Originally posted by me at RealGM

 

The three anchors of the Minnesota Twin's starting rotation are all in their mid-20's. Nick Blackburn, Glen Perkins, and Kevin Slowey are a combined 8-8, but have an ERA of 3.26 in a total of 21 starts in 2008. The rest of the pitchers who have made starts this year for the Twins are Livan Hernandez, Francisco Liriano, Scott Baker, and Boof Bonser. They have a 10-11 combined record to go along with a bloated 5.41 ERA in 32 starts.

The puerile trio: Blackburn, Perkins, and Slowey had a rough start to the season but have since rebounded fantastically. In their last nine starts they are 5-2 with an outstanding 2.03 ERA. This stretch includes two complete game attempts, with one ending better than the other.

Nick Blackburn recently completed eight innings while not allowing a base runner past second base. He eventually gave up one run in the ninth but completed the best pitched game by a Twin's pitcher yet this year.

The primary reason behind these young pitchers' success? Pin-point precision.

The three have issued a superb 21 walks through 21 starts and have a remarkable 78 strike outs. That is a ratio of 3.71 K/BB and is higher than Daisuke Matsuzaka, Brandon Webb, Carlos Zambrano, and Joe Saunders.

The three also have a combined WHIP (walks plus hits per innings pitched) of just 1.194.

Like stated before, these three have heated up in the month of May after an ordinary April. They couldn't have chosen a better time. The Detroit Tigers are struggling, and the Cleveland Indians are totally falling apart. The wonderful pitching of these three hurlers has helped tremendously in keeping the Twins within striking distance of the red-hot Chicago White Sox.

These three shouldn't be named All-Stars yet as it has only been a month, albeit a dazzling month. It's not like anybody knew these players were good. Granted, Perkins didn't have the best of success pitching in a relief role with Minnesota, but both Blackburn and Slowey were highly touted as minor leaguers. Slowey was the Twin's minor league pitcher of the year in 2007, and Blackburn was named Minnesota's best prospect by BaseballAmerica going into 2008.

Some may say that a lackluster Twin's offense will be the demise of Perkins, Blackburn, and Slowey. Minnesota does not have a history of power hitters and are known for their offensive ineptitude around the league. This year, though, the whole team is on a mission to throw off that tag.

Nobody gave the Twins a real shot going into the 2008 season, but this trio of talent is out to prove otherwise. If they can continue to anchor this young team, there is no reason why the Minnesota Twins cannot win a division title.

Originally posted by me at Bleacher Report .

 

Joe Posnanski of the Kansas City Star recently wrote an article giving credit to Ron Gardenhire as one of the best managers of all time. He admitted that he has since received many emails from Twins fans that want to let him know that he is crazy.

I think he is, too.

Some Twins fans will go as far to say that Gardenhire isn't even an average major league manager.

From Posnanski's perspective, as a Royals follower, Gardenhire is a great manager. From an outsider's point of view, the Twins are great. But from where I stand, one who has grown up a Twins fan, Gardy is average.

Here is one of his main arguments:

 

Gardy’s teams have won four division championships in seven years with what seems to be pretty modest talent.

From 2002 to 2004, the AL Central was a mess. The then-incompetent Cleveland Indians, the pitiful Kansas City Royals, and the Detroit Tigers who averaged 105 losses a year during that span all made up, in addition to the White Sox and Twins, one of the worst divisions in baseball.

Minnesota got to face each of those teams 19 times a season during that span.

Now let's get into that "pretty modest talent" comment. True, Minnesota didn't have great talent on their teams from 2002-2004. Like said before, they didn't have to work very hard to beat out the Tigers, Royals, or Indians.

It was a battle between the White Sox and Twins in the early 2000's, with Minnesota averaging a victory of around nine games from 2002-2004.

Did Minnesota ever have great talent? In 2006, they "captured lightning in a bottle", according to SBG.

They had the Cy Young winner in Johan Santana, a pitcher who out-performed him for half the year in Francisco Liriano, and career years from six players; Bartlett, Hunter, Morneau, Mauer, Punto, and Cuddyer. Minnesota ended up winning their division on the last day of the regular season, but were swept in the first round of the postseason by the Oakland Athletics.

Now here are some of my arguments:

 

Gardy has been helped greatly by the huge amount of talent in the bullpen.

