Category: General Blogging

This is a general blogging category.

This and that

Miguel Sano
Miguel Sano

There are several reports out there that Twins prospect Miguel Sano has been shut down due to a strained ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow after playing in just two games for Estrellas of the Dominican winter league. According to La Velle E. Neal III, Sano was in the Twins Cities last week to be examined and also flew to Alabama to be examined by famed specialist Dr. James Andrews who agreed with the Twins’ diagnosis that there is a strain but  nothing more serious. Rest is prescribed and expectations are that Sano will be ready for spring training. I sure hope that a strain is all it is because the Twins can’t afford to lose a player like Sano to TJ surgery and have him sit out a year.

Twins top prospect Byron Buxton has also been reported by Baseball America and MLB.com to be shut down for the rest of the AFL season after aggravating a shoulder injury. The injury is not reported to be serious. Serious or not, you hate to see the top prospect in the organization shut down for any reason.

The other day the Twins announced that they did not resign the following players and they will be free to sign where ever they can find employment. Several of the players on the list have spent time with the Twins but unless something unforseen happens, their futures are not in Minnesota.

Right Handed pitchers

Nick Blackburn (AAA)
Cole DeVries (AAA)
Deolis Guerra (AAA)
Dan Sattler (AA)
Kyle Davies (AA)
Tom Stuifbergen (AA)
Dan Turpen (AA)
Miguel Munoz (Hi A)
Manuel Soliman (Hi A)

Left handed pitchers

Pedro Hernandez (AAA)
Nelvin Fuentes (Hi A)

 

Infielders

1B: Jeff Clement (AAA)
2B: Eric Farris (AAA)
SS: Ray Olmedo (AAA)

Outfielders

Brian Dinkelman (AAA)
Antoan Richardson (AAA)
Angel Morales (AA)
 Jordan Parraz (AA)
Jhonathan Goncalves (Hi A)

 

Rivera, Mariano SI coverBack in late September when I checked my mail I saw a Sports Illustrated with Mariano Rivera on the cover in my mail box. I have been a Yankee hater since I started following baseball back in 1957 but I have followed Rivera’s career for many years. The man has been like a machine and the New York Yankees would not have had the great teams that they have had and not made the playoff runs they have enjoyed without this fantastic closer. Setting records aside, I have seen a lot of great baseball players over the years but I have never seen a player that has been as dominant year in and year out as Mo has been. The story in Sports Illustrated by Tom Verducci is a wonderful read and it tells you more about Rivera the person then it does about Rivera the baseball player. Apparently the classy Rivera is as great a person as he is a player and that makes him an even bigger man in my eyes. It was truly a pleasure watching this man pitch and I will miss him. Who could possibly be more fitting then Mariano Rivera to be the final major leaguer in baseball to wear the number 42 on his back? Congratulations to Mariano Rivera on an absolutely fabulous career. If there ever was a Hall of Famer, this is the guy. Enjoy your retirement sir!

I don’t do a lot of speculation here on who the Twins should or should no sign as free agents but I will say that I sure hope that the Terry Ryan and the Twins don’t spend their money signing former Cy Young winner Johan Santana. I know, Twins pitching has been terrible and Santana was a great pitcher but the key word here is “was”, he is not that any more. Don’t ruin my wonderful memories of Johan Santana by bringing back now as a broken down veteran looking to hang on for a couple more strike outs.

A look back at the life and times of the Twins original owner Calvin Griffith

 

An interesting 5 minute 11 second video clip by WTCN (KARE 11) Jeff Passolt done in 1984 about the life and times of the Minnesota Twins first owner. There is a short but nice aerial shot of Met Stadium that you might also enjoy as well as a peek at a young Harmon Killebrew, Rod Carew and several other players.

http://tcmedianow.com/video/wtcn-kare-1983-jeff-passolt-feature-on-the-life-of-calvin-griffith/l

 

I did a piece about Calvin Griffith when he was inducted in to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame in 2010 that you can view at http://wp.me/p1YQUj-Ce .

Twins pitchers that went the extra mile

The Twins have been in Minnesota for 53 years and have played 8,455 games winning 4,204 and losing 4,243. (just a FYI, the Angels who also started play in 1961 have won 4,220 games). Over the 53 years and 8,455 games Twins starters have pitched 9 innings or more in a start exactly 300 times (3.55%). Keep in mind that I am talking 9 innings or more pitched in a start, not complete games.

But sometimes just going 9 innings does not get the job done as you can see in the table below. In these 71 games the Twins starter took the mound in inning number 10 and sometimes even innings 11 and 12. The last Twins starter to hurl more than 9 innings in a start was Brad Radke in 1997.

But only one starting pitcher for the Twins, Jim Merritt has gone 13 innings and that remains a team record that in today’s pitch count world will probably never be broken. The franchise record is 18 innings held by Hall of Famer Walter Johnson who went the distance in a 1-0 Washington Senators win over the Chicago White Sox at Griffith Stadium in just 2 hours and 50 minutes on May 15, 1918.

