One of the attractions of going home for Eater weekend this year (along with somewhat significant stuff like seeing family and friends and celebrating the resurrection of Jesus), was being able to watch the Twins' opening series against Baltimore.
Those who shared that experience with me know that the joy of it was slightly tempered by the fact that the Twins played absolutely awful baseball. I'm not a fair-weather fan. Anyone who went to high school with me can probably tell you I was loyal to the team even then when one could count on it finding the bottom of the standings as surely as a catfish finding the bottom of a river. But this is the first time in a long time that I'm just not particularly optimistic about the season. It seems like the franchise is moving in the wrong direction by subtracting Thome, Kubel and Cuddyer without adding a whole lot.
Still, I feel like I gotta try and find some positives from opening weekend — not so much for myself but for my grandma, who will watch most of these 162 games no matter how bad they are (unless my brother hijacks her TV for cable news purposes):
-- Justin Morneau is back (and swinging well): Morneau went 4-for-10 with two doubles over the weekend, taking fat pitches and quality pitches and driving them hard. Morneau's concussion was arguably the most frustrating injury an athlete can suffer. The symptoms can linger indefinitely (just ask Sidney Crosby), even though you look perfectly fine and feel pretty good doing most everyday activities. There's no timeline for recovery and no surgery, physical therapy or herbal voodoo (that I know of) that can help. I've had one concussion in my life and I don't even think it was all that severe, but it still scared the bejeebers out of me, as it temporarily wiped out my short-term memory almost completely. The takeaway? Head injuries are nothing to mess with. It's great to see Morneau back, even just DH-ing, and if he can hit anywhere near his MVP numbers, it would go a long way to off-setting the loss of Kubel and Thome's lefty power.
-- The new additions are doing their thing: Rather than making a splash in the off-season, the Twins made their usual modest ripple. But the returns are good so far. Josh Willingham went 3-for-9 with a homer, a double and three RBI at the plate, provided an unlikely defensive boost when he threw a runner out at home, and appeared in one of the more entertaining Twins commercials in recent memory (The Big Herbowksi). If he continues to hit like that, he'll go a long way to replacing Cuddy's right-handed bat (though I don't think he'll ever throw out runners like Cuddy). The other main addition, Jamey Carroll, hasn't hit a thing. But he was brought in primarily to shore up shortstop and he's done that thus far, with a slew of defensive gems and no notable mistakes. Very important, considering last year's SS experiment, Nishioka, appeared to lose his fielding and hitting ability on the flight over from Japan (kids, take note: that's why you always pack your skill set in your carry-on bag and don't risk checking it).
-- A pretty good outing from a No. 6 starter: Anthony Swarzak was supposed to begin the season in the bullpen, but got a surprise start due to a bout of food poisoning for Liam Hendriks (which gave me a bout of morbid curiosity, wondering if he got it from any place I once ate in Baltimore). Swarzak responded by going five strong innings with a solo homer his only blemish (he probably should have been given the ball for the sixth, which was when the bullpen more or less blew it). Guys like Swarzak and Brian Duensing have had some good stretches as starters in the past and having that kind of depth can only help when the usual bit of elbow soreness, shoulder issues or uncontrollable vomiting rear their ugly heads.
Unfortunately, the back-loading of the rotation that pushed out guys like Swarzak and Duensing also accentuates one of the Twins' greatest weaknesses: the lack of a legitimate (or even close enough to be passable) top-of-the-rotation ace. In short, what they have is about 7 or 8 guys who would make good No. 4 or 5 starters. Carl Pavano might be a No. 3, and he can eat innings, but he's not an ace.
In my humble opinion, this has been the organization's biggest failing of late. The Twins haven't had an ace since Francisco Liriano blew out his elbow. I held out for a Tommy John miracle for a couple years, but it doesn't look like Liriano's gonna get one. He has to rely on his head as much as his arm now, and that's never a good equation for a head case.
An ace would push all the other pitchers back in the rotation, into much more natural spots. But as far as I can tell, there's only three ways to get one: draft one, pay through the nose in free agency or trade a boatload of prospects to get one mid-season from a team that's fallen out of contention.
The Twins haven't been able to draft one, they've shown no inclination to spend that kind of free-agent money (nor should they, necessarily — it's a huge risk) and they seem to no longer have the prospect haul to even propose a trade that a team with an ace wouldn't just chuckle at and move on. That being the case, the Twins may end up being that team that falls out of contention at mid-season. For Grandma's sake, I hope I'm wrong.
