Bullpen Catcher: Views of the Minnesota Twins

Nishioka soon to sign; Hardy deal to follow

2010-12-09T00:05:00.000-06:00

Twins 2011 Lineup Taking Shape
By Bullpen Catcher

The Twins need to get Tsuyoshi Nishioka signed and my guess is it will happen very soon. Nishioka is a great gamble and could really become an integral part of the lineup and infield. Even if he hits .270 and bats in the No. 1 or 2 spot, he'll be a huge part of the team simply because I suspect he'll be in the lineup every day and remain consistent as many of the Nippon League players have been.

I personally think the Twins will sign Nishioka in the next few days. They have until Dec. 26 to get him under contract and I'll guess it'll happen at the winter meetings or soon thereafter. The agents are at the meetings and that's a good time for P.R. to get that done. It also is a good time to start shopping JJ Hardy for a trade if they suddenly have a new SS. I think if he's half as good as Ichiro it makes the Twins very good. He's a middle infielder who can run and hits for a bit of power. I heard Bill Smith compare him to former Twin Greg Gagne in terms of fielding ability, baserunning prowess and occasional power. I'd take that any day.

I will bet that the Twins trade Hardy to Baltimore for minor league pitchers.

The Twins will make zero changes in the outfield for next season. It will be Span, Cuddyer, Young, Kubel and Repko (who recently signed). Bank on no changes in the outfield.

Here's my opening day lineup:
1. Denard Span (L), CF
2. Nishioka (S), SS
3. Mauer (L), C
4. Morneau (L), 1B
5. Cuddyer (R), RF
6. Kubel (L), DH
7. Young (R), LF
8. Valencia (R), 3B
9. Casilla (S) 2B

I can envision a situation where Casilla and Nishioka trade their spots in the lineup, especially at the beginning of the season.

For further fun, here's the bench:
10. Repko (R), OF
11. Plouffe (R), MIF
12. Tolbert (S), MIF
13. Butera (R), C
14. Morales (S), C/1B/DH

Here's the pitching (subject to change very soon depending on Hardy returns and Pavano situation):

Starters
1. Liriano (L)
2. Baker (R)
3. Slowey (R)
4. Duensing (L)
5. Blackburn (R)

Middle Relief
6. Manship (R)
7. Slama (R), Neshek (R) or Burnett (R)
8. Perkins (L) or trade return
9. Mijares (L)
10. Capps (R)
11. Nathan (R)

Follow my Twins tweets @twinsbpcatcher

Possible New Twins Shortstop

2010-12-01T13:12:00.001-06:00

Tsuyoshi Nishioka looks outstanding in this highlight reel. He's a switch-hitter and has earned top fielding honors at both second base and shortstop. Enjoy ...

December 1, 2010 Twins Lineup

2010-12-01T13:04:00.001-06:00

Let's update as we go, but here's the Twins 25-man active roster as it appears it would be if season started next week:

Pitchers (11)
P Francisco Liriano (L)
P Scott Baker (R)
P Brian Duensing (L)
P Kevin Slowey (R)
P Nick Blackburn (R)
MR Jeff Manship (R)
MR Anthony Slama (R), Pat Neshek (R) or Alex Burnett (R)
MR Glen Perkins (L)
MR Jose Mijares (L)
SU Matt Capps (R)
CL Joe Nathan (R)

Position players (14)
C Joe Mauer (L)
C Drew Butera (R)
C/DH/1B Jose Morales (S)
1B Justin Morneau (L)
2B Alexi Casilla (S)
SS Tsuyoshi Nishioka (S)
3B Danny Valencia (R)
LF Delmon Young (R)
CF Denard Span (L)
RF Michael Cuddyer (R)
OF/DH Jason Kubel (L)
OF Jason Repko (R)
UT Trevor Plouffe (R)
UT Matt Tolbert (S)

As you can see, this means DH Jim Thome would be out of the picture. Ozzie Guillen was right when he let Thome go to the Dodgers in 2009--the big homerun hitter is just too one-dimensional to keep on a roster. I love the guy. He's a great hitter. He was great for the Twins, but they just can't afford to have him DH three out of every four games and have a personal pinch-running on the roster.

Friggin' Blogging Challenge Du Jour

2010-11-22T23:28:00.003-06:00

I entered a blogging challenge. All I need to do is spout off about stuff I normally blog, tweet, Faceplate^TMor otherwise kick out on the Interent non-stop for my classes at the U. Maybe I'll pop off some Twins stuff, too. You can access it on my normal homepage at my homepage.
Thanks to Word Savvy hot mama for pushing me to do it. You'll want to read my blog-du-jour about Thanksgiving -- no guess on what it's about, but a full day with the Bullpen Catcher's family is enough fodder for a full week of this challenge.

Hey, did you hear the one about Brad Childress getting fired ...

Seriously folks, did you notice that Chilly started the season with this headset:

And was fired after switching to this headset:

So it's obvious ... Motorola is to blame for the Vikings' shitty season via altering the brain waves and football smarts of Brad Childress.

Once more: Joe Mauer could be a werewolf

2010-07-12T11:40:00.001-05:00

Comparison photos. Separated at birth?

Top: actor Taylor Lautner. Bottom: Twins catcher Joe Mauer (in high school at Cretin-Derham Hall).

Time for Twins to show fans they're serious

2010-07-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

The Twins head into the final few games before the All-Star Game break with the sixth best record in the American League. Granted, they lead the Tigers by one game, but teetering on the verge of being ousted from consideration of a Wild-Care berth if Detroit overtakes them is unsettling.

Twins management have built a darn good team for the inaugural season of Target Field. And inordinate amount injuries to key players Joe Nathan, J.J. Hardy, Pat Neshek, Jose Mijares, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla, and Orlando Hudson haven't helped.

No matter. It's time for the team to step up and show that challenging for a World Series berth is the goal rather than another showdown for the title in the weakest division of both leagues, the AL Central.

With Michael Cuddyer filling in well enough at third base, the Twins lineup seems strong as ever (especially since they are apparently following the Bullpen Catcher's assertion they should get Jim Thome's bat in the lineup more often). It's the pitching that's causing the trouble right now.

It's time for the Twins to pop off a good, strong, message-sending trade to players, fans and the league. Sources claim the Twins had a deal in place with Seattle to pick up Mariners ace Cliff Lee for a package of catcher Wilson Ramos, left-handed pitcher Brian Duensing and a low-level minor leaguer. The deal was delayed or nixed due to Ramos landing on the disabled list (players on the DL cannot be traded).

I'm going to guess the Twins will try again on that trade. Ramos is again trade-eligible (he's played the past two days for the Rochester Red Wings). According to former Twins Cy Young Award winner Frank Viola, Minnesota is best to do this sooner rather than later for the simple reason that the six other teams interested in Lee may up the ante quickly the longer negotiations go on (teams interested: Rangers, Cincy Reds, LA Dodgers, NY Mets, NY Yankees and his former team, the Philadephia Phillies).

Also available: Houston Astros starter Roy Oswalt and Arizona Diamondbacks starter Dan Haren. The Twins have the prospects and a few guys on the MLB team right now that would make a nice package to any team in trade.

Here are the numbers:
Cliff Lee (7-3, 2.45 ERA, 95.2 IP, 78 SO, 5 BB)
Roy Oswalt (5-10, 3.55 ERA, 104 IP, 97 SO, 29 BB)
Dan Haren (7-6, 4.56 ERA, 116.1 IP, 115 SO, 22 BB)

Lee would be most team's top pick given he's the lone left-hander in this list. Lee turns 32 in August. He signed a $9 million one-year contract for just this season.

Oswalt, 33 in August, is at the tail end of a massive five-year contract which pays him $15 million this year and around $14 million in 2011.

Haren, 30 in September, is making $8.25 million this year -- the second year of a four-year, $44.75 million contract. He will make similar money in 2011 and 2012 and then his contract has a $15.5 million club option for 2013.

While helpful, it's unlikely the Twins would pick up a closer and are more likely to make a minor deal for a middle reliever or setup man to strengthen the top bullpen in the American League.

I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest/implore the Twins to re-sign whomever they trade for and keep them for longer than the "rent-a-player" duration.

If nothing else, the Twins can appease 2001 MLB entry draft naysayers and pick up this guy. [That was indeed sarcasm, FYI]

Cliff Lee photo by Charlie Neibergall/The Associated Press; Wilson Ramos photo from MinnPost.com

Morneau Missing In Triple Crown Talk

2010-06-30T10:53:00.003-05:00

Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton and Tigers first baseman/DH Miguel Cabrera are all the talk in American League circles as potential Triple Crown (and assumable MVP) candidates this year. The latest comes from Yahoo! Sports writer Tim Brown who claims Hamilton has the most probability of the two to win the first Triple Crown (lead league in batting average, home runs and RBI) since Carl Yastrzemski accomplished the feat in 1968.

Morneau and another strong possibility, Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, are seemingly invisible to those talking Triple Crown. While I don't think anyone will be winning a Triple Crown this season, I believe all four have equal chances at it. [Then again, who ever thought we'd see two perfect games within 20 days of each other and another that should have been a few days later?]

Here are the numbers:

Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano leads the AL in batting with a .358 average.
Cabrera is tied for first in home runs with White Sox first baseman Paul Konerko with 20 HR.
Cabrera leads the AL in RBI with 67.

Hamilton -- .343 (4th in AL), 18 HR (5th), 58 RBI (3rd) in 73 games played.
Cabrera -- .338 (5th), 20 HR (T-1st), 67 RBI (1st) in 74 games.
Morneau -- .347 (3rd), 15 HR (T-9th), 50 RBI (T-11th) in 74 games.
Cano -- .358 (1st), 15 HR (T-9th), 53 RBI (T-6th) in 76 games.

Any of these guys is a longshot. First, this is a league that has Seattle hitting machine Ichiro Suzuki (currently 6th in BA at .335). Secondly, these stats: Morneau is a career .285 hitter. Cano is .311 for his career. Cabrera has hit .313 for his career and Hamilton is a career .302 hitter. Lastly, Hamilton and Cabrera have both endured difficult battles with injuries and drug and/or alcohol addiction and relapses in past seasons. Morneau has slumped in the last month of recent years and Cano has a career-best 20 home runs and 97 RBI (not in the same season).

Triple Crown talk before July 4th? I'd bet heavily against any of them attaining it by the end of the season. No matter what, there are too many variables left in over one-half the season to even consider such discussion.

Is Thome biggest waste of Twins 2010 money?

2010-06-27T11:50:00.000-05:00

In late January the Twins signed certain future Hall-of-Famer Jim Thome to a one-year $1.5 million contract. It looked like a steal of a deal: Thome ranked the second-best designated hitter in the 2009 season in an Associated Press story, just behind Adam Lind in every geeks' new favorite Sabermetrician statistic OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage).

Is it possible the Twins wasted their money on Thome? Granted, Thome is the 15th highest paid player on the team, but there must be some way to get him in the lineup more often. Recent experiments with putting Michael Cuddyer at third base puts Jason Kubel as a starter in right field. The Cuddy at third experiment was done in National League parks during interleague play and without a DH.

Once interleague play is over, the Twins need to place Thome back as a near-everyday DH and keep Cuddyer at third because using him as a pinch hitter more often than as a starter just isn't working.

So far this season Thome has played in 49 of the Twins 74 games. He's only had 107 official plate appearances for an average of 2.69 plate appearances per game. Compare that to Jason Kubel, who has played in 66 games with 264 plate appearances (4.0 appearances per game) and Justin Morneau (4.31). Thome is being used about as often at the plate as the recently demoted Brendan Harris (2.79 PAPG).

In 2010, Thome's gone 5-for-18 (.277) with just one RBI as a pinch-hitter. He's a career .230 hitter in pinch-hit situations. Additionally, when he gets on base, Thome's pinch hitting requires another roster move. It's inevitable that when he gets on base a pinch runner needs to replace him, thereby forcing Twins manager Ron Gardenhire to think of his pinch hitting Thome as a double-switch and depletion of his bench. In short, it requires Gardenhire to only pinch-hit Thome in the eighth or ninth innings.

Thome's stats so far this season: .243, 6 HR, 19 RBI, 9 2B, 24 BB, 32 SO.

It's time to use Thome where he's best: as a designated hitter. Given the Twins persistent problem of leaving runners in scoring position, it makes sense for Gardenhire to keep Cuddyer at third and get Thome more DH at bats.

2010 Twins Challenge

2010-04-17T00:03:00.000-05:00

Time to test the Bullpen Catcher's Theory

This year's Twins team is shaping up to having the best beginning to a season in the team's 50-year history. The key to the 8-3 start? Certainly we could point to the power production (3rd in the AL in homeruns; 2nd in Total Bases) or the bullpen led by surprising closer replacement Jon Rauch (all 6-foot-11, 290-pounds of him).

The Twins are damn good so far. Damn good. It's hard for anyone in snowmobile land to not be thinking about how they'll be sneaking schnapps into The Bullseye come October, but there is one thing that will keep Minnesota the strongest team in the land -- starting pitching.

Here's the rotation as it stands today:

Scott Baker (2-1 record, 3.38 ERA)
Nick Blackburn (1-1, 5.02)
Carl Pavano (2-0, 1.38)
Kevin Slowey (1-1, 3.48)
Francisco Liriano (1-0, 2.08)

The challenge as it's always been with these guys is to see if they can go one time through the rotation with each having his best stuff. We'll rank them on a 0-1-2 scale. 0=Did not pitch up to snuff; 1=pitched OK, not great; 2=pitched above and beyond what we expect weekly, but lived up to his hype and expectations. For instance, in Thursday's win over the Boston Red Sox, Liriano lived up to his expectations and showed he can dominate like he did in (was it really that long ago?) 2006. Liriano would have gotten a 2 on the BP scale.

The Bullpen Catcher believes if the Twins can link together a round of all five in the rotation earning 2's (a total of 10 points), it should push the Twins so far ahead in the Central quickly they will immediately be so far ahead in the standings, the playoffs will be set. The more BPC's starting pitching points (9's and 10's) the better the predictor of winning the, um, whatever they call the World Series trophy with the flags and all.

So here we go, game-by-game thus far:

Rotation #1:
Baker 0
Blackburn 1
Pavano 2
Slowey 2
Liriano 1
TOTAL: 6

Rotation #2
Baker 2
Blackburn 0
Pavano 2
Slowey 0
Liriano 2
TOTAL: 6

O-Hud Set to Join Twins

2010-02-04T21:26:00.007-06:00

Second baseman Orlando Hudson Makes Twins Central Division Favorites

It will be announced within the next few days that the Twins have come to an agreement with former Los Angeles Dodgers second baseman Orlando Hudson. Hudson's signing will be squeezed between the signing of DH Jim Thome and what is sure to be the soon announcement of a 10-year-deal between the team and 2009 AL MVP Joe Mauer.

It's a hell of a run for the Twins. These signings not only prove Minnesota will be the Vegas favorite to win the Central Division, but also bodes well for future chances at Division, League and even World Series titles.

OHud is a two-time all-star (2007, 2009) and has won four Gold Gloves (AL 2005, NL 2006, NL 2007 and NL 2009).

Last year with the NL West Division Champion LA Dodgers, Hudson hit .283 with a .357 on-base-percentage.

In eight seasons (Toronto, Arizona and LA), Hudson has a career average of .282. He doesn't steal a ton of bases or hit for a lot of home run power (just 77 career homers), but in the seven full-time seasons he's been a starter, O averaged 28 doubles and 59 RBI per year. Those are solid stats for one of the best fielding second basemen in the last 30 years.

Will he make the Twins better? Simply put, with Hudson at second base, the Twins will be the strongest team up the middle (C-SS-2B-CF) in the American League.

