And leading off for the Twins…..

The Twins just can’t find a leadoff hitter this season. After trading both Denard Span and Ben Revere this past off-season, manager Gardenhire has been searching high and low to find someone who can fill that role. The Twins have tried 6 players leading off the game and they have all failed miserably but since someone has to hit first, Gardy has given that job to 2B Brain Dozier since July 2. During those 29 games Dozier has 135 PA’s and is hitting .258 with a .306 OBP. Not exactly all-star caliber production but it is what it is.

 

Twins leadoff hitters in the games first at bat

Rk I Player Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS TB HBP ROE
1 Clete Thomas 2013 16 .313 16 14 5 3 0 0 0 0 2 3 .214 .527 3 0 1
2 Eduardo Escobar 2013 7 .286 7 6 2 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 .167 .452 1 0 0
3 Jamey Carroll 2013 25 .280 25 23 3 5 1 0 0 0 2 3 .217 .541 6 0 1
4 Brian Dozier 2013 51 .235 51 48 5 9 0 3 1 1 1 7 .188 .610 18 2 0
5 Aaron Hicks 2013 10 .200 10 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 6 .000 .200 0 0 0
6 Darin Mastroianni 2013 2 .000 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 0 0 0
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/8/2013.

 

How does 2013 compare to how the Twins leadoff hitters has done over the years? I know this is not probably going to shock you but the 2013 team is on a historically bad pace and if thing don’t improve quickly, this will finish as the worst OBP for a leadoff hitter in their history, even worse than the 1982 Twins who finished 60-102. A good leadoff hitter is nice to have but it certainly does not guarantee that you will be in the playoffs or even play .500 ball for that matter.

Historical Twins teams leadoff hitters in the games first at bat

Rk Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS TB HBP ROE
1 1995 144 .507 144 120 34 49 10 2 3 3 20 21 .408 1.107 72 4 0
2 1996 162 .481 162 133 37 49 8 1 5 5 21 20 .368 1.038 74 8 2
3 1992 162 .414 162 144 41 49 9 2 5 5 16 27 .340 .948 77 2 5
4 1970 162 .407 162 151 40 55 9 3 1 1 11 10 .364 .891 73 0 0
5 1994 113 .398 113 95 25 27 6 1 4 4 18 16 .284 .893 47 0 1
6 1987 162 .383 162 141 29 41 10 0 3 3 20 23 .291 .808 60 1 3
7 1977 161 .379 161 143 37 43 5 3 1 1 18 12 .301 .777 57 0 5
8 1997 162 .370 162 140 38 38 4 2 3 3 20 23 .271 .763 55 2 0
9 2009 163 .362 163 142 26 38 4 1 3 3 21 19 .268 .735 53 0 1
10 1990 162 .358 162 151 37 47 6 2 2 2 8 23 .311 .775 63 3 3
11 1976 162 .358 162 148 33 44 6 1 1 1 14 10 .297 .730 55 0 1
12 1966 162 .358 162 150 28 46 8 3 0 0 9 24 .307 .758 60 3 2
13 1973 162 .352 162 146 27 41 8 3 2 2 16 24 .281 .770 61 0 2
14 2005 162 .352 162 150 19 45 6 1 1 1 10 17 .300 .725 56 2 2
15 1969 162 .352 162 146 36 41 9 1 3 3 15 11 .281 .770 61 1 4
16 1998 162 .352 162 150 24 45 7 2 2 2 10 28 .300 .765 62 2 2
17 1971 160 .350 160 149 21 45 6 1 0 0 10 5 .302 .706 53 1 2
18 2002 161 .348 161 153 29 48 12 2 11 11 8 33 .314 .982 97 0 4
19 1975 159 .346 159 143 24 39 9 0 0 0 16 14 .273 .682 48 0 1
20 1999 161 .342 161 147 29 41 9 2 5 5 13 24 .279 .811 69 1 1
21 1978 162 .340 162 146 28 39 7 0 2 2 16 23 .267 .696 52 0 1
22 1980 161 .335 161 151 28 44 6 2 2 2 10 11 .291 .733 60 0 3
23 1967 164 .335 164 150 36 41 12 2 2 2 12 17 .273 .755 63 2 2
24 1989 162 .333 162 143 32 35 4 1 1 1 17 17 .245 .641 44 2 3
25 1986 162 .333 162 151 28 43 5 2 6 6 8 23 .285 .797 70 3 1
Rk Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS TB HBP ROE
26 2004 162 .333 162 153 24 45 6 0 6 6 8 16 .294 .784 69 1 1
27 2000 162 .327 162 149 32 40 10 4 3 3 13 27 .268 .777 67 0 1
28 1993 162 .321 162 153 21 43 1 0 1 1 7 20 .281 .628 47 2 3
29 2010 162 .321 162 144 28 34 9 1 1 1 16 18 .236 .654 48 2 2
30 2007 162 .321 162 147 23 37 4 1 0 0 15 17 .252 .614 43 0 4
31 2006 162 .321 162 145 22 35 4 0 1 1 17 21 .241 .611 42 0 2
32 2001 162 .321 162 146 19 36 7 3 4 4 15 24 .247 .739 61 1 0
33 1968 162 .321 162 147 27 37 7 0 2 2 10 13 .252 .661 50 5 1
34 1962 163 .319 163 143 29 32 5 1 1 1 17 13 .224 .613 42 3 1
35 1961 161 .317 161 148 25 38 9 0 1 1 13 18 .257 .655 50 0 2
36 2011 162 .315 162 148 29 37 3 3 1 1 14 22 .250 .646 49 0 2
37 1972 154 .312 154 142 25 36 3 1 0 0 9 9 .254 .600 41 3 3
38 2003 162 .309 162 153 28 41 9 1 6 6 9 28 .268 .766 70 0 3
39 1964 163 .307 163 151 31 38 9 2 3 3 9 23 .252 .704 60 3 0
40 1985 162 .302 162 149 25 36 6 1 0 0 13 18 .242 .598 44 0 2
41 2012 162 .302 162 152 22 39 9 1 1 1 10 15 .257 .651 53 0 0
42 2008 163 .301 163 147 25 33 5 1 2 2 16 27 .224 .614 46 0 2
43 1974 163 .301 163 148 25 34 5 1 3 3 12 19 .230 .638 50 3 5
44 1963 161 .298 161 154 24 41 8 2 5 5 7 15 .266 .740 68 0 1
45 1984 162 .296 162 154 27 40 2 1 1 1 7 17 .260 .601 47 1 1
46 1979 162 .296 162 150 22 36 4 1 0 0 12 16 .240 .576 42 0 1
47 1981 110 .291 110 103 17 25 1 1 1 1 7 16 .243 .592 31 0 0
48 1983 162 .290 162 153 24 38 5 0 4 4 8 19 .248 .650 55 1 2
49 1991 162 .278 162 149 23 32 3 1 3 3 12 21 .215 .587 46 1 1
50 1988 162 .272 162 155 25 37 8 0 5 5 7 19 .239 .659 60 0 2
Rk Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS TB HBP ROE
51 1965 162 .265 162 153 29 34 13 1 2 2 8 31 .222 .625 55 1 3
52 1982 162 .253 162 151 12 30 2 0 0 0 11 29 .199 .465 32 0 0
53 2013 111 .252 111 101 16 18 1 3 1 1 8 20 .178 .529 28 2 2
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/8/2013.

