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mikelink45

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Blog Entries posted by mikelink45

  1. mikelink45
    I like Baseball Reference’s similarity scores so I thought we should look at our lineup and see it in an alternative universe – with the most similar players according to the reference (with Sano still in the lineup):
     
     
    Brian Dozier - Earl Williams
    Eddie Rosario - Yasmany Tomas
    Eddie Escobar - Jose Castillo
    Miguel Sano - Michael Conforto
    Max Kepler - Elijah Dukes
    Logan Morrison - Garrett Jones
    Robbie Grossman - Bud Metheny
    Juan Castro - John McDonald
    Jorge Polanco - Tim Anderson
     
     
    Since Mitch Garver and Ehire Adrianza have no similarity listed. I went to Juan Castro and Jorge Polanco.
    Mauer has a similarity score that matches Dustin Pedroia. Byron Buxton has his similarity score match Byron Browne.
     
    Look at the similarities and substitute them in your lineup. Would that lineup be one you want to go to the season with? Put in Byron Browne and Dustin Pedroia for Mauer and Buxton and you still have a lineup that has no punch. Most of the equivalents are not names any of us know. Going down the similarity scores you will eventually find current or known entities, but I just wanted to move from our home team bias and see where our players rank within baseball history.
     
    We have a ways to go. I think Rosario and Escobar will bring up even better names if they continue like this, but really, somethings need to be done.
     
     
    On the pitching side:
    Jose Berrios - David Nied
    Fernando Romero - None
    Jake Odorizzi - Danny Salazar
    Lance Lynn - Mat Latos
    Kyle Gibson - Steve Parris
    Addison Reed - Chris Perez
    Fernando Rodney - Jason Isringhausen
     
    We do much better, as expected with pitching. Berrios will move up as he continues his development and so will Romero, but I still hope for more from Gonsalves.
     
    So this is your Minnesota Twins team by equivalency. How do they look when their masks are off?
  2. mikelink45
    After two weeks of guiding hiking and birding trips my mind automatically finds feathered beauty and details so, of course, as I move back to the details of baseball my bird attention shifts with it. I see Blue Jays, Orioles, and Cardinals so the transition is easy.
     
    Baseball is filled with bird incidents like the pigeon that landed on the field and then wandered over to Greg Bird on first base. There was the Kestrel that entertained Twins fans during a cold and rainy night when it was on the jumbotron catching insects (2010). The Toronto Star reported on an incident with former Twin and Twin City hero – Dave Winfield, “On August 4, 1983, more than 36,000 watched the Toronto Blue Jays play the New York Yankees at Exhibition Stadium. When Yankee star Dave Winfield threw a baseball at the end of the fifth inning warm-up, it came into disastrous convergence with a bird that had been watching in right-centrefield. The bird slumped lifelessly on the Astroturf.
     
    “A police officer sitting on the edge of right field thought it was an intentional hit. Winfield said it was an accident. He was taken to 14 Division and charged with causing “unnecessary suffering to an animal.” The charge was later dropped, but the moment never really went away.”
     
    The Minneapolis Tribune wrote an article about Gene Glynn, our Minnesota Coach, who watches birds at his home in Waseca. “I find birds in every city in every park near the baseball stadium,” Glynn says. “In Florida the shorebirds are all over the place, on the West Coast it’s all about gulls, terns and herons and in Central Park in New York you can see just about anything. Birds get me outdoors and keep me occupied.”
     
    Besides the team baseball has Robins. Like Robin Ventura from the White Sox and Robin Yount from the Brewers and Robin Roberts from the Phillies – a pretty good threesome! Aaron Crow brings another of our common birds to the diamond and Dean and Don Crow had the proverbial cup of coffee. Mike Parrott played from 1977 – 1981.
    Hawk Harrelson represents our raptors. Andre Dawson was known as the Hawk too. Turkey Gross in 1925 and Turkey Tyson in 1944 represent the bird that Ben Franklin wanted to replace the eagle as our national symbol. The Eagle was represented by Bill Eagle in 1898 and the Grey Eagle – Tris Speaker, hall of famer.
     
    The German word for birds – Vogel – can be found in Otto Vogel from the early 1920’s and Ryan Vogelsong added the lyrics of our avian world too.
     
    The Bird is well represented from the diminutive Birdie (actually he was not) Tebbetts, catcher, to Doug Bird, the pitcher who lasted 11 years in the majors. There was also George Bird in 1871, Frank Bird in 1872, and Greg Bird – current. But of course THE BIRD was Mark Fidrych who took the baseball world over during his too brief career.
    THE BIRD would go 19 – 9 in his rookie yearwith a 2.34 era in 250 innings and the Tigers were 74 – 88 even with him. His 9.6 WAR and his 1.079 WHIP would satisfy any stathead, but his story goes downhill fast. He lasted five innings and won only 10 more games total and he would only live to be 54. There are numerous bios on Youtube but this one really captures the excitement of his year:
    and in books The Bird, by Doug Wilson, but seeing him in a Tigers Uniform that magic summer of his rookie year is something no one could forget. On the ground shaping the mound with his hands, and with his general demeanor Mark connected with the fans. 
    Willie Horton, his teammate said at his funeral, “Everyone playing in the major leagues today owes a debt of gratitude to Mark Fidrych. He brought baseball back to the people. He made it popular again. He helped save the game.”
     
    Bird came in as the game was at a 1976 low point – owners had a lock out, free agency was just beginning and fans were disgusted. But Bird had such enthusiasm and charisma. People loved it when he talked to the ball, when he ran off the mound to congratulate teammates or when he shook hands with the umpire after the game.
    He played for the $16,000 minimum wage and still loved everything about the experience. The unwritten rule (yup, one of those) in those days was not to take curtain calls. The Bird changed that. Described as “gawky, noisy and energetic with a huge mop of curly yellow hair…” he did not look like a typical ball player. In fact, he looked like Big Bird from Sesame Street and that gave him his nickname – a perfect fit.
     
    His career ended because of a severely torn rotator cuff, maybe from his 24 complete games, but that was before the TJ surgery and the advances that now save pitchers careers. He was what baseball needs right now, a personality. Burn all the unwritten rules, we need authentic heroes on the diamond, we need real people we can relate to. THE BIRD was a savior and we need more of them. We may have a big fish – Mike Trout – right now, but it is the Bird, Reggie Jackson and others who jump out of the game and into the hearts of the fans that really make baseball.
  3. mikelink45

    Not Belisle

    By mikelink45,

    I am flabbergasted. I wants something to happen. I wanted a change, but Matt Belisle? For gods sake Cleveland sent him to the minors and the AAA team released him. This is our big move? This is how we fix the BP? Look at this quote from Twinkie Town - "Certainly the presence of Belisle is to lessen the workloads on fellow righthanders Addison Reed, Trevor Hildenberger, and Ryan Pressley. However, it’s a little quizzical that the front office was so quick to bring him in when Alan Busenitz (31% strikeout rate, 0.38 ERA, 1.76 FIP) and John Curtiss (33.7% strikeout rate, 1.61 ERA, 2.63 FIP) are dominating Triple-A. This is likely a case of Falvey/Levine wanting Belisle’s veteran presence (veteran presents?) while Busenitz and Curtiss are still rather green."
     
    Is this Ground Hog Day? Is this what all those great stats whizzes came up with? Once upon a time we had a Twins FO that brought back anyone who wore a Twins Uniform, even if it was a costume part. I thought those days were over.
     
    I think the answer to our current bullpen questions was in the minors, but of course the FO did not sign them, like they did not sign Wade and they have already proved that they want their fingerprints on every move.
     
