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Blog Entries posted by Brad Swanson

  1. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Welcome back to Award Season! In my previous installment, I handed out the major NL awards. If you missed it, click here. I also lamented the lack of an actual Awards Ceremony for these important honors. Think of the bowties and suspenders we are missing out on! Danny Valencia would look great in a suit, but he wouldn't get invited to the ceremony so we're kind of just back where we started, aren't we?
     
    AL Breakout Player
     
    Preseason Pick - Matt Moore
    Midseason Pick - Josh Donaldson
    Who should win? - Josh Donaldson
    Who will win? - This is not a real award.
     
    One of the easiest ways to totally nail an awards prediction is to make up an award. In this case, I failed to accurately predict an award that I created. Matt Moore has been great. He's won a bunch of games, has a pretty sweet ERA and a winning smile. He also leads the league with 17 wild pitches. This is the breakout player award, not the "break stuff with your wild pitches" award, Matt! Lol. If I'm going to be real here, he's got a great case for this fake award. He just wasn't as good as Josh Donaldson.
     
    Donaldson has been amazing. Now, some might argue that Donaldson broke out last season, but I'd say that going from 1.5 fWAR to 7.7 fWAR counts as an additional breakout. Donaldson is a legitimate MVP candidate on one of the best teams in baseball. He's slugging over .500 and has an OBP approaching .400. He's been extremely valuable to the Athletics and he has had a superstar season. I'm really proud of him.
     
    AL Rookie of the Year
     
    Preseason Pick - Wil Myers
    Midseason Pick - Aaron Hicks
    Who should win? - Wil Myers
    Who will win? - Wil Myers
     
    LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL! I refuse to provide any context for that mid-season Aaron Hicks selection. I want the record to show that despite Hicks' sub-.200 batting average, despite his extremely poor plate discipline, despite his recent hamstring injury, I STILL thought he would pull out of it and win this award. Choosing Hicks for AL ROY at the beginning of the year would have been a justifiable, but homer-ish pick. At the All Star Break? Stupid homer pick. Stomer Pick. Stomer Simpson Pick. Just hilarious. I'm so glad I did that. Scrapbook!!!!
     
    The real winner is likely to come from the Tampa Bay Rays. There are two reasonable candidates, and a third if you include Royals' outfielder David Lough. He's lougher on my list though. OHOOHOHOHOHHH! Lough has been a good defender, but his offensive stats offend me. For me, the award comes down to Wil Myers and Chris Archer.
     
    Both guys have played about a half-season. Both guys have been good, but not great. When you look at their peripheral stats, Archer has been good, but maybe a bit lucky, while Myers has been just good. He's slugging close to .500 and showing good plate discipline. He's got a wRC+ around 130. Archer has been good as well. His slightly higher than 3 ERA proves that. However, his BABIP is .245 and that points toward some luck being involved. With both guys so close in performance, I'll break the tie by looking at one of the most controversial stats that exists. There's no way that leads to any sort of discussion or argument. Myers' WAR is higher. There.
     
    AL Cy Young Award
     
    Preseason Pick - Justin Verlander
    Midseason Pick - Felix Hernandez
    Who should win? - Max Scherzer
    Who will win? - Max Scherzer
     
    This is a tough one. Verlander has had a nice season, just nothing special. Anibal Sanchez has probably been the most impressive overall pitcher, but he won't reach 200 innings, which hurts his chances. Doug Fister, Hisashi Iwakuma, Jon Lester and James Shields have all been great.
     
    I'd be more inclined to vote for Bartolo Colon if he went by "Bart Colon" and asked us to call him "Big Bart." That act would pretty much cinch my vote for the next few decades. However, I can't get over the lack of strikeouts, the fact that he won't hit 200 innings and the fact that he won't embrace the Big Bart persona. You gotta start eliminatin' somewhere, Big Bart.
     
    At the All-Star Break, Felix Hernandez had seized this award in my eyes. He was pitching as well as he had ever pitched and he was already one of the best pitchers of our generation. Since the Break, he hasn't been as great and he was injured for a significant time. He's still tied for second in fWAR for all AL pitchers, but his overall numbers aren't so dominant that he stands out among the rest. I think you can still make a strong case for Hernandez, but he's part of the conversation instead of leading it.
     
    Here's the whole conversation: It comes down to Felix, Chris Sale, Yu Darvish and Max Scherzer. I think Scherzer wins the actual vote for sure. His overall numbers are great and the win total will get him a lot of votes. I think the path to get to Scherzer is a lot more complicated than "21 wins is a lot." Who do I like? Here's how I feel:
     
    Darvish is the most dominant of the four. His K% is 32.7%, by far the highest of the four. He also issues the most walks of the four, which takes him down a bit in my eyes. In fact, his BB% is at least 50% greater than the other three. Darvish has the highest strand rate of the four, at a staggering 83.9%. Of course, his high strikeout totals will inflate that rate. Rhyming is cool, but I'm removing Darvish from this conversation, even though he's had a great season.
     
    Hernandez, Sale and Scherzer have been extremely similar pitchers this season. Just look at this chart:
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]


    [/TD][TD]Scherzer


    Sale

    Hernandez



    Innings

    214.1

    209

    198.1



    K%

    28.7

    26.3

    26.3



    BB%

    6.7

    5.4

    5.6



    ERA

    2.90

    2.97

    2.99



    xFIP

    3.16

    2.94

    2.67



    BABIP

    0.259

    0.282

    0.315



    LOB%

    74.4

    77.7

    75.3



    Win-Loss

    21-3

    11-13

    12-9

    [/TABLE]
     
    Ridiculous. All three have elite strikeout and walk rates. Each has a good ERA and an xFIP that confirms it. Scherzer's BABIP is a bit lower, but his LOB% is also lower. If those two things somewhat cancel each other out, then each has been equal parts good and equal parts lucky. Well, maybe Scherzer has been a bit "luckier" than Sale and Hernandez. I like peripheral stats when predicting for the future, but I like traditional stats when it's time to evaluate actual performance. Maybe that puts be a few years behind the curve, but I like to reward players for what they actually accomplish, not what we think they should have accomplished.
     
    Ok, we have to start eliminating players, so Hernandez is out due to the slightly lower innings total. This hurts me as I love King Felix and I think he is the best overall pitcher in the American League. If I had to predict who would be the best pitcher next year, I'd take Hernandez. That being said...
     
    Sale v. Scherzer in the finals! The question is, can you really vote for a guy with an 11-13 record over a guy with a 21-3 record when the two are so similar in every other way? Sale might have been a slightly better pitcher this year, but can you completely ignore Scherzer's wins? I can't. I just can't do it. I want to, but I can't. So, for the record:
     

    Best AL Pitcher right now: Felix Hernandez - loses this award because he got injured
    Best AL Pitcher this season: Chris Sale - but ever so slightly
    AL Cy Young Award Winner - Max Scherer - and he deserves it for more than just those 21 wins.

    I don't think pitcher wins are the devil, but I don't look at them first. Everything needs a line of succession. If Obama can't fulfill his duties, Biden's in charge. If Biden can't, we call on Boehner. If enough guys get debilitating food poisoning that everyone secretly thinks could be malaria, then Doug, your local garbage man takes over. Meet Pitcher Wins: The Doug the Garbage Man of pitching stats. You don't want him running the country, but in the pinchiest of pinches, you'll have to make due.
     
    This concludes the convoluted metaphor section of our exercise. Scherzer wins.
     
    AL MVP
     
    Preseason Pick - Evan Longoria
    Midseason Pick - Miguel Cabrera
    Who should win? - Mike Trout
    Who will win? - Miguel Cabrera
     
    First off, in any other season and under any other circumstances, Josh Donaldson would be right in this conversation. However, the Trout v. Cabrera Round 2 storyline is just too juicy for writers. I guarantee Donaldson will get a lot less publicity than he probably deserves. He's been outstanding and should be just below Cabrera and Trout in this debate.
     
    Deep breath. We did this last year, and all the arguments are basically the same:
     

    The Tigers made the playoffs; the Angels didn't
    Cabrera is the best hitter in baseball
    Trout is a better overall player, when you consider defense and fielding

    Of course, Trout has actually improved as a hitter this year, significantly boosting his walk rate and significantly cutting his strikeout rate. His defensive ratings are still good, but not elite this year and he isn't running as much. Some of that change in running is due to his change from leadoff to third in the lineup, but that does count for something. Trout is basically having the exact same amazing season he had last year, just with more walks. If he didn't already command the presence of the saber community, those extra walks sealed his seal deal.
     
    Cabrera, on the other hand, did not win the Triple Crown this year. He might lose some votes due to that, which is insane. He's been a better hitter this year in just about every category - batting average, OBP, slugging, and he's right in the same neighborhood in runs, home runs and RBI. The only difference? Chris Davis hit over 50 home runs. That's it. Did Chris Davis' power breakout make Cabrera a worse hitter? Nope, but some will honestly lean on the "no Triple Crown" crutch when they change their vote from Cabrera as MVP in 2012 to Trout as MVP in 2013, when basically nothing else has changed. It's lunacy.
     
    I would have voted for Trout last year, for the same reasons why I would vote for him this year. He's a better overall baseball player. His offensive contribution is only slightly smaller than Cabrera's, but the value he adds on defense and on the base paths tips the scales toward him. That's how I felt in 2012, and that's how I feel right now. Just like last year, I don't think Cabrera is an undeserving winner, I just feel that Trout is better.
     
    This is Flair-Steamboat back in the 60 minute iron man days. This is Ali-Frazier, it's Agassi-Sampras, it's Kobe-LeBron, it's really good bowling guy-really good bowling guy. No one loses in this situation. We get to watch two of the greatest players of this generation duke it out for one of the most prestigious awards in sports. Regardless of whether your candidate wins, just remember that these are two outstanding players. One has to win and the other has to lose, but they both deserve careful consideration and serious props.
     
    That's a wrap! Wait, this is a wrap:
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fLRBnpFydBw/UkR-a7dxdyI/AAAAAAAABB8/cOTyTpCqW9A/s1600/Easy_Turkey_Wrap_Sandwich.jpg
     
    I really enjoyed the 2013 MLB season. There were plenty of award-worthy performances, but just not enough awards to go around. If I ever find my way to Head of State, I will replace all games with award ceremonies. That way, we can truly recognize these great athletes. Even better, I'll just cozy up to Doug and see if I can get him to enact these policies for me.
  2. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Twins/A's Recap
     
    The word "bludgeoned" gets thrown around so often...
     
    The Gardy 1000
     
    Is this going to happen? Going into this week, the Twins needed to go 4-10 to finish the season "strong" and give Ron Gardenhire 1000 career wins. As bad as the Twins have been, that seemed reasonable. Star wipe to today and the Twins need to go 3-4 in their last seven to pull it off. Yikes. Anything short of a Spaghetti Jesus miracle and I don't see it happening. If Cleveland can somehow wrap up a playoff spot early this week, then it's possible. I don't see that happening though. Maybe we can convince MLB to add games to the schedule? I'll start a petition. Just let me find my megaphone.
     
    The two sides of Oswaldo Arcia
     
    We got to see both Good Arcia and Bad Arcia over the weekend. He hit two home runs in the Oakland series and generally looked good at the plate. On Friday he put on some sort of reverse clinic in the outfield, misplaying a couple of balls and generally looking like a future DH. He also slid feet-first into first base on Sunday, which was confusing, but entertaining.
     
    He's young, so he'll make mistakes. His defense has been inconsistent, but he seems athletic enough to get better. His offense has been pretty good, as he has a 104 wRC+ as a rookie with little experience above AA. His strikeout rate is a bit high and his walk rate is a bit low, specifically compared to his own Minor League numbers. If he can even those rates out and continue to add power, he'll be spectacular. He's 22.
     
    Rosario back to outfield?
     
    While on ESPN 1500 over the weekend, Rob Antony mentioned that Eddie Rosario might be moved back to the outfield, depending on a few factors. My hope would be that this decision is based entirely on how Rosario performs as a second baseman and has nothing to do with Brian Dozier. As much as Dozier has improved this year, he is still an average offensive player. His 99 OPS+ this season proves that. Defensively, Dozier will likely always be better than Rosario. Offensively, Rosario could be special. I like Dozier, but I'm not quite ready to pencil him into the lineup for the next five years. I would hope that the Twins aren't making any decisions based on the current roster because it could still be 2-3 years before the team is truly good.
     
    MADNESS
     
    Fun Stat/Possibly Wild Theory
     
    Since integration in 1947, only 56 pitchers have provided 45.5 WAR or more. Why 45.5? Brad Radke's career WAR was 45.5. He retired at 33, as we all know/cry about to this day. Only two of those 56 pitchers retired younger than Radke: Don Drysdale and Sandy Koufax. Is it possible that Brad Radke was the most underrated pitcher of his era? Or, am I just blinded by our shared first name? Here is the entire list of 56. Looking at all the names, it seems that most of these guys are properly rated as great pitchers. I'm not sure Radke is, at least not outside of Minnesota. Just thinking out loud here.
     
    Random Plug - Punto Oral History
     
    How the H did I miss this? This is like nine months old and I just found it this week. Anyway, it's hilarious and I figured that if I missed it, others probably did as well. It's an oral history of Nick Punto sliding headfirst into first base. It is eminently quotable. If you missed it, you have to read it. GET MONEY!
     
    Random Paint Image
     
    I'm plagiarizing myself a bit, but here's an image I drew of Johan Santana and Bartolo Colon to immortalize the robbery that was the 2005 Cy Young Award.
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QJ5BFfGImKA/UQNtzTcdSEI/AAAAAAAAAKI/YluO9tXKhE8/s320/Santana.png
     
    The biggest tragedy of all is that Colon is still pitching and Santana might have to retire. Unfair.
     
    Former Twins Update - Rangers
     
    On Saturday night, Matt Garza started for the Rangers. He was outstanding for eight innings, but gave up a lead-off home run to Eric Hosmer in the 9th. He was relieved by Joe Nathan, who hammered down the save and helped the Rangers to remain a half-game out of the Wild Card. He was met at the mound by A.J. Pierzynski, who caught the game. It was a former Twin explosion!
     
    ROAD TO 1000!!!!!
     
    Last week, we discussed Jamey Carroll's quest for 1000 hits and Ron Gardenhire's quest for 1000 wins. Gardy's week didn't go well, as I discussed earlier. Carroll had a tough week of his own. He entered the week with 999 career hits. He had zero hits this week. Of course, he had zero at bats too. That's rough. The Royals should get eliminated from the Wild Card race this week. Perhaps when their fate is sealed, they'll let Carroll take a crack or two at the roundest of all round numbers.
     
    Link to Something I wrote
     
    I traveled through time to have a AOL Instant Messenger conversation with my 12-year-old self. It was intense. I really gave myself the business for being behind the curve when it comes to sabermetrics. It was almost as if I hadn't heard of Moneyball in 1993. Idiot! Anyway, if you missed this scientific marvel, you can read it here.
     
    Parting Thought
     
    One more week. As horrible and painful as the last few weeks have been as a Twins fan, the next six months are going to be just as tough. There won't be any Twins baseball to watch, but there will be news of "improvements" to the team. I hope the off-season is more eventful than the regular season was. I always enter the off-season optimistic and I hope my blind faith is rewarded with some shrewd moves. If nothing else, I won't have to see my favorite team get waxed 11-0 for a little while.
     
