This week’s Fan Friday comes from Eric Meyer (no relation to me) who is back for his second Fan Friday. Meyer recently worked for the Minnesota Timberwolves and is a contributor for The Post SD. He’s a cynical Twins fan with a sense of humor.
As it stands right now, Twins fans are a little nervous. The Twins are going through one of the toughest stretches in the majors; in their next 9 series, only the Brewers are sub .500. Meanwhile, the Tigers are nipping on their heels as they voraciously stroll through sub .500 teams and remain only a 1 game back. To make matters worse, the White Sox have found new life and are on a torrid pace to catch up, winning 9 in a row and 11 of their last 12.
Scared? I’m not. Though they are in a tight race right now, the Twins love playing second half baseball.
The Twinkies have always been regarded as a second half team, and until I saw the stats I figured it was just something they say, like Kobe is the best finisher in the game. Since Gardenhire took over in 2002, the Twins winning percentage in the second half is a staunch .566 compared to their first half which is only .531, This includes four seasons with a winning percentages over .600, and another two over .500.
Not only is their winning percentage dramatic, but they also play a bulk of their games against the division. In their last 81 games, they get to play more than half of their games against divisional rivals. This year the Twins have feasted on the central like a fat guy at Old Country Buffet. In the division this year they are 17-9, and the only team in the AL Central that has a winning record against other central teams.
So what does all this mean? It means I expect the Twins to tear through the second half of the season and clinch the AL Central easily. And since they don’t have the same type of competition that the AL East will be in, it means that they could potentially come out on top as having the first or second best record in the AL. Currently, in the East, the Rays and the Red Sox are within 1.5 games of first place, and the Blue Jays are only 6 and still surging. The same could be said about the West. The Rangers cannot keep up the current pace and will have to deal with the Angels and the A’s in the next few months.
Even with all these figures are you still not convinced? What if I were to tell you that according to Buster Olney of ESPN, the Twins are a leading contender for former Cy Young winner Cliff Lee? Feel better now?
Olney told Seth Everett on The MLB Today podcast that the Mariners are in despereate need of a new catcher. The Twins have several young catchers that have shown promise. Since the Mariners are out of contention already, they will be looking to get rid of Lee for some pieces in the future. One such piece is Wilson Ramos, who came up for a brief stint and did spectacularly well. He hit .296 in 7 games, two of which were multi-hit games. And let’s face it, if you are a good catcher in the Twins farm system, you have no future with the franchise.
It is unusual for the Twins to make a big move like this, but then again this is a very unusual year for them. In 2009 the Twins payroll was at 62 million, making them 24th in the league in payroll. This year they have ballooned their budget by a staggering 43.4% to 97.5 million. Even if the Twins take on Cliff Lee’s salary at 9 million, it will be prorated from when they receive him, and he will come off the books at the end of the season. At this point, it seems almost foolish for the Twins not to take him.
Hopefully by the end of this article you are feeling better about the Twins chances to not only make it out of the Central and maybe even a shot of winning the World Series. We do, after all, have the best catcher in the league, Morneau is on his way to his second AL MVP and of course Gardenhire can flat out manage. Yes, even after losing two in Milwaukee, I feel only encouraged by the franchise and hope to cheer them on as they fight to defend their division championship in beautiful new Target Field.
***Quick side note. If you haven’t been to the new stadium it is a must! And when you do go, make sure to sit along third base/ left field line (Twins MVB Section). The view of the Minneapolis sky line is absolutely breathtaking.
This week’s Fan Friday column comes from Matt Taylor. This is Matt’s second Fan Friday. Matt now has his own blog, Three Run Jack, that is about all things baseball and includes a Twins Tuesday column on Tuesday. They post a lot of content and it’s worth checking out.
Delmon Young: Zero to Hero?
