TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. “History never looks like history when you are living through it” – John Gardner, former Secretary of Health
The only hit Baltimore pitchers allowed on Friday night in a game against the Boston Red Sox was a bunt single by Scott Podsednik to lead off the first inning. Podsednik ended up scoring on a sacrifice fly but the O’s ended up winning the game 9-1. The last player to get his only team’s hit on a bunt single to lead off a game was Cesar Tovar for the Twins at Washington’s RFK Stadium on Aug. 13, 1970. Tovar’s bunt single was the only hit off the Senators’ Dick Bosman, who outdueled Jim Kaat. Kaat allowed only five hits in a 1-0 Washington win, in a game that took only 2:02 to play. Box score of Twins/Senators game.
A Minnesota Twins Press Release today states that Tsuyoshi Nishioka has been given his unconditional release as of today at his request. Nishioka’s release saves the Minnesota Twins $3.25 million in salary and buyout in 2013.
Nishioka who has been in the Twins organization for the last two seasons released the following statement. “I would like to thank the Twins organization for helping me fulfill my dream of playing in Major League Baseball. I take full responsibility for my performance which was below my own expectations. At this time, I have made the decision that it is time to part ways. I have no regrets and know that only through struggle can a person grow stronger. I appreciate all the support the team and the fans in Minnesota and Rochester have shown me. Arigatou gozaimasu.”
Nishioka was not able to achieve the expectations that the Minnesota Twins organization had for him when they purchased and signed him back on December 16, 2010 from the Japanese League Chiba Lotte Marines. Nishioka suffered a broken league on April 7, 2011 while playing second base in a game at Yankee Stadium II in just his sixth big league game. Nishioka played in just 71 games (68 in 2011 and 3 in 2012) for Minnesota and hit .215 in 254 plate appearances while scoring 14 runs, knocking in 20 and stealing 2 bases in 6 attempts. Nishioka spent most of 2012 in AAA Rochester where he hit .258 in 431 plate appearances.
Nishioka had his problems with the stick but he also looked bad in the field playing both 2B and shortstop. In observing Nishioka in spring training in 2011 and 2012 he seemed to spend most of his time working out on his own and did not seem to really take any interest in being a part of the team. The way I see it, the Twins lucked out when Nishioka asked for his release and I’m sure they wasted no time granting his release before Nishioka had time to change his mind. Now the Twins can put that money to a better use and also have a roster spot open for a player that has at least some chance to help the Twins organization down the line. The Tsuyoshi Nishioka signing will go down in Twins lore as one of the worst player decisions that the Twins organization has ever made. Bill Smith who was the GM at the time paid his dues for his part in his fiasco and the scout(s) that recommended this signing should also pay with their jobs. Loyalty is a good thing and people make mistakes but the Twins have gone out of their way to hide the names of the scouts involved in the Nishioka signing and it is about time that those involved take some responsiblity for their actions before the book is closed on this chapter for the final time.
The Minnesota Twins have named Oswaldo Arcia their 2012 Sherry Robertson Award winner as the Twins’ Minor League Player of the Year and right-handed pitcher B.J. Hermsen as their 2012 Jim Rantz Award winner as the Twins’ Minor League Pitcher of the Year.
outfielder Oswaldo Arcia
Oswaldo Arcia, 21, began the season at Single-A Ft. Myers and batted .309 (64-for-207) with 16 doubles, three triples, seven home runs, 31 RBI and 22 runs scored in 55 games with the Miracle. He was promoted to Double-A New Britain in mid-June and batted .328 (86-for-262) with 20 doubles, five triples, 10 home runs, 67 RBI and 54 runs scored in 69 games with the Rock Cats. He combined to hit .320 (150-for-469) with 36 doubles, eight triples, 17 home runs and 98 RBI in 124 games this season. The 6-foot, 210-pounder was the Twins Minor League Player of the Month for May, batting .358 (39-for-109) with 10 doubles, four home runs and 18 RBI in 27 games with Ft. Myers. Arcia has played primarily RF but he has played several games in CF.
