Tag: Max Scherzer

According to ELIAS – Eddie Rosario & Bartolo Colon

Rosario hits a grand slam in his second first-inning AB

Eddie Rosario

After grounding out as his team’s second batter, Eddie Rosario then capped the Twins’ nine-run first inning with a grand slam as Minnesota went on to rout Arizona, 12–5. Only one other first-, second-, or third-place batter in franchise history had ever hit a bases-loaded home run in the first inning. On June 28, 1933, Hall of Famer Heinie Manush, batting second in the Washington Senators’ lineup, hit a first-inning grand slam in a 15–2 win at Cleveland.

Colon completes his bingo card against a team that didn’t exist when he debuted

 

Bartolo Colon

Bartolo Colon allowed four runs in six innings, but that was good enough to earn the victory in the Twins’ 12–5 win over the visiting Diamondbacks. Entering Sunday, Arizona was the only one of the 30 current major-league teams that the 44-year-old righty had never beaten. In fact, Colon made his major-league debut in 1997, one year before the D-Backs played their first game. Two other active pitchers have beaten all 30 teams – John Lackey and Max Scherzer.

Colon’s task was made easier when his teammates scored nine times in the first inning. Before Sunday, the most first-inning runs Colon had ever benefitted from in his previous 519 major-league starts was six, in an A’s win over the Astros on April 17, 2013.

Colon became the 18th pitcher in baseball history to record at least one win against all 30 big league teams.  The veteran righty was 0-2 in four previous career starts against the D’Backs, but he finally notched that elusive win in his 20th MLB season. Former Twins pitcher Kyle Lohse is also one of the 18 that has beaten all 30 teams.

Current Twins pitcher Ervin Santana has beaten 29 teams and still needs to beat the Brewers and former Twins pitcher Francisco Liriano is also one team short still searching for a way to beat the Marlins.

 

This, that, and the other thing

IMGP7217When I visited Hammond Stadium on Friday it was position player reporting day but a large contingent of the Twins position players were already on hand and going through some early work on their own. The real work started this morning. I took a number of pictures as I do every time I visit and posted them in my 2014 Spring Training link. I didn’t really see anything unusual and the highlight of my day was spending a few minutes after practice talking with Twins Hall of Fame member Eddie Guardado. Eddie looks the same as I remember him as an active player when he charged out to the mound and slammed the rosin bag to the turf before he took the mound to close out another Twins win. After spending some time talking with Eddie, I don’t know if there is a more humble former Twins player out there. I really enjoyed my short chat with “Every Day Eddie” and I hope I can set up a longer interview with him down the line.

 

Glen Perkins
Glen Perkins

After practice was over I wandered back to the minor league fields and complex to see what was happening back there. Some of the Twins major league players also spend time in the minor league complex working out or doing what ever they have to do back there. It was about 11:30 A.M. and most of the autograph seekers were gone and there was just two guys standing there waiting for autographs. I asked them who they were waiting for and they said they were waiting for closer Glen Perkins. I kind of laughed and wished them luck because Perkins has a reputation as one of the toughest Twins to get an autograph from. They were well aware of that since they had a couple of balls with all the others Twins autographs and they were just missing Perkins. We chatted for a while and I left to walk back over to the big league side. About 15 minutes later I saw both of the autograph seekers walking in my direction so I walked up to them and asked them if they finally got Perkins signature. “Hell no”, they said, the p&%k peeked out the door a couple of times to see if we were still there and then finally left quickly with a towel over his head. These guys were not happy and I don’t know if Perkins had seen them out there getting autographs day after day or what but these two guys were pretty disgusted. I know that players get mad when the same people get autographs day after day and sell them and make a few bucks but what is the big deal? If somebody makes a few dollars off a players signature is that really such a bad thing? Players like Perkins make plenty of money so why should they begrudge if someone sells his autograph for a few dollars. No one gets hurt and the economy keeps chugging along, it’s the American way. Here we have two guys that are upset because they didn’t get an autograph and Perkins further cements his reputation with some Twins fans as a greedy and sometimes surly egomaniac. I sure wish I would have been around to get a picture of Glen Perkins sneaking out with a towel over his head, I could have had some real fun with that.

