Tag: Brian Dozier

Watching the Twins lose to the Pirates 2-1

We attended our final Twins spring training game yesterday as we watched the Twins lose 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a sunny day albeit only 60 degrees at game time with a stiff wind blowing to left field. Ricky Nolasco started for the home town nine and pitched a strong 4 innings giving up just one hit while striking out three in his tune-up for opening day against the White Sox in Chicago. It was a fast paced (2 hours and 24 minutes) game with little hitting but it still had some interest when a mini bean-ball war broke out. Pirates starter Brandon Cumpton threw a pitch that catcher Kurt Suzuki was just able to get his face out of the way of and that started the ball rolling. Not too longer after that Anthony Swarzak nailed Tony Sanchez and then Oswaldo Arcia took one in the back and both benches ended up with a warning.

Swarzak’s pitching line came to an end after two innings when a line drive off the bat of Travis Snider struck him in the forearm, but Swarzak grabbed the ricochet and threw the batter out. As he walked off the field, the Pirates were yelling something at Swarzak and he stopped to yell back. Things got a bit testy before Swarzak was pulled away. The Pirates who had brought a lot of players to Hammond Stadium were all on the top step of their dugout ready to mix it up with the Twins but it never came to that.

The old saying is that if you give the team a freebie like the Pirates did when catcher Tony Sanchez dropped Arcia’s easy pop up behind the plate it will come back to bite you and it certainly held true here when Arcia hit a rocket out to right-center field that just cleared the fence for a home run and gave the Twins a short-lived 1-0 lead. The lead did not last long however, as the Pirates loaded the bases with two-out and a ground ball was hit to first baseman Joe Mauer who knocked it down and then panicked trying to pick up the ball and by the time he had it under control the Pirates runner from second base was racing home with the winning run and Mauer’s throw to the plate was too late.

Shortstop Pedro Florimon who is just coming back from an appendectomy was his normal self, he made an error on an easy play and then made a very nice play later in the game. With the bat, Florimon seemed lost but that is really nothing new for Pedro. Manager Gardenhire said after the game that maybe Florimon’s bat is not ready yet and he may not be in the opening day line-up. On the plus side the Twins did turn two nice double plays.

There were 6,585 fans at the game but we had very little to cheer about and it was so quiet for most of the game that you could hear a pin drop. There is not a lot of excitement with this Twins team this spring and with an 8-14 record which is second worst in the AL there seems to be little hope for the up-coming season.

The Twins pitching is not that bad but their hitting this spring is a whole different story. Let’s take a quick look at the batting averages for the Twins starters –

C – Suzuki – .200
1B – Mauer – .300
2B – Dozier – .255
SS – Florimon – .150
3B – Plouffe – .239
LF – Willingham – .056
CF – Hicks – .318
RF – Arcia – .256
DH – Kubel – .195
 
Tom Brunansky
Tom Brunansky

Between them the leading home run hitter has 2 (Arcia) and the RBI leader has 6 (Arcia again). Both Eduardo Escobar (9) and Chris Colabello (8) have more RBI then any of the starters and they are not assured of even making this team. I just can’t see this current line-up staying intact for very deep into the season. If this team gets off to a bad start there will be changes galore in no time. Before spring training started I thought this team had a chance to finish at .500 with the improved pitching, now I am thinking they will still be better than last year but will fall short of the .500 mark. The hitting on this team this spring is just plain appalling, where is that great hitting coach Brunansky now when they need him. I have not heard Brunansky’s name mentioned in weeks, is he still part of the coaching staff? Then again the case could certainly be made that you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear….

But in the end it is still spring training and no one but the Diamondbacks has lost a game yet so there is still hope that the hit fairy will bless the Twins bats and that they will come to life in Chicago. Come on Twins, give me a reason to watch you play ball every day this summer. Please!

