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mac098

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Everything posted by mac098

  1. mac098
    There is only about 3 I would take a flyer on here. Syndergaard, Walker, and Eflin. Of those on this list, these are the 3 that seem like they have the most upside to be a top of the rotation player. With 2 of them, we might be able to squeeze a 2 year deal with an option for a 3rd year. I think Walker will command a minimum of 4 year deal. Especially if it gets him out of the Big Apple.
  2. mac098
    Julien is starting to look like he never stopped from the regular season. This man looks like he is on a mission to earn that starting spot on the MLB team. If he can continue this hitting in combination with his plate discipline, there is not doubt in my mind that he will be on the Big League roster at one point or another next season. Whether it requires an injury or 2, I almost think the Twins are going to find an excuse to get him up, similarly like they did with Miranda. Martin had a good week. I wonder if he didn't play because he was feeling some soreness or something and the training staff didn't want to get into trouble if they put a player out there that wasn't 100%. He is also looking like he wants a shot at getting one of the 26 man roster spots next season. I mean, if Buck is going to be on the shelf yet again next season, Martin is looking like a pretty good replacement at this point. As for the others, they have been playing mid to low level baseball. Its tough to judge the pitching because these are players I've never heard of. They might be long shots to make the roster, but I think this is their time to prove that they deserve a shot come ST.
  3. mac098
    What is with everyone wanting Duran to go back to the Rotation. He is fine as a set-up guy and I think will be an awesome closer. Because if he goes back to the rotation, he will have to take some velo off the pitches and make sure he can pitch for 5 innings. It is okay to have a great pitcher in a relief role. Look a Mariano Rivera. He started as a Starter, then filled in as a Reliever and the rest is history. Duran doesn't fit the bill for a Twins' starter as a flamethrower.
  4. mac098
    And that is the reason I was actually okay with Andrelton Simmons there. Yes, his defense was a little worse than in the past but he is also older and has never really been much of a weapon with stick. But I know the game is in a state of you only need offense. Then we start seeing the teams that have focused on getting players that can field and do some damage with the bat in the post-season consistently.
  5. mac098
    I'm curious as to how many of these teams run extreme metrics based play and use inning limiters during the season. I look at last night's Phils/Padres game and it was an awesome event to watch. 4 hits between the 2 teams. Impressive pitching, defense, and managing won that game. Yes the game was won on 2 HR's, but both starters pitched very effectively.
  6. mac098
    Oh I'm not saying Lewis will stick there as he won't have the same movement laterally that he had previously. But we really haven't been able to draft/sign quality SS for a long time. Personally, I would rather we have awesome defensive ability at SS over a big time bat. In todays game, I think the metrics tend to overlook the help that defense gives, especially in post-season games or later in the season. I'm also not saying Kiriloff is bad or won't come back, because I really want him to. I want him and Larnach to succeed but they are just showing that they have not been able to stay healthy, just like Lewis. I just have to look through my non-hometown eyes and start looking from an outside perspective. The Twins' prospects have been repeatedly plagued by major injuries that will and have hampered their development. A huge turnaround or feel good story for us fans would be the Nick Gordon story. Finally having the ability to stay off the IL after suffering through repeated injuries/illnesses for years.
  7. mac098
    I would be okay with IKF coming back for a short term reunion. He played good defense, hits better than a lot of our SS over the past years (doesn't take much), and getting out of NY might be good for him. Look at what happened Urshela when he left NY. He seemed more relaxed and less likely to press on himself to perform at such a high expectation. He seemed as if he was able to free things up a bit knowing that if he made a mistake it wasn't going to be viewed by some of the most hostile fans in the game today. I would skip over the other 2. Ahmed is gonna be another comeback case that won't work out because his shoulder won't hold up over the year. And Crawford is old and won't be able to maintain his range that he had in SF. Especially with our MN cold in the spring and fall.
