John Bonnes

This honestly happens to me. I find myself sometimes fearing to come to the site, because it's going to suck up the rest of my day.

"We have holes. And some of it is pitching, and some of it is not. There are other areas we need to address." - Terry Ryan as reported by Phil Mackey The Twins rotation currently ranks 29th in the majors in ERA and 28th in innings pitched. But Ryan is right – they aren’t the only sore spot that will need to be addressed this offseason. The decision to promote and play Tsuyoshi Nishioka at second base highlights one such area. The Twins rank 29th in the majors in OPS(On Base Plus Slugging) from that position. Even if their best option, Jamey Carroll, had played there the entire season, his OPS would only rank 25th. Similarly, the shortstop position ranks 27th overall. The Twins are likely to use the rest of the year to further evaluate this offseason’s priorities. They might start be looking at where each position ranks offensively versus the rest of the league: [TABLE=width: 244] [/TD][TD=align: center]OPS [TD=align: center]MLB Rank [/TD] Left Field [TD=align: center]938 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] Catcher [TD=align: center]822 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] Designated Hitter [TD=align: center]845 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8 [/TD] Third Base [TD=align: center]765 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] Center Field [TD=align: center]718 [/TD] [TD=align: center]17 [/TD] First Base [TD=align: center]749 [/TD] [TD=align: center]19 [/TD] Right Field [TD=align: center]692 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25 [/TD] Shortstop [TD=align: center]575 [/TD] [TD=align: center]27 [/TD] Second Base [TD=align: center]571 [/TD] [TD=align: center]29 [/TD] [/TABLE] 2B – Let’s start with the worst and get more optimistic. Most of the damage has been done by Alexi Casilla whose overall OPS is 580, which is one hundred points below his OPS last year and 50 points below his career OPS. He’ll likely get better, if he hasn’t already played himself out of the picture. (Again.) SS – Either you believe Brian Dozier will get better or you don’t. I think he will. He certainly needs to. RF – Even if Ben Revere had all the at-bats here, his 738 OPS would only rank 22nd. However, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, he has also saved another 10 runs with his glove. Using WAR, which tries to include defensive value, he ranks 12th overall. 1B – Parmelee (667 OPS) and Mauer (752 OPS) are responsible for about 40% of the at-bats here. CF – The Twins have only given 15 at-bats to players other than Revere and Denard Span in center field. Those players have gone 0 for 15, which drags down the number about 20 points. 3B – Imagine where the Twins would rank if Danny Valencia and his 522 OPS hadn’t eaten up about 1/3 of the at-bats this season. DH – The at-bats have been split four ways, but Ryan Doumit gets most of the credit. His OPS is 939 as a designated hitter, just 766 as a catcher. C – Not that the Twins two-headed catching monster isn’t working well. They only rank behind St. Louis (Yadier Molina), Milwaukee ( Jonathan LuCroy), San Francisco (Buster Posey) and Philadelphia (CHOOOOCH!) LF – Speaking of monsters, ladies and gentlemen, Josh Willingham, version 2012. Certainly, the Twins pitching has been an issue. But Ryan is correct to not overlook the uneven production from the lineup, too.

