SB Nation - Justin Morneau

Fantasy Baseball: Raygu's MDC Mock Draft Results

raygu — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:00:28 -0000

by Mark J. Terrill - AP

29 days ago: FILE - In this Oct. 8, 2009, file photo, St. Louis Cardinals' Albert Pujols hits a single during the sixth inning of Game 2 of the National League division baseball series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, in Los Angeles. Pujols was unanimously voted National League MVP on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2009, becoming the baseball first player to repeat since Barry Bonds won four in a row from 2001-04. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, File)

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I participated, I use that term loosely, in a 12 Team Mixed League mock draft over at Mock Draft Central on Monday night. I missed alot of my picks because I was busy following the Roy Halladay trade rumors. But I made sure I made my fist three picks, as I was picking from the first position.

Here is how the first two rounds went:

R1 P1 Albert Pujols

R1 P2 Hanley Ramirez

R1 P3 Chase Utley

R1 P4 Alex Rodriguez

R1 P5 Ryan Braun

R1 P6 Mark Teixeira

R1 P7 Tim Lincecum

R1 P8 Matt Kemp

R1 P9 Prince Fielder

R1 P10 Miguel Cabrera

R1 P11 Evan Longoria

R1 P12 David Wright

The second round is after the jump:

R2 P1 Ian Kinsler

R2 P2 Justin Morneau

R2 P3 Ryan Howard

R2 P4 Joe Mauer

R2 P5 Carl Crawford

R2 P6 Grady Sizemore

R2 P7 Jacoby Ellsbury

R2 P8 Mark Reynolds

R2 P9 Jason Bay

R2 P10 Troy Tulowitzki

R2 P11 Zack Greinke

R2 P12 Justin Upton

With the first pick in round 3 I selected Matt Holliday.

I was surprised Upton and Holliday were still available that late in round 2.

Poll

What is more shcoking about Raygu's mock draft?

Fantasy Baseball: Early Mock Draft. Round 1, pick 1.

Ian, yo — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:03:39 -0000

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It's now time I take a break from my fuming anger with Franklin Gutierrez's obvious Gold Glove snub, and get this mock draft moving. Since there will only be a few of us doing this mock, it'll be more like how we think drafts will be the closer we get to the season.

Let me start this out with the number one pick....

Hanley Ramirez. SS, FLA

Now, I know some of you may think I've gone completely off my rocker for not picking the best hitter in the game of baseball as the number one pick, but there's reasoning for me doing so. As I look at shortstop for 2010, I feel...well...unimpressed. I like my players at scarce positions to be fancy dancy guys and when I look at 1B, I see guys like Justin Morneau, Prince Fielder and Kevin Youkilis and deeper value with guys like Joey Votto. When I look at the rest of the shortstops, I see Troy Tulowitzki, Derek Jeter, Ben Zobrist Jimmy Rollins and a few others and see a large drop off. An argument can be made for a few guys to be picked here but I feel pretty strongly getting a top player at a weak position.

Twins Pick Up Michael Cuddyer's 2011 Option

Jesse — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 17:41:57 -0000

And here I was, writing about whether or not the Twins should actually do it....

Of course my conclusion was an adament "YES, YES THE TWINS SHOULD PICK UP CUDDY'S 2011 OPTION". Clearly I have a nose for these things.

Cuddyer's 2011 option is worth $10.5 million, but with the buyout an even million in its own right the Twins are essentially paying our right fielder $9.5 million for his services two years from now. Of course we all know that, as one of the team's leaders, Cuddyer hit .276/.342/.520 this past summer with career highs in home runs and slugging percentage.

There will be questions about whether or not Cuddles is worth that much money as a 32-year old right fielder whose range leaves a bit to be desired, but as far as I'm concerned this was a quality decision, and one that was more or less unavoidable.

This decision raises Minnesota's 2011 committments to roughly $42.6 million dollars: Justin Morneau ($15 MM), Joe Nathan ($11.25 MM), Cuddyer ($10.5 MM) and Scott Baker ($5.00 MM), as well as a $500K buyout for Nick Punto and a $350K buyout for Jason Kubel.

Michael Cuddyer

#5 / First Base / Minnesota Twins

Height: 6-2

Weight: 215

Bats: R

Throws: R

Born: Mar 27, 1979

	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG
2009 - Michael Cuddyer	153	588	93	162	34	7	32	94	54	118	6	1	.276	.342	.520

Poll

If you're Bill Smith, did you just pick up Cuddy's 2011 option?

Hell yeah!

360 votes

Nope!

