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mikelink45

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Everything posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    Just hard to take anything really serious - the Twins lineup certainly does not indicate that they do.
  2. mikelink45
    Loved Judge's homer, still hoping he gets the triple crown. Sorry Arraez your second half slump was disappointing and I prefer the historic idea of a 60 HR triple crown. Best since Mantle. This is fine, Wallner is giving us some hope, And now the tension is gone, we are eliminated from the playoffs - thankfully!
  3. mikelink45
    I had to tune in to see if anyone took the bait and was willing to be called ignorant. I read all the replies and I think they are a wash.
  4. mikelink45
    The one issue I have with the comments is the fact that the team was picked to finish 500 and thus our collapse at the end is okay because we are moving to the mean. NO - we established an expectation after Gray and Correa that was not 500. We played above 500 most of the year. The team did not have to fall from almost a tie for first to 12 games behind in two weeks. Our expectations shift as the season progresses and those models from stat geeks at the beginning of the year should not be our yardstick for measuring performance. Did anyone pick the Orioles to be in contention for a WC berth? But they just kept playing well and dumped a player who was playing above his head - Pagan - to a team that has a difficulty with judging BP performers. Did Seattle look like a WC team in April? Sporting News predicted: Blue Jays (91-71) Rays (87-75) Red Sox (86-76) Yankees (86-76) Orioles (70-92) Don't tell the Yankees. White Sox (94-68) Tigers (81-81) Royals (81-81) Twins (77-85) Guardians (67-95) Wow is KC surprised, but Cleveland!!!! Astros (91-71) Angels (80-82) Rangers (80-82) Mariners (72-90) Athletics (64-98) I told you Seattle was not expected to rise. The NL was really close except for SF. So throw those out - look at who is where and what they are doing to wrap up the season.
  5. mikelink45
    Injuries are a very big factor, but perhaps the unwinding of our Kepler/Buxton/Polanco/Sano core should be up near the top. These were the players to carry us forward. Buxton cannot stay on the field, Polanco seems to be breaking down, Sano looks like he is a former Twin, and Kepler has been mediocre. Now we need the new core and they are mostly on the IL except for Ryan/Miranda When you list Rocco you have to list his supporting cast too. What was Tingler doing when he was the voice that was intended to be in Rocco's ear?
  6. mikelink45
    Cole Sands seems to be in the Twins BP plans, but he has not looked the part of being a valuable arm going forward. Brooks Lee has definitely shown his value and could be flying through the organization.
  7. mikelink45
    With two teams playing out the season, this had a nice feeling. Ober and Wallner, so nice to see them both prosper. Looking at the Sox you have to ask how our team could allow them to have a better record than us. Keep the young guys in the lineup!
  8. mikelink45
    I just think that he is not an emotional player so I wouldn't read anything into his body language at this point. Not sure I can agree with your assessment of what will happen if someone else replaces Kepler in the outfield
  9. mikelink45
    I can only hope - I need evidence on the field. This team has disappointed to much to let my imagination go. I did see this week that Lee is rated much higher than Lewis although both at top 100. So yes I would like to see both in Minneapolis soon.
  10. mikelink45
    I thought he would be our Bob Allison. Allison was a good, not great player who accumulated 34 WAR over 13 years. Bob hit under 250 four different years including his last. He peaked in 63 - 64 when he got MVP support, then he crashed including the WS year. Just like Kepler he was a good fielder, but like Kepler he hit his peak and could not recover the magic. Kepler has not shown his MVP year to be sustainable and his 16 WAR in 8 seasons is above average but all on his fielding. The question of moving on is more dependent on the health of the players who are supposed to replace him.
  11. mikelink45
    I would guess that Ober would be the one to drop out, although so much depends on a questionable set of arms. Maeda or Mahle could go to the pen if their recurring arm issues show up in the spring and Paddock when he comes back should at least start in the pen, Some pitchers are more effective in the SP routine and it feels to me like that would be Ober. I actually like Winder's potential more than Ober so the first question might be what if Winder pitches lights out and takes the rotation spot or do we go with a six man rotation again? And where does Varland stand? At least this is an interesting question from some abundance while the BP still has Lopez and Pagan as twin pillars of frustration. Who supports Duran? Can Jax continue? Does Thielbar have another year? Does Alcala come back strong? This issue is where our extra SP have to fit in. Is the team enamored with Hennriquez? Will Moran continue to improve? Does bringing in a FA RP work? RP is so sporadic that the Dodgers - the most complete team have now removed their closer - Kimbrel as the enter the playoffs. Then the question has to be - if all 30 teams are struggling to get a good starting rotation how can they expect to find 10 (300) good RP? This is the question of our current era. Hader was traded and looked normal, Rogers has not settled in with either of his new teams to be the player we knew. This FO has not shown an ability to hit on trade or FA RP - can that change? Because they are not the only ones struggling with this. The answer to me is more starter innings or piggy backing starters to fill the innings.
