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kellyvance

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Everything posted by kellyvance

  1. kellyvance
    No, it is not. Hitting does not define leadership. That ball is coming at you in the 90s and moving. You hit it or you don't. Hitting is about athleticism, timing and power. Leadership indicts character, guts, desire, attitude... all of that. It is a character trait. In fact, leadership is ALLLLL about character. It confuses things to say that getting hot makes you a leader. It doesn't. It gets you on base and produces. And leading the occasional rally is not really it. Leadership is more, much more. And Dozier is this team's leader. Period. It was a cheap shot and remains so, despite Nick's delayed attempt at excusifying and ewen's opportunistic piling on
  2. kellyvance
    Yeah, ok, I hear ya. We don't NEED Dozier and Buck to lead the offense. The Eddies are doing that and Kep was hot there, and LoMo is getting better. I think it is simplistic to say it all has to start with two guys. The season is long enough for several hot streaks and several cold spells. And that goes for everyone. It is a TEAM sport.
  3. kellyvance
    But Nick didn't write an article saying Doze and Buck need to hit, he challenged their leadership and that is bogus.
  4. kellyvance
    Maybe if you had said they just aren't playing well, I'd let it pass. But you didn't do that. And calling out people for lack of leadership is a cheap shot. At a minimum it requires you to have some inside dope concerning what particular shortfalls are occurring vis a vis leadership. Otherwise, you either chose the wrong title for your article or should call it its "Just another whiny post"
  5. kellyvance
    I like Vargas too. If they can get a guy who still has some ceiling I don't mind getting guys that are still growing into their games.
  6. kellyvance
    Bring back Sammy!!!
  7. kellyvance
    No PED guys. Ever. Cheaters should not be honored.
  8. kellyvance
    So many negative comments, but at least someone actually gets it.
  9. kellyvance
    There are times in a ballgame where the 9th inning takes a back seat. For example, say the other team gets two on and no outs in the 7th with 3-4-5- coming up. You put your best out there in that situation, don't you? Worry about the 9th later.
  10. kellyvance
    Some guys are better at starting an inning fresh than coming in with men on and a high leverage deal. Stats only go so far. I think there will be some thought given to getting a guy who has ice water in his veins. Anybody know a good stat approach for guys who shut the door in a two on situation? I don't think WHIP tells you enough.
  11. kellyvance
    I don't see Cleveland letting those guys go to a Central team. I'd make a run at Brandon again as a set up man and sign a stud closer.
  12. kellyvance
    Too low by far. If he is the real deal, then pay him what he is worth and have an incentive clause for his reducing his (dinner) plate appearances
  13. kellyvance
    Hard to watch maybe because you don't know what Pauli knows. I can think of nobody that knows baseball who thinks a sac bunt is dictated by what inning you are in. It is dictated by who is on and where, how many outs there are, and who is up and can he get the bunt down. And who is coming up next. It is also dictated by how well the pitcher is doing in shutting down our offense. You bunt more in a 3-2 game than you do when a lot of runs are being scored. think that Mollie's emphasis on bunting, and our young speedsters getting better at it, will lead to more base hit bunts and fewer sac bunts. There are several Twins that can outright fly. Take Bux and Rosario. Those guys can bat 400 with bunts, once they get the hang of it. And nobody criticized Billy Martin in 1969 when Rod Carew bunted 29 times for hits. Bunting is a largely overlooked part of the game today, and I applaud Mollie for using this overlooked tool. When you have speedsters, you use the speed because speed never goes in a slump. I remember a Mariners game where I was there and the Twins bunted three times innarow. Punto, Span and someone else I can't remember. The bunts all worked and nobody criticized Gardy.
  14. kellyvance
    Buxton may be the best center fielder is baseball. Of course you try to lock him up. Every team needs a bell cow power hitter at no. 4 in the line up. So you lock up Sano too, with maybe an incentive laden clause about maintaining a certain weight. . There will be hiccups, but he is a guy that can carry a team for a couple of weeks when hot. Rosario is a great player, great power and a good OF, but his main attraction is that he is clutch. I think you lock up Berrios too. He will only get better. I'd add locking up Keps and Doze. These guys form a core that is solid as anyone's. I'd take a look at where Gordon is before committing to Polanco, but he has shown that he is a real solid hitter if streaky. Twins have a solid core of position players. They really need pitching. I mean, as in desperately need a #1 guy. Santana and Berrios are really #2 and #3 guys. I hope they sign someone that can be a stopper in the off season. And bring back Brandon as a FA acquisition.
  15. kellyvance
    But it is not 1987. What we have are a bunch of young guys who got hot at the same time. That is really important for a stretch run. Ervin can handle the #1 role in the playoffs and is the least likely of our starters to get shelled. Berrios can pitch as well as a #2 and if he does, and the hitting stays hot, and Gibby keeps the ball in the park, we have a chance
  16. kellyvance
    Glad to see Eddie overcome the baseball voodoo.
