Yeah that is what it seems to be with Berrios too. Although he looked like he had solid command over his pitches the past couple outings. Really hope he continues to develop and give us solid late-inning starts going forward.
MLB: 2017 Minnesota Twins Thread
- Thread starter mj4cy
- Start date
I'm thinking 26 might be Oscar Gamble. Although his hair doesn't look quite bushy enough....
Oscar was next year, #26 is probably Juan Beniquez. With a tip of the hat the the Baseball Almanac.
Loved Oscars big hair!
Twins were down 5-0 and now are up 11-6 on Baltimore on the road. Baltimore is 25-17 on the year.
Didn't see this type of effort from the boys last year. Love it!
Didn't see this type of effort from the boys last year. Love it!
They've been fun so far this year. Its very different from last year (OBVIOUSLY) when they were out of any sort of success about 5 minutes into the first game. And it is different from 2 years ago when they started out so freaking bad and then spent the rest of the season playing catch up and ending up with a shot at the playoffs.
I doubt they can keep up this pace, but it appears that they are in a bad division and they are almost 2 months into the season, so maybe they can.
The thing is, the Twins needed someone to play it Rochester. The bench spots were full at the major league level and they couldn't send Santana to the minors. If they sent him down, any team could take him, so getting anything for Santana is better than nothing.
I'm starting to think this team isn't going to fade away so easily. Maybe it's obvious to some, but why is Dozier hitting lead off lately? I think someone like Polanco would be better suited. Just odd seeing a .240 hitting power hitter in that spot. It seems like more often than not, even in good years the Twins have lacked a classic high OBP lead off guy with speed.
Not to disagree with you but, the lineup is working well with Dozier in the leadoff spot and I agree that he's not what you would think of as a leadoff guy. The Twins haven't had a real leadoff guy since Denard Span. I think at some point Buxton may be the guy but, he needs to be more consistent first. Also keep in mind that the way the lineup is constructed right now is an effort to get the middle guys (Mauer, Sano, Vargas and even Kepler) good pitches to hit.
I see your point but, don't fix it till it's broke
Kepler is a dude. If he keeps hitting and can provide Sano some protection in the middle of the lineup, it makes the Twins offense pretty dangerous. Grossman has also been an on base machine for the past year + two months so far this year, so I think they need to keep him in the lineup as much as possible instead of Rosario. Even Mauer is hot over the past month with an OPS around 900.
The pitching really concerns me though - they need Berrios to be a stud and Ervin to stay hot. If Mejia can evolve into a decent 4-5 starter that would be a win. But Hughes and Gibson...woof.
The pitching really concerns me though - they need Berrios to be a stud and Ervin to stay hot. If Mejia can evolve into a decent 4-5 starter that would be a win. But Hughes and Gibson...woof.
Kepler is my "surprise" of the season so far and yes if he keeps it up, it puts other teams in the position of picking their poison in the middle of the order and that's a great thing. Sano is the strongest human I've ever seen and I would hate to face him from the mound.
The pitching is a worry but, I think if Berrios, Santana and Santiago can be the 1-3 and Mejia can develop in the 4 or 5 spot, you'll see ownership go outside in July to add pitching. The problem is lack of starting depth in the organization as a whole
I have wondered this for years. Dozier is obviously trying to hit the ball to Duluth every at bat, and though he can steal bases, he's not a great OBP guy. Maybe they think he'd be pissed if they asked him to hit somewhere else.
Not to disagree with you but, the lineup is working well with Dozier in the leadoff spot and I agree that he's not what you would think of as a leadoff guy. The Twins haven't had a real leadoff guy since Denard Span. I think at some point Buxton may be the guy but, he needs to be more consistent first. Also keep in mind that the way the lineup is constructed right now is an effort to get the middle guys (Mauer, Sano, Vargas and even Kepler) good pitches to hit.
I see your point but, don't fix it till it's broke
Bob James wrote an essay on batting orders years ago - his point was, you can only control it for the first inning (or maybe 2), after that it's completely random. His point was that far too many managers use outdated ideas for setting their batting order - a couple high OBP guys first, then the big boppers, then the banjo hitters. He posited that it might be far more productive to spread the RBI men throughout the order, so that in a particular inning you would have a better chance to have them hit with runners on base. I miss his stuff.....he was pretty far ahead of most baseball people.
I tend to agree with Mr Jones way of thinking and what you seeing with the Twins is them trying to do just that (to the extent that they can) since they don't have a leadoff guy. The power guys and still stacked in the middle but, I like what they are trying to do and it seems to be working
Swept a good Orioles team on the road....nice!
Sitting at 25-18 now. A year ago we were 11-34 so anything is golden at this point.
Sitting at 25-18 now. A year ago we were 11-34 so anything is golden at this point.
I remember this concept being discussed, but my problem with that school of thought is baseball being a game of failure, spreading out your best hitters is likely to lead to more stranded runners and solo homers vs bunching your best guys. I do like getting your best hitters at the top of the lineup regardless of style to get them more ABs, and if possible putting a high OBP guy in front of a high slugging % guy when possible.
...but remember your best hitters still fail to deliver ~75% of the time.
