Not a Garden Variety Top 10 List - Part 2: Twins Franchise On Base Percentage Leaders

This is the second installment of the franchise top ten lists, which started with the Batting Average List earlier this week. Again, the purpose is to provide a glimpse of the great players who wore the Franchise's uniform, being Twins or Senators.

As with Batting Average, there are two top ten lists for each category: Single Season Best and Career Best. Career Best takes into consideration cumulative performance for only the Twins' or Senators' years of a player's career. In other words, what Carew did with the Angels does not matter. And the top-10 lists are not a single top ten list. Because of the variations of the game through out the years, a Senators' top ten list is merged with a Twins' top ten list to give the franchise's best (usually 20-30) players in a category.

So in the lists, we get the ranking in the franchise and the ranking of a particular player among Senators or Twins, depending what uniform that player won. Because the purpose of this is to be a history lesson and a celebration of the great players who played for our beloved franchise, and not a debate about who is better than whom, I am not adding commentary on performances. Also, because these units are somewhat freestanding the way they are posted, I am profiling every player including the ones appearing in earlier lists. The stats in the profiles are career totals and not franchise totals.

There we go: On Base Percentage

Franchise Single Season:

Franchise 1 Was 1 Myer, B (1938) .454
Franchise 2 Min 1 Carew, R (1977) .449
Franchise 3 Min 2 Knoblauch, C (1996) .448
Franchise 4 Min 3 Mauer, J (2009).444
Franchise 5 Was 2 Goslin, G (1928) .442
Franchise 6 Was 3 Yost, E (1950) .440
Franchise 6 Was 3 Myer, B (1935) .440
Franchise 8 Min 4 Carew, R (1974) .433
Franchise 9 Min 5 Mauer, J (2006) .429
Franchise 10 Min 6 Killebrew, H (1969) .427
Franchise 11 Was 5 Goslin, G (1926) .425
Franchise 12 Min 7 Knoblauch, C (1995) .424
Franchise 13 Was 6 Yost, E (1951) .423
Franchise 14 Was 7 Cronin, J (1930) .422
Franchise 15 Min 8 Carew, R (1975) .421
Franchise 15 Was 9 Goslin, G (1924) .421
Franchise 15 Was 10 Stone, J (1936) .421
Franchise 18 Was 11 Myer, B (1934) .419
Franchise 19 Was 12 Judge, J (1920) .416
Franchise 20 Min 9 Mauer, J (2008) .413
Franchise 21 Was 13 Yost, E (1956) .412
Franchise 21 Was 13 Schaefer, G (1911) .412
Franchise 23 Min 10 Carew, R (1978) .411
Franchise 23 Min 10 Carew, R (1973) .411
Franchise 23 Min 10 Killebrew, H (1970) .411

Franchise Career:

Franchise 1 Min 1 Mauer .403
Franchise 2 Min 2 Carew .393
Franchise 2 Was 1 Myer, B .393
Franchise 4 Was 2 Stone, J .392
Franchise 5 Min 3 Knoblauch, C .391
Franchise 6 Was 3 Yost, E .389
Franchise 7 Was 4 Cronin, J .387
Franchise 8 Was 5 Goslin, G .386
Franchise 9 Was 6 Ruel, M .382
Franchise 10 Min 4 Lawton, M .379
Franchise 10 Was 7 Judge, J .379
Franchise 12 Min 5 Killebrew, H .378
Franchise 13 Was 8 Spence, S .377
Franchise 14 Min 6 Braun, S .376
Franchise 15 Min 7 Mack, S .375
Franchise 15 Was 9 Rice, S .375
Franchise 17 Was 10 Ferrell, R .374
Franchise 18 Min 8 Koskie, C .373
Franchise 19 Was 11 Manush, H .371
Franchise 20 Was 12 Travis, C .370
Franchise 21 Was 13 Lewis, B .368
Franchise 22 Min 9 Mientkiewicz, D .367
Franchise 22 Min 9 Hrbek, K .367







Who is who of the Senators Listed, with a bit of biographic information and a picture (alphabetically):




Cronin, J
---------



Joseph Edward Cronin
Born: October 12, 1906 in San Francisco, CA
Died: September 7, 1984, Osterville, MA
SS