It’s almost that time

The weather was great again yesterday albeit a little windy when I stopped out at Hammond Stadium yesterday to see what was going on with the Twins. The Twins semi with all the baseball supplies arrived yesterday and there was no time being wasted getting it unloaded. The pitchers and catchers are due to report this coming week-end and the first workout I believe is scheduled for Monday so the 2014 season preparation is just days away.

The early camp arrivals continue to work on several of the fields. With more arrivals each day, they now take hitting on two fields and there is infield going on at another. Joe Lepel and Tommy Watkins busy throwing batting practice and providing some tips along the way.

 

Miguel Sano
Miguel Sano

Miguel Sano continues to work both on his hitting and on his fielding. The man is not afraid to work hard and that is a plus. Sano gets bigger every time I see him. The word at the ballpark is that he is about 255 but he could be heavier than that. But that weight does not look bad on him, there is a lot of muscle there. Sano is not like a lot of players that are always moving 100 MPH from here to there, he moves slowly, almost in a plodding fashion as he goes from field to field. At third base he is no Brooks Robinson but he seems to make the normal plays he should and his throws have not been as bad as I have heard. His throws to second base and first base are not always chest high but his throwing is better than I expected. Sano has also been working hard on his English language skills and he is willing to step up and answer questions from the press and he looks fairly comfortable, you have to give him credit for that. Sano did a short interview with Chris Parks from ABC-7 and I also captured it here so that you could all get a chance to hear it. The Sano sound bite can be found here. Sano sound bite can be found here – 140211_001.

 

Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier

I also captured a sound bite with Brian Dozier that was also done by Chris Parks and with the wind conditions it is a bit rough but you still get the gist of it – 140211_002. I don’t think that there is a microphone or recorder that Dozier will pass up, he is always willing to talk to anyone that is willing to listen. If you need a comment or sound bite then Dozier is your guy, I think he is quickly becoming the new Twins spokesman and I think he will become one of the leaders on this Twins team. I like Eddie Rosario as a hitter but I don’t think he will be taking Dozier’s job anytime soon.

Jason Bartlett
Jason Bartlett

Shortstop Jason Bartlett is out there everyday and working hard, I know that spring training has not started and not a single pitch has been thrown yet but I will tell you this, I think that the 34-year-old Bartlett who was out of baseball in 2013 is going to give Pedro Florimon a run for his money this spring. Bartlett looks to be a in great shape and is already helping other players with their skills.

By the way, one of my favorite Twins-to-be, Max Kepler turned 21 on February 10th, hard to believe, it seems like he has been around longer than that. Happy Birthday Max and welcome back to Ft. Myers.

As is normal during my visits to the ballpark, I took a few more pictures that you can find in the 2014 Spring Training link on the right hand side of the page.

It makes me wonder

 

Eddie Rosario
Eddie Rosario

What the heck was Eddie Rosario thinking after failing his first test and then doing whatever he did to fail a second test? The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball announced yesterday that Minnesota Twins Minor League second baseman Eddie Rosario has received a 50-game suspension without pay after a second positive test for a drug of abuse in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. Rosario is one of the Twins top prospects and has a bright future in baseball and he does something like this just before possible making his major league debut with Minnesota in 2014? I know that youngsters make mistakes and I sure hope that this one wakes Rosario up and gets him thinking straight again.”It’s disappointing, but now he has to pay the consequences and be accountable,” Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. “Losing 50 games, that’s a huge setback. That’s a lot of development time, a lot of learning that he’ll miss. It sets back his progression [toward] going up to the big leagues. But young people make mistakes, and hopefully he learns from it.”

What the Minnesota Twins TV contract pays them and what is the length of the contract? According to recent reports the Philadelphia Phillies’ new deal with Comcast SportsNet is for 25 years, and the contract is worth $2.5 billion in addition to an equity stake and ad revenue. The rights fee will be paid out on a schedule that increases about 3 to 4% per year, averaging out to $100MM per season over the 25-year term. An average of $100MM per season? That is a good start on your annual payroll.

