That’s right folks today is this blog’s second birthday. It’s hard to believe how fast two years has gone by, but MVB is still one of the newer Twins blogs out there.
Two years ago I started Twins MVB and was blogging about Torii Hunter’s arrival to the Anaheim Angels and where Johan Santana would land? Last year’s post was Justin Morneau missing out on the MVP award and wondering who would play shortstop and thirdbase? Today is will Joe Mauer win the MVP and, although shortstop is taken care of, we’re still wondering who will play thirdbase?
The game of baseball is ever changing but there are always exciting reasons to follow the game and be a Twins fan. That’s really the best part of blogging about my favorite team. The Twins have a quality club, some truly amazing players (see Joe Mauer winning the MVP tomorrow), and the excitement of a new ballpark.
Over 18,000 people visited Twins MVB in the past year and I want to thank you all. I try to continually improve the blog and I’m always open for suggestions and feedback. I’m excited for another year of running this blog and with the addition of Dan Wade to the team along with Dain TePoel and I there will certainly be good Twins content to read.
Tonight’s 643 Radio podcast with John Meyer and Andrew Wright takes a look at the Twins sweep of the Angels, Jason Kubel’s cycle, Torii Hunter’s desire to retire as a Twin, and much more…
Dear Twins MVB fans and readers today is a day to celebrate. Twins Most Valuable Blogger is celebrating its’ first birthday!
A year ago today, which was actually Thanksgiving Thursday, I wrote my first post about Torii Hunter signing with the Anaheim Angels. Funny how quickly things change in one year. Hunter seems like a thing of the past. In that first post I was writing about who will play centerfield, is Johan Santana going to stay a Twin, and how do the Twins rebound from a poor 2007.
Flash forward one year and it’s Justin Morneau just missed out on MVP, who’s going to play SS and 3B (which were also questions last year), and too bad we just missed the playoffs in 2008.
Doing this blog has been a great experience for me and I think the first year for the blog was a great succes. We had nearly 6,000 visitors in our first year (5,852 to be exact) and I’d like to thank every one of you for stopping by. The blog has continued to grow and evolve and I think we can get three times as many visitors in our 2nd year.
We have a few more exciting changes ahead this offseason for MVB so continue to come back, tell your friends, sign up for the RSS feed, link us on your blogs, and just spread the word about Twins MVB.
Thanks again sincerely to all our fans and readers and go Twins in 2009!
Rarely do the Twins get air time on ESPN but last night they seemed to be the topic of conversation. In case you missed it I’ll post the videos so you can see what’s the buzz about the Twins.
This first video discusses the big series this weekend impacting the AL Central. The White Sox start a 3-game set against the AL East leading Tampa Bay Rays tonight. The Twins had a great victory taking game 1 of a 4-game set against the AL West leading LA Angels. Torii Hunter made a rare mistake in center field which ended up being the difference in the game. Hunter had nice things to say about his former team.
Here Tim Kurkjian tells us how the Twins are contending in the AL Central. He mentions closer Joe Nathan, don’t look now…. but Nathan has an ERA under 1. The closer has allowed just 6 runs in 55 innings for an ERA of 0.98. WOW!
Also, if you love baseball and can appreciate a good story I would HIGHLY recommend reading this great ESPN article. It’s about the 2001 Little League World Series and how two boys: the star, Danny Almonte, and the tiny boy, Matthew Cerda, lives have been changed ever since.
I’d really recommend the article, but if you’re not a fan of reading (I guess you wouldn’t be here) you can watch the short video below…
So the first series is in the bag. After the adrenaline and excitement cooled from Opening Day, the Twins lost three games in a row against a strong Angels club. Other than Nick Blackburn’s outstanding start pitching was inconsistent and hitting has been awful. Justin Morneau is still hitless in 2008, but Joe Mauer had a good game yesterday, Jason Kubel hit the Twins first homerun of the season, Carlos Gomez is still using his electrifying speed, and most importantly the Angels will not visit the Metrodome again this year and we won’t have to watch any more of this…
Now we move on to the Royals, arguably the hottest team in baseball. With a quick glimpse at the AL Central, Cleveland, Chicago, and Minnesota in 2nd/3rd/4th respectively makes sense, but I don’t think anyone would have predicted an undefeated, first place Kansas City club and a winless Detroit team in the cellar. That’s why they play the game!