 

Let’s take a look at some of the Twins best ever leadoff hitters and see who had the best years and when they had them. I don’t think there is much question that Chuck Knoblauch was the best leadoff hitter the team has ever had.

Best Twins leadoff hitters in the games first at bat

Chuck Knoblauch

Rk I Player Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS
1 Chuck Knoblauch 1995 134 .500 134 111 32 44 9 2 2 2 19 20 .396 1.068
2 Chuck Knoblauch 1996 151 .497 151 125 36 49 8 1 5 5 18 19 .392 1.089
3 Cesar Tovar 1970 156 .417 156 145 39 54 9 3 1 1 11 10 .372 .913
4 Chuck Knoblauch 1997 155 .374 155 134 36 37 4 2 3 3 19 21 .276 .777
5 Jacque Jones 2002 132 .364 132 124 27 40 10 2 11 11 8 26 .323 1.065
6 Denard Span 2009 143 .364 143 125 20 34 4 0 2 2 18 17 .272 .716
7 Cesar Tovar 1971 142 .359 142 133 19 42 6 1 0 0 8 4 .316 .735
8 Denard Span 2010 151 .338 151 133 27 33 8 1 1 1 16 17 .248 .684
9 Lenny Green 1962 149 .315 149 133 25 31 5 1 1 1 13 13 .233 .624
10 Kirby Puckett 1985 160 .300 160 148 25 36 6 1 0 0 12 18 .243 .597
11 Zoilo Versalles 1965 155 .258 155 148 27 33 12 1 2 2 6 30 .223 .616
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/8/2013.

 

Here we are looking at the Twins best players leading off in any inning. I know a good leadoff hitter is important but when you look at the numbers over an entire season and the number of times that the leadoff hitter actually leads off any inning, I think you will find that none of them even average two leadoff plate appearances a game. I think the best you will find on the list below is about 1.97 per game.

Rk I Player Year G OBP PA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO BA OPS
1 Chuck Knoblauch 1996 152 .462 288 242 65 87 15 5 8 8 35 38 .360 1.024
2 Chuck Knoblauch 1995 136 .458 240 202 52 72 13 5 4 4 32 32 .356 .988
3 Shane Mack 1992 133 .413 213 189 52 64 14 1 7 7 19 34 .339 .948
4 Kirby Puckett 1986 147 .385 270 253 58 87 12 2 10 10 13 29 .344 .911
5 Cesar Tovar 1970 156 .376 303 277 67 88 17 4 3 3 23 17 .318 .817
6 Denard Span 2009 144 .369 260 230 43 66 6 1 4 4 30 38 .287 .743
7 Chuck Knoblauch 1997 156 .368 272 242 59 70 9 3 4 4 27 34 .289 .768
8 Cesar Tovar 1971 147 .365 271 257 49 85 12 3 0 0 13 10 .331 .766
9 Denard Span 2010 151 .361 277 242 50 65 12 3 1 1 32 37 .269 .716
10 Zoilo Versalles 1966 130 .347 236 217 36 63 14 2 1 1 15 31 .290 .735
11 Jacque Jones 2002 135 .345 232 220 49 68 18 2 13 13 12 49 .309 .931
12 Lenny Green 1962 151 .336 298 268 52 70 12 2 5 5 26 18 .261 .712
13 Cesar Tovar 1968 142 .333 255 234 43 64 13 3 3 3 14 14 .274 .726
14 Zoilo Versalles 1964 137 .322 242 225 42 61 12 3 8 8 14 27 .271 .780
15 Kirby Puckett 1985 161 .320 300 282 42 78 10 3 1 1 18 31 .277 .664
16 Dan Gladden 1988 130 .315 248 230 46 60 12 1 6 6 17 29 .261 .715
17 Cesar Tovar 1967 136 .311 241 223 48 57 11 3 2 2 15 16 .256 .670
18 Cesar Tovar 1972 131 .311 238 221 43 57 8 1 0 0 14 15 .258 .614
19 Zoilo Versalles 1965 157 .285 284 267 54 64 20 3 2 2 14 47 .240 .645
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 8/8/2013.

