Spring has sprung, indeed!

1. Tom Kelly’s #10 will be retired by the Twins:

Though many of my fellow Twins fans don’t agree with this decision, I have no problem with #10 being “taken off the books” in honor of Kelly.  Why, then, should a manager with a losing record be given such an honor?

Well, first of all, he just happened to preside over the worst talent drought (1993-2000) in franchise history, when the team gave him (financially-speaking) absolutely no chance to win.  Thus, all those losing seasons seriously tarnished his record.

When I think of TK, though, I think of the stability and (more importantly) respectability he brought to the Twins’ organization.  There was no “Twins way” (pitching, defense, fundamentals, etc.) before Mr. Kelly took the reigns.  Both during and since his tenure, however, the Twins have developed into a model baseball organization from the bottom up (with a few hiccups along the way, of course).

Thus, I am happy to see TK given the ultimate honor in the Twins organization.

2. Camilo Pascual was voted into the Twins Hall of Fame (seen here in Senators dress)…

Camilo spent all but the tail end of his career with the Senators/Twins.  His curveball is compared to Bert Blyleven’s by old-timers, he racked up impressive strikeout totals for his day, and (during his prime) routinely completed half of the games he started.

Camilo also had that ” ace” persona about him, where he was the guy you wanted to have the ball in the big games.

I never got to see Camilo pitch, obviously, but I’ve “heard/read” enough to convince me that he belongs in the Twins’ HOF.

On one hand, I have always been a huge fan of Fielder, who I rank as probably my favorite non-Twins baseball player.

I have always enjoyed his violent and powerful (yet just somehow controlled) swing that produces such massive power…

As well as his youthful exuberance for playing the game…

At the same time, though, I dread the thought of him facing Twins pitching more than six games per year (now MUCH more).  He’ll have no trouble jacking them out of Target Field on multiple occasions, I’m afraid.

Why is this not bigger news, then?  Because the last time Zumaya threw a major league pitch (at Target Field, oddly enough), this was the result…

Yeah, he pretty much completely blew out his arm (fractured elbow) and writhed in agony out on the Target Field mound in 2010.

Supposedly his rehab is going quite well, but it remains to be seen if he can ever regain the health and confidence to be dominant again.  Considering the short duration and monetary involvement of the Twins in this deal, though, it sure seems like a risk worth taking (considering how desperate we are for strong bullpen arms).

Notes:

-The Twins and Glen Perkins reached a one-year deal to avoid arbitration.

1. Good for Barry.  He (from what I hear/read) was a class act, hustler, and loyal to the city of Cincinnati.  I got to see the end of his career, and he was always (96-early 2000s) one of the most well-rounded shortstops in the game.

2. Please do not be offended by this, but Larkin doesn’t strike me as a HOFer.  He was the epitome of stability (and his stats reflect as such), but never really excelled in any phase of the game enough for me to have voted for him (had I procured a vote).

Your thoughts?  Anyone out there have a strong case for Mr. Larkin?  I’m open to re-interpretation considering how long he played before I began watching baseball.

The trouble, of course, is that the Twins (because of last season) dug themselves into such a hole that the competitive future is almost surely beyond ’12.  As such, as much as I hate to say it, not overpaying for Cuddyer & Kubel was probably a smart decision.  We gave them both fair offers (at least from what I heard/read) and they chose greener (literally) pastures.  More power to them.

In Cuddy’s case, he’s never really developed into an elite player.  He strikes out (on those @#$% outside pitches in the dirt!) far too much, is prone to long slumps, and could just as easily hit .260 with 15 homers next season.  We can’t tie up any more money in that risk (see: Mauer/Morneau; unluckiness)

With Kubel, he could absolutely mash subpar pitching…but struggled mightily (sometimes even embarrassingly so) against the elites (see: Yankees in playoffs).  Plus, the move to Target Field really dulled his right field gap home run power.

So, as much as I hate to see them go, I have to conclude that it makes sense at this point in the Twins’ future.

We did, however, sign Josh Willingham (formerly of the Marlins, Nats, & most recently A’s)…

I don’t really know much about Willingham, but I like the reviews of him I hear from other players.  He seems to have some pop in his bat as well.  What I like the most, however, is that his career OPS is over .800.  It isn’t tremendous, of course, but far better than most players in our lineups last year.  At the very least, he can hopefully provide some veteran leadership to what promises to be an interesting mish-mash of a team in ’12.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot…

We also got Jason Marquis (of basically every NL team, I believe…!).  Considering the little money we paid him, this could be a steal…provided he comes back from a leg injury sustained last season.  He’s a workhorse who prides himself (much like Pavano) on taking the ball every fifth day.  Lord knows we need more of those types around these parts.

Kevin Slowey traded to Colorado:  You know, I was always a big Kevin Slowey supporter.  I thought he had the stuff to be the next “Brad Radke”, and I think that concept still exists.  However, it will likely never be realized because of his inability to stay healthy for any prolonged period of time.  Slowey is one of those pitchers who needs to be 100% healthy to succeed, as he relies on such pinpoint control and sharp breaking pitches.  Any “hitch in his giddyup” will cause him not only to fail, but fail miserably.  Thus, despite having high hopes for him, I can’t say I’m all that sorry to see him go.

