Month: December 2014
If I had a Hall of Fame vote
It won’t be long before the MLB Hall of Fame announces its newest members so it is time once again for me to dream and pretend that I have a vote that counts. Heck, I have probably seen more games and follow baseball more closely than a lot of the clowns that have a vote but that is a whole different story. If I had a vote I still can’t find it in my heart to vote for Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Mark McGwire and that bunch. I am not going to waste my time and yours on my reasoning because we have heard all those pro’s and con’s before. Maybe some time in the future they will get my vote but it won’t be this year. Just to show how time can change your thinking I am just about ready, not quite there yet but very close to saying that Pete Rose has served enough time in purgatory to get elected to the Hall of Fame. I know he has been a jerk at times but he could play some baseball and who could argue his hustle? The rub is that “hustle” can have several meanings. I am not going to quote a bunch of stats here because if you want to see them then go to B-R and check them out for yourself.
Randy Johnson gets my first vote, simply because I think he was the most intimidating pitcher in my era. Johnson has to be the pitcher that most batters would hate to face and the man was just scary to watch but you couldn’t help but stay focused on the mound whenever he pitched.
Vote number two goes to Pedro Martinez, 5 foot 11 and 170 pounds and I think 170 may have been pushing it. Are you kidding me? The man could throw a baseball and he knew how to pitch. He never pitched for teams I liked so I was always hoping he would lose but the man seldom did, a career .687 winning percentage over 18 seasons. Hall of Fame in my book.
Tim Raines gets vote number three. Again, small in stature at 5 foot 8 and 160 pounds but the “Rock” could play some baseball. Not as well-known as some because he played in Montreal for so long but Raines had six straight seasons with 70 stolen bases or more to go with his .810 OPS.
Vote number four goes to Craig Biggio. The man was a catcher, second baseman and a center fielder and through out all those position moves he still found time to post a .281 career batting mark in over 10,800 at bats. Heck, playing for 20 years for the Houston Astros should get you a few bonus votes too.
My fifth vote goes to one of my favorite all-time players, John Smoltz. 213 wins and 154 saves to boot spread over 21 seasons. I still remember that fateful day in August 1987 when the Detroit Tigers traded him to the Atlanta Braves for Doyle Alexander. When someone mentions the word “winner”, I have an image of Smoltz in my mind. A great pitcher and a real gentleman.
My final vote this season goes to Jeff Bagwell. OMG, those Houston Astros sure cleaned the Boston Red Sox’s clock when they acquired Bagwell for Larry Andersen. Only 15 seasons but 449 home runs along with a .948 OPS is good enough for me.
How will my votes compare to the “real” votes? I am thinking I will be 4 for 6 with Tim Raines and Jeff Bagwell coming up short of the 75% required. That will be a shame but we all know that life is not always fair and that there is no crying in baseball. Good luck to all the Hall of Fame candidates, you had to be a pretty special ballplayer just to make the ballot.
Twins add ex-Padre Tim Stauffer to bullpen mix
The Twins recently signed 32 year-old right-handed pitcher Tim Stauffer to a one year $2.2 million deal. Stauffer was a 36th round selection of the Baltimore Orioles in 2000 but he chose not to sign and went on to college. Stauffer then was selected in the first round by the San Diego Padres in the 2003 draft and was the 4th overall pick. Prior to signing with the Padres, Stauffer and his agent Ron Shapiro stepped up and notified the team that Stauffer was suffering from some arm weakness after his last collegiate start. According to reports the Padres eventually signed Stauffer for $750,000, far short of the slot for a fourth overall pick of $2.4 million and way under the $2.6 million the team originally offered. The Padres loved his make-up and honesty and praised his integrity and then gave him almost $2 million less to sign. I guess the old saying “that no good deed goes unpunished” is true, at least it was here.
Stauffer debuted with the Padres in May of 2005 and pitched in 18 games for the friars between 2005-2007 before running into elbow issues and ended up having Tommy John surgery in May 2008 and missed the entire season. Stauffer’s best season was probably 2011 when he started 31 games and had a 9-12 record with a 3.73 ERA in 185 innings. The elbow injury bug struck Stauffer again in 2012 and after pitching just five innings in one game in 2012 Stauffer decided to have elbow flexor surgery in August and was forced to sit out the remainder of the season.
