Yesterday, the Twins were swept by the Orioles at home for the first time in the franchise's 51 year history. And in this series, the Twins failed to score more than one run in all four of their games. following the game, the Twins traded DH Jim Thome, Target Field's all time home run leader, to Cleveland.
But I am not here to dwell on that series. I'm going to take a shot at what was a hot topic last offseason, and should be again this offseason: The fences at Target Field.
You may remember last offseason, Justin Morneau pleaded with the Twins front office to move the fences in. But seeing that the Twins had one of the best home records in the league, the team dismissed Morneau's request, despite the drop in power from a team that was supposed to hit many home runs.
This year, we've seen just about the same thing at home. The only change, the team has a worse record. And their power hitters (Mauer, Morneau, and Kubel) have seen a severe drop in power (Injuries have contributed to this too). There is no better example of that, than Buster Olney's tweet today, that since Justin Morneau's concussion last July, the Twins have just one home run from Mauer and Morneau at Target Field in 368 combined at bats (The homerun was via Joe Mauer, last August, his only TF homerun). Between the pair, they have hit a combined 5 home runs at Target Field, in the ballparks two year history (Morneau 4, Mauer 1).
If they offer up a suggestion to the Front Office to move in the fences in again, I highly suggest they take it. You are paying these two guys a combined $37 million dollars each season between 2011-2013. You are paying them to hit the ball in the seats. And please, don't take your pitching staff's opinion into account, because they have no issues giving up home runs with the fences the way they are.
The only player who could consistently hit the ball with authority in Target Field was Jim Thome. He had hit 21 home runs in the ballpark (Leads all players), before being traded yesterday. And now that he is gone, you need your power hitters to step up and hit the ball out of the park. And the only way to do that right now, is move the fences in.
So please, Twins hierarchy. Make this happen. Move your fences in. Let your star players do what you pay them to do. Hit home runs.
Showing posts with label Jim Thome. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jim Thome. Show all posts
Friday, August 26, 2011
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Farewell Jim Thome
Today, the Twins and Indians finalized a deal that sent Jim Thome back to Cleveland. Who the Twins are getting in return has yet to be determined. The slugger was claimed by the Tribe on waivers Wednesday and had to waive his no trade clause to finalize the deal. A good move for the Indians, who lost their DH Travis Hafner this past week with an injury. Thome also is returning to the team he originally came up with (1991-2002), and hopefully he can spark a Tribe run to the postseason.
Personally, this is a bittersweet move. I have loved every minute of having Jim Thome in a Twins uniform. He gave us the defining moment of the inaugural season at Target Field.
And this season, he gave us a great moment in baseball history as he launched his 600th home run in a game against the Tigers.
As I said, its been great watching Thome play for the Twins. And if I had one regret, its the fact I do not own a Thome shirt, jersey, or autograph. But none the less, he gave us some epic blasts that we will never forget. And now, all I can do is hope the Tribe takes off from his arrival, and somehow gets into the postseason to get him a shot at a ring. Because we all know, Jim Thome deserves a World Series ring.
Thanks for the memories Jim.
Personally, this is a bittersweet move. I have loved every minute of having Jim Thome in a Twins uniform. He gave us the defining moment of the inaugural season at Target Field.
And this season, he gave us a great moment in baseball history as he launched his 600th home run in a game against the Tigers.
As I said, its been great watching Thome play for the Twins. And if I had one regret, its the fact I do not own a Thome shirt, jersey, or autograph. But none the less, he gave us some epic blasts that we will never forget. And now, all I can do is hope the Tribe takes off from his arrival, and somehow gets into the postseason to get him a shot at a ring. Because we all know, Jim Thome deserves a World Series ring.
Thanks for the memories Jim.
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Jim Thome Hits Career Home Run #600
Every so often, we get to see a great baseball accomplishment. And most times, its always from afar. But on Monday night, we got to see a great baseball milestone firsthand. We watched Jim Thome blast his way into select company, as he hit career home runs #599 and #600 as the Twins defeated the Detroit Tigers 9-6. Jim became just the 8th member of the 600 home run club, joining Barry Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth, Willie Mays, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr, and Alex Rodriguez. It was really quite something to watch this while Thome donned a Twins uniform. And perhaps, we may never see something like this again from a Twins player. This will probably be his last great achievement until he is receiving his plaque in Cooperstown. Congrats to Jim and his family on a truly great accomplishment.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Dark Times, Dark Moves, What Will Bill Smith Do?