1926-1927 Pittsburgh, 1928-1934 Senators, 1935-1945 Red Sox.
Career: .301/.390/.468, 170 HR, 1424 RBI, 1232 R, 2285 H, 87 SB

7 times All Star: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941
AL MVP 1930
Hall of Fame (elected 1956 as a Red Sox' Player)
His number 4 retired by Boston

Ferrell, R
-----------



Richard (Rick) Benjamin Ferrell
Born: October 12, 1905 in Durham, NC
Died: July 27, 1995 in Bloomfield Hills, MI
C


1929-1932 and 1941-1943St. Louis, 1932-1937 Boston, 1937-1941 and 1944-1947 Senators
Career: .281/.378/.363, 28 HR, 734 RBI, 687 R, 1692 H, 29 SB.

8 times All Star: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 (Boston), 1937, 1938, 1944, 1945 (Senators)
Hall of Fame (elected 1984 as a Red Sox' Player)

Goslin, G
-----------



Leon Allen (Goose) Goslin
Born: October 16, 1900 in Salem, NJ
Died: May 15, 1971, Bridgeton, NJ
OF

1921-1930, 1933, 1938 Senators, 1930-1932 St. Louis, 1934-1938 Detroit
Career: .316/.387/.500, 248 HR, 1609 RBI, 1482 R, 2735 H, 175 SB

All Star 1936
World Series Winner 1924 (Senators) 1935 (Detroit)
Hall of Fame (Elected 1968 as a Minnesota Twin not as a Senator)


Judge, J
----------



Joseph Ignatius (Joe) Judge
Born: May 25, 1894 in Brooklyn, NY
Died: March 11, 1963 in Washington DC
1B

1915-1933 Senators, 1933-1934 Red Sox
Career: .298/.378/.420, 71 HR, 1034 RBI, 1185 R, 2352 H, 213 SB

World Series Winner 1924 (Senators)




Lewis, B
----------



John Kelly (Buddy) Lewis
Born: August 10, 1916 in Gastonia, NC
Died: February 18, 2011 in Gastonia, NC
3B

1935-1941, 1945-1947 Senators; in the US Air Force from 1942-1944 flew more than 350 missions in WWII
Career: .297/.368/.420, 71 HR, 607 RBI, 830 R, 1563 H, 83 SB

All Star: 1938, 1947


Manush, H
-----------



Henry Emmett (Heinie) Manush
Born: July 20, 1901 in Tuscumbia, AL
Died: May 21, 1971 in Sarasota, FL
OF

1923-1927 Detroit, 1928-1930 St Louis, 1930-1935 Senators, 1936 Boston, 1937-1938 Brooklyn, 1938-1939 Pittsburgh
Career: .330/.377/.479, 110 HR, 1183 RBI, 1288 R, 2524 H, 114 SB

Led AL in Batting Average in 1926 and in Hits in 1928 and 1933
All Star (1934, Senators)
Hall of Fame (Elected 1964, Detroit Tigers)




Myer, B
---------



Charles Solomon (Buddy) Myer
Born: March 16, 1904 in Ellisville, MS
Died: October 31, 1974 in Baton Rouge, LA
2B

1925-1927, 1929-1941 Senators, 1927-1928 Red Sox
Career: .303/.389/.406 38 HR, 850 RBI, 1174 R, 2131 H, 156 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average in 1935 and Stolen Bases in 1928
Two times All Star: 1935, 1937



Rice, S
---------



Edgar Charles (Sam) Rice
Born: February 20, 1890 in Morocco, IN
Died: October 13, 1974 in Rossmoor, MD
OF

1915-1933 Senators, 1934 Cleveland
Career: .322/.374/.427, 34 HR, 1078 RBI, 1513 R, 2987 H, 351 SB

Led the AL in Hits 1924, 1926 and Stolen Bases in 1920
World Series Champion 1924 (Senators)
Hall of Fame (elected 1963, Minnesota Twins)



Ruel, M
--------



Herold Dominic (Muddy) Ruel
Born: February 20, 1896 in St. Louis, MO
Died: November 13, 1963 in Palo Alto, California
C

1915, 1933 St Louis, 1917-1920 Yankees, 1921-1922 Red Sox, 1923-1931 Senators, 1931-1932 Detroit, 1934 White Sox
Career: .275/.365/.332 4 HR, 534 RBI, 493 R, 1242 H, 61 SB

World Series Champion 1924 (Senators)

Schaefer, G
-------------



Herman A. (Germany) Schaefer
Born: February 4, 1877 in Chicago, IL
Died: May 16, 1919 in Saranac Lake, NY
IF


1901-1902 Chicago, 1905-1909 Detroit, 1909-1914 Senators, 1916 Yankees, 1917 Cleveland
Career: .257/.319/.320 9 HR, 308 RBI, 497 R, 972 H, 201 SB.


