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bighat

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Everything posted by bighat

  1. bighat
    I'm going to start running a simulated pottery season. Attempt 1: Began with a pile of clay, ended up with something resembling an oblong ashtray. Poor start to the season. Attempt 2: Got overconfident, spun the wheel too quickly while attempting to craft an orangina-bottle style vase, resulting in catastrophic failure. Stay tuned for more!
  2. bighat
    Dude this is exactly what I was thinking and came to the comment section to say this! Dear author, don't you dare equate Sam Deduno with Cole DeVries, they're not even on the same planet.
  3. bighat
    I'm over all the distraction-based stuff. The video games, the "All Time Teams", etc. I know the league (and pages like TD) have to do something to keep the conversation going. But frankly I just can't get into it. The only type of discussion right now that I'm interested in are the possible start dates and possible scenarios (ie: Grapefruit/Cactus leagues, etc). Another issue we should start talking about is what's going to happen with all of these player contracts. For example: the Twins are possibly going to only get 3 years out of Josh Donaldson instead of 4. And we were thinking his first year would likely be his best. Just a brutal scenario there. Also, what about Jake Odorizzi and his 1-year deal with the Twins? Instead the Twins get zip and have to go out and find another guy. Mookie Betts to Los Angeles? Maybe the Dodgers get nothing out of that deal. Ouch.
  4. bighat
    Yeah, I mean I do understand why the players wouldn't like it. And one thing that worries me: what if they start the season, and then Nelson Cruz, for example, tests positive. What happens then? Do the Twins end up "quarantined" and can't play ball for 2 weeks? Now what? Maybe make it voluntary? You want to play, let's go. You want to sit home? No prob, go ahead. Frankly I think most players are OK with it, but their wives/families are not. Eric Sogard's wife tweeted she was 100% against the idea of the AZ/FL season because the kids wouldn't get to see their dad for a few months. That kind of backlash is going to make it hard for some guys to choose to be out there. On the other hand, I am guessing fans are 100% in favor of getting something going ASAP.
  5. bighat
    At this point I'm assuming that if we get baseball, empty stands will be a given.
  6. bighat
    Shortened seasons, Grapefruit leagues, Cactus leagues, games in front of no fans.....I say bring it on. If MLB can play ball this year, I'll take it. If it's done responsibly and it makes sense from a health perspective, I would 100% be ready to sit down and watch and discuss. I get online every morning before work. I see articles featuring death tolls, political squabbles, and places like facebook and twitter are just a nightmare of negativity. Everyone's just gnashing their teeth and growling about damn near everything, it's just so depressing. Instead, if I could get wake up and chat about Miguel Sano striking out 3 times, or Eddie Rosario misplaying a fly ball, or Buxton running into a wall or Maeda getting blown up I would take that in a heartbeat. This ain't about a World Series, this is just about having a positive distraction that would be much welcome in many Americans' lives ASAP.
  7. bighat
    Best Twins team since 1991 will never see the field. Pretty depressing. I know it's for the good of mankind and all, but a gut punch nonetheless. Damn.
  8. bighat
    Very good point. I initially thought they'd just re-do it, but considering the flight changes, date changes, etc it could be a mess. Season ticket holders: ouch. FWIW I agree this is the right move. Slowing down the spread of Covid-19 is what's best for our citizens right now. Hang tight everyone, stay calm. I know it's hard with the news, especially with all the yelling voices out there. Deep breaths.
  9. bighat
    Above someone mentioned the main problem right now: what if someone on a team catches the virus. If, say, Albert Pujols catches the virus, then the entire Angels team will be in quarantine. Do you also quarantine the umps from their last series? And the team they played against during their last series? If that all happens, how can the league operate? You saw what happened in the NBA when a player got the virus. MLB will probably have to postpone the start to their season until testing kits and a plan is in place. Right now there are so many unknowns that it seems almost impossible to start league play in the near future.
  10. bighat
    Nope, it's WAR, OPS+, wOBA, wRC+, and BABIP. You can hit .276 with 32 HR and 109 RBI while batting cleanup on a 100+ win team - doesn't matter. You'll be considered a by many on this thread to be a below-average player who needs to be replaced by a guy who's never taken a MLB at bat. As for your thoughts on Arraez, I couldn't agree more. Let's be happy with what we have. He's got plenty of room to grow, and having a high-average slap-hitting singles/doubles guy at the top of this lineup isn't a bad thing.
  11. bighat
    If you want to compare Arraez to a former Twin, how about Chuck Knoblauch - a fellow second-baseman? In Knobby's seven years with the Twins, he won Rookie of the Year, led the league in doubles and triples once each, went to the All-Star game 4 times and scored over 100 runs 4 times as well. He finished his great 1996 season by batting .341. He also never hit more than 13 HR as a Twin. Everyone was fine with that.
  12. bighat
    I'd try and extend Buxton to a similar deal, the Twins have continued to gamble on this guy for his entire career and you'd think at this point they might as well see if they can buy low on his potential. I know all about the "sunk cost" fallacy and the Twins might find themselves in that area with Bux - but at this point he's shown he does have the skills, if he can stay on the field.
