Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account

Brad Swanson

Verified Member
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,200

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Profiles

News

Minnesota Twins Videos

2026 Minnesota Twins Top Prospects Ranking

2022 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

Minnesota Twins Free Agent & Trade Rumors, Notes, & Tidbits

Guides & Resources

2023 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

The Minnesota Twins Players Project

2024 Minnesota Twins Draft Picks

2025 Minnesota Twins Draft Pick Tracker

Forums

Blogs

Events

Store

Downloads

Gallery

Blog Entries posted by Brad Swanson

  1. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Yesterday, I outlined six starting pitchers who I think the Twins should target in an effort to boost their rotation. If you missed it, you can find it here. I am focusing on pitchers who are far from free agency, but maybe not household names. I want to find another Vance Worley, but this time, I'd like for it to work out a bit better. Instead of a flood of sadness, perhaps a geyser of effective innings?
     
    My one question to myself was why would teams give up these valuable players? It's not like they don't have idiots checking Fangraphs for walk and ground ball rates too. They know what xFIPs are. However, the Phillies traded Vance Worley just one year ago. While we all know how that turned out, it could have worked out nicely for the Twins. I mean, Worley had an excellent rookie season in 2011. He regressed a bit in 2012, but fought injuries too. He was just 25 and years from free agency. There was still reason to think he would be an effective pitcher going forward. He certainly wasn't in 2013, although he could still bounce back.
     
    The Vance Worley trade looks like a failure because of how he (and Trevor May to an extent) performed, but the idea wasn't a bad one. Find a good, but not dominant starter and add him to the back of the rotation cheaply. Moves like those free the team up for hypothetical free agent signings and blockbuster trades that aren't likely to happen 'round these parts. We can dream though.
     
    Anyway, I have six more players who I think fit that Worley archetype. Would you like to see them?
     
    Ivan Nova - New York Yankees - Age 27 in 2014, Free Agent in 2017
     
    Nova probably seems like an odd inclusion. You don't have to dig to find out why he's good, he was just good in 2013. His 3.10 ERA was better than his 3.68 xFIP, so it's not like there's some great hidden value that some dork on Fangraphs can unearth. To explain his inclusion, I'll create a narrative. I just think Nova's a fine pitcher and I'm not sure a fine pitcher is right for the Yankees. The Yankees want stars, not values. They want CC Sabathias not Ivan Novas. Don't get me wrong, they'll use Ivan Novas, but they prefer to have BIG STAR names instead. Nova is a good pitcher. His ground ball rate is outstanding, he limits walks and his strikeout rate is good, although not great. The Twins would properly appreciate his value. End narrative.
     
    Wily Peralta - Milwaukee Brewers - Age 25 in 2014, Free Agent in 2019
     
    When the Brewers signed Kyle Lohse right before last season, I posited that Peralta might become available via trade. I was completely wrong, but maybe the right deal didn't come along. Peralta's youth and upside would make him a more expensive trade target. His talent is so great that it might be worth paying a slight premium to acquire him. Peralta throws hard (94-95) but it hasn't translated to MLB strikeouts just yet (16.1% K rate in 2013). His walk rate is not high, but higher than I'd like (9.1%). His ground ball rate is nice though (51%). With some natural development, Peralta could still reach his lofty prospect ceiling. Right now, he's a number 4 or 5, but he could become a 3 and maybe even a 2. 1 to watch.
     
    David Phelps - New York Yankees - Age 27 in 2014, Free Agent in 2019
     
    Back to the Big Apple! Phelps has shuffled between the Yankee rotation and bullpen over the past two seasons. As a reliever, he racks up strikeouts, with a 28% rate in 2013. As a starter, his K rate drops almost ten points, but still hovers around league-average. His walk rate actually dipped as a starter too. Phelps is a fly ball pitcher and we all know that left-handed power is suppressed at Target Field. His 2013 ERA was just under five, but his xFIP was just over four. He was lucky with HR/FB ratio, but had some bad luck with strand rate and BABIP. In all, Phelps could be a reliable 4th or 5th starter and I can't imagine he would cost much in return.
     
    Todd Redmond - Toronto Blue Jays - Age 29 in 2014, Free Agent in 2020
     
    Redmond might be a one-year wonder, but his 2013 season was a quiet breakout campaign. Redmond basically spent all of 2009-2012 in AAA with Atlanta and Cincinnati. The Blue Jays had some injury issues in their rotation, so Redmond got his chance. He made 14 starts for the Blue Jays and posted a decent 4.32 ERA. His xFIP of 4.16 nearly matches, so you can basically believe what you see on the surface. Redmond's primary pitch is his sinker, but he has extreme fly ball tendencies. Very odd. Redmond gave up a lot of home runs last season, but his strikeout and walk rates were both very good and right in line with how he pitched in AAA for all those years. The Twins have had luck with sinkerballers in the past, and if Redmond becomes available again (he was waived twice last year), he could be a decent fifth starter for a few years. Just don't give him a Blackburn contract.
     
    Esmil Rogers - Toronto Blue Jays - Age 28 in 2014, Free Agent in 2017
     
    BACK TO BACK BLUE JAYS! Canada is cool. Rogers throws hard, with a fastball sitting 93-94. His ERA in 2013 was a poor 4.77, but his xFIP was an acceptable 4.06. Rogers split his season between the bullpen and rotation and actually saw his strikeout rate jump when starting (17.4% to 11.3%) although he generally struck out more batters as a reliever in the past. Rogers gets enough ground balls and was a little unlucky with home runs last season. Rogers isn't going to be anything more than a 4th or 5th starter, but he could fill that role very cheaply. If nothing else, he could be Anthony Swarzak's replacement in long relief when Swarzak starts next year. Right?
     
    Nick Tepesch - Texas Rangers - Age 25 in 2014, Free Agent in 2019
     
    I'm fond of Tepesch. In 2013, Tepesch was an early Rookie of the Year candidate, before fading hard in June and July. He ended the season with 17 starts, an ERA of 4.84 and an xFIP of 3.82. Tepesch is triple good - good strikeout rate, good walk rate, good ground ball rate. He's a sinker/slider pitcher who works around 90-91. Tepesch's slider is excellent, but his sinker and fastball were very hittable in 2013. He's just 25, but he projects to be the Rangers' sixth starter at best, possibly lower considering they just signed Colby Lewis. The Rangers could use a LF/DH kind of guy and the Twins have this Josh Willingham dude who they should really be considering shopping around. It's just an idea, but Tepesch isn't bad return for a 35-year-old, soon-to-be-free agent coming of an injury-plagued season.
     
    That's my list, what do you think? Obviously some of these guys are more impressive than others. If the Twins just exchange Mike Pelfrey for Esmil Rogers in the 2014 rotation, fans should rightfully picket Target Field and post snarky (but not clever) comments on the Twins' Facebook page. However, if the Twins could possibly land a big free agent like Matt Garza and then make a trade for someone like Dallas Keuchel, the rotation could be pretty decent for a good while. I'm finding it hard to believe the Twins will sign a big free agent, do you really think they'll sign two or more?
     
    All teams need 4th and 5th starters. Kevin Correia is the only Twins pitcher who I would consider a reliable 4th or 5th starter. Unfortunately, he's masquerading as their Ace. Adding to the back of the rotation is not exciting, but it helps win games. If Correia was the Twins' 4th best starter, the rotation could be pretty good. The 2000s Twins had some unsexy, but reliable starters at the back of their rotations. The 12 guys I outlined won't help transform the team, but they are good supplements. Some could be even better. I support exploring all avenues.
  2. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    I've been writing so much about free agency lately, it's sick! Last week, I addressed the position players the Twins should target. This week, I've been counting down my top 30 starting pitching targets for the Twins. If you missed any of this mini-dynasty, I'll provide you some links. Since I wrote these, things have changed, but most of my ideas aren't super player-specific, more of an overall philosophy.
     
    Translation: please click these links so I can feel cool.
     
    Infielders
    Outfielders and Catchers
    Relief Pitchers and Starting Pitchers 30-21
    Starting Pitchers 20-11
     
    Now that all the shameless self-promotion is clear, we can get back to the starting pitcher countdown. Here are the top ten starting pitching targets for the Twins, in my opinion (which should be obvious because I am writing this):
     
    10. Scott Feldman
     
    Nothing sexy about Scott Feldman. This is not an indictment on his looks either, he just doesn't excite me as a pitcher. His walk rates are generally good, his strikeout rates are in the Twins Zone and he's reasonably young. His ground ball rate was great in 2013 and with the Twins' good infield defense, he could be a decent fit. If Feldman is the second or third best starting pitcher the Twins sign, the off-season could be categorized as a success. If he's the crown jewel of the 2013 off-season? Yawn.
     
    9. Bronson Arroyo
     
    HOT RUMOR!! If news reports are to be believed, Bronson Arroyo is somewhere in the Twin Cities area, lurking, waiting to sign a contract with our beloved Twins. Be on the lookout for a man in his late 30s with long hair and likely carrying an acoustic guitar and silly-walking like in Monty Python. Do not approach Arroyo, as he could recede back to Cincinnati if spooked.
     
    I've already started to talk myself into Arroyo on the Twins, so that pretty much means he won't sign here. I was concerned about his age and lack of strikeouts, but overall, he looks like a pretty valuable pitcher. He's thrown over 2000 innings in the past 10 seasons and he's transformed from a control-enthusiast to a control-specialist. He'll be 37 next season and all pitchers are healthy until they aren't healthy any longer. If he does sign here, I'll be interested in the contract he receives. Anything more than two years or more than $10 million per season will elevate my levels. Stay below those thresholds and I'll be chill.
     
    According to Baseball Reference, his nickname is Saturn Nuts. I'm sensing a love-hate relationship starting here. If he even sings once, I want his contract voided.
     
    8. Ervin Santana
     
    Not a huge fan. He throws hard but that doesn't translate to strikeouts, so what's the point? His career strikeout rate is lower than Scott Baker's. It's only slightly higher than Kevin Slowey's. Santana is also prone to wildness and home runs. He's averaged over 200 innings the past four seasons, so he certainly has value. He's a good pitcher, I'll say that. He's reportedly looking for 5 years and over $100 million. That's crazy. Fans can harp on the Twins for being cheap all they want, but signing Santana to a contract that averages over $20 million per year is irresponsible. I'd rather my team be cheap than crazy.
     