Jim Merritt
Jim Merritt
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO BF
1 Jim Merritt 1967-07-26 (2) MIN NYY W 3-2 GS-13 13.0 7 2 2 1 7 46
2 Camilo Pascual 1963-07-23 MIN CLE L 2-3 CG 13 ,L 12.2 7 3 3 2 11 46
3 Dave Boswell 1969-07-14 MIN CHW W 4-3 GS-12 12.0 10 3 2 0 7 46
4 Jim Kaat 1969-05-20 MIN BAL W 3-2 GS-13 ,W 12.0 8 2 1 4 4 47
5 Camilo Pascual 1964-10-01 MIN KCA L 4-5 CG 12 ,L 12.0 12 5 1 3 14 52
6 Jim Roland 1964-05-19 MIN NYY W 7-2 GS-12 ,W 12.0 7 2 2 6 8 50
7 Camilo Pascual 1962-09-12 MIN CHW L 1-2 CG 12 ,L 12.0 12 2 2 2 7 47
8 Dave Goltz 1977-07-25 MIN OAK W 2-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 8 1 1 1 14 41
9 Bill Singer 1976-09-01 MIN MIL W 3-2 GS-11 11.0 6 2 2 6 3 43
10 Dave Goltz 1976-05-18 MIN OAK W 4-3 CG 11 ,W 11.0 7 3 3 3 7 43
11 Bert Blyleven 1975-08-27 MIN MIL W 1-0 SHO11 ,W 11.0 6 0 0 1 13 39
12 Jim Kaat 1973-06-23 MIN CAL L 1-3 CG 11 ,L 11.0 11 3 3 4 6 46
13 Jim Kaat 1972-05-24 MIN KCR W 1-0 GS-11 ,W 11.0 5 0 0 3 7 40
14 Jim Perry 1970-08-07 MIN OAK W 2-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 5 1 1 3 7 41
15 Jim Kaat 1969-04-09 MIN KCR L 3-4 GS-12 11.0 8 3 2 5 4 42
16 Jim Kaat 1964-04-26 MIN DET W 3-2 CG 11 ,W 11.0 7 2 2 3 11 43
17 Jim Kaat 1962-08-01 MIN BAL W 3-1 CG 11 ,W 11.0 9 1 1 4 12 47
18 Pedro Ramos 1961-04-28 MIN LAA L 5-6 GS-11 11.0 6 4 4 4 10 43
19 Mudcat Grant 1966-08-28 (1) MIN CHW L 3-4 GS-11 10.2 9 3 3 4 2 44
20 Jack Kralick 1961-04-30 MIN CHW L 3-5 GS-11 ,L 10.2 12 5 5 6 6 50
21 Bert Blyleven 1972-09-27 (1) MIN OAK L 0-1 CG 11 ,L 10.1 7 1 1 2 9 39
22 Jim Kaat 1962-08-10 MIN LAA L 0-1 CG 11 ,L 10.1 6 1 1 4 8 42
23 Brad Radke 1997-09-21 MIN MIL W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 6 1 1 0 9 36
24 Allan Anderson 1986-06-11 MIN TEX L 2-6 GS-10 10.0 8 2 2 4 3 37
25 John Butcher 1985-05-15 MIN DET W 5-4 GS-10 10.0 12 4 4 2 7 45
26 Frank Viola 1984-09-20 MIN CHW W 5-4 GS-10 10.0 4 4 4 2 6 36
27 Darrell Jackson 1980-08-14 MIN OAK L 1-2 GS-10 10.0 6 1 1 3 4 38
28 Jerry Koosman 1980-07-30 MIN NYY W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 3 1 1 5 4 38
29 Darrell Jackson 1980-05-10 MIN NYY W 1-0 GS-10 ,W 10.0 5 0 0 1 2 35
30 Dave Goltz 1979-09-27 MIN CHW L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 12 4 4 1 5 42
31 Paul Hartzell 1979-07-01 MIN CHW W 2-1 CG 10 ,W 10.0 8 1 1 2 1 38
32 Dave Goltz 1978-08-24 MIN TEX L 1-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 6 4 4 1 4 36
33 Roger Erickson 1978-08-17 MIN KCR W 6-5 CG 10 ,W 10.0 8 5 5 4 3 41
34 Dave Goltz 1976-06-29 MIN KCR L 0-1 CG 10 ,L 10.0 3 1 0 4 2 36
35 Bert Blyleven 1975-09-15 MIN CAL W 7-6 GS-10 10.0 12 6 5 3 12 42
36 Bert Blyleven 1975-07-17 MIN BAL L 3-6 GS-10 10.0 8 3 3 5 7 42
37 Vic Albury 1974-06-22 MIN CHW L 1-3 CG 10 ,L 10.0 5 3 3 4 5 40
