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mikelink45

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Blog Entries posted by mikelink45

  1. Trivia

    · mikelink45 · 11/08/2019 01:32 AM

    I have had the good fortune to be with Mark Harris, a former minor leaguer who threw batting practice for the Twins in the sixties. He once threw Home Run Derby to Aaron and Killebrew and has their autographs! He proposed a question to me that I flunked on, but it was too fun not to pass on.
    Name five pitchers who had a Cy Young and were convicted of a felony.
     
    https://dcbaseballhistory.com/d-c-baseball-history-assorted-videos/1960-home-run-derby-washington-players/
     
    Good luck

  2. Baseball in the West

    · mikelink45 · 10/29/2019 05:17 PM

    I just read this really fun article in True West Magazine https://truewestmagazine.com/article/six-guns-sluggers/?mc_cid=1c6674cead&mc_eid=b66323b9da
     
    "Two sesquicentennial anniversaries in 2019 will commemorate landmark events in the history of the American West. When gold and silver spikes were gently tapped into place in a ceremonial laurelwood rail tie at Promontory Summit in Utah Territory to symbolize the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad on May 10, 1869, it opened the West as never before. Earlier in the year, the Red Stockings of Cincinnati became the first all-salaried, professional team in the fledgling sport of baseball. Undefeated as the year progressed, the Red Stockings rode these rails in mid-September to introduce professional ball beyond the Mississippi. The West offered opportunity and adventure, attracting people from around the world who flocked to the California gold rush of ’49 and the Comstock silver lode in ’59. Now, in 1869, these professionals came west to demonstrate their wealth of baseball riches to overmatched but eager ball clubs with a hankering to be part of the Red Stockings’ historic season."
     
    This was a fun historic article - you might remember I had an earlier Blog that had Wild Bill Hickok in a baseball game and Tom Custer was a good pitcher.

    https://twinsdaily.com/blogs/entry/11497-wild-bill-umpires-the-game/
     
    It took a long time before baseball moved west in the professional sense. For a long time the West Coast had a minor league team with players like Joe DiMaggio and his brothers making it almost as good as MLB. St Louis was the team of the West for a century.
     
    "In 1859, the first organized team on the Pacific Coast, the San Francisco Eagles, was established. The next February, in San Francisco they played to a 33-33 tie with the Red Rovers of Sacramento. In September, the Eagles traveled to Sacramento in a rematch for the state title, emerging victorious 31-17. In a few years, the Eagles organization had grown such that with the overflow they formed a new club, the Pacifics. Both became premier teams among more than a dozen that organized in the Bay Area. The sport was invigorating to watch and spectators might even shoot their six-guns when excited. With gamblers betting on their favorite team, it’s said it was not uncommon to have enthusiastic supporters fire into the air to shake the concentration of batters taking swings or to rattle fielders preparing to catch the ball."
     
    https://www.sfomuseum.org/exhibitions/local-nine-san-francisco-seals-baseball-1903-1957 The San Francisco Seals had a very long and successful life in the bay area.
     
    After the 1957 season - another pennant for the Seals, they moved to Phoenix and the Dodgers and the Giants began the westward expansion of baseball in MLB.
     
    Now you might think this has nothing to do with the Twins, but if you had been around then you would have seen our local cities trying to get these teams to come to us. But - "Millers were top-level affiliates of the Boston Red Sox (1936–38; 1958–60) and New York Giants (1946–57). The Red Sox actually swapped ownership of their top farm club, the San Francisco Seals of the Pacific Coast League, for the Millers in 1957, enabling the Giants to move to San Francisco."
     
    The Original St Paul Saints - "The Saints finished first in the American Association nine times, and won the Little World Series in 1924. During this period, the Saints were a farm club of the Chicago White Sox (1936–1942), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1944–1957), and the Los Angeles Dodgers (1958–1960). The Saints played streetcar home and away double headers with their local rivals, the Minneapolis Millers. When the Minnesota Twins came to town in 1961, the Saints became the Omaha Dodgers while the Millers ceased operations."
     
    Note both Dodgers and Giants had a connection to the Twin Cities. The Dodgers were going to LA, but the Giants were not sure about SF and played games with the Twin City Press. https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/17/sports/baseball/the-giants-almost-headed-not-quite-so-far-west.html
    "MINNEAPOLIS, June 16 - If not for Walter O'Malley, Willie Mays might be remembered for making a leaping catch 100 yards from a grazing cow.
    If not for a few twists of fate, Mays could have an "M" on the cap in his Hall of Fame plaque, and the scrum for Barry Bonds's 73rd home run ball might have occurred in the upper deck of the Metrodome."
     
    "According to newspaper and historical accounts, Stoneham discussed moving here with Minneapolis officials as early as 1955, when concern over declining attendance and the decrepit condition of the Polo Grounds prompted him to consider his options. The Giants owned the Class AAA Minneapolis Millers, giving them territorial rights, and Metropolitan Stadium was under construction on 164 acres of farmland in suburban Bloomington in hopes of luring a big-league team."
     
    The west won out, but the conversations were strong enough to interest the Griffith family in moving the Original Senators to that Bloomington field and here we are the Twins! And the story of the DC franchise which has had at least three professional teams includes 108 years without winning a series.

  3. Why the Eddie Rosario hate?

    · mikelink45 · 10/19/2019 02:06 AM

    Why am I seeing shots at Eddie Rosario all over TD? No, he is not our best player, but he is a good player. He gets 1.6 WAR this year according to Baseball Reference. He had a line of .276 /.300/.500/.800 this year and in the little aside on the MVP for this year he sounds like he should be LVP. Last year he was .288/.323/.479/.803 and the same site named him MVP. Now we want to trade him for a broken bat and one of the regular season rabbit balls. What is going on.
     
    He is not HOF, but he is good. Who will take his place? Who will hit 32HRs and 109 RBIs if he is gone? Can we guarantee Larnach or Kiriloff are ready to do it? I hate having to be the one to speak up for Eddie, but someone has to question the madness.
     
    Here are some highlights - go ahead 3-run home run https://www.mlb.com/video/eddie-rosario-homers-21-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field-luis-arraez-scores-m
     
    Astudillo and Rosario lead win
     
    Rosario 4 hit game https://www.mlb.com/video/rosario-homers-in-4-hit-game
     
    Garver and Rosario lead win
     
    Home Run 31 https://www.mlb.com/video/eddie-rosario-homers-31-on-a-fly-ball-to-right-center-field
     
    No he is not great - but he is good and if we choose to trade him it should not be because we want to get rid of him, but because we get a player who can do even more to help us win in the post season.
  4. This is a short Blog - kind of a reaction blog set off by the St Louis Cardinals (my favorite NL team). Did you see the headline - 10 runs in the first inning. The Braves were in never never land! What happened. A really good team beat another really good team and did it with fire!
     
    The articles say that the pre-game talk by the Cardinal Manager (who the hell is Schildts?) was angry, it pushed the limits and for a while was available on video. ESPN had this article - "In a video that surfaced online Wednesday night, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Shildt can be seen giving a fiery, expletive-filled speech to his team in the locker room following a win over the Atlanta Braves in Game 5 of the National League Division Series.
    "The [braves] started some s---. We finished the s---," Shildt says in the video, which outfielder Randy Arozarena later acknowledged he streamed live on Instagram. "And that's how we roll. No one f---s with us ever. Now, I don't give a f--- who we play. We're gonna f--- them up. We're gonna take it right to them the whole f---ing way. We're gonna kick their f---ing ass."" https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/27809815/locker-room-video-shows-cardinals-manager-expletive-filled-speech
     
    In contrast our manager felt fine just like Dave Roberts after his Dodgers bombed again. The bombs are not as fun as Bombas, by the way.
     
    It reminds me of the Vikings Superbowl bombs. I was so keyed up for them, but as I watched the players they were not. Just going through business as usual. There unflappable coach was stoic and the players were run over by the emotion, if not the talent, of Kansas City, Oakland, Miami, and Pittsburgh. Emotions count.
     
