Twinkie Town: All Posts by Thomas ReinkingAn online community of Twins fans mourning the death of Prince Rogers Nelson.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/52554/tt_fav.png2019-04-05T12:00:00-04:00https://www.twinkietown.com/authors/tommy-reinking/rss2019-04-05T12:00:00-04:002019-04-05T12:00:00-04:00The least and most beatable Twins single season records
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<img alt="Chicago White Sox v Minnesota Twins - Game One" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RQNhYX6IDZjwQKNUFzFarjBnDSU=/0x0:4026x2684/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63354375/1042669616.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="S7ehyE">A new season is upon us! That means players are going to be accumulating statistics. Sweet, delicious statistics. What I’ve collected here is what I consider the five least and most beatable <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> single season statistical records to break. I found these records on this <a href="https://www.mlb.com/twins/history/season-records">totally official Twins records page</a>. It may not actually be totally accurate, it lists the strikeout record as belonging to Bobby Darwin in 1972 when <span>Miguel Sano</span> holds that honor, but everything in this article should be correct. For fun, I also predict who I think is most likely to break the “easy to beat” records! </p>
<h1 id="KbCTmy">Least Beatable</h1>
<h2 id="qUDksi">5) Bunt hits: 29, Rod Carew 1974 </h2>
<p id="PjefaT">Rod Carew was one of the best bunters in the history of the game. Bunt hits are a hard statistic to find via research, but the Twins records page says Carew reached first on a bunt 29 times in 1974. Impressive! </p>
<p id="OlYrlO">Even for a player as fast as <span>Byron Buxton</span>, this record would be hard to break. It would take A LOT of bunt attempts to even be able to have a chance to record that many hits. If a player is even moderately successful at dropping down a bunt for a hit, teams are going to wise up and shift their defense to take that hit possibility away, too. </p>
<h2 id="Xl5C3v">4) Most losses without recording a win: 13, Terry Felton, 1982 </h2>
<p id="WnyKUl">Terry Felton had a short-lived career with the Twins. He appeared in 55 games with the team in four seasons, but the bulk of them, 48 to be exact, came in 1982. Somehow, some way, Felton went 0-13 as a pitcher that season. Not a single win in 48 appearances. Four of his losses came in six starts he made that season. The rest came in relief. </p>
<p id="gSTwpj">It’s difficult to see someone break this record because it’s just so unlikely that the team sticks with a pitcher who has accumulated 13 losses without a win. Obviously, there are statistics more important than wins and losses when evaluating a pitcher, but if a pitcher is 0-13 at any point, something is wrong. The next closest loss total without a win I could find was <span>Kevin Slowey</span>’s 2011 campaign where he went 0-8. </p>
<h2 id="Xll8xG">3) Complete Games: 25, Bert Blyleven 1973 </h2>
<p id="U9R3DZ">As Bert Blyleven would probably tell you himself, over and over again, the 1970’s was a different time for pitchers. Pitch counts weren’t a thing. Pitchers would throw for forever. And that’s what Blyleven did in the 1973 season. He started 40 games that season and completed 25 of them. By today’s standards, that’s just ludicrous. </p>
<p id="81JYPV">This one is so unlikely to be broken just because of the way the game is played in 2019. Last season the Twins, as a team, recorded two complete games. Just two. The most recent season in which a Twins pitcher recorded even 10 shutouts was Jack Morris in 1991. This one isn’t happening. </p>
<h2 id="m4pHUN">2) Consecutive hitless plate appearances: 62, Dean Chance 1967 </h2>
<p id="mZC6BL">1967 was not a good year for Dean Chance at the plate. But why would it be? After all, Chance was a pitcher. Regardless, Chance went to the plate 108 times that season and collected only three hits. Impressively, Chance’s streak of 62 straight plate appearances without a hit was actually accomplished in his first 62 plate appearances of the season! It wasn’t until his 25th game of the season on July 28th that he collected his first base hit, a bunt single that I can only presume was a sacrifice bunt attempt. </p>
<p id="evI0Cv">This record is nearly unbreakable solely because I can’t imagine the team leaving a player in for 60+ consecutive plate appearances without a hit. When Chance got that hit his batting average on the season was .019! It’s just unfathomable that a team would let a batter go on for that long without a hit. </p>
<h2 id="6djYdz">1) Most games played: 164, Cesar Tovar 1967 </h2>
<p id="xj1ovF">This one is almost unfair. As I’m sure many of you know, there are 162 games in one standard baseball season. So how did Tovar play in 164 games in 1967? Well, the team had two games end in a tie somehow. The tie games did not count in the team’s overall record and were made up at a later date, but for whatever reason, the player’s statistics still counted for that season. I don’t know. </p>
<p id="Aesn0z">I can barely fathom how 165 games would even be possible. There would probably need to be like a four-way tie in the AL Central and Wildcard to require that many extra games at the end of the season. The closest anyone has come was <span>Justin Morneau</span> playing in 163 games in 2008, thanks to a tiebreaker game with the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> at the end of the season. This one is going to stand forever probably. </p>
<h1 id="TFx3Fh">Most Breakable Records</h1>
<h2 id="hNeDiq">5) Strikeouts as a pitcher: 265, <span>Johan Santana</span> 2004. Who’s gonna break it? <span>Jose Berrios</span> </h2>
<p id="Fuq19c">2004 was peak Johan Santana time. In his fifth major league season, the then 25-year-old struck out 265 batters in 228 innings, to go along with a sterling 2.61 ERA en route to his first Cy Young award. Minnesota has struggled to find a true ace since trading him away in 2008. </p>
<p id="ptzybW">Know who else turns 25 years old in a month and is trending towards becoming a true ace? <span>Jose Berrios</span>. Berrios is only in his fourth MLB season, but his strikeouts have been climbing steadily each season, from 49 in 2016, to 139 the next year, to 202 in the most recent season. If anyone is primed to break Santana’s record, it’s Berrios. </p>
<h2 id="p7mEwe">4) Home Runs as a left handed batter: 34, Kent Hrbek 1987. Who’s gonna break it? <span>Eddie Rosario</span> </h2>
<p id="62abzC">Kent Hrbek has the 14th most home runs hit by a Minnesota Twin in a single season. And yet, somehow, he is number one when it comes to home runs as a left handed hitter. Of the seven other Twins players who have hit 34 or more home runs in a season, all are right handed. </p>
<p id="TMB9ww">Granted, a lot of that has to do with the high right field wall that has existed since the Metrodome, but still it’s surprising that no other left hander has hit more than 34. The most recent lefty to hit at least 25 long balls was <span>Eddie Rosario</span> in 2017 with 27. His home runs dropped to 24 last season, but he also played in 13 fewer games. 35 might be out of reach for Rosario, but heck <span>Joe Mauer</span> hit 28 in 2009 and then never more than 11 after that. Rosario could explode this season. </p>
<h2 id="b6gtLp">3) Doubles: 47, Justin Morneau 2008. Who’s gonna break it: <span>Max Kepler</span>? </h2>
<p id="QP8ksG">47 doubles are a lot. That’s why it’s a record. The 2008 season was the one where Morneau played in 163 games, which certainly helped him reach the milestone, but it’s not like this number is out of reach by any means. </p>
<p id="7FOWlV">In fact, last season <span>Eduardo Escobar</span> finished the season with 48 doubles. Eleven of them came with the <a href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a> though, so he can’t claim the Twins record. But there have also been six other Twins players who had seasons of 45 doubles or more. 19 have hit 40 or more. Morneau barely holds the record. It isn’t that far-fetched to imagine someone beating it. No one on the Twins current roster jumps out as an immediate choice though. <span>Max Kepler</span> has hit 30 or more in the past two seasons. If he can break out this year, he could potentially reach 48. Maybe? </p>
