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  4. jjswol
    Originally posted at http://wp.me/p1YQUj-2D6​
     
     
    Minnesota Twins pitchers have finished dead last in the American League in strikeouts the last three years and you all know where the team has finished in the standing during that time frame. When the Twins came into existence in 1961 the SO/9 average in the American League was 5.2 SO/9 and it slowly climbed to 6.1 SO/9 in 1967 but then started sliding down to under 5.0 SO/9 from 1974 to 1983. Since then it started climbing and for the first time in 2012 it went above 7.0 went it hit 7.4 SO/9 and in 2013 it hit 7.7 SO/9 which is a new high water mark.
     
     
    From 2006 through 2013 only one team in the AL has finished above the .500 mark in the standings when their pitching staff has had under 1,000 strikeouts and guess who that was? It was the 2008 Minnesota Twins team that finished second to the Chicago White Sox in 2008 when Gardy's boys went 88-75 and lost game 163 in Chicago. When Twins pitchers have 1,000 or more strikeouts the team won less than 79 games only once and that was the 2000 Twins when they finished the season with a 69-93 mark. Twins pitchers have struck 1,000 or more batters only 10 times in 53 seasons and peaked with 1,164 KO's in 2006 when the team had a franchise high 7.28 SO/9.
     
     
    The Twins can spew all the "pitch to contact" babble they want but striking out hitters and winning games goes together like peanut butter and jelly. We can only wait and see what the new Twins pitchers can do. Ricky Nolasco has a career 7.4 SO/9 and Phil Hughes is 7.6 SO/9 so they should help improve the Twins sad 2013 6.11 SO/9 team mark.
     
     
    So looking back all the way to 1961 what Twins pitchers have had the best SO/9 ratio in a given season? The table below shows the highest SO/9 ratio with a minimum of 50 innings. Not many starters on this list.
     
     

    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Nathan-2.jpg

     
    [TABLE=class: sr_share mceItemTable]

    [TH=class: tooltip ranker sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]Rk[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]Player[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SO/9[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]IP[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]Year[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]G[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]GS[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]W[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]L[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SV[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SO[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]ERA[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]12.51[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]68.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2006[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]64[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]36[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]95[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1.58[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]12.09[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]70.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2005[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]69[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]43[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]94[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.70[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]11.67[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]68.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2009[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]70[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]47[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]89[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.10[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Juan Rincon[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]11.63[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]82.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2004[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]77[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]106[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.63[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]11.38[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]108.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2002[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]27[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]14[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]137[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.99[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]11.07[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]72.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2004[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]73[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]44[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]89[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1.62[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Glen Perkins[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]11.06[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]62.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2013[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]61[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]36[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]77[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.30[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.71[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]121.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2006[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]28[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]144[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.16[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Tom Hall[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.66[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]155.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1970[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]52[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]184[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.55[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Casey Fien[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.60[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]62.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2013[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]73[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]73[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.92[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.46[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]228.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2004[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]34[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]34[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]265[/TD]
    [TD=align: center] 2.61[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Ron Davis[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.02[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]64.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1985[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]57[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]72[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.48[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Glen Perkins[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.98[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]70.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2012[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]70[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]78[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.56[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]14[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.84[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]67.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2008[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]68[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]39[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]74[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1.33[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]15[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Juan Rincon[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.82[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]77.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2005[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]75[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]84[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.45[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.81[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]100.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2012[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]109[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5.31[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.67[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]71.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2007[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]68[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]77[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1.88[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]18[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.66[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]219.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2007[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]33[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]33[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]15[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]235[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.33[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]19[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.61[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]158.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2003[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]45[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]18[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]169[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.07[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Tom Hall[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.51[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]129.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1971[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]48[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]137[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.33[/TD]

    [/TABLE]

    Provided by
    Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used Generated 12/26/2013.


     
     
     
    Looking over the Twins history here the best Twins career SO/9 ratio's with a minimum of 100 innings pitched. How many of these pitchers were originally signed by the Twins? That would be eight.



    [TABLE=class: sr_share mceItemTable]