41 votes

401 votes | Poll has closed

10/19 - There May Not Be Stupid Questions, But There Sure Are Some Stupid Answers

bs.uf15bosox9bears23 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 09:00:27 -0000

Debuting the header today, folks - still a work in progress, probably always will be. Any suggestions would be great.

Well, since that's the balloon boy of the post, let's move on to ACTUAL news.

Miguel Tejada Is Right Answer, But Not to Biggest Question - NESN.com

Put down the bottle, Mr. Beattie. Seriously, Tejada is probably plan G for Theo at the SS position, right before a 4 man outfield.

Big-Name Free Agents on Menu for Red Sox This Offseason - NESN.com

So many issues with this link - a few big ones:

Marco Scutaro: Along with Figgins, he's one of the best possible solutions to the Red Sox' shortstop dilemma. No one's paying attention, but Scutaro had a season to remember in 2009 -- with 35 doubles, 90 walks and an OBP of .379, he quickly vaulted to the top of the heap among the AL's best offensive shortstops. If the Red Sox can get Scutaro to scoot into Boston this winter, he'd be a huge boost to their offense.

1) They never mentioned Figgins helping the SS situation at all in his little blurb, most likely because he doesn't. 2) He's not one of the best possible solutions - he had a huge outlier of a career year, is getting close to NG's age cut-off, and he's not going to be cheap either. 3) I love when the Mainstream Media accuses us of ignorance, when they're the ones who decide what the majority of people hear and see. Besides, Scutaro's gotten quite a bit of recognition around the blogosphere.

Continuing the breakdown after the break, along with some more links.

Orlando Cabrera: If nothing else, there's sentimental value.

Johnny Damon: Perhaps he's Cabrera's opposite sentimentally, but the 24 homers and 36 doubles in 2009 are hard to ignore. If Jason Bay doesn't end up back in Boston, maybe Damon should.

Matt Holliday, Vladimir Guerrero, Carl Crawford, Magglio Ordonez, Jermaine Dye, Hideki Matsui and Bobby Abreu: All of a sudden, heavy-hitting corner outfielders are a dime a dozen. The Sox would love to have Bay back in Boston, but if they can't get a deal done, there are many contingency plans in the works. Any one of these guys would be a serviceable, if not ideal, replacement for Bay next season.

OCab - no "if."

Damon - get off the bottle.

Holliday - sure, if he's cheaper than Bay.

Vlad - MAYBE.

Crawford - if the Rays let him go, sign him immediately and then call up Friedman and laugh your asses off.

Maggs - hell no, we weren't going to take him in exchange for getting rid of Lugo, fool.

Dye - again, MAYBE, but only if there's no one else decent left.

Godzilla - short LF =/= no need for knees.

Abreu - sure, if he's WAY cheaper than Bay or Holliday and they're both gone.

NESN's reporters are really disappointing me of late - let's see if the independent press is less dumb.

The Blue Sox: Why Boston's Boys Are the Democrats Of Baseball Bleacher Report
Oh...kay... Umm... I'm going to move on, because I'd really rather not start up a flame war (although, I will say that it is weird to be a conservative* and like the Sox). The article is well-written, and describes the parallel better than most could. It also shows the weird connection that baseball and politics has always had.

*Yes, conservative. Not Republican. Right now, I need that difference to exist, because the GOP is being way too stupid for me to support them.

Looking back, looking forward - Chad Finn's Touching All The Bases

Mattingly may be ready to step up to the plate in managerial position - The Boston Globe

2. Stephen Drew, SS, Diamondbacks - He is expected to be shopped by the Diamondbacks, and there should be discussions with the Red Sox. Stephen is not the OPS machine that big brother J.D. is (.748 this season) but his other numbers weren’t bad for a shortstop: .261, 12 homers, 65 RBIs (only three fewer than J.D.). He also made only 11 errors. Who knows if hitting in a more patient lineup will help his OPS?

3. Victor Martinez, C, Red Sox - If he is the full-time, 100- to 110-game catcher next season, scouts believe he needs to shorten his release to be better at throwing out runners. Martinez, according to one scout, "long-arms his throws. It just takes him too long to get the ball down to second base. In order to combat that, you either have to have pitchers who can hold runners on base, which the Red Sox don’t, or have them do slide-steps and things of that nature, which they don’t like to do, either.’’ Gary Tuck supposedly is one of the best catching instructors in the game, so one would think he’d improve this with Martinez.

5. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B, Padres - This is the fellow I suspect the Sox will go after. They would then move Kevin Youkilis to third, with Ortiz and Mike Lowell sharing DH duties. Gonzalez came very close to getting traded to the Mariners at the deadline in a five-for-one (Seattle wouldn’t give up a certain fifth minor leaguer). Only question is, do the Sox have enough players to give San Diego?