Everybody is bemoaning the lack of strikeouts by the Twins starting pitchers. The last Twins pitcher to strike out at least 200 batters in a season was in 2010 when Francisco Liriano struck out 201 batters and since then no Twins starter has struck out more than 123 (Scott Baker in 2011) batters. In 2013 Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey tied for the strikeout lead on the club with 101. Those are pathetic numbers indeed. In the Minnesota Twins 53 year history there have been only seven Twins pitchers that have struck out 200 or more batters in a single season and between them they have done it a total of 20 times. Can you name those seven pitchers? I already told you who four of them are.

But here is an interesting “did you know that?” fact. Did you know that the 1967 Minnesota Twins were the first team in major league history to have three pitchers on their staff to record 200 or more strikeouts in a single season. In 1967 Dean Chance had 220, Jim Kaat had 211 and Dave Boswell had 204? Since then it was matched by the National League 1969 Houston Astros Don Wilson with 235, Larry Dierker with 222, and Tom Griffin with 200. The 2013 Detroit Tigers joined this list when Max Scherzer had 240, Justin Verlander had 217, and Anibal Sanchez had 202. I wonder if the Tigers can be the first team to do it in back-to-back seasons? It is tough to do once much less twice.

2013 BBA annual award winners

BBA LOGOThe Baseball Bloggers Alliance was formed in the fall of 2009 to encourage cooperation and collaboration between baseball bloggers of all major league teams as well as those that follow baseball more generally. As of this writing, the organization consists of 232 blogs spanning all 30 major league squads as well as general baseball writing.

 

2013 Connie Mack Award

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance holds annual award voting in various categories. The first of those awards, The Connie Mack Award, is given to the best manager in each league.

 American League – John Farrell – Boston Red Sox

The Red Sox skipper won the closest of all the votes held by the BBA this year. Garnering 38% of the vote, Farrell held off the Cleveland Indians’ Terry Francona by less than 3%.

Farrell took over a Red Sox team that was in shambles and had just traded away a good portion of the roster to free up payroll. Expectations entering 2013 were low but the team wouldn’t be held down. Farrell, fresh from his work in Toronto, stepped in and helped right the ship. His leadership led the team to the American League’s best record at 97-65. He would continue that success into the postseason and help the team capture the eighth championship in team history.

 National League – Clint Hurdle – Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates have steadily improved over the last few seasons but were left just short of a winning record each time. Still, the writing was on the wall and many felt this was the year Pittsburgh would compete late into the season. Those that believed in the Pirates were rewarded by a team that not only produced a winning record but nearly won their division and found themselves in the postseason. They defeated the Cincinnati Reds in the National League Wild Card Game in Pittsburgh to the delight of the home town crowd. Hurdle was the recipient of 79% of the vote from the BBA membership.

 Previous Connie Mack Award Winners

2012: Bob Melvin, Oakland; Davey Johnson, Washington

2011: Joe Maddon, Tampa; Kirk Gibson, Arizona

2010: Ron Washington, Texas; Bud Black, San Diego

2009: Mike Scioscia, Los Angeles of Anaheim; Jim Tracy, Colorado

 

Willie Mays Award

The Willie Mays Award is given by the Alliance to the top rookie in each league every year.

 American League – Wil Myers – Tampa Bay Rays

The center piece of the trade that sent James Shields to the Kansas City Royals, Myers was one of baseball’s top overall prospects going into the 2013 season. He would arrive on the scene in June and immediately show that the hype was worthy of his presence. Myers would finish the season hitting .293 with 13 home runs and 53 runs batted in while playing highlight reel defense. The Rays will feature Myers in the outfield for some time to come and his production will help fans accept the departure of Shields. Myers earned 95% of the BBA vote this year.

National League – Jose Fernandez – Miami Marlins

The National League winner had to withstand a late-season surge from Dodgers’ outfielder Yasiel Puig. Fernandez produced a season that could withstand Puig-mania and earned the BBA’s respect along the way with 71% of the vote.

Fernandez worked hard for an underwhelming group in Miami and often took things into his own hands to produce victory. His 12 wins and 2.19 earned run average over 28 starts was enough to garner a lot of attention for the youngster this year. Add his 187 strikeouts and a late-season no-hitter to the list and it became evident who the top rookie was in the National League in 2013.