With two elbow surgeries on his resume, the Padres sent Stauffer to the bullpen in 2013 where Stauffer may have found his niche. In the last two seasons Stauffer has gone 9-3 with a 3.63 ERA in which he has struck out 131 batters in 134 innings. Stauffer’s SO/9 ratio has jumped to 8.8 as a reliever after sitting at 6.2 as a starter. Stauffer throws five pitches, a sinker 36% of the time, a cutter 27%, fourseam fastball 16%, a change-up 11% and a curve with a knuckleball grip about 10% of the time. According to Brooks Baseball, Stauffer throws between 76-91 MPH and his change-up generates more strike-outs than an average change-up does. The fly in the ointment as far as Stauffer is concerned besides his injury history is that he has a career 3.0 BB/9 mark and a 1.31 WHIP which kind of goes against the Twins pitching grain but then again maybe the Twins will look at this stat differently under the new Paul Molitor and Neil Allen regime.
So where does Tim Stauffer fit in the Twins pitching staff if at all? The Twins aren’t paying Stauffer $2.2 million to pitch for the Red Wings. According to what I have read Stauffer likes starting and the Twins have promised him a chance to be just that but in reality his chances of starting are about as good as my chances are of starting for the Twins. The Twins have a spot on the bullpen bench with Stauffer’s name on it. The only question is what his role will be coming out of the pen. Some have said that he will get a shot at the set-up role replacing Burton but I don’t see that in the cards, at least not to start the season if at all. I see Stauffer taking over as an upgrade over Anthony Swarzak as the Twins long guy with emergency start potential. We will see how it all plays out this spring.
Merry Christmas
MERRY CHRISTMAS
We at TwinsTrivia.com would like to wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. Enjoy this wonderful holiday with all your family and friends and don’t forget to think about and give thanks to those that are in the military serving and protecting us all over the world and not able to spend this Christmas with their families and friends. Having been there myself once upon a time I remember how lonely that can be. We hope that this Christmas will be the best ever and one that you will never forget!
Hal Naragon 1965 AL Championship ring sold
A couple of weeks ago while doing some research for this site I ran across an auction web site that was selling a 1965 American League championship ring so I had to stop and investigate.
Here is how Legendary Auctions described the ring they had up for bids:
“Hal Naragon used his skills behind the plate to craft a ten-year career in the major leagues, ending his playing days in 1962 as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Immediately after that he took a job as a Twins coach and was on-hand for the teams unforgettable run to the 1965 American League championship. Offered here is Hal’s actual AL Championship Ring awarded to him for his efforts in that season that came only inches away from producing a World Series championship when Sandy Koufax downed the Twins 2-0 in a Game 7 duel with Jim Kaat. Dazzling diamond is centered on the face of this Jostens 14K ring is a brilliant round stone set upon a deep-blue background. Encircling the stone is “American League Champions.” On one shank, “MINNESOTA” is engraved above a raised “TC” logo. The bottom of the shank bears a baseball and two crossed bats with “1965” engraved within the ball. The other shank is topped with the name “NARAGON.” An image of the state of Minnesota and the Twin Cities logo is above another baseball and two crossed bats. It would seem that Hal has always appreciated how special this ring is and what it represents as he has clearly taken exceptional care of it over the past five decades. In comparing this to the one other 1965 Twins ring that we’ve seen, there is no question that this is a far superior example and it grades NM with spectacular visual qualities.
When the bidding closed, there were 14 bids and the final bid was $3,585. I am not sure why Hal Naragon who is now 86, chose to sell his 1965 AL Championship ring but to me it is always sad to see something personal like this get sold to anyone other than the person that earned it. I did an interview with Hal Naragon, who is one of the original Minnesota Twins back in September 2010 that you can listen to here.
(click on the images to make them larger)
Twins hitters with best BB per PA %
Today we take a look through Minnesota Twins history and see what hitters were most likely to draw a walk during their Twins career. To make this list the player had to play in at least 162 games in a Twins uniform. IBB are included.
