Jump to content
Twins Daily
  • Create Account
  • entries
    891
  • comments
    3,675
  • views
    1,591,629

About this blog

Catch up on all things Minnesota Twins from an insider's perspective without the added slant.

Read more  

Entries in this blog

The Revival Of The Longball

A year ago, on a rainy night in downtown Minneapolis, some of the biggest sluggers took center stage for the 2014 Home Run Derby. While the Minnesota twins and Target Field were no doubt excited to play host to All Star week, there's no doubt that the playing conditions were going to be adverse on this night. When the dust settled, Yoenis Cespedes reigned supreme, and massive shots were hit, but the event still felt stale.   Forget the fact that inclement weather pushed the action back, or that
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Twins Are Poised For Playoffs

We have officially hit the All Star Break in Major League Baseball, and while the stretch run is where the pretenders and contenders are sorted out, the Twins are currently one of the best teams in baseball. It feels odd to say, given what expectations were, and what results have been, but it rings absolutely true. At the break, Minnesota owns the second best record in the American League, and their own best mark since 2008. It's no longer too early to suggest the playoffs are in sight. 44, 40,
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

The Open Door, And The Twins Stepping Through IT

Injuries are never good, and cheering for an opposing player to go down is not something anyone would advocate for. However, they are an inevitability in the world of sports,and the Twins have a big opportunity thanks to two recent maladies. Both the Tigers and the Royals were bit by the injury bug in a bad way recently. Detroit watched stay first basemen Miguel Cabrera head to the disabled list for the first time in his career. Early indications suggest he could be out into September. The hurt
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

The Twins Should Keep On Dancing

Going into the 2015 Major League Baseball season, the Twins knew they had some deficiencies. Of the most glaring were veteran leadership and outfield depth. Terry Ryan and crew addressed that problem in one sweep signing fan favorite Torii Hunter to a one-year $10.5 million deal. While I was critical of the move from the get go, it's played out better than anyone could have imagined. Torii was being sold as a veteran leader, and there's no doubt he brought that ability. From a baseball sense how
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

The Trade That Fleeced The West

To kick off the week, the Minnesota Twins welcomed the Baltimore Orioles into the friendly confines of Target Field. Looking around the diamond, it's hard not to get a little upset knowing J.J. Hardy is standing at shortstop while Jim Hoey is off building computers somewhere. Although the Twins have been on the short end of the stick in their fair share of roster moves, this season it's been about one of the best trades in recent memory. Despite looking to make a run at the playoffs in 2014 by b
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

You're Wrong About Brian Dozier, And So Is MLB

Just under a month ago, I told you that Brian Dozier is entering elite territory amongst Major League Baseball. Since that time, Dozier has done nothing but squash my silly notion. Instead of entering elite territory, he instead has defined what elite is amongst Major League Baseball. At this point, you're probably wrong about the Twins second basemen, and so is the league itself. We are less than a week away from the midsummer classic. Major League Baseball has unfortunately pinned World Series
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

9

Puzzling Or Predictable: The Twins Bullpen Debacle

Over the weekend, Ervin Santana returned to the Twins starting rotation. After serving an 80 game PED-related suspension, the free agent acquisition came out of the gates strong. Twirling eight strong innings, Santana sat back and watched it all implode. Paul Molitor went to the bullpen, and his relievers let him down yet again. Most recently, the suspects were Blaine Boyer and Aaron Thompson. In a tie game over the weekend, Molitor elected to give the ball to arms not named Glen Perkins. Of the
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Can't The Twins Just Play Where They Belong?

