Cody Christie

The big wigs in charge of the Twins organization will be gathering in Florida next week to go through the paces of the team's organizational meetings. From there, the men in charge of the franchise will try and make a plan to dig the Twins out of the hole they have been in for the last two seasons. Some of the items on the team's checklist have already been crossed off in the weeks following the end of the regular season. Now it's time for the Twins to continue making some of the changes that will be necessary for a turnaround in the Twin Cities. Below you will find some of the items of the Twins Offseason Checklist. There are plenty of needs on a team that has been at the bottom of the American League for two consecutive seasons. Some of the items have already begun to get checked off so here are just a few of the things that will have to change for the team to get back to the top. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2515[/ATTACH] 1. Take away the interim tag from Terry Ryan in his role as GM Mark this one off the list because this item has already been taken care of in the days following the end of the regular season. Ryan's family is important to him and he needed the support of his wife and children to get the permanent role as the GM. When he came back to the position of GM during last offseason, it was hard to know what the interim tag meant for the future of the club. Would Ryan only be in the position for a year or two? Were they grooming someone else to take over a more permanent role as the GM? All of these questions seem to be put to rest with the recent developments from Target Field. Ryan was at the helm when the Twins made their turnaround in the early 2000's and it looks like the Pohlads and Dave St. Peter have faith in his ability to work his magic again. 2. Clean out some of the members of the coaching staff The front office for the Twins took this to the extreme by cleaning house in the coaching department at the major league level. Manager Ron Gardenhire and Pitching Coach Rick Anderson were the lone survivors from this overhaul of the on-field instructors for the Twins. There is still work to be done with this task as all of the positions are still left unfilled at this time. Most coaching positions won't be addressed until after the playoffs have ended in baseball so the front office has time to interview all of the available candidates on their list. In the past, the Twins had been very loyal to their coaching staff and Ron Gardenhire had nothing but praise for the men he worked with during his managerial career. It just seemed like time for some new voices to speak to the players and the odd men out were the members of the coaching staff for the Twins. 3. Revamp the starting rotation It's no secret that the biggest weakness for the Twins over the past two seasons has been their starting rotation. In order for the team to find success in the near future, there is going to need to be some major changes for more than one spot in the starting staff. Going into the offseason, it looks like Scott Diamond is the only lock to make the rotation for next year. Players like Liam Hendriks and Sam Deduno will also have a good shot to make the club but they are hardly considered shoe-ins at this point. Kyle Gibson has looked good in the Arizona Fall League but he won't be the savior to the starting staff since he will be entering his first full season following Tommy John surgery. It is pretty clear the team will have to look outside of the organization for pitching help. This could come in the form of free agents or trades but the winds of change are in the air and the rotation is full of holes to fill. 4. Formulate a plan for the middle infield Brian Dozier was suppose to me the shortstop of the future but that plan didn't exactly play out in his favor during 2012. Now the Twins have to make a different plan for the men up the middle in the organization. Pedro Florimon has himself positioned to be the leading candidate for the shortstop position going into spring training but a lot can happen in the offseason. Last year the Twins brought in veteran infielder Jamey Carroll off of the free agent market and he is still under contract for next season. It is possible for the team to try and find another free agent option to fill a hole but it seems more likely that the team will stick with the men currently on the roster. The free agent market isn't exactly stocked with middle infielders so it doesn't make sense to overspend for a mediocre player. A decision also needs to be made about Alexi Casilla and his future with the club. He is still arbitration eligible but his contract will continue to go up and there are other replacement level players with cheaper contracts waiting to take his spot. 5. Sort out the surplus of outfielders at the top of the organization As fans saw during the past year, there were plenty of options for the Twins in their outfield positions. Denard Span, Josh Willingham, and Ben Revere saw the most time in the line-up for the club in 2012 but other players proved their worth over the course of the year. Darin Mastroanni was a positive pick-up for the club but it's hard to imagine him in a permanent starting role. When last season started, it sounded like Trevor Plouffe was going to get playing time at a corner outfield spot. He might have played his way into the starting third base job for 2013 but a few misplays on the offensive side of the ball could put him back in Gardy's doghouse. This might mean a shift back to the outfield. There are also players poised to be knocking on the door to the big leagues. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are among the best prospects in the organization and they are set to make their debuts in 2013 after stellar season at the Double-A level. Anyone of these players could be on the trading block in the coming months but there needs to be some space cleared from the surplus of outfielders.