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Happy Halloween from owner Jim Pohlad and the Minnesota Twins

HAPPY HALLOWEEN
HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Halloween 2016 finds the Minnesota Twins in a waiting mode. After firing long-time GM Terry Ryan back in July and putting Rob Antony at the helm as the interim GM with his hands tied behind his back the good ship “Thelosingtwins” has been DIW and drifting aimlessly while they try to locate and bring on board the new captain they hired from the Cleveland Indians who are still playing baseball while many Twins players have already notched a couple dozen rounds of golf after putting their gloves and bats away for the winter.

Derek Falvey
Derek Falvey

The Minnesota Twins new Superman PBO is going to be Derek Falvey who will report to Minnesota as soon as The Indians beat the Cubbies in  the 2016 World Series which could be as early as Tuesday night or the next day if they need game seven. There are probably going to be a lot of changes in the Twins front office prior to the MLB Winter Meetings in National Harbor, Maryland on December 4-6. The current rumor is that the Twins new GM will be Thad Levine for the Texas Ranger organization. After that hire who knows whats next but the Twins field staff should not get too comfortable or buy any green banana’s.

The Minnesota Twins went heavy on the tricks versus treats in 2016. The Twins treated their fans to only 59 wins this season while playing nasty tricks on their fans on 103 occasions. Some of the bad plays that Twins players made this season surely must have been on purpose by bad actors because major league players shouldn’t play that bad.

Who knows what the Minnesota Twins have in store for 2017 and beyond but we can only hope to see more treats and fewer tricks. I was lucky enough to get in touch with Jim Pohlad recently to discuss the current state of the Minnesota Twins organization and here is our conversation.

Well there you have it, your Halloween message from the Minnesota Twins.

 

Way to go Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins will honor Jacob Wetterling and show support for his family by wearing a No. 11 patch on their red jerseys Friday night against the Indians. Twins officials said Cleveland players will also wear the patch in support of Jacob.

Jacob Wetterling was a fan of all sports and wore the No. 11 jersey as a child. The Wetterling family has asked people to use the number 11 as a symbol of hope to honor their son and show a commitment to making the world better for kids. Wetterling was kidnapped in October of 1989, and it was learned earlier this week that Danny Heinrich admitted to his abduction and murder.

The Twins will also have a moment of remembrance before Friday night’s game, and there will be a tribute graphic to Wetterling on an outfield wall the rest of the season.

Twins newest outfield wall sign is up and will remain there for the rest of the season as of 9/9/2016.
Twins newest outfield wall sign is up and will remain there for the rest of the season as of 9/9/2016.

Nice tribute by the Minnesota Twins.

Patch that the Twins will wear.
Patch that the Twins will wear.

 

Twins can’t be fixed unless they trade Joe Mauer

Joe MauerThe Minnesota have lots of issues that need fixing and in spite of their horrendous pitching the very first problem they need to address is Joe Mauer. I know Mauer is making $23 million a year but money is not the issue here. The problem here is that he is playing first base and hitting in one of the top three spots in the batting order while hitting .258 with 26 RBI in 337 plate appearances. Catcher Kurt Suzuki who hits in the bottom of the order is hitting .278 with 25 RBI in just 194 PA’s. I am not trying to show how good Suzuki is, I am trying to show how bad Mauer really is.

In spite of the money that Mauer makes and how poorly he hits, the most biggest problem with Mauer is that he is blocking lots of other moves that can make this team better. I know that Mauer has a no-trade clause and he wants to be a Twin for life but the time has come for Joe to move on. I like Mauer as a person but the reality is that the best thing for Joe and the Minnesota Twins is for him to say good-bye to the Land of 10,000 Lakes and join a contender. Joe deserves to be on a playoff contender as he plays his 13th season in the majors and his leaving would start a new era in Twins baseball. Mauer has been the face of the franchise for years but he has never been the Twins leader. To me it is ironic that an athlete that was good enough to be a catcher, a quarterback, and a point guard doesn’t have leadership skills. Mauer is a follower and not a leader but it is difficult for any other Twins player to step up and assume the leadership role as long as Mauer dons a Twins uniform.

Twins General Manager Terry Ryan (Pioneer Press: John Autey)
Twins General Manager Terry Ryan (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

GM Terry Ryan and the rest of the organization have to bite the bullet on this one and move Mauer to a team that works for him and probably receive very little in return unless they are willing to swallow a huge chunk of Mauer’s salary. There is just no way I can see Mauer starting for this team the next two plus years without hindering its progress. The team is out the money anyway so why not move Joe to a contender and free up a roster spot and make it a win/win for Mauer, the Twins and most of all, the fans.

It is hard to move forward when you have an anchor that keeps you in that same old spot. Lots of things in our life are not fun to do but these tasks still need to be done, life isn’t always a bowl of cherries. Step up Mr. Ryan and let’s get this deal done.

Why don’t Twins just jettison Jepsen?

Kevin Jepsen
Kevin Jepsen

Twins reliever Kevin Jepsen will be 32 years old in a month or so and he is pitching in his ninth season in the big leagues. Jepsen was selected in the second round by the Angels in 2002 and the Twins selected Jesse Crain just a few picks later. Like most pitchers, Jepsen started his career as a starter but was moved to the bullpen full-time in 2006 and he has not started a game since.

The Twins acquired Jepsen in a trade with Tampa for prospects Chih-Wei Huh and Alexis Tapia at the trade  deadline in 2015. Not unlike many of the relievers in MLB, Kevin Jepsen has had an up and down career. Very few relievers are consistent from year to year and if they are, they usually find themselves in a closer’s role.

