The Terry Ryan Legacy

Twins' fans and the mainstream media were elated in early November when Bill Smith was fired and replaced by Terry Ryan as the Twins' General Manager. Memories of acquiring Johan Santana in Rule 5 draft and the AJ Pierszynki trade to the Giants for Bonser, Liriano and Nathan, had the Twins' faithful hopeful for a great off-season and "righting the ship" in 2012. The 2 latest transactions, re-signing Matt Capps for a year $4.75 Million with a second year option and losing a sandwich draft pick and trading Kevin Slowey to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later, started to bring back memories of the David Ortiz and Casey Blake releases and the Rondell White and Tony Batista signings. For the record, I do think that the Kevin Slowey trade could be worse than the David Ortiz release for the Twins. Here I am listing every transaction that Terry Ryan made as a Twins' GM. The worst decisions are in bold and the best in bold and underlined. The list is by season and from Baseball Reference.

1995:

Signed Bernardo Brito as a free agent.
Sold Tim McIntosh to Nippon Ham Fighters (Japan Pacific).
Selected Rich Robertson off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Drafted Brian Kowitz from the Atlanta Braves in the 1994 rule 5 draft.
Signed Matt Merullo as a free agent.
Signed Kevin Maas as a free agent.
Signed Riccardo Ingram as a free agent.
Signed Tom Quinlan as a free agent.
Signed Jerald Clark as a free agent.
Signed Vince Horsman as a free agent.
Signed Carl Willis as a free agent.
Signed Greg Harris as a free agent.
Returned Brian Kowitz (earlier draft pick) to the Atlanta Braves.
Released Carl Willis.
Released Kevin Campbell.
Signed Scott Pose as a free agent.
Drafted Mark Redman in the 1st round (13th pick) of the 1995 amateur draft. Player signed July 10, 1995.
Drafted A.J. Hinch in the 3rd round of the 1995 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Doug Mientkiewicz in the 5th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Player signed July 8, 1995.
Drafted Mike Moriarty in the 7th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Player signed June 18, 1995.
Drafted Jeff Harris in the 28th round of the 1995 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 1995.
Signed Fred Rath as an amateur free agent.
Traded Dave McCarty to the Cincinnati Reds. Received John Courtright.
Signed Scott Stewart as a free agent.
Released Bernardo Brito.
Kevin Maas granted Free Agency.
Traded Rick Aguilera to the Boston Red Sox. Received J.J. Johnson and Frankie Rodriguez.
Released Scott Stewart.
Signed Pat Lennon as a free agent.
Traded Mark Guthrie and Kevin Tapani to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Received Chris Latham, Ron Coomer, Greg Hansell and Jose Parra.
Released Greg Harris.
Released Vince Horsman.



1996:

Released Steve Dunn.
Oscar Munoz selected by the Baltimore Orioles off waivers.
Kimera Bartee drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 1995 rule 5 draft.
Signed Erik Bennett as a free agent.
Signed Paul Molitor as a free agent.
Signed Mike Milchin as a free agent.
Signed Greg Myers as a free agent.
Signed Rick Aguilera as a free agent.
Signed Dave Hollins as a free agent.
Signed Mike Misuraca as a free agent.
Signed Tom Quinlan as a free agent.
Signed Peter Moylan as an amateur free agent.
Signed Roberto Kelly as a free agent.
Released Aaron Fultz.
Released Brandon Puffer.
Selected Scott Aldred off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
Sent Mike Misuraca to the Milwaukee Brewers as part of a conditional deal.
Drafted Travis Lee in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed October 15, 1996.
Drafted Jacque Jones in the 2nd round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed August 6, 1996.
Drafted Chad Allen in the 4th round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed August 7, 1996.
Drafted Mike Ryan in the 5th round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed June 7, 1996.
Drafted Chad Moeller in the 7th round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 1996.
Drafted Mike Lincoln in the 13th round of the 1996 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1996.
Drafted Matt Kata in the 20th round of the 1996 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Mike Lamb in the 31st round of the 1996 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Josh Bard in the 35th round of the 1996 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Botched the signing of 1st Draft Pick Travis Lee, by not making an offer within the right time limit, rendering him a free agent
Mike Milchin selected by the Baltimore Orioles off waivers.
Traded Pat Mahomes to the Boston Red Sox. Received a player to be named later. The Boston Red Sox sent Brian Looney (December 17, 1996) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Traded Dave Hollins to the Seattle Mariners. Received a player to be named later. The Seattle Mariners sent David Ortiz (September 13, 1996) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.



1997:

Greg Hansell selected by the Boston Red Sox off waivers.
Signed Juan Rincon as an amateur free agent.
Signed Jon Shave as a free agent.
Released Brian Raabe.
Signed Terry Steinbach as a free agent.
Drafted Travis Baptist from the Toronto Blue Jays in the 1996 rule 5 draft.
Traded Matt Walbeck to the Detroit Tigers. Received Brent Stentz
Signed Bob Tewksbury as a free agent.
Signed Greg Swindell as a free agent.
Signed Eric Anthony as a free agent.
Signed Gregg Olson as a free agent.
Signed Grant Balfour as an amateur free agent.
Signed Kevin Baez as a free agent.
Signed Greg Colbrunn as a free agent.
Released Eric Anthony.
Sent Scott Klingenbeck to the Cincinnati Reds as part of a conditional deal.
Signed Darrin Jackson as a free agent.
Selected Kevin Jarvis off waivers from the Detroit Tigers.
Signed Brad Thomas as a free agent.
Released Gregg Olson.
Signed Luis Rodriguez as an amateur free agent.
Drafted Michael Cuddyer in the 1st round (9th pick) of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed August 19, 1997.
Drafted Matt LeCroy in the 1st round (50th pick) of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed August 6, 1997.
Drafted Michael Restovich in the 2nd round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed August 15, 1997.
Drafted Kevin Frederick in the 17th round of the 1997 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted J.C. Romero in the 21st round of the 1997 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 1997.
Drafted Nick Punto in the 33rd round of the 1997 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Kevin Jarvis selected by the Detroit Tigers off waivers.
Dave Stevens selected by the Chicago Cubs off waivers.
Traded Greg Colbrunn to the Atlanta Braves. Received a player to be named later. The Atlanta Braves sent Mark Lewis (minors) (October 1, 1997) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Traded Roberto Kelly to the Seattle Mariners. Received players to be named later. The Seattle Mariners sent Joe Mays (October 9, 1997) and Jeromy Palki (minors) (October 9, 1997) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Traded Darrin Jackson to the Milwaukee Brewers. Received a player to be named later. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Mick Fieldbinder (minors) (September 4, 1997) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Traded Greg Myers to the Atlanta Braves. Received a player to be named later. The Atlanta Braves sent Steve Hacker (minors) (December 18, 1997) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.


1998:

Signed Jon Shave as a free agent.
Brent Brede selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 25th pick in the 1997 expansion draft.
Damian Miller selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks as the 47th pick in the 1997 expansion draft.
Signed Esteban Beltre as a free agent.
Signed Chris Turner as a free agent.
Signed Paul Molitor as a free agent. 41 years old
Signed Otis Nixon as a free agent.
Traded Rich Becker to the New York Mets. Received Alex Ochoa.
Signed Mike Morgan as a free agent.
Signed Brent Gates as a free agent.
Signed Micheal Nakamura as an amateur free agent.
Signed Ricky Bones as a free agent.
Signed Orlando Merced as a free agent.
Traded Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees. Received Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, Danny Mota and cash.
Ryan Radmanovich selected by the Seattle Mariners off waivers.
Released Peter Moylan. (Current Altanta Braves Reliever)
Selected Hector Carrasco off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Released Chris Turner.
Released Ricky Bones.
Signed Doug Linton as a free agent.
Drafted Saul Rivera in the 9th round of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed June 11, 1998.
Drafted Mike Gosling in the 14th round of the 1998 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted J.J. Putz in the 17th round of the 1998 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Kevin Thompson in the 18th round of the 1998 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Juan Padilla in the 24th round of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed July 8, 1998.
Drafted Kevin Frederick in the 34th round of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed June 3, 1998.
Drafted Tommy Watkins in the 38th round of the 1998 amateur draft. Player signed June 7, 1998.
Fred Rath selected by the Colorado Rockies off waivers.
Traded Orlando Merced and Greg Swindell to the Boston Red Sox. Received Joe Thomas (minors), John Barnes and Matt Kinney.

1999:

Traded Mike Morgan to the Chicago Cubs. Received a player to be named later and cash. The Chicago Cubs sent Scott Downs (November 3, 1998) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Selected Fred Rath off waivers from the Colorado Rockies
Released Todd Ritchie.
Traded Dan Naulty to the New York Yankees. Received Allen Butler (minors).
Jon Shave selected by the Texas Rangers off waivers.
Traded Alex Ochoa to the Milwaukee Brewers. Received a player to be named later. The Milwaukee Brewers sent Darrell Nicholas (minors) (December 15, 1998) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Signed Brent Gates as a free agent.
Signed Melvin Nieves as a free agent.
Signed Eddie Williams as a free agent.
Signed Gary Rath as a free agent.
Pat Meares granted Free Agency - non-tendered
Signed George Williams as a free agent.
Signed Terry Steinbach as a free agent.
Signed Bob Wells as a free agent.
Signed Bobby Kielty as an amateur free agent.
Sold Melvin Nieves to Fukuoka Daiei Hawks (Japan Pacific).
Sold Dan Serafini to the Chicago Cubs.
Signed Gus Gandarillas as a free agent.
Selected Jack Cressend off waivers from the Boston Red Sox.
Signed Midre Cummings as a free agent.
Traded Rick Aguilera and Scott Downs to the Chicago Cubs. Received Kyle Lohse and Jason Ryan.
Frankie Rodriguez selected by the Seattle Mariners off waivers.
Drafted Rob Bowen in the 2nd round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed July 10, 1999.
Drafted Justin Morneau in the 3rd round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 17, 1999.
Drafted Brian Wolfe in the 6th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 15, 1999.
Drafted Brian Slocum in the 14th round of the 1999 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Travis Bowyer in the 20th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 1999.
Drafted Willie Eyre in the 23rd round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed June 11, 1999.
Drafted Terry Tiffee in the 26th round of the 1999 amateur draft. Player signed August 17, 1999.
Drafted Pat Neshek in the 45th round of the 1999 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Signed Tony Fiore as a free agent.
Signed Julio DePaula as an amateur free agent.
Traded George Williams to the Houston Astros. Received Josh Dimmick (minors).
Selected Mario Valdez off waivers from the Chicago White Sox.



2000:

Signed Jason Maxwell as a free agent.
Signed Robin Jennings as a free agent.
Traded Chris Latham to the Colorado Rockies. Received Scott Randall.
Traded Jared Camp (minors) to the Florida Marlins. Received Johan Santana and cash.
Signed Rick Greene as a free agent.
Signed Todd Rizzo as a free agent.
Signed Marcus Jensen as a free agent.
Signed Bobby Ayala as a free agent.
Signed Butch Huskey as a free agent.
Signed Dustan Mohr as a free agent.
Signed Jay Canizaro as a free agent.
Selected Casey Blake off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays.
Drafted Adam Johnson in the 1st round (2nd pick) of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed June 19, 2000.
Drafted Aaron Heilman in the 1st round (31st pick) of the 2000 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted J.D. Durbin in the 2nd round of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed July 18, 2000.
Drafted Jason Miller in the 4th round of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed July 4, 2000.
Drafted Josh Rabe in the 11th round of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed June 15, 2000.
Drafted Jason Kubel in the 12th round of the 2000 amateur draft. Player signed June 13, 2000.
Traded Francisco Alvarez (minors) to the Toronto Blue Jays. Received Mike Romano.
Scott Randall selected by the Texas Rangers off waivers.
Released Sean Bergman.
Traded Butch Huskey and Todd Walker to the Colorado Rockies. Received Todd Sears and cash.
Released Robin Jennings.
Traded Mario Valdez to the Oakland Athletics. Received Danny Ardoin.
Traded Midre Cummings to the Boston Red Sox. Received Hector De Los Santos (minors).
Traded Hector Carrasco to the Boston Red Sox. Received Lew Ford.
Signed Jason Simontacchi as a free agent.