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2510[/ATTACH] A strange thing happened during the first game of the American League Championship Series over the weekend. It didn't revolve around Derek Jeter breaking his ankle although this is an intriguing story line for the media to follow. For Twins fans, a man familiar to their organization became the all-time leader in postseason home runs for a team with a history that stretches back to the beginning of the 1900's. There have been some rough seasons as part of the Tigers history but Delmon Young stands alone on top of the leader board for most long balls with a Detroit jersey on when the games matter the most. The man Young passed on the list, Craig Monroe, isn't exactly entrenched in the lore of the Tigers. It doesn't seem likely that either one of these men will be getting a bronze statue erected in the outfield of Comerica Park. All of this considered, this is a team that has been to the World Series nine times and they have won the title on four different occasions. The team has also been in the playoffs in 14 different years so there has to be some reason for Delmon being able to reign supreme in the history of Tigers sluggers. One reason the postseason home run list for the Tigers might be a little unpopulated could be the fact the team was really bad during most of the steroid era. The Tigers won the World Series in 1984 and lost to the Twins in the 1987 ALCS and it went downhill from that point. The franchise lost over 100 games in 1989 and 1996 and it would get worse in the early 2000's with the team having back-to-back 100 loss seasons. This also included a season where the club lost 119 games. From 1987 to 2006, there were no playoff appearances for the Tigers and there were plenty of home runs flying out of ballparks across the baseball world during this time period. Since the Twins parted ways with Mr. Young around the trade deadline in 2011, his career with Detroit has been anything but spectacular. He has played 191 regular season games with the Tigers and he is batting average is .268 during that time. As with most of his career, there have been glimpses of power as he has 26 home runs and 32 doubles in his 786 plate appearances. He doesn't take walks so he gets on base less than a third of the time and it's hard to imagine that the former first overall pick has lived up to expectations for any of the franchises he has played for in his seven year career. The power-slugging version of Delmon Young didn't show in October during his time in Minnesota. In his two-playoff series as a member of the Twins, he went 5-for-24 which translates to a .208 batting average and he managed a double and a triple. His first taste of the playoffs in 2009 was horrendous as he finished the series 1-for-12 with five strikeouts. Both of these series were against the Yankees and it looked like Delmon was following the other members of the Twins in his struggles against the Bronx Bombers. The October version of Delmon Young with the Tigers seems to have a little bit of a different feel to him. Since being traded to Detroit, Young has turned his bad playoff memories with the Twins into good feeling vibes in the Motor City. Last season, Young made up for lost time against the Yankees by going 6-for-19 in the series with three home runs and he even showed the ability to take a few walks. The next series was against Texas and even though he only managed two hits, they were both long balls. Five home runs in two series was quite the postseason for Young since he only managed 12 home runs during the regular season in 2011. In the Tigers first playoff series of 2012, Young didn't go deep but he had a couple of RBI in victories for his club. His first game versus the Yankees on Saturday night made it look like he was starting right where he left off against them in 2011. He was pulled in the last inning for a defensive replacement but he finished the contest 3-for-6 with a home run, a double, and six RBI. On Sunday, he added to his RBI total by knocking in one of the three runs for Detroit. The Tigers are inching closer to the World Series and it looks like Young might be one of the reasons for their success in October. The Twins outfield situation was one the least things for the club to worry about so it's not like fans are clamoring to see Young back in the Twin Cities. His play in the regular season has been the same old Delmon Young; he can't play defense, he doesn't take walks, and his power is spotty. The small sample size of the postseason can make anyone look like a legend and it will be interesting to see what someone is willing to pay for him when he hits the free agent market. For now, team's will have to settle for watching him hit balls out of the park in the postseason.

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Over the course of the week, I released my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Today marks the final day of the awards and the other announcements from the BBA should be coming in the near future. Here is the list of awards that have been announced during the past week. Click on any of the links below to see my ballot for each award. Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8 Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released Tuesday, October 9 Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) released Wednesday, October 10 Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) released Thursday, October 11 Stan Musial Award (Top Player) released today Stan Musial Award for Top Player American League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2497[/ATTACH] 1. Mike Trout 2. Miguel Cabrera 3. Robinson Cano 4. Adrian Beltre 5. Adam Jones 6. Josh Hamilton 7. Prince Fielder 8. Joe Mauer 9. Yoenis Cespedes 10. Paul Konerko Summary: Near the end of the regular season, I wrote a post about the tight MVP race in the American League between rookie phenom Mike Trout and Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera. There are plenty of different things to consider when it comes to picking out a winner including WAR, defensive ability, the significance of the Triple Crown, being on a playoff team, etc. Make sure to check out the article for my entire explanation for choosing Trout over Cabrera. An argument could be made for Cano to finish ahead of Cabrera but it won't happen. Beltre and Hamilton had strong seasons for the team that most thought should win the American League. Jones was the spark plug for the Orioles offense and they needed every run they could score. Prediction: In the end, I think Cabrera walks away with the MVP but this takes nothing away from the outstanding year put together by Trout as a 20-year old rookie. ~~~ National League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2496[/ATTACH] 1. Buster Posey 2. Ryan Braun 3. Andrew McCutchen 4. Yadier Molina 5. David Wright 6. Chase Headley 7. Jason Heyward 8. Clayton Kershaw 9. Matt Holliday 10. Joey Votto Summary: The strong second half compiled by Posey on a team heading to the postseason should push him over the top for this award. He put up these numbers while playing most of his games behind the plate for the Giants so that should only help his cause. Braun put together an identical season to his MVP campaign in 2011 but the PED cloud surrounding him could keep him from the top spot. The Pirates looked like everyone's darlings in the first half of the year before falling off and McCutchen was a large part of their surge. An argument can be made for Molina to finish in the top spot because his offensive numbers are similar to Posey and he is better on the defensive side of the ball. Wright and Headley had wonderful seasons but it came on team's that struggled to win games. Prediction: This looks like it should be a runaway win for Mr. Posey. So what do you think of the ballot? Who would get your vote?