    Next year Rocco, I hope the players love you, I hope that they enjoy playing for the Twins, but when you get to the place where the season hinges on the game - get mad, get emotional, play like it is more than a game.
  5. Third and last in my series on the conundrums of protecting players from Rule V, getting rid of deadwood, choosing what to do about free agents and lining up trades. The Outfield and Infield had a lot of names and decisions, but nothing like the pitching staff.
     
    Here we have our Ace – Berrios – who has worn down in August as an annual ritual letting others that the Ace spot until he recovers – and hopefully he can. Looking at performance is not just a calendar event – we might also look at who he has been suffering against and it is not an all-star group of teams. So, is he an ACE? We have no one else and we still have him under control. So, do we extend him? Putting an Ace in front of him, adding more quality to the rotation would do a lot.
     
    Behind him is Pineda, but he is unsigned after this year and we just paid for two years to get one. Do we resign? Will he resign?
     
    Odorizzi was an All Star then he stunk and now he looks good but he is a free agent. Do we resign him?
    Gibson continues to perform as an underperforming pitcher with potential, but he is too old to have potential anymore. Do we resign him.
     
    Perez has an option – do we take it? Great start, horrible middle, is he okay now? Not after his performance with against the Tigers!
     
    Smeltzer came in and looked good, then he looked bad, and now he looks like a gimmick that might not have a lot of upside – is he in the rotation next year?
     
    Thorpe has stuff, he has looked good. He looks like he should be in the rotation next year.
    Graterol looks and sounds good because we actually have not seen him. Is he a starter or reliever next year or is he a bust?
     
    Stewart has been up and down and frankly he looks like a pitcher who has shown us all he has and it is not great.
    Littell seems to have risen and looks good, but that is as a reliever. Can he start again? Should he?
    Poppen has some stuff, but is it enough for the MLB staff?
     
    The Pen has Rogers on the top – can he keep it up? Romo has been great – do we keep him? Dyson has done well – is he long range? Duffey and May look like they are ready to settle in to the BP. Who do we keep? And Who do we let go? The starting rotation has the most fluidity.
     
    Cody Stashak has debuted – did you like what you saw? Who is Randy Dobnak? Is Gonsalves still a prospect or someone who missed his turn? Did Romero get moved to the pen to be moved to the DFA list?
     
    Has Ryne Harper had his fifteen minutes of fame? Can Hildenberger come back or was his strange delivery a short-term success? Marcos Diplan is a name that came in a trade but has not grown into a person of prominence.
     
    And can Alcala jump to the pen and be a difference maker?
     
    That is a long list. We do not know if there will be a trade – we do not know who will DFA nor do we know the trade scenarios. Is Balazovic ready soon? Is there a FA we can afford and attract from other teams? Is there a trade?
     
    Must Keep - Berrios, Rogers, Duffy, May, Littell, Thorpe, Graterol
    Want to keep - Pineda, Odorizzi, Romo, Dyson
    Say good-bye - Gibson, Perez, Gonsalves, Harper
    ???? - Dobnak, Stashak, Romero, Diplan, Hildenberger,

  6. Clearing Space - the Infield

    · mikelink45 · 08/29/2019 01:54 PM

    I started with the outfield as I look at the Twins current 25 man active roster, 40 man overall roster and the crush of players who are on the field, plus those needing to be added to the 40 man and the potential free agents, and possible trade candidates.
     
    The current Major league infielders and catchers (who ocassionally move to a base):
    Cron
    Schoop
    Polanco
    Sano
    Arraez
    Gonzalez
    Adrianza
    Castro
    Garver
    Astudillo

    Cron and Schoop are FA - do we resign them? Schoop has been terrific this past week, but his performance otherwise has been a lesson in low level excellence and high level disappearance. He just turned that around, but does that convince you to keep him? Cron has been injured a lot and yet he has produced .257 .319 .475 .794. Do we resign him? Those are the first two questions that need to be answered before going ahead.
     
    More questions - is Gordon MLB ready? Can he hold up to a full season workload? Is Arraez the 2B of the future or is Polanco moving over since his glove and arm are so often questionable at SS. If Polanco is not at SS who is? Gonzalez is best left to play a little of everywhere and Adrianza had a break out season, but is it sustainable. Lewis is going to AZ, but will he be OF or IF in the future and how soon is he ready? Wander Javier is not ready and still needs to prove himself in MiLB.
     
    Will Sano stay at 3B or does he replace Cron? If so, who plays third? Blankenship seems like the only prospect who actually plays 3B - is he ready?
     
    Does Garver play more at 1B and if so, who catches if Castro is gone as a FA? Is it Astudillo or will we see Jeffers? Does Kiriloff go to the OF or 1B? Is Rooker even a consideration anymore? Has Larnach passed the others and does he stand in line for 1B?
     
    The crystal ball is cracked - this is a mess to sort out. Not too many minor leaguers, but a few important ones. First I predict that we will let Cron go and I feel sorry for him if he is cut two years in a row after productive seasons. Injuries did him in this year. Second I have a feeling Schoop slips away too, but not as positive on this one. I do not believe in the minor leaguers pushing the current infield so I see:
    1B - Sano/Garver - maybe Kiriloff by the end of the season
    2B - Arraez/Gonzalves - Gordon if Arraez was a mirage this year.
    SS - Polanco/Adrianza
    3B - Sano/Adrianza/Gonzalves and Blankenship by season end if Sano is moved to 1B
    C - Garver/Astudillo/Jeffers by midseason

    What do you think? Who do you move?
  7. Reading the blogs and comments I see a lot of people looking at the outfielders and whether we should trade Rosario for starting pitching, put Jake Cave on the roster for Post Season and how to handle the surplus in the minors. September is a big audition month and a time to give some players a little rest. We have too many players who need to be added to the 40 man and not enough room. Do we trade, do we DFA, do we get rid of players already on the roster? Do we allow free agents to leave?
     
    So how do we clear the surplus? As I pondered the Rosario trade idea I was struck with the fact that Eddie is a nice player, but in many ways he his not much above replacement in a league where everyone hits HRs. I see Eddie behind Buxton and Kepler, but trading requires the other teams to value your player as high as you would like them too and I do not see Eddie bringing in the SP that we dream of. Nor do I see Cave as a full time player being better than Eddie - another just above replacement performer - nice but not essential.
     
    My thought is that if we want something; the player teams will value highest is Buxton. Buxton has now had 1250 big league at bats and this was his best year, but overall he has hit 237/292/706, His defense is what we really value, but he has to be on the field to provide defense.
     
    April 1, 2014 Buxton put on injury list by Fort Myers, and again in Fort Myers on May 11 and July 6. July 26, 2015 on DL (Twins) thumb injury. July 15, 2017 Buxton on DL, groin injury. April 2018 on IL for migraines; May 10 broken toe and July 14 back on IL with left wrist strain. In August 2018 he was on the DL in Rochester with a left wrist injury, in June 2019 he was on the IL with a right wrist injury, July 16 on the IL with concussion symptoms, and again on July 23, concussion again, and August 3 - left shoulder subluxation.
     
    He played five years in 388/810 games - 48%. How long before injuries and age remove speed and reduce him to a nice, but not great OF?
     
    He is valued by us and many others - if we want a starting pitcher Byron might be the best bait. But do we have another CF? Kepler probably moves there and in two years we would be surrounded by Larnach and Kiriloff and our OF defense would not be great. I cannot see this team extending Rosario and I do not see Cave as more than a place holder. Is there a CF in the system?
     
    So I see Rosario going, at least as a FA, Cave as a place holder and Buxton probably still here, but a good trade bait. I see Larnach and Kiriloff coming up, I see Rooker going somewhere else and I see Wade as never more than a fourth OF and probably playing for another team - maybe Gardy would like him in Detroit.
  8. I could not resist putting up this Home Run Derby between Harmon Killebrew and Rocky Colavito. In this contest the two who had tied for the HR championship of the AL faced off.
     