 

A little of this and a little of that

When I listened to the Twins radio broadcast of their game against the Astros on Sunday while waterproofing my deck I found it amusing that Dan Gladden and Cory Provus seemed to be making fun of the Astros high strikeout total this season. I guess they both forgot that the Twins batters are no slouches themselves when it comes to not making bat contact. As of this morning Astros batters have struck out 1,034 times in 110 games, that averages out to 9.4 KO’s per game. The White Sox follow with 925 strike outs, the Red Sox have 909 strike outs and the Twins are next with 902 strike outs for an average of 8.4 per game. Had Willingham not gotten injured and Hicks played a full season in Minnesota the Twins might put up a serious challenge to Houston. Even without Willingham and Hicks the Twins are on pace to strikeout 1,356 times this season and blow away their previous team strikeout record of 1,121 that the 68-94 Twins of 1997 set.

On the good news side we have the Twins grounding into a total of only 60 double plays, the fewest in the league. The Orioles have the next fewest with 68.

Although the Twins seldom hit into double plays, stealing bases is not one of their strength’s as they have pilfered just 36 bases, only the Tigers with 29 and the Mariners with 35 have less.

The Twins OBP this season is .312. The Tigers and the Red Sox at .345 have the best OBP and as you might guess the Astros .299 trail the pack. The league average is .320. The Twins best ever OBP was .357 in 1996 while a .299 OBP in 1968 is the lowest full season OBP in Twins history.

Opposing batters have found Twins pitchers to be their league favorites as they have compiled a .278 batting average against Minnesota’s chuckers. Oddly enough, Twins pitchers have only given up 102 long balls ranking second best in that category behind the 86 given up by the Tigers.

Drew Butera
Drew Butera

There was a lot of speculation leading into the July 31 trading deadline that a number of Twins would be calling a new zip code home. When the trading deadline passed the Twins had made only one trade and he wasn’t even on the Twins 25 man roster at the time when GM Terry Ryan sent catcher Drew Butera to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named later or cash. The non-waiver Major League trading deadline has been July 31st since the 1986 season. Apparently that date is not necessarily circled in red on the Twins calendar of things to do. As a matter of fact, between 2000-2013 no team has made fewer trades in July then the Twins have. In the past 14 July’s the Minnesota Twins have consummated 15 trades.

July trade activity by club from 2000-2013

39 – Pirates, Padres
37 – Red Sox
36 – Cubs
35 – Dodgers
31 – Yankees
29 – White Sox, Indians, Rockies
28 – Royals
27 – Reds, Giants
26 – Orioles, Astros, Mets, Rangers
25 – Phillies
24 – Mariners
23 – Diamondbacks, Braves
21 – Marlins, Brewers, Cardinals
20 – Nationals/Expos
17 – Tigers, A’s, Blue Jays
16 – Rays
15 – Twins, Angels

Back on July 15 the Twins sent Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Escobar and Chris Parmelee down to Rochester and the next day called up catcher Chris Herrmann and infielder Doug Bernier. Herrmann has been with the Twins off and on but it was a long-awaited return to the big leagues for Bernier who saw action in just two games in a brief stay with the

Doug Bernier
Doug Bernier

Colorado Rockies back in 2008. Bernier has been in the minors since 2002 and has over a 1,000 minor league games under his belt. Though his primary position is shortstop, Bernier has played all over the diamond including pitching a couple of times but he has not ever squatted behind the plate. Bernier has spent time in the Yankee and Pirates organizations before hooking up with the Twins this past February. Todate Bernier has appeared in 10 games for the Twins and is hitting .261. It appears that the Twins will be letting Jamey Carroll go after this season or possibly trading him in a waiver deal this month and are auditioning for a new utility infielder. So far Bernier appears to be able to handle the role and I am sure he will be much cheaper than Carroll not to mention 6 years younger.

 

Andrew Albers
Andrew Albers

The Twins also recalled 27-year-old left-handed starter Andrew Albers from Rochester. Albers was originally drafted by the San Diego Padres in 2008 but shortly thereafter injured his elbow and had to undergo Tommy John surgery missing all of 2009 and then was released by the Padres. Albers spent 2010 pitching in an independent league in Canada and showed enough promise to be signed by Minnesota prior to the 2011 season. This year Albers was 11-5 with a 2.68 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP in Rochester. Albers has pitched 132.1 innings this year in 22 starts allowing 124 hits while striking out 116. Albers is expected to make his major league debut against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday. It will be interesting to see what Albers can do in the big leagues, he has not had an ERA over 3.75 on any team he has pitched for. Albers will be wearing number 63.

Manager Ron Gardenhire needs 20 more Twins victories in the remaining 54 games to reach the 1,000 win plateau as the Twins skipper. With his position at risk, it would be a real shame if Gardy can’t get those 20 wins. I hope he gets those wins and many more as the Twins manager.

