2012 Minnesota Twins Take of the Week – Week 2

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Robb

Wearing Their 1982 Uniforms
Photo Credit: Michael Donovan via Compfight

Welcome to the 2012 Minnesota Twins Take of the Week!

Even though this is the 2nd week of the 2012 Minnesota Twins season, this is my 1st Twins Take of the Week! That’s because I just had a thought to post my thoughts on a weekly basis literally minutes ago.

Here’s my Twins Takes of the Week for the 2nd week of the season.

The starting pitching needs to get a lot better!

This is obvious but it still needs to be said. Losing Scott Baker for the season is quite a blow to the starting rotation although the bigger blow might be Francisco Liriano’s horrible start to the season. Pavano and Blackburn have basically been their normal selves. Swarzak pitched well in his first two starts but got lit up last night in the series finale in New York. Jason Marquis didn’t pitch great but got out of some tough jams and never gave up the lead in his first start while getting his first win as a Twin. Liam Hendriks pitched about as well as you could ask from a young pitcher but still lost 4-3 in his only start against Texas. He allowed 1 run on 7 hits in 6 innings. Glen Perkins ended up taking the loss in that game.

Other thoughts on Week 2:

The Minnesota Twins bats finally woke up from the offseason and have given the team a chance to win some games after an 0-4 start. After scoring only 6 runs in the first 4 games (1.5 runs per game), the Twins have scored 42 runs in their last 9 games (4.66 runs per game) and have won 4 of those 9 games. That record won’t get it done but at least they are in most of those games with a chance to win. They do need to get better at capitalizing on chances to score though. Way too many runners left on base already and too many bases loaded opportunities with nothing to show for it.

It was very nice to see Justin Morneau have a break out series in New York. He went 5 for 11 in the 3 games he was in the lineup with 3 home runs, 4 RBIs, 6 runs scored with 3 walks and 3 strikeouts and is now hitting .267 with a .353 on-base percentage while slugging .578 for an OPS (On-base Plus Slugging percentage) .931 for the season.

Josh Willingham will take a 13-game hitting streak to Tampa Bay as he has a hit in every game this season and is now hitting .340, getting on-base at a .411 clip and slugging .700 for a 1.111 OPS with 5 home runs, 9 RBIs, 9 runs scored with 4 walks and 13 strikeouts. He even has a stolen base.

Interesting fact so far this season for the Twins. Before the season started if you were asked who would be the last pitcher to be scored on, how many people would’ve guessed…..Alex Burnett? Huh? How many? NONE OF YOU! I wouldn’t have either but Alex has pitched very well to begin the season and maybe he’s showed the coaching staff that he’s finally turned a page in his career. He has pitched in 6 games, going 8.1 innings, giving up 8 hits while walking one and striking out 4 for a 1.08 WHIP (Walks + Hits per Inning Pitched).

Gardy has even put Alex in some high stress situations. Tonight in New York, Alex was brought into the game in the bottom of the 6th with the Twins trailing 7-6, a man on first and no outs and he was able to get out that inning and the next inning with a couple inning ending double plays from Robinson Cano & Russell Martin. I’m happy for Alex and hopefully he can keep pitching well as the season goes on.

The Twins head to Tampa Bay to face the Rays for a 3-game series that starts on Friday night then they start a 6-game homestand on Monday starting against the Boston Red Sox & the Kansas City Royals:

Friday, April 20th – 6:10pm CST

  • @ Tampa Bay – Liam Hendriks (0-0, 1.50 ERA) vs Matt Moore (0-1, 5.54 ERA)

Saturday, April 21st – 6:10pm CST

  • @ Tampa Bay – Carl Pavano (1-1, 5.23 ERA) vs James Shields (2-0, 3.38 ERA)

Sunday, April 22nd – 12:40pm CST

  • @ Tampa Bay – Francisco Liriano (0-2, 11.91 ERA) vs Jeff Niemann (0-2, 4.50 ERA)

What’s your take on my Twins Take, your take on the Twins so far this season and how do you think the Twins will do next week?

