Random Observation

[spideyo]

If Joe Benson makes the 25 man over Hicks (assuming no other OF acquisitions), we'd be going into the season with an all white guy OF.

 

When was the last time that happened?

[TheLeviathan]

Did David Kahn infiltrate the Twins too?

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Since when did race become an issue in regards to the Twins performance?

[jorgenswest]

It won't happen throughout this year either. Hicks or Arcia will be up at dome point.

 

1963 is close. The Twins had Jimmie Hall in cf with Killebrew in lf and Bob Allison in rf for many games. Lenny Green was still with the team and while 4th on the team in of games, played a lot of cf.

[twinsfaninsaudi]

It wasn't going into the season but u remember a game in 2003, I believe, where Michael Ryan, Michael Restovich, and Michael Cuddyer all started in the OF. I believe there were days also in 1996 when Lawton would sit and the OF would be Cordova, Becker, and Coomer. How we forget that Coomer played some rf back in the day.

 

Should Carrol and Dozier become the starting middle infielders we could have a whole white lineup. Heck, it could end up being a whole white team save for Worley's half asianess.

 

BTW- I don't see race.

[DaveW]

Can't wait for the inevitable "are the twins racist thread" again

[righty8383]

Twins are just trying to appeal to the mostly white fanbase.

[B Richard]

Interesting observation. I don't really read too much into it- that's just the way things turned out. Clearly this was the OP's intention as well- to make a random observation some might find interesting. BTW, it's possible to make an observation regarding race without being racist, but I guess some people will never be able to resist the alluring chance to sprint to imagined moral high ground and charge others with racism.

[edavis0308]

It is an interesting point, though I don't see it as a big thing like in basketball where its definitely a much bigger outlier.

[nicksaviking]

I'd guess there were plenty of games in the mid to late 1990's with Rich Backer and Marty Cordova when Matt Lawton wasn't playing. They often called up Chris Latham to play RF.

[SpantheMan]

A possibly interesting and not-necessarily racist point. Although I strongly disagree with the people saying the twins are appealing to a white fan base. Race almost certainly doesn't factor into their decision making.

[luckylager]

Twins are just trying to appeal to the mostly white fanbase.

I agree, the fan base has just never been able to embrace the likes of Carew, Oliva, Kirby, Torii, Span, Revere, etc... We crackers will tolerate a losing team as long is it is made up of mostly half-talent white guys.

[Sssuperdave]

According to page three of this report:

 

http://www.tidesport.org/RGRC/2012/2012%20MLB%20RGRC.pdf

 

61.2% of the players on the opening day rosters at the start of 2012 were white. If you assume the races are spread evenly across teams, positions, and starters/non-starters, the probability of an all-white outfield is (.61)^3 = 22.9%. Taken a step further, if you assume this distribution doesn't change year-over-year, you'd expect an all-white outfield to start opening day once every four or five years.

 

I'm not trying to prove anything here regarding race - I'm just trying to put some perspective into whether an all-white outfield should be unusual given the current racial makeup of the game, not just of the Twins.

[Riverbrian]

What are the percentages of White or Black playing youth Baseball?

[jorgenswest]

According to page three of this report:

 

http://www.tidesport.org/RGRC/2012/2012%20MLB%20RGRC.pdf

 

61.2% of the players on the opening day rosters at the start of 2012 were white. If you assume the races are spread evenly across teams, positions, and starters/non-starters, the probability of an all-white outfield is (.61)^3 = 22.9%. Taken a step further, if you assume this distribution doesn't change year-over-year, you'd expect an all-white outfield to start opening day once every four or five years.

 

I'm not trying to prove anything here regarding race - I'm just trying to put some perspective into whether an all-white outfield should be unusual given the current racial makeup of the game, not just of the Twins.

 

It has been 50+ years in Minnesota and not once has an all white outfield claimed the top number of games at each of the three OF positions. 1963 was probably the closest.

 

22.9% vs. 0/52?

 

I wonder if the math should be reworked. You might start by looking at the make up of starting LFs, CFs and RFs rather than baseball as a whole. I don't think the 22.9% will hold up.

[gunnarthor]

It has been 50+ years in Minnesota and not once has an all white outfield claimed the top number of games at each of the three OF positions. 1963 was probably the closest.

 

22.9% vs. 0/52?

 

I wonder if the math should be reworked. You might start by looking at the make up of starting LFs, CFs and RFs rather than baseball as a whole. I don't think the 22.9% will hold up.

 

Not touching the math but I suspect the % of have changed greatly over the years.