Spence, S
----------



Stanley (Stan) Orville Spence
Born: March 20, 1915 in S.Portsmouth, KY
Died: January 9, 1983 in Kinston, NC
OF

1940-1941, 1948-1949, Red Sox, 1942-1947 Senators, 1949 St Louis
Career: .282/.369/.437 95 HR, 575 RBI, 541 R, 1090 H, 21 SB

All Star: 1942, 1944, 1946, 1947 (all with Senators)


Stone, J
--------



John "Rocky" Thomas Stone
Born: October 10, 1905 in Mulberry, TN
Died: November 30, 1955 in Shelbyville, TN
OF

1928-1933 Detroit, 1934-1938 Senators
Career: .310/.376/.467 77 HR, 707 RBI, 739 R, 1391 H, 45 SB



Travis, C
----------



Cecil Howell Travis
Born: August 8, 1913 in Riverdale, GA
Died: December 16, 2006 in Riverdale, GA
SS

1933-1941, 1945-1947 Senators; 1941-1944 US Army, received Bronze Star for injuries
Career: .314/.370/.416 27 HR, 657 RBI, 665 R, 1544 H, 23 SB

Led the AL in Hits, 1941
All Star: 1938, 1940, 1941


Yost, E
---------



Edward "The Walking Man" (Eddie) Frederick Joseph Yost
Born: October 13, 1926 in Brooklyn, NY


1944-1958 Senators, 1959-1960 Detroit, 1961-1962 LA Dodgers (spent part of the 1945 Season in the US Navy)
Career: .254/.394/.371, 193 HR, 683 RBI, 1215 R, 1863 H, 72 SB


Let the AL in OBP 1959, 1960 in Runs 1959
All Star 1952 (Senators)







Who is who of the Twins listed, with a bit of biographic information and a picture (alphabetically):

Braun, S
---------



Stephen (Steve) Russell Braun
Born: May 8, 1948 in Trenton, NJ
OF

1971-1976 Twins, 1977-1978 Seattle, 1978-1980 Kansas City, 1980 Toronto, 1981-1985 St Louis
Career: .271/.371/.367 52 HR, 388 RBI, 466 R, 969 H, 45 SB

World Series Champion 1982 (St Louis)

Carew, R
----------



Rodney (Rod) Cline Carew
Born: October 1, 1945 in Gatun, Canal Zone
IF

1967-1978 Twins, 1979-1985 Angels
Career: .328/.393/.429 82 HR, 1015 RBI, 1424 R, 3053 H, 353 SB

Led AL in Batting Average: 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978; in OBP 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978 in OPS 1977 in Runs 1977, Hits 1973, 1974, 1977
All Star: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 (Twins), 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 (Angels)
MVP 1977
Rookie of the year 1967
Roberto Clemente Award 1977
Uniform number 29 Retired by the Twins (1987) and Angels (1991)
Hall of Fame (elected 1991, Minnesota Twins)


Hrbek, K
---------



Kent Alan Hrbek
Born: May 21, 1960 in Minneapolis, MN
1B

1961-1994 Twins
Career: .283/.367/.481 293 HR, 1086 RBi, 903 R, 37 SB


All Star 1982
World Series Champion 1987, 1991, Twins
Uniform number 14 was retired by the Twins (1995)


Killebrew, H
-------------



Harmon "Killer" Clayton Killebrew
Born: June 29, 1936 in Payette, ID
1B

1954-1960 Senators, 1961-1974 Twins, 1975 Royals
Career: .256/.376/.509 573 HR, 1584 RBI, 1283 R, 2086 H, 19 SB