"We have holes. And some of it is pitching, and some of it is not. There are other areas we need to address." - Terry Ryan as reported by Phil Mackey The Twins rotation currently ranks 29th in the majors in ERA and 28th in innings pitched. But Ryan is right – they aren’t the only sore spot that will need to be addressed this offseason. The decision to promote and play Tsuyoshi Nishioka at second base highlights one such area. The Twins rank 29th in the majors in OPS(On Base Plus Slugging) from that position. Even if their best option, Jamey Carroll, had played there the entire season, his OPS would only rank 25th. Similarly, the shortstop position ranks 27th overall. The Twins are likely to use the rest of the year to further evaluate this offseason’s priorities. They might start be looking at where each position ranks offensively versus the rest of the league: [TABLE=width: 244] [/TD][TD=align: center]OPS [TD=align: center]MLB Rank [/TD] Left Field [TD=align: center]938 [/TD] [TD=align: center]2 [/TD] Catcher [TD=align: center]822 [/TD] [TD=align: center]5 [/TD] Designated Hitter [TD=align: center]845 [/TD] [TD=align: center]8 [/TD] Third Base [TD=align: center]765 [/TD] [TD=align: center]11 [/TD] Center Field [TD=align: center]718 [/TD] [TD=align: center]17 [/TD] First Base [TD=align: center]749 [/TD] [TD=align: center]19 [/TD] Right Field [TD=align: center]692 [/TD] [TD=align: center]25 [/TD] Shortstop [TD=align: center]575 [/TD] [TD=align: center]27 [/TD] Second Base [TD=align: center]571 [/TD] [TD=align: center]29 [/TD] [/TABLE] 2B – Let’s start with the worst and get more optimistic. Most of the damage has been done by Alexi Casilla whose overall OPS is 580, which is one hundred points below his OPS last year and 50 points below his career OPS. He’ll likely get better, if he hasn’t already played himself out of the picture. (Again.) SS – Either you believe Brian Dozier will get better or you don’t. I think he will. He certainly needs to. RF – Even if Ben Revere had all the at-bats here, his 738 OPS would only rank 22nd. However, according to Ultimate Zone Rating, he has also saved another 10 runs with his glove. Using WAR, which tries to include defensive value, he ranks 12th overall. 1B – Parmelee (667 OPS) and Mauer (752 OPS) are responsible for about 40% of the at-bats here. CF – The Twins have only given 15 at-bats to players other than Revere and Denard Span in center field. Those players have gone 0 for 15, which drags down the number about 20 points. 3B – Imagine where the Twins would rank if Danny Valencia and his 522 OPS hadn’t eaten up about 1/3 of the at-bats this season. DH – The at-bats have been split four ways, but Ryan Doumit gets most of the credit. His OPS is 939 as a designated hitter, just 766 as a catcher. C – Not that the Twins two-headed catching monster isn’t working well. They only rank behind St. Louis (Yadier Molina), Milwaukee ( Jonathan LuCroy), San Francisco (Buster Posey) and Philadelphia (CHOOOOCH!) LF – Speaking of monsters, ladies and gentlemen, Josh Willingham, version 2012. Certainly, the Twins pitching has been an issue. But Ryan is correct to not overlook the uneven production from the lineup, too.

If The Twins Are Willing To Trade Morneau This Offseason, There Should Be Options Last week, as the trade deadline approached, Justin Morneau was featured in the latest trade rumors. That made sense. First, Morneau had been productive and healthy. Second, Chris Parmelee is raking at first base in AAA but shut out in the majors. Finally, Morneau is still owed about $19M for the rest of this year and next. Moving him would give the Twins that much more money to spend on pitching this offseason. No deal was consummated, and it doesn’t sound like one was close, but that doesn’t mean the end of the rumors. They’ll flow into this offseason and will likely gain additional steam because this year the crop of free agent first basemen is so bleak. There is no Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols or even a Paul Konerko in this class. The top name? Would you believe the 37-year-old Carlos Lee? Yes, the same Carlos Lee who was already salary dumped this year and then was rumored to be on the block again. He has all of six home runs, but at least he’s hitting .292. Now look into the rest of the void…. Sure, They’re Old, But At Least They’re Hurt. Lance Berkman He has just 75 at-bat this year because he’s been out the last two months after knee surgery, and that was following a previous stay on the DL for a calf injury. There will be serious concerns that his 36-year-old body can’t take it any more. Aubrey Huff Similarly, Huff is 35 years old and has only has 61 at-bats this year (and is hitting just .148) because of several DL stints which include an anxiety disorder and knee tendonitis. Carlos Pena Ok, he’s not hurt, but he’s hitting .193, so who could tell? He's also 35 years old and still can’t hit left-handers. Like the others, he’s worth a flyer, but who would rely on him for more than that? Bad, But Bad In A Youngish Way Casey Kotchman He’s just 30 years old, but he has never hit more than 12 home runs in his career, is struggling against left-handers and is hitting just .223. James Loney He’s the reason the Dodgers were talking to the Twins about Morneau at the deadline. He’s hitting .257 with two home runs. Two As in two more than I have hitting for the Dodgers this year. The only thing he has going for him is that he’s only 28 years old. They’re Old. They Also Don’t Start. Ty Wigginton All you need to know about the 35-year-old Wigginton is that the only way he’s available is if the Phils DON’T pick up a $4M option on him. That should clarify his value. Eric Hinske Yes, I’m talking about the 35-year-old bench player for the Braves for the lat 3 years. He has not seen 400 at-bats from a team since 2005. Winner: Justin Morneau Morneau, by comparison, is 31 years old, hitting .275 and has 15 home runs. Those numbers don’t justify a $14M salary next year. And if he was a free agent, he would not garner any offers for that kind of money annually. However, he is also the class of that list. If Morneau was a free agent, right now it looks like a two-year deal (for maybe $16M?) would not be out of the question. A three-year deal might be in play. If he and his agent insisted on a one-year deal (to increase his value for another run at free agency), a $9-10M deal might not be out of the question. But more important than the numbers is simply supply and demand. This offseason, the supply of first basemen who can be a middle-of-the-order presence for a competitive team is limited. In fact, it could be just Morneau. If Terry Ryan decides he is willing to trade Morneau – either to make room for Parmelee or to free up $14M in cash – there sure should be some desperate teams out there.