A few more fun thoughts:
STARTERS (11)
C-Joe Mauer (2010 MVP, 2009-10 Gold Glove, 3-time All-Star, 3-time AL batting champ)
1B-Justin Morneau (2006 MVP, 3-time All-Star)
2B-Orlando Hudson (4-time Gold Glove, 2-time All-Star)
SS-JJ Hardy (2007 NL All-Star)
3B-Brendan Harris/Nick Punto
LF-Delmon Young
CF-Denard Span
RF-Michael Cuddyer
OF/DH-Jason Kubel
1B/DH-Jim Thome (5-time All-Star)
BENCH (3)
C-Jose Morales
INF-Matt Tolbert
INF-Alexi Casilla
STARTING PITCHING (6)
Scott Baker, RH
Carl Pavano, RH
Kevin Slowey, RH
Nick Blackburn, RH
Glen Perkins, LH
Francisco Liriano, LH (2006 All-Star)
RELIEF PITCHING (5)
Joe Nathan (4-time All-Star), RH
Matt Guerrier, RH
Jon Rauch, RH
Jose Mijares, LH
Jesse Crain or Pat Neshek, RH

New proposed lineup:
Denard Span (L), CF
Orlando Hudson (S), 2B
Joe Mauer (L), C
Justin Morneau (L), 1B
Michael Cuddyer (R), RF
Jason Kubel (L) or Jim Thome (L), DH
Delmon Young (R), LF
J.J. Hardy (R), SS
Brendan Harris (R), 3B

Thome in the lineup!

2010-01-26T22:41:00.003-06:00

Adding Jim Thome to the lefty-dominated Twins lineup is a great move. For a baseball-paltry $1.5 million contract, Thome joins a team with powerful lefties Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Denard Span and Jason Kubel. There isn't a team in the league with enough lefties to roll out in late innings against this crew.

It's just too bad we couldn't have had Thome for the last 3-4 years. He would have 650 career homers if he had played in the Metrodome any more ...

I'm going to slap a few lineups together for fun. I'm also going to bank on Joe Crede signing on with the Twins for one more year of seeing if he can stop being hurt all the time. That said, here's the prediction:

1. Denard Span, CF (L)
2. J.J. Hardy, SS (R)
3. Joe Mauer, C (L)
4. Justin Morneau, 1B (L)
5. Michael Cuddyer, RF (R)
6. Jim Thome, DH (L)
7. Joe Crede, 3B (R)
8. Delmon Young, LF (R)
9. Punto/Harris/Tolbert/Plouffe, 2B (R)

or

1. Span (L)
2. Harris (R)
3. Mauer (L)
4. Cuddyer (R)
5. Morneau (L)
6. Kubel (L)
7. Thome (L)
8. Hardy (R)
9. Punto (R)

or

1. Span (L)
2. Mauer (L)
3. Cuddyer (R)
4. Morneau (L)
5. Thome (L)
6. Kubel (L)
7. Crede (R)
8. Hardy (R)
9. Casilla (L/R)

It's actually hard to create lineups with all that out there. It will be interesting to see what Gardenhire does with this team.

Here's my current predicted 25-man active roster for Opening SnowOut:
C--Mauer, Morales
1B -- Morneau, Thome
2B -- Tolbert, Casilla
3B -- Crede, Harris
SS -- Hardy, Punto
OF -- Span, Young, Cuddyer, Kubel
SP (in order) -- Pavano, Baker, Slowey, Blackburn, Perkins
RP -- Swarzak, Liriano, Mijares, Guerrier, Neshek
CL -- Nathan

My New Second Favorite Blog

2009-07-20T23:28:00.001-05:00

Yep, I've finally had it with Punto.

Read this for a summary of why ...

Bullpen? We Don't Need No Stinkin' Bullpen!

2009-05-16T17:24:00.006-05:00

Time to make a change

After two late-inning blown games in New York, it's time to deem the Twins bullpen an official mess. But it's not just those two losses in New York that appropriate a move to help the team, it's the last two season's worth of poor relief pitching that dictate finding a solution -- and fast.

The Twins starting pitching is solidifying as the season moves along. The Big Five are getting quality starts and the offense is generating enough run support to allow the starters to stay in games much longer than, say, three years ago. This should translate into wins. Instead, it's translated into a .500 baseball team that can't beat anyone outside the division.

The solution may be trading an outfielder. Heck, the Twins have plenty of those. The Twins even have a bunch of catching prospects -- certainly some team is suddenly interested in the skills of Jose Morales. Perhaps a prospect pitcher should be called up (ala Johan Santana, who was a reliever early in his career) or (gasp!) trade for a solid reliever.

Or, better yet, it may be time to move Joe Nathan and spend less on the closer position while dispersing money paid him instead to four solid setup men. Billy Beane and Terry Ryan certainly would agree a closer could be found somewhere in the organization. Beane's long-held postulation that pitching one inning is an easier find than a setup or long reliever has been proven time and again by Ryan. Take a look at: (a) LaTroy Hawkins, (b) Eddie Guardardo and (c) Joe Nathan.

Let's trot out Anthony Swarzak, Kevin Mulvey, Brian Duensing or even Phillip Humber for some relief time. It's time for the Twins front office to act like it actually sees what the fans have been seeing for two years now.

MLB Gameday

2009-05-15T08:59:00.008-05:00

The Top MLB Innovation

Is there any better thing than the pitch-by-pitch approach used by MLB in its free Gameday package? Thursdays at work are significantly better with an afternoon Twins game on in a browser on my computer.

I often monitor multiple games when I'm not at the ballpark and it used to be an outstanding function while working on deadline at the newspaper.

Obviously MLB isn't the only website running pitch-by-pitch, but it's probably the best. It appears as if the programmers hired by the league are trying new innovations with it and trying to give the interface a more real-time, watching the game feel.

Watch NHL games on a gameday function. Or an NBA game. Every time I "watch" an NFL game on their Flash Player it's simply too frustrating to wait for the next play or the next comment put in by the person running it.

MLB's Gameday has them all beat. There are up-to-date statistics, links to each player's career stats, everything.

I know it sounds like an advertisement, but honestly, what innovations have better served baseball in recent years? Certainly not homerun replays or maple bats or long pant legs or that crappy font on Twins broadcasts which always has me wondering if the Twins are losing 1-0 or 7-0.

Back in the Pen!

2009-05-06T22:36:00.003-05:00

After a too-long hiatus, the Bullpen Catcher has returned to the pen.

Time for a few thoughts about the first month of the Twins season:

Well, the Twins bullpen leaves a lot to be desired. When you have a knuckleballer in there, a few folks who can't keep the ball down, and Joe Nathan playing less than stellar, things are just not going to go well for this team. Right now it's starting pitching or nothing for the Twins. Maybe the Joe Crede aquisition was the big front page deal of the off-season, but what really stands out is how badly the team needed bullpen help and did nothing but get a very shakey Luis Ayala.
It sure is different when Joe Mauer plays, huh? When he's in the lineup and catching behind the plate, the Twins have a formidable lineup and strong defense. When he's not, well, you have either the option of Red Dog slapping one over to right field every once in a while or Jose Morales hitting, but struggling to mitt the ball.
When this pitching rotation gets in synch it could be fun to watch. Unfortunately, it's early and we haven't seen all five of the big arms put it together in the same karma zone. The first time this happens this year, the Twins will vault to first place. Think of it: Baker tosses one of his gems, Slowey follows it up, Liriano dominates, Perkins fools another team and Blackburn looks like he did when he was brilliant at times last year. That will be a hell of a week when it happens -- and it will sometime this season.
It would be nice to see Joe Crede get a hit.
It was the right choice to send Alexi Casilla to the minors. What the heck was that we were watching. Two words on Alexi so far this season: Clue Less.
Isn't it cool that of all the Big Four outfielders that Denard Span is the one producing? Span had that godawful Spring Training and then stepped into the regular season like it was last season again. He's one heck of a leadoff hitter.
Punto? Come on.
Ron Gardenhire is doing a pretty darn good job so far. Just on the guts of moving Casilla to the minors and in sticking with Span in the leadoff spot despite pressure to do other things is impressive enough.
Admit it: we all look over at that new stadium no matter what when we drive down I-94 or are on that side of town. Try not to look next time you're over there. Just try ...

Crede Can You Take The Twins "Higher"?

2009-02-21T21:41:00.009-06:00

Photo from Getty Images

At long last the Twins made a signing that made sense today.

General Manager Bill Smith nabbed oft-injured Joe Crede for one year that will pay the former White Sox third baseman $2.5 million plus incentives. With incentives, Crede's contract could add up to the $7 million which he was initially asking.

The signing comes a day before the mandatory Spring Training reporting date for position players.

Since the contract is incentive-laden, it's clear the Twins have made a sound decision after months of transaction stagnancy. With two clear needs heading out of 2008 (set-up relief pitching and third base), Smith appeared too timid or complacent over the winter months. He failed to land third base free agents Casey Blake (who signed with the Dodgers) or Ty Wigginton (Orioles). The Twins also missed on making a trade with the Cubs for Mark DeRosa (Indians).

In the meantime, Smith flirted with possible setup men, including Eric Gagne (Brewers), but settled on rather dismal-sounding retreads.

[On the contrary, I think Billy Beane's claim that relief pitchers -- particularily closers and setup men -- who come into games where the home team is already leading, are vastly overrated. My belief comes from my following of the Bill James school of statistics (and you can certainly read more about it here). Therefore, it's clear third base was more an issue for the Twins than filling Pat Neshek's goofy spot on the rubber. ]

Smith's crowning achievements this offseason were previously limited to re-signing Nick Punto, avoiding arbitration with Matt Grrrrr, and agreeing to a longer-term contract with Jason Kubel.

All may be well now. Crede has been a good player in the past.

Everything is relevant to his health, so keep this in mind. Each sentence written about Crede starts with: When healthy ...

Crede is a hell of a fielder.

Crede is a right-handed power hitter.

Crede plays like a Twins player, strong on fundamentals.

Crede could stabilize the Twins batting order and provide much the team has been missing.

Crede could man third base while we find out if Double-A prospect Luke Hughes is developing as hoped.

Crede is a former White Sox player and could provide a certain leadership lift if the two teams are stuck in a one-game situation again.

Crede is only 30 and could have a few extra years of strong play left in him.

Of course, each of those instances begin with a big "if".

Conversely, when Crede falls apart physically, Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris can fill in while the Twins avoid a masssive contract weighing them down.

In November I wrote about Crede being a poor choice for the Twins, but with all other major options heading to other teams, Crede's signing is more positive as March looms.

This is far better gamble than a Mike Lamb or Tony Batista aquisition.

At worst, this is a solid shot at improvement; at best, it could result in another trip to the American League playoffs.

An Unlikely Flier at Third Base?

2009-01-13T22:33:00.005-06:00

First: There's this rumor about the Twins and Michael Young of the Rangers. Not out of the blue nor out of the question, but if Young waves the no-trade clause to Minnesota and the Twins piece a package together well, who knows?

In recent days, we in the bullpen have been thinking about a third base option that doesn't involve money, doesn't threaten the current pitching rotation, doesn't cost much, keeps Denard Span on the team for a chance to prove his freshman season wasn't an apparition, and won't cost Bill Smith his job if it doesn't pan out.

The task is as daunting.

Here's one oddball longshot to chew on: Bring back a former Twins defensive stalwart, sign him to a minor league contract, and see what happens if you toss him in at third. Come on, Corey Koskie's still having issues surrounding his head injury, right? Right.

How about Doug Mientkiewicz?

Proposterous. As preposterous as, say, Mike Lamb? Tony Batista? You get the point. A signing like this would be the absolute definition of Twins Territory.

Give a listen and see how crazy this sounds in the Land Of 10,000 Dollars.

MonkeyWrench hit .277 both last year with Pittsburgh and in 2007 for the New York Yankees. Dougie hit .283 in 2006 for Kansas City. He's 35 this season and a free agent with few, if any, offers on the table. Sources in Pittsburgh say the Pirates have no interest in re-signing Mientkiewicz. His lack of home run power is an obvious problem, but despite not being a full-time starter in recent years, Dougie's RBI total isn't bad if stretched out over a season.

Mientkiewicz played 33 games at 3B last season for the Pirates. His move to third was mostly an end of the season experiment that resulted in a .918 fielding percentage.

The numbers aren't strong, but certainly not weak. Plus, there are positives to the scenario.

Sportswriters already know the correct spelling and punctuation of Mientkiewicz's name. [Hell, it's engrained in their heads as much as MMMbop still is.]

A chance to witness Mientkiewicz/Morneau II, a fight between the vet and MVP in a Twins dugout or clubhouse near you.

A chance to witness Mientkiewicz/Gardy II, a smackdown between the boss and the wanna-be in a Twins dugout or clubhouse near you.

The Twins can bring back the best "Twins: Get To Know 'Em" song, sung in the style of Schoolhouse Rock called "That's How You Spell Mientkiewicz."

Three words: Knee-high socks.

Then 13-year-old screaming girls can now squeeze their now-19-year-old selves into old Mienkiewicz jersey T-shirts again.

Dives-A-Plenty.

It seems a viable -- and very Twins-like option -- for the Twins to try something like this. Mientkiewicz was always good with the glove, and heck, they sure need a backup for Morneau on given days. If he signs to a minor league contract, it's almost a move free of risk.

I can hear the questions at Spring Training now. Listen. It's off in the distance ...

..."that was then, this is now. I mean, Justin and I are good friends now. I went over to him and we shook hands in the clubhouse and we're teammates. We're professionals ... That was years ago and we both made mistakes ... I'm just glad to be back in a Twins uniform ..."

Blyleven Non-Election A Huge Mistake: Again!

2009-01-12T13:54:00.004-06:00

Jim Rice and Rickey Henderson were elected into the Baseball Hall Of Fame today. The voters didn't elect pitcher Bert Blyleven, outfielder Andre Dawson and a couple of others worthy of HOF status.

Rice enters the Hall in the final year of his eligibility.

Henderson and Rice are undoubtedly Hall of Famers and certainly deserve the honor. Unfortunately, the baseball writers' idiotic unwritten rules are keeping Blyleven and other stalwart players out of Cooperstown. Blyleven's cause has been highlighted here previously. Others whom I believe deserve the honor are Andre Dawson and Dale Murphy. I lean a bit toward Mark McGwire as well for reasons I can write about at a later date. I think there could strong cases made for Lee Smith and Tim Raines.

The writers have this code about themselves regarding not voting anyone in at 100 percent (even Babe Ruth, Cy Young, Ty Cobb, Hank Aaron and Cal Ripken didn't get in with 100 percent of votes. Ripken is the highest position player to receive votes at 98.53 percent, topped only by pitchers Tom Seaver, 98.84, and Nolan Ryan, 98.79). The writers also have this rule about not electing many players at all. They've elected 108 players total with another 94 given entry by the Veteran's Committee.

Is there any reason Blyleven and Dawson aren't in the Hall? Really? Let's be honest: They'll eventually get in, either by vote at the 12th hour (ala Rice) or by a Veteran's Committee. We know this. Hell, Phil Rizzuto is the Hall. They are going to get in some day, some way. Yet, here these Holier-Than-Thou writers keep them off ballots year-in, year-out because of their wish to adhere to goofy Hall of Fam "rules."

I've worked in a couple of newspaper sports departments. I've met many sports celebrities, broadcasters, writers, columnists, etc. Some of the folks who vote on these ballots are just plain looney. I've met some I wouldn't trust to not steal something off my desk at work. There are some who believe wholeheartedly that the Apollo moon landings were all done in a Hollywood sound stage. I can name several writers and columnists who are in business ventures with the athletes they cover "objectively." I know first-hand of those writers who, at one time or another, took payola -- are on the take -- from the teams they are assigned to. I've seen owners and agents control writers and editors for their own ends with information that is false or "leaked" through anonymous sources who, in fact, were themselves. I can recall a few of these involving Vikings and Twins ownership. These examples showed me the toying the writers are working with and, at times, succumb to. [I should point out current Twins beat writers are not those I've worked with and have no sense they are corrupt nor illogical, rather seemingly ethical in all regards. It is others of the past, some of whom have votes around the country, that I speak of.]

There is no doubt in my mind that something of this ilk is up with the Baseball Hall of Fame voters. While several are forthright, honest and objective voters, too many must be corrupt, shady and have alterior motives in keeping players like Blyleven and Dawson off their ballots.

Michael Young A Great Option

2009-01-12T12:52:00.006-06:00

Recent reports about Texas Rangers shortstop Michael Young requesting a trade are intriguing. The Twins certainly could use Young at shortstop (he's bailing on Texas because the Rangers want to move him to third base). If they did that, Nick Punto could slide over into the third base platoon and all would be happy in Twinsville.