Lucrative television contracts for Major League Baseball teams are not new. The New York Yankees signed a 12-year, $486 million deal with the Madison Square Garden Network in 1988, a deal that propelled them to an improved financial situation. While teams were trying to improve finances through the“stadium boom”of the 199s and early 2000s, the Yankees were again striking gold with television money. They formed their own network in 2002, and immediately began reaping the benefits. The Yankees received an estimated $85 million per year from YES beginning with the 2013 season, a figure that could pay off 41 percent of their projected payroll of $207 million before selling a single ticket, hot dog or jersey. Prior to the 2010 season, the Texas Rangers signed a deal with Fox Sports Southwest worth $80 million per year. The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim raised the bar for television contracts in December of 2011 when they reached a $3 billion, 20-year deal with Fox Sports. None, however, can come close to the level of the deal struck between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Fox Sports late in 202. The deal will pay out an unprecedented $6-$7 billion over the next 25 years. That translates to $240-$280 million in revenue per year. But not all teams are on the same pay scale, the St. Louis Cardinals for example are stuck with a deal that pays out a paltry $14 million per year and does not expire until 2017. A number of small-market teams are locked into similar deals for under $20 million per year including the Florida Marlins ($18 million per year) and Pittsburgh Pirates ($18 million) that will certainly affect budgets for re-signing players and making bids on free agents.

Terry Ryan (courtesy of SI.com)
Terry Ryan (courtesy of SI.com)

If GM Terry Ryan is done tinkering with the Twins line-up. This off-season Ryan has stated repeatedly that the Twins needed starting pitching but that the Twins offense also needs help. Only the Houston Astros and Chicago White Sox scored fewer runs in the AL then the Twins sad total of 614. The Red Sox led the AL in runs scored with 853, that is a difference of 239 runs or 1.48 runs per game when compared to the Twins. I sure hope that Ryan doesn’t think that bringing back Jason Kubel on a minor league make good deal solves that problem. At this time the Twins payroll sits around $70 million with 3 arbitration eligible players in Brian Duensing, Trevor Plouffe and Anthony Swarzak that will probably get a total of $7 million or $8 million between them. After that most of the rest of the roster will not get much above league minimum so my guess is that the Twins will start the 2014 season with a payroll of about $85-$88 million, a jump of about $10-$13 million from the 2013 open day payroll. I was hoping for better coming off three miserable seasons in a row. I know that money does not buy you a pennant or happiness for that matter but I also know that you get what you pay for in the long run.

Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier

Why does 2B Brian Dozier get so little respect. Numerous fantasy baseball prognosticators have Dozier rated as one of MLB worst second baseman, rating him in the bottom 33% in all of baseball. I know he only hit .244 but he hit 18 home runs, scored 72 times, knocked in 66 runs and stole 16 bases. I know that fantasy baseball does not take defense into consideration and Dozier did pretty well with his glove but those are some pretty decent numbers for a middle infielder in spite of the low average. The Twins don’t seem to be doing anything to promote Dozier as an up and coming player either and you often hear that Rosario is the 2B of the future. Sometimes we just don’t appreciate what we have and keep thinking that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. I say that Dozier will be better than you think and will become a leader on this Twins team that has no face to it.

Why shortstop Stephen Drew is still unsigned on the free agent market. I would love to see the Twins open their wallet and sign the 30-year-old Drew to a three-year deal for say $25 million. That is not cheap but I don’t see any shortstops in the Twins minor league system that are ready for the big leagues either.

Miguel Sano
Miguel Sano

What the date will be when Trevor Plouffe becomes Miguel Sano‘s caddie. Although I think that Miguel Sano will start the season in AAA Rochester, I see him in Minnesota as the Twins stating 3B before Memorial Day. I for one can’t wait to see Sano in Minnesota and Plouffe on the bench or with another team.

