The Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger

WE'VE MOVED!!!

2008-12-03T12:06:00.002-06:00

It's time to change your bookmarks, reset your RSS feeds, and move your favorite links to TWINSMVB.COM - the new home to The Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger!

Please tell your friends, family, and baseball fans about the new blog location and thank you for the support. We thank Blogger for a great year of blogging and promise an even better 2009 season at twinsmvb.com!

Reyes future will soon be clearer

2008-12-01T08:12:00.004-06:00

UPDATE!

As of 4:13 pm, Joe C. of the Star Tribune announced that the Twins DID offer Dennys Reyes arbitration. Big Denny has until this Sunday to either accept or decline the offer. If declined the Twins will receive a draft pick from whatever team signs Reyes.

The Twins have a decision to make today regarding the future status of relief pitcher Dennys Reyes. Monday at 11 PM marks the deadline to offer arbitration to any eligible players.

The team must decide to either offer arbitration and determine the salary of a one year deal, offer arbitration and if Reyes signs elsewhere receive a draft pick as compensation, or simply allow Reyes to walk with no compensation. Of course, the Twins could also not offer Reyes arbitration and then try to resign Reyes later.

I believe the Twins will offer arbitration today to Reyes and I think they should. The Twins certainly value their draft picks and if Reyes leaves an extra pick in next year's June draft would hopefully be put to go use. However, if Reyes accepts arbitration the Twins aren't stuck in a bad situation. The team would only be on the hook for a one year deal for a player who has been quite solid for the Twins bullpen for the past three years.

Twins fans and Reyes alike will have a clearer picture on his Major League future by 11 PM tonight.

Black Friday

2008-11-28T00:26:00.003-06:00

As opposed to last year on this blog, I decided to take Thanksgiving off and instead celebrate Black Friday! Now let me assure you I do not celebrate this holiday constructed by consumerist America. You will not find me waking up at 3:00 am to get in a long line waiting to buy at flat screen TV at 30% off, but rather in the comforts of my chair I will write about which Twins I'm buying on great deals for 2009.

1. Kevin Slowey - This kid really impressed me in 2008 and I think he still has much improvement ahead of him. Buying Slowey is like purchasing that new grill for the family, it's an investment that will only get better with time. Slowey went 12-11 with a 3.99 ERA last year and given his pitching style surprisingly struck out 123 batters in 160 innings. He's a fly ball pitcher who gives up a fair amount of homeruns but makes sure he does it without runners on base. Most of all Slowey has great control walking just 24 batters and simply throwing strikes and letting his defense help him out. With Denard Span and Carlos Gomez both behind him for an entire season look to Slowey to post great numbers.

2. Jose Mijares - Mijares is like the new gadget that everyone has read is really cool, but haven't seen it yet. The 24 year old lefty pitched just 10 innings in the big leagues this year but made a big impression. His 10 innings were in pressure packed situations and the young Venezuelan not only showed great composure but the tenacity and confidence to go after hitters and trust his stuff. I know this is a risk with such little pro experience, but I think it'll be a good buy. Mijares will be in a good situation pitching in front of Joe Nathan and should have great success in his role if he keeps his confidence and nerves of steel.

3. Jason Kubel - Like Tickle Me Elmo it seems like Kubel is on this list every year, but last year he made sure his value was known and I expect nothing less in 2009. Kubel finally established himself with a healthy season getting 464 at bats in 141 games. Kubel had an 08 line of .272 with 20 HR and 78 RBI. Despite what seems like many disappointing seasons, Jason will still be just 26 at the start of the 2009 season. Kubel will have control of the DH position and should get to hit behind Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Look for the native South Dakotan to build on his 08 success with another solid year. I'm not expecting any ridiculous breakout year, but I think a .280/25/85 year is within reach.

4. Michael Cuddyer - If you can afford big purchases this holiday season you can't go wrong with a Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, or a Joe Nathan. With the poor economy I also can't afford a young project with high potential like a Carlos Gomez or a Delmon Young. So to do some discount shopping look to pick up a Michael Cuddyer at a reduced rate for 2009. His 2008 campaign was nothing less than a disappointment playing in just 71 games while batting .249 with just a .369 SLG%. However, I think Michael Cuddyer is too competitive and too good of an athlete to allow another disappoint year to drag him down. Yes, I agree that he'll never have seasons like 2006 year after year, but I expect a solid comeback in 2009. As long as Cuddyer is still in Minnesota and gets his fair share of at bats I think he'll start to produce some value based on his big contract.

That's my shopping list for great deals in 2009. Let's hope I get a good return on my investments!

Off the TePoel

2008-11-25T22:57:00.004-06:00

The Case for Morneau

Here it is, as promised. My case for why Justin Morneau is the MVP of the Twins, hands down over Sideburns Joe. Not only is he the MVP of the Twins, he indeed was the AL MVP in 2006 and earned 2nd place this magical season of ought-eight. Statistics are, of course, heavily considered in choosing an MVP, though the subjective is what truly determines the MVP. That is why you won't find much number crunching here. The MVP selection is always surrounded by controversy save the very few unanimous choices - the way it should be due to the fact that most seasons any one of four or five guys could carry the crown. Alas, we are not discussing THE MVP, just the Twins MVP. It's Justin.

There are a lot of reasons why the Twins were one run away from the playoffs. As I think back to my opening day expectations that would have been a rather daring, yet charming belief. I was truly anticipating something resembling more of a Minnesota Timberwolves campaign. Honestly. And I was okay with it. After seven/eight years of high expectations and mild to extreme disappointment, I was ready to lower my guard and simply sit back and enjoy the game of baseball and some young, developing talent. But no, the Twins surprised and were right in the mix because of several factors. I will list them as such; first the factors NECESSARY as a bare minimum for the pennant run:

1) The first half pitching by Livan Hernandez. Without him carrying the load for the young pitching staff the Twins would not have made it to June with a respectable record. I recall our starting five having about 15 combined wins after the first 60 games. Thank you Livo.

2) The failure of the Lamb/Harris/Everett infield allowed the Twins to utilize Alexi Casilla early on in the season and he produced more RBIs than me in the backyard baseball season of '89. Casilla was absolutely on fire. He carried the offensive spark that was missing from Mauer, Young, Cuddyer, et al. Much like the failed Castro/Batista experiment in '06 that allowed Bartlett and Punto to flourish, Casilla ushered in the '08 version.

3) Thank goodness Cuddyer got hurt because Denard Span saved this team as well. Cuddy wasn't doing much of anything in that #3 spot initially, then 5 or 6 or wherever he hit. Span was tearing it up in AAA, deserved to be on the team from day one, and when he got his second call-up he did not blink. Speed, production, defense, he did it all.

4) Joe Mauer. Hey, just cause he's not the MVP doesn't mean he isn't extremely valuable. That's an understatement. Another batting title certainly is hard to overlook, especially considering he did it as a catcher. He played more this year and stayed healthy which was key to the team's success. A gold glove as well to add to the nonexistence of a running game for opponents thanks to Joe. He deserves a good chunk of the credit for the success of #5 below as well, although he has to split that with Rick Anderson and the aforementioned Hernandez.

5) The Staff of youngins who pitched out of their minds. Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins, Liriano, and Baker. These guys are pure filth. I don't know how the Twins consistently develop such good young pitching. Although they really need to stop giving up the long ball.

6) Go-go. Yeah he helped too. Despite all his strikeouts and stretches of ugly baseball, the kid was a spark at times and played his butt off all season.

So there it is, six NECESSARY components to the value of the team. But they alone, are not SUFFICIENT to explain the pennant run. That would be Mr. MVP. Take away any one of those six pieces and the Twins still can compete. Don't believe me? They proved it. Harris and Punto filled in for Casilla when he was hurt or struggling. On countless at bats Gomez might as well have walked up to the plate and told the ump, "45,000 people know that I won't come within four feet of the ball these next three pitches, so can I just sit down?" but the Twins still found ways to win. The staff had off days, the bullpen or offense picked them up. And yes, even when Mauer's line read "4-3. 4-3. 4-6-3. 4-3" the team stayed alive. And that is because of the first baseman.

This team simply would have been nowhere near the top without Morneau. Gardy didn't think so either. The Canadian found his way into all 163 games. Morneau had 47 doubles. Mauer had 44 extra-base hits combined. Pitchers gave Mauer stuff to hit because they didn't want to face the MVP. Morneau had no legitimate threat behind him. Most of the time hurlers were licking their chops to get at Kubel or Delmon. That's the cake: Morneau put up a .300 average, 129 RBIs (44 more than Mauer), and 23 HR with pitchers trying to avoid him all season. Not to mention the much improved defense from the once awkward first sacker.

Next year I'll take Justin to prove it again.

A quick take on Casey Blake

2008-11-25T00:06:00.001-06:00

Should the Twins sign Casey Blake this offseason? It's been discussed, supported, and belittled on numerous Twins blogs so why haven't the Werner Brothers (at least one of them) weighed in on this issue? I guess our take is a little mixed. Here are three things fans and bloggers should keep in mind when it comes to signing a free agent like Blake:

1. Options at 3B and Meanings for other positions
2. Defense and Offense
3. Strategies of Resilience: First Choices and Back-Up Plans

Options at 3B

Third Base is a great place for the Twins to upgrade this offseason, whether it is short term (waiting for Hughes or Valencia in 2010 or so) or long term (if the player is good). The Twins also need a shortstop (or 2B if Casilla moves). I'm on record from the start of the Twins' offseason saying that I'd enjoy the Twins trying to pick up both a middle infielder and a 3B, even at the expense of Perkins/Blackburn, Boof, and a corner OF/DH option like Cuddyer, Young, or Kubel (though only if the trading options were excellent).

Other options include trading for an experienced 3B--Garrett Atkins of the Rockies, Kevin Kouzmanoff of the Padres, or Adrian Beltre of the Mariners--a less experienced 3B like Chris Davis of the Rangers, or an MLB-ready player with only minor league experience. Unfortunately, there isn't much else available for Free Agent 3B's--maybe Joe Crede, though he is coming off multiple injuries and will remain an injury risk. There are more Free Agent options at SS: they include Orlando Cabrera (whom I don't like), Rafael Furcal (whom I like a little more, but think will be too expensive), Edgar Renteria (whom I don't want), and former/recent Twins like Nick Punto and Adam Everett (both of whom are good defenders, but have little to offer the offense). Trading for a shortstop who can hit and play defense is difficult, being that SS is a premium position, and the Twins have few if any SS options in the high minors. But it is rumored that JJ Hardy or Yunel Escobar might be available for trade with a sweet enough deal for the Brewers or the Braves.

In any case, the Twins would like to improve their offense at both these positions (SS / 3B), but they don't want to give up their first round draft picks without a very special signing, and they likely don't want to trade away too many quality players to bring in a new 3B and SS. So the Twins front office is likely looking for a signing like Blake at 3B to go with a trade to bring in a SS (and maybe a RP). But in improving their offense through free agents and trades, can they keep a solid defense for 2009?

Defense and Offense

The Twins are not the best slugging team, and few Twins excel at taking walks. What they excelled at in 2008 was hitting for average, and somehow improving their average dramatically with runners in scoring position (RISP). Counting on a high team batting average with RISP is a tenuous and unlikely bet, so the Twins need to improve either their slugging with who they have already for 2009, or bring in new hitters to bolster the power side of their batting. But it is important to note that the Twins have developed a team style dependent on good defense, which is one reason why Everett and Punto were good options for the middle infield (though Everett didn't live up to his potential on either side this year, and however well Punto did this year doesn't help erase a horrid 2007 from the minds of fans).

How do you balance defense and offense? Even though I think that many Twins project to slug more in 2009 than they did in 2008 (Young, Mauer, Cuddyer, Kubel, Gomez), I doubt that the Twins average with RISP can match the numbers from 2008. And while the Twins outfield could very easily remain a top defensive outfield in 2009, I'm not sure the same is true of the infield, and that means that our pitchers will have less support and confidence, and Gardenhire will be more frustrated and erratic, which may have cascading effects on the field. I think that the defensive play at SS is key more than it is at 3B. In other words, I think that a healthy Everett would be a perfect fit for the Twins, though a less skilled SS may do fine with fly-ball-heavy pitchers like Perkins, Slowey, and Baker. But this is not to downplay the value of having someone like Beltre at 3B, with Gold Glove defense and solid batting from the right side.

Other bloggers (linked above) have looked at the particular strengths and weaknesses of 3B options, both offensively and defensively, so I'll leave it to you to check that out rather than recapping it. But the question I want to focus on is how the Twins might improve their first choices without losing the resilience that has kept the team a consistent threat year after year (you could say that the Twins have had a dynasty of remaining competitive--even if they aren't winning--for the entire Gardenhire era).

Strategies of Resilience

What the Twins have had the last couple years--for good and ill at times--is flexibility in the infield, due largely to players like Nick Punto, Matt Tolbert, and Brendan Harris. While Harris is now being talked about as a potential platoon partner with Brian Buscher by many in the Twins blogging community, he came in to play SS or 2B, and played both early this year. At the same time, the Twins have had utility players like Punto and Tolbert around to fill in the holes when players get hurt or can't play defense well enough. But the Twins may not retain Punto's services, they've given up on Everett, and Tolbert's defense and offense may end up below and equal to Punto's defense and offense respectively. In other words, the Twins may start 2009 with far less flexibility than they did in 2006-2008: whatever Punto's problems were offensively in 2007, he made up for it with three good years of defense and two solid years of offense.

A player like Blake may be flexible in terms of his ability to play at all the corners (1B, 3B, LF, RF), but he can't play the middle infield, and someone like JJ Hardy (if the Twins could manage to trade for him) may end up needing a switch to 3B from SS at some point in 2-3 years. Finally, when I think about resilience, I think of the Twins outfield and DH slots, which may actually be overflowing with resilience. The Twins are unlikely to have that in the infield, and planning to use Harris and Buscher as a platoon not only cuts down on roster spots, but also cuts down on infield resilience. With the Lamb and Everett signings of last offseason, the Twins tried to bring in players to improve the team, but when that failed, they had other options (Punto, Casilla, Tolbert, Harris, and Buscher). I don't think we'll have as much flexibility if the platoon isn't working.

I think this is one reason that many Twins bloggers are ignoring when they endorse a 3B platoon rather than signing Blake or Crede, or trading for Beltre. I don't like any of these options, but I think they are wise if the price (contracts/trading requirements) is right. That would give the Twins the option to use a Harris/Buscher platoon as the backup rather than the only plan. And if Blake works out similar to Lamb in 2008, there's another option: if Harris/Buscher regressed somehow (offensively, defensively, or injury), the say wouldn't be true, and the Twins might be looking at Hughes or Valencia a year or two earlier than preferred.

The same would be true at SS: I'd prefer to bring in Hardy (even if he cost us Boof, Delmon, and a pitching prospect) rather than trying out Harris there. And while Tolbert might be a cheaper version of Punto, I wouldn't be opposed to keeping Punto around for flexibility even if we wouldn't have enough spots for some of our other infielders with question marks and limitations.

Summary

It seems that few others are as interested as I am in (a) bringing in Chris Davis from the Rangers (even if it means sending them Perkins/Blackburn, Boof, Duensing, and Valencia--perhaps even a little more quality in that quantity) in order to give the Twins a great offensive 3B with solid defense to protect Morneau; or (b) trading Boof, Kubel, and Young while signing Dunn to protect Morneau, thereby allowing for a Harris/Buscher/Punto platoon at 3B/SS while still improving the offense. Given that those options don't seem to be working out, and given that trading very much for one year of Beltre without negotiating an extension would be ill-advised (and acquiring Kouzmanoff, Atkins, Renteria, or Cabrera each seems quite foolish to me), I would recommend one of the following two courses of action.

1. Sign Casey Blake for two years with a vested option, at maybe $7-9 million/year and make a hard push for a Hardy trade that would make keeping the Buscher/Harris platoon around a good thing. This gives us one free agent signing (Type B, so no lost draft pick) and one trade (where we might have to give up Boof, Perkins, and a couple prospects, or maybe Boof, Delmon, and a prospect). Then worry about finding a set-up RHP.

2. If we stick with the Buscher/Harris platoon as the primary 3B option and focus all of our attention on someone like Hardy, then signing Punto becomes a much more desirable act (in order to keep a good SS option in house). If Punto is too expensive, I recommend signing Everett again (for cheap) in order to keep the team's infield resilience and defensive ability.

And That Happened

2008-11-24T09:09:00.002-06:00

Monday morning sportsfans and again a relatively quiet weekend on the baseball front. As the ESPN boys have noted (Gammons and Olney) CC Sabathia is in control of the free agent market. Because all GM's and player agents want to reach a deal at "fair market value" everyone is still waiting around to see where the fair market value will be.

Gammons says when Sabathia signs than it'll trickle down to AJ Burnett, Derek Lowe, Mark Teixeira, and even Manny Ramirez. I did read one report on MLB Trade Rumors that Rafael Furcal is close to signing. The article is in Spanish but I'll link it anyways because Twins MVB has a surprisingly large percentage of Hispanic followers???

The article notes the rumored deal, from the Oakland A's, at four years $48 million. This seems like a pretty good signing if you ask me. I know I'd love to see Minnesota make a run for Furcal but I understand why they are not. The per year price would actually fit the Twins just fine especially considering Orlando Cabrera could command $10 million a season. However, Furcal does have a history of injuries and I don't think the Twins would want to go four years. Third base seems to be Bill Smith's focus as the moment but I think we'll know more next week during the GM meetings.

Finally, I leave you with another video to start of your week. My good friend Kate sent met this video and knew I would enjoy it. It comes all the way from Japan during MLB's season opener between the Boston Red Sox and the Oakland A's.

As I searched on YouTube the comments mentioned that the "announcer" in this video is actually John Mayer playing a joke because he apparently he hates baseball. I must admit I'm not a huge Mayer fan, especially because when I went to college everyone thought my name was John Mayer.... annoying.

If there are any huge John Mayer fans out there, feel free to confirm in the comments section of this is the real John Mayer.

Happy Birthday Twins MVB!

2008-11-22T15:53:00.003-06:00

Dear Twins MVB fans and readers today is a day to celebrate. Twins Most Valuable Blogger is celebrating its' first birthday!

A year ago today, which was actually Thanksgiving Thursday, I wrote my first post about Torii Hunter signing with the Anaheim Angels. Funny how quickly things change in one year. Hunter seems like a thing of the past. In that first post I was writing about who will play centerfield, is Johan Santana going to stay a Twin, and how do the Twins rebound from a poor 2007.

Flash forward one year and it's Justin Morneau just missed out on MVP, who's going to play SS and 3B (which were also questions last year), and too bad we just missed the playoffs in 2008.

Doing this blog has been a great experience for me and I think the first year for the blog was a great succes. We had nearly 6,000 visitors in our first year (5,852 to be exact) and I'd like to thank every one of you for stopping by. The blog has continued to grow and evolve and I think we can get three times as many visitors in our 2nd year.

We have a few more exciting changes ahead this offseason for MVB so continue to come back, tell your friends, sign up for the RSS feed, link us on your blogs, and just spread the word about Twins MVB.

Thanks again sincerely to all our fans and readers and go Twins in 2009!

Blogs: In Plain English

2008-11-20T10:13:00.004-06:00

Thanks to all who checked out my podcast appearance over at Seth Speaks. It's been a quiet week in baseball since the MVP awards were announced. Other than the Seattle Mariners naming their new manager Don Wakamatsu, Coco Crisp getting traded to Kansas City, and Mike Mussina announcing his retirement it's just been a few hushed rumors here and there.

The Twins did add eight players to their 40 man roster yesterday to prepare for the December 5th Rule 5 Draft. No big surprises here, but some good young player added to the 40 man.

Because of the quiet baseball week I want to take a moment to plug one of my favorite websites. The site is called Common Craft.com.

Common Craft is run by a husband and wife team out of their home in Seattle, WA. Their business model is in the art of explanation. I think the idea is brilliant! There is certainly information overload in today's global world and we all need a little explanation.

If you're reading this blog you probably understand what blogging is, but to get a taste of what Common Craft is check out Blogs: In Plain English...

In other news, I want to see how many, if any, Twins followers use the social connecting service, Twitter. Twitter is another one of my favorite websites and I want to use it to connect Twins fans on a whole new level. Check out the sidebar poll on the left and let me know whether or not you use Twitter. Then if you do use it feel free to leave your user name in the comments section, or if you don't feel comfortable simply email me at twinsmvb@gmail.com. Have a great Thursday!

Seth Speaks and Morneau Misses

2008-11-19T00:47:00.004-06:00

MVB on Seth Speaks

An exciting opportunity took place last night as I made a guest podcast experience on Seth Stohs' Podcast. Check out Seth's blog here to listen to yours truly as well as author Tom Swift and Twins' Prospect Nick Papasan.

Off the TePoel

2008-11-18T23:00:00.004-06:00

I'm No Hypocrite

As per last week's column, I'm not going to contribute much to this week's blog. I haven't thought much about baseball or the Twins this week to be honest. I've been too busy indulging my sports fix in the world of fantasy football.

Thank goodness the football season isn't as long as baseball. Then we'd really be in trouble. It's bad enough the way it is with this football obsessed country. Seriously. Is there anything worse for coverage on ESPN than freaking mini-camps? What I can't stand is how they start making predictions for NEXT year's Super Bowl during the Super Bowl post game show. And if that wasn't enough to get your dopper up, they start psychoanalyzing the NFL draft just minutes later. Boy, I sure do set the DVR for those scout workout analyses as well. How tight can a guy throw a spiral in a mini-dome with no pads and no defenders? Who cares?

As I argued last week, the baseball "season" is year round like everything else. But at least it's baseball for crying out Charlie Brown.

Only things I paid attention to MLB-wise in my fasting were as follows:

1. Neshek's out. This is very bad for Twins fans. I personally don't think he'll ever be as dominant as he was in 2006 and early 2007. Set-up men rarely stay that unhittable for very long. With Mijares being our new 8th inning man, we'll survive.

2. Pujols is the NL MVP. They should put him in the Hall of Fame now. He literally would not have to step foot on the diamond ever again; he will finish his career as the best right handed hitter of all time.

3. Pedroia wins the AL MVP. Good for him. Not a lot of intrigue there. I do believe the Mauer-Morneau debate is more enticing. I know the MVB is a big Mauer guy. I'll make my case for Morneau as Twins MVP next week.

Till then, it's back to fine arts and culture for me...or fantasy football.

Morneau for MVP?

2008-11-18T09:49:00.003-06:00

We will see today at 1 pm EST. The honor would be a great one for Morneau who would join a small club of multi-MVP winners. However, I'm not feeling too optimistic about Justin's chances.

In no way a slight against Justin, the guy had an awesome season batting .300 with 23 homeruns and 129 RBIs, but I just feel like his stumble down the stretch will cost him this award. There is also a hot debate among Twins bloggers and writers if Morneau is even the MVP of his own team. As much as I like Justin, I happen to be in the Joe Mauer as team MVP camp and if any other MLB writers feel the same way it'll cost Morneau the award.

It's too bad because I feel like once Chicago's Carlos Quentin went down with injury the MVP was Morneau's to lose. Sadly, he did a pretty good job at trying to lose it down the stretch. It must be noted the Twins would not have even been in playoff contention if it weren't for their Canadian first baseman, but unfortunately in the final 10 games of the season Morneau batted just .135 with zero homeruns and only one RBI. He struck out nine times and just stopped coming up with the big hits that he had for the five months prior. It is no doubt that with the playoff pressure and talk of MVP Justin appeared to press a little at the plate but it's just too bad he couldn't have even hit just .200 with one or two homeruns and like five or six RBIs.

However, I'm not completely counting out Morneau. The American League race is wide open with Dustin Pedroia, Morneau, Carlos Quentin, Josh Hamilton, and Francisco Rodriguez all most likely receiving recognition. I think the winner will really come down to the 2nd and 3rd place votes. The numbers will be spread around and maybe like in 2006, Justin Morneau will come out the surprise MVP winner!

Countdown to Target Field

2008-11-17T09:44:00.004-06:00

I was away for a few days and unable to post but thanks to DY21 for his post. However, when I returned home I had an interesting package in the mail from the Minnesota Twins.

I was greeted with my season ticket renewal package, and look at the following little treat:

Only 504 days! It's just around the corner! Obviously my clock moves, but to honor the countdown we'll add a counter of our own here on the left sidebar and hope that this blog still exists by the time this clock hits zero. Here's to 504 more successful days!

Okay that is still a long time from now, but looking forward to next year is just as exciting. The Twins will be fielding a great team and it'll be a special year as the "final season" in the Metrodome. I'm planning on upgrading my season ticket plan from last year so look forward to a few free ticket giveaways on this blog is 2009!

In other Twins news, I'm going to wait and see on some of the recent Twins rumors until there is some more substance. But to catch you up, Twins Territory discusses the Twins "framework fo a deal" for free agent 3B Casey Blake. Aaron Gleeman discusses his affordable bullpen options for 2009.

Let the Early Christmas Shopping Begin!

2008-11-14T02:46:00.006-06:00

I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, and Black Monday has yet to occur, but starting today many baseball teams will begin shopping for their "Christmas wish lists." As a Twins fan this day is relatively unexciting but for fans of big market squads or for fans of baseball in general as the free-agent signing period has finally begun. ESPN writer Keith Law has Mark Teixeira as the most coveted free-agent to be in his list of the top 50

Jayson Stark wrote a wonderful article breaking down every teams needs and the best FA that would fit. Naturally, for the Twins he said that Casey Blake fits the mold best as their potential free-agent. The scary part is that he thinks Casey may cost too much money for the Twins. Really? Casey Blake too much money? Altough Blake would definitely help the Twins at their weak spot at third, I personally will keep my fingers crossed that we don't overpay for any aging, role players like Blake. I mean just look at how Adam Everett, Tony Batista, Mike Lamb, etc. have done in the past years.

All in all Christmas has come early for the baseball fans. The presents will probably start being opened very soon with many teams hoping for a Manny or CC to be under their Christmas tree. One thing is certain though, these big presents will definately not be on sale.

A Foul Ball Story

2008-11-12T11:35:00.004-06:00

It's a cold blistery Wednesday here in Minneapolis with snow lying the ground. I figured enough writing from me, so today I'm leaving you with a very, very funny video that came from a CBS nightly news story.

I have to admit I never thought I would put Katie Couric on my blog, but hey everyone loves Katie! The following story is about one of the craziest fans you'll ever see at a Major League Baseball Game. This guy has caught over 3,000 foul balls at MLB games over his lifetime and when you watch this video, in my opinion, fans like this are what ruin the experience for thousands of wide-eyed kids. But who am I to say, I'm an obsessed fan who has a blog???

After you watch the video in the comments section write your most memorable foul ball story whether you caught a ball or nearly missed!

Twins Suffer Devastating Blow

2008-11-11T15:28:00.003-06:00

So usually devastating injuries only happen during the season right? Not in the middle of November when teams are looking to fill holes, not create them. Unfortunately, Seth Stohs of Seth Speak's reports that Twins reliever, Pat Neshek who had an MRI today, learned that his elbow will require Tommy John surgery causing the St. Louis Park native to miss all of the 2009 season.

