LimestoneBaggy

I'll go on record that I do not believe Larnach is better than Kirilloff. That being said, if he ends up being better, I'll be pretty happy with that combo of players.

I think there's something to be said about his track record through the minors and how he finished the season.

Mike, My apologies; I should have dated my reference. If I recall correctly, I was referring to prior to the 2015 season.

Balls, but smart balls..... We've seen plenty of examples of teams wading in and looking terrible. The Padres winning free agency comes to mind.

Houston tanked and received good draft positions. Houston was on the forefront of analytic player drafting. Houston was on the forefront of analytic player development. The margin lead they had in these areas is already closing. The Twins window is opening. Guess we will see what the brain trust can pull off and how it goes. They got me to shell out some cash to watch a fun team. The draft is still a crapshoot (convince me otherwise) .

They'll just add more pitching .....

http://www.quickmeme.com/img/95/958a278534504f30e1d04fce2c50818535f926c9e6f0aa5f6fa800f0e3799ad3.jpg

This is your annual automated reminder that Drew Butera is still a big leaguer. Time to hit eBay up for a Sweet Drew throwback...

I purely focused on one sentence in this article "It’s a dubious skill set, to be sure. Like being really good at smoking an entire pack of cigarettes at once." This was gold. Also, I'm very scared that if we gave Rosario this article, he would have the same take away....I hope that's giving him wayyyyyyyy too little credit.

Woof, reading TD was supposed to take my mind of the crappy day I'm having at work....oh well, back to these stacks of paper with impressive looking fonts and charts....

Parker, I understand that movement to a higher attack angle to elevate the ball can cause swings and misses, but that seems somewhat counter-intuitive when the narrative seems to be "get on plane" with the pitch. Being on plan earlier and longer would seem to result in less strikeouts, not more. Thoughts?

I've never watched him pitch, but if I had access, I'd like to see the horizontal movement on his fastball and location of the same. Then how it compares to the horizontal/vertical movement of his off-speed offering. I agree with Swain though, he's really young, with limited reps, adjusting to the bullpen, and probably needs to see some pitch design work. All that said....I'm excited (please don't be Jim Hoey, please don't be Jim Hoey...)

I'm not sure you know how the internet works Brock

Why should Arraez be on the team? [billy Beane points at Peter Brand]..."Pete?" Peter Brand: "He gets on base."

Hits you right in the feels....

With respect, vast majority feels a bit strong here. Pulled hamstrings, quads, obliques, sprains/strains, ect. just happen sometimes. But I see your point.

Bad luck?

Did the changes come with a frozen yogurt?

I once did this with a steamer.....it also did not end well. I love Lew Ford because he was a grinder, and made me think if I was a whole lot better at baseball, maybe I could have played in the bigs (these thoughts usually came to my head as I watched him hustle whilst I drank a beer).

I'm not sure I agree with the Buxton argument on that route. Mondesi hits the ball pretty much dead on to center, but his bat has a slight downward tilt (usually causing a bit of slice to left from a right hander). Off the bat, that ball is going to look like a rocket right at him (which is the most difficult ball to track/catch), and then as he takes his back route, it's going to start the bend toward right. Add that to the near certainty of a full speed slam into the wall. That's a pretty hard ball to track (also, I didn't see if live, but where was the right fielder...shift to the line?).

On a lark, last time I was in town for Spring Training, I brought the family to Sarasota for a Twins/Orioles game. I can second that Hammond is better, but Ed Smith has a good vibe to it that I really enjoyed. --> And the O's fans were very hospitable.

Stu, I hope you read the comments, giggle like a school girl, and then come back five minutes later to giggle some more. This is gold, but I'll always have a special place in my heart for your masterpiece: https://www.twinkietown.com/2013/1/4/3833034/an-oral-history-of-nick-punto-sliding-headfirst-into-first-base

Ghost of Jim Hoey's splitter? I kid, I kid....

Tom, I don't know why, but I have an irrational love of Max Kepler....maybe it's Hicks and Gomez memories, but I just can't bring myself to trade a good glove, potential plus hitting outfielder (who could play some first too)..... guess I'll need to see more of Kirilloff to push me one way or the other ....