Led AL in Home Runs 1959, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1967 and 1969, in RBI in 1962, 1969 and 1971, in OBP in 1969 and in SLG% in 1963
All Star: 1959, 1960 (Senators) 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971 (Twins)
MVP 1969
Uniform number 3 Retired by the Twins (1975)
Hall of Fame (elected 1984, Minnesota Twins)


Knoblauch, C
------------



Edward Charles (Chuck) Knoblauch
Born: July 7, 1968 in Houston, TX
2B


1991-1997 Twins, 1998-2001 Yankees, 2002 Kansas City
Career: .289/.378/.406 98 HR, 615 RBI, 1132 R, 1839 H, 407 SB

All Star 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997 (all with Twins)
Gold Glove 1997
Silver Slugger 1995, 1997
World Series Champion: 1991 (Twins), 1994, 1996, 1997 (Yankees)
Rookie of the Year 1991 (Twins)

Koskie, C
-----------



Cordel (Cory) Leonard Koskie
Born: June 28, 1973 in Anola, MB, Canada
3B

1998-2004 Twins, 2005 Blue Jays, 2006 Brewers
Career: .275/.367/.458 124 HR, 506 RBI, 516 R, 71 SB

Lawton, M
----------



Matthew (Matt) Lawton
Born: November 30, 1971 in Gulfport, MS
OF

1995-2001 Twins, 2001 Mets, 2002-2004 Indians, 2005 Cubs, 2005 Yankees, 2006 Mariners
Career: .259/.368/.417 138 HR, 631 RBI, 756 R, 165 SB

All Star: 2000 (Twins), 2004 (Indians)


Mack, S
---------



Shane Lee Mack
Born: December 7, 1963 in Los Angeles, CA
OF

1987-1988 San Diego, 1990-1994 Twins, 1997 Boston, 1998 Kansas City, 1998 Oakland
Career: .299/.364/.456 80 HR, 398 RBI, 436 R, 853 H, 90 SB

World Series Champion 1991 (Twins)


Mauer, J .
----------



Joseph (Joe) Patrick Mauer
Born: April 19, 1983 in St. Paul, MN
C

2004- Twins
Career: .323/.403/.471 84 HR, 502 RBI, 545 R, 1096 H, 35 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average 2006, 2008, 2009, in OBP in 2009, in Slugging percentage in 2009 and in OPS in 2009
All Star: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
Silver Slugger: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010,
Gold Glove: 2008, 2009, 2010
AL MVP 2009

Mientkiewicz, D
---------------



Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz
Born: June 19, 1974 in Toledo, OH
1B

1998-2004 Twins, 2004 Red Sox, 2005 Mets, 2006 Royals, 2007 Yankees, 2008 Pirates, 2009 Dodgers
Career: .271/.360/.405 66 HR, 405 RBI, 422 R, 899 H, 14 SB

Gold Glove: 2001 (Twins)
World Series Champion (2004 Red Sox)





Next: Slugging Percentage.

Not a Garden Variety Top 10 List - Part 1: Twins Franchise Batting Average Leaders

This off-season I decided to start a project and I will share part of it here, and this is the first installment. I have always been interested in the history of the Twins' franchise from the Western League Kansas City Blues (the late 19th Century Blues who moved to DC to form the American League, not the early 20th century American Association Blues) to the founding member of the American League, Washington Senators to the Minnesota Twins. And it is unfortunate that the current Twins' owners have never embraced the history of their franchise. And a lot of the current Twins' fans may have heard that Harmon Killebrew was a Senator once or that there was a great pitcher by the name of Walter Johnson who played for the Senators, but not much is known about the other greats who wore the Senators uniform. Add to this fact the realizations that a. the Twins moved to Minnesota a month more than 61 years ago and b. a decent part of the Twins' fan base was born after the Twins won their last World Series, and I think that a lot of the Twins greats are becoming somewhat obscured. When this series is finished here, I will be profiling (with pictures as well) about 275 players who wore the franchise uniform either as Senators or as Twins, from 1901 to the present. And I figured that an interesting way to do it, would be to create top 10 lists for the franchise in several hitting and pitching categories. This way, the picture of how a player fits in the big picture of the franchise might become more clear, esp. when considering players for things like the Twins' Hall of Fame, which is currently happening.

