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

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Even if I do make the playoffs I highly doubt I'd make it to the World Series, unfortunately. I'm gonna try to focus on getting into first place in the division first though .

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 1, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks (26-29) @ Minnesota Twins (31-25)
Diamondbacks 2 over Twins 1
WP: Brandon Lyon - IP H K (2-5)
LP: Joe Nathan - 2IP 3H BB ER 4K (1-2)
SV: Chad Qualls (1)

A very exciting pitchers duel to start the month. Duensing went 8 strong and allowed only one run, with 4 strikeouts, in his major league debut. Our one run came off the bat of Delmon Young, to score Carlos Gomez.


June 2, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks (27-29) @ Minnesota Twins (31-26)
Twins 5 over Diamondbacks 0
WP: Francisco Liriano - 8IP 4H 0BB 0ER 10K (8-2)
LP: Brandon Webb - 5IP 7H BB 3ER 3K (5-7)

Liriano continues to amaze me, I mean I knew he was really good, but ****! Jason Pridie started in place of Carlos Gomez, due to a minor injury that caused him to miss a few days, and went 3-5 with a solo homer. Young continues to be the Twins major run producer, knocking in two more runners. We also found out today that Boof Bonser will miss two weeks with a mild shoulder separation, this may be more of a blessing than a curse with the way hes pitched lately.


June 3, 2008
Oakland A's (28-28) @ Minnesota Twins (32-26)
Twins 7 over A's 5
WP: Joe Nathan - IP K (2-2)
LP: Kiko Calero - 0IP 2H 2ER (0-1)

Scott Baker didn't pitch that badly in this one, but his defense let him down, as an error led to a couple earned runs, followed by a passed ball that allowed another. Mauer recouped that passed ball by hitting a walk off homer, for his second of the year, part of his 3-6, 3 RBI day. Jeff Francouer hit a homer, and Delmon Young drove in 2 runs.


June 4, 2008
Oakland A's (28-29) @ Minnesota Twins (33-26)
Twins 5 over A's 3
WP: Nick Blackburn - 8IP 6H 4BB 3ER 2K (1-1)
LP: Joe Blanton - 4IP 7H 4ER K (4-5)
SV: Joe Nathan (18)

Delmon Young is cranking out RBI's like a machine, as he added two more to his total today with a two run homer. Francouer also went 2-4 with an RBI.


June 4, 2008
Oakland A's (28-30) @ Minnesota Twins (34-26)
Twins 14 over A's 6
WP: Livan Hernandez - 8IP 8H 3BB 2ER 4K (5-3)
LP: Chad Gaudin - 3IP 5H 4ER K (5-4)

This game isn't nearly as close as it might appear to have been, all the runs the A's scored came in the 9th inning, and Livan wasn't on the mound when any of them crossed the plate. Everyone in the starting lineup recorded a hit except Joe Mauer and Alexi Casilla, and everyone got an RBI except Adam Everett and Joe Mauer. Delmon Young, Justin Morneau, and Mike Lamb each got 3 RBI's, Gomez got two, and Casilla, Kubel, and Francouer got one a piece. Just an all out smokeshow.


We managed to salvage a win against the D'Backs and sweep the A's to get back in the race. We currently sit 1 1/2 back of the Indians for the Central lead, and remain tied with the Tigers for first in the Wild Card chase.

The offense is running on all cylinders right now. Delmon Young is crushing the ball, hitting .419/.457/.628/1.085, with one homer and 15 RBI's in his last ten games, scratching his way to the AL lead in RBI's. Gomez has gotten his batting average up to a respectable .254 and still leads the AL in steals. Mike Lamb is also having somewhat of a career year as well, he sits 4 homers shy of tying his career high in about half as many games.

The pitching is all about Liriano right now. What hes doing is simply amazing. He is head and shoulders above both leagues in strikeouts with 91, the next closest is Felix Hernandez with 78, hes also 9th between the AL and NL in ERA at 2.90, tied for second in wins with 8, and third in innings pitched. Hes gotta be the top contender for the Cy Young right now.

Next week is the draft and then an extremely important road trip against the Indians and Tigers.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

The draft is today, and boy am I nervous. The kids I'm about to pick, and let me emphasize the word "kids", are the future of this franchise, be it for better or worse. A good pick could pick could become a future MVP or World Series champion, a bad pick could destroy the franchise.......

Deron, the other scouts and I were in our draft room as the picking began.....

Bud Selig: With the first overall pick in the draft, the Tampa Bay Rays select 2B Roger Crawford.

Not a real big surprise. Sure, there were better prospects, but they needed a 2B of the future and they're already strong at just about every other position on the field. It sure wasn't something I wanted to see though, I had Crawford 8 on my list.

Bud Selig: With the second overall pick in the draft the Pittsburgh Pirates select LF Dennis Raben.

Again, not a big surprise. The Pirates are a franchise in turmoil and they needed to select the best player in the draft, and they got him. Again, I wasn't happy, but I wasn't really expecting him to get to us anyways.

Bud Selig: The Baltimore Orioles select SP Tim Melville with the third overall selection in the draft.

Ouch, that one hurts! Melville was the guy I really had my eye on and I thought he had a really good change of getting to us. This really changes the draft for us, now we have to hope for Alvarez or Lobstein to get down to us.

Bud Selig: SP Kyle Lobstein goes to the KC Royals, #4 overall.

Jesus! This is just getting worse and worse. Lobstein was in the top 3 on my board and I thought he had a good chance of getting to us as well.

Bud Selig: The Florida Marlins select 3B Pedro Alvarez with the #5 overall pick in the draft.

Well there it goes. The top 3 players on my draft board just went 3-4-5, and even in the order I had them. This changes things a lot for us. Now we have to hope for Ross, Alonso, or Beckham to get down to us.

Bud Selig: The #6 pick, by the San Francisco Giants, is RP Aaron Shafer.

