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Blogs

mikelink45's Blog

Baseball - team or individual game

In the comments there were some discussions that I replied to with the statement that baseball is an individual game played as a team sport. I thought it might be worth exploring.   Start with the Pitcher and Batter. It is true that the catcher is a third wheel in this conversation. While the batter is concentrating and the Pitcher is dealing the other players must wait, watch and react. They are not part of the play until the ball is hit. If it is a homerun, they are no factor, if the result is
Left Coast Bias

Lollygagging?

I happened upon this nice leaping stab by Polanco from a few days ago:   https://mediadownloads.mlb.com/mlbam/mp4/2018/07/03/2224124283/1530583378940/asset_2500K.mp4   Question: on a ball hit to the left side, does Brian Dozier have anything better to do than make a beeline for second base, on the small chance it's caught and they might try to double off the runner? The runner has to change direction, Dozier could have been close to full speed by that point. Seems like he was napping there.
Thome the Moneyball

Fox Sports North Falsehoods of 2018's First Half

When I was growing up, I thought Dick and Bert were awesome. They had the fun “Circle me Bert” shtick, seemingly great rapport with each other, and good timing on bringing excitement to the game. But, I was young - I didn’t know any better. This season is the first summer I’ve enjoyed diving into statistical truths in baseball. I think the analytical trend in the game has not been kind to our FSN announcing crew. It’s made them both increasingly bitter and more frequently inaccurate. Starting in
Off The Baggy

Rodney Defying Odds for Twins

A season ago, the Minnesota Twins welcomed Bartolo Colon to the 25 man roster. Big Sexy was 44 years old, and he was determined to pitch at least until he was 45. Paul Molitor got good results from the journeyman a year ago, and the front office went back to the fountain of youth this winter. Fernando Rodney was signed as the club's closer, and at the age of 41 he's been nothing short of a revelation.   Long gone are the days that the Twins could immediately pencil in a holdover in the 9th innin
mikelink45's Blog

Top prospects - MLB included

Okay it is mid season and we are getting a reshuffle of prospects and their ratings. Which makes me wonder - what if the ratings include the players already in the major leagues?   For example - if all the starting pitchers were put in one pot and we said who has the most potential for the next five years - I would certainly keep Berrios at number 1, but who is number 2? I take Romero. Then I think I would go back to the minors and then Brusdar Graterol. Is it time for someone on the MLB team? I
Off The Baggy

The Flip Side of Selling

Right now, the Minnesota Twins own a 1.7% probability when it comes to making the postseason per Fangraphs. I recently wrote about how Minnesota can utilize their remaining schedule if and when they decide to sell off. Should the losing continue, things become very clear for this squad. What makes things interesting however, is the slate that lies ahead.   So far, the Twins have found themselves playing a significant amount of games outside of the AL Central. While divisional matchups are all bo
Thome the Moneyball

Dozier is Taking Too Many Pitches

*Disclaimer* I wrote this a week or so ago, and it seems Dozier may be heating up. But my attempt at analysis still applies .   I know at this point most of you are thinking: who cares why Brian Dozier is struggling? We are moving on from him anyway. While this could be true, I am fascinated by diving into why player results change (positively or negatively) drastically from year to year. So, why did Brian Dozier go from a solid consistent power hitter to struggling this year? It may not be as
Off The Baggy

Twins Can Capitalize on Remaining Schedule

Entering play on July 9, the Minnesota Twins playoff odds sit at just 1.1%. With the sweep of the Baltimore Orioles, the numbers have jumped up from the 0.4% entering the series. At this point of the season however, the writing is on the wall. Paul Molitor's squad is going nowhere, and the focus should turn to process more significantly than results. While the win total may be meaningless at the end, using the slate of games ahead for good is a must.   Going into 2018, there was plenty of optimi
Left Coast Bias

Pawtucket Red Sox game - Sunday July 8

Red Sox relief prospect Ty Buttrey came up in one of the discussions about trade talks. As luck would have it, I could drop Mrs Ash at Logan Airport today and head down I-95 in time for the last game in Pawtucket before their All-Star Break. So I did. The pretext is scouting a trade candidate, but of course I am not a scout. I'll tell you what I saw, and offer some opinions, and hopefully keep the two straight, one from another.   Even better luck: the Yankees AAA affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Ba
SD Buhr/Jim Crikket

Gore and Dobnak Lead By Example

After the Cedar Rapids Kernels finished batting practice on a warm, humid July 4 afternoon, two of the most productive players on their roster agreed to sit down and talk about the season.   http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/GoreDobnak070418-600x400.jpg Jordan Gore and Randy Dobnak go through Kernels pre-game workouts on July 4, 2018 (Photo by SD Buhr)   One, an infielder, has been hitting over .300 with an on-base percentage around .400 virtually all season. (And three
Blog jorgenswest

Nick Gordon, Lamonte Wade and Infield Fly Balls

I am curious about the vast difference in infield fly ball percentage in Nick Gordon and Lamonte Wade and wonder how much it matters projecting their bats as major league hitters. I was able to find a few articles on IFFB% but those authors leave wondering also.   One claim is that players with a lower IFFB rate tend to post higher BABIPs.   Another claim is that minor league IFFB rates are greater than major league rates. A wonder is whether this is selection bias and those with greater IFFB ra
Musings from Twins Territory

