Category: General Blogging

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Congratulations to Eddie Rosario

Eddie Rosario’s bat that hit the third home run is headed the the Twins archives. Credit-Dan Hayes

 

Congratulations to Minnesota Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario on becoming the first Minnesota Twins player in franchise history to hit three or more home runs in a game on two occasions.

Rosario did it for the first time on June 13, 2017 at Target Field against the Seattle Mariners and again less than a year later on June 3, 2018 again at Target field but this time the Cleveland Indians were the victims.

The Minnesota Twins and their predecessor Washington Senators have never had a player hit more than three home runs in a game but their players have hit three home runs in a game on 11 occasions and as mentioned earlier, Rosario is the only player to do it more than once.

Before the Washington franchise moved to Minnesota for the 1961 season, two Senators players had hit three home run in a single game, Jim Lemon on August 31, 1956 at Griffith Stadium against the New York Yankees and Goose Goslin on June 19, 1925 against the Cleveland Indians at Dunn Field. Lemon played for the Minnesota Twins from 1961-1963.

Twins opponents have hit three or more home runs in a game against the Twins a total of 26 times and no player has done it more than once.

List of franchise players who have hit 3 or more home runs in a single game

Ft. Myers Miracle have four players named as All-Stars

Florida State League All-Stars were announced yesterday and the Ft. Myers Miracle will have four representatives. Left-handed pitcher Andrew Vasquez, infielder Travis Blankenhorn and outfielders Jimmy Kerrigan and Jaylin Davis.

Andrew Vasquez is 0-1 with a 0.66 ERA in 15 relief appearances, 30 strikeouts and eight walks in 27.1 innings pitched. Vasquez was selected in round 32 of the 2015 June amateur draft.

Jimmy Kerrigan is hitting .289 with six home runs and 21 RBI in 40 games. Kerrigan was signed by Minnesota as a minor league free agent in July 2017.

Jaylin Davis is hitting .273 with four home runs and 11 RBI in 42 games with five outfield assists. Davis was a 24th round selection in the 2015 June amateur draft by the Twins.

Travis Blankenhorn (2nd All-Star selection – Midwest League in 2017 with Low-A Cedar Rapids) is hitting .255 with six home runs and 22 RBI. Blankenhorn was a Twins 3rd round pick in the 2015 June amateur draft.

Andrew Vasquez
Jimmy Kerrigan
Jaylin Davis
Travis Blankenhorn

click on images to make them larger

Falvey and Levine should DFA Molitor

Paul Molitor

Should Derek Falvey and Thad Levine be looking for a new manager for the Minnesota Twins? I know, I know, they signed him to a new deal after last season right after the Twins made the playoffs after a seven-year absence.

I can’t believe that Paul Molitor is their guy, and they in essence had no choice but to sign Molitor or get run out-of-town. The Twins are playing terribly, way below expectations in spite of good starting pitching. The bullpen started out decent but Molitor’s bullpen management quickly put an end to that.

You can’t put all the blame on Molitor but you can’t get rid of the players so the easiest thing to change is the manager. This team needs new leadership before the problem gets even more serious. The team doesn’t look like it is having fun or even takes the losses very seriously. Come on now, eight walk-off losses in 50 games, that is crazy.

Too many injuries? Every team has injuries, you just need to know how to manage them. Miguel Sano has been terrible so far and I think a part of that is because of Jorge Polanco being out due to suspension and not much can be done about that. Sano and Polanco are best buddies from way back and when I watched them this spring they were like joined at the hip, if you saw one you saw the other.

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine

Falvey and Levine aren’t blameless in this fiasco this year either. If Polanco is out, and Nick Gordon is tearing it up in AA and now hitting well in AAA why not bring him up and see what he can do and see if he can kick-start this anemic offense? It obviously is not breaking any barriers to bring up a guy from AA with little to no time in AAA.