Let us know in the comments or on Facebook or Twitter or TwinsDaily.com!

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Michael Cuddyer and the Minnesota Twins – WWCD – What Will Cuddy Do?

Posted on December 15, 2011 by Robb

CuddyerPhoto Credit: Stephanie via Compfight

Update: Michael Cuddyer has signed a 3-year, $31.5 million deal with the Colorado Rockies.

Michael Cuddyer has apparently been offered a 3-year, $25 million contract by the Minnesota Twins that he is mulling over along with the other things going on in his life.

He has been somewhat busy with the birth of twins of his own. Gardenhire thinks that’s an omen. Since Cuddyer had twins, he should remain a Twin. That’s probably not much of an influence for him on staying here and it’s probably easier to move to a new city with younger children than older children. Put it this way, if he signs with another team, he will always have twins and the Minnesota Twins will always have Michael Cuddyer.

Rumors have the Colorado Rockies very interested in Cuddyer. The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are believed to still have interest in the RF/1B as well. The Phillies acquired Ty Wiggington from the Rockies back in November and that quieted the rumors of Cuddyer to Philly while turning up the volume on rumors of Cuddy going to Colorado.

Supposedly, Cuddy would like a couple more million added to the contract offer.* I’m all for players trying to get as much as they can get but what is the difference between $25 and $27 million really? It’s two million, you’re right but that’s not what I mean. When you are getting paid by the millions, I’m not sure 2 more million should be a big hurdle to signing a contract.

*An extra couple million could buy a lot of diapers for the Cuddyer twins though. Heck you could just use the money as diapers at that point. Make sure it’s the paper money though although that could make “changing” the diapers have a whole new meaning. “Do these quarters smell like crap to you?”

It’s easy to think that money is the only reason Cuddy hasn’t made a decision but for a guy like Michael Cuddyer, it might be the better chance to win. Having gone through possibly the worst Twins season ever, he might be looking for a quicker or easier path to the World Series. It’s easy to see him looking at different organizations with the Twins appearing to be pretty far away from contending for the World Series.

Now, maybe the Twins could put some incentives in the deal that could make him earn that difference in the contract. These could include performance incentives like games played, plate appearances, home runs, RBI’s and All-Star appearances. That’s a better deal in my opinion as the player has some motivation to earn an extra bonus in pay.

I do think Cuddyer brings some other intangibles to the table with his leadership and off the field community service. That’s not usually something you think of when a team is trying to sign a player to a new deal but it should be taken into account. It’s hard to put a price on leadership, unfortunately.

Another thing is Michael Cuddyer is probably not going to sell tickets in Minnesota because we know who he is and we’ve watched him for so long. He’s fun to watch and gives 100% every game but he’s probably not getting people into Target Field as much as he would if he signs with a different organization.

In the end, if Cuddy signs with another organization, he’ll be missed by Twins fans as a player that gave his all every time out and a player that could be counted on for some home runs, some clutch hitting and a few outfield assists.

There was an area in right field that the groundkeepers had to replace that was a different shade of green. Michael Cuddyer would usually stand on that piece of right field so I liked to call that piece of land Cuddyland. Michael Cuddyer was the mayor of Cuddyland.* It might say everything that in the offseason, the groundskeepers will be able to grow out that part of right field and it will no longer be a different shade of green.

*With the official signing of Josh Willingham, right field might be manned by Denard Span, Ben Revere and/or Josh Willingham. Now that piece of right field might be changed to the Land of Span or Spanopolis or Willingham, Minnesota or Joshua, Willingham or Willingham Field or Castle Willingham (where’s the moat?) or RevereInRight (welcome to Reverenwright!) or Bentopia or…

Did the Twins err in not re-signing Michael Cuddyer? Are they better off without him? Was Josh Willingham the better option for them?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook and subscribe to our feed!