    It is preceded by Harmon taking the crown from Mickey Mantle -
     
    And followed by a contest Harmon lost to Ken Boyer - a third baseman who belongs in the
    Ken did not last long - his next challenge was Hank Aaron who took over the program.  
    It is so amazing to see these greats playing for $2000 - chump change today.
     
    It is also fun to see Harmon, pre-Twins days in his Senator's uniform.
     
    These are great players without the science of today. I love watching them.
     
    Nostalgia - enjoy.
  9. If the playoffs started today – these are the teams and their top three-man rotations. Which would you choose? I have them listed as I would rank them.
     
     
    Starting three for the playoffs
    1. Houston – Verlander, Cole, Greinke
    2. Cleveland – Bieber, Clevinger, Kluber
    3. Tampa – Morton, Chirinos, Glasnow or Snell if he returns
    4. Yankees – Tanaka, Paxton, German or Happ
    5. Twins – Berrios, Pineda, Odorizzi
     
    Houston has Aaron Sanchez and Wade Miley, Cleveland has the two rookie pitchers we just saw, Yankees have CC Sabathis, Tampa will make something up, and the Twins have Gibson in reserve.
     
    NL –
    1. Dodgers - Ryu, Beuhler, Kershaw
    2. Nationals – Strasburg, Scherzer, Corbin
    3. Braves – Teheran, Soroka, Fried
    4. Cubs – Lester, Hendricks, Quintana
    5. Cardinals – Mikolas, Wainwright, Flaherty
     
     
    The Cardinals have Wacha and Hudson in reserve, the cubs have Yu Darvish (on Boy) and are we glad we lost that signing battle, the Nationals have Annibal Sanchez, and the Braves hope Dallas Kuechel will be dealing by then.
     
    Pick your poison.
     
    The Twins rotation might be as good as the Yankees and Cardinals, but beyond that it is a guess and the Bullpen is the next question. Chapman or Rogers? This keeps the Yankees above us. Not that Rogers and Romo are not doing well, but I think Rogers is wearing out and who do you trust in a tight game against a really good lineup after them?
     
     
    Bullpen:
    AL
    1. Yankees – Chapman and Ottavino
    2. Houston – Osuna and Pressley
    3. Cleveland - Hand and Perez
    4. Twins – Rogers and Romo
    5. Tampa – Pagan and Roe
     
    NL
    1. Dodgers – Jansen and Baez
    2. Washington – Doolittle and Suero
    3. St Louis – Hicks and Miller
    4. Braves – Jackson and Swarzak
    5. Cubs – Strop and Kintzler
     
     
    Yankees ahead by a large margin in BP, then Houston with Dodgers and Cleveland equal and the rest are hard to rate. What is interesting is that three former Twins are in these BP pairs (not counting our own two).
    That is it. Houston is my pick at this point based on pitchers and the Nationals and Dodgers tied for NL side.

  10. Blown leads

    · mikelink45 · 08/11/2019 01:46 AM

    11 1/2 game lead is huge, losing it by August 10 is terrifying. True, we have time left and Cruz will come back and maybe Buxton too. Jack Cave might be replaced by someone who can do better in MLB from our minor leagues and maybe we will strike gold with one or two pitchers as we allow the entire minor league system to audition for us this year, but still 11.5 games! That is a lead worthy of 7 percent of the season.
     
    So come on Twins. Beat the bad teams. I think most have given up on beat the good teams and get into the playoffs where, I am sorry to say, you will only be playing good teams.
    Do you remember the 1969 Cubs 4.5 games up going into September and then winning just 1/3rd of their games to finish 8 behind the miracle Mets? I know NY had a great year, but poor Chicago. By the way they had 4 players on that team go to the HOF.
    Or our old manager Gene Mauch and his 1964 team? They led by 6 1/2 games with 12 to play. They had Dick Allen and HOF Jim Bunning. They lost 10 Straight and St Louis went to the series! That hurts.
    Tied for the lead on the last day of the season the 2007 Mets blew the pennant and the Phillies won. The Mets had Pedro and Glavine in their rotation but went 1 - 6 to finish the season. Then in 2008 they fired their manager part way through the year and had a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 games to go. But losing 10 of 17 is not the way to the World Series.
    The 1951 Dodgers had one of the saddest losses - the NY Giants steam rolled right over them with a 37 - 7 ending to the season to tie and a playoff with the home run heard around the world and still being played every year. The Dodgers had been up 13.5 on August 11! Yes that is tomorrow. And then they went to the playoff game - one game to decide and lead 4 - 1 going into the ninth. Ralph Branca - not a bad pitcher - against Dale Long - not a great hitter - and a three run home run destroyed the Dodger's year.
    Lets enjoy 2009, the year the Tigers led by 7 games on September 6 over the MINNESOTA TWINS. We won 10 of 11 and Alexi Casilla put us in the playoffs!
    In 1978 the Red Sox led by 9 over the Brewers and 14 over the Yankees on July 19th. The Yankees went 52 - 21 and into a playoff. Anyone heard of Bucky Dent? Well the Red Sox fans will never forget him as he ripped the hearts out the Boston team.
    2011 the Red Sox again were leading by 9 games over the Rays on September 1 and then played a 7 - 20 final month and lost the pennant to Tampa Bay.
    1995 the Angels, who have been a playoff deprived team, led by a familiar 11.5 on August 9 and then the wheels fell off. going 12 - 27 and were put out of the misery by Randy Johnson in a one-game playoff. 1998 they had a 3 1/2-game lead in the division with 19 to play and lost 13 of their last 19.
    In 1987 the Blue Jays held a 3.5 game lead with 7 to go and could not win another game. The Tigers went to the playoffs. Where they would face the Twins.
    2003 the Mariners had the best record in baseball, but (does this sound familiar?) they played just under 500 ball for the rest of the season and took the off season off.
    The 2010 Padres had a last half season collapse and after having just one three-game losing streak all season, the Padres proceeded to drop 10 straight. (Sounds too close to home). With a 6 1/2 game lead on August 25 they came the closest that the poor team could come to Post Season and watched Arizona go to the series.

    There are more where these came from. Painful I know but that is baseball. Let's go Twins - this is a list I do not want you to be on.
  11. Nick Nelson's excellent look at Byron Buxton and his injuries made me think about who would be a counterpart to him and his career so far and Pete Reiser immediately came to mind. Called Pistol Pete long before Pete Marinovich, he was a sensation.
     
    Read this paragraph from his Wikipedia Page - "In 1941, his first season as a regular starter, Reiser helped the Dodgers win the pennant for the first time since 1920. He was a sensation that year, winning the National League batting title while leading the league in doubles, triples, runs scored and slugging percentage. He was also named a starter to the All-Star team and placed second in MVP balloting. On July 19 of the following year, Reiser crashed face-first into the outfield wall in St. Louis, trying to catch what turned out to be a game-winning inside-the-park home run by Enos Slaughter of the rival Cardinals in the bottom of the 11th inning. The loss cut the Dodgers' lead over the Cardinals to six games."
     
    Reiser missed only 4 games with his concussion - we are better at recognizing the effect today - and he only batted 244 for the rest of the season dropping his average to 310.
     
    Now to continue the comparison - here is another excerpt from Wiki -- "Reiser gave great effort on every play in the field, and was therefore very injury-prone. He fractured his skull running into an outfield wall on one occasion (but still made the throw back to the infield), was temporarily paralyzed on another, and was taken off the field on a stretcher a record 11 times."
     