Kansas City got two great starts from their young pitchers Brian Bannister and Zack Greinke, and there young hitters Alex Gordon, Billy Butler, and Mark Teahen have been swinging strong bats. However, tonight Scott Baker takes the mound in his first 2008 start. Last year, Baker killed the Royals going 3-0 against KC and came within 2 outs of a no-hitter against this club. I’m looking for the Twins bats to wake up and the Twins to take 2 out of 3 at home in the dome.
As a part of the preview for the Twins/Royals series, Royals blogger Jeff Parker and the MVB teamed up and asked each other a few questions. Here are Parker’s thoughts on his Royals club…
1) What’s the biggest difference between this year’s Royals and last years club? Two things really; 1. Addition by subtraction. Odalis Perez, Jorge de la Rosa, Scott Elarton, Jason Larue, and Emil Brown are all gone. Last year Perez started the second game of the year and this season Brian Bannister did, big difference. 2. The young guys are all a year older and they seem locked in. Somebody forgot to tell them that they are supposed to lose 100 games. They (and new manager Trey Hillman) seem unaware of the culture of losing that has defined Royals baseball the last 15 years.
2) What one player from the Twins would you want to play for the Royals? I figure most people would say Mauer but he is a little too injury prone for my liking so I’d take former MVP Justin Morneau. He would provide a power hitter at a position where KC usually have been playing slap hitters (Ken Harvey, Doug Mientkiewicz, Ross Gload). Stick him after Gordon and Butler in KC’s lineup and they would score some runs.
3) If you were Royals GM, what’s the first move you would make? I would find another shortstop. Tony Pena Jr is a great defender but he just does not get on base enough to justify being a starter. If the Royals had an offense like the Yankees or Red Sox then they could live with a no hit all glove SS but they don’t so they need at least league average production from that position.
Thanks to Jeff for his insight, and to read my comments from Jeff’s questions just check out Royally Speaking right here.
Opening Day, the start of the Major League Baseball season and a sign of spring right? Well, on this opening day in 2008, large snow flakes were pelting the Metrodome roof and snow was blowing across the Minneapolis streets. Although it was cold and depressing outside the dome, things were warm and enjoyable inside the dome.
A 3-2 Twins victory saw a little bit of everything: great pitching, smooth defense, incredible baserunning, and timely hitting.
KEY STORYLINES
* Torii Hunter makes his return to the Metrodome with his new team. The veteran outfielder appeared choked up on the jumbo-tron as he was greeted with a warm welcome and video tribute from the Twins fans. Only a handful of boos were heard.
* Rookie Carlos Gomez greets Torii Hunter (the man he replaces in centerfield) and uses the Opening Day stage to prove to Twins fans why he was #1 prospect acquired in the trade for Johan Santana.
* In a surprise managerial move, Ron Gardenhire starts the righthanded Craig Monroe at DH over the lefthanded and favorable Jason Kubel upsetting many Twins fans across the blogosphere. Monroe went 0-3 while Kubel had a pinch hit double late in the game.
PLAYER OF THE GAME
Carlos Gomez was the star of the evening scoring 2 runs, stealing 2 bases, and going 2-3 with a double, a bunt single, and a walk. Gomez also made some great plays in centerfield certainly reminding Twins fans of the old #48. It was great to see such a solid debut from Gomez after such scrutiny of the package the Twins received from the Mets in the Santana deal. Now I’m not ready to crown Gomez as the Rookie of Year, but the performance was encouraging. There will be many 0-4 days with 2 strikeouts and an error for the young 22-year old, but hopefully there will be more days like last night.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
For proof of Gomez’s electric speed and athleticism, check out this video I caught of him stealing 2nd on Angels catcher Mike Napoli. This was Gomez’s second steal of the evening.