    Falvey if you want to bring a new culture to the Twins this is not the way to do it. https://www.twinkietown.com/2018/6/12/17453818/minnesota-twins-sign-matt-belisle-dfa-gregorio-petit-cleveland-indians-bullpen-relief-alan-busenitz
     
    Would I rather have Petit - yes. Belisle's 5.06 ERA in 8 games is not a stat I take pleasure in. I gave our FO a C- in an early posting. Today I make that a D.
  4. mikelink45
    Buster Olney wrote a column that spoke to my frustrations. In the long run baseball is not being hurt by time of game - it is dying of boredom. When we base a game on strikeouts, walks, and homeruns we might as well have a home run and a throwing contest instead of a ball game.
    http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post/_/id/18564/olney-parts-of-baseball-are-disappearing-before-our-very-eyes
     
    I miss stolen bases. If you saw Vince Coleman, Maury Wills, Lou Brock or Rickey Henderson you know there was an extra tension, suspense, and anticipation. Each pitch was exciting because baseball had an element of the unknown - a mystery. I loved it. Now the Twins could have that if Buxton gets on base, is not injured and is encouraged to go.
     
    But in all time rankings only Rajai Davis is in the top 100, #73 with 402. Jacob Ellsbury is 118 with 343. Then Hanley Ramirez is 187 - 281.
     
    Now I love bunt singles, but I also enjoy a good sacrifice. The leader in the all-time standings among active players is Elvis Andrus who is Number 395 with 100 sacrifices.
     
    The sacrifice, done well adjusts the defense, creates speed, and can lead to miscues and base running adventures.
     
    I really loved hit and run too, but who does it any more? It is not for everyone, but for those who could control the bat it could be an excellent play.
     
    I like action. A full count walk or strikeout is a minimum of seven pitches. Are they exciting? NO. At least they addressed the intentional walk.
     
    Okay a home run is exciting - for 2 minutes - of a three hour game. The most exciting player for the Twins right now is Rosario because he is always looking to take another base. It pressures the other team. I love it. I also love those who can challenge the shift. Little things, lots of them, filling up the innings is fun baseball. Could a team built with speed like the old St Louis Cardinals under Whitey Herzog, the dodgers of Maury Wills, the A's of Rickey Henderson or the Go-go White Sox of Aparacio and Fox win now? I would love to see someone try.
  5. mikelink45
    I had to stop reading the Buxton portion of the WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS article today because it sent my mind back through the history of Baseball. I was luck enough to be a kid when Dizzy Dean was announcing games and he always made me smile, but as I learned more and more about him and his amazing, but too short career I learned lessons that continue to plague me. One injury cannot be isolated from the rest of the body. When I am suffering from various injuries that were accumulated in a lifetime of adventures and guiding my wife will sing a versus from skeleton song - https://www.lyricsondemand.com/miscellaneouslyrics/childsongslyrics/dryboneslyrics.html to remind me that everything is connected.
     
    For Buxton to play with a broken toe is exactly what Dizzy Dean did and it killed his career. ]https://www.fangraphs.com/tht/tht-live/the-dizzy-dean-injury-cascade/[/url] When asked about the injury Dean said, "“Fractured. Hell, the damn thing’s broken!”"
     
    Dean's injury happened during the All-Star game - "Initially, most thought Lou Gehrig, not Earl Averill, delivered the most damaging shot against Dizzy Dean in the 1937 All-Star Game. It wasn’t until later in the summer that the impact of Averill’s low liner that ricocheted off the toe of the Cardinals ace began to be understood."
     
    "Dean returned to St. Louis and had the aching toe examined by Dr. Robert F. Hyland, the club physician. Hyland said the toe was bruised, not broken, and prescribed rest for Dean, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
    Dean, who had a 12-7 record and 2.41 ERA, was scratched from his scheduled start July 11 versus the Reds.
    During his recuperation, Dean clipped a newspaper photo showing his bandaged foot, autographed it, inscribed “Thanks, Earl” and mailed it to Averill.
     
    Though Dean still was limping, Cardinals management instructed him to join the team in Boston. When he arrived, manager Frankie Frisch asked Dean whether he could pitch. Dean said he could.
     
    On July 21, two weeks after he was injured, Dean started against the Braves in Boston. He pitched eight innings and yielded two runs, but he altered his delivery to compensate for the pain in his toe. By throwing with an unnatural motion, Dean damaged his arm." https://retrosimba.com/2017/07/08/dizzy-dean-and-his-final-painful-cardinals-days/
     
    Dean tried to continue pitching even though he was hurt - the worst thing he could do. Buxton is our future and he has a history of injuries, but looking at his build and the way he plays it is not surprising. Someone needs to help him make decisions because players will always play.
     
    In case we need reminding - here is a good site to look at 25 careers that were ended early by injuries. We might add the career altering of concussion to Mauer - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1022656-25-potentially-immortal-baseball-careers-derailed-by-injuries#slide5 We can also add the shortened career of Kirby Puckett, and the impact of bad knees on Tony Oliva,
     
    I know that I get caught up with critiquing players, but I also have to set back and realize that if they are injured and not playing it is frustrating them too.
  6. mikelink45
    Listening to Seattle series there was Chris Hermann catcher for seattle. His only game, 1 - 4. So then I got wondering about other Twins catchers or prospects since we are worried about our catching futures.
     
    Now I might have missed some, but his is what I found and if you look at the overall quality there is only one true star catcher on the list.

    Wilson Ramos – hitting 310 with 6HR for Tampa Bay
    Kurt Suzuki – 264 – 6HR - Atlanta
    Mitch Garver – 220 2HR – Twins
    Drew Butera – 181 – 1 HR – KC
    John Ryan Murphy – 246 – 5 HR – AZ
    Jason Castro – 143 – 1 HR – MN
    Bobby Wilson – 143 – 1 HR – MN
    Chris Herman – Seattle – 1 game.

     
    I am still trying to figure out why everyone was so glad to get rid of Suzuki. Oh yeah - framing.
     
    Well, however you measure things we have a pretty low success rate in catching.
  7. mikelink45
    The assessment of Twins by Twins fans tends to seek the positive. I read about the good pitching staff and other data that is meant to give hope. I decided to look at stats without trying to promote or complain about the team. It is now after the Memorial day holiday where assessments start to get past the SSS notations. So where are we?
     
    The overall position of the Twins in the American League - no divisions standings - has us in 11th place - 5 teams behind us. We are 23rd if we combine all teams. That is not good.
     
    In pitching which is our strength this year we are number 8 in the 15 team American League - I think we can safely say that is average - not great, not what we have seen the last few years, but average in ERA and batting average against and strike outs. WE ARE AVERAGE.
     
    In batting we are last in runs. 13 of 15 in HR. Number 13 in OBP, Number 14 in slugging. Remember this is out of 15 teams.
     
    In fielding we are number 7 in errors and number 6 in fielding pct - if you still follow this stat.
     
    So lets think about what these all add up to. A team that is lucky it is in the central division. A team that is better in pitching, worse in fielding and much worse in batting. If we dream of a wild card something has to change.
  8. mikelink45
    In honor of the royal wedding, I thought I would provide baseball fans with their own version of royalty and like all royal families some are not so great. But they are interesting. I welcome other suggestions! I do not have owners or umps. Do you know any that would fit here? I did consider Chief Bender for the rotation, but decided that the American Indian would still not make the official royalty list – I am sorry to say. There are some Hall of Famers and some that are hanging on by name only.
     
