The end of one era in Minnesota, and the beginning of another

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

This will mark the beginning of my 2008, and hopefully beyond, Minnesota Twins dynasty.

I am going to impose some restrictions on myself and I have changed the league settings and such a bit.


Restrictions:

• I won't go outlandishly over my budget, 5 or 6 million at the most, and if I get any higher than that someone(s) will be on the way out.
• Usually I'll only make trades through the trade block or if a trade is offered to me by another team, and when I don't make trades that way I'll make sure the trade makes sense for the team I'm making it with.
• I will restrict myself in FA'cy. I won't go around signing everyone I want to 6 and 7 year deals. Even if there is a player I'm deadset on that I want I may not sign him. I haven't yet figured out what type of system I'll use to restrict myself here, but I'm not going to go nuts in FA'cy.
• Same goes for signing players to extensions. When it comes to signing young players, like when/if Gomez were to come up for me for example, I'll only allow myself to sign them to a deal that covers their arbitration years, and then I'll only be able to buy out a max of 2 years of FA'cy after that and only using options.

League Settings changes:

• I changed the rookie.ini to match HGM's suggestions in his readme in his roster file.
• I changed the simulation settings to match HGM's suggested settings in his readme in his roster file.
• League Revenue is set to +0%, I may change this depending on how the league is doing financially as a whole.
• Salary demands are set to +0%, although it is possible and probable that I will change this in the future.
• Injury Frequency and Severity are both set to -20%.
• Medical staff effect is set to -50%.
• Amatuer Draft Talent is set to -20%.
• Draft predictability is set to -30%, although I will probably adjust this up or down in the near future.
• Player Personality/Happieness effect on negotiating is set to +20%
• Player Happieness/Personality effect is set to +10% on performance.
• Promotion to MLB is set to +30%
• Promotion to AAA is set to +40%
• Promotion to AA is set to +50%
• Promotion to A is set to +60%.
• Contract Renewals is set to +30%, subject to change.
• Stats (vs. scouting) is set to +40%, subject to change.

Other:

• I'm using HGM's rosters as of 4/28 (go figure, huh?).
• I will be using the same general format that BichetteMan has been using in his "2007 Oakland A's - No Way Jose!" dynasty.
• I'll probably update a week at a time, and try to update at least once a day.

Add-ons:

• I'm using OldFatGuy's Free Agency Rules.
• I may or may may not use the recalculate salaries tool under advanced tools because I'm seeing signs that the I may end up hitting the Y4 problem.
• I may or may not equalize cities for the same reason as stated above, if I do either of these it won't be until after this season is over, however.

Thats all I can think of for now. Wish me luck!

[EVEN11323]

I'll be reading, hope you can make them into a winner again!

[BichetteMan]

Nice I see you picked the Twinkies. Good Luck!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Time for a little roster overview!

Starting Lineup:

1. CF Carlos Gomez - Elite Defender, very young hitter but could and should be a very good player in this league.
2. C Joe Mauer - Also an elite defender, one of the most skilled catchers in Major League Baseball and will be a key cog to any success the Twins will have for the foreseeable future.
3. LF Delmon Young - Acquired from Tampa Bay for SP Matt Garza. Strong arm and a very talented young hitter with room to grow.
4. 1B Justin Morneau - Gold Glove caliber defender at 1B, very good hitter, despite a down year last year, a key piece in addition to Mauer.
5. DH Jason Kubel - Capable of filling in in the OF and 1B when needed, not a very good defender at either though. Talented hitter who has had injury problems in the past.
6. RF Michael Cuddyer - Solid hitter, capable of .280 with 20 homers, a very good defender in RF.
7. 3B Mike Lamb - Good offensive player but a terrible defender at the hot corner.
8. SS Adam Everett - One of the best defensive SS's in the game, extremely poor offensive player however.
9. 2B Alexi Casilla - Excellent defender, solid bat, still very young and has room to grow.

