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rdehring

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Everything posted by rdehring

  1. rdehring
    This is off topic, Cody, But I find it interesting that no one is posting about the discussions MLB and the union are having about getting the season started with all teams playing in empty ballparks in the Phoenix area. Heck, my wife woke me up with the news that the Today show included it in their 7am news. As for Mr. Dobnak, I believe that when the season does begin he will be one of the Twins starting pitchers. The one question you didn't ask that many of us would be interested in is something along the lines of "how were you so much more successful than most of us expected?" But then I am not certain how you would ask that question.
  2. rdehring
    I agree that both Kirilloff and Larnach are almost ready to become the foundation of that next wave of Twins. Hopefully, there will be a partial minor league season for them to gain that valuable experience to be ready in 2021. As for trades, had the Mets asked me about Kirilloff for Syndergaard, my response would have been what else are they going to add. That's how strongly I feel about Kirilloff, and Larnach, now that last year and this spring is behind him. Don't know whether Cruz will return in 2021, so it may be 2022 before your scenario plays out. But sure can see Kirilloff splitting time with Sano at first and DH. Could also give Kepler a blow in right when he needs a day off or is hurting. As much as I like Rosario, can see Larnach in left field on opening day 2021. Kind of like back before Kubel tore up his knee in the AFL. The Twins have not one, but two of the better hitting prospects in all of baseball on the cusp of stepping into the box at Target Field.
  3. rdehring
    As for the $400 per week paid during this shutdown, have no problem with it. Most will be at home, and if like me spending nothing other than food. But I agree that this is a problem that must be addressed for the overall health of the game. Nine of ten of these young kids should not be forced into poverty while chasing their dream. I would start with a few at the upper end of this group, those minor league players who are on the 40-man roster. Are they part of the union? If not, they should be. There is a minimum for rookies in major league ball. Why not a minimum for those kids once they were added to the 40-man, say 15% of the league minimum. With a $600,000 minimum, that would be $90,000 for a dozen or so who are mostly at AA or AAA. As for the majority, would think if they doubled the 2020 amount over the next few years, it would be fair. Seventy-five guys at another $10,000 and another seventy-five at $5,000 is what, $1,125,000. With current major league payrolls of $100-$200 million, that is less than one percent for most teams. Certainly something that needs to be addressed now that the conversation has begun.
  4. rdehring
    Great article, Nick, thanks. Hopefully, we will have the opportunity to watch this group sometime this summer. Yes, they don't have a traditional ACE. But Berrios is close and could become that ACE this year, especially if the season ends up at 110-120 games. Odorizzi likewise should be very good in a shortened season. Hill will probably now be available before Pineda, and he could be that near ACE that makes the difference. I am one who is glad the team isn't giving in to agents demands and signing very good, but not great pitchers like Darvish to huge contracts for way too many years. Really like how they have stuck to their principals. Meanwhile they have created unbelievable depth which will offset one or two of these new guys failing.
  5. rdehring
    The bigger question some of us have, where is Thorpe during this shutdown? Is he in Florida using the Twins facilities? Or is he back home in Australia or somewhere else?
  6. rdehring
    Thanks, Seth. Hopefully, we will have a chance to follow these kids later this summer.
  7. rdehring
    This season is going to be either shortened or cancelled. How does that play into Cruz returning in 2021? Will he be more likely to want to extend his career with 2020 being either brief or not exist? With an extended lay off and another off season, will his abilities suffer? Lots of questions. The great news is the Twins have lots of young bats ready to step in. The most likely scenario I see is Kirilloff playing lots of first base with Sano moving to DH for a good part of 2021.
  8. rdehring
    Thanks, Jeremy. I don't recall what the max was the Twins could spend last year, but see they spent $4.350mm on four players. Gotta believe that was close to their max. Do you know if any of the others got more than $10k...that is the cutoff to not be included in the spending budget, isn't it? I know the Twins spent well over $2.0mm to sign Severino after the Braves were penalized for breaking the rules. Was that in the 2018-2019 budget? Or the year before? Diaz certainly caught my eye last summer as I continued checking how Urbina did and saw that Diaz was doing as well or better. As well as having more power, Urbina seems to be quicker...at least going by the # of stolen bases.
