JB_Iowa

I'm not sure exactly where they would come from. Plouffe and Arcia are the most obvious possibilities for 25. Kubel is a dark horse if he could get back to his 2010 form and Willingham is a possibility -- but there's always the potential of trades if some hitters actually get hot in the first half. I'd say that the 20 HR guy may be Dozier with just a slight improvement from 2013. And that the 15-17 HR guys could be Mauer, Pinto, Hicks or the 1st half of Willingham or Kubes. Like I said, it's a bit of a stretch. I took a look at the Twins for the last four years: [TABLE=width: 704] [TABLE=width: 704] Top 5 HR Top 5 RBI Team HR Team RBI [TD=colspan: 2]Top 5/%HR [TD=colspan: 2]Top5/%RBI[/TD] RUNS [TD=align: right]2010[/TD] [TD=align: right]99[/TD] [TD=align: right]400[/TD] [TD=align: right]142[/TD] [TD=align: right]749[/TD] [/TD][TD=align: right]69.70% [/TD][TD=align: right]53.40% [/TD][TD=align: right]781 [TD=align: right]2011[/TD] [TD=align: right]67[/TD] [TD=align: right]271[/TD] [TD=align: right]103[/TD] [TD=align: right]572[/TD] [/TD][TD=align: right]65% [/TD][TD=align: right]47.4% [/TD][TD=align: right]619 [TD=align: right]2012[/TD] [TD=align: right]106[/TD] [TD=align: right]402[/TD] [TD=align: right]131[/TD] [TD=align: right]667[/TD] [/TD][TD=align: right]80.90% [/TD][TD=align: right]60.30% [/TD][TD=align: right]701 [TD=align: right]2013[/TD] [TD=align: right]77[/TD] [TD=align: right]295[/TD] [TD=align: right]151[/TD] [TD=align: right]590[/TD] [/TD][TD=align: right]60% [/TD][TD=align: right]25.60% [/TD][TD=align: right]614 [/TD] [/TABLE] [/TD] [TD=colspan: 2] [TD=colspan: 2][/TD] [TD][/TD] [/TABLE] (Top 5 means the total of the top 5 home run hitters -- disregarding ties; then the RBIs produced by those hitters, the total team home runs, total team RBIs, the % of team HR hit by the "top 5", the % of team RBIs hit by the "top 5" and the total run production of the team.) First, I was flabbergasted to realize that out of those 4 years, the team actually the most HR's in 2013 yet total run production was the lowest in that year. Second, it looks to me like there is a slight correlation between scoring runs and having a strong core of about 5 guys hitting home runs and getting most of the RBI's. The two years (2010 and 2012) where the top 5 HR producers produced a higher percentage of RBI were also the 2 years with the highest run totals. (The difference may not be statistically significant since 2010 isn't that much higher than 2012 but obviously something not very good was going on in 2013.) So I'm going to "hope" that some of these players can come through and hit the higher totals -- it looks like everybody needs to be doing their job. Some table setters/high OBP guys and some who can just hit them in. Not very scientific but it does kind of show how dysfunctional last year was. Note: I took the figures from ESPN's sortable stats: http://espn.go.com/mlb/team/stats/batting/_/name/min/cat/homeRuns/minnesota-twins And I very well could have could have looked at them wrong and run the wrong totals and percentages -- i already caught a big mistake once. If I did that, I apologize in advance for wasting everybody's time.

Good column from Berardino about what the Twins players are feeling: http://blogs.twincities.com/twins/2014/02/23/twinsights-4/

I'd seen some tweets. I'm terrible about paying attention to International news. While I often have a problem with social media, it is good for alerts about news like this. I've been holding them in my heart -- while the players are fortunate to be safe and able to do work they love, there must be a tremendous strain in worrying about family, friends and country.

I haven't got a clue .... but I would be very happy to have: 2 players @25 or above + 1 player @20 or above + 1 player @17 or above + 1 player @15 or above That would be at least 102 homers by the top 5 power hitters on the team -- a pretty substantial increase over the 77 that the top 5 hit last year. Is it likely? Probably not. Is it possible? With some help from the gods of health and some warm summer days, I think so.

Good info, thanks. I'm comfortable with what the Twins did based on the posts above. I might feel differently if I thought they could have signed him for a guaranteed 4/$56 early (before Nolasco/Hughes) but it seems like he was going to wait until after Tanaka signed. Given the deals already in place by the time he did sign, I have no problem with the Twins limiting the length. I do think that 4th year is more of a flyer on Garza than on Nolasco (but i guess we'll see).

Let's just hope he really doesn't have a "bad back". Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 5m Josmil Pinto was held out of action with a stiff back today but Gardenhire said he hopes to have him back tomorrow. I would think some stiffness might be expected as he settles in for spring training ..... just don't want this to be hints of things to come.