Just a few thoughts on a cold winter day in Minnesota when the high temperature today will stay below zero and the high temperature for tomorrow is predicted to be a -15 degrees. Holy Cow! I can’t wait to get down to Ft. Myers and catch some spring training action.

Keep what you have or do you take what is behind this door?

2013 has just about come to a close and spring training is 41 days away and the MLB free agent list still has numerous serviceable players looking for work. The plums of the free agent market have pretty much been plucked but there are still a few decent players out there. The fact that Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka was dangling in the wind probably has a lot to do with some of the top rated free agent starters still on the market not signing but now that he has been posted thing may start to break free. If you look at the available free agents you can see how some positions have been stripped bare and others still have innumerable free agents still in the unemployed corner. Strangely enough with everyone looking for starting pitching there seems to be plenty of arms still on the market, sure, they are not aces but they can certainly fill a spot in many teams rotations.

I thought it would be interesting to compare some of what I deem to be top free agents still looking for work to what might be the 2014 Twins team when they head to Chicago to open play in 2014. If you compare the free agent and the corresponding Twins player, who would you rather see in a Twins uniform? Don’t forget what it might cost to sign this free agent versus the player the Twins currently have because you don’t have an unlimited checkbook. This is just a fun little exercise to help you get through these cold snowy days in Minnesota as you wait the hear that “play ball” call once again. Are any of these free agents possible Twins in your eyes?

Position Free Agents Twins
Catcher John Buck Josmil Pinto
1B Mark Reynolds Joe Mauer
2B Chris Getz Brian Dozier
SS Stephen Drew Pedro Florimon
3B Michael Young Trevor Plouffe
LF Chris Coghlan Josh Willingham
CF Reed Johnson Aaron Hicks
RF Nelson Cruz Oswaldo Arcia
DH Kendrys Morales Chris Parmelee
SP Matt Garza Ricky Nolasco
SP Ervin Santana Phil Hughes
SP Masahiro Tanaka Kevin Correia
SP Ubaldo Jimenez Mike Pelfrey
SP Bronson Arroyo Sam Deduno
CL Grant Balfour Glen Perkins

Interactive Whiteboards by PolyVision

Stephan Drew
Stephan Drew

I don’t know how much it would take to sign Stephen Drew but I wouldn’t mind seeing him play some short here in Minnesota. I also would like to see Michael Young play some 3B instead of Trevor Plouffe while waiting for Miguel Sano to slide into that 3B position. Both probably looking for more than the Twins want to spend but if I was Mr. Ryan I would open my checkbook and get Drew’s John Henry on a Twins contract, he would be a huge upgrade and there is no prospect beating down the shortstop door in Minnesota. Tanaka would be a slick addition but I can’t see him wanting to play here plus the financial risk of paying that much for an unproven MLB player is more than I would like to do. There are a few relief pitchers that I did not include on this list that would be nice in the Twins bullpen too.

I used the ESPN MLB Free Agent tracker to determine who was still available, are there players on the list you would like to see in the home dugout at Target Field that I did not mention here?

Who can hit leadoff for Twins?

The Twins have not had a decent leadoff hitter since Denard Span was traded after the 2012 season and he was a good leadoff man, not a great one. This past season the hitters that Ron Gardenhire sent up to the plate to hit lead off for the Twins were just plain dismal.

Rk Player G OBP PA AB R H HR RBI SB BB SO BA
1 Darin Mastroianni 3 .357 14 12 2 3 0 0 1 2 2 .250
2 Alex Presley 27 .339 121 112 9 32 1 11 1 8 21 .286
3 Clete Thomas 17 .312 77 69 12 16 2 5 0 8 21 .232
4 Brian Dozier 74 .310 344 312 40 79 12 44 7 23 63 .253
5 Jamey Carroll 26 .252 120 110 13 21 0 3 1 9 19 .191
6 Eduardo Escobar 9 .182 33 30 4 3 0 1 0 3 4 .100
7 Aaron Hicks 10 .109 46 43 3 2 0 3 0 3 20 .047
8 Chris Parmelee 2 .000 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
9 Wilkin Ramirez 1 .000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .000
10 Ryan Doumit 1 .000 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
11 Chris Herrmann 2 .000 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 .000
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/22/2013.

