Twinkie Town: FanPosts

Gardenhire needs to be sent packing!

2013-05-24T11:11:04Z

I understand about loyalty and riding through the rough times, but again here we are contending, with the Astros for the worst record. While they have a roster of nobodies we have future Hall of Famers and some good young talent, but Gardy and crew are absolutely sucking.

Terry Francona has been able to take an Indians team with not really any more talent than we have and put together a competitive team. While we pile on loss after loss, this is Deja Vu all over again, frustrating.

Gardenhire has never been able to prove that he can manage the big games and continually gets out coached. Being a Tom Kelly deciple, is the only reason he still has a job and Ryan should do the right thing and show Gardy the exit door. Arguments will mount about, "oh he won manager of the year", blah blah. In 2010 Pavano pitched out of his mind and Liriano had a nice come back, but then drop 3 straight in the playoffs having leads in 2 of them and the rest of his playoff resume is not good, 2006 with Santana and Liriano, swept by the Athletics.

It is time to give him a pat on the back and show him the door, sorry Gardy we are letting you go.

2013 MLB Draft Book Now Available

2013-05-21T23:42:19Z

Go here to get it.

This years' MLB Draft Book costs whatever you wish to donate to helping me improve my coverage next year. $0.01 is the minimum just to run the transaction. Donate and I'll email you the book in PDF form. It is 101 pages of Prospect info. Those that donate will likely get a discount on next years book or additional information that the rest will not get or both.

Almost all of this information is available on Minor League Ball or on my blog but I compiled it to have in one place for easy access.

If you don't like PayPal and don't want a discount next year, you can download a lower quality version here.

Go here to get it.

Almost all of this information is available on Minor League Ball or on my blog but I compiled it to have in one place for easy access.

If you don't like PayPal and don't want a discount next year, you can download a lower quality version here.

Free Chris Colabello, Clete Thomas

2013-05-20T02:21:18Z

Aaron Hicks and Chris Parmelee are OPSing around .500 and .600 respectively. Chris Colabello and Clete Thomas are both over 1.000 at Rochester. They're not prospects, but why not bring them up to see if they provide a more watchable product at the MLB level, while Hicks and Parmelee work it out in AAA?

As a guy with a mixed minor league record, Parmelee still has a lot to prove, and he hasn't earned the right to stink up the joint for any extended period of time in MLB. Hicks is still an exciting prospect, but let's face it, everyone got too excited about his performance in meaningless spring training games, etc., etc. Oops, we should have known better. /blushes. Time to cut losses and get him back where he should have been to start the season. Let him show he's AAA ready, and then we can talk about MLB.

Are Colabello and Thomas long-term answers? Unlikely, but Colabello is intriguing. A dark-horse out of the independent leagues, he's leading the Twins minor-league system in total bases and is tied with Sano in home runs. Thomas has an OPS north of 700 in over 500 MLB plate appearances and can cover center field. At age 29, these guys are not spring chickens, but Jose Bautista didn't have an OPS north of 760 until he was that age. That's just the dream of course, but it shows that it's worth paying attention if someone who can play baseball decides to start hitting the cover off the ball, even if they're pushing 30.

In conclusion, MOAR WINS PLEASE!

Joe Mauer and the big K

2013-05-15T17:21:14Z

The successes of the great Joe Mauer this season have been well documented. He’s hitting a very solid .340 and is second in the league in doubles with 15. Coming into the May 15 game against the White sox, Mauer on a 13 game hitting streak and has been great batting second for the lineup all season.

But has anyone noticed how much Mauer is striking out this season?

Here’s another streak Mauer is currently on: he’s struck out at least once in 13 straight games. THIRTEEN. His next longest strike out streak is only six games, which he accomplished way back in 2006. He has only two fewer strikeouts than Aaron Hicks, the player who was literally known as "that guy who strikes out all the time" earlier this season.

The number of times Mauer has walked away from the plate striking out is at an unprecedented level when compared to the rest of his career. What’s scary is that his number of strikeouts has been rising the past four seasons.

From 2004-2010, Mauer averaged between one strikeout every 2.0 games to 2.9 games. In 2010, he averaged a strikeout every 2.6 games. In 2011, one strikeout every 2.2 games. 2012, one K every 1.7 games. This season, Mauer is striking out on average once per game.

In his injury shortened season of 2011 where he only played in 82 games, he struck out 38 times. In only 35 games this season, Mauer has already been rung up 34 times. At this pace, if he plays in 140 games, a reasonable number, he will strike out 132 times. That will easily surpass his career high of 88 set last season.

So what does it mean? If his stats are so high then is there a problem? Mauer is not going to be a top-tier player forever. His BABIP this season is a staggering .438. The league average is .294. Mauer can’t keep the pace he’s going up forever. If his athletic ability starts to wane while his strikeouts continue to rise at the pace they are on, his fall from the top will be a swift one.