 

 Twins Minor League Standings as of August 5

AAA Rochester is 63-54 and in 1st place

AA New Britain is 54-60 and in 5th place 16.5 games out

High A Fort Myers is 67-41 and won first half title but is currently in 4th place in the second half at 22-19 but only 1.5 games out

Low A Cedar Rapids is 67-43 and won the first half title and is leading the second half with a 27-15 record.

Rookie Elizabethton is 19-23 and in fourth place 8.5 games behind

Rookie GCL Twins are 19-19 and in third place 2 games behind

DSL Twins are 27-26 and in fourth place 7.5 games behind

Taking a look at hitting streaks

Former Twins outfielder Micheal Cuddyer set a Colorado Rockies team record recently when he had a 27 game hitting streak from May 28 through June 30 for the Colorado Rockies. During his streak Cuddyer hit .372 with 6 home runs, 19 RBI and 17 runs scored. The longest Twins hitting streaks this season belong to Joe Mauer with 15 gamer and a 10 gamer, Trevor Plouffe with a 12 gamer and Justin Morneau with an 11 game hitting streak. The Twins have had some pretty good hitting streaks over the years but the longest streak of 31 games goes way back to 1980 and belongs to Ken Landreaux.

 Twins hitting streaks over 15 games

Ken Landreaux

Rk Strk Start End Games AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BA OPS
1 Ken Landreaux 1980-04-23 1980-05-30 31 125 13 49 5 1 2 19 .392 .937
2 Brian Harper 1990-07-06 1990-08-04 25 99 14 38 12 0 2 16 .384 .981
3 Lenny Green 1961-05-01 1961-05-28 24 94 14 34 9 2 0 11 .362 .955
4 Torii Hunter 2007-04-11 2007-05-09 23 94 17 35 12 0 5 19 .372 1.054
5 Cristian Guzman 2002-08-01 2002-08-25 23 97 16 35 5 0 2 12 .361 .841
6 Marty Cordova 1996-06-05 1996-06-29 23 91 16 35 10 0 2 18 .385 1.007
7 Kirby Puckett 1993-09-26 1994-04-20 23 97 16 34 8 0 2 21 .351 .895
8 Kent Hrbek 1982-04-17 1982-05-13 23 91 14 28 6 2 5 17 .308 .949
9 Shane Mack 1992-07-26 1992-08-18 22 88 13 40 4 1 1 9 .455 1.057
10 Ben Revere 2012-07-16 2012-08-07 21 90 17 34 5 1 0 13 .378 .862
11 Chuck Knoblauch 1991-09-02 1991-09-25 20 80 10 32 4 1 0 7 .400 .923
12 Ted Uhlaender 1969-08-16 1969-09-07 20 88 16 27 5 0 1 16 .307 .748
13 Nick Punto 2006-07-04 2006-07-28 19 75 12 30 6 2 0 12 .400 .979
14 David Ortiz 2002-07-17 2002-08-06 19 74 17 31 5 0 7 18 .419 1.258
15 Brian Harper 1993-07-20 1993-08-12 19 74 9 29 7 0 1 11 .392 .971
16 Roy Smalley 1979-04-29 1979-05-20 19 81 19 36 3 1 6 16 .444 1.234
17 Bob Allison 1964-06-12 1964-06-28 19 64 14 31 8 0 7 11 .484 1.530
18 Bobby Kielty 2002-09-18 2003-04-21 18 62 10 22 6 1 5 13 .355 1.132
19 Chuck Knoblauch 1997-08-07 1997-08-26 18 79 8 28 2 1 2 6 .354 .867
20 Gary Gaetti 1983-05-06 1983-05-27 18 76 9 25 5 0 3 8 .329 .887
21 Rod Carew 1974-09-07 1974-09-27 18 70 12 26 4 1 1 5 .371 .988
22 Rod Carew 1973-05-30 1973-06-19 18 77 17 31 3 4 3 8 .403 1.122
23 Trevor Plouffe 2012-06-30 2012-07-19 17 67 13 22 4 0 4 11 .328 .951
24 Jacque Jones 2001-09-30 2002-04-12 17 63 16 26 2 0 6 13 .413 1.230
25 Cristian Guzman 2001-06-08 2001-06-26 17 74 16 29 3 1 3 12 .392 1.004
Rk Strk Start End Games AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BA OPS
26 Paul Molitor 1998-08-31 1998-09-19 17 75 12 25 3 2 3 12 .333 .909
27 Chuck Knoblauch 1993-07-29 1993-08-18 17 69 12 27 5 1 1 4 .391 .978
28 Kent Hrbek 1991-08-11 1991-08-30 17 62 13 26 6 0 4 16 .419 1.203
29 Kent Hrbek 1990-08-21 1990-09-07 17 68 10 23 2 0 3 15 .338 .900
30 Kirby Puckett 1988-09-15 1988-10-02 17 72 17 33 8 0 2 19 .458 1.126
31 Kent Hrbek 1982-05-25 1982-06-13 17 69 12 28 1 2 5 19 .406 1.120
32 Tony Oliva 1970-05-13 1970-06-02 17 73 9 23 5 0 1 13 .315 .775
33 Tony Oliva 1964-07-16 1964-08-01 17 77 11 28 5 1 2 4 .364 .935
34 Orlando Cabrera 2009-09-19 2009-10-06 16 73 21 30 5 1 2 16 .411 1.010
35 Joe Mauer 2008-08-04 2008-08-24 16 63 13 22 0 1 1 10 .349 .870
36 Justin Morneau 2006-06-22 2006-07-09 16 59 13 26 5 0 6 16 .441 1.308
37 A.J. Pierzynski 2002-05-26 2002-06-14 16 60 12 24 7 2 2 7 .400 1.096
38 Matt Lawton 2000-04-13 2000-04-30 16 59 11 26 6 0 1 11 .441 1.121
39 Chili Davis 1991-07-21 1991-08-07 16 61 13 25 7 0 6 17 .410 1.313
40 Kirby Puckett 1991-07-06 1991-07-26 16 64 10 28 3 1 1 13 .438 1.033
41 Kirby Puckett 1986-04-16 1986-05-03 16 74 23 32 5 1 10 20 .432 1.394
42 Gary Gaetti 1984-08-05 1984-08-19 16 65 9 22 4 0 1 9 .338 .814
43 Mickey Hatcher 1983-07-20 1983-08-27 16 62 11 25 5 0 1 12 .403 .948
44 Dave McKay 1975-08-29 1975-09-17 16 60 4 20 3 0 0 10 .333 .743
45 Danny Thompson 1973-04-28 1973-05-17 16 65 7 22 4 1 1 11 .338 .810
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/27/2013.

