Minnesota Twins http://www.twinslocker.com Daily Blog for Minnesota Twins Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:14:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=wordpress-mu-1.2.5 en The Minnesota Twins lose Joe Nathan possibly for the whole year http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/03/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-joe-nathan-possibly-for-the-whole-year/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/03/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-joe-nathan-possibly-for-the-whole-year/#comments Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:14:35 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/03/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-joe-nathan-possibly-for-the-whole-year/ 35-year old righty throwing closer Joe Nathan has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow which he may need Tommy John Surgery to correct. This is a huge blow to the Twins as Nathan is a dominating closer. He pitched in 70 games (0 starts) for the Twins last season in which he was 2-2 with 47 saves, a 2.10 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. Nathan has pitched in 412 games (0 starts) in his six years for the Twins and he is 22-12 with 246 saves, a 1.87 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP. No matter who the Twins decide to replace Nathan with there will likely be a huge drop in production at the end of games. 31-year old righty swinging Jon Rauch appears to be the leading candidate to replace Nathan as the closer. He pitched in 75 games (0 starts) for the Twins & D-Backs last season in which he was 7-3 with 2 saves, a 3.60 ERA and a 1.33 WHIP. Rauch has experience closing as he has 26 career saves. 31-year old Matt Guerrier pitched in 79 games (0 starts) for the Twins last season and he was 5-1 with 1 save, a 2.36 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP. He has 4 career saves and he will challenge Rauch for the closer’s job for the Twins in 2010. This is a huge blow to the Twins as Nathan was as dependable as a closer can be.

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/03/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-joe-nathan-possibly-for-the-whole-year/feed/ The Minnesota Twins sign Charlton Jimerson http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/23/the-minnesota-twins-sign-charlton-jimerson/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/23/the-minnesota-twins-sign-charlton-jimerson/#comments Tue, 23 Feb 2010 21:29:24 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/23/the-minnesota-twins-sign-charlton-jimerson/ The Twins have signed 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Charlton Jimerson to a minor league deal. Jimerson played in 103 games in the Atlantic League (Independent ball) last season and he was 133 for 397 (.335 avg, .953 OPS) with 91 runs scored, 21 homers, 62 RBIs and 38 stolen bases. Before you get too excited about him though his career minor league numbers are not that impressive. Jimerson has played in 914 games in his minor league career and he is 878 for 3,403 (.258 avg, .767 OPS) with 530 runs scored, 144 homers, 459 RBIs and 261 stolen bases. Jimerson last played in the majors in 2008 with the Mariners. He has played in 31 games in his major league career and he is 4 for 9 (.444 avg, 1.556 OPS) with 8 runs scored, 2 homers and 2 RBIs. It never hurts to give a player like Jimerson a chance in spring training as he was once one of the more highly thought of prospects in the minors.

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/23/the-minnesota-twins-sign-charlton-jimerson/feed/ The Minnesota Twins will likely get great production out of the DHs in 2010 http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/22/the-minnesota-twins-will-likely-get-great-production-out-of-the-dhs-in-2010/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/22/the-minnesota-twins-will-likely-get-great-production-out-of-the-dhs-in-2010/#comments Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:23:53 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/22/the-minnesota-twins-will-likely-get-great-production-out-of-the-dhs-in-2010/ 28-year old lefty swinging Jason Kubel had a breakout season in 2009 for the Twins last year. He played in 146 games for the Twins last season and he was 154 for 514 (.300 avg, .908 OPS) with 73 runs scored, 28 homers and 103 RBIs. The Twins are hoping that Kubel’s knees will allow Kubel to challenge Delmon Young for the starting job in LF in 2010. More than likely though Kubel will DH against lefties and play LF against righties. That would allow 39-year old lefty swinging Jim Thome to get his fair share of action in 2010.

Jim Thome played in 124 games for the White Sox & Dodgers last season and he was 90 for 362 (.249 avg, .847 OPS) with 55 runs scored, 23 homers and 77 RBIs. Thome is starting to slow down a little hit as he did whiff 123 times last season. Thome hit .262 with a .881 OPS against righty pitching last season. He cranked 18 homers and 55 RBIs in 271 at bats against righties last season.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE DH IN 2010: A

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/22/the-minnesota-twins-will-likely-get-great-production-out-of-the-dhs-in-2010/feed/ The Minnesota Twins could have a black hole at 3B in 2010 http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/the-minnesota-twins-could-have-a-black-hole-at-3b-in-2010/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/the-minnesota-twins-could-have-a-black-hole-at-3b-in-2010/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:34:29 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/the-minnesota-twins-could-have-a-black-hole-at-3b-in-2010/ If the 2010 season started today the Twins would likely platoon 29-year old righty swinging Brendan Harris with either 32-year old switch hitting Nick Punto or 27-year old switch hitting Matt Tolbert. Either way the Twins would have pathetic production at the hot corner. Harris played in 123 games for the Twins last season and he was 108 for 414 (.261 avg, .672 OPS) with 44 runs scored, 6 homers and 37 RBIs. The bad thing for the Twins is that Harris is the best hitter of this bunch. Harris is not a good defensive 3B either as he made 6 errors in 44 games at shortstop last season while showing absolutely terrible range.

