Article: Game Thread: Twins @ Orioles, 3/29@2:05pm CT

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Mid season, lol. If we let that dude close til mid season we will be 12 games back.

He on his own destroyed the last decent season for the mariners.

Also he is 41, his age more than likely will catch up.

He had one absolutely atrocious season in 2015. He bookended that season with an outstanding 2014 and a good 2016.

[Danchat]

 

He's an entirely adequate closer. I was pretty unimpressed by the signing but on a team that needed arms and lots of them, his one year deal won't kill the team.

 

Plus, he's the type of guy you have absolutely no problem replacing midseason if one of the young arms steps forward. He's a decent placeholder, provided his age doesn't catch up to him this season.

Agreed, I'm not ready to give up on him. Giving up one run in the 11th isn't going to instantly make me hate him, especially after he saved Hildy's backside in the 10th with that DP groundball.

[adorduan]

 

That’s “the book” move. Once you bring your closer into a tie game on the road, you are pretty much forced to ride him as long as possible.

The alternative was Pressly. Sure that’s a better option?

Couldn't have turned out any worse.....

[VATwinsFan]

So, 0-162?

161 - 1

[DaveW]

He had one absolutely atrocious season in 2015. He bookended that season with an outstanding 2014 and a good 2016.

Lolol outstanding 2014? No

Good 2016? No.

 

Pretty bad 2017 as well! 4.35 ERa for a closer is very bad.

Edited March 29, 2018 by DaveW

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Lolol outstanding 2014? No
Good 2016? No.

Pretty bad 2017 as well! 4.35 ERa for a closer is very bad.

How didn't he have an outstanding 2014?

 

And his 2017 FIP was 3.03. 

[mickeymental]

 

Lolol outstanding 2014? No
Good 2016? No.

Pretty bad 2017 as well! 4.35 ERa for a closer is very bad.

jeff reardon 1987 era = 4.48

[yarnivek1972]

Lolol outstanding 2014? No

Good 2016? No.

 

Pretty bad 2017 as well! 4.35 ERa for a closer is very bad.

 

Yeah, because ERA is the best way to evaluate a closer.

 

Said.

 

NO ONE.

 

Ever.

[DaveW]

jeff reardon 1987 era = 4.48

Reardon wasn’t a good pitcher in 1987.

 

There is a reason why they didn’t win 90 game even in the regular season ya know....

[DaveW]

How didn't he have an outstanding 2014?

 

And his 2017 FIP was 3.03.

I watched him pitch in about 40 games in 2014, it was far from outstanding.

[DaveW]

Also if Rodney is so great, why did he throw a meatball to Jones and lose this game?

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

I watched him pitch in about 40 games in 2014, it was far from outstanding.

Yet by every metric available to us, he was very good that season. He walked too many guys but he has always walked too many guys. But he missed a ton of bats and didn't allow home runs. As a result, his ERA/FIP were very good and he converted saves at a ferocious pace (don't have the stat in front of me but it was around 95% that season).

[DaveW]

2.85 era isn’t outstanding for a closer. Also 1-6 record. He blew a lot of close games his whole tenure in Seattle.

 

Like I said I’m a M’s fan, I saw it firsthand.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

2.85 era isn’t outstanding for a closer. Also 1-6 record. He blew a lot of close games his whole tenure in Seattle.

Like I said I’m a M’s fan, I saw it firsthand.

Even if you count those losses on top of the blown saves (which obviously shouldn't be the case, as there is overlap there and you're counting twice), he converted saves at a nearly 90% clip.

 

Dave, you're just wrong here. Move on. Talk about something else for awhile and don't disrupt the forum with hyperbole. This isn't a suggestion.

[DaveW]

Even if you count those losses on top of the blown saves (which obviously shouldn't be the case, as there is overlap there and you're counting twice), he converted saves at a nearly 90% clip.

 

Dave, you're just wrong here. Move on. Talk about something else for awhile and don't disrupt the forum with hyperbole. This isn't a suggestion.

Oh so I’m wrong and unable to make my case why a 41 year old ‘shaky at best’ Over the last few years, and a guy who had a 0.3 WAR last year.

 

Ok I can see you don’t value any opinions other than your own. Have fun this season Brock.

[DaveW]

Even if you count those losses on top of the blown saves (which obviously shouldn't be the case, as there is overlap there and you're counting twice), he converted saves at a nearly 90% clip.