Robb

Michael Cuddyer Stats
Michael Cuddyer – Fangraphs.com
Michael Cuddyer – Baseball-Reference.com

Other articles about Cuddy
If Michael Cuddyer spurns Twins, it’s probably not about money – (1500espn.com – Phil Mackey) – 12/9/2011
Why Josh Willingham was built for Target Field – (OverTheBaggy.com – Parker Hageman) – 12/13/2011
Will Josh Willingham boost Twins power? – (ESPN.com Sweetspot Blog – Christina Kahrl) – 12/14/2011
Willingham would add pop, brings line-up into focus – (NoDakTwinsFan.com – Cody Christie) – 12/14/2011
Twins Better Off Without Cuddyer – (Fangraphs.com – Chris Cwik) – 12/15/2011
Negotiations with Willingham were ‘sensitive’, Terry Ryan says – (1500espn.com – Phil Mackey) – 12/16/2011
Twins sign Josh Willingham, say goodbye to Michael Cuddyer – (AaronGleeman.com – Aaron Gleeman) – 12/16/2011
Twins Sign Josh Willingham – (WeAreOffTheMark.wordpress.com – Andrew) – 12/16/2011


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2011 Minnesota Twins – Happy Endings To A Bad Season

Posted on September 29, 2011 by Robb

This might be the worst season ever for the Minnesota Twins since all of us thought they would once again compete for the division title and get another shot at the postseason. It wasn’t meant to be so it was almost a good thing to see it come to an end on Wednesday night. There’s probably a lot of people who stopped watching the Twins a long time ago. They haven’t been very fun to watch for quite awhile now. This is not what we’ve come to know as Twins baseball.

I’m more optimistic about the Minnesota Twins than most people. I still think they have a chance until they’ve been mathematically eliminated. The main reason I think this is because I believe the players believe they still have a chance and if they haven’t given up then why should I? Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?

Anyways, it can still be fun to watch so I try to watch every game and especially the last game of the season for various reasons:

  • 1. It’s the last game to see our Minnesota Twins for like five months
  • 2. It could be the last game for some Minnesota Twins players – Cuddyer, Kubel, Capps, Tolbert, Dumatrait, Nathan and almost anyone could be traded. Almost.
  • 3. To see how bad the team wanted to avoid losing 100 games in a season
  • 4. Carl Pavano started so he might destroy a garbage can
  • 5. I love the end of season highlight package.
  • 6. IT’S BASEBALL!!! What other reason do you need?

There was a playoff feel to Tuesday night’s game when Rene Tosoni became the first Minnesota Twin to hit a Grand Slam at Target Field,* leading the Twins to a 7-4 victory.

*The first grand slam at Target Field was hit by Matt Joyce on July 3rd, 2010. Jose Bautista hit one on September 30th, 2010 so it was almost a year to the day since the last grand slam at Target Field.

Last night’s game had the same feel to it. That sounds strange since neither team had a lot to play for. The Royals were 23 games back of 1st place Detroit and the Twins were 32 games back, on the verge of losing 100 games. The Twins really wanted to avoid losing 100 games so they were literally playing “not to lose.” You play to WIN THE GAME! We know Herm. We know.

It was a pitcher’s duel between Carl Pavano & Bruce Chen. Chen pitched 8 scoreless innings giving up 8 hits and 2 walks with 4 strikeouts. Carl went the distance giving up only 5 hits, no walks and striking out 3. He got some defense behind him for a change. Ben Revere made another highlight catch in the top of the 6th inning.

 [flowplayer src=’http://www.twinstakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/BenRevereCarch9-28-11.mp4′ width=640 height=360]

Mike Moustakas led off the 8th inning with a triple but Carl induced two groundouts to the pitcher and a groundout to third to get out of that jam, keeping the game scoreless.

The game remained scoreless until the bottom of the ninth inning when Denard Span came in to pinch hit for Drew Butera. Drew had a good night. He threw out two guys at second base, a caught stealing and a pick off  of Mike Moustakas, and he went 1-1 with two sacrifices.

Denard had a pretty rough season so it was nice to see him get some hits in the last couple games including the double down the right field line to get into scoring position with 1 out in the inning. Ben Revere grounded out moving Denard to third. I was hoping Michael Cuddyer would somehow get a chance for the game-winning hit as this might have been his last game as a Minnesota Twin. It would never get to Cuddy because Trevor Plouffe hit a game-winning, season-ending single and the Twins celebrated!

