Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

bighat

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    5,962

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    8

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

2026 Minnesota Twins Draft Tracker: Picks & Bonuses

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by bighat

  1. bighat
    So far the only new face on the team is a backup catcher. The Twins are like those would-be travelers who always wanted to go to Europe, but can't find a cheap flight in July. So they put it off until next year. "Too expensive", they'll say. At some point you've got to just open your wallet and pay full price or you'll never go. Twins have to understand that they're going to have to pay market value for talent in order to compete. The Wheeler miss was big. It sounds like Bumgartner isn't interested, and I'm guessing Ryu's statement was only released in order to give him a little more leverage with those West Coast teams. The White Sox and Cubs are upper midwest and they've grabbed plenty of big names in the past via free agency. Houston was an MLB backwater 10 years ago. Money and winning culture go a long way.
  2. bighat
    Solid backup catcher.
  3. bighat
    Well, they also dropped Perez. I don't think anyone wanted to see those two back. That said, you're right. As things stand, they have their best 3 starters from last year in the rotation, and they've ditched the dead weight. Nothing more nothing less. This is being touted as a "big move" because, frankly, it's December 6th and nothing else is happening.
  4. bighat
    This type of thing about "regional ties" always bothers me. First of all, it's always going to work against the Twins because so few MLB players are actually from Minnesota. Everyone's from Latin America, California, Texas and Florida. But frankly it's a poor excuse! How many players want to play in Miami or Tampa because of "regional ties"? Answer: zero. Tampa has a stadium problem and they're considered cheap, and Miami has a baseball culture problem. It's never really about "regional ties", it's always about money and winning. It's a nice way of saying "it's not you, it's me". But as George Costanza knows, deep down it's ALWAYS about you. Houston went from being one of those also-ran type teams into a team that has a reputation as big spenders and major competitors. The Twins haven't made that leap. Like it or not, agents and players see Minnesota as an MLB backwater whose only major contract went out to a hometown boy 12 years ago. The Twins are going to be swimming upstream with all of these free agents until they can somehow change their reputation. The series against the Yankees was another national embarrassment and nobody wants to come here to be a part of that show. I think the Twins are a more attractive landing spot than they were 10 years ago. But we have a long way to go before this team even gets having the reputation of teams like Cleveland, Atlanta, and Philly in the eyes of free agents.
  5. bighat
    Check that, Bundy was acquired in a trade.
  6. bighat
    Bundy to the Halos. Another one off the board.
  7. bighat
    I just thought the old name was too Disney-fied and very "early 2000's cheesy".
  8. bighat
    I'm fine with Sano at 3rd, Polanco at SS, and Arraez at 2nd. In reality none of it matters unless the Twins get decent pitching. Phillies just got Wheeler. Braves just got Cole Hamels. The Twins are once again in an all-too-familiar spot watching other teams sign the best FA pitchers, while they wait for the annual February dumpster dive.
  9. bighat
    The "Miracle" was one of the worst names in sports - hearing they finally changed it was a relief.....only to see they somehow made it worse. When you have an opportunity to rebrand, do it right. This rebranding effort looks like it was designed by a couple high schoolers on a "career day" field trip or something.
  10. bighat
    The Cron move does give the Twins flexibility. They can look for a 3rd baseman OR a 1st baseman in this scenario. Anyone ever thought that the Twins might just go after Greg Bird to play Cron's old part?
  11. bighat
    I'll never forget that huge playoff HR he had in the 9th inning of Game 5 in Oakland:
  12. bighat
    The substance he was caught using was a known masking agent. However, his suspension was reduced after it was found that he was indeed NOT using the substance to mask anything. This appears to be one of those cases where the guy just wasn't paying attention. I'd liken it to a player who got caught with THC in his system after taking some over-the-counter hemp supplements. Was it stupid? Yeah. Did it have any affect on his pitching? Nope.
  13. bighat