6. Ron Mahay, LHP, Twins - He would love to re-sign with the Twins but wouldn’t rule out a return to Boston, where he was a replacement outfielder in 1995 (.200 AB in 20 at-bats) and a pitcher in the late ’90s. "It was a long time ago, but I loved that place,’’ said Mahay. "I’ve played a lot of places in my career and lasted a long time, but I’ll never forget Boston.’’ Mahay appeared in 16 games for the Twins after being released by the Royals and had a 2.00 ERA. Among the hitters he dominates: Eric Chavez (0 for 17), Raul Ibanez (3 for 18, 9 K’s), Ichiro Suzuki (3 for 13), Joe Mauer (2 for 13), Justin Morneau (2 for 12), Alex Rodriguez (1 for 7), Jorge Posada (1 for 8), Ramirez (0 for 6).

Too tired to give this link the same service as the NESN one. Anyone else want to give it a shot?

ALDS Pre-Game: Do Or Die...Again

Jesse — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 17:33:42 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

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A common theme, I feel.

Joe Mauer will be catching today, playing with a "hip flexor", which basically causes pain any time you try to flex a leg upward; kicking, lifting a knee, that kind of thing. So, really, not idea for your catcher. I'm thinking maybe DH'ing Mauer today, for his own good, would be for the best. With a four-man bench, two of them catchers, I feel it's a move that's pretty much made to order. This is also the kind of game where I'd trust Mike Redmond to come up with a big hit.
Montanatwinsfan noted this earlier, but with Matt Tolbert out due to an oblique strain Brian Buscher is taking his place of the playoff roster. Brendan Harris will get the nod at third base, and hopefully he can make a play or two like he did back in New York on Friday.
Jason Kubel needs to show up today. Four strikeouts in game two, which is just unacceptable by any measurement of success, showed exactly how overmatched he was. The bad news is that it's southpaw veteran Andy Pettitte on the mound, which means Kubel's contributions will be harder to come by. The good news is that pretty much any contribution is better than what he's given the Twins so far.
It's a good thing that Carl Pavano is getting a nod at home in the Dome. I can't imagine what kind of horrible reception he'd get had he started in New York. Not that he couldn't handle it, because I'm sure he could, but no doubt pitching in front of a crowd that's got your back will be much easier. Nick Blackburn managed to largely neutralize that great Yankee offense, and Carl will need to do the same.
It's hard to look at this series thinking "the Twins have to win three in a row" or "the Twins can't lose". You still have to take it one day at a time, because it's no use looking to tomorrow until you've won today. So that's how I'm looking at it: win today. Just win today. Then think about winning tomorrow. One game at a time.
Michael Cuddyer has homered off of Pettitte this year, in Minnesota's one shot at him. Carlos Gomez and Brendan Harris picked up multi-hit days. Justin Morneau went 4-for-4, but for some reason I think he's unavailable tonight.
The Yankees, meanwhile, have already seen Pavano twice this season, both times when he was with the Cleveland Indians. Mark Teixeira is the only Yankee with a homer off him, while Derek Jeter is the only Yankee with more than one hit off him.
I like what Bill Smith had to say in Sid Hartman's column today. No excuses, but with a real understanding of the situation:

"We like our team, we like our players. Any success we have is going to be through scouting and player development. We know we have a great manager and great major league coaching staff. We have a lot of good young players who have come through our system."

This could be the swan song for the Metrodome, but I'd like to play at least one more. Let's take down the Yankees tonight.

Twins Win Nail-Biter In 10: Delmon Young's Insurance Run the Difference

Jesse — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:13:18 -0000

More photos » by Paul Sancya - AP

No, listen, Nick, it was just a high-5. It meant nothing, please don't be mad. You have my heart. Give me yours.

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F10: Twins 3, Tigers 2

To use the words of fischean: One. 1. Uno.

If you wanted intense, hard-fought baseball, you got it. If you wanted big moments, pivotal mistakes and a fantastic pitcher's duel, you got that, too. Did you want a Twins win? Granted.

Nick Blackburn struggled through the first four innings, allowing the leadoff hitter to reach three of the four innings with two of those hits being a double. Yet every time the Tigers pushed, Nick pushed back. Eight base runners through the first four innings garnered the home team just a solitary run, thanks to some nice defense (a diving Orlando Cabrera and a scoop by ~~Justin Morneau~~ Michael Cuddyer) and a great play (Cuddyer to home, Joe Mauer blocking the plate and applying the tag).