After the Twins acquired Delmon in the offseason before the 2008 season everyone, including me, was excited. We were hoping for the same guy who won the 2007 AL Rookie of the Year Award the previous year after posting a .316 average and 93 RBI. This was a great acquisition because with the addition of Delmon Young, we could move Jason Kubel to designated hitter and stick Delmon in left field, and not have to put Jeff Cirillo as a DH anymore. From the looks of this trade it was nothing but positives for the Twins. We only had to give up Jason Bartlett who had a .265 average in ‘07 and Matt Garza who only had a 42% winning percentage in that same year.
Delmon’s first season with the Twins wasn’t as good as his rookie season but it was definitely an improvement over Jeff Cirillo. He posted a .290 average with 10 homers and 69 RBI. It was a bit of a disappointing season, but with Delmon Young, the general concensus was that he’s still young and that he has time to improve. 2009 was the season that people thought Delmon would come out and post the season that everybody was hoping for. That just did not happen. Delmon had his worst year of his career thus far, he had an OBP of only .308 with 12 walks in 416 plate appearances. He only had 12 home runs, 60 RBI and was third on the team with 92 strikeouts.
This brings us to 2010. Coming into this season, people didn’t really have very high expectations for Delmon. People lost hope in him, in a way, after a disappointing 2008 and 2009. People were more so anticipating big years from Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer. However, Delmon Young is quietly having a terrific season a quarter of the way through. D-Young thus far is hitting .285 and has already had more base on balls than all of last season. Delmon is tied for second on the team with 8 home runs and is only 3 RBI behind Justin Morneau with 40. Delmon has arguably been the best outfielder and arguably been the best hitter this year, throwing the M&M boys aside.
This week’s Fan Friday comes from a Twins fan all the way out in Washington, D.C. Thanks to Eric Olson for giving his thoughts on the Twins. For more from Olson check out his blog Call to the Pen.
One of the strangest things about the roster this season is the absolute paucity of outfielders on both the 25-man (active) roster and the 40-man roster. The current outfielders on these rosters consist of the following: ‘elmon Young, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, and a reanimated corpse. Er, Jason Kubel (you can’t fault me, he plays the outfield a bit like a zombie). That’s both the beginning and the end of the list. In theory, Nick Punto, Alexi Casilla, and/or Matt Tolbert (if and when he is in the bigs) are the back-up outfielders. This notion is offensive to me, and I sure hope it is to people reading as well.
Of those “outfielders” on the roster, Jason Kubel is not an outfielder. He’s a DH that keeps getting pressed into OF duties because Gardy is incapable of not starting Jim Thome three games out of five and Gardy doesn’t trust ‘elmon. Michael Cuddyer’s ideal role is probably that of part-time outfielder and part-time right-handed platoon designated hitter. It’s hard to express how bad he’s been in the outfield the last few years according to UZR, which we now know was not an artifact of the baggie, as he turned in far superior numbers in the ‘Dome than on the road. ‘elmon Young is also beginning to look like his range in LF is simply not going to improve, regardless of his weight loss and slightly increased speed. He needs to be moved to RF ASAP (especially given the powerful arm we’ve witnessed), or else there’s a decent chance he’ll also trend toward being a part-time DH part-time OF. Denard Span is a great lead-off hitter, but his defense in center-field is suspect at best, as the last few series have pointed out. His arm is simply not strong enough to be a great centerfielder either. The big problem pointed out in this paragraph? There are simply not enough DH slots to go around, especially given the presence of Thome, who Gardy is driven to play three or four times a week, regardless of the painful obviousness of his reduced bat speed.
So, we really have about a sum total of 2½ outfielders on the roster right now, when you factor in the fact that Span is legit, and the others are partial outfielders. So what options are there right now? Well, in AAA, the Twins have currently stashed veterans Jacque Jones and Jason Repko, both of whom are playing pretty well, but are not good enough to take away the day jobs of the current outfielders. One of them would be a great backup outfielder on the 25-man roster, but given that neither are on the 40-man roster and the Twins have as of yet refused to make a move on the 40-man to accommodate the outstanding Anthony Slama, don’t hold your breath.