Now this announcement will come with much grief from Twins fans because when Neshek suffered his elbow injury this past May the Twins decided he should simply rest rather than have surgery. But as Seth reports the ligament that Neshek tore completely off of his bone this past week is on the other side of the ligament he tore in May.

Neshek is expected to recover fully for the 2010 season but the poor guy will have missed over a year and a half of his baseball career. This is a big hit to the Twins, who's biggest weakness in 2008 was the bullpen. Getting Neshek back was going to be like making a big trade, but now the Twins may in fact need to make a big trade or free agent acquisition.

After the calm of the Matt Holliday to the A's storm yesterday I started thinking about the package that the Rockies obtained. Before I even heard the Neshek news I thought maybe the Rockies acquired reliever Huston Street to include in a package with Garret Atkins to send to Minnesota? There are many other teams interested in Street, but a package with Street and Atkins may mean the difference for the Rockies between getting just Michael Cuddyer in return to getting Cuddyer, Nick Blackurn or Glen Perkins, and another prospect.

All of this is just speculation of my ideas, but one thing is certain that GM Bill Smith's To-Do list just got a little bigger.

Off the TePoel

2008-11-11T00:05:00.000-06:00

(MLB) Loves You Long Time

Sorry for the ridiculous title, but I couldn't resist. I am a diehard baseball fan. Always have been and always will be. I eat, drink, and sleep baseball. As a kid I collected baseball cards like you wouldn't believe. And then during the summer before 8th grade, towards the end of my baseball card collecting nerd-dom, my brother Kyle and I took all of our cards out of their respective slots in their sweet binder clear page homes, organized them according to teams in huge stacks in the living room, then re-entered them into new homes inside those sticky clear pages in the sweet binder books. We also counted them (note: some football, basketball, hockey, looney tunes, and/or ninja turtles cards were also included). The final number was literally something like 12 or 13 THOUSAND.

Despite an embarrassing Twins team in 9th-11th grade, I still loved on my Twins. Well, at least till the all-star break. Then it was just too painful. But still, each off season I bought the magazines with the previews. I'd read up on my team and watch MSC (if you remember that wonderful station) to catch the Twins mostly lose badly or occasionally pull off an upset (take that dangerous Mariners of the 90s!). Then finally, the heavens opened up in April 2001, Brad Radke started out either 4-0 or 5-0, and the Twins were good again. My loyalty had paid off. People started wearing Twins hats and shirts like it was cool. Truly, I was cool all along.

I rode that Twins wave into college. People associated me with Twins baseball. When they were knocked out of the playoffs in 2002, people came to comfort me like my Grandmother had just passed away. I mean, really came to comfort me. They looked sad and on the verge of tears. "No, I'm really ok," I'd assert. "It was a great season."

Then the Twins made the playoffs again in '03 and '04. Baseball had become as big a part of my life as it was when I was that youngin' collecting cards. Followed everything, 30 spring training games, 162 regular season games, 4 divisional playoffs, 2 championship series, and of course, the World Series. That's just the beginning, then we start the Hot Stove talk, trades, free agents, Twins winter caravan, Twins Fest, and then oh yes, back to my beloved baseball season magazine previews. In depth analysis of all 67 teams.

All this and I haven't even mentioned listening to sports talk radio, baseball movies (See Eight Men out and Cobb), pre game and post game shows, reading the articles online, Baseball Tonight (one of the Lord's many gracious gifts), all the baseball books I've read (see Roger Kahn, especially) and perhaps what has taken up most of my time, one-on-one original Nintendo baseball death matches against my brother in the forms of RBI, RBI 2, Tecmo Baseball, Bad News Bears Baseball, and the ever popular Baseball Simulator 1000. Then I worked, mostly as an intern, for baseball teams during the summers of 2003 - 2006.

There's probably more. Espousing all this has finally made me realize how pathetic I am.

That's not the point. The point is I love this game and I think the season is just too long. Don't believe me? Just ask the World Series teams the year following their run. They're exhausted. Too many playoff games. Too many exhibition games. Really, I wouldn't change Spring Training. It's part of what makes baseball so great compared to the NFL, NBA, and NHL. But when I think back on baseball's history, when people LOVED baseball, I sort of wish I could experience that. Just the AL and NL. No divisions, just two leagues and two winners meeting for a Title. Growing up with the ALCS and NLCS wasn't so bad either, there was and is some excellent drama in that, to be sure. Overall, I'd argue the quality and competitiveness of the playoffs has suffered with the expanded Wild Card/Divisional system.

I like the idea of a less saturated media market, too. After the game maybe you talked about it and read about it in the newspaper. Sounds good to me. Then you dreamed about it. Now we just absorb so much chatter and fodder and comparing this and comparing that, and what if this and what if that. Drives me crazy.

I know the changes in baseball have been good: attendance is soaring, more teams are making it to the playoffs and the World Series, more interest throughout the long season, inter-league play continues to succeed, and there are loads of other goodies. But then the World Series comes along and every year the ratings are terrible. No one cares at the end unless the Yankees, Red Sox, or Cubs are playing. It's like March Madness: interest is highest that first day. I think the divisional rounds of the MLB playoffs now generate a similar excitement among baseball nerds like me. I watched the World Series and always will, but we are a dwindling breed.

Maybe I'm just old school and a purist, but part of why I loved baseball so much as a kid was because I forgot about it for a while. It was cold outside so I put my glove in the closet. The bats and balls went back downstairs. Baseball is all about the seasons. It starts anew each spring and dies with the fall. Then we wait. And once the days start to get longer, we dig out those gloves and start to dream of spring again, like we've never smelled the green grass or heard the popping of mitts ever before.

Take a breather this winter, at least once. If it's one day even, just try it. Maybe go for a week. No Twins website checks, no SportsCenter, no Winter Meetings gossip.

I promise, you'll find baseball's return in Spring unbelievably refreshing.

BREAKING NEWS: A's Acquire Holliday

2008-11-10T14:06:00.006-06:00

Breaking news out of Oakland, California, Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman reports that the Oakland A's are set to acquire outfielder Matt Holliday from the Colorado Rockies. Players going to Colorado are unconfirmed but rumors names pitchers Greg Smith and Huston Street, and outfielder Carlos Gonzalez.

This would come as a bold, surprising move from Oakland GM, Billy Beane, but if any GM is to make a bold move it's Beane. Beane has stockpiled the Oakland farm system over the past few years through trades and could definitely offer a package to suit the Rockies needs.

The addition of Holliday would immediately bring a power bat to a weak offensive club as well as a solid defensive player in the outfield. It remains to be seen whether or not Oakland would be able to sign Holliday, a free agent after the 2009 season, to a long-term deal.

On a Twins note, as expected my Holliday rumor to Minnesota is confirmed as ridiculous!

My 2008 NL Pitching Staff

2008-11-10T00:02:00.000-06:00

When not writing here for Twins MVB I've been writing some articles over at sports fan site called Bleacher Report. I was asked to write a post about the top pitchers in the National League in 2008, thus the non-Twins theme. I thought I'd post it here as well...

In honor of the upcoming National League Cy Young Award I decided to play the role of GM and construct my Fantasy Rotation for the 2008 season. Hopefully this club could beat the Phillies...

ROTATION
C.C. Sabathia - Brewers
Tim Lincecum - Giants
Brandon Webb - Diamondbacks
Johan Santana - Mets
Cole Hamels - Phillies

BULLPEN
Carlos Marmol - Cubs
Kerry Wood - Cubs
Billy Wagner - Mets
Brad Lidge - Phillies

Sabathia - Although C.C. only played three months in the National League his impact was felt throughout the NL Central and on the playoff race. The burly lefty was 11-2 with a 1.65 ERA in his 17 Brewer starts. Seven of his 17 starts Sabathia pitched a complete game. He literally put the Brewers on his back and got them into the playoffs taking the ball on three days rest three starts in a row. This is the type of competitor I want on my club.

Lincecum* - The young righty had a great 2008 campaign on very poor San Francisco club. Lincecum finished 18-5 with a 2.62 ERA and a Major League-high 265 strikeouts. The 24-year-old pitched 227 innings for the Giants and who knows what is record would have been on a better club. I want this kid on my team.

Webb - The D'Backs ace seemed to falter down the stretch when his team needed him, but Webb is undeniably one of the bests arms in all of baseball. The former Cy Young winner went 22-7 with a 3.30 ERA and struck out 183 batters in 226.2 innings. Webb is a proven pitcher who takes the mound every five days and delivers his best performance possible.

Santana - The two time Cy Young winner who should have won three in a row with the Twins posted another Santana like season in his first year in the National League. The lefty went 16-7 and with better run support would have been a 20 game winner. Santana struck out 206 batters, pitched three complete games with one shutout, and lead the NL with a 2.53 ERA.

Hamels - The newly crowned World Series and NLCS MVP earned a spot on my team this October. Hamels proved himself a big game pitcher leading his team to a World Series title. The lefty went 14-10 in 2008 with a 3.09 ERA and 196 strikeouts.

Marmol - Carlos Marmol brings electric stuff onto the field when he comes out of bullpen. The righty often tops the radar gun at 100 mph and posted a 2.68 ERA. Marmol struck out a ridiculous 114 batters in 87.1 innings.

Wood - The only thing keeping Marmol from becoming the Cubs closer was Kerry Wood's All-Star season. Wood saved 34 games for the Cubs while posting a 3.26 ERA. Wood isn't the closer on my team, but when I need a strikeout I'll call one of my Cubs relievers.

Wagner - Billy brings both a lefthanded arm to my bullpen as well as a fiery veteran presence. Wagner struck out 27 for the Metropolitans and notched a salty 2.30 ERA.

Lidge - There is nothing more you can ask for in a closer than perfection. That's why Brade Lidge is the closer for my team. Lidge saved 41 of 41 games while posting a 1.90 ERA and picking up 92 K's in just 69.1 innings. If my team can get the lead to Lidge in the ninth inning, I like our chances to win.

*Lincecum is my pick for the 2008 NL Cy Young Award. This kid posted awesome numbers and his Giants were 22-12 in games that Lincecum pitched in as opposed to 50-78 is the rest of their games. We'll see what happens on Tuesday!

Mauer Goes Gold

2008-11-07T09:39:00.005-06:00

For the second time this week I get to congratulate Joe Mauer on this blog. Yesterday the 25-year old Minnesota Golden Boy truly won gold. After winning his second batting title in 2008 Joe will have to find room in his trophy case for his 1st ever Gold Glove Award.

The Gold Glove Award often has the reputation of being biased towards players who are good at their position, but also do great things with the bat. Mauer certainly fits the bill, but really is a great defensive catcher and proved it this year with his numbers.

Mauer caught a career high 134 games behind the plate and refused to rest down the stretch during the playoff run putting on the pads and gear everyday. Mauer posted a .997 fielding percentage which ranked 1st in the American League. The award winner committed only three errors all year while throwing out 29 of 80 potential basestealers, a rate of 36% which ranks 2nd in the AL.

As usual Torii Hunter collected his 8th straight Gold Glove so it was good to see another Twin win the award after the perennial winner Hunter left. Mauer becomes just the second catcher to win the award in franchise history. Former great, Earl Battey, won the award twice in 1961 and 1962. As long as Joe stays healthy I have no reason to believe he won't win a few more Gold Gloves of his own.

With a 2008 season that ended in a batting title and a Gold Glove there is no denying that Joe Mauer is one of the best, if not the best, catchers in baseball!

Twins should consider Furcal

2008-11-06T00:01:00.000-06:00

A week after the World Series is over it seems the list of free agents is nearly complete. There is one that I think the Twins should put a target on: Rafael Furcal.

Last season was nothing less than a disappointment for the speedy shorstop due to injuries. Although through 36 games, Furcal did bat .357 with 5 homeruns, 16 RBIs, and 8 stolen bases. This is certainly a small sample size but Furcal proved his value to the Dodgers when he returned at the end of the year for a playoff run. Through the first month of the season Furcal was the sparkplug at the top of LA's lineup getting on base and scoring runs. He brings a switch hit bat to the top of any lineup and a very solid glove at shortstop.

If Furcal has any interest, I think he and the Twins have a mutual fit. Furcal would fill the Twins vacancy at shortstop and take over as the team's leadoff hitter. Now I know many think we already have Denard Span, but Furcal is a proven leadoff hitter for many years and would allow Span to slide to the two hole. Yeah I like Alexi Casilla as much as you but he seemed to wear down at the end of the year and doesn't have a major league track record of production. With Furcal and Span at the top of the order those two can get on base, move runners over, and be RBIs for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau behind them. This would also allow young guys like Casilla and Carlos Gomez to hit eighth and ninth in the order. They could continue to develop and be productive speedsters at the bottom of the order with less pressure and more importantly less at bats. Furcal, Span, Casilla, and Gomez would reek havoc on the bases for opposing teams and make Twins hitters like Mauer, Morneau, Delmon Young, and Jason Kubel lick their chops in the middle of the order.

The Los Angeles Times reported today that after a short meeting between Dodgers GM Ned Colletti and Furcal's agent that Furcal may have to test the open market after originally thinking he would simply stay put in L.A. Furcal could command up to a four year deal if he hits the open market and given his injury history and age (31) this does provide some risks, but the Twins have the money and if they're willing to take a risk I think it can pay off big.

All I ask is if the Twins are considering signing Orlando Cabrera for three years at $30 million they should wake up and recognize the better investment of Furcal at four years at $40-42 millon. Bill Smith.... think about it!

Manny vs CC

2008-11-05T00:02:00.001-06:00

Many big names are set to hit the free agent market beginning this off season, but arguably the two biggest names that could give teams many headaches on deciding between the two are Manny Ramirez and C.C. Sabathia. I have heard many debates on national TV shows on which of the two big name free agents would be a better investment. Due to the type of money both players will get, only a handful of teams will have to make this torturous decision. If any of these teams' general manager's read this blog site, I will help reach a verdict.

The two players up for debate are basically opposites in every aspect of the game. Position, throwing hand, work ethic, etc., the players are literally night and day. Sabathia's advantage lies in his age and his complete domination the past two years. Plus he is left handed and many of the big market teams are dying to land an ace pitcher.The thing that might hold teams from shelling out a monster deal for C.C. is the many past big name free agent pitchers that have literally done nothing for their teams (see Mike Hampton or Carl Pavano).

Manny's main strength is that he can flat out rake, and justified this during his stint with the Dodgers. He is one of the greatest right handed hitters of all time and really shows no sign of slowing down. An AL team my drool of the option of having him be able to DH for years to come because his defense is lackluster to e say the least. Clearly Manny's question mark is his work ethic. It is what many believe drove him out of Boston (I believe it was Scott Boris, and my facts to support this lie in this wonderful piece by ESPN's Bill Simmons http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/eticket/story?page=manny).

So when it comes down to it, should the Angels, Mets, Yankees or any other big teams pay for the pitching or the hitting? I personally believe pitching is the most important aspect of baseball, for one pitcher can take over a game better then any position player can. I mean Manny defined a baseball player putting a team on his back in this past postseason and all it got him was a crushing defeat to the Phillies. But spending big money on free agent pitchers hasn't worked out so well in years past. I still say it would be smarter to land Sabathia for two reasons. First off he is easily better then what most FA pitchers have been in the past. It seems to me that lately there hasn't been somebody this consistently good in the market and therefore mediocre pitchers sign mega deals since big market teams just settle. Also Sabathia is younger then most pitchers are when they sign lucrative free agent deals, so teams should be very confident that they will get the numbers to back up the dollars they shell out for him. And if one thing is a guarantee in this whole debate it is that money will be shelled out, and lots of it.

Congrats Joe

2008-11-04T00:11:00.001-06:00

In honor of the start of awards season tomorrow, I thought we here at Twins MVB were overdue in congratulating Joe Mauer on his second American League Batting Title!

With the chaos and frustration of a tie breaking loss the Chicago White Sox the season ended on an abrupt and sour note. The players walked away with the stinging loss and at best the hopeful thoughts of next year. Yet Mauer's accomplishment cannot go unnoticed.

The St. Paul native now has two batting titles at the young age of 25. In 2006, Mauer hit .347 to become the first AL catcher to ever win the title and the last catcher to win it in either league since Ernie Lombardi hit .330 for the 1942 Boston Braves. In 2008, Mauer hit ONLY .328 but grabbed his second title as a catcher leaving him in a league of his own.

With just over 2000 at bats in his young career, Mauer owns 653 career hits with a .317 career batting average. It's hard to project these numbers into the future with Mauer's injury history and the nature of the catcher position, but it is undeniable that Joe is truly a special hitter. If I were a betting man I would say Mauer will win two more batting titles by the end of his career, and possibly more if he can successfully transition to a new position in the distant future.

For now, I'll always remember the story I read about Joe's grandpa who taught him how to hit as a little boy. When the Twins drafted Mauer with the No. 1 overall pick in 2001, Joe's grandpa came into GM Terry Ryan's office and said, "You just drafted the next .400 hitter!" Let's hope that oracle someday comes true.

For now... how many more batting title do you think Joe can win? Let's hear your comments.

MVB on Royally Speaking

2008-11-03T06:00:00.000-06:00

For an interesting 2008 AL Central Review head over to Royally Speaking; a great Kansas City Royals blog written by Jeff Parker.

Parker asked me along with other bloggers and media members to answer a few questions about the AL Central in 2008. If you need an incentive to read it you can learn the true name by the Twins MVB alias (never been disclosed here at MVB).

For more reading check out this weeks Off the TePoel as Dain discusses an interesting issue for Major League Baseball.

Off the TePoel

2008-11-02T18:47:00.010-06:00

Americans Have a Choice to Make (and no it's not Obama or McCain)

There's a movement going on around this country, but you may have not heard about it as yet. Much like the seemingly endless presidential campaigns, this one has been going on for quite some time. Even longer, actually.

This campaign is the movement to retire Roberto Clemente's #21 across the board in baseball, just like Jackie Robinson's #42. MLB honored Jackie Robinson and his surviving family members with this distinct honor back on April 15, 1997, the 50th anniversary of Robinson's debut. Robinson's entrance into the major leagues is widely considered one of the most influential events in not just baseball's history, but America's as well. Robinson ended sixty years of segregation in the national pastime during a time when many white people still believed whites and blacks should be separated in most aspects of life. It took America several more years to break the color line outside of baseball.

Sixty years later the number of African-Americans in Major League baseball has shrunk to only 8.4 percent of the league, the lowest point since the 80's and dropping from as high as 19 percent in 1995. Conversely, now the Major Leagues are made up of 30 percent Latin American players, a minority that has contributed to the game just as much as any other, but has been surging in recent years. Perhaps the greatest Latin American icon is Puerto Rican born Roberto Clemente. Many are now demanding his number be retired as well.

Clemente and Robinson were both excellent ballplayers, World Series champs, and hall of famers. Clemente's statistics are better because he played longer. Robinson may have been the better player overall, but it's debatable. Robinson was a fierce competitor and had more speed. Clemente's legacy was firmly established after his life was cut short during a humanitarian mission to deliver aid to earthquake victims in Nicaragua. Majestically, he collected his 3,000th hit in his last game.

But Clemente did not just die a humanitarian. That's how he lived his whole life.

I won't go into the details of either Robinson's or Clemente's lives, but I'd suggest you take some time and learn about these extraordinary men. The question isn't whether Clemente is deserving of having his number retired or not. Of course he is. The issue is, does retiring Clemente's number open a can of worms? Does it diminish the meaning of Robinson's number being retired? Some argue if Clemente's number is retired, then so should Babe Ruth's, Willie Mays', and perhaps more.

Baseball has set aside some significant honors for Mr. Clemente. He is one of only two players to have the five year waiting period waived for his entrance into the Hall of Fame. Every year during the World Series, MLB hands out the Roberto Clemente award to a player who most exemplifies the model of Clemente's humanitarian work. So why retire his number? One pressing argument is because he had to deal with the same racism as Jackie, and another is the magnitude of Clemente's influence on Latin American players.

Retire 21 is the group that established the movement. It began a few years ago when they started petitions and sought the support of city councils to urge Bud Selig to take action. They offer several of their own reasons for the campaign. Interestingly enough, one of them seems to be a knock against Major League baseball for recruiting cheap talent in third world countries rather than in America's inner cities. Hence the decline of African-Americans and rise of Latin Americans.

Check out their website at www.retire21.org. They're making some headway and have the support of several current and former players including Tim McCarver. Others detract like Wade Boggs. Some like Bob Feller say go right ahead, but not until you've retired the Babe's.

What do you think? It's your choice America.

Turn on the Hot Stove

2008-10-31T00:05:00.001-05:00

With the World Series out of the way the 2009 Hot Stove season has officially begun. Here's one of my favorite baseball reporters, Buster Olney, starting up the stove...

In news that maybe only I care about, the Chicago White Sox declined an option of Ken Griffey Jr. leaving the 38-year old future Hall of Famer a free agent this offseason. With Griffey's rapidly declining numbers, a name still commanding somewhere around $6-8 million a year, and a (deserved) desire to play for a championship contender you got to wonder where Griffey will land this summer. Too bad he doesn't fit with the Twins in any way. I'd be the first in line to purchase that Griffey Twins jersey!

LEN III documents all the players that filed for free agency yesterday. As expected, Eddie Guardado, Nick Punto, and Dennys Reyes file for the Twins. If I were a betting man, I'd guess that only Punto returns.

And now for something completely different...

MLB.com's Kelly Theiser got to take a tour of Target Field this week. Her article isn't too exciting, but it's worth checking out the two picture galleries to see the park start to shape.

Have a great Friday Twins fans!

2008 Crowns a Champ

2008-10-30T00:02:00.000-05:00

As I watched the Phillies mob Brad Lidge on the mound and celebrate their World Series victory I couldn't help but think of opening day last April at the Metrodome. I was remembering the falling snow and the blowing wind as Twins fans packed into the always fair weathered Metrodome ready to embark on a 2008 season with many pending question marks. Gone were the mainstay stars like Johan Santana and Torii Hunter. In were new unfamiliar names like Carlos Gomez and Kevin Slowey. Expectations were low but excitement was high.

The 2008 season closes its doors with an unlikely champ in Philadelphia and an even more unlikely runner-up in Tampa Bay. But this 2008 MLB campaign can be summed up as nothing less than unlikely. The Yankees missed the playoffs; the heavily favored Detroit Tiger and New York Mets struggled. The Milwaukee Brewers made the playoffs for the first time since 1982. New stars emerged like Evan Longoria, Cliff Lee, and Geovanny Soto and old stars reached milestones like Griffey Jr's 600th homerun. The All-Star break saw a Minnesota Twin win the Home Run Derby, what? And that next night the same guy scored the game winning run in 14 innings to steal another American League win from the National League. AL stars jumped leagues like CC Sabathia, Manny Ramirez, and Rich Harden. The list of 2008 surprises goes on and on.

But what made 2008 not only a surprising year, but an exciting year was the play of the 2008 Minnesota Twins. After a disappointing 2007 season, this year seemed set up for the same result if not worse for this young club. Yet Ron Gardenhire rallied the young boys and put together what can truly be called a team. In a complete team effort these '08 Twins made baseball exciting in Minnesota this summer and had such a thrilling season that it took 163 games to call it quits!

The Twins may have fell just short of the their goal, but it was a great year to be a Twins fan. As the new ballpark begins to take shape and the always exciting offseason begins full of rumors, trades, free agents, and my favorite hobby of talking about baseball, I congratulate the Minnesota Twins on a great season and the Philadelphia Phillies on a well deserved title!

The countdown beings to Monday, April 6th at 7:05 CST as the Twins host the Seattle Mariners for Opening Day 2009!

Elmer Fudd and the Flap Caps

2008-10-28T09:48:00.004-05:00

Has anyone else noticed the new hats with weather flaps sporting the field in this wet and wild World Series?

A few nights ago in Game 4 I noticed Joe Maddon in the dugout and I thought, does that hat have flaps? Maddon never flapped down his flaps over his ears but I immediately saw this odd looking cap and was wondering if this was a special order for the little boys from St. Pete who were foreign to the brisk Philly Air. But last night in Game 5 the Elmer Fudd look could be found on the field by BJ Upton, Carl Crawford, Evan Longoria, Jason Bartlett, Shane Victorino, and Jimmy Rollins.

I did some research and it seems as if the caps, made by MLB hat maker New Era, were released this spring during Spring Training but had not been debuted on a field until the World Series. There is no official word from New Era or MLB.com on how to order a flap cap, but with winter vastly approaching I'm guessing they will be a hot item in the weeks to come.

I'm still undecided on what's being called the "Elmer Fudd" look. Part of me thinks, "Wow, that's kind of cool. I can support my Twins pride and stay warm in the freakin cold Minnesota winter!" The other part of me thinks, "Wow, those are really nerdy!"

Let me know what you think of the funky caps. Leave a comment below... would you wear one?

Off the TePoel

2008-10-27T07:02:00.004-05:00

Phive Reasons I Chose the Phillies

Heading into the World Series, the Tampa Bay Rays had become America's team. The can do kids just knocked around the reigning champs. Ernie Johnson, Jr. of TBS had just concluded his piercing interview with ALCS MVP Matt Garza, who at 24 is the youngest pitcher in Major League history to win such an award. Johnson's final question: "Matt, what was on your iPod before the game?" Garza amazingly left baseball fans with this insight; I summarize: "Yeah, I was listening to Tupac. He's the man, and that's all I can say." The end.

Really? That's it? Nothing like, "Well, I was listening to Tupac, but you know Ernie, I'm really proud of this team and what we've accomplished. We'll celebrate tonight, but after that there's a tough team over in Philadelphia and we've gotta get ready for them in what should be a great World Series, and hopefully we'll be bringing home one more trophy." Nah.

Garza did admit earlier in the interview that he hoped he had just won Game 7 of the World Series, but the ALCS would have to do. Besides, they just beat the Red Sox, their season long nemesis since brawls busted out in Spring Training. The Rays had home field advantage and David Price. Certainly the National League opponent would be a pushover.

Without further ado, here are my Phive reasons for choosing the Phils:

1. Maturity

The Phillies were trounced last year by the Rockies in the ALDS. Ryan Howard was pitiful, Chase Utley went silent, and 2007 MVP Jimmy Rollins was nowhere to be found. 3 and out. Not this year. The Phillies handled the Brewers with ease, and quickly blew out the sparks of a Dodgers comeback in the NLCS when veteran Matt Stairs hit a clutch 2 run homer to bring the Phils within one win of the Dance. Most importantly, they rested and remained focused during their extended wait for Game 1. (Honorable Mention: Jamie Moyer in Game 3. He was up way past his bedtime, but what a performance.)

2. Immaturity

The Rays have been impressive all season long. Who seriously thought they would win the division after tailing off heading into the all-star break? Then they showed incredible mettle by sustaining their throne through key injuries down the stretch to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford. The ALDS win over the White Sox was to be expected, and their trouncing of the Red Sox in games 3 and 4 and two-thirds of 5 was almost a ceremonial and symbolic changing of the guards in the AL East. But after the collapse of the bullpen in game 5, the pitching held on while the bats produced just enough to prevent another unbelievable Boston comeback. But this is where the accolades end. Longoria and Pena, through the three games (and have been pitiful in game 4) are a combined 0 for 22. And what happened to the Rays' defense? That too, has gone to the wayside.

