If you are looking for more Minnesota Twins spring baseball news, check out the Fort Myers News-Press sports spring training section.
Category: General Blogging
This is a general blogging category.
A third trip to the ballpark
I took my third trip out to Hammond Stadium today and was greeted by the continuing resurfacing work being done there. I sure don’t know why the Minnesota Twins or the city of Fort Myers would be resurfacing the roads and the parking lots at the complex when spring training is starting and people are starting to show up and park their cars. Why didn’t they do this earlier? They also seem to be digging up some of the grassy areas around some of the practice fields and putting in some “large decorator rock”, I am sure they have a plan but …..
One of the first people I saw today was Star Tribune reporter La Velle E. Neal III going about his business and interacting with some of the players. I saw Liam Hendriks and Hudson Boyd do some throwing. After they left, Scott Baker showed up to throw a bit and brought his catcher along and it turned out to be Joe Mauer. That shocked me as in all the previous times I have ever attended spring training over the years, I have never seen Joe Mauer catching a pitcher before spring training starts. Heck, it is rare any time Mauer catches during ST, usually the team leaves that boring tedious task to the minor league catchers. Never the less Joe was out there today and he looked comfortable and actually seemed to enjoy himself.
I saw Tsuyoshi Nishioka and his interpreter one of the other fields getting in a little running and then calling it a day. The same crap as last year as far as I am concerned, Nishioka hardly ever joins the rest of the players until spring training officially starts and he has no choice. What kind of message does that send? The man will be lucky to make the team, it seems to me he could use an attitude adjustment.
I had a chance to talk with catcher JR Towles a bit today and you could not ask for friendlier guy. Born in Crosby, Texas, the 28 year-old Towles has never achieved the stardom that many predicted for him at Houston because his hitting has held him back in the back leagues but Towles did hit .295 in the minors. Towles is a good handler of pitchers and I really think he has a shot to take that 3rd catcher position with the Twins, it just depends on what he can show Twins brass during spring training.
I also spent a few minutes talking with Reggie Williams and he was very friendly and out-going as well. It sure is fun to get a chance to meet and talk with some of these young Twins on their way up. Later I met Luke Hughes and he was kind enough to pose for a picture. We got to talking about Australian baseball which interests me since I had a chance last year to interview former Twins 3B Glenn Williams who managed the Sydney Blue Sox last season. Hughes feels that the shoulder he hurt in Australia a week or so ago is coming along fine and he hopes to be able to play once spring training game action begins.
Around 11:30 or so Joe Mauer emerged from the minor league clubhouse and was asked for his autograph by 4 or 5 fans. It turns out that several of these autograph hounds were “regulars” that ask for his autograph every day on several items. Joe lectured them on the fact that he is not going to be signing multiple items for them day in and day out but I am not sure a lot of what Joe told them sunk in. I can understand ballplayer frustrations when the same collectors are there day after day and you know they are selling what ever they get signed.
I did take a few more pictures that I again posted in my 2012 spring training picture file that you can find on the right side of this page. There are numerous other players here working out each day that I do not recognize. More and more players on the practice fields each day and I am amazed at how many minor league players there are working out on their own this early at their own expense before their spring training begins.
Another trip to Hammond Stadium
I took another trip out to the Twins spring training home this morning, It was a beautiful sunny day with temps in the high 70’s. When I arrived at the Twins minor league complex and prepared to park my car I noticed that the gate was locked with a padlock but yet I could still see some players wandering around the fields. One of the fans told me that the asphalt parking area was going to be sealcoated today so the team was trying to keep the area free of vehicles and fans.