Some pretty exceptional hitters on this list. Who appears on this list the most often? Kent Hrbek and Kirby Puckett each had four streaks of 16 games or longer. The biggest surprise on this list has to be Nick Punto with his 19 gamer back in 2006, the eighth longest hitting streak in Twins history.

Just for fun let’s take a look at what opposing hitters have the longest hitting streak when they face Twins pitchers over the years.

Twins opponent hitting streaks of 20 games or more

Ron LeFlore

Rk Strk Start End Games AB R H HR RBI BA OPS Tm
1 Ron LeFlore 1977-08-03 1981-09-11 26 108 29 43 2 13 .398 1.010 DET-CHW
2 David DeJesus 2008-09-11 2011-04-10 25 105 16 40 2 15 .381 1.027 KCR-OAK
3 Magglio Ordonez 2002-08-19 2003-09-10 23 90 19 32 10 20 .356 1.112 CHW
4 Jim Thome 1994-07-08 1996-07-18 22 90 20 36 7 16 .400 1.210 CLE
5 Ichiro Suzuki 2006-05-01 2008-08-06 20 89 17 40 2 3 .449 1.046 SEA
6 Paul Konerko 2006-07-26 2007-07-08 20 75 15 29 6 16 .387 1.180 CHW
7 Carlos Lee 2003-07-02 2004-07-27 20 82 14 31 4 17 .378 1.010 CHW
8 Rey Sanchez 1999-04-21 2001-04-07 20 74 13 33 0 12 .446 1.090 KCR
9 Rocky Colavito 1963-07-03 1964-07-22 20 78 17 34 9 25 .436 1.403 DET-KCA
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/27/2013.

Those of you that remember Ron LeFlore should take a few minutes to read this story published earlier this year. Even if you never heard of LeFlore, check it out.

They went down swinging

Harmon Killebrew

Hitters with 500 are more career strikeouts as Twins

Rk Player SO From To Age G PA AB R H HR BA OPS
1 Harmon Killebrew 1314 1961 1974 25-38 1939 8018 6593 1047 1713 475 .260 .901
2 Kirby Puckett 965 1984 1995 24-35 1783 7831 7244 1071 2304 207 .318 .837
3 Gary Gaetti 877 1981 1990 22-31 1361 5459 4989 646 1276 201 .256 .744
4 Torii Hunter 870 1997 2007 21-31 1234 4894 4492 672 1218 192 .271 .793
5 Bob Allison 842 1961 1970 26-35 1236 4643 3926 648 999 211 .254 .840
6 Justin Morneau 806 2003 2013 22-32 1243 5199 4607 654 1285 211 .279 .833
7 Michael Cuddyer 805 2001 2011 22-32 1139 4555 4072 606 1106 141 .272 .794
8 Kent Hrbek 798 1981 1994 21-34 1747 7137 6192 903 1749 293 .282 .848
9 Jacque Jones 737 1999 2005 24-30 976 3786 3492 492 974 132 .279 .782
10 Rod Carew 716 1967 1978 21-32 1635 6980 6235 950 2085 74 .334 .841
11 Greg Gagne 676 1983 1992 21-30 1140 3697 3386 452 844 69 .249 .677
12 Corey Koskie 647 1998 2004 25-31 816 3257 2788 438 781 101 .280 .836
13 Tony Oliva 645 1962 1976 23-37 1676 6880 6301 870 1917 220 .304 .830
14 Roy Smalley 606 1976 1987 23-34 1148 4676 3997 551 1046 110 .262 .750
15 Zoilo Versalles 606 1961 1967 21-27 1065 4500 4148 564 1046 86 .252 .686
16 Tom Brunansky 589 1982 1988 21-27 916 3760 3313 450 829 163 .250 .782
17 Tim Laudner 553 1981 1989 23-31 734 2268 2038 221 458 77 .225 .682
18 Joe Mauer 552 2004 2013 21-30 1157 4972 4300 677 1389 102 .323 .873
19 Jason Kubel 532 2004 2011 22-29 753 2846 2559 334 694 104 .271 .794
20 Randy Bush 505 1982 1993 23-34 1219 3481 3045 388 763 96 .251 .747
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/25/2013.

