Minnesota Twins

koren808 · Post by **koren808** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:20 pm

According to Harold Reynolds, Torii broke his foot and tore ankle ligaments, so hes done for the year. Right now, the Twins 2 best hitters are their two youngest, Mauer and Morneau. Its time to continue the youth movement. We have started at least by bringing Bartlett and Tiffee back up, but we need to see our other prospects against major leaguers. Bring up Liriano. Bring up Baker. Bring up Garret Jones. Bring up Span. Just bring up our future. ------------------- "75 percent of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Smoot." --Fred Smoot

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 12:48 pm

If they are out of it on Sept 1, when the rosters expand, thats exactly what you will see. But I dont know that there is any solution to the main problem in that group. They need more cowbell.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Post by **EREmpireStrikesBack** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 2:26 pm

I totally agree Koren, except for the Span part. He's in AA and isn't tearing it up, so why rush him to the majors. Same goes for Moses & Perkins. Don't get me wrong, they will be in the majors someday, but I don't think we need to rush them at all. Let them finish out this year in the minors and see what's up come next spring training. <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"> But I do agree that we need to bring the youth up now. Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls

Newguy99 · Post by **Newguy99** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 9:10 pm

This is a sad day for me because I am oficially saying the Twins are done. On the bright side lets take a look at the Twins future. Santana, Lariano, Crain, Mauer, Morneau, Bartlett, and a new stadium possibility. Futures looking bright!

koren808 · Post by **koren808** » Tue Aug 02, 2005 10:33 pm

When did I mention Moses, ER? Span, while he isn't tearing it up, he is playing pretty good. Moses has been pretty average throughout his minor league career so far. He definitely is not ready yet. Plus, just because someone is in AA, doesn't mean that they can't come up and be successful in the majors. Just look at Dontrelle Willis. He came directly from AA and started out with 8 consecutive wins or something like that. I'm not saying Span would come in and be a star, but he and Kubel are the Twins top 2 OF prospects, and Kubel is hurt. We should bring up at least one OF, and I think Span could be that guy. Especially with Torii done for the year, he might get more playing time up here. ------------------- "75 percent of the world is covered by water. The rest is covered by Smoot." --Fred Smoot

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 8:14 am

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>and Kubel is hurt<hr></blockquote> You know I almost forgot about Kubel. I was happy at the time he was brought up and I thought that he was going to be a very nice player with the Twins organization. Then he gets hurt...<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eyes.gif ALT=":rolleyes"> . He'd be back next year wouldn't he?

ChrisK · Post by **ChrisK** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:19 pm

Hey guys, I've been out on jury duty and have been busy in the evenings so I haven't been able to check in. I'm sure you all missed me. Anyhoo, from what I've heard they are expecting Kubel back next year, but he suffered a very serious injury and the Twins aren't sure how well he'll be able to bounce back from it. Good point on Radke, packerboy. The only counterpoint I'd make is that weak hitting will stress out the pitching staff in that they feel they have to make every pitch perfect. If a pitcher feels he can't make a mistake, his pitch selection will get more conservative, his grip might get too tight, part of pitching is being comfortable and poised on the mound. Major league pitchers can and should handle stressful situations but when every pitch counts every time you step out there, mental fatigue has to set in. And they do need to make a deal to get a veteran hitter in there. They'll probably lose Jones over the winter so they'll have an open outfield position to give to a good experienced, professional hitter.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:20 pm

I am afraid I have to agree with Newguy. They look dead. Hitting is atrocious and the pitching hasnt exactly been clutch. Theyll be lucky to finish above .500. Too bad. I like the fact that they have young pitching prospects but this whole deal is doomed to repeat itself unless they can develop some hitting. Lets go.

koren808 · Post by **koren808** » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:44 am