A bit of a surprise pick, and questionable at that. But it doesn't bother me any, the way the last three picks went I need some questionable picks in order to get a guy I want.

Bud Selig: The Chicago White Sox select SP Christian Friedrich with the #7 pick.

A good pick by the White Sox, not really one I liked though. I didn't have Friedrich in my top 10 to start, but the way the draft had been going I may have taken him if he'd slipped to us.

Bud Selig: The Cincinnati Reds select RF Kevin Reinitia with the 8th overall pick.

Reinitia had kind of jumped up out of no where a few days before the draft. He seems to be a good player, but it doesn't affect my thinking any.

Bud Selig: 2B Jemile Weeks goes to the Houston Astros with the #9 overall pick.

Ugh, another one bites the dust. Jemile was one I'd been keen on and it was starting to look like he may slip to us, no dice though. Beckham, Alonso, and Ross are all still on the board.

Bud Selig: The #10 pick, by the Washington Nationals, is SP Tyson Ross.

****! I was really hoping Ross would get down to us, the pick really makes sense for the Nationals though. Alonso and Beckham are our top remaining prospects.

Bud Selig: With the #11 pick the Texas Rangers select SP Sonny Gray.

He wasn't in my top 10, but he looked to be very good potentially. I may have picked him had he been there when we picked.

Bud Selig: The #12 pick, by the Oakland A's, is 1B Yonder Alonso.

****! They must be bitter for the sweep or something, they already have Daric Barton! If the Cardinals pick Tim Beckham next this is going to be a tough decision.....

Bud Selig: The #13 pick, by the St. Louis Cardinals, is 1B Eric Hosmer.

Phew! Hosmer is almost a carbon copy of Alonso so I may have selected him, but that means Beckham is still on the board.....

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

JM: Ok, we're up, Deron.

DJ: Ok.

JM: Whose left from our original top 10?

DJ: Just the two Beckham's, Gordon and Tim, with Tim rated higher.

JM: Ok, is there anyone else here that you think would be worth picking that we didn't have rated?

DJ: SP Aaron Crow could be really, really good. But with starting pitchers you never know, he could very easily bust, and theres a good chance that theres a pitcher just like him available in next year's draft.

JM: Ok, I'm gonna pull the trigger on Tim.

DJ: I'm still skeptical about him, but the potential is certainly there. Its a good pick and the highest rated one left on our board.

JM: Lets just hope for the best....

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

Bud Selig: With the #14 overall pick the Minnesota Twins select SS Tim Beckham...

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Such is the danger with a mid-level draft pick: your top choices may already be gone. At least you got one of your top 10. Hopefully, he matures into a centerpiece of your franchise, alongside Gomez, Young, Francoeur, Morneau, and Liriano.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Next I'm gonna do a little writeup/overview of the whole first round, then another on all of my picks, both of which will probably happen tonight.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