There may not be a lot to complain about right now with Mauer being sixth in the league in batting average, but these strikeouts may be a warning sign that Joe Mauer will soon enter the descent of his career.

But has anyone noticed how much Mauer is striking out this season?

What were Aaron Hicks and Ron Gardenhire really fighting about on Tuesday?

2013-05-12T01:48:50Z

On Tuesday night, Aaron Hicks made a nice running catch and flipped the ball with his glove to Brian Dozier, all in one motion. I cheered; Ron Gardenhire hissed. Gardenhire was likely upset with how nonchalant Hicks was or perhaps jealous of how silky smooth Hicks is. Regardless, an ensuing "conversation" in the dugout was caught on FSN's cameras and set off an explosion of commentary and crying (mostly from me).

Odds are, their conversation was about that play, but I can't help but think it could have been about something else. Here are a few working theories that I have:

Option 1 - Cold hands

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: What did I tell you about leaving the hot plate plugged in while you're not in the same room?

Hicks: Don't leave the hot plate plugged in, it could start a fire.

Gardy: Right, and what did I see when I went into the clubhouse a few minutes ago?

Hicks: (sheepishly) The hot plate was plugged in.

Gardy: THE HOT PLATE WAS PLUGGED IN! DO YOU WANT TO START A FIRE? DO YOU KNOW HOW DANGEROUS THAT HOT PLATE IS? I'M TEMPTED TO TAKE IT AWAY FROM YOU!

Hicks: No! I need it!

Gardy: You NEED to understand that a fire in the clubhouse kills us all. Is that what you want?

Hicks. (more sheepishly) No...

Gardy: Look, I don't want to die out here. I got lots of stuff I still want to do. I'm abiti...

Hicks: (cuts him off) I was just using it to warm up my hands.

Gardy: DO YOU THINK THAT MATTERS? DO YOU THINK THE HOT PLATE KNOWS THAT? A HOT PLATE DOESN'T HAVE A BRAIN! IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU USE IT FOR, IF YOU LEAVE IT PLUGGED IN, IT CAN START A FIRE! (pauses) I can't talk about this again, go sit down.

Option 2 - I ain't afraid of no ghosts

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: What happened out there?

Hicks: I saw him.

Gardy: Saw who?

Hicks: I saw the ghost.

Gardy: You saw the ghost? What did we just talk about yesterday?

Hicks: You say there's no such thing as ghosts, but you aren't an expert.

Gardy: HOW DARE YOU QUESTION MY EXPERTISE? I KNOW MORE ABOUT GHOSTS THAN YOU COULD EVER KNOW. I'VE FORGOTTEN MORE ABOUT GHOSTS THAN YOU COULD POSSIBLY LEARN. I'VE LIVED THE GHOST-HUNTING LIFESTYLE AND IT IS NOT A LIFESTYLE I WANT FOR YOU... OR ANY OF MY PLAYERS! GHOSTS AREN'T REAL! DO YOU UNDERSTAND?

Hicks: I know what I saw.

Gardy: YOU SAW NOTHING! (creepily calms into a zen-like trance) I'm tired of going through this with you, go sit down.

Option 3 - You can't eat the soaps

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: I can't help but notice that the nice, decorative soaps that I put in the washroom are all wet and slightly smaller. I also can't help but notice that you were the last one to use the washroom. Care to explain?

Hicks: Uh, I washed my hands.

Gardy: Right, and I applaud you for that. However, what does the word decorative mean?

Hicks: That it's a decoration.

Gardy: EXACTLY! YOU DON'T USE THE DECORATIVE SOAPS, YOU ADMIRE THEM AND YOU ENJOY THEIR DECORATIVE PRESENCE, BUT YOU DON'T USE THEM! THAT'S WHY WE HAVE THE LIQUID SOAP!

Hicks: Isn't soap soap?

Gardy: IF SOAP WERE SOAP, THEN WHY IS SOME SOAP LIQUID AND SOME SOAP SHAPED LIKE LITTLE TWINS LOGOS? IF SOAP WERE SOAP, WHY DID I SPENT 30 MINUTES GIVING A POWERPOINT ABOUT THE NEW DECORATIVE SOAPS IN THE WASHROOM. I'M STARTING TO THINK YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION TO MY PRE-GAME SPEECHES. GO SIT DOWN; YOU GO SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW!

Hicks: (hangs head, sits down)

Gardy: (muttering to himself) Is soap soap?

Option 4 - Apples suck

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: What did you bring for the post-game treat?

Hicks: Uh, apples and juice boxes.

Gardy: Are you serious?

Hicks: Yeah, my nutritionist thought it was appropriate since we're all athletes and we need apples.

Gardy: Come on.

Hicks: I'm sorry, it wasn't my choice.

Gardy: Man, I wanted a candy bar or something.

Hicks: Can't you just get a different treat? You don't have to eat the apple.

