RIP Duke

One of the players in the famous triumvirate of New York City center fielders during the 1950s has passed away today.

Edwin Donald Snider, better known to baseball fans as "Duke," was one of the famed "Boys of Summer" on the famous Brooklyn Dodgers teams of the 1940s and 1950s. He spent 16 of his 18 seasons in a Dodger uniform, hitting .295 with 407 home runs and 1,333 RBIs while playing on a whopping seven pennant winners, including winning it all in 1955 and 1959. Just the name of "Duke" seemed to infer a sort of regal elegance, and that's exactly what Snider had while roaming center field in Brooklyn and Los Angeles. In his prime, he had five consecutive 40-home run seasons, peaking at 43 in 1956, all while being a great all-around hitter, as he hit .330 or better in two of those five seasons.

Along with Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese, Snider was one of the most recognizable figures from those great teams of the 1950s, and he remained a living patriarch and link to the "Golden Age of Baseball" long into retirement. While he never received a MVP award during his career, he was bestowed with baseball's highest honor in 1980 by getting elected to the Hall of Fame. Even though he's not with us anymore, the memories and tales of his on-field exploits with one of the best teams in baseball history will live on forever.

Get your coffee for Two Bits...

Random news bits and links from the White Sox and the world of baseball:

Gene Wojciechowski analyzes the balance of power in Chicago. (ESPN)

Jackie Robinson's home in Montreal to receive plaque. (ESPN)

Joe Torre to become Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations. (Sports Illustrated)

What's Bobby Cox like? Umpire Angel Hernandez tells us via twitter what he really thinks of him. (Bugs and Cranks)

Rockies and Diamondbacks impressed with their new Spring Training digs. (Big League Stew)

Chase Utley sidelined with tendinitis. (Big League Stew)

Well, that didn't take long...

Ozzie has responded this time to Jenks, and it was with the fury of an erupting volcano. With all that Ozzie and the organization has done for Bobby, I don't think Ozzie's comments were out of line at all. Hopefully this feud dies out during Spring Training for the sake of both parties, much like the Ozzie/Magglio Ordonez feud back in 2005.

Just let it go already.

Well, it seems as if someone just can't let bygones be bygones. Former Sox closer Bobby Jenks is continuing to disparage his former employer, saying that "a lot of the stuff with Ozzie and the front office gets old," among other things.

I've remained silent on this topic for a while, as Jenks made a statement earlier in the offseason about how he was "looking forward to playing for a manager who knows how to run a bullpen." For all of the times that Ozzie has made cringe-worthy, foot-in-mouth statements, does anybody find it interesting that he's the one who is looking better in this situation?

While I know Ozzie's son Oney called Jenks a "punk" after making his comments, Oney is no longer employed by the team, so it really shouldn't matter at this point what someone in Ozzie's family thinks about a player who is no longer on the team. However, I do not recall Ozzie even wasting all that much time to lash back at Jenks for his comments. Can you believe that Ozzie is actually taking the high road for once, and he's just trying to move on?

Jenks needs to seriously let go of whatever grudges he had with the Sox organization, and just concentrate on playing for the Red Sox. Besides, I don't necessarily agree with him criticizing the Sox, especially after Ozzie was loyal to a fault with him last year, in spite of his struggles closing out ballgames. Ozzie had plenty of other options he could have used to close out games, but he still stuck with Jenks, much to the consternation of many, myself included.

I'm not going to pretend to know what goes on inside of the clubhouse, but I can analyze and evaluate what I see Ozzie and the team doing on the field on a nightly basis. Judging from what I've seen and read since late 2005, Jenks should really be thanking the Sox organization for giving him the chance to succeed in the majors, rather than throwing barbs at them for the way they do things. Besides, if the drama with Ozzie and Kenny Williams is such a distraction, why isn't it affecting guys like Konerko, Buehrle and Pierzynski? If they are such a distraction, then why were the Sox able to lure Adam Dunn to Chicago, when he could have just as easily signed somewhere else? Why did reliever Jesse Crain leave the two-time reigning division champion Twins to join the Sox?

My point is that in spite of all of the drama surrounding this team, there is a measure of accountability that each player must live up to in the organization. If they aren't up to the task, they will easily find someone who is up to it, and they really don't care if they are hurting someone's feelings in the process. The demand for excellence is high within the Sox organization, and Jenks unfortunately was no longer living up to the standard of excellence the team has come to expect from him. It's strictly a business decision, but there's no need to criticize the organization who gave you the chance to succeed at the major league level.

White Sox report on Thursday!

Well, it's that time of year again, when you begin to hear about pitchers and catchers reporting to sun-drenched fields in Arizona and Florida to kick off the baseball season. Even though it's unseasonably warm here in Cincinnati right now, I'm still jealous that I am not there (as any good baseball fan north of Atlanta should be).