If The Twins Are Willing To Trade Morneau This Offseason, There Should Be Options Last week, as the trade deadline approached, Justin Morneau was featured in the latest trade rumors. That made sense. First, Morneau had been productive and healthy. Second, Chris Parmelee is raking at first base in AAA but shut out in the majors. Finally, Morneau is still owed about $19M for the rest of this year and next. Moving him would give the Twins that much more money to spend on pitching this offseason. No deal was consummated, and it doesn’t sound like one was close, but that doesn’t mean the end of the rumors. They’ll flow into this offseason and will likely gain additional steam because this year the crop of free agent first basemen is so bleak. There is no Prince Fielder or Albert Pujols or even a Paul Konerko in this class. The top name? Would you believe the 37-year-old Carlos Lee? Yes, the same Carlos Lee who was already salary dumped this year and then was rumored to be on the block again. He has all of six home runs, but at least he’s hitting .292. Now look into the rest of the void…. Sure, They’re Old, But At Least They’re Hurt. Lance Berkman He has just 75 at-bat this year because he’s been out the last two months after knee surgery, and that was following a previous stay on the DL for a calf injury. There will be serious concerns that his 36-year-old body can’t take it any more. Aubrey Huff Similarly, Huff is 35 years old and has only has 61 at-bats this year (and is hitting just .148) because of several DL stints which include an anxiety disorder and knee tendonitis. Carlos Pena Ok, he’s not hurt, but he’s hitting .193, so who could tell? He's also 35 years old and still can’t hit left-handers. Like the others, he’s worth a flyer, but who would rely on him for more than that? Bad, But Bad In A Youngish Way Casey Kotchman He’s just 30 years old, but he has never hit more than 12 home runs in his career, is struggling against left-handers and is hitting just .223. James Loney He’s the reason the Dodgers were talking to the Twins about Morneau at the deadline. He’s hitting .257 with two home runs. Two As in two more than I have hitting for the Dodgers this year. The only thing he has going for him is that he’s only 28 years old. They’re Old. They Also Don’t Start. Ty Wigginton All you need to know about the 35-year-old Wigginton is that the only way he’s available is if the Phils DON’T pick up a $4M option on him. That should clarify his value. Eric Hinske Yes, I’m talking about the 35-year-old bench player for the Braves for the lat 3 years. He has not seen 400 at-bats from a team since 2005. Winner: Justin Morneau Morneau, by comparison, is 31 years old, hitting .275 and has 15 home runs. Those numbers don’t justify a $14M salary next year. And if he was a free agent, he would not garner any offers for that kind of money annually. However, he is also the class of that list. If Morneau was a free agent, right now it looks like a two-year deal (for maybe $16M?) would not be out of the question. A three-year deal might be in play. If he and his agent insisted on a one-year deal (to increase his value for another run at free agency), a $9-10M deal might not be out of the question. But more important than the numbers is simply supply and demand. This offseason, the supply of first basemen who can be a middle-of-the-order presence for a competitive team is limited. In fact, it could be just Morneau. If Terry Ryan decides he is willing to trade Morneau – either to make room for Parmelee or to free up $14M in cash – there sure should be some desperate teams out there.

Aaron and John talk about dumping Danny Valencia, bringing back Tsuyoshi Nishioka, what the trade deadline inactivity means, what can be done about the Twins' medical staff, John's new motorcycle, Alex Wimmers' elbow surgery, and a report about Miguel Sano and the Beloit prospects from special guest Seth Stohs. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

Aaron and John talk about dumping Danny Valencia, bringing back Tsuyoshi Nishioka, what the trade deadline inactivity means, what can be done about the Twins' medical staff, John's new motorcycle, Alex Wimmers' elbow surgery, and a report about Miguel Sano and the Beloit prospects from special guest Seth Stohs. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

How about Duluth?