    7. Scott Kazmir
     
    Kazmir will be only 30 next year. That's insane. I remember being jealous of my friend Brad because he had Kazmir on his fantasy team. That was in 2005. I've been jealous for 9 years now. After completely falling apart in 2010-2011 and then missing all of 2012, Kazmir rebounded really nicely in 2013. He still throws basically as hard as he ever has and he still has great stuff. His 4.04 ERA in 2013 isn't special, but his 3.36 xFIP shows that he may be a huge upside signing. His 2013 could end up looking like a huge fluke, but I'm not sure that it will. He'd be a lot higher up my list if I could just get one more year to look at him. The Twins won't have that luxury, so if they want him, they need to be bold. I like him, I'd go 3-4 years if needed.
     
    6. Ubaldo Jimenez
     
    Is Jimenez consistent? Here are his last 5 xFIPs - 3.59, 3.60, 3.71, 4.98, 3.62. I can explain the 4.98! Strikeout rate dipped, walk rate spiked, strand rate dipped, ground ball rate plummeted, home run/fly ball rate spiked. There, it all makes sense now. Why did all of those rates change so dramatically in 2012? I'm not sure. His 2013 looks a lot like his 2009, 2010 and 2011. If his 2012 had matched, he'd be looking at a massive payday. Instead, he'll have to settle for a tremendous payday. It's a subtle difference, I agree. I'm not worried about him as a pitcher, but he's far too rich for the thrifty Twins, so he rates a bit lower than others.
     
    5. A.J. Burnett
     
    Burnett would probably be number 1 on my list if there was any chance that he would actually sign here. His combination of high ground ball rate and good strikeout rate is so enticing. He has also really gotten his control under control (ugh) as he has aged. Of course, none of this matters as Burnett is reportedly unwilling to pitch anywhere that isn't within walking distance of his home in Maryland (exaggeration). Now there are reports that he may retire. Regardless of what he chooses to do, he won't pitch for the Twins in 2014.
     
    What if the Twins just went insane and offered him 2 years, $36 million? I bet he'd consider that. If things really fall apart and all their targets sign elsewhere, I'm not so sure that wouldn't be a smart offer to make. They have the money, right?
     
    4. Dan Haren
     
    We would feel a lot differently about Dan Haren if we called him "Dangerous" Danny Haren like I want us to. That would give him an edge. Instead, he's a fairly boring option. He doesn't throw hard, he's had some recent ups and downs and he isn't really a big name anymore. He is consistent though. His xFIP has been 4 or below since 2005. His ground ball rate has been diminishing and his strikeout rate is dipping (as a trend, it was up a bit last season), but his walk rate is strikingly consistent, and low. His 2012 and 2013 seasons were disappointing, likely as he learned to deal with that diminishing ground ball rate. He seemed to figure it out in the second half of 2013, posting an 3.40 xFIP as his strand rate and BABIPs stabilized. He averaged well over 200 innings from 2005-2011 and he's still just 33. He never really relied on power stuff, so his age is less of a factor. He signed a one year, $13 million dollar deal for last season and a similar deal would be very reasonable for the Twins.
     
    3. Ricky Nolasco
     
    You know how some pitchers outperform their peripheral stats? Nolasco consistently underperforms relative to his peripherals. His walk rates have always been excellent and his strikeout rates were consistently good until they weren't any more. His career 3.52 K/BB ratio is just fantastic! His career 4.37 ERA is not. His career xFIP of 3.75 is good! His dipping K rate is bad. He's a yoyo. He's averaged nearly 200 innings in his last three seasons and he is coming off his best season ever in 2013. He'll be 31 next year and should be looking to cash in. For a reasonable contract, I'd be interested. I worry his contract offers will exceed "reasonable." Oh, he's a slider enthusiast, and I'm not so sure we like that 'round these parts.
     
    2. Josh Johnson
     
    OH HOT DAMN A LOCAL BOY! Johnson was atrocious last season, his first with Toronto. Perhaps he didn't get used to drinking maple syrup every day? If you look closely, there are easy ways to explain away his poor performance. First, his strand rate was extremely low - 63.3% compared to his career rate of 74.2%. Second, his BABIP was .356, an astronomical number even if you don't believe in BABIP. Third, his home run to fly ball rate was 18.5%, over twice has high as his 8.2% career value. Add all those misfortunes together and you get a 6.20 ERA but a 3.58 xFIP. He'll be just 30 next season and won an ERA title only four short seasons ago.
     
    "BUY LOW," shouted the man. The Twins should offer one year and $whateverittakes million to get Johnson. If it takes two years, go for it. Three years? Yeah, maybe. 18 years? Don't be stupid.
     
    1. Matt Garza
     
    I've written this before, but Garza's debut is one of my fondest memories of recent Twins past. He was just such a delightful spaz that evening. I enjoyed his competitive personality and while he may legitimately have a screw loose, he is a solid pitcher. His 2013 was rocky, but he was coming off of a couple legit injuries.
     
    In 2011 and 2012, he looked like a budding ace. He had great strikeout rates, improved control and a suddenly solid ground ball rate. His ground ball rate plummeted last season, but his line drive rate jumped far beyond his career norm. I imagine those rates will even out. With a relatively stable strikeout rate, and ever-improving walk rate and no real noticeable loss of velocity, Garza would be an excellent target for his age 30-34 seasons. A five-year deal seems more than reasonable and I'd pay him big money.
     
    Would the Twins do it? Would they bring back someone they once jettisoned for Delmon Young? I have no idea. I Googled "Matt Garza Twins hate" and found nothing. It seems the waters are clear. Garza isn't an "ace" but he's a very good pitcher and would anchor this rotation. Projections seem to fall in the 4 years, $60 million range for Garza. The Twins might need to exceed that. Personally, I'd go 5 and 80 and hope he wants to come back. That's a lot of money. Deep breath.
     
    Special Note: Masahiro Tanaka. I learned long ago to stick to what I know and I know nothing of Japanese baseball. If he's as good as advertised, he'd be number 3 on this list. Since I can't speak of him with any authority or come up with any "jokes" about him, I'll just leave him here.
     
    So there we are. Tons of free agents rated and reviewed for your reading pleasure. Who will the Twins actually sign? I have no clue. I hope they are shockingly active. I'd love to see Garza, Johnson and Arroyo on this team next year. How wild would that be? Terry Ryan shows up at Spring Training with an earring. He starts calling everyone "playa." Constant Finger Guns. It would be amazing. Make it happen, TR.
  3. Brad Swanson

    November Mailbag!

    By Brad Swanson,

    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Welcome to another Minnesota Twins mailbag. There has been so much juicy Twins news in the past month, I just couldn't resist asking questions to qualified Twins analysts. Unfortunately, with the iOS7 upgrade, none of my emails, texts, tweets or vines actually send, so I'll just have to answer my own questions this time. This should be a nice change of pace.
     
    Would you move Joe Mauer to first base to alleviate any potential concussion issues going forward?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Thanks for reading! First, moving Mauer to first will not remove all risk of a concussion. The Twins used to have this guy named Justin Morneau. He was a former MVP and he played first for the Twins for like a decade. I think he played for Pittsburgh most recently. Anyway, he actually was injured while running the bases, so he could have been a DH and still gotten a concussion.
     
    Now, the risk of getting a concussion is still higher behind the plate. So yes, I would move him to first. A, first base is open right now. B, the Twins have a reasonable replacement at catcher in Josmil Pinto. C, Mauer may not hit a lot of home runs, but his .476 slugging percentage would have been sixth among qualified catchers. D, Mauer would be able to play more games at first than at catcher. E, if Miguel Sano breaks camp with the Twins (and I think he will), there will be plenty of over-the-fence power at the other corner.
     
    "F, you're a gimp."
     
    Maybe so, but this is a low risk move and I'd do it right now.
     
    Would you sign Johan Santana?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Yes, and I'd sign him to a twenty-year contract. I am essentially a completely biased Johan Santana guy. I'd bring him back at any cost and I wouldn't even care if he only served as Bert Blyleven's barber. For me, he's the best player of the last generation of Twins baseball and that includes Joe Mauer (who I love). Having Santana back in Minnesota just makes me happy.
     
    What if he somehow recovered from his injury? It would easily be the greatest story in Minnesota sports history. That might be an embellishment, but if Santana could come back for three productive seasons, he could get back on the Hall of Fame pace that he was on back in 2010. His glory days would pretty much all be in Minnesota and he'd be one of two Twins Hall of Famers from this era (Mauer again, save your rage).
     
    I'd sign him because I am a huge fan and he seems like a nice guy. At the right price, it's a low risk/high reward/good PR move. If he could actually pitch, it would be a cool bonus.
     
    What would your rotation look like in 2014, if no starters are signed between now and April?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Assuming that Santana is not brought back and the Twins decide to eschew their biggest need for another year, their rotation will be gross. Of the available arms, I would choose these five:
     
    Kevin Correia
    Kyle Gibson
    Scott Diamond
    Vance Worley
    Samuel Deduno
     
    I need a shower. That rotation will bring the Twins another top-5 pick in 2015. I don't want that. I would rather have a pick in the teens and watch a team win 70-75 games. Normally, I prefer bad teams to be really bad, but four years in a row with no hope is too much for me. Of those five, I'd really prefer that only Gibson is there next year. I'm willing to give Diamond and Worley another chance, but I'm not optimistic with either guy.
     
    In all honesty, I'd probably prefer Liam Hendriks to Sam Deduno, but I'm trying to go at least one week without being a stupid idiot. I still think that Deduno is a mirage. Also, he gets hurt a lot. Has anyone pointed that out? At least you can count on Hendriks to be awful every fifth day.
     
    What did you think of the World Series?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Excellent question! At one point I thought to myself, "I'd be happy if Carlos Beltran won a World Series."
     
    Why? I mean, when I got a promotion at work, Carlos Beltran didn't call me. He probably didn't even read the HR newsletter even though I FedEx'd it to him. It's almost as if we have no relationship whatsoever.
     
    As for the series, I find it hard to root for a team that has repeated success. I don't root against them, but I don't really care either. Both of these teams were going for a third title in the past ten seasons, so it was hard to care either way. Boston won. They went a billion years without a title or whatever, so I guess getting three in ten years is cool for them.
     
    Trevor Plouffe currently has 48 career home runs. Do you think he will hit 100 in his career?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    Nope. Plouffe looked like a legitimate power hitter just about fifteen months ago. His 2013 season was actually pretty decent, and he improved slightly in most offensive areas. His home runs regressed and that hurt his slugging and therefore his OPS, OPS+, wRC+, WAR, OCEAN and every other acronym and acronym+ you can find.
     
    Now, he's a year from arbitration and about to be replaced by a younger, sexier, better player. 52 more home runs is not a lot. If Plouffe can just average the 14 he hit last season, he'd get there in four seasons. I'm not sure he's a regular player for the next four seasons though. He can't hit right-handed pitching, his defense is suspect at best and he doesn't do enough well to make up for what he doesn't do well.
     
    I think the Twins got the most they could have hoped for out of Plouffe (as a post-prospect, not as a former first-round pick) and I'd be surprised if he ever reaches that soft, round 100.
     
    Would you sign Bartolo Colon to fill one of the spots in the Twins rotation in 2014?
     
    C. Bolon, Email Land, Netscape
     
    An actual question! I can't include the whole question because it was very long. It was very amusing too, although you'll have to take my word on that.
     
    I'd probably pass on Colon unless he would be willing to take a one-year deal. Considering his age and appetite, I'd assume he'd want more stability. If he would sign for one-year and say, ten million, I'd do it. The Twins have the money and they need starters. Colon wouldn't transform the team from 96 losses to 96 wins, but he would be their best starter and he would help improve the team. If you believe in the concept of installing a "winning culture," finding a guy who can help propel a team from 66 wins to 75 wins is worthwhile.
     
    I can't see why he would want to pitch here, unless he had no other offers. Although, if the Twins could sign him and Santana, we could arrange for Colon to sheepishly return his ill-gotten 2005 Cy Young Award to the rightful owner.
     
    Who will be the Brian Dozier of 2014?
     
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    You mean ruggedly handsome? If so, I'm not sure. I'll need to wait until the Spring Training mug shots come out.
     
    If you are looking for the next breakout player, then I choose Aaron Hicks. The parallels are almost too eerie. Both were rushed to Minnesota before they were ready. Both were Spring Training/media darlings. Both were sent to AAA later than expected and did not return to the MLB team. Both sucked, although Dozier stopped sucking once he was awesome. For those reasons, I feel that Aaron Hicks will be the Brian Dozier of 2014.
     
    Thank you very much for indulging me. If you ever have the inkling to ask a question, but want an answer in an indeterminate period of time, just send me a message at kevinsloweywasframed@gmail.com. I spend 100 bucks a month for that email address, but all the Princes that keep emailing me about their kingdoms of riches should balance it all out.
     
    Have a great weekend, everyone!
  4. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Back in March, I took a stab at previewing the upcoming 2013 Minnesota Twins season using MLB 13: The Show. It was a hoot. I used the game to see how the Twins would fare as a team and how some of their players would perform during the upcoming season. If you look back at that preview, you'll see that Sony had a very different view for some very important Twins players. I enjoyed the exercise, and enjoyed the residual pageviews that I received anytime someone was looking for information about the game.
     
    Then I thought: that preview was really stupid And not just because I used the word "haterz.". The main problem was that not all the players were in the game at the beginning of the season. Most prominently, Aaron Hicks, Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arcia and Andrew Albers had never played an MLB game, so they weren't there. I created Aaron Hicks myself, but mostly as a means for making a joke about how much we overreact to Spring Training stats.
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HkHxpLEgezA/UmbUAvKTvqI/AAAAAAAABDM/8nJnt0Qitck/s320/photo+(19).JPG
     
    HAHAHAHAHAHA. You see, the joke is...
     
    Since the Twins' 2013 season was such a bust in real life, I decided to take the updated rosters that Sony provided at the end of the season and replay the season using the game. I figure, the results couldn't be any worse and it will probably be about 25 times more watchable. For the record, when I say play, I mean simulate. I can't sit through another season, much less play one.
     
    So, I dug the game out from under my couch and spent a good hour setting up the rosters properly. I had to put Justin Morneau and Jamey Carroll back and I had to find where some of the scrubbier players had been hidden. I found Drew Butera. I found Luis Perdomo. I found P.J. Walters. However, some players could not be found. Some players either disappeared or transformed into fake players. Here are the vanished: Esmerling Vasquez, Alex Burnett, Nick Blackburn, Lester Oliveros, Ray Olmedo and Jeff Clement.
     
    Ouch. Now, your average blogger would just move on. Not me. I can't just let these players go missing forever.
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lLPZrcSQA1g/UmbT43W9NFI/AAAAAAAABDE/zU7E_EY4TTE/s1600/blackburn+on+a+milk+carton.jpg
     
    I feel better now. Since we've got that in place, we can get back to this fake season.
     
    I started with Spring Training. I set up the 40-man roster as it was before the season and I added all potential future Twins to their respective Minor League teams. Andrew Albers may have earned a real MLB promotion, but we'll just see if he earns a Sony promotion. Sony might make some crazy changes too! Maybe the EA version of the Twins will keep Aaron Hicks at AAA for a few months. Maybe they'll move Kyle Gibson to the Majors a bit faster. Who knows? THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!
     
    Spring Training
     
    Spring Training was grueling. It took well over 45 seconds to simulate. No one was injured during Spring Training, meaning all players were healthy and ready to go! These Twins finished Spring Training 14-14, although they started 9-1 and scuffled to finish March. There were certainly some interesting performances in this fake Spring Training, including the Battle for Center Field Supremacy!
     
    Aaron Hicks - .829 OPS
    Darin Mastroianni - .437 OPS
     
    Guess who won the job? I pleaded with the game to give Hicks just a month or so at AAA but they were more concerned with selling tickets to those circle faces in the virtual crowd than Hicks' long-term development. Disgusting.
     
    Josmil Pinto hit the crap out of the ball in Spring Training, ending with a .927 OPS and 6 home runs! Your OPS leader in Spring Training? Doug "Luke Hughes" Bernier with a 1.171 OPS. On the pitching side, Sam Deduno decided to skip the World Baseball Classic to focus on his Twins career. He had a 7.84 Spring ERA and walked more than he struck out. Bad choice, man. Pedro Hernandez was the best Twins pitcher in the Spring, posting a sweet 2.08 ERA. He was still assigned to AAA.
     
    After every Spring Training, difficult decisions have to be made. Some players get cut and some players make the cut. Of course, the video game can make robot decisions and the real team has to weigh emotions and pride and crud like that. As such, the Robot Twins 25-man roster was a bit different.
     
    Sony sent Pedro Florimon and his .279 Spring OPS down to New Britain. Ouch. They also decided that stretching out Josh Roenicke as a starter would be a good idea, but sent him to AAA to work it out. They sent Eduardo Escobar, Wilkin Ramirez and Tyler Robertson to AAA. Somehow, they got Ryan Pressly to AAA as well. They must have some additional ninja powers that Terry Ryan doesn't have. Finally, they just released P.J. Walters altogether. The real Minnesota Twins would never release a nice guy like that.
     
    However, it wasn't all goodbyes. They chose to keep Kyle Gibson, Oswaldo Arica and Josmil Pinto in Minnesota. Arcia won the starting RF job, Pinto would be the backup catcher (an odd choice) and Gibson was put in the 5th spot in the rotation. In addition, they kept Sam Deduno and that bad ERA from Spring, Clete Thomas and his steely glare and Scott Diamond because he wasn't hurt in virtual reality.
     
    The starting rotation out of Spring Training looked like this: Vance Worley, Mike Pelfrey, Scott Diamond, Cole De Vries (lol) and Kyle Gibson. WHERE'S KEVIN CORREIA? They felt his talents better suited a long-man role. Of course, they also felt that way about Deduno and Liam Hendriks. Interesting approach to building a bullpen.
     
    Ready or not, it is time for Opening Day!
     
    Opening Day
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 500]


    [/TD]
    Actual Opening Day

    [TD]MLB Show Opening Day




    CF

    Aaron Hicks

    SS

    Jamey Carroll



    C

    Joe Mauer

    CF

    Aaron Hicks



    LF

    Josh Willingham

    C

    Joe Mauer



    1B

    Justin Morneau

    1B

    Justin Morneau



    DH

    Ryan Doumit

    DH

    Ryan Doumit



    3B

    Trevor Plouffe

    LF

    Josh Willingham



    RF

    Chris Parmelee

    3B

    Trevor Plouffe



    2B

    Brian Dozier

    RF

    Oswaldo Arcia



    SS

    Pedro Florimon

    2B

    Brian Dozier



    SP

    Vance Worley

    SP

    Vance Worley

    [/TABLE]
     
    As you can see, the Twins' Opening Day lineup looks a bit different than it was in reality. Sony felt that Aaron Hicks was ready for the Big Time, but not the lead-off spot. Jamey Carroll's veteran presence was valued very highly and Chris Parmelee was banished to the bench (sometimes art imitates life).
     
    How did Opening Day go, you ask? The Twins were shut out by Justin Verlander through 6, then EXPLODED for four runs off of him in the seventh. Ryan Doumit hit a solo home run, Oswaldo Arcia doubled in a run and Jamey Carroll did the same. However, Vance Worley staked the Tigers to a huge lead, giving up 5 earned runs through 4 innings. The Twins didn't have enough offense and lost 6-4, almost certainly because Eduardo Escobar and Wilkin Ramirez were down in AAA doing damage. Aaron Hicks went 0-4 with 3 Ks. Art, life, you know.
     
    Ok, this is getting lengthy. I'm sure you want to know more about how this fake season went. In the next part, we'll see how the first half of the season went down. A bit of foreshadowing: the Twins trade a young stud catcher for a pitch-to-contact pitcher. But who? And why? You'll find out soon enough.
     
    If you want to, part II is actually posted. You can read it here.
  5. Brad Swanson
    Originally Posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    State of the Team
     
    1993 Record: 71-91, 5th in the AL West
    1993 Overview: Extremely disappointing, the beginning of the end...
    1994 Outlook: Not good; welcome to the abyss
     
    Players Lost - Free Agency
     
    The Twins didn't really lose a whole lot after the '93 season. We're talking about mostly minor players here. Mike Hartley was decent. Terry Jorgensen, Jeff Grotewold and Mike Maksudian were all alive. You have to give them that. They're gone. The only important/notable player that left after the '93 season was long-time catcher Brian Harper.
     
    Harper had been the Twins' starting catcher since 1988. He won a World Series with the team in 1991 and he was just a darn good offensive catcher. He hit .306/.342/.431 in those six seasons and he stabilized a key position for a really long time. On the other hand, he was 34 and the Twins seemed to be intent on getting younger as they were bottoming out. Ultimately, the decision to let Harper go was the correct decision. Harper had a rough year in Milwaukee, playing only 64 games. He played just two games the following season and never played in the Majors again.
     
    Harper would have still been the best catcher on the '94 Twins roster, but that team sucked and the strike ended everything and aw nuts it was all just awful at that time.
    Players Gained - Free Agency
     
    The Twins re-signed Gene Larkin and Bernardo Brito. That's cool, right? Brito is El Pupo and Larkin might be crazy, but both guys were brought back for good reasons. (Seriously,
    and listen to Larkin laugh like a completely insane person). Brito had immense power, but never really showed it in the Majors. He did have a ridiculous 1994 season, just with Salt Lake in AAA. Larkin hit the walk-off single in the 10th inning of Game 7, so that alone earns you an invite to Spring Training a few years later. Ultimately, Larkin was cooked and didn't make the team out of Spring Training.  
    The Twins also decided that signing Jim Deshaies should become an off-season tradition, so they signed him again after the '93 season. It wasn't a terrible idea. Deshaies won 11 games for the hapless Twins in '93 and they were able to trade him for three young players in August. In '94, Deshaies was a Deshaster. In 25 starts he went 6-12 with an ERA of 7.39. He pitched just 130.1 innings in those 25 starts, or just a shade over 5 innings per start. At least the Twins had a solid bullpen that year. Carl Willis, Mark Guthrie, Mike Trombley, Larry Casian and Dave Stevens all posted an ERA over 5.92, each going at least 40 innings. They were all better than Deshaies. Spectacular!
     
    TRADEZ!
     
    On November 24, the Twins acquired a future closer and a future starting catcher. All they had to do was give up a pretty average starter. Not bad, right? It probably helps to provide this information: the future closer was Dave Stevens and the starting catcher was Matt Walbeck. So...
     
    All the Twins gave up to get those two gems was Willie Banks. The same Willie Banks who never threw another good inning in his life (unfair). However, looking at the context of the trade at the time, it's hard to understand why it was made. All three guys were roughly the same age, so this was not a "youth movement" move. Banks was cheap, so it wasn't about money. Banks was coming off a '93 season where he won 11 games, had a 4.04 ERA and a 107 ERA+. His strikeout rate was improved and his walk rate had dipped (slightly, but still). 2.5 WAR too, if you're into that sort of thing.
     
    Walbeck and Stevens combined to "provide" the Twins with a combined -2.5 WAR in their illustrious Twins careers. Banks was equally awful, so I guess this trade was just a huge wash. Catchers are important, but starters are more important. It was a puzzling move at the time, not a big deal now, but it could have worked out really poorly.
     
    Biggest Splash
     
    Kirby Puckett and Shane Mack were getting older, so the Twins signed Alex Cole for $375,000 right around the beginning of Spring Training. Cole played 105 games in 1994, mostly in center. He hit .296/.375/.403 in that strike-shortened season. He also stole 29 bases. Hey, not bad Twins!
     
    Biggest Miss
     
    Bringing back Deshaies only served to help invent the word Deshaster.
     
    My Own Personal Heartbreak
     
    The Twins had already traded one of the stars of this video after the '91 season:
     

     
    Now, Willie Banks is gone too?!? Who will dance for this team? Jack Morris and that creepy hip shake was long gone. Kent Hrbek only knows how to point. We established that Gene Larkin is too insane to dance. Who's going to dance? Jim Deshaies? He'd probably give up 8 runs while doing so.
     
    I would like someone to re-create this video either with current Twins or by bringing back the actual players in their current state. Denny Neagle had to concentrate very hard to match Willie Banks' dance moves, but he's had over 20 years to practice. He might look more natural now. Hrbek can probably still point too.
     
    Arbitrary Overall Assessment: D-
     
    The Cole signing keeps this from an F. I was 12 when it happened, so I didn't fully understand all the reasons why the Banks trade was so confusing. I just saw his 4.04 ERA and figured he wasn't that good. Walbeck was a switch-hitting catcher and Stevens was a good prospect, so the trade made sense on that end. The Twins must have known something about Banks and I'm sure someone will remember what and comment on it. I was too young. All in all, this was an uneventful off-season that came right after a terribly disappointing season. Low marks all around.
     
    Next week, we'll look at the 1994 off-season. See you then!
  6. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    State of the Team
     
    1992 Record: 90-72, second in the AL West
    1992 Overview: An extremely solid season that took place before 10 teams made the playoffs.
    1993 Outlook: Great...so long as they re-sign their best player.
     
    Players Lost - Free Agency
     
    The Twins lost three important players during the '92 off-season: their long-time starting shortstop, a key offensive contributor to the '91 champs and the team's best starter in '92.
     
    Losing Greg Gagne was much more significant than it likely seemed at the time. Gagne had been the Twins' starting shortstop since 1985. He was never a great offensive player, but his defense was more than steady. I did some research last Winter and found that shortstops as good as Gagne are a lot more rare than we may think. Since Gagne, the Twins have not had a quality shortstop for more than a year at a time. Gagne was the smallest of the three names that left the Twins this offseason, but he was probably the most significant piece when you consider that almost 20 years later, the Twins have still not fully replaced him.
     
    The other two big names were Chili Davis and John Smiley, who only played three combined seasons for the Twins. Smiley was outstanding in 1992 and no one on the roster could replace his production in '93. His loss was probably the biggest reason why the Twins dropped off as much as they did. Chili Davis posted an OPS+ of 130 in 1992. No Twin reached that mark in 1993. Of course, the Twins did have a plan to replace Davis at DH and I'll have more on that in a bit.
     
    The Twins also released Cory Lidle during the 1992 off-season. Lidle was an undrafted free agent and didn't do much in the Minors with the Twins. However, he would eventually re-kindle his career and win 82 games before tragically dying in a plane crash at the age of 34.
     
    Players Gained - Free Agency
     
    Just six days after losing Chili Davis to the Angels, the Minnesota Twins signed Minnesota Dave Winfield. Winfield was pretty good in 1993, posting a 105 OPS+. Of course, that was a major downgrade from Chili Davis in '92. Winfield did collect his 3000th hit with the Twins on September 16, which was fun.
     
    The Twins also added Jim Deshaies, likely in an attempt to replace some of what John Smiley provided in '92. Didn't work. Deshaies was fine, posting a 99 ERA+, but didn't last through the whole season, as the Twins traded him to the Giants. Check back next week to see if the Twins decide to bring him back for '94.
     
    Cliffhanger!
     
    Not really. The biggest free agent was one of their own. Kirby Puckett re-signed with the Twins on December 4, 1992, saving the Twins from having to replace their best and most popular player and saving my mother from having to hear me cry for the next five years. Puckett could have made more money in Boston, but would have missed the beautiful Fall season in Minnesota.
     
    Pat Meares replaced Greg Gagne for the next six seasons. Not ideal, but what can you do?
     
    TRADEZ!
     
    Just one day after re-signing Puckett, the Twins front office was on such a high that they had to make a trade. The Twins shipped Disappointing David West to the Phillies for Mike Hartley. West had his best season in 1993, because his entire career was created to upset Twins fans. Hartley was fine as a middle reliever, throwing 81 innings with a 4.00 ERA. I appreciate his ability to end with a round figure.
     
    In Spring Training, the Twins struck again! They traded Gary Wayne, Gary Wayne's beautiful face and Bob Wassenaar to the Rockies for Brett Merriman. Merriman was awful and he never once appeared on a 1991 Score baseball card that generated at least two blog posts for me. Useless.
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K2BwT4DnygA/UYklyS39rBI/AAAAAAAAAok/VN4-LPkj67Y/s320/IMG_0669.JPG
     
    Biggest Splash
     
    Re-signing Kirby Puckett was huge. Sadly, the Twins were terrible for the rest of his career, so it wasn't huge on the field. Off the field, Puckett was clearly the most popular player on the team and a huge link to the glory days that would soon seem long gone. Once Kirby was gone, there was little reason to watch this team in the late 90s.
     
    Biggest Miss
     
    Letting Gagne go didn't work out very well. Gagne basically had four more Gagne seasons after leaving Minnesota. He out-WARed Pat Meares 8.7 to 3.6. Although Meares was loads cheaper. $$$$
     
    My Own Personal Cheer
     
    I probably would have followed Puckett to Boston, so I'm grateful that I didn't have to move in the middle of 5th grade.
     
    EXPANSION DRAFT!
     
    The '92 off-season was even more significant because the Rockies and Marlins were joining Major League Baseball in '93. Therefore, the Twins had to expose some players to the expansion draft. They ended up losing Jayhawk Owens, Curt Leskanic and Tom Edens. Leskanic eventually became a reliable reliever and Edens wasn't terrible, but no big losses here.
     
    Arbitrary Overall Assessment: B-
     
    They get an A for re-signing Kirby Puckett, a decent mark for signing Winfield, but mostly Fs for the rest. I grade on a curve, so the average is better than it should be.
     
    Next week, we'll look at the 1993 off-season. See you then!
  7. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    It's been said that all good things must come to an end. Sadly, this will be the final Monday Madness of the 2013 season. I know. Don't blame me though; I'm not the one who decided against a 12 month MLB season. It's time for a break from Twins baseball. After the month of September that we've all endured, a little break might not be the worst thing. I'll try to infuse some fun and positivity in this final Monday Madness of the 2013 season.
     
    The Gardy 1000
     
    Well, that was a huge embarrassing failure. Wait, I said I'd be positive. Um. The Twins made a valiant effort to get Ron Gardenhire his 1000th career win. They needed to go 3-4 this week and they only missed it by 2 games. Two isn't bad. That's only about 1% of a season. It's such a small sample.
     
    Josmil Pinto
     
    Here's some real positivity. Josmil Pinto had a wonderful September debut. In fact, only Chris Parmelee has had a better September debut than Pinto, when looking at OPS and only including players with 50 plate appearances in September. We can ignore the Parmelee part, but knowing that Pinto looks good makes me feel good about next season. Having Pinto gives the Twins more options at catcher. If the Twins can enjoy another 3-5 years of above-average offensive production from their catcher, the rebuild will be somewhat easier.
     
    Mike Pelfrey
     
    A recent Terry Ryan interview shocked and awed everyone when he admitted that he was interested in bringing Mike Pelfrey back for the 2014 season. Pelfrey hasn't been a highlight of the 2013 season. He's been one of the more frustrating players for me to watch. He dug himself a big hole in April and May; did he dig out of it?
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 492]


    [/TD][TD]April


    May

    June

    July

    August

    September



    ERA

    7.66

    5.90

    4.66

    3.25

    3.60

    7.45



    WHIP

    1.93

    1.66

    1.24

    1.34

    1.40

    1.86



    K%

    6.5

    14.5

    15.4

    18.1

    14.4

    21.3



    BB%

    6.5

    9.2

    2.6

    7.8

    10.5

    7.5



    K:BB Ratio

    1.0

    1.58

    6.00

    2.33

    1.38

    2.86



    BABIP

    .370

    .337

    .333

    .309

    .279

    .431



    LOB%

    54.7

    69.1

    62.0

    83.3

    74.7

    56.2



    xFIP

    5.57

    5.11

    3.18

    4.45

    4.74

    3.63

    [/TABLE]
     
    Well, kind of. In April and May he was a disaster. In June, he was pretty good. He didn't walk anyone, but he was a bit unlucky so his ERA wasn't great. In July, he was worse, but had some strand rate luck and looked better than he actually was. He was pretty bad in August, but finally got some good BABIP luck. In September, he's been pretty poor again, but has a crazy high BABIP and has been generally unpleasant to watch. Basically, he's been really inconsistent. The only reason to sign a guy like Pelfrey for another year would be if you could rely on him for consistently decent innings. The Twins can't rely on him for that. Cut him loose. Oh, and dig up, stupid.
     
    Madness
     
    Fun Stat
     
    Anthony Swarzak threw 96 innings this season without starting a single game. This has only happened 461 times since 1901. Juan Berenguer accomplished this feat in 1989 and 1990 and no one had done it in a Twins' uniform since then. No one in baseball had done this since 2006, when Scott Proctor threw 102.1 innings without starting. Swarzak is a rare bird, especially in this current era.
     
    Random Paint Image
     
    The Playoffs are starting this week and that means National Coverage. No more Dick and Bert, no more Coom-dog, no more Anthony LaPanda. Here's a dramatization of what I think could happen during the TBS studio show, if things really fall apart.
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ghgPaY_jRe4/UkiFf4e5_qI/AAAAAAAABCc/HEaSgMTTIPo/s320/Gallagher.png
     
    Look, if you don't get that reference, then you clearly didn't watch as much Comedy Central as I did as a kid and you don't think Dennis Eckersley looks like a certain watermelon-smashing comedian like I do. And really, that's your problem.
     
    Former Twin Update - Francisco Liriano
     
    Francisco Liriano finished the 2013 season with 16 wins and an ERA just slightly above 3. He has been one of the major reasons why the Pirates season is still in progress. In fact, he'll start the Wild Card game on Tuesday against the Reds and their lefty-heavy lineup. Lefties have hit .131/.175/.146 against Liriano in 138 plate appearances this season. Before the season, who would have ever thought that Francisco Liriano would be starting a playoff game in 2013?
     
    Answer to a Hypothetical Facebook Question
     
    Nope, not today. It's impossible to find anything positive on the Twins Facebook page. It's my problem really. I only go there for this bit, so it only affects me once a week at most. I can handle complaints. I can handle negativity. I can't handle hostility. There isn't a single Twins fan who has any right to be hostile. No one should be calling Joe Mauer a wimp. No one should be calling for Gardy and Anderson to be hit with bricks. Since 99% of the Facebook comments are hostile, I'm not doing it today.
     
    Instead, I asked my 8-year-old cousin to give his thoughts on the Twins' 2013 season:
     
    "It was really fun. I actually got to go to two games! They won the second game!"
     
    Off-season Plans
     
    Monday Madness is ending for the year, but I've got loads of off-season stuff planned. I've got recaps, pumas, predictions, previews, video games, candy, treats, ice cream, lobster and much, much more. This week, I've got two guest columnists doing season recaps and I have a mailbag coming on Friday. I'm going to try to have some fun this off-season, if you want to join me.
     
    Parting Thought
     
    The Twins 2013 season was unpleasant. The franchise is in a better place than it was in 2012, but there is still a lot of work to be done. I'll do as much work as the Twins allow me, but a more likely scenario would involve the Twins' current decision makers working to improve the team. I have confidence. I think that strides were made this year that weren't seen on the field. If the organization continues down a similar path, I believe the Twins will be a good team in the near future. I've always held that 2014 will be the first year in the on-field turnaround and I stand by that. I really feel that we just suffered through the last 90-loss season for awhile. If I'm wrong, you can all hurl tomatoes at me when I run on the field during a 2015 game.
     
    Have a nice off-season, everyone!
  8. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Twins/Rays Recap
     
    Well, the end was certainly shocking. The Twins were shut out in the first two games against the Rays and were in the process of being shut out on Sunday, when they decided to score a bunch of runs in the 7th and 8th innings. The dagger was Josmil Pinto's three-run bomb with two outs in the 8th, which effectively decided the game. It's fitting that Pinto would provide the most exciting play of the series, as he's been one of the few players actually worth watching this September. The win was insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but did bring Ron Gardenhire within 4 wins of 1000. More on that...
     
    Ron Gardenhire's 1000 wins
     
    Back in October 2010, the Twins had just finished a 94-win season and celebrated a sixth division title during the past decade. Ron Gardenhire had lead the team to all six titles, in his nine years as manager. He had never won fewer than 79 games, and had averaged just over 89 wins per season. His 803 career wins put him in striking distance of that beautiful round number of 1000. If you had told me that Gardenhire would be the manager for the next three seasons, I would have guessed that he'd have obliterated the 1000 mark and had probably gotten within shootin' range of 1100 - the next beautiful round number.
     
    Instead, Gardenhire needs to go 4-10 in the Twins' last 14 games to reach the 1000-win milestone. The Twins were 6-8 in their past 14 games, so it seems likely that they can pull off this feat.
     
    While it seems likely he will get to the milestone, how did we even get to the point where that is in question? In 2010, 1000 wins seemed like a lock, so long as Gardenhire wanted to keep managing the Twins. Unfortunately, the team has fallen so dramatically that Gardenhire might not average the 66 wins per season that he would have needed back in 2010 to reach that round 1000 figure in 2013. Of course, back in 2010, there didn't seem to be a three-year endpoint. However, I'm quite certain that we've reached the point where these 14 games are his last 14 chances to get to 1000 wins.
     
    The Twins have three games in Chicago this week. Those are all winnable games. Their final eleven games after the Chicago series include seven against division leaders (four at Oakland and three at home against Detroit). Their final four games are at home against Cleveland, a team contending for one of the AL Wild Card slots. Those non-Chicago teams all have better talent and more reasons to play hard. The Twins might be fighting simply to reward their long-term manager with a round amount of wins during what appears to be his swansong season.
     
    If the Twins can manage a 4-10 record, Gardenhire will win his 1000 games, but it won't save his job. I don't blame the last three seasons on Gardenhire. He won as many games as anyone would have won with this roster. However, it seems his time has come. The Twins will change managers and move on from Gardenhire. When they get better in the next couple seasons (and they will), it won't be because they changed their manager.
     
    Ron Gardenhire proved that he can lead a talented team to a lot of wins. He also proved that he can't take an untalented roster and make magic. He has his strengths and he has his weaknesses, but overall, he is a good manager. Above all else, I know that I enjoyed the Gardenhire era. I'm not sure I can ask for much more as a fan.
     
    Ahhhhhhhh so much depression, time for fun and madness!
     
    Former Twin - Jamey Carroll
     
    I assumed that when the Royals bought Jamey Carroll from the Twins, he would propel them to a Championship. He still could, but it doesn't look good. He's posted a .097/.167/.161 triple slash in 37 PA. Of course, his -9 OPS+ would still be good for third on the Twins. Kidding! But for real, his career is probably over. He needs one more hit to get to 1000. Round!
     
    Fun with the number 1000!
     
    In honor of Gardenhire and Carroll aiming for their 1000 of something, here are some fun 1000 facts that I found. I was going to write 1000 fun facts, but I was busy photoshopping Twins player heads onto animal bodies (more on that below).
     

    Dee Fondy and Birdie Tebbetts each had exactly 1000 career hits!
    Darryl Strawberry ended his career with exactly 1000 career RBI. He's the only guy with that quantity!!
    Jorge Posada and Bucky Harris are the only players with exactly 1000 singles!!!
    No one has exactly 1000 career runs. No one!!!!
    On the pitching side, Tom Browning and Ralph Terry have exactly 1000 strikeouts!!!!!
    And finally, former Twin Jim Hoey ended his career with a 1000 ERA!!!!!!

    One of those statements is a lie.
     
    Baseball Card from the Past
     
    Look at how young Gardy looks:
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-UMSZRY7DUMA/UjYqx598IiI/AAAAAAAABBA/ZrgwY9RQCX8/s320/gardyyoung.jpg
    This was right after his rookie season in 1981. His hair is tremendous. If he was willing to grow his hair out like that right now, I'd extend him for 30 seasons.
     
    Facebook Question
     
    Q: Do we have to watch a nightmare happen its not as if the coach of the staff cares at this point. They Con MLB into having ALLSTAR game here.
     
    A: It appears this question was written by a malcontent robot Twins fan. As such, I will respond to his question in his native language:
     
    0111100101101111011101010010000001110011011101010110001101101011
     
    Poll Results/New Poll
     
    I took a screen grab this time!
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QIsn3mWGvwM/UjYq5D1k-rI/AAAAAAAABBI/rU6tMOZbCYE/s400/GM+Poll.PNG
     
    The Clete Thomas of GMs is vague. It depends on what you think of Clete Thomas, right? Those three people who thought they would be amazing as GMs are really confident. I voted for "bad." I'd be bad as a GM. I'd base far too many decisions on animal pun potential and hair length. I'll post a new poll at some point. When I do, please try to vote.
     
    Link to Something I wrote - Animals play baseball
     
    As I alluded to earlier, I photoshopped a bunch of Twins player heads on animal bodies. Here's one to get you interested:
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hbiUsGvX1fQ/UjYrDXQQwQI/AAAAAAAABBQ/ZkSAqNUyYhY/s1600/Marty+Cordovelociraptor.jpg
     
    If you want to know why this exists, what context this falls into, and if your favorite Twin made the cut, just click here! You'll be somewhat glad you did.
     
    Parting thought - Jumping on a Bandwagon
     
    I'm running out of things to say about this team. They're bad. Yep, we know. One thing though - I'm officially in the shut Joe Mauer down camp. There's no sense in having him risk more brain damage to win a couple of meaningless games. The team is a lot less fun to watch with Mauer in the clubhouse or at home, but his long-term recovery is worth 14 additional boring games in late September.
     
    Have a great week, everyone!
  9. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    The Twins revived a fun tradition and got swept by the Blue Jays late in the season. It wasn't the traditional stomping we're used to, but the same basic idea. The Twins have also lost a shocking 10 games in a row at home. Where's the home field advantage, Target Field? Maybe it's time to remove that Target dog from the batters' eye. It's very distracting.
     
    Punto's back?
     
    I got a random text from my mom earlier this week. All it said was "punto is back?!?" and I was confused. I then realized she meant "Pinto" and it all made sense. After a few texts back and forth, I was able to show my mom that Pinto and Punto are two different players. She was disappointed. Nick Punto was her favorite player. Josmil Pinto was my favorite player last week. It was really fun to see him get a lot of hits and earn more playing time. I'd start him every day until the end of the season and I'm at the point where I'd pencil him in to the everyday lineup in 2014. One week may not be enough time to get an accurate read, but I enjoy watching him hit and with this team, that's enough to make him a starter for me.
     
    Kevin Correia
     
    The Blue Jays shelled Correia in the first inning on Saturday and the Twins weren't able to overcome the early deficit. It was annoyed and it made me wish that I didn't have the knowledge that Correia would certainly be back in 2014. However, is it possible that Correia has been everything the Twins had hoped for? I made a chart that shows how his 2013 season compares with his 2009-2012 average season. Take a look:
     
    [TABLE=class: grid, width: 233]


    [/TD][TD]2013

    2009-2012 (Avg)


    Wins
    9
    12


    Innings
    167.1
    167


    ERA
    4.3
    4.51


    ERA+
    96
    83


    WHIP
    1.41
    1.362


    K/9
    5.1
    5.7


    BB/9
    2.1
    2.9


    K/BB
    2.41
    1.99


    HR/9
    1.3
    1.1
    [/TABLE]
     
    He might be slightly better than he was the previous four seasons. He gets fewer strikeouts, but he's also walking fewer batters. His WHIP is higher, but his ERA is lower. He's almost a league-average pitcher, if you believe in ERA+. I'm not sure if the Correia signing was smart or not, but if the Twins wanted what Correia did from 2009-2012, they got it.
     
    Alex Presley
     
    When I analyzed the Justin Morneau trade last weekend, I referred to Presley as a Clete Thomas type and a potential DFA candidate at the end of the season. Clearly, the second part of that statement was borderline insane. The Twins wouldn't DFA the guy they got for Morneau. However, the first part seems incorrect too. Presley certainly looks like a better overall hitter. He makes more consistent contact and he appears to be more aggressive without racking up strikeouts. But, can we tether him to first base when he gets there? He's 19 for 34 in his career on stolen base attempts. Hopefully, the Twins can work with him on that element of his game, because he does seem to have good speed.
     
    In summary, the Twins now have 4 4th outfielders. See if you can name them all! Madness.
     
    Plug
     
    Michael Sack at Two Men On took a crack at predicting the Twins' 2014 lineup. Check it out! His projected lineup might be a bit ambitious on the youngster level, but I love the idea of a lineup that consists of Joe Mauer, Byron Buxton, Oswaldo Arcia, Aaron Hicks, Miguel Sano and Josmil Pinto. Those are six players who I would be genuinely excited to see at the plate a few times each game. Heck, even Brian Dozier is fun to watch now. I'm not sure about the likelihood of his lineup, but it would be a whole lot of fun to watch that team try to win 70-75 games.
     
    The Next Big Thing?
     
    Speaking of Pinto:
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kjdvFdx_jlM/Uizn-G49kCI/AAAAAAAAA9M/EE9z8iryYwM/s320/PintoKing.jpg
     
    Yep, I'm calling it. It's the circle of life.
     
    Fun Stat
     
    Kevin Correia's 96 ERA+ is not very exciting. However, only 20 Twins pitchers have surpassed that figure in the last 10 seasons, while throwing at least 167 innings. It's shocking. Here's the list:
     
    Johan Santana and his Merry Band of Pitching Men
     
    If Correia gets to 190 innings with that same ERA+, the list of guys to match his feat will be even smaller. Scary stuff. For comparison sake, the Red Sox have had just 26 pitchers pass this new Correia Threshold. So, is Correia better than we think or is the Twins' pitching situation not as dire as we think? Interesting question.
     
    Answer to a Hypothetical Facebook Question
     
    Q: Why would I waste my time on the Twins. The Vikings rule this town.
     
    A: I'm not going to bother to point out the lack of a question mark and the fact that you are posting on the Twins' Facebook page. Also, which town are you referring to? Bird Island? Instead, I will earnestly answer your question with five legitimate reasons.
     

    Christian Ponder is not on the Twins, thus everyone's ankles are safe.
    The Twins have a lot of talent coming through the pipeline and it's going to be exciting to watch them play over the years.
    Target Field is built.
    Brian Dozier's face isn't covered by a football helmet.
    Baseball > Football

    What to watch for!
     
    Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wonder if a team of animals could beat a team of birds at baseball?" If so, you're gonna get your answer. I've put together a team of animals so powerful that those birds don't stand a chance. Oh, and watch out, both teams, because Torii Hunter has brought a couple of friends.
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-z1EjwtUCjaw/UizoaXkwenI/AAAAAAAAA9U/mmwrUd3Gk5k/s320/threehunters.jpg
     
    Parting Thought
     
    The Twins play the A's and the Rays this week, and that rhymes. It also showcases two teams who have built winning franchises despite financial and market problems. In fact, these might be the two worst markets in all of MLB. Even so, if the playoffs started today, both teams would be there and the Twins would not. Worrying too much about the team's market and baseball economics will get you into the situation the Twins are in right now. Figuring out a way to work around financial and market issues is a part of baseball. Cities aren't going to randomly increase in size. Fan bases won't shift. Players aren't going to suddenly become cheaper.
     
    The Twins will always have to deal with being a middle market (not small, that's a fallacy). Hopefully, the wave of talent on the horizon will inspire management to be more creative in the other areas of the game. If not, they'll waste the prime years of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano, like they did with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Ugh, so sad, don't think about that. Just stop right now. Here's a guy in a silly hat:
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RuPxBCDTCdg/UizoofJ7b_I/AAAAAAAAA9c/wkqc5sbqGLY/s320/silly+hat+guy.png
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
  10. Brad Swanson

    September Mailbag

    By Brad Swanson,

    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
    Everywhere I go these days, it seems that people have questions for me. What's that stain on your shirt? Did you do that to your hair on purpose? Can you please move back a couple steps? I figured, with so many questions to answer, the only reasonable response is to breakout the old mailbag and answer some of the more burning questions that ESPN, Fox Sports One and Telemundo refuse to answer. Here's some mailbag:
    On a recent TV broadcast, FS North asked Twitter who the Twins MVP was this year. The choices were Justin Morneau, Brian Dozier and Glen Perkins. I voted for Nader, but who would be your choice? Thanks!
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    This list seems incomplete. There's a specific guy who should really be included, but was omitted, likely due to an anti-Minnesota bias. Joe Mauer is clearly the team MVP. He leads the team in batting, OBP, slugging, WAR and babies born. Brian Dozier has been great since June and Glen Perkins is tremendous in a role that is rarely used by a terrible team, but Mauer is the team MVP. Dozier would be my choice from those three, because of the combo of his surprising power, excellent defense, and radiant hair [prior to his actual good play (balance)].
    At the beginning of August, you said that you weren't surprised by the Twins and their lack of movement at the trade deadline. Were you surprised with the moves the Twins made in August? Thanks!
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    No, thank you! I was surprised. Since August 1, the Twins have optioned Aaron Hicks, Scott Diamond and Kyle Gibson to Rochester. I thought that all three of those guys would be providing value for the Twins until the end of the season. Diamond and Gibson seemed like solid pitchers who would be certainly better than the dregs that made up the rest of the staff. I thought Hicks would struggle early, adjust, and then be good down the stretch. I was wrong about the lot of them. I think they all bounce back next year, but it is surprising to see them in Rochester in September.
     
    The Morneau trade was surprising. I already wrote/cried about it, so I won't rehash it here. However, I didn't think the Twins had it in them to trade such a popular player for so little. I guess that extra cash is pretty nice though. I'd spend it on hard drugs, but that's just me.
    Are you excited for September call-ups?????????????!?!?!?!!???
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    I am excited for Josmil Pinto, and he has delivered so far. Michael Tonkin seems cool. Otherwise, not really. I don't really care about Minor League veterans and re-treads. Seen 'em. Sorry to be so curt, but that's how I feel. But seriously, thank you for the question.
    It looks like Clete Thomas is the 4th outfielder now. At the very least, he doesn't seem like the full-time starter anymore. Are you happy, sir? You've ragged on this poor man for weeks and weeks and now he's out of the lineup. I hope you're satisfied.
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    I'm not. You'd think that after weeks of harping on his continued presence in the starting lineup, that I'd be elated when he was finally removed. Instead, I have some form of complainers' buyer's remorse. I was far too hard on Mr. Thomas. He's a fine ballplayer. If he and I engaged in some sort of one-on-one baseball match, he'd destroy me and probably freeze my dress clothes while I am in my baseball clothes, a la Mighty Ducks 3. In fact, Thomas would probably beat me in just about any athletic competition. If Thomas was back on the team in a bench role next year, I'd be fine with it. He's versatile.
    I want to challenge him to a staring contest.
    Did you see that article on ESPN.com regarding Max Scherzer and Jim Leyland's rant about pitching stats?
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    I did. It doesn't surprise me. What is Leyland supposed to say? "I agree, Scherzer probably isn't that great, his FIP is worse than his ERA and he's gotten too much run support." That would be surprising. Leyland also doesn't have to care an iota about advanced stats. He won a World Series without them.
     
    However, I don't really get the anger and hostility toward stats. If you don't want to use them, don't use them. If some dork chains Leyland to a wall and forces him to look through Excel spreadsheets, then I could see Leyland getting a bit agitated. In the context of this article, it seemed like an innocent enough question, if maybe a bit loaded. I don't get why anyone would refuse new stats altogether. More information is better than less. I can understand confusion or frustration, but hostility seems too extreme.
     
    That's just how I feel 95% of the time.
    Are you ready to give up give up on Aaron Hicks yet?
    A Hicks., Rochester, NY
     
    Not at all. I think Hicks is still destined for a productive career. I still see an All-Star appearance or two as well. He's so talented. He has speed, power, arm, defense, etc. He'll be 24 all next season and there isn't anyone blocking him from center field right now. Of course, he'll probably get leapfrogged by superfreak Byron Buxton sometime next season. To me, having to move Hicks to right is one of those "nice problems to have." His arm will play extremely well in right and his range in the outfield will really compliment Buxton in center. Those two humans in the same outfield is downright scary defensively. So, no, I am not ready to give up on him (you). Keep your head up, rook.
    Target Field has such exciting food options. What is your favorite ballpark fare?
    Brad S., St. Paul, MN
     
    That's easy. Empty a hot-water balloon. Fill it with beef stew. Cram it in your pant leg (shirt sleeve can work if you wear really tight t-shirts). Wait for the sun to do its part. Eat.
     
    If said beef stew doesn't have peas in it, it's not going to be good.
     
    Thanks for all the great questions, me. Enjoy your weekend!
  11. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    I'm just going to admit that it is getting harder and harder to watch Twins baseball. First, the lineup and rotation are drab to say the least. With Mauer hurt and now Morneau traded, there isn't a lot of star power. Second, the season is so long and we don't even have the mirage of a possibly competitive team at this point. That being said, I do watch the games and I do enjoy them. There is plenty to look forward to in September, even if the team won't play a single meaningful game.
     
    Chris Colabello
     
    Trading Justin Morneau was sad, but probably necessary. I wrote all about how sad I was on Saturday already, so I won't get emotional here. Opening up a spot for Chris Colabello softens the blow for me. Colabello might be nothing. He could just be a AAAA guy who feasted on poor AAA pitching. Or, he could be a late bloomer with power who can hold down first base for the next few years. The only way to find out is to give him at bats. He should get those at bats now that the Twins have no other real first base options. I'm looking forward to seeing what he can do with consistent MLB playing time; I just hope he gets it.
     
    Josmil Pinto
     
    I'm extremely excited to watch Pinto over the next few weeks. You'll see why we shouldn't get too excited about Septembers a little later, but it will be very fun to see if Pinto can handle MLB pitching during this audition. While Pinto is not a top prospect, he has been an excellent Minor League hitter over the past two seasons. I'd love to see Pinto get some big hits, show some power and put himself in position to become the long-term answer at catcher/co-catcher with Joe Mauer. He had a nice debut on Sunday; hopefully he hits higher than 8th in the order.
     
    Darin Mastroianni
     
    Mastro totally blew it on Friday when he forced Trevor Plouffe to not slide into home, costing the Twins an insurance run. Sarcasm. Actually, I'm happy to see Mastro back in the lineup. He was a real pleasant surprise last year and I think he can be a good 4th outfielder on a good team. I hope he eventually takes over in center, but I'm not going to go into the real reason why I feel that way (abject, mean, unnecessary Clete Thomas hate). With Alex Presley now in the fold, Mastro might lose some playing time. I hope not. Mastro's hair is spectacular.
     
    AH, time for the Madness
     
    Former Twin Update - Jason Kubel
     
    Wow, Kubel really fell fast. I thought the Twins should have kept him, but I was clearly wrong. Last year, he was pretty great offensively. He posted a SLG higher than .500 and hit 30 home runs. He's been awful this year and he was DFAed by Arizona and then traded to Cleveland. He's still just 31 and could thrive in the AL where he can DH and give all the grass in the outfield a break. I always liked Kubel a lot and I hope he bounces back.
     
    Baseball Card from the Past - Mauer/Morneau
     
    http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-s95bJQNlaGM/UiJjuqsFSqI/AAAAAAAAA5c/uQGUIbzT9Zw/s320/mauer-and-morneau-rookie-e1367790555290.jpg
     
    Aw, look at those young lads! Prospects was an understatement! The M&M boys, as they would be called, became a powerful duo for the Twins and helped lead them to multiple playoff appearances. They were humble, understated and talented. They fit in really well here in the Midwest, where we like humble and understated, and tolerate talented so long as they are humble and understated. They eventually roomed together, bought a lot of Jimmy Johns and each won an MVP. Now, they have been split apart at the seams. Sad. We can always remember these days.
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-q8NIg_8Isiw/UiJjurJOiRI/AAAAAAAAA5g/xES5CxJyLUY/s320/mauermorneaubreakup.jpg
     
    Just so sad.
     
    Random Photoshop/Twins Villain - Gary GaeYeti
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BOCGg32YLzg/UiJj38YG7qI/AAAAAAAAA5o/j4pvyrQ_a-A/s320/garygaeyeti.jpg
     
    That makes me feel a bit better/scared.
     
    Random Top 5 - Best September OPS in Twins' history (min 40 PA)
     

    Jim Thome - 2010 - 1.338
    Gary Ward - 1980 - 1.269
    Mike Ryan - 2003 - 1.245
    Chip Hale - 1993 - 1.209
    Matt LeCroy - 2001 - 1.204

    Holy Tho-moly! That list rocks. For what it's worth, Harmon Killebrew doesn't make the list, but does have 5 of the 16 best Septembers in Twins' history. Shane Mack has the 18th best and he did this:
     
    http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1RJuPJg-4fI/UiJkF_j3m9I/AAAAAAAAA54/iFjmGsJkV7s/s320/shane_mack.jpg
     
    So, he's the real number one.
     
    Poll Results, New Poll
     
    I haven't had an active poll in weeks. It just hasn't felt right. Here are the results from my most recent poll about broadcasters:
     
    Which Broadcaster Adage Annoys You Most? -
     

    He plays the game the right way - 13 votes - the winner!
    Pitch Quickly; Pitch to Contact - 6 votes
    Keep the fielders engaged, no strikeouts! - 8 votes
    Anything related to showing up Umpires - 5 votes
    Bunt Constantly! Bunts for all! - 1 vote
    These don't annoy me, you annoy me - 3 votes

    For the record, I hate all the bunting, but I think the "plays the game the right way" adage is really annoying too. I don't like it because it can't be quantified and I am a nerd. Only about 10% of people find me annoying, which is far less than the percentage in real life. I must be less obnoxious in print. I posted a new poll, please take some time to vote.
     
    Link to Something I wrote - Morneau Trade, 20 Trades archive
     
    I wrote about the Morneau trade, and you can read it here. In fact, I've been writing about Twins trades for the past couple months. I'm all done now. If you missed any, I made a little archive here. How nice!
     
    Parting Thought - Favorite Morneau Memory
     
    I have a terrible memory. I remember certain things very well - names, dates, etc. Basically, if it's easy, I can remember it. Actual events are fuzzier. So, when I think of my favorite Justin Morneau memory, you will have to excuse the lack of specifics.
     
    During the 2006 season, the Twins were playing the Tigers (I believe). They were losing, runners were on base and Morneau was up. Morneau was an MVP candidate at that point, but I wasn't sold just yet. I said to myself, "ok Justin, if you really are the MVP, hit a home run right here." On the very next pitch, Morneau hit a ball about as high as you can hit a ball. It held in the air for what seemed like forever and eventually it dropped right in the opposing bullpen for a home run. The Twins took the lead, they won the game and Morneau won me over.
     
    My second favorite memory was the time he broke the light in the scoreboard at Miller Park. I remember that one clearly because I was there and I didn't stop talking about it for the next few days.
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
  12. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed! If you want to read about the Carlos Gomez/JJ Hardy trade, just click here.
     
    Ok, let's all just try to be cool here.
     
    The Trade: BREAKDOWN!
     
    The Minnesota Twins traded Wilson Ramos, Joe Testa and cash to the Washington Nationals for Matt Capps.
     
    I'm not sure Twins fans remember this, but Capps was really good in 2010. He took over as closer and fired off 27 innings of 2 ERA. He saved 16 games down the stretch and helped the Twins make the playoffs. The problem was that he was declining already and the Twins didn't see it. He was much worse in 2011, seeing a huge drop in his strikeout rate. The Twins still didn't see it and signed him again for 2012. He was hurt and awful and hasn't pitched in the Majors since.
     
