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.
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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.
This is a special Friday as we have two Fan Friday columns from two ladies who are great Twins fans. The second installment of the day comes from Katie Chaffins. Katie is from the west suburbs of Minneapolis and be found blogging at her site: http://kcbaseballblog.blogspot.com/
Who is to blame?
Time and time again this season we’ve heard the reports, read the articles and heard from the announcers how dismal and disappointing this season has been for the Twins. I’ll admit, I’ve had my doubts about this season a time or two, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to throw in the towel, at least not yet. So the question is who can you really blame for the season the Twins have been having?
We’ve all heard about the issues with the Twins pitching and while it has left a lot to be desired, there are a few that have proven they remember what it is they are supposed to do. We started off the season, with what everyone was hoping was going to be a starting rotation to push the team into the playoffs and we’ve ended up with a rotation that changes from day to day because of “injuries”.
I feel we have a pretty good rotation right now with Baker, Blackburn, Pavano, Duensing, and now Jeff Manship. They all have their off days, but what good pitcher doesn’t? And then you have our relievers… they have come and gone like the Majors are some sort of revolving door. With guys only being here for one start or guys that were here when the season started, leaving, coming back and having the fans wondering why in the world they were called back up.
I’m not going to talk about the slump that our closer is in right now because that’s all it is – a slump and he’ll be back in tip top form soon enough… I hope.
You can’t put all the blame on the pitchers either because they need a good defense behind them and they need the bats swinging from the offense, both have which have been hit or miss this season, no pun intended. So many people, not necessarily Twins fans, seem to put all the praise on Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, when surprisingly this season, it’s been the guys that fly under the radar that have come up big when it’s really been needed.
Sure there have been missed plays and missed opportunities, more so than before. There have been heart-breaking losses and exciting, keep you on the edge of your seat wins. And it’s a possibility when the season is all said and done, that we could look back and go “what if?” What if we would have won a couple more games when it counted? What if we would have kept that player here all season?
When it really comes down to it, you can’t just pick one section of this team and blame the whole season on them. It’s a combination of the pitching, the defense, the offense and the “front office”, but that is for a different post.
Lara lives in Minneapolis and has a love/hate relationship with her birth state of Wisconsin, aspires to be a True Minnesotan. She doesn’t like the Brewers and only remembers them when their team colors were bright blue and yellow and their logo was a baseball glove. For more of Lara follow her on Twitter.
One More Month
Today marks one month left of baseball in the Dome. I feel like this season has flown by, and I can’t believe we’re almost out of the Dome forever (okay except for Vikings games…)
Like our hero #7, who is my age, I’ve never known baseball without the Dome. I’ve never known sports without the Dome – silly me, a few years ago I thought that most baseball and football teams shared stadiums. That’s normal, right?
My first Twins game was May 18, 1995. Not our best stuff. It was a tough year for baseball in general. I was disappointed, because not only we lost to the Angels (I think it ended up being something like 0-12), but because everyone who knew I was going (I was living in Wisconsin at this time so driving to the Cities was a big deal) told me I was so lucky because I was going to get to watch Kirby Puckett, and he was really fun to watch.
Now they’re talking to a 12-year-old girl who knows nothing about baseball. I guess I expected him to do magic tricks out there or something (of course now I know about the World Series and all that). He came to he plate, swung the bat a few times, and I thought, “this is what everyone was raving about?”
Sadly I was turned off to baseball for quite awhile after that very long and hideous game. A few years ago I picked it up again, realizing the man who cost my high school football team our State Championship title in the 1999 season was playing front and center. (Yes, I did get out of Wisconsin and move to the good state!)
Okay, I was a little bitter, but he was cute. And good. Really good. The more I learned about the Twins the more I realized how different they were from the other teams. How special. The more I learned about baseball I realized what an anomaly Joe is. And what it truly means for someone to be “fun to watch.” I had a lot of help with learning about baseball. I read “Clearing the Bases” by Mike Schmidt, “Odd Man Out” by Matt McCarthy (I realize not the most popular book to a lot of people) and right now I’m getting through “The Yankee Years” by Joe Torre and Tom Verducci.
But “The Yankee Years” has made me think about the Twins a lot this season. Yeah, we hate the Yankees but we can learn from them. In 1998 when they had the best season and won the World Series, they are described as having “a desperation to win.” Granted, they had one of the most perfect parings of teams. But they were desperate to win. Which makes me wonder, are we desperate to win? We could have the most perfect team in the world, but if we don’t really want it and every single person isn’t willing to pull their weight, we won’t get it.