There are two problems with this scenario, however. First, the Twins would have to trade for Young. Young isn't just some run-of-the-mill player. He's a great hitter and average fielder who took over at short when Alex Rodriguez left the Rangers. My guess is teams like Boston, the New York teams, Los Angeles, et al woul be bidding competitors. At least, teams have been asking for starting pitcher Kevin Slowey and outfielder Denard Span in any trade talks the Twins have had with other teams. Personally, if the Twins could get Young for Slowey and Span and nothing else, I think I'd take the trade. That's me -- not Bill Smith.

The second -- and more pressing -- issue is Young's contract. Young, 32, is beginning (yes beginning) a five-year contract which pays him $80 million through 2013. I don't see the Twins paying anyone $16 million per season (Justin Morneau tops the Twins with $8.4 million per season). The five-year contract puts Young at 36 years old when it's over. The Twins just don't compete when contracts like this are on the line. This is L.A., Chicago, New York, Boston, Philadelphia territory and Twins Territory is a world away.

* Photo courtesy of Chickball.

Reusse Has It Right

2009-01-07T21:42:00.003-06:00

Today's column by Patrick Reusse of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune hits the offseason right on the nose. Give it a good read if you have a few moments.

{I won't even go out of my way to point out most everything he writes in that column has been said here previously.]

Twins Enter New Year Same As Old Year

2008-12-30T18:31:00.002-06:00

In an offseason thus far dominated by the New York Yankees spending money like they got a government bailout, the Minnesota Twins remain virtually the same team fielded at the end of the 2008 season.

Not that anyone in their right mind expected the tight-stringed Twins to be big players in any kind of market, let alone during an economic recession. Come on: wasn't it odd to even hear the Twins mentioned in rumors surrounding 34-year-old third baseman Casey Blake? [Especially when the other team in the so-called bidding war was the deep pocketed Los Angeles Dodgers of, um, Los Angeles.]

There was strong talk from the Twins front office of going after someone for help on the left side of the infield and in relief pitching. That talk was about as strong as the plot of Twilight -- predictable, yet unsatisfying.

The Twins picked up a knuckleballer they destroyed last season (R.A. Dickey) and solidified the left side of the infield by re-signing Nick Punto. At least the Twins did improve their standing in the division by refusing to listen to the laughable comeback attempt by former pitcher Scott Erickson and releasing SS Adam Everett and somehow getting the Tigers to sign him for $1 million a season (someone explain that salary and its justification when Commissioner Bud Selig asked teams to exercise financial prudence in tough economic times).

I don't hear any talk of the Twins making another pickup. Every other team inquires about one of the Twins starting pitchers who are in the rotation. Billy Smith isn't willing to give one up and here the team sits. My prediction: they will continue to sign players to minor league contracts and invite others to Spring Training, but make very little other noise.

The Off-Season That Could Be

2008-11-13T10:31:00.007-06:00

The Twins enter tonight's opening salvos in the free agent market in a surprisingly good position. Unlike last year, the team doesn't have any glaring free agents set to leave, threatening to leave, or pushing the limits of "what should we do with this guy?" (see Carlos Silva).

If all of the Twins free agents left the team for other pastures, it wouldn't break or much hurt this team. Left-handed aging relief pitchers Dennys Reyes and Eddie Guardado are easily replaceable. Middle infielders Nick Punto and Adam Everett represent a glutton of utility infielders the Twins are currently rostering.

Of the group, the only real loss would be Punto, a defensive gem at every position he fields. Punto is a true utility man, able to sub at most positions with clean fundamentals. He also is gritty, scrappy and seemingly well-liked by his teammates. So long as Punto isn't a set starter at one position, he's a cornerstone of the Twins manner of playing baseball.

The major part of the roster is set except for the left side of the infield. Add to this reliever Pat Neshek's pending surgery (he will probably miss the 2009 season) and the roster is ripe for a few helpful fresh faces and possibly a trade. The Twins budget even allows for some roster additions.

No the Twins won't be mentioned anywhere in the bidding for superstar free agents Manny Ramirez, Bobby Abreau, Mark Teixeira, C.C. Sabathia, Francisco Rodriguez, A.J. Burnett or Trevor Hoffman. Based on previous history and the uncertainty of Twins fans with the Twins-Rays trade of last season, I'd estimate a small trade from the team and an auditioning of second-tier free agents again. Still, here are a few of the legitimate possibilities of this off-season:

The Twins might be named a bit in the news surrounding the courting of third basemen Joe Crede (Chicago White Sox) and Casey Blake (L.A. Dodgers). According to Minneapolis Star-Tribune beat writer Joe Christensen, the Twins are one of seven teams interested in Blake, a former Twin. Those aren't good odds for the Twins, who don't like to get into bidding wars.

Crede leaves Chicago because the White Sox are going to put Josh Fields back at third base and are heavily favored to win free agent bidding for 19-year-old Cuban phenom third baseman Dayan Viciedos (the Chisox are close to becoming a Cuban landing point with Alexei Rodriguez and Jose Contreras already on the roster).

Fans will recall Crede's 2003-2006 seasons, during which he averaged .260, 23 home runs, 75 RBI a season). But Crede is a poor option, having suffered two straight injury-plagued seasons (he played 97 games last year, mostly due to a bad back), his dimishing defensive skills (20 errors in 2008) and his sagging career on-base percentage of .306. Add to that, the unspoken: Crede's numbers seemed to drop and his injuries increased the same year MLB began it's steriod/HGH crackdown (for further evidence see Luis Gonzalez, Todd Helton, Brian Roberts, Randy Johnson, Jason Giambi, et al). I'm sure the Twins would do some vetting on Crede's past to find out if the un-talked about is true, but his depreciation as a fielder might be too much for the team to take.

The Twins could make a trade, given its plethora of outfielders and starting pitchers. A dearth of adequate third base, shortstop and relief pitching makes for obvious speculation. Many names and teams are being bandied about with Colorado Rockies third baseman Garrett Atkins and Milwaukee Brewers shortstop J.J. Hardy the most interesting possibilities.

The Rockies just traded away star outfielder Matt Holliday so they might be in the market for a trade option the likes of Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Delmon Young or Denard Span. The Rockies would need much more, though. It would cost the Twins something like a package of Cuddyer, Boof Bonser and Nick Blackburn.

The Brewers, on the other hand, are moments from losing C.C. Sabathia to free agency. They would want a starter like Kevin Slowey or Nick Blackburn. In addition, they would land either Boof or Phil Humber (both are out of options) and a prospect the likes of minor league LHP phenom Tyler Robertson.

The Twins just don't seem to pull these deals very often and when new GM Bill Smith did last season, it looked like the Tampa Bay Rays laughed him all the way to the World Series.

When pressed, Bullpen Catcher would offer this advice to the Twins: make both the aforementioned trades, but only if they can be done losing just one starter from the current rotation of Baker/Slowey/Blackburn/Liriano/Perkins. The Brewers just had their sometime closer Solomon Torres retire, so offer Bobby Korecky and/or Jesse Crain in the mix.

With a solid four-man rotation, Atkins at third and Hardy at shortstop, this team could make a legitimate run for the AL title. Lefties Craig Breslow and Jose Mijares can fill the left-handed relief roles and there are other arms in the minors waiting to be promoted. The core of the Twins would remain intact and the batting lineup would significantly improve.

Soon, we'll find out where this speculation leaves us. Stay tuned ...

Twins Sent White Sox To Their Demise

2008-10-03T23:49:00.002-05:00

After watching the White Sox get schooled by the Rays in the first two games of the ALDS, it's pretty obvious the Twins took whatever last bit of spunk Chicago had left.

The Angels/Red Sox series is certainly more competitive and entertaining.

Over in the NLDS, it looks like the Brewers are suffering the same pre-playoff hangover as the White Sox. It is puzzling, though, why the Cubs have been so cruddy in their playoff series with the Dodgers. L.A. is playing with a lot of pizazz, but the Cubs are doing nothing for their cause.

I predicted an Angels World Series title after a tour of the Cactus League back in early March and haven't changed my mind. Either way, I believe the tournament winner will come from the American League. If I had to bet, I'd put my money on an Angels vs. Phillies final with the LA Anaheim Angels of California winning in five games.

Time To Think About 2009

2008-09-30T21:04:00.003-05:00

Nick Blackburn tossed one hell of a game Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the only highlight for the Twins was the pitching combo of Blackburn, Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan. Giving up five hits to the White Sox is more than Twins fans could ask at this point in the season. One run allowed should also be enough.

The bottom line is that the Twins lineup has not been a playoff lineup for a month. When your only hits are from Michael Cuddyer and Brendan Harris, there's trouble. Where were Mauer and Morneau the past week? The so-called piranhas were sunfish. Small ball went out the window outside the Metrodome.

It's time to look forward to next season and be happy this core group will be that much better next season. No doubt this was another of Ron Gardenhire's magic tricks, but next year we all must expect much, much more.

Detroit (Not) Rock City

2008-09-30T00:26:00.003-05:00

I'm not sure which was worse Monday afternoon: Watching the terrible fill-in programming on WGN-TV as the White Sox and Tigers waited out a rain delay or Detroit's horrific pitching display during the game.

When Alexei Ramirez sat on that terrifically terrible pitch by Gary Glover in the sixth inning, things got worse.

Ramirez has always reminded me of Alphonso Soriano both in stature and batting stance. The difference, I decided Monday, is that I really love Ramirez as a player and couldn't loathe Soriano more than I currently do.

Ramirez is genuine. The Cuban 27-year-old hit that home run, gave the oh-my-gosh! look with his arms and face, then joyously loped around the bases. WGN had the camera on him as he sat alone on the bench afterwards, kissing his bat before succumbing to emotion. Ramirez dropped his face into his palms and momentarily cried. The range of emotions peculating in his body before, during and after that grand slam have to have been inconceivable. Just last year at this time he was pondering defection from Cuba (he signed a lowly contract of $4.4 million over four years with the White Sox on Dec. 22, 2007). Simply put, it was a great moment.

Here's hoping he has a downer of day at the Cell Tuesday, though.

Finally, A Win

2008-09-28T22:12:00.003-05:00

Sunday's win over the Kansas City Royals kept the Twins in first place and has many of us watching WGN-TV tomorrow at 1:05 p.m.

It was nice to see the Twins get some hits. It was even better to have Scott Baker look like a formidable pitcher against the Royals crummy offense. And, yes, wasn't it nice to see Joe Mauer not hit into a single double play?

Let's hope the Tigers are peeved they have to continue their terrible season. Let's hope the White Sox continue to implode. Let's hope Freddy Garcia can still pitch.

As Homer Simpson put it when he opened his Mr. Plow business: "Now we play the waiting game ... The waiting game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos." In all sincerity, there was no way I thought this team would win 88 games this season. No way. Damn nice job, no matter what the outcome tomorrow and Tuesday.

Who said it was over?

How 'bout My Minnesota Twins?

2008-09-26T00:01:00.005-05:00

Years back I worked with a guy named Mike Augustin who would yell loudly across the newsroom, over the phone or type on the top text line of his raw stories: "How 'bout my St. John's Johnnies!?" or simply: "Myyyyyy Cubbies!"

Auggie usually was most boisterous when it was an underdog or a team overcoming long odds.

Thursday night Auggie was yelling across the heavens to St. Peter: "Myyyyyy Minnesota Twins!"

Three straight against the Chicago White Sox is deserving of any raucous fan belting it out. The way the Twins played in their sweep was nothing short of inspirational.

The finale was the capper. Down 6-1 and momentarily looking like a bumbling Triple-A team, the Twins buckled down. The dug deep. The never said never. Pick your damn cliche because whatever you call it, that's what they did.

Go-go Gomez is as goofy as they come, yet there he was going 4-for-5 with two triples and a double. Alexei Casilla looked clueless at the plate for nine innings and then drilled an 0-1 pitch into center for the game-winner. Denard Span has struggled of late, but suddenly oh-so-close to hitting for the cycle.

Joe Nathan hasn't exactly been perfect lately, but Gardy gives him the ball and he goes an unprecedented two innings, knocking down six straight White Sox for his first win.

It was pure Twins baseball, much to the delight and torture of White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Justin Morneau and Delmon Young each went 0-for-5 and the Twins use seven pitchers, yet a teammate was always there to pick up the slack and spark a rally.

Twins baseball. Myyyyyyyy Twins baseball.

Three more days of fun.

Read this story and this story. Oh, and this story. How about this one? Finally, this one. Joy.

White Sox Being The White Sox

2008-09-24T22:05:00.004-05:00

The Twins winning the first two over the White Sox is a major step. Now just a half game out behind Chicago, the Twins are proving a reality of baseball: The White Sox are poised for another of their patented season-ending blowups. Sure, Chicago is just as hobbled and have as tired a starting pitching staff as the Twins, but the White Sox also had a 2.5 game lead heading into the final handful of games in the season. Whether the Twins pull out another AL Central title or not, the White Sox fans and front office cannot be happy with how poorly Chicago has played in the past month.

Whether the White Sox win the division or not, word around the league is that Ozzie Guillen's job isn't safe. Guillen's brash behavior coupled with his sometimes team-critical demeanor has made him an easy target for a firing at the end of the season.

Heck, if Ned Yost gets fired so close to a playoff berth and so late in the season, then Guillen can't be comfortable with his job security.

Guillen's love for the Twins organization -- or more importantly, their fundamental strengths and manner of play -- is setting up his downfall. He wanted Javier Vazquez to pitch like a big-time pitcher so he calls him out in the media and Vazquez quickly gets shelled by the Twins. Guillen hoped for Vazquez to do as Twins pitchers Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn did over the past two games ... suck it up and pitch better than their now sloppy, tired and slow arms would allow. Guillen did whatever he could to get Vazquez to pitch like a Twin.

Mark Buerhle, on the other hand, did what Vazquez couldn't tonight. Fortunately for Minnesota the Twins kept all but Ken Griffey Jr. from making more than a dent on the scoreboard.

Kudos to the Twins. They continue to hang on and hang on, keeping close enough to the Sox to have a puncher's chance. The standing ten count could come tomorrow. I don't think either the White Sox or Twins will do much in the playoffs, but right now who cares? It's getting damn fun.

Doesn't it feel great to have playoff-like baseball back?

It's Over

2008-09-17T01:10:00.002-05:00

Tuesday was just another in a line of too many bullpen blow-ups and lost chances for the Twins. I think it's official: The pennant run for 2008 is over.

The arms are too tired, the bats too inconsistent and the next two series feature teams just too strong for the Twins to overcome and continue this unbelievable run.

Tired Arms, But Twins Are In First!

2008-09-14T00:31:00.003-05:00

Glen Perkins' showing in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader exemplifies a problem with the young Twins pitching staff. Perkins has a tired arm.

It was pretty obvious Saturday as his fastball was all over the diamond and ball movement lacking any snap.

Manager Ron Gardenhire smartly pulled Perkins and began a parade of recent Rochester Red Wings pitchers to finish off the Baltimore Orioles, 12-6.

Like Perkins, the rest of the starting staff are challenging the most innings they've ever pitched.

Perkins (12-4, 4.11 ERA) has tossed 175.6 innings this year (that number includes the 33.3 innings he's thrown in the minors). That's the most innings he's piched in a season. He threw 134 innings in 2004.

Nick Blackburn (10-8, 3.67) led Twins pitchers in innings pitched with 176.7 innings heading into Sunday's final game with the Orioles. His previous top inning season was 2005 (156.6 IP).

Kevin Slowey (12-9, 3.63) is at 159.3 innings this year (13 in the minors) and is the most accomplished innings eater of the staff. Last year, Slowey combined for 199.3 innings between the majors (66.7) and minors (133.6). In 2006 he threw 140 innings in the minors.

Scott Baker (9-4, 3.57) went just six innings in the early game Saturday and now has 158.3 innings pitched (5 IP in minors). Baker threw 169 innings at three levels of minor league ball in 2004. Baker also pitched 143.7 innings last year for the Twins when he was 9-9 with a 4.26 ERA.

Francisco Liriano (5-3, 3.19) has thrown 62 innings for the Twins and 126 more in the minors this year (188 total). Those totals come after missing all of 2007 with Tommy John surgery. Liriano threw just 121 innings in his spectacular 2006 season (12-3, 2.16), but he did throw for a minors/majors combined innings total of 191.3 in 2005.

