Twins 2011 Year in Review

2011 Superstars
Batting Average:
Team - Joe Mauer, .287
Qualifier - Michael Cuddyer, .284

Homeruns:
Michael Cuddyer, 20

RBI's:
Danny Valencia, 72

Wins:
Brian Duensing, 9
Francisco Liriano, 9
Carl Pavano, 9

Saves:
Matt Capps, 15

Strikeouts:
Scott Baker, 123

2011 Stats/Standings
Record: 63-99
Rank: 5th in AL Central
Scored: 619 runs
Allowed: 804 runs
Payroll: $112,737,000
Attendance: 3,168,116

Justin Verlander Just Kills the Twins

Poor Twins. The Twins had their best chance in the first inning when they had two runners on with one out. Verlander got out of the jam and looked to be in some trouble when he had already thrown 60 pitches through three innings Clearly, that wasn't the case. He buckled down and dominated the Twins lineup and they were toast from there. Manager Ron Gardenhire seemed to agree with my analysis.

"You saw us get dominated by Verlander over there," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "He was pretty filthy."

Verlander has two wins in two starts against the Twins this season with a 1.15 ERA.

Delmon Young Traded to Tigers

Delmon Young was traded to the Twins' AL Central rival Detroit Tigers on Monday and did not disappoint in his debut with his new team. In his first at bat against Francisco Liriano, Young hit a home run in his first at bat as a Tiger. It was only Young's 5th home run of the season and Young finished the night 2-4 with just the RBI from the home run.

Young was traded for a minor league pitcher in Class A who has an ERA just south of 5 and was a former 10th round pick. Some trade...

The Twins won the game 9-6 and Young was barely the story of the night. Jim Thome hit his 599th and 600th home runs last night to join the 600 home run club. Thome had not hit a home run since August 4th. The Detroit Tigers honored him by posting a congratulatory message on the scoreboard after he hit number 600. Thome also received a standing ovation from the Detroit Tigers fan as he rounded the bases.

Gardy Loves Revere

Ben Revere has played so well during his stint in the majors that he has earned the respect of the Twins Manager Ron Gardenhire. Revere covers a lot of ground in the outfield, makes a lot of contact, and runs the bases extremely well. His growth makes other players on the Twins expendable (I'm looking at you, Michael Cuddyer). Revere replaced Span in the lineup since he has been out with a concussion. Revere has a lot of the same qualities as Span. Span claims he has a stronger arm, but knows that he can't beat Revere in one category.

"He’s quicker than I am,’’ Span said. "His first step, he gets to full speed. As for me, the third or fourth step is when I get going. I think that’s the biggest difference between the two of us.’’

Revere is a career .327 hitter in the minors, so his performance in the majors is no fluke. Look for the Twins to move either him or Span at some point considering they bring a lot of the same things to the table.

Stats to note

When you compare this year’s stats to last year’s stats at this time, it is no wonder the Minnesota Twins are playing so poorly. Just take a look

-the Twins were in last place in all of baseball with only 113 runs scored through 35 games.

-They rank 27th in baseball in batting average and rank dead last in the American League at .231.

-Their RBI total of 101 is dead last in all of baseball

-A year ago, the Twins had a 21-12 first-place record compared to the present record of 12-23.

-Last year the Twins had eight hitters batting over .250. This year, they only have two players batting over .250: Denard Span at .288 and Jason Kubel at .355

-A year ago, the pitching staff had a ERA of 3.56, this the team’s ERA is 4.76

While the old saying goes, stats don’t tell you everything, in the case of the Twins it certainly does this year.

Next Minnesota Twins Homestand

The Minnesota Twins return to Target Field next week to take on the Detroit Tigers and the Toronto Blue Jays. It will be another important 5 games for the Minnesota Twins as they look to gain ground in the American League Central Division.