32-year old switch hitting Nick Punto appears to have a edge as Harris’ platoon partner if for no reason other than Ron Gardenhire likes him. He played in 125 games for the Twins last season and he was 82 for 359 (.228 avg, .621 OPS) with 56 runs scored, 1 homer, 38 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Punto could be in line for a decent year with the bat as he has hit .284 for the Twins in even numbered years and only .224 in odd numbered years. Punto didn’t make any errors in 5 games at 3B in 2010 for the Twins while showing outstanding range.

27-year old switch hitting Matt Tolbert played in 27 games at 3B for the Twins last season and he made 2 errors while showing slightly above average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 3B IN 2010: D-

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/the-minnesota-twins-could-have-a-black-hole-at-3b-in-2010/feed/ J.J. Hardy takes over at shortstop for the Minnesota Twins in 2010 http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/jj-hardy-takes-over-at-shortstop-for-the-minnesota-twins-in-2010/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/jj-hardy-takes-over-at-shortstop-for-the-minnesota-twins-in-2010/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:23:26 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/jj-hardy-takes-over-at-shortstop-for-the-minnesota-twins-in-2010/ The Twins hope that 27-year old righty swinging J.J. Hardy just had a off year in 2009. He played in 115 games for the Brewers last season and he was 95 for 414 (.229 avg, .659 OPS) with 53 runs scored, 11 homers and 47 RBIs. The Twins are hoping that Hardy can get back to the player he was in 2007 and 2008 with the Brewers when he hit .280 with 167 runs scored, 50 homers and 154 RBIs. Hardy played in 112 games at shortstop last season for the Brewers and he made 8 errors there while showing slightly above average range. The Twins are excited about the defense they will have up the middle for 2010 with Orlando Hudson at 2B and Hardy at SS.

32-year old switch hitting Nick Punto will likely be sharing time at 3B with 29-year old righty swinging Brendan Harris but he will still likely be available for some time at SS in 2010. Punto played in 58 games at SS last season for the Twins and he made 7 errors while showing good range. Brendan Harris played in 56 games for the Twins at SS last season and he made 6 errors while showing slightly below average range.

With Harris and Punto likely getting most of their time at 3B it could set up a battle between 27-year old switch hitting Matt Tolbert and 25-year old lefty swinging Alexi Casilla for the back up job at SS. Tolbert only played in 3 games at SS for the Twins last season and he didn’t make any errors while showing out of this world range. Casilla played in 2 games at SS last season for the Twins while showing good range. Tolbert probably has a edge on Casilla because he can play more positions.

GRADE FOR THE SS IN 2010: C+

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/16/jj-hardy-takes-over-at-shortstop-for-the-minnesota-twins-in-2010/feed/ The Minnesota Twins lose Jason Pridie on waivers http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-jason-pridie-on-waivers/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-jason-pridie-on-waivers/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:18:35 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-jason-pridie-on-waivers/ The Twins have lost 26-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jason Pridie on waivers to the Mets. They put Pridie on waivers to make room on the roster for Orlando Hudson. Pridie played in 1 game for the Twins last season but he didn’t get any at bats. He also played in 121 games in AAA-ball for the Twins last season and he was 136 for 513 (.265 avg, .677 OPS) with 69 runs scored, 9 homers, 53 RBIs and 25 stolen bases. Pridie finishes his career with the Twins having played in 11 games in which he was 0 for 4 (.000 avg, .200 OPS) with 3 runs scored. The Twins won’t miss Pridie that much as they are deep in the outfield plus they needed to get rid of someone to sign Hudson.

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-lose-jason-pridie-on-waivers/feed/ The Minnesota Twins sign Jacque Jones http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-sign-jacque-jones/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-sign-jacque-jones/#comments Tue, 09 Feb 2010 22:15:03 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-sign-jacque-jones/ The Twins have signed 34-year old lefty swinging outfielder Jacque Jones to a minor league deal. He took last season off. Jones last played in the majors in 2008 when he appeared in 42 games for the Marlins and Tigers in which he was 17 for 116 (.147 avg, .446 OPS) with 15 runs scored, 1 homer and 7 RBIs. Jones played seven seasons for the Twins early in his career in which he appeared in 976 games and was 974 for 3,492 (.279 avg, .782 OPS) with 492 runs scored, 132 homers, 476 RBIs and 67 stolen bases. Jones has now played in 1,302 games in his major league career and he is 1,272 of 4,989 (.277 avg, .775 OPS) with 632 runs scored, 165 homers, 630 RBIs and 82 stolen bases. The Twins are deep in the outfield so it will be hard to Jones to make the opening day roster. But, he has indicated that he is willing to start the season in the minors if need be. In that case I really like this signing as it gives the Twins good organizational depth in the outfield.

