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.
Showing posts with label Justin Morneau. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Justin Morneau. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
An Unlikely Flier at Third Base?
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 ..."
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Time To Think About 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Justin Morneau AL MVP?
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
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
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Insider Trading With The Twins
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.
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.
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