is to win the World Series – but only one of the 30 teams can do that each year. The rest have to settle for the role of being non-champions. The Twins had a good year. They're on a good track. They need a few pieces, but the team is largely intact. With some minor improvements, 2018 could be the year they excel. -
I'm not high on either Darvish or Otani. After the whole Byung Ho Park experience, I just can't see the Twins spending $26 million or so (posting fee and international bonus money – plus salary) to bring Otani here. Yes, he's an interesting story, but can he make it in MLB as either a pitcher or a hitter? I'm just not sold on it. As for Darvish, he's a No. 2 pitcher, worth getting but only if the price is right. We cannot spend Joe Mauer money on him.
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You listed a lot of names - but only two directly mentioned as possible closers: Addison Reed and Minor. I'd rather see either Kintzler or Belisle back – or both. They know the Twins, are comfortable here, and did a very good job.
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It's not that I wouldn't like to get almost any of these guys, but i doubt it will happen. We need a pitching ace, two relievers (including a closer), and maybe a back-up catcher. Yes, a right-handed bat who could play 3B might be desired. But not over the other needs. By the time the Twins are ready to acquire a RH bat, they will have already acquired a starting pitcher 9or two) and a couple relievers. That will leave precious little left to spend tens of millions of dollars on Santana, Frasier, Bautista, or any other high-value RH bat. It just won't happen. They may set their sights on a lower-cost alternative, but likely none of the big four.
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Only problem is, Chatwood is in the NL. Has to face DHs in the AL if he were with the Twins.
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Neither May nor Hughes are on the Twins' 40-man roster as of today. Not listed at all – not on the DL or anything. Maybe they don't have to be listed, coming back from injuries. I just found it odd, that's all.
