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Twins Daily

Postseason Review--Eduardo Escobar

Entering 2014, I had Eduardo Escobar pegged as a standard-order utility infielder. He was a switch-hitter with a pretty good glove, okay speed who had demonstrated the ability to capably fill in at short, third and second. There was some chatter that EE shouldn't make the Twins coming out of spring training, but most viewed him as a good fit for the utility infielder role. Some wanted to see "Eddie 400" in 2014--that is at least 400 at-bats to see what the still-young Venezuelan could do with mo

Minnesota Twins 2015 and Beyond: Non-tender, Extension, and Trade Candidates

With Dave St. Peter saying the Minnesota Twins’ payroll won’t be “going down significantly” in an interview with Mike Berardino, the time has come to determine how significant the payroll decrease will be. With season ticket sales due to drop without the lure of the MLB All-Star Game and the “honeymoon effect” of shiny, new Target Field wearing off, I argue the Twins’ payroll will go down significantly.   This blog was originally published at Go Gonzo Journal.   Right now, the Twins have nearly

New 25-man Roster for 2015

This is not going to be significantly different than the earlier version mid-season, but here is my hopeful 25-man roster for 2015. This will obviously hint at my offseason blueprint.   Position players:   Kurt Suzuki, Josmil Pinto, Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, Danny Santana, Miguel Sano, Eduardo Escobar, Trevor Plouffe, Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Arcia, Kennys Vargas, Chris Herrmann, Jordan Schafer   Pitchers:   Phil Hughes, Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Ricky Nolasco, Alex Meyer, Trevor May, Deolis Guerra

If I Owned the Twins: Manager Jonah Hill, Cloned Joe Mauer, Replacements In the Outfield and Other Unasked For Opinions

It’s that time of the year when everyone offers up their opinions on how they’d improve the Twins if they owned the team. Just like everyone else (including George Steinbrenner in real life), I’m going to ignore that the role of owner is distinct from the roles general manager and manager. Here is goes. If I owned the Twins… If I owned the Twins I would make Target Field the first carbon neutral ballpark in the country. The grounds crew would use push mowers, the concessions would run on w

Septmber 30, 2016

September 30, 2016:   What a year it has been for the Minnesota Twins! The Twins recently won their 93rd game of the season and have at last unseated the Detroit Tigers from their five year perch atop the AL central. It's hard to believe the Twins made it this far despite losing 90 games every year from 2011-2014. We'll take a look at each player that was on the Twins at the end of 2014, what happened to them, and which new players were brought in to change the outlook of this team.   Infielders

Buxton and Sano: Maybe the Time is Now

It's the offseason, so that means we are already deep in thought and discussion concerning 2015 roster construction for the Minnesota Twins.   I reserve the right to change my mind, of course, but my preliminary thought on the subject has resulted in a conclusion I wasn't expecting.   Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano should both be Minnesota Twins on Opening Day 2015.   True, General Manager Terry Ryan has some time before he has to give much thought to such an un-Twins-like idea.   (This article wa

Postseason Summary--Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer is a former MVP and a three-time batting champion. As a catcher, he has won five Silver Sluggers and three Gold Gloves. These are Hall of Fame credentials for a 31-year-old. Last year, Mauer was shut down after suffering a concussion. The symptoms were present until well into the offseason. Mauer and his advisors decided it was time to give up catching. With the exit of Justin Morneau, a move to first base was an easy call.   I was among those that thought that Mauer would be ab

The MOST important element in Molly vs DM

The issue is NOT who can get the most out of the Twins younger players...   Its not really about style...either.....   I find it interesting that there is emphasis on both Sano abd Buxton basically endorsing Molitor...which may not be the case at all. They might be just saying, and I think they are..that Molitor is knowledgeable and helped them.   We can debate all day long the merits of either to manage the twins..but this is going to come down to one thing...   Who will put the fans in the

Postseason Review--Brian Dozier

In my book, Brian Dozier was the Twins best position player in 2013. He had a better year in 2014 and again I think he was the best everyday player on the team. Dozier is a study in contrasts--he isn't a big guy, but has led the team in home runs the last two years. He is a converted shortstop who has become totally comfortable as a second baseman. Most guys his size are told to "use the whole field", but he is perhaps the most pronounced pull hitter on the team, certainly among the right ha

Picking a Twins Manager: Get it Right

Over a week ago, I wrote about what I would do if I owned the Minnesota Twins, including giving my GM instructions to fire his manager. Obviously, Jim Pohlad not only read my article, but took it to heart because less than a week later, Ron Gardenhire was out as manager of the Twins. http://knuckleballsblog.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/TRyan2014c.jpg GM Terry Ryan In the days since that announcement, speculation has been rampant concerning who the next manager might be.   For his part,

Why would Steinbac(k) be part of the conversation?

I get it, decent career ( certainly not hall of fame) He could help a new catcher like Pinto (we already hve a coach on the field -number one selling car in Japan) he knows baseball..no doubt...BUT.....   WHERE IS THE FIRE? WHERE IS THE NOVELTY? WHERE ARE THE HALL OF FAME CREDENTIALS?   The reason Steinbach will not be considered is bottom line, his hiring would AFFECT the bottom line..   Give me DM...he will make errors ..but in two years when the team can contend..he will have needed experienc

Episode 102: Adios Ron Gardenhire! Hello Paul Molitor?

http://assets.podomatic.net/ts/19/ad/da/paulpleiss/1400x1400-325x325+118+0_9979806.jpg You had to know it was coming, we spend about 30 minutes talking about Ron Gardenhire's firing and who we want to replace him, and also who we think will replace him. We then talk about Terry Ryan's future. Not to be just nagging on the Twins for another 90+ loss season, we spend some time chatting about the best Twins hitter, pitcher, and fielder of 2014 before talking beer, baseball, and the news.Go Twins!  