    Polanco led the team with 631 at bats last year! Over 60 more ABs than Rosario who was second. Polanco is probably the most reliable piece the Twins have. He has come up huge, doesn't have any real injury issues, plug him in the lineup every day. Seems like a great teammate who hustles out there. He's one of those guys that old school and new school fans can agree upon. If his HR totals dip to 14 or 11 next year, I have no problem with that. The guy's absolute money and he might make 3-4 more All Star games before it's said and done.
  14. bighat
    Cron was OK. He was also not so great - there were stretches this season where he wasn't just bad defensively. When he was in a slump at the plate, he was really awful for weeks at a time. Injured thumb or not, he ended up putting up pretty pedestrian numbers. You can't say "he could've" or "would've" because we'll never know. When's the last time the Twins had a 30HR guy at 1st? Real contending teams don't use "stopgaps" or "placeholders". If the Twins want to take a real shot, they should go out and get a solid 3B/1B and set up a monster infield. Cron and Schoop were adequate placeholders last year. The the time of being satisfied with spare parts is over. The Twins found our 2020 second baseman in the system and struck gold there. Let's find our final piece of the infield puzzle through the trade or FA market.
  15. bighat
    I agree that advanced analytics provide great insight into a player's true value. WAR does matter, as does OBPS and the rest of 'em. That said, just because we are embracing these newish statistical categories, it doesn't mean that the rest goes in the garbage can. A .276 batting average with 32 home runs and 109 RBI? That matters too. Also, let's look at Yasiel Puig and Yadi Molina, who also had 1.2 WAR ratings - same as Rosie. Those two guys are vastly different in what they bring to their respective teams, don't you agree? You can't judge a player based on this stat alone.
  16. bighat
    It won't make you unpopular - I think many of us agree with you to an extent. You're totally welcome here, buddy! I also hope Sano cuts down on the striketouts!
  17. bighat
    I fear the Twins will be outbid for Wheeler. He's that perfect "2nd tier" fit for so many clubs, and right now there are probably at least 20 MLB clubs going into 2020 thinking they're going to upgrade and contend. I think the Twins may have to trade in order to bolster their starting rotation next year.
  18. bighat
    Fantastic articles - thanks for filling all Twins fans in on some of the great women in the organization!
  19. bighat
    That "team friendly contract" is exactly what makes him so valuable.
  20. bighat
    This tweet smells funny. Looks like Gibson's agent is leaking this info in order to stir up a bidding war....I'm guessing every free agent pitcher has 10 teams kicking the tires on him. I can see Gibby getting a 1-year deal in a place like San Diego. Pitch in the weak-hitting NL for a couple years to end out his career. My prediction: he'll go 10-12 in SD with a 4.90 ERA next year, then grab another 1 year deal with a bottom feeder and finish his career in 2021 with a 2-6 showing before being shown the door mid-season. Gibby will have nothing to be ashamed of when he hangs 'em up. He never lived up to his potential but he was serviceable. The Twins should shoot for higher than "serviceable", though.
  21. bighat
    Wheeler without question. Bumgartner is washed up.
  22. bighat
    Interesting to see the Braves letting guys like Soroka and Acuna play (and reaping results). The Twins have a bad rep about letting young players stew too long in the minors, but let's not forget that Luis Arraez will still be just 22 years old on Opening Day this year. The weird thing about the Twins is that they'll gladly call up guys like Arraez - players who they didn't anticipate would be that good. But when it comes to the juicy prospects, they are super hesitant. We all know it's mostly about service time, but I think they're also way too over-cautious with their high draft picks. Let 'em play! Start Brusdar and call up Royce, give Kiriloff a look. Rooker should have already had his first cup of coffee. I know the Twins don't operate like this but I'd love to see them change their style.
  23. bighat
    GREAT news re: Lewis. Special player. I really hope the Twins can find a way to get him on the field in a Twins uniform. If Lewis is ready, bring him up. Guys like Acuna and Soto are really helping their teams at age 20 and 21. No need to keep Lewis down another year if he starts the season in AA on fire.
  24. bighat
    Agree. Rendon's gonna want a huge contract and he's going to ask for at least 6-years. He's a great player. But I just can't see a long-term deal for a guy who's already 30 years old working out, especially for the money he'll be asking. Then again, he could be the next Nelson Cruz....but I just don't see Rendon hitting 40 HRs at age 36. If the Twins could get a 3-year deal or something, OK. I just don't see that being realistic.
  25. bighat
    Interesting pickup. See nothing wrong with giving the guy a look!
×
×
  • Create New...