    [TH=class: tooltip ranker sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]Rk[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip sort_default_asc show_partial_when_sorting, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]Player[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SO/9[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]IP[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]G[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]GS[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]W[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]L[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]W-L%[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SV[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]SO[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip sort_default_asc hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]ERA[/TH]
    [TH=class: tooltip hide_non_quals, bgcolor: #DDDDDD]BA[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Joe Nathan[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.90[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]463.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]460[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]24[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].649[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]260[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]561[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].186[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Pat Neshek[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]10.48[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]129.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]132[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].647[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]151[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.05[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].189[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.50[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1308.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]251[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]175[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]93[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]44[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].679[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1381[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].221[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]9.05[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]783.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]156[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]130[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]50[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]52[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].490[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]788[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.33[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].247[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Tom Hall[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]8.52[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]455.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]139[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]44[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]21[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].543[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]431[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.00[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].212[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Juan Rincon[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]8.41[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]441.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]386[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]30[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]26[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].536[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]412[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.69[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].248[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Ron Davis[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]8.24[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]381.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]286[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]19[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]40[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].322[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]108[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]349[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.51[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].264[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jared Burton[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]8.16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]128.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]135[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].313[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]116[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.02[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].216[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Juan Berenguer[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]8.15[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]418.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]211[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]33[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].717[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]379[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.70[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].231[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Ray Moore[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.95[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]159.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]126[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].565[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]141[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.90[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].252[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Gerry Arrigo[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.93[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]131.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]54[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]15[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].533[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]116[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.31[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].245[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Eddie Guardado[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.79[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]704.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]648[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]48[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].435[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]116[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]610[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.53[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].253[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dennys Reyes[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.77[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]126.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]191[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].909[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]109[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.14[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].238[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]14[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Rick Aguilera[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.60[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]694.0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]490[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]30[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]40[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]47[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].460[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]254[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]586[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.50[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].243[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]15[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dan Naulty[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.60[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]111.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]97[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].444[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]94[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.61[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].234[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Al Worthington[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.59[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]473.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]327[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].544[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]88[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]399[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2.62[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].221[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dick Stigman[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.52[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]643.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]138[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]85[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].500[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]538[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.69[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].229[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]18[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.51[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1036.1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]187[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]150[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]67[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]54[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].554[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]865[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.49[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].217[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]19[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]J.C. Romero[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.42[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]407.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]327[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].556[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]336[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.35[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].256[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Mike Trombley[/TD]
    [TD=class: highlight_text, align: center]7.36[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]645.2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]365[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]36[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]30[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]34[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].469[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]34[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]528[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4.53[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].266[/TD]

    [/TABLE]

    Provided by
    Baseball-Reference.com: View Play Index Tool Used Generated 12/26/2013.


  6. jjswol
    In the Twins 53 year history, 27 different Twins players have gotten five or or more hits in a game but only nine players have done this more then once.
     
    Kirby Puckett did it six times and in two of those occurrences he had six hits in a game. Puckett remains the only Twins player to get more then 5 hits in a game.
     
    Joe Mauer and Rod Carew each have had five 5 hit games wearing a Twins uni.
     
    Tony Oliva accomplished the feat four times.
     
    Paul Molitor did it three times.
     
    Denard Span, Justin Morneau, and Jacques Jones each had 5 hits in a game twice. There is one other Twins player that had 5 hits in a game twice. Who was he?
  8. jjswol
    Originally posted earlier at This Day In Twins History ? August 8 | Twinstrivia.com
     
     
    8/8/1962 - With the score tied at 3 apiece at Municipal Stadium in Kansas City, A's rookie third baseman Ed Charles steals home with two out in the ninth to score the winning run in a A's 4-3 win over the Twins. Ray Moore and Jerry Zimmerman were the Twins battery at the time.
     
     
    8/8/1974 - The Royals - Twins game at Royals Stadium is briefly interrupted by President Nixon's resignation speech. The speech is broadcast after it begins and the next inning is delayed until the conclusion of the speech. The Twins prevail over the host Royals‚ 3 - 2 in 14 innings when Tony Oliva's sacrifice fly drives home Rod Carew. Bill Campbell pitches 7 innings of relief for the win.
     
     
    8/8/1976 - This has nothing to do with the Minnesota Twins but still it deserves to be remembered for its "strangeness". Thirty-seven years ago, on Aug. 8, 1976, the Chicago White Sox made sartorial history by wearing shorts in a win over the Royals. The Bermudas were the idea of—who else?—owner Bill Veeck. Here is what Sports Illustrated wrote. If you want to see a picture, go to This Day In Twins History ? August 8 | Twinstrivia.com
     
     
    8/8/1987 - The Twins beat the Oakland A's 9-2 at the Metrodome as Twins pitcher Steve Carlton wins the 329th and final game of his Hall of Fame career. Carlton pitches 8 2/3 innings giving up 2 runs while striking out two batters.
     
     
    8/8/1988 - The Indians and the Twins were scoreless after 3 innings at the Metrodome with Allan Anderson on the mound for the local nine. In the top of the fourth inning with no one out, the Indians Ron Washington and Willie Upshaw singled to put runners on first and second and then Joe Carter smashed a long drive to the left field corner where Twins outfielder Dan Gladden snagged it for an out and wheeled and fired a strike to Steve Lombardozzi at 2B to nail Washington and then Lombo relayed the ball to Gene Larkin at first to get the runner there by at least 5 feet and completed the unusual 7-4-3 triple play. The Twins went on to win the game by a 7-2 score with Galdden going 3 for 5 with a run scored, a stolen base, and a RBI. Catcher Brian Harper was 4 for 4 but played second fiddle to Gladden on this day.
     
     
    8/8/1998 - Paul Molitor stole his 500th base in Minnesota's 6-3 loss to Baltimore to become only the fifth player ever with 3,000 hits and 500 steals. Molitor joined Ty Cobb, Honus Wagner, Eddie Collins and Lou Brock.
     
     
    8/8/2004 - The A's beat the Twins 6 - 5 in 18 innings. It is the second-longest game in the 23-year history of the Metrodome. With the score tied 3 to 3, the A's score 3 in the top of the 18th off Terry Mulholland to take a 6-3 lead. The Twins come back with 2 in the bottom of the 18th with a Morneau home run but leave Matthew LeCroy stranded on first when Koskie and Cuddyer flyout to end the rally and the Twins hope of a huge comeback victory. The game lasts 4 hours and 57 minutes.
     