  12. mikelink45
    Auf Wiedersehen! Max is not a sad story, he played on some good teams and he made a lot of money, but his career has peaked and we need to do better. I would have been impressed if he had adjusted his batting approach, but since that was not something he could or would do I think we move on.
  13. mikelink45
    Why did we pitch Bundy? Did we want to get his ERA up further? Is Megill someone we have hope for or is he another Lopez, Pagan? I just want something positive and that just does not seem to be possible in this season ending. I think free fall is the worse of all endings. At least I look forward to the new rules in 2023.
  14. mikelink45
    Accurate but very sad. Has Arraez peaked. Has he adjusted his hitting? Is Miranda just tired? Who wants to see Pagan and Lopez anymore - this season or next? Has Wallner taken the lead for RF in 23? So many questions about the pitchers. What is the good news?
  15. mikelink45
    Injuries accumulate and reduce the overall health of the individual. The cumulative damage to knees and the rest of his body increases arthritis and makes the dream of seeing him come off the operating table and being a regular seems more and more unlikely.
  16. mikelink45
    We are now at a point where losses are more valuable than wins - a 500 team is a late draft position and a lack of momentum. We had a lot of players like Sanchez who might not be there in the future in this game. Now we are going to play Bundy who also will probably not be with us. Why? I like Miranda breaking his slump, I am interested in the young and future and really don't care about W-L.
  17. mikelink45
    Yes, the Twins are 11 games behind - so move on. What a season - Pujols chase for 700 HRs came to an end yesterday and it is an amazing story with lots of smiles and happiness. Can he lead the Cardinals to the WS? That would be fun. Aaron Judge is after a Triple Crown as well as 62 HRs. Amazing! It reminds me of the great triple crown of Mickey Mantle. Judge fields, throws, hits for average, hits for power and drives in runs. This is a complete player. No I am not rooting for Arraez to beat him, although his ability to stop no hit games makes him a possible late surge candidate and Boston is such a hitter friendly park that Bogaerts could succeed too. Great tension here. We have the Dodgers pouring on the victories - how high will they go? Who will wind the AL Cy Young? I vote for Verlander, but competition is stiff. Check the Twins to see if there are positives to garner, but keep locked in to baseball and enjoy the overall show.
  18. mikelink45
    Not yet - Ober has come back and been efficient. I would keep him as a started until he stops being effective.
  19. mikelink45
    At least we got to see Ohtani. Tough conditions for the pitchers. When is Rocco's scheduled day off?
  20. mikelink45
    Having had knee surgery multiple times and knee replacement I am not that hopeful. I wish him luck and good health.
  21. mikelink45
    I watched the Yankee game last night hoping to see Judge crush one, but what stood out was that their starter went deep, they stole bases and ran with purpose, and finally their defense was superb. It is playing all around good baseball and it is a pleasure to see. I would like Rocco to listen to the announcers from this game who complimented the Yankees for using speed and relying on more than the HR.
  22. mikelink45
    I would say our starting pitchers have the most to prove. I like the article and I think Celestino will improve - we brought him up early and he is still at an age where he could be in the minors. He will do well. Jeffers is a puzzle, after his rookie year I expected more. Catcher is going to be a difficult position to judge and he has to take it over and improve on the last two years. Arraez has disappointed with his entire second half. He was my favorite player, but he has fallen in my estimation - was it his early power hitting? Did he start swinging for the fences instead of hits? I have to admit I am not rooting for Arraez - I want Judge to get the triple crown - it would truly be historic! To the pitchers - Varland, Winder, Ober, Sands, have to rise and take over in the rotation and the bullpen. We need Moran to show he can stick.
  23. mikelink45
    I have discovered that Kleenex has secretly bought into the Minnesota teams - they began with the Timberwolves and now expanded as their sales of tissues for the weeping fans. Some people suffer the SAD (seasonal Affect Disorder) in November and December, Twins and Vikings fans don't wait that long, their seasons cause suffering in September and lead us into the darkness ahead.
  24. mikelink45
    Nice to have one team that has meaningful games. Randy Dobnak better invest his earnings from the current contract because he look less and less likely to impact the major league team again. He had his moment in the sun and it was fun, but I do not expect anything else. Cole Sands is definitely being groomed as a reliever. It appears that Wichita has a lot of players to move up after the season - who gets removed?
  25. mikelink45
    It is beyond commenting. From Rest days to station to station baserunning on a team that cannot hit with RISP. From managing SP to sticking with ineffective RP. A season gets long when all the wins come in May. It is hard to watch the Sox play lousy all year and then pass us with ease as the season winds down. It is about folding against good teams, but also lacking the pride to win against KC after blowing the Cleveland series. It is about all those coaches, but no one taking responsibility. What has our hitting, pitching, bench coaches done? Just lots of questions, but no answers.
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