It's official--Joe Mauer is the 2009 American League MVP! And he did in nearly unanimous style, as he received 27 of the 28 first place votes, with Miguel Cabrera taking the final one.
Congratulations to Joe!
Monday, November 23, 2009
The Year in Review
2009 was a historic season for the Twins. They closed out their 28-year stay in the Metrodome; Joe Mauer had one of the greatest seasons ever for a catcher; and the Twins completed an unprecedented comeback to win the AL Central. They climbed into a tie for first place on October 3rd for the first time since May 14th, and when they won the tiebreaker game it was the first time they'd been alone atop the division since they were 3-2 on April 10th. Although, perhaps there is some precedent, as the Twins also extended the Tigers' division title drought with a late-season comeback in 2006, which now sits at 22 years.
Also, an interesting note: the Twins' longest win streak of the season until mid-September was 4 games. After September 12th, they had 3 separate winning streaks of 5 or more games.
Record: 87-76
Best record at any point (games above .500): 87-76
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 56-62
Days in first (and biggest lead): 7 (1 GA)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (7 GB)
Longest win streak: 6 games
Longest losing streak: 6 games
Runs scored/runs against: 817/765
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 20/16
Shutouts/times shut out: 7/4
Extra inning games: 14
Longest game: 16 innings
Hitter of the Year: Joe Mauer
Pitcher of the Year: Joe Nathan
Bizarro World Hitter of the Year: Alexi Casilla
Bizarro World Pitcher of the Year: Francisco Liriano
I'm not going to write anything about those guys here because that'll be covered when I break down each player's individual season.
Also, an interesting note: the Twins' longest win streak of the season until mid-September was 4 games. After September 12th, they had 3 separate winning streaks of 5 or more games.
Record: 87-76
Best record at any point (games above .500): 87-76
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 56-62
Days in first (and biggest lead): 7 (1 GA)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (7 GB)
Longest win streak: 6 games
Longest losing streak: 6 games
Runs scored/runs against: 817/765
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 20/16
Shutouts/times shut out: 7/4
Extra inning games: 14
Longest game: 16 innings
Hitter of the Year: Joe Mauer
Pitcher of the Year: Joe Nathan
Bizarro World Hitter of the Year: Alexi Casilla
Bizarro World Pitcher of the Year: Francisco Liriano
I'm not going to write anything about those guys here because that'll be covered when I break down each player's individual season.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
2009 Game Balls
And now, a month and a half after the end of the Twins' season, I'm starting the season-in-review. Keep in mind, of course, that last year I didn't do this until after the new year. Similar to last year, I'll start it with a look at the number of Game Balls that each player earned.
Joe Mauer- 20
Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel- 16
Nick Blackburn- 14
Justin Morneau- 12
Scott Baker- 8
Francisco Liriano, Nick Punto, Denard Span, Delmon Young- 6
Orlando Cabrera, Alexi Casilla, Glen Perkins- 5
Joe Crede- 4
R.A. Dickey, Brian Duensing, Carlos Gomez, Brendan Harris, Carl Pavano, Kevin Slowey- 3
Jose Mijares, Mike Redmond, Anthony Swarzak- 2
Luis Ayala, Craig Breslow, Brian Buscher, Matt Guerrier, Bobby Keppel, Jose Morales, Joe Nathan, Matt Tolbert- 1
-----------------And the career leaderboard...--------------------
Mauer- 40
Kubel- 29
Morneau- 27
Blackburn- 25
Cuddyer- 21
Baker- 19
Young- 17
Span- 15
Gomez- 14
Liriano, Slowey- 13
Casilla- 11
Perkins- 10
Punto- 9
Harris, Craig Monroe- 6
Cabrera, Mike Lamb- 5
Boof Bonser, Buscher, Crede, Livan Hernandez- 4
Dickey, Duensing, Mijares, Pavano, Redmond, Tolbert- 3
Breslow, Matt Macri, Nathan, Swarzak- 2
Ayala, Brian Bass, Jesse Crain, Matt Garza, Guerrier, Torii Hunter, Keppel, Bobby Korecky, Morales, Randy Ruiz, Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Rondell White- 1
Joe Mauer- 20
Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel- 16
Nick Blackburn- 14