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Over the course of the week, I will release my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Here is the list of awards that have been announced and the others that will be announced in the coming days: Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8 Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released Tuesday, October 9 Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) released Wednesday, October 10 Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) released today Stan Musial Award (Top Player) Walter Johnson Award for Top Pitcher American League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2493[/ATTACH] 1. Justin Verlander- RHP - Detroit Tigers W-L (17-8), 2.64 ERA, 1.057 WHIP, 239 SO, 60 BB, 238.1 IP, 6 CG It would have been tough for Verlander to match his MVP season from 2011 but he still showed the American League why he was the best pitcher on the planet. He was tops in the American League in complete games, strikeouts, and ERA+. His win total was a little less than in 2011 but sometimes a pitcher can't control the final outcome of the game. It could be the second straight Cy Young for the right-handed hurler and it most likely won't be his last. 2. David Price- LHP - Tampa Bay Rays W-L (20-5), 2.56 ERA, 1.100 WHIP, 205 SO, 59 BB, 211.0 IP, 2 CG Price sits at the top of the American League in wins and ERA so there is a chance the writers will name him the Cy Young winner. The Rays were suppose to have a strong pitching staff and Price lead the way in a disappointing year for Tampa Bay. He finished second in the Cy Young award two seasons ago and it might be his turn to end up on top in 2012. 3. Jered Weaver- RHP - Los Angeles Angels W-L (20-5), 2.81 ERA, 1.018 WHIP, 142 SO, 45 BB, 188.2 IP, 3 CG Weaver finished tied with Price for most wins in the American League even though he missed some time with an injury. His other numbers are a little lower since he missed time so there isn't much of a shot for him to finish at the top of the awards voting. It would have been interesting to see how good of a year he could of had if the injury bug didn't bite him. Weaver finished second to Verlander in 2011 and he will be behind the ace from Detroit in 2012. 4. Fernando Rodney- RHP - Tampa Bay Rays W-L (2-2), 0.60 ERA, 0.777 WHIP, 76 SO, 15 BB, 74.2 IP, 48 S The year Rodney put together was one of the best in the history of the game for a relief pitcher. It was especially amazing since he is 35-years old and his career ERA was 4.29 before this season. If there were no other dominant pitchers in the American League, this could be Rodney's award to win. The three men ahead of him on this list had more of an impact for their teams so his season for the ages won't be honored with the top-pitching award. 5. Chris Sale- LHP - Chicago White Sox W-L (17-8), 3.05 ERA, 1.135 ERA, 192 SO, 51 BB, 192.0 IP, 1 CG In previous seasons, Sale had been used primarily as a relief pitcher but it looks like the White Sox made the correct decision to move him to the starting rotation. In his first full year as a starter, there were some rough moments as the innings started to add up near the end of the year. He still was a strong starting presence on a team that was fighting for a playoff spot through September. National League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2492[/ATTACH] 1. R.A. Dickey- RHP - New York Mets W-L (20-6), 2.73 ERA, 1.053 WHIP, 230 SO, 54 BB, 233.2 IP, 5 CG It was a fantastic year for the 37-year old pitcher as he made his first All-Star appearance and he seemed to have a rebirth with the Mets. He finished the year with the most strikeouts in the league and he was the leader in innings pitched for the NL. There was a chance for him to finish near the top in most of the statistical categories in the league but he barely finished behind Clayton Kershaw for the ERA crown and he was third in WHIP. His five complete games were tops in the NL and he also had the most shutouts so Robert Allen deserves the award. 2. Johnny Cueto- RHP - Cincinnati Reds W-L (19-9), 2.78 ERA, 1.171 WHIP, 170 SO, 49 BB, 217.0 IP, 2 CG His season was great for one of the best team's in the National League and it might go slightly unnoticed because of the market he plays in during the year. Out of the top three men on my ballot, he was the only player to help his team reach postseason play. He is also forced to play half of his games in a very hitter friendly ballpark, which makes his season all the more impressive. It will be a close vote and he could finish in the top spot if the voters appreciate his contribution to a first place club. 3. Clayton Kershaw- LHP -Los Angeles Dodgers W-L (14-9), 2.53 ERA, 1.023 WHIP, 229 SO, 63 BB, 227.2 IP, 2 CG A year after winning the first Cy Young of his young career, Kershaw did his best to try and take home the honor again in 2012. He finished one strikeout behind Dickey for the league lead and he had six fewer innings to add to his total. His ERA and WHIP were tops in the National League for the second consecutive year. In what is shaping up to be a three-man race, Kershaw could slip in and steal the top spot from Dickey and Cueto. 4. Gio Gonzalez- LHP - Washington Nationals W-L (21-8), 2.89 ERA, 1.129 WHIP, 207 SO, 76 BB, 199.1 IP, 2 CG On a team where Stephen Strasburg was the most talked about pitcher, Gonzalez quietly went about his work and pitched his way to a league high 21 wins in 2012. He barely missed the 200 IP mark but he still managed to strikeout over 200 batters in his time on the mound, which translated to the highest strikeouts per nine in the NL. One of the biggest improvements with his switch to the NL was his ability to reduce his amount of walks. The 2012 season marked the first time in the last three years he had fewer than 90 free passes. 5. Kris Medlen- RHP - Atlanta Braves W-L (10-1), 1.57 ERA, 0.913 WHIP, 120 SO, 23 BB, 138.0 IP, 2 CG When Atlanta inserted Medlen into the starting rotation on July 31st, it was almost like they had traded for one of the best pitchers in baseball but he had been part of their team for the entire year. Medlen looked like an ace over the course of the last two months of the year and the Braves seemed to gain confidence with him on the mound. He rattled off six consecutive victories in August and September and Atlanta didn't lose a single game he started from the end of July to the last day of the regular season.