38 Ray Corbin 1973-09-29 MIN CAL L 3-4 GS-10 10.0 7 3 3 3 5 39
39 Bert Blyleven 1973-08-30 MIN TEX W 5-2 GS-11 ,W 10.0 12 2 2 2 7 43
40 Dick Woodson 1973-07-17 (1) MIN NYY L 3-4 GS-10 10.0 5 3 2 4 2 37
41 Ray Corbin 1972-08-27 (2) MIN DET L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 5 0 0 3 2 36
42 Ray Corbin 1972-08-06 (1) MIN OAK L 3-6 GS-10 10.0 8 3 1 2 4 43
43 Bert Blyleven 1972-07-08 MIN NYY L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 7 0 0 6 10 41
44 Bert Blyleven 1971-09-01 MIN CHW L 0-2 GS-10 10.0 5 0 0 1 6 36
45 Jim Perry 1971-07-15 MIN BOS L 0-3 GS-10 10.0 3 0 0 4 5 36
46 Jim Perry 1968-09-11 MIN CLE L 0-1 GS-10 10.0 8 0 0 0 5 37
47 Jim Merritt 1968-04-22 MIN BAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 10.0 6 2 2 2 6 36
48 Jim Kaat 1967-09-18 MIN KCA W 2-0 SHO10 ,W 10.0 6 0 0 0 12 36
49 Dean Chance 1967-08-30 MIN BAL L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 9 4 3 1 7 41
50 Jim Kaat 1964-09-10 MIN CHW L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 10.0 8 2 2 2 5 40
51 Dick Stigman 1964-07-03 MIN NYY W 1-0 SHO10 ,W 10.0 4 0 0 2 5 32
52 Camilo Pascual 1963-08-25 MIN BAL W 5-3 CG 10 ,W 10.0 10 3 1 7 8 45
53 Dick Stigman 1963-05-03 MIN NYY L 3-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 8 4 4 2 8 39
54 Jim Kaat 1962-08-05 (1) MIN DET W 8-3 GS-10 ,W 10.0 7 2 2 1 5 37
55 Camilo Pascual 1961-09-06 (2) MIN CHW L 2-4 CG 10 ,L 10.0 10 4 2 4 3 47
56 Jim Hughes 1975-06-19 MIN OAK L 2-5 GS-10 ,L 9.2 9 5 5 6 5 43
57 Jim Kaat 1971-06-09 MIN BAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.2 11 2 1 0 6 40
58 Jim Merritt 1968-05-20 MIN DET L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.2 6 4 1 2 6 39
59 Camilo Pascual 1961-05-02 MIN NYY L 4-6 GS-10 ,L 9.2 7 6 6 5 7 41
60 Kevin Tapani 1992-08-20 MIN CLE L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 3 2 2 2 4 32
61 Neal Heaton 1986-10-02 MIN CHW L 4-8 GS-10 ,L 9.1 7 6 5 1 6 35
62 Brad Havens 1982-09-22 MIN TOR L 2-3 GS-10 ,L 9.1 6 3 2 1 8 33
63 Roger Erickson 1981-05-23 MIN KCR L 0-1 GS-10 9.1 7 0 0 1 7 34
64 Pete Redfern 1981-05-09 MIN CLE L 1-2 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 2 1 3 7 39
65 Jerry Koosman 1981-05-04 MIN BAL L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 4 3 4 6 41
66 Roger Erickson 1980-07-18 MIN BOS L 0-1 CG 10 ,L 9.1 8 1 1 2 3 38
67 Jerry Koosman 1980-07-02 MIN KCR L 3-4 GS-10 ,L 9.1 10 4 4 2 5 38
68 Dave Goltz 1976-06-21 MIN CAL L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 8 2 2 2 1 36
69 Ray Corbin 1972-09-27 (2) MIN OAK L 1-2 CG 10 ,L 9.1 9 2 2 1 5 39
70 Jim Kaat 1962-05-20 (2) MIN NYY W 4-2 GS-10 9.1 4 2 1 7 7 38
71 Camilo Pascual 1961-09-29 MIN DET L 4-6 GS-10 ,L 9.1 12 6 6 4 7 43
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

