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Blog Entries posted by jjswol

  5. jjswol
    Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com earlier today.
     
    Do you have plans to get away from the cold and snow and feel the sand between your toes, the sun on your back and hopefully catch some Twins spring training baseball in Florida? What better way to forget your problems and get away from it all. For the first time in many years I will not be attending spring training in Ft. Myers but that is a whole different story. Well, if you are going, you might want to raise your credit card limit and keep a tight grip on your wallet or purse because MLB and the Twins are looking to help themselves to your money.
     
    The Detroit Tigers apparently have found a new way to gouge a few additional dollars from their fans. The Tigers normally open the gates to Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida 2 hours prior to home games but by that time the Tigers have already completed their batting practice. Baseball fans enjoy watching the home team take batting practice so the Tigers have decided to allow fans to get in early for home batting practice but the fans will be limited to the left-field berm and will need to scratch up an extra $5 for the privilege. Tigers management take on it is that the fans requested it since they could not watch batting practice and now they will be able to do so, if they come up with the bucks. Way to push it on the fans Detroit Tigers management, if the Tigers were really just doing a good deed they would not charge for the privilege or if they did, any money they collect should go to charity or to the old-time baseball players with little or no pensions that baseball has neglected so badly. But it is not just the Tigers, other teams are also looking to take more money from the wallets of their fans. It seems to me that a fan should not be punished if he/she decides to go to a baseball on short notice but that is not the case if you want to take in an Atlanta Braves game in Lake Buena Vista as their web site states that "A $5 Walk-Up fee will apply to Day-Of-Game purchases", what idiot came up with that idea? Punish walk-up ticket sales? Calvin Griffith is rolling over in his grave this very moment. Other teams like the Pittsburgh Pirates (who have not played .500 ball for 20 years) for example have come up with this plan "Prior to the individual ticket on-sale, fans will have the opportunity to take part in an "Early Bird" online only pre-sale from January 23-25. "Early Bird" pricing is different than regular single game pricing and is an alternative purchase opportunity for fans who want to be guaranteed seats to high-demand games." This means that for 3 days the Pirates allow you to pay more for a spring training ticket that you normally would. Where the heck do these idiots come up with these ideas and why is the general public falling for these shenanigans?
     
    I see this as just another way that baseball is looking at additional fees to take in more money from their fans. I sure hope this is not something that spreads like wildfire through out baseball as spring training is one of the few places where fans get a chance to get close to their team and now it just seems like baseball is going to make them pay. Fans that attend spring training are the true fan base of any team, they spend their hard earned money to travel to a destination to observe their favorite teams and they should be rewarded by their teams and not punished with extra fees.
     
    The Minnesota Twins have made it tougher to get close to some of the fields in spring training themselves and that is a trend that I see getting worse over the years. Probably won't be long before they start charging fans for watching the minor leaguers play their games on the back fields. Baseball should be looking for ways to encourage fans to go to spring training by making it affordable but that apparently is not the case.
     
    Look at the Twins spring training ticket prices for example, this is year 2 of "Value" and "Premium" pricing and the tickets range from $13 for a "value" lawn ticket to $43 for a "premium" Dugout Box seat. Last year 3 of the 16 (18.8%) home games were designated as "premium", this year 6 of the 18 (33.3%) of the home games are classified as "premium" games. 2013 is the first time in a number of years that the Twins have not raised their spring training ticket prices at Hammond Stadium from the previous season but they doubled the number of their "premium" games so yes, they will make more money off ticket sales. YES, $43. How in the world can the Twins who are coming off of back-to-back 90+ loss seasons, dropping payroll, charge $43 to watch a team that will not even have big leaguers playing most of the time? The Twins average spring trainng attendance in 2012 was 7,344 which was a drop of a little over 9% from 8,091 in 2011.
     
    If you are going to have variable pricing why not come up with a plan that is more fair to the fans, charge less for these early spring training exhibition games than you do for games played later in March because for most of March it is mostly minor league players playing most of the game with major league players making cameo appearances. Let's take a look at the Twins spring training ticket prices since 2008.
     
