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jimbo92107

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Everything posted by jimbo92107

  1. jimbo92107
    If Santa is asking, I'll have a healthy Hildy and a right-handed Taylor Rogers. Then I'm fine. If not, then bring up Romero again. Gotta find one more reliable two-inning guy.
  2. jimbo92107
    No need to change the meaning of "coddle." Its denotation of excessive care or kindness is fine for that word. Its connotation of spoiling children has its place, too. Just use a different word, like "nurture." Baldelli apparently understands that men treated with respect, sympathy and a positive regard for their emotional as well as physical health tend to perform better on the field. Shocking! Imagine the nightmare if we all treated each other like that! Our prisons would be empty! Our military would spend its time building houses and swimming pools for everybody around the world! Meanwhile, the Minnesota Twins will be where every baseball player wants to play.
  3. jimbo92107
    Luis Arraez has a bit of a Tony Gwynn look to him. I'm okay with that, I guess... Could the Twins use a young Tony Gwynn in the lineup? Seriously, this kid looks like a guy that could average well over .300. How the heck did the Twins luck into him? Hate to say it, but there's no way they keep Adrianza around with Arraez's hot bat in the lineup. Not even sure how they keep Arraez on the bench at all. He could bump Schoop from 2nd base. Sweet Luis could force his way into the lineup.
  4. jimbo92107
    I agree that Buxton has fixed his swing. In fact, a man with a swing like that belongs a lot higher in the lineup than ninth. Given what we've seen so far this season, I would go 1. Polanco. Switch hitter, highest avg, good all around offensive player. 2. Buxton. Great swing, fast as hell on base. 3. Rosario v. righties /Cron v. lefties. 4. Cruz. 5 thru 8...whatever, tinker with it. 9. Kepler. Good reverse leadoff for Polanco.
  5. jimbo92107
    2018 was supposed to be the first year where this wave of core players (Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Kepler, Berrios, Polanco) were supposed to compete for a championship. Instead, Santana missed the season, Sano and Buxton were mostly gone, Kepler had a down year, Polanco was suspended half the season, etc. This extreme bounce-back should not really surprise anybody. Management added three very good veterans in the field, Schoop, Gonzo and Cron. They also added three valuable pitchers, Perez, Pineda, and Ryne Harper. In addition, Garver has continued to improve both at and behind the plate, and El Cherubo has shocked the world by being a legit utility player, and a surprisingly good backup catcher. But the thing that should surprise nobody is that the core of this team is now healthy, and they are entering the prime of their careers. They should be competing for championships for the next five years, before they all get old, hurt, or traded. Better still, a new influx of talented players will be arriving over the next few years. Graterol, Kiriloff, Lewis and others should help maintain the talented core, possibly for several more years. Meanwhile, for 2019 I fully expect Twins management to keep tabs on possible late season adds, especially if the team looks poised for a post season run. Wouldn't surprise me a bit to see Marcus Stromen on the team sometime late. We have arrived at the window. I see fun times ahead.
  6. jimbo92107
    Johan Santana was pitching great out of the bullpen, and then they had to go make him a starter. Batting Buxton lead-off threatens the same kind of disruption of the status quo. Who are we to acknowledge Buxton's mature new approach at the plate? I say we stay here in Europe, where the world is nice and flat!
  7. jimbo92107
    "High ankle sprain." Hey, at least it ain't a broken ankle. He'll be back in a few days, I bet.
  8. jimbo92107
    Just when you think some records will last forever, everything goes digital. Jorge Polanco does just about everything the way you want a baseball player to do it. If the Twins don't win the Series this year, I won't blame Polanco. Who will I blame? Hmmm, I'll think it over. Maybe one of the moderators...
  9. jimbo92107
    Tyler Duffey actually looked like a very different pitcher in his one relief appearance. His fastball, previously mired in the low 91 to 93 range, has jumped to the 95 range, hitting 96 more than 94. In his outing, Duffey blew his heater past a couple guys for K's. That might not sound so unusual, but he was leaning on the heater, not on his estimable assortment of curve balls to get guys out. Is this more evidence of Wes Johnson's coaching? I've never seen Duffey's fastball consistently going that fast. If so, Johnson could breathe new life into several Twins arms that have bounced around between AAA and the majors.
  10. jimbo92107
    First time I've ever seen Tyler Duffey blow a side away with just his heater. Lots of 95's and a few 96mph fastballs, and it looked like he was commanding their location. Has Duffey been talking to president Wes Johnson, too?
  11. jimbo92107
    Thing about May is, for some reason his stuff doesn't whiff bats much. Even tho Hildy blew it, his stuff gets a lot more whiffs, so, like Ryne Harper, they keep putting him out there. Hildenberger does seem to have some extreme up's and down's.
  12. jimbo92107
    Stubborn people... Reminds of of this guy I know, Charles. Terrible doubles player. Every first serve, he tries to hit an impossible angle, missing by at least four feet. Then he pops a little puffball second serve in the middle of the service box. It usually gets crushed right at his cringing partner. I asked him once why he keeps doing that, wasting his first serve. "One of these days, I'm gonna ace somebody, and you'll all be sorry." Terrible doubles player.
  13. jimbo92107
    Given what I've seen happen this season, I would let Wes Johnson decide which draftable pitchers he thinks he could build into stars. Hand this man an entire draft of pitchers, see what he can do.