Previous Willie Mays Award Winners

2012: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals

2011: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City/Jeremy Hellickson Tampa Bay (tie); Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta

2010: Neftali Feliz, Texas; Buster Posey, San Francisco

2009: Andrew Bailey, Oakland; Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh

 

Goose Gossage Award

The Goose Gossage Award honors the best relief pitchers in Major League Baseball. The award is the only award given by the BBA to have been awarded to the same player in consecutive years. This year, that player adds a third consecutive award to his virtual trophy case.

National League – Craig Kimbrel – Atlanta Braves

In 2011, Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel was awarded both the Goose Gossage and Willie Mays awards. Last season, Kimbrel received 87% of the vote to claim his second consecutive award as the National League’s premier relief pitcher. Kimbrel received an astonishing 90% of the vote from the Alliance to claim his third straight Goose Gossage Award. He would lead the National League in saves again this year, reaching the magical mark of 50 saves.

 American League – Koji Uehara – Boston Red Sox

Uehara joined the Red Sox this season and became one of the most polarizing figures on the team. His 21 saves were a key part of the Red Sox success this year and his continued success throughout the postseason made him a star. His 52% of the BBA vote was good enough to hold off Greg Holland of the Kansas City Royals, who garnered 36% of the BBA support for his fine season.

Previous Goose Gossage Award Winners

2012: Fernando Rodney, Tampa Bay; Criag Kmbrel, Atlanta

2011: Jose Valverde, Detroit; Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta

2010: Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay; Brian Wilson, San Francisco

 

 Walter Johnson Award

The Walter Johnson Award honors the pitcher in each league that excelled far beyond anyone else. This year’s award was a dominant choice in both leagues for the Alliance.

American league – Max Scherzer – Detroit Tigers

Scherzer’s sixth year in the league would easily be his most dominant. He led the American League with 21 wins as well as with a .875 winning percentage and 0.970 WHIP (Walks and Hits per Inning Pitched). He kept base runners off the base paths and away from scoring. A 2.90 earned run average would be backed up by 240 strikeouts over 214.1 innings. The Tigers’ pitcher was dominant throughout most of the season and the Alliance recognized that with 95% of their vote.

National League – Clayton Kershaw – Los Angeles Dodgers

Not to be outdone, Kershaw garnered 98% of the vote on the National League side of the BBA. While Kershaw would not win many games this season, he would not yield many runs, either. He would lead the league with a 1.83 earned run average. He would also lead the league in strikeouts with 232 and 0.915 WHIP. Kershaw proved once again to be dominant and the BBA recognized that by making him the first two-time winner of the Johnson award.

Previous Walter Johnson Award Winners

2012: Justin Verlander, Detroit; R.A. Dickey, New York Mets

2011: Justin Verlander, Detroit; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

2010: Felix Hernadez, Seattle; Roy Halladay, Philadelphia

2009: Zack Greinke, Kansas City; Tim Lincecum, San Francisco

 

Stan Musial Award

The Stan Musial Award, is given every year to the premier player in each league.

 American league – Mike Trout – Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Angels’ outfielder would garner his second-consecutive Musial Award by holding off the Tigers’ Miguel Cabrera once again in 2013. His .323 batting average, 27 home runs, 97 runs batted in, and league leading 109 runs and 110 walks were enough to convince the Alliance that he deserved the award once again. Trout earned 65% of the Alliance vote while Cabrera would take the other 35%, marking the second straight year that the two players would receive the only votes.

 National League – Andrew McCutchen – Pittsburgh Pirates

The Pirates phenomenal season comes to fruition for one of the team’s most consistent stars. McCutchen was the team’s leader on and off the field and the Alliance recognized his importance to the great run the Pirates produced. He would hit .317 with 21 home runs, 84 runs batted in, 97 runs, 38 doubles and 27 stolen bases for the Bucs. Cutch received 69% of the BBA vote to earn his first Musial award.

Previous Stan Musial Award Winners

2012: Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants

2011: Jose Bautista, Toronto; Matt Kemp, Los Angeles Dodgers

2010: Josh Hamilton, Texas; Joey Votto, Cincinnati

2009: Joe Mauer, Minnesota; Albert Pujols, St. Louis

 

2013 MLB award winners according to Twins Trivia

At the conclusion of every season the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized a similar role in Major League Baseball. When the BBA voting is completed, I will post the official announcements from the BBA.