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Throughout the week, I will release my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Here is the list of awards that have been announced and the others that will be announced in the coming days: Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8 Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released Tuesday, October 9 Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) released today Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) Stan Musial Award (Top Player) Goose Gossage Award for Top Reliever American League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2489[/ATTACH] 1. Fernando Rodney- RHP - Tampa Bay Rays W-L (2-2), 0.60 ERA, 0.777 WHIP, 76 SO, 15 BB, 74.2 IP, 48 S There is a good chance Rodney will be getting some votes for the Cy Young Award after the season he put together in 2012. For the entire year, he allowed five earned runs with a couple of home runs and that is why his ERA was the lowest of all-time. His strikeout to walk rate was fantastic and he wasn't even the planned closer for the Rays when the season was beginning. The 35-year old has pitched a lackluster career until this year and now he has one of the best seasons ever for a man on the mound. 2. Ryan Cook- RHP - Oakland Athletics W-L (6-2), 2.09 ERA, 0.941 WHIP, 80 SO, 27 BB, 73.1 IP, 14 S In a year where the Oakland A's used a variety of men in the closers role for their club, Cook was one of the most reliable options for the team. He split time between closer and set-up man but he ended up with 14 saves and 21 holds to his credit by the end of the year. Oakland fought their way back to the top of the AL West and it took some tough pitching in late inning situations by Cook and others to let them storm back for the top spot. If not for Rodney's historic year, Cook could have been honored with the top relief award at the end of the season. 3. Jim Johnson- RHP - Baltimore Orioles W-L (2-1), 2.49 ERA, 1.019 WHIP, 41 SO, 15 BB, 68.2 IP, 51 S One of the reasons the Baltimore Orioles were so successful in 2012 was their ability to win close games and the back-end of their bullpen had a lot to do with this. If not for the outstanding season by Rodney, Johnson's numbers would be hard to ignore. He led the American League in saves on a team that needed every one of the close victories they were able to achieve. Mr. Johnson wasn't as perfect as Rodney but it's hard to put up those kinds of numbers as a relief arm. National League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2488[/ATTACH] 1. Craig Kimbrel- RHP - Atlanta Braves W-L (3-1), 1.01 ERA, 0.654 WHIP, 116 S0, 14 BB, 62.2 IP, 42 S For the second year in a row, Kimbrel is the top relief pitcher in the National League. His numbers were almost like something out of a video game in 2012. He struck out half of the batters he faced during the course of the year. Let that sink in a minute... he struck out half of the men that stepped in the box against him. Just mind-boggling. He was untouchable on the mound and it looks like the Braves have their closer for the foreseeable future. Rodney didn't give up many runs but Kimbrel might have been more dominant with his ability to strikeout opposing batters. 2. Aroldis Chapman- RHP - Cincinnati Reds W-L (5-5), 1.51 ERA, 0.809 WHIP, 122 SO, 23 BB, 71.2 IP, 38 S Chapman didn't start the year as the closer for the Reds and he was still able to finish the year near the top of the league in saves. Cincinnati can't make up their minds about what to do with their hard throwing right-handed pitcher but he might have finally found his spot at the back-end of the bullpen. At one point during the year, it looked like Chapman might push Kimbrel for the top relief spot in the NL but he had a couple of rough appearances. This still doesn't take away from the fantastic season for Chapman and it will be interesting to see what he can do with a full season of closers duties in 2013 (if that's even what the Reds decide to do with him). 3. Jason Motte- RHP - St. Louis Cardinals W-L (4-5), 2.87 ERA, 0.917 WHIP, 86 SO, 17 BB, 72.0 IP, 42 S During last year's World Series run by the Cardinals, fans learned the name of Jason Motte. In his first full season as the closer in St. Louis, Motte showed that his postseason performance was not a fluke. He tied Kimbrel for the league lead in saves and his other numbers put him in elite company at the top of the NL. It was a fight for the Cardinals to get back into the postseason and they needed every out they could get from Motte over the course of the year.

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Over the next couple of weeks, I will release my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Here is the list of awards that have been announced and the others that will be announced in the coming days: Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released Monday, October 8 Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) released today Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) Stan Musial Award (Top Player) Willie Mays Award for Top Rookie American League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2484[/ATTACH] 1. Mike Trout- CF- Los Angeles Angels .326/.399/.564, 30 HR, 83 RBI, 27 2B, 49 SB, 129 R This might not be the only piece of hardware for Trout when it comes to the 2012 awards season. He is one of the leading candidates for the MVP award in the American League and he didn't even start the season in the major leagues. He lead the American League is stolen bases and runs scored and for most of the year he was near the top of the league in batting average. His combination of speed, power, and outstanding defense in center field should make him an outstanding player for years to come. There were some other great rookies across the American League but Trout put together a season for the ages. 2. Yu Darvish- RHP - Texas Rangers W-L (16-9), 3.90 ERA, 1.280 WHIP, 221 SO, 89 BB, 191.1 IP At the beginning of the season, Darvish looked like the front-runner for this award because of all of the hype surrounding his arrival from Japan. It wasn't a perfect first year but Darvish was very good during his first season in the United States. He had the second highest strikeouts per nine innings in the American League and his 16 wins were tops among rookie pitchers. His 221 strikeouts were almost 50 more than his closest rookie competitor in the American League. 3. Yoenis Cespedes- OF, DH - Oakland Athletics .292/.356/.505, 23 HR, 82 RBI, 25 2B, 16 SB, 70 R Much like Darvish, Cespedes was an older rookie that was making the shift to the US from baseball in another country. Cespedes used his powerful swing to help Oakland to their first division title in multiple seasons. On a team with no big name players, Cespedes is the highest paid man and probably the team's most recognizable name. He finished second to Trout in home runs for AL rookies and he was only one RBI behind the Angels outfielder. It was a surprise for the A's to sign Cespedes but he proved his worth to the team. National League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2485[/ATTACH] 1. Bryce Harper- OF -Washington Nationals .270/.340/.477, 22 HR, 59 RBI, 26 2B, 18 SB, 98 R It's tough to look at the season put together by Trout and expect the same thing from young Mr. Harper. Even considering this, it was still a great season for the 19-year old Harper. He made his debut at the end of April and he was an impact player on the best team in the National League. His powerful swing compiled quite the highlight reel of moon-shots across different parks for the Nats. He also put together some outstanding defense with his ability to track down fly balls and Mr. Harper has one of the best outfield arms in the game. It looks like the future is bright for the Nationals and Harper is a big piece of their rise to the top of the NL. 2. Wade Miley- LHP - Arizona Diamondbacks W-L (16-11), 3.33 ERA, 1.182 WHIP, 144 SO, 37 BB, 194.2 IP The Diamondbacks were suppose to fight for another division title in the National League West and Miley did his best to keep Arizona in the race for the top spot. He tied Darvish for most wins among rookie pitchers and he led rookies in innings pitched. If not for one of the most hyped rookies in the history of the game, Miley might have been named the top rookie in the National League. He will have to settle for a second place finish and the hope he can help to turn around the D-Backs in 2013. 3. Todd Frazier- 3B, 1B, OF - Cincinnati Reds .273/.331/.498, 19 HR, 67 RBI, 26 2B, 3 SB, 55 R Injuries to key players on the Reds allowed Frazier to have a more significant role for the team destined to win the NL Central. His insertion into the line-up for the Reds helped them to keep distance between themselves and the rest of their foes in the division. His 19 home runs were only behind Harper and Wilin Rosario among NL rookies. He also ranked second in OPS and RBI versus other first year players in the NL while being in the middle of the push for the playoffs.