Gardy: THAT'S NOT THE POINT! THE POINT IS THAT EACH PLAYER HAS TO BRING TREATS AND EVERY OTHER GUY ON THIS TEAM BRINGS SOMETHING DELICIOUS AND FUN AND YOU BRING APPLES WHICH SUCK!

Hicks: I didn't pick apples.

Gardy: OH YOU'LL BE PICKING APPLES! YOU'LL BE PICKING APPLES ALL DAY LONG IF YOU DON'T SHAPE UP AND BRING TREATS THAT EVERYONE ENJOYS! I'LL ANNEX YOU FROM THIS TEAM SO FAST! DON'T TEST ME! (points at Joe Mauer) LOOK WHAT I DID TO MAUER WHEN HE BROUGHT MILK!

(Mauer slowly rolls down his sleeves to cover the bruises, averts his gaze)

Gardy: Disgusting. Go sit down.

Option 5 - Deadliest Spoilers

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: Did you watch Deadliest Catch?

Hicks: Yes! Can you believe that Junior stabbed Keith in the back like that?

Gardy: SPOILER ALERT, GEEZ HICKS! I asked if you watched it, not for a synopsis.

Hicks: I just assumed you saw it, since you asked.

Gardy: I'm sick of your assumptions! You need to assume that I haven't seen anything until I say that I have!

Hicks: Geez, I thought we were starting to really connect.

Gardy: YOU THOUGHT WRONG! YOU THOUGHT SO WRONG! SIT DOWN, SIT DOWN FOREVER!

Later, after the half-inning ends, Hicks starts to get up to go out into the field)

Gardy: WHAT DID I TELL YOU! SIT DOWN FORVER!

Hicks: *looks sad, hangs head, sits down forever*

Option 6 - Honest Abe

Gardy: Hicksie, get over here.

Hicks: What's up skip?

Gardy: Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation or any nation so conceived and so dedicated can long endure.

Hicks: Um, Gardy?

Gardy: We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this. But in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we cannot hallow this ground.

Hicks: (to Justin Morneau) What is going on?

Gardy: The brave men, living and dead who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here.

Hicks: Can I...

Gardy: It is for us the living rather to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain, that this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the earth.

Hicks: I'm just going to go sit down.

Conclusion: Gardy has a short fuse; respects decorative soap.

Mike Scioscia for Twins Manager: Yay or Nay? (Likely hypothetical, but still)

2013-05-10T22:05:47Z

I know the front office has made it clear that Gardy will likely keep his job, especially for the sake of the current rebuilding process. So this question is probably just a hypothetical one, but it's a move I would love if it were possible all the same. Given Mike Scioscia is likely going to be sacked in Anaheim, I would love to see the Twins let Gardy walk and make a play for him. I think it's fair to say he's getting a bad rap for falling short of high expectations (I'd say the lackluster starting pitching is the key culprit), and he's undoubtedly a solid players manager in the same vein as Gardenhire. Plus, he's had great success against the Yankees, and has won a WS as manager.

Again, I know this is not going to happen. Even more, if Don Mattingly is fired, Scioscia would probably be more likely to go to the Dodgers anyway. But there's no doubt in my mind that Scioscia would fit the Twins Way well enough while bringing in a good track record that could help with the turnaround and then some.

Poll

If the Twins were in a position to hire Mike Scioscia, would you want them to go for it?

Diamond Mine - Historical Scouting reports

2013-05-07T08:38:33Z

Today a poster on Minor Leauge Ball posted a fantastic link: http://scouts.baseballhall.org/

This link has 5,000+ scouting reports archived. Search by the player's last name and there you go! They don't have everyone.But they have enough to be a very fun time waster. Here is a scouting report on some core players from the 1986 MN Twins,Hrbek, Puckett and more!

I have been killing lots of time looking up old Twins and old players

Joe Nathan scouted as a SS - Says he needs to switch positions

Another one on Nathan "Has a slight nervous twitch in face and head which is noticeable"

Here is a two on Jaque Jones

J Jones

J jones

Mientkiewicz calls him a fringe prospect with "OK" hands"

Mientkiewicz the scout wanted him as catcher

Scouting report on Rich becker from 1990 when he was a Free Agent

Of course, Joe Mauer when he was in the minors

I could go on and on...way too much fun!

Today a poster on Minor Leauge Ball posted a fantastic link: http://scouts.baseballhall.org/

I have been killing lots of time looking up old Twins and old players

Joe Nathan scouted as a SS - Says he needs to switch positions

Another one on Nathan "Has a slight nervous twitch in face and head which is noticeable"

Here is a two on Jaque Jones

J Jones

J jones

Mientkiewicz calls him a fringe prospect with "OK" hands"

Mientkiewicz the scout wanted him as catcher

Scouting report on Rich becker from 1990 when he was a Free Agent

Of course, Joe Mauer when he was in the minors

I could go on and on...way too much fun!