First Round Draft Recap

1. Tampa Bay Rays, 2B Roger Crawford (63/91) - A good pick by the Rays. Second base was a position of need for them, and they got the best prospect at the position. Crawford should become an elite offensive force, with good range, a good arm, and decent fielding skills. Combine that with the fact that hes 6'4", a switch hitter, and doesn't have health concerns and you very well may have the future best second basemen in Major League Baseball.
2. Pittsburgh Pirates, LF Dennis Raben (59/95) - The Pirates are a franchise in turmoil, so they needed to get the best player in this draft, and I think thats just what they got. He already has major league quality plate discipline, and he should develop into a very complete player at the plate, minus the speed factor. He has the potential to be a .300, 30+ homer hitter. Not only that but he should become a very strong defender in left. He has no major health concerns so injuries shouldn't hamper his development at all.
3. Baltimore Orioles, SP Tim Melville (61/93) - The Orioles definitely made a great pick here. The Orioles lack a true ace or anyone with the potential to become that, and Melville immediately fills that void. Hes only 17 years old but his curve is already a major league caliber pitcher, that only stands to get better, and could possibly become the best in baseball. He also has a fastball that should become very good, and good strikeout power and movement. His control is questionable, but that will come as he matures. Health could be a bit of concern, but he has the ideal pitcher's build (6'5", 216 lbs.)
4. Kansas City Royals, SP Kyle Lobstein (62/93) - Lobstein is very advanced in all facets of pitching, and at the tender age of 18. He should develop well above average control, power, and movement. Couple that with thefact that he has 4 pitches that all project well and that he stands at 6'1" with no major health concerns and you've got yourself a keeper. When its all said and done, he could be the best pitcher to come out of this draft.
5. Florida Marlins, 3B Pedro Alvarez (60/96) - Probably the best pure hitter in this draft. He looks like a young Miguel Cabrera to me. He could very well become a .320-.330, 40 homer hitter. However, his glove is a weakness and he may end up switching positions down the road.
6. San Francisco Giants, RP Aaron Shafer (64/89) - The first questionable pick or surprise of the draft. Shafer is far and away the best RP prospect in the draft, but the Giants have more pressing needs like 1B, OF, SS, C, and the list goes on, RP should not have been such a high priority. The nature of the pick may be questionable, but Shafer's talent is not. Shafer already has major league strikeout ability and a major league caliber heater, along with a change that has a good chance of becoming a very good 2-strike pitch. He also has no major health concerns, that should lead to a long, successful major league career.
7. Chicago White Sox, SP Christian Friedrich (61/91) - One of the top 4 or 5 SP prospects in this draft. Very advanced for his age, and may be ready late this season, or early next season. His strikeout ability, control, and movement all project very well. His fastball is borderline major league ready, and his curve isn't too far off, his splitter probably won't turn into much, but could become a solid 3rd pitch.
8. Cincinnati Reds, RF Kevin Reinita (56/92) - A lot like Dennis Raben, except without the exceptional eye. A bit of concern because he came on a little late and didn't really emerge as a prospect who should be picked this early until about a week before the draft, there is certainly a lot of talent there though. He already has an extremely strong arm and could become a GG defender in right field. Not much of an eye, and pretty slow, but he can really hit otherwise. Reminds me a lot of a young Jeff Francouer.
9. Houston Astros, 2B Jemile Weeks (62/90) - Second best second base prospect in the draft. Potentially very strong bat, with some speed to go with it. Probably won't ever become much of a defender, but has a very strong arm and good range. A lot like Roger Crawford.
10. Washington Nationals, SP Tyson Ross (62/89) - The 3rd of the top three pitchers in this draft. Excellent power, control, and movement. He has four pitches, 3 of which should become above average, and the 4th should become solid as well. Absolutely no health concerns and can field his position.
11. Texas Rangers, SP Sonny Gray (54/95) - A bit of boom or bust here. If he develops properly he'll be really, really good, but he stands a very good chance of blowing up. He has only 3 pitches but they all could become very good. His control, power, and movement is all very good.
12. Oakland A's, 1B Yonder Alonso (57/93) - Prolific home run power and a good eye. He could become a TTO guy due to poor contact. He fields very well and could become a GG defender at first. He is a bit small for the position at 5'8", but that shouldn't detract from the fact that he knows how to hit.
13. St. Louis City Cardinals, 1B Eric Hosmer (54/91) - A lot of boom or bust here. Hes a lot like Alonso in the power hitting, but aside from that they're very different. Hosmer is a much more complete, well rounded hitter, with .300, 30 homer potential. However, his glove is a huge weakness and he could be a bit of a health concern.
14. Minnesota Twins, SS Tim Beckham (51/93) - The best SS prospect in the draft by a mile. He has enormous offensive potential, he could become a 30-30, .300 hitter. However, his glove is a huge weak spot, and shortstop is not a position where you can normally afford to have a weak defender. The lack of defense could lead to a change in position to the OF, 1B, or may relegate him to DH duty, assuming he doesn't exceed expectations defensively.
15. Los Angeles Dodgers, SP Aaron Crow (54/92) - Great strikeout ability, but suffers from below average control and below average movement. All his pitches project very well and health is not much of a concern, if at all.
16. Milwaukee Brewers, C Buster Posey (59/88) - I like this pick by Milwaukee. They lacked a great, or even good, catcher prospect in the system, and they were dry at the position at the major league level, and they got the best catcher in this year's draft. He looks like he'll become a very strong offensive catcher. However his defense is a bit weak and if he doesn't develop there he may face a position change.
17. Toronto Blue Jays, C Kyle Skipworth (58/87) - The complete opposite of Buster Posey. He'll probably only be average at best with the bat, but he should become a Gold Glove caliber defender. Good pick by the Jays, they didn't have a C prospect quite this good and Zaun is below average at best.
18. Atlanta Braves, SS Gordon Beckham (58/89) - Almost an exact copy of the other Beckham, Tim. Only real differences are that Gordon is slower, weaker with the glove, and doesn't have as much potential. Being compared to Tim Beckham is never a bad thing though.
19. Chicago Cubs, SS Brandon Crawford (58/89) - Reminds me of a young Jose Reyes. Good contact ability and very fast. But not much power and poor plate discipline, probably won't be any better than average with the glove.
20. Detroit Tigers, SP Brett DeVall (52/93) - Getting into the crapshoot part of the draft. DeVall has good control and power, but terrible movement and is a little injury prone. His pitches project well however.
21. New York Mets, CF Isaac Galloway (54/89) - I'm not 100% sure about this pick. Galloway should become a GG caliber center fielder, but his bat is simply awful. Hes speedy but has a poor eye. This one has bust written all over it.
22. Seattle Mariners, LF Wily Pascente (56/88) - I really like Pascente. Pascente will, without a doubt, become a GG left fielder. He also has excellent contact ability and is very, very fast. Health is a huge concern with him, but if he manages to stay healthy its more than likely that he becomes a very, very good player.
23. Philadelphia Phillies, LF Chris Houston (52/92) - Also a very good defender. He too reminds me a lot of a less developed Dennis Raben. No injury concerns, but less likely to pan out than Raben, in my opinion.
24. San Diego Padres, SP Jacob Thompson (55/90) - Basically a lefthanded Aaron Crow with more injury concern.
25. Arizona Diamondbacks, RP Tracy Barbera (60/84) - Already has a major league quality fastball, but still has a lot of development ahead of him. Almost no control of his pitches whatsoever, and doesn't possesses much of a 2-strike pitch yet.
26. Los Angeles Angels, RF Yoshi Yamato (56/86) - I'm not a fan of this pick. Yamato is a miserable defender and his bat won't make up for the lack of defense. This pick doesn't make sense to me at all, he'd be lucky if he stayed healthy long enough to develop into anything.
27. New York Yankees, SP Brian Matusz (52/92) - Excellent pick by the Yankees. Matusz is better than a lot of the starters picked ahead of me and the Yankees managed to het him with the #27 pick. Matusz has an excellent fastball, and good power and control. However he lacks movement or anything that resembles a secondary pitch.
28. Cleveland Indians, SP Alex Meyes (49/94) - Its way too early to tell anything about him. He does appear to have good control, but its far, far too early to comment about him at all.
29. Colorado Rockies, SP Jarret Martin (48/93) - See above. Way too young and under-developed to comment on him.
30. Boston Red Sox, CF Juan Ybarra (61/81) - Elite defensive center fielder already. Good speed and seemingly good contact ability. Little to no power and not much plate discipline either.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

Minnesota Twins Draft Recap

1st round (#14 overall):

SS Tim Beckham, 18 years old, S/R (57/96) - Beckham was the best shortstop prospect in this draft and immediately becomes our #1 prospect. His bat stands to become so good its almost scary, he could be the best offensive shortstop in the league sometime down the road. He's also fast, to go with the pure hitting ability. He has a good chance of becoming a 30-30 player. Hes also a switch hitter, which only adds to his value as a hitter. He has a very strong arm in the field, but thats about his only strength in the field. His range and fielding ability are both very poor and he'll be average at best as a major league SS. If not for the fact that my outfield is set for the foreseeable future I would move him to RF or CF. Unless he becomes unexpectedly good in the field, he'll either end up as a DH or switching to a less important defensive position.