    Have a great week, everyone!
  3. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    In case you missed it, a couple of prominent Twins rookies had difficult seasons. Well, difficult might be a massive understatement. Well, massive might be a huge overstatement. I'll calibrate my adjectives later, but we all know that Aaron Hicks and Kyle Gibson performed below expectations. Expectations may have been too high to begin with, but both players struggled to a surprising extent.
     
    Hicks and Gibson are hardly unique. Many productive Twins players performed poorly in their rookie seasons. In fact, I have eight such case studies that should demonstrate why we can still be optimistic about these two players, regardless of how abysmal they looked in their rookie seasons.
     
    First, let's examine the two rookies from 2013:
     
    Subject: Kyle Gibson
    Rookie Season: 2013, age 25
    Rookie WAR: -0.8
    Career WAR: ???
     
    Gibson debuted at the end of June to tremendous fanfare. He had been mostly great at AAA and the Twins' starting pitching was mostly terrible. Gibson's debut was exciting, appointment viewing, but it proved to be his best start with the Twins. He posted a 6.53 ERA in 10 starts, before getting sent back to Rochester on August 20.
     
    Subject: Aaron Hicks
    Rookie Season: 2013
    Rookie WAR: 0.6
    Career WAR: ???
     
    By WAR, Hicks wasn't a complete disaster. His defense and speed saved him from negative value. His bat was almost entirely negative, save for a couple of huge, memorable games. Hicks started his Twins' career by hitting .042 in his first 13 games. He pulled things together slightly to post a 63 OPS+. He never pulled it together enough to earn a full season with the Twins. He was sent to Rochester in early August and didn't perform well enough to earn a trip back to Minnesota in September.
     
    Now that we've looked at the two disappointing rookies, we can remember how some past Twins compared during their rookie seasons.
     
    Subject: Frank Viola
    Rookie Season: 1982, age 22
    Rookie WAR: -0.1
    Career WAR: 47.4
     
    Viola didn't have a terrible rookie season, but he wasn't Sweet Music just yet either. He isn't a great comp for Gibson because he was quite a bit younger. However, had Gibson stayed healthy, he may have rocketed up through the farm system like Viola did. Viola was drafted in 1981 and made his debut just about a year later. In Viola's first taste of the Majors, he posted a 4-10 record with a 5.21 ERA in 22 starts. He was actually worse the following year, although he did throw 210 innings. Viola established himself as a reliable starter in 1984, his third season as a Twin.
     
    Subject: Johan Santana
    Rookie Season: 2000, age 21
    Rookie WAR: 0.1
    Career WAR: 50.7
     
    A bit of a cheat, as Santana was a rule 5 pick who needed to remain on the roster in order to remain with the organization. However, Santana did have a rough debut. He threw 86 innings, started just five games and nearly walked as many batters as he struck out. Of course, he was 21 and had never pitched above A ball. However, he learned on the fly in the Majors and eventually became one of the best pitchers in Twins history.
     
    Subject: Matt Garza
    Rookie Season: 2006, age 22
    Rookie WAR: -0.1
    Career WAR: 14.7
     
    Garza's debut might have been the most electric debut that I can remember. His hype was huge and his performance was full of nervous energy. Garza got lit up in that first MLB start, but posted a few nice starts later in his rookie season. He finished with a 5.76 ERA and didn't impress enough to earn a roster spot at the beginning of the 2007 season.
     
    Subject: Kyle Lohse
    Rookie Season: 2001, age 22
    Rookie WAR: -0.1
    Career WAR: 18.9
     
    Lohse isn't the first guy that Twins fans would want to compare a promising young starter to. In my opinion, if Kyle Gibson turns out to be Kyle Lohse, the Twins would be happy. Well, so long as Gibson doesn't act like Kyle Lohse anyway. Lohse made 16 starts in his rookie season and posted a 5.68 ERA. I don't think Twins fans look back fondly on the Kyle Lohse era, but he did provide at least three competent seasons while very young and reasonably priced.
     
    Subject: Doug Mientkiewicz
    Rookie Season: 1999, age 25
    Rookie WAR: -1.6
    Career WAR: 11.0
     
    Dougie Baseball made his debut at a relatively advanced age and didn't impress at the plate. He posted a 66 OPS+ and struggled to make contact. Mientkiewicz split time with Ron Coomer, which was probably delightful. He spent almost all of the 2000 season crushing AAA. In 2001, he established himself as the Twins' starting first baseman for the next few seasons.
     
    Subject: Matt Lawton
    Rookie Season: 1996, age 24
    Rookie WAR: 0.6
    Career WAR: 15.0
     
    Like Viola, Lawton wasn't bad as a rookie. He posted a 78 OPS+ and showed the promise of what he would become at maturity. He walked as much as he struck out and he showed some pop and some speed. His defense was pretty good as well. He was just a young player who needed more at bats to reach his potential. It took a few seasons, but Lawton blossomed into a great, and somewhat underrated player.
     
    Subject: Jason Kubel
    Rookie Season: 2006, age 24
    Rookie WAR: -0.9
    Career WAR: 4.9
     
    Kubel's debut was actually two years prior, but he didn't play enough to exhaust his rookie status and then he suffered his nasty knee injury and missed all of 2005. Upon his return to the Twins in 2006, Kubel hit .241/.279/.386 in 235 plate appearances. He looked overmatched at times, and was not quite the player he was before his injury. He eventually became an average offensive player and his peak season in 2009 was one of the better offensive seasons in recent Twins' history.
     
    Subject: Torii Hunter
    Rookie Season: 1999, age 23
    Rookie WAR: 0.8
    Career WAR: 49.8
     
    Aaron Hicks is unfairly compared to Torii Hunter. Both are athletic and talented centerfielders but the comparisons might end there. Hicks is a patient, sometimes passive hitter with good speed for stealing bases. Hunter is an aggressive and powerful hitter, with an aggressive approach to running the bases. However, if Hicks' career takes shape like Hunter's did, then all Twins fans will be somewhere between stoked and very stoked. Hunter posted a 73 OPS+ as a rookie, but slowly improved and eventually became a guy who will likely produce over 50 WAR in his career.
     
    Will Hicks and Gibson bounce back to productive careers like the eight case studies presented here? Perhaps, as history shows that a poor rookie season is no reason to give up on a talented player. While Gibson may be older than the pitchers presented here, he is similarly inexperienced. His age shouldn't be held against him, as he can still be a productive pitcher for the Twins for the next decade. Hicks was about as bad as a hitter can be, but he still holds promise and could develop slowly. His skill set is too enticing to ignore and he should be given more opportunities from the Twins organization and from Twins fans.
  4. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    My memories of John Moses
     
    John Moses was a more notable former Twin to me than to just about anyone else in the World. The reason why comes from my Grandmother. She thought I looked like him. I remember being told that as a child and it confused me as an adult. Of course, I looked back at some images of myself from childhood, and you be the judge:
     
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-adyk2veuRmI/UjC_oIw1eXI/AAAAAAAABAg/_kL1wxvxUCQ/s320/twomoses.jpg
     
    Perhaps she had a point. As far as remembering John Moses as a player: who knows? He wasn't very good and he wasn't a Twin for very long. And, apparently I looked like him. Other than that, he was just some guy.
     
    Therefore, we need to research!
     
    Baseball Reference
     
    Wow, Moses played eleven seasons, three with the Twins! I thought he was just a one- or two-year wonder. I know squat. For his career, he posted a .254/.313/.333 triple slash, but in that awful 80s hitting era, that worked out to a 187 OPS+. Moses wasn't a show-off like some other players. He saved home runs for special occasions, hitting one per season, with a career high three in 1986 and 1987. He lead the AL in caught stealing in 1986 with 18. Black ink!
     
    Moses was a Twin from 1988-1990, narrowly missing out on Championships at both ends. What luck!
     
    Wikipedia
     
    Moses has one of those sweet, easy-to-read one paragraph Wikipedia pages. Again, not a show-off. Essentially, we can learn that Moses was in fact a former baseball player and that he did spend a lot of time coaching after playing. There was a lot more information about his coaching days, so that probably says a lot about his playing career. Not mentioned in the text of his page is the fact that he was a member of the 1980 Arizona Wildcats College World Series Champions. This was the biggest story in sports in 1980, so that's pretty cool. He played with Craig Lefferts, Casey Candaele and future MLB manager/chipmunk Terry Francona (who was MVP).
     
    Google
     
    Googling John Moses is like googling a bunch of random letters. There are results, but most are irrelevant or nonsense. I did find this blog though. The author was counting down the 81 most forgettable Twins. He stopped at 46. It's an interesting concept, but incomplete. If I start a Kickstarter to help this guy finish the list, who will contribute? I'll kick in 4 bucks. That's half of my net worth, so help out, others. For what it's worth, John Moses checked in at 74, right in front of Bernardo Brito (El Pupo) at 75. What a list! I just want to know who number 1 was going to be!
     
    Bing
     
    Bing is Google, so the results are exactly the same. However, I did find a John Moses who was the 22nd Governor of North Dakota and a John Moses, comedian. According to the comedian's website, he had "the one album from 2012 you should get by a comedian you probably never heard of." I can't decide if that's a backhanded compliment or not. A compliment is a compliment, as I have come to learn.
     
    Bing images brings back a lot of old dudes, many holding guns. There are quite a few mug shots too. There are very few images of our John Moses, but I did find this amazing notebook sketch that was probably drawn by a scout when Moses was a youngster. Amazing; such impressive detail!
     
    eBay
     
    Hmm, lots of assorted baseball cards. Some are autographed, some are not.
     
    This listing is pretty incredible. It's so odd because I was just thinking of going to eBay and looking for 3 baseball cards. I didn't care what year, what kind, who, anything, I just want three baseball cards. Lucky me.
     
    Wait, jackpot! I found an autographed John Moses card from when he was a coach with the Albuquerque Isotopes. It's just six bucks shipped. It's pretty much one of a kind. He looks really happy too.
     
    Side note: Wasn't Albuquerque the potential destination for the Springfield Isotopes? Isn't that why Homer went on his hunger strike? Was Homer's strike all for naught? Why does no one tell me these things?!?
     
    Facebook
     
    This John Moses has a Facebook page. He comes without exceptions. He seems to be incapable of looking at a camera. It's a disorder. John Moses the singer has 439 likes and John Moses the comedian has 227 likes. It's clear: singing > comedy. Our John Moses does not have a Facebook page. There is a Moses John who is from Minneapolis. Perhaps our John Moses was just too famous to have a Facebook page, so he flipped his name.
     
    Twitter
     
    John Moses the comedian has twitter. He's the only comedian on twitter. He doesn't tan, he roasts! See, roast has a double meaning. Here's a link to roast's definition. But seriously, he is very kind, as you'll see below. Sadly, for my purposes, he's getting in the way of real John Moses research. Luckily, this MN Twins Zealot has a fun John Moses Fact:
     


    John Moses pitched 3 times (twice in 1990), the most for a Twins position player: http://t.co/ggBmhvRF0N
    — MNTwinsZealot (@MNTwinsZealot) August 6, 2013
     
    Black ink! Also, if you are interested, this guy is giving away a John Moses card:
     


    I'm giving away: 1989 Donruss #626 John Moses - Minnesota Twins. Check it out - http://t.co/PJCcmeZIiU
    — Stephen Kurnock (@StephenKurnock) May 29, 2013
     
    I wonder if he's had any luck finding a taker...
     


    I'm giving away: 1989 Donruss #626 John Moses - Minnesota Twins + 4 Random Twins Cards. Check it out - http://t.co/cAP6fXDxxx
    — Stephen Kurnock (@StephenKurnock) September 11, 2013
     
    Nope. Of course, it's only been about three and a half months, so give it time. Or, act fast. Actually, I'd give it time, you might be able to milk a few more cards out of the deal.
     
    YouTube
     
    YouTube is devoid of John Moses the baseball player. There are some party videos from John Moses, former Governor... There's more from John Moses, comedian and John Moses, singer, but nothing from John Moses, baseball player.
     
    Here's what I can't figure out. There are quite a few results for Ying Yang Twins songs when I search John Moses. Is this some sort of default setting on my account? Do I have the "if no results, then Ying Yang Twins" setting enabled? If so, can someone help me turn it off? It's not what I want.
     
    Random Person
     
    Who's more random than one of the other John Moses's? I sent him a Tweet, just to see if he was aware of his namesake.
     


    @bridman77 i am, i used to have his baseball card as a kid. 2nd base?
    — JohnMoses (@JohnMoses) September 11, 2013
     
    Success! This should have been obvious to me. If there was a Brad Swanson in the Majors when I was a kid, I'd have heard of him and I'd have every single card. I'd have four of every card. I was a very self-involved child. Unfortunately, this was the only famous Brad Swanson.
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-tiPUmZz0uEc/UjDDUg_kcMI/AAAAAAAABAs/RYKi46yJ330/s1600/brad_swanson.jpg
     
    Not the same.
     
    Verdict
     
    John Moses has been forgotten by the vast majority of us. It's sad but true. John Moses the comedian and I might be the only people left who remembers John Moses the player. In reality, there isn't room in this world for all these John Moses's. There's a singer, a comedian, a former Governor and a former baseball player/coach. It's too much. However, if I ever wanted to start some form of Baseball Cabaret, I could do a lot worse than John Moses.
  5. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about that Francisco Liriano trade from a million years ago, if you want to read about it.
     
    After the 2009 season, the Twins decided to make a smart move and deal from outfield depth to address a position that had been a weakness on the team for the better part of 20 years. Just one year later, the Twins decided, "meh, shortstops are for dorks" and traded that same player away for a couple of relievers. Buckle up folks, it's very hard to be even remotely positive about this trade.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded J.J. Hardy and Brendan Harris and cash to the Baltimore Orioles for Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson.
     
    Harris and Jacobson never played for their new teams, so we can just move past them.
     
    Hoey was one of the worst Twins relievers in recent memory. He only threw 24.2 innings for the Twins. In those innings, he posted a 5.47 ERA, which was actually a career low! He walked 13 batters and only struck out 14. He nearly posted a 2.0 WHIP. He was brutal.
     
    After a disappointing 2010 season with the Twins, Hardy bounced back in 2011. He hit 30 home runs for the Orioles and was worth 4.3 WAR. His offense slipped to an 82 OPS+ in 2012, but his defense and power helped make him a 3+ WAR player anyway. In 2013, He has been somewhere in between 2011 and 2012, but would still be much better than Pedro Florimon and Tsuyoshi Nishioka sharing a uniform and trying to use their four arms to their advantage.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    Not pleased. I thought acquiring Hardy was a very smart move and I wasn't happy that the Twins gave up on him after a season. I was not on the Nishioka bandwagon at all and I didn't think that trading away a power-hitting shortstop is the kind of thing a good team does. I'm not going to state who was right or wrong.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    That is a question that I can't really answer. Here's an ESPN.com article that tries it's best to make sense of the senseless.
     
    "We're looking for a little more offense to our regular shortstop position, and we're confident he can provide that," Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail said. "We also talked to other shortstop targets."
     
    I love it! Adding a great offensive shortstop is a great way to improve a team. We sure are lucky that MacPhail is back and making shrewd moves. Wait. This is what the Orioles did. Oops. Well, I'm guessing the Twins were targeting some high upside arms, right?
     
    Hoey and Jacobson are two hard-throwing minor leaguers who could eventually help replenish Minnesota's bullpen.
     
    Yeah! Hard throwing. Now I get it. Let's bring in some hard throwing relievers. They will certainly match the value of a good shortstop. They'll pitch like 60 innings apiece and all will be well. The question remains: who are these people?
     
    The 27-year-old Hoey was 4-0 with a 3.38 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 21 1/3 innings at Triple-A Norfolk. He pitched for Baltimore in 2006-07, going 3-5 with an 8.13 ERA.
     
    Well that doesn't look promising. Although, there was nowhere to go but up, I suppose. What about the other guy?
     
    The 24-year-old Jacobson was 8-1 with one save and a 2.79 ERA and 67 strikeouts in 71 innings at Class A Frederick. The Orioles got him in August 2009 from Detroit in a trade for Aubrey Huff.
     
    Hmm. Not terrible. Of course, this ignores the fact that Jacobson was 24 and repeating A ball. Whatever, the Twins needed relievers, as they were about to lose Jesse Crain and Matt Guerrier. Of course, the Orioles needed relievers too, as evidenced here:
     
    The Orioles also reached a preliminary agreement with pitcher Koji Uehara on a one-year contract for $3 million. The deal is pending a physical. The 35-year-old Japanese righty was 1-2 with 13 saves and a 2.86 ERA in 43 games for Baltimore last season.
     
    Three million was only slightly less than what the Twins were going to pay Nishioka. Uehara was only good as an MLB pitcher, not good as a class A pitcher. So, it just depends on which league you value more.
     
    Analysis
     
    If you want to even try to make sense of this move, then you are trying very hard to be positive. However, the logic behind the move must have gone like this: Nishioka is coming, Guerrier and Crain are gone, this will balance things out. Hardy wasn't great in 2010 and the relievers acquired were young. There is a hint of logic there. A hint. I'm not willing to go any further than that.
     
    The reality is that the Twins finally had a decent shortstop and they basically gave him away. They gave him away much like they gave Jason Bartlett away just a few years prior. It seems that the Twins aren't able to see a good defensive shortstop, unless it is very obvious. As I type this, Pedro Florimon is manning the Twins' shortstop position and he certainly is defense-only. However, Bartlett and Hardy might not make their defensive prowess as apparent as Florimon does. They were both extremely solid but maybe didn't always look the part. Whatever the issue was, the Twins let two very valuable players slip away.
     
    Of course, Hardy wasn't defense-only. He has great power at a premium defensive position. Hardy could bat 5th, play short and probably do so for another 3-4 years. He'd be around when the Twins get good again. Instead, the Twins will likely have a gaping hole at the position for the foreseeable future. That being said, he's not a superstar. True, the Twins let him get away, but he isn't without some major flaws. He's inconsistent and he doesn't get on-base at even an above-average rate. He's still a whole lot better than Nishioka, Hoey and Jacobson.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Hoey with the Twins: -0.6 WAR
    Hardy with the Orioles: 10.9 WAR
     
    WAR won by the Orioles!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    Did anyone really think that the Orioles lost anything related to this trade?
  6. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Since I am filled with useless snark, I stated back on August 12 that if the Twins could win 30-35 of their next 17 games, they could get back in the Central race. See, the joke is... Anyway, with three games remaining in that 17 game stretch, the Twins will win no more than seven games. Whatever. Perhaps the team isn't good enough to win two games every game. However, the Twins are still on a 72 win pace (actually 71.5 but I'm rounding up to get the fan vote). It's a small improvement, but improvement is always good. Unless it's Home Improvement. The show.
     
    Mike Pelfrey
     
    What if the Twins had signed Pelfrey to Kevin Correia's contract and Correia to Pelfrey's? I think that having Pelfrey around for a second year wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. He's certainly better than Correia and he is younger too. However, there is simply no way that both guys can be in the rotation next year. The options outside of these two won't make you dance in your underpants, but they are worth giving starts to. Thus, Correia stays due to his contract and Pelfrey will almost certainly be gone.
     
    Anthony Swarzak
     
    One guy who was nowhere near my starting pitching radar is Anthony Swarzak. Starting pitching radar is a conspiracy theory; Swarzak would know. However, it's hard to look at Swarzak's performance this season and not have a slight inclination to see if he could put together some solid starts. I hesitate to move people from roles where they have found success, but long-man isn't exactly a hot commodity. If Swarzak got a few starts in September, I'd be cool with it.
     
    Brian Dozier
     
    As Twins Daily member stringer bell stated over the weekend, Brian Dozier is likely the biggest positive development from this season. Dozier looks great at second base and has started to produce surprising power at the plate. You'll see just how good Dozier is below, but needless to say, the Twins have found a solid second baseman. You should read stringer bell's recap, as it's much better and much more detailed.
     
    Time for Madness
     
    Fun stat - Twins 20/20 Guys
     
    No, not eyesight. 20 home runs and 20 steals. Now, we don't really talk about 20/20 guys because some dudes have hit 30/30 and 40/40. However, the Twins need to be graded on a curve. Small market, greedy owner, Metrodome, stuff like that. So, here are the guys in Twins history who have achieved this outstanding feat:
     

    Larry Hisle - 1977: 28 HR, 21 SB
    Kirby Puckett - 1986: 31 HR, 20 SB
    Marty Cordova - 1995: 24 HR, 20 SB
    Corey Koskie - 2001: 26 HR, 27 SB
    Torii Hunter - 2002: 29 HR, 23 SB
    Torii Hunter - 2004: 23 HR, 21 SB

    Could Brian Dozier join this group one day?
     
    Half-hearted Rant
     
    The Ryan Dempster/Alex Rodriguez situation worked up a rant in my brain. I'm more offended by someone throwing a baseball at someone than by someone taking illegal substances. If we are genuinely concerned with player safety when it comes to steroids, why aren't we worried when it comes to chucking baseballs at people.
     
    Now, don't get me wrong, I'm against both actions. I just find it odd that steroids = 50 game suspension, throwing a baseball at another human = one delayed start. For many, the issue comes down to "how do I explain this to my child(ren)?" Well, I find one of these instances to be a lot easier to explain than the other.
     
    Join me as I walk through two scenarios where I explain these issues to my daughter:
     

    Daughter: Why isn't Nelson Cruz playing tonight. After all, he is my favorite player.
    Me: Well, he took steroids, so he was suspended.
    Daughter: Why was he suspended for that?
    Me: Because steroids are against the rules and he took them anyway. He deserves to be punished.
    Daughter: Why are they against the rules?
    Me: Steroids make you better at baseball.
    Daughter: Isn't that a good thing?
    Me: Well, they also do bad things to your body and they hurt the competitive balance of the game.
    Daughter: I suppose that makes sense.

    Now, unless my small child is a tiny libertarian, she is probably fine with this exchange. Here's how I would explain the Dempster issue:
     

    Daughter: Why is Ryan Dempster, my second favorite player after Nelson Cruz, allowed to throw a baseball at Alex Rodriguez?
    Me: Well, A-Rod cheated so Dempster is getting back at him for ruining the integrity of baseball.
    Daughter: How does throwing a baseball at him accomplish that goal?
    Me: It's just how things have always been done.
    Daughter: Didn't we used to ride horses everywhere? Before that, we just walked around. Why don't you walk to work?
    Me: Well, I have a car.
    Daughter: But people haven't always had cars. Things change. Things evolve. To me, throwing a baseball at someone is vigilante justice. Shouldn't the police do the policing?
    Me: Go to bed.

    My daughter is two months old, so you have to take a bit of a leap here. I simply feel that one action is easier to explain but both actions have no place in baseball.
     
    To summarize, I am anti-steroids and anti-beanings.
     
    Random Photoshops
     
    I wrote about birds playing baseball a couple months ago. I'm not going to link to it because I've linked to it many times before and it's starting to look desperate. That being said, these two should have made the cut
     
    Rich Woodpecker
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ouksDoGVLPE/UhqYtZGn_PI/AAAAAAAAA48/-HGMWnzxucI/s1600/richwoodpecker.jpg
     
    Drew Bupterodactyl
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-slMKAPZpPLc/UhqYyCI3EHI/AAAAAAAAA5E/LbFKf6hgR-0/s320/drewpterodactyl.jpg
     
     
    The last one doesn't really count because everyone knows that Drew Butera is extinct.
     
    Random Top 10
     
    Here are the top 10 second-year players in Twins history, sorted by rWAR:
     

    Tom Brunansky - 5.6 WAR
    Chuck Knoblauch - 5.3 WAR
    Lew Ford - 4.4 WAR
    John Castino - 4.4 WAR
    Jimmie Hall - 4.0 WAR
    Rich Rollins - 4.0 WAR
    Tim Teufel - 3.8 WAR
    Butch Wynegar - 3.8 WAR
    Denard Span - 3.7 WAR
    Kent Hrbek/Lyman Bostock - 3.6 WAR

    Brian Dozier is currently at 3.2 WAR. If he finishes the season as well as he has played in June-August, he'll reach 4.0 WAR at least. That puts him in the top five. He's having a great season.
     
    What's ahead?
     
    I have a few things in the works. It's the first week of school this week, so no promises. I am currently G-Chatting with my 9-year-old self. I think I might write about that. I'm also investigating a forgotten Twin named John Moses. Finally, I am looking at how I can tie Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral development to the above scenarios involving Ryan Dempster and Alex Rodriguez. Crazy stuff; keep your eyes peeled.
     
    Parting Thought
     
    Are the Twins going to make any tradez? I am bored with this lack of trading. In my fantasy football league, we put in a mandate that every team has to make at least one trade. Everyone hates it. Maybe Major League Baseball should consider something like this. Every team needs to make one trade in July and one in August. That way, all fans get to talk trades. Win win.
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
  7. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the Carl Pavano mustache trade earlier this week. You can read it here.
    Ok, I'm going to need a second. It's just... it's hard to talk about this one. I mean... it's Johan. He was my favorite... PLAYER! BLAHAWAAWA! I'm sorry. I'm sorry! I can't do it! I'M JUST SO UPSET. I MEAN, HE'S JOHAN SANTANA, WHY DID THE TWINS HAVE TO TRADE HIM AWAY?!? ...
     
    YOU'RE CRYING! ...
     
    NO! JUST LEAVE ME... I DON'T NEED TO BLOW MY NOSE! OH JOHAN, WHY?!?!?
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Johan Santana to the New York Mets for Carlos Gomez, Philip Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra.
     
    Johan Santana is the greatest. Santana was fantastic for the Mets from 2008-2010. He was robbed of the Cy Young Award in 2008, much like he was robbed in 2005. He should really have four Cy Youngs. Four! There were some signs of decline in 2010 and then he missed all of 2011 with an injury. He returned last season but succumbed to another injury in 2013 and may need to retire at the age of 33. That makes me a sad panda.
     
    Carlos Gomez seemed like the kind of guy who might round the bases the wrong way, if you just let him do his thing. He was an exciting player though. He flashed power and speed and was always an excellent defender. Humber and Mulvey were nothing special and have done nothing special. Nope, neither guy has done anything special ever. Especially Humber. Nothing special. Guerra was viewed as the crown jewel of the trade, but has yet to pitch an MLB inning and it is looking more and more like he never will.
     
    So, that's all a bummer.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    Awful. We all knew this trade was coming. In fact, it had been a long time coming. Santana was upset as far back as the second Luis Castillo trade, which was as hard to swallow as the second Bald Bull was to knock down. The rumors had been floating around for such a long time and so many different players were involved that it almost seemed like it would never actually happen. Of course, with Santana's contract running out, time was running out on getting value for one of the best pitchers in Twins' history. I felt awful, but I moved on. But man, sanding that Santana tattoo off of me hurt like crazy.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    We all remember this trade and the hoopla vividly, so I'm not going to bombard you with quotes. I did find some good stuff from this ESPN.com article that was written just prior to the trade actually occurring:
     
    "If Santana agrees to a deal -- and it is thought he will seek a six-year, $150 million contract -- then he also would have to pass a physical. In return for Santana, the Twins would receive center fielder Carlos Gomez and pitchers Phil Humber, Kevin Mulvey and Deolis Guerra -- a package which some talent evaluators believe could be the fourth-best offer that Minnesota received during this process."
     
    In the Wild Card era, the fourth-best team usually makes the playoffs. So there. In reality, the Twins delayed this process so much that some of their Johan suitors dropped out. Which is exactly what you want in a bidding war.
     
    Mets third baseman David Wright was ecstatic about Santana possibly joining the team "If it's true, obviously, you're getting arguably the best pitcher in the game," Wright said, according to AP.
     
    Is it possible that Bill Smith made this trade entirely with the focus on making David Wright happy? If so, that certainly changes my perception on how successful this trade was.
     
    David Wright aside, perhaps the other packages were filled with garbage:
     
    In early December, the Yankees had offered a package built around pitcher Phil Hughes and center fielder Melky Cabrera, and the Red Sox talked about two separate deals, one built around left-hander Jon Lester and the other around center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury, with pitcher Justin Masterson and infielder Jed Lowrie prominently involved.
     
    Well, I've never heard of any of those players, so clearly this article is stupid. If we're going to be serious, the Twins should have taken the Lester package. He's been up and down, but he is also the closest to Santana that the Twins could have received in return. Hindsight is nice. So is opportunity:
     
    With Santana gone, there is a big opening in the Twins' rotation. Francisco Liriano is on track to return after missing last season following elbow surgery, but Carlos Silva signed with Seattle as a free agent, leaving youngsters Scott Baker, Boof Bonser and Kevin Slowey as the starters with the most experience.
     
    What we didn't know when this article was written is that the Twins were planning to sign Livan Hernandez to join those studs in the rotation. Of course, that signing directly lead to the Great Chocolate Bunny shortage of 2008, so it wasn't a total win.
     
    We've read about how this trade will affect the Twins' rotation, but how will it affect Joe Mauer?
     
    "Joe Mauer's job, and my job, just got a lot tougher," backup catcher Mike Redmond said. "We're going to have to work a lot harder to help these guys out the best we can."
     
    Upon completing this sentence, Redmond took his pants off, put his cup on his head like a tiny beret and went and took batting practice. Just like he did every day.
     
    Analysis
     
    Disgruntled superstar trades kind of suck. First, there is a limited market for such a devastating and therefore, expensive player. Second, the other team knows that the trading team is desperate to move the unhappy player and can make low-ball offers. Finally, unhappy players are often unhappy for legitimate reasons. In this case, Santana was upset that the Twins were cheap and only thought of the future. In some ways, he was right, although the Twins did offer him $20 million per season on a couple occasions.
     
    Therefore, the player packages were going to be prospect heavy and were going to come from just a few teams. The Yankees had some fun prospects, but apparently none that fully intrigued the Twins. The Red Sox had two elite prospects, but rightfully did not want to part with both. The Dodgers were offering Matt Kemp and Clayton Kershaw, but the Twins passed. That's not true, but I definitely remember it that way and lie to people about it to this day. In the end, the Mets offered three starting pitching prospects, one with very high upside, and an outfielder who could "go get it." The package was reasonable, but the players didn't pan out at all. Very sad.
     