Now about the lists: There are two top ten lists for each category: Single Season Best and Career Best. Career Best takes into consideration cumulative performance for only the Twins' or Senators' years of a player's career. In other words, what Carew did with the Angels does not matter. And the top-10 lists are not a single top ten list. Because of the variations of the game through out the years, a Senators' top ten list is merged with a Twins' top ten list to give the franchise's best (usually 20-30) players in a category. So in the lists, we get the ranking in the franchise and the ranking of a particular player among Senators or Twins, depending what uniform that player won. Because the purpose of this is to be a history lesson and a celebration of the great players who played for our beloved franchise, and not a debate about who is better than whom, I am not adding commentary on performances.

The time travel starts with Batting Average:

Single Season Ranking:

Franchise 1, Min 1, Carew, R (1977) .388
Franchise 2, Was 1, Goslin, G (1928) .379
Franchise 3, Min 2, Mauer, J (2009) .365
Franchise 4, Min 3, Carew, R (1974) .364
Franchise 5, Min 4, Carew, R (1975) .359
Franchise 5, Was 2, Travis, C (1941) .359
Franchise 7, Min 5, Puckett, K (1988) .356
Franchise 8, Was 3, Goslin, G (1926) .354
Franchise 9, Was 4, Vernon, M (1946) .353
Franchise 10, Min 6, Carew, R (1973) .350
Franchise 10, Was 5, Rice, S (1925) .350
Franchise 12, Was 6, Rice, S (1930) .349
Franchise 12, Was 6, Myer, B (1935) .349
Franchise 12, Was 6, Manush, H (1934) .349
Franchise 15, Min 7, Mauer, J 2006 .347
Franchise 16, Was 9, Cronin, J (1930) .346
Franchise 17, Was 10 Travis, C (1937) .344
Franchise 17, Was 10 Goslin, G (1924) .344
Franchise 19, Was 12 Manush, H (1932) .342
Franchise 20, Was 13 Stone, J (1936) .341
Franchise 20, Min 8 Molitor, P (1996) .341
Franchise 20, Min 9 Knoblauch, C (1996) .341
Franchise 23, Min 10 Puckett, K (1989) .339

Franchise Career Ranking:

Franchise 1, Min 1 Carew, R .334
Franchise 2, Was 1 Manush, H .328
Franchise 3, Min 2 Mauer, J .323
Franchise 3, Was 2 Rice, S .323
Franchise 3, Was 2 Goslin, G .323
Franchise 6, Min 3 Puckett, K .318
Franchise 7, Was 4 Stone, J .317
Franchise 8, Was 5 Travis, C .314
Franchise 9, Min 4 Mack, S .309
Franchise 10, Min 5 Harper, B .306
Franchise 11, Was 6 Cronin, J .304
Franchise 11, Min 6 Oliva, T 304
Franchise 11, Min 6 Knoblauch, C .304
Franchise 14, Was 7 Myer, B .303
Franchise 15, Was 8 Judge, J .299
Franchise 16, Was 9 Lewis, B .297
Franchise 16, Was 9 West, S .297
Franchise 18, Was 11 Spence, S .296
Franchise 19, Was 12 Gandil, C .293
Franchise 20, Was 13 Ruel, M .290
Franchise 21, Was 14 Kuhel, J .288
Franchise 21 Was 14 Case, G .288
Franchise 21, Was 14 Vernon, M .288
Franchise 24, Min 8 Hisle, L .286
Franchise 25, Was 17 Milan, C .285
Franchise 26, Min 9 Braun, S .284
Franchise 26, Min 9 Hatcher, M .284


Who is who of the Senators Listed, with a bit of biographic information and a picture (alphabetically):

Case, G
-------



George Washington Case
Born: November 11, 1915 in Trenton, NJ
OF

1937-1945 Senators, 1946 Cleveland and ended career in 1947 with Senators

4 times all star: 1939, 1943, 1944 and 1945
Led the AL in stolen bases in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1943, and 1946


Cronin, J
---------



Joseph Edward Cronin
Born: October 12, 1906 in San Francisco, CA
Died: September 7, 1984, Osterville, MA
SS

1926-1927 Pittsburgh, 1928-1934 Senators, 1935-1945 Red Sox.
Career: .301/.390/.468, 170 HR, 1424 RBI, 1232 R, 2285 H, 87 SB