With MLB baseball you just never know

Since the all-star break I have found it difficult to sit down and come up with something interesting to write about the Minnesota Twins. It is not the Twins fault, they have won two series (Indians and Angels) in a row and are 4-2 since the break but I am just stuck in rut.  I don’t want to spend time writing about possible trade scenarios that have no chance of  taking place, there are plenty of blogs writing about that. Fire Ron Gardenhire? I have been there and given my thoughts about that. I think the problem is that I know this team is not going anywhere and it frustrates me because I know this team is going to go through streaks of playing winning baseball when they are fun to watch and then they will play like crap for a series or two and drive me nuts. Yet I know and understand that is how young players play the game and learn to win.

But the Twins are not the only team playing inconsistent baseball. When the season started I had the Blue Jays, Tigers, and Angels winning their divisions with the Rays and Royals as wild cards in the AL. When I look at the American League standings now I see the Tigers, Red Sox, and A’s winning their divisions with the Rays, Orioles, and the Rangers in hot pursuit as possible wild card candidates. The Blue Jays have stunk and are playing .455 baseball, who would have predicted that? I thought that the Red Sox would suck again this year and they have 61 wins in the bank, better than any team in baseball. In the NL I had the Nationals, Reds, and Dodgers as division winners with the Braves and Pirates as wild card winners. The standings in the NL now show us that the Cards are going head-to-head with the Pirates, The Dodgers are battling with the D-Backs and the Braves are running away from the Phillies and the third place Nats. Heck, the Miami Marlins have won more games than the Astros and almost as many as the White Sox.

It just goes to show how unpredictable MLB baseball really is from year to year and why it is such an interesting and great game. A team can sign a slew of free agents or make a mega trade (hello Blue Jays) and all the baseball experts or talking heads as I like to call them jump on the bandwagon and predict great things and guarantee a cake walk to the playoffs. But when the season ends you find this teams players packing their bags and cleaning their golf clubs when game 162 is in the books. I had originally picked the Detroit Tigers and the Washington Nationals to play in World Series 2013 and for the Nats to win in six games. Now the Nationals will have to play some amazing baseball just to get in to the playoffs. Last time I looked, the Twins were 100 to 1 to win the World Series. Those are some long odds indeed but I remember back in 1987 when I made my annual February trip to Las Vegas and put $10 down on the Twins to win it all and I put $400 in my pocket later that year.

Almost at the All-Star break

twins-vs-yankeesThe break for the 2013 All-Star game at Citi Field is just around the corner and it can’t get here quickly enough for the Twins who are mired in another losing streak and are now in New York to face the Yankees. The Twins have not won a series in New York as long as Gardenhire has managed the Twins and that started back in 2002.

Speaking of Gardy, the pressure seems to be mounting for the ballclub to fire him before his contract ends after this season. I find it humorous that Twins fans that have been clamouring for the organization to bring up the “young guys” and let them play and learn the game are now getting frustrated because the team is not winning. I don’t know what fans expected, young players are going to make some dumb plays, lose their focus at times and play bad baseball as they learn to hit, pitch and win in the big leagues. For some fans, the solution is simple, fire the manager and the pitching coach. I think if you fire Gardenhire now you will be making a change for the sake of making a change. No one the Twins could name as the new skipper is going to speed up the learning process for these young players, they have to play and gain experience and that takes time and games played.

The rest of this season will be very interesting as more youngsters get called up and the learning process continues. Personally I hope that Gardenhire and GM Terry Ryan can weather this storm and turn the Twins into a winning team again, I really think they are the right people for the job if the Twins hope to beat the MLB betting odds and make the playoffs in the next year or two. No manager could have fielded a winning team with the players that the organization put in Twins uniforms the last few years, Gardy has earned the right to show us what he can do with some good young players in his dugout.

The hopes of the franchise rest on the shoulders of some of these young players like Dozier, Florimon, Plouffe, Hicks, Arcia, Pressly and Gibson already with the club and others that have yet to see Target Field for the first time like Sano, Buxton, Rosario, Meyer, Kepler and several others. It may take a few years but if the players in the Twins system are as good as everyone says they are, Twins fans might once again be wagering a few dollars on the local nine when they are betting MLB World Series.

Michael Tonkin recalled and Thielbar put on bereavement list

Michael Tonkin
Michael Tonkin

The Minnesota Twins announced after last night’s 13 inning 4-3 loss to the Tampa Rays that they have placed left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar on the bereavement list to attend the funeral of his grandmother.

The Twins recalled right-handed pitcher Michael Tonkin from Triple-A Rochester to replace Thielbar on the 25-man roster. The 6’7″ Tonkin is 23 years-old and was selected by the Twins in round 30 of the 2008 June amateur draft out of Palmdale High School in California and signed for an over slot $230,000 bonus. In his sixth season of pro ball, Tonkin has made stops at all the minor league levels and has a career 17-17 record with a 3.09 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP in 340.2 innings. Tonkin has a 9.1 SO/9 and a 2.4 BB/9. Tonkin became a full-time reliever in 2011 in Beloit and has not started any games since. Tonkin started 2013 in New Britain but was moved up to Rochester  after 13 appearances.

