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GKuehl

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Everything posted by GKuehl

  1. GKuehl
    After watching Duffey blow another game, I’m hard pressed to label Duffey a “good arm.” I wouldn’t mind if his “good arm” were pitching for another team in the near future.
  2. GKuehl
    While I agree with the general sentiment that Larnach has looked a lot better at the plate so far, this feels a bit TOO positive about a hitter with a .176 batting average and a .446 OPS (in an admittedly small sample) so far. He had that ball he smashed to center a few games ago that Kike Hernandez "dropped" that should have been credited as a double, which would make his numbers look more palatable considering how small the sample is. While his underlying numbers (exit velo, barrels, etc.) show better things are seemingly on the way, I'm a bit hesitant about proclaiming that Larnach is back and here to stay. P.S. I really like Larnach and think he'll be a really good major league hitter for a long time.
  3. GKuehl
    I’ve been wondering if we’ll see Arraez spend a little time at 1B, especially with how Sano and Kirilloff have both been struggling, to put it mildly. Urshela is better than being relegated to the smaller half of a platoon against LHP, but we need Arraez’s bat in the lineup too. I think we’ll see Arraez a fair amount at DH as well. I was also wondering last night when we pinch hit Arraez for Celestino whether Urshela could slide over to 1B so Arraez could take over 3B with Kirilloff coming in in LF. Time will tell, but I’m extraordinarily frustrated with watching Sano aimlessly swing and miss or hope to take a walk. We have some flexible pieces, so I’m curious to see how flexible they can be.
  4. GKuehl
    I was trusting this article: https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/sports-columnists/story/2022-03-26/padres-reliever-emilio-pagan-home-runs-manager-bob-melvin Guess your research was better than mine!
  5. GKuehl
    Pagan had a 2.77 ERA until his final 10 1/3 innings last year.
  6. GKuehl
    We didn't just give up Rogers to slot Paddack into the pen. Paddack has legit stuff -- just a few years ago he looked like the next ace starting pitcher. His stuff hasn't declined, so there's no reason to think he couldn't be our 2nd best starter this year behind Sonny Gray. I would move Bundy to the pen. Whether or not he wants to move to the pen is irrelevant; he's under contract so do what's best for the ballclub, not what's best for Bundy. Why not start Archer, let him go 3-4 innings, and then let Bundy follow him up for 3 innings? It would be a bad move to demote Ober to the bullpen when he looks like a longterm #4 starter, especially when he'll be back in the rotation in a few weeks once one of the other starters gets tired or underperforms (looking at you Mr. Bundy). I like this move for us -- 3 seasons of a controllable starting pitcher with big upside. If Ryan, Ober, Winder, Balazovic, Canterino, SWR, etc. show that they are ready later this season or next, Paddack could always be dealt to another team in need of starting pitching. We also get a freebie bullpen piece who looked good last season outside of his final 10 innings of the year. Pagan had a sub-3.00 ERA prior to the his final 10 innings last year, and if we can just limit his home runs, he could be a quality middle reliever. B+ move for the squad, even though I hate to see Rogers go.
  7. GKuehl
    Interesting premise, but I’m not sure how much it’ll matter in a couple of years. As long as you have young, inexpensive, and controllable talent, you’re in a great spot. Whether the players are at AAA or in their 2nd season in the Bigs, they still have a fistful of controllable years and we can either play them or package them for even more, higher-end talent. Also, who knows who the next Jose Miranda is going to be. Last year, he wasn’t on many of our radars, yet we’re now talking about him like he’s of the same ilk as Martin and Lewis.
  8. GKuehl
    I agree with the decisions to send Larnach and Miranda down for the time being. Both of them have immense potential, but they need more than periodic playing time, and each of them would be relegated to a redundant bench piece on the fully-healthy 28 man roster. As a lefty corner outfielder, it wouldn’t make much sense to keep Larnach around when Kepler and Kiriloff, two left corner outfielders, are our presumed starters in the corner OF spots. This looks like good news for Rooker, who can take over in LF with Kiriloff sliding to RF for Kepler against tough lefty SPs. With Miranda, he just wouldn’t see much more than spot starts at the beginning of the year, especially since it looks like one of Arraez or Urshela will probably be on the bench on opening day and Miranda looks best suited for 2B/3B just like Arraez.