| NAME | BB | PA | % OF TIME WALKED PER PA | GAMES | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Harmon Killebrew | 1321 | 8018 | 16.47% | 1939 |
| 2. | Jim Thome | 95 | 582 | 16.32% | 179 |
| 3. | Chili Davis | 168 | 291 | 14.45% | 291 |
| 4. | Bob Allison | 641 | 4643 | 13.81% | 1236 |
| 5. | Bobby Kielty | 102 | 750 | 13.60% | 224 |
| 6. | Josh Willingham | 184 | 1364 | 13.49% | 324 |
| 7. | Craig Kusick | 187 | 1398 | 13.38% | 473 |
| 8. | Matt Lawton | 408 | 3150 | 12.95% | 771 |
| 9. | Steve Braun | 356 | 2830 | 12.58% | 751 |
| 10. | Don Mincher | 220 | 1762 | 12.49% | 590 |
| 11. | Glenn Borgmann | 177 | 1423 | 12.44% | 442 |
| 12. | Joe Mauer | 676 | 5578 | 12.12% | 1298 |
| 13. | Doug Mientkiewicz | 300 | 2505 | 11.98% | 643 |
| 14. | Corey Koskie | 385 | 3257 | 11.82% | 816 |
| 15. | Bobby Mitchell | 82 | 694 | 11.82% | 183 |
| 16. | Kent Hrbek | 838 | 7137 | 11.74% | 1747 |
| 17. | Roy Smalley | 549 | 4676 | 11.74% | 1148 |
| 18. | Lenny Green | 204 | 1754 | 11.63% | 485 |
| 19. | Butch Wynegar | 358 | 3188 | 11.23% | 794 |
| 20. | Chuck Knoblauch | 513 | 4573 | 11.22% | 1013 |
Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision
I noted earlier that IBB were included in the table above, so here are a couple of trivia questions for you.
1. Four Twins drew 100 or more IBB during their Twins career, can you name them?
2. I played in 618 Twins games and had 1,876 plate appearances but no opposing pitcher ever saw fit to give me an intentional free pass, who am I?
Twins and post season play
As 2014 is coming to an end it is a good time to look back on another Twins season, their fourth in a row without post season play. But you have to be a winner to make post season play and the Twins have been anything but a winner the last few years. It has been a toss-up when you try to determine who has been more inept, the Twins players on the field or the ownership and Twins executives that sit behind their desks and make the decisions that determine the experience that Twins fans will have to live with during the up-coming season.
The Twins have had many losing seasons over the years and the real core Twins fans complained but they accepted the team they had and they looked forward to the next season with renewed hope for more wins “next year”. But it is seems different now, I am not sure why, maybe the fans are more passionate, maybe it is social media that allows Twins fans to better express their frustrations but today’s Twins fans are just plain mad and disgusted with the caliber of play their home team has displayed since the 2010 ended. Hopefully the Minnesota Twins organization feels some of the passion that Twins fans have and will start to look at the product from the fans perspective and see what they can do to make the fans experience a little more fun and and not so tough on the wallet.
Since the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season and became the Minnesota Twins the team has played 8,617 regular season games, winning 4,274, losing 4,335 and playing to a tie on eight occasions in 54 seasons of play. Boy, how time flies by, I still remember that 1961 season.
Looking back at Twins history they have two World Series winners and a third World Series appearance in which they lost game seven to Sandy Koufax and the Los Angeles Dodgers. In addition to the 8,617 regular season games the team has played a total of 64 post season games winning 25 and losing 39. Their last post season appearance was in 2010 and that brief playoff run lasted just three games when they were swept by the New York Yankees 3 games to zip. The teams last post season win was back in 2004 (if I am not mistaken that is about 10 years ago, YIKES!) when they beat the Yankees in game 1 of the ALDS series before losing the next three games.
So let’s take a look at the hitting and pitching statistics of the Minnesota Twins in post season play. Let’s see who stood out under the bright lights of post season play and who couldn’t or didn’t deliver when the pressure was on. The names you will see below will bring back many memories, some good, some bad, some sad and in some cases you will say “who in the hell is so and so, I don’t remember him”. But it is fun looking back.