Tue, May 10 vs Detroit 8:10 PM

Wed, May 11 vs Detroit 1:10 PM

Fri, May 13 vs Toronto 8:10 PM

Sat, May 14 vs Toronto 4:10 PM

Sun, May 15 vs Toronto 2:10 PM

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FRANCISCO LIRIANO THROWS A NO HITTER

Francisco Liriano threw a no hitter on Tuesday night in Chicago against the White Sox in a 1-0 victory. What a great memory for him that will be. How he got his no hitter was something else. He only struck out 2 and walked 6 batters but no hitters were able to scrap together a hit. Liriano was virtually pitching for his spot in the rotation after he came in with an ERA of over 9. I am so happy for Francisco and feel like I have seen him from all the ups and downs throughout his career. Congratulations Franky, you deserve it.

Tampa Bay Rays Take 3 of 4 From the Minnesota Twins

It wasn't the way the Minnesota Twins had hoped it would go, but at least we finished on a strong note. The Minnesota Twins let 2 victories slip out of their hands and Johnny Damon made them pay. Matt Capps and Joe Nathan both struggled as Carl Pavano and Scott Baker threw gems. Capps has now replaced Nathan for the time being as the Minnesota Twins closer. So, were 15 games in and sitting at 5-10. We have some work to do, but at least we're not the Boston Red Sox.

Next up is a 4 game series at the Baltimore Orioles. Starts tonight. Let's go Twins.

Week One Notes

One week into the season. After one game has been rained out, our record is 2-4. We played at Toronto and New York. Thankfully we have gotten those out of the way now. Those are not two easy places to play, in fact they have been the hardest for the Twins to play at in recent memory. We will now play against Oakland, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, and Baltimore in consecutive series. These are more managable, as I don't think these teams have the firepower that Toronto and New York have. Denard Span has gotten off to a solid start in the leadoff spot and Joe Nathan has converted both of his save opportunities, really glad to see that.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka Breaks His Leg

Tsuyoshi Nishioka broke his leg yesterday while playing against the New York Yankees. As if we didn't already have a curse against them and bad luck, our second basemen now has a broken leg. There is no time table yet, but one can think it will be at least 6 weeks, maybe longer. His leg broke on a play that Nick Swisher was attempting to disrupt a double play. It really wasn't anything dirty, just a play that clipped Nishi's leg and landed on it awkwardly. Here's to hoping for a fast recovery. In the meantime, welcome Luke Hughes.

Target Field Opening Day

The Minnesota Twins are hosting the Oakland Athletics this weekend. It is opening weekend at Target Field, the spanking new ballpark in Downtown Minneapolis. The stadium was packed every game last year and was rated #1 by ESPN's best stadium atmosphere. The Minnesota Twins will be competing all season long for a division title and this weekend will start the journey at Target Field.

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2011 Minnesota Twins Roster

Here is the breakdown of the 2011 Minnesota Twins Roster:

Starting Pitchers:

Carl Pavano

Francisco Liriano

Brian Duensing

Nick Blackburn

Scott Baker

Relievers:

Joe Nathan

Matt Capps

Jose Mijares

Kevin Slowey

Dusty Hughes

Glen Perkins

Jeff Manship

Infielders:

Danny Valencia

Alexi Casilla

Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Justin Morneau

Joe Mauer

Drew Butera

Matt Tolbert

Outfielders:

Delmon Young

Denard Span

Michael Cuddyer

Jason Kubel

Jason Repko

DH:

Jim Thome

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Pat Neshek Claimed off Waivers by San Diego Padres

Pat Neshek has been claimed off waivers by the San Diego Padres. Neshek has been with the Minnesota Twins since 2006 and is a graduate of Park Center Senior High School in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota. Neshek had a breakout 2007 season in which he was chosen to be 1 of the 5 players in the final vote for the All-Star game. He was one of the best relievers in all of baseball in the 2007 season. Unfortunately, Neshek was forced to get Tommy John Surgery in 2009 and missed the entire season. He has an unorthodox delivery but it's one that can also fool hitters. Best of luck Pat Neshek and good luck in San Diego!