    [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]

    [TH=align: center]Ticket type[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2008[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2009[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2010[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2011[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2012*[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]2013**[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]Dugout Box[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$38[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]n/a[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$39[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$39[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$40/$43[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Box[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$23[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$24[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Reserved[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$21[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$23[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$24/$27[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Drink Rail[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$20[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$21[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$25[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$26/$29[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Lawn[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$12[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$13[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]$13/$16[/TD]

    [/TABLE]
     
    * - 3 premium games
    ** - 6 premium games
  6. jjswol

    They came to play

    By jjswol,

    Posted at www.twinstrivia.com on Sunday January 13, 2013
     
    The major league baseball season is a real grind, you are scheduled to play 162 games in about 185 days give or take and that includes travel time. I am not even going to mention spring training and the post season. Many of us go to work Monday through Friday but we usually have week-ends off and a few holiday scattered in to re-charge our batteries. Once the baseball season starts the player's life is totally baseball, don't get me wrong, I am not saying that playing baseball is tougher than a normal job that we all do, I am just saying that it is not as easy as many of us would like to think. I know, I know, we would all still gladly trade places with any player out there.
     
    Baseball is a marathon, you need to keep chugging along, working through illness and injury while you strive for peak performance and you do this in front of the general public and all the writers and reporters that are out there every day looking for something they can put on TV or in the paper. Ability is critical but if your team doesn't also have durability you are probably headed for a long season.
     
    The Baltimore Orioles Cal Ripken Jr. holds the major league record for consecutive games played with 2,632 in a streak that started on May 30, 1982 and ended on September 19, 1998. Think about that, every game from 1982 to 1998, an amazing streak and a record I am sure will never be broken.
    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Morneau-Justin-3-206x300.jpgSo that takes me to why I am writing this post, what is the Minnesota Twins record for most consecutive games played and who holds the record? The Twins have played in Minnesota for 52 years and yet the Twins record for consecutive games played stands at 319, a far cry from 2,632. I think many of you will be surprised to learn that the Minnesota Twins consecutive games played record holder is still playing for the Twins today and is none other than Justin Morneau, yes the same guy that has not played more than 135 games since 2008. Let's take a look at the Twins six longest consecutive games played streaks and see who owns them. Some of the "gamers" on this list will probably surprise you.
     
     

    319 games - Justin Morneau (1B/DH) - Streak started on June 29, 2007 and ended on June 20, 2009.
    249 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B, and OF) - Streak started on September 21, 1965 and ended on July 4, 1967.
    245 games - Harmon Killebrew (3B/1B) - Streak started on September 23, 1968 and ended on July 7, 1970.
    230 games - Gary Gaetti (3B/OF) - Streak started on September 29, 1983 and ended on June 22, 1985.
    210 games - Roy Smalley (Shortstop) - Streak started on April 6, 1979 and ended on June 2, 1980. Smalley's streak would actually have stood at 254 and in second place on this list had he not chose to sit out the last day of the 1978 season.
    203 games - Cesar Tovar (played all over) - Streak started on September 4, 1966 and ended on May 4, 1968.

     
    In the Twins 52 year history only 5 players have appeared in every game that the Twins played that particular season so it is a fairly rare occurrence with only one player accomplishing this feat twice. The most recent occurrence was Justin Morneau appearing in all 163 games in 2008 and that was 24 years after Gary Gaetti appeared in all 162 games in 1984. In 1979 Roy Smalley played in all 162 games, Harmon Killebrew did it twice playing in 162 games in 1966 and again in 1969 and Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games in 1967.
     
    The list of players that have led the Twins in games played over the years is an interesting list indeed. Who has led the Twins in games played the most frequently? That would be Kirby Puckett who did it eight times including five years in a row.
     
