Jacque Jones, Twins agree to deal

Jacque’s back to the blue and redwall!

The Minnesota Twins have reached agreement with outfielder Jacque Jones on a minor league contract with an invitation to spring training.

Jones, 34, broke into professional ball with Minnesota in 1996 as a second-round draft pick out of USC. He’s a career .277 hitter with 165 home runs in 10 big league seasons with the Twins, Cubs, Tigers and Marlins.

Jones’ best career season came in 2002, when he hit .300 with 27 homers and 85 RBIs for Minnesota. He hasn’t played in the major leagues since 2008.

Jones was released by Cincinnati at the end of spring training last April after hitting .089 in 45 Grapefruit League at-bats. After failing to land a job, he continued to train at Mike Easler’s hitting school in Las Vegas. In December, Jones traveled to the winter meetings in Indianapolis to meet with clubs and express his interest in a comeback.

Jones will compete for a spot off the bench at Minnesota’s spring camp. The Twins have Michael Cuddyer in right field, Denard Span in center and Delmon Young in left, with Jason Kubel as the primary designated hitter and Jim Thome expected to be a left-handed bat off the bench and occasional DH.

Borzi: Upbeat Twins owner Jim Pohlad has lots to say but stays mum on the Mauer issue

Minnesota Rocked! More info than a tour of Tommy Tourville’s records!

And Pohlad stressed that qualifying for postseason alone was no longer good enough for an organization that has lost five consecutive playoff series since 2002, three of them to the Yankees. He even appeared to guarantee a future world championship, without specifying when.

“I hear that we’ve got to do better, or get better, so that when we face the Yankees (we’re competitive),” he said. “I hope we’re not a team that’s intimidated by the Yankees. I don’t believe we are. I’m personally not intimidated by the Yankees or the Yankee organization. We just need to, every year, get better, so that whoever we face, that we will be able to advance.

“Teams mature. I don’t know where the core of our team is on the maturity level or the peak level, but I don’t think we’re at peak yet. Our core group of players is still very young. The future is very strong, and we will advance past the first round of the playoffs, into the World Series, and to the White House.”

About deferred compensation: St. Peter said the Twins last did it with Keith Atherton in the 1980s and Terry Steinbach in the 1990s. Pohlad, without addressing the Mauer contract directly, said he opposes it.

“There’s a whole bunch of examples in real life of that kind of stuff, that make you feel real good at the time, and later on you wish you hadn’t done that,” he said.

“You’re just kidding yourself. It’s either going to be somebody else’s problem, or we’ll worry about it later. At that point where you’ve got to worry about it, it affects your current operation. So it’s really not a good thing. You’ve got to pay the money no matter what. You might as well do it when the player’s playing for you.”

Boston Red Sox - Lengthy deal for Beckett requires medical attention - The Boston Globe

The Sunday Globe Baseball Notes article.

Peterson may have a budding star in righty Yovani Gallardo. He was 13-12 with a 3.73 ERA last season, and with a little refining, he could emerge as a bona fide No. 1.

“What’s impressive about Yovani are the averages against him third time around the order,’’ said Peterson. “There are very few pitchers in baseball who can sustain success a third time around the order, and Yovani is one of them.

Couples Opting to Get Married at Home Plate

Target Field, the new home of the Minnesota Twins, holds 81 home games in a season for the baseball team. The $545 million spent to construct and sustain it, however, is already taking its toll.

According to an article by St. Paul Pioneer Press , baseball is simply not enough to cover the cost. Now, private events like weddings are being held on the premises, and revenue is increasing by over 20 percent.

“We want people to come here and enjoy Target Field year-round. It’s a tremendous community asset,” said Laura Day, senior vice president of business development for the Twins.

Minnesotans marry for Mauer?

Twins, O-Dog agree to 1-yr, $5M deal

Joe Christensen of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the Twins have inked Orlando Hudson to a one-year, $5 million contract.

