Morneau Makes #5 of the Best First Basemen of 2010
First Base is the strongest offensive position by far in 2010. Three out of the five players that were on the list in early June have made it back this time around. The number one first basemen may also be MVP this season.
5. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins: Morneau barely made it back on the list this time around falling from number two to number five. The Twins are in a tight race in their division with the Tigers and the White Sox. Currently the Twins are one game out of first behind the White Sox and one game ahead of the Tigers. The AL Central is the closest division in baseball right now.
Morneau has been the Twins biggest offensive threat this season, but no one else is stepping up to pull them ahead of the White Sox. Morneau can’t do it all by himself, Delmon Young is helping in a big way this season also, but it still isn’t enough. Morneau is leading his team in average- .345, home runs- 18 and is in second in RBI’s with 56 behind Young. Morneau always seems to have a solid season as long as he stays healthy. If Joe Mauer has a strong final two months in the season the Twins will probably win the division, but with the way Morneau is carrying the team with Young right now is not enough.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Mauer Falls to #5 of the Best Catchers of 2010
Only two catchers’ from the June top five list have remained into July. One of them moved up to number one and the other is almost off the list falling to number five. The three new entries come as a little bit of a surprise since one of them is just filling in for an injured starter. I’m sure by next month this list will change once again.
5. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins: Previously I said Mauer will probably bounce back and have another MVP like year. Now, I think that time passed. Mauer is having a dissappointing year for his standards along with the rest of his Twins team. The Twins were the clear favorite to win their division once again. As of now the Twins are tied with the Tigers for second place with a paltry four games over .500. Saying all of that Mauer is still the fifth best catcher this year with four home runs, 44 RBI’s, and a .297 average. The only reason why he made the top five is because of his average. Most of the other catchers in the league have low averages. If the Twins want to turn things around, they need Mauer to give them even more. The Twins know Mauer is capable of hitting for more power and a higher average and they will need that from him if they want to be in the post-season.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Joe Mauer Makes #4 of the Best Catchers of 2010
There aren’t many big name catchers in the majors anymore, there are only a handful that come to mind as top tier catchers in the league.
4. Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins: Relax everyone, Mauer I’m sure will be at the number one spot by the end of the season, but right now he has been in a little bit of a slide after starting off the season on fire. Mauer’s average has dropped from the .360’s to .311, which is still respectable. The power numbers is the stunning stat with only two home runs and 24 RBI’s, which is a huge drop off from last year so far. Was last year a fluke? I doubt it, some of Mauer’s home run power loss can be due to their huge stadium that yields one of the lowest home run rates in all of baseball. I think Mauer will turn it around and start hitting for a higher average, but it is questionable whether the power will come back.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Justin Morneau Makes #2 of the Best First Baseman of 2010
Four out of the top five (first baseman) come from the American League. There is only one slight surprise on the list, the rest have been mainstays over the past few years. This may be the only position where the top five will remain the top five all season. The number one and two guys should be there all season barring injuries.
2. Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins: With a healthy Morneau, the Twins are rolling in first place this season. Morneau is again having a solid season and he always seems like he is in contention for Most Valuable Player every year. Morneau is carrying the Twins on his back leading his team in almost every hitting category. Morneau is leading the majors in on base percentage -.475. Morneau is basically on base for half of his at bats! With Mauer not having his best year so far this season, Morneau has picked up the slack. Along with his majors leading OBP, Morneau is also leading the league in slugging- .673 and is in second with average batting- .362. The only stats Morneau isn’t leading on his team is triples, he even leads the team in strikeouts-44, which isn’t a good thing, but I think the Twins can live with it.
Click here to read the full article – By Eric Heyer of Sports Fan Blog Network
Twins’ rebirth on Target
Except for the early morning, when sunlight bakes the place like a greenhouse, Jerry Bell’s office down the left-field line at Target Field offers a comfortable and spectacular view inside the Minnesota Twins new ballpark. On the highest shelf behind his desk, Bell keeps three souvenirs of his 23 years as the club’s top executive.
Two are obvious: small replicas of the Twins’ 1987 and 1991 world championship trophies. In between, however, is an inside joke: a model of the Titanic.
That, Bell says, was a Christmas gift from his two daughters, late in the club’s 11-year pursuit of financing for a new stadium. At times, Bell thought the Twins’ effort was as doomed as the ocean liner that sank on its maiden voyage in 1912.
“I’m going through the Legislature. It’s not going well. The next thing I know, they buy me the Titanic,” Bell says. “It was pretty funny.”
Nine years after Twins owner Carl Pohlad offered the club to Major League Baseball for contraction because it couldn’t make enough money in the Metrodome, the Twins will play their first regular-season game Monday in a $545 million open-air downtown stadium.