So, that’s the current outfield situation. It’s certainly not ideal, and the Twins’ flyball pitchers have certainly been punished with the lack of outfield defense. But this is a forward-looking piece. The Twins have a wealth of great outfield prospects, several of which are nearing their major-league debuts in the next couple years. In fact, there’s a good chance we’ll have a major outfield logjam in the coming years! So, let’s look at the future!
Michael Cuddyer is under contract through 2011, as the Twins exercised his option for the 2011 series last off-season. I think the Twins will likely make a perfunctory move at re-signing him, so as not to anger the casual fans, who generally love Cuddyer, but will let him walk in the end.
‘elmon Young has either one or two arbitration years remaining.
Jason Kubel is in the final year of a two-year deal, but there is a team option for $5.25 million for 2011.
Denard Span just signed a five-year contract. He’ll be here for a while.
Here are the up-and-comers. I’m only looking at the players that have a legitimate chance of being long-term starters for the Twins, so players like Jacque Jones, Jason Repko, and Jason Pridie. Those guys are at best backups at this point, with the possible exception of Repko:
Aaron Hicks – The near-consensus number one prospect in the Twins system is currently playing in the Low-A Midwest League for the Beloit Snappers. He might be the best defensive centerfielder in the system, and has an incredible arm that was honed from years of throwing 95-mph fastballs. Can you say, “Position player pitching?” That said, he is only 21, and still has a long way to go. The earliest we’ll probably see him on the big club, barring a raft of injuries or an explosion in his numbers, is September 2012 or sometime in 2013. He is seen as a Torii Hunter/Kirby Puckett type player, and is likely the Twins next long-term center-fielder.
Ben Revere – Revere is a top-five Twins prospect, depending on how much stock you put in the dismal reports of his defense. Revere is really, really fast, but his arm is suspect, and he uses his speed to compensate for the fact that he takes some incredibly strange routes to get to the ball (remind you of anyone? GoGo (minus the arm strength)?) That said, Revere might be the best hitter in the Twins system. He has little power, but he hits for an insane average; he flirted with hitting .400 in 2008, and even though his triple-slash stats declined in 2009, that is to be expect in the (extremely) pitcher-friendly atmosphere of the 2009 Florida State League. Right now Revere is in AA New Britain, and might be the most likely call-up in the event of a serious injury to Denard Span. The problem with Revere is his lack of power and arm strength. He may not have the arm strength to play in CF long-term, but doesn’t have the power to take a corner outfield role (but then again, the Twins have put little stock in the traditional hitting requirements for corner positions; for cripes’ sake, Punto is STILL playing 2B).
Angel Morales – When Morales was drafted in 2007, he was seen by many to be a light-hitting outfielder with incredible speed and great defense. To the surprise of many, including yours truly, he turned into possibly the best power prospect the Twins have had since Jason Kubel. Morales will be in Class A Fort Myers this season, and should stay there all year. We could see him in a Minnesota Twins uniform as soon as 2012 if he continues at his current pace, and manages to curb his (excessive) strikeout rate. A constant comparison I have heard is Carlos Beltran, and if he continues, he could be the next great Puerto Rican MLB player.
Rene Tosoni – The MVP of last year’s Futures Game follows Justin Morneau in the Twins’ Canadian ranks. Tosoni is arguably the most complete and ready player of the ones I’ll mention here, but he also probably doesn’t have a long-term role with the Twins, due to the high level of competition on this list. I’d be surprised if we don’t see Tosoni this season at some point, most likely in September. He’s a definite candidate to be added to the 40-man roster at some near point in the future. Tosoni has trouble with left-handed pitching, and could be a very good number 2, 5, or 6 hitter in the future against righties. I fully expect Tosoni to be traded in the next two years, and he could yield a decent position player or a good pitching prospect in return. That said, you never know.