<h2 id="6psFtB">2) Hit batters: 18, Jim Kaat 1962. Who’s gonna break it: Jose Berrios </h2>
<p id="5jp6Pa">This is a weird one, I know, but just roll with it. Jim Kaat pitched in 25 major league seasons and only hit more than 9 batters in a season twice, so it’s not like he was known as a wild pitcher. But in one of those seasons, the 1962 season, Kaat led the league in hit batters with 18. I doubt anyone remembers that as Kaat was an All-Star for the Twins that year and finished with a very good 3.14 ERA. </p>
<p id="0wtcjH">The current Twins pitcher who has a knack for hitting batters may surprise you. It’s Berrios! He’s currently 5th all time in hit batters in a season with 13 in 2017 AND in 2018. Just as I predict him to take a step up in strikeouts, so too will his hit batsmen go up. All records go to Berrios! </p>
<h2 id="p0LDnF">1) Strikeouts as a batter: 178, Miguel Sano 2016. Who’s gonna break it: <span>Miguel Sano</span>, again. </h2>
<p id="pC7tWC">Miguel Sano has always struck out a lot. None more so than the 2016 season when he struck out 178 times. He almost broke his own record in 2017 with 173 strikeouts. Last season he only played in 71 games, but still managed to strike out 115 times. Sano has never played in more than 116 games in a season, but if he comes back from his current injury and stays healthy for the rest of the season, his own strikeout record might not be too safe. </p>
<p id="L3ZPjg">What team records do you, dear reader, think are unbeatable? Or who do you think can beat some of these records? Sound off in the comments or whatever! </p>
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https://www.twinkietown.com/2019/4/5/18296101/mlb-minnesota-twins-single-season-the-least-and-most-beatable-recordsThomas Reinking2019-02-20T10:00:00-05:002019-02-20T10:00:00-05:00A brief history of Latin American-born players in Twins baseball
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<img alt="MLB: Seattle Mariners at Minnesota Twins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bn3ZiQsPHhXakGkEu8DD3xCtvzI=/771x347:3257x2004/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/63072894/usa_today_8728160.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Latino players have been a huge part of the past, present, and future of the Twins</p> <p id="Gm1aNT">About a month ago, I heard or read somewhere that the <a href="https://www.lookoutlanding.com/">Seattle Mariners</a> have had a player born in Japan play for them in every season going back to 1998. That 20-year stretch is both impressive and interesting. It got me thinking about the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a>. </p>
<p id="pToZ0E">One thing I’ve noticed as I’ve watched the Twins for the past however many seasons is that the number of Latin-born players has seemed to be increasing. But what I didn’t realize was just how far back and how great the Latin American influence has been in the Twins history. I did a bunch of research and found a few fun facts that I just didn’t realize about the Twins. </p>
<p id="32TBqw">Before doing this, I didn’t know exactly which countries were considered part of Latin America, and which weren’t. I used <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_America">this list</a> from Wikipedia for no particular reason other than it was the first one I found. Of note, when I say “Latin American Countries,” I’m including Puerto Rico even though it isn’t technically its own country. </p>
<p id="ZMK6ef">Anyway, as a sort of jumping point into the history of Latin American born players in Twins history, I wanted to see which team has the longest streak of having Latin American born players playing on the team, similar to the Mariners streak of Japanese players. And by golly, to my surprise that team is none other than your Minnesota Twins! </p>
<p id="2kPTAS">The Twins have had at least one player born in a Latin American country play for them in every season going back to 1948 when they were the Washington Senators. This just BARELY edged out the <a href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">Chicago White Sox</a> who have the same streak going back to 1949. But, aside from the 1947 season, the Senators then had a Latin American born player play for them in every season from 1946-1935 too. So, since 1935, the Senators/Twins have had a player born in Latin America play for them in 82 of 83 seasons. That’s incredible! </p>
<p id="fpIGjq">If you were curious, the most recent team to have an all-American born squad was, surprisingly, the 1992 <a href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Detroit Tigers</a>. </p>
<p id="vmlooo">The next thought that popped into my head was, where were all these players from? So, I made a graph of it, and here it is: </p>
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<p id="WxDOkk">That’s...a lot of Cuban born players in the late 1940’s to Mid 1970’s! My first thought was, “oh maybe that’s just the way baseball was back then,” but actually no, it wasn’t. According to <a href="https://www.lavidabaseball.com/cuban-washington-senators/">this article</a> from La Vida Baseball, the Senators and owner Clark Griffith paved the way for Cuban born players to play in MLB. From 1948 to 1955, 27 Cuban-born players made their MLB debut. Of those 27 players, a staggering 19 debuted with the Senators! That includes some legends like Zoilo Versalles and Camilo Pascual.</p>
<p id="hQgRkr">In the same period of time from 1956-1964, 38 more Cuban-born players debuted in the MLB, but only seven, including Tony Oliva, debuted for the Senators/Twins. #Trendsetters. </p>
<p id="PW9p5c">The late 1970’s to late 1990’s saw only sporadic Latin-born players on the team with the most in one season being in 1990 which had 7 players. The 1981 and 1985 squads only had one Latin-born player each in Albert Williams and Alvaro Espinoza, respectively. But since 2000, the number of Latin-born players has skyrocketed. </p>
<p id="HDgA9Q">The 2017 squad set a Twins all-time high in Latin-born players with 15. There were only 6 teams with more Latin-born players that season. </p>
<p id="3bUvh7">The upward trend of Latin-born players looks only to continue in 2019 and beyond, too. Three of the bigger offseason signings were players born in Latin American countries, Jonathan Schoop (Curacao), <span>Ronald Torreyes</span> (Venezuela), and <span>Nelson Cruz</span> (Dominican Republic). <span>Michael Pineda</span> (Dominican Republic) will also make his Twins debut after signing before the 2018 season. Many of the team’s young stars, like Jose Berrios, Eddie Rosario, and Miguel Sano also hail from Latin America.</p>
<p id="mzxtfH">The next wave of Twins should keep this trend going. Six of the team’s top 20 prospects according to <a href="https://www.minorleagueball.com/2018/10/23/18002156/minnesota-twins-top-20-prospects-for-2019">Minor League Ball</a> were born in Latin American countries. Those players are Brusdar Graterol (Venezuela), Wander Javier (Dominican Republic), Luis Arraez (Venezuela), Jorge Alcala (Dominican Republic), Gilberto Celestino (Dominican Republic), and Gabriel Maciel (Brazil). If Maciel makes it to the big leagues, he would be the first Brazilian-born player to don a Twins uniform in team history. </p>
<p id="6jnAsb">Of the 21 players enshrined in the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/twins/fans/infographics/2018-twins-hall-of-fame">Twins Hall of Fame</a>, five are Latin-born. They are Rod Carew (Panama), Tony Oliva (Cuba), Zoilo Versalles (Cuba), Camilo Pascual (Cuba), and <span>Johan Santana</span> (Venezuela). Carew was the only Panamanian-born player in the MLB Hall of Fame until <span>Mariano Rivera</span> was elected into the 2019 class. </p>
<p id="P88irM">So, whether it’s the past, present, or future, the Latin-American influence in Twins baseball is much greater than I thought or that most people may realize. </p>