Minnesota Twins Ticket Base Reaches 25,000

Press Release from the official Minnesota Twins website from March 2nd:

"The Minnesota Twins today announced they have reached their season ticket capacity of 25,000 full season equivalents. While the Twins are no longer accepting new season ticket sales for the 2011 season, fans can join the "On Deck Circle" at www.twinsbaseball.com to establish season ticket priority for the 2012 season and beyond."

It is an all-time high for the Minnesota Twins organization, who had 24,500 season ticket holders last season. This high number displays the popularity that this team has in the Twin Cities as well as how well-received Target Field is. Can't wait until the 2011-2012 starts!

Tsuyoshi Nishioka Has Large Following in Spring Training

The Minnesota Twins have a new infielder this season. Many of us have no idea what to expect from this new infielder. Tsuyoshi Nishioka joins the Minnesota Twins and will platoon the middle infield with Alexi Casilla. One thing we know: Nishioka has a great bat, potentially. I say potentially because he hit .346 in the Japanese League last season, but I'm a tad skeptical because the MLB is the best baseball league in the world and to expect those numbers would be Ichiro like. He has speed. He has 3 Gold Gloves to his name.

Nishioka also has quite the following in Spring Training. Several of the media reporters down in Fort Myers covering the Twins have written various articles discussing how Nishioka is pretty much a superstar in his native land. He's got a translator for him and 20-30 cameramen following his journey. I, for one, am very excited to see this talented player. Can the season start already?

Delmon Young Gets a Raise

The Minnesota Twins and Delmon Young avoided arbitration. The two sides agreed to a one-year contract for 2011, worth $5.375 million. Delmon Young had a breakout season last year, batting .298 with 21 home runs and a team-high 112 RBIs. He made $2.6 million last season. Congratulations to Mr. Young, you earned the raise. Hopefully Delmon can continue his pace and show he's a player to be reckoned with in baseball.

PS - Delmon Young was on the cover of MLB Sporting New Baseball last month with Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers.

Matt Capps and Glen Perkins Get Deal

Matt Capps and Glen Perkins avoided arbitration, signing one-year deals for $7.15 million and $700,000. The $7.15 million seems high, and it is indeed high. However, it is a contract I will take as opposed to signing Matt Guerrier or Jesse Crain to three year deals. Capps is on the book for one more season as opposed to three. I also like the $700,000 for Perkins. Clearly Perkins has struggled recently but it's a low risk potentially high reward. He was a former first round pick and I still believe in the guy.

Minnesota Twins Sign Carl Pavano to 2 Year Deal

The Minnesota Twins have agreed to resign starting pitcher Carl Pavano to a 2-year deal worth $16.5 million. This is a big boost for the rotation, as Pavano went 17-11 last season with a 3.75 ERA. Not to mention he had 7 complete games. The deal I believe is very reasonable and it isn't long term. It is a good deal for both sides. Welcome back 'stache!

Will the Twins Push For Any Other Free Agents?

There are still some household names looking for some teams in the free agency pool. Now, most are "over the hill" and past their prime. However, as we know, some players still have some left in the tank and play for the "something to prove" point. Here are still some possibilities:

Andruw Jones

Vlad Guerrero

Troy Glaus

Jorge Cantu (still only 26)

Manny Ramirez

Do you think that the Minnesota Twins will pursue any of these players? Sure, the Twins won't even propose a large sum (which they shouldn't), but would it be worth to invest in a low risk-high reward scenario?

Will Jim Thome Re-sign with Minnesota Twins?

Just about every Minnesota Twins fan has been paying close attention to whether Jim Thome will re-sign with the team or move along to another team. Fans are hoping and crossing their fingers that Jim Thome returns to the Minnesota Twins. Not a whole lot has been made about where he might possibly go, but it has worried most fans. The free agency period has upgraded some teams with Cliff Lee headed back to Philly, Zach Greinke to the Brewers, and Adam Dunn to the White Sox. The Minnesota Twins are hoping their upgrade may come in the form or re-signing their powerful designated hitter, Mr. Jim Thome.