Hitting in Post Season (had at least one PA)
| Rk | Player | #Matching | PA ? | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dan Gladden | 24 | 115 | 104 | 17 | 29 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 12 | .279 | .348 | .771 | 7 |
| 2 | Kirby Puckett | 24 | 109 | 97 | 16 | 30 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 15 | 8 | 17 | .309 | .361 | .897 | 3 |
| 3 | Kent Hrbek | 24 | 103 | 91 | 10 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 11 | 12 | .154 | .252 | .516 | 0 |
| 4 | Greg Gagne | 24 | 96 | 89 | 12 | 19 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 5 | 22 | .213 | .271 | .675 | 0 |
| 5 | Torii Hunter | 21 | 88 | 80 | 15 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 11 | .300 | .337 | .875 | 2 |
| 6 | Jacque Jones | 18 | 79 | 76 | 6 | 15 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 23 | .197 | .215 | .557 | 0 |
| 7 | Michael Cuddyer | 21 | 78 | 74 | 5 | 25 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 4 | 18 | .338 | .372 | .845 | 0 |
| 8 | Corey Koskie | 18 | 78 | 67 | 8 | 15 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 7 | 21 | .224 | .321 | .679 | 0 |
| 9 | Cristian Guzman | 18 | 75 | 67 | 9 | 16 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | .239 | .301 | .630 | 3 |
| 10 | Doug Mientkiewicz | 14 | 56 | 53 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 5 | .226 | .268 | .626 | 0 |
| 11 | Chuck Knoblauch | 12 | 55 | 46 | 8 | 15 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 5 | .326 | .407 | .799 | 6 |
| 12 | Harmon Killebrew | 13 | 54 | 40 | 6 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 14 | 10 | .250 | .444 | .944 | 0 |
| 13 | Tony Oliva | 13 | 53 | 51 | 7 | 16 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 10 | .314 | .340 | .928 | 1 |
| 14 | Gary Gaetti | 12 | 53 | 47 | 9 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 9 | 3 | 8 | .277 | .340 | .914 | 2 |
| 15 | A.J. Pierzynski | 14 | 50 | 45 | 6 | 14 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 4 | .311 | .360 | .849 | 0 |
| 16 | Tom Brunansky | 12 | 50 | 42 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 8 | 7 | .286 | .400 | .924 | 1 |
| 17 | Shane Mack | 11 | 44 | 41 | 4 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 11 | .220 | .250 | .567 | 2 |
| 18 | Luis Rivas | 14 | 43 | 38 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .158 | .195 | .379 | 0 |
| 19 | Tim Laudner | 12 | 43 | 36 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 9 | .222 | .349 | .710 | 0 |
| 20 | Chili Davis | 11 | 42 | 35 | 7 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 7 | 11 | .257 | .381 | .867 | 1 |
| 21 | Brian Harper | 11 | 41 | 39 | 3 | 13 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | .333 | .366 | .802 | 0 |
| 22 | Joe Mauer | 9 | 39 | 35 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 7 | .286 | .359 | .673 | 0 |
| 23 | Shannon Stewart | 8 | 38 | 35 | 1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | .286 | .316 | .659 | 1 |
| 24 | Steve Lombardozzi | 11 | 37 | 32 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 4 | .344 | .417 | .885 | 0 |
| 25 | Jason Kubel | 8 | 32 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | .069 | .156 | .260 | 0 |
| 26 | Bob Allison | 10 | 30 | 26 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 10 | .077 | .167 | .397 | 1 |
| 27 | Zoilo Versalles | 7 | 30 | 28 | 3 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 7 | .286 | .333 | .833 | 1 |
| 28 | David Ortiz | 9 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 10 | .276 | .276 | .655 | 0 |
| 29 | Justin Morneau | 7 | 29 | 29 | 4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 3 | .310 | .310 | .931 | 0 |
| 30 | Mike Pagliarulo | 11 | 28 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 4 | .308 | .333 | .910 | 0 |
| 31 | Matt LeCroy | 10 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 9 | .269 | .321 | .591 | 0 |
| 32 | Denard Span | 6 | 28 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .357 | .357 | .750 | 1 |
| 33 | Delmon Young | 6 | 27 | 24 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | .208 | .296 | .630 | 1 |
| 34 | Cesar Tovar | 6 | 27 | 26 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | .231 | .259 | .567 | 1 |
| 35 | Randy Bush | 11 | 26 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 4 | .227 | .308 | .671 | 3 |
| 36 | Frank Quilici | 9 | 26 | 22 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 4 | .182 | .308 | .580 | 0 |
| 37 | Leo Cardenas | 6 | 26 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | .167 | .200 | .450 | 0 |
| 38 | Don Mincher | 7 | 25 | 23 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 7 | .130 | .200 | .461 | 0 |
| 39 | Earl Battey | 7 | 25 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 | .120 | .120 | .320 | 0 |
| 40 | Nick Punto | 6 | 25 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | .286 | .375 | .708 | 0 |
| 41 | Don Baylor | 7 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | .389 | .476 | 1.032 | 0 |
| 42 | Joe Nossek | 6 | 21 | 20 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .200 | .400 | 0 |
| 43 | Rich Reese | 5 | 21 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | .158 | .238 | .396 | 0 |
| 44 | Scott Leius | 9 | 20 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | .278 | .350 | .794 | 0 |
| 45 | Rod Carew | 5 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .063 | .118 | .180 | 0 |