7 times All Star: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1941
AL MVP 1930
Hall of Fame (elected 1956 as a Red Sox' Player)
His number 4 retired by Boston


Gandil, C
---------



Arnold (Chick) Gandil
Born: January 19, 1887 in St.Paul, MN
Died: December 13, 1970 in Calistoga, CA
1B

1010 White Sox, 1912-1915 Senators, 1916 Cleveland, 1917-1919 White Sox
Career: .277/.327/.362, 11 HR, 557 RBI, 449 R, 1176 H, 153 SB.
1917 World Series Winner (White Sox)


Goslin, G
-----------



Leon Allen (Goose) Goslin
Born: October 16, 1900 in Salem, NJ
Died: May 15, 1971, Bridgeton, NJ
OF

1921-1930, 1933, 1938 Senators, 1930-1932 St. Louis, 1934-1938 Detroit
Career: .316/.387/.500, 248 HR, 1609 RBI, 1482 R, 2735 H, 175 SB

All Star 1936
World Series Winner 1924 (Senators) 1935 (Detroit)
Hall of Fame (Elected 1968 as a Minnesota Twin not as a Senator)


Judge, J
----------



Joseph Ignatius (Joe) Judge
Born: May 25, 1894 in Brooklyn, NY
Died: March 11, 1963 in Washington DC
1B

1915-1933 Senators, 1933-1934 Red Sox
Career: .298/.378/.420, 71 HR, 1034 RBI, 1185 R, 2352 H, 213 SB

World Series Winner 1924 (Senators)


Kuhel, J
----------



Joseph Anthony (Joe) Kuhel
Born: June 25, 1906 in Cleveland, OH
Died: February 26, 1984 in Kansas City, KS
1B

1930-1937, 1944-1946 Senators, 1938-1943, 1946, 1947 White Sox
Career: .277/.359/.406, 131 HR, 1049 RBI, 1236 R, 2212H, 178 SB

Lewis, B
----------



John Kelly (Buddy) Lewis
Born: August 10, 1916 in Gastonia, NC
Died: February 18, 2011 in Gastonia, NC
3B

1935-1941, 1945-1947 Senators; in the US Air Force from 1942-1944 flew more than 350 missions in WWII
Career: .297/.368/.420, 71 HR, 607 RBI, 830 R, 1563 H, 83 SB

All Star: 1938, 1947


Manush, H
-----------



Henry Emmett (Heinie) Manush
Born: July 20, 1901 in Tuscumbia, AL
Died: May 21, 1971 in Sarasota, FL
OF

1923-1927 Detroit, 1928-1930 St Louis, 1930-1935 Senators, 1936 Boston, 1937-1938 Brooklyn, 1938-1939 Pittsburgh
Career: .330/.377/.479, 110 HR, 1183 RBI, 1288 R, 2524 H, 114 SB

Led AL in Batting Average in 1926 and in Hits in 1928 and 1933
All Star (1934, Senators)
Hall of Fame (Elected 1964, Detroit Tigers)


Milan, C
---------



Jesse "Deerfoot" Clyde Milan
Born: March 25, 1887 in Linden, TN
Died: March 3, 1953 in Orlando, FL
OF

1907-1922 Senators
Career: .285/.353/.353, 17 HR, 617 RBI, 1004 R, 2100 H, 495 SB

Led AL in Stolen Bases 1912 and 1913


Myer, B
---------



Charles Solomon (Buddy) Myer
Born: March 16, 1904 in Ellisville, MS
Died: October 31, 1974 in Baton Rouge, LA
2B

1925-1927, 1929-1941 Senators, 1927-1928 Red Sox
Career: .303/.389/.406 38 HR, 850 RBI, 1174 R, 2131 H, 156 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average in 1935 and Stolen Bases in 1928
Two times All Star: 1935, 1937



Rice, S
---------



Edgar Charles (Sam) Rice
Born: February 20, 1890 in Morocco, IN
Died: October 13, 1974 in Rossmoor, MD
OF

1915-1933 Senators, 1934 Cleveland
Career: .322/.374/.427, 34 HR, 1078 RBI, 1513 R, 2987 H, 351 SB

Led the AL in Hits 1924, 1926 and Stolen Bases in 1920
World Series Champion 1924 (Senators)
Hall of Fame (elected 1963, Minnesota Twins)