Even though most springs are reason for optimism as a Sox fan (at least since 2001 anyway), I have not felt this excited about any Sox team heading into Spring Training since 2006. Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has opened up his wallet again, pouring money into the team by signing Adam Dunn and Jesse Crain, while re-signing Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski. Even better is the fact that they improved themselves by not only adding talent, but by shedding dead weight in letting Manny Ramirez, Andruw Jones, Mark Kotsay and Bobby Jenks walk.

Taking a gander at their position players and starting rotation gives me reason to hope that they can not only de-throne Minnesota, but go far into the postseason. Here's how they look heading into this spring:

1B: Paul Konerko
2B: Gordon Beckham
SS: Alexei Ramirez
3B: Brent Morel/Mark Teahen/Omar Vizquel
LF: Juan Pierre
CF: Alex Rios
RF: Carlos Quentin
C: A.J. Pierzynski

Starting Rotation:
Mark Buehrle
John Danks
Gavin Floyd
Edwin Jackson
Chris Sale?
Jake Peavy?

There's obviously question marks regarding the last two because of the health status of Jake Peavy. Although it seems as if Peavy won't be starting the season with the team, he will be back with them sometime during the first couple of months. Perhaps the biggest question though, will be how he performs once he returns from shoulder surgery. Recovery from shoulder issues are typically more difficult for pitchers to return from, and in Peavy's case, he's returning from a shoulder injury in which the muscle detached from the bone. I'm sure the Sox are holding their collective breaths on this one.

Another thing that comes with a raised payroll is raised expectations. Even though manager Ozzie Guillen has been extended through the 2012 season, the team is in a "win now" position more than ever before. I love Ozzie to death, but if the team cannot come through with the amount of talent they have on their roster, it may be time to explore other options. Here's to hoping that scenario never happens!

As a whole, I will confidently put that roster up against anybody else's in the American League. I know that Texas is still strong heading into this year, Minnesota and Detroit will still be tough, and that the Red Sox are poised to be monsters. However, if everybody plays up to their capabilities, the Sox can stand toe-to-toe with anyone. Remember Boston may look good, but they aren't invincible.

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 30- Philadelphia Phillies

Well, we did it. The final team on our list!

Philadelphia Philllies
Record: 97-65 (NL East Champions, six games ahead of Atlanta).

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Placido Polanco (.298)
Home Runs: Ryan Howard (31)
RBIs: Ryan Howard (108)
On-base Percentage: Jayson Werth (.388)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Roy Halladay (21)
Strikeouts: Roy Halladay (219)
Innings Pitched: Roy Halladay (250.2)
ERA: Roy Halladay (2.44). Bullpen- Ryan Madson (2.55).
WHIP: Roy Halladay (1.04). Bullpen- Ryan Madson (1.04).
Saves: Brad Lidge (27)

Highlight of the Season: What else? On October 6, Roy Halladay tossed just the second no-hitter in postseason history in Game One of the NLDS, blanking the Reds 4-0.

Lowlight of the Season: Game Six of the NLCS, when the Giants ended the Phillies' season in stunning fashion, defeating them 3-2 in Philadelphia on October 23.

The Lowdown:
The Phillies were as good as advertised in 2010, easily winning their fourth consecutive division title behind a fantastic pitching rotation and an intimidating lineup that was among the best in baseball. Oddly enough though, the Phils didn't catch fire until the second-half of the season, finishing the year with a 23-7 kick as they would enter the playoffs as the overwhelming favorite to win their third-consecutive National League pennant. That feat had not been accomplished by a National League team since the 1942-1944 St. Louis Cardinals, but if there looked like a team that could pull that off again, it was Philadelphia.

The Phillies made easy work of the Cincinnati Reds in the first round, sweeping them to set up a showdown against the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS. On paper, the match-up appeared to be a mismatch, but as we all know, these games aren't played on paper. The Phillies' mighty lineup was shut down by the superior pitching of the Giants, and not only that, the Giants' relatively weak lineup was able to get the best of their stable of outstanding starters, defeating Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels each. What looked like an easy road to a National League three-peat turned into a disappointing finish.

Offense:
Philadelphia's offense was strong yet again last year, finishing seventh in MLB in runs (772), ninth in home runs (166), 12th in batting average (.260) and 11th in on-base percentage (.332). Much like the Yankees, the Phillies featured a nice blend of contact, speed and power, between the quintet of Shane Victorino, Placido Polanco, Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley.

Victorino provided an element of speed and a dash of power, hitting 18 home runs while stealing 34 bases, a nice balance you like to see from your leadoff hitter. Placido Polanco, known in many circles as the most difficult man to strike out in baseball, hit a team-best .298, while striking out only 47 times in 554 at-bats. Then came the lumber company of Ryan Howard, Jayson Werth and Chase Utley, as the three were all still very intimidating despite Howard and Utley missing time due to injuries. Howard still finished with 33 homers and 108 RBIs in 143 games, while Utley hit 16 homers and drove in 65 in just 115 contests. Jayson Werthh added an extra element of power in his final season in Philly, hitting 27 home runs and driving in 85, to go along with a nice .388 on-base percentage.