  8. mac098
    At this point we can't really call Wander Javier a prospect. I know he was young when we signed him, but he has been with the organization for almost 10 years now, and hasn't surpassed High-A. Yes, he did play some AAA ball, but it was because there was a need for his positioning there. But that could have also been the kick in the keister he needed to get going on development. Lewis, Lee, and Martin are definitely looking to be SS of the future or at the very least, a rotating door there. Yes, Martin might find himself in the OF eventually, as well as Lewis if Buck cannot stay healthy. But, in a few years we might actually benefit from a Miranda, Martin, Lewis, and Lee infield group (there is no guarantee Kiriloff will come back stronger and better after this highly invasive surgery). Young core of players to have, which will then help the development of our supposed pitching "pipeline".
  9. mac098
    Yes, we aren't in the same category as the NY teams or LA teams, but we should be able to compete with the Phil's, Braves, and Guardians, all 3 of which made the playoffs. The Pohlad's are cheap and we know it. They want to be able to win a WS with a minimum payroll roster. What defines mega Contract? Is it years, salary, or a combination? Because the Twins went pretty expensive with Joe Mauer's contract many years ago. So, ultimately it falls on the Twins to sign their players to friendly contracts as soon as they can. They need to stop beating around the bush and start insuring their future. But as far as missing the point of this point. I did not. Every team has every capability of signing all players. Its just a matter of opening the checkbook and going from there. If it means a few years of success with increased prices at the stadium, I would be okay with that. Because players would actually want to come here at that point. Success breeds Success.
  10. mac098
    So the Mets giving Lindor that large contract is worthless? Or the Braves locking Acuna up for a team friendly contract hasn't paid off? What about Ozzie Albies? His team friendly contract hasn't paid off? The Braves took home the only hardware that matters last season. There are a lot of players who have signed mega-contracts that are now showing the fruits of their labor. Harper? The Phils took down the defending WS champs and are onto the NLCS. Kershaw back in the day. Machado. Yes, we have seen it backfire on teams like the Angels who have Trout and Rendon. But there is more to it than that. But what it ultimately comes down is this: If an organization is willing to spend the money on a play to sign the mega-contract, it show that they want to win. NOT that they just want to fill the seats in the stadium. It tells the fans, "Hey, we hear you. We want you to be proud to call yourself a fan of our team. So we decided to open the checkbook and sign (Insert superstar's name) because we want to bring some post-season hardware to our proud city." Honestly, it does come down how the fans support the team and how the owners/FO are willing to spend to be successful. Now we don't have be the Padres and gut our entire pipeline of young talent to make trades for superstars, but we can trade off some talent that may be held back because we already have a superstar in that position.
  11. mac098
    I think the rookies did a great job, (Not Contreras) with the amount of injuries that the big league team sustained throughout the season. It hurts when you get a player of Lewis' ability that continues to get hurt via freak things (slipping outside of his home tearing his ACL and then leaping and landing wrong in the OF to make a catch). But I think if he comes back he is gonna just as advertised as we need him. He showed he was big league ready in his small sample size. If we really do lose Correa, and Lewis has some rehab games, the defense and offense will struggle, but when he comes back, he will be out for some blood to prove himself. Also, if its true that Correa wants to help out Miranda and Lewis this offseason with some hitting, I am all for it. I mean the guy knows his stuff. So I think he is a great addition whether or not we retain him.
  12. mac098
    The positive: Luis Arraez has won a batting title for MN. This was something we needed extremely badly given how poor the team performed down the stretch with some weaker competition. I think if he had not been injured or more specifically, playing through injury in the latter half of the season, he could have really helped more. Also, it was nice not to see a Yankee win the Triple Crown. Negatives: Doesn't mean much when the team isn't in the post-season playing for more hardware. It also doesn't help that his stock is probably as high as it going to be from here on out. The only way it could go higher is if he were to win multiple batting titles before free agency. So this might be the off-season we attempt to flip for some prospective pitching and/or some middle of the rotation starters who need a team.
  13. mac098
    Sometimes the FO and Pitching coach notice something that makes it so you cannot be a starter anymore. Maybe, you're a little too erratic. Maybe you're velocity isn't where its supposed to be as a starter. Maybe they notice your stamina isn't what is used to be when you were a younger player. I mean, not everyone is gonna be Scherzer or Verlander and stay in the Rotation their entire career.