(59CON, 64POW, 77SPD, 58EYE, 73 ARM, 64RNG, 65FLDG, 81HEA)


2nd round (#44 overall):

SP Max Bracamonte, 18 years old, L/L (53/88) - I really like this kid. He has good control and power at a very young age, his movement isn't where you'd like it to be but that will come with time. He also has 3 pitches that are all very close to each other in terms of how good they are, and they should all become average, or slightly above average, pitches at the major league level. He only throws in the high 80's to low 90's, but he really makes up for it. Add in to the fact that hes left handed. He is a slight health concern, but it shouldn't be that much of an issue.

(81END, 60CON, 59POW, 55MOV, 72DEF, 67HIT, 76HEA, 60FB, 53HS, 56CUR)


3rd round (#74 overall):

RP Armando Velasquez, 17 years old, R/R (61/84) - I really like this kid too, and hes really comparable to Bracamonte, except as a reliever. He doesn't throw very hard (88-90 MPH) and throws sidearm, but he has pinpoint control and the ability to strike guys out and get groundballs. He also has two pitches that project very well, a four-seamer and a circle change. Health is a concern, but if he stays healthy I think its more than likely that he becomes a very good relief pitcher at the major league level.

(19END, 63CON, 58POW, 59MOV, 73DEF, 67HIT, 72HEA, 57FS, 62CCH)


4th round (#104 overall):

RP Mike Taylor, 20 years old, R/R (48/79) - Basically a less developed Velasquez. Solid control, power, and movement, but health is a concern here as well. Throws 89-91 with a good split. Hes a bit older than my other picks and he turns 21 later in the year so time is against him. He could become a solid major league reliever though.

(30END, 54CON, 57POW, 54MOV, 66DEF, 67HIT, 71HEA, 65FB, 47SPL)


5th round (#134 overall):

SP Darrell Westholder, 21 years old, R/R (49/74) - Hes what you'd expect of a 5th round pick. His control and power suggest he does have some potential. But he doesn't have great endurance and health is a huge concern, so if he does hope to make it to the bigs it'll likely be as a reliever. He has a good fastball, and a splitter and sidearm curve that need developing.

(58END, 58CON, 61POW, 47MOV, 76DEF, 68HIT, 65HEA, 58FB, 50SPL, 50SAC)


6th round (#164 overall):

2B Steve Safford, 20 years old, S/R (53/70) - Hes a 6th round pick, thats really enough said. He isn't very durable and he'll have a hard time staying healthy, his offense and defense both project poorly. If he made it to the majors at all I'd be estatic.

(59CON, 59POW, 68SPD, 61EYE, 71ARM, 60RNG, 65FLDG, 64HEA)


Overall I'm very happy with my draft. I didn't get any of the guys I really wanted in the first round, but I still got a very good prospect at a position of need, and I got a very good lefty in the second, a couple good RP's in the 3rd and 4th rounds. I think this first draft went very well and the future of the Minnesota Twins is a lot brighter because of it.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

My, supposed, All-Star setup man Pat Neshek has struggled badly this season, so I decided a change of scenery may be in order for him. I put word out around the league that he was available after the draft was over and received several offers. Not much piqued my interest, until one of my assistants, former Twin great Brad Radke, came to me with an offer from the Angels.

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

BR: Hey, boss.

JM: Yeah, whats up?

BR: We just received an offer for Neshek from the Angels.

JM: Tell me something I don't know, we've been receiving offers for him all day.

BR: I know, I know, but I think this one may really interest you.

JM: Alright, tell me what it is.

BR: They're offering utility man Chone Figgins for Neshek, one-for-one.

JM: Yowza, that is a good offer!

BR: Tell me about it. A one-two of Gomez and Figgins at the top of the lineup would be deadly.

JM: Yeah it would be, the only problem is hes making quite a bit of money and his contract is expiring. Plus, what do we do with Lamb, hes having a career year, I'm not sure it would be wise to bench him.

BR: I'm sure Terry can figure that part out. But he is having a career year, hitting .323, and he would add a lot to our lineup.

JM: Yeah, true. Let me get Terry up here to see what he says.

BR: Ok.

(To manager Terry Gardenhire over the phone) JM: Hey, Terry, can you get up here, I want to talk to you.

TG: Sure boss, I'll be right up.

(TG Arrives in the office)

TG: Hey Brad, boss, whats up?

BR: The Angels offered us Chone Figgins for Pat Neshek, straight up, and we wanted to know what you think of the offer.

TG: Thinking about a 1-2 of Gomez and Figgins makes me want to salivate.

JM: Yeah, us too. But what would you do about playing Lamb, the guys having a career year and I'd like to keep him in the lineup.

TG: Well, Figgins is versatile. I can play him at shortstop versus righties, since Everett couldn't hit water if he fell out of a boat, and play him at third against lefties since Lamb is a lefty hitter.

JM: Hmmm, good point.

TG: I can also play him in the outfield or at second when Delmon, Gomez, Jeff, or Alexi needs a day off.

JM: Alright, you've convinced me, and the thought of Gomez and Figgins in the one and two holes are just too good. Brad, call the Angels back and tell them we'll take it.

BR: You've got it boss.

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

There it is, the deadliest 1-2 combination in the league, the top two guys in stolen bases in the AL. Only time can tell how good this turns out for us, but I think it will turn out very well for us.


RP Pat Neshek - 23 END, 77 CON, 93 POW, 84 MOV, 93 4S, 86 2S, 78 SLI, 72 CHG, 66SNK

3B Chone Figgins - 90 CON, 67 POW, 92 SPD, 81 EYE, 79 ARM, 76 RNG, 83 FLDG, 80 HEA


Our lineups now look as follows, vs. R then vs. L:

CF Carlos Gomez
SS Chone Figgins
LF Delmon Young
1B Justin Morneau
C Joe Mauer
RF Jeff Francouer
3B Mike Lamb
DH Jason Kubel
2B Alexi Casilla

CF Carlos Gomez
3B Chone Figgins
LF Delmon Young
RF Jeff Francouer
1B Justin Morneau
C Joe Mauer
DH Craig Monroe
SS Adam Everett
2B Alexi Casilla

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 6, 2007

The day before the draft. Nothing real major, no game, no milestones, nothing.


June 7, 2008
Minnesota Twins (35-26) @ Cleveland Indians (37-25)
Indians 12 over Twins 1
WP: Paul Byrd - 8IP 5H 2BB 0ER 2K (6-3)
LP: Brian Duensing - 4IP 6H 5BB 6ER K (0-1)

Not much positing to say about this game, even our one run was unearned. Figgins went 2-3 with a walk, a run, and a steal in his Twins debut.


June 8, 2008
Minnesota Twins (35-27) @ Cleveland Indians (38-25)
Twins 5 over Indians 0
WP: Francisco Liriano - 5 2/3IP 3H 6BB 0ER 6K (9-2)
LP: C.C. Sabathia - 7IP 9H 2ER 4K (2-5)

This pitchers duel really lived up to the hype. Liriano wasn't as good as he has been, but he was as good as he needed to be, and got us a crucial win. Figgins went 3-4 with a steal and two runs, Francouer went 3-4 with 2 RBI's, Craig Monroe hit his first homer of the season, and Delmon Young got another RBI.


June 9, 2008
Minnesota Twins (36-27) @ Cleveland Indians (38-26)
Twins 3 over Indians 0
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP, 6H 2BB 0ER 8K (8-4)
LP: Fausto Carmona - 7 2/3IP 5H 3BB 3ER 3K (8-4)
SV: Joe Nathan (19)

A crucial, crucial win, too bad we couldn't have won the first game and swept the series. Gomez, Morneau, and Mauer drove in our three runs.


June 10, 2008
Minnesota Twins (37-27) @ Detroit Tigers (37-27)
Twins 12 over Tigers 2
WP: Nick Blackburn - 8 2/3IP 11H BB 2ER 6K (2-1)
LP: Jeremy Bonderman - 1 2/3IP 10H BB 8ER 2K (6-5)

Complete and total blowout. Everyone who played got a hit, the only ones who didn't get multiple hits were Mike Lamb and Delmon Young. Delmon Young only went 2-6, but got 3 RBI's, Francouer hit a home run, Figgins went 3-5 with a walk, an RBI, and two runs.


June 11, 2008
Minnesota Twins (38-27) @ Detroit Tigers (37-28)
Tigers 5 over Twins 1
WP: Dontrelle Willis - 9IP 4H BB ER 5K (8-3)
LP: Livan Hernandez - 5 2/3IP 11H 4BB 5ER 2K (5-4)

Livan didn't really pitch terribly, Dontrelle was just dominant today. Only two players got hits in this game, Young went 3-4 with a run, and Mauer went 1-2 with an RBI.


June 12, 2008
Minnesota Twins (38-28) @ Detroit Tigers (38-28)
Twins 9 over Tigers 0
WP: Brian Duensing - CG SHO 5H BB 5K (1-1)
LP: Nate Robertson - 6 2/3IP 6H 4BB 4ER 5K (5-7)

Another pretty big blowout. Young and Francouer both went 2-5 with 2 RBI's, Figgins went 0-2 with two walks and two runs, and Kubel had the big hit, a pinch hit grand slam.


Wow, I wasn't expecting nearly this much success when I started the season, I was guessing I'd end up with a top 10 pick, and now I'm really starting to believe this team can at least make the playoffs, and maybe even win it all.

Figgins is hitting .400 with a .556 OBP since becoming a Twin and has really jump-started our offense, despite having only two steals as a Twin. Delmon Young has amassed 65 RBI's this season to lead the AL, in addition to hitting a solid .293 with 11 homers. Francouer has inevitably come down from his freakish start since becoming a Twin, but is still hitting .307/.382/.516/.898 as a Twin. Kubel's .906 OPS has also been a very pleasent surprise.

Liriano makes our next start and stands to become the first pitcher this season to reach 100 strikeouts, and possibly 10 wins as well. Without him I don't know where we'd be. Boof comes off the DL this week as well. Scott Baker has pitched fantastically as of late, with a 1.43 ERA in his last 3 starts.

Next week we play a four game set against the Orioles, a series we should be able to take 3 of 4 in, and then the Tigers come to the Hubert H. Humphrey dome for a 3 game set.

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June 13, 2008
Baltimore Orioles (22-46) @ Minnesota Twins (39-28)
Twins 3 over Orioles 1
WP: Francisco Liriano - 8IP 4H 2BB ER 9K (10-2)
LP: Steve Trachsel - 7IP 9H 3BB 3ER 0K (4-7)
SV: Joe Nathan (20)

Liriano never ceases to amaze me. He became the first this season to 100 strikeouts and 10 wins in this game and his ERA is still a microscopic 2.59. Mauer reached base all four times at bat, with two walks and two singles, Francouer went 3-4, and Figgins went 2-2 with a walk.


June 14, 2008
Baltimore Orioles (22-47) @ Minnesota Twins (40-28)
Twins 4 over Orioles 3
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP 7H 3BB 3ER 5K (9-4)
LP: James Hoey - 2 1/3IP 2H ER 2K (2-4)
SV: Joe Nathan (21)

Baker followed Liriano's gem with one of his own, and guaranteed at least a split of the series. Gomez reached base three times, with two doubles and a walk, Kubel his his 12th home of the season, and Morneau and Young both went 1-4 with an RBI and a strikeout.