     
    8/8/2005 - One time Minnesota Twins manger (1976-1980) Gene Mauch passes away at the age of 79. Mauch was the seventh manager in Twins history. I think one of my favorite Gene Mauch quotes was "I'm not the manager because I am always right, but I am always right because I am the manager".
     
     
    8/8/2009 - The Twins third manager, Cal Ermer passed away at the age of 85 in Chattanooga, Tenn. Ermer replaced the fired Sam Mele in June 1967 with the Twins in sixth place with a 25-25 record. The Twins went 66-46 the rest of the season but lost the American League pennant on the final day of the season. Ermer was fired after the Twins finished in seventh place in 1968 with a 79-83 record.
  10. jjswol
    ​
    Originally published at The state of the Twins at mid-season | Twinstrivia.com
     
     
    The Twins left Minnesota and the country yesterday with their tails between their legs after losing their fifth straight game and four in a row to those hated New York Yankees. The Yankees were slumping when they limped in to town but that didn't stop this bunch of misfits and cast-offs from kicking some serious Twins butts here in Minnesota. I have seen better visiting Yankee teams at Ft. Myers in spring training then what they put on the field the past few days at Target Field and yet you just knew that some way and some how that the Twins would find a way to lose to this bunch of has been's that make up the 2013 New York Yankees. I have no idea how the Twins can keep losing to the Yankees year in and year out, it's like there is a Yankee curse on the Twins. Even the New York Times is getting in on the action with a headline that reads "Yankees Thrash Twins to Complete 4-Game Sweep."
     
     
    I know everyone is frustrated with the Twins play again this season as the team record stands at 36-46 so far this season. Before the season started I saw the Twins going 74-88 this season so that is not far off the mark at mid-season. The younger players are learning and you can see improvement here and there but this team has a long ways to go to be a serious contender. However; the team is playing like any young team normally plays, some days they surprise you with their ability and other days they frustrate you with their bone-head plays, but this is all part of learning to play in the big leagues.
     
    Having said all that, I think that Terry Ryan needs to make some changes. There are players on this team with no Twins future and should be moved but the problem is that you get nothing for them in return. I have really enjoyed watching Justin Morneau over the years, just like I did Michael Cuddyer but he needs to be moved to give him a chance to play for a contender and the Twins must find out if Chris Parmelee is the Twins first baseman of the future. The Twins should eat some of Morneau's salary and move him for the best prospect(s) they can get. If they don't move him they have to pay him anyway and they will get no prospect at all. The most talk about a Twins player being traded has been about closer Glen Perkins. I would hate to lose Perkins but I would trade him if an offer of a top-notch prospect was presented. I am not talking a prospect playing in low A ball, I am talking a serious prospect that can help this team this year or next year. The Twins have always found closers and they will find another to replace Perkins. The Oakland A's have done this for years and it has worked for them, it should work here too.
     
    That brings us to the manager, Ron Gardenhire. I have always liked Gardy as a manager and still do. Who doesn't like Gardy, he is an easy guy to like and he has been here forever and has won almost 1,000 games. Gardy isn't the one losing these games, the Twins players are, but still, things seemed to have gotten stale here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes and sometimes changes are necessary. If Gardy gets fired he will be managing another team next year or the year after for sure, but who should replace him? There is no one on the current coaching staff that seems to fit the bill. A number of people have mentioned Paul Molitor as a possibility but I don't see that happening. The Twins said that Molitor was not a good fit to join the coaching staff and some said it was because he would put too much pressure on Gardy who is managing in the last year of his contract. I don't think that is the reason at all, I think there are several reasons. First of all Molitor has absolutely no managing experience and no coaching experience to speak of. Next, Molitor has some baggage in his personal life that he brings from his playing days that does not excite the Twins organization very much and does not fit their mold of someone they would like to see lead their young players. Finally Molitor's personality is not going to excite the Twins fan base, I know he is from St. Paul but his personality is more like TK's then it is Gardenhire's. Great players seldom make good managers. The Twins will probably let Gardenhire's contract expire after the season ends and that is not what I though would happen just a few months ago but things change. The Twins need to reinvigorate their fan base after three losing seasons in a row and the promise of prospects in the pipeline alone isn't going to put fans in the seats at Target Field, the fans need to see the Twins organization make some serious changes that are visible and at least show the fans that they are trying to make this team better. Just talking a good story doesn't do it any more, we Twins fans need to see some action.
     
    One more thing before I wrap up this blog today. Joe Vavra was the Twins hitting coach from 2006 through 2012 but was reassigned after last season. During Vavra's tenure in Minnesota, the Twins have consistently ranked among the best in the league for both individual and team hitting stats. Former Twins player Tom Brunansky was named the Twins hitting coach after last season. Over the last few years the fans have clamoured for Vavra to be let go and finally Terry Ryan made it a reality after the 2012 season. So what did that change do for the Twins? The team is hitting worse than ever and yet I have not heard a single utterance of getting rid of Brunansky. So why is no one complaining about the job that Bruno is doing as the hitting coach for a team that claims that they are only interested in results? I am not saying he should be fired, I am just wondering why Brunansky seems to have that Teflon armour surrounding him.
  12. jjswol
    Posted earlier at This Day in Twins History ? June 24 | Twinstrivia.com
     
