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
Another day and another player making his major league debut as a Minnesota Twin.
Josh Rabe (OF) – July 17, 2006 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 11th round of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. His big league debut took place at the Dome and he pinch-ran for Jason Kubel but did not score in a 8-1 Twins win over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.
To see other Major League Debuts as Minnesota Twins
Ft. Myers Miracle (High A) outfielder (yes, another center-fielder) Tanner English, 24, was named the Twins Player of the Week ending July 15. The right-handed hitting English hit .450 (9-for-20) with a double, two triples, three home runs and seven RBI on the week. In 49 games for the Miracle this season English is batting .240 (40-for-167) with nine doubles, five home runs and 27 RBI.
English was originally a 13th round selection in the 2011 MLB Draft out of high school by the Tampa Bay Rays but decided to go to college. English was drafted in the 11th round of the 2014 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of South Carolina and signed by Minnesota for a reported bonus of $105,000.
Brian Dozier hit a leadoff home run in the Twins’ 4–2 win at Houston last night. It was the second time in a span of less than a year that Dozier has led off consecutive games with homers, having also done so last September. No other player in franchise history has more than one streak of at least two straight games hitting a leadoff home run.
Brian Dozier extended his Twins all-time franchise record for career leadoff homers last night, slugging the 22nd of his career. Dozier passed Jacque Jones Friday night with his 21st career leadoff home run. His 22 leadoff home runs are tied third most in the majors since his debut season in 2012. Dozier is tied with Shin-Soo Choo and trails only Charlie Blackmon (25) and Ian Kinsler (24) in that span.
Batting in the first spot in the order, Dozier also ranks in the top 10 in Twins history in
home runs (1st, 88), RBI (3rd, 226), walks (4th, 161), runs (5th, 256), doubles (5th,
98), hits (7th, 409), and triples (tied 9th, 10).
Just one player made his debut in a Twins uniform on July 16th.
Adam Johnson (P) – July 16, 2001 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st round (2nd) of the 2000 MLB June Amateur Draft. Adam Johnson started against the Cardinals in Busch Stadium II and pitched 6 innings allowing 3 earned runs on seven hits, one walk and five strikeouts but took a ND in this Twins 3-2 win over the Cards.
The Astros defeated the Twins on Friday, 10–5, scoring in double digits for the fifth time in their last seven games. Houston has scored 73 runs in that stretch, the third-highest total for a major-league team this season. Washington scored 77 runs over the last seven days of April and had 76 runs from April 25 to May 2.
The Astros have won their last seven games against the Twins, the last six of which they’ve won by at least five runs. That ties the longest streak of that kind over the last 89 seasons (1929 to date); the most recent instance was by the White Sox against the Tigers spanning the 1995 and 1996 seasons.
The Minnesota Twins allowed the Athletics to steal a record-breaking seven bases but yet found a way to beat the last place bunch from Kansas City. The Twins proved that at least in this game, that power beats speed.
In the first inning the A’s scored two runs on a single hit, an error, a walk and four stolen bases. The Twins came back on a home run in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 2-1. The score remained 2-1 until Jack Aker relieved A’s starter Lew Krausse in the ninth inning. Harmon Killebrew greeted Aker with a game tying home run, his second of the game. Tony Oliva followed with another home run off Aker and the Twins walked off the running A’s 3-2. The Twins had but six hits but three were home runs and one was a double. Box Score
By the way, do you what a KO line-up is versus an OK line-up in Twins history?
The rest of the stories that I have done on the 1967 AL pennant race can be found here.
Today’s Major League debut as a Minnesota Twin on July 15 is:
Kevin Frederick (P) – July 15, 2002 – Drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 34th round of the 1998 MLB June Amateur Draft. Entered the Twins vs Angels game at the Dome in the top of the fifth with the Twins down 7-1 and pitched 1.2 inning allowing two hits and one run. Eventually the Twins came back to win 10-8.
Again just one player made his big league debut as a Minnesota Twin on July 14
Bill Campbell (P) – July 14, 1973 – Signed by the Minnesota Twins as an amateur free agent in September 1970. Finished the game with an inning of one hit relief in a 3-0 loss to the Indians at Met Stadium.
The Dodgers and Astros reside in the top spots of their respective leagues entering play today. Los Angeles owns the best record in the majors at 61–29, while Houston, at 60–29, holds a 16.5-game lead in the AL West, the largest divisional lead of any team currently in first place. No team in the wild-card era has failed to qualify for the postseason after winning at least 60 of their first 90 decisions of a season. The last team to fall short of the postseason after such a start was the 1993 Giants, who started the season 60–30 and finished 103–59, one game behind the Braves in the NL West.
The Dodgers and Astros are two of five teams that did not suffer a losing streak of four or more games before the All-Star break, along with the Diamondbacks, Indians, and Red Sox. It has been 60 years since the last time multiple teams finished a season with no four-game losing streaks. In 1957, the Milwaukee Braves and the New York Yankees, who opposed each other in that year’s World Series, both finished the regular season with no losing streaks of four or more games.
The All-Star game is now over and the Twins resume play on Friday against the 60-20 Houston Astros. The rumors are flying around that the Twins are looking for controllable pitching, both from a starting perspective and the bullpen. Will the Twins make any moves? Historically the organization has stood pat at the trade deadline but the Twins have a new captain at the helm so it will be very interesting to see what transpires there.
Another item not talked about much at all but that I think is very interesting and important is what will happen with manager Paul Molitor. Molitor is in year three of a three-year deal.
When Derek Falvey and Thad Levine moved to town it was apparently with the understanding that Molitor would stay on as the Twins manager in 2017. Well, 2017 is half over and the only mention I have heard about Molitor staying or leaving was a quick blurb that his situation would be resolved after the season ends.
I have stated here previously that I am not a big fan of Molitor as a MLB manager and to my way of thinking I have seen nothing after 2 1/2 years to change my mind. I see Molitor as a “Gene Mauch” type of manager, technically very bright but not a manager who can motivate today’s players, manage a winning team and sell his brand of baseball to the fans of Minnesota. To me he seems like a manager who thinks he can win with his managing skills versus letting the players play. He has to be one of the worst managers the team has ever had in terms of bullpen management and use and his line-ups have often wonder what the man is thinking . I have never heard anyone complain as much as he does about his bullpen being over worked.
I know that Molitor has worked with most of the Twins young players in the minors but what has he done in his term as the Twins skipper to take them to the next level and become big league caliber? Do the players respect him? I would have to guess the young players do but the older players, not so much. How do you explain the recent situation with Hector Santiago deciding to pitch the way he wanted versus following the game plan?
Does Molitor help sell tickets? I say no, most of the time he is unapproachable and ducks fans when ever he can, he is not one to talk baseball with the average fan. Baseball is entertainment and should be fun, Molitor makes every game look like a war.
I can’t help but wonder also how Molitor is enjoying his managing gig under Falvey and Levine. Every time I see him on TV he looks older and older and more stressed out. Does the man ever smile or laugh?
Molitor’s future may well depend on how the Twins fare during the rest of this season, it would be very difficult for Falvey and Levine to let Molitor go regardless of what they may think of him as the Twins manager if the Twins make the playoffs in 2017 although the odds of that happening are long. If you think you know what the future holds, you should be aware that baseball odds for the MLB are available at William Hill where you can put a few dollars down on your favorite team to win it all.
I think Molitor’s days as the Minnesota Twins manager are numbered and that at the end of the season he will walk away from his current job and both sides will be happier for it. But stranger things have happened in baseball and if you think
What do you think? Does Paul Molitor deserve to be the Twins go-forward manager?