  17. kellyvance
    Baseball voodoo being what it is, expect a loss today. What is baseball voodoo, you ask? Its the unwritten tendencies, like striking out after hitting a foul ball out of the park, like a runner getting to third base with no outs should score, and like losing after a big win (16-0 qualifies). Having said that, I hope that last night's surge brings a dose of confidence to the guys and they all get hot together, like in August. If that happens, and they score 6 runs a game, they could make a run in the post season. I for one like the idea of having so many kids on the roster that are not intimidated. And where are all the guys that were calling for Molly to be fired? I'll tell you where: on the bandwagon. Yeee hawww, this year's pennant race is fun.
  18. kellyvance
    Are these scribes calling Sano lazy? They'll say no, but the columns undoubtedly lead the reader in that direction. Which is ironic, since what's truly lazy is the story line these veteran newspapermen keep peddling.Sano is an easy target for errant criticism, because he is big, and he strikes out a ton. You could argue both are inhibiting factors, but they are part of who he is. Every player has his inhibiting factors, and in this case, they also contribute to what makes Sano great. Nick, we sometimes disagree, but you are right on with this. These "sportswriters" often never played the game. Sano is just starting to realize his immense talent. He needs to slim down though, but he is a star on the way up. These sports writers, not so much. But maybe some criticism will motivate him.
  19. kellyvance
    Dumpster diving for cheap lightening in a bottle miracles is not really a pitching strategy. But if we find an occasional gem, it makes them seem wise and encourages them to do more dumpster diving. Garcia, Milone and the like won't win you titles. We need to aspire beyond getting the occasional not lousy end of rotation guys. Teams that go deep into the playoffs have better pitching staffs. But the difference is they have dominant 1-2 guys and a 3 guy good enough to be Les Straker
  20. kellyvance
    Yesterday they showed Dozier's hitting results. With men on base he often hits behind the runners to move them over for Joe and Sano. He hits singles and doubles to right field. I think that shows that he makes the best of what he gets and knows RBI guys hit behind him. He adjusts. As a lead off hitter with bases empty he faces more pitches that are grooved, and I think Dozier looks to hit it out more in those at bats.
  21. kellyvance
    Don't mean to be condescending. But OBP doesn't figure into it. Dozier is not good at hitting outside pitches, so strike outs happen. Just because they pitch to his weakness doesn't mean his OBP should go up. In fact, it is the opposite. Pitchers are more willing to challenge him with nobody on base is my observation. Should they pitch him outside more often. I think so. I could be wrong, but when I watch the games, Dozier waves at outside pitches. He crushes pitches letter high middle and middle in.
  22. kellyvance
    How about I played the game until I was 49? And I still coach at 61. Of course pitchers are more careful with men on base. You don't need data to know that. Just watch some games. Pitchers are much more likely to challenge a hitter with nobody on. In Dozier's case they throw him up and middle or middle in and .....it's gone. They pitch him outside with men on base.
  23. kellyvance
    Those who say Dozier is only a power hitter with based empty ignore a few facts that suggest otherwise. It is NOT him. Because he bats leadoff he often finds bases empty. The pitchers throw him an occasional ball up and in when there is nobody on base. With base runners they often pitch him away. So he gets fewer homer potential pitches with runners on base. That's just baseball. The sample size with him batting 3rd or 4th is too small to draw any conclusions. But in a prolonged role in those slots, with Sano batting behind him, he may very well drive in 100 runs. He drove in 99 last year hitting mainly leadoff. That is outstanding.
  24. kellyvance
    "Dozier has been his usual self: one of the game's better power-hitting middle infielders, and a fine defender, but not an upper-echelon player." Did I hear you correctly? Dozier has averaged over 20 HRs for the past 4 years as a middle infielder and hit 42 last year and he is not an upper echelon player? Who else hit 42 HRs last year? Since when does being in the top 5 or so HR hitters out of 650 players make you not upper echelon? Dozier can't hit with men on base? Really? Did it ever occur to you that pitchers are extra careful pitching to Doz when men are on base? And his at bats when hitting 3rd or 4th is too small a sample size to draw conclusions.Typecasting him as a leadoff hitter is silly. He is a power hitter, guys. And it is dumb to bat your best HR hitter leadoff. Rickey Henderson hit a lot of lead off homers, but he also stole 100 bases. Of course Rickey hit leadoff. Dozier should hit 3rd ahead of Sano and after Mauer. As for can the Twins win with these guys.... that premise is insulting. Mauer's skills are eroding, but he is still a top clutch hitter. Doze and Mauer are NOT the problems on this team.
  25. kellyvance
    Naw, just trying to lighten the mood
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