I'm really enjoying these updates. I'm looking forward to hearing about Elizabethton.

I'll give an iPad tip. If you plan on using it o post on the forum or blog, there are some great protective cases that double as keyboards. Having a keyboard has changed how I use the ipad. Also, don't worry about being ripped a new one. We're definitely moving towards more civility. Finally, welcome. We're happy to have you here whether you blog, post, comment or just read.

The trade deadline is a significant event in Twins Daily’s calendar and now that it’s over, I thought we might give an update on how the community is faring. We have 1923 registered users and 963 of them have contributed at least one post to the site. We have 2209 threads with 40,120 posts. Each month, the number of posts has been increasing by 24%. 133 members have tried blogging and produced 1342 posts. Over 150,000 unique visitors have stopped by the site since we went live just over five months ago. On trade deadline day, we set a record for activity with 45,000+ page views. What’s more, on Friday we will pass our 3 millionth page view. We (actually, Brock gets all the credit for this ) have also rolled out a new mobile version of the site that we hope will help you keep in touch with the community even when you have to be away from your PC. I hope you’re all as thrilled with the scale of what is happening and are committed to making everyone feel welcome. The goal of this site was to make it easier for Twins fans to find great independent Twins writers and thinkers, regardless of the background and baseball beliefs. We’ve now reached 150,000 fellow fans who have read your posts and blogs three million times. So THANKS for continuing to share your passion and make this community an inviting baseball oasis. Please think about sharing it with friends or even strangers who are as passionate about the Twins as you are. Passions are best when they’re shared. And PLEASE don’t hesitate to share your thoughts/suggestions about the site in our Questions About Twins Daily forum. Blogs You would think we might be happy with 133 member blogs and 1342 posts. We are, but I believe we can do more - that there is a lot of hidden talent out there. So in our forum I’ve opened a thread talking about the establishment of a Twins Daily Writer’s Club. If you’re interested in writing more, please check it out and let me know of any ideas you might have.

The trade deadline is a significant event in Twins Daily’s calendar and now that it’s over, I thought we might give an update on how the community is faring. We have 1923 registered users and 963 of them have contributed at least one post to the site. We have 2209 threads with 40,120 posts. Each month, the number of posts has been increasing by 24%. 133 members have tried blogging and produced 1342 posts. Over 150,000 unique visitors have stopped by the site since we went live just over five months ago. On trade deadline day, we set a record for activity with 45,000+ page views. What’s more, on Friday we will pass our 3 millionth page view. We (actually, Brock gets all the credit for this ) have also rolled out a new mobile version of the site that we hope will help you keep in touch with the community even when you have to be away from your PC. I hope you’re all as thrilled with the scale of what is happening and are committed to making everyone feel welcome. The goal of this site was to make it easier for Twins fans to find great independent Twins writers and thinkers, regardless of the background and baseball beliefs. We’ve now reached 150,000 fellow fans who have read your posts and blogs three million times. So THANKS for continuing to share your passion and make this community an inviting baseball oasis. Please think about sharing it with friends or even strangers who are as passionate about the Twins as you are. Passions are best when they’re shared. And PLEASE don’t hesitate to share your thoughts/suggestions about the site in our Questions About Twins Daily forum. Blogs You would think we might be happy with 133 member blogs and 1342 posts. We are, but I believe we can do more - that there is a lot of hidden talent out there. So in our forum I’ve opened a thread talking about the establishment of a Twins Daily Writer’s Club. If you’re interested in writing more, please check it out and let me know of any ideas you might have.

