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rdehring

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Everything posted by rdehring

  1. rdehring
    Jax just may be one of those finds that come along every once in awhile. I see a mature young man who is putting that AFA education/training to work on the diamond. If you have been trained to lead young men in combat, I suspect he will do fine facing off against hitters once he makes it to Minnesota. So very happy with the success this young man is achieving now that he is playing baseball full time.
  2. rdehring
    Doc again said it better than I could, when speaking about Thorpe. Expect those of us who are believers will get our wishes when we see him on the mound at Target Field late next summer.
  3. rdehring
    I'd add Gibson to that list, KGB.
  4. rdehring
    I'm way too conservative to talk about a contract at this time. If he has a decent, doesn't need to be great, first half with the bat would talk to him in July. I also believe Buxton should be a member of the Twins for a long, long time. If he doesn't solve his problems with the bat this year, spend the next offseason working with him to change the type of hitter he is. Bunt once a game. Bunt with two strikes in a pitchers count, fouling off half is better than striking out on most. I never played the game and don't have a clue, but can they teach him to hit more balls on the ground rather than in the air? Change him to more of a singles hitter and use that speed. Hell, most of his singles can be doubles after a pitch or two to the next batter. Even as a singles hitter, if he gets his average above .260, he is an all-star.
  5. rdehring
    Did he buy my old XKE? Had it 20 months, spent 10 in the shop.
  6. rdehring
    Javier certainly has had his timeline extended with all the injuries. But if he is as good as expected, we should see a Lewis-Javier middle infield at some point in the future. Will be then that Polanco either moves to a backup middle infielder/DH role or a valuable trade piece to move elsewhere.
  7. rdehring
    Would love to know when the Twins 'expect' Lewis to be here, full time? It is possible, however not realistic, to expect him to take the job in 2019. But sometime in 2020 is likely. Anything after that will be disappointing. So any of the above options for someone on a 2 year contract (or 1 year + an option) makes the most sense. If it is a shortstop, Polanco moves to second next year. If it is a second baseman, he stays at short until Lewis arrives. And lets all pray that this next superstar arrives with a bigger bang than the last two.
  8. rdehring
    For the Twins to consider Donaldson, we would have to know what they are expecting out of Sano. Is he doing a good job continuing to cut weight? What type of workout plan is he on, and is he doing it? Is he still planning on winter ball? The Twins have a lot of information about him that we don't. If Sano is on plan, doubt we will see anything done at 3B. If he isn't, something like Donaldson on a 1 or 2 year plan may make a lot of sense. If you see them talking to/signing Donaldson, it tells us Miguel is putting pounds on rather than taking them off.
  9. rdehring
    That is true, if the intent is to miss the first 3-4 hitters. But the numbers game, ie, averages first time thru the order include all 9 hitters. Expect the opener theory deals with the first 3-4 hitter issue. But if they begin looking at first time thru the order versus second, third, don't be surprised if we begin seeing them stack 3 pitchers in a game with one time thru the order for each....plus a closer for the 9th.
  10. rdehring
    If the intent is to get a pitcher to not have to pitch to batters 3x a game, that also means that your starter/primary pitcher is going to pitch less innings. If this concept becomes accepted throughout the league, it seems to me that it will eventually change pitching as we know it. The eventual result to me is pitchers pitching once through the order, ie, 2-3 innings. So the team would need 3 pitchers for every game with pitchers pitching every third day/game. They could then have another 3-4 relievers who would be 1-2 inning guys to come in if one of the three gets into trouble. So the #1 pitchers in the league would pitch in about a third of the games (54) for 3 innings max (162 innings). PItchers would have to train their arms different. Each team would also need 9 primary pitchers versus the current 5 starters. If that first time thru the order is so much better, this seems like where they will end up. And won't all those 1-0 games be exciting? Only problem is what happens with double headers and extra innings? Every team will need a couple Chris Giminez type players.
  11. rdehring
    If you read my comment, Carole, you will see that I said 260...something. That is anything under 270. Let's see what he is when he reports to spring training. Maybe he will surprise some of us and report in great shape and tear it up next year. I would love to see that, however, will wait to see it.
  12. rdehring
    But the weight will tell us if he has worked out all winter. It is unlikely he would work out hard and come to spring training at 290-300.
  13. rdehring
    Got thinking after reading the above. Has anyone heard if there was serious damage to the ballpark in Pensacola? It is right on the water near the point where the hurricane came on shore.
  14. rdehring
    Can I second your comment on Escobar, whom Seth doesn't consider eligible for this exercise. I really hope he is in Florida next summer so we can begin to learn what he has to put up those numbers.
  15. rdehring
    If Buxton doesn't improve at the plate in spring training and during the first few weeks of the season, I have a solution that should improve his average. When he gets to two strikes, should he be instructed to only consider bunting? If it is a slider out of the zone, he pulls the bat back and waits for a strike. If it is in the zone, he bunts. Sure he may foul half of them off and only be safe on half of the others. But getting to first base 25% of the time is a lot better than striking out nearly 100% of the time. Is this idea worth the space it took to write it? Could he add 20 or 30 points to his average? Or is it a worthless idea? The reason I mentioned it here is because Buxton has been discussed in this piece.