Somewhere right now, Bill Smith has to be thinking of ways to make his team better. And I'm sure most of those ways involve players coming off the disabled list and staying healthy. Maybe he is working the phones trying to work out a trade. Who knows? But somewhere, he also has to be thinking about what to do in case his team can't turn that corner and continues to be the AL Central cellar dwellers.
The plan I am about to propose is very similar to the one that Emperor Palpatine carried out in Star Wars III called "order 66". It was a dark, horrible plan (I know, I'm a nerd). It rid his Empire of all unwanted people (In his case, the Jedi). Now take Bill Smith and his team. If they can't get it together, its time he considered a same plan. It would rid his team of unwanted players and/or contracts while bringing in players to help the team in 2012 and beyond.
So lets elaborate on this plan a bit. There will be untouchable players, tradeable players who should bring in good prospects, players who are so bad you can't trade them (so waivers or minor leagues are in their future), and the in-between players (meaning you don't know what to do with them). Then of course, you have some players in the minor leagues who will be ready to get a shot at the big club too, so they will factor in to these decisions as well. So lets dive in to this one:
The plan I am about to propose is very similar to the one that Emperor Palpatine carried out in Star Wars III called "order 66". It was a dark, horrible plan (I know, I'm a nerd). It rid his Empire of all unwanted people (In his case, the Jedi). Now take Bill Smith and his team. If they can't get it together, its time he considered a same plan. It would rid his team of unwanted players and/or contracts while bringing in players to help the team in 2012 and beyond.
So lets elaborate on this plan a bit. There will be untouchable players, tradeable players who should bring in good prospects, players who are so bad you can't trade them (so waivers or minor leagues are in their future), and the in-between players (meaning you don't know what to do with them). Then of course, you have some players in the minor leagues who will be ready to get a shot at the big club too, so they will factor in to these decisions as well. So lets dive in to this one:
The Untouchable Players
Joe Mauer C: Face of the Franchise. $23 mil/yr makes him untouchable
Justin Morneau 1B: Despite bad stats, still is a franchise cornerstone
Denard Span CF: Solid leadoff hitter. Good speed. Plays well in CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B/SS: Twins have a lot invested in him.
Joe Nathan RP: Still recovering from TJ surgery. Don't bail on him yet.
Justin Morneau 1B: Despite bad stats, still is a franchise cornerstone
Denard Span CF: Solid leadoff hitter. Good speed. Plays well in CF
Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B/SS: Twins have a lot invested in him.
Joe Nathan RP: Still recovering from TJ surgery. Don't bail on him yet.
The Tradeable Players
Jason Kubel OF/DH: Very good hitter with good power. Could bring nice return.
Matt Capps RP: If given a 9th inning lead. He gets the job done.
Michael Cuddyer RF/INF: Twins might have to eat some money to move him.
Scott Baker SP: Pitching great this year. Trade him while value is high and contract is low.
Francisco Liriano SP: When healthy, he is nasty. Twins don't seem committed to him.
Jim Thome DH: Could be a nice bat off the bench for a contending team.
Kevin Slowey SP: Under team control through 2014. Great command pitcher.
Carl Pavano SP: Innings eater. Twins might have to eat money if they wish to move him.
Matt Capps RP: If given a 9th inning lead. He gets the job done.
Michael Cuddyer RF/INF: Twins might have to eat some money to move him.
Scott Baker SP: Pitching great this year. Trade him while value is high and contract is low.
Francisco Liriano SP: When healthy, he is nasty. Twins don't seem committed to him.
Jim Thome DH: Could be a nice bat off the bench for a contending team.
Kevin Slowey SP: Under team control through 2014. Great command pitcher.
Carl Pavano SP: Innings eater. Twins might have to eat money if they wish to move him.
In-Between Players
Danny Valencia 3B: Not hitting as well in 2011. Should pan out well.
Delmon Young OF: Lets see what he does when he returns from the DL
Brian Duensing SP: Has hit or miss starts. Needs more consistency.
Nick Blackburn SP: When sinker sinks, he's good. When sinker is flat, he stinks.
Delmon Young OF: Lets see what he does when he returns from the DL
Brian Duensing SP: Has hit or miss starts. Needs more consistency.
Nick Blackburn SP: When sinker sinks, he's good. When sinker is flat, he stinks.
The Players You Can't Trade
Alexi Casilla 2B/SS: Don't know where to start with him.
Drew Butera C: Makes Tim Laudner look like a saint
Matt Tolbert 2B/SS: Comparable to Nick Punto, only his defense isn't as good.
