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Minnesota Twins GM Bill Smith: ‘We need to climb out’ of hole |
With the most expensive team in franchise history mired in last place, Minnesota Twins general manager Bill Smith vowed it’s not too late for a comeback. “No,” Smith said this morning when asked if a 15.5-game hole in the American League Central is too deep to escape. “But we’ve got to do it. No one’s feeling sorry for us around our division. We dug the hole and we’ve got to climb out of it, one game at a time. “We’re a long ways away, but we have a ton of home games in June, July and August, and a lot of games left in our division. We’re looking to get the bulk of our team back active and reinstated from the disabled list. And we need to just play good baseball.” Injuries certainly have played a major role in the Twins’ rapid decline. They have put 16 players on the disabled list this season, and have nine there currently, including regulars Joe Mauer, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Jason Kubel, Joe Nathan and Jim Thome. But a couple of the team’s big offseason decisions have played big factors, as well, primarily not replacing veteran relievers Jesse Crain, Matt Guerrier and Jon Rauch – who walked as free agents – with prospects and six-year minor league free agents. Instead of re-signing the veterans at great expense, the team felt obligated to rebuild around veterans Matt Capps, Joe Nathan and Jose Mijares. “Obviously, it hasn’t worked,” Smith said. That decision was based largely on the fact that, at more than $113 million, the team’s payroll is higher than it’s ever been. Joe Mauer, who hasn’t played since April 12, is making $23 million in the first season of an eight-year, $184 million extension. Joe Nathan, out all of last season with an elbow injury, is making $11.25 million. And Justin Morneau, recovering from a concussion that cost him the second half of last season, is making $15 million. Nathan, coming off Tommy John surgery, hasn’t found his old form, and Kevin Slowey, converted from starter to long reliever and making $2.7 million, has been on the disabled list twice because, he says, he’s unsuited for the job. With a revolving cast composed primarily of nascent major leaguers such as Alex Burnett, Phil Dumatrait, Eric Hacker, Jim Hoey, Craig James, Jeff Manship and Anthony Slama, the bullpen has struggled, recording a combined earned-run average of 5.39 and nine blown saves. “One of the differences between the roster this year and last year is last year we did not have Matt Capps, Joe Nathan or Kevin Slowey (in the bullpen). We lost Crain, Rauch and Guerrier, all of whom had been good pitchers for us for many years, and in Rauch’s case a year and a half. Obviously, it hasn’t worked. “Joe Nathan has struggled lately; there was optimism in spring training but he has scuffled. We’re going to get him healthy and back on track because we need him.” Slowey is rehabbing an abdominal strain at the team’s extended spring training camp in Fort Myers, Fla. “We’re going to get him back into a starting role because obviously that works better for him,” Smith said. ” So we’ve got challenges.” The other major decision was letting veteran infielders Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy go and replacing them with younger, cheaper players. Hudson walked as a free agent and signed a three-year, $11.5 million deal with San Diego. The Twins signed Hardy to a one-year, $5.85 million deal and traded him to the Orioles. Smith replaced them with Nishioka and Alexi Casilla for a combined $3.85 million. It’s worth noting that Hudson has been on the disabled list twice the past month with hamstring and groin injuries, and that J.J. Hardy has been on the DL with a strained oblique. It’s also worth nothing that Nishioka broke his leg while trying to turn a double play April 7 at Yankee Stadium, and that Casilla was terrible out of the chute. Batting .364 in his past 10 games, he has raised his average to .231. For much of this season, he has batted below the Mendoza line, and his defense has been spotty. “Casilla has skills. He has the skills to be a good baseball player,” Smith said. “He didn’t do it coming out of spring training; for whatever reason, he really struggled. I don’t know if losing Nishioka had an impact or not, but he didn’t do it. “But he’s played better lately, and as we’ve been hit with injuries, he’s getting a chance to play. We’ll see if he adapts and continues to excel. He’s been better with the bat and better in the field.” What are your opinions. Posted in twins-news | Comments Off