 

Dave, you're just wrong here. Move on. Talk about something else for awhile and don't disrupt the forum with hyperbole. This isn't a suggestion.

Oh so I’m wrong and unable to make my case why a 41 year old ‘shaky at best’ Over the last few years, and a guy who had a 0.3 WAR last year isn’t the guy we should have in high leverage situations.

 

Ok I can see you don’t value any opinions other than your own. Have fun this season Brock. I will check back in with you when Rodney inevitably fails like he did with my Mariners

Edited March 30, 2018 by DaveW

[DaveW]

Also besides that: not sure what Rodney did 4 years ago has to do with him now anyways, since he had one awful season, one ok and one average or below average (generous) since then.

 

He’s 41 and the Twins have better options for closer and high leverage situation guys.

 

He should be a 6th inning guy to start the season.

[yarnivek1972]

Oh so I’m wrong and unable to make my case why a 41 year old ‘shaky at best’ Over the last few years, and a guy who had a 0.3 WAR last year isn’t the guy we should have in high leverage situations.

 

Ok I can see you don’t value any opinions other than your own. Have fun this season Brock. I will check back in with you when Rodney inevitably fails like he did with my Mariners

 

Alex Colome had 47 saves last year and had .7 bWAR. Closers don’t generally have a high WAR.

[DaveW]

Alex Colome had 47 saves last year and had .7 bWAR. Closers don’t generally have a high WAR.

IMO Colome wasn’t that good last year, poor K rate, poor K/BB rate, a pretty meh ERa for a RP/Closer

 

Just goes to my point about saves being not a good stat to judge by.

[Darius]

Molitor is terrible. That is all.

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

 

Reardon wasn’t a good pitcher in 1987.

There is a reason why they didn’t win 90 game even in the regular season ya know....

 

That year, Reardon finished 8th in AL Cy Young voting and 11th in AL MVP voting. If he wasn't a good pitcher in 1987, that must have been an unbelievably bad year for pitching. 

[DaveW]

That year, Reardon finished 8th in AL Cy Young voting and 11th in AL MVP voting. If he wasn't a good pitcher in 1987, that must have been an unbelievably bad year for pitching.

Baseball writers often miss the mark on those votes, it’s gotten better over the last few years because a lot of the problem voters were dying off.

 

But don’t forget it wasn’t too long ago that colon got the Cy young over Santana.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Glad to see that 2018 game thread no. 1 stayed nice and chill from start to finish.

[Dozier's Glorious Hair]

 

Baseball writers often miss the mark on those votes, it’s gotten better over the last few years because a lot of the problem voters were dying off.

But don’t forget it wasn’t too long ago that colon got the Cy young over Santana.

 

I don't really consider "but they were wrong" a great rebuttal. 

[DaveW]

I don't really consider "but they were wrong" a great rebuttal.

His stats that year were pedestrian, and I’m hardly the first person ever to complain about how baseball writers vote. We can agree to disagree though.

 

In general i think a lot of closers are over rated, there are some elite ones, a few more great ones and then a lot of meh ones, when you are stuck with a meh one you should look to upgrade the position.

Reed has the potential to be much better than Rodney iMO.

 

I just hope he doesn’t cost us too many more of these games.

[yarnivek1972]

His stats that year were pedestrian, and I’m hardly the first person ever to complain about how baseball writers vote. We can agree to disagree though.

 

In general i think a lot of closers are over rated, there are some elite ones, a few more great ones and then a lot of meh ones, when you are stuck with a meh one you should look to upgrade the position.

Reed has the potential to be much better than Rodney iMO.

 

I just hope he doesn’t cost us too many more of these games.

The trend in MLB has been to have your “best” relievers used in the high leverage situations that occur before the 9th inning. If Reed doesn’t do what he did, chances are pretty good there is no 11th inning.

[DaveW]

The trend in MLB has been to have your “best” relievers used in the high leverage situations that occur before the 9th inning. If Reed doesn’t do what he did, chances are pretty good there is no 11th inning.

Seems like he should have been in the 7th than with a couple runners on

[Jham]

Also if Rodney is so great, why did he throw a meatball to Jones and lose this game?

Without delving into the rest of the Rodney debate, Rodney threw a fastball up and in to Jones, an all star hitter, who pulled in his hands, shortened his swing, and barreled it up. Unlikely spot for a gopher ball. Great hitting. Actually a good pitch, bad result.