One of the first things people concede to Gardenhire is his excellent ability to manage the bullpen. Maybe he deserves a little more credit than I'm giving him, but his "talent" in that department seems to have gone down in recent years.

Pat Neshek lost his 2008 season due to injury. This should come to no surprise to Twins fans given the way he was overused in the last few months of the 2007 season.

Another thing to mention is Gardenhire's absolute refusal to use one of the best closers in the game in anything but save situations. If the scoreboard shows a run differential of more than three runs, or it is not the ninth inning, Nathan WILL NOT be pitching. Totally ridiculous.

That is not old school, Gardy, that is just plain dumb.

 

Nick Punto

Any Twins fan knows the inside joke of Gardenhire's man-crush on Nick Punto. There is also the joke of renaming the Mendoza line as the Punto line.

Punto certainly has a great glove and is one of the best left-side infield defenders in the game today. His offensive line though, .246/ .314/ .322, should be enough to warrant his removal from the starting lineup day in and day out.

I would be the first to have Punto be a defensive replacement. Just NOT a starter. Punto played in 150 games in 2007, with a whopping 472 at-bats. He had 472 chances to prove that he cannot hit a baseball.

 

Veteran Love

Lastly, Gardenhire has a love for veterans. Even when the front office of the Minnesota Twins provides him with fresh talent, he still opts for the established old players.

Just look at Craig Monroe.

The Redwings are currently in fifth place in the North Division of the International League. They sit 13 games behind first place Scranton.Rochester went 2-4 last week, and have an overall record of 19-32.

The most talked about prospect in the Redwings' organization is obviously Francisco Liriano. He had a solid outing last Tuesday, pitching seven innings, scattering eight hits, and allowing two runs in a 2-3 loss to Syracuse. Liriano has had a total of four starts since he was sent down to Triple-A, and has compiled a 2.77 ERA in 26 innings of work. He is getting more velocity in his pitches, as well as more control. 60 percent of his pitches have been strikes during his minor league tenure.

Philip Humber continues to struggle. He was a key part of the Santana trade, and Minnesota has a lot invested in him. He has pitched 12 games for the Redwings, and is 1-5 with 5.89 ERA. He has a 1.80 WHIP in 44.1 innings of work, and has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 24/28. Not surprisingly, opponents are batting .317 against him. He dropped the ball last Thursday, giving up seven runs (six earned) in 3.2 innings during a loss to Pawtucket.

Another key part of the Santana trade with the Mets was Kevin Mulvey. He isn't preforming as well as the Twins had hoped, as he is 2-6 with a 4.36 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 39K/20BB, and a .290 average through 43.1 innings of work.

Tim Lahey, Rochester's closer, is doing an average job so far this season. Mariano Gomez is doing the best job of the pitching staff, as he has an outstanding 2.45 ERA, and 23K/6BB in 29.1 innings of work.

The bats aren't faring much better. With the recent call-ups and injuries of quite a few Redwings, there isn't much in this lineup. Denard Span was hitting very well before his brief call-up, batting .327/.431/.471. He also has 14 stolen bases in 18 attempts.

Darnell McDonald is the second-best batter for Rochester, batting .314/.372/.559. Also worth mentioning is Jose Morales, who went 9 for 20 this week and is now batting .294/.314/.382.

This week's schedule includes a four game homestand against Charlotte, and four games against Scranton. They then head to Buffalo for the beginning of a seven game road trip.

This weeks Whatnot will focus on the recent struggle of the Minnesota Twins. Don't you worry, you don't have to do anything. Just sit back, relax, and check out what the Twins experts say this week.

When, if ever, will Delmon Young get his first home run? What is he doing wrong?

Marty Andrade: Young has the reputation of a free swinger the likes of Vlad Guerrero, and based on pitch/swing data (available from fangraphs) he clearly is a free swinger.  But things are getting better for him.  He's swinging at fewer pitches outside the strike zone, he's making more contact with balls in the strike zone, he's averaging more pitches per at bat than he ever has and he's even getting more walks. 

This has resulted in a higher OBP this year and an improved walk/strikeout ratio and K%.  Despite the better plate discipline, Young's OPS is down significantly from his career mark.  Taking a peak at how he's hitting the ball I see two huge differences between the Delmon we saw playing for the Rays and the one in the Twins uniform, his Line Drive Percentage (LD%) is down substantially and his Ground Ball Percentage (GB%) is up ridiculously high. 