    Team – Kansas City Royals
     
    Starters
    Pitcher – King Felix Hernandez – Seattle, 165 – 117, 52.1 WAR
    Pitcher – Clyde King, Brooklyn – 32 – 25, 1.6 WAR
    Pitcher – Eric King, Det, WS, Cleve 52 – 40, 9.5 WAR
    Pitcher – Duke Maas, Yankees, 45 – 44, -0.7 WAR
    Pitcher – Duke Esper, 7 teams, 101 - 100, 18 WAR
     
    Bullpen
    Pitcher – Curtis King, St Louis – 6-2, 0.8 WAR
    Pitcher - Mel Queen, Cincinnati Reds 20 – 17, 6 WAR
    Catcher – Duke Farrell, 9 teams, .277 BA, 23.1 WAR
    1B Prince Fielder Mil, Det, Tex – 319 HR, 23.6 WAR
    2B Duke Kenworthy, 3 teams, 304 BA, 6.7 WAR
    SS – The Wizard of Oz – Ozzie Smith (sounds royal)
    3B Jeff King, Pitt, KC, 425 Slg, 16.8 WAR
    CF Duke Snider, Dodgers. 407 HR, 66.3 WAR
    OF – Duke Reilly, .210 BA, 0.1 WAR
    OF King Kelly, 8 teams, 307 AV, 43.2 WAR
    DH Dave Kingman, 10 teams, 442HR, 17.2 WAR
     
    Manager – Clyde King, SF, NY, Atlanta 464 – 234
     
    Radio/play by play announcer – Bob Prince 3 decades with the Pirates
  9. mikelink45
    I just finished reading Jim Kaat's essay on ESPN - http://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/23474497/jim-kaat-says-mlb-adapt-7-inning-games-effort-improve-sport and I really liked it. I think it is well thought out and he strengthens it with some notes about how the game has already changed so drastically over the years. This is a good change and I would love to see it, but won't because it will be resisted by the union, the league, the traditionalists.
     
    ​But what is tradition? Is it a pitcher throwing half the games and winning 50? Is it one pitcher winning 511 games? Is it an era of 400 hitters? Is it the murderers row and the sluggers who followed (sluggers who could also get hits and not strike out all the time)? Is it the war years when a 15 year old starts for Cincinnati? Can we say it is when Jackie Robinson integrated baseball and changed the rosters and stars? Is it the Bronx Bombers who dominated the 50's? Maybe it is the expansion era when lots of new records were set and we went from 154 to 162 games but kept all the same records? Is it PEDs? Is it the era of Latin ballplayers? Perhaps we can say it is the era of wildcard teams. Is it the demise of starters and rosters of all relief pitchers? Is it the era of big Ks and lots of HRs? There is no true tradition. Each season stands alone.
     
     
    That's why we can argue about eras and great players without winning or losing. Its why the HOF is merely an annual pissing contest of my era was better than your era and your stats don't count because now we do not care about BA and ERA and Wins.
     
     
     
    The very discussion that games are too long is a reasonable topic and a serious one. Change is not going to come by the little things that have been done. Shaving 3 minutes off the game is not the answer. Go Jim. I hope someone else is listening. And by the way - I would put you in the HOF!
  10. mikelink45
    I posted the following comment in the discussion of Lynn’s White Sox game:
    When I look at the lineup I see such a gap at 4.The guys filling in the 3 - 4 - 5 spots are doing great, but with Morrison still trying to find the Mendoza line we really need Sano to give us a big bat.Of course we need a Sano who learns to strikeout a lot less.When I look at the Yankees big boppers you can see how it really changes the game, but they also have a better approach.
     
    Sano with 506 Ks in 1220 ABs wastes so many opportunities. Judge has 294 ks in 748 ABs. If Ks were hits Sano would have a 414 average and Judge 393. But Judge has an OPS of 989 career and Sano 837.Miquel has the potential, but so far he is most effective at getting on the DL rather than the bases.
     
    This seems to be the new baseball – at least for now – Relief pitchers, Ks, and HRs. It is not the baseball I enjoy.
    Then I went to ESPN and found an essay by Buster Olney that I found a perfect compliment to what I am trying to convey:
     
    “Fact: A starting pitcher facing a lineup for a third time or fourth time will experience a decline in performance, generally. As a result, starters are getting pulled from games earlier than ever.
     
    Fact: Relief pitchers are throwing at a higher velocity than ever, diminishing hitters' chances to put the ball in play.
     
    Fact: As it has become more difficult to generate hits against higher velocity and defensive shifts, hitters are taking more aggressive swings, at higher launch angles, in an effort to lift the ball. This approach is generating more homers and, apparently, rocket-fueling the pace of strikeouts.
     
    Some executives who have followed the numbers and helped design the dramatic changes to the sport are OK with the big swings, big flies and big whiffs. “I’ve got no problem with it,” one club official said the other day. “We’re just trying to adapt and win ballgames.”
     
    But a lot of executives abhor the Frankenstein monster that the numbers and science have helped create, with the dueling parades of relief pitchers and increasingly overpowered hitters. “I hate it,” one high-ranking evaluator said. “It’s just not that fun to watch.” http://www.espn.com/blog/buster-olney/insider/post/_/id/18486/olney-have-big-swings-big-flies-and-big-whiffs-broken-baseball
     
    I chose Judge and Sano to compare because they represent the new approach, but one has been much better at it than the other. Sano has both the K and the DL as issues – the most games he has appeared in during his Twins career is 71% of the season. He has collected 5.5 WAR in 4 seasons, Judge has 9.3 in three seasons. My problem is, that I think Sano has as much potential as Judge. How do we get him to realize it?
     
    In an era where the big K and big HR totals are everywhere the player that succeeds is the one with fewer Ks and more HRs or else establishes his ability in other stats. Sano has 76 HRs in 330 games, Judge has 64 in 215 games. Judge beats Sano in OPS, but more important as a Twin fan – Sano set his OPS bar in year one and has come no where close to it since.
     
    Baseball is worried about length of game, but it should be worried about the action that keeps fans attention from inning to inning. Waiting for a K or HR is boring - Last year “117 batters hitting 20 or more homers -- far more than in 2001, in the height of the steroid era, when 88 hitters clubbed 20 or more homers, and far more than in 2011, when 68 hitters got to the 20-homer mark.”
     
    At the same time starting pitchers are pitching less – an Ace is still only a 5 or 6 inning arm. Do we really enjoy a parade of relief pitchers? I would love to see the manager limited to three per game. I am also out of touch with many in that I love the 300+ hitter more than the 20 HR hitters. And I liked the SB and all the moves that involved both bat control and speed.
     
    I would like Sano back, but I would also like an improved approach.
  11. mikelink45
    Moe Berg was born to a Jewish family in New Jersey and became one of baseball’s most intriguing stories. First, he went to Princeton where his Jewish heritage stood out among his classmates and by the time he graduated in 1923 he was not only an outstanding student who could speak 4 – 8 languages, but he was also the star shortstop on an excellent team.
     
    He graduated with a law degree and served a very brief stint as a lawyer, but signed with the Brooklyn Robins – soon to be Dodgers and played 15 years in the major leagues. He moved from team to team and ended up a Red Sox. He also quickly changed from a shortstop to a catcher and his fifteen year batting line was .243 batting average, 278 on base average and 299 slugging average. He was not a star hitter and he was not a starter either.
    Today he would be more highly valued because he had a great arm to throw to the bases and hall of famer Ted Lyons said he was the best at calling a game. He would have been a pitch framer and he would have stood out by the measurements of today, but not by the standards of his day. And yet he kept playing.
     
    He was loved as a teammate and his story telling in the bullpen was legendary. Every day he read seven or more newspapers and he seemed to have the charisma to accompany some of the biggest names of his era – like Nelson Rockefeller. But he was also a loner, who loved attention, but needed to get away by himself. The life of every party, but someone who would disappear with an aura of mystery.
     
    In many ways he was the bench coach while still active and remained in love with the game. He also authored one of the classic essays on pitching and catching. But he really did not care if he played, his pleasure was in being near the game.
     
     
    He went to Japan to teach baseball and he organized and was with Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and other HOF stars when they were in Japan. Moe learned the language and even how to write in Japanese. He loved the country and he took photos while he was there that would later be valuable to the war effort.
     
    He was a favorite of the sports writers – they called him the professor. Then his career ended with a little coaching and the nation faced the onset of the war. The nation lacked a CIA, they did not have spies and intelligence, so the country formed the OSS and Wild Bill Donovan recruited the most eccentric group of spies we have ever had and Moe was one.
     
    The fascinating story is told in the book – The Catcher was a Spy, by Nicholas Dawidoff, and it is amazing. Moe was in Europe and meeting with scientists who were being lured to the US or asked to work with the US to develop the Nuclear Bomb. He met Einstein, Scherer, Heisenberg and other leading scientists. He was at international scientific meetings and moved in a circle that few people and fewer spies could navigate and he loved it.
    But his life spun in different ways after his OSS days. He was an independent operator and it is hard to make that work in life. He ended up moving from friend to friend, lived with his brother until their relationship fell apart and then with his sister until he died. His last question on his death bed was, “How are the Mets doing today?”
     