What about the relievers?

But it is not just starting pitchers that have toiled long and hard to win a game. Here I look at relievers who have pitched 7 or more innings of relief in a game and Ray Corbin holds the team record for pitching 10.1 innings of relief against the Tigers in 1975. Corbin who was a starter/reliever during his five years in Minnesota pitched in just 11 more big league games after this long relief outing allowing at least one earned run in each appearance and never again pitched in a big league game.

Ray Corbin
Ray Corbin
Rk Player Date Tm Opp Rslt App,Dec IP H R ER BB SO BF
1 Ray Corbin 1975-05-21 MIN DET W 6-5 1-11f,W 10.1 7 2 1 4 4 42
2 Jim Kaat 1969-09-06 MIN OAK W 8-6 9-18 ,W 9.1 8 1 1 5 10 44
3 John Sutton 1978-08-07 MIN SEA L 5-6 5-13 9.0 5 0 0 3 4 34
4 Vic Albury 1975-06-30 MIN CAL L 3-10 1-9f 9.0 6 4 1 7 4 38
5 John Verhoeven 1980-07-21 (1) MIN BAL W 8-7 3-11f,W 8.2 7 2 2 2 2 34
6 Tom Burgmeier 1976-08-30 MIN MIL W 10-3 1-9f ,W 8.2 3 1 1 0 4 29
7 Tom Burgmeier 1976-04-25 MIN BAL W 7-2 1-9f ,W 8.2 5 1 1 1 1 30
8 Al Worthington 1967-08-09 MIN WSA L 7-9 8-16 8.2 2 0 0 2 8 30
9 Tom Johnson 1976-09-02 MIN MIL W 8-4 1-9f ,W 8.1 6 1 1 0 6 31
10 Bill Campbell 1975-06-10 MIN CLE W 5-3 1-10 8.1 7 1 1 1 3 32
11 Tom Hall 1969-08-17 MIN WSA W 4-3 3-11 8.0 2 1 1 3 5 30
12 Pedro Ramos 1961-06-16 MIN CHW W 6-1 2-9f ,W 8.0 4 0 0 1 4 28
13 Dennis Burtt 1985-10-04 MIN CLE L 6-8 1-8 ,L 7.2 6 3 3 0 2 28
14 Pete Filson 1985-05-19 MIN TOR W 8-2 2-9f ,W 7.2 3 1 1 1 2 27
15 Mac Scarce 1978-06-07 MIN CHW L 3-8 2-9f 7.2 6 1 1 2 4 27
16 Tom Burgmeier 1976-08-25 MIN NYY L 4-5 12-19f,L 7.2 3 1 1 2 1 25
17 Vic Albury 1975-06-24 MIN OAK L 4-6 1-8f 7.2 6 2 2 7 4 34
18 Bill Butler 1974-09-13 MIN KCR W 6-5 2-9 7.2 2 0 0 4 3 28
19 Jim Kaat 1962-05-12 MIN KCA W 5-4 2-9f ,W 7.2 2 0 0 1 4 25
20 Dave Goltz 1974-07-19 MIN DET W 7-5 1-8 ,W 7.1 7 2 2 1 4 29
21 Danny Fife 1973-08-22 MIN BAL L 3-4 1-8f ,L 7.1 3 1 1 4 3 28
22 Dave Boswell 1965-05-11 MIN CAL W 3-2 1-8 7.1 4 1 0 2 9 28
23 Lee Stange 1962-08-04 MIN DET W 4-3 2-9f ,W 7.1 6 0 0 1 3 27
24 Bill Pleis 1962-07-04 (1) MIN BOS W 8-4 2-9f ,W 7.1 5 2 2 1 2 28
25 Jack O’Connor 1982-06-26 MIN TOR W 4-3 1-8 7.0 6 1 1 0 5 27
26 Jeff Holly 1977-05-01 MIN DET W 6-5 3-9f ,W 7.0 2 0 0 1 6 23
27 Tom Johnson 1975-08-11 MIN MIL W 8-7 3-9f ,W 7.0 5 1 1 2 4 28
28 Ray Corbin 1975-07-24 MIN BOS L 2-6 3-9f 7.0 5 3 2 4 1 29
29 Jim Hughes 1975-05-04 MIN KCR W 6-3 3-9f ,W 7.0 4 0 0 4 5 30
30 Bill Campbell 1974-08-08 MIN KCR W 3-2 8-14f,W 7.0 5 1 0 6 2 31
31 Bill Hands 1973-09-01 MIN TEX W 10-7 3-9f ,W 7.0 6 1 0 1 6 28
32 Ray Corbin 1971-07-17 MIN WSA W 5-3 3-9f ,W 7.0 4 0 0 1 4 25
33 Jim Perry 1964-08-06 MIN BOS W 6-5 1-7 ,W 7.0 7 1 1 4 6 31
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 10/25/2013.

 

 

Here and there

 

Paul Molitor
Paul Molitor

Yesterday the Minnesota Twins announced that they have added Minnesota native and former Twins player Paul Molitor to their major league coaching staff. Molitor will oversee base running, bunting, infield instruction and positioning, plus assist with in-game strategy from the dugout for manager Ron Gardenhire. I don’t consider this as any kind of bold move by the Twins and I don’t see it adding any wins to the Twins victory total but with the way the Twins have run the bases the last few years it can’t hurt. Molitor served as a bench coach under Tom Kelly back in 2000 and 2001 and coached for the Seattle Mariners in 2004. Despite what has been written over the last couple of years, I still don’t see Molitor as a strong candidate to replace Gardenhire when he vacates the managers seat. I don’t think it is a secret that Molitor covets a big league managers job but teams have not exactly been knocking down his door to discuss a possible managers position with him. I find it interesting however; that Molitor has turned up as a coach with the Twins when TK was nearing the end of his tenure and with Seattle in Bob Melvin‘s final season at the helm in Seattle. Molitor isn’t exactly “Mr. Personality” so I will be interested to see how he interacts with the Twins fans in Ft. Myers come February.

 

Wilkin Ramirez
Wilkin Ramirez

Outfielder Wilkin Ramirez was activated from the 60-day disabled list and then  outrighted to Triple-A Rochester. Ramirez may exercise his right to declare  free agency and determine if anybody else wants him or he can choose to resign with Minnesota as Doug Bernier did recently. The Twins 40 man roster is 36 but is expected to go to 37 when Samuel Deduno is taken off the 60-day disabled list.