    2012 - Joe Mauer played in 147 of a possible 162 games.
    2011 - Danny Valencia played in 154 of a possible 162 games.
    2010 - Michael Cuddyer played in 157 of a possible 162 games.
    2009 - Michael Cuddyer played in 153 of a possible 163 games.
    2008 - Justin Morneau played in all 163 games.
    2007 - Torii Hunter played in 160 of a possible 162 games.
    2006 - Justin Morneau played in 157 of a possible 162 games.
    2005 - Lew Ford played in 147 of a possible 162 games.
    2004 - Lew Ford played in 154 of a possible 162 games.
    2003 - Torii Hunter played in 154 of a possible 162 games.
    2002 - Jacque Jones played in 149 of a possible 161 games.
    2001 - Luis Rivas & Corey Koskie played in 153 of a possible 162 games.
    2000 - Cristian Guzman & Matt Lawton played in 156 o fa possible 162 games.
    1999 - Todd Walker played in 143 of a possible 161 games.
    1998 - Matt Lawton played in 152 of a possible 162 games.
    1997 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 156 of a possible 162 games.
    1996 - Paul Molitor played in 161 of a possible 162 games.
    1995 - Karby Puckett & Marty Cordova played in 137 of a possible 144 games.
    1994 - Chuck Knoblauch played in 109 of a possible 113 games.
    1993 - Kirby Puckett played in 156 of a possible 162 games.
    1992 - Kirby Puckett played in 160 of a possible 162 games.
    1991 - Chili Davis played in 153 of a possible 162 games.
    1990 - Gary Gaetti played in 154 of a possible 162 games.
    1989 - Kirby Puckett played in 159 of a possible 162 games.
    1988 - Kirby Puckett played in 158 of a possible 162 games.
    1987 - Kirby Puckett played in 157 of a possible 162 games.
    1986 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games.
    1985 - Kirby Puckett played in 161 of a possible 162 games.
    1984 - Gary Gaetti played in all 162 games.
    1983 - Gary Gaettti and Gary Ward played in 157 of a possible 1962 games.
    1982 - Gary Ward played in 152 of a possible 162 games.
    1981 - John Castino played in 101 of a possible 110 games.
    1980 - John Castino played in 150 of a possible 161 games.
    1979 - Roy Smalley played in all 162 games.
    1978 - Roy Smalley played in 158 of a possible 162 games.
    1977 - Rod Carew played in 155 of a possible 161 games.
    1976 - Rod Carew played in 156 of a possible 162 games.
    1975 - Rod Carew played in 143 of a possible 159 games.
    1974 - Rod Carew played in 153 of a possible 163 games.
    1973 - Rod Carew played in 149 of a possible 162 games.
    1972 - Bobby Darwin played in 145 of a possible 154 games.
    1971 - Cesar Tovar played in 157 of a possible 160 games.
    1970 - Cesar Tovar played in 161 of a possible 162 games.
    1969 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games.
    1968 - Cesar Tovar played in 156 of a possible 162 games.
    1967 - Cesar Tovar played in all 164 games.
    1966 - Harmon Killebrew played in all 162 games.
    1965 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 162 games.
    1964 - Tony Oliva played in 161 of a possible 163 games.
    1963 - Zoilo Versalles played in 159 of a possible 161 games.
    1962 - Zoilo Versalles played in 160 of a possible 163 games.
    1961 - Bob Allison played in 156 of a possible 162 games.
    When I looked back over the entire franchise history going back to 1901 for the Washington Senators I found that there was a true "iron man" who currently stands number 9 on the MLB all-time consecutive games played list with 829 games. Senators 3B Eddie Yost started his streak on August 30, 1949 and he played in every game through May 11, 1955. That is a lot of games.
     
    The current active MLB consecutive game streak is in the firm grasp of Detroit Tiger 1B Prince Fielder who stands at 343 and counting. Actually Fielder has missed just 1 game (September 13, 2010) since September 3, 2008 and if he had not skipped that game due to a stomach virus his streak would be at 669 today. The man has been in the big leagues since 2005 and full time since 2006. Since 2006 he has played in 157, 158, 159, 162, 161, 162, and 162 games. An amazing streak for a man his size.
  7. jjswol
    I originally posted this on www.twinstrivia.com on 1/10/2013
     
    The Twins and Terry Ryan have put in a lot of time this off-season to try to round up some pitchers that they can put in the starting rotation so that manager Gardenhire can hopefully call on each of them to start 30-35 games each. That will be no easy task as last season the team leader in pitching starts was Scott Diamond with 27 and he didn't even join the starting rotation until May 8th.
     
    If you look back through franchise history you will find that the great Hall of Fame pitcher Walter (The Big Train) Johnson pitched for the Wasinhton Senators for 21 seasons from 1907-1927 and he started 666 games, that is an average of 31.71 starts each year for 21 years. He set the the franchise games started in a season record with 42 in 1910. Twins lefty Jim Kaat equalled that mark of 42 starts in the Twins 1965 AL Championship season and followed that up with 41 starts in 1966 making him the only pitcher in franchise history to have back-to-back 40+ starts seasons.
     
    I thought it would be interesting to review the Gardenhire era from 2002 through 2012 to see how many pitchers he has had that have started 30 or more games in a season for the Twins.
     
