Archive | November, 2011

Bullpen Target: Brad Lidge?

30 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

TWINS BLOG SPOTTING – at the end of today’s blog, you will find links to several Twins-related blog postings.

There has been a lot of talk of late about who the Twins closer for 2012 will be. Since Joe Nathan signed last week with the Rangers, the question has continued to be asked. Yesterday, the Royals signed Jonathan Broxton to a one year, $4 million deal that includes another million dollars in incentives. Broxton was an interesting name for the Twins because he had late-season surgery last year and was said to be looking for a one year, make good type of deal. There is really little risk in any one year deal, even with an injury risk like Broxton.

So who else is out there as a possible closer for the Twins? Heath Bell will make too much money for too many years. That will likely be the case for both Ryan Madsen and Francisco Rodriguez. Frank Francisco could be an option. Francisco Cordero is coming off four years as the Reds closer, but he saw his strikeout rate plummet to Matt Capps-like depths. Speaking of Capps, his name continues to be brought up as someone the Twins are talking to about coming back. As I blogged a couple of weeks ago, I think he is a solid, seventh inning reliever at $2 million, but he will certainly get more than that. However, the Twins got a gift with the new Collective Bargaining Agreement when it was determined that the Twins would get a supplemental first-round pick for Capps even without offering him arbitration. Easy choice… let him go and take the pick!

I think that it makes a ton of sense to at least partake in discussions with the agent of Brad Lidge. Terry Ryan mentioned that he preferred someone with closing experience. Lidge has been a closer since 2004 and has racked up 223 career saves. Remember when he first came up to the big leagues with the Astros and they had a back end of their bullpen with Lidge and Octavio Dotel (who hopefully the Twins are talking to also) were setting up Billy Wagner and all three were sitting over 95 mph? In 2004, 2005 and 2006 with the Astros, he had over 100 strikeouts, which is incredible for a reliever. He recorded 42 saves in 2005. Then in 2008, his first year with the Phillies, he was a perfect 48-for-48 in save opportunities in the regular season and through the World Series championship. Of course, the following year, he went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA  and a 1.81 WHIP.

In 2010, he was back to posting a 2.96 ERA in 50 games before an elbow injury ended his season and cost him much of the 2011 season as well. He returned in late July and was used very cautiously. However, in 25 games, and 19.1 innings, he posted a 1.40 ERA and struck out 23 batters. Of course, that’s more than a little misleading. He also walked 13 batters in 19.1 innings and posted a 1.50 WHIP. The 6.1 walks per nine innings was well above the 4.2 walks per nine rate for his career. He was not used as the Phillies closer when he came back last year. Ryan Madsen was. In fact, Lidge pitched mostly in the 7th and 8th innings.

Although Lidge had not been as consistent over his career as Joe Nathan, he has been very good for a long time. They both faced similar 2010 and 2011 seasons. One similarity is that both of them were much improved late in the season (although Lidge was better). Joe Nathan got two years and $14.5 million from the Rangers. Broxton got one year and $4 million with incentives. Lidge is three years younger than Nathan and seven years older than Broxton. Lidge was healthy the final two months of the 2011 season, whereas Broxton didn’t have surgery until September. So, what will Lidge get?

Would it be worth a flyer on Lidge (who has never averaged less than a strikeout an inning in any of his ten big league seasons) at 1 year and $5 million with incentives that bring the deal to $6 million? Would a $6 million base be too much? Would you consider making two offers to Lidge? Offer #1 would be one year and $5 million plus incentives. Offer #2 could be two years and $8 million and let him decide? I would think Lidge would prefer the one year, make good deal.

I’d be comfortable with Lidge at one year and $5 million.

Twins Bullpen Options as of Today:

Left-handed relief options: Francisco Liriano, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, Jose Mijares, Phil Dumatrait, Matt Maloney, Tyler Robertson.

Right-handed relief options: Anthony Swarzak, Alex Burnett, Lester Oliveros, Esmerling Vasquez, Jeff Gray, Jason Bulger, Kyle Waldrop, Jim Hoey, Jeff Manship, Anthony Slama, Carlos Gutierrez, Jared Burton, Brendan Wise, Samuel Deduno, Luis Perdomo, Deolis Guerra, Cole DeVries.