 

Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier

The Twins could use Brian Dozier to hit lead off again but that is not his ideal spot in the batting order but yet Gardy might not have a choice. All things being equal, if you look a the projected Twins line-up the leadoff hitter should come from center field. But who will play center field for Minnesota in 2014? Unless something dramatic happens it looks like Darin Mastroianni, Alex Presley, and Aaron Hicks will battle it out this spring in Ft. Myers to see will open the season as the Twins center fielder.

Darin Mastroianni
Darin Mastroianni

Mastroianni spent most of 2013 on the DL and if you look at his major league OBP, it stands at .298 which is not very good but it is a small sample size of just 230 at bats. In the minor leagues Mastroianni had a .370 OBP but that is in the minors. Darin is 28 years old so he is not the Twins center fielder of the future by any means and is best suited in a back-up role but that doesn’t mean he might not start the season in center field.

Alex Presley
Alex Presley

Alex Presley who the Twins acquired from Pittsburgh last season in the Justin Morneau trade is also 28 and he was OK in that role at the tail end of last season but nothing in his past major league stats indicates that he could put up the same kind of numbers over a 162 game schedule. In the minors Presley had a .352 OBP but again, that is in the minors. He too has a shot at being the Twins center fielder on Opening Day but he too might just be a placeholder.

Aaron Hicks
Aaron Hicks

The ideal man for the job is 24 year-old Aaron Hicks but when the Twins gave him the job in 2013 he hit for a .047 average and his OBP was a microscopic .109 in the 46 plate appearances that Gardy gave him in that role. Hicks would like to get the 2013 season in his rear view mirror and start his major league anew in 2014 but who knows if the Twins brain trust will let him start the season with the Twins in Chicago. The Twins sent Hicks down to  prove he belongs in the big leagues after hitting .192 in 81 games and Hicks responded by hitting all of .222 in the 22 games he played in Rochester. The Twins sent Hicks a message by not recalling him in September and Hicks had better come to Florida with a chip on his shoulder and play like a man possessed if he want to be the Twins opening day center fielder because he has something to prove to Gardy and Terry Ryan. Then again, Hicks had a fantastic spring training in 2013 and yet when the season started Hicks flopped big time. Hicks could very well start the season in Rochester and have to beat the Twins door down to prove he belongs in the big leagues with Minnesota. Dozier did it in 2013 and Hicks can do it this year. This team needs Hicks as their center fielder.

Looking back in Twins history to see who the best Twins leadoff hitters have been from a OBP perspective you have to admit that Chuck Knoblauch was the best the Twins have ever had. I know that Knoblauch was a jerk at times and a stuck up snob much of the time but the man played some good baseball for the Twins and it is a joke that he is not in the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame.  Hopefully he will get voted in this year, remember that you are voting for him for what he did in a Twins uniform on the ball field, not how he choses to live his life. While you are voting, put a “X” down next to Cesar Tovar too, he also deserves to be in the Twins HOF.