Grading this lineup isn't too difficult at all. While they weren't statistically as great as the Reds, Yankees, Red Sox or Rangers, they were still one of the best in baseball.
Final Grade: A

Pitching:
The staff was led by free agent acquisition Roy Halladay, and he was as good as everybody thought he would be in his first year in the National League. "Doc" went 21-10 with a 2.44 ERA and a MLB-best 250.2 innings pitched. Not only that, he became the first pitcher since Nolan Ryan in 1973 to toss two no-hitters in a season, as he would throw a perfect game against the Marlins during the regular-season and another no-hitter against the Reds during the playoffs. His overall effort was good enough for him to earn his second Cy Young Award, joining a select fraternity to capture the award in both leagues.

Behind him in the rotation was Cole Hamels, the 2008 World Series MVP that found his mojo again. Hamels would finish 12-11 with a 3.08 ERA and 211 strikeouts, which is certainly the kind of pitching the Phillies and their fans would love to see from him again. The Phils also received a nice boost in the rotation when they acquired Roy Oswalt from the Houston Astros via trade. Oswalt would make 13 starts in Philadelphia, going 7-1 with a 1.90 ERA along with a WHIP of 0.90.

In the bullpen, the Phils received strong performances from Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, Jose Contreras and J.C. Romero. Madson was probably the best reliever in the bullpen last year, recording an ERA of 2.55, a WHIP of 1.04, 15 holds and 64 strikeouts in 53 innings. Lidge was solid in the closer's role once again, returning to form with a 2.96 ERA and 27 saves. Jose Contreras also saw time in the set-up role, recording 13 holds with a 3.34 ERA, while J.C. Romero had a fair 3.68 ERA in 60 appearances.

Overall, the Phillies had the best WHIP in baseball at 1.25, while they finished sixth in ERA (3.67) and 10th in "batting average against" (.254). Not too shabby.
Final Grade: A

Wild Card: Roy Halladay
The late manager Chuck Tanner once said of Willie Stargell that having him on your team was "like having a diamond ring on your finger." I'm sure manager Charlie Manuel feels the same way about Roy Halladay right now.
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
If they didn't fizzle out against San Francisco in the NLCS, they would easily get an A+ from me.
Final Grade: A

Well, that will do it for our look at all 30 teams. Even though it took much longer than 30 days, I would like to thank each and every one of you who took the time out of your day to check out my blog, I really appreciate it! Make sure to check back soon for more posts on the White Sox and Major League Baseball on "The South Side Hit Parade!"

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 29- Tampa Bay Rays

Tampa Bay Rays
Record: 96-66 (AL East Champions, one game ahead of New York).

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Carl Crawford (.307)
Home Runs: Carlos Pena (28)
RBIs: Evan Longoria (107)
On-base Percentage: Evan Longoria (.372)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: David Price (19)
Strikeouts: David Price (188)
Innings Pitched: David Price (208.2)
ERA: David Price (2.72). Bullpen- Joaquin Benoit (1.34).
WHIP: David Price (1.19). Bullpen- Joaquin Benoit (0.68).
Saves: Rafael Soriano (45)

Highlight of the Season: On the final day of the season, the Rays were able to clinch the AL East with a 3-2, 12 inning victory over the Royals in Kansas City. A Yankees loss to the Red Sox that same day would make the Division Title an outright one for the Rays. Another moment worthy of mention was Matt Garza tossing the first no-hitter in franchise history before a nationwide television audience on July 26 against the Tigers.

Lowlight of the Season: A season that appeared to be destined for greatness came to an abrupt end on October 12, as the Rays lost 5-1 to the Rangers in Game Five of the ALDS.

The Lowdown:
The writing was on the wall entering the 2010 season, as many people knew that the window of opportunity for Tampa Bay to win a championship was closing quickly. Many of their key players were about to become free agents, meaning that it was imperative that the team get off to a quick start in order to keep those people from being jettisoned off to wealthier contenders. The Rays did not disappoint though, as they got off to a fast start and never looked back, capturing their second division title in three years behind fantastic pitching and an offense that was good, despite their times of collective instability. Keeping the mighty Yankees at bay in the AL East is no easy task for a team with a payroll as small as Tampa Bay's, and in order to make 2010 a season to remember, they had to build off of the success they had in 2008 and win the World Series.

Unfortunately for Tampa Bay, they would be stymied by the fantastic pitching of the Texas Rangers during the Division Series. Even though the series loss was disappointing, the Rays did not go down without a fight, as they came back from a 2-0 deficit to force a Game Five at home. However, waiting for them in Game Five was Rangers ace Cliff Lee, and he was on top of his game that night, going all nine in shutting down the Rays 5-1. With many of their key players gone, it will be a difficult task to keep in the cutthroat AL East once again entering 2011.