How sad is it that we can score 4 runs and be a big improvement in offense? And, amazingly, Cuddyer hit 2 HR's. I'm starting to think that we can win the WC. Cuddyer is showing signs that he might be coming out of his season long funk. Morneau is starting to get hot. JJ is playing good. All we need is 4-5 runs a game with the pitching we have. Yes losing Torii hurts, but we can plug Lew in the OF and hit LeCroy at DH to give us more O. I'm not giving up yet. Did anyone see the pitching matchup for the last nights game (the W) in the Strib? In the last 3 games, Oakland's Harden was 2-1 (i think) with a 3.5 ERA or something like while Silva had a 2.7 ERA with a 9 AWHG. He was 0-3 in that span. This is off the top of my head, so the numbers aren't exact, but you get the point. The pitching is there. Can are O step up to the challenge? I think it can. ------------------- Who is the orca? Who is the octopus? I AM THE WALRUS!

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:21 am

Well The Twins ended up dropping 3 of 4 to the A's. Look's like the seasons going down hill and staying that way <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/ohwell.gif ALT=":\"> . In the 4 games combined, the Twins mustered out 20 hits, an average of just 5 per game. In other words, that is completely pathetic. The Twins needs a couple of guys in the lineup to step it up for the team and they need a couple of leaders to carry them (Jones, Stewart).

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 11:35 am

Here's a good one. I am talking to a buddy of mine about the Twins. I say "well, we couldnt give up young pitching prospects to get Soriano, the price was too high" He says " yah, you are right , its better to hang on to them and keep losing 3-2 and 2-1 for the next 15 years" Its a point well taken.

EREmpireStrikesBack · Fri Aug 05, 2005 12:21 pm

Haha, damn that is right packer. Never thought about it that way. Hopefully the Twins go out and find someone in free agency this offseason, there is always hope <img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"> Elk River AA State Champions- 2001 Boys & 2004 Girls

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:44 pm

Well it's nice to squeeze a nice win in there once in a while. The Twins picked up their bats after a disasterous series with the Athletics by beating the BoSox in the opening game of the series by a score of 12-0. -Youngster and leading Twin hitter Joe Mauer went 3-5 while driving in 3 men. I'll tell you one thing, he has a bright future ahead of him. -Brad Radke pitched 7 great shutout innings while striking 8 out. -Lew Ford had a heck of a night, picking up 3 hits and 3 great catches out in center field. It's good to know the Twins have a quality backup OF. Let's hope the 16 hits tonight can maybe spark something. I'll say nothing can be worse than the previous series....

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Fri Aug 05, 2005 9:51 pm

By the way, anyone seen how good ol' Cristian Guzman has been doing? After an 0-3 night tonight and an error in the 9th inning that lost the game for the Nationals, Guzman is hitting a miserable .192 in 305 at bats. Maybe he's not comfortable out East? Whatever it is, I wouldn't be surprised to see him moved down soon. Then again, maybe the Nationals' farm system isn't ready with a quality SS.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Tue Aug 09, 2005 3:55 pm

Well boys, now they are finding a new way to lose every night. When Silva goes 8 and gives up 2.... they score 1. When they score 4, Silva gives up 5. Its classic. When I was watching the game last night , I just knew that when they gave the intentional walk to load the bases that they would walk in the winning run...just knew it. Thats the way its been going. Maybe they can turn it around. Lets go.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Thu Aug 11, 2005 1:12 pm

Well, it aint over till its over but its getting pretty late to still be sayin its early. The temptation is to bag it and start playing for the future. But what is that future? 2-1 losses with younger pitchers? They need to get some hitters in the lineup. There was a stat posted during last nights game that had them playing close to .600 ball when they score 3 or more. Intersting that they have only one game when they score less than 3. Anyway, get some hitters. Lets go.

goldy313 · Post by **goldy313** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:18 am