I mention Liriano as a closer option because it was mentioned two years ago and in a recent NoDak Twins Fan blog. There’s no way I would move him out of the rotation, but you never know. I think Duensing should move to the bullpen because of his splits, but he may be a starter. Mijares can be so good, but he could also be non-tendered. Perkins is the one reliever who really stepped up in 2011 and made himself a trusted arm out of the bullpen. Maloney is out of options. Dumatrait was OK at best with the Twins last year. Robertson was just added to the 40 man roster and likely will go to Rochester. Swarzak came on and did a great job in his role as a long reliever/spot starter. Burnett has so much talent and stuff. He was just pushed too quickly to the big leagues. Lester Oliveros has a chance to be very good. Since he’s just 23, he has a chance to improve his control and be more than just a hard thrower. There are plenty of really good arms in this list, guys that can throw in the mid-to-upper 90s but have had trouble with control in their careers. Vasquez, Gray, Hoey, Deduno and Perdomo fit that category. Bulger has had big league success with the Angels. Kyle Waldrop and Carlos Gutierrez both have the ability to be ground ball machines. They rely on their defense. Waldrop throws strikes which has been Gutierrez’s problem. Jared Burton is very intriguing to me as a sleeper closer option thanks to a tremendous cutter. Jeff Manship was going to be a key bullpen contributor in 2011, but he was hurt the entire season. Anthony Slama has nothing more to prove in AAA. He was removed from the 40 man roster, but he remains someone who can get swings and misses and deserves an opportunity in the big leagues with someone. Deolis Guerra stepped up last year once he was moved to the bullpen. The starter/reliever splits are almost unbelievable. Hopefully he can continue to improve. 2012 will be his final option season. Remember that he is still the youngest player on the 40 man roster. Cole DeVries is worth mentioning because based on his 2011 season in AA, AAA and the AFL, he deserves an opportunity.

There’s a little bit about each of the names currently vying for a bullpen spot. There are quite a few pitchers on this list that have the ability to step up and be very good big league relievers. That’s one side of the story. The other side of the story is that there are only two guys on the list that you really feel like you can count on with any certainty.

I would like to see the Twins bring in three pitchers. I’d love to see two new starting pitchers brought in that can be counted on, but that costs a lot of money. I think a more realistic option would be to sign someone like Lidge for $5 million plus incentives. Sign a good, veteran reliever like LaTroy Hawkins or Octavio Dotel for $3 million, and then see if you can bring in someone like Aaron Harang for $4-5 million (this number is likely low). There is $12-13 million added for three veterans that are reliable. If you want a starting pitcher who is better than Harang, they will either be $10 million-plus for three years like Edwin Jackson (who I like) or they have to be young and still have ace-like upside, which will take a huge prospect package to acquire. I’m not against trading prospects to bring in high-level talent. I just don’t think that this team is a playoff caliber team unless the high-impact, former MVPs are healthy most of the year and Span is as well, and Liriano and Baker step up and Pavano continues to be solid for 220 innings. That’s a lot of Ifs, and if things don’t get well, the plan has to be to develop and acquire young players for 2013 and 2014, so I’d hate to give up too much for any short-term fix.

Terry Ryan has his work cut out for him this offseason. He’s made solid moves so far with the acquisition of Jamey Carroll, who cleans up the shortstop position, and Ryan Doumit, who can catch, play 1B, RF, DH, and pinch hit. He’s brought in some very interesting and intriguing minor league pitchers with live arms and big league experience. What direction will he go with the pitching staff?

TWINS BLOG SPOTTING

Feel free to comment.

SethSpeaks Twins Hall of Fame Ballot

29 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

On Monday, voting began at TwinsBaseball.com for the 2012 Twins Hall of Fame. Voting will continue through midnight on Wednesday, January 4. The 2012 inductee(s) will be announced in conjunction with Twins Fest in late January. The voting is done by a 54-member committee made up of local and national baseball writers, Twins broadcasters, Twins Hall of Fame members, local TV and radio media, select Twins front office personnel and the fans.

Since we are all fans of the Twins, I thought it would be fun take a look at the 18 players on the ballot, learn a little about each and then show what my vote would look like, if I had one. Of course, then I will go to TwinsBaseball.com’s HOF page and vote for the player(s) that I think should join the 23 people already in the Twins Hall of Fame. Hopefully you enjoy this and will comment your votes and discuss in the comments.

Why Are These Guys on the Ballot?

  • John Castino (1979-84) – Castino was the co-AL Rookie of the Year in 1979. The now-57 year old played in 666 games for the Twins and hit .278/.329/.398 in 2,578 plate appearances. He had 86 doubles, 34 triples and 41 home runs. He stole 22 bases. For his career, he posted an OPS of 96, but he had a WAR (Wins Above Replacement) of 13.1. Obviously injuries will always leave the question of what could have been.   
  • Jeff Reardon (1987-89) – Came to the Twins right before the 1987 season and was credited for helping the Twins to their World Series title. In reality, he posted an ERA that season that was higher than Matt Capps’ 2011 ERA with the Twins. He was terrific in 1988 but struggled again in 1989. During his three years with the Twins, he accumulated 104 saves and was an All Star in 1988. His ERA+ during those three seasons was 116 while his WAR was just 4.3. Reardon is 56 years old.
  • Dave Boswell (1964-70) – Boswell posted 20 wins for the Twins in 1969, and is probably best known for his fight with manager Billy Martin. In his time with the Twins, the 66-year-old went 67-54 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP. He posted a WAR of 8.7 and an OPS+ of 101. In 1,036.1 innings, he averaged 7.5 strikeouts per nine innings and 4.0 walks per nine.
  • Dan Gladden (1987-91) – Yes, Gladden was the left fielder and leadoff hitter of the 1987 and 1991 World Series championship teams.  In his five seasons with the Twins, the leadoff hitter posted a .318 on-base percentage and hit .268. In 2,698 at bats and 645 games, he had an OPS+ of 90 and a WAR of 13.0. He had 117 doubles, 26 triples and 38 home runs. He stole 116 bases. The 54-year-old has been on the Twins radio broadcast team for over a decade now. My guess is that he’ll eventually get in to the Twins Hall of Fame, and I won’t be able to understand it.