    Eleven times! Can you imagine. Today Nick gave us Buxton's injuries from the last two years.
    April 18, 2018: Placed on DL due to migraines
    May 20, 2018: Placed on DL due to fracture in left toe (suffered on foul ball during rehab stint)
    July 14, 2018: Placed on DL at AAA due to left wrist strain (suffered swinging the bat)
    August 1, 2018: Placed on DL at AAA due to lingering issues with left wrist
    June 18, 2019: Placed on IL due to right wrist contusion (suffered on HBP)
    July 16, 2019: Placed on IL due to concussion-like symptoms (suffered on impact with ground on diving catch)
    August 3, 2019: Placed on IL due to left shoulder subluxation (suffered in collision with OF wall)
     
    Pete could not change and neither can Byron. They have to play their own style. Even if destruction. Reiser went into the military in WWII and injured his should while playing army ball. He had to give up batting switch handed and he had to learn to throw with his opposite arm, but he came back!
     
    SABR describes this - "Once he was chasing a fly ball and burrowed right through the thick hedge that formed the outfield wall—and down a ten-foot drainage ditch on the opposite side. He separated his shoulder and couldn’t throw. So he simply switched to a right-handed glove and threw with his left arm, as he had in Elmira in 1939."
     
    He later said: "It wasn't as serious as the head injuries, but it did more to end my career. The shoulder kept popping out of place, more bone chips developed, and there was constant pain in the arm and shoulder."
     
    How good was he? SABR says "At fifteen, Reiser sneaked into a St. Louis Cardinals tryout, where he out-threw and outran more than 800 other boys. He was disappointed when he returned home without a contract, but later a Cardinals scout, Charlie Barrett, visited the Reiser home and explained why they hadn't made a big deal about Pete at Sportsman’s Park. The Cardinals didn't want word leaking out to the Browns, with whom they shared the ballpark, or anyone else. The scout also admitted they’d had their eye on him since grade school. The Cardinals knew Pete wasn’t old enough to sign to a contract, so they got permission from George Reiser to hire the boy as a “chauffeur.”"
     
    Now we hear a lot about Byron and how he should slow down, let balls go, but perhaps the ending of the SABR article should be heard. "by the early 1950s most teams had either installed warning tracks or at least planned to, and some stadiums were also starting to pad their walls. The first padded wall at Ebbets Field was made of cork. Given how hard Reiser hit that wall, it is doubtful anything other than modern foam cushioning would have saved him.
     
    "Alas, in the heat of the moment, Pete Reiser just never could pull up and play it off the wall. Every fly ball was his to catch, and catch them all he would—or kill himself trying."
     
    Byron is not Byron if he fails to chase the ball and make a full effort. We just have to hope the Twins find more padding and luck goes his way.
     
    Here are some more big leaguers who suffered from injury filled careers - some very good players.
    Bob Grim - injures took his career after a rookie 20 win season with the Yankees
    BO Jackson - played in NFL and MLB and was a real treat till a hip injury in NFL
    Herb Score was a star pitcher until Gil McDougal hit a line drive to Score's head.
    Mauer and Morneau taught us about concussion.
    Sandy Koufax had arthritis and elbow injuries and played with pain as long as he could
    Alan Trammel missed a seasons worth of games to injuries during his 20 year career.
    J R Richards was striking out batters when Ks were not common and was cut down by a stroke.
    Kerry Wood and Mark Prior - just think what the cubs would have been if injuries had not ruined their careers.
    Mark Fydrich had only one year to make his significant mark on baseball

    You can not legislate injuries. No rules can eliminate the dangers for men who are taught to always play hard.
    We just have to hope Byron is lucky and that he keeps impressing us with his speed and determination.

  12. The greatest games ever

    · mikelink45 · 07/25/2019 11:01 PM

    Ted wrote "Arguably the most exciting game the Minnesota Twins have played in nearly a decade, the home team dropped a 14-12 affair last night (err this morning) at Target Field." In his recent post - Yankees blog. So I got to thinking - what are the best games the Twins have played - win or lose?
     
    Do the two extra innings affairs with the Oakland A's count?
     
    Certainly the game seven Jack Morris game is number one. I was there and will never forget it. (Don't tell me Jack isn't a hall of famer.)
     
    And I would put game six with Puckett's HR in the twelfth right behind it ( I was there too - so bias is showing).
     
    How about game seven of the 1987 World Series, the 500th world series game played, with the Vikings having to postpone their game for a day, where miscue after miscue by umps, teams, runners ended up with the Twins winning on Roy Smalley's 35th birthday and in his last game. He would appear four times in the WS and get on base four times. But this was more about Hrbek and first base and hitting a grand slam.
     
    Or maybe game one in 1987 which was not a great game except we won behind Viola, it was the first WS game ever played in a dome, and Dan Gladden hit a grand slam?
     
    In the 1965 World Series Jim Kaat out pitched Sandy Koufax to win game two and then lost in the best game - number 7 by a score of 2 - 0 with Koufax taking the series title for the Dodgers.
     
    In 1962 Jack Kralick won a no-hitter 1 - 0. How is that for nail biting? May 11, 2011 Francisco Liriano won a no-hitter 1 - 0 to tie Jack Kralick's margin of victory. Dean Chance also had a one run margin for a no-hitter 2 -1.
     
    When I looked up the Twins longest games I came up with the Tampa Bay Rays beating us in extra innings in 5 hours and 42 minutes this year, and then the Twins winning in 17 on a Kepler hit June 19. I would keep that on the list. Then June 27 we lost in 18 innings!
     
    I have to have the 2009, 163rd game on my list - 6 -5, 12 innings, loser goes home final to the season! Bob Kneppel won for us - I cannot even remember him and Fernando Rodney lost for the Tigers! And we came back from a 3 - 0 deficit. Carlos Gomez scores on a Luis Castillo hit!
     
    Then there are the Johan games -8/15/2006 - 8 innings, 1 run, 2 hits, 10 Ks (when Ks were harder to get) and we won 3 - 2 against Cleveland. 9/17/2005 seven innings against KC. No runs,1h, 1BB. 8in, 4H, 2BB, 13 K against White Sox on June 28, 2002. Poor Texas played against Johan in 2007 in what is arguably his best game with 83 of his 112 pitches for strikes, 8 innings no runs 2H 0 BB 17 K Twins won 1-0.
     
     
     
    My ranking:
    Game 7 1991
    Game 6 1991
    Game 163 2009
    Johan Santana 2 hitter versus Texas 2007.
    1962 Kralick No-hitter
    2011 Liriano No-hitter
    Johan Santana wins
    Game 1 - 1987 WS
    Game 7 - 1965 WS (the only loss I can put on the list)
    Game 7 - 1987 WS
    Game 2 - Yankee Series this week for tension and drama
    June 19th - Kepler wins for us in 17

    Fill it up with your favorites.

  13. Byron we need you

    · mikelink45 · 07/19/2019 01:21 PM

    I had to share this quote from Sid Hartman's column since I too have a concern about Buxton and his ability to be on the field. We really miss him right now and I would love to see him play 150 games a year for us, but injuries take a toll.
     
    I have no solution for him, I love his all out style, but other than a bubble wrap uniform I cannot see him as a long term player. I have had a life of outdoor adventure and the cumulative injuries I have had are all calling on my in my old age. In five years he has only played more than 100 games once. This year he is at 75 as I right this at the 95 game mark so he could do it yet, but after each injury there is a restart process. Hopefully someone can tally the injury total for me.
     
    From the Hartman column:
     
    "The big concern for the Twins and their front office is that injuries are becoming a trend for Buxton.
     
    Yes one of the great statements about sports was made by former Vikings coach Bud Grant. He always said, “Durability trumps ability.” Meaning that Grant would always want a player who was on the field over a talented player who missed a lot of games."

  14. Who is our best pitcher?

    · mikelink45 · 07/13/2019 03:30 PM

    I am struck by some comments about Gibson and Mejia and Littell in the July 13 recap and it makes me wonder how we would rank our own pitchers right now.
     
    I would certainly have Rogers first and Blake Parker does not rate high on my faith index. Here is my attempt at ranking them all.