| 46 | George Mitterwald | 4 | 16 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 5 | .333 | .375 | .775 | 0 |
| 47 | Dustan Mohr | 7 | 15 | 14 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | .500 | .533 | 1.176 | 1 |
| 48 | Orlando Cabrera | 3 | 15 | 13 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .154 | .267 | .421 | 1 |
| 49 | Lew Ford | 4 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .357 | .690 | 1 |
| 50 | Luis Castillo | 3 | 14 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | .273 | .429 | .701 | 0 |
| 51 | Jim Thome | 3 | 13 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .100 | .308 | .408 | 0 |
| 52 | Orlando Hudson | 3 | 13 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .333 | .917 | 0 |
| 53 | Gene Larkin | 12 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .273 | .333 | .697 | 0 |
| 54 | Rondell White | 3 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .417 | .417 | 1.167 | 0 |
| 55 | Brendan Harris | 3 | 12 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | .250 | .250 | .667 | 0 |
| 56 | Al Newman | 6 | 11 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .222 | .300 | .744 | 0 |
| 57 | Sandy Valdespino | 5 | 11 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .273 | .273 | .636 | 0 |
| 58 | Danny Valencia | 3 | 11 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 | .222 | .273 | .606 | 0 |
| 59 | Jason Bartlett | 3 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .273 | .273 | .636 | 0 |
| 60 | Henry Blanco | 4 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .222 | .847 | 0 |
| 61 | J.J. Hardy | 3 | 10 | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .100 | .100 | .300 | 0 |
| 62 | Danny Thompson | 3 | 9 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .125 | .222 | .472 | 0 |
| 63 | Mudcat Grant | 3 | 9 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | 1.000 | 0 |
| 64 | Brant Alyea | 3 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | .000 | .222 | .222 | 0 |
| 65 | Bobby Kielty | 7 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .125 | .125 | 0 |
| 66 | Junior Ortiz | 4 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .125 | .125 | .250 | 0 |
| 67 | Jason Tyner | 2 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | .000 | .250 | .250 | 1 |
| 68 | Jimmie Hall | 2 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | .143 | .250 | .393 | 0 |
| 69 | Jim Kaat | 4 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 6 | .143 | .143 | .286 | 0 |
| 70 | Rick Renick | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 |
| 71 | Denny Hocking | 3 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | 1.167 | 0 |
| 72 | Ted Uhlaender | 2 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .167 | .167 | .333 | 0 |
| 73 | Matt Tolbert | 2 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .333 | .533 | 0 |
| 74 | Carlos Gomez | 1 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .000 | .333 | .333 | 0 |
| 75 | John Roseboro | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .200 | .400 | 0 |
| 76 | Jim Holt | 2 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 77 | Paul Sorrento | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | .000 | .250 | .250 | 0 |
| 78 | Roy Smalley | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | .500 | .750 | 1.750 | 0 |
| 79 | Jim Perry | 2 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 80 | Paul Ratliff | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 0 |
| 81 | Dave Boswell | 1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 82 | Rich Rollins | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .000 | .333 | .333 | 0 |
| 83 | Jose Offerman | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 84 | Tom Prince | 2 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 85 | Phil Nevin | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 86 | Jose Morales | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 87 | Sal Butera | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 1.333 | 0 |
| 88 | Charlie Manuel | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .000 | .500 | .500 | 0 |
| 89 | Les Straker | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 90 | Jack Morris | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 91 | Jarvis Brown | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 92 | Pat Borders | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 93 | Bert Blyleven | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 94 | Jerry Zimmerman | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 95 | Dick Woodson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.000 | 0 |
| 96 | Stan Williams | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0 | ||
| 97 | Frank Viola | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 98 | Kevin Tapani | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 99 | Mike Ryan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 100 | Ron Perranoski | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 101 | Camilo Pascual | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 102 | Graig Nettles | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.000 | 2.000 | 0 |
| 103 | Tom Hall | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 104 | Scott Erickson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 105 | Mark Davidson | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
| 106 | Rick Aguilera | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 | .000 | .000 | 0 |
.