Hall of Pretty Good

  • Mudcat Grant (1964-47) – He was one of the Twins stars of their 1965 World Series team when he went 2-1 against the Dodgers and even homered once. The 76-year-old has also been in the Twins spotlight in recent years, singing his rendition of What a Wonderful World at the memorial services for Kirby Puckett and Harmon Killebrew. 21 of his 50 wins with the Twins came in that 1965 season. He went 50-35 with the Twins with a 3.35 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. He posted a 4.6 WAR in his 780.2 innings. He walked just 1.9 batters per nine innings and struck out just 4.3 per nine.
  • Dean Chance (1967-69) – The second Twins pitcher to throw a no-hitter was actually very good with the Twins. In his three years with them, his ERA+ was 126 and he accumulated a tremendous 11.2 WAR. He was an All Star in 1967 when he won 20 games. He went 41-34 with a 2.67 ERA and even added two saves. He is 69 years old. The Twins acquired him in December 1966 in exchange for Jimmie Hall and two others. He was traded in December 1969 with three other players in exchange for Luis Tiant and Stan Williams.
  • Eddie Guardado (1993-2003, 2008)– “Everyday” Eddie represented the Twins in the All Star game in 2002 and 2003. In 2002, he led the American League with 45 saves. After being a failed starter, Guardado found his niche in the bullpen for the Twins, and although he made us all nervous, he usually got the job done. The 41-year-old pitched in 648 games for the Twins, making just 25 starts. In 1,284.2 innings, he walked 3.4 per nine and struck out 7.8 per nine. Overall, he went 37-48 with 116 saves, an ERA of 4.53 and a WHIP of 1.34. His OPS+ was 105 and his WAR accumulation was 8.4.

If Greg Gagne Got in…

  • Al Worthington (1964-69) – Worthington came to the Twins in June of 1964 from the Reds. He went on to pitch in 327 games for the Twins including the 1965 World Series and in the 1969 ACLS against Baltimore. In 473.1 innings, he walked 3.5 per nine and struck out 7.6 per nine. He was 37-31 with 88 saves. He posted an ERA of just 2.62 and a WHIP of 1.19. His ERA+ was a remarkable 134, and he was a 7.0 WAR. He will turn 83 years old in February.
  • Tom Brunansky (1982-88) – “Bruno” came to the Twins after the 1981 season in exchange for Doug Corbett and Rob Wilfong. Over the next six seasons, he hit 163 home runs. In 916 games and 3,760 plate appearances, he hit .250/.330/.452 with 154 doubles, 13 triples and 163 home runs. He had an OPS+ of 109 and a WAR of 14.6. In April of 1988, he was sent to the Cardinals for 2B Tommy Herr in a deal still referred to as the worst trade in Twins history. In 2010, he came back to the Twins as an instructor with the GCL Twins. The 51-year-old became the hitting coach for the Twins in 2011, and will be the hitting coach for AAA Rochester in 2012.  
  • Kevin Tapani (1989-95) – Tapani came to the Twins from the Mets in the 1989 Frank Viola trade. He proved to be very good for the Twins. In 180 starts, he went 75-63 with a 4.06 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP. A pitcher with impeccable control, he walked just 2.0 per nine innings and struck out 5.6 per nine. In 1,171.1 innings, he had a WAR of 17.5. In July of 1995, he was traded with Mark Guthrie to the Dodgers in exchange for Ron Coomer and three others.
  • Brian Harper (1988-93) – He may have not been a very good catcher, but Brian Harper could hit for average! In 730 games and 2,691 plate appearances, Harper hit .306/.342/.431 with 156 doubles, six triples and 48 home runs. His OPS+ was 110 and his WAR was 12.3. He hit .381 in the 1991 World Series.
  • Larry Hisle (1973-77) – If you’re looking for a vastly underrated player in Twins history, look no further than Hisle. The 64-year-old played in 662 games for the Twins. In 2,764 plate appearances, he hit .286/.354/.457 with 109 doubles, 23 triples and 87 home runs. He also stole 92 bases. His OPS+ was a terrific 127 and he accumulated 17.5 WAR before leaving as a free agent to the Milwaukee Brewers.
  • Roy Smalley (1976-82, 1985-87) – The 59-year-old FSN Twins analyst was a pretty good big league shortstop for a long time. In 1,148 games over two stints with the Twins, he hit .262/.350/.401 with 184 doubles, 21 triples, 110 home runs and 15 stolen bases. His OPS+ was 104, and he built up 18.3 WAR. In the 1987 World Series, he went 1-2 with two walks and a double and promptly retired after winning a ring with the Twins. He was initially brought to the Twins in a deal that sent Bert Blyleven and Danny Thompson to the Rangers in 1976. In April of 1982, he was traded to the Yankees for Greg Gagne and Ron Davis. The Twins then acquired Smalley before the 1985 season from the White Sox.

Should Get In Someday

  • Cesar Tovar (1965-72) – Tovar is best known for having played all nine positions in a 1968 game, but he was much more than that. In 1,090 games and 4,595 at bats, the Cuban utility player hit .281/.337/.387 with 193 doubles, 45 triples and 38 home runs. He also stole 186 bases. His OPS was just .714 (OPS+ 102), but he posted an incredible 25.8 WAR. He received MVP votes in five seasons with the Twins. In 1967, he led the league with 164 games played. In 1970, he led the league in doubles and triples.  Tovar passed away in 1994 from cancer.
  • Corey Koskie (1998-2004) – When Corey Koskie came up to the Twins in 1998, he played some right field because he was so bad at third base. He became one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. And, he was a vastly underrated offensive player. In 816 games and 3,950 plate appearances, he hit .275/.376/.458 with 223 doubles, 13 triples and 124 RBI. His career OPS+ was 113, and he added 21.1 WAR. In 2001, he scored and drove in 100 runs, and although he wasn’t a speed burner, he stole 27 bases in 33 attempts. He had 71 stolen bases with the Twins. Koskie signed with the Blue Jays after the 2004 season, and unfortunately, concussions ended his career prematurely. He is still just 38 years old.  
  • Dave Goltz (1972-79) – The Rothsay, MN, native signed with his home state team and spent eight years with the team. He made 247 appearances for the Twins and 215 of them were starts. He went 96-79 with the Twins with a 3.48 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. In 1,638 innings, he averaged 2.7 walks per nine innings while striking out 4.9 per nine innings. His career ERA+ with the Twins was 112 and he accumulated 23.7 WAR. He won 20 wins in 1977. He left after the 1979 season as a free agent and signed with the Dodgers.  He is now 62 years old and lives in Minnesota.

The Definite Twins Hall of Famers

  • Camilo Pascual (1961-66) – Pascual is an obvious choice as a Twins Hall of Famer when you just look at the six seasons in which he pitched in a Twins uniform. If you wanted to add in the 59 wins he had with the Washington Senators before they moved to Minnesota, you certainly can to make the case even stronger. But just focusing on the six seasons with the Twins, Pascual went 88-57 with a 3.31 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. He won at least 20 games in 1962 (20) and 1963 (21), and 15 games in 1961 and 1964. He made 179 starts for the Twins and in 1,284.2 innings, he walked 3.0 per nine and struck out 7.0 per nine. His curveball was said to be the best curveball before Blyleven’s. He will turn 78 in January.
  • Chuck Knoblauch (1991-97) – Yes, Knoblauch’s time with the Twins ended on a sour note. He asked to be traded, and when he was, the Twins got a nice haul from the Yankees. Yes, he has had some personal and professional issues since leaving the Twins (throwing problems, steroid allegations, family issues). But for the seven seasons that Knoblauch played for the Twins, he was an elite ball player. In 1,013 games and 4,571 plate appearances with the Twins, he hit .304/.391/.416 with 210 doubles, 51 triples and 43 home runs. He also stole 276 bases. His OPS+ was 114, and he accumulated 35.4 WAR. He was the 1991 Rookie of the Year. He was an All Star in 1992, 1994, 1996 and 1997. He won two Silver Slugger awards and one Gold Glove award which is more impressive when you consider he played the same position, in the same league, as Roberto Alomar. In the 1991 ALCS, he hit .350 and followed that up by hitting .308 in the World Series. I think it’s about time for Chuck Knoblauch to start getting some of the recognition from Twins fans that the 43-year-old deserves.  

Voters can vote for up to five. If I were to vote for five, and I might, I’d vote Knoblauch, Pascual, Goltz, Koskie and Tovar. But I think that since generally only one player (sometimes two) gets in each year, I’d probably just vote for Knoblauch and Pascual.

Let me ask you this though… How is it possible that Shane Mack is not on this ballot? He spent five seasons with the Twins from 1990 through 1994. In that time, he played in 633 games. In 2,434 plate appearances, he hit .309/.375/.479 with 119 doubles, 24 triples and 67 home runs. He posted an OPS+ of 130. He stole 71 bases. He played terrific defense, wherever he played in the Twins outfield. He accumulated 18.5 WAR.    

Now it’s your turn. Who gets your vote? Click here to vote for the Twins Hall of Fame. Feel free to comment.

Gene Glynn Names Red Wings Manager

28 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Welcome back to the work week following the Thanksgiving holiday and weekend. On Twitter, I think I was asked every day if there was any Twins news. It was a pretty quiet news weekend for the Twins and really for all of baseball. That is no surprise whatsoever as this is generally the quiet period. The Winter Meetings will start next week and a few things will happen, and there will be a ton of rumors. There will be plenty to talk about. It’s probably a good thing. Last night, my five-year-old daughter lost her first tooth. Seriously, it was a pretty incredible experience for a dad.