<p id="0N8TtF"> </p>
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https://www.twinkietown.com/2019/2/20/18229627/mlb-minneosta-twins-a-brief-history-of-latin-american-born-playersThomas Reinking2018-11-27T09:00:03-05:002018-11-27T09:00:03-05:00The deep dark truth about signing free agents
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<img alt="MLB: Minnesota Twins at Detroit Tigers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hv80T5OfSWzB7SGyLSXeIM_waqU=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62407570/usa_today_10894058.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Twins fans always complain about the team not spending more money in free agency... but should they?</p> <p id="PFTeDB">Every offseason the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> have the opportunity to sign new free agents. Regardless of who the team signs, it seems that every year a vocal section of the fan base laments that the team “doesn’t spend enough money” or “doesn’t go after the top free agents.” The Twins sound like they are looking to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F645030%2F2018%2F11%2F09%2Fmiguel-sano-byron-buxton-and-the-crossroads-of-the-twins-future%2F&referrer=sbnation.com&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.twinkietown.com%2F2018%2F11%2F27%2F18110749%2Fminnesota-twins-mlb-the-deep-dark-truth-about-signing-free-agents-offseason-spending" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">make Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano</a> competent baseball players again before making a big push, making it seem highly unlikely the team will make a big splash this offseason.</p>
<p id="bpZjd3">That’s ok. Free agency isn’t nearly the be-all, end-all to creating a winning team that fans make it out to be — and I’m here to prove that to you with statistics. </p>
<p id="A4jcG5">I looked through the last four offseasons to track how free agents performed for their new teams. I used MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 Free agents <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2017/11/2017-18-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html">from</a> <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/11/2016-17-top-50-mlb-free-agents-predictions.html">each</a> <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2015/11/2015-16-top-50-mlb-free-agents-with-predictions.html">off</a> <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2014/11/2014-15-top-50-free-agents-with-predictions.html">season</a> to decide which players to track and used <a href="https://www.baseball-reference.com/about/war_explained.shtml">Baseball Reference’s WAR</a> to judge the value of the players. WAR is only one statistic, but i think it works well when comparing large groups of players like in this little experiment thing.</p>
<h1 id="XcgXSi">Free Agents in Their First Season </h1>
<p id="iCYQDZ">In general, it is very difficult to hit it big when signing a free agent. The top 50 free agents in the past four seasons combined for an average WAR of 1.04. According to Baseball Reference’s scale, anything below a 2 is a reserve level player. Shockingly, of the 196 players I looked at, only 50 (25.5%) of players had a first season WAR of 2 or greater, or good enough to just be considered a starter. </p>
<p id="KOTAxm">When you look at the opposite end of the spectrum, 56 players (28.6%) finished their first season with a NEGATIVE WAR. The odds of signing just a starter level player are less than signing a straight up replacement level player. </p>
<p id="2GDr0Y">And if you’re hoping to sign a legitimate super star, good luck. Baseball Reference classifies a WAR of 5 or more as an All Star. Only 6 players (3.1%) had a first season WAR of 5 or more. </p>
<p id="ZqqprH">However, if you look at just the top 10 free agents, the odds obviously become better. In the last four seasons 21 of the 40 top 10 free agents had a first season WAR of 2 or better, only 8 had a negative WAR, and 6 had a WAR of 5 or better. </p>
<p id="sJpPbw">However... </p>
<h1 id="0SGQCm">Free Agents as the seasons go on </h1>
<p id="Fxuhie">Excluding the 2017/2018 free agent class as they have yet to play a second season and excluding the players who didn’t play a second season leaves us with 125 players. Of this group, players had an average WAR of 0.97 in their second season after signing as a free agent. Only 22 players (17.6%) had a WAR of 2 or better. 35 players (28%) had a negative WAR. 4 players (3%)had a WAR of 5 or better. </p>
<p id="k7zQh0">The number of starter level players went down while the number of replacement level players and All-Star level players stayed the same. Part of the reason for this is a surprising number of players didn’t even play a second season after signing as a free agent. 20 players from the 2016/2017 free agent class (13.8%) didn’t play in 2018. </p>
<p id="K15lPa">This trend continues for the most part as the seasons go on. </p>
<p id="VCXDMF">Now excluding the 2016/2017 free agent class who has not played a third season yet and the players who didn’t play a third season we are left with 73 players. These players had an average WAR of 0.93 in their third season after signing as a free agent. Just 13 (17.8%) had a WAR of 2 or more, 24 (32.9%) had a negative WAR, and 1 (1.3%) had a WAR of 5 or greater. There were 24 players (24.7%) who did not play a third season after signing as a free agent. </p>
<p id="q1RQLU">48 of 73 players (65.8%) either had a negative WAR or weren’t even playing three years after signing as a free agent. Yeesh. </p>
<p id="7TQV0i">Players into their fourth season is obviously the smallest sample size, but I think it’s important nonetheless. For the final time, excluding the 2015/2016 free agent class and the players who didn’t play a fourth season leaves us with only 26 players. Only 26 players from the top 50 class of the 2014/2015 season played in the 2018 season. </p>
<p id="WkzfWw">These players combined for an average WAR of 0.99. Only 5 (19.2%) had a WAR of 2 or better, 7 (28%) had a negative WAR, and 1 (3.8%) had a WAR of 5 or better. 21 players (44.7%) didn’t make it to their fourth season. </p>
<p id="ZSyCWk">It appears that the players improved going from their third to fourth season, but this is largely due to the players who didn’t play into their fourth season. 14 of the 21 players who didn’t make it to their fourth season had a negative WAR in their final MLB season. When all those players with negative WARs leave, it bumps up the numbers of those who remain. </p>
<p id="cjETBM">In summary, not only is it difficult to sign a player to have an immediate impact, it’s even more unlikely to sign a player to have a continuous impact. Of all the players, only 9 had back to back seasons of 2 WAR or better at any time, 4 had three straight 2 WAR or better seasons, and 2 players (<span>Max Scherzer</span> and <span>Nelson Cruz</span>) had 4 seasons of 2 WAR or better. </p>
<p id="eJcVS2">That was A LOT of numbers. If that was too much numbers, I put them all in graph form for you to see below. The main thing to note is as time goes on, teams are much, much more likely to have a free agent signee provide negative WAR or not even be playing than to provide even starter level value.</p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0UyOMvDBPiYaH0D1W0LeICi-FNo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/13467731/The_WAR_Graph.png">
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<h1 id="BeojMK">But What about the Twins? </h1>
<p id="wZQ6D7">The Twins have actually done decently well when it comes to free agent signings. Before the 2015 season they signed <span>Torii Hunter</span> and Ervin Santana. Hunter didn’t do so well statistically, ending the season with a –0.6 WAR in his final season ever, but Santana was an excellent rotation piece. His first three seasons provided a 1.5, 3.9, and 4.6 WAR campaigns before his final season was a disaster with a –0.6 season. </p>