Tonkin, who wears number 59 made his major league debut in Tropicana Field today a good one when he appeared in relief and pitched 1 and 1/3 scoreless innings with one strikeout (Evan Longoria) and no hits allowed. Tonkin threw just 12 pitches, 8 for strikes, unfortunately for Tonkin and the Twins, they lost their fifth straight game. Tonkin is the 37th player and 19th pitcher that the Twins have used this season.

Top Twins rookie power hitters

Jimmie HallThe Twins have had some very good rookie hitters over the years and based on their minor league stats it appears that more are on the way. Here is a list of the top Twins rookie home run hitters since 1961.

Rk Player HR Year Age G AB R H RBI SB BA OPS
1 Jimmie Hall (RoY-3rd) 33 1963 25 156 497 88 129 80 3 .260 .863
2 Tony Oliva (RoY-1st) 32 1964 25 161 672 109 217 94 12 .323 .916
3 Gary Gaetti (RoY-5th) 25 1982 23 145 508 59 117 84 0 .230 .723
4 Marty Cordova (RoY-1st) 24 1995 25 137 512 81 142 84 20 .277 .839
5 Kent Hrbek (RoY-2nd) 23 1982 22 140 532 82 160 92 3 .301 .848
6 Bobby Darwin 22 1972 29 145 513 48 137 80 2 .267 .769
7 Tom Brunansky 20 1982 21 127 463 77 126 46 1 .272 .848
8 Justin Morneau 19 2004 23 74 280 39 76 58 0 .271 .875
9 Rich Rollins 16 1962 24 159 624 96 186 96 3 .298 .802
10 Lew Ford 15 2004 27 154 569 89 170 72 20 .299 .827
11 Dan Ford 15 1975 23 130 440 72 123 59 6 .280 .767
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 7/7/2013.

The state of the Twins at mid-season

The Twins left Minnesota and the country yesterday with their tails between their legs after losing their fifth straight game and four in a row to those hated New York Yankees. The Yankees were slumping when they limped in to town but that didn’t stop this bunch of misfits and cast-offs from kicking some serious Twins butts here in Minnesota. I have seen better visiting Yankee teams at Ft. Myers in spring training then what they put on the field the past few days at Target Field and yet you just knew that some way and some how that the Twins would find a way to lose to this bunch of has been’s that make up the 2013 New York Yankees. I have no idea how the Twins can keep losing to the Yankees year in and year out, it’s like there is a Yankee curse on the Twins. Even the New York Times is getting in on the action with a headline that reads “Yankees Thrash Twins to Complete 4-Game Sweep.”

I know everyone is frustrated with the Twins play again this season as the team record stands at 36-46 so far this season. Before the season started I saw the Twins going 74-88 this season so that is not far off the mark at mid-season. The younger players are learning and you can see improvement here and there but this team has a long ways to go to be a serious contender. However;  the team is playing like any young team normally plays, some days they surprise you with their ability and other days they frustrate you with their bone-head plays, but this is all part of learning to play in the big leagues.

GM Terry Ryan
GM Terry Ryan

Having said all that, I think that Terry Ryan needs to make some changes. There are players on this team with no Twins future and should be moved but the problem is that you get nothing for them in return. I have really enjoyed watching Justin Morneau over the years, just like I did Michael Cuddyer but he needs to be moved to give him a chance to play for a contender and the Twins must find out if Chris Parmelee is the Twins first baseman of the future. The Twins should eat some of Morneau’s salary and move him for the best prospect(s) they can get. If they don’t move him they have to pay him anyway and they will get no prospect at all. The most talk about a Twins player being traded has been about closer Glen Perkins. I would hate to lose Perkins but I would trade him if an offer of a top-notch prospect was presented. I am not talking a prospect playing in low A ball, I am talking a serious prospect that can help this team this year or next year. The Twins have always found closers and they will find another to replace Perkins. The Oakland A’s have done this for years and it has worked for them, it should work here too.

Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire

That brings us to the manager, Ron Gardenhire. I have always liked Gardy as a manager and still do. Who doesn’t like Gardy, he is an easy guy to like and he has been here forever and has won almost 1,000 games. Gardy isn’t the one losing these games, the Twins players are, but still, things seemed to have gotten stale here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes  and sometimes changes are necessary.  If Gardy gets fired he will be managing another team next year or the year after for sure, but who should replace him? There is no one on the current coaching staff that seems to fit the bill. A number of people have mentioned Paul Molitor as a possibility but I don’t see that happening. The Twins said that Molitor was not a good fit to join the coaching staff and some said it was because he would put too much pressure on Gardy who is managing in the last year of his contract. I don’t think that is the reason at all, I think there are several reasons. First of all Molitor has absolutely no managing experience and no coaching experience to speak of. Next, Molitor has some baggage in his personal life that he brings from his playing days that does not excite the Twins organization very much and does not fit their mold of someone they would like to see lead their young players. Finally Molitor’s personality is not going to excite the Twins fan base, I know he is from St. Paul but his personality is more like TK’s then it is Gardenhire’s. Great players seldom make good managers. The Twins will probably let Gardenhire’s contract expire after the season ends and that is not what I though would happen just a few months ago but things change. The Twins need to reinvigorate their fan base after three losing seasons in a row and the promise of prospects in the pipeline alone isn’t going to put fans in the seats at Target Field, the fans need to see the Twins organization make some serious changes that are visible and at least show the fans that they are trying to make this team better. Just talking a good story doesn’t do it any more, we Twins fans need to see some action.