3. Cole Hamels

This man has been insane all postseason. He is young too, but he has the maturity some Rays may lack. In a press conference leading up to the World Series Hamels was focused on pitching and nothing else. The hoopla surrounding the Series was just that to the southpaw, distractions and shenanigans. His job didn't change - the only difference is the extra attention from the media and friends and family. As a baseball purist, I loved it when he told his family they could celebrate during the holidays, but now was no time for show-and-tell. "So this is where Ryan Howard sits...no, he can't get us any free Subway, Dad."

4. MVPs

The Phillies are loaded with them. Howard in 2006. Rollins last year. Utley, arguably the first-half MVP and Howard is deserving of another one in 2008. The Rays had too many opportunities to win Game 1 and they didn't do it. These MVPs were anything but in the first two games of the World Series, as the Phillies went something terrible like 1-31 with runners in scoring position. Horrendous, and the Rays let them get away with it, and you knew it wouldn't last. Howard is hot, Rollins is rolling, and Utley is ubiquitous(ly on base? that's weak). Either way, these MVPs have been supported by the late-blooming Pat Burrell and Jayson Werth (who?) and America is now seeing just how much these guys can hit.

5. Bullpens

Ryan Madson and JC Romero setting up Brad Lidge. A winning formula right there who had shown no signs of slowing down. Meanwhile, the Rays bullpen had done an excellent job piecing it together to get to the World Series. But once they made it there, you had the feeling the starters were only going to give them 5 or 6 innings each night and eventually these guys would get lit up as they did against Boston in game 5 of the ALCS. Without a closer it's awfully tough to win in the postseason. The bullpen has become critical to Major League Baseball. The Rays' have a great bullpen, that's why they're in the World Series. The Phils are just better.

After all this I'm left wondering why I thought it would take the Phillies 7 games. Cole Hamels closes it out tomorrow night. And if Ryan Howard hits another homerun, he might steal away the MVP.

Twins 4 Holliday!

2008-10-26T07:28:00.001-05:00

As a blogger, I feel it is my duty to sometimes say what people are afraid to say or don't think about. Because bloggers are "journalists" with no editorial or contractual commitments we have the luxury to freely speak our mind and say whatever ridiculousness we want. And with the spirit of election season I'm going to start my campaign: Twins 4 (Matt) Holliday! Pretty ridiculous huh?

This past June during the season I wrote a post about why I thought the Twins should trade for Adrian Beltre of the Seattle Mariners. At the time this move seemed pretty ridiculous to other Twins bloggers and fans but to me really seemed to make sense. This potential trade was perhaps out of the normal realm for the Twins but seemed to make sense both as a good fit for the team and a trade with true possibility. Today the Beltre rumor is regarded as a true possibility for the Twins.

Now I'm not trying to say I told you so or that I have all the answers because I also thought that the Detroit Tigers would defeat the New York Mets this year in the World Series. But today I'm straying away from a rumor that is both a good fit for the team and a plausible reality. This is one of those rumors that although may be very far from plausible is a great fit for the team and makes you wonder... what if? It's one of those ridiculous rumors.

TWINS 4 HOLLIDAY!

Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post writes that the Colorado Rockies have stated to rival executives that Matt Holliday is available. Before you start thinking we won't need another outfielder, why would we want Holliday? Think about why we would want Holliday!

The 28-year old leftfielder is entering the prime of his career. He's a righthanded power bat (which is exactly what we need) who hit .321 with 25 homeruns and 88 RBIs in 2008. The 6'4'' 235 lb slugger even stole 28 bases last year. That would put him 2nd in SB behind Carlos Gomez for the Twins. Plus, imagine the right hander hitting in the cleanup role, sandwiched between fellow All-Stars Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Dangerous!

So as I argue, Holliday would be a great fit for this team that could be the missing piece with a healthy bullpen to take this team to the World Series. Now what would we have to give up to get him (besides money, we'll get to that!)...

In my head I'd like to believe a package of D.Young/D. Span/G.Perkins would be enough. Perhaps, a Boof or a P.Humber would have to be included because the Rockies desperately need arms. This may seem like a lot, but Holliday would be three times more valuable than Young in leftfield and I personally think given Span's minor league track record there may never be a better time to trade him. We would definitely miss his leadoff ability and his defense, but Holliday is an upgrade defensively over Young and Cuddyer in right isn't too shabby. Throw the speedy Gomez, who caught more balls than anyone last year, in between Holliday and Cuddyer and the Twins have a very solid outfield defense. As Brett noted in his Matt Cain rumors, I think Perkins would be expendable and could be replaced with another arm.

However, the Denver Post says that Colorado is looking for an elite pitcher in return. We may not have "an elite pitcher" to trade but I don't think the Rockies will get that from anyone because they aren't going to trade Holliday to San Diego for Jake Peavy. So another possible package could be K.Slowey/D.Young/P.Humber. The Rockies would get two young arms and a great arm in Slowey (although his flyball rate could be dangerous in Coors Field) and get a young back with potential in Delmon. Slowey would be a big loss for the Twins but we could either move Boof back into the rotation or would still have an extra outfielder in Span or Cuddyer to move for pitching or middle infield help.

Here comes the part of the deal that makes this rumor ridiculous. If you think my trade package to the Rockies seems impossible and that Colorado will never take it, you must realize that Matt Holliday is entering his final year of his contract and if traded will probably require a multi year deal of roughly 5-years for $90-100 million. Do the Twins have that kind of money??? I believe they do, but it's a question of whether or not they will spend it. The deal would beat Morneau's franchise record 6-year of $80 million. But what a better way to make a run for the title in 2009 and enter the new ballpark in 2010 built around a core of Mauer, Morneau, Holliday, Nathan, Baker, Liriano, Blackburn, Gomez, and Casilla.

So as I said, because I have no editorial or contractual commitments I'm going to start this ridiculous (but smart) rumor and get those little ideas planted in your head. Just think about that potential lineup next year? And on November 4th vote: Twins 4 Holliday!

Garza in Game 3

2008-10-25T15:11:00.004-05:00

The World Series is back on the ticket tonight with game 3 in Philadelphia. I don't know what I'm going to do at night when the playoffs are done??? I'll be lost, until Lost returns I guess.

Everyone's favorite missed Twin at the moment, Matt Garza, takes the bump tonight for the Rays against Jame Moyer, the oldest player in Major League Baseball. What an intriguing matchup? The hotheaded kid with wicked stuff versus the lazy ole lefty who lulls hitters to sleep. The two hurlers will both be making their first World Series appearance.

Tonight's game can certainly throw the momentum in either direction for these teams. If Philadelphia can take a 2-1 lead they get to play the next two games at home with a chance to clinch the title. Yet Tampa has looked like the better team throughout the entire series despite the current 1-1 tie. The Phillies need to hit better with runners in scoring position and the Rays need to continue to put pressure on Philly with their speed.

Either way, this is starting to have the makeup of a very good series.

Friday Thoughts

2008-10-24T06:27:00.001-05:00

Here are my thoughts for Friday, October 24:

Bill James, a pioneer in statistical analysis and a baseball mastermind, ranked the Minnesota Twins #1 in terms of youth talent within the organization. Certainly an item of note! James ranked Joe Mauer, Delmon Young, Justin Morneau, Kevin Slowey, Scott Baker, Carlos Gomez, Nick Blackburn, Jason Kubel, Denard Span, and Glen Perkins in the top 150 young players. "The average team has five players in the top 150; the Twins have 10," James said.

In an announcement that is close to home for me, the Twins announced that Daktronics Inc., based out of my hometown Brookings, SD, will construct the new scorebard for Target Field set to open in 2010. The board will be the 4th biggest in Major League Baseball. You got to love the idea of a 101 x 57 foot HDTV!

Matt Garza gets the start in game 3 of the World Series. He's looked great during these playoffs, but I feel that for every great game he pitches on the national stage Bill Smith and Twins fans feel more and more compelled to trade Delmon Young. I admit being a fan of the Cain rumors, you can read my comments below on Brett's post, but you got to have a short term memory as a general manager and as a fan. Because don't get me started on David Ortiz!

The Seattle Mariners announced their new GM, Jack Zuduriencik, who is known for his great drafts and scouting success. In this article, Rob Neyer, uses the Minnesota Twins as a great example of what the Mariners could be with a new approach. In contrast to the Seattle organization Neyer says, "What happens if you take the Twins' scouting success and add $40 million to the budget?" Good question Rob??? I do think this new rebuilding, youth emphasis in Seattle may make it easier for the Twins to pry Adrian Beltre out of Seattle.

Delmon Young and Matt Cain

2008-10-23T00:05:00.000-05:00

MLB Trade Rumors has a a Twins-related Trade Rumor that has gotten a bit of discussion elsewhere also: Delmon Young for Matt Cain, a SF Giants RHP who just turned 24 and has pitched ~200 innings/year in 2006-2008 after coming up at the end of 2005 (yes, he was 20 then). Cain's career ERA is 3.74,

Discussion of this rumor has ranged wildly, and I believe troublingly. My hypothesis at the outset was that this might be a good trade for both sides, but then having looked closer, I felt it would be a mistake for the Twins. Finally, after discussing this with my brother Mark (his thoughts at the bottom), I'm now interested again. So here's my closer look at Delmon Young and Matt Cain (along with a few other trade-pieces). Your thoughts and comments are quite appreciated (especially any Giants fans out there).

Preliminary Summary
Matt Cain is a great young pitcher and could be a good fit for the Twins. A trade of Delmon Young and Boof Bonser for Matt Cain seems to be a fair deal for both sides. Matt Cain and Delmon Young are both young, cheap, and productive players with upside (though neither has lived up to expectations or reached their projected numbers yet).

Matt Cain
The question for me surrounds whether Cain can be a #2 or higher starter. People who consider him as good as Lincecum or King Felix need to recheck their numbers. Right now in comparing the oppositional hitting, I don't see Cain as being as good as some pitchers the Twins already have: Liriano, Baker, and Slowey. Therefore, anyone who expects the Twins to trade one of those three along with anyone else seems foolish (at least to me).

Delmon Young
The question about Delmon Young is whether he can live up to his projected production.

In terms of Twins bloggers, Aaron Gleeman thought when the Twins acquired him and still thinks Delmon projects worse than most other analysts and hopeful Twins fans, and Nick Nelson is telling people not to sell low (and give up on) Delmon just yet. And Seth says we should keep all the OF/DH options and put a rotation in play.

So what does this mean?
The questions for Twins fans should be: Is (a) Delmon good enough to be trade bait for a good pitcher, while remaining (b) not so good that the Twins hate Bill Smith for trading him away? I think he probably fits well between these two concerns. I think he might not be quite proven enough to get Cain straight up (and most commenting fans at MLBTR seem to agree). Projecting the value of pitchers and hitters on the same metric is almost impossible (at least for me), but because of their similar ages, time the team has cheap control of the player, performances, and upsides, I think that the two aren't too far off. In other words, I don't think getting Cain will require too much more than Delmon and an MLB ready starting pitcher.

If the Giants require a pitcher of some sort to go with a batter like Delmon, I might choose to part with Perkins first, but I'd be fine with Boof. In fact, the Giants may prefer Perkins, but they would be wise to choose Boof. Here's a simple explanation of why:

Cain's ERA (like Perkins') looks good, but both Cain and Perkins lose a lot when you consider fielding independent variables like tRA and xFIP. On the other hand, Boof would be expected to do better than he has. Additionally, Cain's Swinging Strike% looks better than these three Twins (and similar to Liriano, Baker, and Slowey), but he's in the National League facing pitchers, which appears to bump up this percent. Cain throws hard (FB = 92.4mph compared to Baker at 90.7 and Blackburn at 91.2), so it's no wonder that he throws more balls and has a worse K/BB ration than any of the Twins except Perkins. The biggest thing that stands out is Cain's K% which is higher than these three Twins and in the range of Liriano, Baker, and Slowey. But Boof's is better than the other two, which again tells me Boof should be more desirable to the Giants than Perkins or Blackburn.

Balls and Called Strikes
To address this question in more detail, consider the following three charts with Balls and Called Strikes. I find that I can predict good pitchers using these numbers pretty easy. In the AL, a pitcher should get swinging strikes on at least 8% of their pitches and limit their balls to 34% of their pitches. The other options (called strikes, foul balls, and in play) seem to be less important. In the NL, the pitcher should get a higher percentage--maybe 2% higher--of swinging strikes (because they face pitchers a couple times each game).

Note: I color-coded things from green (good) to yellow to red (bad) for some of these stats, just so you can easily pick out what stats I think are important.

ERA, xFIP, and tRA
Now consider a similar set of three charts that shows first the AL, then the NL, then the Twins. As you can see, Liriano, Baker, and Slowey are the Twins' best pitchers by most metrics, and Boof is probably the fourth. Again, this could be due to Blackburn and Perkins being rookies, but from the Giants' perspective, that should mean little. They're just looking for a pitcher to fill out their rotation while picking up a young, cheap, high-upside batter. Boof fits the bill. So does Perkins. So does Blackburn.

I sorted these by the AVG08 (average of xFIP and tRA), but you can see how well these numbers line up with K% and GB%, two good indicators of how well a pitcher is doing. But they also follow the Swinging Strike% numbers pretty closely. The Twins should be worried about Perkins (and maybe Blackburn) if the whole rookie thing isn't factored in.

Boof Bonser
The unfortunate situation with Boof is that he's probably out of options with the Twins. I mean that not just from the technical standpoint (he can't be sent back to the Minors, nor should he be), but also from the organizational standpoint: Boof is probably not going to get another chance to be a starting pitcher with the Twins (though his numbers suggest maybe he should).

In other words, he is a good trading chip for the Twins, a great trading target for any team looking for a good SP option, and someone with whom the Twins ought to recognize as a more valuable trading chip than many fans might realize. Even Tim Dierkes of MLBTradeRumors has Boof as a likely candidate for breaking out next year, especially if he ends up in the NL West.

Glen Perkins
I've made my case about Glen Perkins before. Yes, he was a rookie as a starting pitcher this year (having been a late relief guy in '06-07). So like Slowey and Baker before him, he could do better next year as he settles in (we can't expect everyone to take the MLB by storm like Liriano did in 2006). The same thing can be said for Blackburn, who also had a solid rookie season. This is reason enough for avoiding any trade that gets rid of our starting five without bringing in another good pitcher. I get this. But by the numbers, Perkins worries me, as does Blackburn, only more so with Perkins. Besides, if the Giants choose Boof rather than Perkins, the Twins could still trade Perkins to Seattle or Milwaukee to get a left-side infielder (Beltre or Hardy).

Final Summary

Cain does not appear to be a franchise player, much to the chagrin of Giants fans I'm sure. And it reinforces a Young + Boof for Cain or Young + Perkins for Cain deal. So I hold by the earlier comment that Twins fans should be happy enough with this trade.

Most of these trades are going to come down to whether DY or Cain are considered a better player, both in general and for the organization. They are both quite young for their MLB experience. They both have done quite well already in their careers (though neither has performed to the level critics have expected). They both have room to improve (Delmon with power, Cain with a better K/BB ratio). Delmon is not yet a franchise outfielder. Cain is not yet a #1, and to this point has been a stretch at #2, but he seems to be moving toward #2 status. But those are the potential upsides that both have.

Trade Option #1: Straight up: Matt Cain for Delmon Young
MN: Opens OF spot, gets young pitcher, but risky if Young turns out good (this point could be made for all other options)
SF: Upgrades the offense, but downgrades the pitching--very risky if Delmon doesn't live up to projections (and so far, he hasn't)

Trade Option #2: Matt Cain for Delmon Young and Boof Bonser
MN: Opens OF spot, gets young pitcher for guy who wasn't going to get much of a chance with MN
SF: Great chance to improve the offense while possibly getting just as good of a pitcher (though older) in return

Trade Option #3: Matt Cain for Delmon Young and Glen Perkins (or Nick Blackburn)
MN: Opens OF spot, switches young pitchers in a likely upgrade
SF: Upgrades the offense without losing much pitching (pretty good deal, but watch out for Perkins if 2008 was not just a rookie year)

Trade Option #4: Matt Cain for Delmon Young and Kevin Slowey
MN: Opens OF spot, gets young pitcher, but loses young pitcher who is just as good or better (in other words, this is dumb)
SF: This would be a steal

What I hope happens
I'd really like for the Twins to pursue this. I would try Delmon for Cain first, but I'd be quite willing to try Delmon and Boof for Cain. And if my general rule for proposing a trade as a biased party holds (make sure that you feel like the other team has a decent, even good chance of getting the better part of the deal, and that they might therefore make the trade), then I could see this happening.

I'll let MVB give his take in the comments section since I know he's been thinking a lot about this possible trade also, but in the mean time, here's my brother's take.

Mark Werner's Analysis

I've always been a big fan of Cain (though this might be because he was a nice fantasy pickup when he was the best pitcher with so few wins). I would generally be in favor of trading for years 24, 25, and 26 of Cain.

First, Cain is younger than any of the current twins rotation, already has years of MLB experience, and still seems to be improving each year.

Second, his deficiencies could well be ameliorated by the twins system. He pitches much like Baker with the only downside being his high walk rate, something the pitching staff could easily temper.

Third, while his xFIP isn't too appealing, his FIP is excellent. This is due to him having a very low HR/Fly ratio. Can he keep this up? I would argue yes. Cain has consistently defied the weight of xFIP, in his four years, always being around a point below with his FIP. Remember, xFIP is still an experimental stat. Some pitchers can keep flyballs in the ballpark and some can't. And it's not just pitching in SanFran since Cain's road HR rates are similar. You see similar defiance of xFIP in pitchers like Oswalt, Pedro, and Lackey until this year.

Fourth, his pitching style suits the Twins. If Cain keeps flyballs in the park, his high flyball rate plays right into our defence of Gomez and Span. So it's likely his ERA would drop with an exceptional outfield backing him up, catching more balls and turning some doubles into singles.

Of course, some people out there would say Cain isn't a pitcher that can win, being just 15-30 in the last two years. But as your spreadsheet shows, his run support has been awful.

I made a spreadsheet with the most similar 7 pitching lines to Cain's own from the last two years.

From that, you could expect Cain to go 14-8 with average run support, flipping his 1 to 2 win to loss ratio around. On the spreadsheet, you also see Cain pitching solid seasons comparable to much older pitchers. Danks probably had the most similar year to Cain this year. I would argue he is already a #2 starter, potentially joining Liriano, Slowey, and Baker as legit top-end starters. I wouldn't consider Boof, Blackburn, or Perkins at that level.

World Series Game 1

2008-10-22T11:22:00.003-05:00

Here we go, the moment 30 teams have been working for since last February. Alas, only two teams can be here. And I can honestly call anyone a bold face liar if they would have predicted those two teams to be the Philadelphia Phillies and the Tampa Bay Rays.

Tonight's matchup pits a pair of stud lefties against each other. The NLCS MVP, Cole Hamels, for the Phillies and the Rays 24-year old "veteran," Scott Kazmir.

I picked Kazmir to be my series MVP (see below) so I need him to have a good game. If the Rays can beat Hamels in game 1 they will be in the driver seat for the rest of this series, but if the Phillies can win a huge game 1 on the road that would be even bigger. You can predict your World Series winner with the poll on the sidebar.

Only time will tell...

MVB's World Series Predictions

2008-10-21T08:45:00.003-05:00

The 2009 World Series will mark the first fall classic for this blog, so to honor this event we brought the whole team out to make their bold predictions for the series.

MVB

Winner: Tampa Bay - 5 games MVP: Scott Kazmir

Major League Baseball's feel good story will be feeling good after a quick 5 game series. The Rays not only represent the superior American League, but they had to battle a great Red Sox club through 7 games as

well as prove over the course of 162 games that they were for real in the toughest division in baseball despite having a meager payroll.

Great to see former Twins Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett, and Grant Balfour all play key roles for this young club. The star of this series though is the franchise leader in wins, Scott Kazmir. Kazmir pitches 2 gems to win the MVP. Upton and Longoria both hit 3 homeruns each.

Brett Werner

Winner: Tampa Bay - 6 games MVP: BJ Upton

Just like the Twins have Mauer as a great batter at an otherwise weak batting position, the Phillies have Utley and J-Ro at weak batting positions in the field (to go with Burrell and Howard, not to mention Victorino who is having a great postseason). This gives them a dramatic advantage against other NL teams.

But the Rays are no NL team: they have a stronger overall bullpen than Philadelphia (who have Lidge et rien) even if the closer position may be falling to Price in the WS. And they have as good or better hitters at nearly every position, guys who can get to anyone except maybe Hamels. I give the Rays' starters a big edge once you get past the Phillies' ace.

The Phillies are better rested, but obviously that didn't help last year's Rockies. Two off days is more than enough for the Rays to recover.

The Rays have been on a run all year, have been on the verge of losing it for most of the last month or two, and they haven't yet. I don't think they lose it now.

Mark Werner

Winner: Tampa Bay - 5 games MVP: James Shields

The Phillies may have a strong, bopping offense but, if their inter-league games are any preview, they will struggle against the Rays rotation. Although it is a small sample size, the Phillies batted just .220 against the American League this year for an OPS of .682. The Phillies lost every series against AL teams, finishing 4-11. On the flip side, the Rays were 12-6 against the NL. While the Phillies were busy getting shut-out by the Rangers, the Rays were sweeping the Cubs.

Like the Rockies last year who had a payroll 66% below league average, the Rays arrive at the final stage having a payroll 50% below major league average--and one fifth the size of the long-idle, much-maligned Yankees. Unlike the Rockies, the Rays will prevail, taking the series in 5 games. Where the Rockies were overdependent on their thin-air hitting, the Rays have a sturdier foundation in their pitching: a young rotation and an experienced bullpen capped by a talented rising star in Price.

In stark contrast to the Twins, the Phillies slug 40 points higher against LHP. Unfortunately, the Rays rotation features just one lefty in Kazmir. Righties Shields and Garza will combine for three wins. Your World Series MVP: James Shields (and not the semi-transient 19th century senator from Minnesota)

DY21

Winner: Tampa Bay - 7 games MVP: Evan Longoria

As college basketball analyst Dickie V says, "They got the big M.O. baby!" M.O. referring to momentum, and its ironic Dick Vitale is arguably the biggest Tampa Bay fan on this planet. Therefore I gotta say the Rays win this series in 7 games. The World Series MVP goes to boy wonder Evan Longoria.

PS. Is anybody else sick of EVERY ANALYST saying the key part to the Delmon for Garza trade was Jason Bartlett because he "shores up the Tampa defense?" He is terrible at short! He led all AL ss in errors for the Twins in 2007, and seems to make errors in every other game in the playoffs! I just don't get it, but it is nice to see two former Twins playing key roles in the playoffs.

Dain TePoel

Winner: Philadelphia - 7 games MVP: Cole Hamels

I hate to say it, but I want to be the guy who takes a chance on the Underdog in this situation....But really, the Phillies? World Series Champs? They haven't played a game in a long time, especially by Wednesday.

Hmm...I'll roll with it.

Feel free to leave your predictions for series winner and MVP in the comments section.

Werner Bros. Offseason Guide and Notes: Part V

2008-10-20T00:01:00.000-05:00

Wow, I just got done watching an amazing game 7 of the ALCS and get to see the Tampa Bay Rays punch their ticket to the World Series. It's tough not to like a team like Tampa, but it is hard to watch Matt Garza win the series MVP and wonder where the Twins would have been with him in the rotation and not Livan Hernandez. Here's to hoping Delmon continues to improve! Look for a MVB World Series Preview before Wednesday's game 1. Until then, the summary, the final installment of Brett's Offseason Guide. He'll look at the nine scenarios he described yesterday and try to predict what may happen. Please leave comments and let Brett know your thoughts to his guide.

Summary

Feel free to offer your own scenarios, and to give feedback on my reasoning here. Personally, if I could choose the scenarios to make the team I want…

Desirability
Scenario #9: Sign Dunn and Hudson, Trade for Beltre
Scenario #7: Sign Hudson, Trade for Beltre
Scenario #3: Pursue Top Young Player (at the cost of SP), maybe Chris Davis
Scenario #6: Sign Hudson and Blake
Scenario #4: Sign Hudson
Scenario #5: Sign Blake
Scenario #1: Do Nothing
Scenario #2: Go For Broke
Scenario #8: Sign Cabrera or someone else I don’t like

Predicted Likelihood:
Scenario #4: Sign Hudson
Scenario #7: Sign Hudson, Trade for Beltre
Scenario #1: Do Nothing
Scenario #6: Sign Hudson and Blake
Scenario #8: Sign Cabrera
Scenario #5: Sign Blake
Scenario #9: Sign Dunn and Hudson, Trade for Beltre
Scenario #3: Pursue Top Young Player (at the cost of SP), maybe Chris Davis
Scenario #2: Go For Broke

After doing these analyses, I would say that adding Hudson is probably our best single improvement, especially given that we can afford to platoon Buscher and Harris one more year if Valencia and/or Hughes can be good MLB hitters at 3B. But if we want to open up a spot in the OF/DH and trade Boof, then Beltre and the Mariners are a good match (but they should give us more than Beltre for Boof + either Kubel or Delmon… in fact, they should give us their #1 or #2 prospect, or a #5-10 prospect in their system and pay half of Beltre’s salary).

Werner Bros. Offseason Guide and Notes: Part IV

2008-10-19T00:02:00.000-05:00

Now Part IV is where things really get interesting. Based on CRAP and the Twins offseason riches, Brett creates 9 possible 2009 Twins lineups. Check out and leave your opinions...

Scenarios for the 2008-9 Offseason
For each of these I tried to make it clear about what a 25-man roster would be to start the season. There are combinations of these along with a number of others I didn’t consider (and which are probably much more likely than what I address).

What is important is that the Twins do something to decrease the bottleneck in the outfield and starting pitching positions. They should be looking for a RHBs who can hit LHP, who can protect Morneau (and still hit RHP), who play SS or 3B, and play good defense. If they don’t improve their numbers against LHP and their slugging, they are unlikely to do as well in 2009 as 2008 (with a chance of injury to a key SP, Mauer, or Morneau), not to mention a likely drop in average with RISP.