Still not a lot of players around, I was lucky enough to get a couple of pictures of the German born Max Kepler and talk to him for a few minutes. He seems like a very nice kid and we even have something in common, we were both born in Germany. I didn’t know it until I started writing this post, but today is Max’s 19th birthday, I missed my opportunity to wish him a Happy Birthday. Ge’ez, 19 years old, what was I doing on my 19th birthday? Oh yes, I remember now, I was in the Navy on board the USS Shangri-La (CVA-38) in the ECM (Electronic Countermeasures) room over in the Mediterranean on one of my two Med cruises. But that is a whole different story. I introduced myself to former Reds pitchers Matt Maloney and Jared Burton and they were nice enough to pose for a picture on their way out to the practice field. I saw former GM Bill Smith leaving the Twins minor league offices and head out for his car. Not much else was going on today so I left after about 90 minutes. It is fun out there when there are only about a half-dozen fans out there. I did get a couple of pictures that I posted with the rest of my 2012 spring training photo’s that you can find in the right hand column of my home page.
Twins claim outfielder Darin Mastroianni
The Twins announced today that they have claimed outfielder Darin Mastroianni off waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays who had to make roster space for recent free agent signee pitcher Francisco Cordero. The 26 year right-handed batter and thrower is 5′ 11” and 190 and was the Blue Jays 16th round pick in 2007. The fleet-footed Mastroianni has played all three outfield positions but is primarily a center fielder. Mastroianni has worked his way up through the Blue Jays minor league system and made his major league debut this past August going 0 for 2 and to date that remains his only big league experience.
In a little over 2,000 minor league at bats Mastroianni has hit .279 with a .370 OBP to go along with his 200 stolen bases, getting caught just 46 times. Originally a 2B, Mastroianni became a full-time outfielder in 2009 and Baseball America rated him as having the best strike-zone judgment in the Florida State League. The Twins will have to make a roster move to find room on the 40 man roster for their newest acquisition.
UPDATE – The Twins have designated pitcher Esmerling Vasquez for assignment.
MLB Fan Cave voting is under way
The MLB Fan Cave 2012 contest has been narrowed down to 50 finalists. From now until Feb. 22, you can vote for as many of your favorite videos as you want and spread the word by sharing on social media.
How about taking a minute and voting for Lindsay Guentzel of Minneapolis. Come on now, let’s get a Minnesota Twins fan in that MLB Fan Cave!
Trip to Hammond Stadium a washout today
I took my first trip of the year out to Hammond Stadium today to see what might be going on out there. The temperature was in the low 70’s, the sky was overcast, and the threat of rain hung in the air as I arrived at the ballpark about 10:15 AM. I didn’t waste my time stopping at the Twins main workout fields but instead drove straight back to the minor league fields and parked my car. A short walk by the clubhouse and minor league fields told me that not much was happening. There were 4 other fans there when I arrived and the only player I saw working out turned out to be Fort Myers native minor league RHP Hudson Boyd. Boyd was a Twins 1st round supplemental pick, 55th overall in 2011. I had no idea who he was and introduced myself and we chatted briefly before he headed into the clubhouse. A little while later Steve Liddle came out and we exchanged pleasantries he was oon followed out by Scott Diamond, Kyle Waldrop and I believe the other player was Jeff Manship. There was a couple of other Twins minor leaguers that were also there that I did not recognize. Without uniforms this early in the spring it is often hard to know who is who, at least it is for me. I was told that Liam Hendricks was also there but I did not recognize him. I saw pitching coach Rick Anderson stop by the minor league complex but he only stayed for about 30 minutes and he left. Wayne “Big Fella” Hattaway was around and helping out where he could. About 45 minutes after I arrived the clouds darkened and a slow drizzle started and the few players that were out running were headed for the clubhouse. Not 5 minutes later, the clouds opened up and it poured down for a good 15 minutes, so I took advantage of a break in the “Florida shower” and headed for the car. That was it for today, all I saw was some conditioning and there was not even a bat, bat, or glove to be seen today. We will see what I find the next time I stop out there in a day or two. Now days, every passing day will bring more and more Twins and future Twins to the ballpark. I did manage to get a few pictures and you can see them on the right hand side of my home page along with spring training pictures from previous years.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka – where are you?
Leading into the 2011 season the Twins big news was the signing of Japanese star shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The man was going to solidify the infield and lead the Twins to the promised land of getting past round one of the playoffs. When I showed up in Fort Myers before spring training started all I heard from everyone I met was “have you seen Nishioka”?