Bench:

• IF Nick Punto - Utility man in every sense of the term, has played every position on the diamond besides 1B, C, and P in his career, very good defenisve infielder, not much with the stick.
• LF Jon Knott - 29 year old rookie, decent defensive LF, will primarily be a late game pinch hitter due to his power.
• IF Brendan Harris - Decent all-around bench player, can play all over the infield.
• C Mike Redmond - Very good as a backup catcher, solid bat and an above average defender.
• OF Craig Monroe - Good power hitter, not much of a contact hitter or defender.

Starting Rotation:

1. LHP Francisco Liriano - Coming off TJ surgery, very young and very talented, Cy Young potential.
2. RHP Boof Bonser - Decent pitcher, more of an innings eater than anything else, probably won't do much better than a 4.50 ERA.
3. RHP Scott Baker - Talented youngster, excellent control, very hittable however.
4. RHP Livan Hernandez - The veteran of the group, good control, relies a lot on his intelligence and guile to get through games, at the very least he'll give you 7 or 8 innings everytime out.
5. RHP Phil Humber - One of the pieces that sent Johan Santana to Queens, good control and power, two solid pitches in his fastball and curve, could become a solid #2 or #3 starter.

Bullpen:

• CL Joe Nathan - One of the top 3 closers in baseball, potential and probable All-Star any given year.
• SU Pat Neshek - Good enough to be a closer, average or better in all facets of pitching, 4 average or better pitches.
• SR Matt Guerrier - Coming off a very good season, good control, historically solid RP.
• SR Juan Rincon - Coming off an uncharacteristically poor season, may be on the decline.
• MR Dennys Reyes - Good lefthanded reliever, signed cheaply, murder on lefties.
• LR Jessie Crain - Capable spot starter, good control, could fill in well in the event of an injury.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Top 5 Prospects List:

1. SP Deolis Guerra - Only 18 years old but very advanced despite his age. Excellent control for his age, also has very good power. His fastball, change, and curve all project as major league quality pitches. Ceiling is a #1 starter
2. SP Anthony Swarzak - Good power and control, possesses 5 pitches, 4 of which project as major league quality pitches. Ceiling is probably as a #2.
3. CF Ben Revere - 19 years old, viewed as a bit of a reach when he was selected last season, but was the most signable. Good speed and could become a very good defensive OF. Probably won't develop much power but should turn out to have a very good eye and solid contact ability. Ceiling is likely a solid ML outfielder.
4. SP Tyler Robertson - Not much control, but has a great arm and can strike guys out with the best of them. Only has two pitches right now, although both project very well. May be switched to the BP down the road. Ceiling is as a #2 or #3 as a starter, or a very good setup man.
5. RP Mike McCardell - Very talented young RP. Almost ML ready, already possesses ML quality control of his pitches and the ability to strike guys out, just needs to work on keeping the ball on the ground. Has 3 pitches that should be very good in time, expect to see him this season. Ceiling is a setup man, possibly a very good one.

[gosensgo101]

If the youngsters perform well, you should be able to compete. It looks like you may need a little help in the infield though, maybe a starter.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Yeah, infield is gonna be a problem. I'm fine with Everett's lack of offense at SS because of how good is his defense is, at an important defensive position, but Lamb is gonna be a big problem. I'm not expecting a whole lot out of this season though, to be honest.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

First update of the season!

*****************************************************************

April 1, 2008 - April 10, 2008

We start open up our season against the Indians on the road, then the Mariners and Indians again at home.


April 2, 2008
Minnesota Twins (0-0) @ Cleveland Indians (0-0)
Twins 7 over Indians 6 (in 13 innings)
WP: Dennys Reyes - 2IP H BB 2K (1-0)
LP: Paul Byrd - IP 2H HR (0-1)
SV: Jesse Crain - (1)

Twins nearly blew it here. We led by one in the ninth with two out and a man on third for the Indians, and Joe Nathan throws one past Mauer and the runner scores from 3rd. We managed to salvage it and win on a Morneau homer though. Liriano pitched 5 innings of 2 run ball in his first start since TJ surgery. Our new star CF'er, Carlos Gomez, went 2-5 with an RBI, and SS Adam Everett went 3-5 with a homer and 3 RBI's.