Jason Repko OF: Plays a decent OF, but can't hit well
The 8 players in the tradeable category contribute $45.9 million to the Twins $110+ million payroll this season. Kubel, Capps, Cuddyer, and Thome are free agents after this season so that does give them a little more trade value. Baker, Slowey, Liriano, and Pavano are under team control through either 2012 or 2013 and they combine for an estimated $24 million on the 2012 payroll (Slowey and Liriano are arbitration eligible and their 2012 salaries were estimated).
So Bill Smith has plenty of options if his team can't get it together in 2011. If he did decide to trade some players, he could fill some holes on this team going into 2012 (middle infield, bullpen, right handed power bat, an ace). I don't want to see that happen. But, I would like to see the Twins have continued success in the future years rather then see them go through some rebuilding years. The Twins like to promote from within, which is why I mentioned some minor leaguers who could be regular starters in 2012. It's how they've operated before and that's how they will operate going forward too.
Again, this is what I believe should happen IF the Twins can't turn it around. This is in no way a concession on my behalf on the Twins season. There is still much baseball left to be played. But we have to be prepared for the worst in case it can't come together.
I pity Bill Smith in these dark times. Because he has some dark decisions to make. Lets hope he makes the right ones...
Drew Butera C: Makes Tim Laudner look like a saint
Matt Tolbert 2B/SS: Comparable to Nick Punto, only his defense isn't as good.
Jason Repko OF: Plays a decent OF, but can't hit well
Minor Leaguers For 2012
Rene Tosoni OF: Could be a decent hitter/4th OF optionKyle Gibson SP: Groundball pitcher with electric stuff.
Trevor Plouffe 2B/SS: Decent hitter. Should get a shot at short
Ben Revere OF: Good average hitter. Great speed. Defense is ok.
Trevor Plouffe 2B/SS: Decent hitter. Should get a shot at short
Ben Revere OF: Good average hitter. Great speed. Defense is ok.
The 8 players in the tradeable category contribute $45.9 million to the Twins $110+ million payroll this season. Kubel, Capps, Cuddyer, and Thome are free agents after this season so that does give them a little more trade value. Baker, Slowey, Liriano, and Pavano are under team control through either 2012 or 2013 and they combine for an estimated $24 million on the 2012 payroll (Slowey and Liriano are arbitration eligible and their 2012 salaries were estimated).
So Bill Smith has plenty of options if his team can't get it together in 2011. If he did decide to trade some players, he could fill some holes on this team going into 2012 (middle infield, bullpen, right handed power bat, an ace). I don't want to see that happen. But, I would like to see the Twins have continued success in the future years rather then see them go through some rebuilding years. The Twins like to promote from within, which is why I mentioned some minor leaguers who could be regular starters in 2012. It's how they've operated before and that's how they will operate going forward too.
Again, this is what I believe should happen IF the Twins can't turn it around. This is in no way a concession on my behalf on the Twins season. There is still much baseball left to be played. But we have to be prepared for the worst in case it can't come together.
I pity Bill Smith in these dark times. Because he has some dark decisions to make. Lets hope he makes the right ones...
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Twins Bring Back Thome
On Friday, the Twins and slugger Jim Thome agreed on a one year deal worth $3 million with additional performance bonuses. Thome reportedly turned down more money from Texas to stay in Minnesota for another season. In 2010, he hit .283 with 25 HR and 59 RBI in 109 games, and seemingly won over the heart of every Twins fan with his mammoth home runs. Thome is also 11 home runs shy of hitting 600 for his career, so from a marketing standpoint the Twins will benefit from this deal greatly.
But from a roster standpoint, I have to disagree with this move. Don't get me wrong, I love Jim Thome. He is a Hall of Fame player both on the field and off the field. And it was fun watching him tee off on opposing pitchers. But when push comes to shove, the Twins have so many left handed bats in their lineup. And when facing an effective lefty starter, the lineup is very vunerable. And bringing back a guy who is a career .238 hitter against lefties, on a very limited budget is a bad move. The Twins desperately need a right handed power bat who can hit off the bench and DH when lefties are starting.
With legitimate right handed 1B/DH players out there (Jorge Cantu, Troy Glaus), it made no sense to have Thome return when he is purely a DH. He just can't get around quick enough to field anymore. And as stated before, the Twins have a limited budget during the offseason and limited roster spots to fill. The bench already consists of Drew Butera (C), Jason Repko (OF), and Matt Tolbert(INF). And that left only one spot to fill (Unless Gardy goes with 11 pitchers, but that is highly unlikely given the state of the bullpen), which was now given to Thome. The Twins need a viable option at first if Justin Morneau suffers concussion symptoms again during the year. And Michael Cuddyer is not that option. He just didn't stand out defensively at first. Many balls in the dirt that a regular first baseman should be scooped up, didn't get scooped up. And it became very noticeable. And of the before mention players on the bench, Tolbert and Thome are the only ones who could fill in at first. So unless Thome decides he wants to give fielding another try, the Twins are going with Morneau at first and Cuddyer as his back up.
