119 thoughts on “November 9, 2015: Concussion”

    1. Let's go with "backup," there... and "finished" is pretty generous as well. Whee! Football!

  1. mlbtraderumors.com has not been able to eliminate the Twins as the team that won the bidding for Byung-ho Park, the power-hitting first baseman from the Korean league. They've been able to eliminate all teams except the Twins, Brewers, Reds, Cubs and White Sox. Reds and Cubs seem unlikely with Votto and Rizzo and no DH available for the vast majority of their games.

      1. Am I the only one who's having flashbacks to how excited people were to get Nishioka? I know they're completely different players, but still...

        1. Article I read said there are few comps for offensive players coming from Korea, but that the one who did still put up quality numbers in a park that suppressed his power to some extent. I... am too lazy to look it up again.

          I recall there being warning signs with Nishi that hopefully don't exist here?

        2. Was anyone here excited about Nishi? If I recall, it was cautiously optimistic but wished we still had Hardy

          1. Yeah, my thought was having Nishi around while keeping Hardy was smart. They could ease him into the team, and there was very little risk.

            Trading Hardy because they had Nishi was totally foolish and a series of worst case scenarios after that.

      2. Git 'r dun, Billy Smith!

        I'll say one thing about this. The Twins have become MUCH more aggressive in the free agent market. I'm so old that I remember when Tony Bautista was about all we could "hope" for in the free agent market.

          1. ^ Spelling Nazi. ^ Nobody likes the way I spell his name, but everyone likes the results of my joke.

            1. Without Mr. Batista, I may never have found your mom's basement, and for that I think he's the best free agent the Twins have ever signed. (Though his performance did not live up to my expectations, since his defense was terrible. I like to think I had the right idea, though, since when the Twins finally upgraded their 3B/SS/LF defense, things really turned around for them.)

      3. I like the Twins being aggressive and all, but the skills Park brings wasn't exactly high on their offseason priorities, or at least what I think should be high on their offseason priorities. We'll see how aggressive the Twins get in upgrading the bullpen and catcher before I decide how much I like this. However, I do think it likely that Park will more than replace Hunter's .702 OPS "production."

      4. With all the home runs, I expected him to be a bigger guy. B-r.com lists him as 6'1", 194 pounds.

      1. And trade Kennys Vargas while you still might get something for him. Much as I like him, there's no spot for him to play now. They didn't spend that much money on Park to send him to Rochester.

        1. I like that they're being creative with upgrades, and it would make sense to reduce the depth a little and let these guys get some playing time somewhere else. Hopefully in exchange for a catcher.

          1. Exactly. It's not a position of need, but they're deepening the system from outside sources, and I like that.

        1. I've really come around on Plouffe. I think he is an amazing example of how sticking with a player can pay dividends. But if we can get something big back for him, we should.

          1. I was really getting excited at the prospect of having three outfielders who contribute offensively and defensively. I liked having players like Kubel, Cuddyer, and Willingham, but they really make you appreciate defense.

            I was just saying how I would like to see the Twins bring back Morneau, but it wouldn't happen because 1st base/DH is the last place it would make sense to bring in a free agent. I'm definitely surprised.

        1. Honestly, if Mauer could actually play third base, I would be for it. His decreased bat would be much less of a liability there.

          1. If it opens up a spot to go get a better bat to play first, sure. But if it's just reshuffling the deck chairs to make Mauer look better, might as well keep the best defensive third baseman there.

              1. Plouffe could potentially hit better in the OF, if it's a position that was easier for him to play, or at least easier on his body.

                1. The Twins had planned to make Plouffe! an outfielder in 2012, and in fact played him there in seventeen games. Then Danny Valencia imploded, they moved Plouffe! to third base, and the rest is history.

      1. Jung Ho Kang had an OPS at Barry Bonds level in 2014, came to the PIrates and had an OPS+ of 124 (with 15 homers). I would imagine projections will put Park around 20-25 homers

      2. AG:

        Minnesota now has a 30-day exclusive negotiating window with Park, who hit .343 with 53 homers, 146 RBIs, and a 1.150 OPS in 140 games for Nexen this season and has topped a 1.000 OPS in each of the past three years. Pirates shortstop Jung Ho Kang had similarly amazing numbers in the same league two years ago and went on to hit .287 with an .816 OPS in 126 games as an MLB rookie.