2001:

Selected Willie Martinez off waivers from the Cleveland Indians.
Signed Jason Maxwell as a free agent.
Released Jason Ryan.
Drafted Brandon Knight from the New York Yankees in the 2000 rule 5 draft.
Signed Tom Prince as a free agent.
Ron Coomer granted Free Agency. - non-tendered
Released Mike Lincoln.
Released Jeff Harris.
Signed Trent Oeltjen as an amateur free agent.
Signed Mike Oquist as a free agent.
Signed Damon Hollins as a free agent.
Signed Mike Duvall as a free agent.
Returned Brandon Knight (earlier draft pick) to the New York Yankees.
Traded Chad Moeller to the Arizona Diamondbacks. Received Hanley Frias.
Signed Hector Carrasco as a free agent.
Signed Quinton McCracken as a free agent.
Signed Tony Fiore as a free agent.
Drafted Joe Mauer in the 1st round (1st pick) of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed July 17, 2001.
Drafted Jose Morales in the 3rd round of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed June 30, 2001.
Drafted Kevin Cameron in the 13th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed June 9, 2001.
Drafted Matt Macri in the 17th round of the 2001 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Nick Blackburn in the 29th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Player signed May 21, 2002.
Traded Hanley Frias to the St. Louis Cardinals. Received Larry Sutton.
Sent Damon Hollins to the Atlanta Braves as part of a conditional deal.
Traded Mark Redman to the Detroit Tigers. Received Todd Jones.
Traded Matt Lawton to the New York Mets. Received Rick Reed.
John Barnes selected by the Colorado Rockies off waivers.
Casey Blake selected by the Baltimore Orioles off waivers.

2002:

Selected Casey Blake off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
Signed David Lamb as a free agent.
Saul Rivera selected by the New York Mets off waivers.
Drafted Joe Dillon from the Kansas City Royals in the 2001 minor league draft.
Signed Kurt Abbott as a free agent.
Signed Brian Meadows as a free agent.
Signed Michael Jackson as a free agent.
Signed Alex Prieto as a free agent.
Signed David Lee as a free agent.
Signed Scott Randall as a free agent.
Signed Jose Mijares as an amateur free agent.
Signed Warren Morris as a free agent.
Released Brian Meadows.
Signed Mike Trombley as a free agent.
Signed Frank Mata as an amateur free agent.
Signed Garrett Jones as a free agent.
Released Mike Trombley.
Drafted Denard Span in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 2002 amateur draft. Player signed August 15, 2002.
Drafted Jesse Crain in the 2nd round of the 2002 amateur draft. Player signed July 13, 2002.
Drafted Pat Neshek in the 6th round of the 2002 amateur draft. Player signed June 20, 2002.
Drafted Adam Lind in the 8th round of the 2002 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Kyle Phillips in the 10th round of the 2002 amateur draft. Player signed June 24, 2002.
Drafted Evan Meek in the 11th round of the 2002 amateur draft. Player signed May 27, 2003.
Drafted Jeff Clement in the 12th round of the 2002 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Garrett Mock in the 14th round of the 2002 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Traded Warren Morris to the St. Louis Cardinals. Received a player to be named later. The St. Louis Cardinals sent Seth Davidson (minors) (June 20, 2002) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Signed Jose Rodriguez as a free agent.
Signed Alex Romero as an amateur free agent.
Signed David Manning as a free agent.
Traded Brian Buchanan to the San Diego Padres. Received Jason Bartlett.
Signed Luke Hughes as an amateur free agent.



2003:

Released Casey Blake.
Jack Cressend selected by the Cleveland Indians off waivers.
Released Jose Rodriguez.
Signed Ben Ford as a free agent.
Traded Matt Kinney and Javier Valentin to the Milwaukee Brewers. Received Gerry Oakes (minors) and Matt Yeatman (minors).
Signed Carlos Pulido as a free agent.
David Manning drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2002 rule 5 draft.
Drafted Jose Morban from the Texas Rangers in the 2002 rule 5 draft.
Released David Ortiz.
Signed Chris Gomez as a free agent.
Signed Jose Rodriguez as a free agent.
Signed Mike Fetters as a free agent.
Signed Kenny Rogers as a free agent.
Released Joe Dillon.
Released Ben Ford.
Kevin Frederick selected by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers.
Jose Morban selected by the Baltimore Orioles off waivers
Signed Todd Erdos as a free agent.
Released Jose Rodriguez.
Drafted Scott Baker in the 2nd round of the 2003 amateur draft. Player signed June 20, 2003.
Drafted Levale Speigner in the 14th round of the 2003 amateur draft. Player signed June 6, 2003.
Drafted John Gaub in the 25th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Travis Metcalf in the 38th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Mike Hollimon in the 49th round of the 2003 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Signed James Baldwin as a free agent.
Signed Horacio Estrada as a free agent.
Released Tom Prince.
Traded Bobby Kielty to the Toronto Blue Jays. Received a player to be named later and Shannon Stewart. The Toronto Blue Jays sent Dave Gassner (December 15, 2003) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
James Baldwin granted Free Agency.
Traded a player to be named later to the New York Yankees. Received Jesse Orosco. The Minnesota Twins sent Juan Padilla (September 2, 2003) to the New York Yankees to complete the trade.
Traded Todd Sears to the San Diego Padres. Received Alex Garcia (minors).



2004:

Selected Sean Douglass off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
Released Horacio Estrada.
Signed Seth Greisinger as a free agent.
Traded A.J. Pierzynski and cash to the San Francisco Giants. Received Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Joe Nathan.
Selected Matt Guerrier off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Signed Chris Heintz as a free agent.
Signed Greg Halman as an amateur free agent.
Selected Augie Ojeda off waivers from the Chicago Cubs.
Signed Peter Munro as a free agent.
Signed Joe Roa as a free agent.
Traded Eric Milton to the Philadelphia Phillies. Received a player to be named later, Nick Punto and Carlos Silva. The Philadelphia Phillies sent Bobby Korecky (December 17, 2003) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Signed Shannon Stewart as a free agent.
Traded Dustan Mohr to the San Francisco Giants. Received a player to be named later. The San Francisco Giants sent J.T. Thomas (minors) (December 17, 2003) to the Minnesota Twins to complete the trade.
Signed Henry Blanco as a free agent.
Augie Ojeda granted Free Agency. - non-tendered
Signed Augie Ojeda as a free agent.
Rick Reed granted Free Agency. non-tendered
Signed Kevin Tolar as a free agent.
Signed Aaron Fultz as a free agent.
Signed Juan Diaz as a free agent.
Signed Rick Helling as a free agent.
Signed Brian Simmons as a free agent.
Signed Jose Offerman as a free agent.
Signed Andrew Lorraine as a free agent.
Sean Douglass selected by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers.
Released Andrew Lorraine.
Sent Kevin Tolar to the Chicago Cubs as part of a conditional deal.
Free agent signing of Greg Halman voided
Purchased Terry Mulholland from the Seattle Mariners.
Micheal Nakamura selected by the Toronto Blue Jays off waivers.
Signed Joe Beimel as a free agent.
Sold Brad Thomas to the Boston Red Sox.
Sold Todd Erdos to the Milwaukee Brewers.
Signed Todd Dunwoody as a free agent.
Released Peter Munro.
Released Rick Helling.
Signed Gary Glover as a free agent.
Drafted Trevor Plouffe in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2004.
Drafted Glen Perkins in the 1st round (22nd pick) of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 30, 2004.
Drafted Kyle Waldrop in the 1st round (25th pick) of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2004.
Drafted Matt Fox in the 1st round (35th pick) of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 21, 2004.
Drafted Anthony Swarzak in the 2nd round of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 21, 2004.
Drafted Matt Tolbert in the 16th round of the 2004 amateur draft. Player signed June 16, 2004.
Drafted Rene Tosoni in the 34th round of the 2004 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Released Gary Glover.
Signed Wilson Ramos as an amateur free agent.
Released Brian Simmons.
As part of a 4-team trade, traded Doug Mientkiewicz to the Boston Red Sox. Received Justin Jones (minors) from the Chicago Cubs. In addition, the Boston Red Sox sent Nomar Garciaparra and Matt Murton to the Chicago Cubs; the Montreal Expos sent Orlando Cabrera to the Boston Red Sox; ; and the Chicago Cubs sent Francis Beltran, Alex Gonzalez and Brendan Harris to the Montreal Expos.
Traded B.J. Garbe (minors) to the Seattle Mariners. Received Pat Borders.
Selected Corky Miller off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds.


2005:

Aaron Fultz selected by the Philadelphia Phillies off waivers.
Released Seth Greisinger.
Signed Jason Tyner as a free agent.
Signed Gil Velazquez as a free agent.
Signed Juan Castro as a free agent.
Signed Mike Redmond as a free agent.
Signed Brad Radke as a free agent.
Drafted Ryan Rowland-Smith from the Seattle Mariners in the 2004 rule 5 draft.
Drafted Armando Gabino from the Cleveland Indians in the 2004 minor league draft.
Signed Bud Smith as a free agent.
Signed Glenn Williams as a free agent.
Signed Terry Mulholland as a free agent.
Signed Trey Hodges as a free agent.
Signed Pat Strange as a free agent.
Signed Brent Abernathy as a free agent.
Signed Andy Fox as a free agent.
Signed Eric Munson as a free agent.
Released Adam Johnson.
Signed C.J. Nitkowski as a free agent.
Signed Armando Rios as a free agent.
Returned Ryan Rowland-Smith (earlier draft pick) to the Seattle Mariners.
Released Andy Fox.
Released Eric Munson.
Released C.J. Nitkowski.
Michael Restovich selected by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays off waivers.
Signed Jimmy Anderson as a free agent.
Released Trey Hodges.
Released Brian Wolfe.
Drafted Matt Garza in the 1st round (25th pick) of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed June 13, 2005.
Drafted Kevin Slowey in the 2nd round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed June 13, 2005.
Drafted Brian Duensing in the 3rd round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed June 26, 2005.
Drafted Steven Tolleson in the 5th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed July 3, 2005.
Drafted Alex Burnett in the 12th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed June 15, 2005.
Drafted Yonder Alonso in the 16th round of the 2005 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Rene Tosoni in the 36th round of the 2005 amateur draft. Player signed May 25, 2006.
Released Jimmy Anderson.
Released Evan Meek.
Received Bret Boone from the Seattle Mariners as part of a conditional deal.
Released Bret Boone.
Signed Brian Buchanan as a free agent.


2006:

Signed Jason Tyner as a free agent.
Terry Mulholland granted Free Agency.
Jacque Jones granted Free Agency. - non tendered
Signed Mike Smith as a free agent.
Signed Glenn Williams as a free agent.
Traded Scott Tyler (minors) and Travis Bowyer to the Florida Marlins. Received Luis Castillo.
Drafted Jason Pridie from the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 2005 rule 5 draft.
Traded J.C. Romero to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. Received Alexi Casilla.
Signed Jason Hart as a free agent.
Signed Tony Batista as a free agent.
Signed Andres Torres as a free agent.
Grant Balfour granted Free Agency. - non tendered
Signed Shawn Wooten as a free agent.
Signed Matt Ford as a free agent.
Signed Rondell White as a free agent.
Signed Darrell May as a free agent.
Signed Ryan Glynn as a free agent.
Signed Peter Munro as a free agent.
Signed Tim Raines as a free agent.
Signed Ruben Sierra as a free agent.
Signed Dennys Reyes as a free agent.
Signed Steve Lomasney as a free agent.
Released Ryan Glynn.
Released Tim Raines.
Released Darrell May.
Rob Bowen selected by the Detroit Tigers off waivers.
Returned Jason Pridie (earlier draft pick) to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
Released Kyle Phillips.
Sent Jason Hart to the Texas Rangers as part of a conditional deal.
Drafted Chris Parmelee in the 1st round (20th pick) of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed June 22, 2006.
Drafted Joe Benson in the 2nd round of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed June 10, 2006.
Drafted Brian Dinkelman in the 8th round of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed June 8, 2006.
Drafted Jeff Manship in the 14th round of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed August 8, 2006.
Drafted Andrew Oliver in the 17th round of the 2006 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Danny Valencia in the 19th round of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed July 9, 2006.
Drafted J.D. Martinez in the 36th round of the 2006 amateur draft, but did not sign the player.
Drafted Anthony Slama in the 39th round of the 2006 amateur draft. Player signed June 4, 2007.
Released Tony Batista.
Traded Juan Castro to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Brandon Roberts (minors).
Signed Rob Delaney as an amateur free agent.
Purchased Donaldo Mendez from Newark (Atlantic).
Released Ruben Sierra.
Signed Erubiel Durazo as a free agent.
Signed Quinton McCracken as a free agent.
Traded Kyle Lohse to the Cincinnati Reds. Received Zach Ward (minors).
Released Steve Lomasney.
Released Erubiel Durazo.
Traded a player to be named later to the Chicago Cubs. Received Phil Nevin and cash. The Minnesota Twins sent Adam Harben (minors) (September 5, 2006) to the Chicago Cubs to complete the trade.