Pitching in Post Season (faced at least one batter)
| Rk | Player | #Matching | W | L | GS | CG | SHO | SV | IP ? | H | ER | HR | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jack Morris | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1.000 | 2.23 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 36.1 | 35 | 9 | 1 | 10 | 22 | 1.24 |
| 2 | Brad Radke | 6 | 2 | 3 | .400 | 3.60 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 35.0 | 37 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 1.29 |
| 3 | Johan Santana | 11 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 3.97 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34.0 | 35 | 15 | 2 | 10 | 32 | 1.32 |
| 4 | Frank Viola | 5 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 4.31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31.1 | 31 | 15 | 3 | 8 | 25 | 1.24 |
| 5 | Bert Blyleven | 5 | 3 | 1 | .750 | 3.18 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28.1 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 5 | 23 | 1.13 |
| 6 | Mudcat Grant | 3 | 2 | 1 | .667 | 2.74 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 23.0 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 12 | 1.04 |
| 7 | Kevin Tapani | 4 | 1 | 2 | .333 | 6.04 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22.1 | 29 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 16 | 1.52 |
| 8 | Jim Perry | 5 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 6.75 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.1 | 21 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 10 | 1.56 |
| 9 | Joe Mays | 3 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 4.76 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1.35 |
| 10 | Jim Kaat | 4 | 1 | 3 | .250 | 4.41 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 24 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 7 | 1.71 |
| 11 | Eric Milton | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 1.65 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16.1 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 9 | 0.98 |
| 12 | Scott Erickson | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.91 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14.2 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 7 | 1.50 | |
| 13 | Dave Boswell | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 1.35 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.1 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 1.43 |
| 14 | Carl Pavano | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 4.15 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13.0 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 12 | 1.23 |
| 15 | Carl Willis | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2.92 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.1 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0.81 | |
| 16 | Kyle Lohse | 5 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 3.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12.0 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 14 | 0.92 |
| 17 | Les Straker | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6.94 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.2 | 12 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 7 | 1.63 | |
| 18 | Rick Reed | 3 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 8.18 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11.0 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 1.55 |
| 19 | Juan Berenguer | 7 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5.23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 10.1 | 11 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 1.35 |
| 20 | Jeff Reardon | 8 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 2.70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10.0 | 12 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 1.50 |
| 21 | J.C. Romero | 12 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5.59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9.2 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1.66 |
| 22 | Juan Rincon | 8 | 0 | 0 | 5.19 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1.38 | |
| 23 | Dan Schatzeder | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 3.12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 1.04 |
| 24 | Rick Aguilera | 7 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.08 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 8.1 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0.96 |
| 25 | Brian Duensing | 2 | 0 | 2 | .000 | 11.25 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8.0 | 14 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2.00 |
| 26 | Joe Nathan | 6 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4.70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7.2 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 9 | 1.83 |
| 27 | Francisco Liriano | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5.87 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.2 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 1.43 | |
| 28 | Ron Perranoski | 5 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 10.29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 13 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2.00 |
| 29 | LaTroy Hawkins | 10 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 6.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 1.50 |
| 30 | Mark Guthrie | 6 | 1 | 1 | .500 | 1.35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 1.05 |
| 31 | Tom Hall | 3 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 6.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 1.67 |
| 32 | Stan Williams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.50 | |
| 33 | Boof Bonser | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1.33 | |
| 34 | David West | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 6.35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 1.94 |
| 35 | Nick Blackburn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.59 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0.88 | |
| 36 | Al Worthington | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.69 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1.31 | |
| 37 | Eddie Guardado | 5 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5.0 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2.40 | |
| 38 | Carlos Silva | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 10.80 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 10 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2.00 |
| 39 | Camilo Pascual | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5.40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.0 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.80 |
| 40 | Matt Guerrier | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0.43 | |
| 41 | Steve Bedrosian | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4.2 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1.71 | |
| 42 | Jim Merritt | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2.70 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.60 | |
| 43 | Jon Rauch | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1.00 | |
| 44 | Terry Mulholland | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.00 | |
| 45 | Dick Woodson | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10.12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3.38 | |
| 46 | Johnny Klippstein | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1.50 | |
| 47 | Brian Fuentes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.38 | |
| 48 | Grant Balfour | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | |
| 49 | Terry Leach | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.86 | |
| 50 | Scott Baker | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3.86 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1.29 | |
| 51 | Jose Mijares | 5 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 4.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1.50 |
| 52 | Joe Niekro | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1.00 | |
| 53 | George Frazier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.50 | |
| 54 | Dean Chance | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 | |
| 55 | Michael Jackson | 4 | 0 | 0 | 16.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4.80 | |
| 56 | Jesse Crain | 4 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 16.20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4.80 |
| 57 | Ron Mahay | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0.60 | |
| 58 | Keith Atherton | 3 | 0 | 0 | 5.40 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.20 | |
| 59 | Bob Miller | 1 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 5.40 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.2 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3.00 |
| 60 | Bill Zepp | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.75 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | |
| 61 | Kenny Rogers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1.50 | |
| 62 | Tony Fiore | 1 | 0 | 0 | 20.25 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.1 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4.50 | |
| 63 | Bob Wells | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2.00 | |
| 64 | Dennys Reyes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3.00 | |
| 65 | Pat Neshek | 2 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
| 66 | Bill Pleis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | |
| 67 | Matt Capps | 1 | 0 | 0 | 9.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.00 | |
| 68 | Luis Tiant | 1 | 0 | 0 | 13.50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1.50 | |
| 69 | Joe Grzenda | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | |
| 70 | Glen Perkins | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 |
Since the Twins started play in 1961 through the 2014 season a total of 751 players have put on a Minnesota Twins uniform and appeared in a game either as a hitter or a pitcher. Only 162 of them or 21.57% have appeared in a Twins post season game over the 54 seasons the Twins have called Minnesota home.