 

Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) in the AL

Boston Red Sox Photo DayMy vote goes to John Farrell for leading the Boston Red Sox to the AL East title with a 97-65 record after the team finished dead last in that division in 2012 with 93 losses. An improvement of 28 games.

My second place vote goes to Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona for taking his team from 68 wins in 2012 to 92 wins in 2013 and finishing just one game behind the division winning Detroit Tigers.

My bronze vote goes to Oakland A’s skipper Bob Melvin. Nobody does more with less than Oakland does.

Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) in the NL

Clint Hurdle Easy choice for me here, Clint Hurdle leads the Pittsburgh Pirates to the playoffs for the first time in 21 years with 94 wins after finishing 79-83 in 2012. He is my NL Manager of the Year.

Second place vote stays in the same division with St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny right on Hurdle’s heels in this race after taking the division title over the second place Pirates.

The bronze vote might be a surprise to some but I am giving it to Florida Marlins skipper Mike Redmond for leading that motley crew to 62 wins. That is an amazing achievement!

 

Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) in the AL

Wil MyersMy AL Rookie of the Year is outfielder Wil Myers of the Tampa Bay Rays. This mid June call-up sparked the Rays offense and put up some very good numbers for roughly half a seasons work. Although he struck out 91 times, he did hit 13 home runs and had a .354 OBP.

My ROY runner-up is also with Tampa Bay, RHP Chris Archer. The 25-year-old Archer had a 9-7 record with a 3.22 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP in 128+ innings.

The third place vote goes to another outfielder, J.B. Shuck of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. I am not sure his potential is as good as some other rookies since he is already 26 but never the less he had a good rookie season getting more at bats than any other AL rookie.

Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) in the NL

Jose FernandezMy NL Rookie of the Year is Florida Marlins RHP Jose Fernandez. The 2011 first round pick (14th overall) went an astounding 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA with a 0.98 WHIP in 172+ innings for a team that lost 100 games. A true Ace for years to come if he can stay healthy. I know he only plays every fifth day but what a pitcher he is.

My runner-up choice for the NL ROY is Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. The 22-year-old Cuban was called up in early June and took the league by storm by putting up a .925 OPS. He did strikeout 97 times but that is nitpicking.

The third place vote goes to power hitting 2B Jedd Gyorko of the San Diego Padres. Gyorko hit 23 home runs and knocked in 63 while hitting for a .249 average. I would expect Gyorko to cut down on his strikeouts and improve his average as his average in the minors was .301.

Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) in the AL

Greg HollandThe top closer award in the AL this year goes Greg Holland of the Kansas City Royals. Holland had 47 saves in 50 chances with a 1.21 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. In 67 innings he struck out 103 while batters hit him at a .170 clip.

The runner-up this year is Joe Nathan of the Texas Rangers who had 43 saves in 46 chances. Batters hit only .162 and he posted an ERA of 1.39 and a 0.90 WHIP.

Mariano Rivera is third this year in his final season as he awaits induction into the Hall of Fame as the greatest closer in MLB history. The 43-year-old Rivera had 44 saves while putting up a 2.11 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP.

Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) in the NL

Craig KimbrelThe top closer in the NL is an easy choice, just say Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel and you said it all. The man is a machine, a league leading 50 saves in 54 chances with a 1.21 ERA and a 0.88 WHIP in 67 innings with 98 strikeouts. Batting average against was .166

The silver goes to Cincinnati Reds closer Aroldis Chapman. In 63+ innings Chapman had 38 saves while striking out 112 and kept opposing batters to a .164 average. ERA was 2.54 and WHIP was 1.04.

I will give my third place vote to San Francisco Giants closer Sergio Romo who put 38 saves on the board to go along with his 2.54 ERA and his 1.08 WHIP.

 

Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) in the AL

Max ScherzerMy AL  top pitcher award goes to the Detroit Tigers starter Max Scherzer who went 21-3 with a 2.90 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP with 240 strikeouts in 217+ innings. Opposing batters hit a measly .198 off him this season.

Second place vote goes to Seattle Mariners  pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma who managed to post a 14-6 record with a 2.66 ERA and a 1.01 WHIP for a team that won 67 games. Iwakuma threw 219+ innings and held opposing hitters to a .220 average while striking out 185.

