My Favorite Ex-Twin

[stringer bell]

Michael Cuddyer was just recently activated from the disabled list in Colorado.  Today, he just finished off his second cycle of his career.  He's 4-5 and raised his BA to .331.

[JB_Iowa]

Congrats to Cuddy.  Colorado has been good to him.

 

 

Purple Row ‏@PurpleRow  · 8h 
Michael Cuddyer is the third player in MLB history to hit for the cycle in both leagues, joining Bob Watson and John Olerud.

[Winston Smith]

Morneau leads the NL in hitting and Revere is second. A team of x-Twins would look good wouldn't it?

[DAM DC Twins Fans]

Tough year for Cuddy--2 stints on the DL including one for 60 days.  Glad to see him get the cycle.

[nicksaviking]

Morneau leads the NL in hitting and Revere is second. A team of x-Twins would look good wouldn't it?

 

And has anyone noticed that both Danny Valencia and Delmon Young seem to be more than functional ballplayers while platooning?

[big dog]

And has anyone noticed that both Danny Valencia and Delmon Young seem to be more than functional ballplayers while platooning?

I looked at that a few days ago.  They are definitely playing roles on teams trying to win now.

 

I'm not sure I'd describe them as more than functional ballplayers, personally.  They are basically adequate RH DHs, that's about it.  Delmon is hardly playing in the field at all, and the Blue Jays have only used Valencia at first base, after the Royals gave up on him at third.  Around 175 ABs on the year and no real defensive value.  I'd much rather have Vargas. 

[Monkeypaws]

How do you explain a guy who never hit higher than .284 suddenly hits .331 as a 34 year old, and is on the same pace as a 35 year old.

 

Crazy.

 

Maybe Suzuki is no fluke after all.

[big dog]

LaTroy Hawkins has really put together a very solid career as well.  The Cubs gave him just crazy money to be their closer, which didn't work out all that well, but he continues to pitch well in his 20th major league season.

 

(Not trying to derail this into an ex-Twins thread, but I was thinking about Cuddy getting to hit at Coors Field and it made me think about Hawkins, who's having a good year pitching in the same place.)  We now return you to your regular programming, already in progress.

[iTwins]

It's been a tough year for Cuddy, but Colorado has helped him post some very nice numbers over the past two years. I'm glad to see him do well (when healthy) this year. Last night was fun to watch as it developed.

 

It STILL bugs me to see him in a Rockies uni. Morneau too.

[spanman2]

I have a gut feeling if you asked the front office/ownership (at least I hope) they would admit 2 HUGE MISTAKES were not re-signing THunt and Cuddy.  They came up together lost together and won together.  Both true professionals that were Twins through and through.  Very unfortunate for the fan base they were not retained.  You NEVER had to worry about bs on/off or in the clubhouse.  AJ/Dougie/Koskie etc were of the same mind set.  All business all the time on the field.

[SwainZag]

Cuddy chose to start his rehab this past time in Rookie ball.  I got the chance to see him play in my hometown twice a few weeks ago with the 18-22 year old kids.   He put on a show getting 5 hits in back to back games.  It was published in the paper as well that he was going to ride the bus with the team 4 hours north to their next stop as well.  He mentioned he wanted to go down that low to be a positive influence on the young guys.  Doesn't surprise me one bit, Cuddy was always a class act.

[nicksaviking]

You NEVER had to worry about bs on/off or in the clubhouse.  AJ/Dougie/Koskie etc were of the same mind set.  All business all the time on the field.

 

Casual Friday?

http://www.creatingcultureworldwide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/aj-pier.jpg

[Thegrin]

I hope the Twins make NO effort to sign Cuddyer in the off season.  It would only fuel the anti-Ryan faction and block the advancement of Vargas and Pinto.

[Brock Beauchamp]

You NEVER had to worry about bs on/off or in the clubhouse.  AJ/Dougie/Koskie etc were of the same mind set.  All business all the time on the field.

 

Except for that time Hunter took a swing at Justin Morneau.

[TheLeviathan]

There are not words to describe my awe at the fact that LaTroy Hawkins is still pitching.

[Thrylos]

I have a gut feeling if you asked the front office/ownership (at least I hope) they would admit 2 HUGE MISTAKES were not re-signing THunt and Cuddy.  They came up together lost together and won together.  Both true professionals that were Twins through and through.  Very unfortunate for the fan base they were not retained.  You NEVER had to worry about bs on/off or in the clubhouse.  AJ/Dougie/Koskie etc were of the same mind set.  All business all the time on the field.

 

Not sure about what the Front Office might think, but for the record:  They did make offers to both (Hunter & Cuddyer) and they decided to not accept the Twins' offer and go elsewhere for more $.

 

As far as their value (and that of AJ/Dougie/Koskie et al) goes, it is really simple in my book:  The Twins won exactly the same number of post-season series with them as without them.   Not.A.Big.Loss.

[nicksaviking]

There are not words to describe my awe at the fact that LaTroy Hawkins is still pitching.

 

Yeah, love the Hawk.  He and Jason Giambi are the only active players who shared the field with Kirby Puckett.  That there's two such players seems crazy, as it seems longer than 20 years ago.  I would expect Hawk to be the last next year.

[JB_Iowa]

Yeah, love the Hawk.  He and Jason Giambi are the only active players who shared the field with Kirby Puckett.  That there's two such players seems crazy, as it seems longer than 20 years ago.  I would expect Hawk to be the last next year.

 

What really awed me was a story last year about the fan base he built and how great he and his wife are to them (and the fans to the Hawkins').

 

Just sounds like such a great family and such a great player relationship with his fans.

[stringer bell]

Cuddy out of the lineup (hamstring) vs. KC. Probably why it doesn't make sense to sign him despite his good offensive stats.

[Paul Pleiss]

Cuddy is my favorite ex-Twin, and he was my favorite Twin while with the team. No one has been as much of a favorite player to me as Cuddy since his departure. Its not often enjoyable to watch Rockies play baseball, but when Cuddy is in the lineup it's usualy worthwhile to see the team go through the order at least once.

[Paul Pleiss]

I also love to hate Drew Butera, who I now love more than hate since he isn't hitting .189 for the Twins any longer.

 

And it's still fun to clown on the master of swag, Danny Valencia.

[snepp]

Hey, Drew has an almost acceptable for a backup catcher OPS of .577 this season.

[Paul Pleiss]

This season is not the bi-lateral leg weakness season which cemented my hated from sweet Drew #BoatAnchor.

 

I love to hate him so much I purchased his jersey this past TwinsFest at their rummage sale. Probably the best money I've ever spent at a ballpark. Plus he wore my number, 41, so it was an easy purchase.

 

I can't wait to troll him in person someday.

[The Wise One]

How do you explain a guy who never hit higher than .284 suddenly hits .331 as a 34 year old, and is on the same pace as a 35 year old.

 

Crazy.

 

Maybe Suzuki is no fluke after all.

Coors Field has been very good to Cuddyer

[biggentleben]

Hey, Drew has an almost acceptable for a backup catcher OPS of .577 this season.

 

The man has a 10.1 k/9 as a reliever.  I think it's time to explore whether he's a vital part of a roster as a swing defensive catcher/mop up reliever.  We're talking big money here!