News about new Twins, former Twins, and Twins to be
The Twins today signed free agent pitcher Ervin Santana to a four-year $55 million deal. According to ESPN, the right-hander is guaranteed $54 million over the four years, with a conditional option worth $14 million in 2019 if he throws more than 200 innings. He will receive a $1 million buyout if the Twins don’t exercise the option. The contract sets a new Twins high water mark for a free agent spending, eclipsing the $49 million deal with Ricky Nolasco last year. Because he was tendered by the Braves, Santana will cost the Twins a draft choice, a second rounder since their first round selection was protected due to the Twins poor record last year. The most recent (2006) Twins second round pick to play for Minnesota was outfielder Joe Benson. To view a complete list of Minnesota Twins round two selections you need to click here.
Santana who just turned 32 yesterday is from the Dominican Republic and pitched for the Atlanta Braves this past season going 14-10 with a 3.95 ERA in his first and only season in the National League. Santana was originally signed by the Angels in 2000 and made his major league debut with them in 2005. 2015 will be Santana’s eleventh in the big leagues and he has a career 119-100 record with a no-hitter against the Cleveland Indians in 2011 on his resume. In his 10 previous seasons Santana has averaged 188 innings per season and he has a career mark of 7.2 SO/9.
Over all this should be a very nice addition to the Twins starting pitching staff. I would expect Ricky Nolasco to pitch better than he did in 2014, Phil Hughes may not put up the same kind of numbers this season as he did last but he should still be a very good pitcher, Kyle Gibson should be improved with another season under his belt, and who ever fills out the rotation in the fifth spot should make this staff the best the Twins have had in many years. I like it!
During the just concluded baseball winter meetings the Twins lost Chris Colabello to the Toronto Blue Jays on a waiver claim.
The Twins picked up 24-year-old right-handed pitcher J.R. Graham from the Atlanta Braves via the Rule 5 draft this past Thursday. Graham must make the Twins 25 man roster in 2015 or be returned to Atlanta or a trade could be worked out with Atlanta for the Twins to keep Graham but not be forced to put him on the 25 man roster. The New York Mets selected Twins LHP Sean Gilmartin in the same Rule 5 draft.
MLBtradeRumors has reported that the Twins have also signed 26-year-old right-handed pitcher Brayan Villarreal to split contract with an invitation to spring training. Villarreal last pitched in the majors in 2013 and spent last season in AAA with the Red Sox organization. During spring training with the Detroit Tigers in 2013 Villarreal’s family was the victim of a kidnapping attempt in his native Venezuela. Armed robbers had broken into the family home and threatened his father and 14-year-old brother in an attempt to extort money. Police however, and were able to free the hostages without injury.
Former Twins pitcher Juan Berenguer filed suit this week in U.S. District Court alleging that “personnel from various entities in Minnesota illegally obtained Berenguer’s private, personal and confidential driver’s license information without a legitimate or permissible law-enforcement purpose or any other lawful purpose.” The suit says his private information was viewed more than 125 times between 2005 and 2011, in violation of the federal Driver’s Privacy Protection Act.
The Arizona Fall League this past Wednesday announced its 2014 Top Prospects Team. Twins minor league outfielders Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario both made the team.