Having said all this, Falvey and Levine deserve a chance to determine their own fate and that is difficult to do if you don’t have “your guy” managing your team. I know that Paul Molitor was a heck of a ballplayer, is in the Hall of Fame and is a local boy made good but that does not necessarily make him a good manager. Thank him for his service and let’s move on. Baseball is about winning, if you can’t do the job, its next man up. I am waiting to see of Falvey and Levine will “man up”.

 

Not all first round picks are born to be stars

For some baseball fans the MLB June Amateur Draft is one of the highlights of the season. They can’t wait to see who their favorite team drafts and then can’t wait to see that player wear their favorite team colors. Who knows, maybe their team just landed the next great baseball superstar, but few consider the fact that even first round selections can turn out to baseball “duds”.

If you pick a player in round one you expect him to be a bona-fide big league star, an All-Star type of player. Sadly, a lot of them will not meet those expectations for one of many different reasons.

The 2018 June Amateur Draft is just around the corner so it is time to take a look at the Minnesota Twins previous first round selections for the last ten years and see how they are doing.

 

The Minnesota Twins have had 18 first round selections in the last ten years (2008-2017). 

  • Three of the picks are playing for the Minnesota Twins at this time. Gibson, Buxton and Berrios
  • One of the picks is playing for another big league team. Hicks
  • One of the picks was selected in the Rule 5 draft, pitched briefly in the big leagues but was returned to the Twins minor league system. Bard
  • Seven of the picks are in the Twins system and still have a shot at wearing Twins colors at some point in the future. Lewis, Rooker, Kirilloff, Jay, Gordon, Stewart and Bard
  • Three of the picks are no longer with the Minnesota organization and are playing in the minors elsewhere. Michael, Harrison and Wimmers
  • Four are no longer playing pro baseball. Boyd, Bashore, Gutierrez and Hunt

 

Twins first round picks for last 10 years

2017 – Royce Lewis (shortstop) – First pick overall out of high school. Has been at Cedar Rapids (Low A) all season and is hitting .315 with a .368 OBP in 124 at bats with one home run and 13 stolen bases in 14 attempts. Signing bonus – $6.725 million

2017 – Brent Rooker – (outfielder) – 35th selection overall out of college. Has spent the season in Chattanooga (AA) and is hitting .233 in 163 at bats with four homers and 20 and has struck out 53 times. Has shown power in the past but no so much this year. The Twins seem to be grooming him to play first base. Signing bonus – $1.935 million

2016 – Alex Kirilloff – (outfielder) – 15th overall pick out of high school. Missed all of 2017 with TJ surgery and has played with Cedar Rapids all of this season hitting .325 in 151 at bats and a slick .959 OPS. Signing bonus – $2,817,100 million

2015 – Tyler Jay (LHP) – Selected sixth over all out of college. Pitched as a starter in 2015 and 2016 and strictly a reliever since. Injuries have plagued Jay and last season he pitched a total of just 11.2 innings for three different teams. He also pitched in the AFL where he threw 9.2 innings and had a 5.59 ERA. This year in AA Chattanooga he has thrown 14 innings striking out 9, walking 5,  has allowed 16 hits and has an ERA of 1.93. Signing bonus – $3,889,100 million

2014 – Nick Gordon (shortstop) – Selected fifth overall out of high school. The son of Tom “Flash” Gordon is in his fifth season of pro ball and was just promoted to AAA Rochester after hitting .333 in AA Chattanooga with 7 stolen bases, 10 doubles and 5 homers in 162 at bats. I would expect to see him put on a Minnesota Twins uniform at some point this season. In my opinion with Jorge Polanco suspended and the team hitting poorly why not bring Gordon up and see if he can provided a spark? Signing bonus – $3.851 million

2013 – Kohl Stewart (RHP) – Selected fourth overall out of high school. Finished the 2017 season in AA Chattanooga and is calling it home again this season. Has a 3-1 record but sports a 4.70 ERA with 36 strikeouts and 41 hits in 38.1 innings. Injuries has also plagued Stewart in his career. He is going to need a breakout season real soon…. Signing Bonus – $4.544 million