Joe Benson – The last prospect I’ll look at today is Benson. I don’t know as much about Benson, but many people rank him as the third-best outfield prospect in the Twins system after Aaron Hicks and Angel Morales, due to Revere’s problems. Revere has very good on-base numbers, and isn’t a slouch in the power department. We could see him in 2012, if he isn’t traded or doesn’t get injured (like he did after breaking his hand/wrist after punching a concrete wall in 2009).
So where does the outfield go in the future? Here are my guesses, and I’d sure be interested to see what you all think in the comments (in the order of LF, CF, and RF):
2010: ‘elmon Young, Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer
2011: Denard Span, Ben Revere, Michael Cuddyer (I think Young gets traded this off-season for something long-term at 2B or 3B).
Just when you thought that the Twins wouldn’t have to deal with any more unusual bounces of the baseball at their home park, they get a rude wake-up call. The move out of the Metrodome and into Target Field caused many people to assume that crazy bounces were a thing of the past with the switch from the soft, springy FieldTurf to natural Kentucky bluegrass, but the inclusion of a different material has brought the return of the unpredictable bounce: Kasota limestone.
At Target Field, there are two prominent areas where limestone is part of the playing field. The first is the overhang in right field.
The other is the backstop behind home plate.
There is also a third place inside the ballpark where the limestone is noticeable, but it is in foul territory near the left field foul pole, and thus shouldn’t bother the players during games.
Billy Butler of the Kansas City Royals became the first to experience the right field porch when he drove a ball off the facing of the limestone during Sunday’s game. The ball caromed past Michael Cuddyer in right, and Butler decided he was not content with only a double, but his decision was costly as he was thrown out at third base.
Likewise, we can expect similar things to happen with the backstop. We’ve already seen several times this season that a ball – either fouled off or the result of a pitch that has gotten past the catcher – will hit the limestone so hard that not only will it come straight back to the catcher, but may even roll back to the pitcher’s mound. We have yet to see a play involving the backstop, but I can imagine that like Butler making an out on the bases, we’ll likely see a runner attempt to score from third, only to realize that the ball has quickly been retrieved by the catcher. Maybe we’ll even see the elusive 1-2 or 1-3 scoring play.
Perhaps we’ll even see a near recreation of Stephen Drew’s inside-the-park home run from the first week of the 2010 season. I don’t think this will ever happen, but I still hope to see a low line drive hit the right field limestone so hard that the second baseman has to run into the outfield to get the ball. Whatever does happen, we do know that the players on the field will likely be as clueless as we are in our stadium seats or watching on TV where the ball is going, but that’s the beauty of baseball. With asymmetrical dimensions from one ballpark to the next, one thing is very clear: Every home has a mind of its own.
It was a successful opening series for the Twins on the road in Anaheim. Last year the Twins could win only one game in Anaheim, this year they take three out of four and have been bringing out the serious lumber with 10 homeruns in four games.
This week’s Fan Friday comes from Mr. Matt Taylor. Taylor shares the same excitement as many Twins this season.
Twins Expectations
I don’t remember the last time I have been so excited for baseball season. More importantly, I don’t remember the last time I have been so excited for Twins baseball season. What is not to be excited about? Out star player is in Minnesota to stay, we have a gorgeous baseball stadium (and oh yeah, it’s OUTSIDE), and we added three great role players in O-Dawg, J.J. Hardy, and Jim Thome. I don’t think I have ever had as high of expectations for the Twins as I have this season. I’ll go from the top and explain why I am so excited about this season and why I have such high expectations.
From the top, Denard Span. He has improved his average every season since he has entered the majors. I don’t see any reason as to why that would change this year. I look for more of the same from Denard this year and I am hoping for a .315 season out of him.
Orlando Hudson. This guy was born to play for the Twins. A scrappy, 4-time gold glove second baseman that is fast and hits for a solid average coming out of the two spot. He’ll be a guy that can get on base along side Denard to get ducks on the pond for the M&M boys.
