Old Twins Cap

I clicked on this article to see if the Twins indeed had embarked on a new "strategy", which they haven't. Sounds like they are considering a new tactic, on defense, against certain hitters. A strategy would involve something more substantive, like paying significant money to FA pitchers, or rebuilding using the draft and not trading any of their blue-chip minor leaguers, or relying more on power hitters vs speed and being willing to lead the majors in SOs. My problem with their "strategy" is that they don't seem to have settled on one. Not speed, not power, not pitching and defense, and certainly not trying to score more runs. So, moving their infield around on guys like Prince Fielder, if that is indeed their new strategy, well Heaven help us. It will be another long season. I'd love to have a photo of their infield shift for Prince and when he jacks it, capturing all three heads turning to watch the moon shot at the same time. Great example of how that strategy can fail by dint of not being substantive enough.

Read the quotes in Phil Miller's Strib story and it sounds like, according to Ryan, that Rosario made some avoidable mistakes. So, we got a conundrum here: is it that an innocent ER was taking medicines to help with an aching jaw; or, is it, as TR suggests, that what we got on our hands is an irresponsible kid out of Puerto Rico who needs to be brought down a notch, kept an eye on and generally treated as a never do well. Read into this what you will, but I am seeing two very different takes on this story, and I'm surprised, NO, shocked, that Twins Daily staff are not making more of what TR is saying to the press. He's making ER look like a kid out of control. Why would he do that? It certainly does not help his trade value.

You know, once every couple of years, if there are stories like this, that's great. But, when it becomes the only story, and it has these last three years, it really starts to wear on a fan. Not to beat a dead horse, but, the Twins have kind of become a one-trick pony in regard to their roster: guys who can't make it on any other team. It's tiring. I'm afraid I'm going to die without ever seeing another competitive baseball squad in Minnesota. I want more than a heart-warming story about a mediocre ball-player who once made it to the majors on a 90-loss team.

Sorry if I have a hard time going all the way on these three players. To me this is indicative of a team that doesn't really have anything to dream on. Give me an Aaron Hicks or a Sano or a Buxton. That's something to dream on. These guys made it to the majors because a team had nothing on its roster to keep them in the Minor Leagues. I'm getting a little tired of trying to get juiced about a journeyman player who gets a cup of coffee after a decade. If we're the Yankees, that's potentially a great story. Because we are the Twins, it's just pathetic. I mean, what other team would give these guys a chance?

Lots to analyze here. Check out the Twins Season Ticket Sales, they have declined for three seasons, but the percentage decline is increasing. I think what happened is two-fold: 1. The Twins, and by extension the Pohlads, came to the conclusion that once a team slips below a certain threshold of ticket sales, or maybe even the percentage decline in ticket sales on an annual basis, they hit the "Must Respond to Threat" button on their baseball strategy. We've got to realize, the Twins have access to consultants and number crunchers around corporate strategy for baseball operations that make the guys on TwinsDaily seem like elementary school teachers. And I like elementary school teachers. It's just that the Pohlads can bring in people who make very persuasive arguments using actual examples of actual teams and what happened to them and why. Their point would have been: If you think things are bad now, one more terrible year and your franchise value and potential revenues hit a period of sustained and irreversible decline. The Pohlads are smart enough to respond to that kind of financial analysis. The other thing that happened is the explosion of cost around starting pitching. I think TR was shopping last year and brought his 1990s calculator and sensibility with him. And all he could get was Kevin Correia. At that point he realized: This ain't the same market I grew up with. The actual cost of experienced starting pitching in MLB has mushroomed to previously considered ridiculous levels. But, the market is still the market, especially when a team, like the Twins, have had really poor results trying to grow their own pitching staff. Fact is, at that point, you have to go out and pay what it really costs to get innings. And that price has increased far above other eras and other positions. And, add to that, that the same number crunchers as mentioned above can point out that if a Phil Hughes or Kevin Correia or Mike Pelfrey has a good year or even just outperforms expectations, they represent a tradeable asset that can be cashed in for something valuable and young. I think that's a key point: none of these guys is a sure thing or a keeper, come what may. But each of them is a potential trading chip down the road. The Twins have placed four bets on free-agent pitchers altogether, and one or two of them is going to pay off, if we're lucky maybe more, but depending on where the team is at in the standings, that investment can be flipped for something else, for a player down the road, that will be the perfect fit for a better team. So, you invest in your team because you believe in your team and your organization's ability to take an asset on the mound and make something with it over time. The Twins are in the game now, they control some chips, they have the ability to deal and play at a level where they have options. For the last two years, they had no options, and the loss in ticket sales reflects what that feels like outside the organization.