Once Nick escaped the fourth, he sent down all nine hitters through his final three innings. Blackburn settled in and turned into the big game pitcher we needed him to be.

Down 0-1 in the top of the fifth the Twins finally managed to even the score, which may have helped to take the pressure off Blackburn a little bit. Matt Tolbert led off the inning with a double, earning him his new monicker: Tol-Bear. It's French. Nick Punto then attempted his first bunt of the game, a beauty, advancing Tol-Bear to third and nearly running out the throw to first himself. Denard Span-crush then allowed Tol-Beart to tag from third to knot the score.

The Twins threatened again in the top of the ninth before managing to momentarily delay the win. Alexi Casilla doubled to lead off the inning before Tol-Bear dropped down a great bunt to move him to third base. Gardy then called up the ol' squeeze play, and with Casilla already in full sprint Punto was forced to attempt a first-pitch bunt on a ball almost over his head. Popped up, Casilla doubled off third, tear off clothes gnash teeth and generally implode all over the television set.

Enter Jon Rauch being awesome, Span getting a base hit to lead off the tenth. Cue Orlando Cabrera not ending an inning but in fact giving the Twins the lead after Span advances on a wild pitch. Twice. Joe Mauer walking, Carlos Gomez putting down another successful Minnesota bunt and Delmon Young, oh yes Delmon Young, launching a ball in a lofty nature designed to score a sacrifice run. 3-1, Twins.

Of course Joe Nathan managed to make in interesting, allowing Curtis Granderson to smash a bomb before recording an out. But he locked it down and recorded save number 45, tying Eddie Guardado for the team record.

It's all down to one, for just a few hours. Next game in just over three hours, so relax now. While you can.

Stars of the Game
#3: Orlando Cabrera (1-for-5, BIG RBI, .118 WPA)
#2: Alexi Casilla (1-for-2, BIG DOUBLE, .149 WPA)
#1: Nick Blackburn (7 IP, 4 K, 6 H, 1 BB, 1 R, .321 WPA)

Fantasy Baseball: 2010 AL Dynasty/Keeper 1B rankings

Ian, yo — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:14:53 -0000

More photos » by Duane Burleson - AP

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Now it's time for the top keepers/dynasty first basemen.

1. Miguel Cabrera- In his first full season in the American League, Miggy put up numbers pretty consistent with his past numbers. Cabrera is still very young and can have many many more years with these types of numbers. Currently ranking 4th on the ESPN player rater and top five overall in Yahoo leagues, Cabrera and his high average, 30+ home runs and 100+ RBI's should be a very consistent 1B for you in the future.

2. Mark Teixeira- Pretty much in the same boat as Cabrera, Teixeira is one of the most consistent players in fantasy baseball. He's widely known for being a slow starter and heats up later in the year but if you're playing in H2H leagues, he's what you're looking for. Currently hitting .292 with 37 HR and 118 RBI, and hitting in the Yankee jetstream, Teixiera could easily move to the top of this list.

3. Justin Morneau- Morneau was shut down near the end of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back and managed to put up a season rivaling other power first basemen in the AL. If you're looking for a consistent player to give you power numbers, he can be your guy. Coming off the injury could drop his value a bit in the offseason so if you plan on trading him, make sure you're getting fair value (healthy value.)

4. Kevin Youkilis- Youk missed a little time this season and still put up stats close to the players after him in this list. If Youk can have a full healthy season, we're looking at a season with a little less power than Teixeira and Cabrera, but should put up RBIs, runs and average. If you're in leagues that count OBP or OPS, Youk will be a straight up stud, putting up a .900+ OPS in his last two seasons.

5. Kendry Morales- Morales had a break out year in his first season as the Angel's 1B keeping with the 30/100 theme here. Morales is 2/7 in stolen base attempts and while playing on the Angels, you probably won't see those attempts go away next year. Maybe if you're lucky he grab you a few more steals, but those will just come as a bonus anyways.

6. Carlos Pena- This is the guy on this list that may get me the most criticism. I'm a huge fan of Pena and think he's very underrated by most based on his low average alone. Now, if Pena didn't miss the last month of the season, you could be looking at a 100/40/100 guy. On the surface, his .227 average is pretty horrendous, but if you check into his BABIP, you'll notice he had a season where he was a bit lower than his career number. Not that it would make a whole world of difference, you've gotta keep it in mind. Next year, Pena could fall in the draft because of his average, but if you can get three solid categories from your 1B, take it and be happy. Just try and draft someone who can give you a bit of an average boost in later rounds. Also, if your league counts OBP or OPS, Pena is your man.