  16. rdehring
    Expect this was a lot more work than normal, Seth, considering all the new players picked up last July. Three of your top 15 and five of 25 was a great infusion of talent. And that doesn't include Severino and Pearson who were also new to the system last year. After missing most of his 17 year old year in the DSL and all of last year, I would have moved Javier down a bit, probably flipping him with Thorpe who I view as the fourth best player in the system. I am of the opinion, and I may be wrong, that Gordon isn't going to be anything more than a utility infielder or maybe even a AAAA guy. So I would have dropped him out of the top 10 after his bad second half in 2017 and big disappointment this year. Like wise would have dropped Gonsalves a few slots and probably wouldn't have included Wade in the Top 30 as I doubt he will get added to the 40-man this year. Three players in your last group of five that I would have higher are Jax, Balazovic and Rortvedt. Defensive catchers that can hold their own at the plate are hard to find and all indidations are Rortvedt is one of them. But I know that you have a lot more information about these guys than any of us making your Top 30 one everyone needs to use as a blueprint.
  17. rdehring
    There is something else that no one is talking about, something that this FO may have done for a first time in this organization last year. Signing free agents to short or mid-term contracts can provide the opportunity to flip any or all of them at the deadline should the Twins not be in the hunt. This past year they traded lots of players at the deadline including Duke, Rodney and Lynn. Expect the sales pitch to the Pohlads is easier to make when you tell them we will sign players with contracts paying $60mm this year. If it isn't working, we can flip several of them to cut up to a third of the cost while returning many good prospects. This thought process may lead to more FA signings than we would normally expect.
  18. rdehring
    Very interesting, Nick, and sure would be a change for this franchise. Although I doubt we will see most of the moves you propose, let's hope we see several good signings and/or trades. The one move I would differ would be to sign both Rosario and Gibson this winter, then Buxton over the summer after we have seen what he has done during the first half. Also, like dollars coming off the books in 2020 when they are gonna have to sign several of these young guys to extensions...Buxton, Sano, Polanco, Kepler. That's assuming they have good years in 2019.
  19. rdehring
    Excellent article Ted, thanks. The weight I am looking for when he reports is 260....something, or less. If he is 275 or 280, he will be in better shape than last year, but will tell us he didn't go all out this winter to be the best he can be. Hopefully, he is making progress each time he checks in with the trainers at the DR Academy.
  20. rdehring
    I understand that Rocco does believe Latin matters, and not about the language. With all the Latin players in the organization and on the team, they need a coach who can relate to their culture, life style, what they go thru in the off season, how they relate to living in the U.S. Its all different for them and having at least one coach who has lived it makes a ton of sense.
  21. rdehring
    I like your idea, Seth, of signing several players to long-term (3 or 4 years) contracts with hefty signing bonuses. Personally, would sign Berrios, Rosario and Gibson.
  22. rdehring
    And Wade didn't do squat at his first attempt at AAA. Does he get better next year or beyond, maybe. But we don't know that AA wasn't as good as he is going to get. To me at least, he still has to prove it. As does Gordon.
  23. rdehring
    Looks to me like the Brewers pushed this guy pretty fast. Had a real nice year at Appleton in the Mid-West League when he was 20 with several solid seasons since. Played this year at 25 after breaking in with the Brewers at the age of 22. Expect they had to get rid of one of the excess outfielders to open spots before this move...releasing either Fields or Granite. Now expect both will be gone and they come to spring training with 6 outfielders, Rosario, Buxton, Kepler, Cave, Grossman and Reed...subject to any trades over the winter. Have no problem with that group, a group that still has the potential to be as good as any outfield in the league.
  24. rdehring
    Interesting article, Tom. And I sure am glad you are not the Twins GM. The core of this team right now is Rosario, Gibson and Berrios. Sign all three to extensions and build a team around them.....for 2019 and beyond. As for next year, success or lack thereof is in the hands of Sano and Buxton. They perform at levels near their ceilings and you are in the playoffs and maybe the Series. Perform like last year and the Twins are screwed. One of two performs and they are in the hunt. Yes, the Twins have a few holes that need to be filled to go beyond round one if Sano/Buxton deliver. I see those as a left handed first baseman/DH (maybe Mauer), a second baseman and a top relief pitcher. And they will only need the second baseman for a year or two.
  25. rdehring
    Not an exciting group demanding to be added. Kind of goes hand and hand with the strength of the organization in the lower levels from Fort Myers and down. I wouldn't have Wade as a given, Seth. Like Gordon, he sure didn't hit well at AAA. Whereas, I would add Arraez who has been amongst the leaders (batting average) at every level. I mentioned in another article the other day that there were a dozen pitchers on the 40-man who I considered marginal. That didn't include Santana and Belisle, who I assume will both be gone in a few days. Remain hopeful that at least half of that dozen are either released, outrighted to Rochester, or traded to open spots for the Rule 5 adds and a few free agent signings.
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