2007:

Signed Carmen Cali as a free agent.
Drafted Brian Buscher from the San Francisco Giants in the 2006 rule 5 draft.
Kevin Cameron drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2006 rule 5 draft.
Drafted Alejandro Machado from the Washington Nationals in the 2006 rule 5 draft.
Levale Speigner drafted by the Washington Nationals in the 2006 rule 5 draft.
Willie Eyre granted Free Agency. -non-tendered
Luis Rodriguez granted Free Agency. -non-tendered
Signed Mike Venafro as a free agent.
Signed Jeff Cirillo as a free agent.
Signed Luis Rodriguez as a free agent.
Signed Ken Harvey as a free agent.
Signed Brad Voyles as a free agent.
Signed Randy Choate as a free agent.
Signed Sidney Ponson as a free agent.
Signed Matt LeCroy as a free agent.
Alex Romero selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks off waivers.
Signed Ramon Ortiz as a free agent.
Signed Luis Ugueto as a free agent.
Signed Brian Bass as a free agent.
Signed Liam Hendriks as an amateur free agent.
Released Randy Choate.
J.D. Durbin selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks off waivers.
Sold Mike Venafro to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Released Sidney Ponson.
Drafted Ben Revere in the 1st round (28th pick) of the 2007 amateur draft. Player signed June 11, 2007.
Signed Mark Hamburger as an amateur free agent.
The Washington Nationals returned Levale Speigner (earlier draft pick).
Traded Levale Speigner to the Washington Nationals. Received Darnell McDonald.
Traded Luis Castillo to the New York Mets. Received Dustin Martin (minors) and Drew Butera.
Jeff Cirillo selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks off waivers.
Signed Jerome Williams as a free agent.
Traded Ramon Ortiz to the Colorado Rockies. Received Matt Macri.
Selected Chris Basak off waivers from the New York Yankees.


2012:

Signed Brian Dinkelman as a free agent.
Signed Jared Burton as a free agent.
Signed Jamey Carroll as a free agent.
Signed Samuel Deduno as a free agent.
Signed Wilkin Ramirez as a free agent.
Signed Matt Carson as a free agent.
Signed Jason Bulger as a free agent.
Signed Phil Dumatrait as a free agent.
Signed Luis Perdomo as a free agent.
Signed Daryl Thompson as a free agent.
Signed Ryan Doumit as a free agent.
Selected Pedro Florimon off waivers from the Baltimore Orioles.
Signed Matt Capps as a free agent.
Traded Kevin Slowey to the Colorado Rockies for a player to be named later.


So overall, a lot of moves, some good, more bad and ever more inconsequential. Terry Ryan is not the magic wand a lot of people believe and, at this point, probably not the correct person to lead the Twins' organization. What do you think?

Who is the newest Twins' player Pedro Florimon Jr?

On the first day of the Winter Meetings the Twins announced that the claimed Pedro Florimon Jr. from Baltimore Orioles, filling up the 39th spot in their 40-man roster. This means that they can select one player in the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft and might need to trade or waive players currently on the 40-men roster to sign free agents or accommodate players incoming via trades. This move should not come as a surprise, since I indicated that the Twins were likely to look for an infielder or a pitcher with the rule 5 draft. Acquiring an infielder today, almost makes it a lock that will be after a pitcher this Thursday.



Pedro Florimon Jr, was born in the Dominican on December 10, 1986 (will turn 25 this week) and has been signed as an amateur free agent at 17 years old by the Orioles. He played for 2 seasons in the Dominican Summer League, before making the jump into the US minors in 2006 with the Bluefield Orioles (A, Appalachian League.) Since 2009 he has been playing at the Eastern League Bowie Baysox (AA, with a couple of trips in the SALLY and Carolina Leagues) so the Twins had plenty of opportunity to see him play against the New Britain Rock Cats. His 6-year career minor league line is .247/.322/.354 with 27 HR, 240 RBI, 292R, 89 SB in 2428 plate appearances. Last season in AA, he hit .267/.344/.396 with 8 HR and 15 SB. Defensively, he has exceptional range and instincts, but he (more than occasionally) botches easy plays. In 602 games at SS, he has 174 errors but also turned 363 double plays. He has a strong arm and has some occasional gap power with the bat.

All in all, he is very similar to a younger Alexi Casilla and would need some work with his concentration on the field. I think that the Twins signed him as organizational depth at this point, since there are no pure short stops in the higher levels of the organization. If he improves his error rate, he could possibly win a bench position with the Twins.

Potential Rule 5 Draft Targets for the Twins

The Rule 5 Draft occurs at the final day of the Winter Meetings, Thursday. Previously, I listed the Twins' liabilities in the draft (The link contains a detailed explanation of the rules for both the major and minor league parts of the Rule 5 Draft as well.) Here I am attempting to present potential players who might interest the Twins in the major league portion of the Draft. I feel that the Twins (who are picking second; and last time they picked second they selected Johan Santana - via a switch with the Marlins) will look at either a middle infielder with sure hands or a pitcher. Here is a list of potential targets with the two most likely highlighted:

Position Players

Ryan Flaherty (Cubs) IF/OF



2008 Cubs suplemental pick SS Vanderbilt 6'5" 220 lbs, bats left, throws right, 25 years old. 175 games at 2B (.984 FP), 111 games at SS (.940 FP), 102 games at 3B (.904 FP), 4 games at 1B and 41 games at OF (1.000 FP). Sure handed especially at second base, some pop with the bat, limited range. His potential ceiling is Dan Uggla, but profiles nicely as a utility bench player with occasional starts at second base. Career minor league line .278/.346/.462, never played lower than low A, last season split between AA Tennessee and AAA Iowa: .280/.347/.478, 19 HR, 88 RBI, 74 R at 530 PA.

Others (alphabetically) :

Nick Noonan (Giants) 2B/SS
Gustavo Nunez (Tigers) SS
Tony Delmonico (Dodgers) IF/C
Reynaldo Rodriguez (Red Sox) 1B/OF - if the Twins think out of the box and try to fill their OF need via the Rule 5 Draft.


Pitchers

Tyler Cloyd (Phillies) RHP

2008 Phillies 18th round pick. PHR. 6'3" 190 lbs. Out of Bellevue, NE. Attended University of Nebraska, Omaha (suspended for academic reasons after his sophome season.) 24 years old. Mainly a starter, career MiLB performance: 3.63 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, 7.4 K/9, 3.84 K/BB. Last season in AA Reading 2.78 ERA, 1.088 WHIP, 8.4 K/9 and 6.60 K/BB in 17 starts. Very much a Twins' type of pitcher. Low 90s FB, impeccable control, paints the corners and uses his off-speed stuff often. Also gets a lot of ground balls. Projects either as a mid rotation starter or as a set up guy.

Others (alphabetically) :

Cesar Cabral (Boston) LHP
Dayan Diaz (Astros) RHP
John Ely (Dodgers) RHP
Paolo Espino (Cleveland) RHP
Charlie Haeger (Red Sox) RHP
Ethan Martin (Dodgers) RHP
Diego Moreno (Pirates) RHP
Brad Meyers (Nationals) RHP
Erasmo Ramirez (Mariners) RHP
B.J. Rosenberg (Philies) RHP
Ryan Searle (Cubs) RHP
Cole St. Clair (Dodgers) LHP
Mickey Storey (Astros) RHP
Phillip Valiquette (Mariners) LHP
Pat Venditte (Yankees) Switch Pitching (he will certainly draw fans just to watch)

If you want to follow the Winter Meetings and specific the Twins activity, here are a few places that will worth your time:

• Each night, Seth Stohs and Fanatic Jack have a winter meetings podcast discussing happenings at the meetings with their guests. These podcasts are for an hour starting at 10 PM EDT/9 PM CDT and started last night


• The folks over at Knuckleballs have a nightly Twins' fans chat between 8-10PM EDT/7-9PM CDT every night of the meetings


• Last but not least, ESPN 1500 Twin Cities is live streaming their broadcasts, so if something happens you will here it there

Transactions involving former Twins - November edition

I was asked to do this by @CapitalBabs of Knuckleballs fame, since I have been tweeted them as the came, so here it is. I will make a monthly list of all transactions involving former major and minor league Twins' players. I normally will not talk about coaching and front office positions, but I think that Chili Davis is a remarkable one, so it is included here. Every month, I will be adding the new transactions and will clean the slate once the 2012 season starts in April. If you want to follow those as they come, feel free to follow me on twitter (@thrylos98) or look at the left hand side box with my tweets.

Here are the November transactions involving Twins' players (caveat, might be incomplete because some of those are announced a tad late) :

Arizona Diamondbacks:

C Henry Blanco (major league; free agent, November 2011)

Atlanta Braves:

LHP Dusty Hughes (minor league; free agent, November 2011)

Los Angeles Dodgers:

IF Adam Kennedy (major league; free agent, November 2011)

Oakland Athletics:

-Coach Chili Davis (named MLB hitting coach, November 2011)-
OF Jason Pridie (minor league; free agent, November 2011)

Seattle Mariners:

RHP Matt Fox (minor league; free agent, November 2011)
SS Luis Rodriguez (minor league; free agent, November 2011)


Texas Rangers:

RHP Joe Nathan (major league; free agent, November 2011)

Twins' Winter Meetings Primer

Happy new month! Every year as December rolls in, for about a week, baseball executives, free agents, player agents, a bunch of vendors of baseball equipment and goodies, people who are looking for a job in a baseball organization, and a whole lot of of folks with press passes begin their flight to a particular warm place, like migratory birds, to discuss particular business matters, sign free agents, trade players and conduct the major league and minor league parts of the Rule 5 draft. In addition to "baseball business", these annual meetings include a huge expo of baseball vendors and a very large job fair (officially called: "The Baseball Trade Show" & the "Professional Baseball Employment Opportunities Job Fair", thus the plural in the "Winter Meetings,) but I will not focus on these two at this point. This year's meeting place is the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas, TX, between December 5th and 8th. A few important dates before and during these meetings:

• Today, December 1st is the last day to place a player on waivers before the Rule 5 Draft


• December 5th, the first day of the meetings, is the last day to outright a player (who went through the aforementioned waivers) before the Rule 5 draft (thus making him subject to the draft)


• December 7th is the last day for free agents who were offered arbitration to accept (in the Twins' case this is Cuddyer and Kubel)


• December 8th, the last day of the meetings, is when the Rule 5 draft takes place. I presented the rules of both major and minor league phases of the draft here and looked at the Twins' liabilities.


• December 12th, midnight, is the last day to tender a contract. This is really important and will have consequences in the Winter Meetings, because this year it comes after the meetings. This is the day where teams can non-tender someone, so this off-season they can shop someone in the meetings without other teams knowing that he will be non-tendered. A player in this situation with the Twins is Jose Mijares.

Here, I will attempt to guess what the Twins will do (i.e. what could happen)instead of what the prime outcome should be ( i.e. what should happen.)
To try to do this, we need to establish a baseline, so, here is a look at the Twins depth chart before the Winter meetings, accounting for all players in the 40 man roster (38 spots occupied currently):

C Mauer/Doumit/(Butera)
1B Morneau/Doumit/Mauer/Hughes (Parmelee)
2B Casilla*/Carroll/Hughes(Nishioka)
3B Valencia/Carroll/Hughes
SS Carroll/Casilla*/ (Nishioka)
LF Revere/Plouffe/Span/(Benson)/(Tosoni)
CF Span/Revere/(Benson)
RF Plouffe/Doumit/Span/Mauer/(Tosoni)/(Arcia)
DH Doumit/Morneau/Plouffe/Hughes/Mauer/(Tosoni)/(Parmelee)

Bench Hughes
Bench ?
Bench ?
Bench ?

SP Baker
SP Liriano*
SP Pavano
SP Slowey*
SP Blackburn/Swarzak/Duensing/(Hendricks)/(Diamond)

CL ?
LHRP Perkins*
LHRP Duensing
LHRP Mijares*/(Maloney)/(Robertson)
RHRP Oliveros/(Vasquez)/(Gray)/(Hoey)/(Waldrop)/(Burnett)/(Guerra)/(Gutierrez)
RHRP (Burnett)/Oliveros/(Vasquez)/(Gray)/(Hoey)/(Waldrop)/(Guerra)/(Gutierrez)
SWING RP Swarzak/Blackburn/Duensing/(Hendricks)/(Diamond)

Baseball fans, unlike other sports' are not really used to seeing or using depth charts much, but I think that the make sense, because the starting lineups are rarely the same in a season. To translate a depth chart into a starting lineup, just read the first name of each position. Straight forward. The players with in parenthesis either have options left or can be waived. The players with an asterisk are arbitration eligible.