Showing posts with label Twins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twins. Show all posts
Monday, April 9, 2012
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Damn Yankees
One of the reasons I was looking forward to moving back to Minnesota was that I would be able to watch the Twins on TV a lot more. So, of course, in the first three games I watch they get swept by the Yankees at home. That runs their season record against the Evil Empire to an awesome 0-7. Of course, this is nothing new. The Twins won their division in 2002 and 2003 despite going a combined 0-13 against the Yanks.
So why is it that a relatively good team has so much trouble taking even one game from the Yankees? Sometimes I think it's because the Twins try too hard against New York. They're a team that's built on pitching to contact, playing loose and smooth in the field and stringing together base-hits. But against the Yankees it seems like the pitchers try too hard to nibble at the edges and end up walking way more batters than they usually do. The fielders are too eager to try and turn the bang-bang double play or make a Herculean throw and end up making more errors than they usually do. The hitters are too eager to hit the game-turning homerun and end up striking out more than they usually do.
Then, of course, the Yankees are the Yankees and their history gives their current players more star power than comparable players on other teams. For some reason Derek Jeter's strike zone is much narrower than Joe Mauer's strike zone and Mariano Rivera's strike zone is much wider than Joe Nathan's strike zone. There's no use whining about it. The MLB umpires grew up on the same legends of Gehrig, Mantle and the Babe as every other baseball fan, and the Yankee uniform has an effect on them, subconscious or not. It is what it is.
What makes the Yankees most infuriating to the rest of the nation, though, is their bottomless pocket book. While the Twins have to spend years drafting and developing a top-flight starting pitcher like CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett, the Yankees can go buy both in the same off-season. It's terribly exciting for their fans, but maddening for everybody else.
At the National Meningitis Association conference this year my friend John, who's from New York and a Yankees fan, made a comment about how good Mauer is going to look in pinstripes. That's what it's like to be a Yankees fan. You can look at other teams' best players and, instead of being envious, just say, "Well, he's going to play for us someday." And often you'll be proven right. Look at A-Rod, Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, etc.
Mauer's contract with the Twins runs out after next season and there's every reason to believe the Yanks will make a serious run at him. He'll only be 27 and he's a catcher who can handle a pitching staff, throw out runners, lead the league in batting average and, recently at least, hit for power. There's only been a handful of those kind of catchers in MLB history (in fact, Johnny Bench is the only one who readily comes to mind). Oh yeah, and Mauer also is humble, good-looking, great in the clubhouse and the community and handles the media with ease. And he's never had even the hint of a performance-enhancing drug scandal. He's a PR guy's dream, a manager's dream and a teenage girl's dream, all in one sideburned package.
The Yankees will probably offer him an obscene contract that the Twins can't even come close to matching, even with the new stadium they're opening in 2010. The Twins will likely (hopefully) try to pre-empt them with a long-term extension this winter, but it will still be up to Mauer and his agent as to whether to sign it. It will be a huge payday either way, but it will likely be more huge (huger?) if he waits for free agency. His buddy, MVP first baseman Justin Morneau, has said he will stop talking to Mauer if Mauer leaves the Twins. The jury is still out on whether Morneau was kidding or not.
It is hard to imagine the state-wide outcry that would ensue if Mauer left. He is the Golden Boy here, a St. Paul native who tore through the football, basketball and baseball ranks in high school and then spurned a full scholarship to play quarterback at Florida State for the chance to sign with the hometown Twins. His high school exploits are spoken of like Paul Bunyan tall tales: "Did you know that Joe Mauer once threw an 80-yard touchdown pass... to himself?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer once dunked from the 3-point line?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer only struck out once in four seasons at Cretin-Derham Hall?"
The last one's actually true, but the line seems to blur sometimes when Minnesotans talk about Mauer. He is a source of great pride and has a chance to be the greatest sports legend in state history. But before he can match Kirby Puckett, he has to do something that Puckett did. Midway through his career Puckett called a teary-eyed press conference to announce that he was spurning other contract offers to re-sign with the Twins, the team that had given him a chance and developed him into the player he had become. In turning down more money to play for his hometown Chicago White Sox, Puckett cemented his place in the hearts of Minnesotans. When the time comes to sign his next contract, Mauer can either do the same, or he can break those hearts.