April 3, 2008
Minnesota Twins (1-0) @ Cleveland Indians (0-1)
Twins 11 over Indians 3
WP: Boof Bonser - 6IP 9H 3BB 3ER 4K (1-0)
LP: Fausto Carmona - 5IP 9H 1BB 4ER 2K (0-1)

Nearly everything went the Twins way here. Everyone in the starting lineup got a hit and everyone but Gomez and Morneau recorded an RBI. Gomez went 3-6 with a run, Delmon Young went 3-5 with an RBI, Jason Kubel went 2-5 with 3R, a homer, and 2 RBI's. However the star of the day was Adam Everett who went 3-5 with a homer and 4 RBI's.


April 4, 2008
Minnesota Twins (2-0) @ Cleveland Indians (0-2)
Twins 5 over Indians 3
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP 8H 2BB 3ER 4K (1-0)
LP: Jake Westbrook - 2 2/3IP 5H 3BB 5ER 4K (0-1)
SV: Joe Nathan (1)

The Twins managed to complete the sweep in the season opening series against the Indians, on the road no less! Adam Everett was once again had the big hit of the night, hitting a 2 out, bases loaded, double to drive in the final 3 runs of the game for the Twinkies. Baker pitched a helluva ballgame as well, keeping the big Indian bats quiet all night.


April 5, 2008
Seattle Mariners (2-1) @ Minnesota Twins (3-0)
Mariners 3 over Twins 0
WP: Miguel Batista - 8 2/3IP 5H 3BB 7K (1-0)
LP: Livan Hernandez - 7IP 9H 3BB 3ER 3K (0-1)
SV: J.J. Putz (3)

Bad night for the Twinkies. Livan turns in a solid outing but we managed only 5 hits as a team. Not much else to say on this one.


April 6, 2008
Seattle Mariners (3-1) @ Minnesota Twins (3-1)
Mariners 6 over Twins 4
WP: Jarrod Washburn - 5IP 6H 0BB 3ER K (1-0)
LP: Phil Humber - 6 2/3IP 10H 3BB 6ER 2K (0-1)
SV: J.J. Putz (4)

Close game but the Twins fall just short. Cuddyer had a strong game, going 3-4 with a homer and 3 RBI's.


April 7, 2008
Seattle Mariners (4-1) @ Minnesota Twins (3-2)
Mariners 13 over Twins 3
WP: Erik Bedard - 6IP 6H BB 3ER 5K (2-0)
LP: Francisco Liriano - 3 2/3IP 8H 3BB 5ER 7K (0-1)

Terrible all around game for the Twins. We made 3 errors that led to 4 unearned runs off Liriano, one each from Mike Lamb, Adam Everett, and Alexi Casilla. The one brightspot from this game is that Gomez got his feet going and stole two bases, to bring his season total to 3.


April 8, 2008
Cleveland Indians (3-3) @ Minnesota Twins (3-3)
Indians 6 over Twins 2
WP: Jake Westbrook - 7IP 4H 3BB 0ER 5K (1-1)
LP: Boof Bonser - 7 1/3IP 4H 3BB 3ER 6K (1-1)

The Twins 4th straight loss drops the Twinkies below .500. An error led to 2 critical unearned runs for the Indians. Bonser made a strong start but the defense let him down, other than that no real bright spots.


April 9, 2008
Cleveland Indians (4-3) @ Minnesota Twins (3-4)
Indians 4 over Twins 2
WP: Joe Borowski - 2IP H 2K (1-0)
LP: Pat Neshek - IP 3H 2ER (0-1)

Real ugly game for the Twins. They led 2-1 going into the 9th inning with All-Star closer Joe Nathan on the mound, but he gave up 3 hits and allowed the tying run to score, ruining a great start by Scott Baker, in which he went 8 innings, allowing only one run, while striking out 5 on 105 pitches. Morneau logged a homer and Gomez stole 2 bases to bring his total to 6 on the season.


