The season's just past half over. With the midpoint past, here are a few selected numbers for the Twins in 2010.
- Joe Mauer's line for the year: .303/.377/.432. Former Twins catcher Brian Harper's line for his six seasons in Minnesota, 1988-1993: .306/.342/.431. (Harper walked half as often but also struck out half as often.) Joe Mauer in 2010: Brian Harper with sideburns?
- Justin Morneau leads the AL in Wins Above Replacement with 5.2 (according to Baseball Reference). Three other Twins have been worth more than a win apiece: Mauer, Orlando Hudson, and Jim Thome. Morneau is the only player in either league above 4.5.
- Morneau is currently on pace to set career highs in hits, doubles, walks, AND strikeouts.
- Last place on the current team in Wins Above Replacement: Michael Cuddyer, -0.7.
- Depending on who you ask, Delmon Young has been either exactly as valuable (0.8 to 0.8, Baseball Reference) or slightly less valuable (1.2 to 1.4, FanGraphs) than Nick Punto, in terms of Wins Above Replacement.
- Over a quarter of Jim Thome's fly balls have gone over the fence (25.6%). Among players with 100 plate appearances or more, only Tyler Colvin of the Cubs has a higher rate in the majors.
- FanGraphs says that, in terms of Win Probability Added, Francisco Liriano is your most valuable Twins pitcher. Jon Rauch is third. Second? Brian Duensing.
- Liriano, at 2.88, leads the majors in xFIP. Ubaldo Jimenez? 3.74. (Stephen Strasburg, after six starts, is at 1.88.) Second place amongst qualified pitchers is Cliff Lee, at 3.25.
- Somehow, Liriano also has the worst BABIP against among qualified pitchers, at .352. Yet just one out of every forty fly balls he gives up have become homers, second best in the league.
- Kevin Slowey has the worst ground ball / fly ball ratio in the league (among qualified pitchers), at 0.55.
- 23.4% of the balls that get put in play against Scott Baker are line drives, third-worst in the majors.
- FanGraphs also says that, in terms of Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games, Cuddyer costs the team runs this year if you put him at first base (-4.6), second base (-37.6), third base (-6.6), or in right field (-16.5).
- Another UZR stat: Delmon Young, traditionally the worst- or second-worst defensive left fielder in the majors, has only been the sixth-worst this year. At -5.4, he's right between Austin Kearns and Chris Coghlan in the list of qualified left fielders.