Arcia, a left-handed hitter who throws tight-handed was signed as a free agent, July 4, 2007 out of Venezuela at the age of 16 by scout Jose Leon. Arcia becomes the 43rd winner of this award. In 2010 Arcia had a breakout season in Elizabethton leading the league in numerous hitting categories and was named to the All-Star team and was named the league player of the year. Arcia played for the World team in the 2012 Futures game and was 1 for 2 with a double after entering the game in the 8th inning.
pitcher BJ Hermsen
B.J. (Brett Joseph) Hermsen, 22, began the season at Single-A Ft. Myers and went 1-0, 0.78 ERA (23.0 IP, 2 ER), allowing 16 hits with five walks and 12 strikeouts in four starts. He was promoted to Double-A New Britain at the end of April and went 11-6, 3.22 ERA (139.2 IP, 50 ER), allowing 145 hits with 25 walks and 75 strikeouts in 22 starts for the Rock Cats. The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder was the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Month for April, going 1-0, 0.78 ERA (23.0 IP, 2 ER) with five walks and 12 strikeouts. The right-handed Hermsen was drafted by the Twins in the sixth round of the 2008 First-Year Player Draft out of West Delaware High School in Manchester, Iowa. In four minor league seasons Hermsen has pitched 477+ innings and has a 37-24 record with a 3.21 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. Hermsen becomes the 11th winner of this award.
Both Arcia and Hermsen, along with the Twins other 2012 award winners, will be recognized at the Eighth Annual Diamond Awards dinner, which will be held on Thursday, January 24, 2013 at Target Field.
By the way, if you were not aware, the 2013 World Baseball Classic qualifying rounds are already underway in Jupiter, Florida and Regensburg, Germany and you can keep up with the action and actually watch the games by clicking on the 2013 WBC icon on the right hand side of our home page. Max Kepler and former Twins minor leaguer Toby Gardenhire are playing for the team from Germany former Twins player Rene Tosoni is playing for Canada. I am sure other Twins will be playing for one of the 28 teams in the tournament.
One of the original Minnesota Twins, pitcher John Francis (Jack) Kralick who was born on June 1, 1935 in Youngstown, Ohio passed away at his home in San Blas, Mexico on September 18 at the age of 77. The Chicago White Sox signed Jack Kralick prior to the 1955 season after Kralick had played baseball for one season at Michigan State but released him in June of 1958. The Washington Senators signed Kralick in September of 1958 and he made his major league debut with the Senators on April 15, 1959 at Fenway Park throwing one inning of relief in a 7-3 loss to the Red Sox after having never pitched above single A ball in the minor leagues. Kralick ended up spending most of his 1959 season in double AA Chattanooga before making the Senators starting staff in 1960 and then became a Minnesota Twin when the Washington Senators moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season.