    In death this mystery man remains a mystery – Berg’s ashes were buried in Newark in a Cemetery and his brother visited every year on his birthday. His sister Ethel Berg died on her 87th birthday the next year and it was discovered that Ethel had taken the urn from the grave and went to Israel. There she asked a Rabbi to bury him, but he refused because cremation was not accepted, so she asked where he would bury someone if he could and he pointed to Mount Scopus. His brother Sam asked the same Rabbi and he would not tell him the location. His brother Sam died in 1990 at age 92 without ever finding the grave. The location, like the mystery man himself is unknown.
  12. mikelink45

    Too Many K's

    By mikelink45,

    Today, Sam Miller at ESPN wrote that the Strikeout rate in baseball is going up for the 14th year in a row. Last year pitchers struck out 8.2 batters per nine and this year it is 8.6 so far. The first question is why don't batters care? Second question is - how do we compare strikeout rates now with past pitching performances and careers - although Nolan Ryan is not only secure, his record means more because of when he set it.
     
    A side note is the fact that starting pitcher strikeout rates is up and relief is down. Why. I suspect it is because they now have so many relief pitchers on every squad that there are bound to be some mediocre pitchers in the bullpen - look at our bullpen and then imagine the bullpens on poor teams!
     
    Next I read an article by Jerry Crasnick on the path to 3000 hits by Albert Pujols. Pujols has never struck out more than 93 times a year and he also has over 600 homeruns. In the article Pujols states "Some guys in this league think the strikeout is overrated." "Its something in the game I really don't like. If you put the ball in play you give yourself a chance to put some pressure on the defense, and maybe they can make a mistake and make an error. If its two outs you can start a rally. If you strike out, you don't have a chance."
     
    All I can say is AMEN. Imagine Buxton dropping his K rate in half and having a chance for an infield single every time he does, or causing an error because the fielder is in a hurry because of his speed. Imagine Sano dropping his K rate in half which would still be high, but he might not leave so many on base or kill so many innings.
     
    Baseball is all about trends. Right now Ks are in and I am not pleased.
  13. mikelink45
    The other guy is always better than what you have – right? Well that is the thought that dominates the off-season and so we are sad that we did not sign Yu Darvish (actually if you saw my posts you know I did not want him). Since we had an article looking at the first ten days and projecting the season I thought it might be good to see what we missed.
     
    Yu Darvish just had a memorable melt down over a balk, but even more exciting are his statistics during a stretch that was supposed to be the easy part of the cubs schedule. His line – 0 – 1, 6.00 ERA for three starts, 1.533 WHIP and a -0.1 WAR (yes minus).
     
    Then there was the idea of the big trade for Chris Archer – who has a -0.3 WAR, a 5.94 ERA, and 1.50 WHIP, but he is 1 – 0! And all we had to do was give up on Kepler and some other young assets.
     
    Of course we did sign some assets because they are better than our minor league prospects – Logan Morrison and his -0.5 WAR is hitting .088, slugging .118 with an OPS of 3.23 and it was worth giving up Chargois and other relief prospects to get Zach Duke with a -0.4 WAR 11.25 ERA and 2.25 Whip and Fernando Rodney with a 0.0 WAR 3.86 ERA, and 1.929 WHIP.
     
    The last piece to the puzzle was Lance Lynn who has 0.1 WAR with a 5.00 ERA and 1.778 Whip so we did not have to use Mejia, Romero, or Gonsalves.
     
    To be fair that is only 4 of 6 players we picked up and Addison Reed 0.5 WAR, 1.13 ERA is the real thing in the bullpen and Odorizzi has 0.8 WAR and 2.20 ERA and 1.347 WHIP. I guess .333 is a good average in baseball, not sure that applies to signing players.
     
    As a person who always prefers the young players I think I would have liked to see Odorizzi and Reed with the other money going to sign Dozier and extend our young players. I would have liked one of our young players instead of Lynn, Duke, and Rodney and maybe kept Chargois who has 0.2 WAR and a 0.00 Era in 5 games and I just might have left Vargas at DH until one of our prospects steps up.
  14. mikelink45
    My last blog chronicled the movement of black baseball players into major league baseball from Jackie Robinson in 1947 to the Red Sox finally adding a black player in 1958. As I said then, if we question the impact of steroids on our baseball records we should also look at how the exclusion of the black ballplayer impacted the records between 1989 and 1958. If one deserves an asterisk, the other requires a new said of record standards.
    I understand that baseball evolves – we had the hitless era, the homerun explosion, the war years, the years of integration, baseball’s best decade by my estimation in the 1960’s, then the domination by the pitcher, free agency, the monsters of the steroid, and the era of the bullpen. So it is hard to completely compare and determine what a difference the addition of the African American player made, except for my judgmental statement that the 1960’s might be baseball’s best decade.
     
    In the 1950’s I rooted for the Milwaukee Braves and learned to hate the Yankees. The Yankees dominated everything as the rest of the teams integrated. The Yankees, took their time, added Elston Howard, but did very little and their star began to diminish. In fact they signed other black players like Vic Power and Reuben Gomez, but they were traded because the Yankees management wanted to make sure that they had a quiet “negro” and not a trouble maker like Jackie Robinson. http://www.angelfire.com/ny5/yankeeswebpage/elston.html
    This started the downfall and end of the Yankee dynasty until they started signing or more likely trading or signing Free Agent black and Latino players like Willie Randolph, Derrick Jeter, Alex Rodriguez, Reggie Jackson, Dave Winfield, and Rickey Henderson.
     
    From Aaron and the 1957 Braves on into the 1960s it was a plethora of Black players – Robinson, Mays, Clemente, Stargell, Gibson, Banks, Jenkins – that set the standards for MLB.
     
    The influx of black ball players meant that the quality of MLB increased dramatically. It is easy to make the assumption that the lack of black ball players meant that the all white major leagues did not have a representative set of statistics and all stars before Robinson and Campanella and Mays and others joined the league.
  15. mikelink45
    As we carefully analyze each game of the new season and try to read the tea leaves on each swing of the bat I thought I would provide just a little change of pace and look at another story from baseball history.
     
     
    While Civil War general Abner Doubleday is mythologically given the title of the founder of the game of baseball, a myth that has been refuted by nearly every scholar, we should look at baseball and an even more famous General – William Tecumseh Sherman. In his biography by James Lee McDonough we learn the following:
    “…a number of friends with whom Cump (Sherman) played a primitive form of baseball, using yarn balls. From time to time the balls were hit into a garden adjoining the playing field, whose owner became irate at his garden being trampled by young me retrieving valls. When the man began confiscating the balls and throwing them into his stove, Sherman and his buddies sought revenge. They filled a ball with gunpowder. Soon the unsuspecting garden owner seized the devilishly prepared thing and cast it into his stove; a fiery explosion rocked the house, leaving the man suffering with burns and damage o his home. The boys, naturally, had waited close by to observe the result of their scheme. Suddenly the angry man burst forth from his house, intent upon chasing down the culprits. He managed to catch the slowest of the boys as they ran.” Sherman being fleet of foot escaped unscathed!
     
    The Smithsonian takes the relationship to baseball and the Civil War another step forward with this statement, “The evolving Knickerbocker Code or rules had its origins in metropolitan New York in 1845. Union soldiers, more familiar with the game, introduced others, including Southerners and Westerners to baseball throughout the Civil War, resulting in thousands of soldiers learning the game. Upon returning home, the game spread to friends and neighbors and soon the sport was played in every region of the country, solidifying its title as “The National Pastime." http://americanhistory.si.edu/blog/2012/08/civil-war-baseball.html
  16. mikelink45
    Decades ago I worked as a tax accountant for Honeywell and National Car Rental Corporation. Taxes are complicated and state and federal laws impacted the businesses and decisions.
     
    Baseball is an interstate commerce and has had many laws passed to protect the teams. Now the new tax law creates another obstacle with unexpected consequences that could play into the teams ability to trade and move players. As we look at the Twins and their prospects we often think of assets that can be acquired. Read the following quote from the New York Times and you will see that things have gotten more complicated for everyone.
     
    "WASHINGTON — As President Trump congratulated the World Series champion Houston Astros at a White House ceremony last week, he also heaped praise on himself and congressional Republicans for passing a sweeping tax cut last year. He hailed Representative Kevin Brady of Texas, the House’s chief tax writer and an Astros superfan, as “the king of those tax cuts.”
    What he did not mention is that the new tax law Mr. Brady helped draft, and which Mr. Trump signed, levies a large new tax on the Astros, and similar franchises across professional sports.
    The law changed a corner of the tax code that mostly applies to farmers, manufacturers and other businesses that until recently could swap certain assets like trucks and machinery tax-free. But by adding a single word to the newly written tax code — “real” — the law now allows only real estate swaps to qualify for that special treatment.
    That change is meant to capture more federal revenue, in order to partly offset reductions in business and personal income tax rates. It forces manufacturers, farmers and others to pay more in capital gains taxes, if they trade an asset for something more valuable. The Joint Committee on Taxation estimates the change will raise $31 billion over the next decade.
    It also means that the Astros and other sports franchises could now face capital gains taxes every time they exchange or trade their highly paid players."
     
    There is more to this, but this gives you an idea of what could happen and how confused GMS must be at this time.
     
    http://mlb.nbcsports.com/2018/03/19/new-tax-law-could-affect-mlb-trades/
     
    http://www.businessinsider.com/gop-tax-law-make-mlb-nba-trades-harder-2018-3
  17. mikelink45

    Dummy Hoy

    By mikelink45,

    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
  18. mikelink45
    Joe Mauer has been with us a long time and it shows – he is currently number 9 all time right behind Hrbek (16 games difference). Joe has 1731 and if he plays 125 games this year 74 games will tie him with Mickey Vernon for sixth place on the Franchise list and he needs 136 to tie Ozzie Bluege for 5th. In case you wonder – Harmon Killebrew is number one with 2329 ahead of Sam Rice. And if you wonder who is next on the list – Brian Dozier 851.
     
    Mauer has the most hits of any current Twin with 1986 (#8 on franchise list) which means we should have a 2000 hit celebration this spring – but problem not 3000 any time soon. The Franchise leader is Sam Rice with 2889 and Kirby Puckett is second with 2304 – just a reminder of how good he was. Rod Carew is 5th with 2085 because of Calvin Griffith big mouth and racial insult or he could have made number one since he has 3053 for his career. If Joe matches last years 160 he will have 2054 and pass Killebrew and be right behind Carew for 6th. Dozier is 42nd with 835 and right behind Greg Gagne. If Brian matches his 167 hits he will be at 1002 hits and we can have another celebration in the fall. That would put him right behind Roy Smalley for number 34.
    Mauer had 36 doubles last year which put him 4th all time in franchise doubles and if he matches last years total he will be in 2nd place behind Sam Rice and ahead of Judge and Puckett. In one more year he should challenge for number one if he continues his current pace. Dozier is in 34th place with 181 right behind Greg Gagne and matching last years total will put him 26th right behind Heinie Manush.
     
    Home Runs is where Dozier in six years has far surpassed Mauer in his 14. Mauer is #14 between Cuddyer and Jacque Jones while Dozier is #12 just ahead of Cuddyer and behind Jim Lemon. Dozier has 151, Mauer 137, Mauer might pass Cuddyer, but no more than that next year while Dozier if he matches last year will pass Roy Sievers for #9 right behind Jim Lemon. Killebrew, Hrbek, Allison, Morneau, Oliva, Puckett, Gaetti make a nice recognizable -1 – 8 on the Homerun scale.
     
    Mauer has 875 RBI’s which puts him behind Goose Goslin for number #9 and if he can match last years 71 he will move past Goslin and within one of Tony Oliva. Dozier fits in at number 34 again (with 439)b and if he matches last years 93 he will move to #25 behind Eddie Yost and pass Brunansky, Kubel, Jones, and Smalley from the Twins teams.
     
    Batting average is difficult to predict because it is not an accumulating – counting stat. Joe Mauer has taken a plunge since his catching days. At 308 he is between Shane Mack and Brian Harper. Rod Carew is untouchable and is followed by Manush, Rice, Goslin, Puckett. Mauer’s best hope is to hold his position. Behind Harper are Cronin, Oliva, and Knoblauch.
     
    In career OBP Mauer is tied with Chuck Knoblauch for fourth. Like BA this is not a counting stat so he could go up or down Rod Carew is tied with Buddy Myers for number one all time with 393 and Mauer is 391. In Between is John Stone who played only 5 of his 11 years with the this Franchise. The weakness of stats like this and all percentage stats is that the fewer the years the better chance you have to place high, but unfortunately we do not have anyone – including Dozier who would be in the top 50.
     
    In slugging percentage Dozier returns to the list at number 19 (452) and Joe Mauer (443) is at 25. Killebrew is number one at 514 for his career – and that is really great. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see Mauer that high and equally as surprised to see Dozier that low. If you are an OPS fan Mauer is at position 12 with 834. Killebrew is number one at 892. Dozier at 780 is just below Jacque Jones at 33.
     
    Killebrew leads in total bases at 4026 and Mauer is 8 at 2856 with Mickey Vernon and Hrbek right about him. If he matches last year he will pass Oliva and take number 5 behind Judge, Puckett, Rice, and Killebrew. Nice list. Dozier is in position 35 with 1507 – if he matches last year he will jump to 23 right behind Michael Cuddyer.
    Since there are so many complaints about Mauer grounding in to double plays I had to check that out. Killebrew is number 1 with 238 – Mauer is number 2 with 199. Killebrew played 21 years – Mauer 14. I guess there is some truth here. One more surprising negative stat – Killebrew as expected is first in strikeouts with 1629 and Mauer is fifth with 948 and sure to pass Kirby Puckett for fourth and Hunter for third this year. Killebrew – if we take his 21 years (disregard how much he played each year) averages 77 strikeouts per year – take note Sano. Joe for his 14 years averages 67. Miguel Sano in just three years makes the top 50 – he ranks #30 behind Larry Hisle who had twice as many at bats, Guzma, etc. With an average year, which means not playing 162 games, he will move in to the range of 15 – Greg Gagne. Dozier is number 11 on the list and his Strike out rate should bring him up with Gary Gaetti at number 6.
     
    And finally, back to the positive, Mauer is 3rd in WAR behind Carew and Killebrew.
  19. mikelink45
    Since baseball is such a numbers sport I am always curious where our current players are on the list and what might happen during this next season that we can anticipate and root for. When it comes to all time batting averages I once anticipated that Joe Mauer would get onto the big list, but in the top 50 we have Carew at 30 and Kirby Puckett (318) tied for 48 with two others. No Mauer, he has dropped out of the top 100. I know it’s the concussion, but that is still too bad. Miguel Cabrera is t 317 after a disastrous year, can he come back? Altuve at 316 has only had 6 years so too early to anticipate while Joey Votto has 10 years now and is tied with Larry Walker (313) at number 66.
     
    In the counting stats there are some fun things to watch. Adrian Beltre is our only 3000 hit player right now but Pujols is only 32 hits away so he should join the list this year. Last year he had 143 hits so if he keeps that pace – May/June will have him in the club. Adrian is at 3048 between Lou Brock and Rod Carew. Last year he had just 106 hits and 2018 depends upon his health. If he only matches last year he will zip past Carew, Henderson, Biggio, Suzuki, Winfield, Rodriquez, and Gwynn and move just ahead of Robin Yount. Nice list. If Pujols just matches last year he will end up between Winfield and Rodriquez.
     
    In that very important category – Runs – where Rickey Henderson, Cobb, and Bonds lead the field there is only one players in the top 50 – Pujols who sits right behind Honus Wagner. Last year he only had 53 runs and if he does the same this year he will go from number 23 to number 21 right behind Paul Molitor. Beltre is in the next 50 but even if he were to get 100 he would still not catch George Brett who is number 50 and last year he scored only 47.
     
    We do not list doubles leaders in most publications – why not? Pujols is #12 all time (619) and Beltre is #13 (613). Both are just behind Hank Aaron - #11. Last year Beltre had 22 and Pujols had 17 which means Beltre could pass both Pujols and Aaron and move past David Ortiz into number 10 on the list. Cabrera is number 32 with 545. Robinson Cano is the only active player in the next 50 and should move into the top 50 this year. He only needs ten to do so.
     
    Jose Reyes is in the top 100 in triples and Curtis Granderson is number 198. This is a shame because I think triples are the most exciting hit in the game of baseball. We have two potentially great triples hitters in Rosario and Buxton, I hope they will go for it!
     
    If Pujols matches his 23 home runs from last year he will have 637 which will get him past Griffey and into 6th place. Beltre and Cabrera are tied with 462 and are in 35th with Adam Dunn and Jose Canseco. If Beltre hits 17 like last year he will move past Willie Stargell and Stan Musial for number 30. If Cabrera matches last year he will be in 31st place past those same to all time greats.
     
    Pujols is in eighth place in RBIS – 1918 and if he matches last years 101, which he should on his improved team, he would move to 3rd place behind Aaron and Rodriguez and past Bonds. Beltre at 28 would move past Frank Thomas for #21 if he matches last year and Cabrera at #32 could move to #26 by matching last years 60 and he would be between Sheffield and Sosa. Robinson Cano at 143 and Adrian Gonzales at 149 are the only other active players in the top 150.
     
    In walks Pujols at 53 and Cabrera at 94 are the only active players in the top 100 while Curtis Granderson (that all time great – just kidding) is 31 and Beltre 38, Cabrera 39 are in the top 40 in Ks. Justin Upton, Chris Davis and Matt Kemp join them in the top 100. What does that say about this generation of hitters?
    Jose Reyes at 34 is the only active player (barely) in the top 100 in Stolen Bases. Like the triples, I loved the stolen base – that really put excitement in the game and Henderson, Brock, Maury Wills were just a few of the great baserunners I got to see. Bring it back!
     
    In career WAR – Pujols is right behind Joe Morgan who is number 20 with 99.4 – Morgan has 100.3, Beltre is tied with Cap Anson (the worst person to ever play) in 27th with 93.9 and has Roberto Clemente just ahead of him. Cabrera is 73 and tied with Tony Gwynn at 68.8 WAR. Just ahead of him is Tim Raines. Robinson Cano is at 92 and right behind Buddy Bell and Goose Goslin (only great Senator) and the last current player in the top 100 surprised me – Chase Utley at 94 right behind Willie Randolph.
     
    No Twins, but plenty for the baseball fan to pay attention to in addition to the current team. Next time I will look at pitchers.
  20. mikelink45
    Why haven’t we had a cowboy movie or series about baseball? It did occur in the old and wild west. We know that Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp refereed boxing matches and Bat Masterson went on to NY to be a sports writer. But who talks about baseball in the old west?
     
    Baseball spread throughout the Old West around the late 1840s, and in 1869, the Cincinnati Red Stockings—America’s first professional team—departed westward from St. Louis on a rail tour. In describing their game with the local Eagles the San Francisco Chronicle wrote in terms no modern sports page would use: “It is easy to see why they adopted the Red Stocking style of dress, which shows their calves in all their magnitude and rotundity. Everyone of them has a large and well turned leg and everyone of them knows how to use it. https://truewestmagazine.com/sports-in-the-wild-west/
     
    In 1845 Alexander Joy Cartwright Jr. began to accumulate his reputation that would lead to a dubious place in the baseball HOF. He was among the organizers of the Knickerbocker Base Ball Club, and with some associates published a set of rules and regulations that became the foundation of modern baseball.
    Cartwright, who had worked as a bank clerk, bookseller and volunteer fireman in New York City, joined the 1849 California Gold Rush and despite rumors did not spread his rules of baseball wherever he went.
     
    In Minnesota Territory in 1857 (the year before statehood) Minnesota staked its claim in professional baseball. An organized ball club formed in Nininger City (now a ghost town in Dakota County).
     
    During the Civil War, soldiers—mostly Yankees, though some Rebels—played baseball. “The New Orleans boys also carried base balls in their knapsacks,” Will Irwin wrote in a 1909 Collier’s Weekly article. “A few of them found themselves in a Federal prison stockade on the Mississippi. They formed a club.”
     
    Union soldier George Putnam recalled that once during a baseball game in Alexandria, La., enemy troops attacked, placing the outfielders in mortal danger. The left fielder and right fielder managed to get back to the dugout, but the Rebels shot and captured the center fielder before the Yankees could repel the attack.
     
    At some point in his career famed gambler/lawman Wild Bill Hickok reportedly rooted for the Kansas City Antelopes. Legend has it he even umpired one of their games while wearing a pair of six-shooters.
    General George Armstrong Custer was a baseball player and fan – his brother was the better player and in the 7th Cavalry was Captain Fredrick Benteen who had played for the St Louis Cyclone club. At that time, for reasons I cannot explain, the game was considered a northerners game, but it really was universal. Not that Benteen’s family could prove it. His father said it was useless and a waste of time and when Benteen went on to a successful union career his father said, “I hope you are killed by the first bullet fired, and that the bullet will be fired by one of your Benteen cousins who will be fighting for our glorious cause!”
     
    During the war the game was played both north and south (and by the way was not created by the Union officer Doubleday despite some erroneous rumors. Union Private Alpheris Parker of the 10th Massachusetts wrote “the parade ground has become a busy place with the officers and men playing the baseball game with such ardor that it borders on mania.” Confederate Private Maynard Dial of Virginia wrote “we were playing the bat ball game with such intensity that we didn’t notice the musket fire. All of sudden, the Federals rushed us and we had to jump for our weapons. In so doing we lost the only baseball in camp.”
     
    This mania for baseball followed General Custer and his brother Tom Custer who was considered one of the best pitchers in the Union Army.
     
    We also know that in 1874 Custer had a baseball team play in SD when he broke the treaty with the Lakota over the Black Hills and came in to the area now known as Custer SD. While in Dakota Territory between 1873 and 1876, the club played other military squads as well as civilian teams. On July 31, 1874, during Lt. Col. George Custer’s Black Hills Expedition, the Fort Lincoln Actives defeated the Fort Rice Athletes, 11–6, at the site of what is now Custer, S.D. “The enlisted men,” according to historian Brian Dippie, “whiled away the long summer day playing a game of baseball—a genuine Black Hills ‘first,’ including a dispute over the umpire’s impartiality.”
    A fascinating convergence of dates is 1876 where the baseball players of the seventh infantry died at the Little Bighorn in the same year that the National Baseball League was formed. In February of 1876, eight teams left over from the National Association of Professional Baseball Players banded together to form the new league and professional baseball was on its way.
     
    To prove the baseball connection, we know that Company H Sargent Joseph McCurry was the Benteen Club’s pitcher and considered the 7th’s best player and was critically wounded and would never play ball again., Private William “Fatty” Williams had signed a contract to play with Pittsburgh at the end of his hitch. http://weeklyview.net/2013/04/18/baseball-and-the-little-bighorn/
     
    Early pro ball could be found in the west in 1884 when the Kansas City Cowboys played in the Union Association. In 1886 a team using the same nickname played a one-year trial in the National League, finishing with just 30 wins and 91 losses (36 of the latter by a single pitcher, Stump Wiedman).
     
    The league dumped the Cowboys in favor of the Pittsburgh Alleghenys (today’s Pirates) the next season.
    “Most baseball played out West in the 19th century remained amateur or semipro, including the barnstorming games of the Nebraska Indians. Founder and promoter Guy W. Green recruited several of his players from the Omaha and Winnebago reservations; nine of the 12 players on his first club in 1897 were Indians. On June 25 of that year the squad traveled to Lincoln and trounced the University of Nebraska team, 18–12, before an enthusiastic crowd. Through 1914 (Green left in 1907) the Nebraska Indians played across the country, often calling to mind the atmosphere of a Wild West show. The team was good, too, reportedly posting a record of 1,237 wins, 336 losses and 11 ties.” http://www.historynet.com/baseball-in-the-west-2.htm
     
    “In the coal-mining town of Krebs, Indian Territory, on July 4, 1882, players used sacks of hay and cans for bases as 300 people watched the home team defeat nearby Savanna, 35–4. In 1889 future Hall of Fame pitcher Joe “Iron Man” McGinnity starred for Krebs and helped spread interest in the game to places like Tahlequah, Muskogee, Eufaula, Checotah, Vinita and Wagoner. The land rush that prompted the formation of Oklahoma Territory in 1890 (Indian Territory remained the eastern part of what in 1907 would become the state of Oklahoma) also scattered baseball diamonds in new places, including Guthrie, Stillwater, Kingfisher and Oklahoma City. Clothing merchant Seymour C. Heyman started Oklahoma City’s first professional baseball club in 1902, but it was another two years before the Mets, part of the Southwest League, became the first team there to play a full season of organized baseball. Subsequent minor league teams in Oklahoma’s capital city have included the Indians, Senators, Boosters, 89ers and RedHawks.”
     
    In Minnesota we continued our baseball tradition with the North Star Club of St. Paul with another team across the river in Minneapolis. One of the most interesting notes from this era was captered in Homer Croy’s 1949 book Jesse James Was My Neighbor, which told how the Cole-Younger gang “went out to see a baseball game between the St. Paul Red Caps and the Winona Clippers. September 7, the gang made the very unwise choice of robbing the bank in Northfield, Minn., that landed the three Younger brothers—Cole, Bob and Jim—in Stillwater Penitentiary.
     
    “In 1875 the all-white Winona Clippers fielded a black pitcher/second baseman named W.W. Fisher. And in 1883 John “Bud” Fowler, a black player who hailed from Cooperstown, N.Y., saw action at various positions for the Northwestern League team in Stillwater (presumably not within sight of the imprisoned Younger brothers’ cells). Minnesota claimed its first major league team in 1884, when St. Paul played nine games in the Union Association (a league that lasted just one season). But the state didn’t host another team in the majors until 1961, when the Washington Senators moved to Minneapolis and became the Minnesota Twins.”
     
    Around Tombstone in 1882, , a civil engineer from Massachusetts named George S. Rice had baseball on his mind. While Wyatt Earp chased the “cowboys” Rice started a “team called the San Pedro Boys at his Boston and Arizona Mill, following that up with the Tombstone Base Ball Association squad. After much practice, his “tossers” opened their season on May 12 with a loss to a Tucson club.”
     
    Chick Gandil and Buck Weaver of the 1919 black sox played for Douglas, AZ in 1925.
     
    By the 1870s soldiers were playing ball at Wyoming Territory forts, and towns like Laramie and Cheyenne had organized teams. The latter sported such names as the Black Stockings, Nonpareils, Benedicts, Eclipse, Bachelors and Indians.
     
    There are more teams and more stories, but the fact is – baseball was part of the old wild west.
  21. mikelink45
    I do not know how to make this case for TD except in this short blog. I love the ability to discuss, debate and disagree without antagonism.
    ​As you have seen and responded to - I am the anti Darvish guy, at least in years 3 and beyond and the likes and the responses have been wonderful. This is what a sight like this is best at doing.
     
    I choose to be the contrarian and I have tried to express that as many ways as I can. Should I pull all of my statements together here?
    ​But that is not my point. It is the wonderfully civil discourse that has happened that really pleases me. Do I care if you all agree? No. I just want an ability to challenge the prevailing attitude.
    ​I want to say no without being angry or responding to your disagreement in an angry way.
     
    All of the comments are spread throughout the various posts and dialogues and I have truly enjoyed every argument and challenge.
    ​Thanks to all of you and to TD.
  22. mikelink45
    In the past baseball was a path out of the ghettos for Irish, Italians, Jewish, Germans...Today immigrants still need to learn baseball. In an era when we are wasting money on walls and deportations, one of the best ways to get into our nation is to be able to hit a baseball over the wall. In 2013 Fox News ran this story http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2013/04/03/over-28-percent-players-were-foreign-born-in-mlb-opening-day.html that 28% of the players in MLB were immigrants. The Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Canada, Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, Columbia and Panama were the suppliers of those players – in that order.
    Forbes tells us about 2016 – “During the 2016 season, Americans have watched a real World Series, with players born in at least 13 different countries. According to data made public by major league baseball, the leading country of origin for players on 2016 Opening Day rosters (and disabled lists) was the Dominican Republic (82 players), followed by Venezuela (63) Cuba (28), Mexico (12), Japan (8), South Korea (8), Canada (6), Panama (4), Colombia (3), Curacao (3), Brazil (2) and Taiwan (2). (Note: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens by birth.)
    Today, approximately 26% of major league baseball players are foreign-born, a more than five-fold increase from the 1940s.” In that year the most popular immigrants were Jose Altuve (Venezuela) and David Ortiz (Dominican Republic).
     
    The year that Blyleven went in to the HOF he was joined by Robbie Alomar Alomar was from Puerto Rico – Blyleven, as we know, was born in the Netherlands. In the HOF, Clemente, Marichal, Aparicio, Jenkins, Cepeda, Perez, and our Rod Carew were all foreign born. http://www.thepostgame.com/blog/throwback/201102/foreign-born-players-baseballs-hall-fame
     
    I love this list – the first foreign born player from each country – not the only one and not necessarily the best one. and Bleacher report tries to name the 50 best foreign born - http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/1006505-50-greatest-foreign-born-players-in-baseball-history
     
     
    But this is not new. I remember stories from my Grandfather’s and father’s generations when immigrants were told that if they wanted to fit in they needed to learn baseball. Baseball was the American Sport and if you knew baseball you would fit in. The following article captures the Italian efforts in the early 1900’s to learn baseball – some like the DiMaggio’s learned quite well - “Lawrence Baldassaro explores the role Italian-Americans have played in America’s pastime. He offers a straightforward “chronological history of the evolution of Italian Americans in professional baseball” from Ed Abbaticchio, who made his debut in 1897, to such recent players as Mike Piazza and Craig Biggio.”
     
    From the start the Minnesota Twins had an international connection. In the 1960’s before the recent surge in Foreign born players, the Twins had a Cuban connection that brought us Camilo Pascual, Tony Oliva, Zoilo Versalles, Sandy Valdespino, and Luis Tiant. And from Venezuela – Cesar Tovar who took us to the 1965 World Series. In their first years, when I was an usher, I always tried to get near the first base bag as the game moved on and the seats were full so I could watch my favorite player – Vic Power from Puerto Rico. I loved Pedro Ramos who complimented Pascual on the mound and does anyone remember Elmer Valo from Slovakia? Or Reno Bertoia from Italy who lived in Canada and is in the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame? There were 9 foreign born players on our first Minnesota Twins team.
     