And there we have it. Hudson, 32, is expected to take over starting second base duties in Minnesota. The “O-Dog” hit .283/.357/.417 with nine home runs, 35 doubles and eight stolen bases in 551 at-bats last season and should provide a nice spark at the top of the Twins’ 2010 lineup. Nick Punto will slide over to third base and share time with Brendan Harris.

Thanks to the well placed Craig in MN.

WCCO: Sources: Mauer, Twins Agree To 10-Year Contract

Gotta love Twitter, heard this from 3 people within minutes:

Sources tell WCCO-TV’s Mark Rosen that American League MVP Joe Mauer has come to a preliminary agreement with the Minnesota Twins for a 10-year contract extension.

Gardenhire optimistic Twins will get a deal with Mauer

Mauer and the Twins have been steadfastly quiet about any negotiations, but manager Ron Gardenhire expressed optimism a deal will get done this spring.

“I’m just letting it happen. I don’t sit and fret about it,” Gardenhire said earlier in the day at Target Field, where the Twins are moving this year. “I think the right thing is going to happen. I think we all know. I think we all know the ramifications if something were not to happen and it would go the other way. That wouldn’t be a good thing for anybody. I don’t see who, other than maybe some clubs out east.”

Mauer is making $12.5 million this season, the last year of his current contract. He’ll be eligible for free agency in the fall if no new deal is in place, a scenario that wouldn’t bode well for the Twins given the interest the soon-to-be-27-year-old would attract on the open market. But Gardenhire, though removed from the process, wasn’t worried.

“I’ll be happy when he does sign. He can buy me a beer. Probably two. Maybe three,” he said, chuckling.

With Target Field blanketed in snow and the temperature near zero, TwinsFest was held at the usual Metrodome spot. Mauer was, of course, the center of attention wherever he wandered.

About the contract?

“I feel like a broken record,” he said. “People, they want to know what’s going on and try to find out things when they can, but I keep saying—I’m sounding like a broken record right now—it’ll all happen when it needs to happen and you’ve just got to try to let it all happen. That’s what we’re doing.”

As Mauer took questions from a small group of reporters in a basement hallway, teammate and close friend Justin Morneau walked by and shouted, “14-year extension, 20 a year!”

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/baseball/mlb/01/29/twins.mauer.ap/index.html#ixzz0e6c4dRu8
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In which Ron Gardenhire sees the true upside if Mauer signs: He’ll have more money to buy Gardy beer.

Baseball Picture of the Day: Snow Double-Header

It’s a double header as we are 20 days from Pitchers and Catchers! Today, two pictures that juxtapose the wintry weather with the coming pastime.

First, here’s a picture of Minnesota’s new Target Field, circa December 9th, 2009.

Odds that the Twins will play a “home” game in Milwaukee within the first 5 years at Target Field: 95% at the lowest. Unless they still have the baseball config available in the Metrodome in case of emergency.

Creative Commons:

Now, the second image, which is from a most unusual place: London, England. This is a image of the London Mets in April, 2008.

Creative Commons:

Tomorrow: There will only be one image, not two. And hopefully none of them will have snow.

Keith Law: Top 100 prospects

NO.  PLAYER
1 Jason Heyward, OF, ATL
2 Stephen Strasburg, RHP, WAS
3 Carlos Santana, C, CLE
4 Buster Posey, C, SFO
5 Mike Stanton, OF, FLA
6 Desmond Jennings, OF, TAM
7 Martin Perez, LHP, TEX
8 Dustin Ackley, CF, SEA
9 Justin Smoak, 1B, TEX
10 Jesus Montero, C, NYY
11 Brian Matusz, LHP, BAL
12 Starlin Castro, SS, CHC
13 Neftali Feliz, RHP, TEX
14 Domonic Brown, RF, PHI
15 Wade Davis, RHP, TAM
16 Aroldis Chapman, LHP, CIN
17 Jeremy Hellickson, RHP, TAM
18 Casey Kelly, RHP, BOS
19 Aaron Hicks, RHP, MIN
20 Brett Wallace, 1B, TOR
21 Logan Morrison, 1B, FLA
22 Tyler Matzek, LHP, COL
23 Jenrry Mejia, RHP, NYM
24 Michael Taylor, OF, OAK
25 Zach Britton, LHP, BAL

Scouting reports for the top 25 should be free, I think.