This team is eeriely reminding me of the Vikings.....Their pitching is 3rd in the AL (.10 behind the leading White Sox), but their batting is next to last, a mere .004 above Seattle. You just can't win with a discrepency like that. Radke, Santana, and Silva are all in the top 14 in the AL for ERA among starters. Imagine if they played for say Detroit and got to face these Twins hitters 3-4 times each...... Radke's got a year left, probably has a no trade clause so he's here, Santana is signed, and I don't know Silva's situation but I'd really like to keep him too. Mays is all but gone, Loshe has shown some signs of improvement. Next year it sounds like Baker and Liriano should be ready to play in the majors which gives the Twins 6 starters. I think maybe trade Baker for a 1st or 3rd baseman who can hit. Sign another hitter in the off season and go from there. Assuming Jones is gone next year, the offense that is weak already will take another hit. After seeing what Morneau and the rest of the new guys did this year, I really don't think Kubel will come in and hit more than his weight next season either. With Mays and possibly Jones off the books Carl will have a good chunk of change freed up, my fear his he won't spend it.

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Sat Aug 13, 2005 9:35 pm

<blockquote>Quote:<hr>Radke's got a year left, probably has a no trade clause so he's here<hr></blockquote> Is that true? I was thinking maybe the Twins could get rid of Radke and Mays (veteran pitchers) in the next year or so. I'm sure they could get us something decent out of it. If it happened, then the rotation would be as follows: Santana Silva Lohse Baker Liriano Man, would that be sweet with a few more bats in the order.

koren808 · Post by **koren808** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 12:51 am

Here is my second prospect preview for you guys who want to see the future identity of the Twins. The first prospect is SP Errol Simonitsch. The 22 year old started the year in Fort Myers with an 8-3 mark, and has moved up to AA New Britain and has gone a respectable 4-4. He is much rawer than other top notch prospects in the farm system, but has the tools to be a solid pitcher in the majors. One of the Twins top IF is 2004 first round draft pick Trevor Plouffe. He has shown that he has some power, with 12 HR's with Beloit of the Midwest League, and has not even started to hit his potential as he is still only 19 years old. He needs to develop his swing to become a better contact hitter as he is only hitting .231 and has K'd 59 times this year. If he can become more of a contact hitter, he could very well be the Twins SS of the future in 2-3 years. To finish off the left side of the infield for the future is 3B Matt Moses. He is a line drive hitter, but has some power. He recently got promoted to AA New Britain after playing extremely well in Fort Myers, but has struggled a bit since arriving to play for the Rock Cats. Is fairly steady in the field. Strikes out a lot (what else is new?<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/eyes.gif ALT=":rolleyes"> ), but still has a repectable .702 OPS. Has good speed for a third baseman as he has hit 2 3B's this year with 15 SB's. One outfielder to look at down the line is Deacon Burns. He is a speed demon, and also has some power. I don't know this as an absolute fact, but I am pretty sure he leads the Midwest League in triples with 11, and he also has 10 HR's, as well as 32 2B's. He hits for an okay average (.275), and has 11 steals. All he needs to cut down on is, what else, strikeouts. He has 76 times in about 440 AB's. This year's first round pick was on SP Matt Garza out of Fresno State. He has a 93 MPH fastball and in just four starts got promoted to Beloit from Rookie League ball. In his combined 9 starts, he is 2-3 with about a 3.60 ERA. In 47 2/3 IP, he has struckout 58 batters. The majority of his ER are from HR's- he has 19 ER and 7 HR's allowed in his 9 starts. He has shown to have a good work ethic, so he should improve greatly through the next couple years. The sixth and final prospect is yet another SP, Jay Rainville. He went 8-2 in Beloit with a 3.77 ERA to start the year, then moved to Fort Myers and has went 3-1 with a 2.12 ERA. Strikes out a few batters, but not as dominant as other prospects. Definitely a Radke-type pitcher. He has good control- 3 BB's in 34 IP in Fort Myers, and has allowed only 1 HR in his 5 starts with them. Already has one CG with Fort Myers- it looks like the better the compitition, the better he pitches. He is still only 19, so he may become more of a power pitcher. He has a nice fastball. Main concern is his weight. He is around 230 lbs, and he may be better off losing 10-15 pounds. And I would do a A/AA preview, but I'll just let you experts handle that.<img src=http://www.ezboard.com/images/emoticons/glasses.gif ALT="8)"> ------------------- Who is the orca? Who is the octopus? I AM THE WALRUS!Edited by: <A HREF=http://p074.ezboard.com/bmnhs.showUserP ... oren808</A> at: 8/14/05 12:52 am