With 14 games remaining in the regular season, the Twins have to hold on and hope the bullpen --so atrocious lately--will respond and pick up innings.

Justin Morneau AL MVP?

2008-09-10T10:26:00.003-05:00

The prospect of Justin Morneau becoming American League Most Valuable Player suddenly doesn't seem so far fetched. Only a month ago Morneau looked as if he might receive some third place votes in the MVP, but certainly not many for winning the award.

Chicago White Sox 25-year-old left fielder Carlos Quentin looked to be battling for the award with Texas home run derby monster Josh Hamilton, a 27-year-old outfielder. Quentin was doing it all in his first season with the White Sox, but his season is over with a wrist injury that requires surgery. Given the White Sox's first-place status, Quentin would have been an easy bet for MVP. Obviously, his statistical numbers have stalled (thankfully, because his departure has slowed the White Sox and allowed the slumping Twins to stay just a game out of first place).

Hamilton, meanwhile, is a media darling. The former drug addict who battled back with rehabilitation and newfound Christianity is the stuff sports writers and (especially) TV reporters love to write and talk about. Hamilton looked to be a lock on MVP at the mid-point of the season, pounding out home run after home run in the All-Star Derby. His first half of the season had these monster stats: .310 batting average, 21 home runs, 95 runs batted in and .552 slugging percentage. But the Rangers are 16.5 games out in the AL West and Hamilton's production has slowed (.289, 10 HR, 29 RBI since All-Star Game).

Meanwhile, Morneau continues to show he's a stronger second half player and is gaining on Hamilton's league lead in RBI. His batting average since the All-Star Game is .287, but he's hit nine home runs and 51 RBI as well as hammering out a .558 slugging percentage. It also doesn't hurt that he's carried the limping Twins as they compete for the Central title.

Other possibilities for AL MVP would have to be someone from the Tampa Bay Rays (1B Carlos Pena or rookie 3B Evan Longoria), Boston Red Sox (1B Kevin Youkilis or 2B Dustin Pedroia) or California Anaheim Los Angeles Angels (CL Francisco Rodriguez, RF Vlad Guerrero or CF Torii Hunter).

Stats to chew on with about 18 games left in the season (ages included in parenthesis for the sake of interest, as is Alex Rodriguez):

Guerrero......(32) 24 HR, 83 RBI, .298 BA
Hunter..........(32) 20 HR, 73 RBI, .281 BA, 17 SB
Pedroia.........(24) 17 HR, 77 RBI, .327 BA, 17 SB
Youkilis........(29) 25 HR, 99 RBI, .315 BA
Longoria.......(22) 22 HR, 71 RBI, .278 BA, 7 SB
Pena..............(30) 27 HR, 85 RBI, .245 BA
A.Rodriguez.(32) 33 HR, 95 RBI, .310 BA, 17 SB
Hamilton......(27) 31 HR, 124 RBI, .303 BA, 7 SB
Quentin........(25) 36 HR, 100 RBI, .288 BA, 7 SB
Morneau.......(27) 23 HR, 119 RBI, .311 BA
F.Rodriguez.(26) 2-2 W-L, 55 SV, 67 G, 61.3 IP, 70 SO, 1.24 WHIP, 2.49 ERA

Reyes, GRRR stink again and again

2008-09-06T18:11:00.002-05:00

It's official. My patience with the bullpen ended today.

These guys can't do a damn thing right. I would much rather watch Scott Baker pitch another 30 pitches than that sludge we're carting out there in late innings right now. Baker would too. You could tell by the look on his face in the dugout.

Twins stay in race despite themselves

2008-09-04T21:18:00.002-05:00

The Twins were shellacked 9-0 at Toronto for a their ninth loss in the last 12 games. It's become a similar story throughout this long roadtrip for the Twins: no hitting, uncharacteristically poor hitting and a weak bullpen.

Somehow, though, Minnesota remains in second place in the AL Central, trailing the equally (recently) woeful Chicago White Sox by just 1.5 games.

It's difficult to keep the faith as a Twins fan. Simply put, it seems the team cannot get over the ridge on the Sox. But the next 12 games will be important. The upcoming games include a three-game series with the now-deflated Tigers, three with the woeful KC Royals, three with the terrible Orioles and three more with the clunky Indians. Winning nine of those games (a .750 clip) wouldn't be unheard of, but taking seven (.583) could be enough to put the Twins in first place heading into the final 10 games (four with Tampa Bay) and in a position to keep the chance of a playoff berth alive.

That was a difficult road trip for the Twins and fans alike. If the team can pull off a handful of games in the next two weeks, the past two weeks can be all but forgotten.

A Great Baseball Read

2008-08-26T23:16:00.003-05:00

If you haven't read this already, take a look at an outstanding piece written by Tom Friend of ESPN. It's a great story on Danny Almonte and Matthew Cerda, who were Little League World Series heroes in 2001.

You can watch a summary of the story here:

Eddie! Eddie!

2008-08-25T21:17:00.003-05:00

The Twins acquired former Twins closer Eddie Guardado from the Texas Rangers today. The waiver wire deal is an outstanding one by GM Billy Smith. The Twins are in desperate need of any kind of bullpen help. But this kind of bullpen help is of the upper echelon.

Guardado is still one of the best left-handed setup men in the major leagues. Thus far this season, he is 3-3 with a 3.65 ERA in 55 games. The Twins gave up right-handed closer Chris Hamburger, a 21-year-old pitching at rookie league Elizabethton.

It was a heck of a deal and one that addresses the biggest of all concerns with this team.

Guardado has suffered injuries the past few seasons and struggled statistics-wise with Cincinnati and Seattle, but being back in the stable of the Twins and their coaching staff should help bolster his current great statistics even more. It was obvious the past four-plus years that Guardado desperately wished to be a Twin again. He often spoke of missing the Twins' style of baseball and the expectations of the entire staff. He struggled when he left. It is my opinion he won't struggle as he comes back.

Fans will undoubtedly chant Eddie! Eddie! each time he runs in from the bullpen to take the ball, complete an eighth inning and help solidify a Twins team that hopefully has another piece to overtake the White Sox.

From my spot catching in the bullpen, this looks like an outstanding move -- an absolutely exciting moment in a season that continues to get more and more exciting.

First place!

2008-08-03T23:10:00.003-05:00

Honestly, who would have thought the Twins would be in first place on August 3? Hopefully Francisco Liriano will be the incredible shot in the arm he was a couple years ago. Hopefully he'll continue to pitch well.

For now, who cares? The Twins are pulling off an incredible season.

Thanks boys.

Insights and Thoughts

2008-08-03T00:29:00.006-05:00

Here are some recent insights and thoughts about the Twins as they head into August:

Though I hoped it would happen, releasing both Livan Hernandez and Craig Monroe came as a bit of a surprise to me. There was no reason to hang on to these two any longer and it creates space for both Michael Cuddyer (when he gets off the DL) and Francisco Liriano to get on the roster.

This move also places the season and future directly in the hands of the young team and provides them with a catalyst of a team that should be together (ala the 1987 team).

While milling about in the stands during the 5-1 loss to Cleveland Saturday I spoke to a scout about the current state of the team. I asked him if he thought the Twins would give in and make the 6-foot-5 (or taller) Joe Mauer a third baseman any time soon. He said at Mauer's height he's better suited to play first base, where Justin Morneau is likely to play for the next decade. That being said, Mauer may not be able to play third base -- something this particular scout emphasized strongly -- and another position may be needed for him. He said it's more likely the Twins would make Mauer an outfielder and backup first baseman than to have him play third. When pressed, he thought two years more of Mauer catching would be about all that we could expect, unless Wonderboy suffers another knee, ankle or other leg injury that precipitates a move quicker. If Mauer is moved to the outfield in the future, look for the Twins to trade one of their now young outfielders for whatever help is needed to fill out the roster (ie. third base).

Oddest moment Saturday: Three straight bunts by the Twins in the thrid inning (Gomez, Span and Punto), showing Scott Ullger to be the greatest small ball (acting) manager since Phil Garner's Milwaukee Brewers of the mid-to-late-1990s.

Coolest moment Saturday: In the middle of one of the most boring games in recent Twins history, the scoreboard had a sing-along with TC, the mascot. The song? "Sweet Caroline" by Neil Diamond. That's not unusual. What was unique were the 40,000 in attendance continuing to sing the song a capella for an extra few minutes, including the chorus and the "ba ba bum" and "so good, so good, so good" parts. Classic en masse self-entertainment.

Hey, that guy in the TC bear suit hitting softballs into the upper deck before Saturday games needs to get paid more. He's the only entertaining thing leading up to the Saturday games and one has to wonder how he can hit so well with that big foam head on. Sign him up. Maybe that's Kent Hrbek under there.

All the buzz around the Dome is about Sunday's start by Liriano. Even the scouts sitting among the players' wives are excited to see what the lefty can do in the series finale.

The Twins continue the mantra that no deal was a good deal at the trade deadline because they didn't want to hurt the chemistry in the clubhouse. Odd that finding good fits in a clubhouse is suddenly an excuse after the Twins latched on to former Devil Rays bellyacher Delmon Young in the offseason. If his offense upside was more important than a bad attitude (remember, this is the guy who hit an ump with a bat in the minors), then why are the Twins suddenly so worried a good setup man in the bullpen would send the team downspiraling?

Just to be fair, shouldn't Mike Lamb be released right now, too?

How About Some Trade Talk For A Change?

2008-07-27T23:00:00.003-05:00

It's doubtful the Twins are going to make a deal within the week. It's doubtful the Twins will ever make a trade for a big-time player. It's downright positive we should doubt the Twins would act like a lot of other teams 1-2 games back in their division and make a run ... for the World Series, and not just another division title.

Doubtful.

Sadly.

So I am left with dreams.

I dreamt a bit of Manny Ramirez or Gary Sheffield or even (gasp!) Barry Bonds hitting in the Twins lineup.

Then I woke up and pondered: Wouldn't it be something if the Twins actually were in trade talks to get the likes of Mark Teixeira, Jarrod Washburn, Hudson Street, Brian Fuentes, George Sherrill or A.J. Burnett? Dreams, I know. But think of the drama and the debating. Heck, think of the potential homeruns or wins.

I have to dream because Minnesota is NEVER in discussions for these kinds of players. To make matters more challenging, Twins fans must be creative with dreams and wish for, at best, someone we've heard of before. That's the criteria -- potential and all that. This is the reason I can't even get hopeful the rumors of Adrian Beltre (3B, Seattle, .260 BA, 16 HR, 47 RBI) coming to the Twins being more than a pipe dream.

I even dreamt up the thought the Twins could swing a deal -- one that involved another team in a three-way style that would circumvent obvious issues trading with the very team you're trying to catch. The deal is someone for oxymoronic White Sox third baseman Josh Fields (Josh Fields, um, not well). Fields is only 25 years old and hit 23 home runs last year. Joe Crede also plays third on the South Side of the Windy City, so Fields may be trade available. He'd take a bit to get. Jason Pridie and someone like Glen Perkins.

I'll keep dreaming and see what I can come up with. I'll just have to keep it cheap, keep it low-key, and keep it creative. Otherwise the Twins will want nothing to do with it.

Sadly.

Liriano wins again for Rochester

2008-07-27T22:23:00.004-05:00

Francisco Liriano went six full innings, allowing eight hits, four earned runs, struck out nine and walked one in Rochester's 10-5 win over Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in Class AAA International League play Sunday night. Liriano improved to 10-2 this year in Class AAA.

TradeFest '08

2008-07-26T10:12:00.005-05:00

Baseball blogs across the country are steaming with trade possibilities -- including searing discussions in New York involving possible Yankee trades for Jarrod Washburn of the Angels and Cincinnatti slugger Adam Dunn -- but very little real swapping seems imminent.

The chatter is all around MLB: Matt Holliday, Mark Teixeira, Roy Halladay, Hudson Street, Casey Blake, Todd Helton ... big names who are "possibly" going to some other team. History tells us most of these folks will stay on their same team six days from now.

The Twins, in particular, are doubtful to make any move that would rise above the classification of being minor. Given the team's five-game losing streak and Francisco Liriano pitching so well in the minor leagues, it makes more sense for the team to work within its own system than make a deal. The culture of the front office has been to stand pat more often than not in trade deadline deals anyway.

With only five days left of speculation, my best bet is for the Twins to deal for a relief pitcher rather than a third baseman or right-handed DH. While a name like Arthur Rhodes (Seattle) is more likely to be in Billy Smith's mind, why not take a shot at Colorado lefty closer Brian Fuentes? The Mariners don't seem to be asking much in return (one rumor had the possiblity of the Mets landing him for the very average Adam Heilman and a prospect).

Insider Trading With The Twins

2008-07-23T13:20:00.014-05:00

Twins Shopping Span and Liriano?
The Right Deal Could Send Them Packing
With a week to go before the no-frills-attached trading deadline, a lot of discussion surrounding a possible Twins deal is being tossed about. There are some of the typical absurdities (Craig Monroe for anyone, Mike Lamb for anyone, etc.) and some intriguing thoughts (Adrian Beltre coming to the Twins, for instance). But in reality, the Twins are sitting tight looking for two spots: a setup man for closer Joe Nathan and a right-handed power hitter to bat behind Justin Morneau.

It will take a fair amount of talent to get one of those prizes. The Twins have been fielding a fair amount of phone calls, according to my sources. Certainly other GMs are inquiring about top
prospects Ben Revere (OF, Class A Beloit), Shooter Hunt (RHP, Rookie Elizabethton), Deolis Guerra (RHP, Class A Ft. Myers), Joey Benson (OF, Class A Beloit), Tyler Robertson (LHP, Class A Ft. Myers), Anthony Swarzak (RHP, Class AA New Britain), Trevor Plouffe (SS, Class AAA Rochester) and Brian Duensing (LHP, Class AAA Rochester). A quick look at that list and it's easy to see the Twins are loaded for pitching prospects heading into their unofficial target date of 2010 for a World Series run.

Surprisingly, the Twins are also asking questions to get feeling for the market for Francisco Liriano (LHP, Class AAA Rochester) and current big league OF Denard Span. With Michael Cuddyer's injury status still in limbo, the Twins may need Span, but he's been listed as a top prospect long enough that his recent success could bolster large returns in a seemingly lackluster trade market.

Word is the Twins are unhappy with Liriano, his agent, fans and the media pushing for the left-hander to return to the big league club. The entire front office is adamant they won't let anyone tell them how to run their club. Easy to say, but harder to do when Liriano goes out and tosses seven shutout innings in a 13-0 win over Toledo Tuesday (he struck out 10, allowed two hits, and walked two).

Liriano improved to 9-2 in Class AAA and hasn't allowed an earned run in a month. The Twins will either need to use his success to pull off a major trade or will need to trade someone to fit him in the current roster. Secretly, the Twins front office has been hoping for a sore arm to allow someone to go on the DL, as so often happens with young pitchers this time of year.

Is it time to check out Liriano again?

2008-07-17T12:36:00.004-05:00

Pioneer Press writer Kelsie Smith had an interesting story in today's paper regarding Francisco Liriano. Liriano, 24, appears back on track playing for the Rochester Red Wings, the Twins' Class AAA affiliate in the International League.

Liriano improved to 7-2 with a 3.53 ERA prior to the minor league all-star break. Those numbers are impressive, but even more so when you consider how terrible the lefty was when he was first sent down to Rochester.

In his last 10 games since May 26, Liriano has gone 7-0 with a 3.30 ERA, pitched 62 2/3 innings, allowed 53 hits and struck out 64. His WHIP is a very strong 1.03. Even more impressive (considering his recovery from Tommy John surgery) are his most recent outings. Liriano hasn't allowed an earned run since June 25 and in his last three starts he's amassed 20 innings pitched, 10 hits allowed, no earned runs, three walks and 24 strikeouts. Those are dominating numbers. No if's or but's.

According to Smith's article, Liriano and his agent are getting antsy to return to the big league club. There is some dischord between the agent and the general manager's office. I guess that's to be expected -- GM's don't typically like agents dictating their jobs or implying what they should do. Agents are working for the best of their clients. In this case, it's time for Billy Smith to do the right thing and get Liriano up to spend time with pitching coach Rick Anderson. It's time to see if there is promise in the once-dead arm.