Short posts are often the best!!! Signed, A bag of wind (that's me)

I'm sorry about some of the remarks that may have bothered you. I went back and looked at your posts and the responses seemed pretty mild to me (but maybe some have been deleted). There is a lot of back and forth on this site but most of it is pretty good-natured. And the mods do a good job of keeping it that way. I don't know if you'll find a site you will like better (and can't recommend any because TD is my daily fix) but I think if you post a little more often, you'll find that other posters may sometimes disagree with you but generally in a cordial way. it takes a little bit of time to find your footing and the threads that are most welcoming and a best "fit" for you but over time that develops. If nothing else, once the season starts, check out the game threads. They are a bit like walking into a sports bar -- you have to get your feet wet but overall, other posters are glad to see new "faces" (and less intense than in some of the main threads).

CORRECTION: Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 4m Also to correct an earlier tweet, Pedro Florimon will have his appendix removed this afternoon. But it's arthroscopic so he'll miss 14 days.

Don't know how much stock to put in this but Gardy is trying to reassure him: Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino 9m No need for Florimon to rush back, though. "He's our shortstop," Gardy said. Bartlett is here to try to make the club. On the bright side, he can spend a little time with his new daughter (assuming she made the trip south).

I didn't have a clue either. Wonder what other lovely features I'm missing? (some of us need remedial instruction).

Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger Pedro Florimon had his appendix removed last night and is expected to be out two weeks.

I'm not sure why we get jazzed about these kinds of stories. Berardino has to put words down on paper (or cyberspace) -- he seems a bit more prolific than other TC mainstream press so there's lots of space to fill. Sosnick wants his client to have a good landing place after the season -- not very easy with a hitter who turns 35 today. Obviously the Twins haven't said much -- and, given last year and the prospects in the pipeline, I wouldn't really expect them to extend Willingham at this point. In a way, it seems like a non-story to me but Happy Birthday, Josh.

Scouted today by Yankees, Cardinals, Blue Jays, Mariners, Padres, Giants. Per Morosi. Twins not on the list but there are other days coming, I guess.

My biggest problem with all this is people like Morosi who call him the "Face of Baseball": http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/yanks-aren-t-only-ones-who-will-have-hard-time-replacing-jeter-021214 Unfortunately, Rodriguez was probably more of the "face of baseball" than Jeter (okay, that makes me want to throw up). Definitely Cal Ripken was. And but for the move to the West Coast, I would have definitely said Pujols in the last decade or so. And as Pujols has declined, Miggy. Jeter was the "face of baseball" to someone like Morosi because for many sportswriters, the Yankees are the "team of baseball" and Jeter was the "captain". But, over the last twenty years, if you had asked me at any given time to name the "face of baseball", I probably would have given a number of different answers depending on the year. I'm not sure that I ever would have named Jeter.

I wouldn't necessarily boo Jeter .... but I would boo all the drooling sportswriters.

I seem to remember reading stories that Dozier had reached out to Hicks to encourage him after he got sent down in kind of "been there, lived through it and made it back" kind of way.

Ken Rosenthal ‏@Ken_Rosenthal Bonifacio clears waivers at 2 p.m. ET tomorrow. At that point would become free agent. #Royals would owe him about $575K in termination pay. 7:12 AM - 11 Feb 2014

This seems like a pretty good summary of his status: http://www.royalsreview.com/2014/2/10/5399802/royals-request-release-waivers-emilio-bonifacio They are saying that it is likely he will clear waivers and the new team could negotiate a new contract with him but that Royals would owe him 1/6th of previously agreed on salary ($500,000+). Not sure why the 1/6th rather than some other fraction.

Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino 1m Terry Ryan had 3 appointments at Mayo Clinic today, including one w/radiation oncologist. Planning to stay there 2-3 days. #mntwins Mike Berardino ‏@MikeBerardino 1m Calls were made around the country, Dr. Eyunni said, but Mayo Clinic is considered the best for head and neck cancer treatment. #MNTwins

I think that if you go out an craft a good post about the Pohlad's willingness/unwillingness to spend including some background data, you will find that there are a number of people who agree with you or who have concerns about Twins spending. There have been plenty of references to the Forbes numbers and attempts to quantify income from time to time. The talk died down somewhat this winter as the Twins showed some willingness to take on free agents but it has not escaped me (and others) that projected 2014 payroll is not much above 2013. You will find others who are staunch defenders of the present spending system -- especially with concerns about having payroll space in 2015 and later. But there have been plenty of lively discussions about spending, how the Twins pay their debt on TF, etc. and I suspect there will be more in the future.

Based on Bollinger's tweets, it looks like your interpretive comments were right on. I just wish I had known you were a dermatologist when I first read them. Thanks for the info.

Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 19s Also to clear up any confusion about Squamous Cell Carcinoma,Terry Ryan does not have skin cancer. It's in a lymph node in his neck.

Rhett Bollinger ‏@RhettBollinger 5m #MNTwins Dr. Vijay Eyunni said Terry Ryan will likely undergo surgery on his neck tomorrow. Hope is surgery and radiation will cure it.

Best wishes, Mr. Ryan Hope to see you, with a BIG hat and heavy sunscreen, back in the stands soon!