Here are some options to build your lineup:
Lineup Options - OBP - SLG - OPS (Career) = OBP - SLG - OPS (2008)
Span (OF) - 387 - 432 - 819 = 387 - 432 - 819
Mauer (C) - 399 - 457 - 856 = 413 - 451 - 864
Morneau (1B) - 348 - 498 - 846 = 374 - 499 - 873
Young (OF) - 326 - 413 - 739 = 336 - 405 - 741
Cuddyer (OF) - 344 - 441 - 785 = Only 249ABs 330 - 369 - 699
Casilla (2B) - 310 - 336 - 646 = 333 - 374 - 707
Punto (SS) - 319 - 332 - 651 = 344 - 382 - 726
Gomez (CF) - 295 - 350 - 645 = 296 - 360 - 656
Kubel (DH) - 326 - 445 - 771 = 335 - 471 - 806

Tolbert (IF) - 322 - 389 - 711 = Only 113ABs 322 - 389 - 711
Harris (IF) - 330 - 408 - 738 = 327 - 394 - 721
Buscher (3B) - 335 - 373 - 708 = 340 - 390 - 730
Redmond (C) - 348 - 365 - 713 = Only 129ABs - 321 - 333 - 654

Beltre (3B) - 327 - 459 - 786 = 327 - 457 - 784
Dunn (DH) - 381 - 518 - 899 = 386 - 513 - 889
Hudson (2B) - 346 - 433 - 779 = 367 - 450 - 817
Hardy (SS) - 329 - 446 - 775 = 343 - 478 - 821
Blake (3B) - 334 - 447 - 781 = 345 - 463 - 808
Cabrera (SS) - 322 - 399 - 721 = 334 - 371 - 705
Prince (DH) - 370 - 533 - 903 = 372 - 507 - 879
Furcal (SS) - 352 - 412 - 764 = Only 143ABs - 439 - 573 - 1012

Scenario #1: Do Nothing.

We had a good team in 2008, and while we might not be improving dramatically for 2009, we will at least not have Livan starting every 5th game. In other words, we’ll have a healthy Liriano, Cuddyer, and Neshek to start the season. If all of them play as well as they could (Neshek and Cuddyer like 2006, 2007, Liriano like 2006), and everyone else plays as well as in 2008, we could easily compete for the ALC (even if, as Gleeman says, 89 wins gets us 3rd in the ALC).

Scenario 1 Lineup
Span (OF)
Casilla (2B)
Mauer (C)
Morneau (1B)
Cuddyer/Young (OF)
Kubel (DH)
Buscher/Harris (3B)
Punto (SS)
Gomez (CF)
Bench: Young, Harris, Redmond

Rotation
Baker
Liriano
Slowey
Blackburn
Perkins

Mulvey/Duensing (AAA)
Swarzak (AAA)

Relief
Nathan (Closer)
Neshek/Mijares (Setup)
Crain/Guerrier (Key)
Breslow (LOOGY/Long)
Humber/Boof (Long)

Scenario #2: Go for broke.

Trade Perkins, Kubel, Humber, Young, Boof, and Pridie for Beltre and Hardy, and sign Dunn. This raises our payroll significantly, but not outside what the team can handle (especially given the savings from the last couple years), and we improve our lineup enough that teams would fear us. A lot. So could we get both Hardy and Beltre for the players listed above, and what would our team look like if we did?

I would try to trade Young and/or Boof (and prospect/Humber) to the Mariners for Beltre. I’m guessing they would jump on Delmon (a high-upside OF, whose age and OPS hint at Delmon producing like Beltre over his career, which could make this trade a mistake for the Twins). We’d probably be able to get another player thrown in if we gave them Delmon, and certainly a good one if we gave them both Boof and Young. Summary: Young + Humber for Beltre OR Young + Boof for Beltre and SP prospect.

Then I would try to trade Perkins and Humber (and maybe Kubel) to Milwaukee for Hardy. They get an MLB SP (Perkins is young, cheap, and did pretty well for a rookie, what they want) and they could get a corner OF with a lot of power from the left side in case they trade Prince (or a trade chip with another AL team who wants a DH/OF since Hart and Braun fill their corner OF pretty well). In fact, we might be able to get Milwaukee to make the trade for Perkins (or Blackburn) straight up or with low-level prospects included (a safety measure in all trades in case the centerpieces don’t pan out). Summary: (2A) Perkins + Humber for Hardy OR (2B) Perkins + Kubel for Hardy and high-level prospect OR (2C) Blackburn + Robertson + Humber + Kubel + Parmelee for Hardy + Prince. Then Prince could be our 40 HR-hitting DH, and we wouldn’t need to worry about getting Dunn.

So yes, I think that the trading part is do-able. I think the Twins have already improved their lineup immensely with two established RHBs rather than Delmon and Kubel. If we didn’t do the crazy trade involving Hardy and Prince, I’d think about signing Dunn (remember this scenario is going for broke). Dunn would help a ton (especially if we do trade Kubel). If we are not including Kubel in the Milwaukee deal, then the need for Dunn is much lower. But if possible, I would trade Kubel and sign Dunn. The other nice thing about this scenario is that we keep Beltre for one year, and then we have Valencia/Hughes ready for 3B in 2010, and we get the 2 (or maybe 1) draft picks from Beltre walking. Or we could move Hardy to 3B in favor of another SS. There would be options.

Scenario 2 Lineup
Span (LF)
Mauer (C)
Dunn/Kubel/Prince (DH)
Morneau (1B)
Beltre (3B)
Cuddyer (RF)
Hardy (SS)
Casilla (2B)
Gomez (CF)

PH: Redmond, Buscher,
Punto/Tolbert, Harris

Rotation
Baker
Liriano
Slowey
Blackburn
Boof/Mulvey
AAA: Duensing
AAA: Swarzak

Relief
Nathan (Closer)
Neshek/Mijares (Setup)
Crain/Guerrier (Key)
Breslow (LOOGY/Long)
Humber (Long)

Scenario #3: Pursue Chris Davis (or someone similar: young, high OPS, fills a need).

I may sound like I’m really tied to Chris Davis, and I guess maybe I am. But really, all I’d like is a great young hitter who can play 3B or SS, someone who isn’t just cheap with high upside or a proven veteran middle infielder (we’ll get to that in #4). I’d like a hitter who can play a position the Twins need, and can protect Morneau if he bats fifth in the order (or 3rd with Mauer 2nd and Cuddyer 5th). To get Chris Davis, I expect the Twins would need to trade at least Boof and Perkins/Blackburn, maybe Humber (as another possible MLB pitcher) and Valencia/Hughes (whomever Texas likes better as a future 3B after Blaylock is gone). I think this is a big deal kind of trade, and if we did it, I wouldn’t expect any other deals from us this summer. It would fill our hole at 3B this year and for at least one more before Davis might have to get moved (to OF, DH, 1B). By that time, the non-traded Valencia/Hughes would be at 3B.

Scenario 3 Lineup
Span (OF)
Mauer (C)
Davis (3B)
Morneau (1B)
Cuddyer (OF)
Kubel (DH)
Casilla (2B)
Punto (SS)
Gomez (CF)

Bench: Redmond, Delmon, Buscher, Harris

Rotation
Baker
Liriano
Slowey
Blackburn
Mulvey/Swarzak

AAA: Swarzak

Relief
Nathan (Closer)
Neshek/Mijares (Setup)
Crain/Guerrier (Key)
Breslow (LOOGY/Long)
Duensing (Long)

Scenario #4: Pursue Veteran Middle Infielder (hopefully Hudson, not Cabrera)

If we decide to pursue a veteran middle infielder as our main offseason move, I do hope it’s Orlando Hudson. He is coming off an injury, but could be a good 2B for us, with some power and good defense (which we need). If we did this, it would mean moving Casilla to SS and keeping Punto around in case Casilla doesn’t adjust well. But this seems like a legitimate and likely scenario.

Scenario 4 Lineup
Span (OF)
Hudson (2B)
Mauer (C)
Morneau (1B)
Cuddyer/Young (OF)
Kubel (DH)
Buscher/Harris (3B)
Casilla/Punto (SS)
Gomez (CF)

Bench
Young, Redmond,
Harris, Punto

Rotation
Baker
Liriano
Slowey
Blackburn
Perkins

Mulvey/Duensing (AAA)
Swarzak (AAA)

Relief
Nathan (Closer)
Neshek/Mijares (Setup)
Crain/Guerrier (Key)
Breslow (LOOGY/Long)
Humber/Boof (Long)
Scenario #5: Pursue Casey Blake, and
Scenario #6: Pursue Hudson and Blake

You can guess what these two would look like. Since they don’t involve trading, it’s pretty clear how they would change our team. I still think the Twins sign Punto in either case as a swing-man. I don’t think they trust Tolbert to be as good as Punto defensively, even though Tolbert would be cheaper.

Scenario #7: Sign Hudson and Trade for Beltre

I actually see this happening because I think the Twins want more year with Hughes/Valencia in the minors. They can afford to (and want to) trade Boof, Humber, and maybe a high-level prospect in order to get a year of Beltre and the draft picks when he leaves via Free Agency.

Scenario #7 Lineup
Span (OF)
Hudson (2B)
Mauer (C)
Morneau (1B)
Beltre (3B)
Kubel (DH)
Cuddyer/Young (OF)
Casilla/Punto (SS)
Gomez (CF)

I actually like how this lineup looks, and if I had to go for an offseason with less going on (and less risk) than scenarios #2 and #3, then I would choose this one. It gives our lineup balance, prevents too much pressure from being put on Morneau/Mauer (who had to carry this team in 2008) and Cuddyer/Young (who were responsible for not giving enough RHB protection to M&M). If we could find a place to trade Kubel, then I’d still like to sign Dunn, but that might be asking too much.

Scenario #8 (this would be awful): Sign Orlando Cabrera

Please don’t do this, Bill Smith. Please. So I’ll end with…

Scenario #9: Trade for Beltre and Sign Dunn and Hudson

Under this scenario, the Twins would trade Boof and Kubel to the Mariners for Beltre and a high-level prospect. They would then sign Hudson to play 2B and Adam Dunn to be the DH and let Gomez, Span, Cuddyer, and Young split time in the outfield. Starting pitching and relief would be pretty similar to most of the above (wouldn’t lose any of the five starters who ended 2008).

Scenario #8 Lineup OBP/ SLG/ OPS (Career) = OBP/ SLG/ OPS (2008)
Span (OF) 387/432/ 819 = 387/ 432/ 819
Hudson (2B) 346/433/ 779 = 367/ 450/ 817
Mauer (C) 399/457/ 856 = 413/451/ 864
Morneau (1B) 348/498/ 846 = 374/499/ 873
Beltre (3B) 327/ 459/ 786 = 327/ 457/ 784
Dunn (DH) 381/ 518/ 899 = 386/ 513/ 889
Young/Cuddyer (OF) 326/ 413/ 739 (DY) 344/ 441/ 785 (MC)
Casilla (SS) 310/ 336/ 646 = 333/ 374/ 707
Gomez (CF) 295/ 350/ 645 = 296/ 360/ 656

I think that lineup would be amazing. And it’s quite possible. It would also allow moving Span to the bottom part of the order if he starts 2009 with a lower OBP. The Dunn part might not be probable, but quite possible. I’d be fine with scenario #7 (without Dunn), but our production would take a hit (but we’d save a lot of money). Possible differences you can mix and match:

Kubel (DH) 326 445 771 335 471 806
Hudson (2B) 346 433 779 367 450 817
Hardy (SS) 329 446 775 343 478 821
Blake (3B) 334 447 781 345 463 808
Cabrera (SS) 322 399 721 334 371 705
Prince (DH) 370 533 903 372 507 879
Furcal (SS) 352 412 764 Only 143ABs 439 573 1012

For example… Check out Going for Broke #2C (Getting Prince, Hardy, and Beltre)

Scenario #2C Lineup OBP SLG OPS (Career) OBP SLG OPS (2008)
Mauer (C) 399 457 856 413 451 864
Prince (DH) 370 533 903 372 507 879
Morneau (1B) 348 498 846 374 499 873
Beltre (3B) 327 459 786 327 457 784
Span (OF) 387 432 819 387 432 819
Hardy (SS) 329 446 775 343 478 821
Cuddyer (OF) 344 441 785 Only 249ABs 330 369 699
Casilla (2B) 310 336 646 333 374 707
Gomez (CF) 295 350 645 296 360 656

Werner Bros. Offseason Guide and Notes: Part III

2008-10-18T00:05:00.001-05:00

Hope you enjoyed reading about CRAP yesterday. (Hopefully I'll never write that again on the blog) By the way, how about that ALCS game last night? Let's hope the Rays don't choke this one away. In Part III, Brett will look at what the Twins have to offer in any offseason moves...

Offseason Riches

OF (Cuddyer, Young, Gomez, Span, Kubel, Pridie, etc.)
Having addressed the offseason targets (both common and those I’d like to see), it’s worth asking what the Twins have as trading potential. Moving ahead with Cuddyer, Young, and Kubel (Corner OF and DH options) and Gomez and Span (CF and corner options) means that at least one of these guys will not play every day. From a defensive standpoint, it would be nice to have both Kubel or Cuddyer off the field every day (like most of the 2008 second half). From an offensive standpoint, it would be nice to have Gomez out of the lineup (unless he becomes more consistent at the numbers he had in May and September with an 800 OPS, which could happen, this along with his best-in-the-majors defense being the two main reasons why the Twins are hesitant to trade him).

Seth is endorsing a rotation where each of the five guys play their OF spot and DH some (no DH for Gomez or Span, no OF for Kubel). I can support that if the Twins don’t do anything in the offseason. But instead, I would try to trade Delmon and Kubel, and pick up Dunn to fill the OF/DH spot. I’m not the only person that likes both Delmon and Kubel (free them, etc.) but still sees the logic in trading either Delmon or Kubel, but I may be the only person who has said to trade both. So far my plan is going to be more expensive than Seth’s, but with more production and likely more defense (by freeing up the outfield for Span and Gomez). We lose the cheapness of Kubel’s arbitration years, and we lose the potential production of Delmon (along with his age: he’s still quite young, but this is why he may be valuable to other teams). When I look at the Twins Minor League prospects, I think that at least one of Morales, Revere, and Hicks (not to mention Parmelee, Tosoni, and Benson) will be able to step up in a few years once Cuddyer’s contract is up and either Gomez or Span hasn’t produced the way we’re now hoping (after all, it’s just the 2008-9 offseason: both have only played about a year in the majors). In other words, the Twins don’t need Delmon and Kubel if they get the production out of Dunn and Cuddyer, and they get the defense (and potential production) out of Span and Gomez. In summary, the Twins outfield is too full, and it only gets worse if the Twins sign a player like Adam Dunn (like I recommend above).

OF/DH available (2 of the three, and Pridie in any case):
Cuddyer (RF/DH)
Kubel (OF/DH)
Delmon (OF)

SP (Baker, Liriano, Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins, Boof)
6 MLB starters return (including Boof, but not even including Humber) and a wealth of SP at AAA/AA (Swarzak, Mulvey, Duensing, Manship, Mullins, possibly Pino)

Name (RHP/LHP, Age09) - InningsMLB - WHIP - ERA - xFIP - K/BB- GB% - HR/G
Scott Baker (RHP, 27) 172 - 1.18 - 3.45 - 4.25 - 3.4 - 33 - 1.1
Francisco Liriano (LHP, 25) 76 - 1.39 - 3.91 - 3.40 - 2.1 - 42 - 0.8
Kevin Slowey (RHP, 24) 160 - 1.15 - 3.99 - 4.14 - 5.1 - 36 - 1.3
Nick Blackburn (RHP, 27) 193 - 1.36 - 4.05 - 4.55 - 2.5 - 45 - 1.1
Boof Bonser (RHP, 27) 118 - 1.48 - 5.93 - 4.31 - 2.7 - 41 - 1.2
Glen Perkins (LHP, 26) 151 - 1.47 - 4.41 - 5.05 - 1.9 - 38 - 1.5
Philip Humber (RHP, 26) 12 - 1.37 - 4.63 - 5.30 - 1.2 - 50 - 3.1
Liriano w/o April 66 - 1.19 - 2.74 - ? - 3.2 - ? - 0.95

2008 Minors League Pitchers (by level)
Francisco (AAA) 118 - 1.13 - 3.28 - ? - 3.7 - ? - 0.8
Humber (AAA) 136 - 1.42 - 4.56 - ? - 2.2 - ? - 1.4
Mulvey (AAA) 148 - 1.35 - 3.77 - ? - 2.5 - ? - 0.97
Duensing (AAA) 139 - 1.33 - 4.28 - ? - 2.3 - ? - 1.0
Manship (AA) 77 - 1.49 - 4.46 - ? - 2.6 - ? - 0.9
Manship (A+) 79 - 1.12 - 2.86 - ? - 3.2 - ? - 0.0
Mullins (AA) 148 - 1.54 - 4.31 - ? - 1.7 - ? - 1.1

The table above summarizes some pitching statistics I find useful when evaluating pitching (when the stats are available), stats that SABR-metrics researchers seem to like (xFIP to ERA, etc.). The table indicates to me that the Twins may have a better pitcher in Boof than his trading value is going to indicate. Conversely, Perkins may have more trade value than is likely to be sustainable with his numbers (he just finished his rookie season with a 12-4 record, a 4.41 ERA, and learned to pitch in a good system). Whether or not the Twins recognize it, we have a number of good pitchers available who are probably MLB ready (at least the six in the majors aside from Humber, and including Mulvey). I will say that whoever put Slowey as a comparable pitcher for Mulvey didn’t look at the same things I’m considering. Because Mulvey hasn’t yet pitched in the majors, I have the career minor league (all levels) numbers for the MLB pitchers and Mulvey, just to give you an idea of where they fit.

Name (RHP/LHP, Age09) - Innings Minors - WHIP - ERA - K/BB
Scott Baker (RHP, 27) - 486 - 1.09 - 3.02 - 4.25
Francisco Liriano (LHP, 25) - 608 - 1.21 - 3.42 - 3.25
Kevin Slowey (RHP, 24) - 367 - 0.85 - 1.94 - 6.94
Nick Blackburn (RHP, 27) - 701 - 1.20 - 3.68 - 2.82
Boof Bonser (RHP, 27) - 884 - 1.30 - 3.63 - 2.30
Glen Perkins (LHP, 26) - 368 - 1.27 - 3.50 - 2.66
Philip Humber (RHP, 26) - 426 - 1.27 - 4.25 - 2.80
Kevin Mulvey (RHP, 23) - 321 - 1.27 - 3.37 - 2.55

The Twins tend to focus their drafts on starting pitching and fast/defensive CF. In times like the 2008-9 offseason, the Twins can and should use those starting pitchers as trading potential. The last few years the Twins have brought in 1-2 awful veteran Free Agent starting pitchers, none of whom have worked out well. I don’t think they should need to do that this year with the number of potential starters they have. The question is how many pitchers to trade. They could do zero, stick with the five starters they had at the end of 2008, and hope that both Boof and Humber adjust to roles in the bullpen. They would have available long relief or guys who could switch to starting if anyone got hurt (like Slowey in the last week, which was our first starting pitcher to get injured once the season began: Slowey and Baker had late starts to the season). But this leaves little to no opportunity for the pitchers at AAA to move up, at least on a steady basis, and the Twins have had a lot of success lately when guys started in AAA and moved to the Twins in May or June (see Slowey, Garza, Baker in ’07 or Perkins in ‘08). This usually comes from the veteran Free Agent problem mentioned above (Ponson and Ortiz in ’07, Livan in ’08), but also with younger pitchers missing starts (Liriano, Baker, and Slowey in early ’08). In any case, having a chance for the AAA pitchers to move up is good, whenever it happens.

It seems like the club would like to trade Boof so that he could be a SP somewhere rather than a RP with the Twins. I think we should be open to that if we can get value out of him. Otherwise, as in, if we could get value for Blackburn or Perkins that we can’t for Boof, I’d be fine with trading Blackburn or Perkins, keeping Boof to be our 2009 Livan/Boof (hopefully we give him chances until the end of May like Boof ’08 rather than until the end of July like Livan ’08). This would allow Boof one more chance to prove himself (his fielding independent numbers were as good as Perkins in ’08), and an easy opening for a younger pitcher that could emerge in early 2009 in Rochester. We could then trade Boof midseason after trading the Perkins/Blackburn option in the offseason, maximizing our trade potential. If nothing else, this allows us to call Boof our “innings-eater” for a while (and the innings he eats allows a pitcher at AAA to emerge as in ’07 and ’08).

Beyond that, I try to build my pitching staff for the next few years around Liriano, Baker, and Slowey. I try to buy out at 1-2 years of free agency with each of these guys with a longer-term contract (also avoids arbitration mess), which can backfire if they get injured, but it’s at least as safe of a bet as signing someone like Ponson, Ortiz, or Livan for $5 million for a year.

What this means for players I’d make quite available:
Kubel (OF/DH)
Delmon (OF)
Boof (SP/RP)
Humber (SP/RP)
Blackburn or Perkins (SP)—though probably not both, unless both got me Davis (maybe more)
Pridie (OF)
Slowey, Baker, or Liriano (SP)—only if someone offered me a superstar and then some

One final note: I think it’s important to point out how good Twins players look to other teams. Our free agents and trades end up with player friendly contracts (they get much more money than the Twins would ever offer, and sometimes it works out: Torii and Johan, and other times it doesn’t: Castillo and Silva). Additionally, I think that the Twins lost more Minor League prospects to the draft last year than any other team, which says something about either the Twins minor league system, or about the Twins front office and how they manage the 40-man roster (not protecting the right players). I think that most teams do well to protect their top threatened players, and it’s a question of how many players they can’t protect. In the end, I think this should be an indication to the Twins front office that teams value what the Twins have, and they should use this to their advantage.

Trading Targets (Teams)
Rangers (Great Hitting, Weak Pitching: Target is Chris Davis)
Mariners (In Need of Major Overall: Target is Beltre)
Brewers (In Need of Pitching with loss of Sheets/Sabathia: Target is Hardy)

Free Agent Targets
Adam Dunn (OF/DH)
Orlando Hudson (2B)
Casey Blake (3B)

Werner Bros. Offseason Guide and Notes: Part II

2008-10-17T00:10:00.001-05:00

In Part II of Brett's Offseason Guide he introduces his personal method of evaluating offseason acquisitions and comparing the gain/loss from player to player. Maybe Bill Smith should pay attention to this...

I’ve been trying to develop a very simple acronym for player evaluation (as a free agent signing, and to a lesser extent a trade). I call it CRAP. Each of these variables can be weighted based on team needs (making it specific to what a team might need at particular positions, or might have as constraints on salary). For instance, the Twins have contract/salary limitations far greater than the Yankees (who are often just operating on the RAP acronym), and while the Twins need a 3B or SS, the Yankees have those already (see A-Rod and Jeter) and would prefer starting pitching.

C = Contract Expectations (this includes both years and salary/year, along with bonuses/options)
R = Risk (injury risk is most important, but attitude is key, esp. for Twins: see Dukes or Bradley)
A = Age (players peak in their late 20s & often regress afterward, in addition to increasing cost)
P = Production (or Performance if you factor in defense—I use OPS as a good indicator here)

So this gives us CRAP, and whether you want to just use pluses and minuses, or positive and negative numbers, or even weights and positive or negative numbers, you can come up with a fair indication of whether your favorite team should sign a particular player. For instance, I was looking at free agents with high HR production in 2008 (on MLBTR), and I rated some hitters using CRAP.

Tex’s CRAP = -9 +6 +0 +9 = +6
Manny’s CRAP = -6 –5 –4 +10 = -5
Bradley’s CRAP = +2 –9 –1 +10 = +2
Dunn’s CRAP = -5 +4 +0 +8 = +7

Because all of these players could potentially DH, and the Twins could upgrade at DH (by trading at least one of, and likely two of Delmon, Kubel, Cuddyer, Gomez, or Span), I think all of these players are legitimate Twins for 2009. They range in terms of contract (lengthy and expensive for Mark Teixeira to short and expensive for Bradley given his risk), in terms of risk (Bradley is very risky for both injuries and attitude, and Dunn/Tex is less risky), in terms of age (Manny is getting old, but most are around or just past their likely peak years), and in terms of production (but given that I was just looking at very productive players, they’re quite homogeneous).

So, let’s look again at the Twins trade targets, using CRAP as a starting point. I then offer some additional insight into what a particular player’s presence might mean to the Twins (trading current players to open up spots or acquire players currently under contract, moving players into other positions, etc.)

Orlando Cabrera (Free Agent SS) RHB 721 (713 / 744) 705 (688 / 754)

CRAP = -15
C = +2 (if the Twins could get him for $30 over 3 yrs, but drops fast beyond that)
R = -5 (mostly on attitude rather than on injury—don’t like his attitude at all)
A = -7 (34 years old, a bit much for a starting SS with little chance to play other positions)
P = -5 (not that great on offense, defense is generally pretty good)

Other Notes: It could be that I’m being more harsh on the OC because of his attitude and batting, but if the Twins want someone with Cabrera’s production, why not sign Punto (better OPS in ’08 and as good in ’06, though perhaps not as consistent overall) who is better in the club house and as good at defense. I think this would be a major mistake on the part of Bill Smith, and I wouldn’t think it would be tough for him to see that. It also was very surprising to me that JoeC seemed optimistic and HowardS called him the people’s choice (though Sinker later redeemed himself by looking into Cabrera’s personality). See Furcal note under Hudson.

Adrian Beltre (1 year left on contract 3B) RHB 786 (779 / 806) 784 (704 / 994)

CRAP = +16
C = +5 (one year contract, while expensive is short—caution: see trades below)
R = +2 (little injury risk in one year)
A = 0 (29 years old, but having him for only one year )
P = +9 (great numbers, especially against LHP, and Gold Glove caliber defense)

Other Notes: The nice things about Beltre are he’s a power-hitting RHB with great defense we would only need to have him for a year (at $12million), and it would be a contract year before Free Agency (meaning he should produce, and that we would get draft picks if we lost him, likely as a Type A Free Agent). The difficult thing is that the Mariners will surely require a back of the rotation starter (MLB ready) for him, if not more (for only one year of Beltre). I’m guessing they would trade Beltre for Perkins/Boof/Buscher, but I may be off. If so, I’d do it (unless I could get Chris Davis). I’d guess that Beltre could give Morneau a rest at 1B with better results than Lamb in 2008.

JJ Hardy (Arb Elig Brewers SS) RHB 775 (716 / 938) 821 (764 / 977)

CRAP = +17 (SS) or +13 (3B)
C = +2 (under team control, but in arbitration years, would likely want to give him 4yr contract)
R = +3 (missed most of 2006 with an ankle injury, but solid aside from that)
A = +4 (26 years old)
P = +8 as a SS, or +4 as a 3B

Other Notes: He’s a RHB that can hit HRs and drive in runs. Probably the most important thing about Hardy is that he would be a good SS for another year or two, though may not be quite as good defensively as Everett or Punto, but could easily move to 3B any time and still has enough offensive production that it wouldn’t matter. The same cannot be said for Cabrera. Additionally, though Hardy’s price is starting to increase, he remains a good option from now until the end of his arbitration years, whether we want to buy out any of his free agent years with a contract or not. The downside of Hardy (like Beltre and Davis) is that he will require trades.