 Best OBP hitting lead off with 100 games or more

Chuck Knoblauch

Rk Player Year G OBP PA AB R H HR RBI SB BB SO BA
1 Chuck Knoblauch 1996 151 .448 699 577 140 197 13 72 45 97 74 .341
2 Chuck Knoblauch 1995 134 .423 620 530 105 175 11 63 45 77 94 .330
3 Denard Span 2009 145 .392 676 578 97 180 8 68 23 70 89 .311
4 Chuck Knoblauch 1997 155 .390 712 608 116 178 9 58 62 84 84 .293
5 Kirby Puckett 1986 128 .375 592 558 103 189 25 77 15 26 74 .339
6 Lenny Green 1962 149 .367 713 609 96 165 14 62 8 87 36 .271
7 Cesar Tovar 1971 142 .364 653 598 90 191 1 41 18 41 34 .319
8 Otis Nixon 1998 107 .360 498 446 71 132 1 20 37 44 55 .296
9 Cesar Tovar 1970 156 .356 721 646 119 194 10 54 30 51 46 .300
10 Jacque Jones 2002 133 .346 606 558 92 169 25 81 6 37 123 .303
Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
Generated 12/22/2013.

Twins announce their annual Diamond Award winners

The Minnesota Twins announced their Diamond Award winners yesterday and they are:

MVP – Joe Mauer

Pitcher of the Year – Glen Perkins

Most Outstanding Rookie – Caleb Thielbar

Most Improved Twin – Brian Dozier

Media Good Guy – Brain Dozier

Defensive Player of the Year – Pedro Florimon

Bob Allison Award for all-around contribution on and off the field – Justin Morneau

Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier

If Twins Trivia were handing out these same awards they would go out like this and Brian Dozier would need a wheelbarrow to haul his awards home.

MVP – Brian Dozier

Pitcher of the Year – Glen Perkins

Most Outstanding Rookie – Caleb Thielbar

Most Improved Twin – Brian Dozier

Media Good Guy – Brain Dozier

Defensive Player of the Year – Brian Dozier

Bob Allison Award for all-around contribution on and off the field – Justin Morneau

A little of this and a little of that

Kevin Chapman‘s wild pitch scored Ryan Doumit with the go-ahead run in the 12th inning of the Twins’ 9-6 win at Houston. The last time Minnesota won a game in this manner was on September 20, 1984, when the White Sox’ Bert Roberge wild-pitched home Tom Brunansky in the 13th inning at the Metrodome.

Ron Gardenhire
Ron Gardenhire

The Twins are now 8-7 in extra-innings this season. Since the start of the 1961 season, the Twins have an all-time extra-inning record of 384-345-2. Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire seems to like extra-inning baseball and has a career-record of 107-72, a .598 winning percentage since he took the managers job in 2002. Gardy is just 7 wins short of getting 1,000 wins as a manager, I think he is going to get it soon. A real nice achievement!

Did you know that prior to the Twins retiring Bert Blyleven‘s number 28 that it was the lowest number that no MLB team had retired?

Chuck KnoblauchBrian Dozier hit home run number 17 last night and is the all-time Twins leader in home runs hit by a second baseman in a single season. Dozier now has 51 extra base hits this season, the only Twins second baseman with more are Chuck Knoblauch with 53 in 1994 and 1995, Todd Walker with 56 in 1998 and the leader is Chuck Knoblauch with 62 in 1996.

The Twins finished August having struck out 291 times in 30 games, the highest total of strikeouts by any team in one month in major-league history. That works out to 9.7 strike outs per game. When you attend a Twins game be sure to hold on to your hat cause there is a lot of whiffing going on.

Only one player in Twins history has won the Twins team triple crown by leading the team in home runs, RBI, and average, who was he?

Twins Farm System logoThe Twins seven minor league teams finished the 2013 regular season with a 411-345 record, good for a .544 winning percentage. Not too shabby at all. The AAA-Rochester Red Wings at 77-67, the High A-Ft. Myers Miracle at 79-56 and the Cedar Rapids Kernels at 88-50 are all play-off bound. The only teams with losing records were the AA-New Britain Rock Cats at 66-76 and the Rookie league GCL Twins at 28-32. The Rookie league Elizabethton E-Twins finished their season at 37-31, good for third place. The DSL (Dominican Summer League) Twins finished in fourth place with a 36-33 record. Since 2000, the Twins minor league teams have had a losing record twice, in 2010 and 2011. If you are interested in learning more about the Twins minor league history, stop by http://wp.me/P1YQUj-1jd .