Glen Perkins
Glen Perkins

The Twins also announced yesterday that Twins closer Glen Perkins underwent arthroscopic surgery two days after the 2013 season ended, but he should be ready for spring training in February. Perkins, who saved 36 games in his first full season as the Twins’ closer, had the procedure to repair the meniscus in his right knee. So why did the Twins wait so long to announce this? What would they have to gain? The Twins continue to keep team medical issues close to the vest.

Darin Mastroianni
Darin Mastroianni

Outfielder Darin Mastroianni underwent surgery last week to have the pin in his left ankle removed. The hardware, removed last Wednesday, had been inserted during his May surgery to repair the broken bone in his foot, suffered during the final week of spring training. He too also is expected to be fully healed by spring training.

Baseballamerica.com did a nice little piece on Max Kepler about a week or so ago that you can read at Max Kepler Adds At-Bats In Fall League – BaseballAmerica.com.

Byron Buxton
Byron Buxton

Minor League Baseball and the Topps Company announced on October 22nd that outfielder Byron Buxton, the second overall pick in the June 2012 Draft by the Minnesota Twins, is the 2013 winner of the 54th annual J.G. Taylor Spink Award as the Topps/Minor League Player of the Year. Buxton finished among the top 12 MiLB™ players in six offensive categories, including a Minor League-best 18 triples. His 109 runs ranked second.

Lincecum
Lincecum

The San Francisco Giants announced that they have agreed to sign free agent to be RHP Tim Lincecum to a two-year $35 million no-trade deal pending a physical.  The 29-year-old Lincecum just completed a $40.5 million, two-year contract that paid him $22 million this past season, that come out to $1.2 million per win this past season. Lincecum has a career record of 89-70 with a 3.46 ERA but that is not the whole story. After posting a 40-17 record with a 2.90 ERA in his first three seasons in the majors, his last four seasons have been a different story. During the last four seasons in which the Giants have won the World Series twice, Lincecum has won 49 games while losing 53 and his ERA has jumped to 3.87 and if you look at the last two years, he has a 4.76 ERA. His KO/9 have dropped from a league leading 10.5 in 2008 to 8.8 in 2013 and his velocity has dropped noticeably. This deal is just plain outlandish and will make this years off season hunt for free agent starters even that much more difficult for teams like the Twins that are desperate for starting pitching. I know Lincecum has won two Cy Young‘s and has thrown a no-hitter but there are many people out there that feel that Lincecum is sliding quickly and he may spend more time in the near future coming out of the bullpen then he will as a starter. This is a bad signing for the Giants and for baseball in general, the only winner here is Tim Lincecum.

 

WORLD_SERIES_neutral

 

The Cardinals and the Red Sox play game 1 of the 2013 World Series starting tonight and  I really have no clear cut preference as who wins the Series but it might be an interesting series to watch. I am leaning a bit towards the Red Sox to win but we will have to wait and see how it turns out. Here is a little something fun for you to look at to see how the Cardinals and Red Sox regular season  prices compared at the register courtesy of Team Marketing Report FactBook.

What to do with Liam Hendriks

Liam Hendriks
Liam Hendriks

The Minnesota Twins signed the Australian born Liam Hendriks as an 18-year old in February 2007. Hendriks started his pro career in the Gulf Coast league in 2007 and did pretty well putting up a 4-2 record with a 2.08 ERA but in those 10 starts he only threw 44 innings. Hendriks missed the 2008 season with back surgery but ended up making the Australian team as their youngest player in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. In 2009 Hendriks spent time in Elizabethton and Beloit and put up an unspectacular 5-5 record with a 3.51 ERA with 14 starts in 83.2 innings. Hendriks started the 2010 season in Beloit but after a strong start was moved up to Ft. Myers where he pitched well once again and was named to play in the 2010 Futures game but an appendicitis forced him to miss the game. Liam started the 2011 season in New Britain and was 8-2 when he was promoted to Rochester where he struggled going 4-4 with a 4.56 ERA which was a full run higher than he had ever experienced at any level in the Twins system. The Twins called Hendriks up for a September cup of coffee after the 2011 minor league season ended and gave him four starts in which he was 0-2 with a 6.17 ERA. After the 2011 season the Twins named Liam Hendriks their Minor League Pitcher of the Year. In 2012 Hendriks earned a starting job in spring training but just four poor starts later found himself in Rochester where he posted a very nice 2.20 ERA in 106+ innings. In 2013 Hendriks again found himself splitting time between Minnesota and Rochester but this time he had a poor season in AAA posting a 4.67 ERA in 98+ innings.

That brings us up todate on Hendriks career. The question is what should be done with Hendriks now. Let’s take a comparison look at how Hendriks compare to another former Twins starter that ended up with a 63-48 record in almost 1,000 innings in a Twins uni. Pitcher X is no longer with the Twins and he struggled pretty mightily as he tried to become a major league pitcher. I remember pitcher X early in his Twins career and after some of his bad outings I thought to myself that there is no hope for this guy and he has no business in the major leagues. The Twins organization however was more patient then I would have been and pitcher X turned out to be a pretty good albeit not great pitcher for the Twins before he left the organization. I am not saying that Hendriks and pitcher X have identical pitching styles because they don’t,  I am just comparing the stats of pitcher X after 26 starts in his first two big league seasons to the 30 starts that Hendriks has on his resume after his first three big league seasons. The comparisons are not that much different. Pitcher X was drafted out of college and Hendriks came from Australia where he had much less experience pitching against good hitting.