7. Victor Martinez- V-Mart is a strong candidate to win the MLB Comeback Player of the Year in 2009. Martinez has put up numbers comparable to his previous seasons (minus his injury ridden 2008 season.) Martinez will have catcher eligibility again in 2010, but would still be a very valuable 1B in AL only leagues. While Martinez has hit only one home run in Fenway Park, he will be playing many games in Yankee Stadium (where he's hit four home runs in 37 ABs.) and in an offense as potent as Boston's, should remain a very good fantasy producer.

8. Michael Cuddyer- With Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young struggling in Minnesota, Cuddyer's put up a career year. While he's only hit 20 or more home runs one in his career (discounting 2009) he did hit 24 in 2006 and has shown the ability to hit for power. If you're looking for a guy who can get you anywhere from 20-30 HR and not kill you on average, Cuddyer is your man.

9. Billy Butler- Butler is finally having that breakout season everyone's been hoping for. Butler is only 23 years old and has put up a 20 home run, 90+ RBI season while hitting .300 on a poor offense. If Butler keeps improving as he's done over the last three years, we could be seeing another Victor Martinez, with less RBI's of course.

10. Paul Konerko- I was debating on whether or not to have Russell Branyan or Konerko as the last man on this list and decided that since Branyan is a free agent and has missed significant time with a back injury, I'd have Konerko round the list out. While Konerko is not nearly as successful as he was in his prime, he's still putting up close to 30 home runs with a decent RBI total and average. Konerko's BB% has dropped compared to the last two years, so if he makes a correction, we could be looking at even better numbers. Just keep in mind that he's 33 years old and will turn 34 before the 2010 season.

Minnesota Twins 2010 Roster & Payroll (Part II)

Jesse — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 22:48:55 -0000

Thanks for some fantastic coversation on Tuesday! Milt on Tilt, Eric In Madison, Seth Speaks, clutterheart, Fetch9, ajmargarine and everyone else who contributed made for a great discussion, helped clarify some things while running some good back-and-forth over dollars and stats.

We'll start where we left off, which was discussing how internal options would help flesh out the depth chart. All players who aren't either under contract or arbitration-eligible (serfs) will be in italics. Serfs, simply because of how much they're being paid, their options and their experience, are the easiest players to theoretically replace with free agents. Some players will be listed on the depth chart at more than one position, but we should see pretty quickly which positions have talent and depth, and which positions have flexibility but not necessarily reliability.

Catcher: Joe Mauer, Jose Morales
First Base: Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer
Second Base: Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Alexi Casilla, Matt Tolbert, Steven Tolleson
Third Base: Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris, Matt Tolbert, Nick Punto, Daniel Valencia, Luke Hughes
Shortstop: Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Matt Tolbert, Trevor Plouffe
Left Field: Denard Span, Delmon Young, Jason Kubel
Center Field: Carlos Gomez, Denard Span
Right Field: Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Jason Kubel
Designated Hitter: Jason Kubel

Starting Pitcher: Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano, Glen Perkins, Anthony Swarzak, Boof Bonser
Relief Pitcher: Joe Nathan, Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares, Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain, Pat Neshek, Brian Duensing, Glen Perkins, Boof Bonser, Francisco Liriano

You can make an argument for another player or two being on this list somewhere, but realistically if the Twins went into next season without picking up a single free agent, this would be the essential core of players. From this group you'd need to choose 25 players.

Before we get our estimated payroll figure for those 25, we have to update our estimates for what our nine arbitration-eligible players could be worth next year. 117 comments from Tuesday's post, and using a healthy cross-section of responses as guidelines we'll alter our estimates to the following.

Player	Original Estimate	Updated Estimate
Boof Bonser	$500,000	$900,000
Carlos Gomez	$600,000	$1,000,000
Brendan Harris	$600,000	$1,100,000
Francisco Liriano	$550,000	$1,500,000
Pat Neshek	$500,000	$700,000
Glen Perkins	$550,000	$900,000
Delmon Young	$1,750,000	$1,750,000
Jesse Crain	$2,300,000	$2,300,000
Matt Guerrier	$2,100,000	$2,600,000
Totals	$9,450,000	$12,750,000

We've added $3.3 million dollars in arbitration raises. Add this new total to the committed $62,267,000 and your contractual and arbitration players are making an estimated $75,017,000. Add another eight players at the major league minimum plus a little change, and right now I have to believe that without adding a single free agent the Twins will go to Opening Day with a minimum of $78.5 million dollars. We'll call it an even $80, just in case I've been too conservative in any estimates.