April 10, 2008
Cleveland Indians (5-3) @ Minnesota Twins (3-5)
Twins 5 over Indians 4 (in 10)
WP: Francisco Liriano - 2IP 2H 2ER 3K (1-1)
LP: Rafael Betancourt - 1 1/3IP H 2BB 3ER (0-1)

A really wild game to close out the series against the Indians and end the losing streak. The Twinkies were trailing 4-2 when they came up in their half of the 10th, but managed to put 3 on the board to win the game. Gomez went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a SB.


We started the season strong with a sweep of the Indians, but really struggled the first full week of the season. Next week we've got an off day followed by 3 against the last place Tigers and 3 more against the Rangers.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Ugh, I hit a bit of a snag. Right after I was saving after I finished that update BBM froze on me before I could finish saving, so that update is completely meaningless. I don't really feel like reupdating on the first week of the season, so the next update I do is just going to be over week 2 on this "new" dynasty.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

A short summary of what I had to re-sim. I went 7-2, sweeping the Royals, taking 3 of 4 from the Mariners, and taking one of three from the Chicago White Sox. The pitching got off to a hot start and Gomez was batting something like .350 through April 10th. Now onto the update!

*****************************************************************************

April 11, 2008
Seattle Mariners (3-6) @ Minnesota Twins (7-2)
Mariners 4 over Twins 3
WP: Mark Lowe - 2IP H K (1-0)
LP: Phil Humber - 8IP 5H 2BB 4ER 5K (1-1)
SV: J.J. Putz (1)

We couldn't manage to nail down the sweep and wasted a solid start by Humber. Carlos Gomez went 3-4 with 2 SB's and a run.


April 12, 2008
Chicago White Sox (5-4) @ Minnesota Twins (7-3)
Twins 4 over White Sox 2
WP: Francisco Liriano - 6IP 5H BB ER 5K (2-1)
LP: Jose Contreras - 5 1/3IP 4H 2BB 4ER 3K (0-3)
SV: Joe Nathan (5)

Excellent start by the kid who I'm looking to become our ace, Liriano. Jason Kubel led the offense, going 2-3 with a homer and 2 RBI's, followed up my Morneau's 1-3 night with a homer and an RBI of his own. Joe Nathan struck out the side for his 5th save of the season.


April 13, 2008
Chicago White Sox (5-5) @ Minnesota Twins (8-3)
Twins 4 over White Sox 0
WP: Boof Bonser - CG SHO 7K 3H BB (2-0)
LP: Mark Buehrle - 5 2/3IP 6H 3BB 4ER 4K (1-1)

Excellent game out of Bonser. I mean, what else is there to say about a complete game, 3 hit, shutout. Justin Morneau reached base all 4 times at the dish, going 2-2 with 2 walks, and Michael Cuddyer went 1-3 with a homer and 2 RBI's.


April 14, 2008
Chicago White Sox (5-6) @ Minnesota Twins (9-3)
Twins 10 over White Sox 4
WP: Scott Baker - 7IP 7H 2BB 3ER 3K (3-0)
LP: John Danks - 4 1/3IP 6H 3BB 6ER 3K (2-1)

A bit of an offensive explosion on this night. Delmon Young and Jason Kubel botch notched homeruns. Delmon paired his homer with a double and knocked home 3 runners, Kubel's shot came as a pinch hit blast. The only players in the starting lineup who didn't get a hit were Carlos Gomez and Adam Everett, and Gomez walked and stole a base despite going hitless in this game.

April 15, 2008

An off day for us, however there is news to report elsewhere around the league, as the A's and Marlins completed a trade. The trade sends LF Josh Willingham, hitting .250 with 5 homers and 13 RBI's at the time of the trade, to the Bay area, in return for defensive minded players 2B Mark Ellis and C Justin Knoedler. I'd say this is a pretty even deal. In addition to that, on the 8th Ivan Rodriguez collected hit 2500th career hit.