Offense:
The Rays' offense last year was puzzling, to say the least. They finished third in MLB in runs with 802, 10th in on-base percentage at a clip of .333 and 12th in home runs with 160. However, they were one of the worst teams in baseball batting average-wise, finishing 27th in the bigs at a clip of .247. Their lack of contact hitting no doubt contributed to some of the outstanding pitching performances that were tossed against them, including Dallas Braden's perfect game, Edwin Jackson's no-hitter, and Brandon Morrow's 17 strikeout outing. Despite that, the Rays featured some great offensive weapons, including left fielder Carl Crawford, who made his final season in a Tampa Bay uniform a memorable one, hitting .307 with 19 home runs, 90 RBIs and 47 steals. The other offensive threat in the lineup was obviously Evan Longoria, who had another great campaign, hitting .294 with 22 home runs and 104 RBIs.

Other than that, there weren't many other eye-catching performers in their lineup. First baseman Carlos Pena had an absolutely bizarre season, hitting 28 home runs while driving in 84, in spite of a horrific .196 batting average. Outfielder B.J. Upton flashed some power, hitting 18 home runs, but his .237 average and .322 on-base percentage make you wonder if he will ever become the player many projected him to be coming out of the minors.

I suppose the lineup is effective, when you consider that there were only two teams in baseball that scored more runs (Boston and New York), but it's almost scary to think how many runs they would have scored if they hit better collectively.
Final Grade: B+

Pitching:
Tampa Bay's strong point last year was in their pitching, and the young David Price led the way, finishing 19-6 with a 2.72 ERA and 188 strikeouts in his second full big league season. His performance last year certainly earns him the right to be mentioned as one of the best pitchers in the American League right now, and if it wasn't for Felix Hernandez's outstanding season, Price could have been the first Rays pitcher to win a Cy Young Award. Even though James Shields, Jeff Niemann and Wade Davis were fairly average last year, Matt Garza put together a good performance on the hill, going 15-10 with a 3.91 ERA in 204.2 innings, while tossing the franchise's first no-hitter on July 26.

In the bullpen, the Rays had a stable of outstanding arms, and their collective ERA of 3.33 (third in MLB) certainly shows that. Manager Joe Maddon wasn't afraid to go to the bullpen with regularity, and you can see that in the stats, as five relievers made 60 or more appearances last year. The two major standouts in this great bullpen were easily Joaquin Benoit and closer Rafael Soriano, who finished with ERAs of 1.34 and 1.73 respectively. Both also featured WHIPs under one, as Benoit led the team with a 0.68 clip, while Soriano wasn't far behind him at 0.80. Simply put, there weren't too many people getting on base late in the ballgame with those two on the hill. Soriano also finished with 45 saves, good for first in the American League and third in MLB.

Overall, Tampa Bay finished eighth in ERA (3.73), third in quality starts (95), third in WHIP (1.26) and fourth in "batting average against" (.244). Well done!
Final Grade: A+

Wild Card: Oh those hitting woes
Much like old-school Christmas lights, it seemed as if Tampa Bay's lineup would collectively go out if one key player was not performing well. They were no-hit twice, first by Oakland's Dallas Braden on Mother's Day (a perfect game) then in the following month by Arizona's Edwin Jackson, who walked a whopping nine batters in his performance. They were nearly no-hit a third time in August, when Toronto's Brandon Morrow came within one out of history before Evan Longoria broke up the party. Morrow would still finish with a ridiculous 17 strikeouts, a MLB-high in 2010. Ouch.
Final Grade: D

Overall:
Was 2010 the last hurrah for the Rays? Time will only tell.
Final Grade: A

Check back soon for the report card on the Philadelphia Phillies!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 28- New York Yankees

My glacial look at all thirty teams continues, in spite of the fact that it has been well over thirty days!

New York Yankees
Record: 95-67 (Second place in AL East, one game behind Tampa Bay. AL Wild Card Champions).

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Robinson Cano (.319)
Home Runs: Mark Teixeira (33)
RBIs: Alex Rodriguez (125)
On-base Percentage: Brett Gardner (.383)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: CC Sabathia (21)
Strikeouts: CC Sabathia (197)
Innings Pitched: CC Sabathia (237.2)
ERA: CC Sabathia (3.18). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (1.80)
WHIP: CC Sabathia (1.19). Bullpen- Mariano Rivera (0.83)
Saves: Mariano Rivera (33)

Highlight of the Year: Sweeping the Twins for the second year in a row in the Division Series on October 9, as they would defeat Minnesota 6-1 in front of the home crowd at Yankee Stadium.
Lowlight of the Year: Almost two weeks later, the Yankees lost to the Texas Rangers 6-1 in Game Six of the ALCS, which ended their quest to repeat as World Champions.