At the conclusion of every season, the members of the Baseball Bloggers Alliance (BBA) are asked to submit their ballots for the top awards across baseball. Each of these awards is named in honor of a player that epitomized the role in Major League Baseball. Over the course of the next week, I will release my ballots for each award and I will post the official announcements from the BBA with the combined votes of all member blogs. Here is the list of awards that will be announced in the coming days: Connie Mack Award (Top Manager) released today Willie Mays Award (Top Rookie) Goose Gossage Award (Top Reliever) Walter Johnson Award (Top Pitcher) Stan Musial Award (Top Player) Connie Mack Award for Top Manager American League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2475[/ATTACH] 1. Bob Melvin- Oakland Athletics (94-68, AL West Division Champions) With a plethora of rookies in their starting rotation and unproven players at different positions on the field, there didn't seem to be anyone who thought the Athletics would be able to contend in the AL West. This was supposed to be a divisional fight between the Angels and the Rangers with the A's as an afterthought in third or fourth place. Someone forgot to tell the A's that they weren't suppose to contend in 2012. It was a magical end to the season as Melvin made all of the right moves to bring the A's to the brink of winning the division. The players did the rest in the final series of the year against the Rangers. This award will be a two-man race between Melvin and Buck Showalter but Melvin's team won their division so my vote goes in support of him. 2. Buck Showalter- Baltimore Orioles (93-69, Wild Card) In arguably the toughest division in baseball, the Orioles were able to hang with the big dogs and make the postseason for the first time since the late 1990's. It didn't make sense for the Orioles to keep winning as they barely were able to have a positive run differential but the team fared very well in close contests. Showalter seemed to be able to get the most out of a roster with very little star power and it's great to see the Orioles return to their former powerhouse status in the American League. It is a toss-up between Showalter and Melvin and this award could easily go to Mr. Showalter. 3. Robin Ventura- Chicago White Sox (85-77, 2nd Place Central Division) After a rough season in 2011, the White Sox turned the reigns over to a new skipper and he was able to lead the White Sox to a surprise second place finish in the AL Central. At the beginning of the year, there were many that thought Detroit would clearly win the Central but it was tough to know who would challenge them. The White Sox did more than challenge the Tigers; they pushed them all the way until the last week of the season. There were bounce back seasons from multiple players on the roster and it was a surprise to see the White Sox in contention for so long this year. National League [ATTACH=CONFIG]2474[/ATTACH] 1. Davey Johnson- Washington Nationals (98-64, NL East Division Champions) The Nationals were supposed to make a positive jump this season but no one thought they would have the most wins of any team in the baseball world. Their strong pitching staff was supplemented by a talented offense. Young prospect Bryce Harper provided a spark to help push the team to their first divisional crown since moving to Washington. For Johnson, he had to balance the press surrounding the shutdown Stephen Strasburg and all of the hype around Mr. Harper. There were injuries along the way to star players like Ryan Zimmerman but Johnson provided the calming influence to keep the Nationals on the path to the divisional crown. The Braves pushed them for most of the year but in the end it was the year of the Nats. 2. Fredi Gonzalez- Atlanta Braves (94-68, Wild Card) It could have been easy for the Braves to have a tough year after their collapse to end the 2011 season. Gonzalez and his coaching staff were able to put the nightmare of 2011 behind them to have their players put together a very strong showing in the National League. For Chipper Jones, the future Hall of Fame third baseman, it was a great regular season to end his career. The pitching staff for the Braves put together some very good numbers to help keep Atlanta in the hunt for another division title until the final days of the season. If not for the Nationals strong showing, this award could have been added to the resume of Gonzalez. 3. Bruce Bochy- San Francisco Giants (94-68, NL West Division Champions) When a team's two time Cy Young winner has a difficult season, it can be tough for a team to overcome this performance and still be in the hunt for a divisional title. Even with Tim Lincecum having a very un-Lincecum like year, the Giants were able ride the rest of their strong pitching staff back to the top of the National League West. Buster Posey had a fantastic second half of the year and he could be in line for the MVP Award in the NL. It was a good bounce-back season after the Giants missed the postseason in 2011 and Bochy was there to lead the team.