Thome had a great 2010 season (The best moment was his walk off against the White Sox). But it is very unlikely he can repeat what he did in 2010 for 2011. His age just doesn't say he can repeat those numbers. And I hope people realize that so they won't be letdown. And I was kind of hoping the Twins would realize that and let Thome move on so they could make this ballclub better going forward.. But it didn't seem they did. And how much will it cost them in 2011?
But from a roster standpoint, I have to disagree with this move. Don't get me wrong, I love Jim Thome. He is a Hall of Fame player both on the field and off the field. And it was fun watching him tee off on opposing pitchers. But when push comes to shove, the Twins have so many left handed bats in their lineup. And when facing an effective lefty starter, the lineup is very vunerable. And bringing back a guy who is a career .238 hitter against lefties, on a very limited budget is a bad move. The Twins desperately need a right handed power bat who can hit off the bench and DH when lefties are starting.
With legitimate right handed 1B/DH players out there (Jorge Cantu, Troy Glaus), it made no sense to have Thome return when he is purely a DH. He just can't get around quick enough to field anymore. And as stated before, the Twins have a limited budget during the offseason and limited roster spots to fill. The bench already consists of Drew Butera (C), Jason Repko (OF), and Matt Tolbert(INF). And that left only one spot to fill (Unless Gardy goes with 11 pitchers, but that is highly unlikely given the state of the bullpen), which was now given to Thome. The Twins need a viable option at first if Justin Morneau suffers concussion symptoms again during the year. And Michael Cuddyer is not that option. He just didn't stand out defensively at first. Many balls in the dirt that a regular first baseman should be scooped up, didn't get scooped up. And it became very noticeable. And of the before mention players on the bench, Tolbert and Thome are the only ones who could fill in at first. So unless Thome decides he wants to give fielding another try, the Twins are going with Morneau at first and Cuddyer as his back up.
Thome had a great 2010 season (The best moment was his walk off against the White Sox). But it is very unlikely he can repeat what he did in 2010 for 2011. His age just doesn't say he can repeat those numbers. And I hope people realize that so they won't be letdown. And I was kind of hoping the Twins would realize that and let Thome move on so they could make this ballclub better going forward.. But it didn't seem they did. And how much will it cost them in 2011?
Friday, December 31, 2010
2010 Memories
Before I dive into the actual post I want to send my thoughts out to Twins Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew, who announced yesterday that he is battling esophageal cancer. Get well soon Killer!
On New Years Eve, I generally like to look back on memories from the previous year. And if you are a baseball fanatic like me, you will have many baseball ones in there. So I began to look back on Twins related memories from 2010, beginning with TwinsFest (The final one ever held in the Dome?) and ending with another painful sweep at the hands from that pinstriped team out east. So here are my top 5 memories:
5. AL Central Champs! (September 21): After destroying the 2nd place White Sox in a three game series a week earlier, the Twins wrapped up their 6th Central division championship under Ron Gardenhire with a come from behind 6-4 win over Cleveland, coupled with a Oakland victory over Chicago. Once September started, it became clear that the Twins were the best team in this division and were rewarded for it. Its always nice to spray the bubbly in September.
4. 50th Season Celebration (September 3-5): Any Twins fan was glued to either their seat at Target Field or their seat in front of the TV watching this weekend of baseball. All the old players and footage that makes up the history of Twins Baseball was on display during this weekend, highlighted by the the 50 greatest Twins and the old timers game. Meanwhile, the current Twins, swept the future AL Champs Texas Rangers. I had the privilege to attend the friday night game where Matt Fox was called up to spot start and had a very good outing. It was a shame he was sent down and snatched up on waivers by Boston the next day.
3. Jim Thome walks off the Sox (August 17): The Twins entered this game with a four game winning streak, highlighted by a sweep in Oakland. They also were three games up on the White Sox as the series kicked off at Target Field. The Twins jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead, featuring a two run triple by Jason Kubel. By the fourth inning the game was tied at 4. Following a Delmon Young fifth inning home run, the Twins took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. Enter new closer Matt Capps, first man he faces (Alexi Ramirez) homers to tie the game and sends it to extra frames. In the 10th the Sox scored a run to make it 6-5. Matt Thornton came back out for the 10th to nail the save for Chicago. After a Young single, Thome stepped in. He swung wildly and missed on the first pitch. The next pitch, 93 MPH fastball, Thome connected. Sending it deep into the night and giving the Twins a 4 game lead. The homer was also the first walk off home run by the Twins at Target Field.
