My Twins Dream Team

by 33MorneauMVP on Jul 18, 2009 12:25 AM EDT Comment 8 comments

I usually assemble a Twins dream team around the all-star break every year. So, without further ado, my dream team after the jump.

Breaking News (November 2009):

After a run at the championship in 2009, the Twins, who had acquired Matt Capps from the Pirates in exchange for Jeff Manship and Alexi Casilla, failed to bring home the AL Championship. Though the 2009 offseason has been quiet thus far for the team from Minnesota, the Twins recently pulled off a blockbuster trade with the Baltimore Orioles. The Twins, who managed to get to the playoffs after its second consecutive 163 game season, traded away starting pitcher Glen Perkins, relief pitchers Bobby Keppel and Kevin Mulvey, outfielders Delmon Young and Ben Revere to the Orioles for second baseman Brian Roberts and outfielder Adam Jones.

Breaking News (December 2009):

With the recent acquistions of Brian Roberts and Adam Jones from the Orioles, the expectation was high for the Twins to once again return to the playoffs in 2010. Though, with their most recent trade with the Brewers, there expectations have once again shot through the roof. The Twins, in a surprising move, traded away outfielder Michael Cuddyer and relief/spot starter, R.A. Dickey for the Brewers shortstop, J.J. Hardy.

Breaking News (January 2010):

The Twins, who announced their plans to have an early start to spring training in order for the new players to demonstrate the clubhouse presence (a big thing in Minnesota), the Twins once again pulled off another trade, only this time it was a three team trade. The teams involved were the Pittsburg Pirates, Washington Nationals, and Minnesota Twins. The Pirates sent 3B prospect Pedro Alvarez to the Twins and starting pitcher Paul Mahlom to the Nationals. The Nationals, meanwhile, sent starting pitcher Jack McGeary to the Twins and Catcher Adrian Nieto to the Pirates. The Twins sent pitchers Nick Blackburn and Deolis Guerra to the Pirates while sending outfielder Rene Tosoni to the Nationals.

Remember I said this was a dream team!!

These trades being concluded, the Twins start their 2010 spring training camp early with the hope of fitting in all these young new players into their already young team. Itching to start the regular season and the opening of the new stadium, the Twins announce their 25 man roster on March 23, 2010.

The Twins lineup:

Denard Span - LF
Brian Roberts - 2B
Joe Mauer - C
Justin Morneau - 1B
Adam Jones - RF
Jason Kubel - DH
Pedro Alvarez - 3B
J.J. Hardy - SS
Carlos Gomez - CF

The Twins starting rotation:

Kevin Slowey - RHP
Jack McGeary - LHP
Scott Baker - RHP
Anthony Swarzak - RHP
Francisco Liriano - LHP

The Twins bullpen:

Joe Nathan - closer
Jose Mijares - setup
Matt Capps - setup
Anthony Slama - setup
Matt Guerrier - setup
Pat Neshek - setup
Carlos Guetierrez - long relief

The Twins bench:

Jose Morales - 2nd catcher
Danny Valencia - 1B/3B backup
Steve Tolleson - utility
TBD

In the wings:

Shooter Hunt - RHP
Kyle Gibson - RHP
Aaron Hicks - OF
Wilson Ramos - C

The Twins new coaching staff:

Ron Gardenhire - Manager
Rick Anderson - Pitching Coach
Joe Vavra - Hitting Coach
Brad Radke - Bullpen Coach
Mike Redmond - Bench Coach
Jerry White - 1B Coach
Rod Carew - 3B Coach

Remember I told you this was a dream team!

So there it is! My Twins dream team...feel free to comment but no negative comments please. This is just a dream team and certainly this will never happen. Just imagine for a moment, the 2010 season with these players though! It would be a heaven of a season!

0 recs | Comment 8 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

the trades are optimistic

None are really realistic

by DaTwins on Jul 18, 2009 1:38 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Well it's a dream team, dude

"I don't care about feelings." - Lou Piniella

by natetheskate on Jul 18, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

while we're at it...