When the smoke cleared, the Twins and Nishioka decided that 2B was really the position that Nishioka felt the most comfortable playing. Unfortunately for the Twins and Nishioka, a take-out slide by Yankee outfielder Nick Swisher at Yankee Stadium broke Nishioka’s fibula on April 7th in Nishioka’s sixth Twins game and Nishioka would not return again until June 16. Nishioka ended up playing shortstop when he returned but he looked like a fish out water, he just did not look like nor play like a big league shortstop. When the Twins season finally came to merciful end, Nishioka had played in 66 games and he hit .226, had a .278 OBP, stole 2 out of 6 bases and committed 10 errors. This was hardly what the Twins expected for $3 million a season. Then again, when you play for a team that wins just 63 games, there is plenty of bad play from everyone.
But now a year has gone by and you have to wonder what the future holds for Tsuyoshi Nishioka. The Twins have acquired Jamey Carroll to be their everyday shortstop and Alexi Casilla is penciled in as the starting 2B. Twins management hardly ever mentions Nishioka and it is almost like the man does not even exist or that they hope he just disappears. The Twins will be paying Nishioka $3 million in 2012 and again in 2013 and then there is the 2014 option for $250K. The Twins do not pay that kind of money for a Rochester Red Wing.
I think you have to give Nishioka a mulligan for 2011 because he can not possibly be as bad a player as he showed us last year. The man was a star in Japan and I know that major league ball is something totally different, but still, he was a very good player in Japan. He had to have shown something to the Twins scouts and management to have gotten the deal he did.
What do I think will happen? I think Nishioka will start 2012 as a Twins bench player but when Carroll proves to the Twins why he has always been a utility player by the middle of May, Nishioka will start to see some playing time and maybe then we will find out once and for all if the man can play in the big leagues or if the Twins simply were snookered. If Nishioka turns out to be a dud, this signing should go down in Twins lore as the worst acquisition in Twins history and over the years they have made some bad ones.
I think Nishioka is a player worth watching as spring training unfolds. Will Nishioka be handled with kid gloves like he was last year or will Gardy and TK get after Nishioka when he makes a bad play? How much games will Nishioka play here in Fort Myers? Will he be off by himself and his interpreter like he was frequently last year or will he try to be part of the team? Yep, I think it will be an interesting spring training for Tsuyoshi Nishioka.
Camilo Pascual elected to Twins Hall of Fame
The Minnesota Twins announced yesterday that former pitcher and five-time All-Star Camilo Pascual has been elected to the club’s Hall of Fame. Pascual will become the 24th member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he is inducted during a special on field pre-game ceremony July 14, when the Twins host the Oakland Athletics at Target Field.
Pascual, one of the “Twins 50 Greatest Players” made his major league debut on April 15, 1954 as a Washington Senator with 3 innings of scoreless relief at Fenway Park in a 6-1 loss to the Boston Red Sox. Pascual went on to pitch in 529 big league games over 18 seasons and posted a 174-170 won/lost record while pitching for the Washington Senators from 1954-1960, The Minnesota Twins from 1961-1966, the Washington Senators from 1967-1969, the Cincinnati Reds in 1969, the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1970 and the Cleveland Indians in 1971.
Camilo was the first ever Twins All-Star in 1961 and has appeared in more All-Star games than any pitcher in franchise history since 1950, playing in five of six games from 1959-64 and in four straight from 1959-61. He went 145-141 with a 3.66 ERA during his time with the Twins and Senators, ranking second on the franchise All-Time list in shutouts (31), third in strikeouts (1,885), fourth in innings pitched (2,465.0) and fifth in wins (145) and starts (331). He went 88-57 with a 3.31 ERA in six seasons in a Twins uniform from 1961-66, ranking third in shutouts (18), seventh in strikeouts (994), and eighth in wins (88), innings pitched (1284.2) and starts (179). He was the Twins first ever 20-game winner, recording 20 victories in 1962 and 21 in 1963, while leading the American League in complete games, shutouts and strikeouts in nearly every season from 1959-63.