April 16, 2008
Minnesota Twins (10-3) @ Toronto Blue Jays (5-8)
Twins 11 over Blue Jays 8
WP: Pat Neshek - IP H (1-0)
LP: B.J. Ryan - 1/3IP 2H BB 3ER K (0-1)
SV: Joe Nathan (6)

This game was decided in extras. Carlos Gomez got his only hit in the top of the 11th to drive in the go ahead run, two more runs would be tacked on after that. Kubel had only one hit in the game, but made it count, hitting a grand slam in the 3rd inning. Delmon Young also went 3-5 with 2 RBI's.


April 17, 2008
Minnesota Twins (11-3) @ Toronto Blue Jays (5-9)
Twins 4 over Blue Jays 3
WP: Jesse Crain - 1 2/3IP K (1-0)
LP: Jason Frasor - IP H BB ER

Phil Humber matched Roy Halladay pitch for pitch in this game, both went 6 innings, allowing 3 earned runs, and striking out 4. Carlos Gomez managed to drive in the go-ahead run again in this one. Delmon Young went 1-5 with a walk and two steals, and Jason Kubel also had two hits. The big hit of the game came from Mike Lamb though, going 2-5 with a 2 run double.


This early season success is rather surprising and I don't expect it to keep up. Most of the players on the team right now are red hot, and those that aren't are ice cold. I expect everyone to even out in time and for the team to fall back to the pack. Though as it sits we have a half game lead over the Indians.

Gomez started the season red hot, but has cooled down lately and is hitting only .217 in his last 10 games. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Kubel has been crushing the ball in his last 10, hitting .310/.355/.828, /1.183 with 5 jacks and 14 RBI's. Joe Nathan has been stellar as well, going six for six in save chances and averaging a K per inning. Liriano has looked like the ace I'm hoping he will become, going 2-1 with a 2.25 ERA, 6 walks, 16 punchouts, and a .222 batting average against in his first 3 starts.

Next week we finish up our 3 game set against the Blue Jays, as we look for the sweep, then travel to New York for 3 against the Yankees and come back home for three against the Tigers.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

April 18, 2008
Minnesota Twins (12-3) @ Toronto Blue Jays (5-10)
Blue Jays 3 over Twins 2
WP: Jeremy Accardo - IP H 2BB 2K (1-1)
LP: Denny Reyes - 1/3IP 2H ER K (1-1)

An unfortunate waste of an excellent start by Francisco Liriano. Liriano went 6 2/3 innings, allowing only 3 hits and 4 walks, only one earned run, two total, and striking out 8. Gomez continued his recent struggles going 0-5 with two strikeouts. Alexi Casilla hit his first homer of the year and Morneau knocked in the only other run, after following up Delmon Young's double with one of his own.


April 19, 2008
Minnesota Twins (12-4) @ New York Yankees (7-9)
Yankees 4 over Twins 1
WP: Mike Mussina - 8IP 4H ER 3K (2-2)
LP: Boof Bonser - 7IP 11H 4ER 3K (2-1)
SV: Mariano Rivera (4)

Bonser turned in another solid start after throwing a shutout his last start. Besides Bonser's solid start not much else went the Twins way, the team managed only 4 hits and one run.


April 20, 2008
Minnesota Twins (12-5) @ New York Yankees (8-9)
Twins 4 over Yankees 2
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP 5H 6BB 2ER 4K (4-0)
LP: Ian Kennedy - 3 2/3IP 4H 4BB 4ER 2K (0-3)
SV: Joe Nathan (7)

Baker continues to impress this season, lowering his ERA on the season to 2.25, after his latest start. Gomez managed only one hit, but it was the most important of the game, when he launched a Grand Slam to left field in the 4th inning, to drive in Minnesota's only runs of the game.


April 21, 2008
Minnesota Twins (13-5) @ New York Yankees (8-10)
Yankees 4 over Twins 1
WP: Phil Hughes - 8IP 2H BB ER 6K (3-1)
LP: Livan Hernandez - 7IP 9H 3BB 4ER K (0-2)
SV: Mariano Rivera (5)

Livan turned in a solid performance, but Hughes was far too good tonight. We managed only one run and two hits the whole game. Adam Everett got injured, unfortunately. Nothing else to say about this one.


April 22, 2008
Detroit Tigers (12-7) @ Minnesota Twins (13-6)
Tigers 8 over Twins 5
WP: Jeremy Bonderman - 8IP 7H BB 7K (2-1)
LP: Phil Humber - 6IP 5H 4BB 5ER 4K (1-2)
SV: Todd Jones (4)

We trailed most of this game but managed to put together a rally, and even had the tying run up twice, in the ninth, but still lost. Morneau, Kubel, and Casilla collected two hits a piece.


April 23, 2008
Detroit Tigers (13-7) @ Minnesota Twins (13-7)
Tigers 6 over Twins 3
WP: Kenny Rogers - 8IP 5H 2BB 2ER 3K (2-0)
LP: Francisco Liriano - 6IP 8H BB 3ER 8K (2-2)
SV: Bobby Seay (4)

Another excellent start by Liriano gone to waste. Alexi Casilla went 2-3 with an RBI.


April 24, 2008
Detroit Tigers (14-7) @ Minnesota Twins (13-8)
Twins 5 over Tigers 0
WP: Boof Bonser - 8IP 7H 2BB 0ER 2K (3-1)
LP: Dontrelle Willis - 5IP 9H 4ER 4K (2-2)

Bonser lowered his ERA on the season to 2.61, although I'd be surprised if he kept it under 4.00 over the whole season. Gomez got the bat going a little in this game, going 2-5 with a run, and RBI, and a stolen base. Alexi Casilla continued his recent hot hitting, going 2-4. Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer each went 2-4 with an RBI. Mike Lamb also smacked a homer.


This is kind of what I expected from this week, and the season in general. I really don't have the firepower to keep up with heavyweights like the Yankees and Tigers over a whole season, and this week kind of proved that.

The top 3 starter in the rotation are really dealing right now. All have ERA's below 3 and place in the top 10 in the AL in ERA, Liriano is 6th, Bonser 7th, and Baker 3rd. Liriano is also leading the AL in K's, is 6th in BAA, 8th in OOBP, 5th in OOPS, 5th in OSLG%, 10th in R/9IP, 3rd in K/9, and 8th in IP. The offense is really struggling however. The team is hitting only .248 as a whole, no one is hitting above .300, several players are below, or barely above, a .300 OBP, and we've hit only 20 homers as a whole. However we are 2nd in all of baseball in stolen bases.

In other news, Magglio Ordonez collected his 1000th RBI on the 22nd. (At the end of every month I'm going to go through the transactions page for the month and put down meaningful trades, contract extensions, retirements, etc.)

Next week we've got the Royals for 3 and then the first 3 of a four game set again the Jays.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Also, I've decided to use OldFatGuy's house rules for FA'cy.

http://www.geocities.com/melthemoth/hr1.html

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

April 26-30, 2008, final give games of the month


April 26, 2008
Kansas City Royals (10-12) @ Minnesota Twins (14-8)
Royals 9 over Twins 4
WP: Brett Tomko - 5 1/3IP 8H 3ER K (3-1)
LP: Scott Baker - 3IP 8H 2BB 4ER 3K (4-1)

Tought game for Baker. He didn't pitch that badly, but his defense let him down when an error led to two unearned runs. The offense got it going a little in this game. Gomez went 2-5 with 2 runs and a steal. Delmon Young went 2-3 with a walk, two runs, and two RBI's, and Morneau and Kubel collected an RBI's each.


April 27, 2008
Kansas City Royals (11-12) @ Minnesota Twins (14-9)
Twins 7 over Royals 6
WP: Jesse Crain - 1/3IP (2-0)
LP: Joakim Soria - 2/3IP 2H BB 3ER K (0-1)

The defense was a huge problem for Minny in this one. Livan Hernandez allowed 6 runs, only one of them was earned however, and the Royals managed to score 5 runs off of an error. It was for naught however, as Delmon Young would hit a walkoff two run shot in the bottom of the ninth. Besides Young's heroics, Morneau went 2-4 with 2 RBI's, Gomez went 0-3 but earned 2 walks, and Kubel smacked a couple hits as well.