Joe Mauer is taken to the hospital with abdominal pain…where he unexpectedly gives birth to a baby shortstop! The child matures with uncanny speed, reaching 200 pounds and an .870 OPS within four months.

The move forces Nick Punto to second base. A sudden power surge raises his value greatly as he hits 24 homers by August. Steroids are suspected. But Punto reveals that a dietician told him his too-carefully managed diet had left him completely lacking in one of the 23 essential amino acids needed for his body to convert protein into muscle. Now, through a simple program of weightlifting, he is gaining 8 pounds of muscle a month with no end in sight.

Carlos Gomez undergoes a career resurgence when it is discovered he has an extremely rare metabolic imbalance that makes him experience every emotion at 1,000 times ordinary levels, virtually drowning out all conscious thought. A course of nuerotransmitter antagonists leaves him calm, reflective, and rational at all times. He develops an uncanny plate discipline and leads the league in walks, which combined with an unparalleled ability to read pitchers enables him to steal 120 bases.

Delmon Young becomes so irritated by the constant advice and “nagging” from his coaches that he walks out in mid batting practice session and never comes back, preferring instead to start a hitting clinic for underpriviliged youth. It is later revealed that he failed two drug tests in the minor leagues but threatened the tester with bodily harm unless he destroyed the samples. He eventually suffers a nervous breakdown when his hitting advice makes every single child he tutors a worse hitter. About to hit bottom, he is saved by a religious conversion. He returns to the Twins humble and determined to do his best to fulfill his promise, with the help of the Twins’ coaching staff, and he hits .320/.365/.475.

Francisco Liriano gets impatient with coddling his arm, returns to his old delivery and pitching style, and becomes as effective as he was in 2006, without suffering any additional injury until a month after signing a lengthy free agent contract with the Red Sox.

Oh, and the Twins sign Sano for $4.5 million and he becomes a perpetual all-star.

by by jiminy on Jul 18, 2009 9:07 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Also!!!!!

Kevin Slowey’s wrist injury after further examination appears to be a second muscle growing from out of nowhere!!! He works with Rick Anderson all offseason to strengthen it. In the process it adds 10+ MPH to his fastball and he is able to throw a curveball that breaks 3+ feet and develops a change up better than Santana’s.

Scott Baker in a freak nuclear waste accident in late December gains the ability to throw all his pitches with Maddux esque accuracy. The later test results show that the nuclear waste is not under MLB’s steroid policy and he is cleared to play for the 2010 season.

After surgery and rehab Pat Neshek finds that a new overhad delivery actually allows him to throw a running fastball that tails 2 feet at the last second and a newly discovered slider that rivals Randy Johnson’s in his prime!!!

Lastly Ron Gardenhire takes classes in the offseason in psychology. He is now able to manipulate the umpires decisions in a trick known as reverse psychology. He does’nt get tossed one time all season and for some reason the league institutes a new rule known as the Gardy rule. This is when the umpire’s are allowed to actually change a call based on the coach’s argument. After being reviewed if the coach is right the umpire get’s thrown out of the game by the coach.

by minnesota_tWINS on Jul 25, 2009 2:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What will Roberts' OPS be down to by 2010?

.700? .720. Heck, Nick Punto’s done that.

Bloggin' the bloggers since 1938.

by Johnny Safron on Jul 18, 2009 2:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Once

Once. Nick Punto’s done that once.

Don’t ask me how, but it happened. Must have been those amino acids.

"You can't sit on a lead and run a few plays into the line and just kill the clock. You've got to throw the ball over the damn plate and give the other man his chance. That's why baseball is the greatest game of them all."
~ Earl Weaver
"In God we trust. All others must provide evidence."
~ Billy Beane

by AdamOnFirst on Jul 18, 2009 2:20 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The point is...

…if Roberts were to become a Twin next season, we’d be looking at the best of Nick Punto.

It’s a challenge for second basemen to age well. Major League Baseball is a tough life for 5-8 to 5-10, 180-pound men on the pivot with their backs to the runner.

Bloggin' the bloggers since 1938.

by Johnny Safron on Jul 18, 2009 5:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs