mikelink45

I have read and thoroughly enjoyed Aaron Gleeman’s Minnesota Twins the Big 50 and thoroughly enjoyed the nostalgia and stories. It is an excellent book and I am sure that Aaron dislikes the one big editing error that has the big page for Jim Kaat as Jim Katt. Otherwise Aaron should be very proud of the book and the quality he maintained. There are players for every era and some choices that surprised me, but nothing that I completely disagree with. I was surprised that it was not 50 players and there were sections on world series games and teams and even our previous two managers – where is Billy Martin? This made me wonder if we did not have 50 worthy players. I tried to think of who I would add. I am sorry that Lyman Bostock was not there and as an old Twin fan I missed Vic Power. Two seasons for Vic, but gold gloves and 280 average with 26 homeruns. He was colorful, exciting to watch and a player who really connected with the fans and the other one was Mudcat Grant who also had too shore a Twins career but was so much fun to watch and cheer for and his 21 wins made him worthy of our fandom. However, since we had managers and teams and games in the Gleeman book I thought about who I would have as NUMBER 51 – and Is THE OWNERS. What can I say to summarize the owners of this franchise? Of course, there is the forever echo of fans calling Pohlad cheap, but I think the most egregious of all his actions was during that low point in major league baseball when they were considering contraction and Carl volunteered to let the Twins be eliminated. Willing to accept $250,000,000 Carl was not going to lose money, but he certainly gave up Twin City admiration. “Well, he was frustrated,” Selig told the Pioneer Press last month during an interview. “The guy tried everything. I know. I was up there. I thought we had a deal two or three times and every time it fell apart, mainly for political reasons. “Contraction had nothing to do with Minnesota. Baseball was really struggling at the time, losing a fortune as a sport. There were owners who believed that contraction might help. I wasn’t of that particular view, but the owners were searching around,” Selig said. Then a local judge stepped up – “Hennepin County Judge Harry Seymour Crump became a local folk hero when he issued a temporary restraining order that forced the Twins to honor their lease and play the 2002 season at the Dome. “The vital public interest, or trust, of the Twins substantially outweighs any private interest,” Crump wrote in his ruling.” (Brian Murphy) Then there was the original owner – Calvin Griffith. In a well written article Kevin Hennessey wrote, “Calvin reacted to the new baseball economics by futilely trying to resist changes such as salary arbitration, player agents, free agency, and the increasing importance of television revenue, which gave an advantage to teams in larger markets. As time moved on, Griffith was considered a “dinosaur” or a “vestige of yesterday” relative to the new baseball owners of the late 1970s. Then there was the Waseca Lions Club meeting where Calvin let his tongue run loose and ended up losing Rod Carew - “Griffith interrupted himself, lowered his voice and asked if there were any blacks around. After he looked around the room and assured himself that his audience was white, Griffith resumed his answer. “I’ll tell you why we came to Minnesota,” he said. “It was when I found out you only had 15,000 blacks here. Black people don’t go to ball games, but they’ll fill up a rassling ring and put up such a chant it’ll scare you to death. It’s unbelievable. We came here because you’ve got good, hardworking, white people here.” Next was the feud between Calvin and his son Clark who refused to serve an apprenticeship in the minors. And in 1983 the team considered moving the franchise to Tampa Bay. http://sabr.org/research/calvin-griffith-ups-and-downs-last-family-owned-baseball-team-0

Nice report I like the photo since I see that as our SS/2B combo in 2019 - by the end of the year and if they can package Polanco and Gordon they can accumulate more of that minor league depth that Falvey mentioned.

If you are going to change batting average we need to start reporting in % Mauer is a 30% career hitter. And then a 297 average woult be 29.7%! Of course, besides the fair pole we have to redefine foul balls to offensive balls, or spoiled if we do not want to confuse with offense and defense. I believe, for accuracy, it is not instant replay it is a slow and boring replay. With all the shifts we may have to redefine positions too. Although even now a shortstop sounds like a refueling (gas) station. And a GRAND SLAM??? Not a four run home run. Which actually should be a four base hit since you better run to first, second and third too. Keep working at it - you might have a publication and then a career teaching people the new terminology.

I have great hopes for him and it is exciting to see him develop. Pitchers need time. I am reading Gleeman's Minnesota Twins 50 book and it is fun to read the stories and remember the players and experiences, but one thing jumps out as I read about Santana, Viola, Radtke - they were brought in young and given a chance to learn in the majors and it paid off. That is why I continue to push for Romero and Gonsalves to be given the opportunity Berrios had to experience MLB and work through some struggles. Our biggest opportunity to get back to the WS is not Odorizzi or Lynn - it is the maturation of this young player and the rise of one or two more from the minors.

This makes no sense - yes DFA Vargas and let him prove himself where they give him a real chance. But I read the LF summary on TD and with Kiriloff, Baddoo, Wade I do not see Cave as a need. Maybe they will prove me wrong.

I really like the prospect list - Ehire and Grossman are filler only and if we have them our quality goes down.

Those of you who liked this story might like https://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/taylodu01.shtml the best of the deaf pitchers.http://sabr.org/bioproj/person/14fca2f4 "In large part, Taylor was an above-average pitcher, as his ERAs usually showed, and perhaps because of the challenges he faced, popular with teammates and fans. His teammates learned sign language, he was visible because he was with the Giants, and as the Saturday Evening Post said, "Wherever Taylor goes he will always be visited by scores of the silent fraternity among whom he is regarded as a prodigy."

I cannot see the improvement this spring. I can only hope that the people who matter see something I am missing. I have been hoping Garver was put on the team for a year, but my confidence is shaken. I hope he really takes off.

In the midst of all the talk about Sano and his weight, I got to thinking about the judgments that people make about other people – baseball players and their size – think Altuve or Randy Johnson, their weight, their various physical attributes – like my essay on Pete Gray who over came the fact that he lacked an arm or Jim Abbot and others judged to be handicapped. Perhaps it is the fact that my daughter is deaf that made me think about Dummy Hoy. “Dummy” Hoy – William Ellsworth Hoy – was known as Dummy because he contracted meningitis at age three and was deaf the rest of his life. And deafness denies the ability to mimic speech so he was also “dumb” or unable to speak. Born in 1862 – during the civil war, he grew up in the same era that baseball grew up. Sent to a school for the deaf in Ohio, he was trained as a cobbler and he had the initiative to go from working in the back of a shop to owning his own shoe shop. The school, like many others felt that a deaf and dumb person was not capable of doing much more than fixing shoes and even then, some people refused to have such a handicapped person fix their shoes. But he persevered, and he also took advantage of the fact that many people went shoeless in the summer and he followed his passion to play baseball. By age of 24, his love of baseball and his constant work on baseball skills attracted a scout and led him to professional baseball, first with a minor league team in Oshkosh, WI under HOF manager Frank Selee and then in 1888 with the Washington Senators. ! As a rookie he stole 82 bases and that record stood until the Ricky Henderson, Maury Will, Vince Coleman era. In his second-year major league season he had OBP of 376m scored 98 runs and stole 33 bases. His career was not a gimmick like the midget of Bill Veeck’s carnival promotions with the St Louis Browns. Dummy Hoy played major league baseball until 1902 and accumulated 32.5 WAR. He also demanded respect and turned down an offer from the Milwaukee Brewers (1880’s team) because the manager laughed at the idea of a deaf/mute thinking he could play baseball. In his career (14 years) he had 2048 hits, a .288 batting average, 596 stolen bases, and a .386 OBPAs a fielder he threw out three men at home in one game and had 45 assists for the White Stockings in 1901. In addition to being deaf and never hearing the roar of the crowd, the call of the umpire, or the sound of his teammates, he was also at a disadvantage as a player who was 5’ 4” and 150 pounds! Jose Altuve would love him. Lacking all the electronics of todays’ ballpark, Hoy was at a disadvantage, not being able to hear the umpire call balls and strikes. He asked his 3B coach to signal the ball and strike call to him and eventually got various signals to coordinate with teammates. Asking the umpires to use hand signals began the current system umpires use for outs, strikes, balls, fouls. But the HOF credits umpire Bill Klem for this even though Klem came after Dummy Hoy retired. The fans, appreciating his skill and determination did not yell and scream when he did something outstanding, instead they stood and waved their arms and hats in salute. He later replied, “It is not enough that the deaf candidate for baseball honors has the necessary ability, he assuredly must have the nerve and courage to even apply for a trial.” He finished his career with the minor league Los Angeles LooLoos of the Pacific Coast League with 156 runs, 46 stolen bses and 419 put outs. But in many ways his final play in his career was the most amazing of all professional players. A ball was hit deeply to the outfield and in those days, fans were allowed to stand in the outfield – often there was no fence. He was determined and charged into the fans in very deep centerfield and when he encountered a horse, he jumped on the horses back, and then he used the horse as a springboard to leap and catch the ball! With a deaf wife, they raised to very successful hearing children and he took on the raising of his nephew when he was orphaned at three. That nephew went on to establish the Helm’s bakery and become a millionaire who supported the Olympics. Hoy was put in the Cincinnati Reds HOF – in 1896 while playing for the Reds he led the league in homeruns with FOUR. He was also named in the Deaf Athletes HOF and should be in the MLB HOF. Former teammates – Honus Wagner, Connie Mack, Clark Griffith, and Sam Crawford – all in the HOF – tried unsuccessfully to get him in. In 1961 he tossed out the first pitch in the third game of the World Series and died in December of that year. The number of deaf players is very small but perseverance will mean that there will be more. http://www.infobarrel.com/Deaf_Baseball_Players_Who_Made_the_Major_Leagues

I am not impressed with either, nor do I believe in Pressley. However they go, they will continue to shake up the low end of the BP during the first half season.

this is a great minor league surplus - will they become Twins or trade chips? I want young guys on the team.

Nice write up on this complex position. I think the revolving door will continue because the ultimate long term solution is in Javier and Lewis and Polanco and Gordon should be demonstrating their talents for the FO to use them in some key trades. I have heard comments in the past that prospects are accumulated to trade, but for me it is a different process. Develop them, debut them as their times come up and trade them for more strategic value. We have some key young prospects and I like to see them move into the lineup. If their maturation follows their potential we will have Romero and Grandol in the rotation, Lewis and Javier in the infield with Rooker, and Kiriloff in the OF. It is a nice future and it might be starting in the infield since we have already speculated that Mauer and Dozier might be playing their last season in our uniforms.

The Twins front office has shown that it is not sentimental - ask Dozier - unless it is a front off cheer leading job - Cuddyer, Hunter, etc - so Joe will stay if they see him as a vital cog. I love the idea of Rooker forcing his way to mlb because that represents the future. It is a disappointing ending for a career that was a guaranteed HOF track before the concussion. Good luck Joe - have a great season. If Sano staying at 3B is a concern, we have more reasons for concern there - physically I can guarantee that metal parts do not make you bionic (personal experience) and he has some big challenges (maybe big was the wrong word there). He also has maturity issues off the field. I am confused by what is happening and cannot imagine the commissioner making a stand this late in the spring. The FO is setting a path that is fascinating and I cannot project their moves. They could trade Sano, they could convince Mauer to go to 3B. They could trade Mauer and convince him that a nice warm environment would be good for his aging Minnesota body. The real recipe for fans is to enjoy 2018 with Mauer and all the pieces on hand and know that Dozier, Mauer, Romero, Rooker, Sano, Pineda, Santana will provide a lot of fodder for next years TD commentators and fans.

As the unofficial fan of bringing in the young players I would love to see Romero displace Gibson. If it requires some BP first, fine, but this is our best arm, our best shot at the future.

It looks good, but the Rule V pick is my question. I do not see Kinley having a talent that exceeds what we already have so why does contending team block off one of its roster positions? Like you, I prefer Granite, I want a player with speed who can also give good defense. I think our outfield defense is one of our greatest assets and I do not want to see it compromised so Grossman can get a walk.