The left-handed Kralick is best known for throwing the Twins first no-hitter on Sunday, August 26, 1962. There were five no-hitters thrown in 1962, others that threw a “no-no” that season were Bo Belinsky of the Angels, the Red Sox Earl Wilson became the first African-American to throw an American league no-hitter, the Dodgers Sandy Koufax threw the first of his four no-hitters, and the Red Sox Bill Momboquette also threw a no-hitter. Kralick had a perfect game going with one out in the 9th inning at Met Stadium before walking pinch-hitter George Alusik on a 3-2 count. Kralick then retired pinch-hitter Billy Consolo and lead off hitter Bobby Del Greco on foul pop-ups to 1B Vic Power to complete the no-hitter and notch a 1-0 win in 1 hour and 57 minutes. “It doesn’t make any difference to me – a no-hitter or a perfect game.” With that statement the Twins southpaw shook off any disappointment of losing a perfect game. “I suppose its a little nicer to be a perfect game”, Kralick added, “but it really makes no difference to me”. According to Kralick, his curveball was not working so he relied mainly on fastballs and sliders with a couple of change-ups thrown in. Kralick was not a pitcher that you would think would throw a no-hitter but he also threw two seven inning no-hitters in the minor leagues. It was the first no-hitter caught by catcher Earl Battey and he said that “my hands were really shaking in that ninth inning.” Kralick’s time in a Twins uniform was cut short when the Twins traded Kralick to the Cleveland Indians for pitcher Jim Perry on May 2, 1963. Kralick finished his Twins career with a 26-26 record and 3.74 ERA in 75 starts while throwing 510+ innings. Kralick had a little pop in his bat too as he hit 3 home runs in 200 plate appearances in a Twins uniform. As a matter of fact, on August 20, 1961, he was part of a rare feat as he and teammate Al Schroll both homered; it is one of only six times that two pitchers have hit a home run in one game for the same team, and the last time the feat has been performed. Kralick was nicknamed “Jittery Jack” for his constant fidgeting on the mound. He would play with practically everything, between his uniform, cap and the rosin bag. By several accounts, he seemed to like spending time by himself and wasn’t easy to get along with. A chain smoker, teammates and sportswriters described him as “a loner,” “reclusive,” and at times, “abrasive.” Rich Rollins said, however, “While he was kind of a loner, I thought most of the guys got along with him when we were teammates in Minnesota.”
Kralick went on to pitch for the Indians from 1963-1967 putting up a 33-33 mark and making the 1964 All-Star team. It has been reported that Kralick was difficult to get along with at times and in August 1965 he and Indians pitcher and roommate Gary Bell got into a short one punch each fight in Washington D.C. hotel room and Kralick ended up on the short end of the stick with a broken tooth and required 9 stitches. The Indians sold Kralick to the New York Mets on May 1, 1967 but he never pitched for his new team as he was involved in a car accident shortly after the transaction which left him with a cracked rib and double vision. His vision only cleared up at the end of the year, at which point Kralick had lost the desire to pitch again. At the age of 33 Jack Kralick walked away from baseball and never looked back. According to a 1971 article, he had moved to Watertown, South Dakota, enjoying a life of fishing and hunting, while working for a school supply company. Kralick enjoyed the outdoors and ended up living in Alaska and San Blas, Mexico.
I, like many others had tried to get in contact with Kralick over the years to see if he was doing an interview for Twins Trivia but like everyone else we never received a reply. According to his son, Lee Kralick, “He didn’t want the fame, didn’t want the notoriety,” Lee said. “That’s just who he was.”
Rest in peace Jack Kralick, and thank you for the memories. We at Twins Trivia would like to pass on our condolences to the family and friends of Jack Kralick. Only 9 of the 23 original players that played for the Washington Senators in 1960 and moved to Minnesota after the 1960 season remain alive today.
According to an article in the Cedar Rapids Gazette a representative from the Minnesota Twins and management from the Cedar Rapids Kernels will meet today to discuss a possible player development contract starting in 2013. The Kernels have been affiliated with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for the last 20 years but are said to be interested in a partner that is more closely geographically aligned. A deal could be announced this week. You can read the full Gazette story here. Ballparkdigest.com also did a piece about possible new Twins affilaition that you can read here.
GCL Twins outfielder Jeremias Pineda was named to the 2012 GCL All-Star team and earned League MVP. Pineda hit .365 (70-for-192) with nine doubles, four triples, one home run, 25 RBI and 23 stolen bases in 52 games between the GCL Red Sox and GCL Twins. Pineda was acquired from Boston for Danny Valencia on August 5. Pineda actually played all four infield positions for the GCL Twins this season. Pineda was joined on the GCL All-Star team by GCL Twins infielder Anderlin Mejia, who batted .324 with one home run and 20 RBI for the GCL Twins this season. Mejia was also the toughest player to strike out in the GCL, fanning just once every 14.77 plate appearances. The 20 year-old Mejia is in his third Twins minor league season. The GCL Twins finished the season out of the playoffs at 33-27.