It appears as though something has changed which has lowered the number of line drives and long fly balls Delmon has hit.  Looking at his swing it appears as though it's flatter now than in the past, and he doesn't have a violent follow-through like he did in the minors.  My guess, the Twins are trying to get him to learn the strike zone and be a better hitter but it has made him tentative at the plate.  Growing pains.  In any case, I think his "slump" will be short lived. 

See, even with the low LD% and high GB%, he should still be hitting better than he is.  It won't be long before some flyballs are going to start finding their ways over fences.

Kelsey Hakes: Delmon Young is not exactly having his career season, but he is starting to find his groove. Just in the current Rockies series he has a lot of hits. He is becoming comfortable at the plate and I expect any day now a one will be in the home run column. Young is not the only Twins starter without a home run. Joe Mauer, Mike Lamb, and Adam Everett. Young is not doing anything wrong its just the matter of swinging the right way on the right pitches.

Jon Grilz: Probably... well, hopefully. I mean, if Rondell White could do it, I'm sure Young can, too. I would think that the first thing that he is doing wrong is not swinging like a male athlete. Even Gomez has hit a home run. He just needs to relax and swing like he's got a pair.

Dan Wade: If Jason Tyner can do it, Delmon certainly can and will. He’s a self-admitted slow starter, but if he doesn’t have one by June 14, I’ll be shocked.

I haven’t a clue what he’s doing wrong (the curse of living outside FSNs viewing area and being too insolvent for MLB.tv), but I think the larger problem is that Joe Vavra doesn’t seem to have an idea either. Delmon’s dad has been giving him hitting advice and it seems to be working. His XBH total doubled over the weekend, so that’s a good sign. I’d still like to see more hard hit line drives than we’ve seen to date.

Andrew Kneeland: I haven't had the opportunity to watch Delmon play, so I don't know if he has a huge swing flaw (not that I could catch it anyway). He has one of highest ground ball percentages in the MLB, but is a very disciplined hitter.

That being the case, he does hit quite a few fly balls as well. I'm sure he will connect on a few dingers. He won't be known as a home run hitter this year, though.

Fans are turning on Boof Bonser left and right. Why is he struggling, and what should Minnesota do with him?

Andrade: Let's see, WHIP, better than last year, Slugging Percentage Allowed (SLGA) down from last year,  walks and home runs per game, all better than last year.  Boof's expected-Fielding Independent ERA (xFIP) and his Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) are 4.46 and 3.91 respectively (average to above average) and are both better than last year.  So why panic?  Yeah, so the guy's a #3 starter instead of the Cy Young winner we thought we saw in 2006, big deal.  He's still an average (or better) major league starter.

Hakes: Boof Bonser has the stuff to be in the major leagues, but I don't know if he can handle the pressure. Fans can be quick to judge, but they might be getting at something. Boof would be a lot better off if he could control his pitches in the first inning. It's hard to be working off a big deficit that early in the game. Minnesota should try and give him more chances. Just have faith.

Grilz: I would say that we need to feed him more. Somewhere in that weight that he lost was some talent as well. Perhaps he will be able to find it again in line at Old Country Buffet. For now, there isn't much we can do without him. We just need to deal with him and hope that he gets some run support. And if not, cut our losses and get rid of him. We are turning into the Land of 10,000 2nd chances.

Wade: Fans seem to think Boof is struggling for two major reasons. First, his control and consistency are on the blink. He comes and goes, a great start here and there followed by two absolute shellings. He probably isn’t pitching as poorly as people think he is, but such is life. If he can lock in his fastball and curve earlier in games, he’ll be a much better pitcher and will resume his status as fan favorite (due almost solely to his excellent name)Second, Bonser just isn’t that good a pitcher. People seem to think he is way better than he is. He’s a decent 3-4 guy, but he’s being asked to be a 2 behind the only Ace who is also the designated innings eater in the majors. Bonser will never be an ace, and probably won’t be even a number two on a good team. That said, once Baker and Liriano get back, Bonser might be one of the best number four guys in the Show.

He has solid value, but he’s also expendable, given the Twins famed pitching depth in the minors. Bonser’s lack of consistency and relative replaceability make him easy for the Twins to see off, but he could be a great back-end starter on the right team. Taken together those two facts may lead to a deal at or near the deadline, once the playoff picture in the Central clears up a bit. Until that point, Bonser should stay in the rotation.