      3. From MLBTR talking about Kang moving from the KBO to MLB last year:

        Park, 29, is one of the top hitters in all of KBO, having slugged 105 homers over the past two seasons. He hit 53 homers in 2015 to go along with a batting line of .343/.436/.714, though it should be noted that the Korea Baseball Organization is a notoriously hitter-friendly environment. That didn’t stop Park’s former Heroes teammate, Jung Ho Kang, from posting strong numbers in his jump from KBO to MLB, however. Kang is the lone point of reference in terms of position players jumping from Korea to the Majors, and he went from a .356/.459/.739 triple-slash in Korea to an impressive .287/.355/.461 in his Major League debut (while playing in Pittsburgh, where PNC Park is a disadvantageous environment for right-handed power).

        That's a 20% drop in average, 23% drop in OBP, and 38% drop in SLG.

  2. Here's this week's Invisibles Quiz. At least one of those should be familiar to a number of you, considering the discussion going on elsewhere...

    I got 5 of them this week. Of course, two of those are probably in my top 10 for number of times watched, so I feel like I had a big advantage this week.

      1. Those are the two I've watched what seems like a bazillion times.

        (Evidently iOS autocorrect thinks bazillion is actually a legit word. Didn't expect that.)

    1. 'Is that Batman wearing glasses in a Target Store?' SelectShow
  3. On a completely different, and perhaps forbidden zoney, subject:

    'Spoiler' SelectShow
    1. 'Spoiler' SelectShow
    2. It's really silly. Does this mean Christians are supposed to get worked up about any cups now that don't say "Merry Christmas?" A friend of mine said that it's not Starbucks' job to say stuff like that, it's the Christians'.

    3. This feels like a media/internet invention. Do any "real" people really care? I don't know anyone that cares one way or the other. Feels like a slow news day.

      1. If I knew anyone that cared, I would probably make it a point to no longer know anyone who cared.

        1. This probably isn't the time or place, and I certainly don't mean to be picking on you specifically, but this phenomenon bugs me. I'd much prefer a world where we engage with those we disagree with than disavow them. I know that's not always easy to do, but I think part of the reason it's become so difficult is precisely because we're quicker to walk away than discuss. Anyway, this has been in my head a lot lately, and besides, the Padre got us going on the serious topics here...

          1. I don't necessarily disagree, but I've known a number of the people who get up in arms about this sort of thing, and what they're looking for is almost never engaging conversation.

            1. Probably because they never get challenged in a respectful way. Their whole lives have probably been in the blacks and whites, and those comfortable in the gray give up on them. I was way more black and white in high school until people continually challenged my beliefs.

              Though I'm not sure this phenomenon is all that new. I think humans may be more comfortable in the gray now than they ever have in history. I just think social media sites have given the black and white folks a louder platform than they ever had.

              1. Very good points. I think the social media thing is maybe where it bothers me most, precisely because respectful challenges seem so rare there. But I've seen it happen, so I know good discussions can emerge if people try.

      2. That's what's so annoying to me. I know a lot of conservative Christians--I have friends from all over the political spectrum--and not one, literally zero, has suggested we should boycott Starbucks. The only people making an issue of this are the ones who want to mock the idea. I'm not saying it's made up, but it's being portrayed as a mainstream conservative thing when it's not.

  4. I just flipped over to the last few minutes of that third quarter traveshamamockery of the Wolves. LaVine needs to never EVER play again. Bring back Jonny Flynn!

    1. At least he isn't actively throwing the game like LaVine was. If I could make gifs, there was one stretch in the 3rd featuring LaVine that was the equivalent of the Ovechkin "controller disconnected" move.

  5. My allocation of blame:

    LaVine 50%
    Dieng 35%
    Shabazz 10%
    Martin 10%
    Everything else 5%

      1. and Towns with another block! Man, the first two minutes of Wolves I've watched all season is awesome

  6. My wife agreed to watch 4-year-old triplets for two nights. I am currently questioning her judgment.

    1. At your place or theirs Never mind, the answer doesn't matter ... I'm with you in that querying.

      My mother had a four year old (me), a two year old (sister) and twin newborns (my brothers). I can't even begin to imagine that.

  7. Menwhile, the Spurs are punishing the Kings in Sactown. Aldridge is fitting in just fine. Their biggest problem is going to be ... who am I kidding? They are deep and talented. Poised for another title run.

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