    So what about the current team?
    1. Ehire Adrianza – Venezuela
    2. Miguel Sano – Dominican Republic
    3. Jose Berrios – Puerto Rico
    4. Adalberto Mejia – Dominican Republic
    5. Fernando Rodney – Dominican Republic
    6. Ervin Santana – Dominican Republic
    7. Michael Pineda – Dominican Republic
    8. Gabriel Moya – Venezuela
    9. Lewis Thorpe – Australia
    10. Eduardo Escobar – Venezuela
    11. Jorge Polanco – Dominican Republic
    12. Max Kepler – Germany
    13. Eddie Rosario – Puerto Rico
    14. Kennys Vargas – Puerto Rico
     
     
    Maybe this is what make’s baseball the real American Game. It goes back to our roots and our roots spread around the world. Earlier I wrote a blog about American Indians that starred in baseball, beyond them everyone is an immigrant and our game is better because they are here.
  23. mikelink45
    It’s the Hall of Fame selection, not the president of the United States that is being chosen. Its time for all the sabrematricians and the modern sports writers to get off their rocking horses and forget the angst. Jack Morris is in the Hall of Fame. He almost made it in the regular selection process and should have if I chose, but there was no hesitation on the veteran committee. He is in because he was a big game pitcher. He was the head of the rotation, he played for good teams and made good teams into winners. Stuff the ERA and other statistical nonsense. He was a winner and I like winners. I like the horse – the man who is willing to take the ball and give you as many innings as you need.
     
     
    How Jack Morris Complicates Future Hall of Fame Selections is an essay on ESPN http://www.espn.com/blog/sweetspot/post/_/id/85069/how-jack-morris-complicates-future-of-hall-of-fame-pitcher-selections
     
    The fact is, I consider it nonsense. Do we really elect by comparison? The man who shines in any decade or period of baseball history does so because he meets the demands of his own time. I know that NY is mad because Jack is in and Mussina is not. But do you realize that the narrative was never the same. They did not talk about Mussina like they did Morris. They did not rely on Mussina like that did Morris. Nice pitcher Mussina, but I never thought of you as HOF.
     
     
    Morris does not present any problems, the limit on how many can be voted on never created any problems. The problem for the voters is that they have to really think about who they are voting for. If there were so many great HOF candidates they could have put in 5 – 7 a year, but they did not. Because someone wants Bonds and someone else does not matters little in the long run. Shoeless Joe, Pete Rose, Clemens and Bonds are getting more press for not getting in than they would have if they had slid in and we had moved on.
    Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa are not in because their resumes are weak. They had chemical induced homeruns, but nothing else. Move on. Frankie Frisch manipulated the committee to put in a number of questionable players – that’s done. We have no vote them out. They set low bars. So what. Move on.
    When I think HOF I think of players that had great careers, but also players who stepped up in big moments, players who shifted our perspective. I am not looking to compare HOF players, I simply want the best of our generation in with the best of previous generations. I want Jack, I do not want Mussina. I want Thome, not Vlad, I want good stories and if some that I disagree with make it in, so what. I am fine with that. The HOF is about stories and the election process is a story in and of itself.
     
     
    To those who obsess over Jack Morris – Buster Olney – I say give over it. Make your vote and move on. To Jack, I can only say I am delighted that you made it and proud to have you in the hall.
  24. mikelink45
    With Justin Morneau returning to Minnesota it just seems to fulfill destiny. The Canadians have only two teams – Toronto (officially) and that offshoot of Ontario called Minnesota with the Twins (Jumeaux). Canada should celebrate both and we should take pride in straddling the border with both temperature and hockey to welcome our northern kin.
     
    Morneau was a natural and Colorado was just a blip on his resume. Now he is coming back home. Welcome Justin – you can let your o’s get longer and slip in an Eh! Or two.
     
    While baseball in Canada does not get the same respect as Venezuela or the Dominican Republic or a few other slightly warmer places, it is still a viable location for our favorite sport. In fact, they have a Baseball Hall of Fame - http://baseballhalloffame.ca/
     
    Since we have had such a great success with Justin I thought I should give it some additional perspective – who else has come from Canada to be Twins? We might have made MLB history when we replaced one Canadian pitcher – Scott Diamond with another Canadian call up – Andrew Albers. Add in Jesse Crain and we had a plethora of Canadian arms.
     
    On February 4, 2015 Cordel Leonard (Corey) Koskie was named to the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame! I suspect that Morneau will join him soon. Most surprising to me was Corey’s real name. For some reason I do not think I ever heard it.
     
    Koskie had 936 hits 124 Hrs, and a career 825 OPS. http://m.mlb.com/player/136731/corey-koskie He was a good player! Justin Morneau 1603 hits, 281 BA, 247 hrs, and 828 OPS. Damn good player. Imagine Justin and Joe without concussions!
     
    Not all our Canadians were stars – remember Rene Tosoni? I was rooting for him. And, of course, we crossed the border the other way too – Paul Molitor was a star for Toronto in the World Series.
     
    We were not the only destination for Canadians, but we came out near the top. George Selkirk, a Yankee who played with Gehrig, DiMaggio, and Dickey is considered the greatest of Canadian Players, but maybe they will reconsider. I would put Ferguson Jenkins up for that honor and Joey Votto is moving up the list and Larry Walker is the most under rated.
     
    And should you still need some Canadian love – look up Tip, The Woodstock Wonder, O’Neill, the Canadian Babe Ruth!
     
    All I can say is Bienvenue (welcome back). By the way is a translation needed: jumeaux = twins.
  25. mikelink45
    In a recent post there was a lot of reflection about Gordon being listed as only our eighth best prospect and it got me thinking about how we look at these lists and what is the difference between #2 and #8.
     
    Gordon at 8 is fine with me.I think his second half decline raised questions about the validity of the first half.Each year the reviews and reports seem to have a slightly less optimistic look at Gordon.It appears to me, if I combine the various TD and other reports that he will be a fine average major leaguer, but not a star.Which is fine, but it is nice to know that we actually have some others in the system now that have higher potential.
    ​
    The minors are so fascinating.How many players are in the minors in any one year and what percentage of them ever make the big leagues?According to a Wiki article there are 19 affiliated minor baseball leagues operate with 247 member clubs.That is amazing.Yahoo had one answer - 5856 which appears to be the high end and 2700 on the low estimates that I found.Considering there are 25 on the active rosters there are 750 major leaguers, if we look at the 40 man rosters there 1200 potential major league players available to each club.
     
    https://www.blessyou...e-major-leagues gives even more insight into my questions.In the article they state that 90% of players who make it to the majors do so in their first five seasons - rule V time. In total, pitching and batting, ESPN rankings had 419 players with 1 or more WAR.I suspect that the majority of vacancies will come from the players below this, but some, like Pujols are contract protected.
     
    This quest has me fascinated - the 2007 season, according to this article had 80 or the 244 players drafted in the first seven rounds making it to the majors and of those 33 never accumulated a WAR of 1 or more for their career - to date.
     
    To emphasize a point made in another discussion, the difference between first round and later rounds is significant.In this 2007 draft class 21 of the players who made it to MLB were first round out of the 80 - a little more than one fourth.
     
    To test this number, the 2006 draft class had 90 players make it and 23 were first rounders.The article goes much further, but I find the path of the baseball player to the majors is really difficult so any player that gets ranked on a team top ten or a league top 100 has already accomplished a lot.
     
    So how many openings are there each year.Just because there is a good rookie on the list does not mean the team will give them a chance - there is always that free agent who has experience on their resume to block their paths.
    ​But this NY Times article looked at the average length of a players career and found it to be 5.6 years.
     

     
    Less than half the rookies that come in play 5 years and only 1 percent play 20.
     
    At the same time, we have career minor league players who are so persistent. Think about this 2014 article about a minor leaguer named Hessman - the eighth minor leaguer to accumulate 400 home runs. This is playing for the love of the game:
     
    http://sabr.org/latest/hessman-becomes-eighth-minor-leaguer-hit-400-career-home-runs
     
    In 2011
     
    https://goodmenproject.com/sports/meet-americas-oldest-minor-leaguer/
     
    Told about Andy Tracy - the oldest minor leaguer who played for Reno and was about to turn 38. "In 16 seasons, he’s played for the Crocs, the Hammerheads, and the Zephyrs. Hell, he’s even been an IronPig. All in all, he’s played for 11 minor league teams and one in Japan. He’s tallied 5,298 minor-league at-bats, playing in 1,511 minor-league games." It was his last year.
     
    When I watch Bull Durham and listen to the philosophy of Crash Davis I think about all those struggling for what is a very narrow bottle neck in their career path.
    ​So congratulations to everyone on this list and those who are close.Good luck.
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