Kneeland: Minnesota doesn't need Bonser, and I don't want Bonser. We've given him too many second chances, and I think it's about time we called up someone like Deunsing.

Bonser should go down to Rochester, where he could either finish his career or improve.

We could also trade Bonser before his stock doesn't hit rock bottom. We could get some left-infielders that are greatly needed.

Matt Tolbert is on the DL, and Howie Clark is being brought up. Is Clark the right guy, and who should be in the middle infield in the future?

Andrade: Between Harris, Everett and Casilla, the Twins had the middle infield covered for the time being.  Bringing in another soft-hitting-mediocre-glove-man is the sort of hysterical panicky behavior the Twins should see a therapist over.  Here are the infielders (minus Redmond and Morneau) that Gardy has at his disposal (with their current OPS in parenthesis)Everett (.514)

Lamb (.636)

Harris (.656)

Casilla (.600 [minors])

Clark (.753 [minors]) 

That's pathetic. 

Here are some players the Twins could have added: 

Denard Span (1.031)

Darnell McDonald (.992)

Brian Buscher (.898)

Steven Tolleson (.915) 

(Luke Hughes would also be mentioned but he's not 100%) 

There are some bats in the system, but it's looking like they're bats in the outfield, which the Twins don't need.  Still, considering the Twins are ranked 12th in the AL in OPS.  I'd start sacrificing defense to start putting some more runs on the board.  Buscher should have been brought up, or Tolleson.  Clark just won't add anything to the Twins team.  I will say this though, nothing about this situation is ideal.

Hakes: Clark is definately the right guy. He deserves to be brought up. Hopefully it'll be his chance to shine. With utility infielders such as Nick Punto and Matt Tolbert on the DL, the injury plagued Twins are having to deal with difficult desicions. Batting averages also have something to do with this. Everett is not producing as the Twins hoped. Howie Clark might give the Twins what they need from an unexpected place.

Grilz: Sorry, but I'm going to say it: Nick Punto. Sure his bat is crap, but so is all but 4 of our starters. His glove is pure gold and we need the added skill to make up for all the mistakes that our team has been making.

Wade: If there is one thing the Twins do better than anyone, it is protecting prospects. They go overboard making sure guys are ready for every aspect of the major leagues to the point of holding some guys back when they are probably ready to go. That’s why it was Clark who got the call-up. He played well enough to help the team and they knew they didn’t have to groom him. Clark isn’t the 3B of the future, he can’t be, he’s in his mid-30s, who knows how much longer he’ll even play. Guys like Romero and Valencia are looking more and more like real prospects, especially Valencia. He’s the guy I’ll tip for 3B of the future, but a lot can happen between now and then.

Kneeland: Clark is the right guy for this year, and possibly next year. He is in his mid-30s, though, and isn't the third baseman of the future. Minnesota's minor league system has a few guys who would fit the hole.

Valencia, Buscher, Romero all would be great options in the next five years. Nick Punto isn't a bad defensive option at all, but his bat stinks.

Once everyone is healthy again, who should be in the starting rotation?

Andrade: I'm assuming this year, so I would have Blackburn, Baker, Slowey, Bonser, Perkins. I would trade Hernandez before the clock strikes midnight, Liriano needs some AAA time and I would consider Duensing my first backup.

Hakes: We all know Scott Baker is a catalyst here in Minnesota. Granted his health track record hasn't been that good this year: from the flu to a pulled groin muscle, Baker just can't keep healthy to get his numbers.

Grilz: I don't think it really matters anymore. I just can't really say that it is our pitching that is the issue. We are just too inconsistent. Either our bats are good or our pitching is good. Or both are good, but we make fielding mistakes. Or our fielding and pitching is good but we can't make contact with the ball. I think that we have turned into one of the few teams in the majors that doesn't have to worry half as much about pitching as they do with just being a consistent, solid team that we have shown we can be.

Wade: Liriano, Baker, Hernandez, Bonser, Mulvey (Unless Slowey continues to improve, then Slowey)

Kneeland: Liriano, Hernandez, Slowey, Baker, Perkins. I would like nothing more than to get rid of Bonser, and Perkins has been solid in the few starts that he has had.

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21793-MLB-Minnesota-Twins-Whatnot-5-7-070508

 

The Twins showed that they actually have something in the tank this past week. The question is, will it ever come out again? I ask this question and more in the second Twins Whatnot.