June 15, 2008
Baltimore Orioles (22-48) @ Minnesota Twins (41-28)
Orioles 5 over Twins 0
WP: Radahames Liz - 7IP 6H 2BB 0ER 10K (4-1)
LP: Nick Blackburn - 8IP 9H 2BB 5ER 3K (2-2)

We suffered not one, but two tough losses today, as Jason Kubel also went down with a stress fracture in his finger after today's game and we'll be without him for about two weeks. Liz completely dominated us the whole game, the only player to reach base more than once was Jeff Francouer with his two hits.


June 16, 2008
Baltimore Orioles (23-48) @ Minnesota Twins (41-29)
Twins 5 over Orioles 3
WP: Livan Hernandez - 8IP 8H 3BB 2ER 3K (6-4)
LP: Brian Burres - 5 2/3IP 6H 3BB 4ER 6K (2-5)
SV: Joe Nathan (22)

We won a series against a team we should've beat for a change! Most of the damage came from the bottom of the order tonight, as the top four hitters in the lineup, Gomez, Figgins, Young, and Francouer went 0-15 with a walk and 4 K's. Justin Morneau hit his 5th homer of the year and Alexi Casilla went 3-4 with two RBI's and a steal.


June 17, 2008
Detroit Tigers (39-31) @ Minnesota Twins (42-29)
Tigers 8 over Twins 5
WP: Jason Grilli - 2IP 3H BB ER 4K (1-0)
LP: Brian Duensing - 7IP 9H 2BB 7ER 5K (1-2)
SV: Todd Jones (16)

Kind of a tough luck, heartbreaking loss, as the Tigers trailed 5-2 entering the 8th and put a 6 spot on the board in that inning to take the 8-5 lead, which is what the game would end at. The offense wasn't that bad, Gomez went 2-5, Figgins 2-3 with a walk, and Morneau and Francoeur both went 1-4 with a run, and Morneau notched two RBI's.


June 18, 2008
Detroit Tigers (40-31) @ Minnesota Twins (42-30)
Twins 14 over Tigers 1
WP: Francisco Liriano - 8IP 4H 3BB ER 7K (11-2)
LP: Dontrelle Willis - 4 2/3IP 6H 4BB 6ER 3K (8-4)

A complete and total blowout! Everyone in the starting lineup got a hit, everyone besides Everett got an RBI, and everyone scored a run. Justin Morneau went 2-3 with 3 RBI's, Francouer, Figgins, and Mauer got two RBI's a piece, and Gomez stole two bases. Strangely enough, despite the huge blwout, no one hit a home run.


June 19, 2008
Detroit Tigers (40-32) @ Minnesota Twins (43-30)
Twins 1 over Tigers 0
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP 4H 3BB 0ER 10K (10-4)
LP: Justin Verlander - CG 3H BB ER 5K (2-5)
SV: Joe Nathan (23)

Baker again followed Liriano's masterpiece with one of his own, and his first 10K game of the season. The lone RBI game of a sacrifice fly in the 5th off Adam Everett's bat to score Mike Redmond.


What a week! This 5-2 week allowed us to take over first place in the division for the first time this season, by 1 1/2 games, and proved important as we really took it to the Tigers.

Figgins has ignited the offense the was I was expecting (two stolen bases and two caught stealing in four attempts as a Twin), but he is still hitting well, .366/.490/.415/.905 as a Twin. Delmon's batting average has dropped about 10 points in the past week or so, but hes still average nearly an RBI a game the past ten games despite hitting only .244, and still has a total of 68 on the season. Mauer has had a slightly disappointing season so far, an OPS of only .738 and a slugging percent of only .375, but his defense has proven invaluable.

In terms of pitching Liriano and Baker have been as good and valuable a 1-2 punch as any other one in the league this season. If Liriano wasn't already the frontrunner for AL Cy Young he should be now.

Next week is gonna be big for us, we have the Indians coming to town for a three game set, and we then head on the road to face Kansas City. In the next two weeks we play the Indians 6 times, so these next two weeks could go a long way to seeing how the rest of the season unfolds. If we play them well all 6 games, we could really put a stranglehold on the division, if we don't, it could be a dogfight the rest of the way out.

[PotatoOfCouch13]

Wow. The Twins in first place? Seriously?

Liriano and Baker = Koufax and Drysdale?

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

PoC: lol, thats not a bad comparison, to be perfectly honest, although it is a lofty one. Yeah, I'm pretty surprised with the success as well, and I'm still not expecting to make the playoffs, but I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts.

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

End of June


June 20, 2008

Off-day.


June 21, 2008
Cleveland Indians (43-31) @ Minnesota Twins (44-30)
Twins 5 over Indians 4
WP: Denny Reyes - IP 2BB K (3-1)
LP: Rafael Betancourt - IP 3H BB 3ER 0K (4-2)
SV: Joe Nathan (24)

Bonser had a decent start in his first start off the DL, going 7 innings allowing four earned runs. Justin Morneau went 2-4 with a homer and four RBI's and Figgins went 2-2 with two walks.



June 22, 2008
Cleveland Indians (43-32) @ Minnesota Twins (45-30)
Twins 4 over Indians 2
WP: Livan Hernandez - 8IP 6H 4BB 2ER 2K (7-4)
LP: Cliff Lee - 5IP 7H 2BB 4ER K (4-4)
SV: Joe Nathan (25)

Figgins and Gomez each stole a base, Young had an RBI, Mauer went 1-2 with two walks, two runs, and an RBI.