    The impact of the trade was felt immediately in 2008 as the Twins lost to the White Sox in Game 163, thus missing the playoffs by one game. You will never convince me that having Santana on that 2008 team wouldn't have added at least one win to the Twins' total. Never!
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Santana with the Mets: 15.2 WAR
    Gomez with the Twins: 2.6 WAR
    Mulvey with the Twins: 0.0 WAR
    Humber with the Twins: -0.1 WAR
     
    WAR won by the Mets!
     
    One Analogy Summary
     
    Say you have a hundred dollars and you want to cut down to smaller bills. One friend is going to give you two fifties. One friend is offering five twenties. Another friend is offering a fifty, a twenty and three tens. One friend is offering you a twenty, a used postage stamp, Kevin Mulvey and some sidewalk chalk. Which deal do you take?
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    And yes, I am aware that Philip Humber pitched a perfect game. I like jokes.
  8. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Over the course of consecutive weekends, the Twins have proved that they can defeat teams of the quality of the Houston Astros and the Chicago White Sox. I'm not sure what that means, but I guess it could signify that the Twins have vacated their position within the dregs of the league; a position they had held for the prior two seasons. Whatever the wins mean in the cosmos, they are enjoyable for us fans no matter what. Why is there no baseball hump when teams improve slightly?
     
    Morneau's Power and Trade Value?
     
    Justin Morneau has had a hot August, boosting his slugging percentage up to almost .430 and adding a few dingers along the way. As a result, he may be boosting his trade value as well. Although, while he has had a recent power surge, he hasn't really hit all that much differently, as he hasn't raised his batting average or OBP. It's hard to imagine that a 2-3 week "hot stretch" would do much to his perceived value, but as a Twins fan, I guess I hope it has. It's somewhat sad that Morneau's Twins career has reached this stage, but getting value for Morneau is likely best for the Twins' future.
     
    Liam Hendriks
     
    Hendriks was recalled for the second game of Friday's doubleheader and I thought he looked pretty good. He gave up a couple solo home runs, but mostly avoided damage as he navigated a semi-decent White Sox lineup. The TV broadcasters seemed somewhat surprised with Hendriks' performance. I guess I was too. I was most surprised to see him actually pitching with the Twins. I hope he gets a few more starts this season as well. Hendriks isn't likely to be much different than he has been, but I still think he can become a fifth starter. That upside is higher than some of the other guys who have gotten starts this season, so why not?
     
    Would you pick up Correia's option?
     
    Obviously, Kevin Correia does not have an option, so this is a hypothetical. Correia pitched well on Sunday, but has been mostly awful since his solid April. If the Twins held a 2014 team option for Correia, at that same $5 million, would you pick it up? We know that he can give the team innings and we know that the Twins are unlikely to sign anyone better, so would Correia be worth another season, if the Twins had that choice? I'd probably bring him back, as much as I don't enjoy watching him pitch. If he could at least give the Twins a decent first half in 2014, he might be worth it. According to FanGraphs, Correia has been worth $4.5 million this season, even with some really poor performances in May and July.
     
    Madness?
     
    Fun Stat - Better than a cycle
     
    The cycle is a fun occurrence. When a player hits for the cycle, there is recognition and applause and praise and general excitement and then sometimes pies. However, there are non-cycles that are actually much more impressive and impactful than an actual cycle. We remember the cycles that we have seen: Kirby Puckett's, Jason Kubel's, Carlos Gomez's... Rod Carew, Michael Cuddyer, Larry Hisle, etc. However, do you remember Rich Becker's July 13, 1996 game? In that game, Becker went 4-6, had a double, triple and TWO home runs. He didn't hit a single, instead adding a second home run. So, which game was better? Which game is more rare?
     
    Rarity is certainly on Becker's side. There have been 10 cycles in Twins' history, but Becker's feat has never been replicated. Fun!
     
    WE HAVE A TRADE!
     
    Jamey Carroll was sent away on Sunday. He will join the Royals and he and Miguel Tejada can talk about how prohibition affected their lives. The Carroll trade will not be revisited in years to come, but it does show that the Twins are serious about getting money improving for the future. If nothing else, the team has a 40-man spot open and can finally get Nick Blackburn back onto the active roster without disrupting the rest of the team or losing a Joe Benson-type player. I can't really even tell if I am serious about anything Twins related anymore.
     
    Random Photoshop - Arcia Gnome
     
    There was a fun article on Twins Daily about possible promotions and giveaways that the Twins could employ. I agreed with all of the possible giveaways and hope the Twins will use some of the ideas. In the comments, John Bonnes requested an Oswaldo Arcia Garden Gnome. So, this is my thank you to John for all the articles that he has promoted on Twins Daily for me:
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Zjf49Ise18U/UgjpVWqnMaI/AAAAAAAAA3s/AFJiOyW1JxU/s320/gnomearciayellow.jpg
     
    Of course, he asked for someone with good photoshop skills, so that offer is still wide open.
     
    Former Twin Update - Tsuyoshi Nishioka
     
    Back in 2010, in Nishioka's final season with Chiba Lotte, he posted a .346/.423/.482 triple slash and earned a sweet contract from the Twins to come play in the Majors. We have all suppressed what happened next, but Nishioka returned to Japan for the 2013 season and many thought he would return to glory in the Japanese League. I think we broke him permanently. He currently has a .275/.340/.362 triple slash with no power and no speed. At least he will go down as a punch line in Twins' history.
     
    Random Top 5 List - Top 5 wRC+ (similar to OPS+ but better) in the last 30 days (100 is average)
     
     

    Brian Dozier - 129
    Joe Mauer - 128
    Chris Colabello - 117
    Justin Morneau - 115
    Ryan Doumit - 108

     
    By the way - Trevor Plouffe - 14. Gross.
     
    Links to Something I wrote - HOF Stuff
     
    I wrote about current players who I think will one day be enshrined in the Hall of Fame. I looked at older and younger players and you can click those words to get to the posts. If you disagree with my thoughts, please give me a call. I can't keep getting away with terrible takes.
     
    Parting Thought
     
    This is a huge stretch for the Twins! 16 of their next 17 games are against Central opponents. If the Twins are going to get back into this thing, they need to win 30-35 of those 16 games. If the Twins can somehow pull off that feat, they will be right there with the leaders of this division. I'm confident. As they say, stranger things have happened.
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
  9. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the J.C. Romero trade this week. Yep, that famous trade. If you ever wondered how much I despise Romero, it won't take you long to figure it out.
     
    ​It's hard to imagine a scenario where the Twins would trade a promising young starting pitcher for a young stud hitter. However, back in 2007, that very scenario played out. While the trade did not work out for the Twins, the idea may not have been completely off-base. Of course, if the jewel of the trade was able to get on-base more, that may have helped.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Matt Garza, Jason Bartlett and Eduardo Morlan to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays for Delmon Young, Brendan Harris and Jason Pridie.
     
    Young spent nearly four seasons with the Twins, posting a .287/.234/.429 triple slash. That works out to a 103 OPS. Not bad, but not what the Twins were looking for when they dealt Garza. Even in 2010, when Young provided good offensive value, that positive value was completely offset by putrid fielding. Harris was once labeled a "doubles machine" by a very stupid blogger/person writing this right now, but wasn't a very good player for a machine. Jason Pridie played 11 games for the Twins.
     
    Garza has been an average or better pitcher since he left the Twins. He gave the Rays two good seasons, one average season and then the Rays used him to acquire a package of prospects that included Chris Archer. Bartlett may have been the hidden jewel of the trade, providing the Rays with 10.0 WAR over the next three seasons. As the Rays are wont to do, they dispatched Bartlett once his value was used up. Morlan never reached the Majors.
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    I was furious. I loved Matt Garza. His debut was electric. He was young and seemed to represent a bit of a departure from the Twins' Radke-style pitchers of old. I loved Brad Radke too, don't get me wrong, but the Twins seemed hell-bent on replicating that success and finding a new Radke. Radke is rare, man. Garza was a fireballer and he was a spit-fire and he was other things related to flames as well. A flamethrower. Although, Delmon Young was on the cover of my 2005 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, so that soothed my fire. Not Garza's though.
    Why make the trade?
     
    All along, the Twins said that they wanted a clumsy outfielder who could get drunk and spout off bigoted remarks. Wait. This ESPN.com story explains it better:
    "Coming into the offseason our first priority was to improve our offense," new Twins general manager Bill Smith said. "We took a hit last week when Torii left, but Delmon Young has been the guy we've been targeting since the end of the season. We feel he is the best bat available, and we're excited to get him."
     
    It was not crazy at the time. It seemed reasonable that Young could replace Hunter's bat. The outfield defense was another story, but he was young and athletic. Well, when he stayed slim anyway. At least he was a good dude:
    Young, however, has a hotheaded history for a 22-year-old. The first overall pick in the 2003 draft famously flipped his bat into the chest of a Triple-A umpire in 2006 and received a 50-game suspension for that. He got a three-game ban in 2005 for bumping an umpire in Double-A.
     
    So...
     
    Of course, this was all very easy to explain:
    "He's got one bad incident on his record. He made a terrible mistake," Smith said. "We've done a lot of work on his makeup, and we've had an awful lot of people tell us he's a very good teammate, he's a fierce competitor, he wants to win, and he's the first one to arrive at the ballpark every day."
     
    I wonder how many umpires Smith talked to.
     
    The Rays were happy with their new toys:
    "He's a guy we project to get a lot better quickly," Rays executive vice president Andrew Friedman said. "We feel like we strengthened two areas of need, shortstop and starting pitching."
     
    18.5 combined WAR over three years would seem to qualify under the category of "strengthened." Plus, Garza and Bartlett were later traded for about 50 prospects. Friedman also noted an old adage:
    "The trade is about the present, not the future. We're a better ballclub because of this deal," Friedman said. "To get good young players you have to give up something good, and that's what we did."
     
    Upon reading this, Delmon Young immediately tripped over his shoes and fell in a swimming pool.
     
    Garza chimed in with a quote:
    "He's ready to roll. That's what I like to hear. He made me feel at home, and all I can feel is that things are pointed on the up and up," Garza said from his home in Fresno, Calif. "It'll be fun to see how it plays out."
     
    Well that's just a bunch of nonsense. Is that how they talk in Fresno?
     
    But wait, the Rays can't get all the credit for this trade:
    Friedman called the right-handed Morlan "one of the best young bullpen prospects out there."
     
    Ha! Nice scouting, idiot! You only traded Delmon Young and Brendan Harris for two good players, not three! What a maroon! See, the Rays aren't perfect.
    Analysis
     
    Again, I don't disagree with the premise behind this trade. The 2008 rotation could have been reasonably projected to include promising young starters like Nick Blackburn, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Matt Garza, Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano and Glen Perkins. Stop laughing; you stop laughing right now! The Twins offense wasn't great and was going to take a step backward with the midseason trade of Luis Castillo and then Torii Hunter's departure. Trading one of the young arms for a young bat was a logical idea. The players involved just weren't quite right.
     
    Garza was probably the best pitcher and possibly the best pitching prospect of the seven listed above. In addition, Garza has been the best pitcher since that trade, although that knowledge comes with the benefit of hindsight. Garza was also a bit of a loose cannon and may have been considered to be emotionally unstable (his recent Twitter rampage would back that idea up a bit). Delmon Young was considered a top notch hitting prospect. He was said to be a power/average guy with surprising speed. He did have surprising speed, I guess. The logic is there. The execution failed.
     
    What if we could substitute Ben Zobrist and Nick Blackburn for Young and Garza? What if we could invent a device that helps us travel back in time to stop ill-advised trades? What if we could make fuel out of ice cream? What if?
     
    Of course, there is the separate issue of the Twins not recognizing Jason Bartlett's value. Although, who is to say the Rays make this trade without Bartlett included?
    Who won the WAR?
    Garza for the Rays: 8.5 WAR
    Bartlett for the Rays: 10.0 WAR
    Young for the Twins: 0.9 WAR
    Harris for the Twins: -0.6 WAR
    Pridie for the Twins: -0.2 WAR
     
    WAR won by the Rays! Ouch.
    One Sentence Summary
     
    I mean, seriously, if we could fuel cars with ice cream, we could eat the fuel and solve the energy crisis at the same time.
  10. Brad Swanson
    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!
  11. Brad Swanson

    August Mailbag!

    By Brad Swanson,

    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.
  12. Brad Swanson
    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.
  13. Brad Swanson
    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!
  14. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also reviewed the Dave Gassner trade, which you probably remember because Shannon Stewart and Bobby Kielty were involved. You can read it here.
     
    The 2004 season marked two important Twins milestones. First, the team was coming off of playoff runs in consecutive seasons for the first time in over thirty years. Second, the Baby Jesus, Joe Mauer was primed for his MLB debut. As a result of the second milestone, the Twins were looking to unload a popular, but expendable catcher, seemingly entering his prime.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded A.J. Pierzynski to the San Francisco Giants for Joe Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser.
     
    Nathan immediately became the Twins closer and a dominant closer to boot. He would save 260 games over seven seasons with the Twins, posting a 2.16 ERA and 0.956 WHIP. Liriano made his MLB debut in 2005, but really made waves in a thrilling 2006 season. He threw 121 innings, striking out 144 batters and posting a 2.16 ERA before succumbing to Tommy John surgery. He was never quite the same, but did post a very good 2010 season with the Twins. Bonser spent parts of three seasons with the Twins, finishing with a 5.12 ERA in just under 400 innings.
     
    Pierzynski had a disappointing 2004 season with the Giants, clashing with teammates and posting a mediocre 86 OPS+. He was released at the end of the season and signed by the White Sox, where he played for the next eight seasons.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    I wasn't super happy, but I wasn't super upset either. I had taken to referring to Pierzynski as "All-Star A.J." because he made the All-Star team and I am super creative. I was also very aware that Joe Mauer was going to be with the Twins the following season and an expensive backup like Pierzynski wasn't a luxury the Twins would be willing to afford. Plus, getting three players for one seems like a good idea. It's literally three times the players.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    "It's one of those things that was eventually going to happen," Pierzynski said, reached on a golf course in Hawaii. "I was one of the first guys people had talked about. And they've got the guy coming behind me."
     
    That quote is from an AP story I found in an ESPN archive. It's passive-aggressive enough, but not too disparaging. You know for a fact that he knew Mauer's name. However, it does perfectly explain why this trade made sense for the two teams.
     
    "That's all part of the reasons we decided to make this trade," general manager Terry Ryan said. "We're dealing from a position of strength. We've got some talent at catching come up and some financial concerns, as far as making sure the pieces fit."
     
    Again, "some talent" is Joe Mauer. Plus, Pierzynski was due salary arbitration and was set to make a huge raise. In fact, he went from $365,000 in 2003 to $3.5 million in 2004. That is not an insignificant number, considering Pierzynski would have likely split time with Mauer, and possibly even backed him up.
     
    This MLB.com story gives some great quotes about the players the Twins were acquiring. On Nathan:
     
    "He's got a good arm and gets people out," Ryan said. "He had a good year with the Giants and he's playoff tested."
     
    "He's a stud," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Everything I've heard is he's a horse with a great arm. He should be a big part of our bullpen."
     
    Like me, you're probably wondering if the Twins petitioned the league to allow a horse to pitch. Gardy was speaking figuratively. We all learned how playoff tested Nathan really was, right Alex Rodriguez? Ouch. That was cold.
     
    On Bonser, considered at that time to be a better prospect due to his closer proximity to the Majors:
     
    "He's a young right-handed pitcher with a good arm and good stuff," Ryan said. "We think he's got the strength and stamina to be a future starter in the big leagues."
     