Joe Mauer. New contract. He’s here to stay. MVP. Need I say more?
Justin Morneau. Back in the lineup and healthy, great defensive first baseman, great power. Already has 2 bombs in the first three games. I’m hoping for a 35 home run season with 115 RBI.
Michael Cuddyer. Played stellar last season once Morneau went down. He has been hitting for a higher average lately and he had a terrific spring.
Jason Kubel. Gotta love Kubs. Hits for great average and we can count on him for at least 25 homers and 100 RBI.
Delmon Young. I am hoping that this is the year for Delmon. He finished last season off on a tear, and I am hoping that this is the year he breaks through to prove that his Rookie of the Year season was no fluke.
J.J. Hardy. I am very, very excited for J.J. this season. I don’t remember the last time the twins have had a guy with such power at the bottom of the lineup. If he has the season that he is capable of having, the Twins will be very dangerous not only during the season, but come playoff time as well.
Nick Punto. I am expecting a breakout year from Punto this year. I think he will find his power stroke and he will have an all-star caliber season.
Hahaha, I crack myself up. That’ll be the day when Punto finds his power stroke and is an all-star caliber player. Solid defensive guy that is sort of there to fill up the lineup. Can’t live with him, can’t live without him.
I love our offensive lineup this year. I don’t think we have had this good of a lineup in the past ten years. Barring injury, I think we will score a lot of runs and give our starting pitchers much needed run support. I am confident that this lineup can win us the AL central (yes, I am knocking on wood) and I think this team has the caliber to do some damage in the playoffs.
Fan Friday is back on TwinsMVB, the day that Target Field opens (well, kind of opens). But the real Twins will be taking the field this evening, rain or shine, and I’m so pumped to be watching outdoor baseball at Target Field. We have a great return to Fan Friday from Mr. Andy Kahl. Andy has this to say about himself. I am currently wearing Teva sandals and an old “Smell ‘Em” tshirt on my deck in Apple Valley.
Baseball in the Frozen Tundra
In early February, my two boys (ages 9 and 7) had one of those holy-cow-I-have-to-get-out-of-the-house-right-now moments somewhat common among Minnesota youngsters. So we bundled up and went in search of a decent sledding hill. We found one at a nearby park – a short slope steep enough to get a good head of steam going on a downhill run. The boys jumped in and streaked toward the bottom – and as the terrain levelled, their momentum carried them across the powdery snow, squarely into a little league ball park’s right-center field.
This is just before Valentine’s day, and baseball fans like me had already begun convincing ourselves that ball games were just around the corner. Local news pundits were often referring to “the return of outdoor baseball to Minnesota” in wistful hushed tones, as if:
1) The St. Paul Saints, Rochester Red Wings, and a bunch of other teams in Minnesota don’t already play outdoors, and
2) Baseball season itself will usher in warmth and rebirth, like a pagan equinox. With the first pitch at Target Field would spread a Wizard of Oz style wave of vibrant, lush color – the green and gorgeous indicators of that most elusive of seasons… the spring.
The first point is really just cantankerous grumbling on my part. I know (and mostly identify with how) it feels that the Major League is baseball proper, but it does strike me that if there were loads of people really suffering for some outdoor ball, they had ample opportunity to feed that jones.
But the second point got me thinking. On the whole, I’ve been pretty resentful of the notion (propounded with ironic chuckles and eye rolls on national sports news outlets) that outdoor baseball in Minnesota is a bad idea. The summer in the Twin Cities is maybe the most beautiful combination of time and place in the entire country, and there were plenty of days that it seemed like a huge let-down to leave a gorgeous sunny day behind me as I walked inside for baseball. “Roof?” I would say in my more indignant moments, “We don’t need no stinkin’ roof.” But I remember snowball fights in the Metrodome parking lot before the 2008 home opener. And here were my children, sledding on a fresh 3 inches of snow from the night before, with fewer than sixty days between us and baseball season. I couldn’t ignore a little nagging voice in my head asking a seemingly obvious question:
Just how crazy are we to think we can open a season outside?