PD: Long after leaving the Indians, Mudcat Grant still pitches his fondness for Cleveland

“When I met Billie Holiday, she had a sprained ankle,” Grant recalled. “Larry (Doby) took me in her dressing room. He introduced me. She thought I was the nicest southern gentleman that she’d ever met. But when they called her to go on stage she had a sprained ankle and she was hopping, so I picked her up and I took her on stage and she loved me forever after that. And I wrote home and I told my mom, ‘I said, mom, I took Billie Holiday on stage,’ and she said, ‘Boy what you been smokin?’”

Murray Chass On Baseball: TWINS SPEND AND WIN

With all the “charisma and poise to seek out a bigger stage”...yet Murray non-blogs on.

The Twins allocated $72 million, $65 million and $73 million for their payrolls the past three years, and they finished in first place last year and tied for first the year before.

“I think every situation is different,” Bill Smith, the Twins’ general manager, said. “We have been in a very good cycle for most of this decade. Our payroll increases have been primarily to retain our own players. In our ideal world that’s how we would operate. We would retain our own players.”

...The two players they didn’t sign were Johan Santana, whom they traded to the Mets, and Torii Hunter, who went to the Angels as a free agent. The Santana trade came in the same period the Twins were signing the other three players. Hunter (5-$90) signed with the Angels a few months earlier.

“It would have been difficult to sign Johan,” Smith said, “given the contract he signed with the Mets (6-$137.5 million). I have the highest respect in the world for Johan Santana, but he and Hunter were two players who had the charisma and poise to seek out a bigger stage. Torii wound up in southern California and Johan in New York. I think they were ready for the bigger stage. It’s not for everybody, but those two players were prepared for that. Looking back, if we had kept Santana another year, I don’t know what would have happened. We wound up in a tie with the White Sox without those two players.”

Winona Daily: Gardenhire believes gap between Twins and Yankees is closing

Wadda tough guy. Too bad Robert B. Parker didn’t give us Garden: For Hire.

“When you look at the Yankees, their lineup stretches seven and eight-deep of all-stars,” said Gardenhire, who was speaking at the Quality Inn in Winona on Tuesday as part of the Twins’ annual Winter Caravan. “We’re getting closer to that now. You look at our lineup, and we’re almost to the point now where we’ve got six or seven guys that are all-star-caliber people.”

...The Twins’ lineup features two players who have won MVP awards, catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau, and also includes a pair of sluggers who belted 30 homers last year in Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. They have one of the league’s best lead-off men in Denard Span.

Add to that newly acquired shortstop J.J. Hardy, and Minnesota should field a potent lineup.

Some would suggest that the Yankees “own” the Twins, but the manager doesn’t buy into that.

“They don’t own me,” Gardenhire said. “Every game that we’ve played against them has just been nip-and-tuck.”

..."We’ve had our chances,” Gardenhire said. “We could have beat them as is, but next year we’re not taking any more off them. And if it takes fighting them, we’re fighting them.”

Twins fans to be treated to concessions with a Minnesota flair

State Fair Classics – walleye on-a-stick, pork chop on-a-stick and cheese curds

Really, what else needs to be said?

Baseball Canada honours Justin Morneau on wall of fame at annual awards banquet

Justin Morneau’s addition to Baseball Canada’s Wall of Excellence alongside boyhood idol Larry Walker isn’t the only reason he was feeling good Saturday.