Orlando Hudson (Free Agent 2B) SWIT 779 (805 / 703) 817 (862 / 720)

CRAP = +4 or +2 depending on contract expectations
C = 0 (if we could get him at $32 over 4 yrs) or -2 (if $40 / 4yrs or $30 / 3yrs)
R = -2 (plays ~140 games/yr except for 2008 when he had season-ending wrist surgery)
A = -2 (31 years old)
P = +8 (good production for a middle IF, and Gold Glove defense)

Other Notes: If we pick Hudson up, it would be for his defense up the middle, along with good offense for a 2B. However, this would mean moving Casilla to SS (possibly to compete with Punto or others), which may work (it is Casilla’s natural position, but not one he has played much lately). The nice thing about Hudson beyond his production and defense is that we do not have to give up any trades for him. I could probably add Rafael Furcal to the list of middle infielders (much better SS option than Orlando Cabrera), but he’ll be out of our price range I think.

Casey Blake (Free Agent 3B) RHB 781 (765 / 823) 808 (803 / 823)

CRAP = -1
C = -3 (will be paying him free agent money, but he won’t be expensive for a FA)
R = +5 (seems good for 150 games, has been a Twin before, knows the ALC)
A = -6 (35 years old)
P = +3 (decent production)

Other Notes: I confess to not knowing what to say about Casey Blake except that he’s a good option and likely the kind of signing the Twins would do in the past (maybe slightly better). He is my lowest pick ask a 3B option of those addressed here. However, in a year when 3B options are limited, Casey Blake will have a number of suitors, and he’s a good player. I’d put a maximum offer of 2 years and $18 million and be comfortable with getting him for 2 years and $12million.

Here’s where it gets interesting…
Chris Davis (young Rangers 3B) LHB 952 in Minors 880 (866 / 916)

CRAP = +27
C = +10 (cheapest option available, under team control for cheap for a while)
R = +1 (Young, but unknown… if only I were a scout)
A = +9 (23 years old)
P = +7 (still unknown, but if his minor league numbers are any indication, along with his short MLB season, he should be quite productive).

Other Notes: Davis would be the least proven player out of those highlighted here—the youngest, with only 2/3 of a season in the majors. He’s another LHB to go with Mauer and Morneau, but he’s similar in age to Gomez and Delmon, would be cheap and available for a number of years, and has the potential to hit like a superstar (OPS of .952 in minors compares to Mauer’s .830 and Morneau’s .902). Even if he can’t stay at 3B forever and might need to be moved in a year or two to 1B (pushing Morneau to DH), a corner OF (following Cuddyer), or DH (pushing Kubel out of the picture), the Twins have options. The biggest problem is that according to some Rangers fans’ view, Davis is untouchable, which means trading for him would cost the Twins dearly (maybe Blackburn/Perkins, Boof, Duensing, Pridie, Robertson, and Valencia, maybe even a better package, perhaps with both Blackburn and Perkins, and maybe Boof and Valencia). But the good news is that the Twins and Rangers are trading partners made in heaven (Rangers with great and plentiful batting and troublesome pitching, the Twins with great and plentiful pitching and batting in need of a boost).

Adam Dunn (Free Agent Corner OF/DH) LHB 899 (931 / 833) 899 (951 / 773)

CRAP = +13
C = -6 (maybe -7 given he’s a free agent)
R = +7 (quiet, maybe not a vocal leader, but plays 155+ games/year)
A = +2 (29 years old)
P = +10 (out of the options we have to improve the team’s offense, Dunn is by far the best)

Other Notes: Dunn is going to require a contract much bigger than the Twins have given before, at least on par with Morneau and perhaps even more given that he’s a free agent around (or just passing) his prime. Dunn consistently hits 40 HRs (and I do mean consistently) and has 100 Runs Batted In. While he would be another LHB to go with Mauer and Morneau, his splits are good enough that it wouldn’t matter (he’s as good of a hitter as Morneau). He would offer the kind of protection to Morneau that Twins fans could only dream of in 2008. Landing him would likely mean trading Kubel and perhaps Delmon (to open up an OF/DH spot or two), but this could be addressed in other ways. He would likely add $16-18million per year to our payroll for 4-5 years (similar to Morneau). If we could get him for $64 over 4 yrs, he would be a steal I think. I might try for $75 over 5 years. Basically, if the Twins could move him to the DH (and part time OF) spot while keeping the young cheap guys (and Cuddyer) in the outfield, we could have the best of both worlds in production and defense.

Putting these options together, we have to make sure we don’t end up:
Getting Orlando Cabrera (I don’t like him)
Getting both Dunn and Davis (both great hitters, but both LHB, crowding the corners)
Getting both Hudson and Hardy (we should be able to cover one middle IF internally)
Getting Davis and Blake (both 3B) or Davis and Beltre, etc.

CRAP Summary
First of all, what do you think of the CRAP rating system? Is it helpful to you in making decisions about trades and free agents? There are two alternative formulations I’m considering. One is that you use CRAP for free agents (who require contracts) and TRAP for trade targets (where you have to give up players from your system). The second is a way of combining the two to make CRAPT. It is the same as CRAP but adds in T for Trades (players you’d lose to get the target player). In a way, this does even out some of the desirability of trade targets over Free Agents, and it might end up working.

T = Trade Equations (never positive unless you can get rid of another bad contract)
Davis = -9
Hardy = -5
Beltre = -6
Dunn = 0
Hudson = 0
Blake = 0
Cabrera = 0

CRAP Ranking (as done by me, but you should use the system and rank them yourselves):
Chris Davis +27
JJ Hardy +17 (SS) or +13 (3B)
Adrian Beltre +16
Adam Dunn +13
Orlando Hudson +4
Casey Blake -1
Orlando Cabrera -15

CRAPT Ranking
Chris Davis +18
Adam Dunn +13
JJ Hardy +12 (SS) or +8 (3B)
Adrian Beltre +10
Orlando Hudson +4
Casey Blake -1
Orlando Cabrera -15

Just as importantly as thinking of these CRAPT ratings is to think how another team views our guys and their ratings. This is a reason why Cuddyer, who is a good hitter (in ’06 and ’07) with a reputation for good defense (mostly just his arm) is a difficult player for the Twins to trade after we gave him a bigger contract than he was worth (at least so far—if he returns to ’06 levels in ’09, he’ll improve the contract’s worth).

How do your rankings compare? Who else do you include? Where would someone like Manny fit in? I’m guessing he’ll get a big contract over 4-5 years, that he’s an attitude risk (perhaps injury also, though he’s stayed in good health), he’s old, but he can hit. He might work at DH, but I would rather put my money on Adam Dunn.

Werner Bros. Offseason Guide and Notes: Part I

2008-10-16T00:05:00.002-05:00

The following is the first installment of a five part series analyzing the 2009 offseason for the Minnesota Twins. This is another exciting new addition to MVB written by a good friend Brett Werner with help from his brother, Mark Werner. The Werner Brothers (WB) are devoted Twins fans who look at the game in a SABRmetric scope. Brett's detailed analysis will certainly intrigue.

2008 Recap
To consider some trade options for the Twins in the 2008-9 offseason, I start with the Twins 2008 batters and the OPS numbers (On-Base + Slugging). OPS isn’t a perfect statistic (none are), but it does gauge overall productivity pretty well.

Player (position): Bats / CareerOPS (vs. RHP/LHP Split) 2008
Justin Morneau (1B) LHB 846 (899 / 739) 873 (928 / 778)
Joe Mauer (C) LHB 856 (910 / 744) 864 (826 / 939)
Jason Kubel (DH/OF) LHB 771 (790 / 688) 806 (833 / 704)
Delmon Young (LF) RHB 739 (721 / 790) 741 (720 / 791)
Michael Cuddyer (RF) RHB 785 (772 / 812) 699 (700 / 694)
To be fair, Cuddyer was injured in 2008 so … 2007 789 (759 / 865)

Depending on their positions, players have adjusted expectations or benchmarks for OPS. The players who defend the middle (C, 2B, SS, CF) have lower OPS expectations than those playing the corners or not at all (1B, 3B, LF, RF, DH). A player with an OPS of 850 of higher is usually an All-Star (see Mauer and Morneau), much more so if he plays down the middle. A corner player has slightly higher expectations.

OPS - Middle - Corner/DH
600-650 - Defensive Sub - AAA or retirement
650-700 - Off Year? - 4th OF or worse
700-750 - Good, Solid - Off year? Maybe look elsewhere
750-800 - Very good - Solid
800-850 - All-Star - Very Good
850-higher - Superstar, chance at HoF - Extremely good, likely All-Star

Looking closely at batting strengths and weaknesses, 2008 was a decent year because we had three batters with an OPS over 825 (and Morneau over 925) against RHP, but we also had Mauer hitting LHP at a 939 clip (a reversal of his career split, almost 200 points higher against LHPs and 85 points lower against RHPs). Unlike Morneau who has a large split but still quite good on his off-side, a player whose splits make him very good against RHP and bad against LHP (or the reverse) will usually be a platoon player, pinch hitter, or in the minors. A good example of this is Brian Buscher, who did very well against RHP, but awful against LHP (a reason why the Twins can’t afford to keep him as an everyday 3B (he would at least platoon with Harris).

Brian Buscher LHB 708 (764 / 454) 730 (799 / 455)
Brendan Harris RHB 738 (711 / 800) 721 (725 / 714)

If you had enough roster spots to keep both Buscher and Harris, to platoon them at 3B, and they both performed somewhere in between their career and 2008 numbers, you’d have a very good 3B situation (if you could split the OPS at 780 / 775 or so). But finding a 3B who can hit in the 775 (760 / 790), splitting this way in hopes of a RHB as the Twins are LHB heavy. But this is what makes 3B a great place to look to improve your roster. Not only can you use one roster spot rather than two, you might be able to improve on these expectations offensively or defensively.

This also brings up the question of defense. Given that the Twins have a particular team pitching style (throw strikes, don’t walk anyone, let them put it in play), the Twins absolutely need to have a stronger than average defense behind their pitchers, especially up the middle, but everywhere. This is why the Adam Everett signing made sense: even if he batted the way people expected him to (which he did), he’d still have been a good choice for our team if his defense had also been as expected (which it wasn’t). His shoulder injury caused a lot of troubles for the Twins middle infield, but if his shoulder was to improve by 2009, I’d definitely give him a shot (especially if we could improve team OPS elsewhere (Everett’s career OPS is 653, which is only MLB quality with amazing defense, which he had).

Finally, it’s worth noting that if Cuddyer could have stayed healthy and batted fifth with an OPS vs. LHPs of 865 (like he did in ’07) or 894 (like ’06) with solid numbers against RHPs, the team would have been in pretty good shape. Similarly, if Delmon had batted with the upside the Twins Front Office was hoping for, the Twins would have again been in good shape. But any team that faced the Twins this year could use LHPs and pitch around Mauer, leaving the Twins with a bottom of the majors lineup. This is one good reason to hope that the Twins can have another strong year in 2009 even if someone else gets hurt or they can’t keep the team batting average with runners in scoring position above .300 or if any of their young pitchers have a sophomore (or junior) slump.

Off-season Targets
Having given a quick update on what the Twins did this year OPS-wise, I move on to offseason targets and possibilities. There are three ways to “acquire” players in the offseason: (1) sign a free agent, (2) make a trade for players, or (and this is why I put “acquire” in scare quotes) (3) promote from the Minor League System. The Twins are set at 1B, C, OF, and likely 2B (if that’s where Casilla ends up). They have utility infielder options (either Punto or Tolbert), a pair of players destined for a trade or platoon duty in the infield (Harris and Buscher), and a few holes. The Twins are lucky to have one of their better hitters at the Catcher position, which gives them a little flexibility for finding other good hitters (they can look in the normal places and build with batting beyond the corner positions).

The Twins have a well-known history of signing weak free agents (won’t even mention them), but Twins fans can safely expect a better free agent signing this year given that the Twins saved money in 2008 (down to $57 million from $71 million in 2007) with a chance for contracts to go as high as $80 or so million in 2009 and beyond (especially with the new ballpark coming online in 2010). I’ll get to how I generally approach offseason targets in a bit, but here are a few of those targets.

Offseason Target Positions: 3B / SS /RP(?)
Offseason Excesses: OF / SP(?)
The following guys are improving in the Minors at 2B, SS, and 3B (allowing for the possibility of Casilla at SS). They may be options for the Twins to “acquire” them (bring them up from the minors out of spring training or during the year). They are also people that should be considered if we are signing free agents or making trades. Do we keep them around as backup plans (see Punto, Buscher, and Casilla for Everett, Lamb, and Harris). Do we try to trade them, or do we release them? Rather than going into detail for the minor leaguers, I’ll just post their OPS numbers in the Minors and send you to Seth’s site for his take on their performances (I follow these things, but not quite as closely as he does). Look for Gleeman and Baseball Prospectus to have prospect lists sometime soon also.

Luke Hughes (3B/2B/CF, RHB): Seth’s #9 Twins Prospect
Career OPS 746
2008 AAA OPS 936
2008 AA OPS 778

Danny Valencia (3B, RHB): Seth’s #4 Twins Prospect
Career OPS 846
2008 AA OPS 920
2008 A+ OPS 819
2008 AZ Fall OPS 488 (in only 20 ABs so far)

Trevor Plouffe (SS, RHB): Seth’s #11 Twins Prospect
Career OPS 699
2008 AAA OPS 712
2008 AA OPS 735

Plouffe doesn’t look like he can bat well enough to play everyday in the Majors. Both Hughes and Valencia have shown some promise somewhere along the way in the minors, but only Valencia appears to be the kind of hitter the Twins need on the left side of the infield. Valencia may be ready in 2009, but is likely a better bet for 2010, which means maybe the Twins should go after a 3B for one year (or stick with the platoon option mentioned above). If we trade for a younger player, we might want to use Valencia as part of the trading equation. The question is: how do the options mentioned to this point stack up against the guys below?

Offseason Target Players
(Status, Position, Bats) OPS (vs RHP/LHP Split) 2008
Orlando Cabrera (Free Agent SS, RHB) 721 (713 / 744) 705 (688 / 754)
Adrian Beltre (1 year left on contract 3B, RHB) 786 (779 / 806) 784 (704 / 994)
JJ Hardy (Arb Elig Brewers SS, RHB) 775 (716 / 938) 821 (764 / 977)
Orlando Hudson (Free Agent 2B, SWIT) 779 (805 / 703) 817 (862 / 720)
Casey Blake (Free Agent 3B, RHB) 781 (765 / 823) 808 (803 / 823)
Chris Davis (young Rangers 3B, LHB) Minors 952 (? / ?) 880 (866 / 916)
Adam Dunn (Free Agent Corner OF/DH, LHB) 899 (931 / 833) 899 (951 / 773)

The top five are guys I’ve seen mentioned on other blogs and news sites. My most worrisome moments are when the Star Tribune guys are talking up Orlando Cabrera. I wish that more fans and blogs were talking up the guys I’d like to see the Twin pick up via trade or free agency. My preferred order would be: Chris Davis, Adam Dunn, JJ Hardy, Orlando Hudson, Casey Blake, and Orlando Cabrera. Out of the names on this list, I would be most disappointed if the Twins signed Cabrera given the full package of expected contract, the risk (attitude and injury), his age, and his production/performance.

Come back tomorrow for part II of Brett's series to hear about potential offseason acquisitions, including Brett's own developed model to observe potential gain/loss to acquiring new players.

Oh, the times they are changing!

2008-10-15T09:48:00.002-05:00

After nearly a year of the old layout, to go in line with the new exciting changes at MVB I thought it was time for a change.

I decided to go with a very clean, simple look for a very straightforward user-friendly experience on MVB. I also decided a new personal logo was in order. So please let me know what you think. You can vote on the sidebar about how you feel about the new layout or even feel free to leave a comment if you have any suggestions or feelings.

So along with the new layout and new logo, we have our weekly column "Off the TePoel" (OTT), and expect more changes for the 2009 offseason.

Starting tomorrow there will be a very impressive and thorough five part post devoted to a statistical analysis of the 2009 Twins Offseason. Don't miss it!

A Crowded Outfield

2008-10-13T12:33:00.003-05:00

As the postseason truly begins to heat up and the bitter tie breaker loss to the Chicago White Sox slowly cools off, it's time to start my favorite part of the season... the offseason!

This is the time where rumors fly, speculation lifts, and we fire up what has now become known as the Hot Stove! How is ESPN so powerful that it can just make up terms for certain times of year in the sports calendar???

It is my favorite time because I get to live out my teenage, well and current dream, of being the Twins General Manager. The time where we get to tell Bill Smith everything we think he should do and then criticize everything he does after it is complete. Now I've already heard lots of Twins rumors and have read many different names already been tossed around, but I want to start with something we know. The Twins have a crowded outfield!

Between Carlos Gomez, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Delmon Young, and Jason Kubel the Twins do not have enough at bats. There are four positions (LF,CF,RF,DH) and five players who all make the case to be everyday players. Part of me thinks they should just keep all five guys for depth, injury possibility, and if anyone struggles, but then I think of our holes as shortstop and thirdbase and how maybe one of these outfielders could be the piece to move to fill our own puzzle.

I know the initial idea is to simply move Michael Cuddyer back to thirdbase and we kill two birds with one stone. Figuratively, Cuddy being one stone and crowded outfield and thirdbase vacancy being two birds! But I think the Twins organization has been quite clear of their desire not to do this and I think it is definitely one of those easier said then done circumstances.

I feel confident in saying that the Twins will not move Carlos Gomez or Denard Span. Gomez was the centerpiece of the Johan Santana deal and despite some ugly moments in 2008, his defense and speed alone are enough to keep him on. Span became a huge spark plug that showed incredible leadoff hitter potential, web gem defense, and good speed on the bases. Although, based on Span erratic Minor League track record I think now is the best time ever to trade this kid, but alas I think both of these guys will be in Fort Myers come next February.

I really don't want to waste my time proving while Jason Kubel should not be traded. So I'm not going to. I hope the Twins would not make a foolish move like this and so I'm just going to tell myself they won't. So that leaves us with Delmon Young and Michael Cuddyer.

Both have reasons to stay and to leave. Young was the centerpiece of the Matt Garza deal and it would appear as giving up early if we moved him in a deal. The second year player struggled in the first half but came alive in the second half of the year to post decent numbers at best, but showed more hints of a potentially great hitter. Yet Young often appeared as if he didn't care too much and I've read rumors he "didn't fit in" too well in the Minnesota clubhouse which is the nice way to say no one really likes him.

Michael Cuddyer's 2008 campaign was nothing short of a bust due to injury. He played in just 71 games and hit .249 with 36 RBIs. Cuddyer have a great arm in rightfield and is certainly one of the faces of this team. He plays the game hard and is a good guy, but we all know nice guys finish last. On many plays made by Span this season I thought to myself, "Self, there is no way Cuddyer would have made that play!" Plus, we all know Cuddy hit .284 with 24 HRs and 109 RBIs in 2006, but we all should know that he's never since come close to that!

It will be difficult to move Cuddyer with two remaining years on his 3-year $24 million deal plus his value is way down after missing so much time. I don't really want to move Delmon and see him go hit .300/20/100 for some other club, but he clearly would bring more value in return. Only time will tell. You know who I think is the odd man out... but who do you think should be moved in this crowded situation?

Off the TePoel

2008-10-11T12:31:00.004-05:00

So here is one of those exciting new things that we're bringing to Twins MVB in 2009. A new weekly columnist! Off the TePoel is written by a good friend of mine Dain TePoel (sounds like Tea-Pole). Dain is joining the MVB team with a vast knowledge of baseball and deep passion through the good and the bad times of Minnesota Twins Baseball. Plus, Dain will bring MVB a sometimes "biting reality" to Twins baseball. Here is the first installment of Off the TePoel...

Twins 2009...We've got speed, but not so fast!

The Twins have shown they like keeping mediocre crowd pleasers around (see Matthew LeCroy and Lew Ford) but this team needs to start thinking about building a World Series contender as Mauer and Morneau head into their prime, not keeping fan favorites at cheap rates to increase their profit from increased ticket sales in 2010.

Twins General Manager Bill Smith stated on the team's website that signing Mike Redmond was the first step in looking forward to 2009. For a team filled with speed, signing this slow-footed catcher who played in one more game than his age (37) in 2008 accomplishes what exactly? It's negligible. Like eating two or three dollar dogs, heck, just go ahead and have four. It makes no difference.

Twins devotees love Redmond because of his .292 career batting average, clubhouse leadership and installation of the "Smell 'Em" campaign in 2006. He also likes to run around nude in the clubhouse. And Red-dog is sharing the love right back atcha', dome dwellers. The man's career is ending, and he wants to retire a Twin. Awww.

The Twins compete, play his brand of baseball, and in case you hadn't heard, are going to be playing ball in one of them brand new ballparks! Redmond got the memo. "I'm hoping that maybe we can talk about me possibly being there when that new stadium opens in 2010 too." Right. When you're almost 40. But hey, Twins fans just can't get enough of your clutch 2-out singles on those day games, and that's your bargaining plea to not end up a Pittsburgh Pirate.

Are the Twins concerned about winning division titles and championships, or playing baseball just that much closer to Sex World? I'm starting to wonder because after 81 more dome games, this baseball version of the Greatest Show on Turf will be (gasp!) playing on grass. Since 2006, all the Twins have been talking about is the new stadium. Even Torii Hunter as an Angel will be in tears in 2010 when he steps in as the Right Fielder (oh snap!) for his Target Field debut. But have they forgotten about the third of a decade in between?

Look at the Rays in the dome look alike. Remind you of the Twins? And for good reason. They've got speed, good pitching, and excellent defense. But they also have power, a word missing from Twins managements' vocabulary. The Twins need power to balance their offensive prowess.

Punto. Thanks for your dedicated service. Now take a hike. Cuddy, I love you like a brother, but you are not going to hit 25 homers or produce over 100 RBIs ever again. Do you think a Yankees or Red Sox fan would put up with your declining numbers? Sentimental Twins fans don't demand enough from their team, a Minnesota nice flaw. Start asking for a championship every year, just like they do out east and west.

So please, enough warm fuzzies. Mr. Smith, go sign a shortstop and a third baseman. For once, go after the proven producers and bring one more World Series to the beloved marshmallow bubble. Enter Target Field as World Series champs, not happy to be here chumps.

The coupon cutting Twins are one step ahead. Geniuses, really. Why pay that much for a chance at the World Series when the new stadium generates year-after-a World Series attendance on its own? All the Twins need is a team good enough to keep selling tickets after the novelty has worn off.

The Twins are just too good to settle like this. The staff is maturing quickly. The young outfield is fast and dangerous. The bullpen: Mijares, a healthy Neshek, and Nathan. Sounds like W's whipping into Redmond's bullpen catching glove. Gardenhire and Rick Anderson are the best in the game at what they do. They deserve a shot at the Big Show.

Target Field, Twins fans can't wait. But unlike Hubert H., your natural grass, Mankato limestone, and unpredictable weather conditions can't help the home nine Homer Hanky its way to 7th Heaven.

NLCS Preview

2008-10-09T15:07:00.003-05:00

The NLCS starts tonight in Philadelphia as the Phillies host the Los Angeles Dodgers. Certainly not the pairing many teams would have selected this spring or even at the start of these playoffs with the Cubs picked by many to be the favorite. But as a fan of the game I'm glad to know we'll have a fresh face in the World Series representing the National League.

Several storylines surrounding this series
* Can the Phillies rotation contain Manny Ramirez?
* Will Jimmy Rollins play well and lead this team?
* Will Ryan Howard be a strikeout machine or an RBI machine?
* How will Charlie Manuel manage against the playoff wizard, Joe Torre?
* Which Brett Myers will show up on the mound?

Usually in the playoffs the winners are determined by pitching, but for some reason I like the inferior rotation of the Phillies. The Dodgers have more pitching depth but I like Cole Hamels chances to continue his success and a motivated Brett Myers to form a dangerous 1-2 punch that'll put the Phillies in the World Series for the first time since 1993.

BOLD PREDICTION
The Twins MVB likes the Phillies with the home field advantage in 6 games over the LA Dodgers!

What's your song?

2008-10-07T11:49:00.004-05:00

DY21 gives his thoughts on one of the interesting traditions in Major League Baseball today...

The 7th inning stretch, the ceremonial first pitch, and even the kiss cam are all "extras" that every baseball game has that has nothing to do with the actual baseball game. My sister, for example, seems to be completely oblivious to all action on the field, but due to the kiss cam, her 20 dollar ticket was well worth it. I bring this up because I'd like to speak on my favorite "extra" at a baseball game if you will. This would be player walk up music. I am always intrigued as to what songs each player picks to come up to the plate with. To me it gives me some kind of personality traits for each player as to what they may be like off the field.

So that got me thinking and I came up with my own possible walk up songs that would have been fitting for fellow Twins this past year.

Carlos Gomez - "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown
With his always upbeat attitude I figured he would need an uptempo beat. Also one of my favorite things about Gomez is that I can always laugh at him, especially when he kisses his bat before every at bat. Put 2 and 2 together and you get "Kiss Kiss" by Chris Brown

Delmon Young - "Stop and Stare" by One Republic
I'm sure at first glance this makes no sense for Delmon Young. But think closely of these lyrics. The beginning chorus goes, "stop and stare, i think I'm moving but i go nowhere." Honestly nothing can describe Delmon when he moves any better, and when he does move all Twins fans can do is stop and stare.

Adam Everett - "I Hate Everything About You" by Three Days Grace
This works because it is what every Twins fan thinks every time he makes an appearance on the baseball field.

Nick Punto - "Everyday I'm Hustlin" by Rick Ross
Another fairly self explanatory one I feel. I mean Nick Punto would head first slide into first base on a lineout to the pitcher.

Denard Span - "Saved" by R. Kelly
The chorus is a constant, "You saved me" and this is exactly what I feel Denard did for the Twins this season. Gomez's free swinging attitude clearly wasn't working in the leadoff spot, so when speedy Denard Span got called up to take place for injured Cuddyer he brilliantly became almost the epitome of a leadoff hitter. He has the patience and discipline of Joe Mauer yet still has the speed and a little pop for a leadoff man. Who would have thought Cuddyer's injury would arguably be the best thing that happened to the Twins?

So here are some possible "walk up" songs that I feel do a fair job at representing each player. Obliviously plenty of other players are available for song selections, so I would like to hear what others feel would be appropriate songs for players. Leave your comments.

Hip Hip HooRAYS!

2008-10-02T10:57:00.004-05:00

Last night as I watched the playoffs I wish I would have written a playoff preview. It's too late to say that now, but all three of the teams I've picked to win won last night.

Coming into these playoffs I really thought the Cubs were overated and with the way Zambrano has pitched lately I'm worried the Cubs may go down 2-0 at home today. Plus I'd never want to mess with a Joe Torre team in the playoffs. I've always hated the Yankees, but I've always really respected Mr. Torre.

Also thought that regular season statistics don't matter. Just because the Angels took 8 out of 9 from the Red Sox doesn't mean we can crown them victorious in the first round. Boston knows how to play in October and as I watched Jon Lester, Jacoby Elsbury, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson play critical roles in the Red Sox victory I couldn't help but wonder how hard we tried to trade Johan Santana to Boson. Just wondering...

Phillies versus Brewers will be an interesting series. I think the Phillies are a dangerous team to go deep into this playoffs. Their offense is just so deep. Cole Hamels looked great yesterday, but C.C. Sabathia will attempt again to put this Milwaukee team on his back.