That would constitute a $15 million dollar bump from Opening Day 2009, and it's far and away a franchise record. But what will the front office's limit be for spending this off-season? Will they be allowed to add another $5 million? $10 million? Some on this site have speculated the organization could go so far as to raise payroll to $100,000, even before the team has played a game in its new stadium. I tend to this that's pretty high. I also think this team will be hesitant to reach to $90 million, if only because it's so far removed from any ceiling this club has ever seen.

For now, today, until we hear something different we'll just throw out the number of $87,000,000. Some will think that's too high and a lot will think it's too low, but it's a fair number.

One look at the above depth chart and it's pretty easy to point a finger, run it across a few names and say Okay, So This Is Where We Should Start. Those places, in no particular order, should be starting pitching, shortstop, third base and second base. Check here for a current list of potential free agents, but here's a list of players who could potentially cost $7 million or less per season.

Starting Pitchers: Erik Bedard, Daniel Cabrera, Doug Davis, Josh Fogg, Jason Marquis, Brett Myers, Vincente Padilla, Carl Pavano, Brad Penny, Mark Prior, Jarrod Washburn, Randy Wolf

I purposely left a few names off this list, but this is still fairly exhaustive. Which one of these guys, if any, would constitute enough value for the Twins to shell out millions of dollars with the hope that their additional wins would be worth the value over in-house, cheaper, more familiar options? If you only have $7 million to spend, are you willing to blow it all on one veteran starter? Or maybe the gambling type, and would bring in Prior on a one-year, incentive laden deal? Hell, he'll only be 28.

Third Base: Adrian Beltre, Joe Crede, Bobby Crosby, Mark DeRosa, Nomar Garciaparra, Troy Glaus, Miguel Tejada, Juan Uribe

See anyone you like here? Crede likes it in Minneapolis, would he take another incentive-laden deal based on plate appearances or games played? Or does your gamber's mentality take you to Glaus?

Second Base: Ronnie Belliard, Jamey Carroll, Mark DeRosa, Jerry Hairston Jr, Adam Kennedy, Placido Polanco

Carroll is having a good season for a bad ballclub. Belliard is awful. Do you like DeRosa's versatility enough to pay your entire $7 million stipend? Because he'll come at a cost. Polanco's got a big head, so that's fun.

Shortstop: Orlando Cabrera, Alex Cora, Bobby Crosby, Adam Everett, Khalil Greene, Marco Scutaro, Miguel Tejada, Omar Vizquel

The reality is that no matter where you look in these four positional categories, a vast majority of what you see are either retreads trying to make a comeback, older guys hanging on, younger(ish) players who really aren't very good or other warts-ridden profiles. Keep in mind that this is a list of guys who could make $7 million or less per season, but even those who could make more than that aren't all that great. The few diamonds in the rough will be snatched up, quickly, and will likely be overpaid due to simple economics. So long, Jamey Carroll.

It's not a good free agent class, but in some ways this organization doesn't have a choice going into next season. Not signing a free agent will seem, to the masses (ignorant or not), like just another "stingy" move by a "stingy" front office, although there's been nothing stingy about this organization for years. It's a new stadium being filled with a handful of star players, and the public will expect the Twins to make a splash. Right or wrong.

How would you handle it? It's a complicated decision, and for a team that has more than its share of needs there won't be endless millions to throw around. Unless, of course, you want to make trades or cuts...but that's another story for another day.

I'll leave you to ponder for the time being, on the final off-day for the Twins as we head into the season's final trio of series. Let's enjoy some fall baseball tonight, cheer on the Indians, and I'll see you tomorrow.

Five Questions: Twinkie Town's Jesse Lund

Ian Casselberry — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 18:45:09 -0000

More photos » by Jim Mone - AP

Hello, Joe Mauer. Will the favorite for AL MVP solidify his candidacy this weekend against the Tigers?

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The Tigers venture into the Metrodome for a pivotal three-game series with the Twins (and judging from some of our commenters, it could be The End of Western Civilization). So we're playing "Five Questions" with Jesse Lund, our SB Nation broham from Twinkie Town to learn some more heading into this series.

These will be the last three games the Tigers play at the Metrodome. After this, nine of the Twins' remaining 12 games will be played on the road. The final three games of that trip will be played in Detroit. Can the Tigers put some distance between themselves and their closest competitor, or will the AL Central race become uncomfortably close?

I also answered some questions about the Tigers for Jesse, which you can read here.

Bless You Boys: The Twins have played surprisingly well since Justin Morneau was shut down for the season? Who has stepped their game to make up for Morneau's absence? Had that already been happening with Morneau slumping so badly because of his back? Or was it just playing Cleveland?