To the regular person it seems absurd. Mauer's already going to get tens of millions of dollars every year. Why would he leave that kind of love in Minnesota for a few million more each year in New York? Still, it would be just like the Yankees to find yet another way to infuriate and demoralize Twins fans.
So why is it that a relatively good team has so much trouble taking even one game from the Yankees? Sometimes I think it's because the Twins try too hard against New York. They're a team that's built on pitching to contact, playing loose and smooth in the field and stringing together base-hits. But against the Yankees it seems like the pitchers try too hard to nibble at the edges and end up walking way more batters than they usually do. The fielders are too eager to try and turn the bang-bang double play or make a Herculean throw and end up making more errors than they usually do. The hitters are too eager to hit the game-turning homerun and end up striking out more than they usually do.
Then, of course, the Yankees are the Yankees and their history gives their current players more star power than comparable players on other teams. For some reason Derek Jeter's strike zone is much narrower than Joe Mauer's strike zone and Mariano Rivera's strike zone is much wider than Joe Nathan's strike zone. There's no use whining about it. The MLB umpires grew up on the same legends of Gehrig, Mantle and the Babe as every other baseball fan, and the Yankee uniform has an effect on them, subconscious or not. It is what it is.
What makes the Yankees most infuriating to the rest of the nation, though, is their bottomless pocket book. While the Twins have to spend years drafting and developing a top-flight starting pitcher like CC Sabathia or AJ Burnett, the Yankees can go buy both in the same off-season. It's terribly exciting for their fans, but maddening for everybody else.
At the National Meningitis Association conference this year my friend John, who's from New York and a Yankees fan, made a comment about how good Mauer is going to look in pinstripes. That's what it's like to be a Yankees fan. You can look at other teams' best players and, instead of being envious, just say, "Well, he's going to play for us someday." And often you'll be proven right. Look at A-Rod, Sabathia, Mark Teixeira, etc.
Mauer's contract with the Twins runs out after next season and there's every reason to believe the Yanks will make a serious run at him. He'll only be 27 and he's a catcher who can handle a pitching staff, throw out runners, lead the league in batting average and, recently at least, hit for power. There's only been a handful of those kind of catchers in MLB history (in fact, Johnny Bench is the only one who readily comes to mind). Oh yeah, and Mauer also is humble, good-looking, great in the clubhouse and the community and handles the media with ease. And he's never had even the hint of a performance-enhancing drug scandal. He's a PR guy's dream, a manager's dream and a teenage girl's dream, all in one sideburned package.
The Yankees will probably offer him an obscene contract that the Twins can't even come close to matching, even with the new stadium they're opening in 2010. The Twins will likely (hopefully) try to pre-empt them with a long-term extension this winter, but it will still be up to Mauer and his agent as to whether to sign it. It will be a huge payday either way, but it will likely be more huge (huger?) if he waits for free agency. His buddy, MVP first baseman Justin Morneau, has said he will stop talking to Mauer if Mauer leaves the Twins. The jury is still out on whether Morneau was kidding or not.
It is hard to imagine the state-wide outcry that would ensue if Mauer left. He is the Golden Boy here, a St. Paul native who tore through the football, basketball and baseball ranks in high school and then spurned a full scholarship to play quarterback at Florida State for the chance to sign with the hometown Twins. His high school exploits are spoken of like Paul Bunyan tall tales: "Did you know that Joe Mauer once threw an 80-yard touchdown pass... to himself?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer once dunked from the 3-point line?" "Did you know that Joe Mauer only struck out once in four seasons at Cretin-Derham Hall?"
The last one's actually true, but the line seems to blur sometimes when Minnesotans talk about Mauer. He is a source of great pride and has a chance to be the greatest sports legend in state history. But before he can match Kirby Puckett, he has to do something that Puckett did. Midway through his career Puckett called a teary-eyed press conference to announce that he was spurning other contract offers to re-sign with the Twins, the team that had given him a chance and developed him into the player he had become. In turning down more money to play for his hometown Chicago White Sox, Puckett cemented his place in the hearts of Minnesotans. When the time comes to sign his next contract, Mauer can either do the same, or he can break those hearts.
To the regular person it seems absurd. Mauer's already going to get tens of millions of dollars every year. Why would he leave that kind of love in Minnesota for a few million more each year in New York? Still, it would be just like the Yankees to find yet another way to infuriate and demoralize Twins fans.
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