Ruel, M
--------



Herold Dominic (Muddy) Ruel
Born: February 20, 1896 in St. Louis, MO
Died: November 13, 1963 in Palo Alto, California
C

1915, 1933 St Louis, 1917-1920 Yankees, 1921-1922 Red Sox, 1923-1931 Senators, 1931-1932 Detroit, 1934 White Sox
Career: .275/.365/.332 4 HR, 534 RBI, 493 R, 1242 H, 61 SB

World Series Champion 1924 (Senators)



Spence, S
----------



Stanley (Stan) Orville Spence
Born: March 20, 1915 in S.Portsmouth, KY
Died: January 9, 1983 in Kinston, NC
OF

1940-1941, 1948-1949, Red Sox, 1942-1947 Senators, 1949 St Louis
Career: .282/.369/.437 95 HR, 575 RBI, 541 R, 1090 H, 21 SB

All Star: 1942, 1944, 1946, 1947 (all with Senators)


Stone, J
--------



John "Rocky" Thomas Stone
Born: October 10, 1905 in Mulberry, TN
Died: November 30, 1955 in Shelbyville, TN
OF

1928-1933 Detroit, 1934-1938 Senators
Career: .310/.376/.467 77 HR, 707 RBI, 739 R, 1391 H, 45 SB



Travis, C
----------



Cecil Howell Travis
Born: August 8, 1913 in Riverdale, GA
Died: December 16, 2006 in Riverdale, GA
SS

1933-1941, 1945-1947 Senators; 1941-1944 US Army, received Bronze Star for injuries
Career: .314/.370/.416 27 HR, 657 RBI, 665 R, 1544 H, 23 SB

Led the AL in Hits, 1941
All Star: 1938, 1940, 1941

Vernon, M
-----------



James Barton (Mickey) Vernon
Born: April 22, 1918 in Marcus Hook, PA
Died: September 24, 2008 in Media, PA
1B

1939-1943, 1946-1947, 1950-1955 Senators, 1949-1950, 1958 Cleveland, 1956-1957 Boston, 1959 Milwaukee, 1960 Pittsburgh; US Army 1944-1945
Career: .286/.359/.428 172 HR, 1311 RBI, 1196 R, 2495 H, 137 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average in 1946 and 1953
All Star: 1946, 1948, 1953, 1954, 1955 (Senators) 1956 (Boston) 1958 (Cleveland)
World Series Champion 1960

West, S
---------



Samuel (Sam) Filmore West
Born: October 5, 1904 in Longview, TX
Died: November 23, 1985 in Lubbock, TX
OF

1927-1932, 1938-1941 Senators, 1933-1938 St Louis, 1942 White Sox
Career: .299/.371/.425 75 HR, 838 RBI, 934 R, 1838 H, 53 SB

All Star: 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937 (all with St Louis)



Who is who of the Twins listed, with a bit of biographic information and a picture (alphabetically):

Braun, S
---------



Stephen (Steve) Russell Braun
Born: May 8, 1948 in Trenton, NJ
OF

1971-1976 Twins, 1977-1978 Seattle, 1978-1980 Kansas City, 1980 Toronto, 1981-1985 St Louis
Career: .271/.371/.367 52 HR, 388 RBI, 466 R, 969 H, 45 SB

World Series Champion 1982 (St Louis)

Carew, R
----------



Rodney (Rod) Cline Carew
Born: October 1, 1945 in Gatun, Canal Zone
IF

1967-1978 Twins, 1979-1985 Angels
Career: .328/.393/.429 82 HR, 1015 RBI, 1424 R, 3053 H, 353 SB

Led AL in Batting Average: 1969, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978; in OBP 1974, 1975, 1977, 1978 in OPS 1977 in Runs 1977, Hits 1973, 1974, 1977
All Star: 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 (Twins), 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984 (Angels)
MVP 1977
Rookie of the year 1967
Roberto Clemente Award 1977
Uniform number 29 Retired by the Twins (1987) and Angels (1991)
Hall of Fame (elected 1991, Minnesota Twins)