    6/24/1955 - Harmon Killebrew hit his first major league homer, off Billy Hoeft at Griffith Stadium, but the Detroit Tigers beat the Washington Senators 18-7. Here is what dcbaseballhistory.com wrote about this highlite - "The visiting Tigers pounce to a 13-0 lead in the top of the 5th, when 3B Harmon Killebrew boots a grounder. In the bottom of the frame, Killebrew would bat and work a 2-2 count against Detroit southpaw Billy Hoeft. Tigers catcher Frank House tells Killebrew that Hoeft’s next offering would be a fastball. Hoeft delivered that fastball and Killebrew rocketed the ball out of the park for his first major league home run. Killebrew would later say that, of all the home runs he hit at Griffith Stadium, the home run off Hoeft was the longest he ever hit in Griffith."
     
     
    6/24/1968 - In a one game series, the Twins beat the Chicago White Sox 1-0 in County Stadium in Milwaukee in a game called after 5 innings due to rain. The reason the game was played in Milwaukee was that in 1968, Bud Selig, a former minority owner of the Milwaukee Braves who had been unable to stop the relocation of his team three years earlier, contracted with the Allyn brothers who owned the White Sox to host nine home games (one against each of the other American League clubs) at Milwaukee County Stadium as part of an attempt to attract an expansion franchise to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Frank Jackson of The Hardball Times did a nice blog earlier this year on the Milwaukee White Sox that is well worth your read.
     
     
    6/24/1977 - Ralph Garr of the White Sox homered off Minnesota’s Paul Thormodsgard in Minneapolis. It came in the third inning with two men on and no one out. Jim Essian, the runner on first, thought the ball might be caught by the Twins’ right fielder, Dan Ford, so he retreated towards first base. Garr was watching the flight of the ball and passed Essian after rounding the bag. He was credited with a single and two runs batted in.

    6/24/1984 - 2B Tim Teufel gives the Twins a 3-2 win over the White Sox with a three-run inside-the-park walk off home run with one out in the bottom of the ninth at the Metrodome.
     
     
    6/24/1989 - Twins outfielder John Moses is asked to pitch at Fenway Park in an 11-2 loss to the Red Sox. John threw one scoreless inning giving up a walk but only faced 3 batters with the team turned a double play behind him. John is the fourth Twins position player to pitch and this is the fifth occurrence of a Twins position player pitching for the Twins.
  15. jjswol
    Posted earlier at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history. .
     
     
    The Twins played their 50th game of the season last night when they beat the Milwaukee Brewers 4-1 at Target Field and their record now stands at 22-28. Last night they struck out 7 times, the night before they struck out 14 times in 14 innings and the day before that they struck out 7 times. I don't know how many of you have noticed but Twins batters are striking out at a record-breaking pace.
     
     
    The 1997 Twins struck out a team record 1,121 times in 5,634 at-bats. That equates to batters striking out once every 5.03 at-bats which also is a team high. If you spread that out over the 162 games they played that season it comes out to 6.92 strikeouts per game. That 1997 Twins team finished with a 68-94 record under manager Tom Kelly. That team had two hitters strike out more than 100 times, Rich Becker had 130 and Terry Steinbach contributed 106.
     
     
    This years Twins have struck out 418 times in 1,718 at-bats through 50 games. That means that batters are striking out once every 4.11 at-bats, almost a full at-bat worse than they have ever done. If you prorate that over 162 games at their current pace, they will strike out 1,354 times in 5,566 at-bats which blows away their 1997 high water strikeout mark. If you look at it at a strikeouts per game, their current running rate is 8.36 KO's per game. Again blowing away their historic worst 1997 mark of 6.92 KO's per game.
     
     
    Excluding any strike shortened season, the 1978 Twins struck out the fewest times. That group of hitters struck out just 684 times in 5,522 at-bats or once every 8.07 at-bats. That comes out to only 4.22 strikeouts per game. Danny Ford led that team in strikeouts with 88 and no one else had more than 70.
     
     
    The most strikeouts that a Twins batter has had in a single season is 145 and both Harmon Killebrew (1969) and Bobby Darwin (1972) share that honor. Killebrew led the Twins in strikeouts seven times and Gary Gaetti is next on the list having led the team in strikeouts six times. This years team is on pace to have five hitters with 100 or more KO's, Josh Willingham, Aaron Hicks, Joe Mauer, Chris Parmelee and Brian Dozier all have a solid shot. Both Willingham and Hicks are on pace to set a new Twins season high strikeout mark with 159 and 147 respectively.
     
    Things can certainly change as some of these young hitters hopefully improve as the year moves along but if their play to date is any indication, you had better hang on to your hat if you are sitting near home plate when the Twins are batting because some of those whiffs may send your hat flying.
  17. jjswol

    Twins Switch-Hitters

    By jjswol,

    Posted earlier at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history.
     
     
    In baseball, a switch-hitter is a batter that bats either from the right side or the left side depending on if the pitcher is right or left-handed. Most curveballs break away from batters hitting from the same side as the opposing pitcher making such pitches often harder to hit than those from the other side. History tells us that most right-handed batters hit better against lefty pitchers and left-handed batters hit better against right handers. This so-called platoon benefit is why managers use pinch-hitters and LOOGY's and why some players want to become switch-hitters.
     