Minnesota is known for offensive ineptitude. Scoring eleven and four runs respectively, how much do the consecutive wins against Detroit mean to the Twins?

Dan Wade:Anytime you beat a divisional opponent, its important. A sweep is awesome, but the fact that it came against the Tigers (with Granderson) makes it all the more sweet. Beating the team that had the consensus best offseason, while the Twins were largely panned for their deals, just shows that you never know how good a team will be until they get on the field.

The best part of the sweep over the Tigers was that we beat them at their own game. The bats came out early and often, and in game three, they weren’t scared away by the Tigers’ outburst. The Tigers can be beaten by good pitching, but the Twins proved they can be out hit as well.

Jon Grilz: It shows that the Twins actually have it in them to provide some consistency. Not only that, but it does volumes for the confidence of pitchers that now know that don't have to hold opponents to 1 or 2 runs.

Jon Bartsch: Huge wins, and while both of those were impressive, the comeback to sweep the Tigers was the biggest win. Anytime you down six runs to the Tigers in the first inning, you figure it is just one of those days where you can't stop them and they might set a record. However, the fact that Boof was able to settle down and give the Twins a chance to stay in that game was huge. The offense came through in the clutch and delivered a win. I'll get down on Joe Mauer periodically for his lack of offensive production, but he was arguably the MVP of that series sweep for the Twins.

Kelsey Hakes: This was a huge win for the Twins. It proves that they don't need the big names like Johan Santana and Torii Hunter to succeed. The series sweep gave the the over .500 mark and first place in the AL Central. Everyone is starting to find their groove at the plate and are coming out of their shell. We're looking sharp and hopefully we can remain in this spot for at least a while. This will give the Twins incentive to keep doing better. If they keep their bats hot and keep scoring runs, the team should be quite consistent.

Marty Andrade: Never make too much of the ups and downs early in the season season. The White Sox and the Indians are both scoring more runs than they allow and this means they are much more likely to win over the long haul than the Twins who are scoring fewer runs than they allow. By the end of the season, Minnesota will still have a reputation of offensive ineptitude.

Andrew Kneeland:While it shouldn't prove to mean very much in the long haul, this sweep is good for many other reasons. The Twins' mentality must have changed now that they showed that they can actually score runs. The pitchers must be more at ease now that they know they don't have to pitch a three-hitter to earn a win.

In addition to those, this is great for the Minnesota fanbase. Most Twins fans were resigned to a losing, rebuilding season. While that still may be the case, this sweep can be viewed as a message to fans that Minnesota isn't out of this yet.

Gomez has also shown improvement recently. Does this affect his future with the Twins in any way?

Dan Wade:Gomez is the future of the franchise, so I don’t see him moving around too much between the majors and the minors. As I’ve said in the past, his problem is with very good offspeed pitches, which most AAA pitchers don’t have. He needs to see the pitchers first hand and then watch tape to fix his approach.

His recent improvement has come as a result of his new goal of not striking out as much. Gomez knows what he needs to fix, and he is slowly starting to fix it. He is a work in progress, no doubt, but I think he will be the type of player who takes two steps forward and one step back. It’s a long road, but he is off to a pretty solid start.

Jon Grilz: It is still a waiting game to see what he is capable of. He still has to learn that he doesn't need to try and win games by himself. His recent attempt at a circus-style catch in the outfield and his misjudging a past ball at 3rd and being gunned down at the plate show that he still has a long way to go.

Jon Bartsch:I don't think so. He's been our choice at center field and leadoff since opening day. I didn't expect that to change unless he absolutely could never get on base. No one else on the roster can provide that kind of spark at the top of the lineup. Yeah, he will attempt to hit the ball through the Metrodome's roof from time to time, but he is doing more than most people expected. His defense continues to be solid, and he knows how to bunt. If he was swinging away in every at-bat I would be concerned, but he is showing that he knows how to use his speed to get on base and score runs.

Kelsey Hakes:Well if he keeps using his 'head', he can be around a long time. He is starting to swing the bat level and he proves time and time again how speed excels at this game. Anyone who has ever had any doubts have become a believer. He is proving himself a major-leaguer and is filling out his full potential. I expect to start seeing great things this year, possibly a new record for stolen bases?