  14. jimbo92107
    I get it! Game of Thrones, y'all! ;-)
  15. jimbo92107
    Miguel Sano will be returning to 3rd base the moment he's healthy, be assured of that. What's different this time around is that Sano will be surrounded by a good mix of solid veterans and his own peers entering the prime of their careers. Can you think of a more powerful motivating factor than that? Oh wait, there's more: the Twins have the best record in the league. The social atmosphere of this club is close to ideal for Sano. Others are leading by example, so he doesn't have to feel he must carry the offense. He can just mash baseballs, without trying to hit a homer every time. That should allow him time to find his swing at the mlb level, and after that he can try to add more power.
  16. jimbo92107
    I'd trade Kirk Cousins for Stromen, straight up. Do it quick, before anybody notices.
  17. jimbo92107
    "Face of the Twins" is a tough question to ask, especially right now, when each game a different guy or set of guys is thumping taters or making spectacular plays in the field. Rosario and Polanco are tied for first in my mind right now. Both could wind up on the All Star team this season. On the other hand, so could most of the Twins pitching staff, the way they're dominating hitters. Does that make Wes Johnson the face of the franchise? Nah, it's got to be a player.
  18. jimbo92107
    Like bighat, I did see Byron Buxton's titanic foul ball to the 5th deck. Is the gravity slightly weaker in Canada? Was there an updraft from a nearby mountain? Consider that at some point, this man is going to straighten one of those out. Betcha that'll be on the highlight shows...
  19. jimbo92107
    A game or two ago I tried to list in order which Twins starters were most dominant. Now, I'm getting confused. Four Twins starters have made it look easy in their past starts. Even Pineda, coming off a blown elbow and knee, is starting to look good. Gibson's performance today was sweet music, like Frank Viola. His arm was so loose, it was just a hinge transmitting energy from below. The ball was flowing from his hand to any spot he desired, with just the right spin to make the batter whiff clean. He was like a magician flicking cards to any spot in the audience. Magnificent. What's interesting to me (and I could be wrong about this) is that I think I'm seeing similar improvements in all Twins pitchers. Their throwing mechanics seem to be improving. Is this the effect of Wes Johnson's coaching? If so, the guy should get a raise. This was in fact one of the theories on why the front office brought in Johnson - because he really does improve pitchers. If that is true, then the Twins could be in for an amazing season.
  20. jimbo92107
    I believe Martin Perez's cutter is here to stay, and that it will in fact get better as the season wears on. I remember Santana's repertoire, but Martin's cutter reminds me more of Liriano's wipe-out slider, the one that would sometimes hit a right handed batter in the rear foot. Perez's cutter slices and dives a lot like Liriano's slider, but Perez throws it at 89 to 91mph, where Liriano's slider was usually arriving at 89. Perez also scatters his cutter around the zone, where Lirano's slider was strictly lower right corner, or just below and inside. Perez's repertoire could get even better. We can see that his fastball command has vastly improved, even as he added more heat. But wait, there's more! Perez has yet to explore his use of the change up, which his better command may enhance. I saw him throw one outside to a rightie a game or so ago...it faded away and sank, almost like Johan's change. If Perez adds that weapon, he might have three plus pitches in his mix. At that point, he could become a Cy Young candidate. And another case of beer for Wes Johnson.
  21. jimbo92107
    I like how the veterans are supporting this team. Cron, Cruz, and Schoop have been supplying timely hits and homers, while Gonzo has filled the defensive gaps, and now his bat is coming alive. The other factor is the effect of Wes Johnson's coaching. Really looks to me like he has had a positive effect on Odorizzi and Perez, while I see no signs of any negative effects. Odo's compact delivery looks even more efficient now, practically effortless, and Perez...well, he's just a different pitcher now.
  22. jimbo92107
    One thing I noticed right at the end - Aroldis Chapman is NOT as overwhelming or unhittable as Mariano Rivera used to be. Yes, he brings it 97 to 100, but he does not mask his off-speed stuff that well, so careful observation can tell when he's bringing the gas, and when he isn't. Also, his gas is straight, and his off-speed stuff is not wipe-out on its own. Oh, and one other thing I noticed...just pitch around Sanchez.
  23. jimbo92107
    Jet lag. Get back there and beat 'em senseless on Saturday.
  24. jimbo92107
    Not only is Martin Perez pitching great, but he's creating some very colorful bubbles!
  25. jimbo92107
    At the start of the season I figured Berrios and Gibson would be the two best pitchers in the ro, and so far that's true, as Gibson is rounding into form. After that, Odo was supposed to be my #3 horse, soaking up average innings. He's been better than that lately, especially against the Astros lumber company. I also figured that Pineda would be an average pitcher this season, if his arm issues were solved. Not so good there - on the mound Pineda looks fidgety, and he's shrugging his shoulder like he's working through scar tissue or something. At least he's not grabbing for his elbow. The big surprise has been Martin Perez. Wow, a talented but unsuccessful pitcher suddenly finds a few extra mph on his heater, then finds a cutter that is slicing through the league. WT wonderful F? We sometimes hear about a guy that finds a new pitch, but Perez (via Wes Johnson?) has discovered two. His heater not only is going 95 to 96, but he's spotting it really well, both his 2- and 4-seamer. But where did this ace cutter come from? Is it just an amped-up version of his usual cutter, or is it a new pitch? Either way, I'll take it, and it looks like Perez is loving it out there.
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