The Minnesota Twins first baseman from New Westminster, B.C., is expecting to soon receive medical clearance to resume full workouts. The stress fracture in his lower back that ended his 2009 season in September seems to have healed without issue, and an MRI in a couple of weeks should confirm that.

“It feels good for the most part, every day stuff I can’t feel it so that’s a good sign,” Morneau said Saturday. “I started working out back in December, slowly getting back into it. Not hitting yet but I wasn’t planning on hitting, either. Should be full workouts no restrictions probably in a couple of weeks, would be my guess.”

...
There was none of that bad feeling Saturday, as many of the country’s best baseball players gathered in Toronto for Baseball Canada’s annual awards banquet.

Morneau became the Wall of Excellence’s second member, joining Walker, one of his inspirations as a player growing up. The two are close friends now, making the honour even more special to him.

“It’s pretty amazing,” he said. “You associate baseball in Canada with Larry Walker, he’s set the bar for all of us, he’s the guy we all want to be and dream of being as good as.

“I don’t know if anyone will ever achieve that but being on the wall next to him is pretty exciting. I’m pretty honoured.”

Other award winners were: Milwaukee Brewers farmhand Adam Stern (World Cup team MVP); Darren Kolk (junior national team MVP); Minnesota Twins prospect Rene Tosoni (Stubby Clapp Award); Seattle Mariners outfielder Mike Saunders (Alumni Award); and Brewers pitcher John Axford and Chicago Cubs prospect Chris Robinson (Special Achievement Awards).

Is Fergie Jenkins unworthy of being a member of this Wall of Excellence?

Seth Stohs: Twins Notes - Vikings Prediction

The Twins will move into Target Field in April. There will be additional revenues. In recent years, the Twins have been able to keep the players that they wanted to beyond their free agent years.  Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Scott Baker were all extended. Obviously the Twins would like to extend the contract with Joe Mauer for many more years. Two years ago, they gave him a four year contract that bought out a year of free agency, but now it is time to talk big, big money. Rumors abound. Could he get six or seven years at $22 to $25 million? Would he “settle” for $18 to $20 million if the Twins gave him eight to ten years?

Yes, I realize that Joe Mauer equals Minnesota. He’s one of us, but the fair question has to be asked; How much is too much? I know everyone wants to say that the Pohlad family can afford this or that, and maybe they can. I know people want to think that baseball isn’t a business, but it is. Personally, I think Mauer’s value to the Twins goes well beyond his All-Star, Silver Slugging, gold glove play. But if he wants $26 to $30 million, that affects the long term success of the Twins organization.

My Prediction: Joe Mauer and the Twins will reach an agreement. It will be announced on the morning of Twins Fest, January 29th. The deal will cover seven years (beyond 2010) and be valued at about $136 million. What are your guesses?

In which I am reminded that Mauer still hasn’t been signed, and I tremble with the fear that only the Crawling Chaos of Nyarlathotep Steinbrenner can cause.

Aaron Gleeman: Guest Blogger: Chris Jaffe on Tom Kelly

In a McFarfarland comes more from Jaffe…

A manager can get away with minimizing the Beane Count approach by maximizing his team’s quality on balls in play. Even more than defense, though, control pitching typified Kelly’s squads. Ten times they were in the top four in the AL in fewest walks per nine innings. The league averaged 3.5BB/9IP, but Kelly’s Twins stayed under that every year except 1995. In the two dozen times someone threw at least 200 innings for him, nine times the hurler allowed less than two walks every nine innings.

This combination of solid defense with splendid control pitching allowed Kelly to minimize the importance of hurlers who blew opponents away. None of Kelly’s starting pitchers ever struck out 200 batters in a season; rather unusual for a late twentieth-century manager. Only one-third of the pitchers who qualified for an ERA title under his watch struck out batters at a superior rate to the league as a whole. This fits into the philosophy pioneered by Comiskey and perfected by McKechnie: defense plus control equals less need for power pitching. Brad Radke was the ultimate Tom Kelly pitcher. He never struck fear in anyone’s heart but he was durable and had great control. In 2001 he walked 1.04BB/9IP, the second lowest total by an American League pitcher since Walter Johnson.

With his lack of interest in the long ball and offensive walks, Kelly appeared to be a man from another era as the game’s power numbers surged in the 1990s. Apparently Kelly thought so, because he voluntarily retired after 2001, despite only being 51 years old. In all baseball history, only one other person with at least 2,000 games managed who never served as a player-manager left at such a young age – Frank Selee, a century earlier. And that was not voluntary, Selee was dying.

Report: Blue Jays closing in on deal for Aroldis Chapman

Americans once again losing out on Cuban exports due to an antiquated embargo!

El Nuevo Herald is reporting that the Blue Jays are closing in on a deal with Cuban defector Aroldis Chapman in the range of five years and 23 million dollars.

The Spanish-language version of the Miami Herald says that a deal is very close; I tend to stay away from reports from these type of reports, but the Nuevo Herald has not been as inconsistent as others. (Regardless, proceed with caution)

The Athletics are believed to be involved in negotiations, but it is possible the Blue Jays view him as a starter and are guaranteeing him something other teams won’t.

Red Sox all but out of bidding for Cuban left-hander

Bert Blyleven staying positive on Hall of Fame prospects

Blyleven, 58, failed today for the 13th time to receive the necessary number of votes in annual balloting by the Baseball Writers Association of America and thus will be on the outside looking in again — or more likely, sitting in a broadcast booth, working and circling for the Twins — when Andre Dawson is enshrined July 25 in a sunny, Sunday ceremony in Cooperstown, N.Y. Dawson’s name was marked on 420 of the 539 ballots, 15 more than the 75 percent (405) he needed to gain election. Blyleven, in his strongest showing yet, got 400 votes for 74.2 percent.

“I’ve got to stay positive with it,” Blyleven told me when I phoned him shortly after the results were announced. (Full disclosure: I have voted for the Hall since 1991 and have put an X next to Blyleven’s name since he became eligible in 1998.) “It’s come up a long way, so that’s very nice. … Only five votes short. There’s not much you can say.”

Then Blyleven cracked wise: “Well, you can string ‘em up so they never vote again.”

Anyone want to forward him Marriotti’s address?

Winter reports on pitcher Francisco Liriano have Twins manager Ron Gardenhire excited

Now where did I put Balachandra’s “Pyrophilia: A Starters Kit” booklet?

Ron Gardenhire said Monday he’s excited about having veteran Carl Pavano back in the rotation, but his eyes really lit up when discussing (still) young lefthander Francisco Liriano.

“I just got a report that he’s throwing the living fire out of the ball down in the Dominican (Republic),” the Twins manager said. “He threw eight innings the other day, and his fastball was 92 to 94 (mph) and his slider was filthy. That’s a really good thing, because he can be the bonus if we can get him on track.”

...So, already plump with starting pitching candidates, the Twins weren’t exactly counting on Liriano. The prospect of a rebound, however, is a juicy one. Liriano’s problems

seem to stem more from his head than his surgically repaired arm, and though his velocity isn’t what it once was, his stuff is still considered above average.

“I’m excited to see that Frankie has bounced back and is really throwing well down there and feeling good,” Gardenhire said.

WSJ: Biderman: When Did Buying Tickets Get So Complicated?

Uhh...when Rollo McCementshoe first got busted outside the stadium?

Minnesota Twins fans are looking forward to their new domeless stadium next season, even if they have to sit outdoors in April for the first time in decades. But they’ve got an issue to handle before passing the turnstiles: figuring out which tickets to buy.

The old Metrodome may have had questionable sightlines, but at least the ticket pricing was simple. The new Target Field, meanwhile, has 120 single-game ticket variations—more than five times what was available in the old park. The Twins aren’t alone—the New York Mets and Florida Marlins both offer more than 100 choices.