    Switch-hitting at its best
     


    Switch-hitters have been around for ever it seems and yet according to sources that I have researched, only about 6% of baseball batters have been switch-hitters. You have to wonder if switch-hitting is such an advantage, why haven't more of baseball best hitters been switch-hitters? The best career batting average for a switch-hitter is .316 by Frankie Frisch, who currently ranks 71st all-time. Some of the best switch-hitters in our times like Chipper Jones, hit at .306 and Pete Rose hit .303. Detroit Tigers DH Victor Martinez has a career average of .302 making him the highest currently active switch-hitter. Switch-hitters have been around for a long time and there have been some pretty good ones over the years, in addition to the players I just mentioned, you have to add players like Mickey Mantle, Eddie Murray, Roberto Alomar, Bernie Williams, George Davis, Lance Berkman, Tim Raines and Chili Davis to the list of switch-hitting greats.

    Switch-hitting and the rules


     
    A question often asked is can a batter switch for right to left or left to right during an at bat. The only rule that I can find that seemingly applies is 6.06( which states that "A batter is out for illegal action when he steps from one batter’s box to the other while the pitcher is in position ready to pitch." Based on that, it appears you can switch from one batters box to the other as often as you want as long as you do it before the pitcher gets in his pitching position.
     

    Twins switch-hitting history


     
    The Twins currently have four switch-hitters on their 25 man playing roster, C Ryan Doumit, SS Pedro Florimon, OF Aaron Hicks, and utility man Eduardo Escobar.
     
     
    In the Twins 53 years of existence they had 62 players that were switch-hitters but not all of them actually batted and we will touch more on that later. The Twins very first switch-hitter was actually a pitcher, Pedro Ramos. Ramos pitched and batted (1 for 4 with 2 RBI) in the Twins very first game when Ramos and the Twins shut out the New York Yankees 6-0 on April 11, 1961 at Yankee Stadium. The first Twins switch-hitting position player to appear in a game was SS Marty Martinez when he had an at bat against the Yankees at Met Stadium on May 30, 1962 in game 2 of a doubleheader. Martinez actually appeared in 3 earlier games as a Twins but was used strictly as a pinch-runner by manager Sam Mele. It wasn't until 1976 however; that the Twins actually had a regular position player switch-hitting and that year they had two, rookie catcher Butch Wynegar and SS Roy Smalley. The Twins are playing their 53rd season and there has only been one year, 1973 that they have not had a switch-hitter step into the batters box wearing a Twins uniform. On the other hand, they had nine switch-hitters (Cristian Guzman was the only starter) at one time or another on their 1999 team that finished 63-97.
     

    Twins switch-hitting pitchers


     
    Looking at the Twins 62 switch-hitters, eleven of them were pitchers and claimed to be switch hitters but only Pedro Ramos, Jim Perry, Dan Serafini, JC Romero, and Joe Mays actually set foot in the batters box. The other six, Stan Perzanowski, Darrell Jackson, Pete Filson, Jason Ryan, Pat Neshek, and Eric Hacker were switch-hitters only on the back of their baseball cards because they never batted in a Twins game. Jim Perry actually hit five home runs as a Twin.
     

    Home runs from each side of the plate club


     
    The Twins switch-hitter with the most home runs is Roy Smalley and he hit 163 career home runs and 110 of them were when he was a Minnesota Twin. The "home runs from each side of the plate" club is relatively exclusive but three of the members were Twins. Roy Smalley accomplished that rare feat twice, once against the Boston Red Sox at the Metrodome on May 30, 1986 and once earlier in his career as a New York Yankee in 1982. Chili Davis became the second Twin to join the club when he did it against the Royals on October 2, 1992. Ryan Doumit became the third Twin to do so when too joined the exclusive fraternity against the Royals on July 22, 2012. Chili Davis hit a home run from each side of the plate 11 times in his illustrious 19 year playing career. Just for comparisons sake, Mickey Mantle did it on 10 occasions.
     
     
    One oddity that seems to stand out to me is how few of the switch-hitters employed by the Twins over the years actually threw left-handed. If you exclude the 11 switch-hitting pitchers from the list you are left with 51 switch-hitters and only one of the 51 threw left-handed, the other fifty were right-handed. Kind of strange. The lone left-handed position player was John Moses. But keep in mind that John Moses, an outfielder by trade actually pitched in 3 games for the Twins and it gets even stranger.
     

    Twins best switch-hitters


     
    So let's take a look at the Twins top switch-hitters, there is no good way to rank them so I will list all the Twins switch-hitters that have 1,000 or more plate appearances in a Twins uniform. The chart also shows positions played, games played, home runs and batting average. All the numbers on this chart are their Twins career numbers. Many of these players played for other teams but those numbers are not included here, I am only interested in their numbers as Minnesota Twins for this story.
     