Red Wings Have a New Manager

On Friday, the Twins and Red Wings announced that Gene Glynn will be the next manager of the Rochester Red Wings. He will replace Tom Nieto, who was let go back in September. He will be joined by new hitting coach Tom Brunansky who was promoted from New Britain, and pitching coach Bobby Cuellar.

I have to admit when I saw the announcement, it was surprising and somewhat disappointing. For no reason, of course, When we first heard the list of managers that Jim Rantz was considering, it was exciting. I think we all were on board with going outside the organization. Names like Ken Oberkfell, Randy Ready, Ron Johnson and Jeff Cox were said to be in the running. There are mixed reports on which managers applied and interviewed, but those are good names. I always found it strange that Mike Quade was mentioned as a possibility. I think he was technically still the manager of the Chicago Cubs when those rumors started (although everyone knew that Theo Epstein would let him go). It came out later that he really wasn’t interested. No surprise there.

I know about minor league players, so the name Gene Glynn meant nothing to me. I read that he had not managed since 1992, and that was at the short-season, rookie ball level. He has coached in the big leagues for 13 years, with the Rockies, Expos, Cubs and Giants. He’s 55 years old. I also kept hearing how wonderful he was with fans and the media. Of course, this ‘news’ was coming from people in the media. And yes, I like the idea of a manager that is great with fans and will be very cooperative with the media. I don’t know if that makes the players better, and that’s what matters.

He was most recently scouting with the Tampa Bay Rays organization. He is touted as a great talent evaluator. Now that is what I want to hear. That is what I want to know. I’m fully behind this selection as Red Wings manager. Terry Ryan, Mike Radcliff, Wayne Krivsky. These guys are all talent evaluators, and in my opinion, that’s what it’s all about in the minor leagues. Players touted Brunansky as a terrific hitting coach last year in New Britain. Bobby Cuellar is very well respected in the game.

As we have seen, health and talent is what wins at every level. Glynn is a Minnesota native, from Waseca. Apparently he and Rantz have known each other for a long time. It appears to be a nice pick up for the Twins organization.

Feel free to comment.

Talking Twins

23 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Plenty of discussion for those of you, sitting at work, needing to listen to some good ol’ Twins talk.

  • On last night’s SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins Podcast, we talked about several Twins topics. The highlight was a fun interview with Minnesota native, former Gophers, and Twins prospect Cole DeVries. It was fun to talk about his terrific 2011 season in New Britain, Rochester and in the Arizona Fall League. We had a frank discussion on the upcoming Rule 5 draft and much more. Also, be sure to listen to the podcast. Fanatic Jack joined for the last bit to discuss some Twins topics and made an announcement:
  • Fanatic Jack is back on BlogTalkRadio. He’ll be hosting his return show tonight at 9:00. And the announcement is that Jack and I will be hosting shows under this same account. You’ll still have the SethSpeaks.net Weekly Minnesota Twins podcast ,but the link to that show will be changing. The Reason? We have gone together and signed up for BlogTalkRadio’s Premium package. What does that mean? Instead of me hosting 30 minute shows starting at 10:00, we can do 1 or 2 hour shows including at times. Frankly, the ½ hour shows this past year have been a little frustrating. If I want to have a guest or two, it’s hard to get too in-depth on topics. So, I think this is a good thing. Of course, the Premium service isn’t free, so if anyone wants to sponsor a show, just let one of us know. And, keep tuned, we hope that there will be more than two shows. During the season, Twins Minor League Weekly will be able to return to a full-hour show, and that is a good thing.
  • There is also a new Gleeman and the Geek episode in which they discuss a bunch of Twins discussions and I find myself disagreeing with the Twins Geek on pretty much everything… but that’s normal!  Ha!

Feel free to comment.

Twins Prospect Loses Teammate, Friend

22 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Those of us in the United States woke up on Monday morning and saw the news that Mariners outfield prospect Greg Halman had been stabbed and killed, and that his brother, Jason, had been arrested on the scene. To those that knew him, the news was devastating.

Two weeks ago, Halman participated in the European big league tour. He joined several Major League players, including Prince Fielder, Dexter Fowler, Adam Jones and fellow Dutch big leaguer Rick Van den Hurk (who founded the program), to meet kids and provide clinics for them to learn baseball. During the 2011 season, the 24 year old outfielder played in 35 games for the Mariners and hit two home runs and stole five bases. In 2010, he made his big league debut in September after hitting 33 home runs in AAA.

In 2009, Halman was the centerfielder for Team Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic. You remember, the team that beat The Dominican Republic twice in the first round. Bert Blyleven was the pitching coach for that team, and the starting pitcher in that elimination game was Twins prospect Tom Stuifbergen.

Halman and Stuifbergen were both born in the city of Haarlem, the capital of North Holland, in the Netherlands. The city has a population of just over 150,000. The two did not go to the same school but, as Stuifbergen recalls, “we played club ball together. We don’t have school ball like in the US, but we played ball and hung out basically four out of seven days a week. We played for ‘Kinheim.’”

