Tag: Michael Young

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?

According to Elias

Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer‘s single was the only hit for the Twins last night in Detroit off starter Anibal Sanchez, marking the third time in his career that Mauer had one base hit and his teammates had none. That’s tied for the most such “one-hitters” among active players. Jerry Hairston Jr. and Michael Young also have played three games in which they got their team’s lone hit in a one-hitter. Mauer had previously broken up no-hitters in the ninth inning off Neftali Feliz on August 23, 2010 at Texas as he tried to finish off a combined no-hitter started by Rich Harden and again off Gavin Floyd of the White Sox in Chicago on May 6, 2008.

This Day in Twins History – September 5

9/5/1978 – The Twins Danny Ford costs his team a run during a 4-3 loss to the White Sox at Met Stadium. Trailing 4-0 in the seventh, Ford is on third with the bases loaded when Bombo Rivera singles, Ford backpedals homeward, signaling Jose Morales who was on second to follow him home. Morales arrives there ahead of Ford, and is called out for passing Ford on the bases.

9/5/1997 – The Atlanta Braves send 1B Steve Hacker to the Twins for catcher Greg Myers.

9/5/2010 – As part of the Minnesota Twins 50th anniversary celebration week-end, the Twins played a 3 inning “Legends” game. The Minnies played the Paul’s and the managers were Tom Kelly and Frank Quilici. The Minnies won the game 5-1. Kent Hrbek was a huge hit with the fans when he took out a huge divot in the Target Field turf while going for a foul pop-up. Texas Rangers manager Ron Washington took part in the game as a member of the Minnies but Twins manager Ron Gardenhire passed up the chance to play. The “real” game was played after the Legends game and the Twins beat the Rangers by a score of 6-5 but it was how this game ended that had everyone buzzing. Let me set the stage because we were there to witness this first hand. After 8 innings the Twins led 6-2 and appeared to have the game well in hand but in the top of the ninth with Jon Rauch on the mound for the Twins starting his second inning of relief after Nick Blackburn had pitched the first 7 innings, Ian Kinsler started the 9th inning with a single. Rauch then retired Mitch Moreland and Matt Treanor on strikeouts but Julio Borbon doubled to left scoring Kinsler. Gardenhire then brought in his closer Matt Capps who proceeded to give up a single to former Twin Christian Guzman and Borbon scored the second run of the inning. Michael Young singled and David Murphy then walked to load the bases. Vladimir Guerrero reached on an infield single up the middle that Twins 2B Orlando Hudson fielded behind the bag. Young came running around third and, in the view of third base umpire Alfonso Marquez, briefly tapped hands with Texas 3B coach Dave Anderson. Young then stopped and scrambled back to the bag. He made a dive and appeared to beat Hudson’s throw to third baseman

Matt Capps

Matt Tolbert. But standing near the base, Marquez pointed and made the interference call for the third out and the Twins walked away winners as Texas manager Washington and Young pleaded their case to the umps to no avail. Also strange was the fact that Twins closer Matt Capps came in with 2 out in the ninth and faced four batters, giving up a single, another single, a walk and yet another single and never really retiring anybody but yet ended up with the save and credit for 1/3 of an inning pitched.

It turns out that September 5 can be a strange day on the base paths.