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The_Phantom

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Everything posted by The_Phantom

  1. The_Phantom
    I didn't realize Levi MIchael had been switched to Center Field this year.
  2. The_Phantom
    Personally I don't get why people think Blyleven is borderline at all. He's top 40 bWAR of all time, including position players. He's also top 20 (16th) in starting pitcher JAWS, 11 points higher than the average hall of famer. His strikeout totals are insane. The only traditional knock against him was that he came up 13 wins shy of 300, but pitching wins are now widely considered an outdated stat as far as overall importance. I think he was getting snubbed for years.
  3. The_Phantom
    Here's a non-twins question for you: In the Dodgers' game last night, Hill lost a perfect game in the 9th on a Forsythe error. The ball was hit sort of right at him, but took a terrible hop at the last second and hit him in the upper chest and popped up into the air and far enough away that a play was impossible. How often is that scored a hit vs an error? Seemed borderline to me, but they're obviously going to give a guy with a no hitter going the benefit of the doubt
  4. The_Phantom
    107 games .298/.360/.646 (1.006 OPS) 41 home runs 86 RBI 13 stolen bases 25 Doubles According to Baseball-Reference those are his combined "Second-Half" (which I believe is post all star break) numbers for last year and this year. I wish he would produce like that in the first half too, but if you extend those numbers out from the 107 games to the 162 games, you have a guy with 62 home runs, 130 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and a 1.006 OPS. Buxton is improving fast and Berrios is showing signs of his potential. I don't know that trading Dozier is the best bet at this point. I would be on it if the return was big, but I would rather us add a couple pitchers this off season while KEEPING dozier. If Dozier is what it takes to get the best pitching prospects it might be worth it to move him, but that's a lot of second half offense to give up.
  5. The_Phantom
    This is apparently still a huge problem with Sano's game. He was up in the 9th with the bases loaded last night and flailed at two straight garbage pitches low and outside. Obviously we needed those insurance runs. He could be such an elite hitter if he'd figure this out
  6. The_Phantom
    Where did he rank in that last week out of curiosity? Missing on the same pitch repeatedly for the last 6-7 games is nothing to be ignored.
  7. The_Phantom
    Agreed. His clearly have gotten around right now. Just hoping he makes some adjustments quickly.
  8. The_Phantom
    I haven't heard much talk of this year, but I have lost track of how many times in the last week and a half or so that Sano has struck out on the exact same pitch. Put a curve ball just off the plate away just below the knees and Sano will go for it every single time. Sano is a big part of our team this year and pitchers have figured him out. He needs a steady diet of curveballs in BP until he can recognize that pitch, I'm a bit worried about how long that is going to go on
  9. The_Phantom
    I don't think I said anything about Spring Training? But even if I did, Vargas regular season numbers haven't exactly lit up the scoreboard either.
  10. The_Phantom
    Well, perhaps. But that certainly wasn't the case the last time I saw it come up here. I am pretty new so i haven't figured out how to search out old posts I want to find. But one post was talking about Babip (and I don't remember if it was Buxton or Rosario or even someone else) but the post commented that their Babip was down in the low 100s and the league average was around .270 so it HAD to come up. And that's just not the way it works.
  11. The_Phantom
    It's seemingly being used as a blanket "bad luck" stat. This thread said Rosario had an unsustainably bad Babip but now it's getting higher. Not all Balls put in play are equal. If a guy is popping up all the time or if he's doing a lot of bunting, or in Rosario's case, hitting a lot of soft ground balls, that is not "bad luck" that the defense is getting to the ball. It's just one of those stats that you can't look at one number and apply it as if it is a tell all. Buxton and Rosario are both struggling to hit the ball with authority. Rosario has 6 line drives, Buxton has 4. The low Babip is a byproduct of weak fly balls and soft grounders (As in just missing the ball). It's being applied as though the struggles are BECAUSE they are putting the ball in play and it just happens that a lot of the times that it's being put in play they are still getting out. Of course they are getting out when its lazy flies and dribblers.
  12. The_Phantom
    I think there's a slight misunderstanding of Babip happening on this forum.
  13. The_Phantom
    I do believe that Park is better than Vargas, yes. Enough to change the 40 man situation? Well, I believe so. But point is taken that at least Vargas should be on the roster.
