Category: General Blogging

This is a general blogging category.

Why the Minnesota Twins domain name is not twins.com

domainsI have often wondered why the Minnesota Twins domain name was not twins.com and up until a few weeks ago I had no idea. Then in late August Ben Lindbergh did a piece for www.grantland.com that answered all my questions. It turns out that all but three MLB teams have a domain name you can reach just by using the teams nickname and adding the .com. The Giants, Rays and Twins are exceptions because the NFL Giants have giants.com and rays.com is a long time business that is not about to give up their domain name. Twins.com however; sits there in essence vacant as you can see by going to www.twins.com .

According to the story the domain was registered in October of 1995 by its current owner’s Durland & Darvin Miller who themselves are real-time twins and have no interest in selling to MLB in spite of being offered some nice money. The article goes on to say that the owners reached out to the Twins but the team never really followed up and they would prefer to deal with the team directly rather than through MLB.

It is an interesting article and if you want to check it you can find it at The Website MLB Couldn’t Buy. Maybe I will see if I can acquire it.

twinsbaseball.com

twins.com

Plouffe has shot at setting a franchise GIDP record

Trevor Plouffe
Trevor Plouffe

With two more GIDP’s (ground in to double play) on his resume after last night’s loss to Kansas City, Twins third baseman Trevor Plouffe has the franchise record of 28 GIDP by Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew in 1970 well in his sights. Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett had 27 GIDP in 1991. With his pace of a GIDP once every five games, Plouffe should be able to set a new mark easily. Actually this list of Twins GIDP leaders has some pretty good hitters on it so Plouffe shouldn’t feel too bad. It is kind of an odd year for Plouffe from a GIDP perspective as he has 26 so far this season and in his five previous seasons combined be had only 38.

 Twins GIDP leaders

Rk Player GDP Year Age G PA AB R H HR RBI BA OBP
1 Harmon Killebrew 28 1970 34 157 665 527 96 143 41 113 .271 .411
2 Kirby Puckett 27 1991 31 152 661 611 92 195 15 89 .319 .352
3 Trevor Plouffe 26 2015 29 130 542 491 63 118 18 73 .240 .303
4 Michael Cuddyer 26 2010 31 157 675 609 93 165 14 81 .271 .336
5 Ron Coomer 25 2000 33 140 589 544 64 147 16 82 .270 .317
6 Gary Gaetti 25 1987 28 154 628 584 95 150 31 109 .257 .303
7 Joe Mauer 24 2006 23 140 608 521 86 181 13 84 .347 .429
8 Gary Ward 24 1983 29 157 676 623 76 173 19 88 .278 .326
9 Bobby Darwin 24 1972 29 145 562 513 48 137 22 80 .267 .326
10 Joe Mauer 23 2012 29 147 641 545 81 174 10 85 .319 .416
11 Torii Hunter 23 2004 28 138 569 520 79 141 23 81 .271 .330
12 Rod Carew 23 1971 25 147 632 577 88 177 2 48 .307 .356
13 Earl Battey 23 1964 29 131 471 405 33 110 12 52 .272 .348
14 Michael Cuddyer 22 2009 30 153 650 588 93 162 32 94 .276 .342
15 Marty Cordova 22 1999 29 124 488 425 62 121 14 70 .285 .365
16 Ron Coomer 22 1998 31 137 555 529 54 146 15 72 .276 .295
17 Gary Gaetti 22 1990 31 154 625 577 61 132 16 85 .229 .274
18 Bobby Darwin 22 1973 30 145 614 560 69 141 18 90 .252 .309
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 9/9/2015.

UPDATE: By hitting into his 28th double play on October 1 against the Royals in his home park, Plouffe tied the Twins record which was held by Harmon Killebrew for 28 double plays in a season. Plouffe was the league leader in hitting into double plays in 2015.

Max Kepler is Southern League MVP

Max Kepler
Max Kepler

All of the Twins top prospects are not wearing a Twins uniform just yet, there are still more on the way. The Southern League announced yesterday that Chattanooga 1B/OF Max Kepler was the league MVP. “Max made a tremendous adjustment to his swing and stuck with it the whole season,” Lookouts hitting coach Chad Allen said. “He has been a pleasure to coach because of all the hard work he put in this year and definitely deserves this award.”

One of the Twins top prospects, the German born Kepler is on track to win the slash-line Triple Crown as the league leader in average (.327), on-base percentage (.415) and slugging percentage (.540). Kepler entered Thursday leading the Southern League with a .327 average and ranking among the top 10 also in hits (128), extra-base hits (53), total bases (211), runs scored (73), doubles (32), triples (12), RBI (69) and walks (60). He earned player of the week honors in May and June and was selected to the Futures Game and the Southern League All-Star Game. Kepler along with fellow Lookout’s outfielder Adam Walker II was also named to the Southern League post season All-Star team.