    2002 - Rick Reed and Kyle Lohse
    2003 - Brad Radke, Kyle Lohse, Kenny Rogers, Joe Mays (and Rick Reed chipped in 27 starts)
    2004 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse
    2005 - Johan Santana and Brad Radke
    2006 - Johan Santana and Carlos Silva
    2007 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, and Boof Bonser
    2008 - Nick Blackburn
    2009 - Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker
    2010 - Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano
    2011 - Carl Pavano
    2012 - None, Scott Diamond led the pack with 27
     
    In this 11 year time frame the Twins have had 12 different pitchers provide 30 or more starts in a single season and only three of them were actually drafted by the Twins, the rest were acquired in another manner. Radke was an 8th round pick in 1991, Blackburn was a 29th round pick in 2001, and Scott Baker was a 2nd round pick in 2003.

    Chart showing numbers of pitchers with 30 or more starts


    (Central Division champs marked with an *)[TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]

    [TH=align: center]YEAR
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Twins
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Tigers
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Indians
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]WSox
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Royals
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Totals
    [/TH]


    [TD=align: center]2002
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2003
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]12
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2004
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]14
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2005
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]16
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2006
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center][/TD]
    [TD=align: center]14
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2007
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2008
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2009
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center][/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2010
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2011
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2012
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center][/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3*
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]8
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Totals
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]23
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]35
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]17
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]128
    [/TD]

    [/TABLE]
     
    How big a deal is it to get 30 or more starts out of your starting pitchers? I will let you be the judge of that but the chart seems to indicate that the numbers of pitchers you have starting on a consistent basis will determine where you finish in the standings. The Twins seem to buck the trend a bit as they are the only team to win the Central Division title with fewer than 3 starters taking the mound 30 or more times and they did it 3 times with just 2 starters taking the mound 30 or more times.

    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Kaat-Jim-2-235x300.jpg

    All this research made me curious as to who the Twins pitchers were over the years with the most starts in a Minnesota Twins uniform and here is what I dug up. There have only been 14 Twins pitchers that have toed the pitching rubber in the first inning in a Twins uniform 150 or more times. Some of these pitchers may have started a number of games in different uniforms including the Washington Senators prior to becoming the Twins but I am only looking for starts while wearing "Minnesota" on their chest. Of these 14 pitchers, only six (Blyleven, Viola, Goltz, Baker, Erickson, and Boswell) were actually drafted by the Minnesota Twins. The only pitcher on the list to spend his entire career as a Minnesota Twin? Brad Radke.
    [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]


    [/TH][TH=align: center]Pitcher

    [TH=align: center]# of starts
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Years Pitched
    [/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Avg. # of starts per season
    [/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jim Kaat
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]422
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1961-1973
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]32.46
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Brad Radke
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]377
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1995-2006
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31.42
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]345
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1970-1976 & 1985-1988
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31.36
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Frank Viola
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]259
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1982-1989
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]32.38
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jim Perry
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]249
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1963-1972
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]24.90
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Goltz
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]215
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1972-1979
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]26.88
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Kevin Tapani
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]180
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1989-1995
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.71
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Camilo Pascual
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]179
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1961-1966
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]29.83
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]175
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2000-2007
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]21.88
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Eric Milton
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]165
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1998-2003
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]27.50
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]11.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Scot Baker
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]159
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2005-2011
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22.71
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]12.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Scott Erickson
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]153
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1990-1995
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.50
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]13.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Kyle Lohse
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]152
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2001-2006
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.33
    [/TD]


    [TD=align: center]14.
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]150
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1964-1970
    [/TD]
    [TD=align: center]21.43
    [/TD]