Fox Sports North Girls

The subject of the FSNorth Girls came up in a post by PeanutsFromHeaven the other day from a post about hirting his mom to be the next Twins manager. http://twinsdaily.com/blog/68/entry-6101-an-unconventional-choice-for-the-next-twins-manager/ "•Hiring her would give young female fans something to aspire and relate to OTHER than being a Fox Sports North Girl. [Nothing wrong with the girls, but rather than having the broadcast focus on appearances and introductions, focusing on a woman's strategy

2014 Post-mortem--Kyle Gibson

Kyle Gibson started the 2014 season in the Twins rotation and stayed in the rotation the entire season. He won 13 games, the most by a homegrown pitcher for the Twins since Kevin Slowey won 13 in 2010. Gibson had 10 starts in 2013 and was pretty much ineffective. He had a strong spring training and his competitors for the fifth spot did not. Gibson started 31 games, missing one turn for back spasms.   Gibson's performance was wildly uneven. At midseason, he had racked up several outstandin

2014 Post-mortem--Oswaldo Arcia

Oswaldo Arcia finished 2014 playing in 103 games, mostly due to a wrist injury suffered early in the season. His statistics are similar to his rookie season in 2013. Arcia pounded 20 homers, but struck out 127 times in just 410 plate appearances. Arcia also hit .231 with a .300 OBP. The power is undeniable, but the combination of the large number of no-chance at-bats and below average defense has made Arcia less than a productive player.   Arcia has been in the Twins' system for seven years. In

2014 Post-mortem--Trevor Plouffe

The Twins 2014 season is over. It is hot stove league time, at least as far as my favorite team is concerned. Much virtual ink has been spilled discussing perhaps as many as a dozen key players. I thought I would blog about some of these guys and perhaps start a conversation. I will start with 2014 3rd Baseman Trevor Plouffe.   Plouffe went into 2014 considered the "luckiest man alive" because top prospect and Plouffe's eventual successor Miguel Sano got injured early in Spring Training and was

Terry Ryan: Still Employed

2014 Kevin Correia. 23 starts. 4.94 ERA. Johan Pino. 11 starts. 5.07 ERA. Sam Deduno. 8 starts. 4.6 ERA. Anthony Swarzak. 4 starts. 4.6 ERA. Logan Darnell. 4 starts. 7.13 ERA. Mike Pelfrey. 5 starts. 7.99 ERA. Tommy Milone. 5 starts. 7.03 ERA. Kris Johnson. 3 starts. 4.73 ERA.   2013 Mike Pelfrey. 29 starts. 5.19 ERA. Scott Diamond. 24 starts. 5.43 ERA. Pedro Hernandez. 12 starts. 6.83 ERA. Liam Hendriks. 8 starts. 6.85 ERA. PJ Walters. 8 starts. 5.95 ERA. Cole De Vries. 2 starts. 10.80 ERA.   2

An Unconventional Choice for the Next Twins Manager

Here's the truth. Both of us peanuts love Ron Gardenhire. We know that we're in the minority there...especially after the last four years...but c'mon, he looks like a little garden gnome. He's ADORABLE!   Seriously though, thank you for the support you provided and the lack of lawsuits you threw our way Gardy. You're a cool dude.   But now our attention turns to the real focus of the hour. Who will replace Gardy on the top of the Twins dugout step? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/pammyb20

Be careful what you wish for...

To everybody that has been calling for Ron Gardenhire's head, congratulations. Your voice has finally been heard. Make no bones about it, this decision was not a baseball decision, but a decision based on the growing public perception that Ron Gardenhire is the main reason for the Twins losing 90 games plus each season four years in a row.   If there is any question of Gardenhire's perception outside of Minnesota, read the public comments on the national articles. The comments are fairly cons

Top 5 Wins for Ron Gardenhire

The Twins announced on Monday that Ron Gardenhire will not return as the team's manager for 2015. Only two managers in the history of the game had survived four straight 90-loss seasons. One of those men was Gardenhire's predecessor, Tom Kelly. Minnesota is a very loyal organization but it seemed like the time was right to make a change.   When a manager wins over 1,000 games with an organization there are going to be some ups and downs. The Twins won six division titles in the Gardenhire era b

Goodbye, Gardy. Hello, Ozzie!

That day I’d been calling for the past three years is finally here, and we can now speculate as to who will fill Ron Gardenhire’s shoes as manager of the Minnesota Twins. I don’t see any problem with the decision, and apparently neither did Gardy.   “I agree with this. I think this is right,” he said at today’s press conference, citing many times that he’s “a fan,” and joking with Mike Berardino that he could punch him in the face now. “I want to see this team win.” Gardy was in good spirits all

Handing Out Twins End of Season Awards

Looking back at the Twins fourth straight 90-loss season doesn't have to be full of glum recollections of another horrible year. There were plenty of bright spots throughout the Twins roster. Brian Dozier did something only a handful of Twins players have ever done. Phil Hughes set an all-time MLB record. Plus young players like Danny Santana were sure fun to watch.   Every year at the end of the season, I look back at the Twins year and try and handout some end of the season awards. Many of the

Revisiting My 2014 Predictions

In the immortal words of Michael Jordan, "I'm back." Consider this the Wizards portion of my blogging career. It's all been the Wizards portion, so it should be easy to adjust.   Before the season started, I made 11 BOLD predictions. I had planned to make those predictions after the season, but the jagwagons who run the blogging cabal said that I had to make predictions before things actually happen. This will adversely affect my accuracy, but apparently that wasn't important. At this moment, I

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