Most importantly, today's game 1 between the Chicago White Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays. If you can't tell by the title I'm going for the Rays this October. What a great story! Plus, it's another reason to root against Chicago. How about a sweep for Tampa Bay!

What to say...

2008-10-01T11:14:00.003-05:00

I always wondered how coaches feel when they walk into a locker room or clubhouse after a loss that ends the season. I thought, what do they say, how do they say it, or is there even anything to say? I still don't know!

What a tough loss for the Twins last night. It's easy to quickly think about all the games that we could have won to have avoided last night's situation. It's also easy to say well we weren't supposed to be there anyway, but I don't except that. The Twins simply didn't take care of business last night. Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau struggled going 0-6 with three strikeouts agains a pitcher they usually dominate. Plus, if these two guys only get six at bats in a game that simply is not enough. The whole offense did not show up to play.

I said before the game that I thought Nick Blackburn would be the key to the game. He did more than I could have expected and I actually thought this game would be a 7-5 type ballgame. Unfortunately, the White Sox beat us and our own game. Which is evident by the fact that this was the Twins' 5th 1-0 loss this year (tied for the most in MLB) and the White Sox 1st 1-0 win. That's tough to swallow.

If there is any silver lining to this, Joe Mauer did when his second batting title in three years. He now has two titles by the age of 25 and is still the only AL catcher to win the title.

That's it for now, much more to come later but we all need time to let this digest. Thanks to everyone who stopped by during the Live Blogcast, it was truly a fun time. Please continue to come back to Twins MVB with many exciting changes expected in the future. For the next three weeks, I'm the biggest Tampa Bay Rays fan out there!

Game 163

2008-09-29T21:38:00.006-05:00

THE LIVE BLOGCAST WILL BEGIN SHORTLY, DON'T LEAVE!!!

So after a 162 games over six months the Twins and White Sox are tied in 1st place. The White Sox jumped all over the Detroit bullpen after Tiger starter, Freddy Garcia, pitched five really solid innings. Part of me is upset at the Twins for not taking care of business at home against Kansas City, but then I could reference probably another 20 games this season where something little went wrong that cost the Twins a win.

The other part of me realizes that this is how it should be decided. A one game playoff that will be the most important baseball game played thus far in 2008.

The only way I can cover a game like this is by doing a Twins MVB Live PLAYOFF Blogcast. But this time will be different than last week's game against the White Sox. I found a new application that will allow for live up to the minute updates, but more importantly reader interaction from YOU!

So log in tomorrow around 6 pm as we prepare for the big game and as you're watching put in your own thoughts, comments, and questions. It's going to be a wild night!

Baseball Tonight Previews Tigers/White Sox

2008-09-29T12:48:00.002-05:00

Here's a good video to prepare you for this afternoon's makeup game between the Tigers and the White Sox. The BBTN boys give their predictions...

Also, the Twins announced Nick Blackburn would take the hill on Tuesday night if a tiebreaker game is necessary. He would face off against John Danks in Chicago with a 6:37 pm CT start. Odd starting time, but no worries if you are working should be able to catch this game.

Give me a T-I-G-E-R-S!

2008-09-29T07:05:00.000-05:00

After both the White Sox and the Twins went 1-2 in their final season series, neither team was able to step up and win the division. The Twins had two ugly, uninspiring losses to Kansas City on Friday and Saturday, but thankfully took care of business Sunday at the Dome.

The final regular season game saw an amazing pitching performance from Scott Baker, a huge clutch hit from Delmon Young, sloppy defense from the Royals, and a possible 2nd AL Batting Title for Joe Mauer!

Unfortunately, Joe must wait before being crowned batting champ because there is potentially more baseball to be played. Which brings us to the Tigers...

The White Sox finished 1/2 game behind the Twins and thus need to play the rainout game against Detroit tomorrow night in Chicago. If Chicago loses the Twins clinch the division and are off to Tampa Bay for the first round of the playoffs. If Chicago wins the Twins fly to the Windy City for AL Central Tie Breaker at U.S. Cellular on Tuesday.

A tiebreaker in Chicago would be a tough win for the young Twins. I think this motivated club could handle the pressure, but I'd much rather have the day off and head to Florida to prepare for the playoffs. So that's where for one day, just one day, all Twins fans and MVB readers are becoming Tiger's fans for a day. I'm so excited to hang out with these people...

Tomorrow's game is 1 pm CT on ESPN2. Tune in and Go Tigers!

Slowey cleared, Liriano ready

2008-09-26T18:05:00.002-05:00

Hard to come down from the emotional high of last night's thrilling victory. Let's hope the Twins clubhouse didn't celebrate too hard!

This just in
Kevin Slowey's MRI results show no ligament damage from the line drive he took off the wrist during last night's game. The X-rays came back negative but it is uncertain when Slowey will pitch again, simply because the Twins future is still uncertain. If the Twins do make the playoffs they will certainly hope Slowey will be recovered enough to take the mound. For now... one day at a time.

Liriano Ready
After having to watch three amazing victories from the dugout, I'm sure Francisco Liriano is ready to take the mound tonight against the Kansas City Royals. Although the Twins did sweep the critical series against Chicago, these final three games are still must win games as the Twins hope to remain atop of the AL Central. There isn't another pitcher I'd rather have take the mound to start the final series tonight then "The Franchise."

Twins MVB LIVE Blogcast

2008-09-25T19:09:00.031-05:00

7:10 PM - Here we go folks the first ever Twins MVB LIVE Blogcast!
7:10 - Can't think of a better way to start... 1 pitch... 1 out!
7:15 - Well, they don't call him a flyball pitcher for nothing! Let's see some hits from the offense.
7:18 - FSN shows a smiling Ozzie after Span's bloop single. He won't be smiling after tonight!

7:22 - Bert's never looked so smart after calling that Griffey is playing too shallow as Mauer puts a double over Griffey's head. Or maybe Junior's never looked so slow!

7:31 - I know Jr.'s swinging a hot bat, but do you think Ozzie really gave him the green light on 3-0? Slowey retires his first six!

7:38 - Someday I'm going to blog about all the possible things Carlos Gomez is saying to his bat

7:45 - Dick says it how it is, 30 pitches, 9 outs for Slowey. Great start!

7:52 - Mauer looking good with his second hit of the night. Keep those hits coming we want another batting title.

8:00 - The downside of flyball pitchers, Orlando Cabrera goes deep in the 4th to tie the game 1-1. No style points for Delmon's poor attempt of robbing a homerun.

8:03 - Listen Gomez!!! Definitely saw Span call that ball. Can't have mistakes like that.

8:09 - Slowey understandibly careful with Griffey as he walks. And Alexei Ramirez officially looks like an alien.

8:16 - Oh no! This is not good. Slowey is hit in the arm and throws the ball away, Sox take a 6-1 lead. How did this get so bad so quickly??? Mistakes by Gomez/Span and Buscher are taking their toll. Even worse, Matt Guerrier is coming into the game in the 4th inning.

8:26 - Great at bat by Brian Buscher. Twins need to be patient and get themselves back into this game. If we can get Floyd out of this game I like our chances against the Chicago bullpen.

8:31 - If Nick Punto's at bat lasted any longer I was going to have to leave and get a Banana Cream Pie Blizzard from DQ after staring at that sign so long. Telly Hughes reports that Kevin Slowey is on his way to the hospital for x-rays. I might hate Telly Hughes more than AJ. Anybody can do his job.

8:49 - Huge strikeout for Reyes on Junior. Twins certainly still in this game and most importantly they got the crowd back into it. 6-3 through five inings.

8:54 - Mauer is motivated tonight with his third hit of ballgame. That'll put him back up at .330. Let's see an MVP at bat here from Morneau.

9:02 - Twins can't bring the runners in. If I see another Menards commercial during this break I'll never buy a lawn mower in my life.

9:10 - BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOF!!!

9:14 - Gomez picks up his second triple of the night followed by a near bunt single by Span. Oooh, that was close. 6-4 White Sox.

9:33 - Crain gets the job done. For some reason after the Slowey fiasco it seemed like this game was over, but the Twins are right where they need to be with three more innings to score runs.

9:39 - That's it! Never buying a lawn mower!

9:46 - Craig Breslow for Rolaids Relief Man of the Year!

9:54 - To get an understanding of how poor the White Sox bullpen has been Ozzie turns to his closer, Bobby Jenks, to get the five out save.

9:57 - So Gomez picks up his 5th hit of the game and FSN shows that Jenks has an 8.22 ERA in his last 7 and 1/3 IP. Hehe.

10:04 - Just heard the Metrodome roof has a hole in it after a dangerous decible level. What a rally! Unfortunately Alexi couldn't get the bunt down and the Twins are retired at a 6-6 tie. This is right where we need to be though.

10:16 - Gomez makes a nice unecessary sliding catch for the third inning and Nathan retires the Sox 1-2-3 in the 9th with a questionable appealed called 3rd strike on Nick Swisher. I love how the 3rd base ump just threw his hands up in the air and told Swisher to take a seat.

10:21 - Let's hope MVP voters aren't watching Morneau's 0-5 performance tonight. Thank you Ron Gardenhire for letting Joe Nathan pitch more than one inning. This is for 1st place!

10:35 - Punto showing his aggressive baserunning style and now Span will be walked. Let's go Casilla.

10:45 - WOW! I knew we had to sweep, I said we had to sweep, and I thought we really could sweep... but it actually happened. This is one of the biggest Twins wins I can remember and this series was the most impressive feats of determination, motivations, and clutch play.

10:50 - Certainly wish I could have been at this game tonight, but I couldn't have picked a better game for the first ever Twins MVB LIVE Blogcast. If you followed along with me tonight thanks a lot and if you read this later leave me a comment and let me know what you think. We'll have to do future live blocasts here at MVB.

So the Twins pull off the impossible sweep and take control of first place. Three games remaining in the season. Three games at home in the dome against the Royals for the Twins and three games at home against the Indians for the Sox. It's going to be a good weekend!

Don't Miss It an MVB First

2008-09-25T10:20:00.008-05:00

Before you read my post game thoughts check this out! I feel really guilty for not being able to go to the game tonight as I have been good luck the past few nights at the dome, alas I have to work. But I will be working with computer access and watching the game on tv so I'm going to do the first ever LIVE TWINS MVB BLOGCAST! Leave your internet browswer on and refresh it every few minutes why you're watching the game for up to the minute comments and updates. As always, feel free to leave questions and thoughts during the game. Get the brooms out!

*************

Wow, what another win last night! A 3-2 grind that saw great defense on both sides and some timely hitting from the Twins.

Mark Buerhle really pitched quite well and Nick Blackburn struggled at times but got the job done in clutch situations. The Twins bullpen stepped up with Craig Breslow, Boof Bonser, Jose Mijares, and Joe Nathan combining to pitch there scoreless innings. In a game that is this important it appears that Ron Gardenhire and decided to go with the young lefty, Mijares, in the 8th inning.

As long as the Twins win, it is great to see my old hero Ken Griffey Jr. hit some homeruns. His homerun last night was a blast circa Griffey 1997. As a baseball purist, I like the tradition of throwing a homerun ball back after an away homerun and I've always told myself I would do it if I caught a homer...BUT last night may be an exception. Some fool caught Griffey's ball which was his 611th in his career and you never know, maybe his last. I wouldn't try to sell the ball, but I would give it back to Junior just for an opportunity to meet him!

Round 2...FIGHT!

2008-09-24T10:30:00.005-05:00

What a win last night! The Twins not only took the most important game 1 of the series but made a big statement in doing so.

Jason Kubel was the star of the game smacking two homeruns, hitting a triple, and picking up three RBIs. After a homer in his first at-bat and a triple in his second at bat, Kubel had me thinking cycle, but he chose to hit another homerun instead! Here Thor Nystrom of MLB.com writes, Kubel nearly didn't even start.

Delmon Young used the energy from the crowd and from Kubel's homerun immediately after to go back-to-back with a homerun of his own. Scott Baker pitched a very solid seven innings with one earned run and Justin Morneau set a new Twins record with his 47 double of the season while receiving incessant MVP chants from the crowd everytime he stepped up to the plate.

Last night's game one win was huge keeping the chances alive for a potential sweep and giving the Twins a good chance to win the essential two out of three. Tonight's matchups may be the toughest with Twin Killer Mark Buerhle (14-11) going against Nick Blackburn (10-10) who is 1-2 with a 7.58 ERA in four September starts. Blackburn has looked tired as of late, but hopefully the Metrodome crowd will pump him up to pitch a gem like Baker.

Game 1

2008-09-23T15:34:00.003-05:00

Not much more I can say to hype up or emphasize the upcoming series that starts tonight. Nothing really needs to be said. The media is talking about it, all eyes are on the series, it's coming down to this!

I'll say it now, in my opinion the Twins need to sweep this series to make the playoffs. We'll certainly still have a chance if we take 2 of 3, but to really be in the driver's seat we need to get the brooms out.

Obviously, easier said than done against a very good Chicago White Sox club. Especially since two of the starters in this series (Mark Buerhle - Wed, Gavin Floyd - Thurs) have dominated the Twins this year. BUT... the Twins are at home. And this my friends, is going to be the difference in the game. I think the Twins have a legit chance to sweep the White Sox this week thanks to DOMEfield advantage!

With 40,000 roaring fans rocking the Metrodome it'll be a playoff atmosphere and I predict the Twins' bats will really come alive. We just need tired young arms of our starting rotation to keep up.

The White Sox on the road this year are 35-43. The Twins at home are 49-26. I like these numbers! Scott Baker (9-4) goes for his 10th win against Javier Vasquez (12-14). I'll be at the dome cheering along and you should watch, witness, or listen to this game!

A Blockbuster Event

2008-09-22T07:43:00.004-05:00

If this were a podcast or I could somehow add audio to this blog the entire post would be read in that movie trailer voice. You know the same guy who does every preview in the theaters. I'm going to do my best to write the script, so you need to just simply hear the voice in your head as you read the following...

In the city of two cities lives a hollowed ground. A yard, a park, a dome! A place where balls fly, strikes are fired, and fans roar. Beneath this pale white palace history is made and legends are born. Under this bubbled roof nine twin men shed blood and tears battling day in and day out against giants, pirates, angels, and tigers.

But this time... the nine uniformed men armed with bats and gloves will be fighting for their lives. Against who you ask?

From the deep, dark depths of the city of wind sleep the twin men's rivals. They come clad in evil black and armed with their secret weapon of monster home runs and their signature white socks.

This September, for three days the twin men and white socked monsters will settle the score once and for all!

Starring: Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Ron Gardenhire, and 50,000 cheering fans. Also Starring: Jim Thome, Jermaine Dye, and Ozzie Guillen with possible guest appearance by Carlos Quentin. Coming to a theater near you... (if near you is Minneapolis)

THE FINAL SERIES!!!

A breath of life

2008-09-19T10:37:00.004-05:00

The Twins showed some fight and some resilence last night coming back to beat the Tampa Bay Rays on the road. Despite giving up five homeruns, three to Evan Longoria, the Twins battled putting five runs across in the 9th inning. A win that was not only needed for the team, but proved to be a big win after the White Sox lost in New York.

The end result: the Twins trail the White Sox by 1.5 games entering the weekend. We still have to play three more against the Rays as the White Sox head to Kansas City for three against the Royals. On paper this scenario doesn't look too good. The Twins play a first place club with 90 wins and the Sox play a last place club with little to play for. HOWEVER, the Royals are currently riding a seven game win streak while the Rays are sputtering having lost eight of their last 13 games.

The Twins are definitely going to need better starting pitching over the weekend. Glen Perkins didn't even get out of the first inning last night giving up five runs and getting only two outs. Thankfully the boys brought out the bats last night, but the Twins of all teams do not want to get into a slugfest with teams.

Hopefully last night's thrilling victory can be a springboard to a great final week of the season. It's certainly not going to be easy, but I just want the boys to play good baseball and make it interesting no matter what happens! Nick Blackburn (10-9) takes the mound tonight against Edwin Jackson (11-11).

A Heartbreaker

2008-09-17T17:21:00.004-05:00

The Twins took a punch to the gut last night with a 12-9 loss in the 11th inning.

The worst part was the game was set up to be a great win that could jolt this young club for the final stretch of the season. After starter Francisco Liriano struggled the Twins found themselves quickly down in a 8-1 deficit. I didn't even want to watch at this point.

Yet the Twins battled back. With a huge MVP type hit from Justin Morneau in the 8th inning the Twins tied it up at 8. Then Delmon Young got the job done with a sac fly to take the lead 9-8. The stage was set... Eddie Guardado in the 8th, Joe Nathan in the 9th, and a comebac... WAIT!!! Not so fast Twins fans.

The lead was quickly erased by a solo shot from one of the best players in the game, Grady Sizemore. After a couple innings of nothing too exciting Joe Nathan came in the 11th inning and gave up a leadoff single followed by a walk. Then Victor Martinez sent a 1-1 fastball/meatball into the bleachers for a 12-9 Twins loss. HEARTBREAKER!!!

The Twins have a chance to make a statement again tonight as they face 22-2 soon to be AL Cy Young Winner, Cliff Lee. The Twins own one of Lee's two losses, but it will not be easy. We need this one boys!

Teams running out of gas

2008-09-16T13:40:00.003-05:00

I'm starting to think the Twins are running out of gas and it's making me nervous. This is a young club with only a handful of players who have played meaningful games in the month of September and I don't know if it's pressure, fatigure, or a combination of both.

Thankfully the old White Sox are also lagging a bit, but with the way the Twins have played in the past four weeks I think we're lucky to be just a game and a half back. If they can hang on through the week against Cleveland and Tampa Bay it'll all come down to the six home games next week.

Minnesota isn't the only team running out of gas as baseball's feel good story, the Tampa Bay Rays, seem to be sputtering right now. The Mets are hoping to avoid another September collapse and Arizona has just fallen off the map. I haven't even mentioned the Milwaukee Brewers who have been struggling so bad they fired their manager Ned Yost with just 12 games left in their season.

The Twins need to pick up a victory behind Francisco Liriano tonight because Wednesday they'll face the Indians Cliff Lee. Although the Twins are they only team to beat the 22-2 Lee, I don't like our chances!

Target 100

2008-09-15T13:59:00.004-05:00

It's a big day here at Twins MVB, both for the Twins and for the Most Valuable Blog.

First the important news, in an announcement that I wasn't expecting today the Twins announced the name of their new ballpark set to open in 2010: Target Field!

I approve of the name. It's nothing special but I think it could be a lot worse. Plus, I do truly believe Target is a good organization for the Twins to link themselves up with. I really liked the rumors of Best Buy Ballpark and Land O' Lakes Field, yet Target seems to be the winner. I can already picture the outfield promotions of Target bullseyes prompting Justin Morneau's homeruns to "Hit it Here" and some lucky fan with a lifetime supply of Target products!

2010... picture it now....

The other exciting announcement is that today's post is the 100th post in this blog's existence! This blog started on Thanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007 the day that Torii Hunter signed with the Anaheim Angels. So with a quick estimation I guess that's 100 posts in about 300 days.

On that note, expect more from the next 100 posts! The Twins MVB is planning some exciting things for this offseason. Next year Twins MVB will offer more for every Twins fan so stay tuned as a dedicated reader and thanks for sharing my hobby.

Twins Tidbits

2008-09-12T18:59:00.004-05:00

As the Twins are in a rain delay in Baltimore waiting to start their final roadtrip of the year, let's take some time for a few Twins tidbits...

- Surprise: Despite a horrible long roadtrip due to the Republican National Convention and some mediocre play at best lately, the Twins still find themselves just a game back of the White Sox in the AL Central. It's the closest playoff race in baseball and no one predicted these young Twins to be in this position. The season is certainly considered a success at this point, but the Twins must keep their eyes set on the playoffs.

- Unlucky: I didn't know this, but apparently a coin toss took place today at Major League Baseball headquarters in New York and the Twins came out on the wrong side of the coin. The flip was to determined tie-breakers for both the AL Central and the AL Wild Card. Unfortunately, the Twins will be headed to U.S. Cellular in Chicago or Fenway Park in Boston if either of these races end in a tie. Let's just win the division outright! Watch the flip here!

- 2014: The Twins announced yesterday their future attempt to host the 2014 All-Star game in the new ballpark that is yet to be named. This would certainly be an awesome event for Twins fans and the city of Minneapolis which claims they proved themselves after hosting the RNC. In traditional Midwestern and Twin modesty, the Twins said they didn't think they'd be quite ready to host the 2012 game which the Kansas City Royals are making at run for. Whatever... apparently two years isn't long enough. Twin great Tony Oliva said he hopes he'll still be around in 2014. Me too Tony, me too!

A Day Off

2008-09-08T09:25:00.003-05:00

Bueller... bueller....bueller!!!

The Twins long awaited day off has finally arrived. After playing 23 games in 23 days (19 of those games on the road)the Twins have a day off. And no one, not even Ferris himself, needed this day off more than the Twins!

So the Twins suffered through a long, grueling roadtrip that ended in a brutal sweep by the Toronto Blue Jays. They came home to the dome and played a lackadaisical, uninterested series against the Detroit where the Tigers took two of three. Amazingly, the Twins sit just two and 1/2 games back in the AL Central.

Now two and 1/2 isn't as nice on September 8th as it is on July 8th, but the Twins are certainly in the race with three weeks remaining in the season; however, the time is NOW.

Each and every Twin must use this day however they need to prepare themselves for the final three weeks of the season. Perhaps Joe Nathan will relax and hang out with his family. Maybe Justin Morneau will spend time analyzing his swing and reviewing video. Possibly Kevin Slowey will buy a sandwich at Jimmy John's and get his laundry done. I don't care and I'm guessing Ron Gardenhire doesn't care either. BUT when the Twins come back to the dome on Tuesday to open a series against the Kansas City Royals they better be ready for a playoff race.

A playoff race that will include 19 games in 20 days. Ten of those 19 games are on the road and only seven of those 19 games are against teams with a winning record. The White Sox play 20 games in 21 remaining days with 10 of those games at home at U.S. Cellular. The Sox have 11 games against teams with a winning record compared to the Twins' seven, but the Twins games are no guarantee. Look no further than their struggles on the road against the likes of Seattle and Oakland.

Most importantly, the Twins still control their own destiny. They do not want to get into a situation where they are waiting for the White Sox to lose. Let's hope they enjoy the day off and this young team prepares for an intense playoff race. It's September baseball!

Range of emotions

2008-09-04T12:30:00.002-05:00

This time of year losses like last night hurt even worse. It's like not only did you get stabbed in the back, but the knife was twisted.

Sorry for that, probably the most graphic thing ever written on this blog. I apologize for this blog becoming my personal diary of frustrations lately. But any Twins fan could use a place to vent these past few weeks. After last night's loss the Twins fall to 5-8 on this road trip and are miraculously only 1 game back of the Chicago White Sox.

So last night I didn't get tuned into the game until the 9th inning. I turn on my tv just in time to see Brendan Harris bust his but down to 1st base and slide head first into the base just beating out the throw for the 3rd out which allows the go-ahead run to score. Twins lead 4-3.

Nathan comes in and I'm thinking no way this goes wrong again. Even before things get worse I'm watching Nathan thinking, "Man he looks more rattled than usual. He's breathing deeper, sweating more." I say to myself, "Self, we need to get Nathan this win. He's lost some of his confidence and we need this win because we need Joe down the stretch!" Although Nathan cleary didn't have his best stuff, I thought he had enough to get out of the jam. Then comes the Blue Jays single and the error by Jason Pridie which allows the tying run to score. Nathan blows his 3rd save of the roadtrip and the Twins lose in extra innings.

Talk about a range of emotions! To make it sting a bit more: 5 of the Twins 8 losses on this road trip have been walk off wins!

I don't really want to talk anymore about last night's game. Like I said, we're lucky to be where we are right now and apparently the Twins clubhouse isn't worried. Let's hope for a win tonight and get those guys home ASAP.

Come home to the dome!

Expectations

2008-09-02T22:29:00.004-05:00

It's funny in life how expectations can change everything. They change the way you look at something, they change the way you prepare for something, and they change the way you feel about something. Based on the way the Minnesota Twins have played this year I have high expectations, and I'm currently disappointed!

Nick Nelson of the great Nick and Nick Twins Blog writes an interesting post today about the Twins and their many narrow defeats during the month of August. Nick makes a great point that the young Twins are holding their own and fighting their way to many victories and otherwise narrow defeats. He's right and BASED ON EXPECTATIONS I should be pleased at the Twins current standing of being tied for first place with the rival Whie Sox. HOWEVER...

My expectations have risen. I know many people picked the Twins to have a rebuilding year. Some experts said last in the division. I myself said third behind Cleveland and Detroit (couldn't have been any more wrong)! But after proving that they are a legitimate team and have many great young players the Twins SHOULD be a playoff team.

Nick Nelson identifies 10 close losses that the Twins suffered in the month of August. After reviewing those games, I would fairly say we could of, would of, and should of won five of those games. A five game lead over the White Sox on September 2nd would be meeting my expectations. Dare I say exceeding them, but I would certainly feel good about our chances down the stretch.

Tonight the Twins add another one of those should have won games to the loss column, yet thankfully the White Sox also suffered defeat. Now maybe I should be more understanding of the ups and downs of a young club, but I know the Twins are capable of more and I expect nothing less. In the remaining three and a half weeks of the season I hope the Twins will play the baseball they should be playing and put themselves into the playoffs. Because that's where I expect them to be!

Twins Best Organization in Baseball

2008-08-29T11:17:00.003-05:00

Don't want to talk about another disappointing late inning defeat... so I won't. But for the Twins to reach my predicted road trip record of 8-6, they need to go 5-1 in their next 6 games. Yeah it was a bold prediction, but after taking the first 2 in Anaheim it was more than doable. Very frustrating.

Instead, I have a couple stories for you to check out. Dayn Perry of FoxSports.com writes that the Twins are the best organization in baseball. I usually don't like Dayn Perry and what he writes, but as a Twins fan this is worth a read.

Also, another Friday with a Little League Baseball story. In case you missed it, 9-year old pitcher Jericho Scott was banned from his league for throwing too hard!

The story is causing a bunch of uproar and debate on the internet. I want to hear your opinion? Should Scott be able to play? Should he move up a league? Or should he play a different position?

I say he should move into the Twins bullpen!!!

10 Wins for the rotation

2008-08-28T09:11:00.005-05:00

So the Twins are able to salvage at least one game from the lowly Mariners yesterday in Seattle. I feel generous even using the word salvage as the series can be described by nothing other than a disappointment. That being said, it's great to see a little bite and retaliation by the young Twins ballclub. This will be needed down the stretch and especially if the team makes the playoffs.

Thanks to Baltimore clubbing the White Sox the Twins sit just a game behind first place in the Central. With Chicago off today and the Twins starting a 4-game series, the Twins have an opportunity to pick up a 1/2 game this evening.

Tonight Nick Blackburn takes the hill looking for 10th win of the season. Blackburn is 9-8 this season and has actually pitched better than his records displays. He was a victim of poor run support early in the season and like every pitcher in the rotation has lost a few of his potential wins due to a bullpen blowup.