Following the conclusion of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, longtime Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire was shown the door. Although the four seasons of losing weren't all his fault, he did little to help the matter either. In his place, Paul Molitor took over. So far in 2015, results as a whole have been promising, but one area continues to be baffling. Why can't Molitor and the Twins just be happy playing their position? The main culprit, the outfield.   Heading into the season, the
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Sink Or Swing, The Twins Are Jumping In

The calendar has turned to July and the Minnesota Twins find themselves barreling towards a very interesting crossroads. On one hand, they have exceeded all expectations. At 41-37, they are 4.5 games out of the AL Central lead, and holding down the second Wild Card spot. On the other hand, Minnesota fumbled through June to the tune of an 11-16 record. With divisional foes looming, the Twins are set to sink or swim. Ahead for the Twins is an immediate opportunity to position themselves. Over the
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

In The End, The Twins Fail Kennys Vargas Most

The Minnesota Twins dropped yet another series today, this time at the hands of the NL Central Cincinnati Reds. Looking to take the rubber match against staff ace, Johnny Cueto, runs seemed as though they would be few and far between. With a lackluster lineup to start, Minnesota did themselves no favors throughout the contest. At the end of the game it was Kennys Vargas who took the fall with a demotion to Double-A Chattanooga. But really, is Vargas to blame at this point?   Following an impress
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

10

Phil Hughes: Changed Process, Mixed Results

Before there was Ervin Santana, there was Phil Hughes. Before the 2014 season, the Minnesota Twins double-dipped and signed two starting pitchers. Although it was Ricky Nolasco that received the bigger contract, it was always Hughes that should have been looked like as a better fit. Leaving New York and the Cracker Jack box known as Yankee Stadium, he should have been expected to succeed. 2015 was always going to be a tough act to follow after a strong 2014, and so far that's proven true. In his
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Jose Berrios Continues The Climb

Going into the 2015 season, few Twins prospects brought more intrigue than that of Jose Berrios. The 2012 1st round pick (32nd overall), has flown through the minor leagues, and sights were set even higher. Suggesting he wanted to make a splash in spring training, Berrios is now staring his final hurdle in the face. As I reported late last night, Berrios has received the promotion to Triple-A Rochester. After pitching to the tune of a 3.08 ERA along with a 9.18 K/9 ratio, Minnesota decided a new
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Is Ervin Santana Really A Midseason Addition?

In just a few more days, the Minnesota Twins will be afforded the opportunity to see their $55 million free agent acquisition in action. After serving his performance enhancing drug related suspension, Ervin Santana will rejoin the 25 man roster, and the starting rotation for the Twins. With the Twins pitching staff being where it is in 2015, what the Twins should expect from Santana remains somewhat of a mystery.   After four years of futility from their starters, the Twins have seemingly turne
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Alex Meyer: Destined To Stick

The time is now for the Minnesota Twins and Alex Meyer. On the heels of his recent promotion to the big leagues, Minnesota will now get to experience their return for Denard Span. With Meyer set to make his major league debut, there's no doubt that he wants to stick after his long awaited promotion. The good news, he should be expected to do just that. Heading into the season, Baseball Prospectus ranked Alex Meyer as their 14th best prospect. At that time, he was still a starting pitcher, and th
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Jose Berrios Continues The Gold Standard

In just a few more days, the Minnesota Twins will have a pitching issue on their hands. This time, it isn't about whether or not Minnesota will have options, but in fact, that they will simply have too many. Although he isn't yet going to come into play, Jose Berrios has made himself the gold standard among minor league options for the Twins, and their pitching depth is all the better for it. After blitzing the Twins system last season, starting at High-A Fort Myers and ending with a start for T
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Byron Buxton Superhero: But Who Is He?

