Twins Acquire RHP A.J. Alexy from Nationals

[specialiststeve]

Throws with a "short arm" motion... never going to be a full time starter and survive. Best suited for the pen.. basically a lottary pick but possibly ready to help now... which I am sure is why they picked him up.

But as stated by some.. likley to be DFA'd if another players comes up with better talent. No big deal. 

[mikelink45]

Can we please add a real reliever? Is fine to fill up our Fix-It shop with all of these guys with potential and no control but I don't want them on the mound when the game counts. I would like us to find a reliever who isn't DFA by another team

[Mark G]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't agree with that thought process. The majority of fans not knowing who these guys are is the exact reason Twins Daily should right about it. It's one of the purposes of this site. To educated and inform fans about what the Twins are doing. I can certainly agree to disagree on things with people.

There wasn't anything real to agree or disagree with to the comment from that other poster, though. They simply came on here to be negative without any real reason behind why they were being negative. It happens on a whole bunch of the articles about minor Twins moves. Sometimes literal minor league moves. This time someone chose to reply to a comment I'd made. A few of us were trying to have a real discussion about AJ Alexy and what the Twins possible plans could be. The person quoting me simply wanted to laugh at the idea that the Twins brought in someone like Alexy, and suggested it was laughable that I suggested they may try to change his pitch mix in an attempt to unlock more potential. That wasn't helpful, and didn't move the conversation forward. They didn't disagree with my stance with any thoughtful response. "If it were that easy the Nats would've done it" isn't a thoughtful response. It's simply being negative towards a  depth move that every major league team makes all offseason (and regular season) long. I'm more than happy to have a thoughtful back and forth with other posters even if we disagree. But "thoughtful" is the key word there. "Choke, cough, gasp, laugh out loud ..... " isn't thoughtful. "If it was that easy the Nationals would have done it." isn't thoughtful. 

I am sorry you misunderstood my post to the degree you did.  I would attempt to clarify, but it appears it would just add fuel to the fire, so I will leave it be and hope either I am clearer next time, or you understand me better next time.  Or both?  Anyway, time to move on.  Take care.  

[adorduan]

17 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Other teams are doing it! Every season! Pitching repertoires change all the time. The frequency, and situations, that pitchers throw pitches changes all the time. You not knowing what's happening around the league doesn't make my comment pointless. 

You remember Matt Wisler? Big time starting pitcher prospect that bounced around to a few different teams, but could never get his footing in the bigs. Twins claimed him off waivers before the 2020 season. Before that season he threw 5 pitches (4 seam, slider, sinker, curveball, changeup). In 2020 he threw 2 (4 seam slider) with the Twins. Best year of his career to that point because the Twins saw how good his slider was and had him throw it 83.4% of the time. They weirdly non-tendered him after that season and he went to Tampa where he now throws it over 90% of the time and has continued to be a dominant reliever.

Remember Brusdar Graterol? The Dodgers have done the opposite with him. He stopped throwing a changeup after he went there. Added a cutter. And cut his sinker usage from 67.7% to 42.7%.

Ryan Pressly? Dropped his sinker. Started throwing his slider more than any of his other pitches. Increased the use of his curveball. And reduced the number of fastballs he threw when he went to Houston. Now he's one of the best closers in baseball. https://www.mlb.com/video/top-10-relief-pitchers-6?t=mlb-network

https://www.mlb.com/video/top-10-relief-pitchers-9?t=mlb-network This was just on MLB Network's Top 10 Relievers Right Now show. Whoa, whoa, whoa. What were those silly Rays thinking bringing this guy in at the age of 30 and changing his pitch mix? I mean if it were that simple the Royals would've done it. Or the Blue Jays. Or the Cubs. You know, since he was on all those teams before getting to Tampa and breaking out when they changed his pitch usage.

Nobody ever said the Twins were going to turn Alexy into some star. Another poster suggested they may use him in long relief if he really has 4 pitches. I suggested another option of dropping pitches that aren't effective and turning him more so into a 2 pitch pitcher (with a 3rd, the changeup, as a change of pace only against lefties). I didn't say that other poster was wrong, and they didn't say I was. We were just providing 2 options for what the Twins could possibly be thinking with this particular player. You felt the need to come in and make a sarcastic comment about other teams never thinking of such things as if it literally isn't happening all over the league, and there aren't guys turning their careers around all over the league by doing it. I'm sorry you're unware of these things. But it's a chance teams give themselves with good arms all the time. I'm sorry you found me suggesting what literally every team is doing as being a possibility that the Twins will do ridiculous. Baseball savant is a wonderful tool for learning more about this practice. You may find it educational.

Sounds like you are telling me the FO screwed up 3 times, with Wisler, Graterol and Pressly.

[chpettit19]

3 minutes ago, adorduan said:

Sounds like you are telling me the FO screwed up 3 times, with Wisler, Graterol and Pressly.

Wisler, yes. Graterol, no. Pressly, depends on your view. But that was just the ones that came to mind because they're directly tied to the Twins. The Rays guy just happened to be on that show I was watching while this discussion was taking place. Every FO screws up. Far more than 3 times in 6+ years. It's the nature of the job. If I wanted to waste hours and hours I could come up with a list for the other teams and compare them. But I don't want to waste that time.

[Original_JB]

Sounds like a right handed David West. Hopefully, they have better luck.

[adorduan]

3 hours ago, Original_JB said:

Sounds like a right handed David West. Hopefully, they have better luck.

There's a blast from the past.  Watched him throw 6 no hit innings at the Metrodome. lots of potential, very little of it realized,,,

[sampleSizeOfOne]

And lose Alexy to the White Sox on a waiver claim.

 

You will be missed!