Opinions can be about anything, really. They can be about individual players or they can be about individual plays. They can be about aspects of the team, or just aspects of the game itself. Regardless of what the opinion is, we as fans are entitled to those opinions. They may not be right, they may not be wrong, but what they are is our voice.
As with anyone who follows a team, you have players you really like and some you just don't. If you've been reading this blog for a while now, you know that I was never a huge Delmon Young fan, and I'm definitely not pro-Tsuyoshi Nishioka. I've been very hard on the likes of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, but have been very complimentary toward both Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. That being said, just because I might take issue with players like Mauer and Morneau doesn't mean I don't think either are good ball players, so let me be perfectly clear on that.
Now that I've gotten that out of the way...
As I watch the Twins' season quickly unravel, I start to wonder what the game plan actually is for these next six weeks. The team has been so ravaged by injuries that it's been difficult to get a good grasp on what they actually have going forward. Assuming the news on Monday that the Twins had placed both Kubel and Jim Thome on waivers means that neither will be back with the team next year, and assuming the Twins might not get anyone Major League ready in return should both be dealt, what do they have in store for DH and right field? With Nick Blackburn hitting the disabled list on Monday as well, who might they give an opportunity to replace him in the rotation? And, with the inconsistent play up the middle, might there be other options to fiddle with to try and put the pieces together to make a run next season?
It would be very difficult to get answers to all of these questions in just a few weeks. Realistically, the team has no chance to climb back into the divisional race, which should provide Ron Gardenhire a unique opportunity to experiment a bit with what he does have. As with any company, sometimes it's not so much about the personnel one has, but more about how that personnel is used and where that personnel is placed in order to get the most success from that individual.
So far this season, we've seen Cuddyer playing right field, first base, second base, and even pitch. We've seen Mauer take his first ground balls at first base, as well as his first fly balls in right field. Alexi Casilla made the move from short stop to second base, and Nishioka the reverse. These are the types of alternatives Gardenhire needs to continue exploring. Would Mauer potentially be able to play third base in the event he doesn't catch and Morneau is in the lineup at first? Does Danny Valencia have the necessary range to be a short stop? Might be worth a look.
Another thought would be to juggle the lineup a bit. Looking through all of baseball, it's clear that the major run producers throughout the league find themselves hitting third, fourth, or fifth in their team's lineup. Typically, these spots in the order are reserved for the big guns, the guys that hit the ball out of the park and drive in runs. With the Twins, however, this isn't always the case. Without taking away too much from Joe Mauer, it's evident that he is one of the best contact hitters in all of baseball. Unfortunately for Twins fans, it appears both Mauer and the team are content with a high average, but little "production". This isn't the type of hitter that belongs in the number three spot in the batting order. Again, that's not to say he isn't a great hitter, just not a great hitter for that spot in the order.
Looking at Mauer's numbers this season, and understanding that he was hurt early on, it is a concern going forward, at least for this Twins fan. If you compare the number of extra-base hits Mauer has and the frequency in which he has them to other hitters batting third in their respective lineups, you would see that he falls way behind the average. Joe slugs something other than a single once in every 17.86 at-bats. The top 20 run-producers (RBI's) in the American League average an extra-base hit once every 8.63 at-bats. Seven (7) of those top 20 hit from the third spot in their lineup. Those same 20 guys also average an RBI every 5.50 at-bats. Mauer's average? One RBI every 10.42 at-bats. A high batting average is great, but it doesn't always translate to runs if the majority of those hits are singles.
Taking those numbers into account, it might be worth an extended five-week look for Gardenhire to see what either Cuddyer (an RBI every 6.9 at-bats) or Kubel (one in every 6.62 at-bats) could do in that number three spot in the order, and perhaps move Mauer down to either the fifth or sixth spot in the batting order. If Denard Span is able to come back this year, and the Twins decide to play both Span and Ben Revere in the outfield, and bat the two of them first and second in the order, having either Cuddyer or Kubel hitting third might be a better thing, given their ability to hit more extra-base hits than Mauer. If Span and/or Revere get on base with a single, it's difficult for them to score on a Mauer single, which has been the tendency for Joe this season, which explains his minimal 25 RBI output thus far.
So, let me hear from a few of you out there. What are some other "experiments" you believe the Twins should try over the next few weeks to try and prepare themselves for an offseason of change?
So far this season, we've seen Cuddyer playing right field, first base, second base, and even pitch. We've seen Mauer take his first ground balls at first base, as well as his first fly balls in right field. Alexi Casilla made the move from short stop to second base, and Nishioka the reverse. These are the types of alternatives Gardenhire needs to continue exploring. Would Mauer potentially be able to play third base in the event he doesn't catch and Morneau is in the lineup at first? Does Danny Valencia have the necessary range to be a short stop? Might be worth a look.
Another thought would be to juggle the lineup a bit. Looking through all of baseball, it's clear that the major run producers throughout the league find themselves hitting third, fourth, or fifth in their team's lineup. Typically, these spots in the order are reserved for the big guns, the guys that hit the ball out of the park and drive in runs. With the Twins, however, this isn't always the case. Without taking away too much from Joe Mauer, it's evident that he is one of the best contact hitters in all of baseball. Unfortunately for Twins fans, it appears both Mauer and the team are content with a high average, but little "production". This isn't the type of hitter that belongs in the number three spot in the batting order. Again, that's not to say he isn't a great hitter, just not a great hitter for that spot in the order.
Looking at Mauer's numbers this season, and understanding that he was hurt early on, it is a concern going forward, at least for this Twins fan. If you compare the number of extra-base hits Mauer has and the frequency in which he has them to other hitters batting third in their respective lineups, you would see that he falls way behind the average. Joe slugs something other than a single once in every 17.86 at-bats. The top 20 run-producers (RBI's) in the American League average an extra-base hit once every 8.63 at-bats. Seven (7) of those top 20 hit from the third spot in their lineup. Those same 20 guys also average an RBI every 5.50 at-bats. Mauer's average? One RBI every 10.42 at-bats. A high batting average is great, but it doesn't always translate to runs if the majority of those hits are singles.
Taking those numbers into account, it might be worth an extended five-week look for Gardenhire to see what either Cuddyer (an RBI every 6.9 at-bats) or Kubel (one in every 6.62 at-bats) could do in that number three spot in the order, and perhaps move Mauer down to either the fifth or sixth spot in the batting order. If Denard Span is able to come back this year, and the Twins decide to play both Span and Ben Revere in the outfield, and bat the two of them first and second in the order, having either Cuddyer or Kubel hitting third might be a better thing, given their ability to hit more extra-base hits than Mauer. If Span and/or Revere get on base with a single, it's difficult for them to score on a Mauer single, which has been the tendency for Joe this season, which explains his minimal 25 RBI output thus far.
So, let me hear from a few of you out there. What are some other "experiments" you believe the Twins should try over the next few weeks to try and prepare themselves for an offseason of change?
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