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!

I think I am going to be sick...

A word of warning: What you are about to read here is a rant. It may not completely make sense to you all, but, of course, that is the purpose of a rant. I'll probably have a coherent response to this news once Spring Training begins, and I have cooled off.

Anyway, in this developing piece of absolutely revolting news, Big Jim Thome has officially signed a one-year deal with the Minnesota Twins- the hated, reviled, disgusting, rotten, putrid, wretched, absolutely loathsome, Minnesota Twins- worth $1.5 million, plus another $750,000 in incentives. As much as I utterly despise that franchise, I would like to wish the big man the best of luck. He has always, and will forever be, one of my all-time favorite players to watch, regardless of the uniform he's in, and him donning a wretched Twins jersey will not change that one bit. However, the thing that absolutely made my blood boil was not the fact that he's on the Twins, but it is the fact that the Sox did not even try to bring him back!

The first thing that really got under my skin was seeing that the Sox did not plan on bringing Thome back, despite him expressing an interest in returning. Thome appeared to be very willing to come back at a hometown discount, and knowing that the Sox have a glaring hole at DH, his return would have been a very good move for the club. Well, I guess signing Thome would have made wayyyyy too much sense to Ozzie Guillen and Kenny Williams. He would have been more than adequate at filling their hole in that part of their lineup. Meanwhile, Ozzie continues to spew this garbage about being a more flexible team, while their biggest rival (and defending AL Central Champion) just added more depth to an already explosive lineup. If you knew the Twins were interested in Thome, and if you knew that you still had a large hole to fill in the lineup, why on earth did you not try to bring him back?

So what now? What is it that Sox fans can look forward to at the start of the season? Well, they can look forward to having a rotating DH featuring Andruw Jones (who has not had a productive season since 2006), Mark Kotsay (who is nothing more than a back-up outfielder), and Jayson Nix (who is okay, but someone I'd rather not see in the lineup more than once per week). This problem is just one among several in a lineup that is already full of question marks. Some of the other problems in their lineup include whether or not Carlos Quentin can stay healthy and whether or not Alex Rios will ever become productive again. Those two guys need to be healthy and producing if the Sox want a shot at the division title. Konerko cannot carry this offense by himself anymore like he did in 2004-2005; he needs help. If he is not going to get help from the DH hole, and if Quentin and Rios are not healthy and producing, where is he going to get help from?

I'd never thought I would say this about this team, but for the first time in a long time, I am not confident about their starting lineup heading into this season. Also, I never thought that a decent offseason would be negated by such a stupid move (or lack thereof) until now. I was confident that the Sox would bring back Thome at a discount, but now I have to look forward to the triumvirate of garbage at the DH hole. Ozzie and Kenny better know what they are doing with this year's team.

Rundown of the White Sox's Offseason

Hello again, everybody! It has been a while since I have had the opportunity to really talk about the Sox in-depth on here, so let's get down to business and make up for lost time, huh? I have missed quite a bit of their transactions this winter since the Vizquel signing back in November, so let's recap the Sox's offseason so far, starting with their most recent moves.

Arbitration Sensations

Just yesterday, it was announced that left-handed starter John Danks avoided arbitration, signing a one-year contract worth $3.45 million. Danks was the final player in what ended up being a metaphorical game-winning grand-slam for the Sox in the game of arbitration, as they locked up all four of their arbitration-eligible players (Danks, reliever Tony Pena, Carlos Quentin and Bobby Jenks). While Danks and Quentin were virtual no-brainers for the Sox to lock up (Quentin signed a one-year, $3.2 million deal himself), Jenks was possibly the most surprising signing of them all.

When the Sox signed reliever J.J. Putz to a one-year deal worth three million dollars back in December, it seemed as if Jenks' days on the South Side were numbered. After all, Jenks appeared to be heading into arbitration at full-steam, which prompted rumors that the Sox might have looked into trading him during some point this offseason. However, the Sox have not gone to arbitration with a player since Keith Foulke in 2001, and in recent years, owner Jerry Reinsdorf has been willing to spend a considerable amount of money on players he feels are worth it. This time would be no different, as the Sox inked Jenks to a one-year, $7.5 million deal for the 2010 season. Now that the cloud of uncertainty around Jenks has cleared, the Sox can look forward to the prospect of another solid bullpen for 2010, as Jenks, Putz and Thornton will hopefully prove to be an effective trio. Their presence during the last three innings of a game will effectively shorten it, and when you combine them with a starting rotation that will feature Jake Peavy, Mark Buehrle, Gavin Floyd and John Danks, their pitching staff will as formidable as ever this year.