Stuifbergen continues, “I started playing with Greg when I was nine because he always played with the bigger guys because of his talent. When I was six, I played with Jason, his brother.”

“I knew Jason very, very well too. These two guys were so close to each other. You have no clue! They loved each other more than they loved anyone else.” This, of course, makes Monday’s news all the more perplexing and incomprehensible.

“Greg and I grew up together as young kids. I played with him until he turned 16 years old and signed (with the Mariners). We promised each other to face off in the big leagues, for a dinner! But, yeah… it’s just awful. It’s tough.”

Halman had represented The Netherlands in many international competitions throughout his minor league career with Stuifbergen. Because he was in the big leagues, he could not be part of the Netherlands’ World Cup championship. He was so excited about the championship though, and that his friend (Stuifbergen) was named the Best Pitcher in the tournament.

Stuifbergen added, “There were so many good things in the news about baseball in the Netherlands.”

And then this.

Life always finds a way to put things back into proper perspective. This is yet another unfortunate example of that. On Friday, Stuifbergen was likely disappointed that he was not added to the Twins 40 man roster. It doesn’t seem as important now that he has lost his good friend in this way.

“It’s tragic. It hurts. He will be missed.”

Feel free to comment.

Joe Nathan Signs with the Rangers

21 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Reports out of Texas are saying that Joe Nathan has signed on with the Texas Rangers. The deal is said to be for two years at $7 million with an option for a third year. The Rangers are also said to be moving Neftali Feliz from his closer’s role to the starting rotation.

After missing the entire 2010 season with Tommy John surgery, Nathan came back and reclaimed his closer’s role in April. It didn’t take too long for him to give it back to Matt Capps. After a DL stint, Nathan returned and pitched quite well, especially late in the season.

In the TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook, we predicted two years and $14 million for Nathan… Not too shabby.

Nathan joined the Twins at about this time in 2003. The Twins sent AJ Pierzynski to the Giants in exchange for Nathan, Francisco Liriano and Boof Bonser. He had one career save before coming to the Twins, and eight years and 260 saves later, he is the Twins all-time Saves leader, having surpassed Rick Aguilera just this past season.

I know there are people who can’t get past the Mark Teixeira homer in the playoffs… or a couple of other playoff blunders. I think it’s important to remember that from 2004 through 2009, Joe Nathan was, at worst, the second-best closer in all of baseball. In those six seasons, he posted an ERA higher than 2.10 just one time (2.96). He never posted a WHIP of greater than 1.06. He didn’t give up many hits. He didn’t walk many, and he averaged 10.9 strikeouts per nine innings.

As Twins President Dave St. Peter tweeted, “Joe and Lisa Nathan = Class Acts. Many contributions on the field and in the community. THX for 8 great years with Twins. Best of luck in Texas.”

Joe Nathan is one of the best Twins players in their history, and he has represented the organization and the community very well. At the same time, Nathan turns 37 on Tuesday, so as much as he appeared to return to form late last year, it’s hard to know what he will do over the next two seasons. So it’s easy to understand why the Twins would have been hesitant to sign him to this reasonable contract. Nathan said that “winning” was going to be a huge factor in where he would sign. I’d say he stayed true to that by signing with the Rangers.

 Feel free to comment.

Monday Morning Links

21 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Good morning and welcome to a new week. Fortunately, from a work perspective, it will be a shortened week, so that’s always a good thing.

I spent too much time this weekend working on my Minnesota Twins Prospect Handbook. I really want to get it out earlier this year. I definitely want to see copies of it at Twins Fest! The meat and potatoes of the book, as always, will be the Prospect Profiles. There will again be over 150 profiles of Twins minor leaguers, and over the weekend, I wrote profiles for all Twins prospect between Logan Darnell and Matt Hauser, alphabetically. If you’re counting, that’s 28 profiles, a busy weekend.

Friday was the big day for Twins news, and of course, you were able to see my thoughts here that day. First, we heard that the Twins were the team that signed Ryan Doumit. Of course, that is not yet true, unless you add the words “pending a physical” to the description. I would assume he will be in Minneapolis in the next couple of days for the physical and to actually sign a contract. As I said on Friday, I love the signing of Doumit. Although he’s not a great catcher, he can catch a little, but he is a right-handed bat who fairly consistently posts an OPS around .800. He can play some 1B, some OF and DH and pinch hit. There is a lot of value in that.

Also on Friday, the Twins and the other big league teams had to add players to their 40 man rosters. The Twins added Oswaldo Arcia, Carlos Gutierrez and Tyler Robertson. They also removed David Bromberg from the 40 man roster in a move that disappointed me. However, the fact that Bromberg cleared waivers says that the Twins most likely made the right decision especially since he has not been around long enough to become a free agent. Most likely, he will return to pitch in the upper levels of the Twins minor league system in 2012.

