I projected in a chat a few weeks ago -- somewhat arbitrarily -- that I expect the Twins' caught stealing numbers to go down and successful stolen base percentage to go up.
sorry, Pickoff* numbers to go down
haha, those other two are a bit redundant....
Would create buzz, no doubt
I'll say unlikely, even if it would be an improvement in the short term
I do think Pelfrey will be OK this year -- as a No. 4 or 5 starter. His FIP was 3.99 last year, which shows he was cheated by bad defense behind him (thus the 5.00+ ERA).
He's totally off the radar, although he did pitch 6 games at the end of the year. I haven't heard anything this offseason, however.
Received a clean physical at TwinsFest. So no concern there in the immediate term.
I'll say over. But I'm also a huge homer. #ItsHappening
Collective Bargaining Agreement is different
It doesn't make sense -- if an agent is going to test free agency -- to burn up service time in a losing season.
Kevin, it's a good question (more coming)...
By holding prospects in the minors through June (or so), you guarantee they don't become "Super 2" status. If a player becomes a "Super-2," that means he reaches arbitration after his 2nd year instead of after his 3rd year. In other words, teams save upwards of $10 million by holding prospects down -- plus they get a 7th year of service time on the back end.
Of course, if Sano is really good, ideally the Twins would sign him to a long-term extension after about 3 years, thus wiping out this theory almost entirely.
The jury is still way out on Danny Santana. In fact, I think it makes sense to sign Stephen Drew for $10m per (and giving up a 2nd-round pick), because he's only 30 and the Twins don't have a clear-cut SS of the future.
Because -- along with Guerrier, Bartlett and Mauer -- it makes planning the 2004 division title team reunion party much easier.
Got an example? Otherwise I won't allow that generality to fly.
I think probably under. But it depends so much on Meyer, Sano, Gibson...
Lineup bad on paper early. But I'm OK with Twins leaving holes in OF and 3B while they wait for Sano and Buxton. If you thought you had Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera coming, you wouldn't sign a free agent to play 3B or OF -- nor would free agents want to sign here.
Strikeouts were the primary culprit for Kubel
Last we heard, there wasn't much communication between Drew's agent and the Twins... So, less than 20%?
He needs to cut down the swing-and-miss if he's to be a valuable option for this team. More likely, bench bat
Well, considering I had reliable sources telling me two years ago (Willingham's breakout year, younger, etc.) that he was worth a No. 3 or No. 4 starter at best, I can't imagine that value has gone up...
Yes. Sano, Buxton and Meyer are coming. You're going to love all of them.
They do. He is scheduled to throw a bullpen at some point in the next few weeks, and the Twins are expected to attend. But it sounds like he won't be ready to pitch in a game until June -- if ever.