It's playoff baseball time and for the first time in the history of the game there will be a play-in game between the two wild card teams in each league. The Twins missed out on postseason play for the second year in a row but there are plenty of other story lines to watch in the coming weeks. Can the Oakland A's continue their magical run? Will former Twins slugger Jim Thome be able to capture his first title? Are the Texas Rangers going to be able to recover after their collapse? Is Kris Medlen really one of the best pitchers in the game? Who can stop the St. Louis Cardinals from repeating? What is going to stop 19-year old Bryce Harper from having his coming out party? The list of things to watch could go on and on. But before the games get started, let's check out some of the top stories of the week from across the baseball world. Here's this week's edition of "Friday Links-N-Thinks." You can pre-order the 2013 Twins Offseason Handbook from the TwinsDaily crew. There was quite the purge of the coaching staff at Target Field yesterday. I wish I had the funds to do this for one season with the Twins. Here is a review of the 2012 season for the Twins. Trevor Plouffe got a little excited on the base path this week so he had to get creative. Miguel Sano and Eddie Rosario both made the list of top prospects in the Midwest League. This in-depth prospect report on Miguel Sano of the Twins is a must read. Should the Twins emulate the White Sox? Ryan Doumit has been a great fit with the Twins. This was the most tragic story of the week as former Twins pitcher Pat Neshek lost his newborn son within a day of him being born. Thoughts and prayers go out to him and his family. Tsuyoshi Nishioka was let go by the Twins this week and he already agreed to a deal with a new team in Japan. The Mariners are making Safeco more hitter friendly and one has to wonder if the Twins will be next. One of the men in the picture below made the list of least popular MLB jerseys in 2012. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2467[/ATTACH] Does the Triple Crown still matter? I gave a few reasons to watch the postseason above but here are 100 more reasons if you needed the push. Curt Schilling might be forced to sell his bloody sock from the 2004 ALCS. There is a push in Minnesota to unseal Lou Gehrig's medical records. Attendance was up across the baseball world but the Twins didn't help in that department. Teddy Roosevelt finally won the President's race for the Nationals! Craig Kimbrel had quite the season in Atlanta and he became the first player to fan half his batters faced. Mike Schmidt would like players to make their autographs easier to read. Harmon would be proud! For the first time in 50 years, two 100-loss teams took the field to play each other. Someone had to win, right? A pitcher for the Tigers got injured during the celebration for winning the AL Central. Adam Greenberg got his one at-bat with the Marlins and it was a cool moment in Miami. My Weekly Rundown Monday: Tsuyoshi Nishioka was a "Candle in the Wind" Tuesday: Grading last season's free agent signings Wednesday: Twins Defensive Player of the Year: Denard Span Thursday: Handing out Twins End of the Season Awards 2012 MLB Playoff Predictions (sure to go wrong...) Video of the Week: Scott Diamond got back to his Canadian roots this week while the Twins made a trip up north to play the Blue Jays. In his final start of the year and his first start in his native country, Diamond made a kick save on a ball back up the middle. It was a great year for the left-handed pitcher so this was a cool play to end the year.

Yesterday, I started my awards season by naming Denard Span as the Defensive Player of the Year for the Twins. This was a first time I have looked at giving out that award and it was fun to dive into some of the defensive metrics to try and pick out a winner. Today I will hand out the rest of my awards for the Twins organization including MVP, Pitcher of the Year, Relief Pitcher of the Year, and Rookie of the Year. A few of the categories were close races and some of the battles were not so close and that is what makes this a fun exercise. There can be people on both sides of the MVP battle between Josh Willingham and Joe Mauer. One person might think Glen Perkins was the best relief pitcher and another person might put all of their money behind Jared Burton. When a team loses over 90 games for the second season in a row, it's nice to have some positive energy at the end of the year. At the beginning of the year, I made predictions for winners in all of the categories listed below. There were some duds when I looked into my crystal ball in April but it can be hard to predict what kind of season a player will have. During the All-Star break, I looked at the first half of the year and named the frontrunners for the awards at the half-way point. Things can change over the course of the second half of the year so let's jump into this year's awards. Each of the awards below has been named after someone that optimizes that award for the Twins organization. There are some legends from the past and even one current MLB player but all have had a significant place in Twins lore. [ATTACH=CONFIG]2464[/ATTACH] Harmon Killebrew MVP: Josh Willingham, LF-DH Preseason Pick: Joe Mauer, C-1B-DH Midseason Pick: Josh Willingham, LF-DH Previous Winners: Michael Cuddyer (2011), Joe Mauer (2010) There are a few different men to consider for the top honor with the organization, as there was some good seasons put together by multiple players. Joe Mauer had a very good bounce-back season after suffering through multiple injuries in 2011. In the last couple months, Justin Morneau put together some nice numbers to show he can be a force in the middle of the line-up. Denard Span put together excellent numbers at the plate with very good defense at a premium position. For a team destined to finish in the basement of the AL Central for the second consecutive year, there were plenty of good performances on the field. In the end, the vote most likely comes down to the same two men that faced off against each other at the midseason part of the year. It could really be a toss up between Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham. Mauer leads the team in batting average, on-base percentage, and hits while Willingham is at the top in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage. On the defensive side of the ball, Mauer played 74 games at catcher with his other 71 appearances being at first base or designated hitter. Willingham would play 119 games by rumbling around left field and 25 games as designated hitter. They both had an extreme amount of value to this club but Willingham's gets my vote for his clutch hits during the season and for having a higher win probability added than Mauer. Johan Santana Pitcher of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason Pick: Francisco Liriano, LHP Midseason Pick: Scott Diamond, LHP Previous Winners: Carl Pavano (2011), Carl Pavano (2010) There wasn't much of a competition for this award since Diamond was head-and-shoulders above the rest of the members of the starting staff. He was the team leader in wins, ERA, and innings pitched. The only category Diamond failed to