The Twins are surprising the AL Central and doing well with their pitching as is, but come on: there's room for an arm like this in the rotation (or, gasp!, the bullpen).

Scott Baker (6-2, 3.47), Nick Blackburn (7-5, 3.65), Glen Perkins (6-2, 4.14) and Kevin Slowey (6-6, 4.26) are pitching amazingly well for such a young rotation. To fit Liriano, it would leave out the aging and sloth-like Livan Hernandez (9-6, 5.44) or force the Twins to go to what the Pioneer Press said Ron Gardenhire is contemplating: a six-man rotation.

There are other spots for Lirano: Boof (3-6, 6.50) doesn't look like he belongs any longer. Brian "Smallmouth" Bass (3-3, 5.31) and Craig Breslow (0-0, 2.18) are OK. Spaz Neshek is out for the season and a setup man more dominating that Matt GRRR (5-4, 3.35) is desirable. The Twins don't like the idea of the bullpen as much as Liriano's agent. Remember when a young lefty named Johan Santana complained he didn't belong in the bullpen back in 2002? He may have been right, but you can't argue with his output since then -- I don't think his ego was shattered.

If nothing else, Liriano's .200 career batting average is only 20 points lower than Mike Lamb's season average of .220. Maybe he can fill in as a left-handed pinch-hitter who flies out to right each time up. That is, until the Twins trade Hernandez in the next few weeks ...

Blackburn, Slowey, Baker keeping Twins alive

2008-07-02T21:34:00.002-05:00

The Twins did it again this afternoon and took 2 of 3 from the Detroit Tigers. Just when you think this team will fade away, it gears up and keeps pace with those White Sox.

It's amazing to think that Blackburn, Slowey and Baker will all be around for years to come -- the promise of building a contender for 2010 in the new stadium seems to be real. But, for crying out loud, who would think the Twins could contend right now? In the next two years we just need Glen Perkins, Francisco Liriano or another pitcher to find his way into the rotation and to keep Joe Nathan back there closing.

Plus, with the way Casilla, Gomez, Mauer, Morneau and Buscher are playing lately, those younger players should be contributors in the future as well. It makes for a much more promising future outlook.

How 'bout the Rays?

Is anyone outside of New York City or Boston not rooting for Tampa Bay? After so many years of pathetic play in the difficult AL East, the Rays changed their uniforms, team name and entire play. Considering the crappy Metrodome-like stadium the Rays play in, the team and city deserve a year in contention.

Go Rays!

Twins in a groovy groove

2008-06-30T00:09:00.003-05:00

Winning 10 straight is never easy, but often these kinds of streaks are followed with another less pleasing streak to equalize a team on a karma-like level. But here we were today with the Twins coming back from a dismal showing on Saturday with a stellar game backed by Kevin Tapani -- er, Slowey -- tossing the shutout.

That Brewers team isn't exactly living up to its expectations this year, but that's one hell of a lineup they toss at a team. Cecil Fielder's skinny son, Ryan Braun (I still can't believe his nickname is the Hammerin' Hebrew), "Sunglasses at Night" Corey Hart, Ben Sheets, Welcome Back Kotter's Gabe Kapler, Jeff Soupcan and Rookie of the Year candidate Manny Parra all make for a strong club.

Gardy's definitely pulling something out of a hat right now -- and it ain't just the normal bottle of Wild Turkey.

Nice job in the past week boys. Sweeping Washington and San Diego isn't as boastful as sweeping potential World Series contenders Arizona, but winning 10 is impressive. For the month the Twins are 17-10 (.630). That should keep things interesting with the White Sox. I just can't wait to watch Chicago collapse and whine as it happens.

Time for Cuddyer to get his groove

2008-05-14T23:53:00.003-05:00

While folks like Nick Blackburn and (recently) Kevin Slowey have been keeping the Twins atop the precarious AL Central standings, Michael Cuddyer has been bobbing in and out of mediocrity.

Cuddyer, now in his seventh season with the Twins, is putting up numbers and batting like he did in his 2005 season when the team experimented with him as an everyday third baseman. In 2005, Cuddyer hit .263 with 12 home runs and just 42 RBI.

This season he's hitting .275 with one home run and 12 RBI. It's a far cry from the pace of 2006 (.284, 24, 109) and 2007 (.276, 16, 81). Worse, Cuddyer doesn't look the same at the plate, often waving at outside pitches on two-strike counts. Not many people will talk about it, but he's looking like Jose Canseco out in the field more than the sure-handed and sure-firing Cuddyer we've all learned to love in right field.

The latest word is he's going to try some new muscle-relaxing mouth guard to better himself at the plate. To me that sounds a bit Nuke Laloosh-like (garters and lady's underwear under the uniform) to be anything more than a mind game.

When the old BP catcher was a real catcher and hitting well I was hitting with a more pronounced straight-standing stance. At one point I opened it up and crouched more (ala Shannon Stewart) for better bat control. The problem was I was too crouched for what I always knew and though my slap hits to right field increased (inside-outing like Joe Mauer), my power and real control was gone. I wasn't comfortable and it just didn't feel like me.

I'm not claiming to be anything more than a Class B BP catcher, so don't get me wrong. But if you look at Cuddyer's stance these days, he's more pronounced bending at the knee and his stance is more wide than in previous years.

Again, I'm just a coach, but stand up like you used to and just whack at the damn ball. We'd rather see something that nears power than what's going on at the plate so far this season.

Cuddyer photo courtesy of Minneapolis Star-Tribune. http://www.startribune.com

Twins take 3 of 4 from Red Sox

2008-05-12T21:10:00.006-05:00

Twins playing as well as they look
in those cool sleeveless jerseys
By Bullpen Catcher

Monday's win over the defending World Champions gave the Twins the series and legitimatizes their chances to challenge for a playoff berth this season. Livan Hernandez improved to an unbelievable 6-1 overall while several other Twins are showing similar look again stats. Joe Mauer is supposed to hit .333. Justin Morneau is supposed to hit around .282 and be on pace for 122 RBI (which is his current rate). Joe Nathan is supposed to be impressive and dominating (as he's been all season). But what the heck is with Adam Everett popping off a home run? How about Craig Monroe hitting .284 with four home runs? I'm not sure anyone thought someone named Tolbert would be hitting .274 or that Nick Blackburn would be so darn good already.

Spaz Neshek's injury will test the bullpen, but Jesse Crain seems to be recovering better from his arm problems of last year. Maybe Glen Perkins will stick around long enough to provide a solid left-handed starting slot for the Twins.

Either way, this team is overachieving and chugging along. I've said it all season, but if the Twins can just hang around .500 they've got a chance to get into the Wild Card standings leaders at the end of the season. With the Central so darn mediocre, who knows?

A final surprise: The Twins are currently playing better than the Yankees, Blue Jays, Indians, Tigers, Mariners, Phillies, Mets, Braves, Brewers, Dodgers, Rockies and Padres. [I won't mention that the Tampa Bay Rays have a better record than the Minnesotans, though.]

Too Much Vacation for the BP Catcher

2008-05-08T00:11:00.002-05:00

So we missed a bunch, but to recap:

The Twins kicked the Tigers' asses
The Twins are now in first place
They almost were no-hit while I was enjoying a beer at Old Chicago
Carlos Gomez thankfully wasn't sent to the minors and became the first Twin to hit for the cycle since Kirby Puckett did the task in 1986.
Bring on the Red Sox

Gomez to the minors?

2008-04-23T22:12:00.002-05:00

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Joe Christensen blogs today suggesting the Twins putting Carlos Gomez in Class AAA to refine his skills. One thing I definitely agree with Christensen about is that Denard Span should stay with the big team when Michael Cuddyer comes back from the DL. Span deserves the chance to stay in the majors and prove himself. It's time for the Twins to see what they've got with Span. He needs to show the Twins if he is a big leaguer or a big disappointment -- not Gomez. Gomez will be a major league player for several years and (given his age) has time to work on hitting in the minors.

Gomez is a major disruption on the basepaths. If he can get on base, he can alter games single-handedly. If he can get a bunt down, he can change defensive coverages. The ifs there are pretty important.

The other night Gomez struggled to even foul off a sacrifice bunt attempt when needed. That's a fundamental. In this sense, then, I agree with Christensen. Send Gomez down for a few weeks to work on a few things.

Conversely, can the Twins keep hovering near .500 without Gomez? His nine stolen bases lead the American League. His defense is reminiscent of Torii Hunter thus far. He looks like he has a lot of fun and seems well-liked by his teammates. Gomez is, if nothing, not crushing under the psychological pressure of filling the HUGE shoes of the Hunter/Puckett eras. Gomez reminds me of a young, pre-steriod Mike Cameron (who had to step in for Seattle after Ken Griffey Jr. was traded).

What to do? Here's a way to wrap our brains around Christensen's query:

If Gomez goes to the minors, who will bat leadoff?
Why not drop Gomez in the order and put that person at leadoff and see what happens first?
Span isn't exactly Bob Allison out there in the field, so how much does defense matter?
Gomez is hitting .230.
Cuddyer comes back Friday
Brian Buscher has four at bats
Forget Frank Thomas -- the Twins (surprise) don't want him (idiots! Why would we even think the Twins would consider? Will we ever learn that all we get is washed up Ruben Sierras and Sydney Ponsons?)
Jason Kubel is hitting .292 with 3 HR and 13 RBI

I'll go out on a limb and propose Buscher goes back to the minors, the Twins keep both Span and Gomez and let them duke it out for playing time, and pray the Twins were bluffing on Frank Thomas (they're not).

Big Hurt? Big Yes!

2008-04-21T19:44:00.006-05:00

Frank Thomas was released from the Toronto Blue Jays yesterday and the time is now to replace Craig Craproe with the Big Hurt. The Twins could sure use the possible offense Thomas would bring to the team. Sure he was hitting .167 (10-for-60) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 16 games, but come on, this is Frank Thomas. He hit 26 homers last year with 95 RBI (.277 average). He has 516 career home runs.

The Blue Jays are locked into paying him $8 million for this season no matter who he signs with. Worth a shot? Not even worth discussing.

Thomas would take the place currently occupied by Craig Monroe. In addition, his signing would allow the Twins a real, viable solution to backup Justin Morneau at first base. The backup is currently Mike Lamb. Mike Lamb? Yep, Mike Lamb.

Some numbers:
Thomas: 40 years old, .167 BA, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 516 career HR, .302 career BA, .420 career OBA, 1,625 career RBI
Monroe: 31 years old, .231 BA (6-for-26), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 104 career HR, 391 career RBI, .256 career BA, .303 career OBA.

Those numbers don't compare. It's time to give the Big Hurt a shot. Heck, even if they have to move Kubel to right field and send Span down, it's time to take a chance.

Still Can't Smell 'Em

2008-04-20T09:29:00.002-05:00

A loss to Tampa Bay, another to Cleveland and a nice win over the Indians again show the Twins' major lack of run production. With just 69 runs scored over 18 games (8-10 record), the Twin-towners are averaging 3.8 runs per game. That puts Minnesota at 25th in runs in the Major Leagues (KC is the only AL team with worse run production).

It goes without saying, but the bullpen hasn't been very good either. The lone exception is Joe Nathan, who has been outstanding. When the runs do come, the bullpen tends to blow the lead. It's hard to blame just the relievers when they've been out on the mound far more than usual. Starting pitchers are struggling to get past five or six innings in their outings.

The good news? With these obvious holes, the Twins are still just 2.5 out of first and two games short of .500. Fran Liriano's arm will do one of two things in the near future -- build arm strength and control or injure it again and go on the DL. Boof is clearly a middle reliever posing as a starter. Blackburn's latest game was sweet and he's been consistent. Baker and Hernandez are giving what the Twins expect, but hopefully will show much better form in May.

The lack of runs may help that starting pitching (and in effect the relievers too). Time to start smelling them again.

The solution is reallly quite simple. Time for Mike Redmond to strip down and run around naked some more to inspire the lads. Can you smell it? I figured you could.

Trip to Detroit creates new trends

2008-04-14T20:45:00.006-05:00

Blowing a lead in Detroit
shows the Twins of '08
By The Bullpen Catcher

In the blowing the lead department in losing to the suddenly terrible Tigers, the Twins demonstrated their new trends of 2008:

Neshek is the new Ron Davis; Kubel is the new Cuddy; Mauer is the new Punto; Span is the new Gomez. Ugh.

Boof's hot in the cold, but is a cold Liriano a good idea?

2008-04-13T00:59:00.003-05:00

Both Livan and Boofie pitched pretty good games against the hapless Royals (is this really the same team that swept the Tigers?). Cue-ball has three homeruns (one fewer than Torii Hunter), Carlos Gomez, Matt Tolbert and Denard Span continue to each play well. A lot of things are going well for the now 6-5, second-place Twins.

But is bringing Francisco Liriano back in the cold afternoon Spring of Kansas City testing Minnesota's luck? Liriano, who had Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery in November 2006, is making his first Major League appearance this season. The 24-year-old left-hander will start today's game at Kaufman Stadium. According to the National Weather Service the weather in KC is a forecast of snow tapering off to a possible late afternoon high of 46 degrees (Fahrenheit, not Celsius). With Liriano's recovering arm, is it the best spot to put him back in the rotation? I'm worried Oli may be right with his pool on when Liriano first goes on the DL. Let's hope he doesn't, because if he can start putting in some real innings the team could continue some sort of hunt for the division.

Stats of the day

Kansas City 6-5
Twins 6-5
Detroit 2-9 (worst record in MLB)
Baltimore 7-4 (leading AL East)
Livan Hernandez leads the Majors in wins at 3-0 W/L record, 2.57 ERA, 21 IP
"El Duque" Orlando Hernandez, on DL all season so far
Carlos Silva, Seattle, 3.27 ERA, 2-1 W/L record, 22 IP
Dontrelle Willis, Detroit, 7.20 ERA, 0-0 record, 5 IP, 2 games started, injured knee
David Ortiz, Boston, batting .070 (3-for-43)
Derek Jeter, NY Yankees, batting .208 (5-for-24) and injured
Torii Hunter, LA Angels of Calif., USA, batting .298 with 4 HR
Johan Santana, NY Mets, 3.05 ERA, 1-2 W/L record, $23 million
Jon Lester, Boston, 4.50 ERA, 1-2 W/L record, 1.77 WHIP
Carlos Gomez, Twins, batting .292 (14-for-48), 0 HR, 3 RBI, 6 R, 5 SB
Melky Cabrera, NY Yankees, batting .267 (8-for-30) with 2 HR and 5 RBI
Phil Hughes, NY Yankees, 5.00 ERA, 1-0 W/L record, 1.78 WHIP, 6 SO
Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston, batting .250 (5-for-20) with 1 HR, 3 RBI
Coco Crisp, Boston, batting .296 (8-for-27) with 2 runs scored, 0 SB
Adam Everett, Twins, batting .095 (2-for-21)
Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay, batting .171 (6-for-35)
Matt Garza, Tampa Bay, 9.00 ERA, 0-0 (2 starts), on DL with sore shoulder
Luis Castillo, NY Mets, batting .160 (4-for-25) with 1 SB
Matt Tolbert, Twins, batting .455 (10-for-22) with 1 SB
Nick Punto, Twins, batting .500 (3-for-6) with 1 SB
Cristian Guzman, Washington, batting .321 (18-for-56) with .536 slugging percentage, 2 HR, and 6 RBI
Luis Rivas, Pittsburgh (playing shortstop!), batting .241 (7-for-29) with 1 SB
Boof Bonser, Twins, 2.84 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 30 pounds lighter
Joe Mauer, Twins, .250 (10-for-40) with 5 SO, 2 BB and 5 RBI
Pudge Rodriguez, Detroit, batting .195 (8-for-41) with 0 HR
Alphonso Soriano, Cubs, Cubs, batting .176 (9-for-51) with 2 HR, 5 RBI, 11 SO
150 games left in the regular season

Liriano Photo from Minnesota Twins official website

Now that's how you kick ass!

2008-04-10T00:21:00.002-05:00

Tonight was quite the night for Jason Cue-ball, who drove in six runs. It looked like winter in Chicago, but the Twins looked strong all over. Just when you start thinking the Twins rotation is bad, look at the White Sox pitching corps. 12-5: Now that's how you kick butt.