Tom Brunansky
Tom Brunansky

One more thing before I wrap up this blog today.  Joe Vavra was the Twins hitting coach from 2006 through 2012 but was reassigned after last season. During Vavra’s tenure in Minnesota, the Twins have consistently ranked among the best in the league for both individual and team hitting stats. Former Twins player Tom Brunansky was named the Twins hitting coach after last season. Over the last few years the fans have clamoured for Vavra to be let go and finally Terry Ryan made it a reality after the 2012 season. So what did that change do for the Twins? The team is hitting worse than ever and yet I have not heard a single utterance of getting rid of Brunansky. So why is no one complaining about the job that Bruno is doing as the hitting coach for a team that claims that they are only interested in results? I am not saying he should be fired, I am just wondering why Brunansky seems to have that Teflon armour surrounding him.

 

Twins notes and thoughts

Caleb Thielbar
Caleb Thielbar

Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar has not allowed a run yet this year. The rookie has appeared in 13 games pitching 14.2 scoreless innings allowing just five hits. According to the Twins Game Notes, the 26 year-old Minnesota native now holds the Twins record for consecutive appearances with zero runs allowed to start a MLB career as well as scoreless innings to start a Twins career. The MLB record is 29 appearances set by Brad Ziegler in 2008 with Oakland. Aaron Crow of the Royals was the last to do it when he started his career with 13 straight scoreless appearances in 2011. Thielbar is the first player named Caleb to appear in the major leagues since 2B/OF Caleb Johnson appeared in 16 games for the Cleveland Forest Citys in 1871

Congratulations to Twins prospects OF Byron Buxton (Team USA) and 3B Miguel Sano (World Team) for getting selected to play in the 2013 All-Star Futures Game. These two guys have garnered a lot of ink this year and they deserve it but I think a number of bloggers and fans have already made reservations to attend their Hall of Fame induction ceremonies. These gents are looking good but they are still in the minors and they have yet to face one big league pitch. Hopefully they will turn out to be half as good as we think they will be.

The Twins front office has recently stated that they are not sure if they should be “buyers or sellers” this year. My thoughts? They can’t be serious. This Twins team is not a .500 team much less a playoff team. The 2013 Twins will NOT be in the playoffs, As George Zimmer formerly of Men’s Warehouse would say, “I guarantee it!” If they were not sure before, maybe two losses to the worst team in baseball the last two days, the Miami Marlins will help to convince them.

Justin Morneau
Justin Morneau

There are numerous reports floating around that the New York Yankees 1B Mark Teixeira will be under going season-ending wrist surgery in the next few days. The Bronx Bombers are only 2.5 game out of the league lead, maybe Yankee GM Brian Cashman and Twins GM Terry Ryan can hook up on a deal for Justin Morneau that can help both teams. I have loved watching Morneau over the years but the Twins could help themselves and Justin by moving him to a pennant contender that needs a first baseman. Who knows, that short right field corner at Yankee Stadium might just wake up Morneau’s power swing. The Twins could solve some manpower issues by trading Morneau and making room for Chris Parmelee to play first base every day. I know that RHP Michael Pineda is on the Yankees 60 day DL right now but he sure would look good in a Twins uniform as a PTBNL. Probably just a pipe dream though.

Max Kepler
Max Kepler

Max Kepler recently reported to Cedar Rapids after fighting an arm injury all year. Kepler has been chomping at the bit to play some baseball and the Twins couldn’t be happier to see him get healthy and on the field again. With Brian Buxton’s recent promotion to Ft. Myers, Kepler will fit right in the Kernels line-up. In 6 games he has 25 at bats and is hitting .320 with 5 runs scored, 4 doubles, 2 home runs and 6 RBI’s. I am not positive but I think he has at least one hit in every game but his first game there. It would be great to see Max have a big season in Cedar Rapids after a late start.

Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson was called up by the Twins on Monday and will make his major league debut on Saturday at Target Field against the Kansas City Royals. Everyone has waited for Gibson to arrive for a long time and now we finally get to see him pitch in the big leagues. It is a shame we won’t get to see that much of Gibson this year because he has that pitch limit hanging over his head due to his TJ surgery last year but at least he should get about 40 innings under his belt.

The trade deadline is just over a month away and teams are starting to get serious with their trade discussions. But almost every year that is all that happens, lots of talk and very little action. I know it takes two to tango but the Twins need to be aggressive this year and move some players to make room for some of those young prospects that are knocking on the door. The young guys need playing time if they are going to improve and learn how to play in the majors, Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire will be doing a disservice to those players and Twins fans if they sit on their hands and stay pat with their current roster. It is darkest before the dawn so let’s throw these young guys in the fire and see if they are major leaguers or just prospects. Players I would like to see moved would be Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, Mike Pelfrey, Jamey Carroll, Trevor Plouffe and Ryan Doumit. Has anyone made more base running blunders this year then Ryan Doumit? You wonder sometimes if he has a clue on the base paths. If someone presents a nice offer for Kevin Correia I would listen. I know all these players won’t be moved in July but who knows, stranger things have happened.

Oswaldo Arcia
Oswaldo Arcia

Oswaldo Arcia is going to be a very nice player and deserves full-time playing time for the rest of this season but one thing that drives me crazy with Arcia is that every time he hits a ball deep he stands at home plate and admires it instead of running. He has missed out on some opportunities to stretch singles into doubles because he stands around admiring his hits. Some of the Twins veterans should take care of this problem sooner than later.