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/09/the-minnesota-twins-sign-jacque-jones/feed/ The Minnesota Twins are in good shape at 2B for 2010 http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/05/the-minnesota-twins-are-in-good-shape-at-2b-for-2010/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/05/the-minnesota-twins-are-in-good-shape-at-2b-for-2010/#comments Fri, 05 Feb 2010 22:39:42 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/05/the-minnesota-twins-are-in-good-shape-at-2b-for-2010/ 32-year old righty swinging Orlando Hudson will be the starting 2B for the Twins in 2010. He played in 149 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 156 for 551 (.283 avg, .774 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 9 homers, 62 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. What he did last season mirrors his career numbers so look for similar offensive numbers out of him in 2010. Hudson made 8 errors in 145 games at 2B last season while showing above average range. He is a Gold Glove type defender and he is a solid hitter so I really like this addition for the Twins as he should fit right in.

25-year old switch-hitting Alexi Casilla really tanked last season following up his solid 2008 for the Twins. He played in 80 games for the Twins last season and he was 46 for 228 (.202 avg, .539 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 17 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Casilla played o.k. in the field last season as he made 5 errors in 72 games while showing good range. Casilla will have to hold off Matt Tolbert this spring for a spot on the Twins’ bench in 2010.

27-year old switch-hitting Matt Tolbert also saw his performance drop for the Twins in 2009. He played in 71 games for the Twins last season and he was 46 for 198 (.232 avg, .611 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 2 homers, 19 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Tolbert made only 2 errors in 36 games at 2B last season for the Twins while showing out of this world range. He probably has an edge on Casilla for a bench job in 2010 because he’s more versatile in the field.

32-year old switch-hitting Nick Punto and 29-year old righty swinging Brendan Harris can both play 2B but they will probably be platooning at 3B in 2010. Punto played in 63 error-free games at 2B for the Twins last season while showing slightly below average range. Brendan Harris played in 11 error-free games at 2B last season for the Twins while showing below average range.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2B IN 2010: B

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/05/the-minnesota-twins-are-in-good-shape-at-2b-for-2010/feed/ The Minnesota Twins sign Orlando Hudson http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/04/the-minnesota-twins-sign-orlando-hudson/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/04/the-minnesota-twins-sign-orlando-hudson/#comments Thu, 04 Feb 2010 23:30:45 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/04/the-minnesota-twins-sign-orlando-hudson/ The Twins have signed 32-year old switch-hitting 2B Orlando Hudson. He played in 149 games for the Dodgers last season and he was 156 for 551 (.283 avg, .774 OPS) with 74 runs scored, 9 homers, 62 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. Hudson has now played in 1,014 games in his major league career and he is 1,035 for 3,670 (.282 avg, .778 OPS) with 493 runs scored, 77 homers, 434 RBIs and 50 stolen bases. Hudson has 4 Gold Gloves and he is a two time All-Star. Hudson will fit right in with the Twins as he is a solid hitter who plays outstanding defense.

]]> http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/02/04/the-minnesota-twins-sign-orlando-hudson/feed/ Frank Viola was pretty darn good for the Minnesota Twins http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/01/26/frank-viola-was-pretty-darn-good-for-the-minnesota-twins/ http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/01/26/frank-viola-was-pretty-darn-good-for-the-minnesota-twins/#comments Tue, 26 Jan 2010 23:31:46 +0000 chinmusic http://www.twinslocker.com/2010/01/26/frank-viola-was-pretty-darn-good-for-the-minnesota-twins/ Lefty starting pitcher Frank Viola was a very solid pitcher in his career with the Twins. He pitched in 260 games (259 starts) in his 8 years with the Twins and he was 112-93 with a 3.86 ERA and a 1.30 WHIP. He is #7 all-time in strikeouts in Twins’ history with 1,214 and he is #9 all-time with 112 wins. But, Viola was never better for the Twins than he was in 1998 when he won the Cy Young Award in the A.L. He pitched in 35 games (all starts) for the Twins in 1998 and he was 24-7 with a 2.64 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP. It’s too bad the Twins couldn’t keep him just a little bit longer.

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