  14. The_Phantom
    Oh I agree. In the long run. But right now the swinging out of his shoes approach is just leading to strikeout after strikeout after strikeout after strikeout. So *for now* he needs to be a little more like Ichiro. And once he can actually register MLB pitching and get a firm grip on what he is going to be seeing, then in the right situations try to knock one out of the park.
  15. The_Phantom
    Yeah the idea that Buxton getting earned criticism is fans *wanting* him to be a miserable failure is asinine. Those of us that are being critical of him (I am more than happy to lead that charge, I think he's overdue for a demotion, mostly to be actually taught about situational baseball) actually very much want him to succeed. I bought into the hype that he was going to be the next big thing not only for the Twins but for the league. But 15 games into the season and his K/AB ratio is still about twice as high as his OPS... there's some writing on the wall. The biggest problem isn't that he's in a slump. The problem is he's trying to just power his way out of his slump. A few days ago the two guys in front of him both struck out on 3 pitches. A good hitter would think "this guy has nasty stuff" and shorten up to make contact. Buxton took 3 huge uppercut swings. He had an interview during the game the other day about how much fun september was and how he enjoys playing the game like a kid where he can just dive around the outfield and "See how far he can hit the ball". The last few days he's done things a little bit differently. I don't know if he was told to do this, but he came up with two outs and men on first and second and he decided to try to bunt. The problem was he just bunted right back up the middle to the pitcher for an easy out. While i was glad to see him not swinging for the fences, a weak bunt wasn't really the right choice in that situation either. It's not just a slump. He has issues mentally in the game right now.
  16. The_Phantom
    i think the Twins are crazy for not having Park on the team, honestly.
  17. The_Phantom
    Exactly. Buxton is doing a terrible job of trying to make contact right now. He is up there swinging as hard as he can on most pitches. It's crazy. He's skinny. Yes, he has enough power to get it over the fence, but nothing about his body type says that that should be his primary focus, but mentally it is. He is incredibly fast. He needs to sit in a room and watch Ichiro's career for a while. There are times that, once (if) he becomes a proficient hitter at recognizing MLB quality pitching, he should be trying to lace the ball as hard as he can. But right now his ONLY asset on offense is his speed. So he needs to do whatever it takes to utilize it. Take as many pitches as humanly possible to draw walks and steal bases. Bunt. Slap the ball through the hole the other way when a runner is on first. Small Ball. He looks like he thinks he can be Barry Bonds but he's not.
  18. The_Phantom
    Yes and honestly I spent Sano's entire AB wondering why they weren't giving him an IBB to load the bases for Mauer
  19. The_Phantom
    Exactly. You can't lose too many home extra inning games. And there have just been so many squandered opportunities. I'm glad we've been competitive in virtually every game, but you have to find a way to win the close ones.
  20. The_Phantom
    He doesn't look primed to break out is the problem, he looks like hes drowning
  21. The_Phantom
    Well, part 1 you already alluded to: He's striking out too much to really be contributing much. Part 2 though, not all balls put in play are created equal. He's only hit 4 line drives all season long. I'd actually say he's relatively lucky to even have a .200 babip with only 4 line drives. Even Mauer who is struggling quite a lot right now has 15.
  22. The_Phantom
    Also, go Twins
  23. The_Phantom
    RE: Chief Wahoo, i agree that the Indians should move on from that. As far as changing the name, etc, well, that is a different story. Like people have pointed out elsewhere though, Wahoo isn't going anywhere anytime soon because even if the team completely stops using him there is decades of memorabilia, and a plethora of shirts and hats out there that the fans will still use. And I can't imagine the team censoring those things at the gate.
  24. The_Phantom
    No I'm asking how much longer is too long. He's putting up very nice defensive numbers, but horrendously bad offensive numbers.
  25. The_Phantom
    I know the Twins look good right now overall. Do you think they'll actually compete for a playoff spot this year? Because to me that is the deciding factor. If we are still a year away from being competitive I'd rather have Buxton get proper seasoning and come ready to play WELL next year and actually help this team when it's time. If we actually remain competitive, taking a hit on the defensive end would definitely be a hard pill to swallow. His offensive struggles will eventually lead to more bad defensive plays though, it's just human nature. But besides that point, sometimes long term planning needs to be the focus and as long as we are not going to be competitive this year I'd rather hold on to Buxton (if he pans out at all) in the years that this team has more of a chance.
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