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Shooter Now: Minnesota Twins will get 3 of top 55 draft picks |
Alex Wimmers (Pioneer Press, file)
The Minnesota Twins won’t get to draft until No. 30 in the first round Monday. But the departure of Orlando Hudson to San Diego and Jesse Crain to the Chicago White Sox as free agents last year will give the Twins the Nos. 50 and 55 overall picks, too. “So we’ll get three good players; it’s a decent crop to pick from in the early part of the draft,” Mike Radcliff, who oversees the Twins’ draft, said this morning. The Twins’ first-round pick last year, Ohio State pitcher Alex Wimmers (21st overall), has been a bust in his first full minor league season. The 22-year-old right-hander has pitched in just one game for Class A Fort Myers, getting no one out, walking six and giving up four earned runs in a start. Wimmers, who received a signing bonus of $1.33 million, has an ERA of infinity. “He’s struggling right now,” said Radcliff, the Twins’ vice president for player personnel. “He’s got some issues with health (groin), issues with command and issues with his delivery. He had to get shut down for a while and get him started again. He’s not on track right now.” Radcliff admits Wimmers’ start has been a disappointment. “The best-case scenario is, you want a guy, no matter where he starts – the lowest level or some other level – you want him to do good,” he said. “The worst-case scenario is to struggle. You want guys to have confidence when they’re starting their pro careers. “Everybody’s going to struggle at some point, but you hate to see it right out of the chute.” The Twins’ 2009 first-round pick, Missouri right-pitcher Kyle Gibson out of Missouri (22nd overall), is 3-3 with a 3.60 ERA in 10 starts at Class AAA Rochester and is expected to be promoted to the major leagues before the end of the season. Gibson, who received a $1.85 million signing bonus, has struck out 59 in 55 innings while walking just 11. The Twins, devoid of catching depth in the major leagues as well as at Triple-A and Double-A, won’t necessarily approach next week’s draft by position, Radcliff said. Nor will the Twins necessarily draft with Target Field’s dimensions in mind. The Twins’ approach will be to “evaluate the best players and get the best players,” Radcliff said. “There’s no team that doesn’t need everything. When you’re talking about the draft, most players don’t impact the major league team for three, four, five, six years. So we don’t worry too much about what’s going on today. “It’s one thing when you’re picking first or second or fourth or something, then it’s a little different approach. And 30th, nobody knows who will be available at 30, so you just have to prepare for whatever comes your way.” The Twins have chosen late in the first round on other occasions. They drafted Chuck Knoblauch at No. 25 in 1989 and Matt Garza at No. 25 in 2005. “There’s still good players, big leaguers, good guys, lower down,” Radcliff said. “You just have to be ready for every scenario, and that’s what we’ll be doing this next week, getting them in order.” Feel free to leave your comments below. Posted in twins-news | Comments Off
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Nishioka Will Play Second Base For Twins |
We all knew that the Minnesota Twins’ middle infield would have a new look this season, with Orlando Hudson being allowed to leave and J.J. Hardy getting shipped to Baltimore, but nobody was entirely sure who would start at which spot. Only a couple of weeks into Spring Training, it appears as though we have our answer. Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire has announced that Tsuyoshi Nishioka will play the majority of the year at second base for the Twins, while Alexi Casilla will be the primary shortstop.