Former Minnesota Twins catcher (2001-2003) Tom Prince guided the Pirates to their first GCL championship since they joined the league in 1968. After qualifying for the playoffs as the Wild-Card team, the Pirates shut out the Cardinals, 1-0, to advance to the Finals. Prince’s club then won two straight from the Red Sox to win the league title. Prince, who has piloted the Pirates since 2007, was also named the GCL Manager of the Year in 2008, after leading his club to a league-best 37-18 record and the South Division title. Prince has been managing in the minor leagues since 2005.
Jay Thomas Kelly will have his number 10 retired on Saturday and we here at Twins Trivia would like to add our congratulations for a well deserved honor. Kelly was originally drafted by the Seattle Pilots in round 8 of the 1968 amateur draft but the Seattle Pilots relocated after just one season in the Emerald city and moved to Milwaukee where they became the Brewers. Within days of being released by the Brewers in April of 1971, Kelly signed as a free agent with Minnesota. With the exception of 1976, Kelly has been in the Twins organization since 1971. Kelly has played for, coached and managed the Minnesota Twins and on occasion has even taken his turn at the microphone to describe Twins action on television.
Actually, over the years Tom Kelly has worn several different numbers with the Minnesota Twins. When he played 49 games for the Twins in 1975 he wore the number 16. When he coached the Twins from 1983-1986 he wore the number 41 and he wore that same number for the remainder of the 1986 season after being named as the Twins interim manager replacing Ray Miller who was relieved of his duties on September 12, 1986. Kelly then switched to the number 10 prior to the 1987 season and wore that number for the remainder of his Twins managing career through the 2001 season.
Who else has worn the Twins number 10 you ask? Here is the complete list now that no other Minnesota Twin will wear that number again.
1961-1967 – catcher Earl Battey
1968 – catcher John Roseboro
1868-1972 – 3B/OF Rick Renick
1973-1974 – 1B Joe Lis
1974 – 1B Pat Bourque
1975-1977 – OF Lyman Bostock
1978-1981 – OF Hosken Powell
1982-1983 – OF Bobby Mitchell
1984-1986 – catcher Jeff Reed
Since Tom Kelly last wore the number 10 in 2001, no other Twins have ever that number.
A story in the Fort Myers News-Press states that the Washington Nationals have extended negotiations with Lee County to relocate their spring training home from Viera to City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. I think it would be fun to see another big league team train in Fort Myers and you have to think the Minnesota Twins would also like to have another team training in the area if for no other reason then just having another team to play with little to no travel time. However, the implications of such a move of another big league team from the Florida east coast to the gulf coast might not be good for the Florida Grapefruit League circuit in general. If the Nats were to move their spring training site, the only team left on the east coast would be the Marlins, Mets, and the Cardinals. You can read the story here.
The Elizabethton E-Twins took 2 of 3 from the Burlington Royals and are once again the Appalachian League Champions. The E-Twins lost game one and were down 6-1 after 8 innings in game 3 but the E-Twins came back to win it all with an amazing come from behind victory. A big congratulations to all the team members along with manager Ray Smith and coaches Jeff Reed and Ivan Arteaga.
The Twins announced yesterday that they will have seven players going to the Arizona Fall League Peoria Javelinas this season. The players are catcher Chris Hermann, outfielders Evan Bigley and Nate Roberts along with pitchers Kyle Gibson, Caleb Thielbar, Logan Darnell and Michael Tonkin. Trainer Alan Rail will also be representing the Twins. 13 players on the current Twins roster have participated in the AFL in past years. The roots of the AFL go back to 1992 and that season the Twins participants were Derek Parks, Chip Hale, Jon Henry, Ray Ortiz, Rex Delanuez and Scott Ullger participated as a manager. The reason for the league was to have an easily accessible offseason league where players could be monitored closely and did not have to leave the country. The six clubs in the league are in close proximity to each other so not a lot of travel is required. The rules for participation have changed over the years but currently Major League clubs hold a position draft in August to determine the players who will go to Arizona, most are Double-A or Triple-A players but each club can also send one Single-A player if they wish.