Adam Brett Walker II
Adam Brett Walker II

Walker who has hit a Southern League leading 30 home runs and has 103 RBI also led the Florida State League in home runs last season and was the league MVP. In 2013 he led the Midwest League in home runs. Walker will be reporting to the Twins AFL team when they begin play in October.

Max Kepler is on the Twins 40 man roster and once the Chattanooga Lookout’s finish their post season play, the chances are good that the Twins will call on Kepler to finish out the Twins 2015 season at Target Field and Twins fans will get a chance to see him play in Minnesota.

CONGRATULATIONS! to both Max and Adam on their great seasons.

E-Twins Dereck Rodriguez named APPY League Pitcher of the Year

Rodriguez, Dereck 2015 2Dereck Rodriguez, 23, was named the Appalachian League’s Pitcher of the Year after going 5-2 with a 2.65 ERA in 10 starts for Elizabethton. Rodriguez was selected by the Minnesota Twins as an outfielder in the sixth round (208 overall) of the 2011 First Year Player Draft out of Pace High School in Miami Gardens, Florida. Rodriguez, a right-hander played for Class A Cedar Rapids and Class A Advanced Fort Myers as an outfielder from 2011-2013. The 6-foot-1 starter was drafted by the Twins as an outfielder but made the career change to pitching after the 2013 season. . Rodriguez has 45 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 54 1/3 innings with the E-Twins this year. Dereck is the son of Major League All-Star catcher Ivan (Pudge) Rodriguez who spent 21 years in the Major Leagues, won 13 Gold Gloves and was a 14-time All-Star.

E-Twins outfielder LaMonte Wade and reliever Kuo Hua Lo joined Rodrigez on the 2015 Appalachian League All-Star team.

What to do, what to do?

 

Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan

This morning the Twins find themselves still holding one of the wild card spots by the skin of their teeth should the season end today. But we all know that 1/3 of the season still remains to be played, so what should the Twins do. The Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros, and the Texas Rangers are among a number of teams that have already made moves to beef up their teams and the trade deadline is coming up fast. The consensus is that the Twins need to beef up their relief pitching and also need to fill holes at short and at catcher.

GM Terry Ryan has stated several times that the Twins would like to make a deal for a relief pitcher but so far nothing has come to fruition. I appreciate how much the team has improved from the last four seasons but I think I am also being realistic in saying that this is not a playoff team. Yes this team plays good baseball on occasion but not consistently enough to make the playoffs.

I don’t think that the Twins planned on finding themselves in this position when the season began and now they face a difficult decision. Do they mortgage their future for a playoff run this year or do they stick to their plan for solid improvement this season and plan to make a serious run in 2016 or 2017? The declining fan base is watching to see what the Twins will do, do they make some deals to try to strengthen the team or do they stick to what they have and give their youngsters a chance to learn the game and learn how to win. The team is also watching to see what GM Ryan will do, will he try to add some pieces to help the team or will he simply say he tried to make some deals but they just didn’t pan out? A playoff run will help get some fans back to the ballpark while a white flag might signal to some Twins fans more of the same and the season ticket base will fall some more. Ryan is in a no-win situation, no matter which way he goes he will be criticized, but that is why he makes the big bucks. The thing to remember is that if the Twins do make some additions by giving up some prospects and still fall short of the playoffs then everyone loses.

The Twins are between the proverbial rock and a hard spot and the best option might well be to do nothing right now and keep playing the youngsters and watching them learn. The team still has too many holes to be a legitimate contender so let’s look at plugging the leaks this season before we sail off on that cruise to playoff land.

Last but certainly not least I want to mention this about prospects, a prospect is just that, he has proven nothing. A prospect today can be a dud tomorrow. If you trade your 5th best prospect today, you will still have a 5th best prospect tomorrow. Next man up! Look at the rosters of most teams, a lot of their best players started in another organization.

Kepler and Berrios to play for Futures World Team

Rosters were recently announced for the SiriusXM Futures Game to be played on Sunday, July 12 at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati during the All-Star break and the Twins will be sending two players, who will both play for the World Team, outfielder/1B Max Kepler and right-handed pitcher Jose Berrios.

Max Kepler
Max Kepler

The 22-year-old Kepler was born in Berlin, Germany has played 55 games for Double-A Chattanooga this season, hitting .342 (69-for-202) with 18 doubles, eight triples, three home runs, 29 RBI and 11 stolen bases. He was originally signed by the Twins on July 11, 2009.

Jose Berrios
Jose Berrios

The 21-year-old Jose Berrios, was born in Baymon, Puerto Rico, has made 14 starts for Double-A Chattanooga, posting a record of 7-3, 3.23 ERA (83.2 IP, 30 ER) with 23 walks and 86 strikeouts.Berrios, who was drafted in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2012 First-Year Player Draft, started for the World Team in 2014 at Target Field, tossing a perfect inning.