 

Hendriks Pitcher X
Age 24 24
W 2 8
L 13 11
W/L % .133 .421
ERA 5.95 5.19
G 29 26
GS 28 25
GF 1 0
CG 1 0
SHO 0 0
SV 0 0
IP 151.1 137
H 194 162
R 111 84
ER 100 79
HR 29 22
BB 44 30
SO 92 94
BF 681 594
WHIP 1.573 1.401
H/9 11.5 10.6
HR/9 1.7 1.4
BB/9 2.6 2.0
SO/9 5.5 6.2
SO/BB 2.09 3.13

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Looking at their career minor league stats, Hendriks has thrown  580.1 innings allowed  540 hits, a 2.99 ERA, a WHIP of 1.108 and 487 strike outs. The per 9 inning rates are 7.6 KO/9 and 8.4 H/9. The minor league stats for pitcher X are 524 innings with 477 hits allowed,  a 3.16 ERA, a WHIP of 1.116 and 431 strike outs which comes out to 7.4 KO/9 and 8.2 H/9. The numbers are fairly similar. So who is pitcher X? Pitcher X is Scott Baker.

So what would I do with Hendriks? In my old age I have learned to show a bit more patience then I would have in years past. There are no guarantees in life but when you sign a pitcher from Australia and you have had him in your system for seven years and he just turns 25 years of age when spring training opens, you would be a fool not to keep him and give him a solid shot at winning a spot in the 2014 pitching rotation. It’s not like the Twins will be fighting for a playoff spot in 2014 so this might well be the type of year that you throw this guy into the deep end and allow him to show us what he really is. Put him at the end of your rotation, keep the stress level down and maybe the Twins can add a home-grown pitcher to their starting rotation.

Lee County Sports Complex upgrades have begun

Lee County renovations 2013-2015The Twins held a groundbreaking yesterday to mark the beginning of the Phase I renovations to Hammond Stadium and the Lee County Sports Complex, the team’s spring home. The $48.5 million renovation will transform the Lee County Sports Complex and Hammond Stadium into state-of-the-art facilities designed to enhance the fan experience and strengthen the team’s player development program. Designed by Populous, construction will be managed by Manhattan Twins Joint Venture (a partnership between Manhattan Construction Company, Chris-Tel Construction and Casey Construction), is expected to be totally completed in time for Spring Training 2015. The project is split into two phases.

Phase I will be completed by the spring of 2014 and includes –

  • A new residential player development academy
  • Renovations to the Minor League clubhouse and administrative areas
  • A new Gulf Coast League playing field
  • A new agility field
  • Completion of a 360 degree boardwalk and concourse at Hammond Stadium, including new berm seating in left field
  • Expansion of Hammond Stadium’s seating capacity of 8,000 to 9,300
  • A new parking lot

Phase II is scheduled for completion by February 2015 and includes –

  • Upgraded and expanded concourses
  • Improved concession services
  • Restroom renovations
  • Premium seating improvements
  • Clubhouse expansion and improvements
  • A new retail store
  • New areas for group seating
  • Press box renovations

There is a nice 4 minute video explaining the project that you can view at http://www.news-press.com/videonetwork/2647628988001/Extreme-makover-to-the-Lee-County-Sports-Complex-begins . You even get a chance to see and hear former Twins GM Bill Smith again as he heads up the project for the Twins. There is no truth to the rumor as far as I can tell that Smith is looking to trade spring training sites with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Ballpark Digest article with some nice renderings of the LCSC upgrades can be viewed here.

Article on the Twins site about the effort can be seen here.

Thoughts on the Gardenhire extension and other things

Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire

Two days have past since Terry Ryan and the Twins announced that they have extended manager Ron Gardenhire‘s contract by two years and the sky has not fallen as yet. I was in favor of Gardenhire being kept on as the Twins skipper but I had the perception that I was in the minority based on what I was reading in numerous Twins blogs, the  local papers and what I was hearing on all the sports talks shows that allowed fans to call in and state their views. Now I am not so sure that fans are all that upset with Gardy staying on. I am curious why. Are Twins fans really happy with the extension or are Twins fans just apathetic about anything the Twins are doing now days? I would hate to see that Twins fans are getting indifferent to the home team and see no hope.