Harper, B
---------



Brian David Harper
Born: October 16, 1959 in Los Angeles, CA
C

1979, 1981 Angels, 1982-1984 Pittsburgh, 1985 St Louis, 1986 Detroit, 1987, 1985 Oakland, 1998-1993 Twins, 1994 Milwaukee
Career: .295/.329/.419 63 HR, 428 RBI, 339 R, 931 H, 8 SB

World Series Champion 1991, Twins


Hatcher, M
----------



Michael Vaughn (Mickey) Hatcher
Born: March 15, 1955 in Cleveland, OH
OF

1979-1980, 1987-1990 Dodgers, 1981-1986 Twins
Career: .280/.313/.377 38 HR, 375 RBI, 348 R, 946 H, 11 SB

World Series Champion 1988, Dodgers

Hisle, L
---------


Larry Eugene Hisle
Born: May 5, 1947 in Portsmouth, OH
OF

1968-1971 Philadelphia, 1973-1977 Twins, 1978-1982 Milwaukee
Career: .273/.347./.452 166 HR, 674 RBI, 652 R, 1146 H, 128 SB

Led the AL in RBI in 1977
All Star 1977 (Twins), 1978 (Milwaukee)

Knoblauch, C
------------



Edward Charles (Chuck) Knoblauch
Born: July 7, 1968 in Houston, TX
2B


1991-1997 Twins, 1998-2001 Yankees, 2002 Kansas City
Career: .289/.378/.406 98 HR, 615 RBI, 1132 R, 1839 H, 407 SB

All Star 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997 (all with Twins)
Gold Glove 1997
Silver Slugger 1995, 1997
World Series Champion: 1991 (Twins), 1994, 1996, 1997 (Yankees)
Rookie of the Year 1991 (Twins)



Mack, S
---------



Shane Lee Mack
Born: December 7, 1963 in Los Angeles, CA
OF

1987-1988 San Diego, 1990-1994 Twins, 1997 Boston, 1998 Kansas City, 1998 Oakland
Career: .299/.364/.456 80 HR, 398 RBI, 436 R, 853 H, 90 SB

World Series Champion 1991 (Twins)


Mauer, J .
----------



Joseph (Joe) Patrick Mauer
Born: April 19, 1983 in St. Paul, MN
C

2004- Twins
Career: .323/.403/.471 84 HR, 502 RBI, 545 R, 1096 H, 35 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average 2006, 2008, 2009, in OBP in 2009, in Slugging percentage in 2009 and in OPS in 2009
All Star: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010
Silver Slugger: 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010,
Gold Glove: 2008, 2009, 2010
AL MVP 2009


Molitor, P.
-----------



Paul Leo Molitor
Born: August 22, 1956 in St. Paul, MN
IF/DH

1978-1992 Milwaukee, 1993-1995 Toronto 1996-1998 Twins
Career: .306/.369/.448 234 HR, 1307 RBI, 1782 R, 3319 H, 504 SB

All Star: 1980, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992 (Milwaukee) 1993, 1994 (Toronto)
Silver Slugger 1987, 1988 (Milwaukee) 1993 (Toronto) 1996 (Twins)
World Series Champion 1993 (Toronto)
World Series MVP 1993
Hall of Fame (elected 2004, Milwaukee)
Uniform number 4 retired (Milwaukee 1999)



Oliva, T
---------



Pedro (Tony) Oliva
Born: July 20, 1940 in Pinar Del Rio, Cuba
OF

1962-1976 Twins
Career: .304/.353/.476 220 HR, 947 RBI, 870 R, 1917 H, 86 SB


All Star: 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 (Twins)
Gold Glove: 1966
Rookie of the year 1964
Uniform number 6 retired (Twins, 1991)


Puckett, K
-----------



Kirby Puckett
Born: March 14, 1961 in Chicago, IL
Died: March 6, 2006 in Phoenix, AZ
OF

1984-1995 Twins
Career: .318/.360/.477 207 HR, 1085 RBI, 1071 R, 2304 H, 134 SB

Led the AL in Batting Average 1989, in RBI 1994 and in Hits in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992
All Star: 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995
All Star MVP: 1993
Silver Slugger 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994
World Series Champion: 1987, 1991
ALCS MVP: 1991
Roberto Clemente Award: 1996
Hall of Fame (Elected 2001; Minnesota Twins)


Next: On Base Percentage Ranking

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.