<p id="m9NEXg">The lone signing before the 2016 season was <span>Byung Ho Park</span>. His 0.1 WAR season was not impressive. <span>Jason Castro</span> joined the team the following season and provided a solid 2.5 WAR before only appearing in 19 games last season. </p>
<p id="KhRUDn">Last season saw a flurry of free agents join the team. <span>Lance Lynn</span>, <span>Logan Morrison</span>, <span>Addison Reed</span>, and <span>Michael Pineda</span> all joined the Minnesota squad. <span>Fernando Rodney</span> also did, but was not on MLB Trade Rumors Top 50 free agents list. </p>
<p id="jfSSb6"><span>Lynn</span> pitched to a bad 0.3 WAR, <span>Reed</span> pitched to a not great 0.1 WAR, <span>Pineda</span> didn’t pitch at the MLB level at all, and <span>Morrison</span> surprisingly finished with a WAR of –0.3 despite his dreadful stat line. <span>Rodney</span> was actually the best of this squad, despite not being a top 50 free agent. He contributed a 0.8 WAR for the Twins before being traded to Oakland. </p>
<p id="ZDKmyZ">So, to add it all up, in the last four years the Twins have signed eight top 50 free agents. Excluding Pineda, they averaged 1.05 WAR in their 11 combined seasons. Three of them (27.3%) had seasons of 2 WAR or better, two of them (18.2%), had negative WAR seasons, and none of them (0% lol) had a season with a WAR of 5 or above. </p>
<p id="aAKKJp">All of those marks, except for All-Star players, are better than average, even if just barely. So, signing free agents usually ends up badly for the signing team sooner or later. But all in all, the Twins have done a totally average job at signing free agents over the past four seasons. </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2018/11/27/18110749/minnesota-twins-mlb-the-deep-dark-truth-about-signing-free-agents-offseason-spendingThomas Reinking2018-11-10T07:00:09-05:002018-11-10T07:00:09-05:00My Joe Mauer jersey
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<img alt="MLB: Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mbHyQGVc5wfuX1tBJfhlwQwotwI=/1074x544:2321x1375/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62260089/usa_today_10939094.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Marilyn Indahl-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Some of us have a lot of jerseys and shirseys, but then then there is one perfect one.</p> <p id="3G3ZAT">I’ve always had an on/off relationship with baseball jerseys. The appeal of wearing them has always been because I feel like I’m making a statement, like, “Hey, not only do I support this team, but I support this specific player on this team because he is frick’in awesome.” </p>
<p id="FdEwm3">But baseball things happen and ruin my jerseys. Players get traded. They get released, they get injured, sometimes they even retire. And for me, that’s always made wearing jerseys difficult sometimes. </p>
<p id="QXPwAl">I’ve had four jerseys in my life. Here’s a quick rundown of each of them. </p>
<p id="MsVM6z">The first one I’ve had for as long as I can remember. I have no idea where it came from. It’s one of those shirts that’s just always been in my drawer. It’ll go missing for months on end and then just randomly appear one day as if it was never gone. There isn’t a name or a number on the jersey. It’s just a typical white <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> jersey with stripes. Nothing special. </p>
<p id="tS6sgF">The first named jersey I got was a <span>Johan Santana</span> jersey. He was my favorite player on the first Twins squad I watched as a kid. It was way too big for me at the time, but I absolutely loved it. I swear I probably wore it at least once a week to school. But then the Twins traded him away. </p>
<p id="5Qew8k">Next, I got a <span>Joe Mauer</span> jersey for Christmas when I was in middle school. When I should have been ecstatic, ready to show off a new jersey to my classmates, they couldn’t care less about the Twins or baseball in general, so instead I was a little let down. The jersey wasn’t a “real” jersey like the ones the players wear. It was one of those alternate style jerseys. I feared that the kids would judge me for it not being a “real” jersey, but I wore it anyways.</p>
<p id="MeUjvs">Finally, in college, I got a <span>Denard Span</span> shirsey — a t-shirt jersey. This one I bought on my own. I was a big <span>Span</span> fan and was super excited that I would have a jersey of the guy who would man center field for the Twins for years to come. But then the Twins traded him away. </p>
<p id="oiTbdR">Looking back on these jerseys, I stopped wearing them for various reasons. </p>
<p id="iwPLqp">I was a mad kid when the Twins traded Santana away and stopped wearing the jersey in protest. Span just kind of went and did his own thing and it felt weird wearing a jersey of a player who plays on another team. The generic Twins jersey also chafes my nipples really badly. </p>
<p id="LLZ0sh">But that Mauer jersey, it is different. I’ve had that thing for like 12 or 13 years now. Even though he won’t be taking the field this year, I can’t see myself stopping wearing it. I can’t see myself folding it up and putting it in a box, never to see the light of day again. It just means too much to me. </p>
<p id="2VGo5N">That Mauer jersey is the first jersey I have that I feel I can wear for... well forever. And as I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to accept that the jersey isn’t a “real” jersey. In fact, I kind of like it more. In the 12 to 13 years I’ve owned it, I’ve never seen anyone else with a Mauer jersey like mine. It’s one of a kind. Just like <span>Joe Mauer</span> himself.</p>
<p id="Vetjr1"></p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2018/11/10/18081540/my-joe-mauer-jersey-mlb-minnesota-twins-catcher-baseballThomas Reinking2018-01-31T13:41:28-05:002018-01-31T13:41:28-05:00Has it actually been a slow offseason for the Twins?
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/trGDpFhNmkJCtMaO--U05TrSwsQ=/7x0:3822x2543/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58523017/814945680.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Twins brain trust. | Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Sometimes, it’s all about perspective. </p> <p id="MODwli">As you may have noticed by frantically hitting the F5 key on this and many other baseball websites for the past couple of months, nothing is happening in the baseball world. <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/mlb/news/six-high-ranking-mlb-officials-explain-why-the-hot-stove-season-has-been-ice-cold/">Many</a> <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/01/19/free-agent-market-jd-martinez-eric-hosmer-jake-arrieta-yu-darvish">people</a> have written <a href="https://sports.yahoo.com/heres-baseballs-economic-system-might-broken-224638354.html">many</a> <a href="https://www.si.com/mlb/2018/01/11/free-agency-hot-stove-slow-pace">words</a> on why so many free agents remain unsigned this season — but none of them talk specially about the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a>! No one talks about ‘em! </p>
<p id="lMufP6">So I’ll do it! I’ll talk about the Twins! </p>
<p id="cUYx1u">Has this offseason been as slow for Minnesota specifically as it has been for the rest of the league? I took a look at how many players the team signed to minor and major league contracts for the months of November through February of every season going back to the 2010-2011 offseason on the transactions page of the Twins website. I didn’t go back any further because for some reason it says <a href="http://m.twins.mlb.com/roster/transactions/2008/12">no transactions of any kind</a> happened in the 2008-2009 offseason, and I don’t think that’s actually true. </p>
<p id="m9doR6">There wasn’t a single player signed to a major league contract in March or April of any offseason, and there were very few minor league contracts given out, so I didn’t include those months. </p>
<p id="IuMgk3">Here’s the graph/chart. Hopefully it’s readable. </p>
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<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fxkwIbaLDmLUQqrc8n3J-Sz170E=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/10131121/FASignins_SlowOffseason.PNG">
