Nick's Twins Blog

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NTB Top Ten Prospects 2012: via Nick's Twins Blog February 08, 2012 at 12:06 AM; While many, like me, are holding out hope that the Twins can find a way to compete in a 2012 season where the odds are stacked pretty heavily against them, we must acknowledge that there's a good chance the big-league club won't catch the number of breaks it needs, and that by the mid-season point fans will be looking elsewhere for signs of hope.Those signs will hopefully come from some of the pla
Dangerous Gambles in the Rotation: via Nick's Twins Blog February 01, 2012 at 12:06 AM; Teams generally enter every season with a few question marks in the rotation. The Twins, unfortunately, look like they'll head into the 2012 campaign with five. With each starter slated to occupy a spot in Minnesota's rotation, there is a fair amount of upside and also significant downside. At this point there's no way to know which versions of these various Jekyll-and-Hyde acts we'll be seeing, s
Is Butera's Reign of Terror Over?: via Nick's Twins Blog January 30, 2012 at 12:00 AM; The Twins had a lot of players miss significant time last season, but no one's absence was felt more than Joe Mauer, who sat out 80 games with a variety of ailments. This isn't just because he is the team's best player. It's also because no position carried less depth in the Twins organization than catcher. Mauer was able to start only 47 games behind the plate, and when he was unavailable those n
Was Ryan Too Quick on the Trigger?: via Nick's Twins Blog January 27, 2012 at 01:00 AM; I've generally been pleased with the moves the Twins have made this offseason. In his return to the helm, Terry Ryan has wisely allowed some overpriced free agents to depart while signing solid producers like Josh Willingham and Ryan Doumit to bargain deals with little downside.Two moves that have rubbed me the wrong way, however, are the Kevin Slowey trade and the Matt Capps signing. This isn't b
Fielder Hardly Seals Division: via Nick's Twins Blog January 25, 2012 at 12:06 AM; While many people had already written off the Twins as contenders in 2012 following a 99-loss season, I've been bullish on their (admittedly slim) chances, reasoning that a whole lot can change health-wise from one season to the next and that no club in the AL Central was looking like a world-beater.The entire division has largely been in a holding pattern all winter. The White Sox, Indians and Ro
On Slowey, Twins Sold Too Low Once Again: via Nick's Twins Blog January 23, 2012 at 12:00 AM; The Twins have often been criticized in recent years for the paltry returns they've gotten back when trading away players. We've seen Wilson Ramos, J.J. Hardy, Delmon Young and others flipped for questionable returns, only to quickly boost their value elsewhere. Jose Mijares was non-tendered earlier this offseason because the Twins didn't want to pay him $750,000 through arbitration, and he went o
Morneau and Progress: via Nick's Twins Blog January 18, 2012 at 01:06 AM; About a month from today, Jamey Carroll will turn 38 years old. That will make the veteran infielder, signed by the Twins earlier this offseason to man shortstop over the next couple seasons, the same age as former Minnesota third baseman Corey Koskie.Of course, while Carroll is enjoying the best years of his pro baseball career, Koskie has been out of the game since 2006, when a concussion sustai
ZOOM! Twins Add Powerful, But Fragile, Bullpen Arm: via Nick's Twins Blog January 16, 2012 at 12:06 AM; For Twins fans, the image is tough to forget. Joel Zumaya was pitching to Delmon Young in the eighth inning of a late June game at Target Field. On a full count, the right-hander reared back and unleashed a 99 mph fastball, which Young fouled off.It was immediately obvious that something went very wrong with Zumaya on the pitch, as he quickly clutched his right elbow and collapsed to the ground in
Thoughts on Payroll: via Nick's Twins Blog January 13, 2012 at 12:06 AM; Geoff Baker, a scribe for The Seattle Times, penned a lengthy but very interesting column earlier this week about spending in baseball. I recommend taking the time to read it, as the themes are very applicable for Twins fans, but the gist of his argument is that ultra-rich baseball owners are gaming the system by soaking up public money and spending far less on payroll than they can afford to. Mea
Are the Twins Delusional?: via Nick's Twins Blog January 12, 2012 at 12:30 AM; In Sunday's edition of the Star Tribune, Patrick Reusse suggested that the Twins – like the Vikings – are deluded in their assessment of being able to compete in the short-term. He's certainly not alone in his stance. Almost every day, whether here in the comments section, or on Twitter, or on other blogs and media outlets, I see people grumbling about the approach being taken by the Twins' front