The Lowdown:
The Yankees entered the 2010 season with reason to believe that they could repeat as World Champions. After all, they had the best team in baseball by a wide margin, and there wasn't any reason to believe that their pitching would regress. Even if it did, they still had a phenomenal lineup to fall back on to bail their pitching staff out in times of trouble. Once the season began, the Yankees were back at it again, bludgeoning opponents with their mighty offense, even when their starting rotation was largely mediocre behind CC Sabathia. However, the Yankees were challenged once again by the pesky Tampa Bay Rays, who were able to keep pace with New York all season long. With Boston as a non-factor in the AL East race, New York and Tampa duked it out until the season's end, when the Yankees fell short of Tampa Bay by one game in the East, capturing the Wild Card instead.

In spite of being the Wild Card, the Yankees still had the look of a dangerous team entering the playoffs, and they laid waste to the Twins in the first round yet again to make it back to the ALCS. Surprisingly enough, their opponent would not be the Rays, but the Texas Rangers, a very formidable adversary. Unfortunately for the Yankees, they ran out of gas in the ALCS, as the Rangers made fairly easy work of the Bronx Bombers to reach the World Series. While many teams in baseball look at a trip to the LCS as an accomplishment, the Yankees have a much different standard for evaluation, and coming up short in the playoffs last year was no doubt a tremendous failure for a team with the expectation to win it all.

Offense:
Strength was the key to the Yankees' offense yet again, as they would finish first in MLB in runs (859) and on-base percentage (.350), while finishing third in slugging (.436) and home runs (211). They had a plethora of weapons at their disposal, including Robinson Cano, Mark Teixeira, Brett Gardner, Nick Swisher and Alex Rodriguez. Between those five players was a great balance of speed, contact and power.

Cano for all intents and purposes was probably the best overall hitter on this team, as the MVP-candidate hit .319, with 29 home runs, 109 RBIs, and a solid OBP of .381. Those numbers would be great for a player at any position, but the fact that he's a second baseman putting up these numbers is simply phenomenal. Mark Teixiera continued to provide a sufficient amount of power at the plate, leading the team in home runs with 33, while driving in 108. Along with Teixieira, Alex Rodriguez continued to be a significant threat at the plate, hitting 30 home runs once again while driving in a team-best 125. Nick Swisher provided a nice balance of contact and power at the plate, hitting .288 with 29 home runs and 89 RBIs, while Brett Gardner was outstanding in the lead-off spot, getting on base at a team-best .383 while stealing 47 bases, good for third in the American League.

With all of the strengths the Yankees have in their lineup with those aforementioned five, you can easily get away with some weak spots in the lineup, even if one of them happens to be team captain Derek Jeter.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
What was one of their strengths in 2009 ended up being a weakness last year, as the Yankees finished 15th in ERA (4.06), 13th in walks (540) and third in home runs allowed (179). CC Sabathia was immune to any struggles though, as he put up a Cy Young-caliber season, going 21-7 with a 3.18 ERA and 197 strikeouts while facing some of the toughest lineups in baseball on a regular basis within his division. Behind him was a great deal of mediocrity however, as A.J. Burnett regressed significantly from 2009, going 10-15 with a 5.26 ERA while Javier Vazquez wasn't much better, going 10-10 with a 5.32 ERA. Phil Hughes had a nice record of 18-8, but his suspect 4.19 ERA meant that he was the beneficiary of a great offense helping him out even when he wasn't at his best.

Andy Pettitte was solid in his final MLB season, going 11-2 with a 3.28 ERA. His numbers would have likely been better had he not missed two months in the second half with a groin injury. While there are a plethora of factors one could look to as to why New York didn't win the division, Pettitte's injury in the second half certainly had to be a major contributor. His final career start was a gutsy one, going seven strong innings in Game Three of the ALCS while giving up only two earned runs. Unfortunately he wouldn't get the win, as the bullpen blew up in the final two innings, surrendering six runs.

The Yankees' bullpen was decent last year, finishing seventh in ERA at 3.47, no doubt influenced by the seemingly-ageless Mariano Rivera closing out ballgames. He was fantastic yet again at the ripe old age of 40, recording a 1.80 ERA and a WHIP of 0.83 while closing out 33 games last year. He had two other solid relievers around him, as Boone Logan and David Robertson were serviceable, finishing with ERAs of 2.93 and 3.82 respectively in 50-plus appearances. Most of the other relievers were either average or below, including Joba Chamberlain, who made the most appearances on the staff (73) in spite of his high ERA (4.40).