The thought of Blacky grabbing his 10th win made me think about this young rotation. If Blackburn can get number 10 he'll join Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, and the departed Livan Hernandez as Twin starting pitchers with at least 10 victories this season. Scott Baker, who has arguably been the best starting pitcher this year, boasts a record of just 7-4 but also has been a victim of poor run support and bullpen blowups.

Baker still has enough time to grab 10 victories while Francisco Liriano will simply not have enough starts since being called up to claim 10 wins (but if you consider his domination in AAA the lefty currently has 14 victories in 2008). The unexpected success of the Twins this year makes me excited, but the thought of an entire rotation at or below the age of 26 and all with 10 wins makes me REALLY excited!

Make your voice heard and check out the starting pitchers poll on the right sidebar!

Missed Opportunities Hurting Twins

2008-08-27T13:07:00.004-05:00

DY21 releases some steam over the Twins recent 4 game skid...

The Seattle Mariners are 49-82. I repeat the Seattle Mariners are 49-82. I can't help but shudder as a Twins fan when I read that stat because it exemplifies the opportunity the Twins are missing currently. Everyone knew the current 14 game road trip the Twins are playing wouldn't be easy, but for a potential playoff squad this may be the point in the season where we see if the young, fun Twins are mentally tough enough to buckle down and win big games. It started out golden with the Twins taking two games from the best team in baseball, the Los Angeles Angles. From there it went downhill as the Twins dropped the next two games, both of which turned out to be winable.

I still was not worried about the two losses against the Angels, for a split with the best team in baseball isn't bad at all an now the Twins would surely bounce back against the lowly Mariners. But unfortunately for the Twins, Safeco Field seems to be a tougher place to play then a World Series Game 7 in Yankee Stadium. Earlier in August the Twins dropped 2 of 3 in Seattle and the worst part was they held leads in all 3 games. Then last night's game everything seemed to be going just fine. The Twins took a 2-1 lead after Delmon Young's big RBI single in the eighth inning. Newly acquired Eddie Guardado pitched as clean of an inning as possible, so that was left was the usual Joe Nathan shut down ninth. What could go wrong?

Well, a leadoff double and a very rare Nick Punto error forced the Twins to play extra baseball, and forced me as a Twins fan to say, "Here we go again." After Adrian Beltre's two run blast in the 11th the Twins once again blew a huge opportunity against one of the worst teams in the league and started digging a deeper hole in catching Chicago for the division.

Once again I believe this is the make or break part of the Twins schedule. The Twins still have 9 games left against the Blue Jays, Mariners, and Athletics on this road trip. To me anything less than 6 wins against these teams will be a dissappointment. I just don't know how many of these young inexperienced Twins will deal with the pressure if they start slumping against these lowly teams, while the White Sox keep winning. Once again, it's make or break time.

Everyday Eddie Returns

2008-08-25T22:55:00.006-05:00

In a surprise move today the Twins acquired veteran lefty and former Twin, Eddie Guardado, from the Texas Rangers. Guardado rejoins the team after a five year tour between Seattle, Cincinnatti, and Texas.

"Everyday Eddie," who was acquired for Single A pitcher Mark Hamburger, is having a solid rebound season after a couple of injury plauged years. The lefty is 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 55 appearances and will hopefully provide some stability and leadership to a shaky bullpen that has blown too many leads this past month. Guardado, 37, brings playoff experience and pressure pitching which have earned him 187 career saves, 116 of those with the Twins.

The move surprised me as it seems we were stuck with the guys we had in the bullpen for the remainder of the year. Guardado is certainly not the same pitcher as the 2002 and 2003 Minnesota Twins All-Star, but I think he could end up being a very key addition. He adds another option for Ron Gardenhire and will certainly never say no to taking the ball and entering the game in an important situation.

As I write this blog and watch the game, Guardado has just entered the game to pitch the 8th inning. Gardy never proclaimed Eddie has the setup man today but this is a clear sign of how the Twins hope things work in the final month of the season. Eddie pitched a 3-up, 3-down 8th and right now Joe Nathan is entering to pitch the 9th.

Even more surprising, to clear a roster spot for Guardado the Twins have designated Mike Lamb for assignment which means they have 10 days to trade the veteran 3B or he becomes a free agent. I'm not surprised that Gardy and the Twins no longer have interest in Lamb, but because he signed a 2-year $6.6 million deal this offseason I thought we were stuck with him as a bench player in 2009. Unless we are able to move Lamb, we will still owe him roughly $3.8 million but the move shows the Twins confidence in rookie Brian Buscher.

Hopefully Eddie can be the final piece of the Twins puzzle to take this team into the playoffs. It certainly will be fun to see the dynamic Guardado trot out to the mound in his same number 18 jersey. So today the Twins move a Hamburger and return an Everyday!

Video Friday

2008-08-22T13:28:00.004-05:00

Rarely do the Twins get air time on ESPN but last night they seemed to be the topic of conversation. In case you missed it I'll post the videos so you can see what's the buzz about the Twins.

This first video discusses the big series this weekend impacting the AL Central. The White Sox start a 3-game set against the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays tonight. The Twins had a great victory taking game 1 of a 4-game set against the AL West leading LA Angels. Torii Hunter made a rare mistake in center field which ended up being the difference in the game. Hunter had nice things to say about his former team.

Here Tim Kurkjian tells us how the Twins are contending in the AL Central. He mentions closer Joe Nathan, don't look now.... but Nathan has an ERA under 1. The closer has allowed just 6 runs in 55 innings for an ERA of 0.98. WOW!

Also, if you love baseball and can appreciate a good story I would HIGHLY recommend reading this great ESPN article. It's about the 2001 Little League World Series and how two boys: the star, Danny Almonte, and the tiny boy, Matthew Cerda, lives have been changed ever since.

I'd really recommend the article, but if you're not a fan of reading (I guess you wouldn't be here) you can watch the short video below...

I love baseball!

On the road again

2008-08-21T10:25:00.003-05:00

The Twins complete a very succesful nine game homestand with a 7-2 record including two victories from the reeling Yankees.
I left work for a couple hours and walked down to the Metrodome to watch Francisco Liriano pitch yesterday. The lefty struggled a bit to get efficient outs and very quickly worked his pitch count over 100 in the 5th inning. Despite it not being his cleanest outing since being recalled from AAA it's amazing to watch the transformation of Liriano.

Yeah yeah, experts say he's lost 3 mph off his fastball and his slider doesn't bite as hard as 2006, but this kid is a better pitcher; a smarter pitcher. In 2006 as a rookie phenom, Liriano relied soley on his "nasty stuff." Today he still has amazing stuff, but he annoys how to battle against batters, fight through not having his best control, and keep his emotions under control. It's hard to say you're glad Liriano got hurt and missed a year and a half (I certainly wish we could have had him) but I think he's a better pitcher because of it. Let's hope he'll be getting victories for the Twins for years! If we get into the playoffs, we'll need him to be our ace!

So now the Twins begin their mega 14-game road trip. This will truly be the test of the year. If we can return home from this still within striking distance of 1st place in the Central we will have a good shot at the playoffs. The hardest part of the trip starts right away with a 4-game series against Torii Hunter and the 1st place LA Angels. Then hopefully we will grab some wins with a 3-game series in Seattle and a 4-game series in Oakland. As the calendar turns to September and new callups will be brought up for reinforcements the Twins head north of the border for a 3-game set against the Toronto Blue Jays before heading home on Friday, September 5th.

BOLD Prediction: a 8-6 road trip returning home tied for 1st place with the White Sox.

Casilla on the comeback trail

2008-08-18T15:19:00.003-05:00

Alexi Casilla will give his sore thumb a test tonight at Class A Beloit. The second baseman has been one of the nicest surprises this season solidfying the starting 2B role making great plays in the field and being a terrific table setter at the top of the order for Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, and Young. Casilla's breakout year consists of a .313 average with 39 RBIs and a .351 OBP.

Some may argue the Twins have been fine with all their middle infield depth, but in my opinion the loss of Casilla has hurt. This injury has allowed Nick Punto to play nearly everyday and even bat second in the order. With Casilla expected to rejoin the team on the 14-game roadtrip starting midweek Punto better be ready to fight for some playing time.

Getting Casilla back will hopefully provide a little boost as the Twins begin a grueling roadtrip. I believe Punto, Adam Everett, and Brendan Harris should be platooning at shortstop with Punto and Harris giving rookie Brian Buscher a break every few days at thirdbase. Now if we can just get Pat Neshek back to help our bullpen!!!

The Twins pulled off the sweep of the Mariners this weekend and now get to play another struggling AL West team. Tonight at the dome, Nick Blackburn faces off against Oakland's All-Star Justin Duscherer.

I Can't Wait

2008-08-15T13:42:00.004-05:00

Despite being in the middle of a very exciting season for the Twins where a young club that was counted out by all experts is in the thick of a playoff race, I can't help but think about 2010.

I attended Wednesday's day game against the Yankees and was pleasantly surprised when they pulled off the 100 games sign until the new ballpark opens. We're now in double digits with 99 games remaining. Outdoor baseball is in sight!

To get more excited look no further than the Twins roster. Yeah we have our starts Mauer, Morneau, Nathan, and Cuddyer locked up through the opening of the new park, but also think about the Twins starting pitching. A solid core of young pitchers with lots of potential all under the age of 26. I've even heard some comparisons to the core of Maddux, Glavine, and Smoltz of the Braves from the early 90's. Who knows... but a core of Liriano, Baker, and Slowey looks pretty good right now with other good arms like Perkins and Blackburn.

If you're not excited take the virtual tour below... I can't wait!

Twins playing waiver games

2008-08-14T14:04:00.002-05:00

The Twins were reportedly playing the game of cat and mouse also known as the waiver wire this week. ESPN's Buster Olney had heard a report saying the Twins claimed Seattle outfielder Raul Ibanez off revocable waivers from the Mariners. If this is true, the two clubs would have 48 hours to reach a deal.

The move would be great for the Twins considering Ibanez is a right handed bat hitting .292 with 19 homeruns and 82 RBIs. He would more than make up for the absence of Michael Cuddyer and be big presence in the middle of the Twins lineup; however, don't get too excited about the actual possibility of this deal. Waiver deals seldomly happen and Ibanez is playing well enough this year that he may classify as a Type A free agent. Which means if he leaves Seattle this offseason the Mariners would receive two draft picks as compensation. I'm not sure the Twins will be willing to pay the equivalent price of two picks.

Olney also reported the Twins may have put a waiver request on Seattle pitcher Jarrod Washburn. The move was believed to be a strategic act to block the division rival White Sox from making a deal for the pitcher.

We won't have to wait long to see if these moves happen or not, but it's interesting to see GM Bill Smith play the waiver game.

Twins take down the evil empire

2008-08-13T16:07:00.002-05:00

The Twins showed some grit, some heart, and some fight this week taking two of three against the New York Yankees. Yeah, the Twins were playing at home and yeah, the Yanks are struggling right now, but... I'm still taking this series as a positive note.

Typically when the Twins play the Yankees they look like Little Leaguers playing against the pros, but in all three of these games (even the loss) the Twins were forced to come back from a deficit, grind out runs across the plate, and play tight ballgames.

Twins playoff teams of the past have had good records, play solid baseball, and seem to have the right makeup. However, when the playoff role around we have poor at bats, shaky starting pitching, and no clutch hitting. Let's hope this series could be a preview to early October!

I leave you with this incredibly random video. Can't believe I missed this, but happened a few weeks ago. Watch the bat in the upper left corner... incredible!

Injuries affecting playoff races

2008-08-12T13:21:00.005-05:00

Glen Perkins had a huge game Monday throwing eight shutout innings against the Yankees. The win coupled with a White Sox loss to the hand of Boston's Josh Beckett, puts the Twins back into first place. The Twins are playing the Yankees at a perfect time right now as they are spiraling downward. We must take two of the three from the Bronx Bombers and a sweep would be wonderful. With Seattle coming to town this weekend a huge homestand could be helpful as the Twins prepare for their mega-roadtrip due to the looming Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

I was thinking about the playoff races yesterday and realizing how recent injuries are currently playing their role on many contending clubs:

In the American League...

The Twins have missed Alexi Casilla and just when they were ready to add their big right handed bat, Michael Cuddyer goes down with a freak injury.
The Yankees have been missing their starting pitching, but Joba Chamberlain is set to begin throwing this Friday.
The Rays have been hit the hardest as rookie phenom Evan Longoria just joined Carl Crawford on the DL with a broken wrist.

In the National League...

The Cardinals just got Rick Ankiel back on the field and then lost former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter after just his third start back from the DL.
The Phillies' Brad Lidge has been complaining of a sore shoulder which could be deadly for Philadelphia.
The Mets are already realizing the pain of an injured closer losing another late inning game with the absence of Billy Wagner.
The Diamondbacks put Orlando Hudson down for the season to join his fallen teammate Eric Brynes. However, the D-Backs did make noise yesterday in a surprise move acquiring Adam Dunn from the Cincinnati Reds. The move counters the Dodgers trade for Manny Ramirez and in my opinion makes Arizona the favorite in the NL West thanks to their pitching.

With only seven weeks left in the season, injuries can play a huge role in shaping the outlook of October baseball. Little time remains for key players to rehab and come back and contribute, but there is always September callups looking to make a name for themselves. Get ready folks, it's going to get interesting!

Where for art thou Neshek?

2008-08-11T13:28:00.005-05:00

Adam Evertt has been hurt for nearly the entire year, Alexi Casilla suffered an untimely finger injury but should be back in two weeks, Michael Cuddyer has been on and off the DL continually, but no injury has hurt the Twins this season more than the loss of setup man Pat Neshek.

In fact, I would argue the Twins would be in first place with roughly a four or five game lead on the Chicago White Sox if Pat Neshek was healthy today.

Need any proof simply look to yesterday's loss to Kansas City. Another example of a Twins starting pitcher having a great outing through the seventh inning. The Twins have a small lead but know if they can get into the 9th inning Joe Nathan will be there to shut the door. No big deal right??? Three short outs in the 8th inning and pick up the victory!

Manager Ron Gardenhire has given every pitcher in the bullpen the opportunity to collect those three outs. First it was Jesse Crain, then Matt Guerrier, sometimes Dennys Reyes, and all too often Brian Bass. The Twins cannot find anyone to bridge that cap from the starting pitching to Nathan in the 9th... and it's currently killing them.

We started the season thinking our bullpen would be our strength and our starting pitching would our weakness, but it seems the tables have turned. All the young starters continue to put up solid outings and more importantly are giving their team a chance to win. Only to see their W's fade into no-decisions as the bullpen blows the lead.

Maybe I'm just sitting here venting some of my frustrations right now and the bullpen situation isn't that big of a deal, but if October rolls around and the Twins miss the playoffs by five games or less, I will be wondering Where for art thou Neshek?

Patience is a Virtue

2008-08-03T23:05:00.003-05:00

For the first time since May 13 the Twins are in sole possession of first place!

As the calendar turns to August we've reached the time known in baseball as the dog days of summer. The weather is hot, the players are tired, and the long season becomes a grind. But the dog days are when the contenders truly separate themselves from the pack. Today on August 3rd, the Twins proved themselves to the rest of the baseball world that they too are contenders!

It seemed fitting that on the day the Twins took over first place with a victory over Cleveland their young phenom lefthander, Francisco Liriano, was on the mound to pick up the W. Liriano's last win came against the Indian's on July 23, of 2006. It has certainly been a long and winding road back to the majors for Liriano but today he reached his goal.

"He looked more like the old Liriano, like the one before," catcher Mike Redmond said. "It's only going to get better. He's only going to get stronger."

On this big day for Liriano and the Twins, the Chicago White Sox had a big day of their own. They had an ugly 12-2 loss to the Kansas City Royals that became even uglier as a bench clearing brawl lead to Ozzie Guillen and multiple players getting ejected. The Sox are just 3-9 in their last 12 games and maybe this will be the start of a downward slide.

Denard Span, who hit his second career homerun today, admitted to watching the scoreboard out in rightfield today, "I was watching [the scoreboard] -- from like the fifth inning. I saw it was 8-0, then all of a sudden 10-0, and I was like, 'Uh-oh!,' then 12-2," Span said. "I knew Kansas City was taking care of business, and it feels good. It feels good to finally say we're in first place, for at least a day. We can't sneak up on anybody anymore this year. Everybody knows we are for real this year."

Patience turly is a virtue.

Twins Complete Huge Late Deadline Deal

2008-08-01T23:51:00.005-05:00

Well.... kinda, but the point is the Twins roster move today is the equivalent to a big deadline deal.

Yes of course there was no trade involving a Manny or a Junior, but the Twins FINALLY called up the "Franchise" Francisco Liriano today and released both pitcher Livan Hernandez and Craig Monroe.

Liriano and his 10-2 record with a 3.28 ERA in AAA Rochester will join the rotation Sunday against Cleveland. Along with the move, AAA first baseman Randy Ruiz will join the big league club taking Monroe's role on the bench. Ruiz was batting .320 with 17 homeruns and 68 RBIs through 111 games in Rochester.

This move is a huge boost to the Twins. Not very often can a playoff contending club get rid of veterans in favor of a youth movement and still improve their team. Just like the past two years the Twins signed Hernandez and Monroe for a combined $8.5 million thinking they would be bargain veterans that provide leadership and experience. I'm sure these two players added their experience to the Twins clubhouse, but for Liriano and Ruiz the time is now.

I truly think Liriano could be the difference maker in determining the AL Central race. The White Sox may have made their move for Ken Griffey Jr. and I believe Griffey will be rejuvenated by playing for a playoff contending club and be a bigger addition then people believe, but Liriano can make a huge impact for the Twins. If Liriano continues to pitch like he has at AAA, he'll get to pitch the months of August and September that we never saw in amazing rookie year of 2006. The difference in 2008, Liriano is not the rookie phenomenon, but a potential staff ace returning from Tommy John surgery.

Reporters have criticized and will continue to ask why Liriano wasn't called up earlier; however, despite the poor performance of Hernandez the past two months, the decision to call up Liriano could not be rushed. Francisco now clearly has his confidence, his velocity, his command, and his motivation of being the difference maker in a tight playoff race.

The most exciting thing to me in this entire situation, not only do we have Liriano ready to dominate down the stretch but the Twins current 2008 rotation looks like the following: Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Glen Perkins, Nick Blackburn, and Francisco Liriano.... all legitimate young pitchers under the age of 26. The future is bright for the Minnesota Twins!

It's Liriano Time

2008-07-31T12:48:00.003-05:00

A matter of hours remaining until the trade deadline. Word has it the Twins are looking at Rich Aurillia as well as a middle infielder after the devastating injury to Alexi Casilla. Also, my childhood hero Ken Griffey Jr. is headed to the AL Central to dawn White Sox stripes. Yuck! It'll certainly be hard to watch Griffey play for the Sox, but we will get to seem him in the dome more. Sorry for my writing delay, I have been away for work in Chicago for the last two weeks. More to come on the Casilla and Giffey issues and stay tuned for deadline deals, for now DY21 has this to say...

Sorry it has been over a week since my last post but life has been hectic as of late. Since my last post the Twins have been up and down, but things are looking good now taking the first 2 games of the ginormous July series verse the Chi Sox.

As Twins fans know there have been many grumblings about the young lefty Francisco Liriano's recent dominance in AAA. For the season Liriano has 10 wins and a 3.28 ERA with 5 less strikeouts then innings pitched. That's not even the sick part. Up until his most recent start in which he allowed 4 runs in 6 innings (he did still strike out nine) Liriano had a 0.26 ERA in his previous 5 starts. If that isn't deserving of a callup I don't know what is.

Early in the year it seemed Liriano was just a little timid to wing it again after Tommy John surgery, which is very understandable. But the Twins handled him perfectly, and now it looks like he remembers how to be just as filthy as he was in 2006. But the question arises, whose spot does he take in the rotation? Or better yet, should he be brought up as a bullpen guy? To me it isn't fair to replace Liriano for one of the four young starters who have been surprisingly pretty consistent at this juncture of the season. Therefore, my take on this is that it is time to get Livan Hernandez out of the rotation. It seems Livan's only plus nowadays is that he eats up innings and gives the bullpen a rest. Beneficial, yes, but at what cost? In his past twelve outings Livan as given up 3 or less earned runs in only four starts. There is not a doubt in my mind that Liriano is ready to do much better and with the Twins in the thick of a heated division race, this is the move that must be made.

DY21's 2nd Half Preview

2008-07-17T20:47:00.002-05:00

On the night of the start of the second half of the season, DY21 gives his predictions for the remainder of the 2008 season. Expect MVB picks on the way soon...

I don't know about all you guys, but I'm still riding the high the All Star game Tuesday night gave me. It was incredible to see the best in each league keep taking punches from the other side, yet then deliver a counter blow just as heavy. I mean how many incredible opportunities did each league have throughout extra innings? And if Cory Hart didn't throw like my little sister we probably would have seen even more baseball, forcing managers Terry Francona and Clint Hurdle to make lose/lose decisions in dealing with their pitchers.

Any who the "first half" of the season is now behind us and it is now time to look forward to what the next half of the season has to offer. I'm a subscriber to ESPN the magazine and one of my favorite things to do is look back at their preview editions to see who they picked to win it and where teams ranked in each division. As I looked back on this years baseball preview the writers would be lucky if they still had their jobs. Division winners for them were the Yankees, Indians, and Mariners. Ouch is right as they would have had better success drawing out of a hat then using their minds and baseball IQ. So on that note I will now give you my 2nd half predictions, and more then likely mess them up worse then ESPN did at the beginning of the year.

In the AL East all of me wants to just say the Rays will the division because it would be incredible for baseball and Dick Vitale may go crazy and I will never have to hear him broadcast a game again. But I have to believe that by September the Red Sox will be about 5 up on the Yankees and hold on to win the division. With DiceK becoming unhittable and we all know what Beckett can do mixed with the great lineup (that hasn't even seen a healthy David Ortiz) it’s scary what this team will be like when they hit on all cylinders. A week ago the Rays would have been my pick, but after this disaster of a week for them I just can't pick such an inexperienced team to compete with the big boys.

The AL Central will be the division to watch in the second half of the year. The Twins and White Sox will both be around but the Tigers seem to turn it on whenever they so choose and will probably surge at times in the second half. As I look into my crystal ball I see the White Sox taking the division, the Tigers finishing about 2 out and the Twins just don't have the gas and end 5 away. The reasons I say this is one because I think that Chicago and Detroit have the firepower in their lineups to hit at will, with ultimately the Chicago pitching will outdo Detroit's and also it's a win win situation for me, for either my prediction comes right or the Twins make the playoffs.

Some things I'm certain of in life are one day I will die, Brookings, South Dakota has the best Taco Johns in the nation, 2+2=4, and that in September the A's and Angels are battling for a division. It doesn't matter how ugly the A's lineup looks or how many superstars they trade away because they always find young guys that can come up and play right away, and do very good too. If the Twins are the PT Cruiser of young prospects and minor league development then the A's are the Rolls-Royce. But when it is all said and done I see the Angels narrowing out the A's because I see the Angels acquiring another bat to even add more oomph to the already very stacked lineup. Who would have though coming into this year that Ervin Santana and Joe Saunders would carry this staff rather then John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar? Definitely not ESPN the magazine.
So who will be representing the AL to face the Diamondbacks in the World Series? Hope you all liked the 2001 World Series as the Yankees come in as the wild card to face Arizona in the fall classic, only this time the Yankees prevail in 6 games. I just think this team has too many veterans and too much swagger to be left out of the playoffs, and once they get there I think they will win a couple of series’ and will take their 28th championship in 2008(excuse me while I go throw up) .

So there you have it, my second half preview for the rest of this already incredible MLB season. Now that I think of it, I have one more thing to add to my list of things I’m certain of in life; that these predictions are sure to be wrong.

Hamilton Wows, Morneau Wins!

2008-07-15T18:26:00.004-05:00

I'm pretty certain I've watched the All-Star Game homerun derby every year since I was about nine years old. As a little boy I remember getting so excited for the contest and sitting in front of the television to watch only after getting bored 20 minutes later. I'll tell you what.... last night was not boring!

Last night was the greatest home run derby I have ever watched (well, I suppose 1998 when I was at the derby in Coors Field would be the greatest) but even on TV this may have been the best. Obviously, the night will always belong to Josh Hamilton and the way he made the derby and Yankee stadium look like a video game. At one point he had a run where 13 straight swings were homeruns, that's insane! I can't even do that on Ken Griffey Jr. baseball on my old Super Nintendo.

Hamilton and his incredible story is hard not to love, but in true Justin Morneau fashion, the quiet and calm star secretly won the derby with no one really noticing. Yeah, maybe Hamilton deserved it as he hit more total homers than Justin, but heck, Justin won and lets congratulate him. First Twin to ever win the award and an awesome trophy to add to his collection. Here's what our homerun king had to say...

CONGRATS JUSTIN!

All-Star Twins

2008-07-14T18:30:00.002-05:00

As the all star game approaches I thought I would take the time to break down the mid summer festivities by reflecting on the game and also the 3 Twins who made the game. All in all I really do enjoy the MLB's All-Star Week, but it definitely has its ups and downs. A very heated debate over years past has been Bud Selig's decision that the winner of the all star game receives home field advantage in the World Series. I love this aspect of the game for it gives the game meaning and forces the players to play hard and take the game more seriously. I feel that the most over hyped aspect of all star week is the home run derby. The boo birds may come out for this statement but honestly I'm really only interested for the first 15 minutes and the next thing I know I'm watching reruns of Americas Next Top Model. I mean really how many times can we hear Chris Berman's "back, back, back, back, back, etc." in one night without going insane. Sure it's a fun event that the fans seem to adore, but I think it would be a lot better if it was tweaked to make it shorter and a little easier to watch.

Now onto the real important issue about All Star week, the Minnesota Twins that will represent one of the biggest surprises of the season. First I would love to tip my cap to Joe Mauer, for not only was he selected to the All Star game, he was also chosen to be a starter for the AL. This couldn't be more justified as he leads all catchers in runs and average and is also first in the AL in RBI's. It's also worth noting the job he has done in molding the young Twins pitching staff into one of the best staffs again this year. Another interesting thing I saw about Mauer came from the ESPN game last Monday verses the Red Sox (a heart breaker i know). During Mauer's last at bat Mauer was faced with a 3-1 count. Above the score on ESPN a statistic came up that said Mauer's average whenever the count as gotten to 3-1 is .480 on the season. That's right, Mauer gets a hit nearly 50% of the time if he gets ahead 3-1 in an at bat. I found this to be just an astounding figure and a true testament to the spectacular hitter Mauer has become .

The next Twin American League All Star is the punch to the Twins lineup. Cleanup hitter Justin Morneau was selected as a reserve at first base. This was another no brainer selection into the game for Morneau ranks 2nd among AL 1B in runs, and even better 1st in RBI's and Avg. Surprisingly so Justin Morneau is now battling aforementioned Joe Mauer for the batting champ not only on the Twins but also in the AL. Morneau has been a constant all year for the Twins and without him in the middle of the lineup the Twins probably would be sitting closer to where the Royals are now rather then 1 game and a half out of the division.