    The stamina part was either wrong or a mean, sarcastic joke. He did have a fun name.
     
    On Liriano, the wild horse (figurative horse again):
     
    "The left-hander has an excellent arm," Ryan said. "We've got a good look at him in the instructional league and we liked what we saw."
     
    I'd say! It's borderline remarkable that they plucked a 20-year-old Liriano out of A ball and he made the impact that he did.
     
    From the Giants' perspective, this trade was logical:
     
    "While it didn't come up easy to give up Joe, we feel we've got some alternatives within the organization," San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean said. "It's not often you can send a right-handed reliever and two unproven prospects for a front-line, All-Star catcher."
     
    On paper, that does make a lot of sense. The players involved just didn't line up that way.
     
    Here's what Kyle Lohse thinks about the whole thing, if you care:
     
    "I like him. He did just about anything you could to get a win," starting pitcher Kyle Lohse said. "He called a great game for me. It's kind of sad. It makes you wonder who else they'll keep and who they won't try to sign. It'll be pretty interesting."
     
    No one effing cares what you think, Kyle Lohse. Sit down and shave that ridiculous soul patch.
     
    And of course, A.J. did manage a slight dig on his way out:
     
    "It's outside, so that'll be very nice," he said. "Playing in the Metrodome all these years gets kind of old and kind of stale."
     
    Boom! Roasted.
     
    Analysis
     
    I'm quite certain the Twins are happy with how this trade worked out. Pierzynski's a nice player, but he's no Joe Mauer. In addition, adding Joe Nathan stabilized the bullpen for about a million years. Honestly, if Mariano Rivera didn't exist, it's possible that Nathan would be considered the best closer of this generation. Liriano never fully reached his potential in Minnesota, but fans will never forget his rookie season when he set the Metrodome ablaze and dominated with that ridiculous slider. Boof is a silly name, which we all look back at fondly.
     
    The Giants would probably like a couple do-overs when it comes to this trade. First, they would probably not make it at all. Second, since they actually made the trade, they probably would not have released Pierzynski after one season. He was not great in 2004, but then, he wasn't that much better from 2005-2011. He never posted an above-average OPS+ during that time. In fact, he didn't have an above-average offensive season until 2012, when he posted a career-high 119 OPS+ at age 35.
     
    The perception of Pierzynski as a player was quite different with Chicago. He was a pain, but he was a productive and wily pain. It's amazing what a punch to the jaw and a terrible call from an ump can do to change a player's perception.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Pierzynski for the Giants: 0.3
    Nathan for the Twins: 18.4
    Liriano for the Twins: 9.5
    Bonser for the Twins: -0.3
     
    WAR won by the Twins!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    Widely considered one of the best trades in Twins' history, this trade ultimately netted the Twins arguably their best closer of all-time, one extremely talented and frustrating pitcher and a guy named Boof.
  15. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    The Twins are on fire. They have won back-to-back series for the first time since late May/early June. In doing so, they have put a little cushion between themselves and the last place White Sox. The Twins really capitalized on the Indians' pathetic defense (most notably Lonnie Chisenhall, who I feel very sorry for at this point) and won two of three games over the weekend. Winning four out of six games is a major accomplishment with this roster. All this forced positivity is exhausting.
     
    Don't trade Morneau?
     
    Wally Fish of Puckett's Pond wrote a really great piece pleading with the Twins to keep Justin Morneau. I certainly appreciate that point of view, but I do not agree with it. I made a chart of where Morneau ranks in some of the more important basic and advanced stats, among qualifying 1st baseman (29 total):
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 576]


    [/TD][TD]Avg


    OBP

    SLG

    HR

    RBI

    wOBA

    wRC+

    fWAR



    Morneau

    0.276

    0.334

    0.409

    7

    52

    0.325

    104

    0.7



    1st Rank

    11

    16

    26

    29

    14

    26

    27

    20

    [/TABLE]
     
    This chart does not support keeping Morneau at any price near what he makes this season. Of course, almost everyone would agree with that.
     
    There are really only three reasons to sign Morneau beyond this season:
     

    Popularity - the fans love him.
    Low payroll - might as well spend money somewhere
    Best they can do - who would replace him?

    Personally, I think those are all terrible reasons to keep a relatively unproductive player on the roster. I'm an emotionless robot, so I have no time for sentimentality. In addition, I hate spending money just to spend money and I hate the idea that the organization can't find someone better. Lyle Overbay has been roughly the same player as Morneau this season, and he makes $1.25 million. I don't care about keeping the payroll low to layer the owners' pockets, but I also don't like the idea of throwing money away on an average player, just because he's been here for a long time.
     
    According to Fangraphs, Morneau has been worth about $3.6 million this season and was worth $1.2 million last season. If the Twins can sign him to a reasonable contract, say 2 years, $14 million, then sure, go ahead. A longer or more lucrative contract is a waste of money.
     
    Don't trade Perkins!
     
    I am going to get emotional about Glen Perkins. I love to watch him pitch. He's one of the few things I enjoy about this team, especially now that Aaron Hicks is back on the strikeout train. The at-bat Carlos Santana had against him on Saturday night was amazing. It's important to mention that Santana has great plate discipline. Anyway, Perkins got ahead of him and then tried to finish him off with two straight sliders down-and-in. Santana laid off, but I'm not sure many other hitters would have. Those pitches ran the count full. At which point, I'd like to think Perkins just thought to himself "F it, I'm blowing him away." He rifled a 97 MPH fastball at Santana's eyes and he couldn't resist. It was fantastic.
     
    If the Twins are offered a top 50 prospect or a productive young MLB player for Perkins, I guess they would have to take it. I'd be sad, but I'd move on. I'd become a fan of his new team too.
     
    Plouffe batting 2nd?
     
    Right now, the Twins lineup means next to nothing. The team is generally pretty bad and regardless of how you order this lineup, they won't score many runs. However, Trevor Plouffe is second on the team in slugging and his on-base percentage isn't very special at .320. Wouldn't it make more sense to move Plouffe to the clean-up spot and Justin Morneau up to the second spot? Morneau has a slightly higher OBP and a lower SLG. Eh, it wouldn't matter; who cares?
     
    Ideally, the Twins would just bat Joe Mauer in all nine positions. Wait. (Movie idea: baseball team only plays best player, uses series of masks to make it work; hijinks) Ok, I'm back.
     
    Jason Kipnis
     
    You know what would be great? If Eddie Rosario becomes Jason Kipnis. That guy is a player.
     
    Time for Madness...
     
    Animation!
     
    Guess who learned how to make simple animations this weekend?
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7aXQy1vhenU/UexFN7vIKNI/AAAAAAAAAz0/vE8J2RXlpko/s320/foxsportswaynegirls_a.gif
     
    I promise to only use this power for good:
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jPnK5IbJ1Mk/UexFUDvagVI/AAAAAAAAAz8/plqUyR8ZJY4/s320/correiadance.gif
     
    See?
     
    Fun Stat!
     
    The lowest slugging percentage in July from a player in Twins' history (minimum 50 PA)?
     
    Alexi Casilla back in 2009. He posted a robust .163 SLG that July, but he did produce one double.
     
    Star wipe to 2013 where Clete Thomas has a .146 SLG and zero extra-base hits. If he can maintain that awesome rate, he'll be the new record holder! I've said it once and I'll say it again: Clete Thomas looks great in a Rochester Red Wings uniform.
     
    Baseball Card from the past/Upcoming post
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s0VVFewBR1s/UexE05kwIGI/AAAAAAAAAzs/i_YaEkojcqs/s1600/1987alf.jpg
     
    We all remember Alf's illustrious career with the Dodgers. However, we don't remember the journey that he took to get there. Later this week, I'll be chronicling his meteoric rise, sudden fall, and late resurgence. Check out my blog later this week for more.
     
    Former Twin Update - Jose Mijares
     
    In 33.1 innings with the Giants, Mijares has struck out 38, walked 10, eaten 65 pork chops and has a 2.43 ERA. His BABIP is .357, so it's possible that he's actually been better than that sparkling ERA. Mijares was hardly popular in Minnesota, but he had his moments. This is probably the best he's ever pitched. Way to go, Terry Ryan.
     
    3 Things about Casey Fien!
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rbwO2fvyiiY/UexEtgVDUmI/AAAAAAAAAzk/ZJf-WcjyOYQ/s320/3+fiens.PNG
     
    Last weekend, I wrote in my phone "screen grab Fien 3 things from Sunday - bottom 7, first batter" and now I'm not sure why. Take a look at the photo and try to let me know what I was thinking. It might have actually been Swarzak-related, in which case I was probably going to make a Bigfoot joke. Not sure. LMK.
     
    Link to something I wrote
     
    Last week, I reflected on the AL and NL award predictions that I made back in March. I changed everything! It was wild. You can find these literary masterpieces here: American League National League
     
    Have fun. Responsibly.
     
    Parting Poem - Goodbye Justin
     
    Oh Juuuuuuuuustin
    You are so great
    Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuustin
    You were MVP
    Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin
    You will be missed
    Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin
    Thanks for the prospect
    Oh Juuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuustin
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
  16. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote about the Todd Walker or Butch Huskey trade, depending on who you ask. You can find it here.
     
    2001 was the first season in what would become a nearly decade-long turnaround of the Twins' franchise. For the first time in ages, the Twins were in a position to buy at the trade deadline, rather than sell. This exciting season was about to get more exciting! Two separate trades signified that the Twins were going to finally do whatever it takes to give Twins fans a taste of the postseason.
     
    The Trades: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Mark Redman to the Detroit Tigers for Todd Jones.
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Matt Lawton to the New York Mets for Rick Reed.
     
    Jones would spend just one half-season with the Twins. He only threw 19.1 innings and recorded just two saves. He would leave for Colorado as a free agent at the end of the season. Reed posted an ERA over five in 12 starts with the Twins in 2001. In 2002, Reed won 15 games for the Twins and posted a 3.78 ERA. He regressed in 2003, at the age of 38, and did not pitch another MLB game after that season.
     
    Redman was injured when traded, so he only started two games for the Tigers in 2001. In 2002, Redman threw over 200 innings and posted a nearly league-average 101 ERA+. Redman had his finest season in 2003, posting a 117 ERA+ in 190.2 innings for the World Champion Florida Marlins. Lawton posted a .246/.352/.366 triple slash in 48 games for the Mets in 2001. He was traded to the Indians that off-season, and had a couple more productive seasons with the Indians. He played his best baseball as a Twin.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    It was cool, I have to say. I liked Matt Lawton, so I was sad to see him go. However, I was excited that the Twins were seemingly trying to win more games rather than save more money. Since these trades happened just two days apart, it was hard to separate them. The upgrade from Redman to Reed was significant, and I knew that. Jones was a welcome addition from me, as I hated the Twins bullpen at that time. LaTroy Hawkins was a train-wreck and Bob Wells is my all-time least favorite Twins player. Todd Jones was a proven closer, and I didn't know any better when I was 18.
     
    Why make these trades?
     
    The Jones trade came first. Terry Ryan clearly explained why he made this trade in this AP story I found on ESPN:
     
    "We need some immediate help," Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan said. "This is a situation where we have a chance to win and we want to take it. It's a good feeling to be on this side, looking to add rather than to subtract."
     
    It was a good feeling. The Twins were good. They weren't great, but they were good. They were just a game out of first place and adding a decent pitcher to the bullpen made a lot of sense. Redman was just 27 and was a former first-round pick. However, Ryan explains why he was expendable at that time:
     
    "Unfortunately, what he's going through now, he can't help us," Ryan said. "You've got to give him time to heal. It's too long for us to wait."
     
    It's a bit surreal to see this in print. The Twins putting the future aside at the expense of the present? It was not the M.O. of the front office prior to this season. In a way, this gives me hope for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, if the Twins can get things together a bit. Todd Jones didn't seem impressed with Mark Redman, according to this story from The Blade (awesome name):
     
    “I'm mad I wasn't able to bring the Tigers a little more in a trade,” Jones said yesterday after being dealt to the Minnesota Twins for left-handed pitcher Mark Redman. “That's my fault.”
     
    Hmm, good thing they weren't going to be teammates. Redman was quite a bit better than Jones the following year, so maybe Jones should have been more happy about the deal.
     
    Two days later, the Twins traded away Matt Lawton. Here's the rationale, from an AP story I found on CNNSI:
     
    "We're looking to stabilize our pitching staff," Twins general manager Terry Ryan said. "We've struggled since the break. We felt like Reed was the best available. If you're going to get pitching of his caliber you have to give up something."
     
    "He's savvy, he throws strikes, he's a veteran," Ryan said. "He's been through the postseason and the World Series."
     
    The rationale makes sense to me. The Twins had other outfielders, and were reportedly still trying to trade for Dmitri Young. The Twins didn't have enough pitching, so getting Reed and his veteran savvy was savvy in itself.
     
    The Mets were happy to add to their offense:
     
    "I think we have had enough pitching to keep us in the game but not nearly the offense," GM Steve Phillips said. "We need to address that. I understand the importance of pitching to winning, but if we don't score runs at a pace that allows the pitching to be rewarded, it doesn't matter."
     
    The Mets' offense was putrid. Only Mike Piazza posted an above-average season. Their outfield was Benny Agbayani, Jay Payton and Timo Perez. Yikes, that's gross. I'd definitely rather have Lawton than those dudes.
     
    Analysis
     
    Both of these trades made sense. The Twins' bullpen was poor. Eddie Guardado was good, but every other arm was poor. Tood Jones was not poor. A reliever really can't have a ton of impact in two months, but Jones certainly performed better than an injured Redman. Plus, adding Reed two days later pretty much negated any hole that Redman's departure could have possibly created. Reed wasn't The Franchise, but proved to be a solid starter the following season and an important piece on the Twins' first playoff team since their 1991 World Championship.
     
    Redman's loss was never really felt. His 109 ERA+ as a rookie in 2000 was promising, but he only eclipsed that number once in his career. I remember Lawton as a popular player. He had great on-base skills and was a decent power/speed player. He was also 29 and the Twins replaced him with Brian Buchanan, who posted a really solid .274/.342/.487 triple slash in 2001. Lawton's loss was probably felt more by the fans than the team.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Jones for the Twins: 0.3
    Redman for the Tigers: 2.7
     
    WAR won by the Tigers!
     