Did you notice the blurp about Matt Garza going on the DL for the Tampa Bay Rays? Garza's claiming he was injured at the end of last season ... time for the conspiracy theorists to arise and make a mess out of this thing.

Twins lose opener in Chicago

2008-04-09T00:32:00.004-05:00

Pat Neshek was throwing the pitches too flat in the Twins loss at the White Sox Monday and my prior comments about him looking more seasoned and strong this year are on the back burner.

Nick Blackburn was again serviceable as a starter, going five innings, but he still allowed seven hits, two walks and two earned runs. It's not a surprise by any means that the young Twins pitchers are praised when they get into the sixth inning, but the relief crew is going to become overworked at this rate.

News from Rochester tonight wasn't great, either. It was also expected news to those of us in the Bullpen: Francisco Liriano had a rough outing. I've predicted Liriano won't be with the Twins for several weeks because pitchers just don't come back from major arm tendon surgery quickly. He needs to build arm strength and endurance. It doesn't even matter the quality of his outings so long as he throws 80 pitches in game situations.

So no miracles in Class AAA, but it's good news everyday the kid isn't back on the DL. If he can possibly recover enough to make the Twins again, it'll be as a middle reliever first. Of course, true to my optimistic demeanor, I don't think Liriano will be a true big league pitcher until 2009 and I'm not that sure about it then.

Back to .500

2008-04-05T16:44:00.004-05:00

Friday and Saturday's wins over the Royals put the Twins back at .500 (3-3) and exposed some items of promise:

Justin Morneau is beginning to look like he's getting his swing back. The three-run homer he hit Saturday shows that if he keeps swinging hard, good things eventually will happen and he'll get himself back on track at the plate.

Michael Cuddyer's injury isn't exactly a good thing, but it does allow Denard Span to show off his stuff at the major league level -- something he's definitely earned after a strong Spring Training. My guess is Span will see time in the outfield with Jason Kubel going back into his DH platoon role. Span, Delmon Young and Carlos Gomez would be a fun (and speedy) outfield to watch, even if just for a game.

If Span can do much of anything, maybe it will place the Twins in a position to ponder releasing Craig Monroe and keeping Span with the team: a nice thought considering how atrocious Monroe looks at the plate.

Spaz Neshek looks dominating as he did the first half of last year, yet somehow he's looking smarter with pitch selection and working counts than he did as a rookie. Neshek and Joe Nathan have been lights out -- a tandem so many teams in the league would love to have ... just ask Detroit or Seattle.

Small ball may be the wave for this team. Playing National League baseball with all this youth and speed (did you see the suicide bunt play on Friday?) makes for excitement when the long ball is so very elusive.

Beating Kansas City when they should beat Kansas City is a must for a team that wants to stay ahead of .500 and be considered a playoff contender. The Twins did just that twice.

Livan Hernandez has gone two straight games of doing what you'd expect or hope. He's eating up innings, keeping the team in the game, and not getting shelled beyond belief. In short, he's better than a Cuban Sidney Ponson. The longer he can do this allows more time for the young arms to develop and find their niche.

Detroit has been terrible. The Tigers won't stay unbeaten forever, but going 0-for-5 to start the season sure makes you feel good to be a Twins fan. When we were sitting around all winter asking why we didn't trade for the Marlins' Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis or even to get back former Twin/Cub Jacque Jones (hey, I'd rather have Jacque Jones than Monroe, wouldn't you?), the Tigers were spending away. Cabrera's hitting .125. Willis has a 5.40 ERA. The longer the Twins can keep a few games ahead of the Tigers and Indians the better.

Finally, Carlos Gomez has gone nearly a full week of playing well. Friday's win was sparked by Gomez's electricity on the field. When he gets on base, things happen. Even if he goes 0-fer again in Sunday's series finale, his confidence has to be on the upswing. Confidence and comfort are keys to his development. The more he can feel like a big league ballplayer, the better the chances are he'll be able to continue to progress.

At least we're not in Detroit

2008-04-03T21:15:00.005-05:00

Though the Angels are supposed to be one of the elite teams of the American League, it's no "moral" victory to come out of the opening home stand losing three of four games.

Overwhelmingly, the heart of the Twins lineup failed with runners in scoring position. Cuddyer did it twice today, Morneau has been anemic at the plate, Mauer hasn't been doing much more than moving runners over with outs, and the only power has come from Jason Cue-ball.

It's early. I get that. But it may be time to fiddle with the order. Cuddyer had a couple chances to win the game today but didn't come through. Morneau looks like a broomball player sliding around in an NHL game.

How many times are you going to get great outings from Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey-relief crew and Boofie?

So here's my thinking:

Gomez CF
Harris/Tolbert 2B
Mauer C
Young LF
Cuddyer RF
Morneau 1B
Kubel/Monroe DH
Lamb/Punto 3B
Everett SS

Stats of the day:

The Twins have hit into one less double-play (6) than they have extra-base hits (7).
Young and Gomez have thus far combined to hit .387 (12-for-31). Mauer, Cuddyer and Morneau are .175 (7-for-40).
Four games, one home run (Kubel).
Detroit Tigers 0-3. Minnesota Twins 1-3. Kansas City 3-0. Yep, Kansas City.

Blackburn strong, but bats weak

2008-04-02T22:15:00.004-05:00

Nick Blackburn gave about all you can expect of him and even Matt Grrrr worked himself out of trouble in relief, but the Twins bats have less hits in them than Taylor Hicks.

The Twins remain the lone team in Major League Baseball without a homerun. How 'bout that new, more powerful top of the lineup? If not for Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young putting the ball in play, there's not much to brag about across the batting order.

It's impressive that Blackburn held off that Angels lineup. They may be one of the top four hitting teams in baseball. When a kid gives you an effort like this you've got to provide a run or two. Here's hoping Morneau makes contact in the series finale so the team can earn a split.

Separated at Birth: Boof and Tim Medvetz

2008-04-02T18:45:00.011-05:00

Here are some Twins twins. Last year, LA biker/rebel Tim Medvetz nearly died on Mount Everest on the best show on TV, the Discovery Channel's Everest: Beyond the Limit. Medvetz summited in season two despite pissing off everyone in Nepal and Tibet. Boof Bonser is equally as stubborn and pissed everyone off from Fargo to Winona. Boof's baseball career nearly died last year on Twins: Beyond the Playoffs.

Medvetz may be the better pitcher of the two.

And so it begins

2008-04-01T23:21:00.003-05:00

Boof. Crain. Rookie. Rincon. 9-1.

Get used to it. I heard a guy on KSTP on the postgame actually say Boof had a nice outing. He didn't, you idiot. None of the Twins did.

This is how a good team kicks the shit out of a mediocre team built for 2010.

Twins 162-0, Gomez MVP, Hernandez 35-0

2008-03-31T22:54:00.007-05:00

If nothing, the first Twins game of the season was exciting. In Minnesota's 3-2 win over the soon-to-be 2008 World Champion L.A. Angels of Anaheim, California, Monday night the fans learned a few things about this version of the Twins:

Carlos Gomez is, if nothing else, entertaining;

and sounds exactly like Tony Olivia in a post-game interview;

Torii Hunter was never really great in big pressure situations -- particularily in the playoffs or first games back in his old stadium;

Livan Hernandez is more entertaining to watch than his virtual statistical twin Carlos Silva;

Hernandez is a far cry less exciting to watch than Johan Santana;

Joe Mauer is now officially the best in the league at a "productive out" (according to Dick Bremer), and we should look forward to a season full of him grounding out to second base in order to push Gomez over to third. Ugh;

Justin Morneau is nowhere near in a groove;

Delmon Young is no Lew Ford (thank God!);

Craig Monroe looks to be no Rondell White (thank God!);

and, Michael Cuddyer looks just fine out there in right again.

In all reality, it would be best if Gomez could pop off two games a week like Monday's this season (2-for-3, 2 runs scored, a double, 2 stolen bases, a bunt hit, and--gasp!--a walk). He has Cristian Guzman's speed with the baserunning ability of Rod Carew. That's a nice distraction if he can get on base somehow.

* * *

Another Thought ...

No doubt the Twins will struggle desperately due to lack of consistent starting pitching (how long do YOU think it'll be before they offer a contract to 45-year-old David Wells?). The bullpen is strong enough to take games from the sixth inning on and Joe Nathan should be great again, but what can we possibly expect of this rotation?

That pitching issue is a big one, but the real problem with this team is lack of bats off the bench.

On Monday with one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Twins brought in Jason Kubel to pinch bloop-hit for Monroe. He singled to put men on first and third, which made the Angels intentionally walk George Herman "Bab" Lamb to load the bases. This brought up Brendan Harris. When your team is up one run on a team as good as the Angels, it's time to pinch hit with some pop instead of sending up Harris and Adam Everett. But who to use?

Nick Punto was already off the bench, pinch-running for Kubel (damn that was a tiring single to run out). Mike Redmond was a possibility, but he had to be available if Mauer got injured or the game headed for extra-innings. All that was left was someone named Matt Tolbert, our new light-hitting utility infielder (hey, isn't Punto already on the roster?). My thinking from the bullpen is there is a need for one more hitter capable of hitting higher than .200 off the bench.

Enjoy the quest for the perfect season.

Santana's gone, team "could" be good by 2010. Yippee.

2008-02-08T20:58:00.001-06:00

It's apparent now that the Twins are settling for the let's-be-good-when-the-new-stadium-opens mode. How else do you justify the settlement the team came to in giving away Johan Santana?

The team didn't need three new, young, totally unproven arms that are three years away from challenging for a fifth starter spot.

The team did need a starting centerfielder.

They didn't get him.

Granted, Carlos Gomez has the tools to be darn good. I'll give him that. But starting in Torii Hunter's old spot come April? Um, no.

Here's where we are as Twins fans: hope the Mauer-Morneau-Cuddyer-Young crew can post enough offense to offset the totally depleated pitching staff.

One thing's for sure: they may be good in 2010, but 2008 could get ugly. Time to trade Joe Nathan and get something of importance back and not just another prayer for 2010.

New-look Twins

2007-12-28T16:17:00.000-06:00

Here's my projected 2008 batting order, lineup and pitching rotation for the Twins right now as it stands. I still believe all the rumblings I'm hearing that the Twins will deal Johan Santana soon. For now, let's play with him in the Twins uniform:

Lineup
1. Brendan Harris, 2B
2. Craig Monroe, CF
3. Joe Mauer, C
4. Delmon Young, LF
5. Justin Morneau, 1B
6. Michael Cuddyer, RF
7. Jason Kubel, DH
8. Mike Lamb, 3B
9. Adam Everett, SS

Bench
Alexi Casilla, INF
Mike Redmond, C
Nick Punto, INF
Brian Buscher, 3B

Pitching rotation
1. Johan Santana, LH
2. Scott Baker, RH
3. Kevin Slowey, RH
4. Boof Bonser, RH
5. Matt Guerrier, RH

Bullpen
Joe Nathan, RH
Jesse Crain, RH
Dennys Reyes, LH
Juan Rincon, RH
Pat Neshek, RH
Francisco Liriano, LH
Carmen Cali, LH

That's my guess on the 25-man rotation as it stands today. A few things need to be pointed out, however: Liriano may begin in Class AAA to check out his arm. I figure the Twins will want him in the bullpen to work his way up to starting. Because of that, Guerrier is a simple stop-gap in the rotation for now. Guerrier has always wanted to start and, frankly, there's no one else available. Glen Perkins, LH, would be a good bet to push these guys, but he's coming off a major arm injury.

I'm figuring the Twins will put Monroe in center. It makes no sense that they even have him if they aren't going to do that with him. I see him as Rondell White Jr. out there. The Twins must think if they get former Tigers after they've sucked, they can get them back to their original playing form.

The heart of that lineup looks pretty formidable with the left, right, left, right kind of mixture. If I were managing, I think I'd try batting Mauer No. 2 and move the rest of the lineup accordingly, but Gardenhire seems fixed on him at 3, so we'll assume that continues.

Bottom line: the rotation doesn't look great with or without Santana. It's nice for 2009, but if this is what we get, we'd better hope for a strong bullpen to carry the defense.

Silva Next To Leave

2007-12-18T21:15:00.000-06:00

Spittin' Carlos Saliva is being courted by the Seattle Mariners for a whopping $11 million per year (reportedly a four-year deal is being shopped to him) and Fox Sports online is claiming he's the top free agent pitcher on the market right now.

Folks, that's a poor free agent market.

Silva, who is 28 and never passed on a buffet, averages near 200 innings per year and that's got to be what's getting the Mariners all wound up. It's quite the raise for Silva, who made $4.3 million last year.

If you're wondering: No, the Pohlad family won't be shelling out $11 million per to hang on to Johan Santana's fellow Venezuelan.

To put Silva's possible new contract in perspective, Santana made $13 million in 2007 and $8.75 million in 2006. Cleveland's C.C. Sabathia made $8.75 million last year. Arizona's Brandon Webb made $4.5 million. Detroit's Justin Verlander made just $1 million last year.

I guess you can't fault a guy for making as much money as he can, but those are some tough numbers to believe on a right-handed pitcher -- especially one who 55-46 career with a 4.39 ERA.

(Photo: City Pages blogs)

Santana trade or no-trade will benefit Twins

2007-12-15T18:37:00.000-06:00

By Bullpen Catcher

Reports today say the Yankees are back in on talks for lefty Johan Santana. Is this really news? Steinbrenner Jr. gave the media an ultimatum for the Twins during the Winter Meetings, but who in their right mind really thought the deadline was anything but grandstanding?

My guess all along has been that Santana would be traded for a pile of folks before 2008. Keeping him is by no means a poor choice: if the team is in the Central Division race at the trade deadline, the Twins could keep him for a World Series run; if they are out of it, a deadline trade could yield a ton of return from an AL East suitor.

A trade between now and Spring Training (February) won't be depleated of talent, either.

My prediction here is the Yankees come in with chunky centerfielder Melky Cabrera, young right-handed pitcher Phil Hughes and give in (take that Hank Steinbrenner, you big dink) and throw in TWO more players -- one a minor leaguer no one has heard of and the other a big shot like super chunky right-hander Joba Chamberlain . The Chamberlain part of the trade is the part the Yankees claim to be avoiding (it's supposed to be a Twins demand the Yankees add him or pitcher Ian Kennedy).

Two reasons tell me this will happen very, very soon:

First, the Yankees are itching to make a deal. Why else would they open these talks? Boston is still lurking in the wings with an offer the Twins seem enamored with and New York can't let the Red Sox dominate them again in 2008.

Second, the Yankees are the center of the George Mitchell Steriod Report. Much of the report's controversial content is based on testimony from a former Yankee batboy turned trainer. Plus, the biggest name in the report is former (and in May probably current) Yankee pitcher Roger Clemens. Also named are Yankee left-hander Andy Pettitte and first baseman Jason Giambi. In all, 18 current and former Yankees are named in the report.

Um, that's pretty damn damning of the team.

Trading for Santana would be the perfect spin for the Yankees. Getting the town talking about a trade rather than steriods and HGH would benefit the team's PR and interviewing Santana about wearing pinstripes plays better in the tabloid New York press than Pettitte claiming he only used HGH two days (yeah, right Andy).

Heck, I wouldn't even be surprised if the Mets tried a similar tactic. They've got a snitch in the report and 12 former and current players in the report. My only hope is Billy Smith is slick enough to gobble up a real third baseman in the mix.

(Top photo: Joba Chamberlain, from Fantasy Baseball Talk; Bottom photo: Phil Hughes, from New York Newsday)

Terry Ryan gone just in time

2007-09-16T23:20:00.000-05:00

Terry Ryan's sudden resignation may be a good indication of what the Pohlad family is cooking up for support of the 2008 season. Ryan stepping down indicates what will become obvious when the 2007 season officially ends: the Pohlads will stick to their money-pinching ways and force a change in the Twins roster.

Consider again:

Torii Hunter is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the season. He will be very, very expensive;
Johan Santana is an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2008 season. He will command insane free agent numbers and it would be wise for the Twins to give him crazy money this winter to keep him happy;
Michael Cuddyer is at the end of a one-year contract he signed just before heading to arbitration, so he'll be a free agent;
Justin Morneau is at the end of a one-year contract and is arbitration-eligible this season;
Joe Nathan, is wrapping up his two-year contract that the Twins have an option to extend one more year;
Carlos Silva, is ending his one-year contract.