Matt Capps back as closer: I didn’t like Capps from the beginning, and I haven’t changed that opinion.  I honestly do not know what the organization sees in this guy.  Does he have the potential to be a decent middle-reliever?  I think so.  But CLOSER, where the pressure is magnified with every pitch?  Nah-uh.  He has proven time and time again (when healthy or hurting) that he can’t rise to that occasion like Mr. Nathan could.  I know we are a wreck bullpen-wise, but to pin a key spot on this guy is tenuous at best.

Jim Hoey released: This guy was an absolute joke.  I don’t understand how you can expect to have a major-league career when you can’t locate a fastball to save your life!  Yes, he can throw the ever-loving @#$% out of the ball, but it doesn’t matter a bit…it’ll either be wide of the strike zone or right down the middle (with one option being as unpleasant as the other).  Nothing lost here.

Jose Mijares released: Jose had one dominant year with the Twins…and hasn’t come close to that form since.  Personality-wise, he never arrives to training camp on time (always visa issues) and, when he does show up, he’s grossly overweight.  So, it isn’t until June when he’s even physically ready to pitch effectively.  When on the mound, Mijares is wild to the point of frustration.  Everyone can see he has “the stuff” to get lefty batters out at an alarming rate, but he just can’t do it consistently.  Again, I know our ‘pen is a train-wreck right now, but this guy was beginning to become more trouble than he was worth.

After a 99-loss season, change is inevitable.  However, I was very sad to hear today that Joe Nathan is now a Texas Ranger.

Since his arrival in Minnesota in 2004, Joe Nathan (with the exception of perhaps Brad Radke) has been my favorite Twin.  He had the dominant “stuff” that Everyday Eddie lacked, the humble attitude, and the most incredible “walk-up” theme in Twins history.  I had his jersey for awhile and it is no coincidence that the name of this blog is so closely related to Mr. Nathan.

I realize that this is strictly a business decision for the Twins organization (and I guess we offered him a decent proposal, too), but oh I’m going to miss this so much…

Ryan Doumit (formerly of the Pittsburgh Pirates) was brought in to back-up Joe Mauer in 2012.  As we all know, that gig means catching noon “getaway” days as a given, as well as perhaps being thrust into a starting role should Mauer succumb to injury again.

After seeing Drew Butera & Rene Rivera make Tim “Buck Ninety” Laudner seem like a batting champion, Ryan realized that a backstop with a good combination of defense and pop in the bat is a must on this club.

Doumit has hit .271 in seven seasons with the Pirates, including an OPS of .777.  Nothing all-star worthy, but better than what we’ve got behind Joe now.  Plus, Doumit (from what I have read) seems like a real “gamer” who will quickly buy into Gardy’s (hopefully) increased work on fundamentals and become a team leader.  Plus, Ryan can play a little outfield and first base if needed.

Again, Terry Ryan rubs a little salve on the wounds in hopes of healing their roots.

First, from a tactical perspective, the injuries were horrific…

When half (or more) of your starting team is injured for half (or more) of the season, the plan you put in place all of last offseason was pretty much shot in the foot before it ever had a chance to walk.  Whether bad luck, bad conditioning, or bad “mental toughness” (to quote Mike Tice), the team was limping off the field all season long.

Also, the depletion of the bullpen was another crippling tactical shortcoming…

I realize that the money got too much to retain our key bullpen horses, but in the end the lack of any steady relief help came back to bite the team perhaps more than anyone thought possible.

Second, beyond the tactical stuff, was the inability of our “core group” (outside of Cuddyer, of course) to produce.

Mauer & Morneau needed to get back to this…

But instead they barely played two weeks of the season in the same lineup.

Then, the “solid five” (Baker, Blackburn, Liriano, Perkins, Slowey) starters that we envisioned a few years ago have never (and probably never will) produced to their expectations…

Liriano is an enigma, Slowey is in the doghouse, Baker is failed potential personified, Blackburn is a rollercoaster, and Perkins is now a reliever (and one who has injury troubles at that).

Finally, the final area that really killed the Twins last year was a step away from their tried-and-true organizational philosophy of hoarding draft picks, developing talent, throwing strikes, and playing solid, fundamental baseball (especially defense).

When Nick Punto left in the offseason and ended up winning a ring with the Cardinals…

It signaled a shift from playing “Twins baseball” towards “going all-in to win now”.

Perhaps this was a difference in philosophy between two GMS…

But clearly, the team got away from the “fundamentals”.  The defense was rot, the pitchers walked more batters than ever, and the whole foundation collapsed.

Notes:

-Amazingly enough, Terry Ryan’s first move on his second go-’round as GM impressed the heck out of me, signing Jamey Carroll to play shortstop in ’12…

From what I hear/read, Carroll can play solid defense, handle the bat, stay in the lineup, and get on base a little bit…nothing our middle infielders did in ’11.  Carroll is not a long-term solution by any means, but he adds stability to a team desperate for it right now.