win was strikeouts since Francisco Liriano, my preseason pick for the award, had 109 even though he was traded to the White Sox at the end of July. It was a break-out season for Diamond and it will be exciting to see what he has to offer in 2013. He should get an entire season of playing time at the big league level and the Twins hope he can replicate some of his outstanding performances from earlier this season. Rick Aguilera Relief Pitcher of the Year: Jared Burton, RHP Preseason Pick: Brian Duensing, LHP Midseason Pick: Jared Burton, RHP Previous Winners: Glen Perkins (2011), Jesse Crain (2010) Much like the race for the team MVP, it came down to two men for the top relief pitcher on the 2012 Twins. Both players had very good seasons so it was a tough choice between Glen Perkins and Jared Burton. Perkins had more strikeouts with more innings pitched and he showed the ability to take over the closers role for the club after Matt Capps was shelved due to injuries. Jared Burton had the best season of his career and he led the Twins bullpen in ERA and WHIP. After his breakout season in 2011, the Twins expected Perkins to be one of their best relief options. Burton was a surprise find and his outstanding season earned him the award as the top bullpen arm for the Twins. Rod Carew Rookie of the Year: Scott Diamond, LHP Preseason Pick: Chris Parmelee, 1B-RF-DH Midseason Pick: Scott Diamond, LHP Previous Winners: Ben Revere (2011), Danny Valencia (2010) The Twins got looks at plenty of young players this season as Brian Dozier and Scott Diamond got plenty of opportunities. Chris Parmelee and Liam Hendriks made the team out of spring training but they were both sent back to the minor leagues for big chunks of the season. In the end, Diamond emerged as the ace of the pitching staff that struggled to find good performances on the mound. He finished third among American League rookies with 12 victories to his name and he did this in fewer starts than those ahead of him in the rankings. Diamond and Hendriks were among three AL rookie starters to throw a complete game in 2012 and Diamond was the only one in the group with a complete game shutout. Now it's your turn. What would your ballot look like for the top awards in the Twins organization for 2012? Leave a comment and start the debate.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2459[/ATTACH] On Monday, ESPN's Mark Simon wrote an article naming Mike Trout as the "Defensive Player of the Year" for MLB. Throughout the season, he and a team of twelve voters had picked out the best defensive player for every month and their overall choice for the year was Mr. Trout. This got me to thinking about who would come out on top for the Twins if the same award had to be given to a player on the roster for Minnesota. There are some good defensive players on the Twins and it's fun to try and pick out the player with the best year behind a lackluster pitching staff. The first step should be to name some of the top candidates on the defensive side of the ball for the Twins in 2012. In the outfield, there are a couple options with Denard Span and Ben Revere having very good seasons patrolling the deep outfield at Target Field. Jamey Carroll has done well in his time at multiple infield positions and Alexi Casilla has looked good in his limited action for the club. Since September started, Pedro Florimon has been impressive but he hardly has enough chances to be named as the top defender or did he... By digging into the statistics, it makes it easier to separate the leaders for the Twins. According to the Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) statistic, Ben Revere has the top marks on the team during his time in the outfield. UZR is based on zone rating and it measures a fielder's success at getting to balls determined to be in his "zone" of the playing field. The number attempts to quantify how many runs a player saved through their fielding skills or lack of fielding skills. Revere's UZR sits at 16.3 which is almost five and a half points higher than the next closest member on the team. He also gets some credit for going out of his zone in right field to track down balls. Here is the top five for the Twins: Ultimate Zone Rating (UZR) Leaders 1. Ben Revere 16.3 (LF, RF, CF) 2. Jamey Carroll 10.9 (2B, SS, 3B) 3. Darin Mastroianni 10.1 (RF, CF, LF) 4. Denard Span 9.4 (CF) 5. Alexi Casilla 7.8 (2B, 3B) UZR isn't the only statistic of importance when it comes to grading defenders for the Twins. There are other categories to consider when trying to separate the boys from the men. Another metric that is easy for fans to understand is Defensive Runs Save (DRS). DRS captures a player's total defensive value by indicating how many runs a player saved when compared to the average player at his position. Much like UZR, DRS is measured in runs above or below average. Span ranks at the top for the Twins and some of the other members on this list might be a surprise. Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) Leaders 1. Denard Span 20 (CF) 2. Alexi Casilla 15 (2B, 3B) 3. Jamey Carroll 13 (SS, 2B, 3B) 4. Ben Revere 8 (RF, CF, LF) 5. Pedro Florimon 6 (SS) Since there are two different websites visited by fans looking for statistics about baseball players, there can be some differences in the numbers put out by those sites. Baseball Reference and FanGraphs each have their own version of Wins Above Replacement (WAR) so there are some differences in how they look at the defensive side of the ball. FanGraphs uses the UZR numbers from above when calculating their WAR number. Baseball Reference has a specific value for the amount of wins a player was worth as a defender over a replacement level player. Defensive Wins Above Replacement (dWAR) Leaders 1. Denard Span 2.4 2 (tie). Jamey Carroll 1.8 2 (tie). Alexi Casilla 1.8 4. Pedro Florimon 0.9 5. Ben Revere 0.6 One final category to consider in the balloting for top defensive player on the Twins in 2012 is Range Runs (RngR). In this metric, it rates players based on their ability to get to a ball also known as their range. As with most of the statistics looked at here today, it is measured in runs saved compared to the average for other players in the league at the same position. Much like UZR above, Revere gets quite a bump from being a center fielder shagging fly balls in the corner outfield spots for most of the year. Range Runs (RngR) Leaders 1. Ben Revere 12.6 2. Denard Span 9.5 3. Darin Mastroanni 8.9 4. Jamey Carroll 7.0 5. Alexi Casilla 6.6 It's clear that there isn't a perfect way to measure a player's defensive ability but there are plenty of statistics to help clear up some of the foggy mess. With that being said, the Defensive Player of the Year for the Twins is Denard Span. He ranks at the top of two of the above categories and he finished runner-up in another category. After dealing with concussion issues for a chunk of last season, it was good to see Span manning center field for over 120 games this year. A nagging shoulder injury cost him some time late in the season and his numbers might have been even better had he not been on the DL. It was still a terrific defensive season for Mr. Span and he continues the line of great defensive center fielders for the Twins.