A few weeks ago, I would have said, “I know for sure that Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel want to win a World Series. They’re desperate.” But they also seemed to be carrying the team by themselves. Now things have shifted and suddenly the bottom of the lineup is engaged, too. And things really turned around. (We will forget about Wednesday and White Sox).
But what does it take for us to get to that point where suddenly everyone is contributing? Was it seeing the Sox and the Tigers suddenly slip, and realizing that it wasn’t over for us? Did someone give a really moving speech in the clubhouse? Was is the acquisition of all our new players?
We might never know. I hope that we can keep it up. I hope our guys can stay hungry and desperate for a victory. We’re not as bad as the Cubs by any stretch of the imagination, but we’re certainly due. We have too many talented players to not take it into the post season. And of course I’ve been told the AL Central is the worst division in baseball and even if we won it, someone else would immediately knock us out. But why can’t we be the underdogs? The Yankees did it in ’96. No one thought they would either.
So stay desperate boys! Keep playing small ball, and remember that every single person plays an important role. Joe Mauer has some really big shoulders, but not big enough to carry you all into the post-season.
This week’s Fan Friday Column comes from Kyle Schmidt. Kyle lives in Boyceville, Wisconsin and hates the Brewers with a passion. For more from Kyle, follow him on Twitter [http://twitter.com/KSchmidt], or take a venture to his newly established Twins Blog [http://kschmidt.mlblogs.com], and read his big debut post.
When do we plan the Goodbye Party?
He’s currently batting .373, has an on base percentage of .442, has stacked up 25 home runs, has 78 runs batted in, and a .622 slugging average. He’s Minnesota’s own Joe Mauer, but how long can we call him a Twin?
The 2010 season brings the Twins to a new stadium, and it may also be the last time we see Joe in a Twins uniform, as he is due up for free agency after the season. Will he leave? Thatís a question picking everyone’s mind, and it will keep us Twins fans on the edge of our seats for the 2010 season.
Sports Illustrated featured an article on Joe’s chase for the .400 batting average the end of June, and decided to sneak in a few hidden paragraphs on his upcoming free agency. This slipped under the nose of a few friends, and it needs some more attention.
The article makes note that both the Red Sox and Yankees are playing this year with 37 year old catchers, with no obvious replacements in their own organization. I will not be surprised if we hear of offers to Joe from both teams, both of which are major contenders in the pennant races.
Perhaps there will be some convincing by First Baseman Justin Morneau, who is quoted as saying, “if Mauer ever left, he’d never speak to him again.”
The article goes on to quote Mauer with a rather neutral statement. “To tell you the truth, I really haven’t even thought about playing anywhere but here. But I think it’s pretty early. Right now I’m just trying to stay on the field. All of that stuff will happen when it needs to happen.”
I think the 2010 season will be the deciding factor for Mauer. If the team doesn’t step up their game, and the front office makes no moves to show Joe they’re serious, he may consider finding a home that is.
A pervious Fan Friday post by Greg Davis [http://twinsmvb.com/?p=1613] points out that the Twins donít seem to handle free agency too well, as experienced in the past with Torii Hunter, and fall flat on their face when it comes to trades. Let’s hope they get a hold on player trades and acquisitions pronto.
I think La Velle E. Neal III said it the best [http://blogs2.startribune.com/blogs/neal/2009/08/19/twins-rangers-kubel-in-morneau-out-and-hes-no-longer-baby-jesus-just-call-him-st-joe/]: “Forget about the season. Ignore where he might play in 2011. Enjoy the ride.”
2009 might not be the season of the Twins, but 2010 better be, or we may be saying goodbye to our Baby Jesus.
This week’s Fan Friday Column comes from Kyle Schmidt. Kyle lives in Boyceville, Wisconsin and hates the Brewers with a passion. For more from Kyle, follow him on Twitter, or take a venture to his newly established Twins Blog and read his big debut post.
When do we plan the Goodbye Party?
He’s currently batting .373, has an on base percentage of .442, has stacked up 25 home runs, has 78 runs batted in, and a .622 slugging average. He’s Minnesota’s own Joe Mauer, but how long can we call him a Twin?
The 2010 season brings the Twins to a new stadium, and it may also be the last time we see Joe in a Twins uniform, as he is due up for free agency after the season. Will he leave? Thatís a question picking everyone’s mind, and it will keep us Twins fans on the edge of our seats for the 2010 season.
Sports Illustrated featured an article on Joe’s chase for the .400 batting average the end of June, and decided to sneak in a few hidden paragraphs on his upcoming free agency. This slipped under the nose of a few friends, and it needs some more attention.
The article makes note that both the Red Sox and Yankees are playing this year with 37 year old catchers, with no obvious replacements in their own organization. I will not be surprised if we hear of offers to Joe from both teams, both of which are major contenders in the pennant races.