June 14, 2015 a day that will forever go down as one of the most highly anticipated days in all of Minnesota Twins history. Byron Buxton, the Twins second overall pick, joined the big leagues to an exorbitant amount of fanfare. With only three Twins picks ever drafted higher (Tim Belcher, Johnny Ard, and Joe Mauer went first overall), Buxton was seen as the superhero the Twins needed. But what exactly are his superpowers? Now having spent just over a week in the big leagues, there has been mixed
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Grading Paul Molitor's Early Returns

We are now coming up quickly on the halfway point of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, and for the Twins this year, things have been notably different with Paul Molitor at the helm. Ron Gardenhire was given a tough deck of cards to play with the past few years, but Molitor has innovated early, and it's been a welcomed addition to the organization. After being named the next Twins skipper, many suggested that Minnesota was once again going with the easy internal option. Stick to the "Twins W
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

The Twins $55 Million Dollar Question

The calendar has already passed halfway through June and the 2015 Major League Baseball season is starting to take shape. Nearing the halfway point of the season, teams are starting to categorize themselves as contenders or pretenders. Right now, the Twins land somewhere in the middle, and while they may not be buyers at the trade deadline, they can improve from within. The biggest question though, is what they do with their $55 million dollar man. Over the winter, the Twins sought to address th
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

18

The Beauty And Brokenness Of Interleague Play

The Minnesota Twins are in the midst of interleague play for the second time this season. Instead of cramming all of the fun into a designated week or two over the summer, Major League Baseball reconstructed the scheduled to allow American and National League teams to clash throughout the season. As Minnesota has now traveled and hosted National League teams, we have seen both the beauty and brokenness of the tradition.   As the Twins traveled to Pittsburgh in May, both Ricky Nolasco and Mike Pe
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Time For Twins To Let It Sano

The Minnesota Twins have played through their first third of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. As they came out of the gates slow, surprises started to take place throughout the month of May. After sitting alone atop the American League and AL Central, the calendar then turned to June. Since then, the summer has been anything but pleasant for the Twins. In June (as of this writing), the Twins are 4-11. In those 11 losses, the Twins have scored more than two runs just three times (with one o
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

The Byron Buxton You've Waited For, Maybe

Byron Buxton has now played his first major league game, he's recorded his first major league hit, and he's all but delivered on the enormous amount of hype that has followed him since being selected in the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft. Needing seven at bats over the course of two games to record his first hit, we can now begin to wonder what the first tour of duty may look like for the Twins phenom. The expectations are high, but where does reality lie? As a minor league hitter, Buxton owns
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Brian Dozier Is Entering Elite Territory

Earlier this season, the Minnesota Twins signed second basemen Brian Dozier to a four-year, $20 million extension. In doing so, the Twins locked down their star second basemen into the foreseeable future, and bought out some of his arbitration years in the process. Now over a third of the way into the 2015 season, the contract that seemed to be a slam dunk, has turned out to be exactly that in the early going. Despite Dozier being a fan favorite, and one of the Twins best players, there was some
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

The Torii Hunter Effect, And What's Next

It's 2015, Torii Hunter is 39 years old, and the Minnesota Twins are going to soon be looking at the question of what's next for their heralded fan-favorite. Signed to a one-year, $10.5 million contract, Hunter stated that the Twins were the last team he would play for prior to returning to the fold this season. Now with 55 games under his belt, and a respectable season underway, the Twins are forced to start considering options.   Through just over the first third of the 2015 season, Hunter has
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Who's On First, And What's Coming Next?

It's 2015, Joe Mauer is 32 years old, and maybe for the first time in his career, the red flags should be popping up all over the place. Not only is he having arguably the worst season of his career, but it also appears that there may be no end in sight. Whether it's the lingering effects from a concussion, or the wrong side of 30 catching up to him, Twins fans are left wondering what happened to the hometown kid. With that wonderment, the a stark reality presents itself, what happens next?   Th
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

The Twins Silver Lining

Quite possibly the most often, or even overused word to describe what may lie ahead for the Minnesota Twins in 2015 has been regression. While it's hard to assume that a three game losing streak is indicative of what's to come, there's no doubt Minnesota's offense has struggled of late. Although that may be reflective of a team that has capitalized in high leverage situations, there's something bigger at play here. The Twins offense slumping has not been combined with an all-around collapse, and
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0
×
×
  • Create New...