    Taylor Rogers - two inning saves are great. 41 innings in 34 games, 1.73 ERA and for what it is worth 13 saves.
    Jose Berrios - He is our Ace
    Jake Odorizzi - I hope he can keep this going all year.
    Ryne Harper - who would have thought this. I still do not like the fact that 50% of his inherited runners score, but he seems to have gotten the faith of the manager and pitching coach.
    Michael Pineda - I am finally coming around on Pineda - his last month has been excellent and I hope that trend continues.
    Trevor May - he has not become the relief stud we hoped for, but he has stopped inherited runs and not given up runs, what more can we ask for.
    Martin Perez - Loved his first two months, has he turned things around again? We could use that stud who dominated April/May
    Kyle Gibson - 4.03 era better that Perez and Pineda, but last year's Gibson has not shown up and he does not look like a playoff pitcher. His average inning pitched per game is 5.1
    Blake Parker - I am not a believer, but he has pitched 31 innings in 32 games and despite giving us acid reflux during his innings, he has maintained a 3.77 ERA
    Devin Smeltzer - currently off the roster, but he seems to have the sixth starter position.
    Lewis Thorpe - good audition, may also rotate for sixth starter and next year he and Smeltzer could be in the rotation.
    Tyler Duffey - He does not seem to be putting batters away, but at least his era is under 4.
    Kohl Stewart - not sure what his role will be but we keep seeing him pop up - currently off the MLB roster.
    Mike Morin - His whip is under 1 which none of the relievers I have already listed come close to, but his usage seems to indicate that he has not yet gained the faith of his manager.
    Zack Littell - The good innings are really good, but
    Adalberto Mejia - has had many roles and a few years and still does not have it.
    Matt Magill - 4.67 era, 1.481 WHIP, 2 WP, 2 HBP,

    So what do you think? Rearrange and give me your input.
  15. Okay - I just read that Lewis Thorpe is up and Adrianza is back and Wade is up and Rosario is down and Buxton is still???? This has been a fascinating year - despite being in first place all season, in spite of great production and such a strong showing there has been a tremendous amount of shifting and turn over. Some of it because of injuries, some to give a player a reset and some because we have played such long games and given the MLB roster so many innings they need a break. But who has been here? I am trying to figure that out. And I think I need help.
    LaMonte Wade is finally getting his chance, something I did not see coming!
    WIlllians Astudillo has been playing every position except pitcher (please do not put him there again) and providing entertainment for team and fans. And now he is on the IL.
    Adrianza was on the roster and then suffered a long IL Stint.
    Now Eddie Rosario is on the IL.
    Byron Buxton is on the IL again - how many times has that happened in his career? And we are all anxious for him to return.
    Luis Arraez has come up and shined despite not making past years prospect lists. Hard to look past his batting stats and see him return to the minors.
    Jake Cave has been up more than once and is still a viable substitute.
    Lewis Thorpe is up for the first time - after reading the prospect list I wonder how he got to be the new arm of the day.
    Of Course Zack Littell has to go down for him and that has been a recurring experience.
    Tyler Austin had two games at 1B for the Twins this year.
    Chase De Jong had a chance to prove he does not belong.
    Andrew Vasquez failed - has he flamed out?
    Fernando Romero was a promising starter, then a promising reliever and now is a minor leaguer.
    Adalberto Mejia went from fifth position in the rotation to a minor league status
    Gabriel Moya went from majors to minors to DFA
    Trevor Hildenberger went from one of our top relievers back to the minors.
    Ryan Eades made his debut and waved good-bye
    Devin Smeltzer made an amazing debut and then plunged to Earth and back to the minors.
    Kohl Stewart went 1 - 1 with a 4.50 ERA and is back in the comfort of the minors.
    Sean Poppen got a one day - do what you can do we aren't pulling you out game.
    Austin Adams completes my record of Twin call ups and send down.

  16. What if the all star game was the end of the season? What kind of records would we have?
     
    Home Runs – 12 have 33 or more – Harmon Killebrew in 1964 had 30 and the total with 30+ first half homeruns is – 36 and Harmon is the only Twin on the list.
     
    TOP 12:
    • Barry Bonds, 2001 Giants, 39
    • Chris Davis, 2013 Orioles, 37
    • Mark McGwire, 1998 Cardinals, 37
    • Reggie Jackson, 1969 Athletics, 37
    • Luis Gonzalez, 2001 D-backs, 35
    • Ken Griffey Jr., 1998, Mariners, 35
    • Frank Howard, 1969 Senators, 34
    • Sammy Sosa, 1998 Cubs, 33
    • Ken Griffey Jr., 1994 Mariners, 33
    • Matt Williams, 1994 Giants, 33
    • Mark McGwire, 1987 Athletics, 33
    • Roger Maris, 1961 Yankees, 33
     
     
     
    I know that George Brett (390) was hitting 341 on July 10, Tony Gwynn (394) was hitting 387 on July 4, and Rod Carew (388) hit 403 on July 4. Beyond that I cannot find stats for All-Star break leaders. Maybe you can add something.

  17. Catch the ball!

    · mikelink45 · 06/29/2019 01:21 PM

    At the half way mark the one area of Twins baseball that is really bothering me is fielding. It used to be that the fundamentals of fielding were the Twins specialty, but now that we have the bats, we seem to be slipping in the field. I went to the various web sources to see if my eye test was right on a night that Adrianza makes two errors behind Berrios in a loss to the White Sox.
     
    Looking at fielding stats in Baseball Almanac http://www.baseball-almanac.com/teamstats/fielding.php?y=2019&t=MIN I went the simple way to test the fielding - I clicked on errors. Here is our starting infield by errors:
    Polanco - 9
    Cron - 6
    Schoop - 6
    Sano - 5
     
    Utility Men - infield errors only
    Adrianza - 6
    Gonzalez 3
    Astudillo - 2
     
    That is 37 errors in exactly one half season - by the infield (not counting catching and pitching).
     
     
    https://www.espn.co.uk/mlb/team/stats/_/type/fielding/name/min/table/fielding/sort/defWARBR/dir/asc According to ESPN we have only three with negative defensive WAR - Castro, Cron, and Cave (what is it with the letter C?). It might come to a surprise for many but both Sano and Astudillo are a plus 0.1! This is despite the fact that Sano has a fielding pct (old school, I know) of 937. And as expected Kepler, Rosario, and Buxton are all +s in fielding with Buxton leading with 1.2.
     
    https://www.foxsports.com/mlb/minnesota-twins-team-stats?season=2019&category=FIELDING&group=1&time=0&pos=0&splitType=0&page=1
     
    I have a hard time evaluating catchers - framing, calling a game, SB no longer seems to matter...When I went to http://mlb.mlb.com/stats/sortable.jsp#elem=%5Bobject+Object%5D&tab_level=child&click_text=Sortable+Player+fielding&game_type='R'&season=2019&season_type=ANY&league_code='AL'&sectionType=sp&statType=fielding&page=1&ts=1561813674629&position='2' I did not even see one of our catchers in among the 14 that they rank in fielding stats. And in ESPN fielding stats - including the non-qualified (batting title) Castro ranks 37. http://www.espn.com/mlb/stats/fielding/_/position/c/qualified/false/order/true
     
    In fielding pct the Twins rank #10 and according to Baseball Reference the Twins are -2 in their state Rtot - Runs above average which matches our catchers total. https://www.baseball-reference.com/leagues/MLB/2019-specialpos_c-fielding.shtml
     
    I repeat - Baseball defense is the hardest to measure, but using the tools that are available we are not elite, closer to average in fielding.

  18. Montreal - Tampa Bay ExRays

    · mikelink45 · 06/23/2019 12:07 AM

    Wow what a concept and a really good one too. Tampa Bay has had a great team and lousy support, Montreal had lousy teams and good support. Put them together and we have something fun to talk about. 82 games is an expensive season ticket, 41 might be more affordable. Each city would compete to be the most supportive and the team and MLB comes out on top. Yes, I like these kind of out-of-the-box ideas.
    Remember the time with Mr Pohlad was willing to contraction? http://a.espncdn.com/mlb/columns/mcadam_sean/1274034.html. In this new and nicer idea the length of the baseball season is no longer a problem. Too hot in Florida - play in Montreal, too cold in Montreal play in Florida. Why not?
     
    So where can the Twins find a partner city? Not that we need too, but just in case where can we go? How about Duluth? Or if we want the international connection - Thunder Bay. If we are looking to be creative how about Des Moines - Iowa has no MLB connection. It does not need to be half a season. Make it a series that typically does not fill the stadium and let it excite another location. Expand our fan base.
     
    I am enamored with this idea. How about the Yankees? Maybe Havana los Yankees.
     
    Red Sox - medias Rojas - in Mexico City.
     
    What is a Dodger in Spanish - Gandul or French le resquilleur
     
    I am thinking this could be the MLB entry into world baseball.
     
    The cubs in French - Louveteaux or Japanese カブス - Kabusu

  19. So Long Bill Buckner

    · mikelink45 · 05/28/2019 01:32 PM

    A nice note from CNN:
     
    Say the name Bill Buckner, and what do you think of? Probably a baseball rolling under his glove and through his legs. And that's just not fair. Buckner, who died yesterday at age 69, was an elite hitter, winning a batting title with the Chicago Cubs in 1980 (hitting .324), and he was an All-Star in 1981. He managed to hang around the big leagues for 22 years, an accomplishment in itself. But he'll always be associated with that fielding error in the 1986 World Series that led to the Boston Red Sox losing Game 6 to the New York Mets.
     
    Hits‎: ‎2,715
    Batting average‎: ‎.289
    Runs batted in‎: ‎1,208
    Home runs‎: ‎174
    WAR 15.1

  20. Wild Bill umpires the game

    · mikelink45 · 05/27/2019 02:08 PM

    Have you ever heard of the Kansas City Antelopes? They were a baseball team before the Cincinnati club that has been give credit for being the first baseball club. They played from the end of the Civil War into the 1870s. We might not have recognized the game – the pitchers tossed underhand, they wore no gloves, and a ball caught on the first bounce was considered an out. When the cowbells rang a run scored. Hurls tossed to strikers and bad fielding with bare hands caused many muffs. And there were no fences and no bleachers. Fans sat in on the ground, the ball and players often mixing with the spectators.
     
    The most famous game in their decade and a half history (and the third game they played) came when they played the Atchison Pomeroys and Wild Bill Hickok, a regular fan, was asked to umpire. With both six guns firmly on his hip the arguments were limited and the fans behaved. Previously KC had lost and when a return engagement was scheduled there was a riot and the game had to be called. With the legendary James Butler Hickok there was no worry about something like that happening again. When he was asked if he could be fair, he said, I am a US Marshall and to prove he was serious, he studied a rule book the day before.
     


    When the game ended after two hours and fifty three minutes, it was a 48 – 28 win by the Antelopes, Wild Bill bowed to the crowd, left the field in a carriage pulled by two white horses, and went and played poker. He umpired one more game in Hays City.
  21. The love that the fans and now the media have for Willians Astudillo is great. It is fun, inspiring, laughable and also good baseball. Out of nowhere Astudillo has risen to mythic levels for his speed, his body, his smile, his hitting skills, and his ability to play everywhere. It got me thinking – who else has had this unique position on the Twins roster – beloved for the style and character that they bring to the team.
     
    Puckett was a similar build and a similar smile. If we forget the off the field issues we see Puckett in that ambassador of baseball position. Of course Puckett was also a HOF centerfielder and hitter who would have been great even if he did not smile so much. But his HOF ballot was stamped with a collective smile and laugh. He was beloved within the game and brought joy – one stat that still cannot be measured.
     
    Hrbek enjoyed his life and gave us a lot including some professional wrestling moves on the field, but he cannot rank with the two above.
     
    Going back in history I am reminded of the great Piranhas. Thanks to Ozzie Guillen for this wonderful label. The Piranhas were four players who were all fast and played the kind of ball that Ron Gardenhire really enjoyed – as did the fans. The names are not exceptional in Twins history – Jason Bartlett, Jason Tyner, Luis Castillo and the head piranha – Nick Punto. Guillen said, "All those piranhas -- blooper here, blooper here, beat out a ground ball, hit a home run, they're up by four. They get up by four with that bullpen? See you at the national anthem tomorrow. When I sit down and look at the lineup, give me the New York Yankees. Give me those guys because they've got holes. You can pitch around them, you can pitch to them. These little guys? Castillo and all of them? People worry about the catcher, what's his name, Mauer? Fine, yeah, a good hitter, but worry about the little [guys], they're on base all the time.”
     
    Punto was an all-around utility player who did not have the same charisma with the fans as he did with the manager, but he lasted a long time on the skills and work ethic that he did possess.
    Going to the early days of the franchise it was Cesar Tovar that everyone loved. Cesar played everywhere and he played better than Punto and any other Jack-of-all-trades player in team history. He is the first Twin to have an every position day and he did it well.
     
    César Leonardo Tovar, nicknamed "Pepito" and "Mr. Versatility", was a Venezuelan professional baseball player. He also played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Texas Rangers, Oakland Athletics, and New York Yankees. He shined shoes in Venezuela before signing as a ballplayer at age 19. Billy Martin called him “my little leader” and used Tovar to motivate the team. In twelve years the 5’ 9” Tovar hit .278 with 46 homers and 226 stolen bases. The Twins got him because Pete Rose came up for the Reds and took the position that Tovar was going to have. ony Oliva said, “Tovar plays the game hard. He runs, he chases down groundballs, dives at the ball, steals bases. And he sure can hit.”
     
    When Carl Yaztrezemski missed getting a unanimous vote for MVP in 1967, it was Max Nichols, beat writer who gave Tovar his vote. ““He played six positions for the Twins and I saw him win games for them at all six positions. We didn’t have the best of player relations on our club, but Tovar never got mixed up in any of the clubhouse politics. He kept plugging away, no matter where they put him, and to me he did a tremendous job. If I wanted to be a ‘homer,’ I would have voted for Harmon Killebrew. But Tovar was my choice and, if I had to do it all over again, I’d vote for him again.” Billy Martin said he would have had his vote too!
     
    Five times he got the only hit to ruin no-hitter bids. Then he was traded to Philadelphia where they wanted him to keep 3B warm until Mike Schmidt took over. Then Billy Martin took over for the Rangers and said get me Tovar, “I didn’t want him back just because I had him before. That’d be foolish sentiment. I wanted him because of his leadership and his hustle and his ability. He’s always played for me – given 100 percent – and I know he will. The little guy can beat you so many ways – his bat, his feet, his brains, his hustle.”
     
    Will Astudillo have a career to match Tovar? I know that like Punto and Tovar that when he is given a chance he will hustle and produce. Like Hrbek and Puckett he can be a winner.
  22. The home opening games:
    We have a long history of opening games now and I got to wondering what our record is. Here is the summary of games.
     