Click here to read the full article – By PAT BORZI of USA Today
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Twins put the ball in Blackburn’s hand for Game 2
If pitching in a Game 163 is like being the playoffs, maybe Twins righthander Nick Blackburn is one up on Yankees righthander A.J. Burnett. Blackburn has the benefit of pitching in a game with the season on the line, while Burnett will be pitching in a playoff game for the first time.
Game 163 last year ended in a 1-0 defeat at Chicago, but the Twins and Blackburn came away from that game believing that the 27-year-old righthander learned just how good he could be.
He’s also pitched well when the Twins needed him the most this season, going 3-2 with a 3.07 ERA in his past seven starts.
“Even in big games like that, I still go out there and stick to my game plan and see where it goes. I can’t say why I go out and have good games. Last year was still a loss in that game, so can’t look at it as a great game.”
Blackburn, on May 16, gave up four earned runs over 723 innings in a 6-4, 11-inning loss at Yankee Stadium. Mark Teixeira hit a three run homer off him in the third inning and is 6-for-6 against Blackburn with five RBI. Derek Jeter is 4-for-7 against Blackburn with three walks.
Blackburn must prove tonight that he won’t be affected by the atmosphere or the big moment. He needs to have his good sinking fastball and use all his other pitches, especially his curveball to lefthanded hitters.
“Yes, it’s definitely a tough lineup, you know,” he said. “but each guy has their own weakness. You just have to find a way to expose them.”
Click here to read the full article – By By La Velle E. Neal III of PostBulletin.com
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Alexi Casilla foresaw his big moment for the Twins
Bench player told teammate that he would be the hero
Unlikely heroes find their way into baseball lore because dubious circumstances tend to put them in the right place when opportunity knocks.
Reserve second baseman Alexi Casilla spent the 2009 season shuttling between Class AAA Rochester and Ron Gardenhire’s doghouse. So, of course, he would be the one to extend the Twins’ historic season into the playoffs.
During batting practice, Casilla told shortstop Orlando Cabrera he was going to win the game for Minnesota. It took more than five hours for him to make good on his pledge.
Casilla entered the game as a pinch runner in the 10th inning and stepped to the plate in the bottom of the 12th against Tigers flamethrower Fernando Rodney with Carlos Gomez at second and one out.
After taking a pitch, Casilla lashed a fastball into right field, scoring Gomez with the American League Central Division-winning run and touching off a wild celebration at the Metrodome.
“At the plate, I was trying to relax, take a pitch,” Casilla said. “He threw me a fastball. I swing, and it happened.”
Casilla took a long, potholed road to be recounting the biggest hit of his nascent career with a bottle of Budweiser in his hand and champagne dripping from his head.
He had not started a game since Sept. 11 and had only three at-bats since.
Click here to read the full article – By Brian Murphy of TwinCities.com
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Agent says Sano, Twins reach deal
The agent for Dominican shortstop Miguel Sano said the Minnesota Twins have agreed to sign his client for a bonus of $3.15 million.
Sano’s agent, Rob Plummer, said Tuesday that he expects an agreement to be signed this week.
”I’m very thankful to get this chance to sign with the Twins,” Sano said. ”I’m going to work very hard to try to get to the majors in two years.”
Twins General Manager Bill Smith declined comment.
Major League Baseball, as it does with many young Dominican players, investigated Sano’s age and identity earlier this year. His identity was verified, Plummer said, and the age investigation was inconclusive. Sano says he is 16 years old.
Click here to read the full article – By Associated Press of Ohio.com
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Twins turn to Cuddyer at first base
Word spread quickly through the Minnesota clubhouse before Monday’s game against Cleveland that Justin Morneau would miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back.
Michael Cuddyer, filling in for Morneau at first and in the cleanup spot on Monday night, was among the players who had heard the news before game time. So what did Cuddyer do in place of the All-Star slugger? The new first baseman hit a three-run home run in the eighth inning to tie the game, propelling Minnesota to a 6-3 comeback win.
For the rest of the season, much of the time at first base will continue to fall to Cuddyer, who has spent most of his career in right field but has played at almost every position.
Click here to read the full article – By Tyler Mason of MLB.com
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Twins kick White Sox when they’re down
With the Tigers and Twins pulling away in the AL Central race, the White Sox began cleaning house late Monday night, after their 4-1 loss to the Twins at the Metrodome.
About 90 minutes after the game, word came that the White Sox had traded Jim Thome to the Dodgers for minor league infielder Justin Fuller and Jose Contreras to the Rockies for minor league pitcher Brandon Hynick.
The Thome rumors had been swirling through the Twins clubhouse, as players celebrated their 10th victory in 13 games.
Nick Blackburn, who hadn’t won since the All-Star break, pitched seven strong innings, and the Twins used third-inning home runs from Joe Mauer and Jason Kubel to help pull within 3 1/2 games of the first-place Tigers. Meanwhile, Chicago remained six games back after falling to 1-7 on its 11-game road trip against the Red Sox, Yankees, Twins and Cubs.
Click here to read the full article – By JOE CHRISTENSEN of StarTribune.com
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