The end of the 2012 season is closely approaching and this leaves time to reflect back on the season when the hometown team isn't going to be in the playoffs. For the Twins, 2012 was another season to forget but there were some bright spots amidst all of the dullness of the past few months. Some of the brightest stars for 2012 came from the crop of free agents the Twins signed during last winter. These players might not have turned the team around from the dismal 2011 campaign but there were some pieces to fit into the plans for the next few seasons. So how did the free agent crop for the Twins fair after signing on the dotted line to play in the Twin Cities? It's the end of the season so it's time to send out report cards to the front office of the Twins. Here are the final grades for the free agent signings that made an appearance with the Twins in 2012 (Author's note: The grades are for their time with the Twins even if it was a small sample size): Grading Scale A: Far above average player, goes above and beyond the club's dreams B: Above average player, exceeded expectations of the club C: Average player, met the expectations of the club D: Below average player, below expectations (or limited playing time) F: Far below average player, well below expectations (or cost us a draft pick) [ATTACH=CONFIG]2451[/ATTACH] Major League Crew Josh Willingham: LF, DH Stat Summary: .260/.366/.524, 35 HR, 110 RBI, 30 2B, 145 G In a surprisingly healthy season for Willingham, he set career highs in games played, home runs, and RBI. To say the Twins were surprised by his performance would be an understatement. The 33-year old outfielder had a career year and it looks like the Twins got a steal on the free agent market. He became the first Twins player to hit 35 or more home runs in quite a long time. For the next two years, he will me making a very reasonable $7 million per season and he was worth close to $18 million in 2012 according to FanGraphs. FINAL GRADE: A Ryan Doumit: C, DH, OF Stat Summary: .275/.320/.461, 18 HR, 75 RBI, 34 2B, 134 G The Twins wanted a better hitting catcher to back-up Joe Mauer and Doumit's versatility seemed to fit the needs of the club last offseason. He was originally signed to a one-year $3 million deal but his value became clear over the course of the season and the team signed him to an extension through 2014. Much like Willingham, Doumit has appeared in a career-high amount of games with other highs set for home runs and RBI. His defense behind the plate hasn't been atrocious and FanGraphs has him worth $7.2 million. FINAL GRADE: A- Jared Burton: RHP Stat Summary: (3-2), 2.18 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, 62.0 IP, 55 SO, 16 BB One of the biggest surprises of the season has been Burton and his shutdown ability out of the bullpen (minus this weekend versus Prince Fielder). He has been solid for most of the season and it looks like the Twins have their set-up man to pitch in front of Glen Perkins for 2013. He is still arbitration eligible so the organization has control of him for next season at a decent price. Like the men ahead of him on this list, he played in a career-high number of games since he was healthy and on the field. FanGraphs has his worth almost $4 million for this year. FINAL GRADE: B+ Jamey Carroll: SS, 2B, 3B Stat Summary: .268/.343/.317, 1 HR, 40 RBI, 18 2B, 138 G It was hard to get too excited about the Twins signing a 38-year old player to a multi-year contract. But that being said, Carroll turned out to be right about what the Twins expected for 2012. His batting average is a little under his career mark of .276 but he is still getting on base at a decent clip. The Twins also liked his ability to play multiple defensive positions and he has needed all of his infield gloves for the team this year. Last year was the only season he appeared in more games than this year and FanGraphs puts his value at $9.9 million for 2012. FINAL GRADE: B- Matt Capps: RHP Stat Summary: (1-4), 3.68 ERA, 1.091 WHIP, 29.1 IP, 18 SO, 4 BB It was frustrating to see the Twins bring back Capps when the team could have gotten a compensatory draft pick if he left for another team. That frustration only grew with the injury plagued season put together by Capps. This season will be the least amount of innings he has thrown in any of his full seasons at the big league level. He also wasn't very effective during his time on the mound. According to FanGraphs, his value was $0.2 million and the Twins are paid him $4.5 million. FINAL GRADE: F Jason Marquis: RHP Stat Summary: (2-4), 8.47 ERA, 1.941 WHIP, 34.0 IP, 12 SO, 14 BB There isn't much to add here after looking at the above stats from Marquis during his time with the Twins. When the Twins signed him, they were hoping for a veteran starter to add to their rotation. That didn't work out so well. It also might have made things worse that he looked slightly better during his time with the Padres later in the season. FINAL GRADE: F Other Minor Deals Sam Deduno: RHP Stat Summary: (6-5), 4.44 ERA, 1.544 WHIP, 79.0 IP, 57 SO, 53 BB After a few decent outings since his call-up, it looks like Deduno has a shot to make the rotation for 2013. The minor league journeyman is 29-years old and he won't cost a lot to stay with the club. It's also amazing how often he has gotten out of jams without allowing a ton of runs to score. FINAL GRADE: C+ Casey Fien: RHP Stat Summary: (2-1), 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, 34.2 IP, 32 SO, 9 BB He was another surprise member out of a bullpen that has been very good this season. Fien has most likely pitched his way into contention for the roster in 2013. His minor league track record has been up-and-down so it will be interesting to see how next season goes for him. FINAL GRADE: C+ Luis Perdomo: RHP Stat Summary: (0-0), 3.52 ERA, 1.696 WHIP, 15.1 IP, 8 SO, 11 BB In his last six outings, he has only allowed a single run so he has put together a nice little stretch of baseball to end the year. Plus his beard was pretty sweet at the beginning of the year so he gets props from the facial hair department. He could fit into next year's bullpen. FINAL GRADE: D Matt Carson: RF, DH Stat Summary: .224/.246/.241, 0 HR, 3 RBI, 1 2B, 24 G Doesn't seem to fit into the long-term plans for the club at the big league level since the organization has outfield depth. He did put up some decent numbers during his time at Triple-A so he was worth a look in September by the club. There just hasn't been much to offer on the offensive side of the ball. FINAL GRADE: D Sean Burroughs: 3B, DH Stat Summary: .118/.167/.176, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 10 G He was suppose to be the man to push Danny Valencia at third base but he couldn't really put it together in his limited time at the big league level. His numbers at Rochester were okay but he wasn't exactly a force in the line-up. FINAL GRADE: F What kind of grades would you give these players for their 2012 season with the Twins? The grades don't include their minor league numbers with the organization and some of them weren't suppose to contribute at the big league level in 2012 so getting a grade is plus for them. That's what happens after back-to-back poor seasons; the club has to turn to players they didn't think they would need.