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
This offseason, MiLB.com is honoring players — regardless of age or prospect status — who had the best season in their organization. Today, they covered the Minnesota Twins.
The Twins ranked sixth in baseball — and fourth in the American League — with a combined .536 winning percentage across its Minor League affiliates. You can read the article by going here. If you follow young players in the Twins system you might want to check this out.
CBSSports.com is reporting that the Twins have agreed to sign 29-year-old RHP Mike Pelfrey to a one year deal for $4 million and another $1.5 million in possible incentives. The former Mets first round pick (ninth overall) in 2005 has pitched for the Mets since 2006 and has a 50-54 record with a 4.36 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP in 149 big league starts. Pelfrey only had 3 starts in 2012 before under-going season ending TJ surgery. Prior to last season the 6’7″ Pelfrey had thrown between 184 and 204 innings from 2008-2011 but on the down side Pelfrey has always given up more hits than he has innings pitched. Sources indicate that Pelfrey throws a four-seam fastball between 92-95, a two seamer between 88-92, an 82-85 splitter, a slider between 83-87 and a 74-80 MPH curveball but then again that was before the TJ surgery so who knows what Pelfrey will show us now. History seems to show that Pelfrey has pitched well in even-numbered years but guess what, next year is 2013.
In current times $4 million for a starter is a drop in the bucket and with the Twins pitching staff in shambles I would like to say that this is nice sign but I just can’t bring myself to believe that. I have never been a Pelfrey fan and I can’t see why if GM Terry Ryan didn’t want to pay Scott Baker who was coming off TJ surgery why he would be willing to take a chance on Mike Pelfrey. Then again, Ryan is the Twins GM and I am just a fan so I will wait and see what happens but I am still one of the few that thinks that the recent Kevin Correia signing is a better deal.
No team seems to value quantity as much as the Twins do and they have been busy signing players this off-season but when I look at the list, I can’t help but think, why?
Clete Thomas – OF Kevin Correia – RHP Reynaldo Rodriguez – 1B Brandon Boggs – OF Bryan Augenstein – RHP Ray Olmedo – 3B Virgil Vasquez – RHP Michael O’Connor – LHP Scott Elarton – RHP Lester Oliveros – RHP Jason Lane – LHP Jeff Clement – 1B P.J. Walters- RHP Samuel Deduno – RHP Tom Boleska – RHP Tim Wood – RHP Jason Christian – 3B Eric Fryer – C James Beresford – 2B Josh Roenicke – RHP Tommy Field – SS (then lost on waivers)It is difficult for me to have hope for the immediate future of this team when they continue to sign players like this. With the ownership this team has and a brand new stadium at Target Field it is hard for me to understand why they continue to act like they have no money to spend. Last year they signed Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit as free agents and at least gave us something to look forward to but so far this year that has not been the case. Then again, it is still mid December.