So far this off-season (in addition to the front office changes), the Twins signed free agents Jamie Carroll and Ryan Doumit and announced that Trevor Plouffe will be considered and Outfielder for the organization going on; they also signed several relievers in minor league contracts, and a couple of them were added to the 40-man roster. Let's examine what the next steps are for the Twins and what could happen within next week:

• First of all they need to decide whether the 40-man roster is set or not before today's deadline. I do not foresee any changes, but potentially, Jeff Gray, Esmerling Vasquez and Matt Maloney, for example could be waived. I do not expect that to happen


• Second order of business would be to decide whether they will tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players: Alexi Casilla ($1.25M award estimated), Fransisco Liriano ($5.5M estimated), Jose Mijares ($800K estimated), Glen Perkins ($1.5M estimated) and Kevin Slowey ($3.5M estimated.) It is of note that the Twins either traded or waived the other 4 arbitration-eligible players: Phil Doumatrait (who later re-signed in a minor league contract), Jason Repko, Matt Tolbert and Delmon Young. Glen Perkins is a lock to be offered arbitration. It is very likely that Liriano and Casilla would be offered arbitration and less likely that Slowey and Mijares would be. Expect the Twins to make a decision and listen to offers for any of these 4 players other than Perkins. Depending on whether they get any satisfactory offers, expect some of the 4 to be traded. If not, I fully expect most of them to return, since the salaries of Liriano and Slowey would be below going rate for starting pitching, Casilla would be making just north of a million (or less that half for what they paid Carroll) and he has shown moments of brilliance and Mijares (who is the most likely candidate to be non-tendered) will cost just North of minimum salary


• Then the Twins will visit with agents that represent their 3 free agents (Cuddyer, Kubel and Capps.) These visits might be just typical at this point, because the free agent market, other than late inning relievers, has not been settled without the singings of Pujols, Fielder, Reyes, Rollings, Ortiz. The Twins might make an offer to Capps, but based a. on the contract that Jonathan Broxton received (1 yr, $4M + incentives) to be a set-up man for the Royals (and I suspect that would be the starting point for the discussions from Capps' side) and b. the fact that the Twins' will get a free sandwich draft piok if Capps signs elsewhere, I do not see a lot happening there. There has been a lot of talk about the Twins fighting hard about both Cuddyer and Capps, and to a lesser degree Kubel, by Twins' officials. I think that they have to do this, because it ensures good relationships with the players' agents (i.e. show that they are still in the run, making the probability of another team to sign them faster greater), it makes their free agents more desirable (thus increases the probability that they would not accept arbitration and the Twins will receive a pick or two.) Thus, I do not foresee much on the 3 free agents or others (other than minor signings) before the big free agents sign.


• Trying to at least start or assume discussions about trades for a closer and further middle infield help (pieces that Terry Ryan indicated that they will come outside the organization.) A thing of note: the Twins have only 2 open spots on their 40-man roster (and I think that one of them will get filled in the rule 5 draft, more on that later) and thus the players who can trade are probably on that roster (with prospects added to balance the trade either way.) In addition to the 4 arbitration eligible players discussed earlier, the 2 players out of options, Plouffe and Hughes, and any of the starting pitchers under contract not named Baker (that is Pavano and Blackburn,) as well as Danny Valencia and Denard Span, could be on the block, for the right return. If no starting pitchers are moved (look at the bottleneck above in the depth chart, and they really do not have to be moved) I do not expect the Twins to go after another starting pitcher. There have been several reports linking the Twins with free agent outfielders, but again, unless it is a second-tier FA, I think that Winter Meetings is too early for that to happen, unless someone like Pujols or Fielder establishes the market.


• Last point of order will be the Rule 5 draft. It is very likely that the Twins will select a player. Players under target this year would be either relief pitchers with a decent control who lack a secondary pitch (and hope to gain in ST) or middle infielders with good gloves to fight for a bench spot. I expect at least one pick from these 2 categories in the Rule 5 draft.

So here it is. My crystal ball is turned off, and that is what I expect to happen (or not happen) early next week (and, to re-clarify, not what I want to happen). What do you think?

The best to ever play for the Twins by letter

Turning my attention off the shimmering off-season hot stove, a couple of days ago, I created a subjective list of the best baseball people to ever wear a particular Twins’ uniform number.

In the same spirit, I am presenting a list of the best Twins’ players whose last names begin with a particular letter.Unlike the previous list, this list includes players only. So the ABCs are slightly different than the 123s.

The premise is similar: who is the best (i.e. best overall performance as a player, not only as a Twin) to ever play for the Twins and his last name starts with a particular letter. The complete list of all the Twins' players can be found here. It also includes all Washington Senators players as well as players who were in the Twins’ 40-man roster even if they did not play a single inning in the majors (but these players are not included in the list below - but, if you wait, a whole player ranking - and that will be objective - in the Franchise Series is coming up either this weekend or next week).

Here is the list (I use the parenthesis to indicate close seconds and specifics about the particular letter like how many players’ last names started with that letter. No Twin -or Senator for that matter- had a last name that started with the letter X) Asterisks denote MLB Hall of Fame members, the positions and years with the Twins' Franchise are indicated. I am sure that there are some surprises, and I do encourage discussion:

A - Bob Allison (OF) 1958-1970
B - *Bert Blyleven (P) 1970-1976, 1985-1988
C - *Rod Carew (IF) 1967-1978 (close over P *Steve Carlton)
D - Chili Davis (OF/DH) 1991-1992
E - Scott Erickson (P) 1990-1995
F - Brian Fuentes (P) 2010
G - Gary Gaetti (3B) 1981-1990
H - Kent Hrbek (1B) 1981-1994
I - Riccardo Ingram (OF/DH) 1995 (only 2 players; the other C Hank Izquierdo)
J - Jacque Jones (OF) 1999-2005, 2010
K - *Harmon Killebrew (IF) 1954-1974
L - Francisco Liriano (P) 2004- (close over OF Matt Lawton)
M - *Paul Molitor (DH) 1996-1998
N - Joe Nathan (P) 2004-2011
O - Tony Oliva (OF) 1962-1976 (close over 1B/DH Dave Ortiz)
P - *Kirby Puckett (OF) 1984-1995
Q - Frank Quilici (IF) 1965-1970 (only 3 players; others: 3B Tom Quinlan & 3B Luis Quinones)
R - Brad Radke (P) 1995-2006
S - Johan Santana (P) 2000-2008
T - Jim Thome (DH) 2010-2011
U - Ted Uhlaender (OF) 1965-1969 (only 2 players; the other 1B Scott Ullger, yes that Scott Ulger)
V - Frank Viola (P) 1982-1989 (close over Zoilo Versalles)
W - *Dave Winfield (OF) 1993-1994
X - no players
Y - Delmon Young (OF) 2007-2011 (only 2 players; the other P Rich Yett)
Z - Geoff Zahn (P) 1977-1980 (only 3 players; others: P Bill Zepp, C Jerry Zimmerman)

Pretty good 24 man roster; what do you think?

The best to ever wear a particular Twins' uniform number (by number)

The hot stove has been shimmering these days in preparation for next week's Winter Meetings (even though I do not have it beyond the Twins to announce that they have signed someone like Johnathan Broxton to an one year contract soon,) so here is a list I did just for fun.

The premise is simple: who is the best (i.e. best overall performance as a player, manager, coach, esecutive etc, not only with the Twins and not only when wore that particular uniform number) to ever wear a particular Twins' uniform number. If a particular person wore multiple numbers he qualifies for all numbers.

The complete list of all the Twins' players and coaches and their uniform number can be found here. (So please go over there and tell me whether I should have included someone else in my list.)

Some numbers are easy, because there is only one person who wore them. An "*" denotes place in MLB HOF, an "^" the only Twin to wear than particular number.

Here is the list (n parenthesis the years the person listed wore that number) :

^0 Junior Ortiz, 1990-91
1 Luis Castillo, 2006-07
2 Zoilo Versalles, 1961-67
3 *Harmon Killebrew, 1961-74
4 *Paul Molitor, 1996-98 2000-01, 2003 (Coach)
5 Michael Cuddyer, 2001-11
6 Tony Oliva, 1964-75, 1976 (Player-Coach) 1977-78, 1985-91 (Coach)
7 Joe Mauer, 2004-11
8 Gary Gaetti, 1982-90
9 Gene Larkin, 1987-93
10 Tom Kelly, 1987-2001 (Manager)
11 Chuck Knoblauch, 1991-97
12 Cesar Tovar, 1965-72
13 Todd Walker, 1996
14 Kent Hrbek, 1982-94
15 Al Worthington, 1964-68
16 Frank Viola, 1982-89
17 Camilo Pascual, 1961-66
18 Don Baylor, 1987
19 Scott Erickson, 1991-95
20 Billy Beane, 1986-87
21 Eric Milton, 2000-03
22 Brad Radke, 1996-2006
23 Jim Lemon, 1961-63
24 Shane Mack, 1990-94
25 Jim Thome, 2010-11
26 Kent Hrbek, 1981
27 David Ortiz, 1997-2002
28 *Bert Blyleven, 1970-76, 1985-88
29 *Rod Carew, 1967-78
30 Steve Howe, 1985
31 Jim Perry, 1963-72
32 *Dave Winfield, 1993-94
33 Justin Morneau, 2006-11
34 *Kirby Puckett, 1984-95
35 Graig Nettles, 1967
36 Jim Kaat, 1961-73
37 Tony Oliva, 1962-63
38 *Steve Carlton, 1987-88
39 Gary Gaetti, 1981
40 Steve Bedrosian, 1991
41 Tom Kelly, 1983-86 (Coach) Tom Kelly, 1986 (Manager)
42 Camilo Pascual, 1978-80 (Coach) - does not count honorary wearing
43 Rick Stelmaszek, 1981-2011 (Coach)
44 Chili Davis, 1991-92
45 Terry Mulholland, 2004-05
46 Scott Erickson, 1990
47 *Early Wynn, 1967-69 (Coach)
48 Torii Hunter, 1997-2007
49 Kyle Lohse, 2001-06
50 Jesse Orosco, 2003
51 Dave Engle, 1981
52 Jim Lemon, 1965-67 (Coach)
53 Joe Mays, 1999-2000
54 Sam Mele, 1961 (Coach)
55 Clyde McCullough, 1961 (Coach)
56 Jose Parra, 1995-96
57 Johan Santana, 2000-07
58 Hector Carrasco, 1998-2001
59 Brad Radke, 1995
60 Jon Rauch, 2009-10
61 Livan Hernandez, 2008
62 Al Newman, 2002-05 (Coach)
63 Joe Benson, 2011
64 Eric Rasmussen, 2009 (Coach)
^65 Nelson Prada, 2011 (Coach)
^66 Steve Liddle, 1999 (Coach)
^67 Rick Knapp, 1999, 2006 (Coach)
68 Phil Roof, 2000 (Coach)
^69 Stan Cliburn, 2007 (Coach)
^70 Stu Cliburn, 2005 (Coach)
^71 Joe Roa, 2004
^72 Pat Neshek, 2006
75 Aron Amundson, 2002-06 (Bullpen catcher)
^77 Tony Batista, 2006
^78 Bobby Cuellar, 2003-04 (Coach)
^81 Riccardo Ingram, 2008 (Coach)


What do you think?

Twins liabilities in the Rule 5 draft

Every year at the winter meetings the Rule 5 draft occurs. This draft (the one that brought Johan Santana to the Minnesota Twins) has 3 parts. The major league part, the AAA part and the AA part. I will try to explain the rules of all 3, because, even though there is a decent understanding of the MLB part of the draft (if someone is not on the 40-man roster can be selected and has to be on the 25-roster for the next full season or to return to his original team,) there seems to be confusion on the minor league part about eligibility. Let's start with the rules:

• Every player not on the 40-man roster, is eligible for all 3 parts of the draft, if a. he was 18 or younger when signed and signed before 2007 or b. 19 or older and signed before 2008.


• For the MLB part, every player not on the 40-man roster qualifies for the draft.
  It gets a bit tricky in the AAA and AA parts (and here is a link from MiLB.com that explains some things) but the story is something like this: For every minor league level, there is what is called the reserve roster (38 in AAA, 37 in AA, and 35 on each A and Rookie ball teams). Players who satisfy the age and contract length requirements who are not on the AAA reserve roster are subject to the AAA part of the draft. Players who satisfy the age and contract requirements who are on the AA (and AAA) reserve roster are subject to the AA part of the draft. This is regardless whether they are in a lower reserve roster. ie. if a player is on a team's AA reserve roster (and not on a AAA roster) and satisfies the age requirements, he is subject to the AAA part of the rule 5 draft.