Will Dozier become top Twins 2B home run slugger?

Tim TeufelTwins second baseman Brian Dozier has put on a nice power display this season while playing a position that is not expected to hit for power, at least not for the Minnesota Twins. The most home runs hit by a keystone position player was back in 1973 when Davey Johnson hit 43 long balls for the Atlanta Braves. The only other 2B to hit 40 or more home runs in a single season is Ryne Sandberg who hit 40 for Chicago’s Cubbies in 1990. The most home runs hit by an AL 2B was 39 by Alfonso Soriano of the Yankees back in 2002. No Twins 2B has come close to those kind of power numbers and the Twins top long ball hitting 2B is Tim Teufel who hit 14 in 1984. Here is a list of Twins second baseman that have hit 10 or more home runs in a single season while playing at least 75% of their games at second base.

 

Rk Player HR Year Age G AB R H 2B 3B RBI BB SO HBP SB BA OBP OPS
1 Tim Teufel 14 1984 25 157 568 76 149 30 3 61 76 73 2 1 .262 .349 .749
2 Rod Carew 14 1975 29 143 535 89 192 24 4 80 64 40 1 35 .359 .421 .919
3 Chuck Knoblauch 13 1996 27 153 578 140 197 35 14 72 98 74 19 45 .341 .448 .965
4 Brian Dozier 12 2013 26 103 380 51 92 25 4 48 35 81 5 9 .242 .312 .736
5 Todd Walker 12 1998 25 143 528 85 167 41 3 62 47 65 2 19 .316 .372 .845
6 Bernie Allen 12 1962 23 159 573 79 154 27 7 64 62 82 0 0 .269 .338 .741
7 Chuck Knoblauch 11 1995 26 136 538 107 179 34 8 63 78 95 10 46 .333 .424 .911
8 John Castino 11 1983 28 142 563 83 156 30 4 57 62 54 1 4 .277 .348 .751
9 Luis Rivas 10 2004 24 109 336 44 86 19 5 34 13 53 1 15 .256 .283 .715
10 Tim Teufel 10 1985 26 138 434 58 113 24 3 50 48 70 3 4 .260 .335 .734
Brian Dozier
Brian Dozier

It will be very interesting to see what happens next with Brian Dozier. Dozier has been playing great on defense and showing signs of becoming a better hitter. Hitting lead-off is not Dozier’s strong suit due to his poor OBP but since Gardy has no one else to fill the role, Dozier has been doing his best. Dozier is only 26 and in only his first full big league season so he still has a lot to learn but in my eyes he has earned the position. The question is if he can keep it since the Twins having been grooming Eddie Rosario for that role ever since they moved Rosario from the outfield a couple of years ago. Rosario may well be the better hitter long-term but you need a good defender at 2B and right now Dozier seems to fit the bill.

By the way, did you ever wonder why 2B is called the keystone position? Here is a nice explanation I found – It’s because first, second and third base can be connected to form an arch (think of the curved cut of the grass around the infield, for example) 2nd base is at the middle or top of the arch, and the stone that is put into the top of the arch is called a keystone. Ergo, the keystone position.

According to Elias

Andrew Albers
Andrew Albers

Andrew Albers shut out the Indians last night 3-0 after he threw 8 1/3 scoreless innings last Tuesday in his big-league debut against the Royals. Albers is the first pitcher not to allow a run in either of his first two games in the major leagues, while pitching at least eight innings in each game, since Baltimore’s Tom Phoebus began his career with consecutive shutouts in September 1966.

Brian Dozier‘s solo home run and Trevor Plouffe‘s two-run shot accounted for the Twins’ scoring in Monday night’s 3-0 win over the Indians. Minnesota’s last 22 runs have been scored on home runs, the longest such streak by a major-league team since the Phillies scored 22 straight runs with homers back in 2002.

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.