Justin Morneau- 12
Scott Baker- 8
Francisco Liriano, Nick Punto, Denard Span, Delmon Young- 6
Orlando Cabrera, Alexi Casilla, Glen Perkins- 5
Joe Crede- 4
R.A. Dickey, Brian Duensing, Carlos Gomez, Brendan Harris, Carl Pavano, Kevin Slowey- 3
Jose Mijares, Mike Redmond, Anthony Swarzak- 2
Luis Ayala, Craig Breslow, Brian Buscher, Matt Guerrier, Bobby Keppel, Jose Morales, Joe Nathan, Matt Tolbert- 1
-----------------And the career leaderboard...--------------------
Mauer- 40
Kubel- 29
Morneau- 27
Blackburn- 25
Cuddyer- 21
Baker- 19
Young- 17
Span- 15
Gomez- 14
Liriano, Slowey- 13
Casilla- 11
Perkins- 10
Punto- 9
Harris, Craig Monroe- 6
Cabrera, Mike Lamb- 5
Boof Bonser, Buscher, Crede, Livan Hernandez- 4
Dickey, Duensing, Mijares, Pavano, Redmond, Tolbert- 3
Breslow, Matt Macri, Nathan, Swarzak- 2
Ayala, Brian Bass, Jesse Crain, Matt Garza, Guerrier, Torii Hunter, Keppel, Bobby Korecky, Morales, Randy Ruiz, Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Rondell White- 1
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Finally!
My computer has at long last arrived, and it feels pretty awesome. I'd like to put a picture of it online, but I don't have a camera and my computer can't take a picture of itself, so we'll see if that happens. Right now I'm in the process of transferring all my old files and programs onto the computer, and that should be done today or tomorrow, at which point blogging will finally become a regular pattern again. I still don't expect to be writing daily, with the offseason generally having little action, but you can certainly expect more volume than in the past month or two. Not from Twin #2, though; he has no excuse other than laziness.
And the more relevant news to the baseball world is that Zack Greinke won the AL Cy Young, and it wasn't close at all. Congratulations to him and to the baseball writers for getting this one right on the button.
And the more relevant news to the baseball world is that Zack Greinke won the AL Cy Young, and it wasn't close at all. Congratulations to him and to the baseball writers for getting this one right on the button.
Sunday, November 8, 2009
Changes
The big news out of Minnesota is, of course, that Carlos Gomez was traded for J.J. Hardy. Gomez was a personal favorite of mine, and I even sponsored him on Baseball-Reference, so I'm sad to see him go on that level. On the level of what's best for the Twins as a baseball team, I'm very happy to see them acquire J.J. Hardy. I'm sure you've already read extensively about what he's a good pickup, so I won't go into detail. While this does mean that Delmon Young will be playing full-time in the outfield, I think it's still a positive because of the great defense that Hardy brings to the shortstop position and the offensive potential he has. For a position that has been a huge headache over the past few years, that's a very nice combination.
The other news, which is far less surprising, is that the Twins exercised Michael Cuddyer's extension for 2010 and 2011. He'll make $19 million over the two seasons and confirms the Twins' outfield in their inaugural season in Target Field will, in all likelihood, be Cuddyer-Denard Span-Young.
The other news, which is far less surprising, is that the Twins exercised Michael Cuddyer's extension for 2010 and 2011. He'll make $19 million over the two seasons and confirms the Twins' outfield in their inaugural season in Target Field will, in all likelihood, be Cuddyer-Denard Span-Young.
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
New Computer
After a lot of stalling and laziness, I've finally purchased a new computer. And it's a Twins computer! Unfortunately, that also means I have to wait a little while for it to be delivered. I also have some work to do, so postings may be as few as they have been (i.e.: non-existent) until it arrives, which will probably coincide with Thanksgiving break. You'll want to come back then, though, as the season recap will begin in earnest.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Another Case for Replay
Twin #2 already made his plea (and re-emphasized it just a few days ago), but it has become so obviously necessary that another forceful argument for it is not overkill. I am, of course, talking about instant replay.