 

Here’s a recap if you didn’t see the whole game:

[flowplayer src=’http://www.twinstakes.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Baseball-Video-Highlights-_-Clips-9_28_11_-Pavano-and-Plouffe-lead-Twins-to-victory-Video-MLB.mp4′ width=640 height=360]

It was a nice way to end John Gordon‘s career as the Twins Radio announcer and to christen the John Gordon broadcast booth. Here’s the last call of his Twins radio announcing career.

What did you think of the end of the Minnesota Twins season? Did you watch? Did you care? Was it important to avoid 100 losses?

Tell us what you think in the comments!

Follow us on Twitter and on Facebook and subscribe to our feed!

Robb

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TwinsTakes Update – 8/8/2011 – HOF, Trade Deadline, Bad Baseball

Posted on August 8, 2011 by Robb

It’s Official! Bert Blyleven is in the Hall Of Fame!
It took 14 years* but it was worth the wait! Bert now has a plaque in the National Baseball Hall of Fame! Get souvenirs here!

*I never quite understood why it took 14 years for Bert to get voted into the Hall of Fame! His numbers never changed during those 14 years! He always had 3701 strikeouts, 287 wins and 60 shutouts and the best curveball in baseball! It should take 14 seconds to add Bert to their ballot! Gotta love the Baseball Writer’s Association of America! It’s difficult to understand why Bert wouldn’t end up on more ballots over a 14-year span.

Trade Deadline!
The trade deadline came and went with the Twins not making one deal. They talked to a lot of teams but couldn’t finalize anything. I’m assuming they were asking for too much or value their prospects more than other teams do or just weren’t willing to give them up. It’s easy to look back and say that was probably a good thing. This team isn’t playing good baseball right now!

The closest thing to a trade acquisition right now will be getting Morneau back and maybe bringing up Kevin Slowey to take a spot in the rotation.

Ten & Twelve!
After the White Sox completed the sweep on Sunday, the Twins are now 10 games back of division leading Detroit and 12 games under .500 at 51-63 (26-28 at home & 25-35 on the road). They had been playing pretty good baseball for awhile there and looked like they could make it interesting in the division race.

Since their 8-game winning streak and their run of 15 wins in 17 games at the beginning of June, they’ve gone 19-24! That’s not going to get it done! They have played pretty well within their division at 22-20 (7-4 vs CHW, 6-3 vs CLE, 1-8 vs DET, 8-5 vs KC) and still have 30 division games left (13 at home, 17 on the road) so they still have a chance to do something but it’s hard to believe in them the way they are playing right now.

The Twins have 7 games left against Chicago (3 road, 4 home), 9 against Cleveland (6 road, 3 home), 9 against Detroit (6 road, 3 home) and 5 against Kansas City (2 road, 3 home). Their other 18 games left are against Boston (3 home), New York (4 home, 1 road), Baltimore (4 home), Los Angeles (3 road) and Seattle (3 home).

Winning every series until the end of the season would be a 34-14 record for the rest of the season giving them a record of 85-77. Detroit would need to go 24-24 the rest of the way to bring their record to 85-77. That’s not so crazy considering they went 29-30 last season and 33-29 in 2009 from August to October but it all depends on the Twins playing better baseball.

Obviously they have to find a way to beat Detroit. Going 1-8 so far this season in embarassing and if that continues, the season will be over if it isn’t already.

Playing the Boston Red Sox may be just what the Twins need! Sometimes playing the best team in the league will bring out the best in your team. Well, here they are, the Boston Red Sox will bring their 69-43 record to Target Field starting tonight with Scott Baker pitching against Tim Wakefield!

Canadian Rehab
Justin Morneau has played the last three days for the Twins triple-A minor league affiliate Rochester Red Wings and has gotten better with every game. Friday he went 0 for 4 in a 4-1 loss, Saturday he went 1 for 4 in a 9-1 loss and Sunday he went 3 for 5 with a 3-run double, 2 runs and 4 RBI in an 8-0 victory.