When you have an offense as good as theirs, you can easily get away with having an average pitching staff, and collectively that's what they Yankees were last year.
Final Grade: B-

Wild Card: Derek Jeter
The team captain obviously leads by example on the field and off of it, but Jeter wasn't leading anybody in offense last year, as he had the worst statistical year of his career, hitting only .270 with 10 home runs, 67 RBIs and a miserable OBP of .340. He won the Gold Glove at short last year, but as we all know, the Gold Glove is a farce that's only awarded based on reputation and not by actual on-field performance in a given season. While Jeter is 36 and still has a few years left in him, one has to wonder how those years will be, especially since most major league players begin their decline after 35.
Final Grade: D-

Overall:
Hey, you can't fault them for reaching the postseason once again, even if it was through the Wild Card. However, the expectations for the Yankees are usually so high to the point where if they don't even reach the World Series, their year is a failure. I don't think they were a failure obviously, but with the talent they have, they probably should have made it again.
Final Grade: A

Check back soon for the report card on the Tampa Bay Rays!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 27- Minnesota Twins

Ah, those pesky Twins. Let's get this one over with.

Minnesota Twins
Record: 94-68 (AL Central Champions, six games ahead of Chicago)

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Joe Mauer (.327)
Home Runs: Jim Thome (25)
RBIs: Delmon Young (112)
On-base Percentage: Joe Mauer (.402)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Carl Pavano (17)
Strikeouts: Francisco Liriano (201)
Innings Pitched: Carl Pavano (221)
ERA: Francisco Liriano (3.62). Bullpen- Brian Duensing (1.80).
WHIP: Carl Pavano (1.19). Bullpen- Matt Guerrier (1.10).
Saves: Jon Rauch (21)

Highlight of the Year: On September 21, the Minnesota Twins clinched their sixth division title in nine years with a 6-4 victory over the Indians at home. The White Sox held up their end of the bargain, losing their game in Oakland 7-2 for the Twins to win the division outright instead of playing another one-game playoff.

Lowlight of the Year: Another year, another sweep at the hands of the Yankees, as Minnesota could not hold off the Bronx Bombers in the division series. They lost the third and final game of the series 6-1 in New York to wrap up their ninth straight postseason loss to the Yankees, and their 12th straight loss in the postseason overall dating back to 2004.

The Lowdown:
Playing their unique brand of baseball, the Minnesota Twins were able to outlast Detroit and Chicago once again for their sixth division championship since 2002. They really are a model of efficiency for small-to-mid-market teams to follow, as the Twins, even when faced with the prospect of crippling injuries, are able to plug in their holes time and again. It happened once again this year, as the Twins were missing two of their key pieces for the majority of the season. All-star closer Joe Nathan missed the entire season last year following Tommy John Surgery, and first-baseman Justin Morneau missed a significant amount of time during the second half of the season following a concussion. However, Minnesota persevered with a deep bullpen and a very consistent lineup. They were also able to maintain steady play throughout the season, as the team did not get into a really bad slump for an extended period of time. Plus, they were able to weather a furious charge by Chicago during the season, and their phenomenal head-to-head record against the Sox was one of the many reasons why the Twinkies ended up on top again.

Offense:
Minny's offense ran like a well-oiled machine once again, finishing sixth in MLB in runs (781), third in batting average (.273), second in on-base percentage (.341) and seventh in slugging (.422). Their consistency with driving runners in easily made up for their lack of home runs, as the team finished 19th in MLB with just 142.

The one player who personifies the consistency and relentlessness of their lineup has to be Joe Mauer, who put together another great season at the plate. While Mauer's power dwindled significantly (he fell to just nine home runs last year from 28 in 2009), he was still raking average-wise, finishing with a team-high clip of .327.

While the Twins weren't phenomenal in the home run department, they still had some players capable of busting the ball out of the park in a hurry. Delmon Young appears to finally be emerging as a force in the lineup, hitting a solid .298 with 21 home runs and a team-high 112 RBIs. Also, Jason Kubel still provided a touch of power, hitting 21 home runs as well.

Perhaps the biggest surprise of them all in the Twins lineup had to be the intimidating Jim Thome. The thing that was surprising about his season last year was the fact that he continued to be a threat at the plate power-wise, as he received more playing time once Justin Morneau went down with a concussion. Thome practically put the team on his back during August and September, as he went on a tear power-wise that saw him finish the season with a team-high 25 home runs. Thome stepping up to fill the void left by Morneau was huge, considering Morneau had a .345 average with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in just 81 games. What could have been a potentially dire situation for the Twins turned into just a minor setback once Thome came through.

Overall, this is one of the best lineups in baseball, and it's quite surprising that they don't receive more credit than they do.
Final Grade: A+

Pitching:
Once again, the Twins didn't feature a lights-out number one starter, but they did feature a stable of capable starters to keep them in ballgames more often than not. The best performance out of their rotation actually came from another unlikely source, as Carl Pavano had a renaissance year on the mound last year. Pavano finished with a 17-11 record with a 3.75 ERA in 221 innings, by far his best totals since 2004.

Backing Pavano up was another pitcher who had a renaissance year in 2010, as Francisco Liriano finally settled back down to be the pitcher many thought he would be when he burst onto the scene in 2006. Liriano finished 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA and a team-high of 201 strikeouts in 191 innings, great numbers from someone who people wondered if he would ever regain the form he featured during his rookie season.