The first question that must be addressed is: does baseball need it? After this year's playoffs, I think that answer is a resounding yes. The missed calls are piling up, and the hits just keep on coming as yet another call was missed in the game going on right now. Joe Mauer's missed double headlines the group (in my opinion) but the list extends for quite a while considering the small number of games. If this amount of mistakes doesn't bother you, then you might as well stop reading the this, and also rethink what is important in baseball.
How would replay work logistically, though? Some people cite the NFL's lengthy delays and worry that the same thing will happen in baseball, making an already slow game droll on for hours. I, however, point to college football, which has a much better system. It's also essentially the same as what Twin #2 proposed in his post.
Simply add an extra umpire in a replay booth for every game. I don't think he should be a member of the umpiring crew who rotates to the other positions, but that's a minor detail. If a questionable call arises, he simply sends a signal to the home plate umpire, who calls time and waits for a decision to be made. There wouldn't be a hard and fast rule, but within about 30 seconds the replay ump would have to make his decision. With the time spent tossing the ball around the infield, strolling to the plate, etc., I think it would be barely noticeable. And if he can't decide in that amount of time, then the call on the field stands.
Think about some of the plays that have happened in the postseason. Would they take more than 10 seconds to overturn? This system would be efficient and get calls right and eliminate the need for silly arguments between managers and umpires, while talking no more time. And I'm sorry, but if you would miss that, I'm not sure you're watching baseball for the right reasons.
Of course, if the ruling is reversed, there's a good chance judgment calls will need to be made regarding where baserunners should be. That will add a little time, and it may prove easiest to have the replay umpire make those decisions, which would mean he would be given more time for his decision. There are already rules in place for cases where umps have to decide what would have happened--fan interference, for example--and those rules can be extended to include replay.
The only real drawback, in my opinion, is something that can't be explained simply. Think of what happens in football when a touchdown is scored. If you're like me, first you scan the field (or TV screen) for flags, before considering, if the play was close, whether it might be challenged and then overturned. Think of basketball. If a player scores at the buzzer, there is always an elaborate examination to determine whether he got the shot off in time or if there should be some time left on the clock.
In baseball, however, as soon as a team scores, you can experience unrestrained jubilation. You know there is no way that that run is coming off the board. Unfortunately, the immediacy and finality of that initial decision is what causes so many errors to occur. With that in mind, it wasn't easy at first for me to commit to replay, but the postseason has made it so much easier. The number of obvious mistakes has swayed me to become an unwavering supporter of a much more extended replay system.
And, honestly, don't you think the umpires would support it at this point? If you were an umpire, wouldn't you?
The first question that must be addressed is: does baseball need it? After this year's playoffs, I think that answer is a resounding yes. The missed calls are piling up, and the hits just keep on coming as yet another call was missed in the game going on right now. Joe Mauer's missed double headlines the group (in my opinion) but the list extends for quite a while considering the small number of games. If this amount of mistakes doesn't bother you, then you might as well stop reading the this, and also rethink what is important in baseball.
How would replay work logistically, though? Some people cite the NFL's lengthy delays and worry that the same thing will happen in baseball, making an already slow game droll on for hours. I, however, point to college football, which has a much better system. It's also essentially the same as what Twin #2 proposed in his post.
Simply add an extra umpire in a replay booth for every game. I don't think he should be a member of the umpiring crew who rotates to the other positions, but that's a minor detail. If a questionable call arises, he simply sends a signal to the home plate umpire, who calls time and waits for a decision to be made. There wouldn't be a hard and fast rule, but within about 30 seconds the replay ump would have to make his decision. With the time spent tossing the ball around the infield, strolling to the plate, etc., I think it would be barely noticeable. And if he can't decide in that amount of time, then the call on the field stands.