The complications come in two forms: number of seating locations in the ballpark and number of different pricing tiers. The Mets (pictured) have an astronomical 190 single-game ticket options, with 38 stadium locations and five pricing tiers that charge differently depending on the game, ranging from a Tuesday night tilt against the Nationals (cheap) to the season opener (not cheap). Across the league, the most typical pricing change is a markup when the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees come to town. The Tampa Bay Rays charge as much as 82% more for Saturday and Sunday games against these division foes than a weekday game against anyone else.

Sports’ Forrest Gump (Globe: His Splendid Moment)

Life is like a box of Cracker Jack: how big of a prize you get depends on how much you prize it.

At 76, former Red Sox outfielder Carroll Hardy is in stellar health, but he knows his obituary is all but set in stone.

The only man ever to pinch hit for Ted Williams.

“I’m kind of excited by it,’’ says Hardy, a glint in his eye. “I think it’s funny.’’

He’s been described as having the good fortune of Forrest Gump, and for good reason. Hardy also played one year in the NFL and caught four touchdown passes from Hall of Fame quarterback Y.A. Tittle. He pinch hit for a young Yaz and a rookie Roger Maris. He was tutored by the legendary Tris Speaker, coached for the volatile Billy Martin in Triple A Denver, and hit a walkoff grand slam at Fenway Park. He was even responsible for a change in the NFL draft.

Twinkie Talk: Trade Justin Morneau?

Hey...just because he’s no Corey Koskie means you gotta deal him.

I am slightly unpopular in Twins Territory right now. Why? Because I have explored, perhaps even touted, the notion that Justin Morneau isn’t the player that most Twins fans think he is. He’s certainly not a bad hitter, with a career .358 wOBA, and being worth 86.7 runs above average since the start of his career.

However, Morneau has his drawbacks. For one, he’s not a great defender. Other than one outlier season, he’s been worth anywhere from -1.3 to 2.1 runs above average. Secondly, while Morneau is a very good hitter, he’s not great for a first baseman. He had the 7th highest wOBA last year among qualifying first basemen. Even in his MVP season, he was just 3rd among first basemen in wOBA.

Lastly, Morneau’s salary is a potential hindrance to a team that will potentially be looking to lock up Joe Mauer, Denard Span, Jason Kubel (again) and maybe JJ Hardy in the coming seasons, not to mention Kevin Slowey and any of the other pitchers they decide to extend. Morneau is slated to make 14 million per year from now until the end of his contract after the 2013 season. Morneau has been worth 16.1, 9.9, 15.7 and 14.6 million over the past four years. That works out to 14.075 million per year. Morneau has earned his contract, but hasn’t given the Twins any surplus value. For a small market team such as the Twins (although hopefully we are moving away from that a bit) he might as well have no value at all.

It’s not a Snuggie … it’s a Justin Morneau “Sluggie”

He might come from a country with publicly funded health care, but when it comes to loungewear, he is all capitalist. Exhibit A: The Sluggie, now being marketed and sold through the Canada Crusher’s web site. What is the Sluggie, you might ask? Well, it appears to be very much like the Snuggie, only with the lovable Morneau logo on it. (Maple Leaf + Morneau silhouette at bat finish). We can only assume that the name is a play on the branding of Snuggie and not an implication that you will turn into a slug if you wear one. But hey, maybe a little bit of both?

When would you wear such a thing? Apparently, if the promo picture can be trusted, you wear it when lounging on the couch with your significant other (although we have to say two layers of wearable blankets might be an impediment to romance). Ah, but that’s not all. What does it say on the web site?

EXCLUSIVE! The Justin Morneau Sluggie blanket with arms is the perfect item to wear to those cold games at the new Target Field. The Justin Morneau maple leaf logo patch has is sewn on the front of the 100% polyester blanket. Quantities are extremely limited so pick up yours today!