While the rest of the starting rotation was merely average, their bullpen was anything but average, finishing eighth in MLB in ERA at 3.49. Even though they were missing Joe Nathan during the season, they received great performances from just about everybody else, as a whopping seven relievers finished with ERAs below 3.50. The team largely used two closers during the season, as Jon Rauch and Matt Capps each alternated duties, finishing with 21 and 16 saves respectively. Minnesota also received great performances in the set-up role from Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, as each appeared in over 70 games and finished with ERAs of 3.17 and 3.04 respectively. The trio of lefties in Jose Mijares, Ron Mahay and Brian Duensing were also reliable, as Mijares and Mahay would finish with ERAs of 3.31 and 3.44 respectively, while Duensing was great as both a reliever and spot starter, finishing with a 1.80 ERA out of the bullpen.

The Twins would end up finishing 11th in MLB in ERA (3.95), eighth in WHIP (1.29), 16th in quality starts (86), 24th in "batting average against" (.266) and 12th in home runs allowed (155). While those stats aren't exactly outstanding, they aren't that bad, either.
Final Grade: B-

Wild Card: Delmon Young
At age 25, it finally seems as if Delmon Young is beginning to emerge as the player many thought he would be when he first came up with Tampa Bay in 2006. His .298 average with 21 home runs and 112 RBIs would all be career-highs, along with recording a career-low 81 strikeouts. After a great season like that at such a young age, I think Young is here to stay.
Final Grade: A-

Overall:
Minnesota had another great season, but they are really going to have to find a way to get out of the first round of the playoffs. Their poor showing in the first round is what will keep me from giving them an A+. Now that I'm finished praising the Twins, I can finally go wash my mouth out with soap.
Final Grade: A

Check back soon for the report card on the New York Yankees!

The 30 Team/30 Day Report Cards: Day 26- San Francisco Giants

Finally, we have reached the reigning World Champions, the San Francisco Giants! Let's take a look at how the 2010 season fared for the G-Men.

San Francisco Giants
Record: 92-70 (NL West Champions, two games ahead of San Diego. World Series Champions).

Batting Leaders
Batting Average: Aubrey Huff (.290)
Home Runs: Aubrey Huff (26)
RBIs: Aubrey Huff (86)
On-base Percentage: Aubrey Huff (.385)

Pitching Leaders
Wins: Tim Lincecum (16)
Strikeouts: Tim Lincecum (231)
Innings Pitched: Tim Lincecum (223.1)
ERA: Jonathan Sanchez (3.07). Bullpen- Brian Wilson (1.81).
WHIP: Matt Cain (1.08). Bullpen- Sergio Romo (0.97).
Saves: Brian Wilson (48)

Highlight of the Year: On November 1, the Giants defeated the Texas Rangers in Game 5 of the World Series 3-1 to take home their first championship in 56 years.

Lowlight of the Year: Following a 4-3, 15-inning loss in Colorado on July 4, the Giants sat at just 41-40 on the season, 7.5 games behind San Diego.

The Lowdown:
The San Francisco Giants made an improbable run at the World Series championship last fall, built largely off the strength of their outstanding pitching. While many prognosticators believed the Giants would be a tough team, many did not see them taking the division, as Los Angeles and Colorado appeared to be stronger heading into the season. However, as we all know, baseball does not play out the way we expect it to, and surprisingly enough, the San Diego Padres shockingly took control of the division for most of the summer.

Heading down the stretch into September, the Giants were able to gain steam just as the Padres were losing theirs. San Francisco got white-hot in September, going 18-8 to catch and eventually surpass the fading Padres. However, the division would not be decided until the last day of the season, as the Giants were finally able to extinguish the Padres 3-0 to take the NL West for the first time since 2003.

While the Giants were not necessarily underdogs against the banged-up Braves in the Division Series, they were huge underdogs against the well-stacked Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS. With the way the Phils blitzed through the Reds in the first-round, another National League Pennant seemed like a mere formality for Charlie Manuel's crew. Nonetheless, the Giants shocked everyone with the way their lineup (universally regarded as one of the weakest in baseball) ran right through the formidable trio of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. Their pitching also was able to stay on point facing a powerful offense, and San Francisco was able to take down the Phillies in six games, in one of the more shocking postseason upsets in recent memory.

Seeking their first title since moving to San Francisco did not appear to be easy on the outset, as the Giants would take on the Texas Rangers, another team with a long World Series drought, and one that also featured a fantastic offense and solid pitching. Even though many thought the World Series would be a close one, it nearly turned out to be a laugher, as the Giants made easy work of Texas in five games to finally bring a World Series trophy home to San Francisco. They weren't the prettiest team in baseball, nor did they feature a great deal of star-power. Their lineup was essentially the Island of Misfit Toys, consisting of a bunch of castoffs from other teams. However, they featured some of the best pitching in baseball all year long, and their lineup, albeit flawed, was able to come through with clutch hits time and time again.