Marty Andrade:A .678 OPS isn't exactly Mays or Mantle material. More worrisome for me is his .299 OBP and .029 Isolated OBP (ISoP, which is just OBP minus BA). He's a superb athlete and he could be a very good ballplayer for a very long time in a Twins uniform, but he should spend at least half of this season in AAA, I would prefer the entire season. This also preserves some service time and delays arbitration eligibility and free agency. With Jason Pridie hitting .292/.349/.416 and Darnell McDonald hitting .342/.400/.603 the Twins have two fair options ready to go. Even Denard Span has a higher OBP than Gomez and he would be good enough for the time being in CF. Gomez is clearly the CF of the future for the Minnesota Twins. Gomez needs to learn the strike zone and how to be as disciplined as possible at the plate. That's not going to happen at the MLB level. But the Twins aren't likely to send him down now at all, barring injury.

Andrew Kneeland: I have been of the opinion that Gomez should be sent down to AAA for quite some time now. Now, though, I think I am changing my mind. There is nothing that Gomez can't gain in the minors that he can't gain in the majors except confidence. That confidence will come with time, once he learns how to not strike out.

That ability will come with time, and it will come faster in the big league.

Mike Lamb has been struggling as of late. How soon could he lose his starting job to Nick Punto if he doesn't get into gear?

Dan Wade:Punto’s glove has earned him a spot on this team come hell or high water, that much is a given. He has not looked nearly as overmatched at the plate as he did last year, so that is a very good sign, whether he is starting at third, short, or coming off the bench.

Gardy LOVES Punto, serious man-crush territory. And Punto is clearly a better defender than Lamb, even with Everett making up for Lamb’s terrible glove. So, if Lamb continues to struggle, we may start seeing Punto making spot starts more frequently, especially if Tolbert continues to play well enough to take over as the Super Sub the Twins love having on their bench.

Lamb was a key addition this offseason, so I don’t see the Twins giving up on him completely anytime soon. That said, if we get into the summer months and Punto is around .260 to .280 and Lamb stays in the .220 area, we may see a switch. If they are close, I think they will start to share the job in some bizarre platoon based on the GB rate of the starting pitcher.

All this is contingent on Lamb continuing to look terrible at the plate. I’ve got a feeling that he will break out soon, but I’d say he’s got a month at the most to prove that he is a substantially better hitter than Punto.

Jon Grilz:Punto is a liability when it comes to his bat, but his ability in the field should overlook that at this point. We brought in Lamb primarily for his defense and to have a better bat than Punto, but if he can't step it up we need to have someone in the field that is as lights out as Punto is (wherever we put him). If Punto could even get his batting average around .260-.275 I would see him as a consistent All-Star with his ability to make headline making plays.

Jon Bartsch:I think it will take a lot more than a slow start for us to demote Lamb. After all, we let Punto keep the job for most of last year and his slow start became a season-long slump. Punto is great where he is right now, in the utility role. Lamb has the power potential (he has yet to show it) to hit 20-30 home runs. If he can start producing some power, this won't even be a question. His defense isn't great, which is the main concern in him keeping the job, but if his bat gets hot, he's here to stay. The Twins have needed a power-hitting third basemen for years. Lamb may not be the answer, but I don't think he is in danger of losing the starting gig anytime soon.

Kelsey Hakes:Recently getting moved up in the batting order to change things around, Lamb went 2-4. Perhaps he is finding his groove. As of right now, he is safe. Nick Punto has all of the material for a starter, but he can't handle the pressure. He proved that last year when he was full-time 3rd base. He went from batting #2 to batting #9. Lamb had a good year last year with the Astros batting .289. We know he can do it, its the matter of getting it done.

Marty Andrade:They should both be fired along with Adam Everett. Brian Buscher or Matt Macri could play third for the Twins and be just as inept as Lamb or Punto. I'd prefer Buscher at the moment but I'm flexible on the matter. Tolbert could play SS (though I worry about his .781 Zone Rating, which is lower than Punto's or Everett's) and we'd need another utility guy. It doesn't matter, I would take whatever replacement player I could find at SS over Punto or Everett and I'd take just about any of the guys with decent arms at AAA over Punto or Lamb at 3B. It's harsh but I'm tired of incurable offensive inferiority. Lamb might lose the job to Punto soon, like next week even, but the Twins will probably hold on to him far too long after he's been benched. I don't see him leaving the Twins until after the All Star break.