April 28, 2008
Kansas City Royals (11-13) @ Minnesota Twins (15-9)
Royals 6 over Twins 3
WP: Joel Peralta - 2IP H K (1-1)
LP: Pat Neshek - IP 4H 3ER (1-1)

The bullpen ruined a fantastic start by Jesse Crain. Crain allowed no runs in his 5 innings, but Rincon and Neshek combined to allow 6 runs in 3 innings. Alexi Casilla went 3-4 with 2 RBI's and Delmon Young went 1-3 with an RBI and a steal.


April 29, 2008
Toronto Blue Jays (13-13) @ Minnesota Twins (15-10)
Twins 6 over Jays 1
WP: Francisco Liriano - 7IP 5H 3BB ER 6K (3-2)
LP: Dustin McGowan - 4 2/3IP 7H 3BB 6ER 5K (1-4)

What a start by Liriano! This is exactly what we want to see on a start-to-start basis from him. I don't expect him to throw 7 innings of one run ball everytime out, but you get the idea! Carlos Gomez went 0-4 with a walk and a steal, Kubel went 2-4 with 2 runs, a homer, and 3 RBI's. Joe Mauer went hitless but managed 3 walks.


April 30, 2008
Toronto Blue Jays (13-14) @ Minnesota Twins (16-10)
Jays 5 over Twins 1
WP: Shaun Marcum - 8IP 5H 2BB 0ER 8K (2-2)
LP: Boof Bonser - 6 1/3IP 9H BB 3ER 2K (3-2)

Bonser continues to be victimized by poor run support, with decent run support he could easily be 4-1 or 5-0. Nothing else to really say about this one besides Marcum dominated us.


Next up summary for April, I'll save the notes I usually have down here for that, which will be tomorrow at some point.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

April Review

GM Analysis/Feeling:

Overall I'm very happy and surprised with the way the month went. I wasn't expecting to finish the month above .500, let alone sitting a game back of the division and wild card leads. I'd be extremely surprised if the team manages to maintain the success though. The offense isn't nearly strong enough to carry the team, and the pitching is too young, inexperienced, and lacks the overall talent or potential talent to maintain such a high level of success over the course of the season, outside of Liriano anyways. I'd be happy if we finished .500 for the season, and actually making the playoffs would be a God send, and would require nothing short of a miracle as far as I'm concerned. I'm expecting to win anywhere between 65-75 games for the season.


Offensive Report:

This is a HUGE weak spot for this team. The team has a team batting average of .250 and only one hitter is hitting above .300 (Justin Morneau, .305) and only two others are within 15 points of .300 (Alexi Casilla, .287, and Delmon Young .297). There are also 4 hitters with an OBP under .300 (Carlos Gomez, .246, Michael Cuddyer, .257, Mike Lamb, .292, and Adam Everett, .290), and there are two other hitters sit barely above a .300 OBP (Alexi Casilla, .316, and Jason Kubel, .303). We're also struggling to hit homeruns, only 23 as a team on the season, and get extra basehits in general, yielding only a .396 SLG%. There are a few offensive brightspots however, one of which is the overall running game. The team is tied for second in stolen bases as a team (26), and has 3 players that place in the top 10 in steals in the AL, Carlos Gomez has 9, placing him 3rd, and Joe Mauer and Delmon Young have 5 a piece, tying them for 5th. The other brightspots are that off Justin Morneau and Delmon Young. Delmon Young is second on the team in batting average, to Justin Morneau, at .297, second in homers, 5, second in stolen bases, 5, and leads the team in RBI's. Morneau is leading the team in hitting, .305, and OBP, .366.

Hitter of the Month: LF Delmon Young - .297 batting average, 5 homers, 24 RBI's, .336 on-base percent, .532 slugging percent, and .868 OPS.


Pitching Report:

This is clearly a much stronger part of the team, and is the only thing that kept the team above water in the first month of the season. The top 3 starting pitchers, Francisco Liriano, Boof Bonser, and Scott Baker, combine for an ERA of 2.73, 119 innings pitched, 86 strikeouts, a 10-5 record, and a WHIP of 1.24. After those 3 things are grim in the starting rotation, however. Livan Hernandez is toting around an ERA of over 7, and a K:BB ratio of around 1:1. The 5 slot is occupied by Jesse Crain, after Phil Humber sustained a serious injury, who has done well in one start so far, however he doesn't have the ability to go deep into games and throw 100 pitchers per start, so hes gonna put some stress on the bullpen until I find a better suited replacement. The bullpen has also been superb. Joe Nathan has been perfect in 7 save opportunities so far this season, and his ERA is a minuscule 0.90. Hes also punchedout 9 batters in 10 innings pitched. Overall the bullpen sports an ERA of 3.62.

Pitcher of the Month: Francisco Liriano - 39 2/3 innings pitched, 2.27 ERA, 38 strikeouts, 3-2, 14 walks, .216 batting average against, and a WHIP of 1.16.


Injury Report:

SP Phil Humber - Broken forearm, out 64 days


Down on the farm:

SP Kevin Slowey (AAA) - 2-1, 2.43 ERA, 37 IP, .191 BAA, 17 K, 14 BB
RP Mike McCardless (AA/AAA) - 10 G, 2.16 ERA, 5 BB, 22 K, 16 2/3 IP, .231 BAA (w/ AA), G, 1 2/3 IP, K (w/ AAA)
OF Joe Benson (A) - .302/.382/.479/.861, 4 HR, 19 RBI, 5 SB, 29 H


Next is a league update for the month of April.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Batting Stats:

Player Name	Team	AB	H	HR	RBI	Avg	OBP	SLG	SB	CS
Gomez, Carlos	MIN	118	24	3	15	.203	.246	.314	9	1
Young, Delmon	MIN	111	33	5	24	.297	.336	.532	5	0
Mauer, Joe	MIN	109	28	0	10	.257	.352	.330	5	0
Morneau, Justin	MIN	105	32	1	11	.305	.362	.419	0	0
Lamb, Mike	MIN	103	28	4	12	.272	.292	.495	1	1
Cuddyer, Michael	MIN	98	17	2	8	.173	.257	.306	1	1
Casilla, Alexi	MIN	94	27	1	9	.287	.316	.415	3	2
Kubel, Jason	MIN	70	17	7	20	.243	.303	.571	2	0
Everett, Adam	MIN	62	14	0	6	.226	.290	.290	0	2
Monroe, Craig	MIN	35	8	0	5	.229	.308	.286	0	0
Punto, Nick	MIN	23	5	0	1	.217	.357	.217	0	1
Harris, Brendan	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Barrett, Ricky	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Reyes, Dennys	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Rincon, Juan	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Neshek, Pat	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Nathan, Joe	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Crain, Jesse	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Hernandez, Livan	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Baker, Scott	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Bonser, Boof	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Knott, Jon	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Redmond, Mike	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Pitching Stats:

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Bonser, Boof	MIN	6	3	2	2.84	44.1	27	0	1	.257
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	6	3	2	2.27	39.2	38	0	0	.216
Baker, Scott	MIN	5	4	1	3.09	35.0	21	0	1	.252
Hernandez, Livan	MIN	5	0	2	7.16	27.2	13	0	0	.331
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	3.00	15.0	9	0	0	.182
Reyes, Dennys	MIN	0	1	1	3.77	14.1	15	0	0	.255
Rincon, Juan	MIN	0	0	0	4.38	12.1	11	0	0	.275
Neshek, Pat	MIN	0	1	1	5.73	11.0	7	0	0	.268
Nathan, Joe	MIN	0	1	0	0.90	10.0	9	7	0	.147
Crain, Jesse	MIN	1	2	0	0.00	9.0	4	0	0	.040
Barrett, Ricky	MIN	0	0	0	0.00	0.0	0	0	0	.000

Ok so I lied, I had to post team stats :-P. League update next, I might do it tonight, but its more likely that I do it tomorrow.