My third place vote goes to Texas Rangers starter Yu Darvish who threw 209+ innings and struck out 277 batters while holding opposing batters to a .194 average. Darvish had a slick 2.83 ERA to go along with a 1.07 WHIP.

 Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) in the NL

Clayton KershawMy vote for the best pitcher in the NL goes to Los Angeles Dodgers LHP Clayton Kershaw who posted a 16-9 record with a league leading 1.83 ERA and a league leading 0.92 WHIP. For good measure he led the league in KO’s with 232 in 236 innings. The league managed to hit him at a .195 pace.

My second place vote goes Florida Marlins HP Jose Fernandez who in just his third year of pro ball goes 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA for a 62-100 team.

My third place vote goes to the big right hander from St. Louis, Adam Wainwright. Wainwright was 19-9 with a 2.94 ERA with starting a league leading 34 games and throwing a league leading 241.2 innings.

Stan Musial Award (Top Player) in the AL

Miguel CabreraOnce again this year my vote for the top player in the AL goes to Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers. I am not going to list a bunch of his stats here, if you want to see them just look them up. The 2012 Triple Crown winner won his third straight batting title in 2013 and finished second in home run and RBI’s. Cabrera has played for 11 years in the big leagues and is just 30 years old….

The runner-up again is the LA Angels outfielder Mike Trout. If there was no Cabrera in the AL this guy might be the winner two years running.

The third place vote goes to the surprising Chris Davis of the Baltimore Orioles who had a league leading 54 home runs and 138 RBI. An amazing season for a guy that only hit more than 21 home runs once and had 60 or more RBI just once.

Stan Musial Award (Top Player) in the NL

Paul GoldschmidtAlthough it was a tight race, the top player in the NL in 2013 should be Paul Goldschmidt from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Playing for a .500 team this first sacker appeared in 160 games hitting at a .302 clip while finishing first in RBI with 125, tied for first in home runs with 36 and scored 103 runs, good for third most in the NL.

Finishing a close second is outfielder Andrew McCutchen of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Although this talented player led his team to the playoffs for the first time in many years, he did not lead the NL in any of the hitting categories,

The third place vote goes to Atlanta Braves 1B Freddie Freeman. The 24-year-old had a very nice season with 23 home runs, 109 RBI and a .319 batting average.

 

There you have, the Twin Trivia 2013 MLB award winners. Congratulations to all the winners.

Twins career best K/9

I watched Clubhouse Confidential on MLB TV yesterday and in one of the segments host Brian Kenny talked about the climbing rate of the strikeout per 9 innings ratio (K/9) over the years. It was a very interesting piece and Kenny pointed out how last year the leader was Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel who had an amazing 16.66 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched, that is a truly crazy number and he accomplished that while throwing  14.9 pitches per inning. The top starter K/9 ratio belonged to Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg who had a mark of 11.13 and he was followed closely by Detroit Tiger starter Max Scherzer who posted a 11.08 mark. The best K/9 ratio for a Twins pitcher in 2012? That honor goes to closer Glen Perkins at 9.98.

The Twins top ten career K/9 leaders with a minimum of 500 innings pitched are:

Johan Santana pitched for Minnesota from 2000 -2007. Santana is tied for third most wins in Dome history (46) and second-most strikeouts (754). Johan was a three-time All-Star and won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. Won 17 consecutive games in the Dome from 2005-2007.
Johan Santana pitched for Minnesota from 2000 -2007. Santana is tied for third most wins in Dome history (46) and second-most strikeouts (754). Johan was a three-time All-Star and won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. Won 17 consecutive games in the Dome from 2005-2007.
Rank Name W/L Innings K/9
1. Johan Santana 93-44 1,308.2 9.50
2. Francisco Liriano 50-52 783.1 9.05
3. Eddie Guardado 37-48 704.2 7.79
4. Rick Aguilera 40-47 694 7.60
5. Dick Stigman 37-37 643.2 7.52
6. Dave Boswell 67-54 1,036.1 7.51
7. Mike Trombley 30-34 645.2 7.36
8. Scott Baker 63-48 958 7.23
9. Bert Blyleven 149-138 2,566.2 7.14
10. Jim Merritt 37-41 686.2 6.91

The players on the above list that were originally drafted or signed by Minnesota are Guardado, Boswell, Trombley, Baker and Blyleven, the remainder were acquired in some fashion.