     
    [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]


    [/TH][TH=align: center]Name
    [TH=align: center]Positions[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]PA[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Games[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]HR[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]AVG[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Roy Smalley[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6,5,3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4676[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1148[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]110[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].262[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Cristian Guzman[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3538[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]841[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]39[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].266[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Butch Wynegar[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2,5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3188[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]794[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].254[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Nick Punto[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5,4,6,8,3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2707[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]747[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].248[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Gene Larkin[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3.9.5.4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2670[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]758[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]32[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].266[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Denny Hocking[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4,6,8,5,3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2455[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]876[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].252[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Al Newman[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6,4,5,8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1876[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]618[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].231[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Alexi Casilla[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4,6,5,8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1764[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]515[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].250[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Chili Davis[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]DH,9,3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1163[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]291[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]41[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].282[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Luis Castillo[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1036[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]227[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].299[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Matt Walbeck[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1008[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]275[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]
    [TD=align: center].230[/TD]

    [/TABLE]
     
     
    Some interesting numbers and players on this chart, about half the players were starters and half were utility players. No surprise that Smalley is the leader in home runs or that Chili Davis is second on that list but finding that Cristian Guzman is number 3 in the Twins switch-hitter home run list really surprised me.
  18. jjswol
    Originally posted at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history.
     
     



    It is too early to tell what kind of team the Twins have for 2013 but from what I have seen in the nine games they have played so far, it is a team that is playing better than what it has the last two seasons. I am not saying they are playoff bound but the team is at least entertaining to watch and I hope they can start to gel as a team over time. Yes, the Twins are 4-5 but you could argue that two of those wins were gifts when outfielders from the Tigers and Orioles let a ball drop between them and gave the Twins gift runs. Everybody was worried about the starting pitching going in to 2013 but it is the hitting so far that has been missing. Hicks has been terrible with the bat but he is not the total reason this team is not hitting well. So far this year the 3-5 hitters have scored 11 runs, hit 2 home runs, and have 9 RBI's. That is just plain terrible, Gardy needs to do something to shake-up this line-up. What scares me is that they are not playing all that well in the field either and they keep making mistakes on the base paths that are just plain embarrassing. The Twins have played just 9 games so the sample size is very small but here are some stats comparing the Twins to the rest of the league in various categories.
     
     
    The Twins are 4-5 and in fourth place in the AL Central 2 games behind the division leading Kansas City Royals. The Twins have lost 3 games in a row.
     
     
    The team is hitting .232 (13th place) and have scored 33 runs. Only the White Sox with 31 and the Rays with 32 have scored less.
     
     
    The Twins and the Oakland A's hitters lead the league in walks with 35.
     
     
    Only the Houston Astros with 101 have struck out more frequently than the Twins 79 strikeouts.
     
     
    Twins pitchers have a 4.09 ERA, good for 6th best and have given up only 4 home runs, the fewest in the league. Who would have thought that could happen, even after just 9 games?
     
     
    Twins pitchers have the fewest strikeouts in the league and opponents are hitting .284 off Twins and Blue Jays pitchers, only the Yankees pitchers who are getting hit at a .306 clip are worse.
     
     
    Twins relievers have a 2.73 ERA (3rd best) and are holding opposing hitters to a .231 average.
     
     
    The Twins and the Indians each have 7 errors and only the Angels, Blue Jays, and White Sox with 8 have committed more miscues.
     
     
    Everyone knows that Aaron Hicks is striking out at a frightening pace of 16 KO's in 35 at bats in the leadoff position. But have you noticed that Josh Willingham has struck out 13 times in 29 at bats and that Joe Mauer has struck out 10 times in 40 at bats. In Willingham's defense he also has 9 walks but Mauer and Hicks have 2 walks apiece. You have to wonder what might be bothering Mauer, his catching seems sub par this year too. Mauer has let a number of balls get by him and his throws to second base shouldn't scare any opposing baserunners.
     
     
    We will get a better feel for how good or bad the Twins really are very soon as they will play at home over the next 2 weeks or so as 12 of their next 15 games will be played at Target Field. We should also know by the time April is over if Aaron Hicks can catch his breath and turn things around before he finds himself in Gardy's doghouse and on his way to Rochester. I sure hope so because the Twins don't currently have a good plan B for center field unless Joe Benson catches fire. Hicks not running out his pop-up on Wednesday was obvious to anyone who watched the game but I didn't like Gardy being so public about how upset he was about the rookie's mistake. The Twins veterans like Morneau, Mauer, or Willingham should be taking care of issues like this, Gardy should have not gone public with his thoughts.
     
     
    The Twins starting pitching is still a huge question mark and it will be interesting to see what Scott Diamond looks like in 2013. Mike Pelfrey has shown less than what most people expected, Hendriks has pitched like.........Hendriks, I think you need to keep sending him out there every five days for a while and see what you get. I have liked Kevin Correia since they signed him but I know he can't keep pitching like he has. Hopefully Cole De Vries can get healthy and fight for a spot again. The biggest disappointment to me so far has been Vance Worley but it is still way too early to determine anything.
     