I didn’t write alot about the Twins recent free agent signing of outfielder Torii Hunter and to be honest I am really torn by this. How can you not like that great smile and that bubbly personality but yet the man is 39 years old and he will bank about $10 million for his efforts. This former and now current Twin is one of my all-time favorite Minnesota Twins but I am not sure how much Hunter has left in the tank. The Twins plan to use him in right field and plan to move Oswaldo Arcia to left. I had really hoped that the Twins would give prospect Eddie Rosario a real shot at left field but now that looks like it won’t happen unless either Arcia or Hunter fails big time. Rosario is not really a center fielder but the Twins have had worse players out there the last few years, still, I don’t see the Twins giving Rosario a shot there. I think the biggest plus from adding Hunter will simply be his presence on the team, his will to win and professional attitude can’t help but rub off on the teams younger players and show them the path they need to take and the effort they need to put forth to once again make the Minnesota Twins winners.
I just saw on MLBTradeRumors that the Twins have designated Chris Parmelee for assignment to make room on the roster for Ervin Santana. I didn’t see this move coming at this stage of the off-season. Parmelee was the Twins first round selection in 2006 (20th over all) and made his big league debut in September of 2011. Parmelee played sparingly for the Twins from 2011-2014 and just never lived up to what the Twins expected from this former first rounder.
CenturyLink Sports Complex Infographic
Torii Hunter comes home
The Twins announced their newest free agent signee on Wednesday and had an introductory press conference the same day but Torii Hunter needs no introduction here in Twins Territory. Hunter was the Twins first round pick in 1993 and he made his big league debut in a pinch-running role with the club at the age of 22 at Camden Yards. He became the Twins starting center fielder in 1999 and kept that job until he left as a free agent after the 2007 season to sign with the Angels. Torii played for the Angels from 2008-2012 before moving on to the Tigers where he spent the last two seasons.
Rumors have been circulating for some time now that the Twins and Hunter had a mutual interest in joining forces again and yesterday it became a reality when the Twins signed the 39 year-old Hunter to a one-year $10.5 million deal that supposedly includes a full no trade clause.
I had written a piece about the Twins/Hunter romance back on November 23 and it was a real head scratcher to me then and it still is today. I know the Twins outfield situation is a mess but I am not sure that throwing $10.5 million to Hunter is the answer. Hunter no longer can play center field and the Twins have stated that Hunter will play right field and Oswaldo Arcia will move to left field. Apparently center field will again be patrolled by Aaron Hicks if he shows anything at all with the bat. The fallback plan would be Danny Santana who apparently will be given a shot to win the shortstop job if Hicks holds on to center field but the Twins aren’t talking about shortstop too much right now. Terry Ryan did say that the focus will now turn to pitching so that means that the club will go with an in-house center fielder. Who ever plays center for a year or two is just a place-holder for Byron Buxton who hopefully can have a healthy and productive season in 2015 and maybe, just maybe get a September call-up for a taste of big league coffee.
If Twins fans are looking forward to seeing the Torii Hunter of old, they will be sorely disappointed. I have always liked Torii Hunter, who doesn’t? The man has a million dollar smile and a personality to match but he will be 40 in July and baseball skills start to erode pretty quickly when you get around the 40 mark. The man is a winner although the World Series has eluded him in his 18 years in the big leagues. The odds of him getting there with Minnesota, at least as a player are slim to none. Hunter said that he wanted to finish his career at home and he calls the Minnesota Twins home so maybe after he hangs up his spikes as a player the organization will have another role for him. Hunter knows how to play the game and hopefully he can teach some of the Twins players what it takes to get that done.
From the Twins perspective this deal fills a couple of needs. First of all it fills a corner outfield role that was in essence vacant. Although the Twins organization will not admit it the Twins team has a no leader and many times has looked like they are just going through the motions. The only players that the Twins have that show any passion at all are Brian Dozier, Casey Fien, and Glen Perkins. Hunter can help with that problem for sure. From the non-baseball side this helps the Twins organization sell some tickets. Hunter has always been a popular player and his coming back to Minnesota may help persuade a few season ticket-holders to re-up for one more season. The Twins are in desperate straits and anything they can do to stop the hemorrhaging of season ticket holders is worth a try. I think the team has a bright future but they need to find a way to hold on to their fan base because once that train leaves the station it takes lots of time and money to get it back
There are some good reasons to put Torii back in a Twins uniform, I just don’t think that signing him will do much for the Twins record in 2015. However, if you look at this signing as an investment for the future, bringing Torii home to Minnesota might make some sense. I hope so because I hate to see anyone waste $10.5 million and I want the Minnesota Twins to learn how to win and play good baseball again before I get too much older.
Welcome back Torii Hunter!