Camilo Pascual is the younger brother of former major league pitcher Carlos Pascual, whose nickname of “Potato” earned Camilo the nickname of “Little Potato”. The “Little Potato” was a workhorse pitcher for the Washington/Minnesota pitching staffs and he possessed good control with an excellent fastball but it was his outstanding curveball that was his signature pitch. Ted Williams was quoted as saying that it was easily the best curveball in baseball at the time. Although Pascual was a workhorse, stories have been told that Camilo enjoyed taking an annual “mini vacation” via the DL each season. Pascual also served as the Minnesota Twins pitching coach from 1978-1980. Pascual has lived in Miami since 1960 and since 1989 he has worked as international scout for the Oakland Athletics, New York Mets, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, for whom he currently scouts Venezuela. Among the major leaguers Pascual has signed are Jose Canseco, Alex Cora, Omar Daal, Miguel Cairo, and Franklin Gutierrez.
Pascual is one of only five players to have played against the Athletics in Philadelphia, Kansas City, and Oakland. Harmon Killebrew is another member of that select group. Camilo is also one of only seven players to play for both the original and expansion Washington Senators teams. The others were Don Mincher, Pedro Ramos, Johnny Schaive, Roy Sievers, Zoilo Versalles, and Hal Woodeshick.
The Havana-native ranks 55th on baseball’s All-Time wins list and is a member of the Latino Baseball Hall of Fame and Cuban Baseball Hall of Fame, ranking second to only Luis Tiant in strikeouts among Cuban born major leaguers. In addition to being selected as a member of the Twins 50 Greatest Players in 2010, Camilo was also selected to the Twins 25th anniversary team in 1986 and the 40th anniversary team in 2000. At 74, Pascual, one of the original Minnesota Twins becomes the oldest living member of the Twins Hall of Fame. The Twins Hall of Fame membership is permanently displayed in the Hall of Fame Gallery on the Target Field Suite Level as well as on Target Plaza.
This selection of Pascual to the Twins Hall of Fame is well deserved and it should have taken place a long time ago. We at Twins Trivia would like to add our congratulations to Camilo on this great honor. Good things come to those who wait but Camilo should not have had to wait this long. You can check out the entire Twins Hall of Fame here.
I grew up listening to WCCO as they broadcast Minnesota Twins games and Camilo Pascual was always one of my favorite players because you knew when Camilo pitched that the Twins had a good chance of winning the game. Back then I could not attend many games in person and hardly any games were on TV so the radio was the place to be if you followed baseball and the Minnesota Twins.
Home run combo’s
A couple of days ago it was reported that the Detroit Tigers have reached an agreement with free agent 1B Prince Fielder on a 9 year $214 million deal. This deal took place just a couple of days after the Tigers reported they may have lost C/1B/DH Victor Martinez for the season due to a torn ACL. Martinez only hit 12 home runs for Detroit last year but he knocked in 100 runs and he hit .330 while Miguel Cabrera hit .344 with 30 home runs while knocking in 108. The top two home run hitters for the Tigers were Cabrera with 31 and SS Jhonny Peralta who hit 21 long balls. Fielder, playing with the Milwaukee Brewers last season hit 38 while teammate Ryan Braun hit 33 for a total of 71 long balls between them. The big question is how do you keep both of these first baseman in the line-up, Cabrera has already been reported as saying that he can move to 3B but having Fielder at 1B and Cabrera at 3B seems like a real stretch, teams would be bunting left and right. Sure one of these guys can DH but both Fielder and Cabrera are over weight and playing in the field helps to control that to some degree, have one sitting on the bench can’t be a good thing. A home run combo like Cabrera and Fielder made me wonder what kind of power combinations the Twins have fielded over the years. Here is what I found.