    [/TABLE]
  8. jjswol
    The Twins and Terry Ryan have put in a lot of time this off-season to try to round up some pitchers that they can put in the starting rotation so that manager Gardenhire can hopefully call on each of them to start 30-35 games each. That will be no easy task as last season the team leader in pitching starts was Scott Diamond with 27 and he didn't even join the starting rotation until May 8th.
    If you look back through franchise history you will find that the great Hall of Fame pitcher Walter (The Big Train) Johnson pitched for the Wasinhton Senators for 21 seasons from 1907-1927 and he started 666 games, that is an average of 31.71 starts each year for 21 years. He set the the franchise games started in a season record with 42 in 1910. Twins lefty Jim Kaat equalled that mark of 42 starts in the Twins 1965 AL Championship season and followed that up with 41 starts in 1966 making him the only pitcher in franchise history to have back-to-back 40+ starts seasons.
    I thought it would be interesting to review the Gardenhire era from 2002 through 2012 to see how many pitchers he has had that have started 30 or more games in a season for the Twins.
    2002 - Rick Reed and Kyle Lohse
    2003 - Brad Radke, Kyle Lohse, Kenny Rogers, Joe Mays (and Rick Reed chipped in 27 starts)
    2004 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Brad Radke, and Kyle Lohse
    2005 - Johan Santana and Brad Radke
    2006 - Johan Santana and Carlos Silva
    2007 - Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, and Boof Bonser
    2008 - Nick Blackburn
    2009 - Nick Blackburn and Scott Baker
    2010 - Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano
    2011 - Carl Pavano
    2012 - None, Scott Diamond led the pack with 27
    In this 11 year time frame the Twins have had 12 different pitchers provide 30 or more starts in a single season and only three of them were actually drafted by the Twins, the rest were acquired in another manner. Radke was an 8th round pick in 1991, Blackburn was a 29th round pick in 2001, and Scott Baker was a 2nd round pick in 2003.

    Chart showing numbers of pitchers with 30 or more starts

    (Central Division champs marked with an *)[TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]

    [TH=align: center]YEAR[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Twins[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Tigers[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Indians[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]WSox[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Royals[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Totals[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]2002[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2003[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]12[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2004[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]14[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2005[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]16[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2006[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]5[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]14[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2007[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]13[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2008[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2009[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]9[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2010[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]10[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2011[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]4*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]11[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2012[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]0[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]3*[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]8[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]Totals[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]23[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]35[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]17[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]128[/TD]

    [/TABLE]
    How big a deal is it to get 30 or more starts out of your starting pitchers? I will let you be the judge of that but the chart seems to indicate that the numbers of pitchers you have starting on a consistent basis will determine where you finish in the standings. The Twins seem to buck the trend a bit as they are the only team to win the Central Division title with fewer than 3 starters taking the mound 30 or more times and they did it 3 times with just 2 starters taking the mound 30 or more times.
    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/Kaat-Jim-2-235x300.jpgLHP Jim Kaat
    All this research made me curious as to who the Twins pitchers were over the years with the most starts in a Minnesota Twins uniform and here is what I dug up. There have only been 14 Twins pitchers that have toed the pitching rubber in the first inning in a Twins uniform 150 or more times. Some of these pitchers may have started a number of games in different uniforms including the Washington Senators prior to becoming the Twins but I am only looking for starts while wearing "Minnesota" on their chest. Of these 14 pitchers, only six (Blyleven, Viola, Goltz, Baker, Erickson, and Boswell) were actually drafted by the Minnesota Twins. The only pitcher on the list to spend his entire career as a Minnesota Twin? Brad Radke.
    [TABLE=class: easy-table-creator tablesorter mceItemTable, width: 100%]


    [TH=align: center]Pitcher[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]# of starts[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Years Pitched[/TH]
    [TH=align: center]Avg. # of starts per season[/TH]


    [TD=align: center]1.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jim Kaat[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]422[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1961-1973[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]32.46[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]2.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Brad Radke[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]377[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1995-2006[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31.42[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]3.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Bert Blyleven[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]345[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1970-1976 & 1985-1988[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]31.36[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]4.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Frank Viola[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]259[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1982-1989[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]32.38[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]5.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Jim Perry[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]249[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1963-1972[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]24.90[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]6.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Goltz[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]215[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1972-1979[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]26.88[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]7.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Kevin Tapani[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]180[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1989-1995[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.71[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]8.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Camilo Pascual[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]179[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1961-1966[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]29.83[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]9.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Johan Santana[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]175[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2000-2007[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]21.88[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]10.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Eric Milton[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]165[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1998-2003[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]27.50[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]11.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Scot Baker[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]159[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2005-2011[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]22.71[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]12.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Scott Erickson[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]153[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1990-1995[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.50[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]13.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Kyle Lohse[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]152[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]2001-2006[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]25.33[/TD]


    [TD=align: center]14.[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]Dave Boswell[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]150[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]1964-1970[/TD]
    [TD=align: center]21.43[/TD]

    [/TABLE]
  9. jjswol
    Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com .
     
