Brad Swanson

But his xFIP could still be around 4.5.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2187-Monday-Morning-Madness-August-5-2013

Not totally sure, but I found this on Wikipedia: Pontoon (boat) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! We can finally put the "could the Twins even beat a AAA team" jokes to bed. They can. The Astros are pathetic, even if their rebuild strategy is being lauded by many. While that strategy might work out long-term, the current team is rotten and I can't even imagine being an Astros fan right now. At least the Twins have a couple players worth watching while they flail. Anyway, the Twins rebounded nicely after the Royals series and if that matters to you, then you are probably quite happy. Kyle Gibson Kyle Gibson's MLB career is not off to the start that he likely dreamed of. Unless he suffers from night terrors. Looking just at this season and comparing these 36.1 MLB innings to his AAA stats, the differences are kind of staggering. His strikeout rate has dipped from 21.3% to 11.9%. His HR/9 went from 0.39 to 1.24. His BABIP was .285 at AAA and is .344 with the Twins. His strand rate has dropped from 72.7% to 63.2%. His walk rate has actually decreased slightly, from 7.6% to 7.1% (this is a great reason to use K% and BB% instead of K/9 and BB/9, btw, as his BB/9 is slightly up). It all adds up to a 6.69 ERA and a memorable debut for all the wrong reasons. Slightly encouraging is his 4.97 FIP and the hope that the more luck-based stats like strand rate and BABIP could even out. However, he needs to strike out more batters or he'll become just another Twins starter. We all know that we hoped for better than that. Colabello's Power? I can't say I watched a ton of Chris Colabello at AAA, so you might have to help me out with this one. Does he have any pull power? He stands very far from the plate, which is fine, but it would seem that would make it harder to pull the ball over the fence. The two home runs he has hit with the Twins and the two I happened to see while watching AAA games were muscled to right or right-center. It's not to say that he can't hit for power, but having a right-handed hitter with pull power certainly plays well at Target Field. I'm not really sure what my point is here, to be honest. Should we be expecting a lot of home runs from Colabello? Plouffe Vs. Righties Trevor Plouffe now has 845 career plate appearances against right-handed pitching. In those plate appearances, Plouffe has posted a .216/.277/.377 triple slash, with 29 home runs and 187 strikeouts. His BABIP is .249, but I can't believe this is a luck thing. His line drive rate is actually better as a righty, but his strikeout and walk rates are worse. Platoon splits are normal, but with a borderline MLB player like Plouffe, this split makes me wonder if he needs to actually be part of a platoon, just to provide value. We can't even say that these stats are the remnants of his poor MLB start, as he has posted similar numbers this season, with a .213/.272/.351 triple slash in 247 plate appearances. It's a shame he's on the wrong side of the platoon because he does crush lefties. Ugh, enough sadness. More madness! Fun Stat - Deduno is Rare Sam Deduno is having a magical season. For real, it seems like he's getting by on magic. He doesn't get hit hard. In fact, he has pitched to a .242/.322/.344 triple slash. That looks great, as it's about what Clete Thomas produces. When Deduno takes the mound, the entire opposing team becomes a mess of Clete Thomas's. Fun, terrifying, but how rare is this? I pulled the data using Baseball Reference's play index and here is a link to the results. As you can see, these numbers have only been posted by 15 pitchers in the last 30 seasons. Wild. Of course, rarity is not exactly the friend of replication. Poll Results - What do you think of Joe Mauer? I forgot to include this last week, so my blog has gone a whole week without a poll! Sad! Here are the results of the Mauer poll: I love him; I'll name my first born "Seven" in his honor - 3 votes Hall of Fame Talent - 18 votes He's great, but overpaid - 8 votes He's a bum - 0 votes Who is Jo Mauer? - 0 votes I expect to see those kids named "Seven" pop up in my future social studies classes. I'm pleased that no one resorted to calling him a bum. I posted a new poll, please take some time to vote. Democracy. Random Image I found this picture of the Twins battling: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3R-HQCQ8L1Y/Uf6sGKAMqbI/AAAAAAAAA3M/GMf5FIBDBXU/s320/twinsbattle.jpg Hard to say if they are winning, but they certainly are battling. Answer to a hypothetical Facebook question Going to the Twins' Facebook page is like going to the dentist. It sucks, it's going to be painful, but you just gotta do it. Preferably you go just once per six months though. Here's a cool question: Question: Gatorade shower for BARELY beating the worst team in the league?? Stay classy Minnesota.. Answer: First off, an ellipsis has three dots. Second, does a second question mark make this a special double question? Third, good gravy do some people hate fun. I imagine that some people only enjoy World Series clinching games and nothing else. Besides, the Twins win so infrequently that they have fewer chances to celebrate. When the Rays win in a walk-off, its one win of like 100. When the Twins win, it's one in 60. Think about that. Or, just calm down and enjoy the baseball game. Even sucky teams should be allowed to enjoy their victories. I mean, people cheer for the Vikings and Timberwolves and they've pretty much always sucked. Baseball Card from the Past http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp2xFfRQrTk/Uf6sN42XpDI/AAAAAAAAA3U/cT-VlyjkKGQ/s320/Liranorookie.jpg Look at that dude! Francisco Liriano is pitching as well as he ever has with Pittsburgh this season. He's a huge reason why they have one of the best records in baseball. It's hard to believe that he's been in pro baseball for over ten years. He was probably 18 or 19 in that picture. I tried to look up how much that card is worth on eBay but there were like fifteen different versions and I just got bored. You can own it for somewhere between 8 and 2 million dollars, but if you want to narrow it down, do your own research. The Week Ahead I have some stuff planned for the week. I wrote about the Hall of Fame and some current players who I think will be enshrined one day. On Tuesday, I plan to post the older guys and on Wednesday, I'll post some younger guys. I'm recapping two Twins trades on Thursday and Friday. One trade is pretty minor and the other might be the most controversial trade in Twins' history. I hope you are adequately salivating right now. Parting Thought I'm in love with the Casey Fien-Glen Perkins 8th and 9th inning combo. Fien is fired up from the jump and Perkins is chill as what. However, both guys just come in and say, "hey man, here's my stuff, try to hit it, yo." Most can't. Fien has been a revelation, in my opinion. With Fien and Perkins both under team control for the foreseeable future, the back-end of the bullpen is an part of the team that the Twins can rely upon, possibly even when the team is good again. It would be nice to have some pieces in place, right? Have a nice week, everyone!