Andrew Kneeland:If the losing continues, I say bring up some minor league kid who looks promising. Matt Marci, Brian Buscher, or even Trevor Plouffe would be great additions to the team, and I would love to watch them play.

Gardenhire needs to get over his love for Punto, and he needs to let him go. Punto just doesn't have what it takes offensively to compete in the big leagues.

Now a fun one: if you had the choice, what would you rename the Minnesota Twins (team movement is allowed)?

Dan Wade:The Twins have got to stay in MSP, but they aren’t a team that belongs to just the city. So, the Minnesota part stays. Sadly, a lot of the good MN related names have been taken: The Wild, Wolves, and Moose are all great names. As far as the Fan Base is concerned, the Twins have very strong regional following, unlike the local followings common to more densely populated areas in the East and West. So I propose a name that acknowledges Minnesota’s preeminence among the Midwest states: The Minnesota Regional Hegemony!

Jon Grilz:I would have to be the Minnesota Casseroles or Minnesota Dontcha-Knows

Jon Bartsch: I'd steal the Lakers name back from that Los Angeles basketball team that's always in the headlines. They moved to the ocean and kept the best name a Minnesota franchise ever had.

Kelsey Hakes: First off they would move to Jackson, MN where I currently reside so I can go to all of the games and get season tickets and maybe a date ;) As to what they'd be called, to stick with a small town atmosphere: the Minnesota Corn-Growers or the Minnesota Hicks. Both are pretty catchy and would have awesome logos.

Marty Andrade:I'd like to see a return of the Minneapolis Millers or maybe something like the Minnesota Minneapolitans. I have a certain disdain for St. Paul and I never liked the term "Twin Cities" (where we get the present nickname "Twins") anyway as it's misleading, the two cities are nothing alike.

Andrew Kneeland:I would love to see the return of the Minneapolis Lakers, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. I would be in favor of some kind of animal. Enough time has passed since more than the Timberwolves and Gophers had an actual animal as their mascot.

Bobcats? Grizzlies? Eagles? Rabbits? Anything would do just fine for me.

RealGM

 

A Successful Vikings' Draft?
Andrew Kneeland. 28th April, 2008

With the 43nd overall pick in the second round, the Minnesota Vikings selected safety Tyrell Johnson from Arkansas State.

This is a good pick. Johnson will not only be the eventual replacement to Darren Sharper, but he will also make an immediate impact on the pass defense of this Viking team.

Johnson had a fantastic combine, which many people blame for his dramatic rise on draft boards. He had 27 reps in the bench press, the highest among...

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Hey guys, have any of you checked out Bleacher Report yet? It's a very neat site where you can submit your own articles, much like you do here, and receive comments from other users, and useful edits from editors.

It is very, very useful if you are interested in pursuing a career in journalism, or if you are just a passionate fan.

If you want to look me up on BR, my name is Andrew Kneeland and I am a Senior Writer with around 75 articles and 300 comments.

I also am the Twin's community leader, and I would love to see some of you guys, Twinkie Towner's, over at BR and contributing to the community.

I think that the Twin's community is the largest and most visited baseball team community on the entire site.

If you have heard of it, great, just sign up now and help the Twin's section grow!

How sweet it is! Scorecard in hand, I diligently listened to John Gordon call this Opening Night win on the radio Monday night, and enjoyed every minute of it.

A nice victory for the Twins, and a great performance from nearly every player. Let's take a look at how some people did Opening Night...

Livan Hernandez
What a great showing from our ace, huh? He went a solid seven innings, and only allowed two runs on seven hits.

He had great location early on, struggled in the fifth inning, then re-gained his form to close out his night. He didn't walk anyone, and had one strikeout. The bummer is that we have wait five days until he pitches again.

Pat Neshek
Following up a great Spring Training, Neshek struck out two straight in his appearance in the eighth, but allowed a bloop double to Gary Matthews Jr. He followed that up by striking out the ever dangerous Vladimir Guerrero. What a showing. I shouldn't have to wait long to see some more of him!

Joe Nathan
Nathan averages 40 saves per season in the last four years, and showed us why he is so good tonight. He had the chance to show former teammate Torii Hunter his stuff, and struck him out swinging.

Nathan allowed one hit in the ninth, but ended the game by forcing a ground-out to short from Kendrick.

Carlos Gomez
And I thought that he wouldn't be effective at the lead-off role. Boy, was I wrong. Gomez led off the game with an extremely long double down the left field line, and later scored off Joe Mauer's single.

Gomez beat out a bunt-single in the third, and drew a walk in the fifth. After that walk, Gomez stole second and then scored on a Michael Cuddyer single. He had a total of two stolen bases on the night. Wow.

Brendan Harris
Gardenhire loves this kid, and now I think I have a little idea as to why. Harris had two hits in the game, one a gift double.

He did struggle in the eighth when he had the bases loaded for him with one out, and he struck out swinging.


We are now 1-0, and lead the Tigers by one in the AL Central. While there's nowhere to go but down, it feels pretty good to be on top of the world.

The baseball season is coming, can you feel it?

There is a lot happening around the Twins camp this time of year, and changes are being made.

I'm extremely excited, but here are a few notes from the Spring Training complex in Florida from March 27.

The second base "race" is more pathetic than I imagined. Brenden Harris is starting as of now, but that almost definitely will change. Ron Gardenhire will probably end up putting Punto in the lineup before the second week of the season is over, but because Punto is only hitting .122 in Spring Training, Gardenhire has no real excuse to put him in right now.

He seems to be the only Twins fan who likes Punto, doesn't he? Harris' defense is atrocious right now, but then again, Punto's is also shaky.

Lineup holes are getting filled left and right—and finally in centerfield. Ron Gardenhire said that he is going with Carlos Gomez in centerfield.

While I believe that this is a good choice, Denard Span took the news hard. He choked up a few times in the press conference and said that he believed that he had a good shot at making the team.

Speaking of Gomez, he will bat in the lead-off spot for this 2008 Twins squad. There are better lead-off options, and I think that Gomez shouldn't be given this position.

The lead-off hole is designated for players who can easily get on base for the power hitters in the middle of the lineup to hit on in. At 22, the free-swinging Gomez doesn't quite fit that mold yet.

This might not be an entirely bad thing, though. Gomez, according to Jerry White, is the fastest player in baseball. When he does get on base, he will provide a constant threat and steal a lot of bases.

Now for a quick update on Lew Ford. His career in Minnesota ended last year when he hit .302 BA/.383 OBS/.461 SP through the first 188 games, but his new start in Japan is going great. His new team is the Hanshin Tigers, and they played an exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox the other day.

Ford made a "highlight reel" catch to rob Jacoby Ellsbury of an extra-base hit. On a side note, Ford was drafted by the Red Sox out of Dallas Baptist University in 1999.

As Joe Christensen puts it:

"The Twins' Opening Day starter had both dugouts rolling after some fancy footwork in his final spring tuneup."

That's not nearly enough credit due Livan Hernandez for what he and first baseman Justin Morneau accomplished earlier today.

Former Twin Jason Bartlett, now with the Tampa Bay Rays, described the play as "awesome."

The Twins were playing the Rays in the third inning at Hammond Stadium. There were no outs, and speedster Elliot Johnson was up to bat. Noticing pitcher Hernandez's hefty size, 6'2'' and 245 pounds, he tried a bunt down the first base line.

While Hernandez lumbered toward the ball, Johnson took off toward the base. When Hernandez finally reached the ball, Johnson was a good three strides ahead of him.

The logical thing would be to reach down, pick the ball up, and attempt to throw out Johnson the classical way. Twin's manager Ron Gardenhire didn't think that would've worked out too well:

"He probably would have ended up on his face if he did."

Instead, Hernandez reached out with his foot and kicked the ball knee high for about ten feet...right into Justin Morneau's outstretched glove. One away.

After a second of silence, Tampa Bay first base coach George Hendrick started clapping, soon followed by the entire crowd attending the Spring Training game - around 7,968. 

Players in the Ray's dugout started removing their hats and bowing to the Twin's pitcher. Hernandez just shrugged it off:

"You're going to see a lot of plays this year. Maybe not like that one, but ... different...Maybe one day I miss it, and people get mad."

Former Twins Jason Bartlett couldn't hold in his admiration for both of the players:

"Any other first baseman it probably would have hit off their knee or something. But Morneau had that hockey instinct. Everybody in our dugout was taking their hat off and just bowing to [Hernandez]. To kick it and to hit it in the air right at Morneau's glove -- it's impossible, but he did it."

 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14971-MLB-Tampa_Bay_Rays-Minnesota_Twins-Minnesota_Twins_Fielding_Fun_for_Hernandez_and_Morneau-270308