Jepsen was a godsend for the Twins last season when he pitched great as the 8th inning guy before taking over the closer role from Glen Perkins in mid-August. 2016 has been one of those bad seasons for Jepsen from day 1. Jepsen has lost his closer role now but he has appeared in 32 games this season and pitched 29.2 innings. In his 29+ innings Jepsen has given up 42 hits and 12 walks and given up 22 runs, 21 of them earned. The man has pitched horrendously for the Twins while getting paid $5.3 million.

So what do you do with him? Why keep a reliever who is pitching poorly even if he is making a modest $5.3 million? But who will take a reliever off your hands that has given up 42 hits in 29+ innings and has a 6.37 ERA? Jepsen has pitched one clean (no hits or walks) inning in his last 23 appearances going back to April 25th. The Twins may not get much in return but there are teams that would take a chance on Jepsen because it is not unheard of for players like Jepsen to turn their year around with a change in scenery and he is a free agent after this season. Even if the Twins can’t get anyone to take Jepsen than just dump him and you still win, there has to be some minor league pitcher in the Twins system that deserves a look.

UPDATE: Kevin Jepsen was designated for assignment on July 3, 2016.

Twins minor league player of the week – Felix Jorge

TWINS MINOR LEAGUE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Felix JorgeFt. Myers Miracle (High A) right-handed pitcher Felix Jorge is the Twins minor league Player of the Week. Jorge made one start for the Miracle, allowing one run on six hits in 7.2 innings pitched, with no walks and six strikeouts against Lakeland on Wednesday.

The 22 year-old Jorge has made 11 starts for the Miracle this season, going 6-3, 1.59 ERA (73.2 IP, 13 ER) with 10 walks and 61 strikeouts.

Jorge has described by a Twins source as a poor man’s Ervin Santana. He has a thin body and doesn’t throw hard, but he has a good mix of pitches and throws strikes, lending hope that he can stick as a starter. Signed by the Minnesota Twins as a non-drafted free agent on Feb. 21, 2011 for $250,000.

Twins sign Dominican right-hander Felix Jorge

Twins Minor League Report June 19, 2016

Remembering 1965 – Part 35 – Versalles landslide winner in AL MVP voting

versalles, Zoilo 6The Minnesota Twins 25 year-old two-time All-Star shortstop became the first Twins player in their short five-year history to win the American League MVP award when he garnered 275 points, just five short of a perfect score. Second place finisher Tony Oliva received the only other first place vote. The Twins had four players in the top ten with pitcher Mudcat Grant finishing sixth and catcher Earl Battey finishing tenth.

Latino’s make up a large percentage of MLB team rosters today but back in the 60’s that was not the case. When Zoilo Versalles won the 1965 AM MVP award he became the first Latino to ever win a MVP award in the major leagues. Roberto Clemente, Juan Marichal, Orlando Cepeda, and Rod Carew are all Hall of Fame players and considered to be great Latino players but many other Latino players like Zoilo Versalles and Tony Oliva should not be forgotten for all the great contributions they made in establishing Latino’s as major league ball players. I am not saying that Versalles is a Hall of Fame player by any means but the man was a very good player and his play, particularly in 1965 should not be forgotten.

Sporting News Nov 27, 1965 P6

Sporting News Dec 6, 1965 P15

Remembering 1965 – Part 27 – Twins whip Dodgers 8-2 at the Met

Mudcat Grant
Mudcat Grant

October 6, 1965 – The Twins play their first World Series game at Metropolitan Stadium with 47,797 fans in the stands against the Los Angeles Dodgers and win the game 8-2 behind the complete game pitching of Mudcat Grant. Grant becomes the first African-American to win a World Series game. In the third inning the Twins scored six times and rookie second baseman Frank Quilici had a double and a single in the same inning in his first World Series game. Don Drysdale took the defeat. Don Mincher and Zoilo Versalles hit round trippers. Sandy Koufax (26-8) refuses to pitch the first game of the World Series against the Twins because game is scheduled on Yom Kippur, the most sacred of the Jewish holidays. Tony Oliva tied a World Series record for most putouts in a nine-inning game in right field (7). Box score

1965-world-series-openingHubert Humphrey, Vice-President of the United States, and a former mayor of Minneapolis threw out the ceremonial first pitch.

1965 Twins World Series game 1

According to ELIAS

Three extra-base hits by a Twins rookie

Eddie Rosario
Eddie Rosario

Twins rookie Eddie Rosario hit a double, a triple and a home run in Minnesota’s win over the Mariners on Thursday, six days after he recorded three doubles in a game against the Yankees. Rosario is the first Minnesota Twins rookie ever to have two games with at least three extra-base hits in one season. The only other rookie in the major leagues with two such games this season is the Cardinals’ Randal Grichuk. Source – ELIAS

Rosario went 3-5 last night, scored three times and knocked in three runs. Eddie Rosario fell a single short of becoming the 11th Twin and second Twins rookie to ever hit for the cycle (Gary Ward – 1980).

 

Walker dominates Twins

Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker

Taijuan Walker, who will turn 23 years old on August 13, threw a one-hit complete game and struck out 11 batters against the Twins on Friday. Since 1969, only four other pitchers have thrown a complete-game allowing no more than one hit with double-digit strikeouts before turning 23 years old: Dennis Eckersley in his no-hitter in 1977, Dwight Gooden in 1984, Kerry Wood in his 20-strikeout game in 1998, and Shelby Miller in 2013.

According to ELIAS

Hunter dials back the years

Torii HunterTorii Hunter followed his 4-for-4 performance on Friday with hits on each of his first three at-bats in the Twins’ 7-4 win at Cleveland. Hunter, whose first hit on Saturday was a home run, became the first 39-year-old with hits on seven straight ABs since Chili Davis did it for the Yankees in 1999. Hunter’s current manager, Paul Molitor, also had seven straight hits at age 39 for the Blue Jays in 1995. Source: ELIAS