I am an old-timer so I can remember back to the 60’s when the Twins first called Minnesota home. The Twins won 102 games in 1965 and went on to lose the World Series in 7 games to the Los Angeles Dodgers and then followed it up with 89 wins and a second place finish in 1966. On June 9th of 1967 owner Calvin Griffith grew impatient with skipper Sam Mele and fired him bringing in Cal Ermer to take over the manager’s job and Ermer managed the Twins in one of the greatest AL pennant races ever only to lose out to the Boston Red Sox by losing their final two games in Beantown. The Twins had a down year in 1968 going 79-83 and Calvin fired Ermer for his efforts. Griffith then hired Billy Martin to bring the Twins back from the previous seasons seventh place finish and Martin did just that by leading the Twins to a 97-75 record and a trip to the playoffs where they unfortunately had to play the Baltimore Orioles and lost the ALCS three games to none. Shortly after the playoff loss, owner Calvin Griffith fired Martin and started a firestorm of fans reactions. How do you fire a manager that won 97 games and took the team to the playoffs? There are many possible reasons why that happened but the point here is that the Twins fan base went crazy and many people including myself were very upset about seeing Martin let go. I was so upset about it that I didn’t attend a Twins game in Met Stadium for two years. I know, it was silly when I look back on it but Griffith really ticked me off, I really liked the feisty Billy Martin as the Twins manager. I guess the point I am making is that the Twins fans now days don’t seem to be as agitated about the Gardenhire extension as Twins fans were with the Martin firing back in 1969 even though the team fan base is much larger now then it was back then.

I can’t imagine anything better than to see Twins fans engaged and expressing their feelings both positive and negative to the Minnesota Twins organization. Negative comments about the Twins are not necassily a bad thing, it just shows that they care and are passionate about their team. We need to see more passion about what the Twins are doing or not doing by having more fans pass on their thoughts to the Twins organization. The Twins have done a lot of good things over the years and they have done a lot of bad things but one of the things I really think is wonderful about the Twins organization is that they allow their fans to communicate with the front office. All you have to do is go to the Twins web site, click on Roster, then on Front Office and you are able to send an e-mail to pretty much anyone in the organization. I have looked at a number of other big league teams and believe me, this is not something that many MLB teams do. I am not saying the Twins will do what you want, I am just saying that they are willing to listen to what you have to say. Don’t just gripe in the comments on blog sites, send an e-mail to the Twins and let them know what you think.

I watched the Twins press conference on TV Monday afternoon and was really taken back when owner Jim Pohlad was asked a question about the organizations loyalty and what he was going to do to improve the Twins. His response was – “I think everybody knows that we value consistency and loyalty,” Twins owner Jim Pohlad said. “We did go with a two-year extension because we’re pretty sure that somewhere in those two years we can get Gardy’s 1,000th victory.” Apparently Pohlad was trying to be funny here but I have to wonder if anyone else associated with the Twins had said in front of Pohlad if they would still be collecting a Twins paycheck today. Then again maybe it was just me that did not see the humor in it.

Another item I took away from the press conference was about the Twins coaching staff. GM Ryan stated that the entire coaching staff has been invited back I still have not heard officially that they have all accepted and will be returning. I can’t help but wonder what is going on there. Oh, the Twins did say they are considering adding a seventh coach, I am thinking they should spend their money on a player versus hiring another coach.

GM Terry Ryan
GM Terry Ryan

The Twins had a call to season ticket holders on Tuesday and apparently Terry Ryan said that everyone is available for trade, including Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton. I know that when you lose 90+ games three years in a row you are not exactly loaded with untouchables but Sano and Buxton are two players you just can’t trade under any circumstances. Who could any team possibly offer the Twins that has that much potential and will be under team control for as long as these two will be? If the Twins were contenders and needed a missing piece or two I could maybe understand it but the Twins ar far from contending and giving up players like this would be the worst move the Twins could possibly make. Then there is Joe Mauer who is sitting on a no-trade clause and he isn’t going anywhere either. I know Terry Ryan has to say what he said about everyone being available but there is no way that Mauer, Buxton, or Sano are going anywhere. I have a better chance of being the Twins GM than Ryan does in trading Mauer, Buxton or Sano.

Today the Twins assigned pitchers Cole De Vries, Shairon Martis, Josh Roenicke and outfielder Clete Thomas to AAA Rochester leaving the 40 man roster at 36. There are numerous other players on the 40 man roster that could easily be taken off in the near future. So the moves have begun.

 

Manager Gardenhire staying or going

 Ron Gardenhire

We will find out later today if Ron Gardenhire will win game 1,000 while wearing a Twins uniform or if he will be moving on to greener pastures. My guess is that Gardy will sign a new two-year deal to remain as the Twins skipper and I am fine with that. I am sure that many other Twins fans will not agree with me or with Terry Ryan on his decision. I do think however, that Tom Brunansky, Joe Vavra and Terry Steinbach need to update their resumes. We will just have to wait and see and I will certainly be watching the press confrence this afternoon and will post more on what happens later today.

Twins announce 2013 Minor League Player & Pitcher of the Year

Outfielder Byron Buxton has been named the 2013 Sherry Robertson Award winner as the Twins Minor League Player of the Year and left-handed pitcher Andrew Albers has been named the 2013 Jim Rantz Award winner as the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

 

Byron Buxton
Byron Buxton

Buxton, 19, hit .334 (163-for-488) with 19 doubles, 18 triples, 12 home runs, 77 RBI, 109 runs scored and 55 stolen bases in 125 games this season between Low-A Cedar Rapids and High-A Ft. Myers. In the field playing primarily center field, Buxton committed two errors in 306 chances and was credited with 9 assists. The right-handed hitting Buxton was named Midwest League MVP as well as the top minor league prospect at midseason and Minor League Player of the Year by Baseball America. Buxton was the Twins first round pick (second overall) in the 2012 June Amateur draft.