    1961 – Our first opening game was 1961 and who did we play – the new replacement Washington Senators. Pascual pitched and went 8 innings with three runs and reliever Moore gave up two and lost the game. Mincher and Green hit HRs. 3 – 5
    1962 – Los Angeles Angels clobbered us 12 – 5. Jim Kaat started and gave up 4 in 4. Versalles, Green and Rollins hit HRs.
    1963 – we lost our third straight opener – 4 – 5 to Cleveland. Pascual 5 runs in 7 innings. Green had a third opening game HR in three seasons and Vic Power added a HR.
    1964 – finally we won, playing the Senators again and winning 7 – 6. Pleis won, but Kaat started and made it for 2/3 inning giving up 4 runs. Rollins, Oliva and Mincher slugged HRs.
    1965 – Two in a row – this time 5 – 4 against the Yankees. Kaat went nine innings, but we won in 10 and a pitcher named Fosnow got the win. No HRs.
    1966 – We beat KC 2 – 1. Mudcat Grant pitched a full game and won. No HRs
    1967 – we beat the Tigers 5 – 3. Four in a row. Boswell went seven and Merritt ended the game and got the win. Allision and Versalles hit HRs.
    1968 – Versus the Senators for the third opener in our short history. We won 13 – 1. Jim Merritt pitched a complete game. Killebrew, Hernandez and Tovar HRs.
    1969 – We beat the Angels 6 – 0 giving us six openers in a row. Tommy Hall threw a complete game shutout. No HRs
    1970 – Oakland went down 8 – 2. Kaat complete game win. No HRs.
    1971 – The Brewers broke the winning streak 2 – 7. Perry went only 4.1 innings and took the loss. No HRs.
    1972 – Back to winning 8 – 4 over Oakland. Blyleven complete game win. Darwin HRs for Twins.
    1973 – Oakland 8 – 4 again – déjà vu. Kaat won, Hisle and Darwin HRs.
    1974 – Twins over White Sox – 3 – 1. Blyleven wins and Hisle HRs.
    1975 – The Angels beat us 3 – 7. Goltz gave up six.
    1976 – White Sox beat us 1 – 4. Blyleven start and loss.
    1977 – Oakland beat us 2 – 3. Thormodsgard (WHO?) was our opening day starter. Carew hit a HR.
    1978 – We beat the Mariners 14 – 5. Zahn pitched complete game victory.
    1979 – the Angels shut us out 0 – 6. Goltz loss giving up 5 in 4.1 innings.
    1980 – Beat the Angels 8 – 1. Zahn complete game win and Smalley HR.
    1981 – Loss to Oakland 1 – 5. Koosman 7 innings and 4 runs.
     
    1982 – Seattle Mariners loss 7 – 11. Redfern loss, Engle and Gaetti HRs.
    1983 – Loss to Detroit 3 – 11. A real WHO? – Havens starts and gives up 8 in 1.1 innings.
    1984 – Detroit beat us 1 – 8. Williams ??? our starter. 6 in 6.1.
    1985 – Angels beat us 0 – 5. Zahn beats his old team and Smithson continues the no-name set of opening starters and gives up 5 in 7.
    1986 – We beat the Mariners 5 – 1. Blyleven won and that famous closer – Davis got the save. Gaetti and Brunansky HRs.
    1987 – Victory over Oakland 5 – 4. Blyleven won and Frazier Save. Puckett HR.
    1988 – Blue Jays lost 6 – 3. Blyleven one, Reardon save – three in a row, three different closers. Gladden and Gaetti HRs.
    1989 – Viola lost to the Yankees 2 – 4.
    1990 – Twins beat Angels 13 – 1. Tapani 8 shutout innings. Puckett and Harper HRs.
    1991 – Twins shut out Angels 6 – 0. Tapani shut out.
     
    1992 – Twins beat Texas 7 – 1. Tapani gave up one run and won. Mack HR.
    1993 – White Sox won 5 – 10. Bad day for Tapani with 9 runs in 3 innings. Puckett and Winfield gave us two HOF HRs.
    1994 – Loss 2 – 8 to the Angels. Tapani had another bad one – 7 runs in 3.1 innings. Munoz and Winfield HRs.
    1995 – We beat the Oriols 7 – 4. Tapani gave up 3 in 5 innings and Aquilera saved.
    1996 – Twins 8 – Tigers 6. Radtke six innings and one run. Stahoviak home run.
    1997 – Twins 7 – Tigers 5. Radtke gave up 5 in 5 and Aquilera won. Pat Meares HR.
    1998 – KC Royals won 5 – 9. Radke gave up 5 in 5 again. Ortiz HR.
    1999 – We beat the Blue Jays 6 – 1. Radtke went seven for the victory.
    2000 – Twins lost 7 – 0 to Tampa Bay. Radtke gave up 6 in 5 to continue a mediocre, at best, opening game record.
    2001 – Twins 11 – Detroit 5. Radtke again 7.1 innings 3 runs. Mientkiewicz and Guzman HRs.
    2002 – Twins 4 – Tigers 2. Radtke 6.2 – 2 runs.
    2003 – Twins 2 – Blue Jay 7. Another no name opening day starter – Reed – pitched six and gave up 4. Mientkiewicz HR.
    2004 – Twins beat Indians 7 – 4. Radtke 6 and 4 runs. Rincon won. Shannon Steward HR.
    2005 – We lost to White Sox 1 – 5. Lohse lost 5.1 innings, 4 runs.
    2006 – Twins 7 – Oakland 6. Radtke 7 Innings, 4 runs. Bautista and Morneau HR.
    2007 – Twins 7 – Baltimore 4. Santana won. Six innings and four runs. Morneau and Hunter HRs.
    2008 – Twins 3 – Angels 2. Livan Hernandez won.
    2009 – Twins 1 – Mariners 6. Liriano lost – 7 innings, 4 runs.
    2010 – Twins 5 – Boston 2. Pavano won and Kubel HR.
    2011 – Twins 2 – Oakland 1. Pavano and Nathan for the Twins.
    2012 – Twins 1 – Angels 5. Blackburn 6 innings, 5 runs. Willingham HR
    2013 – Twins 2 – Tigers 4. Worley – remember him! – lost.
    2014 – Twins 3 – Oakland 8. Correia and Deduno took the mound.
    2015 – The Royals beat us 3 – 12. May started and gave up 5 in 5. Plouffe HR.
    2016 – Twins 1 – White Sox 4. Gibson lost.
    2017 – Twins 7 – Royals 1. Santana won. Sano HR
    2018 – Twins 4 – Mariners 2. Gibson start, Duke win, Rodney save. Sano and Garver HR.
    2019 – Twins 2 – Indians 0. Berrios start and won. Rogers Save.
    The Twins have a 33 – 16 home opener record!
    In Season openers there is a different set of statistics. Pedro Ramos started the very first season opener in 1961. Radtke had the most season opening starts and Blyleven was second.

  23. Put in Rose and Shoeless Joe

    · mikelink45 · 03/09/2019 07:08 PM

    After reading this in the Patrick Ruesse column - "Major League Baseball security held its annual meeting with the Twins on Friday, and among the issues was a review of baseball’s long-standing prohibitions against gambling. The exact rules against gambling for players and staff also were read to the entire clubhouse at the start of spring training last month, in both English and Spanish.
     
     
    "This anti-gambling reminder for the Twins came a couple of days after Peter Gammons, the baseball writing legend, broke the news that big-league teams would be required on gamedays to send their lineups to the commissioner’s office at least 15 minutes before they would be made public.
     
     
    "The commissioner’s office would then ship that information to their official gaming partner, MGM Resorts International, or any other public gambling enterprise that wanted to purchase this as part of a data feed for every game from MLB."
     
    All I can say is put in Shoeless Joe and Pete Rose. They were just ahead of their time. Gambling was the panacea the states looked to for new revenue after years of outlawing gambling and now sports are seeing it as a new source of revenue so forget the hypocrisy.
     
    If you think Bonds and McGwire and Sosa...should be in, I say put these two all time greats in first. Their actions did not destroy the record book like the steroid users did. Joe might have a tougher case because we was supposed to be in on the Black Sox scandal and even though evidence is questionable that is a terrible offense.
    Rose on the other hand was the ultimate hustler on the field and has been the ultimate hustler of a different kind off the field.
     
    Perhaps the biggest benefit to putting all these men in is that we will stop talking about them and move on. As it is Rose has had the most attention of any of the big red machine because the story won't go away. Maybe the same would be true of the steroid users. I do not want them in, but it might be the price for stopping the stream of annual articles and anguish.
     
    But most of all lets see how Baseball handles its first bite of forbidden fruit.
     
    You can see a long line of banned and banished players at https://ourgame.mlblogs.com/baseballs-bans-and-blacklists-5182f08d43ff and this list includes Mantle and Mays - post career! They were greeters at a Casino.
     