Sure, but can I get one for my dog?

Rand: Is Joe Mauer the 40th best baseball player of the decade?

Problem No. 1: Joe Mauer checks in at No. 40. (Pictured getting a hug from his mom, Theresa, after winning AL MVP this year ... or perhaps getting a foreshadowed condolence hug for his spot on this list?) While it’s true that Joe has only been a regular for about half the decade, he does have three AL batting titles, an MVP award and two consecutive Gold Gloves while playing arguably baseball’s most demanding position. While he might not be in the class, decade-wise, of the top 5, top 10 or even the top 15, we find it hard to believe he doesn’t leapfrog the likes of J.D. Drew (No. 22, really) and others. Mauer (recently announced as the cover athlete for MLB 10 The Show, which obviously doesn’t affect this list but is still interesting) is at the very least a top 30 player for the decade. We’d probably put him at around No. 20-25.

Problem No. 2: Mike Cameron is No. 36 on the list, while Torii Hunter—whom we’ve always considered a better version of Mike Cameron—is No. 70.

Problem No. 3: And this is the one that’s really mind-blowing. While we loved the Corey Koskie era as much as the next guy, is there any conceivable reason why he checks in at No. 92 while former AL MVP award winner Justin Morneau does not even crack the top 100? Koskie hasn’t played since 2006 and hasn’t had a full season since 2004. Morneau’s first full year was 2005, and he has four consecutive 100 RBI seasons from 2006-present. He had 51 more HRs this decade. It’s just ... not even close, is it? And that’s with no disrespect to Koskie.

Thanks to Rob Neyer about Rob Neyer.

Former Twins great Tony Oliva gets stuck in a Metrodome bathroom

He defecated from Cuba for this!

The Metrodome has played host to two World Series champions and countless memorable baseball games with odd bounces. But until yesterday, we do not believe it had trapped one of the Twins’ all-time greats in one of its bathrooms.

We offer this tweet from the official Twitter feed of the Twins—as well as this follow-up sent to us directly after an inquiry: Yup, it happened on the Executive Level in the Dome yesterday.—as evidence that the move to Target Field can’t come soon enough. And, well, that it came a week too late for Tony Oliva.

108 Stitches: Another Baseball Statistic? No Thanks!

Hey, it took Fred Gwynn 684 until he finally got it wrapped around his head.

Yesterday Fangraphs came out with a new statistic called wRC+. I love Fangraphs and visit their site numerous times a day. They are good at what they do, which is mining the numbers for trends. wRC+ is weighted Runs Created based on weighted on base average. Really wRC+ is Fangraphs version of OPS+. Do we need another statistic to measure hitting, pitching and defense? Certainly not. Bill James, the godfather of sabermetrics, agrees. In 1981 (28 years ago!) he said, “The world needs another new baseball offense rating system like Custer needed more Indians.” Perfectly said. We are now at the point where statistics are being created just so people can say they created a baseball statistic. Congratulations, you have invented a stat you and a handful of others on your block use and understand. If you think Joe Torre and Ron Gardenhire are plugging your stat into their decision making process, think again. Tom Tango wrote “The Book” which is subtitled playing baseball by the percentages. Granted I struggled in math growing up, but getting through that book made my brain ache and wonder how many college credits I would get for reading it. After reading it I was left with the question: Are managers using all this data? Some of the data they do use, but a lot of it is filler for books and articles.

Baseball involves people who make wise and not so wise decisions. Nick Punto is ranked as one of the best baserunners in the American League, that didn’t help him as he ran through the stop sign in Game 3 of the ALDS and was thrown out going back to third. Baseball is fun because of its unpredictability.

MN Star-Tribune blog: Poof! There goes Boof.

Worth linking for just the headline alone.

The Twins waited until Tuesday to announce that righthander Boof Bonser has been designated for release or assignment, a move to create space on the roster for righthander Carl Pavano.