Think about some of the plays that have happened in the postseason. Would they take more than 10 seconds to overturn? This system would be efficient and get calls right and eliminate the need for silly arguments between managers and umpires, while talking no more time. And I'm sorry, but if you would miss that, I'm not sure you're watching baseball for the right reasons.
Of course, if the ruling is reversed, there's a good chance judgment calls will need to be made regarding where baserunners should be. That will add a little time, and it may prove easiest to have the replay umpire make those decisions, which would mean he would be given more time for his decision. There are already rules in place for cases where umps have to decide what would have happened--fan interference, for example--and those rules can be extended to include replay.
The only real drawback, in my opinion, is something that can't be explained simply. Think of what happens in football when a touchdown is scored. If you're like me, first you scan the field (or TV screen) for flags, before considering, if the play was close, whether it might be challenged and then overturned. Think of basketball. If a player scores at the buzzer, there is always an elaborate examination to determine whether he got the shot off in time or if there should be some time left on the clock.
In baseball, however, as soon as a team scores, you can experience unrestrained jubilation. You know there is no way that that run is coming off the board. Unfortunately, the immediacy and finality of that initial decision is what causes so many errors to occur. With that in mind, it wasn't easy at first for me to commit to replay, but the postseason has made it so much easier. The number of obvious mistakes has swayed me to become an unwavering supporter of a much more extended replay system.
And, honestly, don't you think the umpires would support it at this point? If you were an umpire, wouldn't you?
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Late Review of September and October
With the excitement late in the season, my computer being broken, and the work I had to do, this is way late. But it's here now.
September
Record: 16-11
Best record at any point (games above .500): 82-74
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 70-72
Days in first (and biggest lead): 0 (2.0 GB)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (7.0 GB)
Longest win streak: 6 games
Longest losing streak: 3 games
Runs scored/runs against: 126/104
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 11/12
Shutouts/times shut out: 3/0
Extra inning games: 1
Longest game: 10 innings
Hitter of the month: Michael Cuddyer (103 AB, 13 R, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 4 BB:18 K, 1 SB, .282/.321/.563)
After Justin Morneau went down with his injury, with the Twins 7 games behind the Tigers, all seemed lost. It was largely thanks to Cuddyer that the Twins were able to make up the seemingly insurmountable deficit. Not only did he fill the need at first base, he hit the best he had the entire year, and did it in the clutch too. He came up with 8 games with over .100 WPA after Morneau went down, including the huge go-ahead home run against the Royals with two games left in the regular season.
Bizarro World hitter of the month: Justin Morneau (39 AB, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB:8 K, 0 SB, .077/.178/.179)
I hate to pick on Morneau when he was battling through an injured back, but it just wasn't even close. Morneau had only 3 hits in 39 at bats, and every other player with more than 45 at bats had at least a .744 OPS. In order to catch Detroit, everyone had to play well; meaning that it was the one who wasn't playing then who gets this award. At least he got his 30th home run and 100th RBI before he went down for the season.
Pitcher of the month: Jesse Crain (3-0, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 7 K, 0.00/0.83)
Crain was demoted earlier this year, but he came back strong in September to play a role in Minnesota's comeback. Though he had a very weak K:BB ratio, he limited baserunners, didn't allow a single run, and contributed a positive WPA in 12 of the 15 games he pitched. The 3 games in October didn't go as well, since he allowed runs in 2 of those appearances, including a go-ahead run in the 10th inning of the play-in game. But that wasn't September, so it doesn't count.
Bizarro World pitcher of the month: Jeff Manship (0-1, 19.1 IP, 22 H, 11 BB, 14 K, 6.05/1.71)
Manship was booted out of the starting rotation briefly in September, and for good reason. He lasted 5 innings just once in 4 starts, and allowed at least 3 runs in 3 of those starts. All in all, it wasn't a horrible showing from a rookie making his first starts in the big leagues, but most everyone else picked up their game in the Twins' push for the postseason, leaving Manship as the recipient of this award.