Unusually Good Production out of Hicks?

2013-05-06T01:17:12Z

I just noticed this today while leafing through the Twins' box score and seeing Aaron Hicks had yet again gone 0-4 at the plate. I then proceeded to click on his player page so I could see just how sad his season has been thus far. Then looking at his season stats I noticed one unusual stat, he has scored 12 runs.... while only collecting 10 hits so far this year. Clearly this is possibly through walks, which he has 13 of, and errors; but that also leads me to believe that Hicks himself has to be adding more value on the base-paths than his three steals imply.

Although he is still hitting a terrible .118 from the plate with an OBP of .232, he is making the most out of his opportunities on base which has his surprisingly leading the Twins in runs scored. Realizing this of course has me then thinking of the potential Hicks has as a lead-off hitter down the road when he actually starts hitting the ball and getting on base. Hicks has still been swinging and missing a bunch, with 10 strikeouts in his past 10 games and 31 through 25 games. It's hard to keep him at this level if he consistently is striking out, but is he maybe bringing more to the table than his stats show.

Personally I am fine with keeping Hicks in the majors for awhile longer to see if he can figure out major league pitchers, but at some point the Twins will be forced to send him down if he doesn't start hitting and I understand that. Really I'm just wandering what other Twins fans are thinking as far as Hicks' lack of performance, and if he should be kept in the majors to tough it out.

Check out more of my writing at my Minnesota Twins Blog.

Poll

Should the Twins let Hicks try and grit through his lack of hitting at major league level?

Yes

43 votes

No

13 votes

56 votes | Poll has closed

Cedar Rapids Kernels 4-29-13

2013-05-03T19:02:11Z

Work travel sent me to Wisconsin this week so I decided to go a couple hours out of the way and catch a Kernels game in Cedar Rapids. After seeing several games in Beloit last year, it was easy to see why the Twins were so keen to change their affiliation to the Kernels

Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium is a much nicer stadium. You enter via a gate in left field and are greeted by a lovely green field with a lawn and party area to the left and standard stadium plastic seats (with cup holders!) around the infield. Bleachers in right field complete the seating. The concourse is open to the field and nice and wide. Concession stands were ample and a big plus over Beloit, they take credit cards. The team store is accessible from inside during games and outside otherwise.

They had a stand setup on the concourse for players to sign for fans before the game. Hudson Boyd and Tyler Duffy were Monday's players. The team had picture sheets for those people who didn't have items to sign or for the kids. I had my Twins Prospect Handbook with me so had each sign their section.

Berrios was the starting pitcher. He went 6.2 strong innings with 8 strikeouts. He has some heat and hit the mid 90's with regularity as well as off speed pitches in the 70's and 80's. He took this batter to a full count and then gets the K.

Buxton was name I'd been hearing constantly since the Midwest League Season got underway. He didn't disappoint. After a strikeout in his first plate appearance, he would later walk, and then hit an RBI triple. He just flies around the bases.

New to Perfect Game Field this year is a new bright shiny scoreboard. It allows for video segments, player profiles with pictures and the lineup to be shown. And on Monday night show a lovely 9-1 Kernels win.

If you like to watch minor league baseball, I highly recommend heading south to Cedar Rapids. And go soon, in case Buxton gets promoted. He's worth the trip.

Full picture set is loaded on Flickr.

Other YouTube videos including Polanco RBI triple.

If you like to watch minor league baseball, I highly recommend heading south to Cedar Rapids. And go soon, in case Buxton gets promoted. He's worth the trip.

Full picture set is loaded on Flickr.

Other YouTube videos including Polanco RBI triple.

Month End Accounting--April, 2013

2013-05-01T14:02:22Z

Record: 11-12

Runs Scored: 92 (4.00/game)
Runs Allowed: 99 (4.30/game)

Some of you might remember I did a few of these month end reports last year until the exercise just became too damn painful. Since they seemed to generate some good conversation, I thought I would resurrect them this year.

Well. That was...not bad I guess. Just one game under .500 after two losses to Detroit to end the month. While they haven't reminded anyone of contenders, this April was certainly better than last season's 6-16 catastrophe. As usual in baseball, things didn't go exactly as anticipated, so let's look at what happened in April with our favorite baseball team.

OFFENSE:

The Twins' offense has been unexpectedly poor for fairly predictable reasons. That sounds a little contradictory, but consider: we were reasonably hoping for a league average offense. However, if things were going to go badly on that side of the ball, it was going to be because of a general lack of power, poor performances from the young players, and a punchless middle infield. Check, check, and check.

The Twins are averaging 4 runs a game, nearly half a run below league average. Target Field has a little to do with this, but not everything. They are hitting for a poor average (.239 vs. .255 league average), but are very close to league average in OBP thanks to a pretty good walk rate, led by Josh Willingham and Aaron Hicks, but really decent patience throughout the lineup. The big problem, as it often is for the Twins, is the lack of power. Their .355 SLG is worst in the league by a significant margin, is .056 below league average, and they also trail the rest of the league in Isolated Slugging (SLG-BA).