• Players selected on the MLB part of the draft have to be on the 25 man (active roster) for the whole season. Players selected in the AAA part of the draft have to be in the AAA reserve roster for the whole season and players selected in the AAA part of the draft have to be in the AAA reserve roster for the whole season. Unlike in the majors, a player can be in a higher level reserve roster and play in a lower level in the minors. So a Twins' player in the Fort Myers' reserve roster can be selected by another team, added to their AA reserve roster and still play A ball

Here is a list of the Twins' players eligible for the Rule 5 draft. Players in bold are players who can potentially be selected in the MLB portion and players in italics are players who can potentially be selected in the AAA and AA parts, if they are not protected in the corresponding reserve roster. All the minor league free agent signings are also subject to the Rule 5 draft, but I did not include most of them here (age in 2011 season, position, leagues and performance are included) :

Andrew Albers (25, LHS/R) A+/AA 2.16 ERA, 95.2 IP, 1.108 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 5.71 K/BB
James Beresford (22, LH IF) A+ .270/.328/.299, 545 PA
Evan Bigley (24, RH OF) AA .253/.311/.378, 536 PA
David Bromberg (23, RHS) Rk/AA 6.43 ERA, 42 IP, 1.738 WHIP, 6 K/9, 1.56 K/BB (coming back from injury, up to AAA in 2010)
Chris Cates (26, RH IF) AA .205/.258/.245, 220 PA
Ray Chang (27, RH IF) Rk/AA/AAA .271/.323/.368 266 PA
Cole DeVries (26, RHS/R) AA/AAA 3.40 ERA, 90 IP, 1.267 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 3.26 K/BB
Brian Dinkelman (27, RH UT) AAA/MLB MLB: .301/.346/.315, 78 PA; AAA: .243/.316/.324, 526 PA
Mark Dolenc (26, RH OF) AA 266/.323/.347, 418 PA
Phil Dumatrait (29, RHR) MLB/AAA 3.92 ERA, 41.1 IP, 1.694 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 1.16 K/BB
Nelvin Fuentes (22, LHR) A 3.29 ERA, 38.1 IP, 1.070 WHIP, 10.1 K/9, 3.91 K/BB
Jhon Garcia (24, RHS/R) A+ 3.82 ERA, 77.2 IP, 1.442 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.07 K/BB
Jonathan Goncalves (22 RH OF) A/A_ .231/.340/.298, 346 PA
Pedro Guerra (21 RHS) Rk/A 4.21 ERA, 1.327 WHIP, 10.9 K/9, 4.44 K/BB
Anderson Hidalgo (22, RH, IF) A+ .274/.332/.395, 384 PA
Steve Hirschfeld (25, RHS/R) AA 3.73 ERA, 1.250 WHIP, 6.3 K/9, 2.09 K/BB
Michael Hollimon (29, RH UT) AA/AAA .231/.326/.416 521 PA
Shooter Hunt (24, RHR/S) A+ 7.38 ERA, 2.367 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 0.75 K/BB
Edgar Ibarra (22, RHS/R) A+ 5.16 ERA, 1.712 WHIP, 6.5 K/9, 1.57 K/BB
Brett Jacobson (24, RHR/S) AA 4.56 ERA, 1.430 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 1.38 K/BB
Bobby Lanigan (24, RHS) AA 4.45 ERA, 1.458 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 2.53 K/BB
Danny Lehmann (25, RH C) AA/AAA .234/.315/.323, 219 PA
Wang-Wei Lin (23, RH OF) A .276/.372/.358, 413 PA
Angel Morales (21 RH OF) A+/Rk .259/.314/.400 135 PA (injuries)
Miguel Munoz (22 RHS/R) A+/Rk 7.50 ERA, 1.833 WHIP, 1.5 K/9, 0.22 K/BB (injuries)
Jairo Perez (23 RH IF) A .337/.413/.580, 276 PA
Josmil Pinto (22, RH C) A/A+ .261/.301/.395, 253 PA
Bruce Pugh (22 RHR/S) A+/AA 5.91 ERA, 1.593 WHIP, 10.5 K/9, 2.34 K/BB
Danny Rams (22 RH C) A+ .239/.310/.388, 309 PA
Jairo Rodriguez (22 RH C) Rk .217/.265/.264, 106 PA
Deibinson Romero (24 RH 3B) AA .256/.327/.411, 414 PA
Anthony Slama (27 RHR) AAA 2.92 ERA, 1.162 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 2.62 K/BB
Yangervis Solarte (23, RH IF) AA .329/.367/.466, 459 PA
Manuel Soliman (21, RHS) A 3.97 ERA, 1.309 WHIP, 7.9 K/9, 2.40 K/B
Spencer Steedley (26, RHR/S) AA 4.52 ERA, 1.649 WHIP, 7.1 K/9, 1.67 K/BB
Tom Stuifbergen (22, RHS) A/AAA 4.29 ERA, 1.430 WHIP, 5.9 K/9, 4.21 K/BB
Michael Tarsi (24, RHR) AA/AAA 3.86 ERA, 1.686 WHIP, 6.7 K/9, 1.18 K/BB
Reggie Williams (22 RH UT) A/A+ .256/.317/.359, 273 PA

Realistically I think that Cole DeVries, Andrew Albers and Anthony Slama can all be drafted by an MLB team; as a matter of fact, after DeVries' AFL performance, I will be very surprised if he is not drafted. I do not think that any of the others are MLB-ready, but if not protected in the AAA reserve roster, the ones indicated would have a high probability in changing teams. I do think that Hirschfeld will be on the AAA roster. Angel Morales, Pedro Guerra, Nelvin Fuentes, Jairo Perez, Danny Rams and Yangervis Solarte are all good players and a couple of years away from the majors, so there is a high likelihood of departure if not on the AAA roster.

What do you think?

Meet the newest Twins member, Ryan Doumit

It was announced today that the Twins have signed Ryan Doumit to an one year contract. The total amount of the contract has not been released yet, but it is a base $3 million contract that can escalate with incentives. I suspect that part of the incentives will be based on plate appearances, given the fact that Doumit has not been very durable the past few season, most recently being in the DL for 57 days last season with a broken ankle. I will not be surprised if the contract ends up being in the $4-5 million dollar range if Doumit achieves the incentive milestones.

Ryan Doumit was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 2nd round of the 1999 amateur draft out of Moses Lake (WA) High School. He was born on April 3, 1981 and made his first appearance in the majors in mid-season 2005, after tearing up the Independent League (AAA) at a .352/.422/.642 pace and throwing out 47% of the would be base stealers with the Indianapolis Indians. Primarily a catcher, from 2006 on he has been used extensively in first base and outfield due to nagging injuries. There is a perception that he is not a great defensive catcher, but last season in 461 innings caught here allowed 4 passed balls, as many as Joe Mauer in 408 innings and fewer than the 7 Drew Butera allowed in 670 innings. Also, he caught 24% of the would be base stealers, which is close to Mauer (30%) and Butera (31%). So his defense is in par with the other Twins' catchers, which means that Butera will (hopefully) not have a spot on the 25-man roster, allowing for a more powerful bat to replace him. For more information about Ryan Doumit, check out discussions about his profile at sports management colleges

In 2011, Doumit hit .303/.353/.477, which is better than what Michael Cuddyer did (.284/.346/.459.) Doumit, a switch hitter, hit lefties at a .315/.393/.519 pace in 2011, and is in a position to provide a strong right hand bat in the lineup replacing (if not bettering) Michael Cuddyer at close to a quarter of the cost. Indeed in 2011, Doumit has been close to (or even better than) Cuddyer in pretty much all offensive categories (.360 vs .354 wOBA, .174 vs .176 isoP, 1.23 vs 1.44 GB/FB, 1.53 vs. 0.19 WPA, 27.0% vs 33.7% out of strike swinging and 43.6 vs 29.4 AB/GIDP.) Despite primarily replacing Cuddyer in the lineup, Doumit will fill in at C when Mauer is unable to go or needs rest, at 1B to spell Morneau and will probably split the DH duties with Morneau and Plouffe as well as play some in the outfield with Plouffe. All in all, if healthy, I anticipate at least 500 plate appearances for Doumit.

I think that all in all it is a great signing. As a matter of fact, a couple of weeks ago I indicated that Doumit should be a target for the Twins (bottom of the post.) If indeed the Twins do not carry Butera, with the Doumit signing you a. effectively replacing Cuddyer with a better and younger player at a fraction of the cost and b. allowing another bat to replace Butera on the Twins bench. And another serendipitous fact is that Ryan Doumit has worn uniform number 41 all his MLB career, which is currently Drew Butera's number with the Twins.

The Twins trade dismal middle infielder for power hitting corner outfielder/DH

One of the first moves that Terry Ryan made as the new old Twins' general manager was to announce in an interview with ESPN 1500 that Trevor Plouffe will move from the middle infield to the outfield and the right hand DH position. Ryan astutely said that the defensive side of the game affects him some when he does go to the plate. And Plouffe has been a horrific defender both at second base (-41.8 UZR/150 in 127 innings) and at shortstop (-25.0 UZR/150 in 362.2 innings.) Ryan's comment was extremely astute because Plouffe batted .235/.299/.366 (.665 OPS, .131 isoP) as an infielder and .279/.360/.582 (.942 OPS, .303 isoP) as an outfielder or DH. His numbers, especially in the power category, while playing the OF or DHing were close to elite. On the other hand, they are based on a total of 15 games and his middle infield numbers are based on a total of 60 games, so they need to be taken cautiously. An other, probably unrelated, interesting split in Plouffe's 2011 performance is his performance in day games vs. night games (despite the position he was playing.) In day games, he hit .178/.252/.287 (.539 OPS, .109 isoP) and in night games .270/.333/.449 (.782 OPS, .179 isoP.) His numbers at night games are respectable and his great difference in performance when playing the OF, indicate that with better preparation, an .800-.850 OPS could be achieved in 2012 as a full time OF/DH

Plouffe is making the transition to the OF in his age 26 season. He was a 1st round draft pick (20th overall) by the Twins in the 2004 amateur draft out of Crespi Carmelite High School in Encino, CA. Making a transition from a middle infielder to an outfielder relatively early in someone's career is not a rare phenomenon. A good comparable is the player who Plouffe is most likely to replace in 2012, another former Twins' first round pick, Michael Cuddyer. Michael Cuddyer spent 2004, his age 25 season splitting duties between second base and RF. His numbers at 2B were .206/.225/.309 (.534 OPS, .103 isoP) and at RF: .278/.359/.444 (.803 OPS, .166 isoP); very similar splits as Plouffe. In 2005, (his age 26 season) Cuddyer hit at 2B: .190/.370/.190 (.561 OPS) at 3B: .255/.317/.429 (.746 OPS, .174 isoP) at RF: .318/.366/.455 (.821 OPS, .147 isoP). When he moved to RF full time in 2006, (his age 27 season) he hit .274/.353/.470 (.823 OPS, .196 isoP.) Note that Terry Ryan was also the person who moved Cuddyer to the OF. I think that Plouffe can be a valid replacement for Cuddyer in the 2012 season and there is a good possibility that he will provide the team with right hand power that has been lacking.

A few other notable outfielders who made the switch from the infield in early ages (season and age of the switch in parenthesis) :Jose Bautista (2007, age 26), Ryan Braun (2007, age 23), Alex Gordon (2009, age 25), BJ Upton (2007, age 22), Michael Morse (2010, age 28), Emilio Bonifacio (2011, age 26) and Alfonso Soriano (2006, age 30.) So there is precedence, there are positive indications of future performance, thus is a trade well made by Ryan and at a very low cost.

Who is the newest Twins' member Jamey Carroll?

The first order of business for the new old Twins' general manager, Terry Ryan, was to sign 37 year old free agent Jamey Carroll to a 2 year, about $7 million contract with a $3M mutual option for the 2014 season (his age 40 season.) Several reports from the Twin Cities indicate that he is intended to be the Twins' starting shortstop in the 2012 season. However, by looking at Carroll's past, I suspect that there might be another intention in the Twins' organization with this signing. And to make a long story short, I do think that, despite his age, it is a good signing and Carroll can be a valuable player for the 2012 Twins. Who is Jamey Carroll?

Jamey was born on February 16, 1974 (he will be 38 in the beginning of the 2012 season) in Evansville, Indiana and was drafted as a shortstop in the 14th round of the 1996 draft by the Montreal Expos out of the University of Evansville. He is listed as 5'10" and 170 lbs. He played in the minors until the 2002 season, all in the Expos' organization, appearing in 384 games at 2B, 198 games at SS and 166 games at 3B. He was a September call-up in 2002, appearing in 13 games at 3B, 3 games at SS and 1 at 2B, and remained as a major leaguer with the Montreal organization up to the 2005 (their first season in Washington, DC) primarily as a utility infielder, filling in primarily at 3B and 2B, and occasionally at SS.

A few days before his 32nd birthday in 2006, he was purchased by the Rockies for $300,000 where he was used as a second baseman (before the Rockies acquired Kaz Matsui) and occasionally filling in at SS and 3B with a handful of appearances at the OF. In the 2007 season he was a utility infielder and traded in the offseason to the Indians for a player to be named later. In his 2 seasons in Cleveland he primarily played at second and third. He also filled in at the outfield, but did not play a single inning at SS for 2 seasons. He was a free agent after the 2009 season and signed a 2-year, $3.75 million contract with the Dodgers to be a utility player. Because of the injuries (and subsequent trade) to Rafael Furcal, Carroll spend a considerable time as a shortstop (69 games in 2011 and 63 games in 2011) a position he really did not play steadily until his early minor years (and that was a century ago.) He also played considerably as a second baseman with occasional appearances at 3B and OF. Jamey won the Roy Campanella Award from the Dodgers after the 2010 season for exhibiting leadership and hustle.

A lot of the things the Jamey brings to the table are not in the numbers. He is been seen as a leader in the clubhouse and on the field. A recent LA Times article summarizes his career with the Dodgers as "Carroll wasn’t much of a hitter with runners on, but he hit .290 in his two seasons with the Dodgers, was a solid glove and he will certainly be missed. He was scrappy, well liked among teammates and truly versatile." I think that the same words could be used to describe a soon-to-depart Twins' free agent right hand bat or could had been Nick Punto's eulogy after the 2010 season.