Is Nick Blackburn Undervalued?: via Nick's Twins Blog January 09, 2012 at 12:00 AM; One couldn't be blamed for writing off Nick Blackburn as an afterthought in the Twins' 2012 starting pitching equation. After all, he's been pretty bad over the past two seasons. In fact, "pretty bad" might be an understatement – he's been one of baseball's most hittable pitchers, prone to stretches of mind-numbingly horrible performance. His once-premier walk rate has deteriorated into mediocrity
The Turbulent Career of Frankie Franchise: via Nick's Twins Blog January 05, 2012 at 12:06 AM; I can still vividly recall Francisco Liriano's first start of the 2006 season.The date was May 19, and the struggling Twins were in Milwaukee to face the Brewers. I was in attendance at Miller Park that day, sitting along the first base line and eager to see the electric 22-year-old southpaw break into the rotation.It had been a long time coming. Over the first six weeks of a season that saw the T
Internal Righty Relief Options: via Nick's Twins Blog January 04, 2012 at 12:06 AM; Yesterday I listed a number of appealing free agents who could fill the Twins' need for right-handed help in the bullpen. I believe that if Terry Ryan wants to provide Ron Gardenhire with a reliable stable for the late innings, he'll need to spend a couple million to bring aboard one of these tried-and-true veterans.However, I also believe that there are a number of intriguing in-house candidates
Right-Handed FA Options for the Bullpen: via Nick's Twins Blog January 03, 2012 at 12:24 AM; After rounding out their rotation with the addition of right-hander Jason Marquis a couple weeks ago, the Twins took a holiday hiatus -- and so did I. Now, with 2012 officially underway, it's time for the front office to turn its attention toward adding the final pieces of the puzzle as they seek a return to respectability.Terry Ryan got most of his shopping done early this offseason, utilizing fr
Marquis for Slowey an Unexciting Swap: via Nick's Twins Blog December 22, 2011 at 05:30 PM; The Twins rounded out their rotation today, signing free agent right-hander Jason Marquis to a one-year, $3 million deal. Since Marquis essentially replaces Kevin Slowey, who was traded to the Rockies a few weeks ago and would have made about the same amount next season through arbitration, it seems appropriate to compare the two based on what they're likely to provide in 2012.Slowey was disastrou
Options for the Rotation: via Nick's Twins Blog December 21, 2011 at 12:00 AM; On Monday, I wrote about the Twins' search for pitching help, pointing out that an inability to miss bats was a huge weakness for the staff in 2011 -- one which Terry Ryan should seek to remedy. It's not realistic to expect the Twins to add a dominant strikeout machine to the mix, because there really aren't any available in free agency and acquiring one through trade would prove too costly.But th
More of the Same: via Nick's Twins Blog December 19, 2011 at 12:24 AM; Twins pitchers struck out a total of 940 hitters in 2011. That was the fewest of any team in the majors by a margin of 84 (Cleveland finished with 1,024) -- the biggest gap between any other two teams was 33.Yes, the Twins were the least prolific strikeout team in baseball this year, and it wasn't remotely close. The whiff total was the franchise's lowest since 1999, which meant a whole lot of bal
Cuddyer and Priorities: via Nick's Twins Blog December 16, 2011 at 12:18 AM; The Twins made their signing of Josh Willingham official yesterday, finalizing a three-year, $21 million deal with the veteran outfielder. The move rules out a return to Minnesota for long-time franchise staple Michael Cuddyer, who'd been viewed as an alternative option to fill the same need.Or does it?While the Twins' interest in Willingham and Cuddyer had largely been framed as an either/or scen
Three-Bagger: Outfield, Hoey & Mijares: via Nick's Twins Blog December 13, 2011 at 03:30 PM; * With their holes at shortstop and catcher addressed early on, the Twins' top remaining priority (outside of the eminent need for more pitching) is signing an outfielder. Presently, they're sort of in limbo with this task and have been for over a week.It has been widely reported that the Twins have an offer out to Michael Cuddyer -- thought to be around three years and $24 million -- and view Jos
Twins Take Terry Doyle in Rule 5: via Nick's Twins Blog December 09, 2011 at 12:06 AM; By virtue of their horrible record this season, the Twins held the No. 2 pick in yesterday's Rule 5 draft. With a pitching staff that is very much in flux, especially after the departure of Kevin Slowey, this represented an opportunity for the club to add another arm to throw against the wall in 2012 and hope for the best.The Twins did just that, selecting right-hander Terry Doyle from the White S