HIGHLIGHT
Although we all greeted Hunter with a warm welcome home, the highlight of the game would have to be when Joe Nathan came in for the save in the 9th inning and blew three pitches by Torii making the former teammate look silly. Every fan in the ballpark loved to see a little jab in Torii’s side. Hunter went 0-4.
RECAP
All in all, a great opening day. Newcomers Delmon Young and Brendan Harris picked up two hits, Livan pitched a great game, Gomez stole the show (literally), Nathan got a save, my dome dog tasted delicious, and the Twins are on pace to go 162-0. What’s our magic number?
The winter meetings are officially over and GM Bill Smith and his entourage have headed home to the Twin Cities. Most notably, Johan Santana is still wearing a Twins uniform.
Smith had many conversations, lot of players were discussed, and the media made a frenzy of the Santana sweepstakes, but in the end Smith and the Twins were not satisfied with their offers. Does this mean Santana will be a Twin when the 2008 season starts? Not so fast…talks have stalled for now, but expect many more rumors in the next couple weeks.
ESPN’s Buster Olney says the Santana discussions are far from over. Of all the potential suitors, Olney still feels the Red Sox are the favorite to acquire the All-Star pitcher.
The New York Mets have joined the Santana fray along with the Red Sox and many people still believe the New York Yankees are in on the talk although they claim they are done discussing Santana. Reports also claim the Seattle Mariners have explored deals for the Twins’ pitcher while both the Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels seems to be on the outside looking in. Fox Sport’s Dayn Perry breaks down all the possible Santana deals.
So Thanksgiving is over, the leftovers are in the fridge, and Torii’s days in Minnesota are officially over. As Twins fans begin to prepare for life after Torii, I’ve read many different reactions and responses to this move and what the Twins should do next.
Many fans claimed they where upset with Torii’s “false promises.” Throughout the entire offseason Hunter has said the Twins are still in the running and that they too have a chance to resign their star outfielder. Yet, when the Angels offer was on the table Hunter jumped ship without ever looking back. Fans were hurt by this and believed that the Twins never had a chance. Joe Christenson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes that Torii did want to stay.
Fans who weren’t upset with Torii seemed to be upset with the Twins. In many comments people wondered why the Twins would just let Torii go? What happened to the extra revenue created by the new stadium? When are the Twins going to open up the wallet? But as I said in the last post a big 5-year deal is simply not the right move for the Twins. I do wish when the Twins open up their season at the Metrodome on March 31 against the Angels the man in centerfield is wearing a TC on his hat and not a red A. Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star Tribune explains the Twins decision best.
Now what happens next?
It has been reported that the Twins made on contract offer to Johan Santana last week of 5-years, $93 million. This tops the Chicago Cubs recent extension of their star pitcher Carlos Zambrano of 5-years, $91 million. However, Santana rejected this offer and countered with a proposal that would match San Francisco Giants ace, Barry Zito, and his mega-deal signed last offseason. Buster Olney, a favorite sportswrite of mine, writes a daily blog on ESPN.com that compiles the his insight with the lastest baseball news from major newspapers around the country. He offers his view on the Twins and Santana.
It is clear the Twins and Santana currently have a major gap of roughly $33 million. Given the ridiculous markets in professional baseball, it is also clear that signing Santana for 7-years for $126 million is a bargain (if the words bargain and $126 million can be used in the same sentence). However, it has also been reported that the Twins have quietly spoke to a few clubs and asked what they would be willing to trade for Santana. So it seems the Twins are trying to gauge the market for their star pitcher.
Who knows what will happen next? Do the Twins finally break the bank and sign arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball to a long-term deal? Or do they couple the loss of Hunter with a trade of Santana and start to rebuild for the new ballpark in 2010?
Only time will tell, but I want to hear 1) what you think the Twins should do? and 2) what you think the Twins will do? Leave me a comment and let me know.