</figure>
<p id="7sK3fU">In regards to major league talent, the Twins have already signed more players to big league contracts than they have in any offseason since 2011-2012. Seeing as the club is aiming to sign <em>at least</em> one starting pitcher to help out the rotation, it’s possible the team could sign as many major leaguers as they did in the 2011-2012 offseason, when they signed six. </p>
<p id="KelFgV">However, it’s already the end of January, and the Twins have traditionally not signed a player to a major league contract after the first month of the year. <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/2/2/14493308/minnesota-twins-baseball-mlb-sign-relief-pitcher-matt-belisle">The Twins’ signing</a> of <span>Matt Belisle</span> on February 3, 2017 is their only February-or-later MLB signing going back at least six years. Still, with the way things are looking this offseason, the Twins could make a later signing, and end up with quite a lot of new major leaguers compared to their own recent history. </p>
<aside id="K6fB2c"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Twins Hot Stove: Yu Darvish is waiting for the Dodgers?","url":"https://www.twinkietown.com/2018/1/30/16950404/minnesota-twins-mlb-rumors-hot-stove-yu-darvish-waiting-for-the-dodgers-cubs"}]}'></div></aside><p id="rgzxrP">While most are lamenting the bitterly slow pace of major league signings, it looks like the Twins have actually had their minor league signings slow down this offseason. The team signed 11 players to minor league contracts in just December of the 2016-2017 offseason and 16 players in just December of the 2015-2016 offseason, but this offseason they’ve signed only 17 minor league players <em>total</em> from November through January. That’s the fewest number of minor league deals through this point of the offseason in the time frames I looked at. </p>
<p id="Dpl31N">So despite the snail’s pace of the offseason in general, the Twins have actually signed more players to major league contracts than they have in recent years, and are on pace to potentially sign fewer players to minor league contracts than they have in at least the last six offseasons. </p>
<p id="LDKaA7">What does this all mean? I dunno. I was just curious about a thing, made a table, and then wrote about it. </p>
<p id="uNUQ4M">What do you think?</p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2018/1/31/16925808/minnesota-twins-mlb-has-it-actually-been-a-slow-offseason-2017-2018-free-agentsThomas Reinking2017-12-30T08:00:02-05:002017-12-30T08:00:02-05:00Twins Hall of Fame Candidates: Batters
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<img alt="Dan Gladden warms up" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u4S0VhC_9atldtFks86y5h0TDWk=/0x0:2422x1615/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58150289/2077122.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>TWO BATS. THAT’A BOY, DANNY! | Photo by: Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Twins hold a fan vote for entering position players into their Hall of Fame each year. Here are the candidates for 2018.</p> <p id="4IS4Ff">Earlier this week we <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/12/24/16808460/minnesota-twins-hall-of-fame-candidates-pitchers-mlb-2018">took a look</a> at the pitchers eligible for the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> Hall of Fame this year. Right now we're going to look at the batters who are eligible. These players are different than pitchers in that they don't throw the ball from the mound, but instead hit the ball thrown by the player on the mound with a piece of wood. </p>
<p id="zqtisO">Once again, you can <a href="https://www.mlb.com/twins/fans/twins-hall-of-fame-ballot">vote for players</a> by liking the pictures of the players on Facebook or hash-tagging the player on Twitter. I think. I don't actually use Twitter. I'm probably wrong. If only there were some way to have a poll on the internet to vote for things like this instead...</p>
<h2 id="wFuPKW">Tom Brunansky OF (1982-1988) </h2>
<p id="JcF9WX"><strong>Stats (Team Rank):</strong> WAR 16.0 (38th), AVG .250 (50+), OBP .330 (50+), SLG .452 (23rd), HR 163 (10th), RBI 469 (32nd), Hits 829 (45th) </p>
<p id="QruAVR"><strong>Accolades:</strong> All Star in 1985, hit .412 with 4 doubles, 2 home runs, and 9 RBI in the 1987 ALCS </p>
<p id="LmNrCs">Brunansky was traded to the Twins in May of 1982 after playing only 11 games for the <a href="https://www.halosheaven.com/">Angels</a> in his first taste of MLB action the season before. He spent the next seven seasons as a solid, reliable outfielder. He played in 155 games in five of those seasons and hit 20 or more home runs in each of his seasons. In fact, despite only playing for the club for seven years, he remains in the top ten in team history in home runs hit. </p>
<h2 id="yAHh3J">Dan Gladden OF (1987-1991) </h2>
<p id="nGcxUA"><strong>Stats:</strong> WAR 5.6 (50+), AVG .268 (50+), OBP .318 (50+), SLG .382 (50+), HR 38 (50+), RBI 238 (50+), Hits 661 (50+), Triples 26 (43rd), SB 116 (18th) </p>
<p id="5aho6M"><strong>Accolades: </strong>uhhh...No awards...but was pretty good in the postseason? .279/.348/.423, 1 HR, 15 RBI, 6 doubles, 3 triples, 7 SB in 24 games in 4 series. </p>
<p id="wAek1s">Gladden was traded to the Twins before the 1987 season. He was only with the team for five seasons, but he couldn't have picked a better five-year span to play with the team as he won two <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> rings with the team. Gladden wasn't much of a hitter as he had an OPS+ higher than 88 only twice as a Twin, but really came through for the team in the playoffs as you can see above. After the 1991 season he was released and played only two more seasons in the MLB. </p>
<h2 id="IXuzY9">Cristian Guzman SS (1999-2004) </h2>
<p id="yV7tDj"><strong>Stats: </strong>WAR 7.5 (50+), AVG .266 (50+), OBP .303 (50+), SLG .383 (50+), HR 39 (50+), RBI 289 (50+), Hits 871 (38th), Triples 61 (17th), SB 102 (20th), Runs 458 (38th) </p>
<p id="8wx2IP"><strong>Accolades:</strong> All Star in 2001, Finished 16th in MVP voting in 2001, Led MLB in triples in 2000, 2001, and 2003. </p>
<p id="KqFGg4">Guzman actually came to the Twins as a minor leaguer as part of the trade that sent Chuck Knoblauch to the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>. Guzman was a crazy fast shortstop for six seasons. He led the league in triples three times and is one of only 20 players in team history to steal 100 or more bases. Guzman's best season was his All-Star campaign of 2001 when he hit .302/.337/.477 with 10 HR, 51 RBI, a league leading 14 triples, and 25 SB. </p>
<h2 id="Szj5Ep">Jacque Jones OF (1999-2005) </h2>
<p id="zKgADi"><strong>Stats: </strong>WAR 11.9 (50+), AVG .279 (41st), OBP .327 (50+), SLG .455 (20th), HR 132 (15th), RBI 476 (31st), Hits 974 (35th), Doubles 189 (30th), SB 67 (47th), Runs (492 (34th) </p>
<p id="8kxcJH"><strong>Accolades:</strong> None </p>
<p id="aupLJF">Jones was drafted by the Twins in the 1996 draft and made his debut with the team only three years later in 1999. The next seven seasons saw Jones mash the baseball over the fence a bunch while consistently just playing in a lot of games for the team. He didn't win any awards or lead the league in any categories in his career, but he hit between 16 and 27 home runs and 69 and 85 RBI in five of his Twins seasons. He was one of the main cogs in bringing the team back to relevance after years of mediocrity. </p>
<h2 id="PjNs2E">Corey Kosk<span>ie</span> 3B (1998-2004) </h2>
<p id="ZmsFj4"><strong>Stats: </strong>WAR 22.2 (26th), AVG .280 (40th), OBP .373 (18th), SLG .463 (15th), HR 101 (20th), RBI 437 (35th), Hits 781 (47th), Doubles 180 (35th) </p>
<p id="SGy9Dr"><strong>Accolades:</strong> 25th in MVP voting in 2001, my personal baseball role-model and all-time favorite player when growing up. </p>