He’s expected to play around 10 games in Rochester and could return when the Twins go to Detroit next week. Morneau’s return could make it difficult to get Joe Mauer more starts at first base so could he play somewhere else in the future?

The Return of Slowey?
With the recent struggles of Nick Blackburn and Brian Duensing, you have to wonder if Kevin Slowey will get a chance to start again for the Twins. He’s been pitching well in his last couple starts in Rochester.

Blackburn is expected to make his start on Wednesday against the Red Sox but if he struggles, expect some kind of change to the rotation with possibly Anthony Swarzak taking his spot with Slowey being another option.

20 years ago in 1991
1991 was the last time the Twins won the World Series and it was one of the most memorable and greatest series in baseball history with a Puckett home run in game 6 to force possibly the greatest game 7 ever. Reminiscing this weekend was fun especially when you get stories like this. “It’s only a game” after all.

This is great and probably how most people react to a Jim Thome Home Run!!

Links to great articles from the past couple weeks
The Jose Bautista Story– (SI.com – Joe Posnanski) – 6/22/2011

  • Great article on how Bautista persevered and stayed confident in his ability as a hitter.
  • A little older than a couple weeks but I probably follow too many things in my Google Reader so I’m always way behind in reading everything

Tom Powers: Michael Cuddyer, the man who makes the Twins go, adds crafty baserunning to his resume– (Pioneer Press – Tom Powers) – 7/20/2011

  • I’m not sure “crafty” is the right word but Cuddy definitely made an impact running the bases late in the game on July 19th. Every day he’s “hustlin’!”

The catcher: Baseball’s most demanding and least appreciated job – (thestar.com – Morgan Campbell) – 7/20/2011
Twins’ Mauer has been first-rate at first base – (foxsportsnorth.com – Tyler Mason) – 7/20/2011
Joe Mauer, Twins both benefit when he plays at first base – (Pioneer Press – John Shipley) – 7/20/2011
Gardenhire’s treatment of Mauer could backfire: A Fan’s View – (Yahoo! Contributor Network – Blair Reynolds) – 7/21/2011
Tsuyoshi Nishioka: A study of two hitters – (TwinkieTown.com – Jesse Lund) – 7/21/2011
Trevor Plouffe, Denard Span and the hope of a late-blooming prospect – (AaronGleeman.com – Aaron Gleeman) – 7/21/2011
Baseball: Who among today’s stars are most likely to get in and who figures to be left out of the Hall of Fame? – (LATimes.com – Ben Bolch) – 7/22/2011
Twins Talk: Mauer’s best position for Twins is still catcher – (argusleader.com – Matt Zimmer) – 7/23/2011
Booing the boy next door – (nytimes.com – Tyler Kepner) – 7/25/2011
The Delmon Young Quandary – (Fangraphs.com – Brandon Warne) – 7/26/2011
Norristown Catcher Finds Himself In Special Company– (NorristownPatch.com – Joseph Santoliquito) – 7/29/2011

  • Chris Harvey is a catcher that stands at 6’5” tall and weighs 215 pounds so he is getting a lot of Joe Mauer comparisons and should be drafted in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft

Slowey’s future with Twins is “completely up to him” Gardenhire says – (1500espn.com – Phil Mackey) – 8/7/2011

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TwinsTakes – The 2011 Trade Deadline is Today!!!

Posted on July 31, 2011 by Robb

The trade deadline is always exciting! Your team can get better no matter where they are in the standings. If they are buyers, they can get a player that could be another piece & possibly the final piece to make that run at a championship. If they are sellers, they can improve by filling a need at a weaker position or just upgrade a position with some better prospects.

A trade can also open up a spot for a deserving prospect that has been tearing it up or pitching lights out in the minors.

It can be a sad experience also. Your team might trade your favorite player and you won’t see anything positive from the trade for a long time. If they get lower level prospects, you might not see them for 4-5 seasons! By the time they show up, it might not be mentioned how the player came to you team.