So, when Target Field opened, I thought I remember there being a dearth of opposite field homeruns, like only a couple for the entire season. Now, Yankee Stadium, for a right handed hitter, how many have we seen from Derek Jeter, A-Rod, and company? Point is: Yeah, Hughes gives up his homers, and then "bloggers" list RH vs LH, pointing out how many are hit by RH, but what about the opposite field homeruns in each park? Especially a straight fast ball pitcher would be subject to opposite field homeruns, and I can remember Hughes giving up some big ones, even one Ichiro should have caught that hit the very top of the wall against the hated Red Sox. Won't happen that much at Target Field, especially in cold weather. I can guarantee it.

You might have to wait a long time to get the posters on this board to admit they were wrong about Correia. Not to mention TR. And there were a lot of complainers. Holy Cow did people bitch last year about that signing. "The second year! It kills us. One year Ok, but not two. At that price. 5 Mil!" But, the jury is still out. Correia has to perform this year. But, to get innings at that cost, it looks pretty good right now. Just goes to show, the Gleemans, the Bonnes, the guys who know it all, "My God, they have statistics to show us how stupid" -- even they eat crow once in awhile. Although they do it quietly, and with no one watching. Bon appetit, amigos...

Yankee Stadium is a jet-stream into right field and right center, and Hughes has given up his share of cheapies out that way. Still, for a guy with good velocity and a decent curve, he gives up hits and walks people at the worst times. NY media market is tough and maybe he rediscovers himself in the pastures of the Midwest. Worst case, he can work in the bullpen and give a max effort for 1 inning, becoming a set-up man. Still a lot of dough, but last year Ryan let the market develop and by the time it did, all we could get is Coreia. This year, Ryan made the market, and whether you like the signings or not, it will be tough to argue that the Twins overpaid.

You got him my friend. Bon appetit.

Do you guys even watch Cano play? Go read the Yankee fans' blogs: they don't want Cano, not at that price, even though the Yankees are stacked with cash and in need at 2B. Go read their comments. He does not play the game the right way. He doesn't run hard. Ever. He non-chalants everything in the field. OK, he's maybe the best ever at throwing across his body while running away from 1B, but, in virtually every other aspect of the game, he is not a leader, but a cool cat who gives the impression he could care less about the outcome of the game. That's not someone you mortgage your organization for.

Terry, you promised to not hang around the Blogs anymore! :)JK This is all believable as long as the Twins end up doing something about their rotation. If not, it's, well, putting a lot of makeup on what amounts to an imperfect porcine pretender.

What's to worry about. The Twins medical staff is on top of this..... Oh wait.

Is it possible that the Twins pitchers' "off-speed" pitches lack velocity? I know that sounds ridiculous but if a curve does not have bite, it can get smacked. Not sure that means velocity exactly but both Liriano and Burnett do throw their soft stuff hard, if I can say it like that. Besides Deduno, who else on the Twins has decent breaking stuff? Scherzer, Verlander, Wainwright, -- nothing wrong with getting some zip on the breaking stuff in MLB.

Here's the problem: Ryan will wait to see what the market bares and hope against hope that he will get a deal once the dust settles. Problem is, like last year, other teams will establish the market by signing the decent SP, leaving the Twinks with rejects, the scrap-pile and has beens. To get these guys, the Twins can't sit back and react. They have to be aggressive and spend right out of the gate.

Now "intent" is irrelevant. Only outcome of feelings are relevant. Oh man, "intent" is irrelevant? Tell that to a prosecutor, my friend. It's a difference between manslaughter and Murder 1. As much as 50-60 years living in a cage. As a claustrophobe, I want to tell you that is NOT irrelevant. Wow!

It's an affront to me as a white American who believes this is a country that is serious about putting its horrible past offenses behind. The "Indian" logo of the Cleveland Baseball Club is really just a substitute for a person of color -- look at all the stereotypical features on that image. Indians don't even look like that. Might as well be the Cleveland Ni*****. Unacceptable. I will never go to a Cleveland game, not in Ohio and not in Minnesota.

Ryan says the judges Gardy on things like "in-game strategy" and how he handles guys out of line, how "prepared" the players are for games. Should we start with first inning runs? I guess that wouldn't be fair because the Twins starters are so poor. Not really a measure of "preparation" for a MLB game, I guess. Should we talk about pick-off plays, hit and run plays, bunt defense, positioning? I guess, those are hard to measure, but one cannot argue that the Twins excel in these areas, can one? Well, okay, let's take the in-game strategy part of this. Look at the Yankees four-game series against the Twins in early July. Robinson Cano, who was basically the only guy who could beat the Twins because of all their injuries, was allowed to beat the Twins four games in a row. They pitched to him, they pitched to him, and they pitched to him -- and, he beat them, four games in a row. The worst Yankee's team in quite some time, allowed to come in and sweep -- like the Twins are their doormat. Mostly because the Twins pitchers were, I'm sorry, unprepared and had no strategy. Guys out of line. I don't like the way Gardy disciplines his rookies through the media -- complaining about Hicks and the way he one-hands a fly ball. Rookies, in particular, should be handled one-on-one out of the glare of the media. Gardy has a hard time with that. He goes after his young players in the media constantly. Sorry, very poor skills there. The problem here is that Ryan is shielding Gardy. It is true, as far as it goes, that Ryan gives Gardy the players. But, you know what, look at the Cardinals, look at Boston, sure they have more talent, but they also are getting more mileage out of their young and role-players than the Twins and many teams in baseball. How do they do it? That's the gazillion dollar question. But, just to say, it is possible, given Gardy's cards to get more out of them than he does, or has, for the last number of years. Gardy is not getting any extra mileage out of the guys he's given. That's called "adding value" and that is, at the end of the day, how a manager can and should be judged. After 11 years, maybe it's because Gardy has lost something or the players tune him out. Either way, after a full decade, sometimes you need a change, sometimes a new strategy, sometimes a new voice, and that's what Ryan doesn't get. Sure, he's still Gardy, but IT HAS BEEN 11 YEARS, TERRY. The fact that management is willing to just dither through this is proof the Twins are one of the most poorly owned organizations in MLB. Sorry. But true. This would not happen to any other team in baseball. Look it up.

