LATEST STORIES FROM TWINS FIX
C is for Catcher, Closer, and Crappy-ish Trades
To acquire Matt Capps, the Twins sold as low as they could have on a very good (but maybe not great) prospect. This move is good for the 2010 club. It's a pretty lousy move for the organization as a whole.
Via Twins Fix
|
July 31, 2010
Discuss
The Domino Effect
What happened to our Twins? They went from appearing unstoppable in the AL Central to third place in the matter of a couple of weeks. Here are a few possible reasons for the skid, some offered more seriously than others…
1. Manager Ron Gardenhire jinxed the team when he used “we’re in first place” [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
July 16, 2010
Wrappin’ up the Week: No Reason to Panic
Rough week for the local nine. Just when it seemed like the Twins were doomed to face a sweep at the hands of the Phightin’ Phils, Joe Mauer hit a clutch, game-tying home run in the ninth inning, Jim Thome and Drew Butera each went deep in pinch hit at bats, and the Twins rallied [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
June 25, 2010
Following up: Mauer’s slump/run of bad luck
Today in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Kelsie Smith penned a nice piece raising the question that no one really wants to talk about in light of a certain, large, recently-signed contract: What’s going on with Joe Mauer? As Smith notes, the response in the Twins clubhouse is fairly uniform: Mauer is stinging the ball [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
June 22, 2010
Gardy for President
The way I see it professional sports is a lot like politics. We, the fans, vote with our dollars, whether directly through ticket and merchandise sales or indirectly through watching games and viewing the advertising that brings income to the team. While the management and players don’t directly work for the fans like [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
June 16, 2010
It’s Time to Move Delmon Up, Cuddyer Down
It’s time for Ron Gardenhire to do something he doesn’t seem to like to do very often – tell one of his boys to get it done or get moved. Michael Cuddyer is simply not performing at the plate with men in scoring position. With by far the most at-bats with runners in scoring position [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
June 12, 2010
Runs, not Home Runs
A couple of weeks ago I wrote about clutch hitting being a serious problem on this year’s Twins team. Unfortunately this is looking less and less like a short term hiccup and more like a long term trend. It’s easy to point the finger at rookie Trevor Plouffe’s strikeout in the ninth as the [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
May 24, 2010
A Winning Formula (For the Regular Season)
Interesting to see that ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick comes out with this piece today, right before we examine reasons why the Twins could struggle against quality lineups in the postseason (isn’t it also ironic how the main photo in the story is Carl Pavano, who got rocked in Toronto today).
The Twins currently lead the major leagues [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
May 18, 2010
Is clutch hitting the last piece to the puzzle?
It seems like I have spent the last several months doing nothing but defending Nick Punto everywhere I go. Not that I think he’s A-Rod or anything, but even on larger market team the roles and expectations of certain players has to be taken into account. This goes far beyond whether Punto should be riding [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
May 10, 2010
Delmon Young: The Awakening?
In spring training, much was made about Delmon Young reporting to camp 30-35 pounds lighter. Word was that his attitude had improved as well, and all in all no one seemed the least bit concerned that the Twins’ outfield defense figured to be significantly weakened with Young taking over daily duties in left and Denard [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
May 08, 2010
Please, Stop the Insanity
It strikes me as rude to use a blog just to tear a journalist down. Typically, I don’t get too annoyed with what paid journalists write, or for that matter, what paid broadcasters say. A lot of times, you can tell that certain professionals parrot the company line, but in all honesty, this is part [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
March 14, 2010
Jarrod Washburn. Really? REALLY?
The word from LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune is that the Twins have, in fact, offered Jarrod Washburn a one year deal worth $5 million. During the 2008 season, the Twins were rumored to be interested in acquiring Washburn from the Seattle Mariners, but, when the Mariners’ asking price was too high, the [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
January 09, 2010
World Series Odds
While all the recent talk around MLB centers on Mark McGwire and steroids, it’s easy to forget that Spring Training is creeping up.
Cactus League play begins on March 3 and Grapefruit League starts a day before that.