Over the weekend, more and more details of the about-to-be-signed Collective Bargaining Agreement between the players’ union and the owners. The most important thing is that baseball will not have any work stoppage. If only the NBA would learn from that. But anyway, it appears that there will not be Type B draft pick compensation starting this year. Personally, I think that they should wait until next offseason for those changes to go into effect. For instance, Jason Kubel is a Type B free agent. Under the current system, the Twins would receive a supplemental 1st round pick for Kubel if they offered him arbitration and he declined it. I can completely understand why the Twins chose not to trade players off at the July trade deadline, but by the time the August deadline came, the Twins were definitely a Seller. They traded Jim Thome for $20K. Jason Kubel was also claimed, reported by Cleveland, but the two teams were unable to work out a trade. Why? Well, in part likely because the Twins had to decide whether their compensation for Kubel would be close to what they could draft with the supplemental pick they would get for him. With the changes, the Twins will now get nothing if they lose Kubel. Had they known they would get no compensation for Kubel, they may have traded him in an attempt to get something for him rather than nothing.

On Sunday, the Rockies traded Ty Wigginton to the Phillies. Wigginton can play 1B until Ryan Howard comes back. He can also play some 3B, maybe a little bit at 2B, and play some in the corner outfield spots. He also could be a pinch hitter and a bench option. Seemingly, the trade would take the Phillies out of the running for Michael Cuddyer, at least to some degree. Does it possibly open up some salary room for the Rockies to go after Cuddyer more strongly? They have been reportedly interested in Cuddyer all along. If I’m just guessing, the longer that it takes for Cuddyer to sign with a team, the more likely he returns to the Twins. It means that he isn’t getting the overwhelming offers that he may have hoped for, and if money is less of a factor, then the Twins can swoop in. I would think that the Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit signings would indicate to Cuddyer that they still hope to win in 2012.

 

Monday morning came with the horrible news that Mariners 24-year-old outfielder Greg Halman was stabbed to death in the Netherlands yesterday. His brother has been arrested. Halman played for the Dutch national team in the WBC in 2009 along with Twins prospect Tom Stuifbergen. Stuifbergen tweeted, “Gregory Halman… Our dream to face each other in the MLB… Gone… with such a sad day! #nlhonkbal @MLB” Thoughts go out to those who knew him!

 

 

Around the Twins Blogosphere:

Lots on Ryan Doumit. What will Terry Ryan’s next move be? Feel free to comment.

Twins Add Three Players to 40 Man Roster

18 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

The Twins announced this afternoon that they have added Three players to their 40 man roster. But before I get to that, the Twins decided to remove RHP David Bromberg from their 4r0 man roster, which I have to admit disappoints me to no end. I just don’t understand it. A year ago, he was clearly someone who had to be added to the 40 man roster. Now, he is removed after a season in which he broke a bone in his forearm. It’s not an elbow or shoulder injury. It was a fluke injury. He worked like crazy to get back and is in terrific shape, ready for a second go-‘round. And he was removed from the 40 man roster. This is crazy. Then again, he cleared waivers, so he was outrighted to Rochester. I would hope (and assume) that he would get an invite to big league spring training again.  

But on to those that we can be happy for today, those added to the 40 man roster. They are:

  • RHP Carlos Gutierrez
  • OF Oswaldo Arcia
  • LHP Tyler Robertson

Going by my list yesterday, I ranked Arcia the easiest choice, followed by Gutierrez. I think ranked Tom Stuifbergen #3, Angel Morales #4 and Manuel Soliman #5 before Tyler Robertson at #6. I’ve got to admit, I am definitely surprised by the moves today, although as I pointed out, there were really only two easy choices, and they were both added.

I’m still shocked about the Bromberg news. I can’t say shocked because I had heard rumblings about it being possible awhile back. But I thought the idea was so crazy that it wouldn’t really happen.

I’m curious your thoughts and reaction. Feel free to comment.

Twins Sign Ryan Doumit

18 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

I’d like to start by saying that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this signing! If you purchased a 2011-12 TwinsCentric Offseason GM Handbook, you noted that I had Doumit on my blueprint. I actually think I offered him a 2 year deal worth $7 million (you know, in my fantasy world of signing big league players to contracts). So when we saw that it was a 1 year deal for $3 million with incentives, I was really, really excited. The guy can hit. It will be interesting to see how his .800+ OPS translates to Target Field. It will be interesting to see how Gardy chooses to use him. Not a good defensive catcher, will he be the backup, or will he be an emergency catcher with a good glove backup catcher so that Doumit can DH, play some 1B and some RF.

Between Jamey Carroll and Ryan Doumit, and a few of those minor league signings announced yesterday, they might not be the huge names, but these are some really solid moves for a ball club. They address two big needs.

Now on to the pitching!!

By the way, I anticipate the Twins announcing their 40 man roster additions in the next hour or so, so be sure to check back.

Feel free to comment.

Twins Sign Minor League Free Agents

18 Nov

also available at www.SethSpeaks.net -

Jim Mandelaro of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle reported on Thursday afternoon that the Twins had signed eight minor league free agents. We already knew a few of them. The Twins brought back 2B/OF Brian Dinkelman and LHP Phil Dumatrait on minor league contracts. Both had been removed from the 40 man roster and elected free agency before coming back to the Twins. The other six came from outside the organization. Here is a quick run-down on each of them. After doing just a little research on each, there are a couple worth keeping an eye on.