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! We can finally put the "could the Twins even beat a AAA team" jokes to bed. They can. The Astros are pathetic, even if their rebuild strategy is being lauded by many. While that strategy might work out long-term, the current team is rotten and I can't even imagine being an Astros fan right now. At least the Twins have a couple players worth watching while they flail. Anyway, the Twins rebounded nicely after the Royals series and if that matters to you, then you are probably quite happy. Kyle Gibson Kyle Gibson's MLB career is not off to the start that he likely dreamed of. Unless he suffers from night terrors. Looking just at this season and comparing these 36.1 MLB innings to his AAA stats, the differences are kind of staggering. His strikeout rate has dipped from 21.3% to 11.9%. His HR/9 went from 0.39 to 1.24. His BABIP was .285 at AAA and is .344 with the Twins. His strand rate has dropped from 72.7% to 63.2%. His walk rate has actually decreased slightly, from 7.6% to 7.1% (this is a great reason to use K% and BB% instead of K/9 and BB/9, btw, as his BB/9 is slightly up). It all adds up to a 6.69 ERA and a memorable debut for all the wrong reasons. Slightly encouraging is his 4.97 FIP and the hope that the more luck-based stats like strand rate and BABIP could even out. However, he needs to strike out more batters or he'll become just another Twins starter. We all know that we hoped for better than that. Colabello's Power? I can't say I watched a ton of Chris Colabello at AAA, so you might have to help me out with this one. Does he have any pull power? He stands very far from the plate, which is fine, but it would seem that would make it harder to pull the ball over the fence. The two home runs he has hit with the Twins and the two I happened to see while watching AAA games were muscled to right or right-center. It's not to say that he can't hit for power, but having a right-handed hitter with pull power certainly plays well at Target Field. I'm not really sure what my point is here, to be honest. Should we be expecting a lot of home runs from Colabello? Plouffe Vs. Righties Trevor Plouffe now has 845 career plate appearances against right-handed pitching. In those plate appearances, Plouffe has posted a .216/.277/.377 triple slash, with 29 home runs and 187 strikeouts. His BABIP is .249, but I can't believe this is a luck thing. His line drive rate is actually better as a righty, but his strikeout and walk rates are worse. Platoon splits are normal, but with a borderline MLB player like Plouffe, this split makes me wonder if he needs to actually be part of a platoon, just to provide value. We can't even say that these stats are the remnants of his poor MLB start, as he has posted similar numbers this season, with a .213/.272/.351 triple slash in 247 plate appearances. It's a shame he's on the wrong side of the platoon because he does crush lefties. Ugh, enough sadness. More madness! Fun Stat - Deduno is Rare Sam Deduno is having a magical season. For real, it seems like he's getting by on magic. He doesn't get hit hard. In fact, he has pitched to a .242/.322/.344 triple slash. That looks great, as it's about what Clete Thomas produces. When Deduno takes the mound, the entire opposing team becomes a mess of Clete Thomas's. Fun, terrifying, but how rare is this? I pulled the data using Baseball Reference's play index and here is a link to the results. As you can see, these numbers have only been posted by 15 pitchers in the last 30 seasons. Wild. Of course, rarity is not exactly the friend of replication. Poll Results - What do you think of Joe Mauer? I forgot to include this last week, so my blog has gone a whole week without a poll! Sad! Here are the results of the Mauer poll: I love him; I'll name my first born "Seven" in his honor - 3 votes Hall of Fame Talent - 18 votes He's great, but overpaid - 8 votes He's a bum - 0 votes Who is Jo Mauer? - 0 votes I expect to see those kids named "Seven" pop up in my future social studies classes. I'm pleased that no one resorted to calling him a bum. I posted a new poll, please take some time to vote. Democracy. Random Image I found this picture of the Twins battling: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3R-HQCQ8L1Y/Uf6sGKAMqbI/AAAAAAAAA3M/GMf5FIBDBXU/s320/twinsbattle.jpg Hard to say if they are winning, but they certainly are battling. Answer to a hypothetical Facebook question Going to the Twins' Facebook page is like going to the dentist. It sucks, it's going to be painful, but you just gotta do it. Preferably you go just once per six months though. Here's a cool question: Question: Gatorade shower for BARELY beating the worst team in the league?? Stay classy Minnesota.. Answer: First off, an ellipsis has three dots. Second, does a second question mark make this a special double question? Third, good gravy do some people hate fun. I imagine that some people only enjoy World Series clinching games and nothing else. Besides, the Twins win so infrequently that they have fewer chances to celebrate. When the Rays win in a walk-off, its one win of like 100. When the Twins win, it's one in 60. Think about that. Or, just calm down and enjoy the baseball game. Even sucky teams should be allowed to enjoy their victories. I mean, people cheer for the Vikings and Timberwolves and they've pretty much always sucked. Baseball Card from the Past http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Gp2xFfRQrTk/Uf6sN42XpDI/AAAAAAAAA3U/cT-VlyjkKGQ/s320/Liranorookie.jpg Look at that dude! Francisco Liriano is pitching as well as he ever has with Pittsburgh this season. He's a huge reason why they have one of the best records in baseball. It's hard to believe that he's been in pro baseball for over ten years. He was probably 18 or 19 in that picture. I tried to look up how much that card is worth on eBay but there were like fifteen different versions and I just got bored. You can own it for somewhere between 8 and 2 million dollars, but if you want to narrow it down, do your own research. The Week Ahead I have some stuff planned for the week. I wrote about the Hall of Fame and some current players who I think will be enshrined one day. On Tuesday, I plan to post the older guys and on Wednesday, I'll post some younger guys. I'm recapping two Twins trades on Thursday and Friday. One trade is pretty minor and the other might be the most controversial trade in Twins' history. I hope you are adequately salivating right now. Parting Thought I'm in love with the Casey Fien-Glen Perkins 8th and 9th inning combo. Fien is fired up from the jump and Perkins is chill as what. However, both guys just come in and say, "hey man, here's my stuff, try to hit it, yo." Most can't. Fien has been a revelation, in my opinion. With Fien and Perkins both under team control for the foreseeable future, the back-end of the bullpen is an part of the team that the Twins can rely upon, possibly even when the team is good again. It would be nice to have some pieces in place, right? Have a nice week, everyone!

I completely agree. If the manager tells the player "you're my starting 3B or SS," the player would be crazy to respond with "well Skip, I might not be your best choice." So it wasn't that fans necessarily disliked Punto, it was how he was utilized. That's a great point. Interestingly enough, I did that very same thing when I played baseball in high school. My coach needed a pinch runner and asked me if I was fast. I said "yeah, but Mark's faster." I thought my honesty would be lauded but instead I spent the next three games on the bench. Although, I was a terrible player, so maybe that was why.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2170-August-Mailbag!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! As always, these are actual questions written by someone and answered by me. I may also be that other someone. It's not a big deal. Justin Morneau recently passed Bob Allison for fourth all-time in Twins' career home runs. Of course, he's still behind Allison in franchise history, but whatever. Morneau has 212 home runs and counting. Who will be the next Twins' player to pass Morneau on the all-time home run list? Brad S., St. Paul, MN Great Question! Mauer is only about halfway there, and I don't think he gets to 200 in his career. The next active player on the list is Josh Willingham at 45 and then Trevor Plouffe at 44. I don't think either guy plays long enough to get to 200. 200 is a big number, only Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Allison, Morneau, Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti have reached that figure. However, there is a big powerful man in Connecticut who will need some official Twins jerseys in the very near future. I think Miguel Sano will play long enough and hit many, many bombs. If he averages 30 home runs for the seven years under team control, he'd hit 210. I think that seems reasonable. He might not hit 30 as a rookie, but he might hit more than 40 at his peak. Averages! Prediction! I catch Sano's 200th home run ball. Instead of giving it to him like a normal person, I go home and tear off the cover. I knit him a tiny sweater from the threads. I head to Target Field to present him with his 200th home run sweater and I am immediately arrested. I represent myself at trial. I'm dynamic. After my sentence ends, I tour the nation speaking of the danger of trying to be thoughtful, but actually being creepy. Drew Butera was traded on Wednesday. What will you remember most about Butera? Brad S., St. Paul, MN For me, I will always remember Butera as the Francisco Liriano whisperer. At least, that was how he was presented by the duo of commentators on FSNorth. They made it seem like Liriano was some wild stallion and that Butera was the guy to say "whoooooooooaaaa buddy" when he would freak out. It was almost as if they thought that Liriano would just turn around and wander into the outfield, or throw the ball straight up into the air instead of toward home plate, or just go to the concourse and grab a hot dog, or just sit down on the mound and take of his shoes. Of course, that was if Butera wasn't there to keep him focused. That always amused me. The Twins were very quiet at the deadline, only trading away Francisco Liriano's adderall. Were you suprised? Brad S., St. Paul, MN See! The Liriano thing is real. Anyway, no, I was not surprised at all. The Twins' three best assets were either unavailable altogether or would have required a blockbuster trade that just seemed too unlikely. Joe Mauer isn't going anywhere, and probably shouldn't. Josh Willingham is hurt. Glen Perkins is likely more valuable as a player than a trade chip. Outside of those guys, who on this team would other teams really want? Justin Morneau and his 40-year-old Ichiro impression? Jared Burton, the guy who couldn't handle the set-up role? Brian Duensing, the lefty who can't get lefties out? Ryan Doumit and his Popsicle stick glove? Casey Fien might be valuable, but who has ever heard of Casey Fien? Perhaps the Twins will make a deal in August. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't either. By the way, I did live-blog the trade deadline, if you want to experience that memorable day once more. Just click here; I locked myself out of my house at one point. Find out why! Where you sit right now, what do you think the Opening Day lineup will be in 2014? What do you think it should be? Brad S., St. Paul, MN I would not expect wholesale changes and I would not expect a ton of rookies either. That's not really how the Twins do business. So, this is what I think it will look like: CF - Aaron Hicks 2B - Brian Dozier C - Joe Mauer LF - Josh Willingham RF - Oswaldo Arcia 3B - Trevor Plouffe DH - Ryan Doumit 1B - Chris Parmelee/Chris Colabello SS - Pedro Florimon In other words, a lot of the same. I do think Morneau will be elsewhere and that Arcia will be in the everyday lineup. Hicks in the leadoff spot might seem crazy, but they have to try him there again at some point. As far as what I think it should be? I would probably move Doumit to the bench, Plouffe to DH, Dozier to the 8th spot, everyone else moves up a notch, then use Miguel Sano at third, bat him cleanup. Why not? He'll hit a bunch of home runs and that could be fun. Of course, this whole exercise is useless because the Twins are going to spend massive money this off-season and completely overhaul the roster, right? What has been worse for longest: The Mets outfield or the Twins middle infield? Willihammer, Twins Daily Forum This comment was inspired by the Matt Lawton trade to the Mets back in 2001. I made fun of the Mets' outfield. I was too lazy to look this up before, so I saved it for today. I made a chart. I used WAR. Save your breath. [TABLE=class: grid, width: 557] [/TD][TD]Twins' MI Mets' OF Twins/Player Mets/Player Winner? 1998 2.1 2.8 1.05 0.93 Twins 1999 -2.2 1.1 -1.10 0.37 Mets, Geez Guzman… 2000 1.2 5.8 0.60 1.93 Mets 2001 4.6 -0.8 2.30 -0.27 Twins, Hey, Guzman! 2002 1.2 2.9 0.60 0.97 Mets 2003 0 1.2 0.00 0.40 Mets 2004 2 3.1 1.00 1.03 Mets 2005 2.7 8 1.35 2.67 Mets 2006 5.1 8.4 2.55 2.80 Mets, Beltran 2007 5.9 7.9 2.95 2.63 Twins, Bartlett! 2008 3.8 9.6 1.90 3.20 Mets 2009 -1.6 5.5 -0.80 1.83 Mets, yikes 2010 3.9 8.4 1.95 2.80 Mets 2011 -0.4 5.3 -0.20 1.77 Mets 2012 2.8 -1.2 1.40 -0.40 Twins [/TABLE] Winner: Mets, by a score of 11-4. It really was a cakewalk. What an honor. Of course, this was not a perfect research study. I just picked the players who were listed at those positions on Baseball Reference and I used WAR which has a slight bias toward the middle infield. It does show that each of these teams have had holes in these areas for quite some time. Although, the Mets had more overall success with their weak position. In summary, that was fun. Hey dummy, remember how upset you were when the Twins released Joe Benson? Yeah, you were all crying and whining and sobbing and what has he done since then? Nothing! You suck. Brad S's Mom, St. Paul, MN I deserve that. Benson was hurt for over a month, so his progress stalled out a bit with the Rangers. After his recovery, he crushed rookie ball. Crushed it! Is it possible to be a professional rookie ball hitter? He's doing fine in AA, but he's 25 and has played in the Majors. I guess he could still become something, and I'll always be allured by his power/speed combo. But, I was probably too upset about a player who wasn't worth getting upset about. I'm sorry, I live in the moment. That's what makes me such a bombastic personality. Thank you for all the questions, they are much appreciated. If you have a question that can wait an indeterminate period of time, please let me know and I will address it at some point in the future.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! As always, these are actual questions written by someone and answered by me. I may also be that other someone. It's not a big deal. Justin Morneau recently passed Bob Allison for fourth all-time in Twins' career home runs. Of course, he's still behind Allison in franchise history, but whatever. Morneau has 212 home runs and counting. Who will be the next Twins' player to pass Morneau on the all-time home run list? Brad S., St. Paul, MN Great Question! Mauer is only about halfway there, and I don't think he gets to 200 in his career. The next active player on the list is Josh Willingham at 45 and then Trevor Plouffe at 44. I don't think either guy plays long enough to get to 200. 200 is a big number, only Harmon Killebrew, Tony Oliva, Kent Hrbek, Allison, Morneau, Kirby Puckett and Gary Gaetti have reached that figure. However, there is a big powerful man in Connecticut who will need some official Twins jerseys in the very near future. I think Miguel Sano will play long enough and hit many, many bombs. If he averages 30 home runs for the seven years under team control, he'd hit 210. I think that seems reasonable. He might not hit 30 as a rookie, but he might hit more than 40 at his peak. Averages! Prediction! I catch Sano's 200th home run ball. Instead of giving it to him like a normal person, I go home and tear off the cover. I knit him a tiny sweater from the threads. I head to Target Field to present him with his 200th home run sweater and I am immediately arrested. I represent myself at trial. I'm dynamic. After my sentence ends, I tour the nation speaking of the danger of trying to be thoughtful, but actually being creepy. Drew Butera was traded on Wednesday. What will you remember most about Butera? Brad S., St. Paul, MN For me, I will always remember Butera as the Francisco Liriano whisperer. At least, that was how he was presented by the duo of commentators on FSNorth. They made it seem like Liriano was some wild stallion and that Butera was the guy to say "whoooooooooaaaa buddy" when he would freak out. It was almost as if they thought that Liriano would just turn around and wander into the outfield, or throw the ball straight up into the air instead of toward home plate, or just go to the concourse and grab a hot dog, or just sit down on the mound and take of his shoes. Of course, that was if Butera wasn't there to keep him focused. That always amused me. The Twins were very quiet at the deadline, only trading away Francisco Liriano's adderall. Were you suprised? Brad S., St. Paul, MN See! The Liriano thing is real. Anyway, no, I was not surprised at all. The Twins' three best assets were either unavailable altogether or would have required a blockbuster trade that just seemed too unlikely. Joe Mauer isn't going anywhere, and probably shouldn't. Josh Willingham is hurt. Glen Perkins is likely more valuable as a player than a trade chip. Outside of those guys, who on this team would other teams really want? Justin Morneau and his 40-year-old Ichiro impression? Jared Burton, the guy who couldn't handle the set-up role? Brian Duensing, the lefty who can't get lefties out? Ryan Doumit and his Popsicle stick glove? Casey Fien might be valuable, but who has ever heard of Casey Fien? Perhaps the Twins will make a deal in August. I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't either. By the way, I did live-blog the trade deadline, if you want to experience that memorable day once more. Just click here; I locked myself out of my house at one point. Find out why! Where you sit right now, what do you think the Opening Day lineup will be in 2014? What do you think it should be? Brad S., St. Paul, MN I would not expect wholesale changes and I would not expect a ton of rookies either. That's not really how the Twins do business. So, this is what I think it will look like: CF - Aaron Hicks 2B - Brian Dozier C - Joe Mauer LF - Josh Willingham RF - Oswaldo Arcia 3B - Trevor Plouffe DH - Ryan Doumit 1B - Chris Parmelee/Chris Colabello SS - Pedro Florimon In other words, a lot of the same. I do think Morneau will be elsewhere and that Arcia will be in the everyday lineup. Hicks in the leadoff spot might seem crazy, but they have to try him there again at some point. As far as what I think it should be? I would probably move Doumit to the bench, Plouffe to DH, Dozier to the 8th spot, everyone else moves up a notch, then use Miguel Sano at third, bat him cleanup. Why not? He'll hit a bunch of home runs and that could be fun. Of course, this whole exercise is useless because the Twins are going to spend massive money this off-season and completely overhaul the roster, right? What has been worse for longest: The Mets outfield or the Twins middle infield? Willihammer, Twins Daily Forum This comment was inspired by the Matt Lawton trade to the Mets back in 2001. I made fun of the Mets' outfield. I was too lazy to look this up before, so I saved it for today. I made a chart. I used WAR. Save your breath. [TABLE=class: grid, width: 557] [/TD][TD]Twins' MI Mets' OF Twins/Player Mets/Player Winner? 1998 2.1 2.8 1.05 0.93 Twins 1999 -2.2 1.1 -1.10 0.37 Mets, Geez Guzman… 2000 1.2 5.8 0.60 1.93 Mets 2001 4.6 -0.8 2.30 -0.27 Twins, Hey, Guzman! 2002 1.2 2.9 0.60 0.97 Mets 2003 0 1.2 0.00 0.40 Mets 2004 2 3.1 1.00 1.03 Mets 2005 2.7 8 1.35 2.67 Mets 2006 5.1 8.4 2.55 2.80 Mets, Beltran 2007 5.9 7.9 2.95 2.63 Twins, Bartlett! 2008 3.8 9.6 1.90 3.20 Mets 2009 -1.6 5.5 -0.80 1.83 Mets, yikes 2010 3.9 8.4 1.95 2.80 Mets 2011 -0.4 5.3 -0.20 1.77 Mets 2012 2.8 -1.2 1.40 -0.40 Twins [/TABLE] Winner: Mets, by a score of 11-4. It really was a cakewalk. What an honor. Of course, this was not a perfect research study. I just picked the players who were listed at those positions on Baseball Reference and I used WAR which has a slight bias toward the middle infield. It does show that each of these teams have had holes in these areas for quite some time. Although, the Mets had more overall success with their weak position. In summary, that was fun. Hey dummy, remember how upset you were when the Twins released Joe Benson? Yeah, you were all crying and whining and sobbing and what has he done since then? Nothing! You suck. Brad S's Mom, St. Paul, MN I deserve that. Benson was hurt for over a month, so his progress stalled out a bit with the Rangers. After his recovery, he crushed rookie ball. Crushed it! Is it possible to be a professional rookie ball hitter? He's doing fine in AA, but he's 25 and has played in the Majors. I guess he could still become something, and I'll always be allured by his power/speed combo. But, I was probably too upset about a player who wasn't worth getting upset about. I'm sorry, I live in the moment. That's what makes me such a bombastic personality. Thank you for all the questions, they are much appreciated. If you have a question that can wait an indeterminate period of time, please let me know and I will address it at some point in the future.

You can view the page at http://twinsdaily.com/content.php?r=2160-20-Twins-Trades-Welcome-to-Punto-Country!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the two Luis Castillo trades this week. It's a bit long, but there were two trades, SO GIVE ME A BREAK. Here it is, enjoy. There was blood in the water. A.J. Pierzynski was still warm. The Twins had just turned one soon-to-be-expensive player into three shiny new parts, each carrying a much smaller price tag. The Twins were carrying a seven-figure pitcher who was going to get even more expensive. Why not swap him for a couple shiny new parts as well? The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Eric Milton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Silva, Nick Punto, and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky). Silva immediately joined the Twins rotation and had a successful 2004 season, winning 14 games. He would then set the Twins single-season BB/9 record in 2005, while posting a 3.44 ERA in 27 starts. He kind of ballooned from there, but the Twins wisely let him leave as a free agent after the 2007 season. Punto was a mythical figure in Minnesota. Some loved him, others hated him. Punto was both an inexpensive and productive utility player and an expensive, miscast starter, often going back and forth between the two. Korecky was just a throw-in who threw 17.2 innings for the Twins in 2008. Milton was nothing special to begin with and never posted an above-average ERA+ for the remainder of his career. He did lead the league in home runs allowed in 2004 and 2005. The Phillies let Milton walk after the 2004 season and the Cincinnati Reds signed him to an insane three-year deal worth about $25 million. How did I feel at the time? Eric Milton: not a fan. I didn't like him very much, so I wasn't hurt when the Twins sent him away. Plus, I was still reeling from the All-Star A.J. trade. I had dyed my hair purple, was wearing nose gauges and really, really tight pants. Like, super tight pants. It was a time of turmoil. I hardly even let the Milton trade register. I was too jaded. Why make the trade? Sadly, as is true with so many Twins trades, this trade was money-related, according to this story from ESPN.com: "By trading Milton, the Twins are trying to make room to re-sign their top two free agents, All-Star closer Eddie Guardado and outfielder Shannon Stewart. General manager Terry Ryan added that it gives Minnesota more flexibility to go after other players. 'It gives us the ability to at least pursue that," Ryan said. "You've got to give up something to get something.'" This was back in the Metrodome days, so the payroll wasn't massive like it is now. Wait, forget I said that. However, the Twins were working with a budget and they did have to give to get. In this case, they gave the right piece. Silva and Stewart were productive the following year. However, the Twins were not able to re-sign Guardado, as he left for Seattle. However, they had just traded for Joe Nathan, so that worked out well. The Phillies thought they had hit the jackpot. Trade a spot starter and a utility guy for a quality lefty? Sign them up! "Eric is a quality left-handed starter who will definitely be a plus for us in 2004," Wade said. "Our scouts, particularly Gordon Lakey and Charlie Manuel, really like this guy. We like the thought of having two left-handed starters near the top of the rotation." Randy Wolf was the other "top of the rotation" lefty on the Phillies. Wolf was the only starter on the 2004 Phillies with an ERA+ over 100, at 105. Milton did give the Phillies 34 mediocre starts though. Here's why they needed him: "The Phillies have been seeking another starter for the top of their rotation since Kevin Millwood filed for free agency last month. Philadelphia was interested in Curt Schilling, but the right-hander went to Boston in a trade with Arizona last week." Missing out on Schilling was soothed with Eric Milton. Eric Milton: soothing ointment! Milton was happy: "I'm happy for the opportunity. I'm glad the Phillies wanted me this badly," Milton said. "I'm just going to come there and try to win." Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eric, no one said anything about wanting you that badly. They traded Carlos Silva and Nick Punto to get you, so settle down a hair. He did win 14 games and the Phillies were so enamored that they let him walk at the end of the season. It sounds like I'm being overly critical of Eric Milton, which might be a bit unfair. I just wonder how much love he'd get if he had just been an average to below-average right-hander? "He's a very good pitcher, a classic left-hander," said Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who saw Milton in the American League and who was with him on the 2000 Japan All-Star tour. "Eric has a solid, clean delivery with good arm speed and a very good change-up. He's quality." The degree of quality is up to you to determine. The 2000 Japan All-Star tour was epic, and thus, hard to shake from your memory. I don't blame Kerrigan. Analysis This was a sneaky great trade for the Twins. Milton was declining and getting to be outrageously expensive. Silva and Punto weren't stars, but each provided cheap value for good Twins teams. This is the kind of unsung deal that Terry Ryan doesn't get proper credit for. He turned an overpaid, overrated starting pitcher into a younger starter who was actually better and a super utility guy who while frustrating, was often productive. This trade also proves that a team doesn't always need to acquire hot prospects to make a good deal. Silva wasn't a great pitcher, but the Twins got a couple productive seasons out of him and cut bait before investing too much into him. Plus, one of my friends in high school called him Car-lose Silva, which made great sense in his later days. Punto likely should have never been a starting player. He was more of a guy who could move around the infield, giving guys days off when they need them, all the while providing excellent defense wherever he was needed. When the Twins signed him to that 2 year, $8 million dollar contract, the perception of Punto as a player got turned on its head. He didn't merit that deal, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a nice player for a lot of years. Who won the WAR? Milton for the Phillies: 1.4 WAR Silva for the Twins: 9.0 WAR Punto for the Twins: 10.2 WAR Korecky for the Twins: 0.2 WAR WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Nick Punto was not the anti-Christ and Carlos Silva looked like a pirate; easily enough value for soothing Eric Milton.

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the two Luis Castillo trades this week. It's a bit long, but there were two trades, SO GIVE ME A BREAK. Here it is, enjoy. There was blood in the water. A.J. Pierzynski was still warm. The Twins had just turned one soon-to-be-expensive player into three shiny new parts, each carrying a much smaller price tag. The Twins were carrying a seven-figure pitcher who was going to get even more expensive. Why not swap him for a couple shiny new parts as well? The Trade: BREAKDOWN! The Minnesota Twins traded Eric Milton to the Philadelphia Phillies for Carlos Silva, Nick Punto, and a player to be named later (Bobby Korecky). Silva immediately joined the Twins rotation and had a successful 2004 season, winning 14 games. He would then set the Twins single-season BB/9 record in 2005, while posting a 3.44 ERA in 27 starts. He kind of ballooned from there, but the Twins wisely let him leave as a free agent after the 2007 season. Punto was a mythical figure in Minnesota. Some loved him, others hated him. Punto was both an inexpensive and productive utility player and an expensive, miscast starter, often going back and forth between the two. Korecky was just a throw-in who threw 17.2 innings for the Twins in 2008. Milton was nothing special to begin with and never posted an above-average ERA+ for the remainder of his career. He did lead the league in home runs allowed in 2004 and 2005. The Phillies let Milton walk after the 2004 season and the Cincinnati Reds signed him to an insane three-year deal worth about $25 million. How did I feel at the time? Eric Milton: not a fan. I didn't like him very much, so I wasn't hurt when the Twins sent him away. Plus, I was still reeling from the All-Star A.J. trade. I had dyed my hair purple, was wearing nose gauges and really, really tight pants. Like, super tight pants. It was a time of turmoil. I hardly even let the Milton trade register. I was too jaded. Why make the trade? Sadly, as is true with so many Twins trades, this trade was money-related, according to this story from ESPN.com: "By trading Milton, the Twins are trying to make room to re-sign their top two free agents, All-Star closer Eddie Guardado and outfielder Shannon Stewart. General manager Terry Ryan added that it gives Minnesota more flexibility to go after other players. 'It gives us the ability to at least pursue that," Ryan said. "You've got to give up something to get something.'" This was back in the Metrodome days, so the payroll wasn't massive like it is now. Wait, forget I said that. However, the Twins were working with a budget and they did have to give to get. In this case, they gave the right piece. Silva and Stewart were productive the following year. However, the Twins were not able to re-sign Guardado, as he left for Seattle. However, they had just traded for Joe Nathan, so that worked out well. The Phillies thought they had hit the jackpot. Trade a spot starter and a utility guy for a quality lefty? Sign them up! "Eric is a quality left-handed starter who will definitely be a plus for us in 2004," Wade said. "Our scouts, particularly Gordon Lakey and Charlie Manuel, really like this guy. We like the thought of having two left-handed starters near the top of the rotation." Randy Wolf was the other "top of the rotation" lefty on the Phillies. Wolf was the only starter on the 2004 Phillies with an ERA+ over 100, at 105. Milton did give the Phillies 34 mediocre starts though. Here's why they needed him: "The Phillies have been seeking another starter for the top of their rotation since Kevin Millwood filed for free agency last month. Philadelphia was interested in Curt Schilling, but the right-hander went to Boston in a trade with Arizona last week." Missing out on Schilling was soothed with Eric Milton. Eric Milton: soothing ointment! Milton was happy: "I'm happy for the opportunity. I'm glad the Phillies wanted me this badly," Milton said. "I'm just going to come there and try to win." Whoa, whoa, whoa, Eric, no one said anything about wanting you that badly. They traded Carlos Silva and Nick Punto to get you, so settle down a hair. He did win 14 games and the Phillies were so enamored that they let him walk at the end of the season. It sounds like I'm being overly critical of Eric Milton, which might be a bit unfair. I just wonder how much love he'd get if he had just been an average to below-average right-hander? "He's a very good pitcher, a classic left-hander," said Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who saw Milton in the American League and who was with him on the 2000 Japan All-Star tour. "Eric has a solid, clean delivery with good arm speed and a very good change-up. He's quality." The degree of quality is up to you to determine. The 2000 Japan All-Star tour was epic, and thus, hard to shake from your memory. I don't blame Kerrigan. Analysis This was a sneaky great trade for the Twins. Milton was declining and getting to be outrageously expensive. Silva and Punto weren't stars, but each provided cheap value for good Twins teams. This is the kind of unsung deal that Terry Ryan doesn't get proper credit for. He turned an overpaid, overrated starting pitcher into a younger starter who was actually better and a super utility guy who while frustrating, was often productive. This trade also proves that a team doesn't always need to acquire hot prospects to make a good deal. Silva wasn't a great pitcher, but the Twins got a couple productive seasons out of him and cut bait before investing too much into him. Plus, one of my friends in high school called him Car-lose Silva, which made great sense in his later days. Punto likely should have never been a starting player. He was more of a guy who could move around the infield, giving guys days off when they need them, all the while providing excellent defense wherever he was needed. When the Twins signed him to that 2 year, $8 million dollar contract, the perception of Punto as a player got turned on its head. He didn't merit that deal, but that doesn't mean he wasn't a nice player for a lot of years. Who won the WAR? Milton for the Phillies: 1.4 WAR Silva for the Twins: 9.0 WAR Punto for the Twins: 10.2 WAR Korecky for the Twins: 0.2 WAR WAR won by the Twins! One Sentence Summary Nick Punto was not the anti-Christ and Carlos Silva looked like a pirate; easily enough value for soothing Eric Milton.