This is a good time to look at the future baseball odds to win World Series that sportsbook [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
January 07, 2010
Quick note: Twins Tender Lots of Contracts
The Twins will tender contracts to all 30 unsigned players on the 40 man roster. Some of those names aren’t surprising; the Twins clearly weren’t going to give up on Delmon Young after his monster September and the Carlos Gomez trade. Brendan Harris, despite maybe not being in the manager’s favor, is plenty valuable as [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
December 12, 2009
Pavano to Return to Twins
The word in the Twins’ blogotwittersphere (mainly via LaVelle E. Neal III) is that Carl Pavano will accept the Twins’ offer of arbitration and return with the club next season. Ed Price of FanHouse.com reports that Pavano could make $7 million or more. This is not all that surprising given that Pavano is still fighting the stigma of 4 [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
December 07, 2009
BREAKING NEWS: Arbitration and Type A Free Agents
Matthew Pouliot of the excellent Circling the Bases baseball blog is reporting a list of type A free agents, and whether they’ve been offered arbitration or not. Of significant interest to Twins fans should be the fact that neither Placido Polanco nor Orlando Hudson were offered arbitration, meaning the Twins will not be forced to [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
December 01, 2009
Joe Mauer: AL MVP
Various sources are reporting that Joe Mauer has been named MVP of the American League, receiving 27 of 28 possible first place votes. The other first-place vote went to Miguel Cabrera of Detroit. Mark Teixera finished second, with teammate Derek Jeter third; Cabrera finished fourth. Really, this award is no surprise. Mauer led the AL [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
November 23, 2009
Twins Trade Gomez, Acquire Hardy, Retain Cuddyer
The offseason has gotten off to a fast start for the Twins – much faster than I could have expected. On Friday, the Twins sent the centerpiece of the Johan Santana trade, enigmatic speedster Carlos Gomez, to Milwaukee in exchange for J.J. Hardy. On Saturday, the Twins exercised Michael Cuddyer’s 2011 (not 2010) option. In [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
November 09, 2009
Breaking News: Gomez traded to Milwaukee for JJ Hardy
Joe Christensen of the Star Tribune is reporting that the Twins have traded Carlos Gomez to the Brewers for shortstop JJ Hardy. Interesting move by Smith. He continues a promising trend in a GM: When he feels that a move or a plan hasn’t panned out, he does not stubbornly stick to [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
November 06, 2009
Breaking News: Sanchez signs with Giants
Comcast Sports Network is reporting that Freddy Sanchez has signed a 2 year deal with the Giants. While perhaps not the most desirable option for the Twins to pursue at second base, he was one of the best second basemen available on the free agent market. His signing dries up the second base [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
October 30, 2009
Offseason Outlook: Third Base
Starting today, I’m going to consider what options the Twins have in this offseason. In some ways, this feels like a futile exercise, given that four talented, prolific bloggers have united at Twinscentric.com to provide a comprehensive overview of the offseason. Written by John Bonnes, Parker Hageman, Nick Nelson, and Seth Stohs, the TwinsCentric offseason handbook provides...
Via Twins Fix
|
October 28, 2009
Trades: The Twins’ Most Beneficial Asset
This past season, it felt like so much changed for the Twins. Joe Mauer finally developed a power stroke and played beyond our most optimistic expectations. Denard Span solidified himself in the leadoff spot, showing that he may in fact be the best leadoff hitter the Twins have had since Chuck Knoblauch. Along with Span’s [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
October 22, 2009
Postseason Thoughts (Generally and Specifically)
Legend, or Myth? Seemingly every October, baseball fans all over America are reminded of Derek Jeter’s outstanding playoff performances and are privileged to witness further such performances. Jeter is, in short, Mr. October, “the face of playoff baseball”. Sort of. Thankfully, my blog isn’t linked and featured to a hotbed of Yankee fans the way some [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
October 20, 2009
The End, and Vacation
I’m not going to delve into the details of Sunday’s latest frustrating loss to the Yankees. Same old story – Twins couldn’t hold a lead, couldn’t get a big hit, pitched great against a great offense but shot themselves in the foot just enough to make victory near impossible.
I’m on vacation for the next [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
October 12, 2009
Game 2: Yankees 4, Twins 3 (11)
The Twins fell again in New York on Friday night, 4-3, thanks to an incredible inability to take advantage of opportunities. The Twins as a team left 17 runners on base, and witnessed Joe Nathan completely implode by surrendering a game-tying home run to Alex Rodriguez and throwing wildly to second attempting to pick off [...]
Via Twins Fix
|
October 09, 2009
Related Yards
|
|
|
|
|
Today's Best Stuff |
For BloggersJoin the Yardbarker Network (YBN) for more promotion, traffic, and money. |
Company Info |
Help |
What is Yardbarker?Yardbarker is the largest network of sports blogs and pro athlete blogs on the web. This site is the hub of the Yardbarker Network, where our editors and algorithms curate the best sports content from our network and beyond. |