  9. GKuehl
    At this point, it's better than nothing. My only worry is that this is the final move -- I'm still holding out hope for a top-tier starter via trade. But I wonder if teams are asking for the moon to part with their quality SP (aka Arraez, Martin, and Winder, or some similar package, for Montas).
  10. GKuehl
    Our team is flush with redundant players, particularly corner outfield/corner infield/DH-type players. To name a few, Kepler, Kiriloff, Sano, Sanchez, Urshela, Rooker, Miranda, Larnach, and, to some extent, Arraez. While we all hope that Larnach and Miranda can get some major league ABs, it may be tough absent an injury.
  11. GKuehl
    Yeah, I'm in agreement with you here! One question I've been wondering for a while is where Miranda might get some AB's. He's a bit redundant with many of our players, as he profiles best at 3B, 1B, and DH, same with Arraez, Urshela, Sano, Rooker, and then Sanchez and Larnach at DH. I would love if he forces his way into the lineup, but if he were, it would probably force Sano and/or Sanchez to the bench most days of the week.
  12. GKuehl
    That was the toughest choice for me, since I don’t feel like any of Jeffers, Sano, or Sanchez deserve the 5-spot at this point. I chose the less known commodity in Jeffers in the hope that he can grow to deserve it, but I would quibble with slotting in Sano, Sanchez, or Urshela there.
  13. GKuehl
    While I understand the love for Arraez in the leadoff spot, I just can't justify him getting the most at bats out of Buxton, Correa, or Polanco. That's why I think slotting him into the 4 spot could make a great deal of sense, as he's a lefty bat who can follow up an at-bat against Correa by working the count and capitalizing on any mistakes the pitcher might make after breathing a sigh of relief that he made it through C4. Here's my ideal lineup, trying to balance handedness (which Rocco always seems to care a lot about) with lineup balance. 1. Buxton, CF (Right) 2. Polanco, 2B (Switch) 3. Correa, SS (Right) 4. Arraez, 3B (Left) 5. Jeffers, C (Right) 6. Kiriloff, LF (Left) 7. Sano, 1B (Right) 8. Kepler, RF (Left) 9. Sanchez, DH (Right) Let me know what you think!
  14. GKuehl
    My best guess on the next "Core 6": Byron Buxton, who I think we re-sign next offseason for 5 years, $100 million, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Royce Lewis, Jhoan Duran, and Jordan Balazovic. I also thought long and hard about putting Luis Arraez in here because of how much I love his bat at the top of the lineup. While re-signing Buxton presents a huge risk because of his injury history, his potential is too high for us to give up on; we play so much better when he is manning CF. Kirilloff looks like he'll be the Twins 1B for the next decade or so, with Larnach taking over RF. I am curious to see where Lewis ends up long term, is he an infielder or an outfielder? I'm extremely excited about this next phase of arms coming up through the system, Duran and Balazovic are the top two, but there is genuine depth within our organization's pitching depth with Canterino, Winder, Sands, Enlow, etc. I am sure that there will be a few surprises/breakouts, maybe someone like Sabato or Wallner will breakout in a big way. I still believe that this current version has enough talent to contend. Even after having watched these first two months of the season, if we could start the season over right now, I would still bet on the Twins making the playoffs. I'm curious to hear thoughts from the rest of you! Comments, critiques?
  15. GKuehl
    It felt to me like Baldelli was trying to keep Rogers fresh and ready for the Mariners series, especially since the Mariners lineup has a lot of lefty bats. I think we’ll see a lot more of Rogers used in the role of a typical lefty reliever whose usage is determined more by the matchups than the inning.
  16. GKuehl
    I know that Sano usually starts off each season slow, but his performance thus far has definitely been alarming. He looks lost up there at the plate, taking close pitches with 2 strikes and hoping to draw a walk. How is this the same hitter who tore up the league in 2015??
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