     
    The Twins drew the short straw from MLB this year from a schedule perspective with all those April home games and Mother Nature has not been as kind to the Twins as it has in the past but it is what it is. Now Dave St. Peter and the Twins find themselves having to make a hard decision in a no win situation today trying to determine if they should play the New York Mets tonight when temperatures are expected to be in the low 30's with snow flurries predicted. It sounds like the Twins had all the 6 inches or so of snow removed from the ballpark yesterday and last night. It is a tough call because the Mets will only make one trip to Minnesota this year and the weather prediction for the rest of the week-end is bad with possible rain on Sunday too. As a matter of fact the temps are not scheduled to get out of the 40's for the next week. So it makes sense to try to get the game in tonight but what about the fans comfort? Heaters or not, it will be miserable at Target Field and today's game is scheduled to be a night game. The Twins are having trouble drawing fans as it is and when you add in cold and or snowy and wet weather you have a perfect scenario for Twins fans staying home and watching the game on TV. No matter what choice the Twins make, lots of Twins fans will be unhappy. It is kind of perfect storm and the Twins seemed doomed to come out on the losing end. As I stated earlier, predicted temperatures for the next week are in the 40's and this entire Twins home stand will not see a temperature above 50 and all three games against the Angels after the Mets leave town are night games. OUCH!
     
     
    You add in the little dust-up the other day about the Twins charging $15 for a group of 60 fans to watch Twins take batting practice and then withdrawing the offer later in the day and you have a rough start to the 2013 season for the Minnesota Twins and their fans.
  19. jjswol
    Here is a Press Release the Minnesota Twins sent out yesterday -
    Early Entry Program Coming to Target Field
     
    Early entry tickets permit entry into the ballpark 45 minutes before gates open allowing fans to watch Twins batting practice
     
     
    MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Minnesota Twins today announced they will offer fans the opportunity to purchase early entry tickets that will allow them into Target Field 45 minutes before gates open to the general public.
    Only available before evening games, early entry will begin at 4:45 p.m. (Mondays - Thursdays), at 4:15 p.m. (Fridays) and 3:15 p.m. (Saturdays). Those times are designed to allow early entry fans to watch a majority of Twins batting practice.
    Early entry tickets will be sold on a walk-up basis at the main Target Field Box Office beginning 30 minutes before the early entry time for that game. Tickets will cost $15 dollars, and sales will be limited to the first 60 fans. Fans will also be required to have a normal entry ticket to the game, and will not be allowed to exit and reenter the ballpark after batting practice.
    In the case of batting practice being canceled, fans will be offered a tour of the Metropolitan Club, Legends Club and Champions Club as a substitute.
    ........................................Can you believe this? Back on January 16th I did a blog posting on Florida spring training and I wrote about what I thought was a stupid idea by the Detroit Tigers. The Tigers implemented a plan this spring to charge their fans $5 for the privilege of entering Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland early so that you could watch the Tigers take batting practice. Now our Minnesota Twins have proudly announced they have out done the Tigers with a similar plan but they are going to charge $15 for the right to watch Twins batting practice which is held before the gates open to the general public. Holy crap! What mental genius came up with this idea? I have read some comments from Twins fans and every comment thinks it is a greedy and stupid idea. Some of the fans are blaming the Pohlad family for their greed but there is no way in the world that the business savvy Pohlad family is responsible for an idea as silly as this. This Twins boner falls right in the lap of Twins President Dave St. Peter and the Twins wonderful marketing department. How the Twins could come up with a ludicrous plan like this when they have lost 90+ games two years in a row with attendance dropping like a rock and yet some marketing genius thinks they can bring some extra money in with this plan? Don't tell me the Twins are doing this as a favor to the fans because if that had any validity what so ever, they would just open the gates sooner and not charge extra for the privilege. This plan is supposedly in effect only during evening games but even if they did it for every one of their 81 home games they would bring in a whopping $72,900 in revenue. Mr. St. Peter, what the heck are you thinking to approve something like this? The Minnesota Twins have done a number of stupid things over the years both on and off the field but to me this qualifies as the dumbest and most stupid move that the Twins have made since they moved here in 1961. If the Twins need the $72K that badly, maybe we should take up a collection and help them to raise the funds. The idea might be slightly palatable if they said that the money that they collected would go to a charity or something but to charge $15 to watch the Twins take batting practice and pocket the money is just plain wrong and is a sin against baseball in general.
    I thought the Twins were interested in attracting fans but with moves like this they just shoot themselves in the foot. First off, it has always been stupid not to let fans watch the home team take batting practice but now to say that they are going to charge fans $15 to do this is just plain wrong. Has common sense lost its way at Target Field? Shame on the Minnesota Twins and Dave St. Peter for this ill-advised, nonsensical and shortsighted idea. I love baseball and the Minnesota Twins but ideas like this are what chase people away from the game and keep them from enjoying America's pastime.
     
    The Twins should immediately come out with an apology and rescind this moronic blunder stating that the recent cold snap and unusually cold spring has temporarily dulled their thinking and that common sense has prevailed over at Target field after thinking the plan through. I would urge all of you to drop Dave St. Peter a quick e-mail at davestpeter@twinsbaseball.com and let him know what you think of this Twins announcement. If you want to call the Twins instead, you can reach the team at 612-659-3400. It wouldn't hurt to also drop a note to Bud Selig and let him know what you think of MLB teams making moves like this. The baseball commissioner can be reached at bud.selig@mlb.com . UNBELIEVABLE!
  20. jjswol
    Originally posted at Twinstrivia.com | TWINS TRIVIA is hopefully a fun and informative site that will help you to better enjoy the Minnesota Twins and their wonderful history.
     