Weight is an issue for everyone. I fight it and so do the majority of people. Of course I am not in Sano's league, but it is a difficult problem to address - the decision requires a special commitment, discipline, and diet - more fun to eat a pizza and ice cream. For now he is okay, but as we age it gets more difficult and the impacts add up. His operation should have given him incentive. But I was curious about baseball players and their weight. Of course the NFL has the biggest players, but in baseball I found that Walter Young at 322 pounds is the largest recorded baseball player who played for the Orioles in Sept, 2005. Walter Jumbo Brown was a relief pitcher "He led the National League in saves in 1940-41. He also posted ERA’s of 3.42 and 3.32- the 2nd and 3rd best of his career." https://superbaseball2020blog.wordpress.com/2013/02/15/heaviest-baseball-player-of-all-time/ Of course CC Sabathia, before his recent weight loss might have pushed for this record if the teams really listed their actual weight. And Jonathon Broxton of the Reds - at 300 pounds on a 6' 4" frame. ​And then there is Pablo Sandoval who also plays 3B and Prince Fielder and his dad, who burned out young at 1B. Adam Dunn was another power biggy - at 287. He had a 14 year career which is nice for any player. And I did not realize that former Twin - Carlos Silva was 280 pounds. I do not remember any articles about him and his weight. https://www.sportingcharts.com/articles/mlb/top-10-heaviest-players-in-the-mlb.aspx Baseball can forgive fatness, but the heart and body eventually pay a price and that is the most important thing to remember.

I think a bullpen is stronger when it does have a "novelty" pitcher. A change of arm angle, a knuckleball, anything that throws off the opposition is good. Neshek is a good example and has created an excellent career.

I really enjoy these write ups. So much history and wonderful stories - thank you.

It is a nice off season - but I am even happier with the look of our minor league options. As an advocate for youth, I like the talent that we have and I need to see a philosophy that keeps us competing, while having a method for integrating the young prospects into the major league roster. I still want Romero and Gonsalves, and I am anxious to see Lewis and Rooker step up to the majors. Its nice to have so much talent, but it is also a challenge for the FO to establish a plan that keeps us both young and aggressive.

I am most happy that it is a one year deal. Next year it is Pineda's spot and I still want Romero and Gonsalves in the rotation. I also suspect that Santana will be gone after this year.

Your opening caught me - I am one who is tired of launch angle, not because it is bad, but because we are caught up in a trend and seeing one fix all for every batter. You mixed in comments about shifts - which continue to grow because teams refuse to use strategy to beat them. ​In football if either defense or offense changes, there is a compensatory alteration on the other side of the ball. If batters get more control on their swing they can go to the wide open side of the diamond. If they learn to bunt better they can drive the defense and the pitcher crazy. There needs to be a strategy - for example if I was playing against Jon Lester I would have every fast player bunt and see how his bounce pass to first base plays out inning after inning. Joe Mauer takes pride in his bat control, but he has an amazing amount of DPs in his career. He should adjust launch angle with players on first. Think about hit and run against a shift if the player can put the ball on the side of the one infielder. Bring back strategy, create worry about a stolen base. I want more than just pitch and catch.

I understand that these three teams are poor, but I hesitate to underestimate them. KC is plugging holes and might have a chip on its collective shoulder. They have never been a team of superstars, just players to worked really well together - remember that even in their best years projections underestimated their win totals. Maybe Ned Yost is more of a genius than everyone gives him credit for. Detroit has Gardy - what else do they need? The White Sox could be the big surprise. Let their young players catch fire and they may not realize that they are supposed to be bad! I like young players. Our surge from the dregs to playoffs came when we let our young prospects step up. My hope for the Twins is that we stop the FA follies and bring up our young arms and let youth lead us to a better record.

I just do not see those pitchers doing what we all dream. I want Romero and Gonsalves and hopefully more from the minors - soon. Develop our own arms - put them in and get them the seasoning they need. If we keep signing okay guys we block potential and I like potential much more. Remember we have Pineda coming next year so the rotation gets more congested.

This was a good recap, but without Royce Lewis in the conversation it misses a key component of the plan. Polanco and Gordon better shine because I see Royce rising quickly and he has the potential to reach the WAR numbers of Dozier. The real question is between Polanco and Gordon - which do we really expect to stick and shine? There are more changes ahead.

It seems as if Rodney lives on the edge and the question that comes to mind is his age and what impact that will have on the edge. A small change can be a catastrophe. I hope they are watching closely.