    As I wait for another Minnesota Twins season to to get underway and no new Twins "news" to write about, I find myself continuing to do research and look for more information that I can share with todays Twins fans. I started this site as a Minnesota Twins historical web site to help fans learn more about the wonderful history of the Minnesota Twins and I do write about current Twins events but I don't spend a lot of time pondering "what if" events such as possible trades or free agent signings as that is not my cup of tea and there are plenty of other Twins blogs that cover that aspect of the Twins and many of them do it very well. That does not mean I won't share my thoughts about these kinds of things now and then but it will not happen too often.
     
    Today I was just doing some web surfing when I ran across what I think is the best slide show that I have even seen put together about Metropolitan Stadium, the home of the Minnesota Twins from 1961 until 1982 when the boys packed their bats, balls and gloves and moved into the HHH Metrodome in downtown Minneapolis. I found this slide show on a site called Ballparks, Arenas and Stadiums, a cool site that has a collection of over a 100 slideshows of demolished stadiums and arena. One of these slideshows covers Met Stadium from its early pre-Twins era to its final demise. It is not just about the Minnesota Twins either as there is some coverage of the Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota North Stars home at Met Center and even the Beetles appearance at the Met. The slideshow is about 23 minutes in length so make yourself comfortable and click on the Met Stadium thumbnail below, put it on full screen and relieve some Twins history.
     

    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Met-stadium-7-150x150.jpg

  10. jjswol
    Originally posted at www.twinstrivia.com
    Eddie Bane was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 22, 1952 but grew up in southern California not too far from Disneyland. Bane was offered a scholarship by coach Bobby Winkles and before he knew it he was pitching for the Arizona State Sun Devils. In his three years at ASU (1971-1973) Bane became a pitching legend. The left-handed Bane went 40-4 with a 1.64 ERA and is still regarded as one of the best collegiate pitchers of all time. Bane pitched the only perfect game in Sun Devil baseball history on March 2, 1973 against Cal State Northridge and led the nation in strikeouts in 1972 and 1973 and still holds the ASU career strikeout mark. Bane was named first team All-American in 1973.
     
    The Minnesota Twins selected Bane with their first pick, eleventh overall in the 1973 amateur draft and a short time later Bane joined a very select group of only 20 players that were drafted and went on to play pro ball directly out of high school or college with no minor league experience. Bane made his major league debut as a starter against the Kansas City Royals on July 4, 1973 at Met Stadium in front of 45,890 fans that couldn’t wait to see their first round pick pitch. Bane didn’t disappoint the Twins faithful going 7 innings allowing 3 hits, 3 walks and striking out 3 but manager Frank Quilici took Bane out after 7 innings with the Twins trailing 1-0. The Twins took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning but couldn’t hold on to the lead and ended up losing the game 5-4. Eddie stayed with the Twins for the rest of the season going 0-5 with a 4.92 ERA in 23 games that included 6 starts. Bane spent all of 1974 and most of 1975 in AAA Tacoma before getting a September call up by the Twins where he went 3-1 in 4 starts and posted a nifty 2.86 ERA. Bane found himself in Tacoma once again as the 1976 season opened but the Twins brought him back to Minnesota in late June and Bane started 15 games and put up a 4-7 record with a 5.11 ERA and that was the last time that Eddie Bane pitched in a Twins uniform. Bane pitched in Tacoma in 1977 but became a free agent after that season and signed with the Chicago White Sox but never pitched for them in the majors and then in January of 1980 he was traded to the Kansas City Royals but never pitched in the majors again. Bane went on to spend some time in the Cubs minor league system later in 1980 and pitched in Mexico in 1981 and Alaska in 1982 but then his career as an active player was over.
     
    After Bane’s playing career was over he became a pitching coach in the LA Dodgers minor league system in 1983 and then managed the Batavia Trojans in 1984-1985 in the Cleveland Indians system. Bane also scouted for the Indians from 1984-1987 before moving on to the Dodgers as a scout from 1988-1998. Bane then joined the Tampa Bay Devil Rays as an assistant to the GM from 1999-2003 before joining the Los Angeles Angels as their Scouting Director from 2004 to 2010 where he drafted players like Jered Weaver in 2004, Nick Adenhart in 2004, Jordan Walden in 2006, Hank Conger in 2006, Mark Trumbo in 2004 and Mike Trout in 2009 and in 4 of those 7 years the Angels didn’t even have a 1st round pick. Inexplicably, the Angels let Bane go after the 2010 season and Bane became a scout for the Detroit Tigers in 2011-2012. Later in 2012 Bane took the position of Assistant to Player Personnel with the Boston Red Sox where his son Jaymie who also attended ASU and pitched in the Angels minor league system has been a scout since 2006.
     