These are outstanding. I know he's from Anoka, but I still think Tom Hanson is my neighbor. But Blaine is nothing like Anoka, right? Can I add some parody, farce and outright stupidity? Kevin Slowey was Framed!: A Career of Baseball Memories Remembered Kevin Slowey was Framed!: Can birds play baseball? Kevin Slowey was Framed!: Some Clete Thomas Animations I live for self-promotion. Thanks for the opp.

[I]Originally posted at [URL="http://smartpitcher.blogspot.com"]Kevin Slowey was Framed![/URL] [/I]So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have started the second half with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/g/gardero01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Ron Gardenhire[/URL][/B] who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. [B]Mauer's Twins[/B] I've read a few anti-[B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mauerjo01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Joe Mauer[/URL][/B] sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days.[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. [B]Sano's pimpin'[/B] This [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/minors/player.cgi?id=sano--001mig&utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Miguel Sano[/URL][/B] saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. [B]Deduno's dealin'[/B] Apparently [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/dedunsa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Sam Deduno[/URL][/B] is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: [URL="http://twinsdaily.com/1272-minnesota-twins-roster-payroll-2013.html"][B]My list[/B][/URL] I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: [B]Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches[/B] If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted [B][URL="http://www.baseballnation.com/2013/7/19/4536080/ceremonial-first-pitches-alice-cooper-spongebob-slash-fic"]this piece[/URL][/B] about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! [B]Fun Chart - Bases Empty[/B] Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE="class: grid, width: 444"] [TR] [TD][B]Player[/B][/TD] [TD][B]Total PA[/B][/TD] [TD][B]PA w/ Bases Empty[/B][/TD] [TD][B]% of Empty PA[/B][/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/c/carroja01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Jamey Carroll[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]173 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]115 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]66.47% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/t/thomacl02.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Clete Thomas[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]158 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]101 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]63.92% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doziebr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Brian Dozier[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]361 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]223 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]61.77% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/e/escobed01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Eduardo Escobar[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]143 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]88 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]61.54% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD]Joe Mauer[/TD] [TD][RIGHT]420 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]255 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]60.71% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/parmech01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Chris Parmelee[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]274 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]160 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]58.39% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/a/arciaos01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Oswaldo Arcia[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]224 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]125 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]55.80% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hicksaa01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Aaron Hicks[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]298 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]164 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]55.03% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/f/floripe01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Pedro Florimon[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]287 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]156 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]54.36% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/plouftr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Trevor Plouffe[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]294 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]159 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]54.08% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/willijo03.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Josh Willingham[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]298 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]145 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]48.66% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/d/doumiry01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Ryan Doumit[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]364 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]173 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]47.53% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [TR] [TD][B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/morneju01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Justin Morneau[/URL][/B][/TD] [TD][RIGHT]407 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]187 [/RIGHT] [/TD] [TD][RIGHT]45.95% [/RIGHT] [/TD] [/TR] [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. [B]Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base?[/B] If you didn't see the [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/h/hudsoti01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Tim Hudson[/URL][/B] injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. [B]KWL - [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/buterdr01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Drew Butera[/URL][/B][/B] Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. [URL="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s1600/KWL+Butera.png"][IMG]http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png[/IMG][/URL] [B]Link to Something I wrote - Alf[/B] So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just as stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, [B][URL="http://smartpitcher.blogspot.com/2013/07/a-career-of-baseball-memories-remembered.html"]here's the link[/URL][/B] and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. [B]Parting Thought[/B] The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and [B][URL="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/p/pelfrmi01.shtml?utm_campaign=Linker&utm_source=direct&utm_medium=linker-www.blogger.com"]Mike Pelfrey[/URL][/B] can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone! View full article

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have exited the All-Star break with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed Ron Gardenhire who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. Mauer's Twins I've read a few anti-Joe Mauer sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days. I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. Sano's pimpin' This Miguel Sano saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room-cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. Deduno's dealin' Apparently Sam Deduno is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a lot closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all of his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: My list I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted this piece about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! Fun Chart - Bases Empty Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 444] Player Total PA PA w/ Bases Empty % of Empty PA Jamey Carroll 173 115 66.47% Clete Thomas 158 101 63.92% Brian Dozier 361 223 61.77% Eduardo Escobar 143 88 61.54% Joe Mauer 420 255 60.71% Chris Parmelee 274 160 58.39% Oswaldo Arcia 224 125 55.80% Aaron Hicks 298 164 55.03% Pedro Florimon 287 156 54.36% Trevor Plouffe 294 159 54.08% Josh Willingham 298 145 48.66% Ryan Doumit 364 173 47.53% Justin Morneau 407 187 45.95% [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base? If you didn't see the Tim Hudson injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. KWL - Drew Butera Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png Link to Something I wrote - Alf So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, here's the link and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. Parting Thought The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and Mike Pelfrey can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone!

Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! So, are the Twins not terrible or is this just another mirage? I've got to say, I've been going back and forth between "this team sucks" and "this team doesn't really suck" far too many times. I'm growing tired of it. It would be nice to just know, you know? Every time I see a lineup posted, I giggle and then make a sad, pathetic joke about Rochester. The starting pitching is underwhelming. However, the Twins have exited the All-Star break with more wins than losses. It is all very confusing. It's a sort of baseball vertigo and it nabbed Ron Gardenhire who was a "DNP-tummy" earlier this week. Whatever. They aren't great, but they don't suck. Fine. I guess I don't really need to know any more than that. Mauer's Twins I've read a few anti-Joe Mauer sentiments related to his TOTAL ABANDONMENT of the Twins for the past few days. I read these on Facebok/Twitter, so that's my fault. I use those capital letters for effect. I don't feel that way at all. In fact, I applaud him for taking a few extra days to spend with his new daughters. Not to get all "big wiener" on everyone, but my daughter was born about a month ago. I took two weeks of leave and I wish I was still on leave right now. I could have taken unpaid leave, but it wasn't in the cards. Mauer can, so good for him. I know that many people would love to spend extra time with their children. Mauer isn't special just because he hits a lot of doubles to left-center and has great sideburns, but I do think that if he wants to take a couple extra days and forfeit some cash then that's fine and dandy. His salary is moot, as far as I am concerned. Money isn't a substitute for family, special moments and life. Baseball and work certainly aren't either. I actually like him more as a result of that decision; he's not a baseball robot. Sano's pimpin' This Miguel Sano saga is getting out of control. He showed up a pitcher/ex-teammate, allegedly disrespected his manager and general manager and was basically suspended for four games as a result. If he was disrespectful and needs to apologize his way back into the lineup, then that's fine with me. If he's sitting for the bat flip/slow home run trot, then he needs to be back on the field ASAP. Those are all internal issues, and I won't get too wrapped up in them. The fans, on the other hand, have got to chill out a bit. Both sides of the fence too. Sano telling off his bosses and pimpin' a home run doesn't mean that he is a locker room-cancer who absolutely needs to be traded. The Twins disciplining a young player for showing poor professionalism and letting his emotions get the best of him is not a big deal. It's not a Twins Way or the Highway situation. He deserved a suspension, if he did everything that is reported. The Twins retain control of Sano for at least 8 more years, assuming a 2014 debut. That means they have 8 years and until Sano is 28 years old to mend any fences that were broken during this 4-day odyssey. Everything is going to be fine. Deduno's dealin' Apparently Sam Deduno is good. I'll probably be the last person to ever come around to his side, but I'm getting a lot closer with every start. As I mentioned in a thread on Twins Daily, all of his pitches break downward. That kind of downward break is going to continually lead to ground balls. If he doesn't hang pitches, he's going to continue to be effective. Although, his walks are creeping up a bit and that is a concern. So, I'd trade him this week. If anyone offered much of anything, I'd take it. I don't think Deduno can keep this up, I don't think he is part of the future and I don't think we should assume that this two month stretch is more important than last years' two month stretch. If another team wants to give the Twins a decent prospect for a 30-year-old journeyman with two months worth of good starts, then cool, fine with me. Then again, here's a list of all the players who I would trade, if the right deal came along: My list I went a little heavy on actual Twins stuff, so here's some truncated Madness: Random Link - Ceremonial First Pitches If you read me (and if you do, I'm sorry), you know of my internet crush on Grant Brisbee. He's funny. A little over a week ago, he posted this piece about ceremonial first pitches. It's mostly just pictures, but make sure to read the text as well. The picture of Bud Selig will both haunt my dreams and always make me laugh. Double bonus! Fun Chart - Bases Empty Here is a chart I made which shows who hits most frequently with the bases empty: [TABLE=class: grid, width: 444] Player Total PA PA w/ Bases Empty % of Empty PA Jamey Carroll 173 115 66.47% Clete Thomas 158 101 63.92% Brian Dozier 361 223 61.77% Eduardo Escobar 143 88 61.54% Joe Mauer 420 255 60.71% Chris Parmelee 274 160 58.39% Oswaldo Arcia 224 125 55.80% Aaron Hicks 298 164 55.03% Pedro Florimon 287 156 54.36% Trevor Plouffe 294 159 54.08% Josh Willingham 298 145 48.66% Ryan Doumit 364 173 47.53% Justin Morneau 407 187 45.95% [/TABLE] Those last few guys come up with runners on base at a higher frequency because they get to hit behind Joe Mauer. Otherwise, the percentages are pretty even. Interesting. Thought from Liz - Orange Safety Base? If you didn't see the Tim Hudson injury, save yourself some queasiness and just take my word that it was nasty. My wife has often wondered why baseball doesn't use the orange safety base that we all use in slow-pitch softball. I've never really had a good answer for her. It's just not macho, I guess. The baseline and umpiring probably play a role too. However, after seeing an injury like Hudson's it's a little hard not to overreact. I wouldn't be against a second first base for close plays like those. Fewer injuries might be worth figuring out the logistics and rules of it all. Also, it doesn't have to be orange. We could have it be sponsored too. "The Safety Base, sponsored by Geico." Pete knows that Geico doesn't advertise enough. KWL - Drew Butera Remember K = what I know, W = what I want to know, L = what I've learned. These are great learning tools too, if you have kids. They can be used for more than blogging. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-bkluX3h1Bg8/UfWDZ5j5GvI/AAAAAAAAA28/01E04ABgcaQ/s400/KWL+Butera.png Link to Something I wrote - Alf So. I can't really decide if this is funny satire or just stupid as it looks on the surface. Regardless, I spent a solid 20 minutes putting different Alf heads on different Dodger baseball cards from the past. I even made sure that he was playing the proper position. If nothing else, the cards are somewhat comical. So, here's the link and I hope you have the same exact sense of humor as I do. If so, you'll love it. If not, you'll be so perplexed that your head will explode. Warning. Parting Thought The Trade Deadline is this week and that is both happy and sad. If the Twins trade away any of my favorite players, I will be sad. However, within a week, I will have long forgotten about those players because I am TWINS FOR LIFE!!!!!!!!!!! So, I will be happy with the new players we receive and immediately buy their action figures. I hope the Twins are active this week. This team is getting better, but still needs a lot of work. If guys like Justin Morneau, Ryan Doumit and Mike Pelfrey can be transformed into younger, more exciting players, I hope the Twins pull the trigger. In summary, trades are fun. Have a nice week, everyone!

The 2004 Twins would have been really interesting with Hudson and Pierzynski instead of Mauer. Mauer got hurt, so AJ would have been a huge upgrade over Henry Blanco. Hudson would have started instead of the combo of Terry Mullholland and Seth Greisinger, who combined for an ERA around 5.5. That would almost have to lead to a few more wins. A few extra wins and the Twins host the Red Sox in the first round instead of going to New York. Boston probably still wins that series with Schilling and Pedro.

I've got ten more trades lined up to write about. I'd say that three or four can be considered positive. One or two were not bad. A couple aren't great and a few are simply awful. Quite a few elicit rage too. It's fun.