June 23, 2008
Cleveland Indians (43-33) @ Minnesota Twins (46-30)
Twins 6 over Indians 4
WP: Francisco Liriano - 5IP 6H 4BB 4ER 4K (12-2)
LP: Jake Westbrook - 3IP 5H 4ER 4K (6-9)
SV: Joe Nathan (26)

We went to Liriano a game early because he was fully rested from the offday and we wanted to try to get the sweep. Liriano didn't pitch as well as he has this season, but he pitched just well enough for us to earn the W and the sweep. The top four hitters in the lineup all got at least one RBI, with Morneau getting two. Denard Span went 2-4 in his Major League debut.


June 24, 2008

Off-day again.


June 25, 2008
Minnesota Twins (47-30) @ Kansas City Royals (30-46)
Royals 8 over Twins 1
WP: Brian Bannister - 8IP 7H BB ER 2K (3-8)
LP: Nick Blackburn - 5 2/3IP 11H 2BB 7ER 3K (2-3)

Our lone run came off Adam Everett's bat to score Mike Lamb. The only other offensive highlight, for lack of a better term, was Carlos Gomez stealing a base.


June 26, 2008
Minnesota Twins (47-31) @ Kansas City Royals (31-46)
Twins 15 over Royals 0
WP: Deolis Guerra - CG SHO 7H 3BB 5K (1-0)
LP: Zack Greinke - 1 1/3IP 6H 2BB 7ER K (5-5)

We were short a pitcher from Liriano making his start early against the Indians, and while he probably could've gone we decided to give him another day and called up Deolis Guerra to make his major league debut, and what a debut it was. Not to mention a complete blowout. Delmon Young has seemingly snapped out of his mini-slump, going 3-6 with two homers and 6 RBI's in this game. Figgins went 4-6, Gomez went 3-4, Denard Span went 3-4, and Alexi Casilla went 2-4. Everyone in the starting lineup collected at least one hit except for Adam Everett, and everyone besides Morneau and Francoeur collected at least two.


June 27, 2008
Minnesota Twins (48-31) @ Kansas City Royals (31-47)
Twins 9 over Royals 2
WP: Scott Baker - 8IP 7H 0BB 2ER 4K (11-4)
LP: John Bale - 5IP 9H BB 4ER (1-6)

Delmon seems to have really snapped out of his slump, going 4-5 with 3 RBI's in this game. Adam Everett also drove in 3 runs and Gomez and Morneau each stole a base.


June 28, 2008
Minnesota Twins (49-31) @ Cleveland Indians (46-35)
Indian 5 over Twins 1
WP: Fausto Carmona - 8IP 9H BB ER 4K (10-4)
LP: Boof Bonser - 7IP 5H 3BB 5ER 8K (4-7)

We left a lot of runners on base in this game. We had 9 hits and one walk but only managed one run, which came off the bat of Jeff Francouer.


June 29, 2008
Minnesota Twins (49-32) @ Cleveland Indians (47-35)
Indians 8 over Twins 4
WP: Rafael Perez - IP H BB ER K (2-0)
LP: Livan Hernandez - 5 2/3IP 7H 3BB 7ER 3K (7-5)

Figgins went 3-5 with two runs and Morneau went 2-4 with two RBI's.


June 30, 2008
Minnesota Twins (49-33) @ Cleveland Indians (48-35)
Twins 5 over Twins 3
WP: Francisco Liriano - 6IP 4H 2BB 3ER 6K (13-2)
LP: Cliff Lee - 5 2/3IP 6H BB 4ER 5K (4-5)
SV: Joe Nathan (27)

Seriously, how good can Liriano actually be? This game actually increased his ERA to 2.78. He helped us salvage a win and avoid completely negating our sweep of the Indians when we played them at home last week. Monroe got two RBI's and two hits, besides him no one collected more than one hit, and the other RBI's came from Alexi Casilla, Francoeur, and Adam Everett.


Upcoming:

1. Team Update - June
2. League Update - June
3. Some type of feature post (interview with a team reporter, start of some sort of storyline, etc.).

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

June Review

GM Analysis/Feeling:

I can't be unhappy with first place, can I!? One problem the team has developed is that it can be very, very streaky at times, and that we have a tendency to play up to teams like the Indians, Tigers, Yankees, and so on, and have a tendency to play down to teams like the Royals. Overall the team did play very well this month, 19-8 on the month, and managed to seize first place in the division by 2 1/2 games over the Indians. We took 4 of 6 from those Indians this month, something I'm hoping we can carry over, or even improve on going forward.


Offensive Report:

I'm very happy with the way the team has played offensively as a whole. The addition of Figgins added a steady force to the top of the lineup that I didn't really have before with Gomez and Mauer's inconsistent play at the plate. Figgins has batted .385 with a .478 OBP as a Twin, and while he hasn't been quite as lethal on the bases as I was hoping for, he has really ignited the offense. Jeff Francoeur hasn't hit well as of late, only a .200 batting average in his past 10 games, but there is no doubt in my mind that if I had not gone out and acquired him we would be where we are right now. Delmon Young really came on this month, driving in 31 runs, or just over an RBI per game, for the month. He has already matched the number of homeruns he hit last year, his rookie year, in 304 less at bats, and has seen his OPS jump nearly 120 points, from .724 to .841. Morneau is still disappointing me and has had his average drop just below .300, to .295. If not for his irreplaceable defense he may be sitting the bench.

Hitter of the Month: LF Delmon Young - .293 batting average, .334 on base percentage, .507 slugging percent, .841 OPS, 13 homers, 80 RBI's, 13 steals, 100 hits this season


Pitching Report:

Liriano is such a beast! He made 6 starts, totaling 40 2/3 innings pitched, allowing only 9 earned runs, and striking out 43 batters in the month. Baker has made an excellent companion with him at the top of the rotation, with a total of 39 innings pitched, 6 earned runs, and 31 K's this month. Duensing was effective, but got hurt during the middle of the month and is scheduled to return in about a week. Humber is also slated to return in early July, which will give us a slight surplus in the starting pitching department. The bullpen has also been extremely effective, sporting a 3.70 ERA as a unit. Closer Joe Nathan is 27 for 28 in save opportunities and has an ERA of 1.35, while setup man Denny Reyes has a 2.78 ERA in 32 1/3 innings, and the only two pitchers with an ERA over 4 only have about 17 innings pitched each.