A couple of days ago the Double-A New Britain Rock Cats announced that the team had three players named to the Eastern League Season Ending All-Star Team, first baseman/DH Chris Colabello, outfielder Aaron Hicks and third baseman Deibinson Romero were all named to the team which was announced from the Eastern League office. Congratulations to all three players.
Samuel Deduno
We went to the Twins /Mariners game yesterday and the Twins and Samuel Deduno won 10-0. It was a warm and muggy Wednesday evening game and my wife was playing Twingo and before the first inning was over all she needed was a “base on balls” to be a Twingo winner. With Jason Vargas pitching for Seattle with a 2.3 BB/9 and Samuel Deduno pitching for the Twins with a 7.9 BB/9 I thought that would be the least of her issues but it took her until the third inning before she finally got that BB when Vargas walked Trevor Plouffe in the bottom of the third and she became a Twingo winner for the second game in a row. Who would have thought it would be tough finding a walk with Deduno pitching? Samuel Deduno pitched a superb game last night going 7 innings only allowing 2 hits with no walks. 68 of his 98 pitches were strikes, an amazing number for Deduno. I enjoy watching Deduno pitch, he does not have the best command but he knows how to get out of trouble and I hope he keeps getting better.
Denard Span
Then there is outfielder Denard Span. I used to real enjoy watching Denard Span play baseball but now that Span has been in the big leagues for a couple of years I see him as a malingerer. Span is not making superstar money but he is making $3 million this year, and will make $4.75 million in 2013, $6.5 million in 2014, $9 million in 2015. For that kind of money I expect Span who is still only 28 years of age to play in at least 155 games per season and since he became the full-time center fielder in 2009 he has appeared in 145, 153, 70 games and so far this season in 108 games. That does not cut it for me, if you are my regular center fielder I expect your butt in the line-up day in and day out regardless if the team is winning or losing. You get paid to play, not to sit on the bench belly aching that you are not 100%. Who is ever feeling perfect day in and day out? No one. If you worked for me in a regular job Denard, you would have been put on notice a long time ago and if you didn’t starting showing up ready to work day after day you would find yourself on the unemployment line. If I was one of Span’s teammates I would be pretty unhappy with Span and his lack of desire to play. When he does play, I am not sure that Span is willing to do what it takes to win. In my opinion a player of Span’s ability and experience should be stealing at least 25-30 bases a year and yet when he is on base he stands there and waits for someone to knock him in. Is he afraid that he will get hurt if he tries to steal a base? If I was GM Terry Ryan I would trade Span in a heart beat. Now that I am reasonably sure that Ben Revere can play center field at the big league level I get what I can for Span. I trade Span before the rest of the baseball world realizes that Span only plays when he is feeling great and his team is winning. Denard Span is part of the problem on this Twins team, he is not part of the solution. If I am building a team I want players that want to play day after day, I don’t need someone with a low pain threshold that would rather sit than play if he is not feeling 100%. Now I see that the Twins have recalled Matt Carson and put Span on the DL and there is a chance Span is done for the season. What a shocker…..
Speaking of injuries, who is making the decisions for the Twins on who stays on the roster and who goes on the DL? For the second year in a row we have players that seem to be day-to-day for a week or more. Why should Gardy manage with one hand tied behind his back because he has players sitting on his bench that can’t play that day but claim they will be ready tomorrow? I am tired of tomorrow’s, either you play or you find yourself on the DL, it seems simple enough to me, what am I missing here.
