Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Otto von Ballpark

Community Leader
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    20,620

  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    74

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Tutorials & Help

Videos

2023 Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Free Agent & Trade Rumors

Guides & Resources

Minnesota Twins Players Project

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Everything posted by Otto von Ballpark

  1. Otto von Ballpark
    And I don't even mind that Nathan started the 12th inning -- pushing your best players in close, important games is a great thing, IMO. 8-9-1 batters due up, try to ride the hot hand. But you've got to have a backup plan when your closer is past 40 pitches (not to mention, pitching for the second consecutive night) -- IIRC, Gardy didn't even have another reliever warming until Nathan was well into trouble. (And Nathan, for his part, made it clear as day when he was losing it -- four straight balls to the number 9 hitter is about as clear a signal as you will see.) Thanks for bringing this up, Nick.
  2. Otto von Ballpark
    Seth, this is all kinds of incorrect. Nathan was only the 4th reliever used by the Twins that night. In addition to Crain, J.C. Romero was also available among traditional relievers (indeed, Romero was called upon once Nathan tied the game and loaded the bases with only one out). Lohse and Mulholland were also on the roster if we were worried about the game continuing beyond the 12th inning (it would have been Lohse's "throw day" even if they wanted him to start Game 4 of that series). Furthermore, Crain was quite effective that season, and was only used to face 2 batters, both during the Game 3 blowout loss, and none during the two games we lost in extra innings with Nathan on fumes and mop-up man Lohse. I am sure the team was glad we were "fair" to him, though! (An aside, do you think starting rookie Jason Kubel -- who's MLB career was even shorter than Crain's at that point -- at DH was fair? How about letting him bat against Mariano Rivera in a key spot with Ford on the bench?)
  3. Otto von Ballpark
    Brock's link says "The study compares all 30 big-league teams on what they charge for four mid-range tickets, two small beers, four small soft drinks, four regular hot dogs, parking for one car, two programs and two baseball caps." I doubt that the team sells 2 caps for every four tickets sold. Particularly not marginal ticket increases. So this would not be a good number to use when estimating added revenue.
  4. Otto von Ballpark
    The other thing to remember is that the Dodgers gave up virtually nothing (3 players who were DFA'd within the year) for Nolasco last summer, and I don't think they even made an offer for him when he became a FA. I think Nolasco likes the Dodgers more than the Dodgers particularly like Nolasco. Also, we're over 2 years past the big Boston-LA trade, and the Dodgers have yet to dump any salary. I'm not sure it's at all clear that they need to, certainly not to the point where they have to take contracts like Nolasco's in return.
  5. Otto von Ballpark
    If TR is finally willing/able to part with more cash, I'm not sure trading talent for bad contracts is the best way to do it. Why not just put it towards a FA?
  6. Otto von Ballpark
    Minor nitpick, but Jake Mauer only played on one DIII title-winning St Thomas team (2001). They lost in the title game in both 1999 and 2000. The school's second DIII title came long after Jake had left, in 2009. Actually, maybe less playoff success would make him a better candidate to replace Gardy.
  7. Otto von Ballpark
    They also would have saved at least $30 mil, which could have been put towards a FA then or now. That said, the trade has become more interesting as Myers has scuffled this year. While he was a very good young prospect, his record did not scream "can't miss" to me. If the Royals had similar misgivings about his potential, their experiences with Moustakas and Hosmer may have inspired them to cash in on Myers. (Although Gordon has worked out well as a late bloomer, maybe they didn't want to wait that long with Myers.)
  8. Otto von Ballpark
    I don't know how typical it was -- the Twins only blew one playoff game lead in 10 games in 2002, and none in their 4 games in 2003. Even in 2004, only Game 4 really felt like a blown lead. In Game 2, we only briefly held leads in innings 2-3 and then again in the top of the 12th. It really was a comeback game for the Twins, on the road no less, not that there wasn't an unhealthy dose of mismanagement involved. And I don't know how far your era extends, but in the 2006 playoffs, the Twins never held a lead which to squander. (2009 and 2010 actually fit your remark best -- the Twins led, albeit mostly early/briefly, in 5 of the 6 games, with 2009 Game 2's blown save and 2010 Game 1's 6th inning being the biggest/worst.) These are minor nitpicks, though. I certainly share your feelings about that 2004 Game 2. What's weird is while that game featured several memorable poor decisions by Gardenhire, it really was the 2006 playoffs that seems to best capture the Twins playoff ineptitude under Gardy: no obvious mistakes or blown games, just thorough (if sometimes fairly close) losses.
  9. Otto von Ballpark
    Not to get too far off-topic, but this is a fairly gross mischaracterization. Nathan's game 2 performances in 2004 and 2009 were the only two playoff leads he ever blew. And the first of those, in 2004, he only blew it AFTER he had already thrown 2.1 shutout innings in extras. (And that's on Gardy -- when your closer is at 42 pitches, having just walked the #9 hitter on four straight balls, with the top of the order due up to face him a second time -- it's time to make a move. Add in another 4 pitch walk to the leadoff hitter and it was gross negligence to leave him in to face A-Rod again.) Nathan did allow inherited insurance runs to score in 2006 and 2009, but by those points, those series were more or less lost already. He has certainly struggled this year, but he is fairly far down the list for reasons the Twins lost so many playoff games/series.
  10. Otto von Ballpark
    FYI: Fox Sports North has the news conference right now.
  11. Otto von Ballpark
    Not to resurrect an old thread, but I just saw this nugget in today's Gardy article: That makes at least two connections between Pelf and Gardy (not to mention both had fathers in the air force, although Pelfrey was separated from his father at a young age).