Very cool piece of work. I like the level of detail. I'm sure I watched the game, but I have lost all the memories of it. Keep it up. Go Twins. This is as close we will get to being champions for many, many years I'm afraid.

I've had MLB.com account for the last however many years, and I watch a lot of Yankees games. Cano is a great talent, no question. His numbers speak for themselves, and how he is able to throw against his body like that, so smooth, so accurate, so powerful -- it has set a new standard for 2B. All that said, I think he is a team cancer. He does not run out ground balls, he does not hustle for doubles or triples, and his overall casualness is not the model the Twins need for their young players. The guy is TOO cool to play hard. I've heard he works on everything in practice, yada, yada, but for my money, I don't want a player who is so far above the crowd that he doesn't need to sweat or get his jersey dirty. And, he is not a leader. I'm critical of Mauer for his quiet leadership, but Cano is a whole nother kettle of fish, leading in the wrong direction. For that kind of money, who needs to bring in problems?

One of my all-time favorite moments: picking Darryl Evans off third. Gaetti makes the tag and comes up squeezing the glove with two hands, hopping like a chicken toward the mound. That was the killer moment in that series. Makes me wonder.... besides a pickoff at first from a Twins pitcher, when was the last time the Twins picked off a runner at 2B or 3B. I'll bet it's been a long time.

Twins are afraid to make a change. Any change. An organization that can't deal with change will simply be run over by it. I felt nothing but sadness yesterday as the season came to an end. Another wasted year with no signs of things getting better and now more Gardy. This really is going back to a worn formula that has not worked, and when it doesn't work, well, try it again. Isn't that the definition of mental illness?

Nope. You are wrong. Any time a fielder has to exert above normal effort to make a play, does that, and the play is bang-bang, pulling the 1B off the bag is not considered an error. He tried a swipe tag and he didn't get him. Great call by both the umpire and the official scorer.

Promote that thought to the Front Page so the Gardy apologists can tell us, once again, why they think he should be rehired.

The Twins way: a. Do not try a pickoff play, ever, especially the catcher, because why risk throwing the ball away? b. Do not try a squeeze play, ever, because you might lose a baserunner. c. Do not hit and run -- risk of swing and miss. d. Do not make yourself into a running team because you might make outs on the bases, even though you are not a power team. e. Do not try to hit home runs because you might strike out, and anyway, the Twins are more of a "do the little things" type team. f. Hit the other way, even if it means dinky singles from your number 3 hitter. g. Play for one run whenever possible, even with one of the worst pitching staffs in the league. h. Play your backup catcher or 1B in right field as often as possible because you need the offense you aren't getting from them in the first place. So, in essence, it boils down to: Don't take any chances. Don't risk anything. Just play the game the way it is supposed to be played, sacrifice often, run station to station, let the other team hit the ball and go get it -- no passion, no surprises, none of this high risk--high reward stuff. Definitely the most boring team in baseball. Hands down. And now, they are too afraid of having to replace a manager to let him go during the season. Talk about risk averse. A guy who has lost 90 games three years in a row, has a 12-game playoff losing streak and has only won one playoff series -- ever. I mean, the Twins lack of "going for it" -- for anything, anywhere, anytime, is ... for lack of a better word, pathetic.

Truth is, attendance is where the rubber meets the road. Twins FO can say anything they want in 2011 and 2012, because they are still averaging over 30K fans a game. It's when people start getting layed off, and the numbers go down and down some more -- that's when the FO starts to panic and think hard about their direction. Up till now, it's been lip-service. I hope season tickets dry up and Target Field is a ghost-town for the simple reason that the Twins FO has absolutely no reason to change their abysmal product until they have no choice, nothing left to lose. They call that hitting bottom in 12-step groups. Problem is: The Twins are still denying they have a problem. When the fans don't show up, that's when you can't deny it any longer.