Offense:
As mentioned earlier, the Giants were not a strong team at all offensively, as their main power source resided in the bat of Aubrey Huff. The former Baltimore Orioles castoff led the Giants in nearly every major offensive department, including home runs (26), RBIs (86), batting average (.290), on-base percentage (.385) and hits (165). Huff proved to be the unexpected anchor of the offense last year, as Pablo Sandoval suffered from a sophomore slump. "Kung Fu Panda" was very sub-par last year, hitting only .268 (a 62 point drop-off from 2009), with just 13 home runs and 63 RBIs. Even though Sandoval's lack of hitting crippled the offense, Huff stepping up to jump into the void left by Sandoval was huge.

The Giants also received some unexpected power from shortstop Juan Uribe, as he would hit 24 home runs and drive in 85, both career highs. The team also received help from rookie catcher Buster Posey, who joined the club on May 29th and helped spark their run to the Series title (more on Posey in the "Wild Card" section). Other major contributors include Freddy Sanchez (.292 average in 111 games) and Pat Burrell (18 home runs in 96 games).

Overall, the Giants finished 17th in runs scored (697), 15th in batting average (.257), 11th in home runs (162), 19th in on-base percentage (.321) and 13th in slugging (.408). All in all, the numbers suggest that they weren't terrible, but really it's just another classic case of the whole being better than the sum of their parts.
Final Grade: C-

Pitching:
The real backbone of this team resides in their pitching, however. Anchoring their staff at the top of the rotation were their two mainstays, Tim Lincecum and Matt Cain. While Lincecum wasn't able to garner his third-consecutive Cy Young Award last year, he was still terrific for the Giants, going 16-10 with 231 strikeouts in 212.1 innings. Even though his ERA rose by nearly a full run in 2010 to 3.43, that rise was more indicative of a sluggish August for "The Freak," a month in which he featured an ERA of 7.82.

Matt Cain was also able to follow up a terrific 2009 campaign with another one last year, going 13-11 with a 3.14 ERA and a WHIP of 1.08. His innings total also rose to a career-high this past season, as the 26-year-old righty logged 223.1 of them, a modest rise by six.

Behind those two was lefty Jonathan Sanchez, who seemed to figure things out last year. Sanchez finished with the lowest ERA in the rotation at 3.07, along with finishing 13-9 with 205 strikeouts. His emergence will undoubtedly give the Giants an extra element of intimidation heading into 2011, as they will feature three quality starters who are each good enough to shut down any team's offense.

Also emerging onto the scene last year was lefty Madison Bumgarner. While the 21-year-old lefty only started 18 games last year, he showed off flashes of potential, recording a solid 3.00 ERA during the regular season before going on to have a fantastic postseason, going 2-0 with a 2.18 ERA. His performance against the Rangers in the World Series definitely caught the attention of many people, throwing eight shutout innings while showing great poise working through a fantastic lineup.

The Giants' bullpen was also very strong last year, finishing with the second-best ERA in the game at 2.99. Leading the way in the 'pen was eccentric closer Brian Wilson, who recorded a major-league best 48 saves last year. His 1.81 ERA was also the best among Giants relievers.

While Wilson usually receives most of the accolades from their bullpen (and deservedly so), there are others whose performances are worth noting. Set-up man Sergio Romo appeared in 68 games last year, and he was lights-out, recording 21 holds, a 2.18 ERA, a WHIP of 0.97 and 70 strikeouts in just 62 innings. Santiago Casilla was also great out of the 'pen last year, recording a 1.95 ERA in 52 appearances.

The Giants staff collectively would finish first in the majors in ERA (3.36), first in "batting average against" (.236), third in quality starts (95), fourth in WHIP (1.27) and 27th in home runs allowed (134). If you were to call this staff the best in baseball right now based off their performance last year, you wouldn't get too much of an argument from people.
Final Grade: A+

Wild Card: Buster Posey
While Atlanta's Jason Heyward certainly made a strong case for winning Rookie of the Year, the award ended up going to catcher Buster Posey, and deservedly so. Posey joined the team on May 29th, and he impressed nearly everyone in baseball, hitting .305 with 18 homers and 67 RBIs in just 108 games. The 23-year-old was also thrust into the challenging position of managing a pitching staff mid-way through the season that featured Cy Young Award winners Tim Lincecum and Barry Zito, not to mention the experienced Matt Cain. Posey not only handled this with ease, he handled this challenge with aplomb as well. His rise to this unique challenge culminated with the team winning the World Series. As the late broadcaster Mel Allen would often say, "How about that?"
Final Grade: A+

Overall:
Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper summed up the Giants season succinctly last year following the conclusion of one game. He simply said, "Giants baseball: torture." While watching some of their games certainly had to be torturous for their fans last year, being able to parade down Market Street in downtown San Francisco following their World Championship had to be pure bliss.
Final Grade: A+

Check back soon for the report card on the Minnesota Twins!