  14. mac098
    How can you say that? He was an 18 yr old untested player. For all we know the kid could have 2 TJ surgery before he's 21 with how hard he throws. The kid may not even make the majors. He could have a career derailed by injuries. There are so many scenarios that could happen with a 18-19 yr old flamethrower. So you can't say that the pipeline sprung a leak when Petty was traded. Especially because he was traded for a very solid Starter that would have been flipped at the deadline from Cincinnati. Now if you had stated that the pipeline got a kink in it, I wouldn't have disagreed. With Balazovic and Enlow not living up to expectations, I think it is fair to say that there have been a hick-ups with our top prospects.
  15. mac098
    Contrary to popular belief, but I think the pipeline is starting to show. Whether those pitchers were received in trades or not, I think we are getting what we wanted. SWR making the club was big. He showed he was ready and took aim. He pitched very strong considering his start was so late in the year, but a little more time with some mechanics work and I think he'll be a starter for years to come. Duran was phenomenal this season. I think he is for sure moved to the bullpen as a pitcher. He was great for set up this season and I think next year he and Lopez are going to split as Closers until one of them decides they want it more. Yes, Duran did have some control issues throughout the season, but a lot of pitchers who touch 100 tend to have control issues. But a 104 MPH FB mixed with a 100 MPH Splinker, is something that ML hitters are going to try to adjust to but be unsuccessful. Sands pitched about where everyone expected him to. He was overpowering, but he also wasn't underwhelming either. Reminds me of Kyle Gibson. Good enough to be a solid 4-5 pitcher with maybe being our inning eater out of the bullpen. Varland is a strong pitcher that reminds me of Ryan. Has a low release point that creates a good amount of deception to the opposing batters. If he can find a good 3rd pitch I think he is looking at a pretty good career. Because next year, I bet you that there is gonna be more than enough footage out there for hitting coaches to use and help their teams. Winder was avg. Not much else to say. Maybe the shoulder injury is still lingering this late in the season but unlikely. Maybe he had the advantage early because not much was known, but then when footage and statistics came out, hitters started mashing.
  16. mac098
    You can thank Bally Sports for the low TV eyeballs. I haven't been able to watch a single game in almost 2 years (outside of Apple+ or the occasional one on Fox) but the lack of providers that are part of the Bally Sports Network severely hurts people. I can listen to all the games, but I cannot watch them. I've watched more Saints games this year than Twin's games. So at least I could watch prospects and some players going back and forth form the Majors. MLB is literally killing off any and all young people that are on the fence about baseball. Between MLB.com having blackouts and Bally Sports not partnered with most of the TV providers, casual fans have no way of watching their favorite team. They're stuck watching highlights on their phones or on ESPN (maybe if the Twins are shown).
  17. mac098
    Honestly, I believe that we should keep him. He is exactly what a manager could have asked for. He has been durable as shown by him playing in 137 games, can play the hot corner at a very serviceable level, and he puts the ball in play. Honestly, you cannot ask for much more from a player of his caliber. Not that this is something, but that trade to MN might have taken less pressure off his shoulders to perform. We all know that as a NYY if you're on the starting roster, you're expected to perform at a superstar level all the time. Plus he was coming after of a very good 3B (A-Rod) the NY had for years. But now that he is in a smaller market team, he doesn't have that same expectations to live up to.
  18. mac098
    So you're saying that Lee is going to be 25-27 when he finally gets to the show? If that is the case, I think we need to make sure we are drafting better. Because I think that if we are drafting college players, they more than likely aren't going to be spending a lot of years down in the minors. Maybe 2-3 years, unless you get a star who is on the fast track to the MLB like Kris Bryant, where at that point you will "manipulate" their service time to earn that extra year out of them. Personally I don't think that Lee is going to stick at SS. He might be better off playing somewhere else, or at the very least, tasting other positions (2B and 1B) where we might have shortcomings in our org or at our MLB depth chart. Of course, some of those shortcomings can be changed with a reduction of injuries to the players. But I am gonna have to agree that the majority of our current MiLB SS aren't going to stick it there and that we need to lock him long term. Whether that means we actually gotta open the pocket-book and pay him, then that's what we gotta do.