2012 – Byron Buxton (outfielder) – Selected second overall out of high school and has been with the Twins off and on since his big league debut in June of 2015. Great outfielder with speed to burn but hitting has been sub par. For a second overall pick you have to consider him “disappointing” so far. Signing bonus – $6 million

2012 – Jose Berrios (RHP) – Selected 32nd overall out of high school in Puerto Rico and debuted with Minnesota in 2016. Berrios is having a great season in 2018 with the Twins. Looks to be the ace the Twins hoped he would be. Signing bonus – $1.55 million

2012 – Luke Bard – (RHP) – Selected 42nd overall out of college and has had some injury issues including TJ surgery that caused him to miss all of 2014. Selected by the Angels as a Rule 5 selection last November and pitched 11.2 innings with 13 strikeouts in the bigs but was returned to Minnesota in late April and is pitching in AAA Rochester and I would not be shocked to see him at least get a cup of coffee with the Twins in 2018. Signing bonus – $1.227 million

2011 – Levi Michael – (shortstop) – Selected 30th overall out of college and was released by Minnesota after the 2017 season and currently playing AA ball in the New York Mets system. Signing bonus – $1.175 million

2011 – Travis Harrison – (Third Baseman) Selected 50th overall out of high school and released by Minnesota after the 2017 season and currently playing in an Independent league. Signing bonus – $1.050 million

2011 – Hudson Boyd (RHP) Selected 55th overall out of a Ft. Myers high school and signed for one million dollars and was released by Minnesota in 2014. Boyd had many issues including his weight, booze, and attitude. A major flop! Signing bonus – $1 million

2010 – Alex Wimmers (RHP) – Selected 21st overall out of college. Pitched in a total of 24.2 innings for the Twins between 2016 and 2017 and posted a 1-3 record with a 4.38 ERA but those 19 walks were horrific and he is now in the Marlins system where at last look he had a 9.82 ERA. Signing bonus – $1.332 million

2009 – Kyle Gibson (RHP) – Selected 22nd overall out of college. Debuted with Minnesota in 2013 and has been in the starting rotation since 2014. Signing bonus – $1.8 million

2009 – Matt Bashore (LHP) – Selected 46th overall out of college. Missed all of 2010 with TJ surgery and released by the Twins after the 2011 season. Bashore pitched a total of 18.2 innings in the Twins minor league system before the organization gave up on him and out of baseball after the 2012 season. Signing bonus – $751,500

2008 – Aaron Hicks (outfielder) – Selected 14th overall out of high school and opened the season in Minnesota as the starting center fielder in 2013. Hitting woes caused the Twins to give-up on Hicks and trade him to the New York Yankees for catcher John Ryan Murphy in November 2015 but he too turned out to be a dud and was sent packing to Arizona. Hick is still playing with the Yankees in a semi-regular role. Signing bonus – $1.78 million

2008 – Carlos Gutierrez (RHP) – Selected 27th selection overall out of college and advanced as high as AAA in the Twins system before he moved on to the Cubs in 2013 but left pro ball after that season. Signing bonus – $1,290 million

2008 – Shooter Hunt (RHP) – Selected with the 31st pick overall out of college and didn’t get higher than high A in Ft. Myers before moving on to a different career after the 2011 season. Signing bonus – $1.080 million

Continue reading Not all first round picks are born to be stars

Former Minnesota Twins first round pick Johnny Ard passes away

Johnny Ard

Broni John Ard who was better known as Johnny Ard was born on June 1, 1967 in Las Vegas, Nevada and passed away at the South Georgia Medical Center in Valdosta, Ga on May 3, 2018 at the age of 50 from various medical complications.

Ard played youth and high school baseball in Hemingway in the Peedee region of South Carolina where he was a standout pitcher before moving on to a college career at Francis Marion.