    In 1994 Baseball America named Eddie Bane to their All-Time college all-star team and in 2008 Bane was selected to the Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame.
     
    I also wanted to share with you what Eddie Bane had to say about Tony Oliva. "By the way one additional thought on some of the old time baseball guys from the 60's and 70's. I have asked a lot of former major league pitchers who the best hitter they ever faced was. Of the more then 20 pitchers I asked at least half of them said Tony Oliva. Tony never gets his due as far as the Hall of Fame goes, but those pitchers all remember that swing that I can still picture in my mind. Without those lousy knees that he had Tony O would certainly be a Hall of Fame player".
    You can find the interview with Eddie Bane here. This interview is just one of the 39 interviews that we have done with former Twins players that you can find on our Interviews Archives page.
  12. jjswol
    Originally published on www.twinstrivia.com .
     
    With the recent trades of former first round pick (2002) outfielder Denard Span to the Washington Nationals for 2011 Nats first round pick RHP Alex Meyer and just a few days later sending another former Twins first round pick (2007) outfielder Ben Revere to the Phillies for RHP's Vance Worley and Trevor May the Twins and GM Terry Ryan have held true to their word that changes were coming and that they were going to snag as many pitchers as they could. These trades should also clear up any confusion that some Twins fans may still have had that the Twins were going to be "reload" and try to become a playoff team once again after suffering through two dismal seasons. The Twins are in a full-scale rebuilding mode but not the kind of rebuilding mode that we may have seen from the Twins in the past. In the past they would get rid of all their high salaried players and start from scratch but that is a much harder sell now days with the Twins just having moved into their new digs at Target Field in 2010. The Twins aren't stupid, they know they can't afford to totally alienate their fan base that they have built up with a with a new ballpark and a nice run since 2002 but they also know that they let their starting pitching fall into disrepair the last few years and in the process have lost 90+ games two years in a row. The team grew stale, changes were few and far between on the player, coaching and management sides and their "smoke and mirrors" approach to their pitching staff caught up with the team so quickly it seemed to catch the entire Twins organization off guard.
     
    The Twins are not a huge market team but they can not plead poverty as they have in the past. The team has a decent fan base, a relatively new ballpark and ownership that has money to spend but I am not sure that they are willing to spend it. The Twins like to brag that they are one of the top organizations in baseball but when it comes to taking out their wallet to bring in some high-priced talent the team claims it is not all about the money. I understand if they can't put Zack Greinke in a Twins uniform but I can't get a handle on why you can't get Joe Blanton for example if the Angels can get him for 2 years for $15 million. This team has just two starting pitchers going into 2013 and I surely don't grasp why the team would supposedly make an offer to Francisco Liriano after his history with the team between 2005-2012. I think Terry Ryan is a very good GM but I sure don't know what his logic is for this move. At least throw us a bone Mr. Pohlad, give us some new blood and something to at least give us some hope instead of having us pay to watch that same old crap. I understand loyalty but you can only keep hitting your head against the same old wall for so long before someone shows up to haul you away in a white coat. Show us some loyalty and a reason why we should pay big league prices to watch the Twins in 2013.
     
    This Twins team has more holes than my fishing net but I still love baseball and every year teams come for nowhere to play winning baseball and I can only hope that the Twins will do so sooner than later. There are still serviceable pitchers out there on the FA market and I hope that Jim Pohlad lets Dave St. Peter and Terry Ryan know that his checkbook is there and he is willing to carack it open long enough to sign at least one if not two more starting pitchers. It all starts at the top. The recent splash the Twins have made in the trade market should be just the beginning of what the Twins need to do to become competitive again and not the final chapter.
     
    Josh Hamilton is still a free agent and if Texas doesn't resign him they could use a power hitting outfielder and if I were the Twins I would be happy to send Josh Willingham to Texas for a shortstop like Jurickson Barthelomeus Profar that could fill that shortstop hole at Target Field for many years to come. The Twins recently announced that they had signed 35-year-old pitcher Jason Lane who played the outfield for the Astros and Padres from 2002-2007 and turned to pitching in 2009. The team also signed 1B/C Jeff Clement who has played in the big leagues with the Mariner and the Pirates for parts of 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2012 and hit .218 in 385 at bats. Why in %#@* do you spend the money on players like this? You don't win with quantity, you win with quality, I am not sure the Twins look at it that way.
    In the recent major league portion of the Rule 5 draft the Twins selected 23 year-old RHP Ryan Pressly from the Boston Red Sox. After starting since 2008 Pressly was turned into a reliever late in 2012 and pitched well in that role in the AFL over the last month or so.
     