  9. rdehring
    Will second Seth's comments and those above about Mauer, Morneau and Mientkiewecz. Don't know how good Sano will be at first. Maybe he will be ok, maybe not. Doubt he will be a gold glove candidate, but who knows. Also don't know how good Kirilloff is defensively. Expect his bat will force him into the Twins lineup by this time next year at the latest. Will he be a better option at first if Sano isn't at least adequate? Certainly could see Kirilloff settling in at first with Sano getting about a third of the games there and the rest at DH...assuming Cruz is gone next year, which isn't a given.
  10. rdehring
    As for the trading idea, willing to sit back and wait until it happens for Thorpe or any other Twins player. As this delay lasts longer, the teams are going to be starting spring training over. That means that Thorpe will no longer be behind the others, assuming he is doing whatever throwing they want him doing during the stoppage. Don't know if he is one of the 20 remaining in Ft. Myers, if he is that may be an advantage. Comments I saw this spring from the Twins management seems to say they are very high on him, perhaps more so than the guys he is competing with. That tells me they believe his future is bright. How bright? Only time will tell as with any other prospect breaking into major league ball.
  11. rdehring
    Yes, interesting. We must remember, however, with 15 teams in each league we can't drop interleague games. If you are going to have a 120 game season, there has to be 120 interleague games, or 8 per team. Maybe play each team in your division 15 times (60), the rest of your league's ten teams 6 times (60) and 8 interleague. That would be 128. Gonna have to get going by mid-May to make that work.
  12. rdehring
    Lets face reality. We aren't going to have baseball much before June 1, maybe Memorial Day weekend. Can Hill still be the dominant pitcher he was for the Dodgers? If so, he could be ready within a few weeks of opening day. Put him at the front of the rotation with Berrios and Jake and the Twins could have one heck of a staff. NOTE: I am assuming Jake pitches as well as last year and Berrios takes another baby step forward towards becoming an ACE. Lets not forget what the layoff and restart will do for Thorpe. I understand management may be a bit disappointed in him, but they also seem to be most excited about his potential from the group of three.
  13. rdehring
    Wasn't it longer than that, Seth? Correct me if my memory isn't accurate, but I recall him hurting his knee in Anaheim. That was in July, wasn't it? I'm not in the clubhouse, but I recall continuous comments after that about his playing on a gimpy knee.
  14. rdehring
    Whether they were promoted to fast, or not, what I took from this post is that only 7 of the 16 who did move fast made it to the big leagues for more than a few games. So less than half of the best of the entire organization made it. Of those 7 four had very good careers (five if you would include Gibson), albeit there were no ACES. Don't know if you are up north or in the Twin Cities, Seth, stay safe.
  15. rdehring
    Yes, Dobnak may regress in 2020. Or he might not. Really think he can take that 5th starter role and run with it. Wouldn't be surprised at all if he has a nice long career with the Twins...assuming they ever play again!
  16. rdehring
    Seeing Max Kepler in the top spot got me thinking. We really don't know a lot about him, at least I don't. Know he is a German kid with a Mom from Texas a Dad from Poland, if I am correct. Both parents are dancers and he was signed as a 16-year old and moved to Fort Myers with his Mom. Is Max married and does he have children? Guessing he doesn't winter in the Twin Cites. Does he return to Germany? Or where does he spend his winters? Curious that I know so little about a young man who is my favorite Twin and just could end up being their best player some day. Does anyone else here know a lot more about him, like Seth?