Most years, all teams bring in anywhere from five to 15 minor league free agents. They are brought in to help the AAA or AA rosters with the idea that one or two of them will be able to help out the big league club by providing depth at a position of need. I thought it might be good to get to know these guys a little bit more. Why? Last year, the Twins signed a lot of guys to minor league contracts and we saw several of them with the Twins. We saw Dumatrait, Chuck James, Rene Rivera and Steve Holm get some time with the Twins. After looking at these players, I have to admit that I’m as excited about a couple of these guys as I am about several of the players on the 40 man roster. (Reminder, we should find out today which Twins minor leaguers will be added to the Twins 40 man roster this afternoon.)

Here are the signed players from outside the organization (I didn’t include Dinkelman and Dumatrait or previously brought back Michael Hollimon and Ray Chang):

Jared Burton – The 30 year old Burton was the 8th round pick of the Oakland A’s in 2002 out of Western Carolina University. The Reds (and Wayne Krivsky) made him their Rule 5 selection in 2006 which meant he needed to spend the entire 2007 season with the big league club. From 2007 through 2009, he pitched in 154 games for the Reds. He has played in just ten games for the Reds the past two seasons as he has fought shoulder injuries. In his 169 big league innings, he has a 3.41 ERA, 73 walks and 143 strikeouts. He has hit 95 on the radar gun with his fastball. He has a slider and a changeup, but he is best known for his cutter (aka, the pitch that made Mariano Rivera, Mariano Rivera). Like Rivera, he is actually even better against left-handed hitters than righties. Right handed hitters have posted a .705 OPS against him while lefties have struggled to a .665 OPS. I think this is a sleeper signing for the Twins. In fact, don’t be surprised if he competes for the Twins closer role at some point (if they don’t bring back Joe Nathan).

Wilkin Ramirez – Ramirez is only about to turn 26 years old despite being signed by the Tigers way back in 2003. He reached the big leagues with the Tigers in 2009 and went 4-11 with a triple and a home run off of Matt Harrison. He played in the Futures Game in 2008 and 2010. Before the 2010 season, he ranked as the Tigers #8 prospect by Baseball America. By late July, he was Designated for Assignment and traded to the Braves. He got 26 at bats for the Braves in 2011. Two of his six hits were doubles. In 81 games with the AAA Gwinnett team, he hit .267/.307/.458 with 16 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs. He also stole 19 bases. He’s got good speed and pop in his bat that will help Rochester, but he is still young enough to have some upside and who knows, he may get a shot to compete for an outfield job with the Twins out of spring training if they don’t bring back Michael Cuddyer or Jason Kubel.

Matt Carson – The 30 year old outfielder was the 5th round pick of the Yankees in 2002 out of BYU. He reached the big leagues for the first time in 2009 with the A’s where he went 6-21 with a home run off former Twins pitcher Eddie Guardado. He went 14-79 with the A’s in 2010 with four more home runs. In four seasons of AAA, he has hit a combined .280/.343/.515 (.858). However, a lot of that was with the A’s AAA team in Sacramento in the Pacific League. He went from Sacramento to Durham (Rays) at the July 2011 trade deadline for cash.

Brendan Wise – 25 year old Wise is another Twins player from Perth, Australia. He was the 8th round pick of the Tigers in 2005 out of Pratt Community College. In 2010, he went 2-0 with a 1.44 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP in 25 innings. He walked 11 and struck out 17. He moved up to Toledo where he was 4-2 with a 2.08 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. In 52 innings, he walked 12 and struck out 23. In 2011, he went 5-2 with a 1.90 ERA and a 1.38 WHIP. In 61.2 innings, he walked 28 and struck out 39. Interestingly, yet not surprising based on the high walk and low strikeout numbers, his FIP was 4.03. 62% of the time, opponents hit ground balls against him. He has a good slider with a sinking fastball in the low 90s.

Samuel Deduno – The 28 year old Dominican right-hander signed with the Rockies in 2003. He pitched in four games for the Rockies in 2010 before fracturing his elbow. He was on the opening day roster of the Padres in 2011, but he pitched in just two games before going down to AAA Tucson. He went 4-6 with a 3.93 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. In 105.1 innings, he gave up 101 hits, walked 58 and struck out 85. He also threw 17 wild pitches. He isn’t overpowering, with a fastball at 91-92, but he has a very good curveball that misses some bats.

Luis Perdomo – Signed by Cleveland in 2006 from the Dominican Republic, Perdomo was traded to St. Louis in 2008. He was a Rule 5 pick by the Giants in 2009 but then claimed by the Padres. He debuted with the Friars in April of 2009 and pitched in 35 games that season. In 60 innings, he went 1-0 with a 4.80 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. He was sent down to AAA in 2010 and pitched in one game for the Padres. Last season, he went 0-8 with 10 saves and a 5.40 ERA and 1.84 WHIP in 71.2 innings. Another hard-thrower, Perdomo touches the mid-90s with his fastball with a slider.

Feel free to comment.

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