This called for a visit to my trusty weather almanac, which I have in a deluxe leather-bound edition in a prominent place on my desk (which is to say, here). The Twins opened against the Mariners on April 6th, 2009. There was no official snowfall at home that day, but we’d had about an inch of mixed precipitation the day before, and there was about an inch on the ground. The temperature was 44.6 degrees F, which any Minnesotan will tell you is actually quite nice, especially in the sun. (Actually, a real Minnesotan would use the word “balmy”, a curious colloquialism that means “it’s not at all warm, but it feels pretty darn good to us, youbetcha.”) Assuming that there’s a plan for clearing standing snow from Target Field, a home opener would likely have taken place.
By contrast, it was only 39.9 degrees F in Chicago (which sports two outdoor big-league parks), with 1.2 inches of snow on the ground. Cleveland only managed 38.1 degrees. In Boston, they hit they exact same average temperature as Minneapolis (44.6 F) but experienced 1.07 of “rain and/or snow… during the day.” Seattle had the most baseball-favorable conditions, reaching 53.2 degrees and recording no precipitation, which is wonderfully ironic, since the game was of course played indoors.
I can hear you now, all the way through your computer screen. “Anybody can cherry-pick crappy weather from around the country and paint it into something that looks like a cohesive picture to prove a point! Where did TwinsMVB find this guy?!” You’re right (fine use of the word ‘cohesive’, by the way)… that’s not a very useful set of data. So let’s pick a town where outdoor baseball is built-in to long-standing city culture – say, Boston. Let’s then examine every day during last season that a game was postponed in Boston, and check back to see if the game could have been played in Minneapolis.
Boston had to postpone only three games in 2009, and interestingly, all were with opponents who play indoors when at home. Boston’s home opener (on the previously dissected 04/06/09) vs. Tampa Bay was bumped. As we saw earlier, the game probably would have been played in Minneapolis, though nobody would have been especially cozy. The next PPD was the April 22nd contest against Minnesota, who left 50 degree average temperatures and clear skies in the Twin Cities to arrive to a slightly warmer (at 55 degrees) and slightly damper Boston – where they collected two-thirds of an inch of rain that day. It doesn’t sound like a downpour in hindsight, but it was obviously too much for the folks at Fenway to cowboy up and get the game in. At the end of the year, on September 11th, Tampa Bay was once again forced to wait out a rain delay in Boston. The miserable weather was an appropriate backdrop for the weekend the Rays put together – who dropped all three games in the series and removed themselves from any hope of contending in the AL East. Back in Minneapolis, the Twins were having a much better weekend – weather-wise, anyway. Average temperatures were around 72, and there was no precipitation recorded over the three-day span. The Twins dropped two out of three against Oakland at home that weekend, so the baseball forecast didn’t look all that great, but I digress.
The take-away? If any of the three games that got bumped in Fenway last year had been played at Target Field, they would have, well, been played. The same goes for the postponed games in Cleveland – where two home games in September were delayed but could have been played in the Twin Cities. Only one of the four White Sox delays might have also been postponed in Minneapolis, and all three of the rain-outs in Detroit occurred during clear conditions in the Twin Cities (the Tigers were hosting the Twins for two of the three delayed games, incidentally). September weather seems to be the main culprit for postponed games in ‘09 – and Minneapolis boasts less average precipitation in September (at 2.7 inches) than Boston (3.5 in), Detroit (3.3 in), Cleveland (3.8 in), or Chicago (3.3 in).