Twinkie Town: It seems like it's one of two things on any given night. Either the top of the order steps up and the 1-5 hitters combine for 11 hits, or else Span and Mauer manage to pick up hits after a miracle occurs and somebody from the bottom of the order gets on base.

Truthfully, Nick Punto has been a beast recently. .345/.424/.448 going back to August 16. He's right on track to forcing the Twins to keep up their end of that contract they signed him to last winter, and earning his spot on the 2010 roster. It's been great for the team but I know a lot of fans think it's counter-productive. I just think his forearms get bigger every week. Otherwise I think Cuddyer is under-rated.

BYB: The Tigers have seen a little bit of Brian Duensing in two relief appearances this season. But he's put up some impressive numbers as a starter in his last five games. Has he been a surprise and what can Tigers fans expect to see from him on Friday night?

TT: He's been a terrific surprise. Obviously been brilliantly effective for a rotation in shambles, with a 1.74 ERA since being dropped into the rotation five starts ago. Brian's a contact-inducing pitcher who's tallied a few strikeouts (lots more swings and misses than I anticipated), mainly because he's been doing a good job of locating his pitches.

Some of it is smoke and mirrors at this point, and a lot of people are going to call him "just another Minnesota fourth starter pitching above his head," but he's doing himself all his own favors. Not a lot of hits, not a lot of walks and consistently hitting the black of the plate--very common sense stuff that everyone has seen before--and the biggest thing is that in this stretch, he hasn't allowed a home run. Honestly, I didn't expect this from him, but he's been a life saver.

BYB: Delmon Young got off to a slow start and didn't seem to be a factor in the Twins' lineup, but he really kicked into gear around June. Yet he's cooled off in September. What made the difference for him when he turned it around, and has he gotten away from that in recent weeks?

TT: All of Delmon's offensive value comes from his raw hitting ability. I know, roll the eyes, there's that word "raw" paired with Delmon Young again, but it's true. Nobody in this organization is going to stem the tide of his aggressive nature at the plate, and power pitchers are just going to blow him away; cue roll over and induce another patented double play grounder. If he can match up against non-power pitchers on a consistent basis, he'll murder the ball.

So basically, it's a pretty simple equation, and it's one that will toy with people until Delmon can either figure it out or get platooned properly: the good streaks are the result of a hot streak, the result of facing the right type of pitcher, luck, and/or a combination of all three. Lots of talent. Zero discipline or discretion.

BYB: If Joe Mauer did not win the AL MVP award, who do you think would be the next most worthy candidate?

TT: Not Derek Jeter? Actually I take that back, that's just my anti-Yankee venom. Jeter has had a great season [Harold Baines], and if it couldn't Joe Mauer, which it f*****g better be because this contest isn't even close, then Jeter would be a fine choice. But because Mauer actually deserves the award (unlike his Canadian buddy who won it a couple years back to the consternation of many a Jeter fan and baseball fan), if the Yankee captain gets it, it's for all the wrong reasons. So, if not Mauer? Miguel Cabrera, Jason Bartlett or Kevin Youkilis. In that order.

BYB: Are you at all disappointed about losing the home field advantage that the Metrodome provides after this season? Or are you more excited about a new ballpark with all the shiny features that other teams around the league enjoy?

TT: I'm looking forward to Target Field! It's gorgeous. The Dome field advantage thing existed, I don't argue that, but I will argue the point that the Twins will suffer by moving out of it. If the Twins reaped the benefits of a quick turf, so did the opposition. One thing I will concede will be the color of the teflon roof; playing there 81 times a year will allow a guy to get used to picking up the ball more than a team that visits nine or ten times. Or fewer.

In general, the Twins are an athletic team, and a talented one, especially on the offensive side of the ball. Which sounds bizarre to say. But I think they're structured so that a move to a real field won't hurt.

# # #

Thanks once again to ~~Jeff~~ Jesse for setting this exchange up and taking the time to answer our questions. Check out Twinkie Town this weekend to get the opposing view on this series. They also have an account on Twitter, if you'd like to follow them that way.

What are your thoughts about this weekend's series? Would you be happy if the Tigers won one game, or do they really need to win two to make you feel comfortable? This can be kind of an open thread leading up to tonight's game, as well.

Showdown In Dome Town: Twins Playing Host to Tigers

Jesse — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:32:32 -0000

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys
@ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town

Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT
Metrodome

Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing

Complete Coverage >

Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT

Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT

Games back: 4.0

For weeks we've been back and forth on this. Every time the Twins hit a streak of luck and run off a couple of wins they manage to take a step back. And yet every time they're pushed to the brink, to the point where it seems they can do no right and nothing more than a whisper would push them into the abyss of elimination, they find a way to scratch and fight back above .500.