    4/6/1951 - Twins pitching great and MLB Hall of Famer Rik Aalbert "Bert" Blyleven was born on this day in Zeist, Netherlands. Blyleven, now a Twins TV color commentator makes a big deal about his birthday and seems to mention his birthday on every Twins telecast and can tell you on any day of the year how many days it is until his next birthday. Bert is famous for using his "telestrator" for circling Twins fans in the crowd who have brought their "Circle me Bert" signs to the ball game.
     
     
    4/6/1966 - The Twins swing a deal with the Red Sox and acquire catcher Russ Nixon and 2B Chuck Schilling and give up pitcher Dick Stigman and 1B Jose Calero.
     
     
    4/6/1972 - For the first time in history, the major leagues failed to open because of a player strike, which started on April 1. The traditional season opener between Houston and Cincinnati was canceled and 86 games were lost before the strike was settled.
     
     
    4/6/1973 - Tony Oliva hits the first home run ever by a designated hitter in AL history when he cranks one out against "Catfish" Hunter in Oakland in the Twins 8-3 victory.
     
     
    4/6/1978 - In only the second game of the season while playing in the Kingdome, Twins 2B Rob Wilfong is hit by a pitch thrown by Mariners reliever Shane Rawley in the sixth inning and suffers a broken bone in his hand which sidelines him for a month.
     
     
    4/6/1982 - A huge crowd of 52,279 turns out for the inaugural game at the brand-new Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. Twins rookie 3B Gary Gaetti goes 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, but Seattle wins 11-7. By the way, the temperature outside that day was 28 degrees.
     
     
    4/6/2004 - Playing in just his second major league game, Twins star rookie catcher Joe Mauer hears something "pop" as he slides and tries to catch a foul pop-up in a game against the Cleveland Indians at the Metrodome. The Twins actually ended up winning the game 7-6 in 15 innings. A few days later, April 8th, Joe ends up having surgery to repair a medial meniscus tear in his left knee. Mauer returns to the line-up on June 2 but continues to have trouble off and on with the knee swelling and he plays in his final 2004 game on July 15 and his first season as a Twin ends after just 35 games but in that short period he showed all of us what kind of bat he had as he hit .308 in 107 at bats.
     
     
    4/6/2005 - The Twins are leading the Seattle Mariners 3-1 in the top of the 8th inning at Safeco Field when Ron Villone is brought in to face Twins 1B Justin Morneau. Villone beans Morneau and in the process Morneau suffers a mild concussion. According to a Star Tribune article in 2005, "Contributing to the concern is Morneau's history of concussions. This was his fifth, although the first involving baseball. He suffered others playing basketball and hockey and, in the worst one, running backward in 2000 during a workout. He fell and hit the back of his head on the ground." Morneau saw the pitch coming toward his head - a frightening recollection. "A heat-seeking missile," Morneau called it. After a 2 week stint on the DL, Morneau returned to the line-up on April 22.
     
     
    4/6/2009 - The Twins open their 28th and final season at the Metrodome with a 6-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners. The Twins opponent in the first regular season game at the Metrodome on April 6, 1982 was also the Mariners and the Twins lost that game 11-7.
     
     
    By the way, I just set up a new page that I call Twins Audio and Video clips, check it out if you have a few minutes.
  24. jjswol

    Twins career best K/9

    By jjswol,

    Posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier.
     
    I watched Clubhouse Confidential on MLB TV yesterday and in one of the show segments host Brian Kenny talked about the climbing rate of the strikeout per 9 innings ratio (K/9) over the years. It was a very interesting piece and Kenny pointed out how last year the leader was Atlanta Braves closer Craig Kimbrel who had an amazing 16.66 strikeouts for every nine innings pitched, that is a truly crazy number and he accomplished that while throwing 14.9 pitches per inning. The top starter K/9 ratio belonged to Washington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg who had a mark of 11.13 and he was followed closely by Detroit Tiger starter Max Scherzer who posted a 11.08 mark. The best K/9 ratio for a Twins pitcher in 2012? That honor goes to closer Glen Perkins at 9.98.
     
    The Twins top ten career K/9 leaders with a minimum of 500 innings pitched are:
     
    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Santana-Johan1.jpgJohan Santana pitched for Minnesota from 2000 -2007. Santana is tied for third most wins in Dome history (46) and second-most strikeouts (754). Johan was a three-time All-Star and won Cy Young Awards in 2004 and 2006. Won 17 consecutive games in the Dome from 2005-2007.
     
    [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]

    [TH=align: center]Rank
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Name
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]W/L
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Innings
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]K/9
    [/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]93-44
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1,308.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9.50
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Francisco Liriano
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]50-52
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]783.1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9.05
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Eddie Guardado
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37-48
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]704.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.79
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Rick Aguilera
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]40-47
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]694
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.60
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dick Stigman
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37-37
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]643.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.52
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]67-54
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1,036.1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.51
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Mike Trombley
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]30-34
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]645.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.36
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Scott Baker
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]63-48
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]958
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.23
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]149-138
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2,566.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]7.14
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jim Merritt
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]37-41
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]686.2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]6.91
    [/TD]

    [/TABLE]
     
     
    The players on the above list that were originally drafted or signed by Minnesota are Guardado, Boswell, Trombley, Baker and Blyleven, the remainder were acquired in some fashion.
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