    Be sure and check out the Gallery Album
     
    Since I posted this I began to think about the cheater team and it is a powerful lineup:
    OF - Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Sosa
    IF - McGwire, Rose, Alex Rodriguez, Shoeless Joe Jackson
    C - I do not have a name so maybe we put the best framer in here since he is stealing strikes
    P - Clemens, Cicotte, Maglie
     
    That team is going to win a lot of games and there is a huge bench!
  24. The Best Twins General Manager and owner - really a difficult task - the manager, the owner, the GM, the players - who do you blame?
     
     
    • Calvin Griffith. (1961 – 1984) It is not a long list since Calvin served as both owner and general manager. We won a World Series under Calvin, he moved the team to Minnesota, he insulted and lost Rod Carew.
     
    • Howard Fox. (1985 – 1986) He was a member of the Twins organization for sixty years. When he was traveling secretary, he had a fight with Billy Martin on the team plane. After Calvin sold the team he stayed on as team president for two years under Pohlad.
     
    • Andy MacPhail (Won WS twice in 1987 and 1991) Andy was the boy wonder. He was hired as VP for player development in 1984 and GM in 1985. He hired Tom Kelly, and traded for Jeff Reardon to close out games and pitchers Joe Niekro and Dan Schatzeder as well as outfielder Dan Gladden. Then after a last place finish in signed Jack Morris and we went on to another pennant while McPhail became Sporting News Executive of the Year. He then left for Chicago Cubs, which did not work out as well. Now he is president of the free spending Phillies.
     
    • Terry Ryan (1995-2007, again from 2012 - 2016) From Janesville, WI, Ryan had an unsuccessful career as a pitcher, but became a prolific scout for the Mets where he developed his reputation for player evaluation. He was smart enough to trade Dave Hollins to Seattle for David Ortiz, but did not keep him long enough to see his true development. Stuck with tight budgets he often dumped vets, but was savvy enough to trade for Shannon Stewart when the team needed him. In 2002 the Twins were the victors over Oakland in the playoffs, and he was named executive of the year while the team was the Organization of the year. He left with a good reputation, but returned in 2012 and lost some of his luster as the changing times caught up with him.
     
    • Bill Smith (2008-2011) was Ryan’s replacement. He was a loyal member of the front office and assistant to Ryan. However his star never rose and names like Matt Capps will forever stain his reputation. He was fired, the first GM to be fired by the team and Ryan came back.
     
    • Terry Ryan became the second GM fired by the Twins, but then there are not very many and perhaps the first one would have been fired had he not owned the team.
     
    • Rob Antony (interim 2016) A filler, not much to say.
     
    • Thad Levine (2016-present) Too early to tell.
     
     
    So how do I judge the best. We won world series under Griffith and MacPhail. Ryan and MacPhail both won Executive of the year.
     
     
    Average wins per season under GM
    Griffith 80 wins
    Fox 79
    MacPhail 71
    Ryan – first round 85
    Bill Smith 83
    Terry Ryan – second round 71
     
     
    At the end of this look and after reading a lot of material I conclude that I cannot really judge. MacPhail looked like the Wonderman, but his teams could not sustain. Was he the best? He could not do it with the Cubs and he went higher in the front office with the Phillies who have not done well, but have now tried to buy the championship. Ryan has the best average wins under his first stint.
     
     
    Of course, this also reflects on the manager – these are the men who sign the players. They determine what the manager has to work with. It is really hard to figure out a really good metric for them. Was Calvin better than MacPhail – he has more wins per season – but long time Twins fans would faint at that decision.
     
     
    I am not going to do a best owner – Calvin is here and was the owner until Carl Pohlad bought the team and then son Jim took over. Not a lot to look at and not a lot of difference. One WS under Calvin, 2 under the Pohlads. One contraction threat under the Pohlads, lots of racist statements from Calvin. The average wins per season does not vary much between the two families. So I have no choice in this and only hope the next one is the best.
  25. What is the roster? This is a real chore - as you might have noticed as I examined each of the positions in the previous weeks.The Bench for the Best in Twins history is made up of people who fill roles and not just the best players of all time. From the bench to the starters I have tried to find the men who would truly represent the Twins best of all time based on where they played and how they fit the roles.
     
    The Bench in today’s game has to have some special qualities. The easy one is backup catcher. Battey will back up Mauer so one position is set.
     
    Bob Allison could play all three positions in the OF and 1B. He also Pinch hit 117 times so he is my number four outfielder on the bench.
     
    To fill the bench, I am looking at pinch hitters and Rich Reese has the most pinch hit grand slams in a career – 3. Not a bad place to start. Randy Bush had the most pinch consecutive pinch hits in a season – 7. Steve Braun had 113 pinch hits good for 12th all time. He played for the Twins the first six years of his 15 year career and PH 90 of his 496 PH appearances with us. Since he appeared in LF, RF, 1B. 2B, SS, 3B during those years he has to be added to the bench.
     
    Utility player is harder to define – Killebrew had his primary starts in three positions – 3B, LF, 1B and he was DH, RF, and 2B too. Quite a versatile player that is seldom recognized for that fact. But the ones that stand out are Nick Punto, Cesar Tovar, Steve Braun, Jerry Terrell, Ron Washington, Al Newman, Jeff Reboulet, Denny Hocking, and Michael Cuddyer.
     
    • Cesar Tovar 8 years .281/.337/.377/.714 25.9 WAR Every position
    • Michael Cuddyer 11 years .272/.343/.451/.794 12.8 WAR Every Position except P/C/SS
    • Steve Braun 6 years .284/.376/.381/.757 15 WAR Every position except P/C/CF
    • Nick Punto 7 years .248/.323/.324/.648 10.3 WAR Every position except C/P/1B
    • Jeff Reboulet 5 years .248/.335/.324/.659 5.8 WAR Every position except P
    • Al Newman 5 years .231/.306/.275/.581 2.1 WAR Every position except P/C/RF
    • Ron Washington 6 years .265/.294/.373/.667 1.5 WAR P/C/LF/RF
    • Jerry Terrell 6 years .259/.295/.311/.606 0.9 WAR Every position except P/C
    • Denny Hocking 11 years .252/.310/.351/.661 0.3 WAR Every position but C/P
    I will take Tovar for Utility – Cuddyer did not play SS and that is really important for a Utility player.
     
    My bench – four men
    1. Earl Battey C
    2. Bob Allison OF
    3. Steve Braun – PH/Utility
    4. Cesar Tovar – Utility
     
     
    The Bullpen is the next big group so I would choose those who were in the discussion for the best closer.
    1. Joe Nathan 7 years, 24 – 13 2.16 era, 260 saves 460 games, 463 innings 18.4 WAR
    2. Rick Aquilera, 11 years, 254 saves, 3.50 era, 15.5 WAR.
    3. Al Worthington 6 years 2.62 era 327 games 473 innings 88 saves and 10.1 WAR
    4. Bill Campbell, 4 years, 3,13, 216 games, 460 innings, 7.6 WAR.
    5. Mike Marshall 3 years 21 – 20 2.99 era, 162 games, 274 innings, 6.9 WAR
    6. Eddie Guardado 12 years, 116 saves, 37 – 38 4.53 ERA, 648 games 704 innings. 9.5 WAR
    7. Glen Perkins 35 – 25, 3.88, 120 saves, 409 games 624 innings (he was a starter for a while) and 8.8 WAR.
     
    The Rotation is:
    1. Johan Santana
    2. Bert Blyleven
    3. Brad Radtke
    4. Jim Kaat
    5. Jim Perry
    That is 12 pitchers, a four man-bench and we have the following starters – second name is who would ranked second at each position in the look at all time leaders per position that I have just completed. This is also my batting order.
     
     
    1. DH – Molitor – Thome
    2. RF – Oliva – Brunansky
    3. CF – Puckett – Hunter
    4. 3B – Killebrew – Castino
    5. 1B – Hrbek – Morneau
    6. LF – Mack – Allison
    7. SS – Cardenas – Versalles
    8. 2B – Carew – Knoblauch
    9. C – Mauer - Battey
     
    One year manager - Billy Martin
    GM Terry Ryan

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