<p id="po1SzN">Koskie was another draft success story for the Twins. He was drafted in 1994 and first appeared for the team in 1998. Like Guzman and Jones, Koskie was an integral part of the Twins playoff teams in the early 2000's. Koskie was a very solid bat in the lineup with an OPS+ of 110 or more in every season except his rookie season that only saw him play 11 games. His standout campaign was in 2001 when he hit .276/.362/.488 with 26 HR, 103 RBI, and an even 100 runs scored. </p>
<h2 id="a8RZKb">Shane Mack OF (1990-1994) </h2>
<p id="4yu7Fo"><strong>Stats: </strong>WAR 19.6 (31st), AVG .309 (10th), OBP .375 (15th), SLG .479 (7th), HR 67 (40th), RBI 315 (50+), Hits 668 (50+) </p>
<p id="LuWhLn"><strong>Accolades:</strong> Led AL in HBP in 1992 with 15. </p>
<p id="sZ55Dm">Mack came to the Twins via the rule 5 draft in 1989 and although he only spent five seasons with the team, holy crap did hit the crap out of the ball. His OPS+ was 133 or higher in four of those seasons. His OPS+ was eighth highest in the league in 1992 and 1994. His SLG of .479 is seventh highest in team history. Mack could mash. </p>
<h2 id="dSSdBR">Roy Smalley IF (1976-1982, 1985-1987) </h2>
<p id="JVLcKw"><strong>Stats: </strong>WAR 20.8 (28th), AVG .262 (50th), OBP .350 (42nd), SLG .401 (50+), HR 110 (18th), RBI 485 (29th), Hits 1046 (33rd), Doubles 184 (32nd), Runs 551 (31st) </p>
<p id="dkjDC7"><strong>Accolades: </strong>All Star in 1979, finished 16th in MVP voting in 1979, Led AL in Games and Plate Appearances in 1979. </p>
<p id="Kmp9CA">Smalley had two stints with the Twins in his career. The first ran from 1976-1982 and saw the infielder play out the prime of his career and the second spanned the 1985-1987 seasons where Smalley finished off his career with a World Series ring. His premier season came in 1979 when he made his lone All-Star appearance and hit .271/.353/.441 on the year with 24 home runs and 95 RBI while playing in every single game for the team. </p>
<h2 id="ojyUcD">Cesar Tovar, All of the positions (1965-1972) </h2>
<p id="ptsTpj"><strong>Stats:</strong> WAR 25.8 (22nd), AVG .281 (37th), OBP .337 (50+), SLG .377 (50+), HR 38 (50+), RBI 319 (50+), Hits 1164 (27th), Doubles 193 (28th), Triples 45 (28th), SB 186 (7th), Runs 646 (24th) </p>
<p id="ezYV5h"><strong>Accolades: </strong>Finished 7th in MVP voting in 1967, 23rd in 1968, 17th in 1969, 18th in 1970, and 24th in 1971. Led MLB in Games played and plate appearances and AL in AB in 1967. Led AL in doubles and triples in 1970. Led AL in hits in 1971. </p>
<p id="GJZHvO">Tovar was traded to the Twins in 1964 and debuted for the club the next season and quickly took over as one of the best players on the team for the next eight years. The Venezuela native was a light hitter, but his value came from his incredible versatility and speed. Tovar somehow played in 164 games in 1967 and played <em>literally </em>every position in the 1968 season. His 186 stolen bases ranks seventh all time in Twins history and he received MVP votes in every season from 1967-1971 despite only hitting between 1 and 11 home runs in those campaigns. </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/12/30/16828644/minnesota-twins-hall-of-fame-candidates-batters-mlb-2018Thomas Reinking2017-12-24T09:00:02-05:002017-12-24T09:00:02-05:00Twins Hall of Fame Candidates: Pitchers
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<img alt="Minnesota Twins v Baltimore Orioles" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RT2_Ynos4zxvnn-yJB82IXhsB68=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/58096875/52799913.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>WHO DOES THIS? Johan does this. | Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Twins hold a fan vote for entering pitchers into their Hall of Fame each year. Here are the candidates for 2018.</p> <p id="srAgLO">Did you know that the <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> are having their yearly vote for which player or players from Twins history past will make it into their Hall of Fame? <a href="https://www.mlb.com/twins/fans/twins-hall-of-fame-ballot">They are</a>! Voting opened last week and runs up until Thursday, January 4th, in the usual democratic voting process: Facebook likes and Twitter hashtags. </p>
<p id="ynP9Ky">But who are these players and why are they important? If you’re not sure, here's a list with stats and accolades and a little blurb about each one. This one is just pitchers, but I’ll make another post for batters later. So know your candidates! Make your vote count! CRUSH THE BOURGEOISIE! </p>
<h2 id="AiHcLG">Dave Boswell (1964-1970) </h2>
<p id="QvbQ60"><strong>Stats (Twins All-Time Rank):</strong> ERA 3.49 (30th), 10.9 WAR (36th), K's 865 (11th), IP (1036.1 (30th), H/9 7.147 (1st), K/9 7.512 (6th) </p>
<p id="efJ4jK"><strong>Accolades:</strong> Led AL in Win% in 1966. </p>
<p id="5nMIwc">Boswell signed with the Twins before the 1963 season and made his debut the very next year. He spent seven of his eight seasons in a Twins uniform. In every season but his rookie and final season with the Twins he had an ERA of 3.40 or better and was a master of keeping runners of the base paths as no pitcher in team history allowed fewer hits per nine innings. </p>
<h2 id="HYfa3p">Dean Chance (1967-1969) </h2>
<p id="9NaYrv"><strong>Stats: </strong>ERA 2.67 (3rd), WAR 13.0 (26th), Ks 504 (38th), Shutouts 11 (16th), H/9 7.373 (3rd), K/9 6.831 (14th) </p>
<p id="bVnZok"><strong>Accolades:</strong> 1967: All Star, 13th in MVP Voting, Led AL in Games started, complete games, innings pitched, and batters faced. </p>
<p id="BPN0vf">Chance was traded to the Twins in 1966 and spent only three seasons with the team before being traded away in 1969, but WOW what a three seasons they were. His ERAs were 2.73, 2.53, and 2.95 and his ERA+ was 128, 124, and 126 for those three seasons. He threw 283.2 and 292 innings in his first two seasons. That’s a lotta innings! All of his stats were really, really good, but again, he was only with the team for three seasons. </p>
<h2 id="7NvJVp">Dave Goltz (1972-1979) </h2>
<p id="J1BqXv"><strong>Stats:</strong> ERA 3.48 (29th), WAR 24.6 (11th), Ks 887 (9th), IP 1638 (13th), Shutouts 11 (16th), K/9 4.874 (33rd) </p>
<p id="8IgdNk"><strong>Accolades:</strong> 1977: 6th in Cy Young voting, Led AL in wins, games started, and hits. </p>
<p id="m01cGy">Goltz was drafted by the Twins in 1967, debuted in 1972, and threw eight seasons for the Twins. Like Boswell, most of Goltz' seasons were good with a few great ones sprinkled in. In six seasons he had an ERA of 3.67 or better and in seven seasons had an ERA+ of 106 or better. He gave up a lot of hits, most in the American League in 1977 and 1979, and didn't strike many guys out, only 4.9/9 as a Twin, but made it work and was an important part of the rotation for many years. </p>
<h2 id="Oqpubm">Mudcat Grant (1964-1967) </h2>
<p id="TzjVJ2"><strong>Stats:</strong> ERA 3.35 (22nd), WAR 5.9 (50+), Ks 377 (50+), IP 780.2 (50+), K/9 4.346 (48th) </p>
<p id="sZmygM"><strong>Accolades: </strong>1965: All Star, 6th in MVP Voting, Led AL in Wins, Win%, and shutouts. </p>
<p id="lslliC">Grant was traded to the Twins in 1964, spent only four years with the Twins, and was then traded away in 1967. Three of his four seasons were very good with the 1965 season being his best. He went 21-7 with a 3.30 ERA in 270.1 innings pitched that year. He struck out twice as many batters as he walked in each of his seasons, but similar to Chance, was only with the team for a short period of time. </p>
<h2 id="r313Sy">Jeff Reardon (1987-1989) </h2>
<p id="irp8yO"><strong>Stats:</strong> Saves 104 (6th), ERA 3.70, K/9 7.4, 4 scoreless appearances in the 1987 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-series">World Series</a> </p>
<p id="ymMjd2"><strong>Accolades:</strong> 1987: 8th in Cy Young Voting, 11th in MVP voting. 1988: All Star, 15th in MVP Voting. </p>
<p id="fRzAMu">Reardon was traded to the Twins before the 1987 season and played a pivotal role for the eventual World Series champions before spending two more seasons with the club. In those three season he racked up the saves, recording the 6th most in team history. But the importance of his 1987 season can't be overstated. He recorded 31 saves behind a stellar 9.3 K/9 and threw 4.2 scoreless innings in four appearances in the World Series. </p>