Baseball is a game best played outdoors, and it’s no secret that sometimes nature just doesn’t cooperate. Chances are that Target Field will almost certainly host a postponed game or two in 2010 – I don’t mean to suggest that this is baseball utopia (not for weather anyway). The point here is that the weather is every bit as baseball-friendly in Minneapolis as towns where the concept of outdoor baseball would never come into question. In fact, should the Twins ride their stellar talent and productive off-season into October, they’ll be hosting playoff baseball in temperatures only 4 degrees cooler than those in Boston (58 and 62 degrees, on average, respectively). Sportscasters should fight the tendency to talk as if the Twins play ball in Antarctica or on the dark side of Mars. Instead, let’s embrace what is almost certainly a new chapter in a storied baseball history – presented mostly without interruptions due to weather.
This week’s Fan Friday comes from a Jennifer Rumpca of Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Jennifer accounts her experience from this past week’s visit from the Twins Caravan. You can follow Jenn on Twitter.
This past Tuesday, January 26, 2010, the Twins Winter Caravan rolled into Sioux Falls, SD, and I was one of the many fans in attendance. I have always wanted to attend this event but never got the chance or had a stop this close to me, except for when I lived in Minneapolis I suppose.
Anyways, I arrived just before starting time and did not really know what to expect. I found a seat in the bleachers and waited for the festivities to start. It was a nice feeling to be around so many Twins fans and it had a kind of similar feeling to being at a game.
The event started with a detailed video going through the expected roster with commentary by Ron Gardenhire and others. The video also talked a lot about Target Field and the excitement of finally bringing outdoor baseball back to Minnesota. The video was interesting, but I, along with the rest of the crowd, was anxious for Bert Blyleven, Jeff Manship, and Denard Span to take the stage.
They finally did to a standing ovation from the crowd and each answered some questions. The topics ranged from how the players keep up their arm strength in the off season to Bert’s curveball and his quest for the Hall of Fame to that day’s signing of Jim Thome (which all three seemed to approve of).
After the short question and answer session, it was time to get in line for autographs. I am really bad at judging crowd sizes, but I would guess there was maybe around 500 people there, give or take a few hundred, and just about everyone got in line for autographs including myself. After a short two hours of standing in line I finally got my autographs and could not wait to brag up my experience to my dad, who is a huge Twins fan and the reason I am a Twins fan today.
So after about 10 years of being a Twins fan officially, I finally was able to experience some of the off season action and now have one more reason to love the Twins. I really give the Twins organization props for involving and engaging the fans as much as they do. With that said, the event was quite the teaser and I am ready for the season to begin. How many days until opening day?
Fan Friday is back in 2010 here at Twins MVB and we’re excited to hear what you have to say each week on Friday. If you are interested in posting a Fan Friday column of your own just email John at twinsmvb@gmail.com. This week’s entry comes from Louie Schuth. Check out Louie’s post and his Twins blog titled Hitting The Eephus.
Previously on my blog, I’ve discussed that what the Twins need most is a #2 hitter to get on base in front of Mauer. There are only 2nd baseman left on the market that fit this mold. The two most ideal fits are Orlando Hudson and Felipe Lopez.
Hudson has been reported to be looking for $9 million next year and he hopes to sign with a team soon. The Twins appear to be waiting for his price to drop, but the Nationals and Mets are in on him. There hasn’t been much interest in Lopez, I’ve only heard him connected to the Cardinals. They haven’t made strides toward signing him, and they’d want him to play 3rd base. He has never played more than 47 games of third in one season.
Hudson and Lopez are very similar players. They are both switch hitters, which is good because whoever hits in front of Mauer should not be a lefty because that could make 5 lefties in a row.
*Please not that when comparing them I will compare their stats from the past 2 years.
Both should put up a decent average. Hudson’s 2 year avgerage is .292, Lopez’s is .298. Hudson gets on base with a .361 OBP, Lopez gets on at a .366 clip. Advantage Lopez.