  17. rdehring
    Nice article, Patrick, thanks. Good to have anything baseball related to read this morning. Several things. First, I thought I read somewhere that Thorpe stayed in Fort Myers with his family who had traveled from Australia for spring training? And there is a good chance that this break could help Thorpe more than anyone else. If they are out for more than a week or two, all the pitchers are going to need time to get stretched out again. Assuming Thorpe is on some type of throwing program during the layoff, he may not be that far behind by opening day...whenever that is. Agree with all the comments above about Kirilloff and Larnach. Expect one or both to see some playing time later this year. Can see them both making the 2021 opening day roster subject to certain other moves. Talking about roster spots only...Kirilloff replaces Cruz, Larnach replaces Rosario, and Lewis replaces Gonzalez. As for playing time, Kirilloff gets some games at DH, plays first when Sano is at DH. is also available for right when Kepler needs a day off or is in center. Larnach could the starting left fielder should Rosario be moved over the winter. Lewis could get backup starts at short and center when Buxton needs a rest. He could also be at third when Donaldson needs a break or is at DH. In this scenario, Larnach and Kirilloff would play regularly and Lewis could start 80+ games.
  18. rdehring
    There hasn't been much written about Max' personal life, other than being from Germany, his parents, etc. Is Max married or has a significant other? Where does he live in the off-season? We know a lot about many of the local sports stars, but not Max. And how about a follow-up to this post. Maybe do the same with each player's spouse or significant other? Maybe do some type of voter polling. Then after doing that for the Twins and we still don't have baseball to watch, do the same with players from the entire league. You know, all the way to the finals with Mrs. Verlander getting the final win!
  19. rdehring
    I am an optimist, so gotta believe there will be baseball. My GUESS is that the season will begin in late May or so and the season will be revamped to about 110-120 games. Schedules will be massaged to maintain their integrity. Some will benefit from this delay. For the Twins, that could be Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero. This delay gives Thorpe time to catch up with his competitors for that 5th starters job. Will Romero's visa problems get ironed out in time to return to camp prior to spring training resuming? Maybe? But it will certainly hurt others, namely the Twins as Pineda's 39 games will now become a much greater part of a shortened season. Baseball cannot be played in winter, thus pushing the league back into November or December just doesn't work. Maybe push it a little and what, hold the World Series at a neutral site? Hold all of the playoffs at a neutral site? Wow, the fans sure wouldn't like that. Or maybe the fans could live with that???
  20. rdehring
    Thanks, Seth. Didn't have a clue he was Lin-Manuel Miranda's cousin. Do appreciate all the smaller bits of information you continually bring us Seth, thanks. Noticed his performance in Pensacola's playoff run last fall. Hopefully, he will build off that success and have a great 2020. Could be the answer of who plays third for the Twins when Donaldson is gone in '24 or before should he move to DH. Also appreciated the insight of life for a player from Puerto Rico. Maybe someday they will become our 51st state and you all will become more familiar with the island.
  21. rdehring
    My hope/belief is that all three should be signed to extensions no later than July.
  22. rdehring
    You had to remind me of that tarheeltwinsfan? That was a great staff. Another was Baltimore when they had Palmer, Cuellar and a couple other great starters. But what your comment reminded me of was morning back in the late '50s, I had to opportunity to go out goose hunting with Bob Feller. I was 12 or 13 and he came out to our Wisconsin farm with a couple guys from Milwaukee who rented our marsh for hunting. Signed a ball with comments on it about our morning. Sometime while in college, my Mom tossed it along with all the other 'junk' I had at home. Often wondered what that would be worth in today's market.
  23. rdehring
    Thanks for a great read. I have always believed that if a team can get three players out of each draft to become a part of the team for multiple years, they have done well. And of those three, at least one has to be a very good starting player, not just a utility guy...someone who really contributes to winning. Still to early to know for sure, but certainly looks like this draft should surpass those requirements.
  24. rdehring
    Thanks for digging that up. So the key is to get the right pitchers in say the first ten rounds, then have a top development program. Would sure love to see the Twins be able to reload every few years with Starter X, Y, and Z moving on.
  25. rdehring
    Will second Doc's comment...Ober. Although drafted before the new group got here, wasn't Tyler Wells also a college pitcher. Was pitching as well as anyone before missing all last year. Haven't researched this, but weren't most of the Cleveland starting pitchers drafted high, but not necessarily the first round?
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