I’m the Minnesota Twins M.V.B. (Most Valuable Blogger). I’m here to provide the most informative and entertaining blog on the web about all things Minnesota Twins. Come here for the latest Twins news, rumors, opinions, trivia, videos, pictures, debates, and more.
I figured there wasn’t a better day to start off the 2008 season on than Thanksgiving. A day where we can give thanks to the Minnesota Twins. But not only can I think of a cheesy, pathetic way to incorporate the current season of harvest and giving of thanks between the pilgrims and the natives, but I have something newsworthy… INCREDIBLY newsworthy!
That’s right Twins fans, no more than 15 minutes ago MLB.com’s Harold Reynolds reported that “former” Minnesota Twins centerfielder and fan favorite, Torii Hunter, signed a 5-year deal with the “Los Angeles” Angels “of Anaheim” (aka the Anaheim/California Angels) worth an estimated $90 million dollars. That’s something to be thankful for! Terms of the contract had not been released and as always was of course pending a physical. Do they ever think these professional athletes are going to show up and surprisingly can’t run anymore? I guess it’s protecting your $90 million dollar investment.
Anyway, the deal happened late Wednesday night early Thanksgiving morning. It comes as quite a shocker as Torii just announced yesterday he was going to take the weekend to mull over his options and make a decision. Even more surprising was that sources said his options were coming from 5 teams: Chicago White Sox, Texas Rangers, LA Dodgers, Kansas City Royals, and the Washington Senators. The Twins were rumored to be steadfast with their 3-year offer of $45 million. So the news of the Angels winning the Hunter lottery comes out of leftfield, not center, as their name had never been mentioned.
Hunter now joins a crowded outfield lead by stud Vlad Guerrero, Garret Anderson, last year’s 5-year mega-deal signee Gary Matthew’s Jr., Juan Rivera, and Reggie Willits. Rumors have it that the Hunter move could be a precursor to moving an extra outfielder on to another team. This free agent sign coupled with the recent trade of Angels shortstop Orlando Cabrera to the White Sox for pitcher Jon Garland could be two moves setting up a blockbuster deal for Marlins All-Star 24-year old thirdbaseman Miguel Cabrera. With one trade and one giant free agent deal under his belt, it has already been a big offseason for 1st-year Angels GM Tony Reagins.
What does this mean for the Twins…
Well, certainly a great player, great teammate, and most importantly a great man is leaving the Twins organization and the city of Minneapolis. It is safe to say that Torii Hunter and all that he has brought to the Minnesota Twins in his career cannot be replaced. Did I want to see Torii in a Twins uniform next year? Certainly, but only at the right cost. I’m not sure if I wanted the small market Twins to pay Hunter $18 million a season 5 years from now when he is 37 years old and still crashing into walls and swinging at any pitch he sees. But I did want Torii to run out to CF in 2010 when the new stadium opens.
In an ideal world, we could have signed Torii to a generous 3-year deal. He would play three great years for us, open the new ballpark as the face of the franchise, and allow 3 more years to develop a suitable replacement within the organization. BUT baseball is a business and Torii Hunter did what was best for Torii Hunter. A hometown discount could not have been expected and the time has come for a Twins great to move on.
It’s a sad day in Twins Territory, but this is the first piece of big news in what will be a big offseason for the Twins. This deal is the first step in the process of the 2008 Twins roster taking shape. Do the Twins look to sign a free agent? (Andruw Jones, Aaron Rowand, Mike Cameron…not likely) Do they trade for a player like Coco Crisp…possibly? Or… GASP… frighteningly likely, do they fill this now huge hole with a player acquired in a trade of Johan Santana?
With the Baseball Winter Meetings starting at the beginning of December we may soon know. So continue to check this blog to see the latest news. Until then, leave a comment and let me know how you feel about Hunter signing with the Angels and life without Torii. Also, what should the Twins do next to fill their hole in CF?
This is the Twins M.V.B. going down 1,2,3 in the 9th.
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