Outfield Additions

In the field, the Sox would acquire two new outfielders this offseason, one via trade and the other through free agency. Andruw Jones- who was once the star center fielder for the Atlanta Braves- signed a one year minor-league deal worth $500,000 on November 25, with the potential to earn $1 million if he performs well enough. A couple of weeks later on December 15, the Sox would acquire center fielder Juan Pierre in a trade with the Dodgers, sending two players to be named later to Los Angeles in exchange for him. The Sox have also agreed to pay part of his contract as well, as Pierre will receive $3 million from the Sox in 2010 and $5 million in 2011. While I believe that both of these deals were pretty good for the Sox, I especially liked the Jones acquisition in particular, because it came at a dirt-cheap cost, and it gives the Sox some flexibility in the outfield, and the DH hole, provided that he becomes remotely decent at the plate this year. While he is certainly not my number one option as a DH/outfielder, he is a good insurance policy for them if they cannot land a DH in free agency, or if someone in the outfield gets hurt this season.

As for the Pierre acquisition, I am all for it; however, getting him still raised some questions for me, though. Scott Podsednik, in his return to Chicago last year, put together a fine season in the lead-off spot, as he hit a team-best .304, with a modest .353 OBP and 30 steals in 132 games with the club. These numbers are pretty solid for your lead-off hitter. Well, when the Sox let "Pods" walk after the season and acquired Pierre to take his place, I told myself: "They're getting the same player!" How so? Well, for starters, Pierre will usually hit for around the same average as Podsednik will, as evidenced in the four point difference in their averages last year (Pierre- .308, Podsednik- .304). Also, they will steal roughly the same amount of bases (they both had 30 steals), score just as many runs (Pierre- 57, Podsednik- 75; Pods was the beneficiary of a slightly better offense), and feature the same kind of fielding in the outfield (below-average glove, weak arm). Comparatively speaking, the Royals would end up signing Pods to a one-year deal worth $1.75 million, which the Sox could have easily given him, considering that they're paying Pierre $3 million this year to do the same thing!

I would understand the Sox's motives behind this if Pierre was much younger than Podsednik. But he's not! Podsednik will be 34 in March, while Pierre will be 33 in August. Oh well, perhaps I am just being too sentimental with Pods, seeing that he was one of the key members of the 2005 championship team. My hope is that Pierre will provide the same kind of spark and excitement from the lead-off spot, and that he will be just as productive as Pods was in '05, if not, better.

A Growing Concern

In spite of all of these transactions, the Sox are still in need of a legitimate DH as Spring Training draws closer. Their preference for a DH who can play the field has been a puzzling one, at least for me. General Manager Kenny Williams had to know what he had in mind for this offseason as the 2009 season was coming to a close, and he had to have at least an idea of who would likely be available in the free agent market. If it was in his shopping list to have a DH who could also play the field, then why on earth did he not at least try to bring back Jermaine Dye? While I know that Dye had a sub-par second-half last year, he still finished with some solid numbers, hitting 27 home runs while driving in 81. Since it was pretty much a given that the Sox were not going to go after Jason Bay or Matt Holliday, that relegated them to the second-tier of available DHs in free agency. They were really pursuing Hideki Matsui aggressively at one point, before ultimately losing out to the Angels in that chase.

Why on earth would you rather have Matsui instead of Dye? "J.D." will hit for roughly the same average, will drive in more runs and hit more homers than Matsui. Also, Dye is more more capable of playing an adequate right field whenever necessary, and he would not be the defensive liability that Matsui would be. So why would the Sox let Dye go, when he still has probably two more good seasons in him as a DH/outfielder?

Now that Matsui is off of the market, and Dye won't be eligible to re-join the Sox until May 1 (since they failed to re-sign him during the allotted negotiating period immediately after the season), the Sox are now stuck with two options: they can either take a gamble with what they already have heading into Spring Training, or they can possibly entertain the idea of bringing back Jim Thome to fill the DH void. It is not out of the realm of possibility that they could do this; Sports Illustrated senior writer Jon Heyman hinted at this possibility just the other day on MLB Network's "Hot Stove" program, and, in my opinion, bringing the big man back is not such a bad idea (considering the situation they are in at this point). Trading him to the Dodgers back in August gives the Sox a loophole they never would have had if he would have finished the season in Chicago; they no longer have to wait until May 1 to sign him, and they can also bring him back at less than half of the cost of his previous contract (basically meaning that they can get him at a discount).