Bonser missed all of last season following right shoulder surgery during spring training. He recovered quickly enough for him to contemplate an attempt to pitch in September when the Twins made a late run to the postseason. The Twins decided against that.
...
Bonser was 3-7 with a 5.93 ERA in 2008 and 18-25, 5.12 in 163 games with the Twins. He arrived with Joe Nathan and Francisco Liriano in exchange for catcher A.J. Pierzynski in 2003.

BPro: Twins Top 11 Prospects

Five-Star Prospects
1. Aaron Hicks, CF
2. Miguel Jean (Sano), SS
Four-Star Prospects
3. Ben Revere, OF
4. Wilson Ramos, C
5. Kyle Gibson, RHP
Three-Star Prospects
6. Angel Morales, OF
7. David Bromberg, RHP
8. Carlos Gutierrez, RHP
9. Danny Valencia, 3B
10. Joe Benson, OF
Two-Star Prospects
11. Billy Bullock, RHP

Four More:
12. Jeff Manship, RHP: This heady pitcher’s skill set works better in long relief.
13. Tyler Robertson, LHP: A command-and-control lefty, he succeeds more on guile than stuff.
14. Adrian Salcedo, RHP: The Dominican product is long in size, command, and projection.
15. Rene Tosoni, OF: Hailing from Canada, Tosoni showed surprising pop in ‘09, but he profiles best as a fourth outfielder.

MIN Star-Tribune: Pavano gets on board via arbitration

Righthander Carl Pavano on Monday night agreed to accept arbitration from the team, locking him into the 2010 roster and giving the Twins the veteran starter they coveted. The move also could make it easier for the club to deal lefthander Glen Perkins, who butted heads with the coaching staff during the season and later filed a grievance to regain lost service time.

Working on an 11 p.m. deadline Monday to accept or reject arbitration, Pavano’s agent, Tom O’Connell, met with clubs for other offers. Cleveland and Milwaukee were among interested teams, but Pavano picked the Twins because he felt comfortable in the clubhouse.

“And he also feels that the club has a very good chance to win,” O’Connell said.
...
After Pavano made $4.35 million last season, arbitration could boost his 2010 salary into the $7 million range.
...
Pavano, 33, joins a rotation that includes three other sure things in righthanders Scott Baker (15-9, 4.37 last season), Nick Blackburn (11-11, 4.03) and Kevin Slowey (10-3, 4.86 before a broken wrist ended his season in July).

That sets up quite a battle in spring training for the fifth rotation spot between lefthanders Brian Duensing and Francisco Liriano and righthanders Boof Bonser, Anthony Swarzak and Jeff Manship.

Reusse: Taking Mauer instead of Prior was a decision to be applauded

The sound of one team cracking.

Many complained when the Twins took Mauer instead of Mark Prior. We were wrong.

...There were those of us who suggested the Twins had erred by not selecting Mark Prior, the Southern Cal pitcher, over Mauer, about to graduate from Cretin-Derham Hall High School, with the first selection in the 2001 June draft.

We accused the Twins of choosing to save money with the local kid, rather than accede to Prior’s enormous demands. Terry Ryan, then the baseball boss, said this was erroneous—that the Twins took Mauer because they saw him as the best player in a high-quality draft.

It is a tribute to Mr. Ryan’s class that he doesn’t ask, “What do you think of Prior versus Mauer now?’’ every time that we run into him.

...A baseball operation would have to be run by rockheads to move a great catcher—and Mauer’s that—as long as his skills behind the plate remain near their zenith. This is the game’s most important playing position, and the Twins are blessed with the game’s best.

And one more thing: Joe Mauer officially became an MVP on Monday precisely because he’s a tremendous catcher with large offensive numbers. Put him somewhere on the field less vital and he gets beat out by one Yankee (Mark Teixeira) and maybe a second (Derek Jeter).