Barring injury I think there is at least a 50/50 chance both of these young players will make their big league debut with the Twins this season. Congratulations to both Max and Jose. Source Twins Notes

2015 Futures Game Rosters

Will the Axe Bat replace the round handled bat?

I have chopped a lot of wood of the years and played a little baseball but I have never considered the two related in any way. Matter of fact I thought that chopping wood often kept me from playing baseball. Come to find out now that someone has tied an axe handle and a bat together and it might just be catching on.

“In 2006, a New Yorker named Steve Leinert obtained a patent on the axe handle for a baseball bat, a concept Ted Williams hit on decades earlier in his book “The Science of Hitting,” in which he compared a baseball swing to that of an axe. “Try it for yourself,” Williams wrote. “Get a bat and swing it against a telephone pole. I do this with doubting young Washington players. Where is the wrist position at point of impact? Square and unbroken, that’s where, just as when you hit a tree with an ax.””

The Axe Bat made its debut in MLB two years ago when former Philly and now Dodger shortstop Jimmy Rollins occasionally used an Axe Bat in major league games. Now Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia has spent a month using it as his lone bat, and the results are promising.

Axe handled batOne of the benefits of the axe bat handle is that it is supposed to limit hamate bone injuries, it will be interesting to see if the axe handled bat catches on and if it really does help prevent hand injuries. I suppose like anything else, if someone has some success with it, the bat will find its way into clubhouses all across baseball.

Here is a story that Jeff Passon did on the bat for Yahoo Sports.

Can Mauer get 100 RBI?

Joe MauerManager Paul Molitor has Joe Mauer hitting in a run producing slot in his batting order and publicly has stated many times that he is happy with Joe’s production. The numbers however; seem to show a different story. Mauer’s best season from an RBI perspective was his MVP season in 2009 when he had 96 RBI. That season Mauer had an RBI every 6.31 plate appearances but don’t forget he hit .365 that year and clubbed 28 home runs.

Through yesterday Mauer has 35 RBI and is getting a RBI every 7.54 plate appearances and at this rate he would need over 750 plate appearances to get 100 RBI and Mauer has had over 600 plate appearances in his 12 year career just four times peaking at 641 in 2012. Even if Mauer gets 600 plate appearances he is on pace to get 80 RBI. The best bet that the Twins have in their line-up right now to knock in runs is Torii Hunter who gets an RBI every 6.5 plate appearances. Hunter will be 40 very soon but you have to ride the horse that is pulling the load right now no matter how old he is.

Looking back over Twins history the best ratio for RBI per plate appearance was Kirby Puckett‘s 1994 season when he had 112 RBI in 484 plate appearances for a RBI every 4.32 plate appearances. No one in American League history since the Twins started play in 1961 has ever had a better RBI ratio per plate appearance. Had that season not been cut short Puckett was on pace for an amazing 151 RBI.

I had zero RBI in a Twins uniform but yet I had a 24 year MLB career as a player.
I had zero RBI in a Twins uniform but yet I had a 24 year MLB career as a player.

Do you know who the only Twins hitter is that had 100 or more RBI in a season and yet have 9 or fewer home runs?

What Twins player was with the Twins for parts of four seasons and had 76 plate appearances and had zero RBI? After being traded by the Twins he actually had 99 career plate appearances to start his big league career without an RBI before getting his first RBI on his first career home run.

Congratulations Byron Buxton!

Buxton congratulated by Plouffe after scoring what turns out to be the winning run in his first big league game.
Buxton congratulated by Plouffe after scoring what turns out to be the winning run in his first big league game.

The Twins announced yesterday that they had selected the contract of outfielder Byron Buxton from Chattanooga (AA). Buxton, 21, made his major league debut today against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Park in Arlington after hitting .283 (67-for-237) with seven doubles, 12 triples, six home runs, 20 stolen bases and 37 RBI in 59 games for the Lookouts this season. The Georgia native was ranked as the top prospect in baseball by MLB.com entering this season and Twins top prospect by Baseball America and earlier this week, he was named a Southern League All-Star. Buxton was drafted second overall in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft. Buxton has 263 minor league games and 1,168 plate appearances under his belt before making the jump from AA to the big leagues.

Buxton who was assigned number 25 went 0-4 in his first big league game but after reaching base on a fielder’s choice in the ninth inning scored the winning run on a double by Eddie Rosario.

Congratulations Byron Buxton on moving up to the big leagues and I can’t wait to see play at Target Field.

Check out these Chattanooga pictures

Chattanooga Lookouts logoIf you get a few minutes you need to check out these behind the scenes pictures of the Chattanooga Lookouts taken by Twins photographer Bruce Hemmeigam over the span of four days and posted on MiLB.com. Some great shots of players that we hope to see in Minnesota Twins uniforms soon.

By the way, May 20th is an very interesting day in Twins history, take a few minutes and check out our Today in Twins History page.