  12. Otto von Ballpark
    What about TR's comments (last winter?) how the team's failures were on him? This seems like quite a reversal from that. Maybe in 2014 he felt it was more on the coaches, but I'm not seeing how TR did appreciably better overall in 2014 either. I guess this move, assuming it comes with TR's blessing, is a sign that TR is willing to act differently than he has in the past, which is a good thing but needs a lot more to really turn things around (particularly on the player acquisition and talent identification fronts). Is the clock on TR now? How much time does he have left to turn the ship around?
  13. Otto von Ballpark
    I have to admit, I am very surprised. Probably more surprised than I should be, given the Twins recent records. I guess I should have seen it coming, though -- the contract extension is usually the kiss of death for Minnesota coaches. Best to Gardy and the staff.
  14. Otto von Ballpark
    TR can't even give his incentive bonus money away.
  15. Otto von Ballpark
    I agree with all of this. But I think this all suggests it's also not a big deal to Hughes or potential free agents either way. It would only matter, in a negative way, if the Twins tried to keep him from getting the bonus, which clearly did not happen.
  16. Otto von Ballpark
    What if he was 2 outs short instead of 1? What if the rain delay and early exit occurred in May instead of September? He didn't reach the innings threshold under very normal, perfectly acceptable usage patterns/conditions. The bonus shouldn't be paid.
  17. Otto von Ballpark
    This kind of analysis ignores his pre-Twins career, though. Pelfrey had multiple healthy ~80 ERA+ seasons with the Mets, so his 79 in 2013 isn't clearly explained by injury alone. I think his current contract and roster spot is less about his pitching talent, and more a result of the Twins desperation, relative cheapness, and perhaps also Pelfrey being a "good guy" who shares Air Force and Oklahoma connections with the Twins manager. That said, might as well give him a look as a reliever before dumping him. I don't think his roster spot is super-critical yet, and he's probably not tradeable at this point.
  18. Otto von Ballpark
    Did they find anything they wouldn't find in many other active pitchers? Just curious.
  19. Otto von Ballpark
    My two-and-a-half year old got her first MLB baseball from the game the other night, tossed into the stands by Miguel Cabrera, I think. He doesn't exactly have a sterling off-the-field record either, although he's probably a boy scout by Vikings standards. When she's older... do I tell her it was from him? Do I add any kind of disclaimer? I like to give fan-friendly players some props, and Cabrera definitely seems fan-friendly...
  20. Otto von Ballpark
    Not only that, but the revelations about Puckett were much more immediate. My admittedly young memory doesn't recall much of any off-the-field stuff about him prior to the post-retirement controversies. Peterson, on the other hand, had the whole "7 kids with 5 different women" thing which was known at least as early as last year. Not to mention the 100 MPH speeding ticket 5 years ago, which is admittedly tame by NFL standards but again suggests very poor judgement. I don't think anybody should have been looking up to him as a person even before the latest allegations.
  21. Otto von Ballpark
    Twins need a 12-7 finish now for Gardy to avoid that ignominious distinction.
  22. Otto von Ballpark
    Obviously I am not suggesting investing internationally or on domestic FAs at the expense of the draft. But from day 1, TR could have signed anybody he wanted and still got Buxton, for example. And our future draft positions would have been significantly worse only if we had significantly more success at the MLB level, which would have been a good problem to have, in my opinion. Fortunately, the new draft and non-Cuban/Asian international slotting and spending caps, in place since June-July 2012, have limited this weakness of TR. (Although by the same token, it also limits our ability to quickly improve by these methods, for a GM who is willing to take advantage.) May have been the only reason we landed Buxton. Still would like to see him spend more/smarter where he can, though. No reason the 2015 Twins have to operate or rebuild exactly like the 2005 or 1995 Twins.
  23. Otto von Ballpark
    There are a few Cuban players who could have had an impact already. A few international guys signed before the new spending caps went into effect July 2012 too. All indications suggest the Twins didn't make any efforts in these areas. Not to mention MLB FAs, where the Twins efforts were half-hearted until this past offseason (and I'd argue they were still fairly half-hearted, given Nolasco's history and season). I get that rebuilding takes time, but with TR's demonstrated baseball acumen and Target Field's resources, there is no reason it automatically has to be a 5+ year process, done almost entirely through the amateur draft.
  24. Otto von Ballpark
    I am pretty ambivalent about changing managers or GMs (or even coaches). I wouldn't mind keeping the current group, if they showed some evidence that they aren't as insulated / "country club" as they've been in the past. (Or continued showing such evidence, if you believe last winter's FA signings were a step in the right direction -- despite his contract, Nolasco is looking more and more like a traditional conservative TR move -- innings eater, low upside, friendly agent, etc.). Changing coaches/manager/GM is one obvious way for the owners to demonstrate this, but I'd rather just see the incumbent group expand their horizons a bit. TR and his scouts obviously have plenty of baseball smarts: let's see them applied more (and more aggressively) to Cuba, Asia, domestic free agency, etc., and at least try to rebuild in less than 5 years. And Gardy and Anderson can obviously helm a solid team/staff too (although the playoff record gives me pause) -- no immediate need to replace them either, in my opinion.
  25. Otto von Ballpark
    In regards to the Vikings and Wolves: both teams had an extended streak of early/disappointing playoff exits, then quickly got rid of their head coaches once their regular-season success dried up (Denny Green in 2001, Flip Saunders in ~2004). That would suggest Gardy should already be gone; on the other hand, neither of those coaching changes helped those franchises...
×
×
  • Create New...