There are more decisions to be made as well, but these kinds of contract conundrums would force any front office person to the "consultant" position. It appears as if the Pohlads are setting a team salary limit similar to the almost $72 million they spent this season (19th highest in the Major Leagues). Terry Ryan is no idiot. He can add. Someone has to go. I'm guessing the owners said they are to keep someone important and drop someone important. Terry Ryan just didn't want to be the one holding the pen on that one.

Rotation time

2007-09-05T00:16:00.000-05:00

By Bullpen Catcher

With Scott Baker toying with perfect games and Johan thinking about setting a game record in strikeouts of late, perhaps it's time to start looking at the future of the Twins rotation.

The top spot is set with Johan Santana. From there, who will be on the team, who will fill the next slots and who will step up garners some intrigue.
There's Baker (126 innings pitched this season, 8-6 record, 85 strikeouts and a 4.09 ERA), suddenly a solid piece of the Twins rotation.
Boof is slipping as fast as Baker is coming on. Bonser's stats look more like the big fat Sidney Ponson's of late (Boof: 160 IP, 6-12 record, 125 SO, 4.95 ERA).
Matt Garza's stats are outstanding, sans the phenomenal shellings he occasionally takes (56 IP, 3-5, 47 SO, 3.49 ERA).
What is going to come of Spittin' Carlos Silva? What pitcher is he, for real? Awkward stats again (174.3 IP, 11-13, 76 SO, 4.34 ERA).
Can the Twins truly count on bionic armed Francisco Liriano next year? Really? Come on. He had his arm reconstructed because he ruined it throwing that nasty shit he threw last year. If he even comes up with Boof numbers the lefty might give the team something it needs.
Kevin Slowey (37 IP, 3-0, 19 SO, 5.85 ERA) reminded me a lot of Garza last year (so perhaps 2008 will show another turnaround like Garza's).
Glen Perkins can hope at best to turn up as the next Mark Guthrie and probably nothing more considering his shoulder issues.

So what will become of this staff? Starting pitching will decide next year if the Twins bounce back and become contenders again. My feeling is the rotation will go something like:

1) Santana

2) Garza

3) Baker

4) Bonser

5) Slowey

Silva will either stay with the team for one more year (clearly as a way to appease his friend Santana and for no other reason) or head for free agency. I'm banking on free agency.

Baker deserves to be called Kevin Tapani more than my initial reaction to call Slowey Tap. Garza will be outstanding next year -- contending for the Cy Young with Santana.

Liriano will pitch out of the bullpen. I say this because the Twins are the most cautious team in the history of baseball in regard to moving players off the DL. Will he pitch as he did last year? Not a chance -- maybe forever. Don't expect anything from him for real until 2009.

It's not a bad rotation. All of them are in their mid-20s and are improving. The only wild card here involves a scenario where the team trades for a veteran pitcher or signs him as a free agent.

For now, though, we'll enjoy our Scott Baker near-no-hitter moments.

Mauer to stop catching? Ugh.

2007-09-03T09:01:00.000-05:00

More calls for Mauer to move
Each injury has same result: Position change

By Bullpen Catcher

Joey Mauer's latest leg injury (this one a hamstring issue) has everyone coming out of the woodwork to tell us Mauer needs to switch to third base. Even the honorable Jim Souhan shot this out today.

Most of these folks argue Mauer's bat is too potent to miss from the lineup due to the horrors of playing catcher. Some talk of Mauer's now 6-foot-6 frame being way to lanky to bend down. There are arguments the Twins need a solid third baseman more than they need a solid catcher.

They're wrong. For now.

What indication does anyone have that Mauer would be any good at third? Third base, from experience, is probably the toughest position next to catcher on the field. But it's different from catching. Third basemen are constantly throwing from odd angles and deep spots, the throw is a long one and an overly zealous arm can give up more bases quickly. The balls coming off bats when Boofie is pitching can be near deadly. It's not a paradise. It's not simple. Plus, guess what you need to do at third? That's right, crouch and bend down.

If Mauer were to move, third is not the place. Think about how crappy Michael Cuddyer fared at the plate when he tried to play there. He obviously was all messed up, because the bottom line is he's been consistent at the plate for the Twins. The Nina, The Punto and The Santa Maria played well at third, but he is one of the best fielders in the American League. Problem with Punto: he hits like my niece.

Is Mauer going to be another Punto? There's no sign of that in him. Would he be another Cuddyer (or, for a further statement of such difficulties, another Alex Rodriguez -- look at his stats the first year he played third)? Most likely.

Oh, I forgot. Who will play catcher for this team if Mauer moves to third? Redmond? Um, folks, he's nearing 40. He's been a backup for years because that's his role (see Punto, Nick, for further evidence of a fill-in player at full time).

I'll give you this: Mauer can't catch forever. The knee surgery and the other leg injuries and just being too darn tall will take its toll. He's not a third baseman, though. He has three options in my mind: first base, right field and left field. Of those, right field seems most agreeable. Good right fielders don't need to be too mobile, they should have cannons for arms, they typically are the better hitters in the lineup. Cuddyer has been in the outfield -- and done well for the Twins -- and should be able to adjust to left field. First base is just too much Justin Morneau's for Mauer to consider, but maybe Mauer could take a few ground balls there later.

Jason Kubel, the consummate left fielder of the future for the Twins, would fetch a nice player in return if traded. This leaves the Twins looking for a catcher and third baseman in free agency.

Typical

2007-08-28T21:05:00.000-05:00

Twins streak again
This one kicks off a two-game losing streak

By Bullpen Catcher

The Twins' loss to Cleveland Tuesday night signals the official end to post-season talk for this team. It also shows exactly why the Twins were never a true contender this season: Lack of any consistency at all.

The Twins go five straight to pull within 5.5 games of Cleveland, then, facing the Indians and playoff destiny in their own hands, puke up two straight losses. The season has been full of streaks like this.

Heck, they may even come back to within 5 games next week when they face the Indians again, but that's as close as they'll get.

It's difficult when Boof has been so bad on the mound. He simply can't cut it. It may be time to think about him in a trade package over the winter. What is his upside for this team? I see very little. The rest of the rotation has an upside: Garza has a live arm. Liriano has the possibility of being Liriano again. Baker looks like most fifth starters in the league. Santana is the best pitcher in the American League. Slowey is young enough to still be a prospect (think a young Kevin Tapani). Heck, there's even hope for Perkins if his arm could heal (think a young Mark Guthrie).

But Boofie? You can have him.

Should He Stay Or Should He Go Now?

2007-08-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

"Should I stay or should I go now?
Should I stay or should I go now?
If I go there will be trouble
An’ if I stay it will be double
So come on and let me know!
Should I stay or should I go?"
- The Clash
By Bullpen Catcher

Joe Strummer could just as well be singing his classic lyrics to Twins management.

Should Torii stay or should he go?
Should Johan stay or should he go?
Should Joe Nathan stay or should he go?
Should Terry Ryan stay or should he go?

The answers are as simple as the tune by The Clash: If any of them go it may be trouble; if they stay it may be double.

Longtime Star Tribune fossil/grump Sid Hartman made up something the other day (as is his usual wont), telling the WCCO-AM radio crowd Torii Hunter is for sure to be a Twin next year. He claims the Twins are readying money and lining up an offer for the Gold Glove centerfielder and put him under the TC lid for the rest of his career. Facts have never been Sid's best friend. Neither have common sense. If Hunter goes, sure there'll be trouble (ticket sales, jersey sales, center field defense, good quote), but if he stays it could be double. Double in the sense that it will cost the team from bringing whatever money they would dole out for Hunter to such better investments as Johan Santana and Justin Morneau.

The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported Wednesday there are absolutely zero talks between Hunter's agent and Twins GM Terry Ryan. A Chicago Tribune story yesterday claims the White Sox's top free agent pursuit of the offseason will be to re-tool center field with Hunter. The Dallas Morning News had a story claiming the Rangers' top need of centerfield will be addressed this winter with Aaron Rowand, Andruw Jones or Hunter being their top picks.

There are six weeks left in the 2007 season. The Twins pulled to within six games back in the Central. As Tom Powers adequately pointed out, the season is all but over for this team.

As Hunter's stock rises for offseason bidders, Johan Santana's takes exponential leaps. Santana becomes a free agent at the end of the 2008 season. I believe, as several Hall of Famer's claim, Santana is the best pitcher in the Major League right now. Every day the Twins don't lock Santana up to a long-term contract costs them money -- or Santana. The two-time Cy Young Award winner could fetch upwards of $20 million per season for a five-year contract.

Should they stay or should they go now? Heck, with decisions like this Terry Ryan might be thinking about leaving as fast as his hair.

(Torii Hunter photo courtesy of http://www.mlb.com)

Time To Think Positive About 2008

2007-08-22T22:51:00.000-05:00

Next Year's Team Can Be Now
By Bullpen Catcher

The Catcher has returned to the Bullpen after a well-earned vacation.

As the Twins continue to play mediocre baseball, it's time to look ahead rather than dwell on the negatives that so easily abound right now.

Good moves by the Twins of late: Luis Rodriguez is now playing in the minor leagues with Lew Ford. This rightly allows youngsters Garrett Jones, Brian Buscher, Alexi Casilla and Tommy Watkins a chance to prepare for next season.

As duly pointed out in a nice column last week, it's time to ready everyone for next year. Even if the Tigers and Indians falter at an historic rate the rest of the season and the Twins get in the playoffs, they will be promptly disposed of by the likes of the Red Sox or Mariners.

In regards to the Times article: I agree it's time to let the youngsters play. But Mauer at leadoff? At first it seems an odd proposition. He's the Twins best hitter, but tends to be dismal with runners in scoring position. I would have suggested he'd fare better as a No. 2 hitter, but maybe leadoff isn't a bad idea. Heck, Barry Bonds used to lead off for the Pirates.

Anything different would be better. Morneau isn't himself. Cuddyer is playing as could be expected (last year was obviously a career year). Torii Hunter is back to being Torii Hunter.

Soon it will be time for the Bullpen Catcher to unveil some deeper thoughts on next year, but for now I've got a few bags to unpack ...

10-1 loss to Angels ... Ugh

2007-08-11T00:28:00.000-05:00

Twins love the
binary system
Crappy offense yields nothing. Nothing.

By Bullpen Catcher

Homer: [on phone] Yeah, Moe, that team sure did
suck last night. They just plain sucked! I've seen teams suck before, but they were the suckiest bunch of sucks that ever sucked.
The Twins dropped yet another game last night, this time their offensive eruption wasn't enough to hold of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, California Which Is Located In The United States Of America Baseball Team. The Minnesotans exploded for one run.

There's something wrong here. Binary system wrong. All 1's and zeros.

How's this for outbusts of offense? The Twins wasted a bunch of runs on the Omaha/Kansas City Royals on August 8 (11), but otherwise have nubbed out run totals of 1, 1, 1, 0, and 1 dating back to last weekend. Previous to that the Twins went on a 3, 2, 3, 5, 3 tear. Those numbers aren't going to cut anything, let alone with Scott Baker and Boof Bonser in the rotation.

It's gotten so bad even More-yes is in a hitting slump and not even hitting dingers to keep me interested. Did you notice John Mauer is hitting under .300. I guess it's time for everyone to start talking about moving him to shortstop or something.

When the moon hits your eye like a big Piazza pie ..

2007-08-08T23:34:00.000-05:00

Amore?

Piazza isn't the answer

By Bullpen Catcher (photo from CNN.com)

Rumors of Tommy Lasorda's little pal landing on the Twins' roster this season seem absurd. Twelve-time All-Star Mike Piazza isn't leaving the Oakland A's for the Twin Cities and anyone who thinks his arrival would change anything for the local team needs to stop picking up packages labeled BALCO at the mailbox.

Piazza cleared waivers and can be traded to any team willing to pick up $2.6 million in salary for the rest of the season.

Piazza is my age. He was also a catcher. That being said, he's probably about done with his stellar career. This season, he's appeared in 43 games with the A's, mostly as the cleanup hitting DH. He has three home runs and 22 RBI, but is hitting .297.

Shooter wrote in his column this week that Piazza has a "gentleman's agreement" with A's GM Billy Beane that allows Piazza to veto any trade despite the fact he doesn't have a no-trade clause in his contract. But the A's look ready to unload for next year -- they are 12.5 back in the lowly AL West and reportedly passed CF Shannon Stewart through waivers today, when he was picked up by the Chicago Cubs. Piazza apparently has no desire to play in the Twin Cities.

My sources said the Twins pursued Piazza after last season, hoping to make him a power right-handed bat in the DH slot. That pursuit went much the way of the Frank Thomas attempt following the 2005 season: nowhere because the team wouldn't pony up money set aside for Rondell White's doctors.

Besides, Piazza is built for the coasts ... hell his wife is a former Playboy Playmate. He doesn't want to be batting in a Twins lineup that can't score runs and can't/won't pay players.

Lew Ford sent to minors where he belongs

2007-08-08T12:07:00.000-05:00

No More Leewwwww!
Here's something to cheer about

By Bullpen Catcher

The Twins finally sent OF Lew Ford to the minors this week. It's the one move the team has made recently that makes any sense. Ford was horrible the past few years and really only had one season worth calling him a major leaguer.

Since the Twins can't hit or score any runs, maybe it's time for people to stop being teased by the "we're still in it" talk and realize it's time for more dredge to get released or sent to the minors (If Lew Ford is gone, then why in the world is Luis Rodriguez still with the team?). Time to call up some guys to work on next year.

Glavine's 300th win says a lot about Bert

2007-08-06T23:08:00.000-05:00

Biggest Hall Of Fame Atrocity?

Time for Bert Blyleven to enter Cooperstown

By Bullpen Catcher

Tom Glavine earned his 300th win Sunday and sent sports talk radio hosts into a tizzy with them making predictions like we won't see another 300-win pitcher in our lifetime.

There's enough talk generated by Glavine that Kelly Thesier and others got into the act in newspapers and online publications. The discussion is who is next to 300? Is it Johan Santana (89 wins at age 28) or Mark Buehrle of the White Sox (103 wins at 28)? Randy Johnson is having surgery on his arm in Arizona, but sits 16 short of 300 at age 43 (he turns 44 Sept. 10).

I'll say someone will break 300 in my lifetime again. I'd also say Santana has a horrible shot at it. He's left-handed for one thing (only six lefties in the Hall). He also could be on his way to a bad case of Blylevenitis.

Blylevenitis is named for the most famous person to have suffered through the condition that haunts him to this day. Symptoms include being a great pitcher for many, many years; playing for several mediocre teams; not playing for any New York, Chicago or Boston team; and, I believe, for having red hair, a beard and being from Holland.

So Glavine won his 300th game and that "automatically" puts him in the Hall of Fame in the future. Great. I'm happy for you. But is 300 the only measure? Ask yourself if Randy Johnson is a Hall of Fame pitcher. Is he? C'mon, think hard.

I'll help: Johnson is pitching in his 20th season. His career stats sit at 3.81 ERA, 284-150 record, 3,855 IP (566 games played), 4,616 strikeouts, 3,065 hits allowed, 98 complete games, 37 shutouts, 368 HR allowed.

Blyeven: 22 seasons, 3.90 ERA, 287-250 record, 4,970 IP (692 games played), 3,701 strikeouts, 4,632 hits allowed, 242 complete games (!), 60 shutouts, 430 home runs allowed.

Blyleven didn't do this playing with Ken Griffey Jr., Jay Buhner and Alex Rodriguez (Seattle) or Curt Schilling, Luis Gonzalez (Arizona) or Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and company (Yankees). Nope, Bert sludged alongside teammates in such hallowed 1970s and '80s powerhouses as the Twins (1970-76, 85-88), Texas Rangers (76-77), Pittsburgh Pirates (78-80), Cleveland Indians (81-85), and California Angels (89-92). He was a part of World Series champions in 1979 and 1987, but often his work went without much bat help.

Glavine's 300 wins is nothing short of fantastic. I'm not belittling the feat at all. But if you ask yourself if Randy Johnson (next on the active wins list) retired today, would he be in Cooperstown and you say yes -- then you must also say the same for Bert.