  13. bighat
    Offense-wise, Cruz and Gonzalez might be gone next year. Twins could also move/trade/demote guys like Wade, Astudillo, and Cave by the time the season's over. Injuries are an unknown, but Bux has a history. God forbid Donaldson, Sano, Polanco, Rosario, or Kepler go down for a significant period of time but it's always a possibility. I'd also be hesitant to assume any or all of these top prospects are going to play at an All-Star level as soon as they get a chance in the bigs. Be careful what you wish for.
  14. bighat
    Dobnak is really dueling for that final spot - he knows it, he's not afraid to talk about it, and he's pitching like he wants that job. I saw him a couple weeks ago in ST, after he walked off the mound a few fans said "Good job Randy!" and he just looked back and said "thanks" in this refreshingly humble way. Rooting for the guy, I like this kid!
  15. bighat
    I totally understand the hype - on paper, this does look like the best Twins team....ever? And I cringe when I say that, because I do feel like that only adds more coal to the Jinx Train engine room. But hey, you gotta call it like you see it.
  16. bighat
    Yeah I know what you mean. Remember San Diego and Philly last year - two huge signings of Machado and Harper, plenty of hype surrounding both teams (especially Philly). Let's not forget how the Indians were also an across-the-board AL Central winner in just about every prediction model out there before 2019. I've ran through the scenario in my mind. The Twins stumble, start 3-8 or something, and it turns out Cruz needs surgery and Donaldson's in an 0-24 slump. Guys start pushing. Sano and Buxton go into one of their infamous black holes at the plate. The league figures out how to pitch to Arraez, and Kepler's regressing. All of a sudden Astudillo and Adrianza are starting every game and LaMont Wade's playing in the OF every day for some reason. The White Sox are hot, a year ahead of schedule. The Indians are back. Here come the headlines: "Donaldson Unhappy in Minnesota", "Pineda needs surgery", "Twins baseball player arrested for playing Scrabble in a Cub Foods Parking Lot" and the house of cards just falls into shambles.... Then I wake up and realize it was all a bad dream....at least for now. I think this team will be good, but I also think it's very important to get off to a very good start and not play catch-up for too long in April.
  17. bighat
    I think Kiermeir and Bradley often get to the wall more quickly, so they can time their jump and/or prepare for impact. Or, it's possible that Kiermeir and Bradley aren't as fast as Buxton, and thus aren't in a position to even make an attempt on those balls. Who knows! I think we're all scratching our heads!
  18. bighat
    "He's still young" - well, by baseball standards I don't think that's true any longer. I think Twins fans are the only people that still think of Bux this way, and frankly it seems a bit naive, kinda like how little kids notice a limp on the aging family dog and say "Buster's still young, he's got plenty of good years in him, right Dad?" Francisco Lindor. Correa. Bellinger, Acuna, Bregman, Soto, Shane Beiber, Jack Flaherty, Gleybar Torres, Shohei Ohtani....Jose Berrios....these are just a handful of players younger than Buxton, but one could keep going all day. You get the idea. Can Buxton still become a force in MLB? Absolutely. Can he finally have that breakout season we've been waiting for since 2012? Definitely. Do I want him to succeed more than anything? YES! Will I be drafting him as a "sleeper pick" way too early in my fantasy baseball draft? Obviously! Let's agree to stop pretending he's just a kid. He's got a decent amount of MLB experience under his belt, and believe it or not I think he's going to end up providing good veteran leadership for guys like Lewis before it's all said and done.
  19. bighat
    Berrios: 14-8 with a 3.60 ERA and 200 strikeouts. All-Star. Odorizzi: 15-7 with a 3.51 ERA and 180 strikeouts. All-Star. Both of those lines would be clear frontline ace numbers for at least 70% of the teams in the league. Remember Zack Wheeler, that pitcher we talked about all winter? The "ace" we needed to add? His stats: 11-8, 3.96 ERA, 200 strikeouts. Berrios won more games, pitched more innings, and had a better ERA than him. Remember when the Twins used to go into the year with guys like Kevin Correia as their #1 starter? Gee whiz. I know it doesn't hurt to hope for improvement, but let's give Berrios and Odo a little credit here.
  20. bighat
    I went to the game. It was cold, and while some were under-dressed, many people were well aware of the "chilly weather" and wore appropriate attire. The gophers were extremely overmatched. What I thought was most interesting was that many Twins players were the same age as the Gopher players....the gap between AA baseball and college baseball is very, very large. I think all the fans in attendance loved it. Goldie Gopher was there, tons of maroon and gold, and it must have been really fun for the Gopher players to get that kind of experience. Can you imagine telling your grandkids that you pitched to Hall of Famer Royce Lewis? The only real problem with this game was that it was a night game. Without question it should have been planned for the daytime, just in case of cold weather.
  21. bighat
    Weil looked good in the game vs. U of M that I saw him play, and he hit a HR today against the Jays. Nice start for Zander!
  22. bighat
    No.
  23. bighat
    Love these little tidbits, thanks for the article!
  24. bighat
    I can't imagine batting our All-Star shortstop 8th? And our 32 HR, 108 RBI guy 7th? Then again....looking at the alternatives, it might just happen. Rocco's going to have a tough decision here, but it should be fun for him.
  25. bighat
    Buenas! Soy gringo originalmente de Minnesota pero estoy viviendo en Guatemala - por casi 6 anyos, fijate! Bienvenido a la familia Twins.
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