Andrew Albers
Andrew Albers

Albers, 27, began the season at Triple-A Rochester and went 11-5 with a 2.86 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP (132.1 IP, 42 ER), allowing 124 hits with 32 walks, 116 strikeouts and three complete games (one shutout) in 22 starts. The left-handed Canadian native was named to the Triple-A All-Star game. At the time of his promotion to Minnesota in August, he ranked first in the International League in strikeouts, tied for second in wins, third in innings pitched and fifth in ERA. With the Twins, Albers went 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in 10 games (all starts). Albers struck out 25 and walked just 7 batters in 60 innings.

Buxton becomes the 44th winner of this award (since 1970) and Albers becomes the 12th winner of this award (since 2002). The 2012 award winners were Oswaldo Arcia and B.J. Hermsen.

Congratulations to both Byron Buxton and Andrew Albers on a job well done.

MLB Network to air “The Lyman Bostock Story”

This is a Press Release from MLB Network yesterday. Lyman Bostock was a great baseball player and a wonderful human being. I know I am looking forward to watching it. Here is a link to a post I did on Bostock in 2010.

Lyman Bostock
Lyman Bostock

 

MLB Network Press Release

9/18/2013 12:01 P.M. ET

MLB Network to air “The Lyman Bostock Story” this Sunday, September 22

Bob Costas narrates special 35 years after the Major League outfielder’s murder; Bostock’s widow, Yuovene Whistler, speaks on-camera for the first time since her husband’s death

MLB Network will televise the The Lyman Bostock Story this Sunday, September 22 at 10:00 p.m. ET, an original program looking back on the star Minnesota Twins and California Angels outfielder who was murdered four seasons into his career at the age of 27. Narrated by MLB Network’s Bob Costas, the special marks the 35th anniversary of Bostock’s death on Monday, September 23 and features the first on-camera interview with Bostock’s widow, Yuovene Whistler, since the night she lost her husband.

Through interviews with Bostock’s former agent Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim, Jim Fregosi, Bostock’s manager with the Angels, and several of Bostock’s former teammates including Hall of Famer Bert Blyleven, 1979 American League MVP Don Baylor, Kenny Landreaux, Roy Smalley and Ron Jackson, The Lyman Bostock Story recalls Bostock’s rise to prominence as a hitter with the second-best batting average in the American League in 1977, and his free agency after the 1977 season, which brought him to the Angels. His contract made Bostock one of the highest paid players in baseball at the time of his death.

In what former prosecutor Jack Crawford describes as “the classic instance of being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Bostock was shot and killed in Gary, Indiana during a September 1978 road trip with the Angels to play the Chicago White Sox. The gunman, Leonard Smith, plead insanity and was spared jail time by being confined to a mental facility, only to be declared sane and released six months later. The controversial verdict ultimately led to a change in Indiana state law. At a time before the Internet, social media and 24-hour news networks, many people first learned of Bostock’s death when broadcaster Dick Enberg, who was the play-by-play voice of the Angels at the time, broke the news on the air before the Angels played the White Sox the next afternoon.

Quotes from The Lyman Bostock Story are included below, and additional quotes and advance copies of the program are available via MLB Network PR.

Yuovene Whistler on seeing Bostock after he died: The worst ever was just seeing his lifeless body lying there and thinking, “What a waste.” It didn’t get any worse than that.

Whistler on her emotions following Bostock’s death: I couldn’t even say that he was murdered. The words would not come off. He just “died.” Just admitting that he was murdered was very traumatic. Once I was able to work through my own personal pain and get clarity on that, it really was about Lyman and just his legacy.

Jim Fregosi on being in the Angels’ clubhouse the day after Bostock passed away: I’ve been in this game 54 years and it’s probably the most difficult day I’ve ever spent. To be surrounded by that type of atmosphere, it is something I would never want to go through again.

Don Baylor on the day after Bostock’s death: There was a photographer inside the locker room wanting to take pictures of [Bostock’s] locker, and somehow I picked him up and threw him out of the locker room.

Dick Enberg on calling the Angels at White Sox game following Bostock’s death: It was horrific. I mean, who expects to go on the air having to announce that one of your ballplayers, someone that everyone cares about is dead suddenly? I mean, you came on the air and you started with, “We begin today’s broadcast telecast with terrible news,” and then just bluntly saying, “Lyman Bostock was murdered last night in Gary, Indiana.” We are not trained to handle a tragedy like that, are we? You think in all of baseball history how many times has that happened? Where a ballplayer plays one day and the next day he’s expected to appear, but he’s gone.

Abdul-Jalil al-Hakim on Bostock’s passing: Lyman was instrumental in having the rules and the laws change in Indiana, so I guess in some ways Lyman still lives. But to me, that’s too great a cost.

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