In most divisions that wouldn't be good enough. But in the AL Central it's a reality, and it's making for another heartburn-happy September.

Thanks to Zack Greinke and the Kansas City Royals, the Tigers will be prowling through Minneapolis this weekend with a four-game lead over our Minnesota Twins. Forget records, this is all about the gap to first place. We all understand what's at stake here.

Injury Report

Twins:
Both Justin Morneau and Joe Crede are out for the season, leaving the middle of the order down 40% on their power hitters. Michael Cuddyer is filling in at first base, giving Ron Gardenhire the chance to play Carlos Gomez and Delmon Young everyday. Brian Buscher and Brendan Harris will be picking up more of the time at third.

Tigers:
Dontrelle Willis has been out for some time, but both Nate Robertson and Jarrod Washburn are fighting injuries and won't pitch this series. Detroit has no scheduled starter for Sunday's contest.

Probable Pitchers

Friday, September 18: Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing
Saturday, September 19: Justin Verlander vs Carl Pavano
Sunday, September 20: TBA vs Scott Baker

Opposition Focus

Rick Porcello: For a kid who won't be able to legally drink until two days after Christmas, Porcello doesn't seem to be too worked up over the pressure he's been facing with his team down the stretch. His fastball has good sink and it's been his best pitch, while his breaking ball(s) and off-speed pitch haven't been quite as effective. Porcello will beat you by inducing contact, and because his ground ball rates are so good (54.8%) you'll need to string together two or three hits on most occasions before you score a run. If he does let one get up, however, they're a little more likely to get a little boost. If the Twins are getting a lot of line drives or are hitting some hard flies on Friday night, it should be a sign that they're seeing him pretty well. Hopefully that would turn into runs. If Porcello gets into a groove, however, those innings could start flying by with nothing more to show than a string of 6-3 put outs.

Justin Verlander: Verlander is good. I'd probably vote for Zack Greinke for the Cy Young, but Verlander isn't too far off. Over 12.1 innings in two starts versus the Twins this year he's allowed seven runs over 12.1 innings, giving up 12 hits, five hits and striking out 19. Yes, 19.

Magglio Ordonez: He's really bounced back, and all that's missing from his game is power. Sort of like Bobby Abreu. Only with less power. He's back to hitting third for the Tigers, hitting .347/.418/.493 since the All-Star break.

Brandon Inge: Still looks like the biggest jerk to ever jerk a jerk. Doing a great Joe Crede impression this year. If Joe Crede were healthy.

Adam Everett: Anybody wish we'd given him another shot? He's hitting a paltry .244/.296/.335, but that's not much worse than some of our other infielders. His UZR/150 is only 4.2, but that's better than any of the five guys the Twins have tried at the spot this year. For reference, Orlando Cabrera's UZR/150 with the Twins is -17.9. He's also still making plenty of plays outside of his zone (36 and counting), although not as frequently as he once was.

Miguel Cabrera: Also awesome. The man is only 26 and has amassed ~~438~~ 205 home runs. In the history of the Minnesota Twins, only Harmon Killebrew [edit: and Kent Hrbek and Bob Allison and Tony Oliva and Kirby Pucket end edit] and has ever hit more home runs than a 26-year old. Incredible. And let's not even pretend he's a one-dimensional offensive force.

Fernando Rodney: Tigers fans, this is a closer. Rodney isn't a bad pitcher, but after dealing with Todd Jones for so long it has to be like watching the second coming of...wait...oh my god, really? Todd Jones is Detroit's career save leader? I feel so dirty.

You want meaningful autumn baseball? This might be as close as we get. Get out and support the Twins this weekend if you can, and if not, then we'll see you here.

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys @ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT Metrodome Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing Complete Coverage >
Sat 09/19		4:10 PM EDT
Sun 09/20		2:10 PM EDT

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Current Series 3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys @ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT Metrodome Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing Complete Coverage > Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Games back: 4.0

Injury Report

Probable Pitchers

Opposition Focus

Current Series

3 game series vs Tigers @ Metrodome

Detroit Tigers Bless You Boys
@ Minnesota Twins Twinkie Town

Friday, Sep 18, 2009, 8:10 PM EDT
Metrodome

Rick Porcello vs Brian Duensing

Complete Coverage >

Sat 09/19 4:10 PM EDT

Sun 09/20 2:10 PM EDT