Twins led 4-0 Monday. Lost 5-4. I'm fucking shocked.
In continuing the discussion from the other day...where the Twins roster stands for next year - the position players.
Well who's to blame?
Obviously the main reason the Twins aren't going to the playoffs this year is their offense, or lack thereof, but specifically which player(s) deserve blame?
After a closer look, the answer would seem to be pretty much everyone.
Everyone rips on Morneau and Cuddyer in particular, and yes, they've been a dissapointment.
Cuddyer has had plenty of time to prepare for a starting job, so his .260, 8 homers are certainly a bummer. Some bemoan the failure to resign Corey Koskie, but I won't. Koskie has 17 RBIs this year.
Morneau is hitting .249. Considering he's been about average on defense, you could argue the Twins would've been better off with Mientkiewicz at first this year.
Maybe so, but Morneau will still probably end up with around 20-25 homers, and 85 or so RBIs. Not what we all hoped for, but not bad for a guy who was almost eligible for Rookie of the Year.
I'm not letting these guys off the hook by any means. IF either of them had done what we all hoped, the Twins might be within striking distance of the White Sox right now, let alone the wild card.
But they are by no means the only guilty ones.
It might be time for a little housecleaning.
* Torii Hunter and Joe Mauer are the only two Twins who I won't criticize for this year, and I'm giving them both a break.
Hunter was having his usual year in which the numbers were good, but you got the feeling he could do better. But with his baserunning, hard nosed play and attitude, he was again the heart and soul of the team.
Mauer is 22, and he's batting over .300. Tough to complain. But batting 3-hole, the RBIs need to be way, way higher.
* I still think Morneau is a 40-homer guy. I guess nobody bothered to wonder if pitchers would make adjustments on a 23 year old who hit 19 homers in 65 games last year. That's what they did and we're seeing him struggle with it. But Morneau is not David McCarty. He's the real deal. He'll be okay. But he can't wait another year. He has to produce in 2006. And by produce I mean 30-40 homers.
* I wouldn't mind if the Twins told Shannon Stewart to take a hike. Yeah, yeah, we always hear about how he's such a 'professional hitter' and how he has such great at-bats and influences the lineup. Well, he's hitting .278, has a mediocre OBP of about .325, doesn't steal any bases, and is a liability in the outfield.
If Lew Ford is the alternative, by all means keep him. But let's stop pretending the guy is Rickey Henderson. There are many better leadoff hitters in the game today.
* I think it's finally safe to say Jacque Jones isn't going to be a 40-homer guy, which is supposedly the reason we're supposed to be afriad to trade him. But I will say that given the way the Twins young hitters failed them this year, I wouldn't be surprised if the Twins are a little more hesitant to bump him in favor of Jason Kubel than they would've been last year.
Locks - Hunter, Mauer, Morneau
That's it. Really. Isn't that sad? There's only three position players on the entire roster that the Twins absolutely have to keep.
Maybe bring back, maybe not - Stewart, Jones, Cuddyer, LeCroy, Glenn Williams, Mike Redmond, Castro
I think the Twins need to take a long hard look at their outfield, but Stewart will almost certainly be back, so Jones is probably gone. I would say Cuddyer blew his chance to be the everyday 3B, but as long as he's cheap I dont mind him off the bench.
LeCroy is fun to make fun of, but he's still a decent hitter. Still rather have David Ortiz though, wouldn't you?
Glenn Williams had a nice two weeks before he got hurt. I suppose he deserves another shot, but he's not the answer. Redmond is an excellent backup catcher, and Castro has actually been even better this year than could be expected.
Get lost - Ford, Rivas
Going into this year, the Twins feared Lew Ford's 2004 season, in which he hit .299 with 15 homers, was a fluke. They were right. The guy is worthless, hitting .250 with 4 homers. (Hasn't stopped Gardy from batting him in the 3-hole, though)
Rivas had plenty of chances.
Still feeling 'em out - Bartlett, Tiffee, Mike Ryan, Punto, Luis Rodriguez, Jason Kubel
If he's healthy, Kubel will be a starter next year. That makes me nervous. He looks like a great prospect, but there is no longer any reason to trust Twins hitting prospects.
Bartlett is the Twins top middle infield prospect, but that might say as much about their minor league depth as it does about him.
Tiffee is a switch-hitter. Aside from that, he hasn't shown a whole lot this year. I dont think he's a better alternative to Cuddyer.
Mike Ryan could be a great bench player for years. And nothing more.
Punto and Rodriguez have both done a nice job this year. But they seem more like platoon players or utility guys. I'm not sold on either one being an everyday player.
Ever.
The Twins as a franchise are still in good shape, with a very strong minor league system, and a big league team that will return many young players next year that contributed significantly to a team that will likely win 80 games or so.
But it seems to me they need to go out and get one player this offseason. Doesn't matter what position he plays, they have room in the infield and outfield, and they need a D.H.
I think Mauer and Morneau will only get better. And maybe Kubel will be more prepared than Bartlett was this year.
But their infield, aside from Morneau, is no scarier at the plate than a Brent Gates, Scott Leius, and Ron Coomer-led group.
We need another guy.
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