Let's examine Carroll's numbers: Carroll is very consistent with the bat. His career slash line is .278/.356/.348 (.704 OPS) and his 2011 line .290/.359/.347 (.706 OPS). His career splits are: at home games .285/.362/.353 (including Coors field) and away games .270/.350/.343; before the all star break .278/.358/.347 and after .277/.353/.349; vs RHP .281/.357/.351 and vs LHP .271/.354/.343; in day games .274/.364/.347 and in night games .279/.352/.348. And his career minor league line is .270/.340/.342. Jamey Carroll is the definition of consistency with the bat no matter who is pitching or where the game takes place. You know what you will get pretty much every day, which is refreshing if one looks at the 2011 Twins' season in perspective.

Jamey did not make the cut in my middle infielders with better than average fielding list. Despite the fact that every single report out there describes his fielding as "solid", he is a below average fielder (and especially at SS.) His fielding Value in 2011 was -5.1, and that would place him ahead only of Plouffe, Nishioka and Valencia in the 2011 Twins. Given the fact that he might be replacing at least 2 of these player in 2012, this is a step ahead for the Twins. In the same middle infield analysis I indicated that the Twins needed to upgrade hitting and base running as well and Carroll is an asset there: His 2.2 WAR would have tied him for second in the 2011 Twins with Denard Span; His 3.9 Batting value would place him second among the remaining 2011 Twins trailing only Chris Parmelee, and his 1.1 Base Running value would place him third behind Revere, Hughes and Span among the remaining Twins in the 2011 team. Dissecting his fielding numbers a little more indicates that his fielding percentage (career .823 in SS) is excellent, and probably the reason behind the "solid fielder" accolades. However his range is his weak point. His career range at SS is -8.1 (8 runs below average) and will not get any better beginning with his age 38 season. His range has been better at 2B (career -1.8) and at 3B (career 3.2.) As a comparison, Alexi Casilla's career SS range is 4.2.

I suspect that the Twins may have signed Carroll as a wake up call message to Danny Valencia. I can see him being the starting shortstop and moved to second or third with Casilla taking over at SS. Carroll is a clubhouse leader, plays the game hard, is the definition of consistency with the bat, does not make errors on the field (but does not get the balls most shortstops do) so he will be an asset. I think that overall is a very good acquisition for the Twins.

Can the Twins rebound? Part III: Quick ranking of MLB middle infielders and not only free agents

Yesterday I examined the Twins' performance in 2011 and indicated that fielding and hitting were subpar and really needed to improve. Outfield defense with Span and Revere will be fine and also indicated 3 free agent additions (2 OF/DH and a C) who are power right hand bats and will be able to improve both fielding and hitting (and in case of one, base running) if they join the team in 2012.

Looking at potential middle infield targets is a necessity, because the overall Twins' middle infield defense was a very sore point in 2011. So the requirement is that a new acquisition should not field worse than what the Twins have in house. In other words, we want to improve the defense. So players with less than average (0) fielding are not included

Thus, I am listing all MLB SS and 2B who had positive "Fielding" (Fangraphs value. I am also listing their "Hitting", "Base Running" and Wins Above Replacement values. 2012 Twins' players are in Bold and free agents are underlined.

Here are the short stops ranked by decreasing fielding:
(Name/Batting/Base Running/Fielding/WAR)

Alexei Ramirez -0.7 5.1 11.9 4.9
J.J. Hardy 10.7 -0.3 10.7 4.8
Alcides Escobar -16.5 0.4 10.2 2.2
Jhonny Peralta 16.0 -1.9 9.9 5.2
Craig Counsell -11.9 1.3 8.6 0.5
Clint Barmes -2.0 1.9 7.9 3.1
Brendan Ryan -7.4 2.8 7.6 2.6
John McDonald -13.2 1.6 7.4 0.6
Troy Tulowitzki 28.2 -2.8 7.3 6.3
Elvis Andrus -0.4 7.7 7.0 4.5
Ronny Cedeno -15.7 2.6 6.1 1.4
Sean Rodriguez -2.2 1.3 5.1 2.3
Stephen Drew -3.4 1.3 4.5 1.9
Elliot Johnson -8.3 0.8 4.4 0.5
Paul Janish -25.0 0.6 4.2 -0.4
Zack Cozart 1.0 0.2 4.1 0.7
Miguel Tejada -16.3 -1.5 4.0 0.0
Justin Sellers -5.0 3.0 3.9 0.8
Ramon Santiago -3.0 1.4 3.3 1.4
Brandon Crawford -9.5 1.1 3.1 0.5
Jimmy Rollins 6.2 0.1 2.9 3.8
Cesar Izturis -2.9 -0.5 2.9 0.1
Donnie Murphy -6.1 0.5 2.6 0.1
Alberto Gonzalez -15.1 0.9 2.3 -0.2
Alex Cora -7.7 0.8 2.0 0.2
Mike McCoy -8.9 1.3 1.9 0.3
Chris Valaika 0.1 0.1 1.6 0.3
Yunel Escobar 13.5 0.2 1.6 4.3
Eric Sogard -3.5 -0.8 1.5 0.0
Jack Wilson -11.1 0.0 1.3 0.0
Erick Aybar 8.5 1.3 1.2 4.0
Omar Quintanilla -4.6 0.0 1.1 -0.3
Ruben Tejada 1.0 -0.3 1.1 1.8
Pedro Ciriaco 0.3 -0.2 0.8 0.2
Edgar Renteria -7.4 0.2 0.8 0.9
Mike Fontenot -3.0 1.8 0.6 1.0
Marco Scutaro 7.2 -0.3 0.6 2.9
Eduardo Escobar -0.4 0.1 0.5 0.0
Andrew Romine -2.2 0.0 0.4 -0.1
Angel Sanchez -11.3 2.3 0.4 0.5
Julio Lugo -5.5 -0.6 0.2 -0.4
Reid Brignac -22.4 0.1 0.1 -1.1
Josh Wilson -3.2 1.0 0.0 0.1
Cody Ransom -2.0 0.3 0.0 0.0
Tommy Field -2.6 0.6 -0.1 0.0
Alexi Casilla -0.8 -0.4 -0.2 1.4
Matt Tolbert -14.4 1.3 -0.3 -0.5
Alex Gonzalez -15.5 -0.1 -0.3 1.1

Here are the second basemen ranked by decreasing fielding:
(Name/Batting/Base Running/Fielding/WAR)

Dustin Pedroia 31.7 -0.9 17.9 8.0
Howie Kendrick 16.2 3.2 16.7 5.8
Ian Kinsler 26.9 5.8 15.0 7.7
Brandon Phillips 17.1 3.2 11.4 6.0
Ben Zobrist 27.0 2.9 10.2 6.6
Craig Counsell -11.9 1.3 8.6 0.5
Chase Utley 9.9 2.2 8.4 3.9
Omar Infante -6.9 0.8 8.2 2.7
Darwin Barney -11.8 5.0 6.1 2.2
Mark Ellis -16.1 3.7 5.9 1.3
Chris Getz -13.3 1.2 5.6 1.0
Sean Rodriguez -2.2 1.3 5.1 2.3
Gordon Beckham -16.4 1.1 4.9 1.1
Logan Forsythe -7.0 0.6 4.0 0.4
Nick Punto 5.0 1.4 4.0 1.8
Justin Sellers -5.0 3.0 3.9 0.8
Ramon Santiago -3.0 1.4 3.3 1.4
Kelly Johnson -3.0 -1.4 2.5 2.2
Luke Hughes -8.5 1.6 2.5 0.4
Dustin Ackley 8.9 0.9 2.3 2.7
Alberto Gonzalez -15.1 0.9 2.3 -0.2
Robert Andino -5.8 0.9 2.2 1.8
Rickie Weeks 17.8 -3.0 1.6 3.7
Jack Wilson -11.1 0.0 1.3 0.0
DJ LeMahieu -3.9 -0.3 1.3 -0.1
Maicer Izturis 0.7 0.3 1.2 2.0
Omar Quintanilla -4.6 0.0 1.1 -0.3
Jonathan Herrera -13.8 1.0 1.1 0.0
Ruben Tejada 1.0 -0.3 1.1 1.8
Peter Kozma -0.6 -0.5 1.1 0.1
Danny Espinosa 5.2 2.9 1.0 3.5
Brad Emaus -3.8 0.2 0.9 -0.1
Chris Woodward -2.5 0.7 -0.2
on Hill -11.8 -2.1 0.7 0.8
Brooks Conrad 0.2 0.8 0.7 0.6
Mike Fontenot -3.0 1.8 0.6 1.0
Esteban German 2.2 0.2 0.5 0.3
Angel Sanchez -11.3 2.3 0.4 0.5
Taylor Green -1.3 0.7 0.3 0.1
Steve Lombardozzi -2.9 -0.4 0.2 -0.2
Josh Wilson -3.2 1.0 0.0 0.1
Eugenio Velez -8.0 0.0 0.0 -0.7
Lopez -10.7 1.1 -0.1 -0.2
Manny Burriss -10.7 -0.4 -0.1 -0.6
Juan Castro -0.3 -0.1 -0.1 0.0
Adam Kennedy -10.6 0.6 -0.2 0.1
Danny Worth -1.1 -1.5 -0.2 -0.1
Alexi Casilla -0.8 -0.4 -0.2 1.4
Pete Orr -6.2 0.6 -0.2 -0.2
Matt Tolbert -14.4 1.3 -0.3 -0.5
Brian Roberts -6.4 2.2 -0.4 0.2

So what do the Twins do? Ideally, they want to improve the fielding but do not not want a player who has a large negative impact in the lineup as far as hitting and base running goes(i.e an all glove no bat player.) If you look at the free agents Clint Barmes, Ramon Santiago, Jimmy Rollins (not really a realistic possibility), Cesar Izturis, Kelly Johnson and Nick Punto fit the bill. There are not many good or even average bat better than average middle infielders in the majors and I cannot imagine that the ones who are under team control are realistic trade targets for the Twins. Just look at the list. There is another option, that might sound a bit counter-intuitive (and it is very similar to my contrarian starting pitching opinion:

The Twins have an average fielding and average hitting shortstop (Alexi Casilla) and an above average fielding and below average hitting second baseman (Luke Hughes). The problem is that they did not play much in those positions and additional players (Cuddyer, Nishioka, Plouffe, Tolbert) took a lot of innings. So unless the Twins get one of Barmes, Santiago, Johnson, Rollins, Izturis or Punto, they will be better of starting the season with Alexi Casilla in SS and Luke Hughes in 2B, instead of lesser fielding alternatives.

What do you think?

Can the Twins rebound? Part II: Quick ranking of MLB position player free agents

Looking at what went wrong with the 2011 Twins club and try to prioritize changes that would help the 2012 club rebound, I have previously examined the starting rotation, and concluding that despite the conventional words of wisdom, it should not be a priority, if the best pitchers are used and if they stay healthy. The bullpen is a different story, which I will try to examine in a later day; so let's examine the position players.

Here is the Twins "Batting Value" (Fangraphs metric) :

as you can see only 2 current non-pitchers had positive value with the bat (Jim Thome was traded and Mike Cuddyer and Jason Kubel are free agents). And with Parmelee probably starting at AAA Rochester, Joe Mauer is the only 25 man roster in 2012 who had a positive batting contribution. This is a problem. We also know that this team is practically devoid of power right hand bats, especially with Cuddyer a free agent and Delmon Young traded. With Morneau healthy and potentially Parmelee in some role, left handed power might not be much of an issue, and this team is slated to have at least 4 LH hitting strarters (Mauer, Span, Revere, Morneau) so more balance is needed

Here is the Twins "Fielding Value" (Fangraphs metric) :

From the remaining 2012 players there are stong outfield fielders (Revere and Span), catching is not a problem, first base is not a problem if Morneau is healthy, but infield is a problem, other than Luke Hughes (2.6) and Casilla (-0.1 league average). Also a 3rd outfielder is needed.

Here is the Twins "Running Value" (Fangraphs metric) :

Running was supposedly the strong suit of the team, but the data indicate that only a 3 players (Revere, Span and Hughes) were above average, several were average and a lot were not that great. So this element should be upgraded as well.

Surprisingly, Luke Hughes was both an above average runner and defender, and he should have a role in the 2012 team.