Cirillo gone, Santana unhappy, Twins losing

2007-08-04T11:50:00.001-05:00

Recent moves puzzling
Cirillo latest to go; Twins lose ground

By Bullpen Catcher
Utility player/ponderer of retirement Jeff Cirillo was claimed by Arizona and let go with no compensation. It was another in a series of near dumbfounding moves by the Twins:

1) Trade leadoff hitter/second baseman Luis Castillo for two low-level minor leaguers (one a catcher);
2) Made no trade of any significance to upgrade the team at the trade deadline;
3) Made no trade of any significance to get rid of contracts that were expiring and pick up prospects;
4) Letting Jeff Cirillo go at a time when the team talks about veteran leadership and needs hitting.

I'm not sure what's going through the heads of those at 34 Puckett Place, but it sure isn't looking like things are getting better. The Star-Tribune's story about Johan Santana's unhappiness may be a portent of what is going on in the team's clubhouse.

Santana's right. When does the rebuilding end? When do fans decidedly stop accepting being "that plucky lil' team that almost was contracted" and demand Carl Pohlad and Terry Ryan put together a team that lasts longer than one year?

The time for revolt is upon us. Fans heard a song-and-dance from Twins management that is much like the Scarecrow's song from Wizard of Oz: "If I only had a stadium ..." Well Carl, you got the taxpayer's money and construction has begun.

Pay up.

Time for the Twins to ADD to the team and pay the big players (Santana, Nathan, Hunter, Morneau, Cuddyer) and keep Joe Mauer happy. Add one more veteran pitcher to settle the Kids Rotation of next year down and kick ass for a few years.

So tired of celebrating "being in the wildcard race". So tired.

Bridge Collapse

2007-08-03T09:43:00.000-05:00

Bullpen Catcher and friends and family have all been accounted for since the collapse of the I-35W bridge Wednesday night. Spud was 300 feet short of the bridge on the south side (just past Washington Ave.) when it fell. He said he felt the ground shake and everyone all of a sudden started backing up quickly. He backed up to the Washington Ave. exit and got off the interstate and drove through the Cedar area south and didn't see anything else.

Thank God this didn't grow to a larger tragedy. God bless those who died or were injured in any way (physical or psychologically). It sure is hard to drive over a bridge now without worry, isn't it? I think my favorite quote thus far came from Sen. Amy Klobuchar who said something to the effect of: "Bridges in America just shouldn't fall down."

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins (http://www.mntwins.com); video courtesty of YouTube.

The Trade Deadline Passes

2007-07-31T19:53:00.001-05:00

Thoughts on the Trade Deadline
Bullpen Catcher Will Now Take the Podium

By Bullpen Catcher

The 2007 non-waiver trade deadline passed earlier today and Terry Ryan sat on his phone while across town Kevin McHale was making headlines with his.

No Kevin Garnett for the (rest of the) Boston Celtics trade here folks.

Let me get this correct: The Twins, straddling the line between possible contender and a team set to unload for next year, made one deal. One damn deal. Not to get a power hitter. Not to add a bullpen arm. Not to move big money outfielder Torii Hunter nor Spittin' Carlos Silva. Heck, the Twins didn't even dump Lew Ford for a player to be named nor did they gamble by giving up Joe Nathan (thank goodness!) for prospects.

All Mr. Ryan did was hand off the team's most consistent hitter in a team filled with inconsistent hitters. And what in return? Um, some kids named Drew Butera and Dustin Martin. I know I'm not head of scouting for the big league club, but somehow I doubt this is going in the same category as other Ryan trades of the past. Most notably of those was A.J. Pierzynsky being moved so a kid named Mauer could catch -- in return the Twins got away with robbery (Nathan, Boof Bonser and Francisco Liriano). Remember when Rusty Kielty was sent to Toronto for Shannon Stewart? Those deals looked like they had reason and purpose.

What's the purpose here? Does this signify the Twins need another catcher because perhaps Mauer is moving positions soon? Is Morneau headed for an offseason trade because T.R. didn't lock him into a contract before the season? Is Mauer the new first baseman rather than the new third baseman?

Something smells like a conspiracy theory here. Get the Warren Commission together.

Other thoughts...

Morgan Ensberg was reported to be persued by the Twins by Bullpen Catcher, and while there were discussions, San Diego won out on picking up the worry-free contract (zero dollars) for the rest of the season.
The New York Mets sealed the National League East title with the Castillo trade. Castillo is a phenomenal fielder -- steady and fundamentally sound -- as well as a great leadoff hitter with speed. What did anyone else in the tightly contested East do? Atlanta made a lot of noise picking up Mark Teixeira and Octavio Dotal in separate trades, but being 4.5 back in the division is a lot to make up when the Phillies and the Mets are ahead of you. The Phillies? They may have crapped out on the trade deadline worse than the Twins. They "bolstered" their rotation with Kyle "Loser" Lohse, picked up 2B Tadahito Iguchi and the "where did he disappear to?" Julio Mateo. Ugh. In Philadelphia, the P.A. announcer can now officially begin each game with: "Gentlemen, start your booing."
The Twins are done. They'll play scrappy as usual for a bit, gain a game or two on the big boys and drop out of sight for the last time in 2007. Torii Hunter's playing to see how high bidding can get between the Yankees and Red Sox and the rest will be wondering who Spendthrift Carl Pohlad will let go in his prime next.
Ryan should send a thank-you note to the Timberwolves for putting the Garnett trade on the front page of the paper and top of the broadcast tonight. Instead, it would have been non-stop: "What the hell is going on with the Twins?" coverage.

Slap 'N Go has Slapped and Gone

2007-07-31T01:18:00.000-05:00

Castillo dealt for sludge
Twins quit on season

By Bullpen Catcher
Luis Castillo's trade for two minor leaguers signifies the end of the Twins run for the American League playoffs and may trigger another deal before today's trading deadline.

Slappy not only gave the Twins their only possible legitimate leadoff hitter, but was nearly flawless as a second baseman. The Nina, The Punto and The Santa Maria are all that's left to field next to President Jed Bartlett.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan is telling local news stations and papers this doesn't mean the team is throwing up a white flag.

He's lying.

What's left to do now? Find a solid DH for the middle of the lineup? Get a strong third baseman to pull the infield together and offer some pop? Oh, that's right, the team doesn't have a leadoff hitter now. Forget all of that.

Sal Butera himself coming to the Twins in his prime was a better trade.

Back to rooting for Justin Morneau to hit a lot of home runs and for Matt Garza to get better for next year's rotation, I guess. Ugh.

Ensberg update

2007-07-30T12:15:00.000-05:00

By Bullpen Catcher

As talks continue between the Twins and Astros regarding 3B Morgan Ensberg, here's a tidbit from CBS Sportsline on the former All-Star:

"Ensberg was never the same after tearing a tendon in his right shoulder diving for a foul ball on June 9, 2006. He spent a month on the disabled list, then came back in August and finished the season with a career-low .235 average and only 58 RBI.

Houston is responsible for the remainder of Ensberg's $4.35 million salary this season. "

Ensberg a Twin?

2007-07-29T18:26:00.000-05:00

Former All-Star Available

Can Twins Be Next Stop?

By Bullpen Catcher

The Minnesota Twins are back shopping.

It all became possible as the Houston Astros designated 3B Morgan Ensberg for assignment today and have 10 days to either trade him or offer him a demotion to the minor leagues. If Ensberg refuses the demotion, he becomes a free agent.

Astros front office personnel are saying they are doing everything they can to trade Ensberg rather than have him fall to the minors/release route.

My sources say the Twins are interested in Ensberg and are working to piece together the right minor league prospects for a deal. Most likely, a source close to the Twins says, Minnesota will offer one or two Class AA or A players who are years away from the majors.

Ensberg may be a good fit for the Twins, who are looking for some pop in the lineup, need a third baseman, and are tentative making a big deal when their playoff outlook is bleak. The Twins are 7.5 games back in the AL Central and would also need to catch the Cleveland Indians (6.5 games ahead of the Twins) for a wildcard berth.

Ensberg's best season was 2005, when he hit .283 with 36 home runs and 101 RBI. He's appeared in 85 games this season, hitting just .232 with 8 HR and 31 RBI.

Ensberg, 31, was a National League All-Star in 2005 and is a career .266 hitter.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.astroasylum.com)

Sunday Jersey Talk

2007-07-29T10:52:00.000-05:00

DYK: Twins Have 6 Jersey Combinations?

Roll Out My Favorites

By Bullpen Catcher

A recent check of press releases put out by the Minnesota Twins indicates the boys can wear six possible combinations of jerseys, pants and hats. There are the two traditional jersey pants combinations (white at home, gray pinstripes on the road), the navy blue "alternate" jersey additions (both home and road), the hideous red jerseys and the sleeveless home white jerseys.

Plus, there are two batting practice official jerseys.

Whew.

Sunday usually results in goofy jerseys. Frankly, if I never see the blue alternate tops with white pants again, I'm happier than Boof at a buffet. Where did the Twins' best alternate uniform go? I loved the sleeveless white with blue undershirt. They're classy and, from my playing days, extremely comfortable. Come on Twins (or, I guess it's the starting pitchers who get to choose the uniform style the day they pitch), roll out the sleeveless jobs. Heck, if you think there's something superstitious about using them, then it can't hurt -- the team's been pathetic lately.

(Photo courtesy of http://www.aarongleeman.com)

Deal, Or No Deal?

2007-07-28T18:45:00.000-05:00

Wigginton to Astros
Twins Miss Out On Trade For D-Rays 3B

By Bullpen Catcher
Despite Jason Tyner's recent power surge (he hit his first Major League home run in 1221 at bats Saturday), the Twins have been in desperate need for a bat in the middle of the lineup. Names listed in the trade rumors have been eclectic: Fat Dmitri Young (Nationals), Ty Wigginton (Devil Rays), Dan Johnson (A's), Sammy Sosa (Rangers), Matt Stairs (Blue Jays), and Jermaine Dye (White Sox).

But it seems obvious the Twins are getting ready to unload some players rather than pick them up. A recent report says the Mets are interested in Luis Castillo, Torii Hunter is a possible trade by Tuesday night, and Carlos "Saliva" Silva might take his home run pitch elsewhere.

Plus, the picture for the Twins' intentions seems to be clearing up as 3B Wigginton was traded to Houston today for crappy reliever Dan Wheeler . What happened there? We couldn't part with the likes of Juan Rincon or Ramon Ortiz? Gosh, what could we get for someone like Matt Guerrier?

Another indication the Twins are out of bids for help was when Fat Young signed a two-year deal with Washington to effectively keep him off the trade market.

Personally, if there was a single player I'd like the Twins to get, it would be Troy Glaus of the Blue Jays. He would fill a lot of voids. Alas, that won't be happening. Terry Ryan will soon be pulling in young talent instead of putting this team in a position to compete.

Another Sweep, More Mediocrity

2007-07-25T18:37:00.000-05:00

Twins lose 13-1 Wednesday
BP Catcher Declares Post-Season Chances Done

By Bullpen Catcher

The most absurd thing to happen in Wednesday's 13-1 drubbing at Toronto wasn't Carlos Silva's attempt at pitching. It wasn't the Twins paltry offense (again). It wasn't the sweep.

It was John Gordon's voice on the radio claiming -- in the ninth inning no doubt -- that the Twins could still put together a nice run of wins ("...like winning 14 out of 18 or something to that effect ...") and get back in the AL Central race.

Huh?

Gordo, the Twins are done. Wake up and smell your Grecian Hair Dye!

Fortunately for the radio crew, Danny Gladden was there to correctly point out the Twins have shown nothing of a team that can put together three or four wins, let alone a run like Gordo aspires for them. Gladden had to point this out three times in the waning moments of the latest embarassment.

Any Twins fan who thinks this team is going anywhere this season is wrong. They needed to win at least two on this trip to give any semblance of hope. The Twins are playing .505 baseball (51-50) and are 8 back in the wild card.

In the words of a former Pioneer Press colleague: "It's over!"

Shut Out Again

2007-07-24T22:45:00.000-05:00

Twins futility at the plate painful
Minnesota leads American League in being shut out

By The Bullpen Catcher
You can't ask much more of your fifth starter than what Scott Baker gave the Twins Tuesday night in Toronto. Let's be clear about it, Baker isn't exactly Jim Kaat in his prime, but he has worked himself into a doable fifth man in a wobbly rotation.

Baker was OK for a little over six innings, allowing just four runs in seven innings of work. He held a solid Blue Jay lineup at bay (three runs) until he would have normally given way to the bullpen. But, alas, the Twins bullpen is a geldingpen these days.

It's enough to have Paul Simon singing: "Where have you gone Ed-die Guar-dado? Everyday Eddie's arm is blown away. Hey, Hey Hey ..."

The bullpen is left to Matt G-R-R-R and Spaz Neshek. Guerrier is the typical journeyman long reliever and Spaz looks like he has a tired arm finally (wonder how that could happen with such good mechanics?). Last year, The Big Fat Dennys Reyes, Steriods Rincon and Billy Goat Crain would have stopped those Canadian bats and held Baker's ERA a little lower than his 5.30 showing. I'm not Baker's biggest fan by any means, but six hits, one walk and five strikeouts against the likes of Kelly Gruber Jr. (Troy Glaus), Lawrence Taylor (Big Hurt), Boomer Wells, and Grand Rios should make Ron Gardenhire happy.

The biggest problem wasn't the geldingpen. It sure wasn't Torii Hunter's idiot baserunning. It wasn't Baker.

It's the problem that should have Terry Ryan now in trade-for-the-future mode. The time to trade back into any race is over for 2007. Why? The offense.

The Twins offense has been as anemic and tempermental as a high school girl the week of prom.

Where are the runs? Justin Morneau can only hit so many homeruns to get this team to within four of the other team. Joe Mauer is the best bases-empty, down by five hitter in baseball and Torii defines sporatic at the plate. The Twins lead the American League by being shutout nine times this season. Time to get some middle relievers for next year and maybe someone to hit in that lineup for Gardy's boys.

Cue-Ball Isn't A Total Scratch

2007-07-23T21:04:00.001-05:00

Kubel Not As Bad As His Rap
Twins OF/DH is pretty average for 4th OF

By The Bullpen Catcher
Jason Kubel (photo courtesy of http://www.boston.com/), the Twins scruffy left-handed outfielder/designated hitter, is the latest in a series of Minnesota players to have the tag of "we're waiting for him to play to his potential."

Sure Kubel destroyed his knee in Arizona Fall League in 2004, and sure he was a hell of a prospect then, but let's face it -- he is what he is. The tired mantra associated with Kubel (when he gets healthy, just you wait) has to go. He simply isn't the same kid who hit .347 between Class AA New Britain, AAA Rochester and the Twins in 2004 (24 HR, 107 RBI). That knee ain't gettin' any newer.

That said, let's assume he is who he is. Put away the what-ifs. Trash the potential. Look at the facts. Kubel's played 80 games so far this year -- the most in a single season during his short major league career -- and his hitting about .250 with 17 2B, 8 HR, and 40 RBI.

While not exactly A-Rod numbers, those aren't too bad to stomach, are they? Consider again that he is the fourth outfielder (Twins top three should be Hunter, Cuddyer and Rondie White) and a second-year player on a Major League roster, these aren't bad numbers. He's played 13 games as a DH, and it's safe to say he's not cut out for that role. But as someone making the Major League minimum ($387,500) he's sufficient. Frankly, we cheered these stats from fourth outfielders Bobby Kielty and Dustan Mohr. Remember when Mohr/Kielty were the ballyhooed platoon in right during the 2002-2003 seasons?

Mohr averaged 120 games, 366 AB, 95 H, .260 BA, 23 2B, 11 HR, and 41 RBI.

Rusty Kielty over the same two seasons averaged 125 G (62 with Toronto after the trade for Shannon Stewart), 358 AB, 94 H, .263 BA, 20 2B, 13 HR, and 52 RBI.

The problem simply isn't Kubel. The problem is Rondell White. The problem with Rondell White is he doesn't play -- ever. The knock on Rondie when he came to the Twins was he was oft-injured. Guess what? They were right. Kubel's doing his job. The potential may still be there for Kubel, but I don't want to hear it anymore. He's doing his job at this time. Now it's time for another outfielder to allow him to play his role and grow.