Pitcher of the Month: SP Francisco Liriano - 6-0, 2.32 ERA, 40 2/3 innings pitched, 43 K's, 17 BB's for the month of June.


Injury Report:

SP Phil Humber comes off the DL in 3 days
SP Brian Duensing comes off the DL in 5 days


Down on the farm:

Deolis Guerra (AAA) - 8GS, 3-1, 3.31 ERA, 51 2/3 IP, 47 K's (CG SHO in his ML Debut)



Batting Stats:

Player Name	Team	AB	H	HR	RBI	Avg	OBP	SLG	SB	CS
Gomez, Carlos	MIN	351	92	3	39	.262	.301	.356	32	5
Young, Delmon	MIN	341	100	13	80	.293	.334	.507	13	3
Figgins, Chone	MIN	335	113	4	24	.337	.396	.457	28	9
Francoeur, Jeff	MIN	329	96	14	54	.292	.346	.508	7	0
Mauer, Joe	MIN	309	83	3	29	.269	.360	.379	8	1
Casilla, Alexi	MIN	295	76	2	36	.258	.294	.349	15	5
Lamb, Mike	MIN	261	74	10	42	.284	.326	.513	3	3
Morneau, Justin	MIN	258	76	7	40	.295	.373	.434	3	2
Everett, Adam	MIN	241	56	2	26	.232	.280	.311	3	3
Kubel, Jason	MIN	204	58	12	42	.284	.333	.564	3	2
Monroe, Craig	MIN	86	24	1	15	.279	.326	.372	0	0
Punto, Nick	MIN	69	12	0	4	.174	.321	.217	0	2
Redmond, Mike	MIN	20	4	0	2	.200	.238	.300	0	0
Pridie, Jason	MIN	11	5	1	3	.455	.500	.818	0	0
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	4	1	0	0	.250	.250	.500	0	0
Baker, Scott	MIN	3	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Hernandez, Livan	MIN	3	1	0	0	.333	.333	.333	0	0
Bonser, Boof	MIN	2	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Barrett, Ricky	MIN	2	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Rincon, Juan	MIN	1	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Nathan, Joe	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Reyes, Dennys	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Crain, Jesse	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	0	0	.000	.000	.000	0	0

Pitching Stats:

Player Name	Team	Starts	W	L	ERA	IP	K	SV	CG	OBA
Liriano, Francisco	MIN	18	13	2	2.78	119.2	123	0	0	.214
Baker, Scott	MIN	17	11	4	3.13	118.0	80	0	1	.249
Hernandez, Livan	MIN	17	7	5	4.67	113.2	51	0	2	.282
Bonser, Boof	MIN	14	4	7	5.26	92.1	71	0	1	.282
Crain, Jesse	MIN	2	3	1	3.86	37.1	23	0	0	.245
Blackburn, Nick	MIN	5	2	3	6.14	36.2	16	0	0	.308
Nathan, Joe	MIN	0	2	2	1.35	33.1	32	27	0	.182
Rincon, Juan	MIN	0	0	1	3.31	32.2	32	0	0	.254
Reyes, Dennys	MIN	0	3	1	2.78	32.1	29	0	0	.221
Duensing, Brian	MIN	4	1	2	4.50	28.0	15	0	1	.229
Humber, Philip	MIN	4	1	2	5.14	28.0	18	0	0	.220
Barrett, Ricky	MIN	1	0	0	5.09	17.2	13	0	0	.268
Guerrier, Matt	MIN	0	0	2	9.00	17.0	10	0	0	.320
Guerra, Deolis	MIN	1	1	0	0.00	9.0	5	0	1	.226
McCardell, Mike	MIN	0	0	0	36.00	1.0	3	0	0	.625

[PotatoOfCouch13]

If I'm an AL Central team, I'm dreading facing the Twins next year. Imagine: Liraino, Baker, Bonser, Humber, Guerra. Where is the weakness?

Keep on rolling towards October!

[YEAH DAAAAWG]

League Update - June

Notable Injuries:

SP Rich Harden (OAK) - Finger stress fracture, out 9 more days
OF Moises Alou (NYM) - Chipped knee cap, out 20 more days
SP Carlos Zambrano (CHC) - Sprained finger, out 9 more days


Notable Trades:

N/A


Milestones:

Albert Pujols (STL) collects his 300th home run on June 6th, 2008
Edgar Renteria (DET) collects his 2000th hit on June 12th, 2008
Jeff Kent (LAD) collects his 1500th RBI on June 13th, 2008
Robinson Cano (NYY) ends his 23 game hitting streak on June 16th, 2008
Jason Isringhausen (STL) collects his 300th save on June 17th, 2008
Omar Vizquel (SFG) collects his 400th stolen base on June 22nd, 2008
Nick Swisher (CWS) end his 21 game hitting streak on June 29th, 2008
Chipper Jones (ATL) collects his 400th home run on June 30th, 2008


Notable FA's/Contract Extensions:

RP Heath Bell (SDP) signs a 3 year 5,700,000 contract extension on June 14th, 2008


Retirements:

On June 1st, 2008 Russ Ortiz retired at the age of 33, ending a 10 season career
On June 2nd, 2008 Mark Sweeney retired at the age of 38, ending a 13 season career
On June 2nd, 2008 Bob Wickman retired at the age of 39, ending a 15 season career
On June 10th, 2008 Todd Walker retired at the age of 35, ending a 12 season career
On June 15th, 2008 Kenny Lofton retired at the age of 41, ending a 17 season career
On June 17th, 2008 Armando Benitez retired at the age of 35, ending a 14 season career
On June 27th, 2008 Sammy Sosa retired at the age of 39, ending an 18 season career