The power problem, as it often is, is twofold. They lack great power hitters, and their non-power guys aren't just low power guys, they are no power guys. Of the 9 guys with the most PAs on the team, 5 of them have combined to hit one (1) home run.

Josh Willingham has been the offensive standout for the Twins (Editorial comment: trade him!), with a .944 OPS and five of the teams 15 homeruns. Joe Mauer was hot, now he's cold, but overall is doing OK. He'll probably have a Joe Mauer season. A couple of the bench guys have done well in low PAs (Escobar, Ramirez), and everyone else has been varying degrees of disappointing.

Some things will get better: Ryan Doumit isn't this bad, Justin Morneau will probably get hot at some point, Aaron Hicks can't possibly be this bad.

However, by far the most disappointing thing is this: we really didn't expect to contend this year. Given that, the one thing we wanted to see was some of the younger, less experienced guys show that they could hold down a position going forward for the next few years. Could Trevor Plouffe consolidate from last season and show improvements? Could Chris Parmelee use his hot stretch in AAA last year to springboard to a regular role at a corner position in the majors? Could Brian Dozier be the second baseman for a few seasons? Could Aaron Hicks establish himself in center field?

It's early. That is true of everything discussed in this article. However, the answer to all of the questions in the preceding paragraph is no. Not one of those guys has stood out positively so far, and that's very disappointing. With the exception of HIcks, none of those guys are particularly young, they all had some major league experience coming into the season, and they all had the opportunity to establish themselves. Plouffe has shown a bit of pop, but has an OPS+ of 87 and has been something of a butcher at 3rd base. That isn't helping. Parmelee has a 64 OPS+ which is unplayable at shortstop, never mind in a corner. Both his OBP and SLG are below .300. Dozier's 69 OPS+ isn't much better, and in a testament to the lack of options, has been leading off for the last couple of weeks.

Aaron Hicks has been truly terrible. After a 2-43 start to the season, he improved slightly over the last couple of weeks, and his walk rate is pretty good. But his overall line is still .113/.229/.127. Yikes. Add a hundred points to each of those numbers and he's still awful. No reason to give up on him yet, this is his first 83 PAs in the majors, straight from AA, so being overwhelmed isn't too shocking. He could still emerge as a quality center fielder. But right now, he's as big a drag on the offense as there is on the roster. He's probably been lucky that Mastroianni has been injured (and Joe Benson has been awful at Rochester), otherwise he likely would have been demoted by now,

RUN PREVENTION

This is the better news. Primarily led by the bullpen, the Twins have been better then league average in runs allowed (4.30 vs. 4.39). I think most of us expected the pitching staff to be bad again this year. Perhaps not to the level of last season's disaster, (it's hard to be _that_ bad), but still.

The starting pitching has been, in total, about as expected. Which is to say, not very good. Vance Worley and Mike Pelfrey, two guys who the Twins were hoping would provide league average innings toward the front of the rotation, have been terrible. Both of them are sporting ERAs of north of 7, with unimpressive peripherals. Realistically, neither has been as bad as those ERAs, with Worley sporting an xFIP of 4.31 and Pelfrey a (still awful) xFIP of 5.62.

Scott Diamond has been alright in his return from injury; despite a crazy high .400 BABIP, he's pitched to a 95 ERA+, and his xFIP is better than his ERA. The 5th starter role has been split between Liam Hendriks (mediocre in two starts and back in Rochester) and Pedro Hernandez (looked pretty good last time out). This isn't a minor league report, but Kyle Gibson was fantastic in his last start, and might be a couple of good starts away from a call-up.

That brings us to the shining star of the rotation so far: Kevin Correia. The much maligned (by me, among others) Kevin Correia. He's averaged over 7 innings a start and has a 2.23 ERA. Wow. Much like Worley isn't really _that_ bad, Kevin Correia hasn't been _this_ good either. His 4.24 xFIP is probably a better indicator of how he's pitched, though even that is better then I expected. His peripherals are a study in extremes. He's walked nobody (1.2/9), hasn't given up homers (2 in 36+ innings), and doesn't strike guys out (3.7/9). He's been the anti-TTO pitcher so far. All of these numbers will normalize somewhat.

In many ways, it's a classic Twins rotation. Very stingy with the walks (the staff as a whole leads the league in this department), but also not striking anyone out. (Scott Diamond has the highest K/9 among the starters at 5.4). Correia in particular has managed to limit home runs, but the staff is 2nd in the league in HR/9 at 0.7. So far, they've hung in there, and while I expect Worley to get better results, and Correia to get worse results, the starters as a whole are going to have to miss more bats to have a chance going forward.