<h2 id="mp6nwy">
<span>Johan Santana</span> (2000-2007) </h2>
<p id="wRNbm6"><strong>Stats: </strong>ERA 3.22 (16th), WAR 35.5 (4th), Win/Loss% .679 (1st), Ks 1381 (6th), IP 1308.2 (20th), H/9 7.345 (2nd), K/9 9.497 (1st) </p>
<p id="Su1eNa"><strong>Accolades:</strong> Cy Young winner in 2004 and 2006. Finished 3rd in Cy Young voting in 2005, 5th in 2007, and 7th in 2003. All Star in 2005, 2006, and 2007. Gold Glove in 2007. Finished 6th in MVP voting in 2004 and 7th in 2006. In 2004 led AL in K, FIP, WHIP and K/9 and led MLB in ERA+ and H/9. In 2005 led AL in ERA+, WHIP, H/9, and K/9 and led MLB in K and FIP. In 2006 led AL in games started, innings pitched, H/9, K/9 and MLB in wins, ERA, K, ERA+, FIP, and WHIP. In 2007 led AL in WHIP. </p>
<p id="2CNzrF">Santana came to the Twins via the Rule 5 Draft in 1999 and spent eight glorious seasons in a Twins uniform before being traded away in 2008. It would take just SO MANY words to type out how incredible Santana was to the Twins. Just look at how long that accolade list is. Santana is a no-brainer to be in the Twins Hall of Fame. </p>
<h2 id="pTHshC">Al Worthington (1964-1969) </h2>
<p id="wqp8Xa"><strong>Stats:</strong> Saves 88 (8th), Games finished 213 (7th), ERA 2.62, K/9 7.6 </p>
<p id="jKjcF2"><strong>Accolades:</strong> Led AL in saves in 1968. </p>
<p id="x6f3Gt">Worthington came to the Twins in 1964 and played out the final six years of his career with the team. Those six seasons were stellar as he had an ERA of 2.84 or lower in five of those campaigns. Saves apparently weren't as big of a deal in the 60's as Worthington led the league with only 18, but he was crazy dependable outside of saves as he made 54 or more appearances in four of his six seasons. </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/12/24/16808460/minnesota-twins-hall-of-fame-candidates-pitchers-mlb-2018Thomas Reinking2017-11-23T13:00:02-05:002017-11-23T13:00:02-05:00A Twinsgiving story
<figure>
<img alt="Immigrant Families Celebrate Thanksgiving In Connecticut" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ft0inA_V5Fltzmi4TG3iI--oDXY=/0x0:6720x4480/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57723373/625708994.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by John Moore/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The entire Twins family has gathered for Thanksgiving Dinner, with some special guests...</p> <p id="6GmPvc">The <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> and manager Paul Molitor are sitting around a table at the Molitor residence. It's a very long table because it has to fit everyone on the 25-man roster. Well, almost everyone. </p>
<p id="GAjxPH">A few feet away, Alan Busenitz, Trevor Hildenberger, <span>John Curtiss</span>, Zach Granite, <span>Mitch Garver</span>, Aaron Slegers, and <span>Gabriel Moya</span> are all cramped around a fold-up table that is far too short and small for any of them. It is the Rookids Table. The sounds of yelling, screaming, and arguing from the table never cease. </p>
<p id="ZvHx4I">Granite is frantically scribbling on a piece of paper "I HATE the <a href="https://www.pinstripealley.com/">Yankees</a>! They aint my friend no more!" with a red crayon over and over again. Moya is drawing a dinosaur. Busenitz and <span>Garver</span> are fighting over the only blue crayon because blue is the favorite color of each of theirs. </p>
<p id="roRxIe">Molitor is sitting at the head of the Adults Table. Behind him and above the fireplace is a giant portrait of Thad Levine and Derek Falvey in a pair of seasonal sweaters and holding a cat. Every chair is occupied by a Twins player except for the one directly to the right of Molitor. It's more of a throne than a chair, made of solid gold with solid gold silverware complimenting a solid gold plate on the table. Two maids stand on either side of the throne, looking around in boredom. </p>
<p id="w1Uirp">"Who is that chair for?" <span>Eddie Rosario</span> asks to Molitor, breaking the awkward silence that had loomed over the group since they all sat down. </p>
<p id="vVJ4d3">"That chair is for Shohei Ohtani and I don't want any of you even looking at it," Molitor responded harshly. "We had to spend $37,000 of our international free agent budget just to rent it out. He's going to show up any minute now. He's probably just... running late." </p>
<p id="UGZAk3">(Shohei was not going to show up. He was not running late.)</p>
<p id="Bq7SPy">"Let's just start eating without him, I guess," Molitor said. </p>
<p id="5AxZN5"><span>Joe Mauer</span> immediately stood up, grabbed one of the two hot dishes he brought with him and walked over to Molitor. </p>
<p id="25qA8L">"Gee, Mr. Molitor, you gotta try this hot dish Mom made," he said smiling. "She made two of the exact same hot dishes. They're TWINS. Get it?” </p>
<p id="EgGSi1">"Joe, I've told you countless times to just call me Paul," Paul responded. </p>
<p id="Wv6FQ2">"Aww, I understand Mr. Molitor, but Mom says it's polite to call everyone Mr., Mrs., or sometimes Ms. If you're not sure if the lady is married or not," Mauer replied. </p>
<p id="ya9TaI">Molitor stared into Joe's face for a few seconds before sighing to himself and scooping up a helping of hot dish onto his plate. Joe went around the room to dish out the rest of the hot dish, telling each and every player the same story of his Theresa's twin hot dishes. </p>
<aside id="6arIKl"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data='{"stories":[{"title":"Twins Share Their Thanksgiving Traditions","url":"https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/11/23/16669164/minnesota-twins-share-their-thanksgiving-traditions-satire-joe-mauer-ervin-santana-kevin-tapani"}]}'></div></aside><p id="Qtlrtg">"Wait a minute," <span>Ervin Santana</span> said after looking around. "Where's Hector? We always shared mashed potatoes." </p>
<p id="2ESmc3">"Hector won't be coming to Thanksgiving anymore," Molitor responded. "I'm sorry Ervin, but he's no longer a member of the family." </p>
<p id="9Cbbug">The silence resumed over the table once all the food was dished out and they began eating. At the Rookids Table, a shout of "THAT WAS MY SLICE OF TURKEY!" preceded the sound of the table being flipped over and food, silverware, and crayons crashing everywhere. Curtiss ran into the room, tears streaming down his face and a fork sticking out of his hand. </p>
<p id="Vm4wWR">"Mr. … Mr. Paul, I got a real bad booboo," He said. </p>
<p id="1WhraQ">"Every single year..." Molitor whispered to himself. "Miguel, you know the drill. Go grab the first-aid kid and call the hospital. I'm sure they'll be expecting our call." </p>
<p id="fQEviZ">The eating and silence resumed after Sano took Curtiss to another room to wait for the medics. The Rookids Table was a lost cause now. They were on their own until they tired themselves out. </p>
<p id="b5VPf7">Unexpectedly, the phone rang. Molitor left his seat to answer it in the other room. </p>
<p id="KKc96g">"Hello?" </p>
<p id="1awfvP">There was heavy breathing followed by "Go look outside your eastern-facing window," a voice said. Laughter could be heard in the background. </p>
<p id="NLG1EH">"Who is thi-" Molitor began, but the person on the other end hung up the phone. </p>
<p id="0znjP9">Molitor walked into a room with an eastern facing window, took a deep breath, and opened the blinds. In the neighboring yard stood Ron Gardenhire, Joe Vavra, and Rick Anderson, facing away from the Molitor household, bent over and trousers down. The three men looked behind themselves to make sure Molitor had seen the three full moons before high fiving each other and stumbling back into their house giggling immensely. </p>
<p id="tETuEO">Molitor looked to the stand next to his bed where his Manager of the year award is sitting. He thinks to himself, "<em>Was it worth it?"</em> </p>