2. Mauer signs eight year extension (March 22): On March 21, I had the opportunity to go to the Target Field open house. At the conclusion of that open house, I received the news Twins fans had waited for all winter long. Joe Mauer had signed a 8 year $184 million extension. That might of been the best days ever (rivaling game 163 and the next memory). The following day, Joe put the ink to the paper and made it official. He was going to play the next nine seasons in a Twins uniform. But, that feeling only lasted a few weeks as the next memory took over...
1. Target Field Opener (April 12): For anyone who ever saw a game in the Dome, you didn't miss much. From the final game of 2009 to the first home game of 2010, Twins fans saw a game in the worst stadium then saw a game in the best stadium. Target Field was perfect. And any things that needed fixing, the Twins have made those updates for 2011. And to make it better, the Twins took it to Boston 5-2 on a glorious afternoon for baseball. Joe Mauer had a few hits, Jason Kubel hit the first homer, and Carl Pavano once again got the job done. A great game to break in the new place. Now lets hope that 2011 brings us even better memories (Or maybe even a World Series Ring?)...
On New Years Eve, I generally like to look back on memories from the previous year. And if you are a baseball fanatic like me, you will have many baseball ones in there. So I began to look back on Twins related memories from 2010, beginning with TwinsFest (The final one ever held in the Dome?) and ending with another painful sweep at the hands from that pinstriped team out east. So here are my top 5 memories:
5. AL Central Champs! (September 21): After destroying the 2nd place White Sox in a three game series a week earlier, the Twins wrapped up their 6th Central division championship under Ron Gardenhire with a come from behind 6-4 win over Cleveland, coupled with a Oakland victory over Chicago. Once September started, it became clear that the Twins were the best team in this division and were rewarded for it. Its always nice to spray the bubbly in September.
4. 50th Season Celebration (September 3-5): Any Twins fan was glued to either their seat at Target Field or their seat in front of the TV watching this weekend of baseball. All the old players and footage that makes up the history of Twins Baseball was on display during this weekend, highlighted by the the 50 greatest Twins and the old timers game. Meanwhile, the current Twins, swept the future AL Champs Texas Rangers. I had the privilege to attend the friday night game where Matt Fox was called up to spot start and had a very good outing. It was a shame he was sent down and snatched up on waivers by Boston the next day.
3. Jim Thome walks off the Sox (August 17): The Twins entered this game with a four game winning streak, highlighted by a sweep in Oakland. They also were three games up on the White Sox as the series kicked off at Target Field. The Twins jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead, featuring a two run triple by Jason Kubel. By the fourth inning the game was tied at 4. Following a Delmon Young fifth inning home run, the Twins took a 5-4 lead into the ninth. Enter new closer Matt Capps, first man he faces (Alexi Ramirez) homers to tie the game and sends it to extra frames. In the 10th the Sox scored a run to make it 6-5. Matt Thornton came back out for the 10th to nail the save for Chicago. After a Young single, Thome stepped in. He swung wildly and missed on the first pitch. The next pitch, 93 MPH fastball, Thome connected. Sending it deep into the night and giving the Twins a 4 game lead. The homer was also the first walk off home run by the Twins at Target Field.
2. Mauer signs eight year extension (March 22): On March 21, I had the opportunity to go to the Target Field open house. At the conclusion of that open house, I received the news Twins fans had waited for all winter long. Joe Mauer had signed a 8 year $184 million extension. That might of been the best days ever (rivaling game 163 and the next memory). The following day, Joe put the ink to the paper and made it official. He was going to play the next nine seasons in a Twins uniform. But, that feeling only lasted a few weeks as the next memory took over...
1. Target Field Opener (April 12): For anyone who ever saw a game in the Dome, you didn't miss much. From the final game of 2009 to the first home game of 2010, Twins fans saw a game in the worst stadium then saw a game in the best stadium. Target Field was perfect. And any things that needed fixing, the Twins have made those updates for 2011. And to make it better, the Twins took it to Boston 5-2 on a glorious afternoon for baseball. Joe Mauer had a few hits, Jason Kubel hit the first homer, and Carl Pavano once again got the job done. A great game to break in the new place. Now lets hope that 2011 brings us even better memories (Or maybe even a World Series Ring?)...
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