    Reed for the Twins: 3.6
    Lawton for the Mets: 0.3
     
    WAR won by the Twins!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    The Twins were on the verge of an eight-year stretch of good baseball, these trades didn't affect that a whole lot but signified a new direction for the Franchise.
  17. Brad Swanson
    If you gave me a list of outcomes from this weekend's series with the Yankees, I would have ordered their likelihood as such:

    Yankees Sweep
    Yankees spontaneously combust; Yankee dust sweeps Twins
    Yankees win 2 of 3; Twins win game 2 because all Yankees oversleep
    Yankees win 2 of 3 fair and square
    Twins win 2 of 3 because all Yankees lock their keys in their cars
    Twins win 2 of 3 fair and square
    The universe ends abruptly
    Twins Sweep

    Of course, watching the Yankees yesterday, they suck. The Twins still took care of business and it was fun to watch the Yankees look like a Little League team for a magic Sunday. Here are a few more thoughts from the series:
     
    Brian Duensing
     
    A couple weeks ago, I posited that if Brian Duensing can't get lefties out, he has no value. Why is Duensing struggling? I looked at his splits versus lefties over the past four seasons:
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]



    PA
    H%
    BA
    OBP
    SLG


    2010
    153
    15.6
    .161
    .217
    .239


    2011
    187
    20.9
    .217
    .242
    .280


    2012
    178
    24.3
    .250
    .294
    .384


    2013
    83
    29.5
    .303
    .358
    .400
    [/TABLE]
    H% is the percentage of batted balls that went for hits. You can see that his four-year trend does not look great. His hit rate has climbed like... like, really tall stairs and his BA/OBP/SLG have climbed along side. However, here's another chart that tells a slightly different story:
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]



    PA
    K%
    BB%
    K/BB
    xFIP
    BABIP


    2010
    153
    22.2
    4.6
    4.86
    3.13
    .204


    2011
    187
    20.3
    3.2
    6.33
    2.89
    .261


    2012
    178
    15.7
    5.1
    3.11
    4.04
    .274


    2013
    83
    24.4
    6.1
    4.00
    2.63
    .400
    [/TABLE]
    Duensing's peripheral stats aren't quite as depressing. In fact, by xFIP, he is actually better against lefties than he has ever been. The increase in his walk rate would be troubling if the sample wasn't so small. His BABIP is sky high and his strikeout rate is higher than ever, so if he has been unlucky, there is no reason to think he can't return to an effective lefty specialist. However, if he is simply getting more hittable, then it might not matter how much his BABIP drops. Again, the sample is small.
     
    Roster Moves
     
    Oswaldo Arcia got a couple days off this weekend, and he needed them. It looked like he was trying to hit a home run every time up and he was yanking his head toward right field instead of watching the ball hit his bat. Then, he got optioned to AAA on Sunday. I can't say I hate the move, although I would rather see Arcia make adjustments while facing MLB pitching. I understand why the move was made though.
    I don't really get the Chris Parmelee demotion though. Perhaps Parmelee's time to get consistent at bats with the Twins has passed. He's clearly not in the current plans and he's lost playing time to Clete Thomas of all people. Now, it seems that Chris Herrmann and Chris Colabello are coming up and they should both get consistent playing time. Thus, there has to be an odd Chris out. Parmelee may never get a solid two months with the Twins ever. Things certainly seem to be pointing in that direction.
     
    I don't really care about Eduardo Escobar. Mostly because...
     
    I like Pedro Florimon
     
    I just like him. I know he really isn't a good hitter and he probably isn't a long-term solution at short, but I just like him. He plays great defense and makes some really spectacular plays. He also makes some really tough plays look really easy. He's quite streaky at the plate, but he can get some hits here and there. He's second to only Joe Mauer according to Fangraphs' WAR, so he clearly provides value. The Twins will likely look to upgrade at short in the coming seasons, but I wouldn't mind if Florimon is around for a bit longer.
     
    Enough love, time for Madness!
     
    Random Plug - Grant Brisbee is at it again
     
    Brisbee presents a series of images that show what errors look like. It's fantastic. If you read my blog, you probably have noticed that I try to create silly posts like these. However, Brisbee is on a completely different level of silliness and I can't match him. You should just go read/look at this article and have a good laugh.
     
    Photo Breakdown! - Oswaldo gets gum
     
    Lost in the shuffle of Michael Tonkin's successful debut was a quest for a specific piece of gum that was caught on camera in the background. Here's the proof:
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yIGhsns5Jic/UeLhlLwCwMI/AAAAAAAAAyU/0vEGpKQGuXA/s320/arciagum1.PNG
     
    If you look, Arcia is pulling out massive quantities of gum. I find it unlikely that he will chew all of them.
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kSHdaqVy-c8/UeLhjAzZKAI/AAAAAAAAAyM/mZ1c4G81qps/s320/arciagumpoint5.PNG
     
    Now, he seems to be sorting through, likely looking for the flavor of his choice. I hope he finds it.
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-HSy-eQRzORw/UeLhltzu-TI/AAAAAAAAAyc/IiZI-pOq_0c/s320/arciagum2.PNG
     
    It looks like he has, as he conscientiously puts the pieces that he will not chew back in the bucket for the next guy. What a dude!
     
    Poll Results!
     
    Which Twin is most likely to be traded this season? 36 votes

    Josh Willingham - 10 votes
    Kevin Correia - 6 votes
    Mike Pelfrey - 2 votes
    Ryan Doumit - 7 votes
    Justin Morneau - 11 votes

    Losing Morneau will be sad, but hopefully the Twins can bolster the Farm System at his expense. I would support trading all of these players, but I love to wheel and deal. I added a new poll, please vote when you have a moment.
     
    LOL FSNorth
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oS45_Jx58wU/UeLggXoUtNI/AAAAAAAAAyA/7QwgeLgJhi8/s320/lolfsnorth.PNG
     
    Hey FSN, what does Paul Goldschmidt look like? Who does he play for? HAHAHA! lol. It is an impressive list though.
     
    Link to Something Stupid I "wrote"
     
    Speaking of silliness, I created an all bird all-star team. I think there's some dignified subtlety and I hope you enjoy it. Can birds play baseball? You'll find out.
     
    Links to Something Good I read
     
    Twins Daily is dominating the trade deadline talk and speculation. Each MLB team will be featured and sleeper prospects and dream targets are discussed. You can find a new one each day on the front page.
     
    Twins Daily member Jorgenswest has also posted some great articles looking at what reasonable return would be for some of the Twins players who may be traded. He looked back at deals for similar players and analyzed the returns. If you didn't see these articles already, you should really check them out. The level of research is really helpful and impressive. He has written three as of when I am writing this:
     
    Brian Duensing
     
    Glen Perkins
     
    Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey
     
    Parting Chart - All Stars
     
    I realized that not only are Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins both from Minnesota, but they both graduated in 2001 as well. Guess who else graduated in 2001? That's right, I did. I played baseball when I was young too. Now, I'm not going to lie and say I remember playing against Perkins or Mauer or anything like that, but it's certainly possible. Anyway, I created this little chart that highlights our baseball accomplishments, as we will always be linked together in history.
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]



    Joe Mauer
    Glen Perkins
    Brad Swanson


    High School
    Cretin-Derham Hall HS
    Stillwater Area HS
    Mounds View HS


    Class of
    2001
    2001
    2001


    College
    None
    University of Minnesota
    University of Minnesota


    Position
    Catcher
    Closer
    Left Couch


    MLB Debut
    4/5/2004
    9/21/2006
    4/1/2015


    Salary
    23 Million
    2.5 Million
    Less than Mauer made yesterday


    Best Known For
    Humble Midwestern charm
    Twitter Presence
    Putting Twins player heads on bird bodies


    All-Star Selections
    Six
    One
    Zero


    Most Impressive Baseball Feat
    2009 AL MVP
    Pitched for Team USA in 2013 World Baseball Classic
    Caught a spike on a root in center field; hyper-extended knee


    Endorsements
    Land O'Lakes Milk
    Minnesota Twins Ticket Packages
    Voted for Nader in 2000


    Facial Hair
    Sideburns
    Neckbeard
    Can't grow
    [/TABLE]
    And now you know that we are three completely different people. Have a nice week, everyone!
  19. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! I also wrote a summary of the Kevin Tapani trade earlier this week. You can find it here.
     
    An unhappy superstar hoping to rekindle the team success he achieved in his rookie season. A budding dynasty looking to add a couple final pieces to a Championship-level team. Later, batteries. You know what I'm talkin' about.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees for Brian Buchanan, Cristian Guzman, Eric Milton, and Danny Mota.
     
    Knoblauch would play four up-and-down seasons with the Yankees, but would win three World Series Championships. He famously lost the ability to throw from second to first, and thus was no longer the overall excellent player he was in Minnesota. He was still an excellent offensive player in '98 and '99.
     
    Guzman became the Twins' starting shortstop in 1999, at the age of 21. He would remain in that role for six seasons and he was at times a very exciting player. Milton immediately entered the rotation and gave the Twins 165 starts over the next six seasons. He will also be the subject of one of these features in a few weeks. Buchanan debuted in 2000, showed some power, but was gone by 2002. Mota pitched 5.1 innings for the Twins in 2000 and was out of baseball after the following season.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    Angry. The Twins had completed their fifth straight losing season and now they were trading their best player? What gives? After the '94 season, Kent Hrbek retired. After the '95 season, Kirby Puckett retired. In '95, the Twins traded Scott Erickson, Kevin Tapani and Rick Aguilera. It was adding up to be too much. I distinctly remember being very angry about this trade.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    This trade was coming down the tunnel for quite some time. Knoblauch famously asked for a trade late in 1997, tired of losing, as evidenced in this article from the Star Tribune:
     
    "Finally, late in 1997, the Twins were swept in Kansas City, and on the long, depressing ride from the ballpark to the airport, Knoblauch called his agent and said he wanted a trade.
     
    'I was just dejected,' he said. 'The losing got to me. I wasn't handling getting beat up on a pretty consistent basis.'"
     
    Tom Kelly clearly wanted him to stay, so he employed some reverse psychology:
     
    "When the request leaked to manager Tom Kelly, any vision of a graceful exit vanished, Knoblauch said. He remembers the manager suggesting to the media -- Kelly doesn't remember saying this -- that Knoblauch wanted out of Minnesota because he didn't think his teammates were good enough."
     
    "When TK made that statement, it was like a seismic shift, because he had a lot of control over the organization," Knoblauch said, seeming stunned, still. "I love him, looking back on everything, I do, but I just think people pay attention to what he says -- the people of Minnesota, the fans. And I think that's why there was so much hate or hostility toward me when I came back. He probably thought I was abandoning them ... but I just wanted to win."
     
    This explains his desire, but doesn't necessarily excuse it. Of course, if Kelly did say that, then he was being a lame-o.
     
    The Yankees were a match because they were trying to build a dynasty and had some impressive prospects. This LA Times article outlines how Terry Ryan felt right before the trade:
     
    "I think everybody involved would like to have that happen," Twin General Manager Terry Ryan said. "The Yankees would like to have that happen. I've said we would like to get this done as soon as we can. I think everybody in the organization would like to have this behind us."
     
    This was a difficult situation for Ryan. He had a superstar who publicly wanted out and not a lot of teams in the bidding. The Yankees were offering a good package (which included 3 million bucks, so you know that helped) and it was best for the Twins to get it done before the 1998 season started.
     
    According to this article from the New York Times, Knoblauch wanted to go the New York, so that worked out well:
     
    ''I think New York would be a great place to play,'' he said. ''When you open the season, you want to know you're going to be competitive and going to have the chance to win. I think if you ask any Yankee players right now, they'll tell you they got a chance to win. I think every player wants to have that.''
     
    Of course, something clearly changed for Knoblauch when he started playing there. There is simply no way that his throwing issues weren't mental, and the biggest change from good throwing Knobby to bad throwing Knobby was the change of scenery. However, you can see why New York would be the choice of a player who wants to win.
     
    Analysis
     
    This was a fantastic trade for the Twins. They unloaded an unhappy player and acquired two six-year starters. Guzman did not develop as many had hoped, but he did provide good value at a premium position for over half a decade. The trade worked for the Yankees too. They got two very good offensive seasons from Knoblauch and he helped them win three straight World Series titles by filling a need on their team. He retired much sooner than anyone would have guessed, but did so with four Championships on his resume.
     
    So, the trade worked for both teams. Why did it hurt so much? Why do Twins fans still hate Knoblauch? Why is it possible that one of the greatest Twins of all time may never be enshrined in their Hall of Fame?
     
    No one likes to feel slighted. Knoblauch was smart enough to see that the Twins were not going to win anything significant in his career. He made a calculated and understandable decision to ask for a trade to a better team. He did what was best for Chuck Knoblauch, but he did it at the expense of the millions of fans he had in Minnesota. He never said anything bad about our State or the Twin Cities, but he certainly was not fond of the Organization by the end. He hurt his fans in Minnesota when he spoke the truth, mostly because it was a truth that we didn't want to face.
     
    I was angry with him when he was traded, but I understand things from his perspective now. The Twins were bad and they weren't getting any better. He did sign a contract with the team, but he also watched as that team shipped off many of his teammates in prior seasons, while they were under contracts the Twins agreed to. Loyalty goes both ways, and sometimes, it goes neither way.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Knoblauch for the Yankees: 7.4
    Milton for the Twins: 14.7
    Guzman for the Twins: 7.5
    Buchanan for the Twins: 0.3
    Mota for the Twins: -0.1
     
    WAR won by the Twins!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    If I ever saw Chuck Knoblauch on the street, I'd huck a battery at him; a battery of respect.
  20. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    The Twins dropped two of three in their series against the Blue Jays and in the process, they dropped to eleven games below .500. The Twins are on a 70-win pace, which would be a huge improvement and a giant disappointment at the same time. Prior to the season, if you had told me the Twins were going to win 70 games, I'd have laughed so hard that my pants would have fallen down. I never wore belts. After the first third of the season, I had officially adjusted my expectations and pants. Now, I don't know what to think or what to wear in preparation. Here are a few thoughts I had from the Blue Jays series.
     
    Scott Diamond
     
    Scott Diamond was brutal on Sunday. He was brutal in the innings when he gave up runs and he was equally brutal in the innings when he didn't give up runs. After the first inning, I looked down at my dog and said, "Diamond doesn't have it today." He looked up at me, yawned, and went back to sleep. He was walking batters and he wasn't getting ground balls. Those two factors pretty much ruin a Scott Diamond start. He earned the right to be in the rotation last season, but that right is slipping away quickly. If he throws like this through July, I'd call up Liam Hendriks and see if he's learned anything new with Rochester.
     
    Mike Pelfrey
     
    Pelfrey got much better results compared to Diamond this weekend, but I thought he looked pretty awful as well. He didn't give up any runs and he wiggled out of some jams, but I thought that he was getting hit pretty hard and things could have been a lot different if a few balls had been hit into different locations. They weren't, so you have to credit Pelfrey with a good start. However, I'm not convinced that he is back on any sort of right track at this point. We'll see; I am always wrong, so that's a point in Pelfrey's favor.
     
    Brian Dozier
     
    Who the raspberries is this Dozier character lately? Here is Dozier's wRC+ broken down by month (100 is league average):
     

    April - 66
    May - 38
    June - 151
    July - 184

    My goodness. Dozier has been a great hitter for the past month or so. It's never really as simple as one stat, but here are Dozier's line drive rates in those same months:
     

    April - 22.8%
    May - 14.5%
    June - 20%
    July - 30.4%

    Bonanza! Just watching Dozier hit, you can see that he looks more comfortable and he is really laying into the hittable pitches that he gets. It's been fun to watch him succeed, as he has a winning smile and great head of hair. Oh yeah, and having a good second baseman is cool too.
     
    Joe Mauer and Glen Perkins
     
    Congratulations to two very deserving All-Stars in Glen Perkins and Joe Mauer. I'm sure they will read this, right? Mauer was a no-doubter, and was voted in by the fans. Perkins was selected because Jesse Crain was hurt. Perkins deserved it without being a replacement, but it's still cool that he has been honored. I hope he gets to pitch in the game. He's probably my favorite Twin pitcher since Johan Santana.
     
    Now that we have honored these Minnesota heroes properly, let's get to some madness!
     
