I've been reading (and partaking in) some awesome debates on Twins Daily lately. One of my favorite topics has been the discussion about whether to trade Plouffe for a C/SS and open up 3B for Sano. I have also enjoyed reading and thinking about topics such as whether Hunter should be re-signed, whether Hicks should play RF next year, etc. I decided that I would look at some statistics regarding the Twins offensive production and try to pinpoint exactly what the Twins biggest weaknesses are. Th
The Twins are in an interesting place. The 40-man roster is, yet again, full. The Twins definitely have a lot of players, but they don't have a lot of great (or arguably even a lot of good) players. It is obvious the Twins won't win a championship with their current team, but that's not to say there aren't bright spots. I'd like to take a quick look at the position players on the Twins' 40-man roster and examine what future, if any, they have with the team. Catchers: Eric Fryer: Although h
It may mean a bunch of losses in 2015, but the Twins need to use their next season to evaluate what they have. Next off-season, they can look at the trade and free agent market and search for a way to supplement their 25-man roster, but for now, they need to commit to the youth movement. I'll take a look at the players who deserve an extended look in each area of the Twins roster. Starting Rotation: Obviously, Hughes and Nolasco are not going anywhere. I think Gibson is a breakout candidate
September 30, 2016: What a year it has been for the Minnesota Twins! The Twins recently won their 93rd game of the season and have at last unseated the Detroit Tigers from their five year perch atop the AL central. It's hard to believe the Twins made it this far despite losing 90 games every year from 2011-2014. We'll take a look at each player that was on the Twins at the end of 2014, what happened to them, and which new players were brought in to change the outlook of this team. Infielders
The Twins are closer than they seem. Santana, Vargas, Arcia, Sano and Buxton are going to lead this team somewhere. I see no reason why the Twins can't be aggressive this off-season and make it happen. I think if the Twins trade for an outfielder and a starting pitcher, the boost we would receive mid-summer with the arrival of Buxton and Sano could give the them what they need to be a legitimate playoff contender. I have selected my top five trade candidates for both pitcher and outfielders. Obv
Let's face it, there isn't much left to talk about in terms of the Twins and their 2014 season. We know the story all too well at this point. Worst starting pitcher ERA in all of baseball, last place in the AL Central, can never seem to get a hit with runners on base, etc. This tired story has caused me, like many of you, to care way more about the future than the present. In this post, I am attempting to answer a simple question: Which players look OK to stick with in 2015 and which players cou
Let's face it, every Twins fan is getting tired of watching the poor play of the past couple years. We know the future looks bright as we await the arrival of some of baseballs top prospects, but that does not help the situation on the field right now. The fact of it is, the Twins are lousy again this year and, like usual, it looks like the starting rotation is to blame. Everybody has their own theory on how the Twins can end the losing. A common theme I keep hearing is some version of "I thin
Let's face it, every Twins fan is getting tired of watching the poor play of the past couple years. We know the future looks bright as we await the arrival of some of baseballs top prospects, but that does not help the situation on the field right now. The fact of it is, the Twins are lousy again this year and, like usual, it looks like the starting rotation is to blame. Everybody has their own theory on how the Twins can end the losing. A common theme I keep hearing is some version of "I thin
The other day, I was watching Moneyball, one of my favorite films. My favorite scene is when Billy Beane is in the room with a bunch of scouts saying the team should sign a bunch of questionable players. His response, as I'm sure most of you know, to all the criticisms he receives is "He gets on base." This got me thinking, how important is it to get on base? Using Fangraphs, I collected a bunch of data from last season, focusing on the team as a whole rather than individual stats. My goal was
They no longer travel w/the team. Unreal. Ben Wagner does an excellent job on PBP. They have some statistician doing "color," with no discussion of the game -- just overwhelming listener w/stats. Enough. Have to revert to middle innings w/GladMan.