  19. mac098
    I was thinking the same thing. Even if he isn't ready for the everyday SS position, it cannot hurt him ?to play some CF. He might end up being one of the best utility players we have on the team outside of Gordon. Also, him moving to the OF might help save some wrist injuries as he more than likely won't be getting the ball as much. Plus we don't have too many RH batters for the OF. And if he does transition to CF, lack of power won't be much of an issue as long as his defense can play and he can consistently get on base. On top of that we have a plethora of IF ready to play in Arraez, Lee, Miranda, Julien, Polanco, Lewis, Urshela, and super utility Gordon ready to step up and go.
  20. mac098
    I was just thinking the same thing. I wasn't born when the Twins won both their WS, but watching replays on MLB makes me wish we would go back to those pinstripes. Bring us back to an era where the Twins were feared among AL teams. Where we put together a roster that didn't care about themselves individually, where the players played for the team, not a paycheck, and a time where pitchers went more than 5 innings. I think the pinstripes would bring some of the older fans back to the game and make some of the younger fans appreciate the 87 and 91 teams more. Also, we might be able to squeek some magic out of those stripes when it comes to clutch hitting!!
  21. mac098
    Not to put a downer on your wishes, but I think that was the idea this year, but then a few of those pitchers were derailed by injuries and poor performances. But I do agree with you that the 5 should be a strong starting core with Varland or Winder as our long-relief guy. Paddack I think will take that spot later next year, but its tough to say how his rehab might go.
  22. mac098
    I have always thought that Ober has had solid stuff. Not Ace or extremely dominating stuff, but good enough to go toe-to-toe against some of the games best. I agree that if he can add 2-3 mph on his heater and maintain control, he could be ruthless with the FB. Especially paired with this good slider and change. When he uses his height and wingspan to his advantage he shows that he is unbeatable. Look at his last strikeout against Abreu. That ball hit the ground 8 ft in front of homeplate and split the left-handed batters box. That just nasty.
  23. mac098
    At this point it is tough to say. I would say we don't have a single pitcher that could be coined "Ace" outside of Gray. And even THAT would be pushing it at this point. I would say we have an organization full of #2-#4 starters where if each pitcher gave us 6 solid innings of 3-4 run baseball, we would be extremely happy. Of course, not every pitcher we draft is gonna be the #1, but if we have a 5 #2's, then I think that is a pretty good rotation. I agree that cancelling the 2020 minor league season has created a huge setback for the development of pitchers. Just think about it. Lack of innings, no live batters, no ability to get the feel for a game. All that mixed with our pitching staff's want for the pitchers to overuse the slider and max out the FB velo, has definitely spelled disaster for our young arms. And I would say that this is a recurring thing, not just for the Twins, but for all Orgs.
  24. mac098
    If you think about it, it makes sense. The A's are in rebuild mode. If they were to get 2 MLB-ready prospects in Miranda and Wallner, that helps them develop other position players to get there. And/or they can trade some of their excess veterans or prospects for some controllable pitching. Lee was just a name I threw out there because the FO traded away our 1st round pick from last year (although he was just a HS player last year and he could develop into a good pitcher or he may not). Also if Lee is hitting and fielding this well, that would make it even more likely that the A's would have tried pursue him to replace Andrus in a year or 2. And Lewis could not be traded as he was on the IL. SWR was pitching very well and we know that the Twins have been struggling with pitching so trading away from the position where an Org is struggling doesn't make much sense unless you have a plethora of players there, which we don't. Julien was more than likely held onto in case we are not able to hold onto Correa AND if Polanco is gonna start living on the IL like Buxton, we need a bat that is MLB ready to step up and go. Arreaz/Gordon could take over in the field until the coaches feel that Joulien was ready to play there.
  25. mac098
    Lee, Wallner, and Miranda. With how well the FO has traded away prospects. This seems like the most likely option.
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