The Minnesota Twins used their 1988 first round selection and 20th overall pick on 6’5″ RHP Johnny Ard out of the State College of Florida. The 1988 draft was not a particularly strong draft for Minnesota with the best known players being Pat Mahomes, Scott Stahoviak and J.T. Bruett. 

Like many future Twins players to this day, Ard started his pro baseball career in 1988 with Elizabethton under manager Ray Smith before moving up for a cup of coffee with the low A Kenosha Twins under Ron Gardenhire. In 1989 Ard posted a 13-7 record with a 3.29 ERA in 186 innings with the Visalia Oaks for manager Scott Ullger and earned a 1990 promotion to the AA Orlando Sun Rays who were then managed by Ron Gardenhire and as the staff ace he posted a 12-9 record with a 3.79 ERA in 180 innings and 29 starts.

Star_Tribune_Thu__Dec_6__1990_

Star_Tribune_Thu__Dec_6__1990_ (1)

On December 5, 1990 the Twins traded the highly touted Ard to the San Francisco Giants along with a PTBNL (Jimmy Williams) for Steve Bedrosian. Ard spent the next three seasons bouncing between AA and AAA in the Giants system but it was a variety of injuries that kept Ard from reaching the big leagues. The Giants released Ard after the 1993 season. After sitting out 1994-1995 Ard got the baseball itch once again in 1996 and pitched for the independent league Aberdeen Pheasants and made 17 starts and posted a nice 9-4 record with a 3.37 ERA but retired from pro ball after that, I am not sure why.

Although Johnny Ard never put on a Minnesota Twins uniform in a big league game he still played a big role in Minnesota Twins history. We at Twinstrivia.com would like to pass on our condolences to the Ard family and friends. 

Johnny Ard GoFundMe page

Johnny Ard Obituary

Share a Memory page

 

 

The Twins seem lost and no one seems to care

The Minnesota Twins play this season has been pitiful, I really don’t know any other way to describe it without using language not fit for this site. The Twins record in April was 8-14 and the team scored 90 runs (4.09) but gave up 129 (5.86) runs. Playing .364 baseball is totally unacceptable for a team that made the playoffs in 2017 and was expected to be even better this season with the additions the Twins made this past off-season. If you look back over all the April baseball that the Minnesota Twins have played since 1961 through 2017 you will find that the team has won 565 games and lost 610 and tied 2 games for a winning percentage of .480, but this years team isn’t even play up to that low bar.

Those of you that have watched the Twins play this season know the team is playing hideous baseball. In the 16 losses this season the team has lost by five or more runs seven times, to get blown out in 44% of your games is a bad sign. 

Yes, the team has had its shares of injuries, but who hasn’t? From what we have seen of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton in their relatively short careers we can be pretty confident that neither one will have long consecutive game played streaks on the back of their baseball card. We can only wait and hope that Sano and Buxton aren’t a would of, could of, should of, type of player’s. 

Paul Molitor

So what is causing this team to play so bad? Everything, the pitching is bad, the hitters aren’t hitting, the fielding leaves a lot to be desired. When nothing seems to work you can’t fire the players, it comes down to leadership. The people in charge are responsible, for the Twins won-lost record and it starts with the manager Paul Molitor. I know the man just signed a new three-year deal but……. How about the pitching coach Garvin Alston? I haven’t heard his name mentioned in weeks, is he still on the coaching staff? Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have such a low profile that you wonder if they still work here. The only time these two guys show their faces is when something good happens.

Sure, this team will improve their play, but when? Is this going to be another wasted season when when the Twins organization tells us we have to be patient and give the young players a chance to mature? Winning is contagious, but so is losing.

The worst scenario is that the Twins play bad all season and management decides to “blow it up” and start over. That would be the final straw!

If you have a need to see some interesting facts about Minnesota Twins history on May 2nd  just click on our new This Day in Twins History.