The Twins are pretty excited about Nishioka thus far this spring, and hopefully he will continue to transition to the majors in a positive way. The Twins’ primary acquisition this off-season, he was the leading hitter in the Japanese league last season with a .346 batting average. At this point, it appears as though he’ll hit in the #2 slot, as well as play second base. Subscribe to our feed!. Posted in twins-news | Comments Off
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Spring Snapshot: After changes, Twins again aim high |
MINNESOTA TWINS 2010 RECORD: 94-68, 1st in AL Central, swept in ALDS by New York Yankees. BIGGEST ACQUISITION: The Twins got into the import business this offseason, signing Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka(notes) to a three-year deal worth around $10 million. BIGGEST DEPARTURES: Minnesota lost a lot of depth in their bullpen, letting Jesse Crain(notes) walk to the White Sox, Jon Rauch(notes) bolt to the Blue Jays, Brian Fuentes(notes) to abdicate to the A’s and Matt Guerrier(notes) to dash to the Dodgers in the offseason. The middle of last year’s infield — J.J. Hardy(notes) and Orlando Hudson(notes) — is also gone. FIVE THINGS TO ASK ABOUT THE TWINS: 1. Will Nishioka be a big contributor in 2011? The Twins think enough of Nishioka that they paid $5 million to the Chiba Lotte Marines for his posting rights and sent shortstop J.J. Hardy to Baltimore. Though Nishioka can play either middle infield position, Ron Gardenhire announced on Saturday that he will slide into Orlando Hudson’s spot second base, while Alexi Casilla(notes) will play short. Big things are expected of Nishioka at the plate after he posted 206 hits (for a .346 average) in 2010, but he’ll have to figure out big league pitching and, more importantly, stay healthy to do so. The 26-year-old has never played more than 130 games in a season. 2. Whither Joe Mauer’s(notes) power? The pride of the Twin Cities had another All-Star year in 2010, hitting .327 for the year and winning his third straight Gold Glove behind home plate. But thanks to a David Wright(notes)-moving-to-Citi-Field-type dip and some nagging injuries, Mauer’s power numbers fell precipitously upon transferring to Target Field — his homers and slugging percentage were down from 28 and .587 in his 2009 MVP season to nine and .469 in 2010, when he didn’t hit his first home run at Target until Aug. 18. Justin Morneau(notes) has chastised the Twins for putting the fences so far out there, but the creation of a big prairie has done wonders for Mauer’s doubles total — he hit a career-high 43 in 2010. Bottom line: A healthy season will improve those totals, but the Twins’ spacious new home will probably keep that ’09 season as an outlier when it comes to his power numbers. 3. When is Justin Morneau coming back? Sadly, it’s still anyone’s guess. Though the first baseman has been participating in spring training drills after suffering a concussion just before last year’s All-Star break, Morneau still doesn’t have a return to the field date. He keeps saying that he feels good and he keeps going in for checkups, but a clearance has yet to come. The only way we’ll know is when we see him back where he belongs — battling American League pitchers instead of an awful head injury.
4. Can the old guys repeat their seasons? Jim Thome(notes) and Carl Pavano(notes) were two big reasons Minnesota won its sixth AL Central title in nine years in 2010 and both re-signed with the team for 2011. But Thome turns 40 in August and Pavano turned 35 in the offseason. Can Minnesota really count on Thome smacking 25 homers in 340 at-bats and Pavano eating another 220 innings with a ERA-plus of 111? 5. Can they still make seven division titles in 10 years? Over the past decade, we’ve learned two things about the Minnesota Twins: 1) Never count them out in the AL Central, no matter how inactive their offseason and 2) Don’t expect them to do anything with that playoff berth once they inevitably win it. While the White Sox and Tigers made big free agent splashes, they still don’t have the organizational strength and philosophy that the Twins do. If Morneau can make a healthy return and the bullpen replenishes itself with the return of closer Joe Nathan(notes) and the arrival of others, the Twins will again make things interesting. Related: Alexi Casilla, Matt Guerrier, J.J. Hardy, Jesse Crain, Justin Morneau, Joe Mauer, Brian Fuentes, Jon Rauch, Joe Nathan, Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Spring Swing – ‘Duk, Spring Swing 2011 Leave your comments on the news below. Posted in twins-news | Comments Off