| Rank | Year | # Home Runs | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1964 | 81 | Killebrew – 49 | Allison/Oliva – 32 |
| 2 | 1963 | 80 | Killebrew – 45 | Allison – 35 |
| 3 | 1962 | 77 | Killebrew – 48 | Allison – 29 |
| 4 | 1961 | 75 | Killebrew – 46 | Allison – 29 |
| 5 | 1969 | 73 | Killebrew – 49 | Oliva – 24 |
| 6 | 1967 | 68 | Killebrew – 44 | Allison – 24 |
| 7 | 1986 | 65 | Gaetti – 34 | Hrbek – 31 |
| 7 | 1987 | 65 | Hrbek – 34 | Gaetti – 31 |
| 7 | 2006 | 65 | Morneau – 34 | Hunter – 31 |
| 8 | 1966 | 64 | Killebrew – 39 | Oliva – 25 |
| 8 | 1970 | 64 | Killebrew – 41 | Oliva – 23 |
| 9 | 2009 | 62 | Cuddyer – 32 | Morneau – 30 |
| 10 | 1984 | 59 | Brunansky – 32 | Hrbek – 27 |
| 10 | 2007 | 59 | Morneau – 31 | Hunter – 28 |
Twins roster make-up over the years
Major league baseball roster rules have changed now and then over the years. Beginning in 1957, teams were required to reduce their active rosters to 28 players by opening day, with the final reduction to 25 players coming 30 days later. Starting 1968, the 25 man limit was in effect from opening day, although teams were allowed to carry 40 players after August 31. There was an exception in 1990 due to the spring training lock-out and that year teams were allowed 27 players until May 1 and then had to reduce the roster to 25 through August 31.
In today’s game we know that teams often carry more pitchers on the 25 man roster that they have in the past. I was curious to see what impacts we could find on Twins rosters going back to 1961. Would I find the Twins carrying more pitchers now then they did back then? Would I find any correlation to roster make-up based on if the team did well in the standings or had a bad year? Did certain managers want more bench players versus pitchers? What did I find?
I found that in the 51 years that the Twins have played ball that the least amount of hitters that the team has had in a single season on the active roster is 17 and that occurred in 1978 and again in 1994, the most hitters that the Twins have had on the active roster in any single season was 25 in 1993. That averages out to 21.18 different hitters/position players each season. As for the pitchers, the fewest pitchers the Twins used any season was 12 back in 1967 and again in 1972. The most pitchers taking the mound in any season in a Twins uniform was 24 and that happened twice, in 2009 and 2011. The average number of pitchers used by the Twins since 1961 is 16.92 per season. If you look at the chart below you can make a case that the number of hitters/position players used each season is staying relatively constant but the pitchers line seems to clearly indicate that the numbers of pitchers that major league clubs (at least the Twins) need each season is a steady upward trend.
Between 1965-1981 the Twins always used between 12 to 15 pitchers with one exception and that was 1978 and that year they used 16 pitchers. The DH came into play in 1973 but that rule change had very little to no impact on Twins pitchers. The Twins used just 16 pitchers each season from 1973-1977.
Why is the number of pitchers needed each season going up? Your guess is as good as mine. Is it pitchers pitching less innings? Are pitchers getting hurt more often? Are managers giving pitchers fewer opportunities to work themselves out of jams? Are teams just less patient with pitchers now then they were in the past? Is it pitch counts? Does it have to do with how the pitchers work out in the off-season? Who knows.
I find it interesting too that there have only been three years when the Twins have had more pitchers on the roster that hitter/position players and that was in 1989 and again in 2009 and 2011. In 2010 the Twins used 21 pitchers and 21 hitters.
Another thing that comes to mind is that “back in the day” there were double-headers being played all the time and the number of pitchers the teams used was down compared to now when there are no schedule double-headers. Strange but true.
So what conclusion can I draw here? Not much other than the fact that the numbers of pitchers used by teams today is greater than what was used in the past but we already knew that, didn’t we?
Something else that we can take away from this is that we need to understand that no matter what the 25 man roster may look like on Opening Day, you can be assured that by the time the season comes to and end, regardless if the Twins finish first, last, or somewhere in between that the Twins roster will change as the Twins use an average of 38.09 players each season.
Still, it was a fun thing to research on a cold January day as the snow falls on the great state of Minnesota. We have not had very much snow or cold weather for that matter so I have little to gripe about there.