    Random Photoshop
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-TrJ5I_NjV0w/UdoUsS4Gj6I/AAAAAAAAAv0/Ks34KTSWrQI/s320/denny+hockingbird.jpg
     
    What do you think? I call it "Denny Hockingbird." He has frosted feathers and frosted tips! If you like player heads on bird bodies, then make sure to check out my blog, Kevin Slowey was Framed!, on Thursday. I've got something special for you.
     
    Answering a Random Facebook Question
     
    Ugh. I'm not sure why I keep doing this. Going to the Twins Facebook page and looking through the comments is like repeatedly rubbing your face onto a dirty block of ice. Regardless, I found this gem and I have a decent answer for this "fan."
     
    Question - Sorry am a MN fan but don't see why? Perkins could see going but Joe? Pay him way too much! As not produced!
     
    Answer - He's the best catcher in the American League and it isn't really all that close. They already did pay him way too much, so you got your wish! Congrats!
     
    Two Twins make the All-Star game and most of the comments are about how undeserving Mauer is, how it doesn't matter because the team sucks and that more ex-Twins made it than current Twins. This is a Facebook "fan" page. I'm exhausted.
     
    Fun Stat
     
    Caleb Thielbar pitched two scoreless innings on Satuday, bringing his streak to 19.2 innings to start his career. Since 1916, only five pitchers have had longer streaks to start their career. Brad Ziegler has the record, at 38 innings. Here is the rest of the chart, with a list of players Thielbar still has to conquer:
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]

    [TH=align: center]Rk[/TH]
    [TH=align: left][/TH]
    [TH=align: right]Strk Start[/TH]
    [TH=align: left]End[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Games[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]IP ▾[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]H[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]R[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]ER[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]BB[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]SO[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]HR[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]ERA[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Tm[/TH]


    [TD=align: right]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Brad Ziegler[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]2008-05-31[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]2008-08-12[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]29[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]38.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]21[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]OAK[/TD]


    [TD=align: right]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Fernando Valenzuela[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]1980-09-15[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]1981-04-09[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]26.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]21[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]LAD[/TD]


    [TD=align: right]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Dennis Eckersley[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]1975-04-12[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]1975-05-25[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]23.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]20[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]CLE[/TD]


    [TD=align: right]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Victor Santos[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]2001-04-09[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]2001-05-12[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]22.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]15[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]DET[/TD]


    [TD=align: right]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Victor Cruz[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]1978-06-24[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]1978-07-29[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]21.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]14[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]21[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]TOR[/TD]


    [TD=align: right]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]Caleb Thielbar[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]2013-05-20[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]2013-07-06[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]19.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: right]0.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: left]MIN[/TD]

    [/TABLE]
    Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used
    Generated 7/7/2013.
     
    Who thinks he can get there?
     
    Fun Baseball Card from the past
     
    One of my all-time favorite baseball cards is this one:
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Dbn4xfoaB8k/UdoVB-l_CNI/AAAAAAAAAwI/_9gkuq8zi3Y/s320/gary-pettis.jpg
     
    Man, what charisma! It's a great card because of the story behind it. That is not Gary Pettis. It's his 15-year-old brother. If you can't tell that this is a child by looking at this image, then you don't know how old people look. The switch-a-roo is one thing, but the pose by the younger Pettis is the icing on the cake.
     
    Then, I found out that Topps decided to make a deliberate error card in their Archives set this year to memorialize this Pettis error. Here is the card, this time with Dylan Bundy's little bro:
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_6Ef59u4qQY/UdoVBm8AeGI/AAAAAAAAAwE/_GK4wHDi-fM/s1600/2013-Topps-Archives-Errors-Dylan-Bundy-215x300.jpg
     
    Pretty cool, Topps. The original, as always, is still the best. No one has the natural charisma of Gary Pettis' brother.
     
    Parting Thought
     
    I try very hard to remain non-controversial. However, it seems that when I applaud Joe Mauer for being great, it draws the most negative response. I guess I don't get it. The simple fact remains that the Twins will be a much worse team when Mauer isn't on it. He makes outs at a lower rate than anyone in Twins history. Here is the list of Twins with the highest career OBP (minimum 2500 plate appearances):
     

    Mauer - .404
    Rod Carew - .393
    Chuck Knoblauch - .391
    Harmon Killebrew - .383
    Matt Lawton - .379

    Hey, Matt Lawton! The point is, Mauer is great. Sorry if that is too controversial for you.
     
    Have a great week, everyone!
  21. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    I also wrote about the two Rick Aguilera trades on Tuesday, you can read them here.
     
    Just one day after trading away Rick Aguilera, one of the more popular players on the Twins team, General Manager Terry Ryan's bloodlust was cresting and he was hungry for another trade. Who would be his next victim?
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Scott Erickson to the Baltimore Orioles for Scott Klingenbeck and a player to be named later (Kimera Bartee). Erickson provided the Orioles with 16 good starts in 1995 and then threw over 900 innings for them from 1996 to 1999. His 1997 and 1998 seasons were particularly impressive, especially when you account for the high run scoring era. Bartee was nothing special, and fittingly, the Orioles drafted him from the Twins in the rule 5 draft after the 1995 season. Klingenbeck was no sure thing prospect, but I'm sure the Twins were hoping to get more than 77 innings out of him. He posted an 8.30 ERA in those innings, and I'm sure Twins fans were hoping they had seen fewer than 77 innings from him.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    Well, first impressions fade slowly. For me, and for all Twins fans, the first impression of Scott Erickson was a dominant young starter who won 20 games in the 1991 Championship season, finishing second in Cy Young voting. In addition, he wore black socks. He was also sullen and often ornery. By the end, he seemed ready to leave Minnesota. I love Minnesota, so I was not sad to see him go. However, his side of the story is interesting and somewhat perceptive.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    Erickson's quotes after the trade are pretty priceless. Here are some I found in an article from the Associated Press:
     
    "If we had made an effort to win, go out and get players and make it a lucrative place for free agents, none of this would have happened."
     
    It should be noted that Erickson gave these statements while sitting in his Jeep Cherokee. That certainly changes things as a Jeep Cherokee is a comfortable ride and you know he wasn't feeling anything but anger toward the Twins because his plush Jeep seats were keeping him comfortable and that famous Jeep suspension was about to give him a smooth ride.
     
    "I feel bad for the guys, it's like the organization has given up on the team. It's a joke."
     
    While I found many examples of Erickson being aloof and butting heads with team leadership, I did not find any mentions of actual clashes with teammates. I found some examples of teammates teasing him, but that can't be too surprising. He was kind of an odd duck.
     
    Dave Stevens wanted to weigh in, as he did after the Aguilera trade:
     
    "It's like a morgue in here."
     
    Well said. It was literally a bunch of dead bodies in refrigerators. Hyperbole aside, you can understand why Twins players were frustrated with these moves. Every athlete wants to win, and win now. When an organization trades a team's best reliever and a good starter within 24 hours, morgue analogies start to fly. It's a frustrating situation for players and fans.
     
    As for why each team chose to make this trade, The Baltimore Sun was kind enough to summarize each team's rationale. Cute!
     
    "Why this would make sense for the Orioles: Erickson long has been renowned for his great stuff, a sinking fastball that would translate into outs on the grass at Camden Yards. He's only 27, and could be a good fourth starter, behind Mike Mussina, Kevin Brown and Ben McDonald. Unlike David Cone, Kevin Tapani or Bret Saberhagen, he doesn't cost the Orioles a major prospect."
     
    We'll get to Tapani next week. This proved to be mostly correct, as Erickson was a good 4th starter and did not cost the Orioles a good prospect. I mean, Scott Klingenbeck, AMIRITE? However, he did not see better success in Baltimore, as Erickson posted a 103 ERA+ with the Twins and a 97 ERA+ with the Orioles.
     
    "Why this would make sense for the Twins: They want to reduce payroll, and Erickson makes $1.8625 million this year and is in line to make more next year. In addition, Erickson's days as an effective pitcher for the Twins may be over; he doesn't see eye to eye with manager Tom Kelly."
     
    Well, the Twins pretty much always want to reduce payroll, right? It's interesting but I have written about four Twins trades now and three were made for largely financial reasons. I'm guessing this won't be the last one either. Erickson's days as an effective starter were hardly over. Not seeing eye to eye with Tom Kelly makes sense because Erickson is very tall.
     
    Analysis
     
    Simple enough: Erickson didn't want to be here, The Twins didn't want Erickson to be here anymore and the Twins could save some money by jettisoning him and making him someone else's problem. If the Twins didn't want him, they should take what they could get for him, even if the return was literally a used diaper filled with sadness. I am willing to bet that the 900 innings that Erickson threw between 1996 and 1999 would have come in handy for the Twins. However, Erickson started having injury issues in the Willenium and was mostly done as a quality starter by age 32.
     
    Did Erickson have a point about the organization though? This was the mid-90s. These were truly awful Twins teams. The Front Office was not opposed to bringing in older veterans, especially if they had Minnesota ties. However, it never seemed that the team was willing to do what it took to be an actual contender. Perhaps they were trying, but simply failing. If that is the case, then Erickson is out of line. However, if the team was not fully committed to winning or building a winner, then Erickson's quotes only sting because they reflect the truth.
     
    He lived with the Twins in that era, we only watched them.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Erickson with the Orioles: 13.2
    Klingenbeck with the Twins: -1.6 (ouch)
    Bartee with the Twins: null
     
    WAR won by the Orioles!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    Scott Erickson may have had an abrasive demeanor at times, but he may have made some salient points on his way out of Minnesota as well.
  22. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Holiday Mailbag? Holiday Mailbag.
     
    I hope everyone had a fun and leisurely 4th. I kept it cool, just hanging out in my house and laying low. I watched the Twins game yesterday and I was saddened by Kyle Gibson's performance. I think he'll bounce back, but seeing him struggle was a good reminder that he is a rookie and there will be growing pains. Enough analysis, I'm here to answer questions from myself.
     
    Carlos Gomez is currently among the league leaders in WAR. The Twins had Carlos Gomez in their clutches. Did the Twins give up on Carlos Gomez too soon?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    In a word - no. The Twins gave Gomez nearly 1000 at bats in 2008 and 2009 and he posted an OPS+ of 73. He was a great defender, but the Twins also had Denard Span, who could capably play center and produced as an offensive player. It's true that Gomez was only 23 when he was traded away, but the Twins did land J.J. Hardy for him, and Hardy has been a good shortstop for the past few seasons.
     
    Of course, the Twins did give up on Hardy too soon, but that is a completely separate issue. Gomez looked like a bust, couldn't hit a breaking ball to save his life, and seemed like a bit of doorknob as well. He's flourishing right now, but were the Twins really supposed to wait five season for that to happen? I think that's quite unfair.
     
    This was a make-or-break season for Trevor Plouffe. Would he show off the massive power that he demonstrated last June? Would his arm be accurate enough to play third? Could he post a decent OBP to go with all that SLG? To me, he looks much improved. He has hit well enough to boost his OBP and while he isn't hitting a home run every other day, he is providing above average power. His defense is still a bit shaky at third, but he isn't sailing quite as many throws as he had last season. Overall, I think that if he can stay healthy, he can be a positive contributor for the next few seasons.
     
    What are your thoughts on Trevor Plouffe? Thanks!
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Trevor Plouffe loves America.
     
    Nick Blackburn started his second game of the season for the Gulf Coast Twins on Wednesday. Do you see Blackburn making another start in a Twins uniform?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    It wouldn't surprise me, simply because he makes more money than anyone else in the current rotation and the current rotation has been a series of train wrecks occurring during earthquakes. However, he seems to be the same hittable Nick Blackburn in the Gulf Coast League. Through eight innings, Blackburn has given up nine hits to mostly children. If Blackburn can't dominate in the GCL, he has no business near the MLB.
     
    However, the Twins like Blackburn and they always have. If he puts together a good stretch in AAA (I assume he gets sent to AAA after he finishes his rehab), he might get a start or two with the big club. I don't think he would truly deserve them, but it would be a good story and a lot of fans would enjoy seeing him pitch. I wouldn't, but a lot of others would.
     
    What the H is wrong with the bullpen lately?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Brian Duensing isn't dominating lefties, so he pretty much has no value. Jared Burton is walking almost twice as many batters as he did last season. Josh Roenicke has a 3.25 ERA somehow, but he is walking nearly as many batters as he strikes out. Ryan Pressly isn't quite as good as his ERA, but he's been solid.
     
    On the plus side, Glen Perkins is outstanding and Casey Fien looks like a keeper. Caleb Thielbar will never allow a run. Mark that down, I am predicting that Thielbar will finish his career with an ERA of zero.
     
    If Burton can get back on track, the bullpen will be solid once more. If not, well that would be sad.
     
    Aaron Hicks is a much better hitter from the right side. Should the Twins make Hicks abandon switch hitting and focus on just batting right handed?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    It's not that simple. Let's look at the issue:
     

    Issue - Aaron Hicks struggles as a left-handed batter.

     

    Solution - Aaron Hicks should only bat right-handed.

    Perhaps, but he hasn't hit right-handed against right-handed pitching since... well, middle school maybe? Now, we are asking Hicks to hit same-handed pitching for the first time in years, and to do it against MLB pitching? It's just not as easy as some are making it out to be.
     
    If you think that Hicks should learn to hit right-handed pitching from the right side, you are assuming that he is more likely to learn how to hit same-handed pitching after not doing so for years than he is to learn how to hit right-handed pitching as a lefty, which he has at least practiced for many years.
     
    Here's a really great article from Beyond the Box Score that shows just how rare a successful conversion for Hicks would be: BTB on Switch Hitting? Basically, it's not as simple as some seem to think it is and successful examples are few and far between.
     
    I say let him at least try to hit righties as a lefty for a couple seasons. If the evidence continues to mount, then it might be time to try something new.
     
    Are you warming on Sam Deduno and Clete Thomas? You have been a noted "hater" when it comes to these players.
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Deduno, yes; Thomas, no. I don't think either guy is anything special, but Deduno doesn't stand to take playing time from anyone more deserving or young, while Thomas started in place of Chris Parmelee on Wednesday, which made my blood boil. Parmelee may be nothing special, but he at least has a chance to be something useful in the future. If this happens regularly, or if Thomas takes at bats from Aaron Hicks or Oswaldo Arcia, then I will lose my S altogether.
     
    There is simply no point in playing Clete Thomas unless you have to. He isn't good enough to change a game and he isn't young enough or promising enough to think that he can be anything more than a fourth outfielder. What happens with Darin Mastroianni comes back? I think Mastroianni is a better player and he is (slightly) younger. If Thomas is just a bench guy, then that works for me. If he is a consistent starter, then I just don't get it.
     
    Kyle Gibson made his MLB debut last weekend. Who will be the next impact prospect to debut for the Twins?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Does Josmil Pinto count? I could see Pinto getting a September call-up because he is on the 40-man roster and he's mashing at AA. He isn't a top 10 prospect, but he certainly looks interesting and he would be fun to watch.
     
    It could be Miguel Sano, but I think the Twins will use any opportunity to keep him in the Minors for just a bit longer. Alex Meyer is hurt and Trevor May has been inconsistent. Short of those guys, it almost would have to be Pinto.
     
    So, that is my answer, but if you think he is not an impact prospect, then I think Sano will be next, but in 2014.
     