Plus, we all know that Thome can still mash, and that is all the Sox need for him to do for at least one more year. What is even better is the fact that if Jones ends up panning out, the Sox could potentially platoon Jones and Thome at DH, having Thome hit against righties and Jones against lefties. I know that this idea sounds goofy, but if they do sign Thome and if Jones becomes a major-league player again, it is what they will likely have to do.



Well, to sum things up, it was just another "wheeling-and-dealing" kind of offseason for Kenny Williams and the White Sox, one that is likely not over yet if they decide to go after a DH. Even though I do not exactly agree with every move Williams makes, I do appreciate the fact that he is an aggressive GM that will do all he can to try to assemble and maintain a championship-caliber team. It is also nice to have an owner who is more than willing to spend the bucks to make Williams' vision become a reality as well. When you have a pair like those two, whose primary goal is to win another championship, the offseason will always be an interesting one for Sox fans.

Big Jim heading back to the South Side?

I would like to offer my most sincere apologies to not being here with you yesterday (that's what good ol' editing homework will do to you). According to this article on the Chicago Tribune website today, Jim Thome is apparentlty still receptive to the idea of returning to the Sox in 2010. The Dodgers are not making any plans to re-sign him because he does not fit within their future. With such a young core on that team, it only makes sense. Why would you want another old, slow dinosaur on your team who cannot play first base anymore when you have James Loney, who is young and more than capable of playing first? Plus, Loney is only 25 years old, and he still has the potential to improve offensively.

So what does that make of the White Sox's plans, then? In what direction is Kenny Williams trying to go with the team? I am not trying to be snide, because Kenny has done a fantastic job with assembling the team in his tenure on the South Side. He has proven me wrong more often than not. One example this was back in 2004. Williams, trying to assemble more team speed, traded Carlos Lee to the Milwaukee Brewers for Scott Podsednik and reliever Luis Vizcaino. At the time, I thought it was the worst trade ever. "How in the hell can you trade a guy who hit 31 homers last year for a little flea who didn't even hit .300 last year, and some weak-ass reliever?" I was certain that the Sox (who finished 2004 at 83-79) were destined to have their worst season since the '90s ended. Well, I was wrong; they ended up winning the World Series that year. Williams not only proved me wrong, but a lot of baseball prognosticators wrong as well.

However, if Williams brought Thome back, it makes you wonder why they even bothered getting rid of him in the first place. They traded Thome on the final day of August to the Los Angeles Dodgers for some 26 year-old, Single-A infielder named Justin Fuller. The Sox also were kind enough to pay for the rest of Thome's contract as well. To sum it up in a more succinct fashion: they gave him away. If you just "give" someone away like that, does that basically mean you have absolutely no use for him anymore, whatsoever? It just seems puzzling to me that Williams is even entertaining this idea.

Despite the fact that I am questioning this, Jim Thome is still one of my all-time favorite players, and I cannot wait for the day he gets inducted to the Hall of Fame. He's a class act, he plays the game the right way, and he appears to not have a single conceited bone in his body. However, when Williams parted ways with Thome, that basically sent a signal to fans that he is ready to move in a different direction with the team. What that direction may be, I am not sure of. Nonetheless, it does not involve Thome. So why are you considering bringing him back?

Also, if you bring Big Jim back, you are only going to get one year out of him, at best. He will be 40 years old next year. Even though he still possesses prodigious power, his bat speed has slowed down considerably, he cannot hit lefties well and he cannot play any other position other than DH. Even though the Sox have stated that they will not have any significant jump in payroll next year (as evidenced in their lack of interest in many players, including Aroldis Chapman), would it really kill them to put their hat in the ring for Matt Holliday or Jason Bay?

All in all, if the Sox do bring back Thome at a reasonable price, I would still welcome him with open arms, as a fan. He will always be one of my favorite players, and I hope he can somehow get his 600th career home run next year, win the World Series, and ride off into the sunset as a champion with the Sox. But if you are looking to be competitive in 2010 and beyond, is bringing back a 39 year-old Thome for one last hurrah the right answer?