Whoever hits in front of Mauer should have plenty to hit. Lopez made contact with 92.7% pitches inside the strike-zone that he swung at. Hudson made contact with 88.7%. Advantage Lopez
Hudson hit 17 homers over the past 2 years, while Lopez hit 15. Hudson slugged .431 and Lopez had a SLG of .401. Advantage Hudson.
Once they are on, neither are not much of a threat to steal. Lopez had 14 total steals and Hudson had 12. Advantage Lopez.
One thing the Twins have been known to do is take the extra base when possible. Hudson did this 56% of the time, Lopez did it 33% of the time. Advantage Hudson.
When you’re hitting in front of Mauer and Morneau and you make an out, it should be productive. 41% of Hudson’s outs were pruductive, while only 26% of Lopez’s were. Advantage Hudson.
Hudson had a fielding percentage of .986 and Lopez’s was .974. Lopez’s UZR/150 was -0.25 and Hudson’s was -5.65. Hudson is more accurate but Lopez saves more runs in the long run. Advantage Lopez.
Hudson will command a higher contract than Lopez, and there has been much more interest in Hudson. Advantage Lopez.
Hudson’s WAR the past 2 years were 2.0 and 2.9. Lopez’s were 0.8 and 4.6. Hudson is much more consistent, but Lopez has the higher ceiling. No advantage.
If you tally them up the tally is Lopez 5, Hudson 3. This is slightly misleading, as Hudson has two very important categories, taking the extra base and making productive outs.
Hudson is the more consistent player, while Lopez has the tools to be the better player. So, Twins fans, what do you think? Should the Twins sign Hudson or Lopez? Personally, I think Hudson is the better fit, but would be happy with either.
1. Name of the Blog (I’ll accept The Minnesota Twins Most Valuable Blogger, Twins MVB, Twins MVB.com)
2. The Twins MVB Logo (image is below, email me if you need the file)
3. Four navigations buttons: HOME, MVB STAFF, MVB NETWORK, CONTACT
Return of Fan Friday
Only Friday, January 8th is taken at the moment so if you are interested in writing a column for Fan Friday on TwinsMVB.com email John at twinsmvb (at) gmail (dot) com or tweet @TwinsMVB.
It’s Friday and that means another Fan Friday column. Today’s article comes from Besty who writes her own Twins blog titled “For the Love of the Game.” Check out her blog at the link here.
Building For the Future
When Johan Santana and Torii Hunter left the Twins, GM Bill Smith made notes about how he was building for the future and last year how the Twins were in a rebuilding stage. I’m beginning to wonder when this rebuilding stage will end and when this future will be the present. We trade away our assists, but seem to get next to nothing in return.
Joe Mauer told Sports Illustrated earlier this year that he wants to be on a team that is going to win the World Series. Shouldn’t this goal be every team’s goal at the start of the season? Shouldn’t even the Twins, when Bill Smith has them in a “rebuilding” stage be aiming for that goal? Then I have to ask, why aren’t we still pushing and fighting to obtain this goal?
Do I think the Twins have it in them this year to win the World Series? Honestly, no. I love them and really hope I’m wrong, but the upper management and the on-field management/coaches have got to start having faith in this team in order for them to start having faith in themselves. I believe the players have the drive and the fight to win, but negative perceptions can damage a team and damage a players’ ability.
Why is it that when Justin Morneau goes on a lull of 0-19, and Michael Cuddyer goes on a lull of 0-16, they still get to play. But when the likes of Casilla, Harris, Punto, etc. go on this kind of kick, they are benched (and for an extended period of time). This to me doesn’t seem fair. Sure I know that Justin, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Joe Mauer are the power houses of the Twins team, but all I’m saying is that maybe Gardy should exercise the same caution with those players as he does with the rest of the team. I think having confidence in a player is going to make them have more confidence in themselves and ultimately make them a better player.
Maybe Gardy and Bill Smith should have the song “Have A Little Faith in Me” played to them before every game. Give them some perspective and maybe they’ll have a little faith in their team.
Read the First Comment 