    Thanks for all the questions, me. Have a nice weekend, everyone!
  23. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    The Twins and Royals split a four-game series over the long weekend. It was an EPIC series! Well, it wasn't all that epic, but PHANTOM CAM made it a bit more epic. I'll be honest, I'd like to watch an entire game in PHANTOM CAM. Although, that would take a few years. Think of all we would see though! Here are some thoughts I have from the PHANTOM CAM series.
     
    Kyle Gibson
     
    I believe Kyle Gibson made his debut this weekend. Either that or Fox Sports North randomly decided to interview every single important person in Kyle Gibson's life for some other reason. I thought he looked great on Saturday. He kept the ball down, showed good fastball command and missed some bats. Even in the inning when he was touched for runs, he didn't really give up a lot of solid contact. In the end, he went six innings, only gave up two earned runs, struck out five and didn't walk a soul. He probably could have went out for the seventh, but it was nice to get him out of there with a successful quality start.
     
    I'm a fan. I think he's here to stay.
     
    P.J. Walters
     
    On the flip side, I think P.J. Walters might be on his way out. He had a few good starts after his call-up, but he simply isn't a quality MLB starter. His ERA is now over 6 and his peripherals are brutal. He's averaging fewer than five innings per start and that just wrecks the bullpen. Once Pelfrey's healthy, I see no reason to give him another start and no reason to keep him on the 40-man roster. I'd probably DFA him right now and bask in the roster flexibility.
     
    This may seem premature, but Walters also sports a 4.45 ERA in just about 600 AAA innings. He's not worth worrying about.
     
    Joe Mauer is done?
     
    Mauer was 0-15 in the Royals series, which means he needs to be released right now. There is a zero percent chance he ever breaks out of this slump. In fact, I hope he just decides to retire and save us all a lot of grief. If he could disappear from the public eye as well, I know I would appreciate it.
     
    Miguel Sano's #rig
     
    Lost in the recent hoopla regarding Byron Buxton's freaking dominance as a baseball player and human being is Miguel Sano's dominance as a baseball player and human being. Sano is slugging over .600 since his recent promotion, which is soul bossa nova. Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus was in New Britain, getting an eyeful of Sano. Here is a particularly encouraging tweet from his visit:


    Sano is a much better athlete than people realize; run is 5+; glove will be at least 5; arm is 7; raw 8; hit 5; legit instincts as well
    — Jason Parks (@ProfessorParks) June 29, 2013
     
    If Sano is an average runner, hitter and fielder, he will be a superstar. His power plays no matter what, but if he can hit, then it plays huge. In case you need more about his glove, read this:

    He will stick at 3B. He can play. RT @goonerwinitall: @ProfessorParks does he stick at third or move to 1b/dh?
    — Jason Parks (@ProfessorParks) June 29, 2013
     
    Wowzers. The Twins have two budding superstars. What a time to be a Twins' fan. Here is some madness, just to balance out your excitement:
     
    Former Twin Update - Jason Marquis
     
    Since being released by the Twins last season, Jason Marquis is somehow 15 and 10, with an ERA just over 4. Not great, but certainly better than Mike Pelfrey, Vance Worley, P.J. Walters, and Pedro Hernandez this season. However, I wouldn't buy a San Diego Marquis jersey any time soon. This season, he has posted ratios of 5.9 K/9 and 5.0 BB/9. Those numbers suck. I wouldn't be surprised to see a line like this in the very near future:
     
    1.2 IP, 9 H, 8 R, 8 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, L.
     
    He'll regress and it will be hard.
     
    Random Photoshop - Matt Harvey Dent
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-klfneFWm8IU/UdCstBdg9HI/AAAAAAAAAvc/KTTmmGPpn7o/s320/mattharveydent.png
     
    I'm not sure I can add much in the way of words.
     
    Fun Stat - Kyle Gibson's First Stat Line
     
    Kyle Gibson's final stat line from his first MLB start:
     
    6 IP, 8 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, W.
     
    Why is that significant? It's the only time a Twin has posted that line. Sounds crazy, but it's true. I used Baseball Reference's game index so it has to be true. Don't believe me? Here's your proof. Gibson's first start was both highly anticipated and somehow extremely historic/rare. Fun, but stupid.
     
    KWL Chart - Clete Thomas
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-voRTIb1neBM/UdCs-aYZVDI/AAAAAAAAAvk/Hao2BS-PDCg/s400/KWL+Thomas.png
     
    Poll Results
     
    Clete Thomas wins! The poll question: If you absolutely had to fight one of these players, who would you choose?
     
    Results:
     

    Josh Willingham - 2 votes (scaredy cats)
    Tyler Robertson - 10 votes
    Clete Thomas - 33 votes
    Mike Pelfrey - 11 votes

    The correct answer is Mike Pelfrey because he seems jovial and nice and might take it easy on you. The obvious answer seems to be Clete, but man does he have crazy eyes. I'm not sure what he would do in a fight. I added a new poll, please vote on the side of my blog, Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Link to Something Good I said
     
    I appeared on a Yankees radio show with Ricky Keeler of Yanks Go Yard. We discussed a variety of topics and it was a load of fun. Click here to hear my nasal, shrill, crackly voice. You can listen to me slowly get more comfortable talking then try to make bad jokes at times.
     
    Parting Ways
     
    I wanted to write a short parody of Pearl Jam's Parting Ways to lead in to the Yankee series, but I am not creative and that song is mostly instrumental. Instead, here is a short poem:
     
    The Twins play the Yanks
    People love Tom Hanks
    November is for Thanks
    Some dudes pull pranks
     
    I suck at poems. Have a nice week, everyone!
  24. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    For those who are unfamiliar with this feature, I scour the most reliable internet sites to try to determine whether or not a former Minnesota Twin is forgotten or not. I use all the best sites – Wikipedia, Google, Bing, eBay, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and Baseball Reference. If the player isn't featured to my liking, they are officially forgotten. The entire first paragraph will come from my own memory though. No guarantees for accuracy or insight. At the very end, I will ask one random person if they remember the player. Let’s start with someone I barely remember.
     
    I also wrote about Brian Harper and Gary Wayne this week. If you click on their names, you can learn a whole lot more about each of them.
     
    Enjoy!
     
    My memories of Bernardo Brito
     
    Can I say pass? I certainly remember his name because it's hilarious. But who is Bernardo Brito? I'm going to say he was an outfielder and that he was only with the Twins for two seasons. I want to say that he was on a Hall of Fame path as well. I'll guess that he played for the Twins from 1993 to 1994 and that he hit about 7 home runs. As you can clearly see, I have basically no recollection of Bernardo Brito.
     
    Let's do some research!
     
    Wikipedia
     
    Oh goodness, what a gold mine! Apparently he is known as "El Pupo." Fantastic. I love Bernardo Brito. I can't find a translation, but Google Image seems to think it means bellybutton. Is Bernardo Brito "The Bellybutton?" I am so glad I chose him. Brito was born on December 4, 1963 in San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. He made his MLB debut on September 15, 1992. He was known for his power and hit five career home runs. He was an outfielder! He played in Japan after leaving the Twins in 1995 and also played for the Sioux Falls Canaries. His nickname was "The Bellybutton."
     
    Baseball Reference
     
    Brito was signed out of the Dominican Republic in 1980 and made his debut in 1992. That is wild! Brito is the most fascinating player ever. Brito played 40 games for the Twins spread out over 1992, 1993 and 1995. He hit .219/.237/.466 in those games. His Minor League stats are amazing. He hit 295 career Minor League home runs. He played over 700 AAA games. He had just under 1500 hits in the Minors. His 1994 season at AAA: .309/.353/.572, 24 doubles, 29 home runs, 122 RBI. The Bellybutton!
     
    Google
     
    Well, the third result down is a bit discouraging. Apparently I completely ripped this idea off from RandBall. Great. We've come too far to not proceed; I'll just have to make sure to not completely rip him off.
     
    Stu's Hunt Down
     
    No! That would be ripping him off. Idiot
     
    Back to Google
     
    Bernardo Brito E Cunha appears to be a Portuguese writer. Going down South America way, I guess. Anyway, he does not seem to be related to our Brito. Here's a great Google Image result of Brito when he was apparently 13 years old: Young Pupo. The card looks to be a million years old, and I really wish I had it.
     
    Bing
     
    Bing is stupid. Regardless, I'll use it. The Stu's Hunt Down feature is at the bottom of the second page of results, so that's something different. On the fourth page of results, I did find this baseball card on Amazon, which you can buy for just over 7 bucks. It's a great way to commemorate that awesome 1994 season that I mentioned earlier. The paid search results seem to be imploring me to "find Bernardo Brito" and "uncover Bernardo Brito," which makes me worried that we have a missing persons case on our hands. Probably not the case.
     
    eBay
     
    Oh man. Did you ever want a really fake looking baseball card AND a signed note card of Bernardo Brito? Here you go! You know this is an authentic autograph because no one would forge a note card. I had a friend write the third verse from Onyx's "Slam" on a note card in 3rd grade and that is the only note card I would take over this Brito autograph. No word on whether or not the note card is GEM MINT 10!!!
     
    Facebook
     
    Bernardo Brito doesn't have a facebook page that I can find. He doesn't have a fan page yet either. That's garbage. El Pupo needs a fan page. If anyone wants to go ahead and start one, I'll add a link at a later date. Garbage.
     
    Twitter
     
    Ok, there is definitely a guy named Bernardo Brito on Twitter and he tweets a lot. I don't think it's our man though. I can't read any of it, because I don't speak any languages, but the picture doesn't match and I can see faces. I decided to look for "el pupo brito" and that led me to this man who is arguing that Brito is a better hitter than Albert Pujols and Jose Bautista. Do you want to argue that?

    El Pupo Brito. RT @Josearmandoacta: Quién es mejor jugador en la actualidad: José Bautista o Albert Pujols?
    — Carlos Maxwell (@carlosmaxwell) June 29, 2012
     
    There are all kinds of tweets including Brito and other fun baseball players but I can't read any of them because I only took 8 years of Spanish and I'm a fantastic student.
     
    YouTube
     
    I decided to roll the dice using "el pupo brito" as my search terms on YouTube, but the first result was about Julia Stiles, so I think I failed. I tried everything, you guys. I looked for Brito, Brito plus Twins, Brito plus baseball and there's just nothing. The internet is devoid of Bernardo Brito videos. This video of the
    will have to suffice.  
    Random Person
     
    I sent a text to a friend regarding Brito:
     

    Me: Do you remember Bernardo Brito?
    Friend: Nope
    Me: Did you know he was nicknamed "El Pupo?"
    Friend: How would I?

    Good point.
     
    Verdict
     
    I say he's forgotten. You can't have an HOF nickname like El Pupo or The Bellybutton,have such a lack of quality internet information and still be remembered. When you throw in his Minor League career, Japanese career and huge power, it just feels like there should be more to uncover. Thus, Bernardo Brito goes into the "forgotten" category, joining Pedro Munoz and Freddie Toliver.
     
    What is your favorite El Pupo memory? Do you even have one?
  25. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Back in 1989, the Twins ripped my tiny heart out and traded my favorite person from New York for a bunch of crap that I didn't care about. Let's investigate why they would devastate a child in such a manner.
     
    I also recapped the Tom Brunansky for Tom Herr trade on Thursday. If you want to, you can read it here.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    On July 31, 1989, the Minnesota Twins traded the truly beautiful Frank Viola to the New York Mets for Rick Aguilera, Kevin Tapani, Tim Drummond, David West and Jack Savage. Viola continued to be a fantastic human being and pitcher for the Mets over the next two-and-a-half seasons. Aguilera started 11 games for the Twins in 1989, but quickly became their closer the following season. Tapani would become a good, reliable starter for the Twins. Drummond, Savage and West didn't deserve to be in a trade with the great Frank Viola.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    I think it's quite clear that I was upset. In fact, I cried when I heard. That's right, I actually cried. WHO WANTS TO FIGHT ME??? Well, I was seven and I was a kid and I was kind of emotional about my second favorite player. In addition, I hadn't heard of any of the losers the Twins got for Viola and I didn't really care anyway because I loved Frank Viola and I wanted to pitch like him even though I was right-handed and I sucked at pitching. Grrr, it's angering up my blood right now. Anyway, I did cry and I don't even care. I was seven; it was traumatizing. I'LL CRY RIGHT NOW, I DON'T CARE!!!
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    Ok monster, explain why this trade should have been made:
     
    "Minnesota general manager Andy MacPhail says he traded Frank Viola partially because he believes the left-hander's ability is diminishing."
     
    This came from this New York Times, AP story on the trade. Of course, this statement reveals MacPhail as a heartless monster who doesn't know how to evaluate his talent or understand when he has a wonderful player with a great mustache under contract for a reasonable rate. Here's more:
     
    "Anytime you deal a guy who has done all Frankie has done for us, it's tough," MacPhail told the St. Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch. "But the velocity of his fastball was diminishing. It seemed they were catching up with him."
     
    Surely, Viola would see diminished returns in 1990, due to this abhorrent decrease in velocity. Oh wait, 20 wins and almost 250 innings is FANTASTIC! FANTASTIC! Good grief., you called him "Frankie," you clearly love him too. Now this New York Times piece on the trade explains why the Mets would make this Shaq slam dunk of a trade, breaking the proverbial backboard of awesome lefties with great facial hair and accents. Or whatever.
     
    ''I know we gave up a lot,'' Johnson said, ''but he's one of the best.'' Twins Wanted More
     
    Johnson is Mets' manager Davey Johnson and he's clearly a genius. Yeah, he was one of the best. He was coming off a Cy Young season. I guess the Twins wanting more shows that they weren't complete jerkstores, but they should have asked for even more than they did. It's Frank Viola. Ask for the World.
     
    Ok, I feel better now. Clearly, I cannot reconcile the fan part of me with the blog-guy part of me on this issue.
     
    Analysis
     
    Emotions aside, this was a good trade for the Twins. Viola had been signed to a rich contract, but the Twins were not a great team, so shedding the payroll was a logical move. It was still a sucky move, though. On the field, the Twins basically turned Viola into five new pitchers. Tapani did a decent job taking the place of Viola in the rotation and Aguilera became one of the best closers in franchise history. The other three guys didn't really pan out, but just Aguilera and Tapani alone made this a good trade for the Twins.
     
    However, MacPhail was wrong about Viola. His stuff may have been diminishing, but he certainly pitched well for three-and-a-half more seasons, fulfilling that contract as best as he could. In 1990, he won 20 games for the Mets and finished third in Cy Young voting. In 1991, he regressed a bit, but still won 13 games. He bounced back and had two more good seasons with Boston in '92 and '93, but was basically done after those two seasons. He and I lost touch after he left for the Red Sox.
     
    The trade worked out well, but he was Sweet Music! How could the Twins do this to the fans? How could they do this to the clubhouse? Most importantly, how could they do this me? I deserved better. I pretty much disliked Aguilera for the next few seasons, just because he was acquired for my beloved Viola.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Viola for the Mets: 9.7
     
    Aguilera for the Twins: 16.1
     
    Tapani for the Twins: 18.7
     
    West for the Twins: 0.0
     
    Drummond for the Twins: 0.9
     
    Savage for the Twins: -1.1
     
    Total for the Twins: 34.6
     
    WAR won by the Twins!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    Frank Viola transcends WAR, so this trade was terrible.
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