The Bullpen has been probably the brightest spot on the team thus far. Steve Adams wrote a good piece yesterday about the pen's relative luck in limiting homeruns. Even given that, though, they've gotten excellent work from the pen. Jared Burton and Glen Perkins have been terrific at the back end (irrational modern bullpen usage commentary: Glen Perkins is 6th on the team in relief innings pitched. 6th! That is all). Anthony Swarzak has been very good in a long relief role, keeping the team in games and saving arms. Brian Duensing has been effective in what has become something of a LOOGY+ role. There are a couple of time bombs--Ryan Pressley and Josh Roenicke have xFIPS north of 5 with ERAs under 2. Obviously, even more with relievers then other players, one month is an insanely small sample size. So far so good for the pen though; they are league average in allowing inherited runners to score, and their own run prevention efforts have been terrific.

I'm never sure how to address defense. Obviously, a team that doesn't get strikeouts requires a good defense to have any chance at success. The Twins...I dunno. What do you think? They seem about average overall to me, but it's hard to say. They are toward the top of the league in most unearned runs allowed.

UZR generally likes the infielders (except Plouffe), especially Brian Dozier. It hates the outfielders in total, and Hicks has been especially bad by this metric. Other measures show other things. (Hicks has positive dWar according to Baseball-Reference, for example). The only things that really seem noticeable to me are that Plouffe has been bad at 3rd base, and the corner outfielders are slow. Dozier has looked better than I expected at 2nd.

So there is my recap of April, 2013. What has caught your eye this month?

Record: 11-12

Runs Scored: 92 (4.00/game)
Runs Allowed: 99 (4.30/game)

OFFENSE:

Some things will get better: Ryan Doumit isn't this bad, Justin Morneau will probably get hot at some point, Aaron Hicks can't possibly be this bad.

RUN PREVENTION

So there is my recap of April, 2013. What has caught your eye this month?

Twins "Fan" Writes Letter to Star Tribune Complaining About Basic Baseball Concepts. One Fan's Response.

2013-04-29T19:37:52Z

So if any of you read the Strib this morning, you've probably seen the letter that I'm talking about here. If you haven't, here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/204939861.html

This letter inspired me to write a sarcasm-filled, Chris Kluwe-esque response tearing his ridiculous complaints to shreds. I present this to you, fellow members of Twinkie Town, for some afternoon entertainment/laughs.

Dear D.L. Struckman, of Watertown, South Dakota,

I sincerely hope you don't consider yourself an avid Twins fan with the amount of ignorance you display in this letter to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, because I would barely place you in the category of fair weather fan. Let's tackle your complaints one at a time, shall we?

1. The "Circle Me Bert" signs. You ask in your letter "who or what is your 'Bert?'" Well, apparently you never watch Twins games on television, because if you did you would know that "Bert" is Bert Blyleven, former Twins pitcher, Major League Baseball Hall of Fame Member, and color commentator for the Twins broadcasts on Fox Sports North. He is well known for "circling" people on TV with the telestrator (the device that allows broadcasters to draw lines on TV pictures) that is why people make "Circle Me Bert" signs and bring them to games, they want Bert to circle them on TV. Your complaint about the grammar of the signs is valid, but no one likes a grammar snob, especially at sports games.

2. Using the word "hit" for the word "bat" when a batter is coming up. This complaint is somewhat valid, but the expression, "Player A will hit next," is more baseball jargon than anything else. While there is no guarantee of a player getting a hit when he steps up to the plate, and you are correct in saying that a batter only has about a 30% chance of getting a hit, getting a hit is the goal of the at-bat. Saying that a player will "hit" next conveys optimism that he will get a hit, even if it isn't functionally correct. Once again, no one likes a grammar snob.

3. The ball usually passes over the center or the edge of the plate, not the corner. The "corner" you are referring to here is in fact the corner of the strike zone, not the plate itself. When a pitch is, "on the corner" that means that it passed through the strike zone at or close to one of the corners of the strike zone. This is a great location for a pitch because it will be a strike if the batter doesn't swing at it, but if the batter does swing he most likely won't be able to hit it very well. You know what the strike zone is, right? That imaginary box that stretches in midair over the plate horizontally and from the letters on a player's jersey to his knees vertically? They even put it on TV now so you can see it! Isn't technology awesome!

In summary, your ignorance to America's pastime astounds me, and I visibly cringed as I read your letter. Next time, maybe ask a friend who knows about the finer points of Twins Baseball these questions before you go and embarrass yourself in the newspaper for everyone to see. Have a nice day, and Go Twins!

So if any of you read the Strib this morning, you've probably seen the letter that I'm talking about here. If you haven't, here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/letters/204939861.html

The Corriean Conflict Will Never Cease!

2013-04-25T23:00:21Z

This is for all the arm-chair geo-politcal analysts out there that correctly predicted N. Korea's current saber (sp. intended) rattling as well as Kevin Correia's solid production. Feel free to bookmark this and remind me in a few months after somebody gets nuked, figuratively or literally.