<p id="XWT65c"> </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/11/23/16691294/a-twinsgiving-story-minnesota-twins-mlb-satireThomas Reinking2017-10-22T09:00:02-04:002017-10-22T09:00:02-04:00Comparing the Twins’ homegrown pitchers and batters since 2004
<figure>
<img alt="Minnesota Twins v Kansas City Royals" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VUYu4-WNHp1Zh2KzvTAKWexOIjo=/0x161:3183x2283/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/57249091/675207294.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Passing the torch. | Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>How did the 2017 youngsters compare to years past? Let’s take a look.</p> <p id="rxhIBf">One of the best parts of being a <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> fan is watching the team draft a player, bring him up through the minors, seeing him break into the majors, and (sometimes) be successful. It's one of those things to take pride in. Like, look at <span>Joe Mauer</span> (except for you, Blame Mauer bot). </p>
<p id="52VHK2">Mauer is every fan's dream. He was a number one overall pick who moved through the system with ease, put up historic numbers with the big kids, and brought the team accolades and many, many victories. It's just so satisfying. </p>
<p id="oUsNHM">The theme of the 2017 season was obviously The Season of the Next Generation of Young Guys Hitting the Crap Out of the Ball. But just how successful was this group of homegrown batters in comparison to the Twins teams in years past? Were they as good statistically as they looked on the field? Could we look at pitchers, too, and feel sad about things? Yes! Very! And Yes, we can you sadistic bastards! </p>
<p id="IUHXcP">I went back to 2004, the first year Mauer blessed us with his presence on the major league team, tallied up the number of homegrown players on the team, and added up their bWAR. I only had to make a couple judgement calls. Like, I didn't include Torii Hunter's or Jason Kubel's second stints with the team since anything they learned or developed after leaving the team voids their homegrown-ness, in my opinion. </p>
<p id="KEVPKn">Anyways, here's the batters chart. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bWg1srxPh7HybH8-9APtZhe5blI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9502777/Homegrown_batters_and_how_good_they_are_at_baseball.png">
</figure>
<p id="KnQM7F">This year juuuuust barely had the highest combined WAR for homegrown batters in the last 14 seasons. The 2017 season also tied for the third most homegrown players. The best "WAR value per player" was the 2009 season where the six homegrown batters averaged a 3.7 WAR. The worst was the 2011 team with an average WAR of 0.4 per homegrown batter. </p>
<p id="vjo8eT">All in all, the Twins have been pretty successful developing hitters over the last decade and a half. In only four seasons did the team average less than 1 WAR per player. There doesn’t really seem to be a trend of "successful homegrown batters leads to successful team record" though. The 2010 team went 94-68 with 11 homegrown batters that combined for a 13.6 WAR. Two seasons later the 2012 team went 66-96 with 9 homegrown batters combining for a 13.5 WAR. </p>
<p id="5GPC8L">Alright let's get this over with and look at the pitching graph. </p>
<figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Wmjn3XzZEti4F0Fbo7_JnI8ifkI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/9502781/Homegrown_pitchers_and_how_good_they_are_at_baseball.png">
</figure>
<p id="NcP3qg">Lol Google Docs wouldn't even let me make the chart go higher than 12 to make it easier to compare to the batting graph. It was like "Nah bro, if your graph is going into the negative numbers, I'm gonna have to limit your positive numbers." </p>
<p id="BYHG4P">Soooo yeah. The team hasn't had a group of homegrown pitchers average over 1.0 WAR per player since 2009. The pitchers combined to be lower than replacement level twice in the last five years. That is not ideal. Also, interestingly, the team has used ten or more homegrown batters eight times in the last 14 seasons, but has only used ten or more homegrown pitchers three times. </p>
<p id="i3OUVI">The best WAR Value was way back in 2004, with an 1.9 WAR per homegrown pitcher. The worst was 2016 with a –0.3 WAR per homegrown pitcher. Gross. </p>
<p id="ZdzH6Y">In summary, the Twins have developed good hitters, they haven’t developed good pitchers—but neither of these necessarily are guaranteed to lead to a successful team anyways, which was kind of common knowledge already I guess, so maybe I just wasted all of your time. Sorry about that everyone. </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/10/22/16508290/comparing-the-minnesota-twins-homegrown-pitchers-and-batters-since-2004-mlb-joe-mauerThomas Reinking2017-09-23T10:00:01-04:002017-09-23T10:00:01-04:00Twins sign Jeffrey Mauerest
<figure>
<img alt="Kansas City Royals v Detroit Tigers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jPzk2XSjRiLBilouZVYaWe45N2A=/622x495:2434x1703/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/56819311/842634574.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>I don’t THINK SO, Royals!!! | Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The team now one-ups the Royals and their relief pitcher, Brandon Maurer, as the most Mauer organization. </p> <p id="AOSMH7">The <a href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> pulled off a surprising move late yesterday by signing 36-year-old Jeffrey Mauerest to a one-year contract at the league minimum. Pending a routine physical, Mauerest will join the team before Tuesday's game against the <a href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">Indians</a>. It is unknown what position he will play. </p>
<p id="scvmtN">Mauerest has no major or minor league experience, but club officials said the move really solidifies the team as having the most Mauer on the squad. </p>
<p id="54s4WF">"Well we've had Joe for many, many years now," one official who wished to remain unnamed said. "And then we've got Jake managing the Lookouts, too. That's two Mauers more than anyone else. But then we realized the Royals got that guy, <span>Brandon Maurer</span>. That trumps both our Mauers. We had to do something to stay ahead." </p>
<p id="4o6Tei">Mauerest has been an accountant in Morris, Minnesota for many years. His highest level of experience was on a Morris t-ball team where he slashed .145/.145/.145 as a hitter, but didn't surrender a single run as a pitcher, as pitchers do not actually throw the ball in t-ball. He played many different positions on the field, but mostly because he kind of just wandered around aimlessly, bored out of his mind. </p>
<p id="sIC3Q5">"Yeah, I only played because my pops promised me ice cream," Mauerest said. "I don't even really remember much about playing. That was so long ago. I have no idea why the Twins want me on the team, but hey, money is money." </p>
<aside id="tzSQfs"><div data-anthem-component="readmore" data-anthem-component-data="{"stories":[{"title":"Joe Mauer's Milk Power Rankings","url":"https://www.twinkietown.com/2011/6/24/2239667/joe-mauers-milk-power-rankings"}]}"></div></aside><p id="FEeML0">As mentioned earlier, the move comes in response to the <a href="https://www.royalsreview.com/">Royals</a> employing pitcher Brandon Maurer. The right-handed reliever has been in the league since 2013, but remained under the Twins' radar until the Padres traded him to the Royals on July 24 of this season. </p>
<p id="jJ96La">"Those sons of bitches," a Royals official tweeted after hearing the news of the Twins' signing. "We have Maurer for only a couple months or so and then they go and top us with Mauerest? Unbelievable. How are we supposed to compete?" </p>
<p id="8babWw">When Twins manager Paul Molitor was asked about how he expected Mauerest to contribute with no real baseball experience of any kind, he stared at the reporter for a few seconds, shoved everything off of his desk onto the reporters, and ran out of his office yelling "La la la la I can't hear you!" </p>
https://www.twinkietown.com/2017/9/23/16284576/minnesota-twins-mlb-sign-jeffrey-mauerest-satire-this-is-a-joke-thanksThomas Reinking