    Ramos is great when he's healthy. He has posted a 112 OPS+ with Washington, but he has only played 198 games in just over three seasons. I'd love to see what he could do in a full season. He's slugging almost .500 this year and is going to be a breakout candidate until he actually breaks out.
     
    Testa is playing independent ball now. The cash was reinvested into the organiz... Ha! I'm sorry, but that's just too funny to pass up.
     
    How did I feel at the time?
     
    I had mixed feelings. I actually liked Matt Capps. I "found" him back before he was a closer. In 2007, Salomon Torres was the Pirates' closer. I was a fantasy baseball player. We weren't a match. However, I knew Torres sucked, so I stashed this dude named Capps and hoped the Pirates would reach the same conclusion that I had. They did. However, I liked Ramos too. I did feel he was somewhat redundant with Joe Mauer signed forever and awesome. So, I liked the idea of getting value for Ramos and I liked Capps. I was wrong.
     
    Why make the trade?
     
    The Twins are a very traditional team. If there is a traditional role to fill, they will fill it. As such, the Twins needed a "proven closer" for the 2010 stretch run. Or at least, that is what this ESPN.com article indicates:
     
    "The motivation is that this makes us a better club," said general manager Bill Smith, whose Twins trail the Chicago White Sox by 1½ games in the AL Central. "This gives us more depth in the back of that bullpen. Matt Capps is an established, veteran closer who is going to give us a better chance to win our division and advance to the World Series."
     
    I can't imagine a world where Matt Capps makes a team a World Series contender. Jon Rauch had closed for the first half and had done a really nice job. There was really no need to trade for a closer. Any right-handed bullpen arm would have made the team stronger. Unfortunately, a "closer" carries more weight than a "good reliever who doesn't close." Thus, Ramos was sent away. Weak.
     
    "Jon Rauch stepped up and has been phenomenal for us," Smith said. "This gives us three quality, veteran guys late in the game. I can't say enough great things about what Jon Rauch has contributed to this club and we expect him to continue to be a huge contributor to our success."
     
    This quote doesn't make a whole lot of sense. If Rauch had been phenomenal, then it would stand to reason that trading a prized catching prospect to replace him falls in the "bad idea jeans" category. This is especially true when you consider...
     
    "He's a tremendous talent and he's got a bright future," Smith said. "Anytime you're going to get an All-Star closer, you have to give up a good player. It was a tough decision, but one we felt we had to make."
     
    I do agree that you have to get to give, but this give was too much for what they wanted to get.
     
    The addition of Ramos to a talented young core led by ace Stephen Strasburg gives the Nationals the flexibility to move slugging catcher Bryce Harper, the No. 1 overall pick in the June draft, into the outfield.
     
    Well now that just seems unfair.
     
    Analysis
     
    This is another trade that looks terrible on paper but the idea isn't completely insane. Deal from strength to improve the team. However, trading a 22-year-old catcher with big upside for one of the least impressive closers in baseball is just not worthwhile. Ramos is probably going to be providing Washington with value for the next 5-6 seasons. Even if he does remain injury prone, he'll be good when he can play. He'd be a perfect player in the Twins' Ryan Doumit role, but alas, it was not meant to be.
     
    This is the danger in worrying about a "proven closer." The title carries more weight than it should. If you put a good pitcher in the 9th inning, they will likely still be a good pitcher. If you take a pretty good pitcher and call them a "closer," they become more valuable than they really are as a player. Matt Capps isn't a proven closer any more than Jon Rauch, but if you give him enough save opportunities, he becomes one. I guess that's just how baseball works, but it certainly clouded the Twins' judgment in this case.
     
    Who won the WAR?
     
    Capps with the Twins: 2.0 WAR
    Ramos with the Nationals: 4.2 WAR
     
    WAR won by the Nationals!
     
    One Sentence Summary
     
    Fantasy baseball is a terrible way to learn about players.
  13. Brad Swanson
    Originally posted at Kevin Slowey was Framed!
     
    Over the past week, the Twins offense has been inconsistent, their starting pitching has been up and down and their bullpen has started blowing leads. It's almost like this isn't a very good team. This weekend, the Twins had a lot more trouble with the lowly White Sox at home. This would be troubling, but the last three seasons have been troubling so I'm not sure we can feasibly add any additional trouble at this point. On the plus side, the Twins play most of their games at 6pm or earlier this week, ensuring that I get to bed by 9pm like a good boy.
     
    Casey Fien
     
    So Casey Fien sucks now, right? In his last three appearances, Fien has given up seven earned runs, raising his ERA from 2.61 to 3.71. He's getting worked over by home runs, but he struck out more than a batter per inning and didn't issue a walk during that tiny sample. Basically, we can all chill out. Unless this home run problem persists for a couple weeks, this is just a blip on the ol' radar. If we thought Fien was good a week ago, we should still feel the same way right now.
    Chris Colabello
     
    .273/.415/.485. That was Chris Colabello's triple slash in August. That performance was apparently not good enough to keep an MLB job. Once again, the Twins seem more concerned with having a lot of mediocre to bad players on the bench, rather than having potentially productive players in the lineup. The Twins basically chose to keep Chris Herrmann as a third catcher/Andrew Albers caddy, Wilkin Ramirez as a backup centerfielder, and Clete Thomas as a human. I would bet a bajillion dollars that Colabello would out-produce those three scrubs from this point on. However, he doesn't produce some veiled positional flexibility, so he's out. This makes no sense on a bad team.
    No Sano in September?
     
    Terry Ryan was quoted this week basically saying that there is little-to-no chance that Miguel Sano gets a September call-up this season. I don't disagree with that decision, but why state it publicly? Wouldn't the anticipation of Sano's potential debut be something to keep fans engaged as this uneventful season winds down? Granted, come September 1 all the hope would die, but does this need to be ruled out in mid-August? It really doesn't matter a lot, but it seems like a bad PR move. What if Sano hits .450 with 10 home runs to end his season with New Britain? It's unlikely, but he could probably do it. Just odd to me.
    Clete Thomas
     
    Clete Thomas in August: .230/.309/..328. That's markedly better than his July, by the way. Question - Does this guy ever get a legitimate hit? Every time I see him actually make contact, it's some sort of blooper or he reaches his bat out and pokes it to left or he bunts and the ball hits his bat twice. I don't want to continually bag on Thomas, but I'm going to. Everyone has their whipping boy.
     
    Time for fun and madness instead of complaining and sadness.
    Half-hearted Mini-Rant
     
    I would like to present to you the newest feature in the Madness, a rant that I'm not really all that into:
     
    Why was Oswaldo Arcia on the bench on Friday and Saturday? Doesn't this kid need to play every day? Please don't tell me it was because he was facing "tough lefties" either. Chris Sale is tough, but Jose Quintana is not. How will he improve against lefties on the bench? Also, please don't tell me this is some concentrated ploy to keep Wilkin Ramirez fresh or to keep Clete Thomas' "hot bat" in the lineup. You can sit either one of those guys for 5 years straight and guess what, they'd be totally ready to come in and not produce. Trust me, when you need Clete Thomas to come in and go 0-4 with three Ks, he'll be ready. In fact, I created this flow chart to help the Twins make better decisions in this area:
     
     
    http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-G6O-NH45C_I/UhEa3uZusKI/AAAAAAAAA4Y/0PEa0_Mc3vw/s320/arciaflowchart.png
     
     
    It's not rocket science. End rant.
    Fun Stat - Most innings with no starts
     
    The Twins are about 75% through the season and Anthony Swarzak has thrown about 75 innings. That puts him on pace for 100 innings pitched. Math! Throwing that many innings in relief is a bit of a lost art. In fact, in this millennium, it has only been done six times, usually by guys named Scott or Scot. Here's the list of guys Swarzak could potentially join:
     

    Steve Sparks 2003 - 107.0
    Scott Sullivan 2000 - 106.1
    Scot Shields 2004 - 105.1
    Guillermo Mota 2003 - 105.0
    Scott Sullivan 2001 - 103.1
    Scott Proctor 2006 - 102.1

    Random Photoshop - Walk-off
     
    I've grown tired of traditional baseball celebrations. I find the "beat the holy hell out of the hero" celebration to be the worst. There's nothing more annoying that watching Clete Thomas try to throw rabbit punches at Chris Herrmann. To me, celebrations are stale and need to be revamped. Celebrations don't need to be huge productions. Sometimes, it is just a minor touch. Look how much better the famous Jim Thome walk-off celebration looks on silly hat night:
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EKrvF3xdrjQ/UhEbNZh6sYI/AAAAAAAAA4g/WI6ZvTDBg4I/s320/walkoffhats.jpg
     
    Look how happy Joe Mauer is!
    Baseball Card from the Past
     
    Senior Photo!
     
    http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_ZZhT-jcdSI/UhEbVOvwlXI/AAAAAAAAA4o/_2VbUxqy-1Q/s320/ledeecard.jpg
     
    Link to something I wrote - Anniversary
     
    I realized over the weekend that I had been maintaining this "blog" for a year now. As a blog-guy, it is my duty to celebrate milestones with posts that will generate more views. It's a snake eating itself really, but it's all in fun. I threw together a list of my five most OUTRAGEOUS posts from the past year and some fun pictures/photoshops as well. You can find it here.
    Parting Thought - Thanks TD
     
    To accompany the previous section, I wanted to give a huge thank you to Twins Daily for the past year. First, thank you to the site leaders who have put together a fantastic site where everyone can contribute. I appreciate it every time I see one of my posts on the front page, even if I don't always say it. Really, I appreciate just being able to have a blog here, even if nothing ever touched the front page. Without Twins Daily, I would have never written a word on the Twins. So, now you know who to blame if you've ever wished I'd shut up.
     
    Second, thank you to the whole Twins Daily community. I enjoy being a part of this community. I wish I could post more and comment more, but I read just about everything. People are very supportive of each others' ideas and thoughts and very encouraging when someone new arrives and weighs in. I've told just about every Twins fan I know about Twins Daily and I will continue to do so.
     
    End sap.
     
    Have a nice week, everyone!
×
×
  • Create New...