Long live the Eternal Leader Kim-Il Pohlad! Only he had the courage to foreclose on over-their head beaugois capitalists who had no business owning homes, thus leading to our great Republic in the North, the Minnesota Twins.

Kim-Il Pohlad II has wisely followed his father's lead, safely storing barrels of cash derived from selling $11 hotdogs and $14 beers in a secret, underwater bunker.

Meanwhile, in the decadent, capitalist south, teams spend money as if it soon won't be worth anything. One team spent $170 Million on a pitcher with repeated instances of anarchic behavior and whom injured himself in a "cowboy" style show of bravado. Another team spent $125 Million on a known user of illicit substances who now has a very public relationship with a false deity. And yet another spent lavishly on a fancy Japanese import, whom their propagandists profess can throw 13 different pitches.

Meanwhile, in the North we reward loyal members of the party, especially ones with names similar to our revered benefactor, the father of Asian Communism. He and other players embody the heart of the state morals--do not speak out, drink cheap milk, and walk a lot. Seriously, because we can't afford cars.

Intellectuals are not welcome here, nor are "hipsters" who know how to tweet or do algebra. Nor are malingerers, those unable to "grit it out" or "hustle their tails off." Those players all eventually end up in Baltimore. Or Miami.

The shining example of our proud Replacementariat also honors our namesake. He pitches on a paltry contract, is not especially good looking or tall, but shows up for work at the factory and pulls 7/9ths of a full shift every five days. Like loyal Party members before him, such as Jong-ku Ortiz, Syd-Ill Pongson, and Ka-el Pavang (also the father of Superman), they toe the rubber every five days for two straight months, never flinching, never shirking, and though the armies of the decadent capitalists may rain Hellfire and Drone strikes, the proud people of the North shall push ahead, assured in the rightheousness of the anti-stat regressive regime who does not see the usefullness of things such as WAR, iPods, WHIP, medicine (or a competent medical training staff), electricity, or even Wins. Long Live the Eternal Leader Kim-Il Pohlad.

P.S. Though we despise the decadent South, we have recently acquired secret technology that will allow us to build our own version of the latest doomsday machine--the Frontline Starter Strikeout Machine, or FZM for short. Currently prototypes have not advanced beyond the AA stage, but the saber-rattling can commence.

Kim-Il Pohlad II has wisely followed his father's lead, safely storing barrels of cash derived from selling $11 hotdogs and $14 beers in a secret, underwater bunker.

MLB Already Wants YOUR 2013 All-Star Selection!

2013-04-25T22:28:46Z

via media.nj.com

The MLB would like your 2013 All-Star ballots starting yesterday (April 24). I swear this gets earlier and earlier each year.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to put Wilkin Ramirez on MY ballot!

I honestly have yet to figure out WHY they think balloting this early is a good thing. Or why they don't just start at the beginning of the season! (It's just as arbitrary as starting 3 weeks in when so few players have meaningful stats [not that it matters since most players are selected based upon popularity and not skill])

For that matter, let's just start balloting as soon as Spring Training starts! Don't know who's going to be on the roster? Ahh, don't worry about it! It's the same 50 guys regardless. (Jeter, despite being injured and unable to return until AFTER the All-Star break has already locked up his position, as well as Teixeira and Zack Greinke (mostly for being kind of a bad-ass and taking that hit). A-Rod was actually written OUT of the ballot by NYY fans who are fed up with his albatross contract and constant injuries. Apparently they figure if the guy is going to be on steroids, he should have recovered by now.

Despite being a rookie phenom, Matt Harvey was mysteriously left off the ballot while Johan Santana is there. Mets fans didn't even blink an eye.

A notable addition to this year's All-Star ballot is Brendan "How the Fudge Did He Get Back" Harris. Twins fans will be surprised to see their former semi-power hitting, often slap ball whacking, always girly throwing (HE knows what I mean by this) utility infielder back on the ballot. If you think it's 2009 again, you're not alone. He made the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim by way of Disney Land through Cinderella's Castle under Witch Mountain as a non-roster invitee! (Wow how those Angels have fallen from grace).

Anyway, that's enough random babbling from me. Get your All-Star ballots submitted... constantly... because numbers don't matter.

As for me, I'm already working on who I'm going to choose for my 2014 All-Star selection which I plan to start voting as soon as 2013's All-Star game concludes! I'm pretty sure Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton will be available on that ballot, right?

via media.nj.com

The MLB would like your 2013 All-Star ballots starting yesterday (April 24). I swear this gets earlier and earlier each year.

I don't know about you, but I can't wait to put Wilkin Ramirez on MY ballot!

Despite being a rookie phenom, Matt Harvey was mysteriously left off the ballot while Johan Santana is there. Mets fans didn't even blink an eye.