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Spring Snapshot: Despite changes, Twins again aim high |
MINNESOTA TWINS 2010 RECORD: 94-68, 1st in AL Central, swept in ALDS by New York Yankees. BIGGEST ACQUISITION: The Twins got into the import business this offseason, signing Japanese infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka(notes) to a three-year deal worth around $10 million. BIGGEST DEPARTURES: Minnesota lost a lot of depth in their bullpen, letting Jesse Crain(notes) walk to the White Sox, Jon Rauch(notes) bolt to the Blue Jays, Brian Fuentes(notes) to abdicate to the A’s and Matt Guerrier(notes) to dash to the Dodgers in the offseason. The middle of last year’s infield — J.J. Hardy(notes) and Orlando Hudson(notes) — is also gone. FIVE THINGS TO ASK ABOUT THE TWINS: 1. Will Nishioka be a big contributor in 2011? The Twins think enough of Nishioka that they paid $5 million to the Chiba Lotte Marines for his posting rights and sent shortstop J.J. Hardy to Baltimore. Though Nishioka can play either middle infield position, Ron Gardenhire announced on Saturday that he will slide into Orlando Hudson’s spot second base, while Alexi Casilla(notes) will play short. Big things are expected of Nishioka at the plate after he posted 206 hits (for a .346 average) in 2010, but he’ll have to figure out big league pitching and, more importantly, stay healthy to do so. The 26-year-old has never played more than 130 games in a season. 2. Whither Joe Mauer’s(notes) power? The pride of the Twin Cities had another All-Star year in 2010, hitting .327 for the year and winning his third straight Gold Glove behind home plate. But thanks to a David Wright(notes)-moving-to-Citi-Field-type dip and some nagging injuries, Mauer’s power numbers fell precipitously upon transferring to Target Field — his homers and slugging percentage were down from 28 and .587 in his 2009 MVP season to nine and .469 in 2010, when he didn’t hit his first home run at Target until Aug. 18. Justin Morneau(notes) has chastised the Twins for putting the fences so far out there, but the creation of a big prairie has done wonders for Mauer’s doubles total — he hit a career-high 43 in 2010. Bottom line: A healthy season will improve those totals, but the Twins’ spacious new home will probably keep that ’09 season as an outlier when it comes to his power numbers. 3. When is Justin Morneau coming back? Sadly, it’s still anyone’s guess. Though the first baseman has been participating in spring training drills after suffering a concussion just before last year’s All-Star break, Morneau still doesn’t have a return to the field date. He keeps saying that he feels good and he keeps going in for checkups, but a clearance has yet to come. The only way we’ll know is when we see him back where he belongs — battling American League pitchers instead of an awful head injury.
4. Can the old guys repeat their seasons? Jim Thome(notes) and Carl Pavano(notes) were two big reasons Minnesota won its sixth AL Central title in nine years in 2010 and both re-signed with the team for 2011. But Thome turns 40 in August and Pavano turned 35 in the offseason. Can Minnesota really count on Thome smacking 25 homers in 340 at-bats and Pavano eating another 220 innings with a ERA-plus of 111? 5. Can they still make seven division titles in 10 years? Over the past decade, we’ve learned two things about the Minnesota Twins: 1) Never count them out in the AL Central, no matter how inactive their offseason and 2) Don’t expect them to do anything with that playoff berth once they inevitably win it. While the White Sox and Tigers made big free agent splashes, they still don’t have the organizational strength and philosophy that the Twins do. If Morneau can make a healthy return and the bullpen replenishes itself with the return of closer Joe Nathan(notes) and the arrival of others, the Twins will again make things interesting. Related: Joe Nathan, Jon Rauch, Brian Fuentes, Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Jesse Crain, J.J. Hardy, Matt Guerrier, Alexi Casilla, Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Spring Swing – ‘Duk, Spring Swing 2011
There is the quick update of the day. Posted in twins-news | Comments Off
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Every day in spring training until we finish the entire league, Big League Stew takes a brief capsule look at each team we visit in the Grapefruit and Cactus leagues. Next up is Hammond Stadium, where the Minnesota Twins are gearing up for another season of doing more with less in the AL Central.