So hitting is a problem. Kubel and Cuddyer are free agents. Should the Twins be knocking at their doors and signing them as fast as possible? Especially Cuddyer who is a power right hand bat? Let examine how Cuddyer and Kubel stack with the other availbable 2012 free agents. The following list is ranking free agents by IsoP (Isolated Power) and also displays the Fangraphs Defence and Running values (Minimum 100 PA) for their 2011 seasons:

Prince Fielder isoP .267 Fld -5.1 BsR -5.4
Andruw Jones isoP .247 Fld 2.7 BsR -2.2
David Ortiz isoP .246 Fld -0.1 BsR -5.4
Albert Pujols isoP .242 Fld 2.4 BsR -3.6
Carlos Pena isoP .237 Fld 0.7 BsR -1.0
Scott Hairston isoP .235 Fld -3.2 BsR -0.1
Josh Willingham isoP .232 Fld -5.4 BsR -2.7
Carlos Beltran isoP .225 Fld -7.3 BsR 1.1
Jim Thome isoP .220 Fld 0 BsR -2.7
Wily Mo Pena isoP .212 Fld -0.2 BsR 0.5
Aramis Ramirez isoP .204 Fld -9.4 BsR -4.9
Jason Varitek isoP .203 Fld -5.0 BsR -2.5
Laynce Nix isoP .201 Fld -5.0 BsR 1.2
Rod Barajas isoP .200 Fld -1.0 BsR -3.2
Grady Sizemore isoP .198 Fld -5.8 BsR 0.8
Kelly Johnson isoP .191 Fld 2.5 BsR -1.4
Jonny Gomes isoP .180 Fld 3.4 BsR 1.7
Derrek Lee isoP .179 Fld 1.4 BsR -2.5
Mike Cuddyer isoP .176 Fld -0.7 BsR -1.1
Ryan Doumit isoP .174 Fld -1.0 BsR -2.7
Raoul Ibanez isoP .174 Fld -18.9 BsR -1.6
Russell Branyan isoP .173 Fld 1.2 BsR -1.2
Wilson Betemit isoP .167 Fld -8.7 BsR -1.2
Cody Ross isoP .165 Fld -5.5 BsR -0.1
Ramon Hernandez isoP .164 Fld 0.0 BsR -2.6
Kelly Shoppach isoP .163 Fld -1.1 BsR 1.1
Jason Kubel isoP .161 Fld -2.8 BsR -0.3

Clearly the Twins will not make a run for Albert Pujols or Prince Fielder (and they don't need to). Signing Andrew Jones and Jonny Gomes to replace Mike Cuddyer and Jason Kubel, would provide better power and better fielding and in Gomes' case better base running (his 2011 runnning value would rank him second in the 2011 Twins behind only Ben Revere). In addition, there will be some money left over to sign Ryan Doumit upgrading the C position offensively and providing some 1B insurance (the other argument about re-signign Cuddyer.) An outfield of Revere,Span, Gomes/Jones (with the other one at DH) will also provide superior defense for the Twins' flyball starters.

What do you think?

Can the Twins rebound? Part I: Looking at their history

In some respects, I do enjoy blogging more during the off-season than during the baseball season. I ind it more of challenging and rewarding mental exercise to venture into potentiality and looking at minutae, rather than describing actuality and game results. Why is that? a. There are many sources out there that do the latter, and adding another adds to the blasé feeling; b. the Twins' actuality was rather exasperating in more than a few occasions last season; and c. actuality becomes "history" after it is all said and done and it is much easier to examine it objectively.

One of the things that I would like to do this off-season is to try to examine whether a likelihood of rebounding from a fairly disappointing 2011 season. This is the first part of the series and I will be using the Twins' franchise history as a whole as potential roadmap for such an rebound. Has something similar happened to the Twins' before, or are we looking at uncharted territory? And if it has, what happened afterwards? An exercise like this lacks in acuity, but as Pearl Buck said, if you want to understand today, you have to search yesterday. And by "yesterday", I do not mean the Twins' history starting exactly 51 years from today, when Calvin Griffith announced his intention to move the Washington Senators to the Minneapolis/St. Paul south metropolitan area, but since the beginning of the American League. It is a shame that this club does not recognize its rich franchise history, from the ballpark to its web site (I find it very interesting that the "franchise history" link in the Twins' timeline page is deactivated - look at the left navigation bar in the linked page.) One of the unfortunate side-effects of this is that most Twins' fans today do not know that Stan Coveleski, Joe Cronin, Ed Delahanty, Rick Ferrell, Lefty Gomez, Goose Goslin, Clark Griffith, Bucky Harris, Walter Johnson, Harmon Killebrew, Heinie Manush, Al Simmons, George Sisler, Tris Speaker, Ted Williams and Early Wynn, all members of Baseball Hall of Fame, were associated with the Twins' franchise at some point, with Harmon Killebrew being the exception, because of his tenure with the team in Minnesota. I suspect that a lot of the Twins' fans (and probably even people employed with the Twins) do not know some of those names, or do not realize, for example, that Ted Williams was also associated with the Twins' franchise.

But that's another story and does have a lot of merit but deserves its own space. One another parenthetic note, that picture on top of my block is from Griffith Park, home of the Senators and was taken in the 20s. Back to the original (non-trivial) pursuit: Lets deromanticize the history of the Twins and examine the last season with the recent context and see how it fits with the previous history of the franchise. In other words, has something like this happened before, and if it has, what followed? Again, this is neither an exercise in either predicting nor in necromancing, but more of placing this period of Twins into the continuum of their existence.

For this I will use a simple tool, with a lot of notations overlaid and will work with visual pattern recognition. I am certain that a lot of the readers of this blog would be happy that I will not be trying to extrapolate and predict using statistical analysis. The following graph is simple: A reverse chronological order (i.e. 2011 is closest to the Y axis) line graph of the Twins' franchise wins every season down to the inaugural AL season of 1901. The division between Minnesota and Washington is indicated (big red line down the middle) as are attempts to identify a few eras/periods (blue vertical lines and notations on the bottom). Truth is that a couple of those could (and should had) be even further broken down, but this works for now, for the sake of (relative) simplicity. Few dates are also on the chart, so we can navigate, and 5 of times the franchise went to the World Series (won only the 2 last ones in MN) are also noted. For some reason, photoshop did not like the "WS" notation on the 1965 mark, but they went to the world series then, too. Six times overall. The franchise low in 1982 is there too. Here we go:

Bigger image in a new window can be found here

A few observations: The current era (Gardy Era and the late TK era) looks a lot like other periods in the Twins' history. It resembles the Killer Era (60s, most similar to it that others), the early TK era (mid 80s-early 90s), the late Walter Johnson and Joe Cronin Era (late 20s- early 30s.) Those were periods of time that the Twins and the Senators had sustained winning records and were competitive teams. Some teams in the earlier Walter Johnson Era were also competitive, but no more than a couple years in a row. Part of the reason for that was a fellow named Babe Ruth who played for a division rival from 1920 to 1930 (effectively,) and it is a major achievement that the Walter Johnson Senators dethroned the Babe Ruth Yankees in both 1924 and 1925 to represent the AL in the World Series. My visual clues bundle those teams with the following Joe Cronin Era.

The Minnesota part of the Killebrew Era, if we take a mulligan on the move year (1961), arguably has been more successful that the Ron Gardernhire Era. They went to the World series in 1965, taking the Dodgers to 7 games and losing a 2-0 three-hit shut out by Sandy Koufax in Met stadium in game 7. They also went to the ALCS in 1969 and 1970 (the first 2 years of division play.) The Early Tom Kelly Era (I should actually call it the Andy McPhail Era,) has been one of the most successful in the franchise. 2 World series trophies and 2 parades in wintry Minneapolis are hard to ignore. Also, from 1924-1933 the Senators went to 3 World Series (Late Walter Johnson and the Joe Cronin Eras,) arguably more successful than the resent past.

I find interesting that in a couple of these periods were "dips" in wins. "Bad" seasons. 1990, 1928 and 1929. Then the Twins or Senators returned to success. In other times, 1993, 1971, 1934, the dip meant a series of long cold summers with wins for the franchise hibernating like bears in mid-winter. Whether 2011 will be just a dip on the road, like 1990, 1928 and 1929, or a sign for things to come, like 1992, 1971 or 1934, is yet to be determined. Cannot necromance using history, just look at the possibilities of the future, based on past events and hope for the best outcome. So, yes, it is possible for the Twins to rebound in 2012 or in 2013, if they are in a dip like 1928 and 1929. They have done it twice before.

The next segment will examine other baseball teams in recent history (this millennium) which have rebounded from situations similar to that of the 2011 Twins. Let the hope torch burn eternal.

A contrarian opinion about the Twins' Starting Pitching

It is hard to look back at a 99-loss season and try to figure out what did not work, but it is necessary to just do that and try to pinpoint possible weaknesses that need to be solved. With a 99-loss season, pretty much nothing worked well, but prioritizing changes requires the identification of parts of the team that can be fixed relatively easily or by fixing them, it will make the biggest impact.

A lot of people in Twins territory, including fans and the press, and the Twins' management, as was referenced in the season ticket holder press conference a few weeks ago, see starting pitching as one of the weaknesses of the 2011 team, which needs to be fixed this off-season.

I examined that hypothesis, by looking at the performance of the Twins' starters in 2011 based on their on-field numbers. And the numbers disagree with that generalized belief.

3 years ago I devised a compound statistic measurement that indicates pitching effectiveness. Here I explain the idea behind the pitching effectiveness (or PE) measurement, and why I prefer it as an indicator of pitching performance independent of fielding or other external factors than other compound statistic measurements like FIP, xFIP and DICE. PE is (K/9*K/BB)/WHIP. A couple years ago, I devised another measurement expected PE or xPE, which is PE*(BABIP/.290), to further neutralize for "luck", reflecting what a pitcher's PE would be if his BABIP was .290 (League normal.)

Here is a list of the Twins' starters ranked by xPE for their 2011 performance. For pitchers who both started and relieved in 2011, only their numbers as starters are taken into consideration for the calculations. Also, the Twins' team average starter numbers are indicated as are the league average numbers. For comparison purposes, the numbers of AL starting pitchers who are considered as "Aces" and had the best starting pitching performances in 2011 are also included:




I included the following color coding: MLB average is green, above average darker green, below average yellow and well below average red.

A few observations (and I am sure that this is surprising to many out there) :

• The Twins' starter as a group, had better performance that the league average


• One pitcher's performance (Kevin Slowey) was bettered only by Verlander, while another one's (Baker's) trailed only Verlander and Sabathia and was better than Felix Hernandez, Weaver, CJ Wilson and Lester


• Liam Hendricks, who will probably be in AAA in the start of 2012 season, had 4 very promising starts


• Brian Duensing and Anthony Swardak were right there with the league average


• Pavano's and Liriano's performance was below par. Liriano was injured the whole season (and exhibited a 2mph velocity drop. His 2010 numbers (20.38 PE, 23.68 xPE) are promising for a comeback, especially if his shoulder heals and velocity increases. Pavano is a decent end of the rotation innings eater, but at this point should not be considered anything more than a 5th pitcher in this staff (and his is compensated more than that; so there is a decision that needs to be made.)


• Blackburn and Diamond do not belong in a major league rotation.

Ok. I know that this sounds pretty crazy and counter intuitive. It is contrary to what most Twins' fans, the press and the organizational brass believes. But the numbers do not lie; however the dismal results do not lie either? How do we reconcile these opposing facts? In other words, what happened if the Twins' starters pitched well?

Here are a few things that happened:

• The Twins' as a team had a ridiculous high BABIP (opponents' Batting Average in Balls In Play). 0.318 as a team. As a matter of fact, other than Liriano, every starter had an elevated BABIP, and Slowey's, Duensing's, Blackburn's, and Hendicks' approached ridiculous levels


• The Twins' defence, especially infield defense was one of the MLB worse. Here are the UZR/150 for each position as a total and for individual players at that position:
  
  
  
  • 1B: 11.4 (Mauer 27.8 UZR150/141 inn, Morneau 11.3/479, Hughes 11.0/274, Parmelee 8.1/173, Cuddyer 6.4/352)
  
  
  • 2B: -6.0 (Tolbert 5.1/244, Hughes 4.9/301, Casilla 2.2/470, Dinkelman -2.9/89, Cuddyer -20.8/140, Nishioka -39.7/49, Plouffe -41.8/127)
  
  
  • 3B: -7.1 (Valencia -6.2/1280, Hughes -9/104, Tolbert -42.3/37)
  
  
  • SS: -13.6 (Tolbert -3.2/210, Casilla -4.4/306, Nishioka -14.2/508, Plouffe -25/396)
  
  
  • LF: 2.5 (Plouffe 35.8/19, Repko 13.3/128, Benson 9.1/88, Young 5.4/642, Revere -3.1/112, Tosoni -3.8/321, Kubel -4.2/70, Dinkelman -18.2/40)
  
  
  • CF: 14.2 (Span 17.6/585, Revere 15.1/776, Benson 9.5/17, Repko -61.6/43)
  
  
  • RF: -1.8 (Revere 63.6/37, Repko 21.7/157, Dinkelman 6.3/22, Cuddyer 0.1/639, Benson -5.9/59, Mauer -8.3/9, Kubel -8.3/413, Plouffe -51.4/72, Tosoni -55.1/11)
  
  
  This deserves a whole post by itself, but I am just presenting the numbers at this point


• The best pitchers did not pitch the most, because of injuries and because of bad choices by the manager and the coaches.


• The bullpen was atrocious (and that's another story by itself), allowing a lot of inherited runs to score (inflating starters' ERAs) and losing leads

So how the Twins' starting pitching should look at 2012? What changes can be made and give better results?

• Get everyone healthy. First and foremost. With a healthy, and presumed back to at least his 2010 form, Liriano, this team has 3 true strong pitchers.