Perhaps there will be some convincing by First Baseman Justin Morneau, who is quoted as saying, “if Mauer ever left, he’d never speak to him again.”
The article goes on to quote Mauer with a rather neutral statement. “To tell you the truth, I really haven’t even thought about playing anywhere but here. But I think it’s pretty early. Right now I’m just trying to stay on the field. All of that stuff will happen when it needs to happen.”
I think the 2010 season will be the deciding factor for Mauer. If the team doesn’t step up their game, and the front office makes no moves to show Joe they’re serious, he may consider finding a home that is.
A pervious Fan Friday post by Greg Davis points out that the Twins donít seem to handle free agency too well, as experienced in the past with Torii Hunter, and fall flat on their face when it comes to trades. Let’s hope they get a hold on player trades and acquisitions pronto.
I think La Velle E. Neal III said it the best: “Forget about the season. Ignore where he might play in 2011. Enjoy the ride.”
2009 might not be the season of the Twins, but 2010 better be, or we may be saying goodbye to our Baby Jesus.
This week’s Fan Friday column comes from Greg Davis. Greg lives in Rochester, Minnesota and has supported the Twins through thick and thin. For more from Greg Davis follow him on Twitter and check out his family blog.
The Real Reason for the Twins’ Struggles
Many different opinions have been thrown about to analyze the Twins’ struggles, which have become more pronounced since the All-Star break. One example is La Velle Neal of the Star Tribune, who pointed to the pitching staff saying, “the Twins could use a fresh and talented arm.” Another is the Twins MVB’s very own Dain, who in his Off the Tepoel” column, argued that Justin Morneau’s struggles at the plate have had a detrimental impact on the Twins season. Although they, along with the many other reasons (poor infield play, inconsistent bullpen) that have been pegged for the Twins struggles, are compelling and in many ways very true, they don’t get to the root of the problem.
I work in healthcare, a field where errors and mishaps occur much more than we’d like to say. Through my studies, I have learned that often rather than pointing at the individuals making the errors it is far more effective to look at the system in which they occur. By doing this we accept that if anyone was put in that same situation they would have had the same problem, and we work to correct the system instead of placing blame on those operating in the system.
This concept has a very real parallel to the current state of our Twins. The management of the Twins chooses to build their team through clever drafting and development of young players, economical free agent signing, and under the radar trades. For many years this worked well for our organization, and we have been graced with the presence of players like Joe Mauer (draftee), Joe Nathan (trade), and Justin Morneau (draftee).
However, recently Twins’ management has struggled mightily in two of these areas (free agency and trades), which is the real cause for our Twins’ difficulties. The three most important mishaps (as I see them) are outlined below:
Torii Hunter: Not only did the Twins let him leave in 2008, but, inexplicably, the Twins allowed him to leave through free agency and received no compensation. Combine this with the failed experiments of Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, and Tony Bautista and free agency has not been very kind to the Twins.
Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett: These two players, who have become two of the Rays best players, netted the Twins Delmon Young and Brandon Harris. Delmon was highly touted coming over and has been a major disappointment, and Harris has been streaky at best. In hindsight, a very regrettable trade, as it would have been wiser to work on the development of our two former talents.
The Santana trade… I don’t think I need to say more about this, as by all accounts this trade was a total disaster (no offense Go-Go).
If the Twins had been able to cash in on these valuable assets, they would have received a multitude of major league ready talent, as well as have supplied the farm system with better talent. It is time Twins’ fans stop faulting the player’s in the system and look at the system itself. The Twins walk a fine line with this philosophy, and if they want to be successful there is little room for error. Here’s to hoping we can get more right than wrong in the future.
This week’s Fan Friday comes from a guy who knows a thing or two about baseball and the Minnesota Twins. Dan Wade is a friend from the Twins community and the Twins community leader from the sports social networking site, Bleacher Report. Read more of Dan’s work at Bleacher Report.com.
Could the architect of the Twins demise be their second best player?
The truth is, not all games are equal. Good play in April and May may make September easier, but from 9/1 on, too many losses means a nice long golf season for the players, irrespective of how large the lead is. For a team like the Twins, who have stumbled around the .500 mark all season, a strong September could bring them a reward they hardly deserve, a trip to the playoffs. To do that, they’ll need to click on all cylinders, but one is already looking faulty,
Justin Morneau’s season has been very good, even by his standards. The Twins’ principle power source has been at or near AL leadership in HR and RBI for most of the season, something critically important to a team that thrives on getting runners on and waiting for a big hit.