Two weeks ago on Gleeman and the Geek, Aaron Gleeman and I argued about Francisco Liriano. In Liriano's previous outing he had struck out 15 batters but lost the game when he gave up a grand slam in the fourth inning. Aaron chaffed at the portrayal of Liriano as "mentally weak" while I felt that Liriano, at the very least, had trouble pulling himself out of a nosedive when he started struggling. Anyone who listens to the podcast knows that Aaron and I arguing some perceived point into the ground is not unusual. What you may not know is that after shows, or even on the breaks, we often turn to each other and wonder what the hell we were really arguing about. And we often conclude that we weren’t really arguing with each other at all. We were arguing with Other Voices. In this case that became apparent around the 25:00 minute mark when Aaron refers to a story about the game. I didn’t even know that story existed. When he was arguing, he wasn’t arguing with me; he was arguing against that story. He was arguing with Other Voices that weren’t in the room. For that matter, so was I, only I was arguing with voices I’ve argued with for a decade. Those voices were arguing that player performances are dice throws, randomly determined like stratomatic cards. That wasn’t Aaron’s point at all. But I was listening to the Other Voices. Here’s the thing: I think Aaron and I see eye-to-eye on Liriano. We’ve had conversations where we are completely in sync. Aaron was fighting a fight he is accustomed to fighting and I was doing the same. We ended up at odds and then wondered what the hell we were arguing about. In my mind, one thing was certain: it wasn’t about Liriano’s mental or emotional stability when it came to pitching. Which was, of course, what the argument was supposedly about. I've seen more and more of this, just become I'm becoming more sensitive to it. It’s even more common in an oral medium where one can’t parse ones words quite as much, cover one’s tracks in a well-written argument. And that also means it is becoming more obvious on Twitter and message boards, where brevity is required. And I’ve seen it a lot over the past 48 hours since the Liriano trade. I wonder how often our reaction to something like that is based more on battles we are accustomed to fighting versus Other Voices than objective evaluation. I even wonder if we shift our evaluation to find room for our voices amid the din, like a youngest sibling finding the niche his older brothers haven’t covered. I don’t know that there is a lesson to be learned here. It’s just something I’m noticing. And as much as seeing that behavior in others bothers me, it’s even worse when I find myself not being full present, distracted or even driven by Other Voices.

Two weeks ago on Gleeman and the Geek, Aaron Gleeman and I argued about Francisco Liriano. In Liriano's previous outing he had struck out 15 batters but lost the game when he gave up a grand slam in the fourth inning. Aaron chaffed at the portrayal of Liriano as "mentally weak" while I felt that Liriano, at the very least, had trouble pulling himself out of a nosedive when he started struggling. Anyone who listens to the podcast knows that Aaron and I arguing some perceived point into the ground is not unusual. What you may not know is that after shows, or even on the breaks, we often turn to each other and wonder what the hell we were really arguing about. And we often conclude that we weren’t really arguing with each other at all. We were arguing with Other Voices. In this case that became apparent around the 25:00 minute mark when Aaron refers to a story about the game. I didn’t even know that story existed. When he was arguing, he wasn’t arguing with me; he was arguing against that story. He was arguing with Other Voices that weren’t in the room. For that matter, so was I, only I was arguing with voices I’ve argued with for a decade. Those voices were arguing that player performances are dice throws, randomly determined like stratomatic cards. That wasn’t Aaron’s point at all. But I was listening to the Other Voices. Here’s the thing: I think Aaron and I see eye-to-eye on Liriano. We’ve had conversations where we are completely in sync. Aaron was fighting a fight he is accustomed to fighting and I was doing the same. We ended up at odds and then wondered what the hell we were arguing about. In my mind, one thing was certain: it wasn’t about Liriano’s mental or emotional stability when it came to pitching. Which was, of course, what the argument was supposedly about. I've seen more and more of this, just become I'm becoming more sensitive to it. It’s even more common in an oral medium where one can’t parse ones words quite as much, cover one’s tracks in a well-written argument. And that also means it is becoming more obvious on Twitter and message boards, where brevity is required. And I’ve seen it a lot over the past 48 hours since the Liriano trade. I wonder how often our reaction to something like that is based more on battles we are accustomed to fighting versus Other Voices than objective evaluation. I even wonder if we shift our evaluation to find room for our voices amid the din, like a youngest sibling finding the niche his older brothers haven’t covered. I don’t know that there is a lesson to be learned here. It’s just something I’m noticing. And as much as seeing that behavior in others bothers me, it’s even worse when I find myself not being full present, distracted or even driven by Other Voices.

Aaron and John talk about the Francisco Liriano trade, break down the prospects from the White Sox and the Twins' reasoning for the deal, get sad with Otis Redding, welcome back Danny Valencia, look ahead to potential other moves before the deadline, marvel at Lew Ford, update Alex Wimmers' health, and then John leaves and Aaron does a solo podcast with the help of Twitter questions. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.

Aaron and John talk about the Francisco Liriano trade, break down the prospects from the White Sox and the Twins' reasoning for the deal, get sad with Otis Redding, welcome back Danny Valencia, look ahead to potential other moves before the deadline, marvel at Lew Ford, update Alex Wimmers' health, and then John leaves and Aaron does a solo podcast with the help of Twitter questions. Here are: the podcasts the rss feed if you want to subscribe and the podcast on iTunes.