There’s always a ton of trade rumors that never get completed and might have never been discussed to begin with. It’s fun to see some of them while others leave you dumbfounded.*

*Some of the dumbfounded ones turn into reality and are never forgotten. Hopefully last year’s Capps for Ramos trade doesn’t turn into one of those but it doesn’t look good right now. Starting catcher for a relief pitcher who has gone from good to not so good. Capps needs to turn it around this season if the Twins hope to make the playoffs.

Still 6 games back of 1st place Detroit, the Twins have a plethora of players that could be traded including Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel, Jim Thome and more.

Trade Denard Span?
The biggest rumor going around involving the Twins has the Washington Nationals trying to pry Denard Span away for a combination of RHP Tyler Clippard, RHP/Closer Drew Storen, OF Roger Bernadina & 2B Stephen Lombardozzi.*

*That would be a Lombardozzi of a trade! Haha! Yes, that Lombardozzi! He is the sun of former Twins 2B Steve Lombardozzi who played 5 seasons with the Twins including a somewhat memorable season in 1987!

Trading Span makes some sense as the Twins are pretty deep in outfield prospects with Aaron Hicks, Joe Benson, Angel Morales, Oswaldo Arcia, Rene Tosoni & Eddie Rosario. Some of those prospects should make it to the Twins soon so moving Denard might be inevitable anyways.

It would also open up the center field spot for Ben Revere, who has made an impact when he’s in the lineup. He needs to improve his on-base skills and he has a weak arm that may be better suited for a corner outfield spot. If the Twins could get their closer of the future in this trade in Drew Storen, they could drop some salary in Capps and/or Nathan in another trade.

Of course, trading Span would mean your trading your leadoff hitter whose put up some good numbers since his debut in 2008. He knows how to get on base and has been one of the best centerfielders in the American League (2nd in Defensive WAR this season) if not all of baseball. Target Field has sapped some of his power (or the ‘Dome increased his power) but he will still hit for extra-bases and he’s a good base stealer.

It comes down to how Revere & Span compare and if Ben can replace Denard?

  • Offense
    • Span – will hit around .300 every season with some extra-base power with 7-10 home runs; Good on the basepaths with 30 stolen-base potential (he’s had a better stolen base percentage in the majors than he did in the minors – 76% > 66%); great on-base skills, good eye at the plate (career 0.82 walk to strikeout ratio)
    • Revere – too early to speculate on MLB stats but looking at his minor league stats he hit over .300 every season in the minors with less power but more speed on the bases (5 career HRs & 154 SBs in 4+ minor league seasons); more of a singles-hitter but the ability to steal second consistently (SB% – 79% in minors (154-195), 75% w/Twins (18-24); he doesn’t walk much or strikeout much (0.65 BB/K ratio)
  • Defense
    • Span – Very good defensively in center field but still may be better in a corner outfield spot, decent arm strength
    • Revere – Very good defensive center fielder, might make some outs with his glove that nobody else can with his speed but his arm is a weakness that might move him to a corner outfield spot

Denard has been out with concussion symptoms since June 10th which is a worrisome situation. We’ve seen what a concussion has done to Justin Morneau. He was out for half of the 2010 season and got back to begin the 2011 season but has suffered other injuries that look unrelated to a concussion. Denard is rumored to be close to ready to return to the Twins soon.

Denard Span & Ben Revere are very similar players that can make an impact on the game in a variety of ways. They would be alright with either player in center field now and in the future.

UPDATE: Denard Span was NOT traded at the trading deadline and will be activated to begin the Twins series in Los Angeles on Tuesday!

Sometimes the best trades are the ones that are never completed. The Twins should get Justin Morneau back around the middle of August which will be like getting him in a trade and a boost to the Twins offense. Maybe they’ll get Kevin Slowey, if he isn’t traded, back up to the rotation too. He would be a nice addition to the rotation if Blackburn keeps pitching the way he has been lately.

That’s my TwinsTake! What’s yours? Are you excited for the trading deadline this year? Do you think the Twins should be buyers or sellers? or stand pat?

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Robb Dahlen

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