Selling at the Deadline

Just a couple days ago LaVelle Neal III reported that the Twins are going to be sellers at this years trade deadlines. This isn’t surprising news as the Twins are currently 12 games back of Cleveland in the division and realistically have no shot at a wild card when the AL has four teams in two divisions on pace for 100+ wins. Moreover they are on a 6-game losing streak and are sporting a 2-8 record in their last 10 after and FanGraphs has there playoff odds sitting at 0.4%.   As sellers, you ha
Intentional Balk

Eduardo Escobar only Willing to be Traded to Cities with a Fogo de Chão

(Entry photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)   Fogo de Chão, a Brazilian steakhouse with all-you-can-eat tableside-carved meats, was attributed by Eduardo Escobar before this season as a big reason for his success in 2017, according to an interview by the Star Tribune.   Reportedly, Eduardo Escobar is unwilling to be traded to any team whose home ballpark is not located near a Fogo de Chão. Namely, of the teams still in playoff contention this year, this will entirely rule out St. Louis (Cardina
Brandon's Blog

1 XBH per 10 AB

What exactly is this and what does it mean? Well This is an over simplistic formula I use when looking at a power hitters performance. You are basically looking to see if the total number of extra base hits = a .100 batting average. You don’t even have to do the full math just know if it’s going to be more or less or on par, making it real easy to calculate. And its more fun right now then examining the Twins season this year! I realize there are better stats like slugging percentage, OPS, O
Twins and Losses

TnL Supershow ep 64

Frustrations run wild on this week's Supershow.   An anemic effort from the 2018 Twins finally builds up, and Dan and Panda go on the warpath. Lackluster offense, a terrible 3rd baseman, slowly developing youngsters, and the inability to win multiple games in a row are the big topics this week.   The boys then try to determine who the Twins would even sell, if they sell at the trade deadline; and what the plan is for 2019 and beyond. Finally, they answer fans questions, and officially jump on th
mikelink45's Blog

More K's than Hits!

https://www.apnews.com/084ccc602de94182817778ef905228dc/MLB-strikeouts-top-hits-for-2nd-time-in-3-months     "Strikeouts exceeded hits in the major leagues for the second time in three months, a deviation that had never occurred before this year.   There were 6,776 strikeouts and 6,640 hits in June, the Elias Sports Bureau said Sunday. That leaves the season totals at 21,090 strikeouts and 20,671 hits about halfway through the season."   What ails MLB? Here is a pretty good symptom. Major league
carly148

No More Rebuilds!

The Minnesota Twins had their worst season in team history in 2016 losing 103 games. What might of been harder to see than the Twins poor play on the field, was watching the Pohlad family and Dave St. Peter select a replacement for Terry Ryan. The Twins hired the firm Korn Ferry to conduct the search. The Twins decided they wanted a Chief Baseball Officer and eventually narrowed their search down to two candidates. Scouting/Player-Development Chief Jason McLeod from the Chicago Cubs and Assistan
Blog huhguy

Sick of seeing Molitor Criticism

Whats with all the Molitor Criticism? He should be blamed for Sano beng a child? Buxton Injuries? Morrison ineptness?   Have you noticed Molitor cant bat? Wow...this guy the only coach in HISTORY to take a team from worst to the playoff, is the problem?   Did Molitor make Polanco PED? Did Molitor make Dozier look like Father Time?   Cmon...get a grip!
mikelink45's Blog

Maybe it isn't Molitor - take a look at our new Front Office

I know it is popular to say Molitor is a poor manager. Today there is even a comparison with Lovullo. But maybe the problem rises to higher levels. Yes Lovullo lost his Ace and still succeeds. The Twins pitching lost its Ace and continued too. I here that the Twins are not running the bases like others. The problem is, you have to get on base. We have a collective 234 batting average and a 307 OBP. The old cliche is - you can't steal first. This team is not built for much of anything.  
Intentional Balk

Target Field Staff Places Paper Bags over Minnie and Paul’s Heads

During the final game of the last homestand against the Rangers, after the Twins dropped the first three games of the series to the Rangers, many fans noticed a change to the familiar Minnie and Paul celebration sign in center field.   As an apparent gesture of the Twins performance this year, likely in particular that of the offense lately, Minnie and Paul had paper bags placed over their heads. Minnie and Paul are well-known for their friendly handshake over the Mississippi River.   Minnesota
  • Respy
Thome the Moneyball

Game Length Isn't the Reason for the Decline in Attendance

There’s growing concern within the baseball community about the health of the MLB as an organization, and the game overall. Since the mid-2000s, attendance and television ratings have been dropping consistently. According to Baseball Reference, in the past 20 years attendance per game across the entire MLB peaked in 2007 at 32,696 per game. In the ten years since, there has been a steady decline in attendance per game all the way down to 29,908 per game in 2017. That is a decrease of just about
Dominican Adventure

Locked Out: The Reality of Baseball in Santiago

Here's a link to my latest article I wrote while living in the DR. Trying to give people a sense of what it's like to be down here and what the baseball situation is like as well. Thanks for reading- leave comments if you have any!   https://cbscout.net/2018/06/27/locked-out-the-reality-of-baseball-in-santiago/

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