Lets Talk Draft
May 30, 2008Someone Had To Win A Game
May 31, 2008Rick came up with this idea for a series of guest blogger spots over a week ago. When it first came to him, the Indians were in second place behind the Twins. Then they swept the A’s to take over first. Now, it’s the White Sox turn at the top. With all these teams bunched together the A.L. Central is wide open, with no team out of it. We asked bloggers from each team to tell us why their team WILL WIN the A.L. Central. Most of them replied reluctantly, because the baseball in the Central just hasn’t been that good this year.
You can find the other teams’ arguments at the following locations: Part 1- Tigers, Part 2- Royals, Part 3- White Sox, Part 4- Indians. Last, but not least, the Minnesota Twins. Written by your’s truly.
I’m going to be honest. After the Twins traded away Johan Santana this past winter without receiving any of the prized young stars from Boston or the New York Yankees, I had them written off as duking it out with Kansas City for the cellar. Both teams had a ton of potential, but it lied within players that seemed to be a year or two away from producing. I mean, the prize that Minnesota received in return is a 22-year old Carlos Gomez, just getting his first full sniff of the bigs. He wouldn’t produce right away, right?
Wrong.
Thought striking out an ugly 51 times in 48 games played, Gomez has been one of the most exciting players to watch in the American League. He has the ability to single-handedly impact a game with his speed, whether on the basepaths or in center field. If you recall, his diving grab late in a game against the Indians saved the game from what would have been a game-winning rally.
The kid is currently sporting a batting average of .293 with an on-base clip of .327 – something that would make Indians fans scratch their head in disbelief. Yes, it is possible to hit near .300 these days. He’s third in the league in stolen bases, tied for 15h in runs scored. For comparison purposes, only three players above him have lower on-base percentages. This shows how much he produces with his speed. I’m going on and on about one player among 40, but this is how vital having an electric player like Gomez is in a league that could likely be decided by one or two games.
Couple the above with the following:
– Joe Mauer has already played half of the number of games that he did in each of the last two seasons – and it isn’t even June yet. This is good. He’s getting on base at a clip greater than .400. This is great.
– Justin Morneau is hitting the ball again. So far this season, he’s at .305/.381/.490 (.871 OPS). His splits are fairly consistent, showing that he’s back to partying like it’s 2006. He’s pacing himself to be a bit lower in doubles and home runs, but you can’t complain with the way he’s producing.
– Joe Nathan has a WHIP of 1.11 – and that’s the highest of the last three seasons. He’s on pace for 42 saves to go with his 4.5 K/BB ratio. At just over a strikeout per inning, he’s ending games in eight innings.
– If getting to the ninth is your concern, Livan Hernandez is your answer. The vet has tossed at least six innings in 10 of 12 appearances this season. Seven of said appearances have been quality starts.
– Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey continue to be two of the better young pitchers in the baseball. Baker’s ERA is at 4.09, Slowey’s tossing at 3.37. Both with solid WHIPs and very good K/BB ratios.
– They’re in second place by about two games and Francisco Liriano has hurt them more than helped. If they get this kid back on track, look out.
Ron Gardenhire has himself one of the younger teams in the league, but that doesn’t stop them from producing. Look at teams like Tampa Bay and Arizona. The casual fan wouldn’t even be able to name three of their starting nine – and the same would go for these Minnesota Twins.
There’s a very good chance that I haven’t even done these kids justice in this piece, as I’m obviously not a big follower of their progress. I look at the numbers and I see why they have been able to be as successful as they have. Perhaps they tire out as the season wears on. Perhaps Joe Mauer gets hit by the injury stick once again. Perhaps the AL starts to figure out the magic of Slowey and Baker. But you have yourself a lot of parts working for the Twin Cities, and unless something catastrophic happens, do not be surprised to see these guys in the top three for the rest of the season.
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4 Comments
Were you unable to find a Twins blogger willing to argue for their coming in first?
Yeah, Rick sent out invites to a whole slew of Twins bloggers and not a single one wanted to do it. Guess they didn’t want to jinx their progress.
I’d add the emergence of Nick Blackburn who replaced Carlos Silva in the rotation to the list of reasons why they are able to adapt without Santana, et al. Admittedly, they are certainly overachiving as indicated by their expected win-loss record based on the runs score/allowed. One reason for this is their well-timed hits including a .283/.375/.426 batting line with runners in scoring position with 2-outs. This has led to 90 runs. The division leading White Sox are hitting just .182/.288/.261 in that situation with just 50 runs scored. The Indians are the next best AL Central organization in that situation with a .227/.356/.373 batting line with 83 runs scored.
The acquisition of Craig Breslow will be the true key to the Twins’ first place finish.