He is almost certainly, baring injury, going to hit 30+ HR and drive in over 100 runs this season, his third season of greater than 30 bombs in his career and his fourth consecutive 100+ RBI year. He may not be as good as Albert Pujols, but there are very few other first basemen I’d want over the big Canuck.
So how could a player like that bring the Twins down from the inside?
Justin Morneau has a pretty well chronicled history of fading down the stretch, his career average before the All-star break is a solid .299/.365/.541, good for an OPS of . 906 and an OPS+ of 110*. After the layoff: .267/.340/.469 with an OPS of .809 and an OPS+ of 89. Is that bad? No, not terribly so, but it’s not good either.
*Average for OPS+ is 100
Morneau’s strong July helped ease some of the fears about yet another slide heading into the off-season, but the dog days of August have brought a renewed worry about the Twins’ cleanup hitter of choice.
The month is still young, but in 39 August PAs, Morneau has posted just a .256/.356/.462 line, taking his yearly batting average below .300 for the first time since a 1-for-5 game against Tampa on April 28.
For all the talk about the bullpen’s issues (they are legit) and whether or not the addition of Carl Pavano was a good one (it was), if Morneau continues the late-season disappearing act he’s nearly perfected over the years, those issues won’t be the ones that determine the Twins’ season.
Because of Michael Cuddyer’s career year and Jason Kubel’s emergence as one of the best DHs in baseball, the Twins are far better equipped to handle Morneau’s demise than they have been in past seasons; last year, his Missing Persons routine more or less cost the Twins their chance at the playoffs. However, this team is incalculably better when they have the full value of Morneau’s .317 Equivalent Average behind them.
In a perfect world, the Twins would call up Anthony Slama and Rob Delaney, Jesse Crain would regain his form of old, Francisco Liriano’s Wednesday start would be indicative of how the rest of this season will go, and Orlando Cabrera’s hit streak would endanger DiMaggio’s record of 56 games. Even if all those things were to come true, if Justin Morneau can’t keep his production up through the end of the season, the Twins will almost certainly fall short of the playoffs for the third season in a row.
Another Friday which means another Fan Friday column from the online community of Twins MVB fans. Today’s column comes from an old college buddy, Eric Meyer (no relation to the MVB). You’ll notice Eric’s dry wit and bitter sarcasm. For more of Eric follow him on Twitter: @meyeer01. Remember MVB fans, if you’re interested in writing a Fan Friday column email the mailbag at twinsmvb@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter: @TwinsMVB.
Admittedly, I am not the perfect person. It may surprise you to hear this, but I have not always made the best decisions in life. My existence is addled with recklessness. Some such decisions include my choice in college to put my social life over my academic one, or my “good idea” to buy a light up shift nob for my ’86 Toyota Camry. Even with such flawed choices, I have two decisions that I have never looked back and questioned: one was picking to be the Soviets in the video game “Red Alert”, the other being my baseball team; the Minnesota Twins.
Being from South Dakota (just like the MVB!) I didn’t really have any particular team to root for. In school, people cheered for a vast abundance of teams. My best friend followed the Rockies, others were fans of the Cubs, and of course some were fans of the Yankees (they were usually known as the “slow kids”).But me, I have followed the Twins passionately since middle school.
For me, this is easily the best sports relationship a fan could have. Though they struggled in the late 90’s, the 2000’s were essentially baseball gravy. They certainly didn’t dominate, but more than anything they were incredibly entertaining to watch. There was nothing better than watching Torrii Hunter rob a homerun, or seeing Santana make the best hitters in the game look absolutely lost out at the plate.
My allegiance lies pretty much with Minnesota as far as professional sports teams, and it can be excruciating. Every Vikings and T-Wolves fan knows it’s very hard to watch and stay loyal. The Vikings are the Greg Norman of professional football, consistently blowing leads and losing when they have no business doing so. And the T-Wolves make good decisions about as much as Maurice Clarett (drafting three point guards are you for real!) And ever since Garnett left I am more interested in macro economics than I am in them.
But watching the Twins is never hard. Sure they have their off days, but they always seem to make it close. More than anything, the Twins know how to make it interesting, and I never lose my faith in them. They can be down by 10 in the 8th, and I’ll still watch, almost expecting a great comeback. Even this year, I fully expect them to get hot in August, and win the division on the last day of the season.
So for those of us who follow Minnesota sports, be reminded what a treat it is to have a team that always performs better than it should. How awesome it is watch a player like Joe Mauer consistently confound pitchers, and a manager like Ron Gardenhire put together a game plan that always keeps them in it. In closing, no matter what else I go on to screw up in life, I always have the one constant, and that’s my undying devotion to the Minnesota Twins.
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