To anchor my article I decided to go to the anchor of the Twins rotation. Joe Nathan was probably the least likely of the three to make the All Star game coming into the year. No it wasn't because his skills had diminished or that he signed a lucrative deal, but rather because the Twins would be horrible and his save chances would be minuscule. But as it turns out the exact opposite has occurred as Nathan seems to have to close the door on a game at least once a series and almost always get the job done without giving my grandma any chance of having a heart attack (Something Latroy Hawkins and Eddie Guardado struggled with). When the Twins gave Nathan so much dough at the beginning of the year I questioned it thinking there wasn't a way closers were worth that kind of money. But Nathan has made me eat my words as he has been lights out in the 9th inning and is very deserving to be traveling to New York to pitch July 15th. - DY21

I certainly can agree with DY21 that Chris Berman's Home Run Derby commentary can be quite annoying, but with Twin Justin Morneau becoming a late addition to the derby I'll be watching tonight. Although Morneau has the least amount of homeruns of the 8 competitors, I think he an underdog candidate for tonight's competition. Morneau struggled last year in this same contest in San Franciso, but I believe he's learned from last time and will benefit from short right field porch in Yankee Stadium. Chris Singleton of Baseball Tonight predicted Justin Morneau as the winner. MVB's pick - Josh Hamilton. Enjoy the homers!

BREAKING NEWS: MVB makes trade!

2008-07-14T09:32:00.001-05:00

It’s July 11th and the July 31st trade deadline is approaching fast. Teams are looking to boost their roster and make that one move that puts their team over the top.

The frenzy started this week with the Milwaukee Brewers acquiring Cleveland Indian’s ace C.C. Sabathia. The move seemed like that perfect piece to make the Brewers formidable contenders in the NL Central. However, the Chicago Cubs were not going to be outdone. The next day they made a very bold move acquiring Rich Harden from the Oakland A’s. Both pitchers bring ace quality to a crowded NL Central division. Sabathia is the reigning AL Cy Young winner and Harden is one of the toughest pitchers to hit (when he is healthy).

Most importantly, two great pitchers have left the American League, especially Sabathia who the Twins will no longer have to face three times a year. So with the deadline nearing, the Twins MVB decided to make a big move of his own to lead his blog into the playoffs.

The Twins MVB is announcing the emergence of another blogger on the MVB network…DY21!

DY21, which stands for his favorite Twin player Delmon Young, is a huge addition to the MVB squad (which was previously a squad of one). DY21 is a lifelong Twins fan with blog experience and extensive knowledge of the game.

So please welcome the second member of the MVB network. FYI: whenever there is a new post it will be tagged by the author, either Twins MVB or DY21. Here’s to a playoff push!

Maybe I'm Not Crazy

2008-07-10T22:53:00.004-05:00

I'm not calling it a done deal yet or proclaiming myself right, BUT.... check out what I read on ESPN.com's Rumor Central...

The Minnesota Twins have reportedly had discussions internally about possibly acquiring Adrian Beltre from the Mariners, writes Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Christensen reports the Twins have not yet contacted the Mariners. Minnesota is not historically known for making big trades in July, but the Star-Tribune reports the the Twins scouts are ready if the need arises.

In case you forgot, I made a bold suggestion that the Twins should trade for the Mariners thirdbaseman. The trade is probably as unlikely today as it was when I wrote about it in June, but I couldn't help to be a bit surprised and rather proud of my conjecture. I do still believe Beltre would fill a gap both offensively and defensively for the Twins.

Not only may one Mariner (Beltre) be on the Twins radar, but with the recent release of Seattle DH Richie Sexson, I'm curious what playoff teams may be looking to add a veteran bat. Not quite sure if the guy is the right fit for the Twins. He's certainly a more attractive name than Craig Monroe, but pretty much the same type of player.

Time will only tell if GM Bill Smith makes a move for this potential playoff contender in the few weeks leading up to the July 31st trade deadline.

Thoughts from a Fellow Fan

2008-07-08T17:59:00.002-05:00

Here is another installment of "Thoughts from a Fellow Fan," Taylor speaks his mind on the hot Minnesota Twins...

It certainly has been awhile since my last blog from mid June, but in that blog I said that the Twins season would be full of ups and downs because of the pitching. This statement was both right and wrong for me in that I was right in saying the Twins would be up and down, for after the blog the Twins started struggling for a bit and then absolutely have been on fire as of late. But then I was terribly wrong as somehow this group of no-namers to many MLB junkies have came in night in and night out and been unbelievably consistent. So in what has been a very exciting time for "Twins Nation" since my last post I thought I would reflect on why the Twins have become red hot.

1. Pitching - As I reference earlier, the Twins supposed biggest weakness coming into the season, has now become the Twins biggest strength. The young studs of Baker, Blackburn, Slowey, and Perkins now have Twins fans asking the question Johan who? At the beginning of the season I was encouraged with mediocre stars such as 6IP and maybe 4 earned runs. Now those type of starts are viewed as huge disappointments in my mind. The bullpen has stayed also stayed strong, even though they lost their 8th inning specialist in Neshak early in the season. But in usual Twins fashion the Twins bring up more then capable bullpen pitchers year in and year out, this year those guys being Brian Bass and Craig Breslow. Then there is Joe Nathan. Enough said.

2. Piranhas no more - I hated the piranhas. This may not be a popular comment, but I despised of the term used by Ozzie Guillen about Punto, Tyner, and Bartlett, or whomever else batted in the bottom of the Twins order, in reference to their lack of power and used in stead infield hits and bunt singles to get on base. Well much to my pleasure the guys now filling this void, Casilla, Span, and Punto have emerged as more of a complete MLB hitter. Sure they all have speed, but they also are capable of hitting the ball hard and far. Casilla now has two hit streaks of over 13 games since being called up, and has hit 4 home runs in the short amount of time he has been in the big leagues. Span just added more depth the the already loaded outfield for the Twins, and he seems to just keep getting hits nightly. Then as much as it pains me to say, Punto has shown his inner A-Rod by hitting .360 with a homerun and 6 RBI's in June. The ability of these guys to come in and drive in the Morneau's, Kubel's, and Young's has been very important to the Twins.

3. Delmon Young - Peter Gammons said Sunday on Baseball Tonight that the key for the Twins in this incredible run has been none other then Delmon Young. Delmon has raised his average to near .300 during this win streak, and has provided many clutch hits along the way. Yes he may be first pitch happy, and when I say happy I mean he swings at the first pitch 99 percent of the time, but somehow he has finally turned it on and has been an integral piece in this marvelous stretch for the Twins.

Twins Ramblings

2008-07-01T14:50:00.005-05:00

Tough loss last night for the Twins. After Kevin Slowey's complete game gem on Sunday and great start from Glen Perkins last night, quality starts from the rotation have become nearly customary lately; however, an uncostumary bullpen collapse occurred last night.

Perkins left the game in the 7th inning leaving the bullpen to protect a 4-1 lead. A trio of Jesse Crain, Dennys Reyes, and Matt Guerrier all tried to get the final 9 outs but were to no avail. Very quickly a 4-1 slipped to a 5-4 deficit and the Twins weren't able to rally back. What seemed like another great victory against the division rival Detroit Tigers was suddenly a tough loss.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

With two out in the first inning Twins pitcher, Glen Perkins, had a pitch get away from him and come up and in on Detroit slugger, Carlos Guillen. Guillen gave Perkins a long stare and was certainly not happy about the inside pitch. "There is no reason to try and hit him, especially not in the first inning," Perkins said. "He's a good hitter. I tried to make good pitches to him. I didn't want to leave a ball over the plate. It was one that just got away from me. I threw it as hard as I could. It was unfortunate that it went right there."

It didn't take long for the Tigers to retalliate whether it was justified or not. In the 3rd inning Tigers pitcher, Armando Galarraga, threw his first pitch behind batter Joe Mauer which led to a rare show of emotion from the calm catcher as he made a slight glance back toward the mound. But on the second pitch it appeared that Galarraga was throwing at Mauer's knees. Believe it or not, Mauer nearly charged the mound taking three steps toward Galarraga and then made the logical choice to get back in the batter's box. "I thought it was unnecessary, especially the second one," Mauer said. "Nobody got hit. But obviously it looked like they were throwing at us."

Ron Gardenhire did however lose his cool and dedcided he needed to protect his start catcher. I agree, that after the first pitch a second attack from Galarraga should have resulted in an ejection for the pitcher. However, Gardy's tantrem left him as the only person to get ejected from the game.

SPAN WATCH

With the recent move of Michael Cuddyer to the DL (for the second time this year) young outfielder Denard Span has been recalled to take over the rightfield duties.

After struggling during his first callup in April, Span when back down and raised his batting average to .340 through 40 games with a .434 OBP. Span went 2 for 4 last night with a double and defensively made an awesome diving catch that earned him a Web Gem on Baseball Tonight.

I'm excited to watch Span play for the next two weeks and here's hoping for the best for the young outfielder. For more info on Span check out MLB.com here.

How SWEEP It Is!

2008-06-27T01:20:00.004-05:00

Sorry, I couldn't resist the cheezy title. I feel like I'm writing for the homepage on ESPN.com. Anyway, it is quite sweet as the Twins have pulled off their third consecutive sweep and are riding a nine game winning streak. Here's some sweep thoughts...

* Twins are currently 12-3 in interleague play.

* Twins have won 12 of their last 14.

* During the 9 game winning streak, the Twins have outscored opponents 56-19.

* Wednesday night the Twins took over the top spot as the team to score the most runs in the AL Central which includes huge lineups like Chicago and Detroit.

* In the past 6 games, the Twins have defeated 4 different Cy Young pitchers with a combined total of 11 Cy Young awards: Randy Johnson (5), Brandon Webb (1), Jake Peavy (1), and Greg Maddux (4).

* Twins starters are 8-0 with a 2.17 ERA during the 9 game winning streak.

* Scott Baker picked up both the win and his first major league at bat against the Padres Thursday. Twins pitchers are batting an astonishing .333 (6-18) and have struck out only 5 times in interleague play. Perhaps, we don't want to use a DH.

* Justin Morneau belted his 12th homerun of the season and picked up his 60th, 61st, and 62nd RBIs which rank him 2nd in the American League behind Josh Hamilton.

* Brendan Harris extended his hitting streak to a career high 8 games and hit 2 homeruns in the very big Petco Park. Harris seems to be heating up.

* Brian Buscher continues his torrid start. Since being called up on June 12th the thirdbaseman is hitting .386 with 14 RBIs. Say it with me, "Enjoy the bench Mike Lamb!"

* Once down by 6.5 games on June 12th, the Twins hot streak has brought them within a half game of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the division.

* Don't look now, but this hot streak looks eerily similar to the two long streaks the 2006 Twins rolled off during interleague play that year. In case you forgot, 2006 was a playoff year along with a MVP, a Cy Young, and a batting title.

* Tomorrow night the Twins continue interleague play and will do so at home at the Metrodome as they begin a 9 game homestand against the Milwaukee Brewers. Nick Blackburn will take the hill for the Twins against Seth McClung.

YOUR OPINION: Tell me readers which sweep thought do you find most interesting?

Twins prepare for Peavy

2008-06-24T15:54:00.003-05:00

Twins start a short three game roadtrip in San Diego tonight as they get set to face last year's Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. The Twins are enjoying Interleague play thus far posting a 9-3 record against the Junior Division... I mean National League.

The Twins will send Kevin Slowey to the mound to face off against Peavy. Peavy is recently returning from the DL and only has a 5-4 record on the year, but has the capability to shut any lineup down on any given day. Slowey should be able to handle the Padres lineup which has struggled to score runs this year. As long has he can keep stud 1B Adrian Gonzalez in the ballpark Slowey should be ok. Gonzalez is having an amazing year already with 21 HRs and 65 RBIs.

In other news... Joe Mauer finally takes over the top spot in All-Star balloting for the American League starting catcher. Mauer had trailed Boston's Jason Varitek who is hitting a measly .230. Mauer deserves the spot and I don't want to see a starting All-Star lineup composed of only Red Sox. So keep voting for Mauer and also get Justin Morneau ahead of Boston's Kevin Youkilis. (Morneau also is more deserving)

I leave you with another one of my favorites in Baseball Tonight's "Battle of the Band" series. A bluegrass band call Punch Brothers, which stars Chris Thile, member of one of my favorite bands Nickel Creek and arguably the best mandolin player in the world. Enjoy...

Twins complete perfect homestand

2008-06-23T11:07:00.004-05:00

I knew the Twins could and needed to sweep the Nationals, but what a great week to pull off a sweep of the Diamondbacks as well (and in such great fashion). Friday night I watched the Twins score seven runs on the Randy Johnson, Saturday night, the offense had another big inning scoring six runs off of Micah Owings and Chad Qualls, and Sunday the Twins were able to rough up 2006 Cy Young winner, Brandon Webb, for five runs.

I'm not sure what was more exciting, watching the offense come alive or seeing Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, and Livan Hernandez all pitching quality starts three days in a row. The staff looked great the entire week against Washington and Arizona and this was great to give the bullpen a much needed rest. Over the six game homestand the starters went 6-0 with a 1.76 ERA in 41 IP with 22 strikeouts.

The series sweep of the Diamondbacks could't have come at a better time as the Chicago Cubs swept the White Sox narrowing the Sox's central lead to just 1.5 games. The Twins are streaking right now winning six in a row and eight of their last nine. The Twins have had great success against the National League this year and hopefully the good luck can continue this week. After an off day today the Twins head to San Diego for a three game set before heading back to Minneapolis for a long nine game homestand agains Milwaukee, Detroit, and Cleveland. Tomorrow night the Twins will face 2007 Cy Young winner Jake Peavy. Peavy will certainly be a tough matchup, but if the Twins can defeat the strong righty the Twins will have beaten the past two Cy Young winners and arguably the two best pitchers in the National League in the same week. That would be sweet!

If you're a Baseball Tonight fan you will have seen their current "Battle of the Bands" segment showcasing nine different musical groups performing their rendition of baseball's national anthem "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Here's one of my favorite versions so far, John Pizzarelli's jazz twist...

Twins sweep Nats, prepare for D-Backs

2008-06-20T10:33:00.005-05:00

The Twins went out and executed this week sweeping the Washington Nationals, the team with the NL's worst record. The sweep was needed to get over .500, keep up with the White Sox sweep of the Pirates, and gain momentum as the Arizona Diamondbacks head to town.

This young Diamondbacks club is having a great season and will be a very tough challenge for the Twins this weekend. For the first month of the season, Arizona was hands down the best team in baseball, after a rough may they've seemed to turn it around but have had ample opportunities to run away with the weak NL West division, but only remain 4.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Dodgers. The strength of this club lies in its pitching. Tonight Scott Baker will take the mound for the Twins and gets to faceoff against the ageless wonder, Randy Johnson. Sunday the Twins face 2006 Cy Young Winner, Brandon Webb.

Tonight Michael Cuddyer will be suffering from "Randy Johnson-itis" as Ron Gardenhire calls it, as he will be missing the game due the birth of his first child. I however will be at the game and I'm quite excited to watch the most intimidating pitcher in my lifetime The Big Unit take the mound against the Twins. Let's hope we can keep some of that offense from yesterday!

It's also Dan Gladden Bobblehead night tonight, so I better get my act together and get to the dome early to pick up my miniature Dazzle Man.

If any of you were worried, I checked yesterday to see what happened to the Metrodome section "Rincon's Kids" ever since his released. The section has been eliminated, leaving only "Reyes' Ninos" and "Cuddy's Buddys." For further proof examine exhibit A.

Even More Crazy

2008-06-18T17:04:00.004-05:00

This time I didn't say it, but I stumbled upon an article written by Joel Sherman in Sunday's New York Post. The article was about the New York Yankees monitoring the trade market on Indians pitcher C.C. Sabathia. It's widely regarded that the Yanks could be a favorite to land C.C. especially after the recent loss of their staff ace Chien Ming Wang. Many belive the Yanks won't budge at the Indians request of the young Yankee pitchers after the Bronx Bombers refused to part with their young arms for Johan Santana this offseason. I don't care who he goes to as long as he is out of the division.

Now onto the crazy part. In the same article Sherman mentions the Milwaukee Brewers Prince Fielder as a surprise name that could emerge on the market by the July 31st trade deadline. Sherman suggests the Yankees and Mets as big players if Fielder is on the block, but also suggests the Dodgers, TWINS, and Royals as teams that could also have interest.

I'm not sure what's more weird, the fact that Sherman included the Twins or the Royals. Now there is no denying we'd love to have a bat like Fielder after Morneau (even more than Adrian Beltre!) in our lineup, but I was shocked to see the Twins mentioned. I don't know if Sherman heard something or simply thought of teams that could use some offense. First of all, Fielder would have to be the DH as Justin Morneau would win the award as the more superior defensive first baseman, but I would guess the Brewers trade demands would be quite steep.

Again, who knows how big of a rumor this is, and Fielder will most likely still be with the Brewers at the end of the season... but this one is really fun to dream about!

Check out Joel Sherman's article here.

Call me crazy... Twins should trade for Beltre

2008-06-17T15:55:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's firing of Seattle GM Bill Bavasi got me thinking... the Mariners, with the worst record in baseball, are entering rebuilding mode. Virtually anyone on the roster not named Ichiro is for the taking. Maybe it's because I'm sick of watching Mike Lamb take horrible at bats, maybe it's because I think it's because I belive this 2008 Twins roster is only a player or two from winning the division, but I think trading for Mariner thirdbaseman Adrian Beltre would be a risky, yet potentially rewarding move that could be a difference maker in the central division.

Now I'll try to convince you. In 2004, Adrian Beltre had his career year for the Los Angeles Dodgers. It was a contract year and the young slugger hit .334 with 48 homeruns and 121 RBIs finishing 2nd in the MVP race behind Barry Bonds. It was a classic example of a fluke season in a contract year and the Seattle Mariners fell victim. That offseason the Mariners signed Beltre to an awful, 5-year $64 million deal. Beltre has never matched his '04 numbers or even come close.

So you may be asking, why would the Twins want a player like this? Well, for starters Seattle would be willing to give Beltre for roughly 30 cents on the dollar. They want to unload him, get rid of his bad contract, and start over. Yes I admit, the reason this deal will never happen is because the Twins won't want to take the $6.5 million Beltre is owed for the rest of the season and the $13 million he is owed next year, but what if they took chance. What if, we trade our own bad thirdbasmen Mike Lamb and his 2-year $6.6 million deal and a AA prospect. I truly belive that's all it would take to pry Beltre away from the Mariners. The remaining year and a half on Lamb's contract off the books would cover what the Twins would owe Beltre for 2008, and then we'd be taking a chance on his $13 million in 2009. I think Seattle would be so willing to part with Beltre we could even get them to pay part of Beltre's contract.

Besides the money, do I want the Twins to pull the trigger on some big named player with one good season? Well, although his '04 number were a fluke/performance enhanced, Beltre has alwasy been a pretty solid player. This year his batting average is suffering at .225 but he does have 14 HRs, 30 RBIs, and 34 runs scored. His homerun total would be leading the Twins and his offensive production would greatly outweigh that of Mike Lamb or any other Twins thirdbaseman. Beltre also brings a Gold Glove which he won last year at 3B. Despite his poor batting average this year, Beltre is a lifetime .269 hitter who has hit .276, .268, and .255 over the past three seasons since joining the Seattle Mariners. Over those same three seasons Beltre hit 26 HRs with 99 RBIs in '07, 25 HRs with 89 RBIs in '06, and 19 HRs with 87 RBIs. Beltre's current homerun pace would actually eclipse his past numbers as he is on pace for 33 homeruns.

Certainly, Beltre isn't as big of a player as his contract is, but I see this acquistion as a high risk/very high reward situation. I know this is the last type of deal the Minnesota Twins make, but part of me seems like it makes sense. This trade doesn't fit into the Twins 2010 projected plans, but Beltre's contract would be off the books after the '09 season. Plus, it's not like Lamb was the long-term solution at 3B either. The Twins have no forseeable quick solution at 3B in the minor leagues and I think Beltre could fill a huge void this year at 3B and in the lineup. Also, as hard as it is to believe since Beltre has been in the majors since 1998, the man is only 29 years old. Next year, he'll be 30 years old and in his contract year. He'll certainly never get a deal again like he did from the Mariners, but he will be hungry and looking to prove himself... who knows what type of numbers he could put up for Minnesota after leaving a pitcher's park in Seattle to the hitter friendly Metrodome.

I'm pretty confident that this random thought of a deal that came to my head last night will never happen, or even cross GM Bill Smith's mind, but it certainly makes me wonder what if... don't you???

On the campaign trail

2008-06-16T16:29:00.004-05:00

The Twins faltered in the finale in Milwaukee, but still were able to pick up a series win taking 2 of 3 from the Brewers. With the Colorado Rockies handing the White Sox two losses the Twins reduced their deficit to 4.5 games; however, the Twins are still two games under .500 and only one game ahead of the Indians and a game and a half ahead of the Detroit Tigers. After a day off today, the Twins head home to the dome for six game homestand that included three games against the Washington Nationals and three games against the Arizona Diamondbacks. I'm excited for the Diamondbacks series, but lets hope the Twins can first sweep the Nationals starting tomorrow.

Speaking of Washington D.C. and politics, two Twins are making their case to start in the All-Star game at Yankee Stadium next month. As catcher Joe Mauer has seen his batting average rise, his All-Star votes also rise. Mauer now trails Boston catcher Jason Varitek by just 41,000 votes. Mauer clearly deserves the starting nod over the old Red Sox catcher, but it's always tough to pass the big media markets of the Yankees and Red Sox.

Justin Morneau also sits in second place for AL 1st baseman trailing another Sox member, Kevin Youkilis, by nearly 300,000 votes. Certainly a hefty amount of votes, but Morneau has enough time to make up this difference. The reason I dedicate today's post to this topic, well... the Twins are now offering a chance to win four lower club tickets and a ball autographed by both Mauer and Morneau if you cast your votes for the two Twin stars. If you have 10 minutes to waste, you're eligible to vote up to 25 times so let's get our stars in the starting lineup on July 15th.

VOTE HERE!

Interesting thing to look for in the National/Twins series, the Young brothers - Dimitri and Delmon - take the field together for their first time in a regular season game.

Finally a win... Liriano on the way?

2008-06-12T12:19:00.003-05:00

The Twins grabbed a very badly needed win last night agains the Cleveland Indians. The offense came to life scoring six runs with a big five run third inning. Jason Kubel smashed his 8th homerun of the season and Justin Morneau had a solid game driving in three runs.

Nick Blackburn returned to form allowing just two runs over seven innings and striking out five. Blackburn struggled in his first start after being hit in the face off of the bat of Bobby Abreu in the Yankees series. All and all it was good win, the bullpen still looked exhausted and allowed three runs to make the game close in the 7th inning, but Joe Nathan came in and shut the door for his 17th save of the season.

Livan Hernandez takes the mound tonight and hopefully the Twins can win a series on the road in Cleveland.

In other Twins news...

Kelly Theiser of MLB.com reported that Francisco Liriano could soon be called up from AAA Rochester to join the big league club. Liriano allowed only one run over six innings striking out seven batters. The lefty has been regaining both his control and his confidence. In his past three starts, the former All-Star has gone 2-0 posting a 2.45 ERA.

Manager Ron Gardenhire stated that if Liriano returns it will certainly be in the rotation and not in the bullpend under any circumstance. The timing of Liriano's return could be nearly perfect. The rotation has been struggling a bit lately and if the Liriano of old returns and claims the role of staff ace it would be a huge addition for this team. Since the departure of Johan Santana the Twins have lacked that shut down starter to help stop losing streaks like the six-game streak the Twins just suffered.

Despite Thesier's report, I would forecast about two more weeks before Liriano's return. It would be great to see him by the end of the month, and if not I would certainly expect to see him after the All-Star break. Here's to hoping....

Tribute to Ken Griffey Jr.

2008-06-10T16:58:00.003-05:00

Just when I thought we'd escape Chicago with one win our bullpen imploded and we were left with an ugly 4-game sweep and a 6.5 game deficit in the AL Central. Enough Twins news for today... on to something more important.

Ask any boy (now man) between the age of roughly 19-26 who there favorite baseball player was growing up and you're very likely to receive the same answer: Ken Griffey Jr. I know Junior was certainly my boyhood hero. His status in my mind was so high that when my elementary teacher would ask me to write down my hero I felt guilty putting Junior when I knew I was supposed to put Albert Einstein, George Washington, or my dad.

Anyway, yesterday Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th homerun joining an elite club of five other members: Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, and Sammy Sosa. It's hard for me to not wonder what if and think that this 600th homer should really have been his 700th. And think that the despised Bonds' time as the Home Run King would be short lived with Griffey passing Barry in the next three years; however, Griffey's illustrious career was sidetracked by injuries and for us devoted fans we'll simply have to always wonder what if. But for now.... we must just enjoy Griffey's accomplishment.

For complete coverage on Griffey's 600th, check out MLB.com The Natural. Look at the photo archive from "The Mariner Years." For any more proof of Griffey literally being "The Natural" during the steroid era look no further than the picture of Griffey and Mark McGwire at the 1998 All Star Game.

I really enjoyed this article by ESPN's Tim Kurkjian, remembering the breathtaking Griffey.

One more...save our pride

2008-06-09T12:23:00.002-05:00

So when I posted last night I completely forgot that the Twins and White Sox are playing one more game this afternoon as a makeup for the April 10th rainout at U.S. Cellular.

Glen Perkins will be starting for the Twins against Jon Danks of the Sox. As much as I want the Twins to simply get out of Chicago and move past this series, let's hope they can come out hard today and take one game back from the Sox and salvage their pride. First pitch in about 45 minutes...

Ugly Weekend

2008-06-08T23:54:00.000-05:00

Compared to most of the Twins' blogs out there on the web, I'd like to think I'm generaly one of the more positive Twins bloggers. However, I struggled to find anything good about the White Sox's swift three game sweep of the Twins over the weekend.

Last week I watched the Twins lose two out of three against Baltimore because of their inability to score runs despite solid pitching. This weekend it didn't matter who was pitching. Nick Blackburn fell Friday giving up seven runs, Livan Hernandez was the victim surrendering seven runs on Saturday, and Kevin Slowey was hit hard today giving up eight runs. The Twins offense managed to score only 10 runs in the series compared to the 33 from the White Sox.

After attending the two ugly losses to the Orioles last week at the dome I wondered why this club was just 1.5 games out of first place and had a legitimate chance at winning the division. Then I remembered how well the Twins had been playing against the AL Central (18-9 at the time). Enter in a three game sweep by the White Sox and you get a second place club that is not only 5.5 games back from the first place Sox, but also a club that falls below the .500 mark.

I'm certainly not throwing in the towel yet because I truly do believe this team can make the playoffs. After two full months it's clear the AL Central is not as deep as we thought it to be. The Tigers and Indians haven't shown any signs of turning things around; however the White Sox have been playing great baseball. The Twins must play .500 ball against non-division opponents and continue to play good baseball within the division (excluding this weekend).