 

Yankees and the Twins

The Athletic had an interesting article recently by Jayson Stark – Stark: The Useless Info Dept., Swing and a Foul Edition  . Here is one of the points Stark brought up to put the Twins and Yankee games into perspective.

Is there a more one-sided rivalry in baseball than the Twins and Yankees? They got a chance to hang out together at Yankee Stadium again this week. And once the Yankees had finished sweeping a four-game series, it meant that since 2002 (if you count the postseason), the Yankees have gone an incomprehensible 94-33 against the Twins. That’s the equivalent of playing like a 120-win team (or in the Twins’ case, the ’62 Mets) over a full season.

Next-best record by any team against any other team in its league over that same period: The Angels are 84-45 against the Tigers.

I don’t think I would call Twins and Yankee games a rivalry, I would call it an annual beating. I see things in life always going full circle so that means the Twins are in for some good times in the future, the devil is in the details. I hope I am still around to see it happen.

Yikes! Yankees 14 and Twins 1

I took some facts from an article about the Twins vs Yankees game from The Athletic, a pay site that I am checking out as I usually don’t usually visit pay sites. The article is entitled Ryan LaMarre’s pitching cameo and a Twins flop in the Bronx, by the numbers

Brian Dozier

24 – Straight games with a hit for Brian Dozier, dating back to last season, including 17 since the start of the 2018 campaign. Dozier extended his streak with a two-out, RBI single to left in the fifth inning off Yankees starter Masahiro Tanaka, who was outstanding. Dozier’s hit streak is rapidly approaching the longest in Twins history, a 31-game run by Ken Landreaux in 1980. It’s also the longest hitting streak to span two seasons since Arizona’s Paul Goldschmidt hit in 26 straight games between 2013-14. The longest two-season hit streak of the past 25 years, according to The Athletic’s Jayson Stark, is Jimmy Rollins’ 38 games between 2005-06. The single also allowed Dozier to extend his stretch of reaching base in a game to 34, dating back to September 12.

This is the second hitting streak for Dozier of 24 or more games, he is the only Twins player with two long streaks like this. Next up on the list is 25 in a row by Brian Harper. You can see the Twins longest hitting streaks by going to “Hitting Streaks” on the right hand side of the page.

10.43 – Twins team earned-run average on the road trip through four of seven games. Twins pitchers have allowed at least eight runs in all four contests and at least seven earned runs in each, too. Overall, the numbers have been putrid as Twins pitchers have allowed 40 runs (39 earned) in 33 2/3 innings along with 50 hits, 18 walks and 41 strikeouts.

Tyler Kinley

Question for the day – How long are the Twins going to hang on to Rule 5 pick-up Tyler Kinley?

 

Dozier ties club record hitting streak to start the season

Brian Dozier

Second baseman Brian Dozier extended his hitting streak to 15 games with a lead-off double last night in a 10-1 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field. The knock handed Dozier a share of the club record hitting streak to start the season, along with Kirby Puckett (1994) and Josh Willingham (2012). Dozier has now hit safely in 22 consecutive games, dating back to September 22. Dozier added a third-inning single to finish 2-for-4. He’s hitting .376 (35-for-93) during the streak.

Forbes 2018 MLB Team Values

Forbes magazine recently published their 2018 MLB team values for the 21st year. As you might guess, MLB teams and their owners are doing pretty well. The only team in MLB that is not yet worth at least $1 billion is the Tampa Bay Rays and their value is $900 million. The most valuable team is the New York Yankees who are worth $4 billion according to Forbes.

The Minnesota Twins are worth $1.15 billion, up 12% from last year and are the 22nd on the list. The Twins are shown with $261 million of revenue and that seems like a lot of money to most of us but only nine teams brought in less revenue last season. 

The Forbes article can be found here and the list of team values can be found here. When looking at the list, if you click on the Minnesota Twins you will find more detailed financial data.

More historical information on Minnesota Twins values can be found on my “Salaries” page.