goldy313 · Post by **goldy313** » Sun Aug 14, 2005 9:06 am

Radke signed a 2 year deal in December 2004, he could have gotten more money elsewhere but chose to stay here. My guess is he wants to finish his career here. After looking up some stats on Radke I see why Bert Blyleven gets so worked up he's not in the Hall of Fame. Some of his rankings on baseballs all time lists are incredible. 5th in K's. 9th in shut outs and games started. 13th in innings pitched. 8 times his season ERA was under 3.00 (all in the AL). In 1985 he had 24 complete games, in 2004 the leader in major league baseball had 9. Just because he's 13 wins shy of 300 seems like a glass ceiling to me, he played on some really poor teams in his career. Only 22 guys have won 300 games and that list won't grow much if any in our lifetimes. Think of this, Pedro Martinez who many think is a cinch to get in the Hall of Fame, has 182 wins and is 1100 K's behind Bert. He won't pass him in either category.

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Mon Aug 15, 2005 7:55 am

I agree goldy. There have been some debatable issues with Hall of Fame snubs and delays around here but Blyleven's case is really strange. I dont get it. He did play on some bad teams and wasnt in the lime light all that much but ,that being said, he has a couple of World Series rings. So it wasnt like he was in total obscurity. If Bert doesnt get in, they will have to stop inducting starting pitchers because ,as you point out, the way they use them these days, their stats wont cut it.

ChrisK · Post by **ChrisK** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 7:57 am

Hope you guys are alright, I've been through the wringer the last couple of weeks and I'll just leave it at that. Bert should be in the Hall. I think one of the knocks against him is that he wasn't considered the ace of the pitching staffs that he was on; however, just looking at the 1979 Pirates stats, while he was third on the team in ERA, he led the team in IP and K's. I'd probably consider Candelaria the ace of that staff, but Blyleven was definitely the workhorse. Anyway he put up excellent career numbers and though he didn't win any awards (he came close in 1984), he was a durable, reliable pitcher. If he'd pitched for some better teams he'd have had several 20 win seasons instead of only one. Another Twin with Hall of Fame talent is Tony Oliva. The only thing holding him back are his knees. The guy won three batting titles, one as a rookie, never finished worse than 8th in the first 8 years of his career. His career batting average is .304 and this is during an era when the pitchers were so dominant they had to lower the mound. If Puckett can get in with his career shortened by injury, Tony O should be in too. Nice win for the current Twins last night even if they botched two sacrifice bunts in extra innings. They've now won three tough series in a row, including two on the road. Cuddyer had a really nice game with a ninth inning homer and a nice play in the field in the 11th.

Newguy99 · Post by **Newguy99** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 9:01 pm

Go Twins, HUGE sweep of the White Sox keeping the hope alive. The Wild Card is not of the question, let's keep a rollin!

Hillfan · Post by **Hillfan** » Wed Aug 17, 2005 10:49 pm

Newguy is right. This team has the potential and starting/relief pitching that can take them very far. Let's see what they can do in the next few weeks...

packerboy · Post by **packerboy** » Thu Aug 18, 2005 8:09 am

It sure looks like a different team lately. Hitters are getting some timely hits, the defense has been very good and the pitching has been excellent, with the exception of Radke, who is beginnig to bug me more and more. The othe night , Morneau hits a 2 run homer in the 6th so they take get a 3-1 lead. Radke promptly gives up a home run in the bottom of the inning and then 2 more runs in the 7th for a 4-3 deficit. They win the game in 16 innings but......well, maybe he is still upset about the 3rd base coaching. This team should be able to make up 4 games. Oakland isnt any better than they are and neither is Cleveland. The Yankees are a concern. Lets go.

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