Greg L Johnson's Minnesota Twins fan blog

Finally, they're playing ball down in the Florida Grapefruit League, and today's the Twins first spring training game against the Cincinnati Reds. Just for the fun of it, lets follow along for the first inning, and see if we can find any signs or portents for the coming year.

Carlos Gomez leads off, playing center field for the Twins. Grounds out to first.

Brendan Harris, second base, bats second. Flies out to right. Gardenhire is evidently working the new guys right into the lineup.

Joe Mauer, catcher, batting third. Takes two strikes, as he is prone to do, then works a full count. Singles to center. First Twins hit of the year!

Cuddyer, right field, then pops up to first on one pitch.

Scott Baker pitching for the Twins.

Hopper, the center fielder leads off for the Reds. First pitch is a strike. Hopper then flies out to right field.

Continue reading "Play Ball!"

As most Twins fans know, the new ballpark is slowly but surely rising in downtown Minneapolis. Most descriptions and comments on the new stadium have focused on its design, location, and amenities. What hasn't been talked about as much is what it will be like to sit and watch a game in the new stadium. We all know it's an outdoor ballpark, that alone will make it a much different experience than the Metrodome.

Today on MinnPost.com, David Brauer takes a look at what sitting and watching a game in the new ballpark will be like for the fans. A self -described "ballpark geek", Brauer has some good facts and figures on why watching a game in the new ballpark should be much more enjoyable than watching a game in the old Metrodome.

Let's face it. At the dome, the seats are small, close together, and on the third base side are angled not for a view of the baseball diamond, but instead set up for the needs of Vikings fans, who watch a whole eight games a season there. For over twenty years the Twins and their fans have been wedged into a stadium built for football. The Metrodome will always have sentimental value for Twins fans, but that's because of winning two World Series there, not because it was ever a great place to watch a baseball game.

Continue reading "Sitting In The New Ballpark"

The number one goal the Twins gave Boof Bonser for the off-season was to lose some weight. Anyone who watched him pitch last year could understand why. He looked chunky on the mound, and his performance reflected it. There weren't too many times when Boof made it past the seventh inning, he was usually out in the fifth or sixth at the latest.

The good news is that Bonser came through, reporting to spring training 29 pounds under last year's playing weight of over 270 pounds. 

The importance of this is not just a matter of Bonser's personal fitness. One of the things the Twins really need to have happen this year, if they want to be competitive in the AL Central, is for a couple of the young pitchers to step up and become consistent starters. No one person is going to replace Johan Santana, it's going to take a group effort to replace all those innings and wins. But if at least two of the Twins young pitchers, a group that includes Bonser, Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, and Nick Blackburn can emerge as reliable six to seven inning starters, it will go a long way to stabilizing the rotation, and protecting the bullpen, which figures to be one of the strengths of the team.

Continue reading "The Incredible Shrinking Boof"

When I got up this morning, it was ten below zero in Minneapolis. At about the same time, pitchers and catchers at the Twins spring training camp in Florida were getting ready for their second day of workouts.

I know where I'd rather be.

The Twins have plenty of questions to answer this year before the regular season starts, and quite a few new players to fit into the mix. We'll be examining those questions and watching the progress of the new players as spring training continues, but today let's take joy in the fact the players are playing baseball again, and take it as a sign that even here in Minnesota winter must eventually come to an end.

I'd love to be down there taking pictures of spring training and p;osting them here. That's unfortunately not possible, but, as a substitute, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune has a photo gallery of sights from spring training posted online. You can see the pictures here. 

Continue reading "In Baseball, Spring Is Already Here"

When Minnesota Twins spring training opens, most of the talk will be aropund the big questions on the major league side: Who will play center field? Will Francisco Liriano be able to come back from "Tommy John" surgery on his elbow?

Don't look now, but Liriano won't be the only pitcher in camp recovering from elbow surgery. On the minor league side of camp, a 21 year old pitcher named Chris Anderson is also  fighting for a place on the team. Actually, Anderson's is hoping for a spot at Class A Beloit. The odds are, though, that he'll end up at either Elizabethton, or in the Gulf Coast rtookie league. Anywhere would be good for anderson, who two years ago looked to be out of professional baseball entirely.

The Twins drafted Anderson at that time, out of high school in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in the 18th round. he then flunked his physical, the Twins dropped him, and he underwent surgery on his elbow. He didn't throw again until last February, and the results were good enough that the bTwins offered him another chance and this year he'll be in his first spring training camp.

Continue reading "A Minor Leaguer To Keep An Eye On"

In desperate need of a pitcher in the starting rotation old enough to shave more than once a week, the Twins have signed Livan Hernandez to a one-year, 5 million dollar deal. In a free-agent market that includes little in the way of first-rate pitchers, Hernandez could be the best the Twins could do in this off-season.

Let's remember that Carlos Silva set the standard this year with his 4 year $48 million contract with Seattle. Compare Silva's stats with Hernandez', and they look an awful lot the same given that Hernandez has pitched six more years in the majors than Silva. From that perspective, a guy who can pitch 200 innings and provide some veteran stability for $7 million a year less than Silva looks like a deal worth making.

Continue reading "Twins Sign Livan Hernandez"

 Update: As of this afternoon, Tuesday February 12, Chuck Knoblauch and Andy Pettitte have been excused from testifying at tomorrow's Congressional  hearings.

 We're in kind of a down period for Twins news right now, the Santana trade is over and Spring Training not yet begun. That makes for not a lot of new things to talk about, but here's a few topics to keep you going while waiting for Winter to end and baseball to begin.

Chuck Knoblauch met with a sub-committee of the House Oversight Committee regarding the Mitchell report and allegations of steroid or human growth hormone use on Friday, February 1. The testimony was conducted in private, but later characterized as not disputing the report. There's a good chance Knoblauch will be called to testify in public on Wednesday, along with Roger Clemens and Andy Pettitte.

Continue reading "Catching Up On The Twins"

The announcement was just made, the Twins have traded Johan Santana to the Mets for four prospects including outfielder Carlos Gomez, and right-handed pitchers Phillip Humber, Kevin Mulvey, and Doolis Guerra.

Comments from fans over at the Star-Tribune Twins Blog are running about two to one against the trade, the biddest disappointment is that the Twins got no proven major league players for the best pitcher in baseball.

It's a legitimate complaint, but the onus here is really on the Twins scouting department and management. If they figured right, in a year or two the Twins will have a base-stealing lead-off center fielder and a couple of solid starters in the rotation. If not, well, trading Johan Santana and not getting anything in return is the stuff of job losses.

Continue reading "Santana Traded To The Mets"

The Twins gave their fans some good news Friday afternoon when they announced the signings of Justin Morneau and Michael Cuddyer to long-term deals. Mornea gets $80 million for a six year deal, Cuddyer is getting $23 million for three.

That's a good chunk of the Twins' offence, and they're likely going to need every run those guys can produce. This deal should also help allay some Twins' fans fears that the team was going to let all the young talent go. Add this to Joe Mauer's deal last year and the Twins have an offensive nucleus to build around for the next several years. 

Continue reading "Morneau And Cuddyer Signed Long-Term"

Was watching Keith Olbermann last night when who should show up on the nightly worst person list than Chuck Knoblauch. Twins fans remember Knoclauch as the second baseman who had some good years with the Twins and was later dealt to the Yankees. He's on the list for ducking subpoenas and refusing to testify in front of Congress about steroid use. Word on ESPN this morning is that Congress is not happy with Knoblauch's failure to show.

If you're wondering why Olbermann is talking about Knoblauch and his mother, click here.

Continue reading "Chuck Knoblauch: Worse Person In The World?"