• Give the ball to your best pitchers. There is no way any other team would have alienated their best starter as this team has alienated Slowey. It is silly to have your best starter in the pen and give the ball to Blackburn (who does not belong in a major league rotation) because you gave him an ill-advised contract extension


• Realize the fact that Pavano is a back of the rotation pitcher and do not treat him like an Ace. Either have him at number 4 or 5 or trade him to relief the team from that contract


• Fix the defense. This is a no-brainer (and will get it's own post one of these days.) Also find some ways to score runs. This is another no-brainer and will get it's own post


• The writing on the wall is that Hendricks will be heading to Rochester and Duensing to the bullpen. Hendricks can use some AAA time and I think that with Cole DeVries, who has been transitioning to a starter in AFL and has been pretty effective in 4 starts there, will form a good reserve corps at the AAA level. Duensing, despite what a lot of people think, has been a reliable league average starter. He can be a stellar reliever and could really help fix the bullpen.


• Deal with Blackburn and Diamond. Blackburn (much like Perkins) has not been an effective starter in his Twins' tenure (ill-advised contract extension or not.) Putting him in the pen and hoping for same results as with Perkins is the best course of action. Diamond is not ready and needs to be in AAA and should not be the first option, if a starter is needed

So with these changes we are looking for a 2012 Twins' rotation of Slowey, Baker, Liriano, Swarzak and Pavano (or Duensing/Hendricks, if Pavano is traded.) I believe (and the numbers suggest) that this group can be successful in 2012 with better health, better management, better fielding and better defense. Despite what most people feel, the Twins' starting rotation was one of the (few) team's strengths in 2011.

What do you think?

How much is Michael Cuddyer worth?

I am really not going to mention the 2011 season as a whole for the Twins. Just looking forward to the 2012 season hoping for a phenomenal rebound alike that of 1991. It has been reported more than once that one of the Twins' priorities this off-season is re-signing Michael Cuddyer who is a free agent for the first time in his career.

Cuddyer comes off a season where he hit .284/.346/.459 with 20 HRs, drove in 70 and also scored 70. He has been the brightest offensive point for the team last season (as a whole); he also displayed the willingness to play multiple positions (unlike in previous seasons,) which was valuable to the Twins because of the multitude of injuries. He arguably had the best season of his career, looking at WAR (wins over replacement), accumulating a 3.1 WAR, which ranks him as the 81st best position player in the majors in 2011, based on that metric. And no math classes are necessary to figure this out.

In addition, he has been given accolades from the press and the Twins' brass about being a good clubhouse leader. He will be 33 on the beginning of the 2012 season. It has been reported that the Twins have offered him a 2-year, $8 million per season contract that he rejected and it looks like he is willing to explore the market before he commits.

What is a reasonable price (in annual contract terms) for Michael Cuddyer?

Here is one analysis:

I looked at all the 2011 contracts of OF/DH/1B types in MLB (including Cuddyer's), looked at their WAR, calculated average $/WAR and calculated how much 3.1 WAR (Cuddyer's WAR in 2001; career high) is worth based on the average $/WAR for OF/1B/DH for 2011. To keep things fair, I did not add players on minimum salary (like Ben Revere) and to keep things not going mathematically out of hand, I used players where WAR >= 1 for the calculations. Here is the spreadsheet:

So by this calculations, it looks like his 2011 year was worth about $7.725. So the Twins' offer of 2 years/$8 per season (including his year 34 season) is slightly higher that his career high 2011 season.

If you look at those contracts, a lot of them were signed in other financial times, before the country was hit by a recession. If you take the contracts signed before the 2010 season from the spread sheet above it looks like this:

This, arguably. might provide a better picture for a fair price in 2011. The bottom like with this calculation is a little less that $5.6 M a year.

I think that the 2 years, $8M dollar per year offer by the Twins was a generous one and reflects that the Twins believe that Cuddyer is a strong positive presence in the organization. This presence carries a close to $2.5 million premium for the Twins per year, based on his value these days and their offer. My opinion is that the Twins can do better for that money, if Cuddyer decides to keep rejecting that offer.

What do you think?

Had an Epiphany the Other Day...

... and it has nothing to do with Baseball or the Twins. Or maybe it does, partially (or even more than partially, depending how you slice and dice it, but this is not about culinary arts and sciences either.)

And it is nothing like about time you bring Slowey up instead of watching Blackie burn a game after another (that is a 'duh moment', really; kinda interesting and somewhat amusing to see how long Gardy's self-inducing plastic surgery cutting his nose to spite his face is going to last, btw...)

But I digress...

And as a matter of fact it did happen during the Twins' game last Saturday (so here is Twins and baseball connection #1; but for the life of me I cannot say that I remember much of that game - and I have been told that this is a good thing.)

So... one of the things that I learned in my 29 years (choke) in this world, is that life comes in layers and then are more layers added on top of those, and some mud, crud, lemons and other favorite (or not) citrus piling up. Great place for a flying (or not) thing of sorts to nest, settle in and stay comfortable and sit for a while (or something.)

So... once upon a time (story goes) some of those outer layers get peeled (for some weird reason; and I am so not gonna get into Psych 101 right here and now) crud falls off and one maybe discover that darn, some of the phenomenological (crud peel) disagreements (like whether Cuddyer or someone else is clutch or not or overpaid or not or whatever meaningless in the big picture of things - Twins reference #2) crap, once they are peeled, dropped, burned and done with, reveal something incredibly beautiful and similar and alike and attractive and irresistible and whatever. (Dots). Did I really say that? I guess I did... Live and let live. And once that happens that kinda (has to) smacks you upside the head. (Dots). I consider my head so smacked last Saturday, that I had to skip the Twins' game Sunday (sources tell me that I did not miss much) and it was for a good reason because Duensing was starting too (Twins reference #3), and elected to go for a 12 mile run in 99 degree heat index to clear my mind. Mind has not cleared yet, but I bonged on mile sixsomething. Glad to report that there were no casualties. No war either. Shalom.

And I am not about to write a novella (ha) about this either (for about a third of a million reasons.) But consider this a cryptic break in the regular programming (and I am not sure when there will be regular programming here) and live and let live. But enjoy the road and the little heart warming surprises (really, gotta be open to get those when they appear before your eyes, really) it might bring.

Shalom


Please feel free to comment here or throw your words of wisdom to me at thetenthinningstretch@gmail.com (and I can frankly use them :) )

So how do you fix this Twins mess?

May 25th and the Twins are 14.5 games behind the Cleveland Indians, the way to climb up from that hole looks more and more slippery every day, and the light out of the tunnel is as bright as Camping's predictions about the end of the world (as we know it.) So what you do, if you are the Twins' brass to move on and start preparing for the 2012 season? And I know that throwing the 2011 season under the bus, the same way the Manager of the Millennium threw Slowey under the bus, in May is somewhat of a hubris, but I am trying to be realistic...

So, here is what I would do, if I were the Twins' owner (Dream on and Daydream Believer time: )

This team is misfiring in all cylinders, so you gotta re-build the whole engine (think Marlins' tune ups blowing up the whole thing and winning world championships.) So (starting from the top, and these things do not have to happen stimultaneously, but they have to happen before the Winter meetings next fall: )

• Bill Smith has to go, along with the rest of the "Twins' way" (read: old school) people in the front office. This includes "special advisors", scouts in their golden years, hangovers who care more about horse racing or their personal enterprises and such (ouch). A new front office that includes a holistic player evaluation team that uses computers as well as eyes (hey, it is the 21st century, last time I checked) should be installed in place.


• (I guess that this might come as a surprise: ) Get rid of the manager and the coaches and start fresh. Everyone who ever read my opinions here knows who I feel about the love of complacency and mediocrity by the media and fans, which embrace the current Twins' field regime, even though they have fallen short since 1991, create cronyism, favoritism and schism in the clubhouse and making lineup and game decisions based on gut feelings that are in a dire need of Pepto (yes, the pink stuff.) So a new manager should be installed, someone with fire who would not take the compliments of being second-(and third- and fourth- and fifth-) best as accolades displayed in a Fargo agricultural show, but would think that an also-ran team is a failure and install this fire to his players. Someone like him (old news that I like him and he is a former Twin.) Also get at least one hispanic coach. This team is blessed to have the pitching coach who made Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson and Johan Santana who there are now, but he is rotting in the minors (again, old news, sue me.) and has the manager's buddies as coaches.


• The players. Sigh... I gotta get a tad financially sensitive here, since a bunch of ill-advised contracts were handed out, decisions on who stays and goes and who gets extended were made based on favoritism or the previously mentioned sorts and the like... Realistically, there are few players with any trade value right now (unless some of them would have a mirage-like performance before the trading deadline, which, under the current regime, would make it more likely to keep them long term - see how that Twins' vicious cycle works? Keep high, sell low.) Anyways... back to the business. I would try to trade (mind you not all at once, but up to the trading deadline) the following (and absorb some salary $; and this is quasi-sorted based on descending trade value, pending a miracle of the aforementioned sort):

  • Cuddyer. He does have some trade value with several contenders hurting at OF, he can "play" in the IF and he is a free agent next off-season. This one is a no-brainer.
  • Thome. Ok. He is a nice guy (but he buried the Twins in that single play off game), we all want to see him hit number 600 with the Twins, but the truth is that this is probably his last year in the majors. Sell (quasi) high. Done deal.
  • Blackburn. Ill-advised extension, ceiling of a number 4 pitcher (and he is in his prime), favorite with the front office and some Twins' fans, based on perception of "guts" quota.
  • Butera. They were some takers, allegedly. Smith traded Ramos and Morales instead. Bad move. All said.
  • Duensing. This is a guy whose value drops with every start. Trade high. He is lefty and he is breathing (and he is a junkballer with the ceiling of Blackburn; and he is also in his prime years). Controversial, but... gotta do it.
  • Capps. Another guy whose value is dropping by the appearance, but someone might think he is a "proven closer". Another no-brainer
  • It gets tough here because of several reasons, mostly associated with a need for a miracle performance...Morneau. Hubris, fan favorite (but in the wrong side of 30,) awful contract, miniscule performance; should be sadly done.
  • Pavano See the above, minus the hubris bit.
  • Nathan. You need to find takers, but there might be
  • Big category here: Clean house of never-had been players in their prime or past: Dusty Hughes, Jason Repko, Matt Tolbert, Phil Dumatrait et. al. Sorry

Where that leaves the Twins as far as players go? Something like this:

a hitter core of (pretty much batting order-like) Span, Nishi(when healthy) Mauer(when healthy, can't get him go or his contract), Young, Kubel (and I do not have second thoughts about keeping him or Span), Valencia, and a whole lot of young players for evaluation. Rotation (in no order) : Liriano, Baker (had some thoughts about this one two, but he probably deserves another year,) Slowey (when healthy), Gibson and Swarzak or Diamond or someone else. The pen: bring up Slama, Chuck James, Cole DeVries. Hopefully Perkins and Mijares will get healthy, and a continuing (long due) evaluation of young pitchers.

These are my thoughts. What are yours if you owned the Twins for a day (or 2?)

Twins' week in review: the good, the bad and the ugly

One week is already in the books for the Twins' 2011 season, including a couple of trips to Toronto and New York and the home opener against the Oakland A's earlier today. Here are my random thoughts about the good, the bad and the ugly about the Twins this week:

The Good:

• Denard Span has been a monster on the top of the lineup, getting on base in a close to a .400 clip and having some timely run-driving hits. If it was not for Denard, the Twins could very well have a record of 1-6 or even 0-7


• The Twins won a game in New York, and were close in the others


• Mauer is healthy


• Morneau is healthy


• The Luke Hughes era began, albeit on a sad note


• The Twins are undefeated in Target Field


• Joe Nathan is 3 out of 3 in safe opportunities; and he hit 93 mph today


• Kubel is hitting the ball better than last season, the distance will come


• Glen Perkins has been decent so far as a reliever


• Nick Blackburn has been the best pitcher on the staff so far. Big surprise and I hope it continues


• Delmon Young's defense has been a very pleasant surprise so far

The Bad:

• I have no idea why Dusty Hughes and Jeff Manship are in the bigs...


• Other than Nick Blackburn (and Pavano today) the starting staff has been...bad


• KC and Cleveland are much better than everyone thought


• The Twins have a losing record and are between 1 and 2 games behind the White Sox (the WSox game pending tonight)


• Drew Buttera, Matt Tolbert and Jason Repko are in the roster. And they will start enough games to matter

The Ugly:

• Swisher's slide that will probably cost Nishioka the season was ugly dirty. Period. He was not even close to the base. Can anyone say a Hoey fastball up and in next time he faces the Twins?


• Gardenhire is not using his bullpen any smarter after he got the manager of the year award; and it shows: Kevin Slowey has been day-to-day because of overuse


• The Twins did not win a series away against the AL East. Something that they have to do to go all the way


• Mike Cuddyer has been the worse player on the team. So far he is hitting half of what Punto was hitting, he is running slower than Jim Thome and by playing 6 out of 7 games so far, he severely compromises the Twins' chances to win. If his foot hurts, DL him and get someone healthy in the bigs.


• Kevin Slowey in the pen. Enough said

Still a long season, and there will be lots of ups and downs but there are a few things that the Twins can correct sooner than later and several optimistic things to build upon, but the Central will be harder this season...

What do you think?