October
Record: 5-0
Best record at any point (games above .500): 87-76
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 82-76
Days in first (and biggest lead): 3 (1.0 GB)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (2.0 GB)
Longest win streak: 5 games
Longest losing streak: 0 games
Runs scored/runs against: 42/23
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 13/7
Shutouts/times shut out: 0/0
Extra inning games: 1
Longest game: 12 innings
September
Record: 16-11
Best record at any point (games above .500): 82-74
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 70-72
Days in first (and biggest lead): 0 (2.0 GB)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (7.0 GB)
Longest win streak: 6 games
Longest losing streak: 3 games
Runs scored/runs against: 126/104
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 11/12
Shutouts/times shut out: 3/0
Extra inning games: 1
Longest game: 10 innings
Hitter of the month: Michael Cuddyer (103 AB, 13 R, 8 HR, 24 RBI, 4 BB:18 K, 1 SB, .282/.321/.563)
After Justin Morneau went down with his injury, with the Twins 7 games behind the Tigers, all seemed lost. It was largely thanks to Cuddyer that the Twins were able to make up the seemingly insurmountable deficit. Not only did he fill the need at first base, he hit the best he had the entire year, and did it in the clutch too. He came up with 8 games with over .100 WPA after Morneau went down, including the huge go-ahead home run against the Royals with two games left in the regular season.
Bizarro World hitter of the month: Justin Morneau (39 AB, 2 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB:8 K, 0 SB, .077/.178/.179)
I hate to pick on Morneau when he was battling through an injured back, but it just wasn't even close. Morneau had only 3 hits in 39 at bats, and every other player with more than 45 at bats had at least a .744 OPS. In order to catch Detroit, everyone had to play well; meaning that it was the one who wasn't playing then who gets this award. At least he got his 30th home run and 100th RBI before he went down for the season.
Pitcher of the month: Jesse Crain (3-0, 13.1 IP, 5 H, 6 BB, 7 K, 0.00/0.83)
Crain was demoted earlier this year, but he came back strong in September to play a role in Minnesota's comeback. Though he had a very weak K:BB ratio, he limited baserunners, didn't allow a single run, and contributed a positive WPA in 12 of the 15 games he pitched. The 3 games in October didn't go as well, since he allowed runs in 2 of those appearances, including a go-ahead run in the 10th inning of the play-in game. But that wasn't September, so it doesn't count.
Bizarro World pitcher of the month: Jeff Manship (0-1, 19.1 IP, 22 H, 11 BB, 14 K, 6.05/1.71)
Manship was booted out of the starting rotation briefly in September, and for good reason. He lasted 5 innings just once in 4 starts, and allowed at least 3 runs in 3 of those starts. All in all, it wasn't a horrible showing from a rookie making his first starts in the big leagues, but most everyone else picked up their game in the Twins' push for the postseason, leaving Manship as the recipient of this award.
October
Record: 5-0
Best record at any point (games above .500): 87-76
Worst record at any point (games below .500): 82-76
Days in first (and biggest lead): 3 (1.0 GB)
Days in last (and furthest out of first): 0 (2.0 GB)
Longest win streak: 5 games
Longest losing streak: 0 games
Runs scored/runs against: 42/23
Most runs scored/most runs allowed: 13/7
Shutouts/times shut out: 0/0
Extra inning games: 1
Longest game: 12 innings
Safe!
I'm not upset at all. I'm over the Twins' sweep at the hands of the Yankees, and the Angels were thoroughly outplayed last night anyways. It's just funny. And really, really embarassing, which is why Dave Cameron wrote an article advocating essentially the same instant replay system that I did back in August. It's time for MLB to do something, and luckily this something is simple, will actually speed up the game, and should appease all parties involved.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Blog Housekeeping
I'll be pretty busy with work and other things for the rest of this week, this weekend, and probably all the way through Monday. Since this coincides with the end of the Twins season, and thus the end of a long string of blogging, it makes a good time for a break. I may do some quick things over that period, but otherwise anticipate the year-in-review material to start sometime next week.
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