    It is still early in December and the 2013 season is several months away but the Twins brain trust needs to keep their nose to the grindstone if this team is going to break their two-year death grip on last place. If I was Ron Gardenhire, the way things looks right now, I would be signing on to the PC and updating my resume.
  13. jjswol
    Happy Thanksgiving! It is once again that time of the year to select our annual Twins Turkey of the Year winner. This year we get to select our seventh annual Twins Turkey of the Year award winner, who will be lucky number seven? As always we have plenty of blue-chip candidates to scrutinize, analyze, and reflect on. First off we need to narrow the list down to a manageable size.
     
    To view the rest of the story that was recently posted at twinstrivia.com please go to http://wp.me/p1YQUj-37Z
  15. jjswol
    Previously posted at http://wp.me/p1YQUj-2Ja
     
     
    The Twins are in Chicago by now having left Florida and their spring training record of 9-16-3 in their wake. Earlier today the Twins won their final 2014 Grapefruit League outing by a score of 7-4. The Twins scored more than five runs in just five exhibition games and scored two or fewer runs on 10 occasions. The Twins ended spring training with a .360% winning percentage, the worst in the American league. All that being said, the team along with every other team in the American League stands at 0-0. With the regular season just around the corner, some teams have high expectations and others are left with hope and a prayer. The Twins who finished last season at 66-96 and booked their third straight 90+ loss season are part of that latter group and strangely enough this team does not have a single player on their opening day roster that qualifies as a rookie. How strange is that?
     
     
    So how many games will the Twins win in 2014? I see the Twins improving this year in spite of what has been a horrendous spring going back to when Terry Ryan announced he had cancer, to Miguel Sano's injured elbow that needs surgery, all the way through the spring training season where Twins players acted as if it was a crime to get more than two hits in an inning or that they would be sent to prison if they attempted to steal a base. The Twins can brag up the 2014 All-Star game all they want but many Twins fans have jumped off the band wagon and others are mystified as to how a team this bad for so long has no rookies on the roster while players like Jason Kubel and Jason Bartlett grace the roster. How about Chris Colabello who spent 2005-2011 playing in an independent league before the Twins gave him a shot? This team will improve as the season goes along but there are numerous players on this opening day roster that will not be wearing TWINS on their chest when the 2014 season comes to an end. I have no doubt in my mind that Byron Buxton will be playing centerfield in Target Field some time this summer and Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia will be his wingmen. So without further ado, here is what the Twins will do....
     
     
     
    http://twinstrivia.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Einstein-2014.jpgAccording to Mr. Einstein there will be no fourth straight 90+ loss season for the Twins and that there will actually be an 11 game improvement. Although not a SABR member, the man knows his numbers.
     
     
    The 2014 MLB season should be exciting once again and Twins Trivia has consulted with the experts, reviewed all the stats and more importantly shaken the old Magic 8-Ball and here is what will happen in 2014.
     
     
     

    NL West
    1. Dodgers
    2. Giants (wild card)
    3. Diamondbacks
    4. Rockies
    5. Padres
    ..
    NL Central
    1. Cardinals
    2. Pirates (wild card)
    3. Reds
    4. Brewers
    5. Cubs
    ..
    NL East
    1. Nationals
    2. Braves
    3. Mets
    4. Phillies
    5. Marlins
    ..
    AL West
    1. Rangers
    2. A's
    3. Mariners
    4. Angels
    5. Astros
    ..
    AL Central
    1. Royals
    2. Tigers (wild card)
    3. Indians
    4. Twins
    5. White Sox
    ..
    AL East
    1. Rays
    2. Red Sox (wild card)
    3. Orioles
    4. Yankees
    5. Blue Jays
    ..



    New blood in the Series folks! When the smoke and fog clears, the Magic 8-Ball and I see the Washington Nationals beating the Tampa Bay Rays 4 games to three in a very exciting World Series. (I know Twins fans don't want to hear this but the 26-year-old Wilson Ramos will finally stay healthy all year and have a break-out season and become one of baseball's top catchers)


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