Anyway, that's enough random babbling from me. Get your All-Star ballots submitted... constantly... because numbers don't matter.

Poll

What do you think about voting for All-Stars this early?

I vote early and vote often!

0 votes

It's too early to start voting. I usually wait until late May or early June so I know who is worth my vote.

3 votes

Voting has become a pointless popularity contest a la American Idol and the like. I don't vote.

1 votes

It's NEVER too early to vote! I'm already past 2013 AND 2014 and have started voting for 2015!! BRING ON JAPANESE HIGH SCHOOL SENSATION TOMOHIRU ANRAKU!

2 votes

6 votes | Poll has closed

More basking in early-season prospect glory.

2013-04-19T17:44:22Z

Yeah, it's way early, but these are the top 10 qualified hitters by wRC+ (an overall measure of offensive value) in the whole of the minor leagues:

Rank	Name	Team	Age	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+
1	Jim Negrych	Blue Jays (AAA)	28	38	0.515	0.568	0.879	293
2	Scott Van Slyke	Dodgers (AAA)	26	57	0.489	0.561	0.979	281
3	Stephen Vogt	Athletics (AAA)	28	47	0.500	0.532	0.955	279
4	Byron Buxton	Twins (A)	19	50	0.476	0.560	0.714	261
5	Luis Terrero	Mexican (AAA)	33	101	0.430	0.500	0.895	253
6	Stetson Allie	Pirates (A)	22	69	0.407	0.478	0.780	238
7	Jamie Romak	Cardinals (AAA)	27	49	0.385	0.500	0.846	233
8	Miguel Sano	Twins (A+)	20	62	0.389	0.452	0.741	232
9	Tyler Ogle	Dodgers (A)	22	40	0.357	0.538	0.607	228
10	Oswaldo Arcia	Twins (AAA)	22	38	0.394	0.474	0.727	227

Notice 3 of our top prospects. Now take out anyone who's really too old to be any sort of prospect and you're left with:

Rank	Name	Team	Age	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+
1	Byron Buxton	Twins (A)	19	50	0.476	0.560	0.714	261
2	Stetson Allie	Pirates (A)	22	69	0.407	0.478	0.780	238
3	Miguel Sano	Twins (A+)	20	62	0.389	0.452	0.741	232
4	Tyler Ogle	Dodgers (A)	22	40	0.357	0.538	0.607	228
5	Oswaldo Arcia	Twins (AAA)	22	38	0.394	0.474	0.727	227

Not bad, eh? And even Allie and Ogle are on the old side for being a "prospect" in A ball.

Yeah, it's way early, but these are the top 10 qualified hitters by wRC+ (an overall measure of offensive value) in the whole of the minor leagues:

Rank	Name	Team	Age	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+
1	Jim Negrych	Blue Jays (AAA)	28	38	0.515	0.568	0.879	293
2	Scott Van Slyke	Dodgers (AAA)	26	57	0.489	0.561	0.979	281
3	Stephen Vogt	Athletics (AAA)	28	47	0.500	0.532	0.955	279
4	Byron Buxton	Twins (A)	19	50	0.476	0.560	0.714	261
5	Luis Terrero	Mexican (AAA)	33	101	0.430	0.500	0.895	253
6	Stetson Allie	Pirates (A)	22	69	0.407	0.478	0.780	238
7	Jamie Romak	Cardinals (AAA)	27	49	0.385	0.500	0.846	233
8	Miguel Sano	Twins (A+)	20	62	0.389	0.452	0.741	232
9	Tyler Ogle	Dodgers (A)	22	40	0.357	0.538	0.607	228
10	Oswaldo Arcia	Twins (AAA)	22	38	0.394	0.474	0.727	227

Notice 3 of our top prospects. Now take out anyone who's really too old to be any sort of prospect and you're left with:

Rank	Name	Team	Age	PA	AVG	OBP	SLG	wRC+
1	Byron Buxton	Twins (A)	19	50	0.476	0.560	0.714	261
2	Stetson Allie	Pirates (A)	22	69	0.407	0.478	0.780	238
3	Miguel Sano	Twins (A+)	20	62	0.389	0.452	0.741	232
4	Tyler Ogle	Dodgers (A)	22	40	0.357	0.538	0.607	228
5	Oswaldo Arcia	Twins (AAA)	22	38	0.394	0.474	0.727	227

Not bad, eh? And even Allie and Ogle are on the old side for being a "prospect" in A ball.

Where's Oswaldo? Back with the Twins, of course.

2013-04-17T06:32:06Z

Look's like Arcia is back for at least the next couple of weeks and hopefully for good. Sorry to see Masstroiannia get hurt and Wilkins take a stinger but I am looking forward to seeing Arcia get some extended action, hopefully enough that he'll earn a regular gig beyond his cameos in the well done fanpost by CoossusOfRhode.

He seems to me a calm, focused kid and I think he'll adjust to MLB pitching far faster than has Hicks.