Kuzul

There have been many words used to describe the Minnesota Twins‘ 2011 campaign—frustrating, humiliating, injury-ridden, disappointing, lost.

However, one word that has come into view following their assent from the American League Central’s cellar: historic?

That’s right. The Twins have a chance to erase the largest deficit in Major League Baseball history, should they come all the way back to win the division.

As of June 2, the Twins sat 16 1/2 games behind the division-leading Cleveland Indians. By June 25, following a three-game losing streak, the Twins have closed that gap to eight games behind Cleveland and seven games behind the Detroit Tigers (who I identify as the real team to beat in this division).

Should the Twins erase the deficit it would be the largest comeback in MLB history.

The current record is held by the 1914 Boston Braves, who sat at 26-40 in early July that season, 15 games back in the standings.

The “Miracle Braves,” as they became known, finished the season by going 70-19, eventually winning the pennant by 10 1/2 games over the New York Giants. The Braves would go on to sweep the favored the Philadelphia Athletics in the World Series that season.

The Twins are facing an uphill battle, but have shown great resolve in recent seasons. In 2009, the Twins erased a seven-game lead of the Tigers in the final weeks, eventually securing the division title in one of the most memorable games in Twins history—Game 163.

The Twins will now turn to Fransisco Liriano to get the comeback back on track in the second game of a three-game set in Milwaukee.

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There’s no doubt that 2010-2011 has been extremely disappointing for Minnesota sports fans. 

The Timberwolves again failed to hit 20 wins, the Wild missed the playoffs yet again, and the Vikings look to be in a free fall after being within one 14-men in the huddle penalty from the Super Bowl only 18 months ago.

It would seem that things couldn’t get any worse.

But hope springs eternal and the time is right for baseball, the one constant within the Minnesota sports landscape. 

With the new stadium smell still hovering over Target Field the expectations have been the greatest for the local nine. What was supposed to be a season full of hope appears to be falling in line with all of the other professional teams as the Twins are in the midst of the single greatest turnaround in franchise history—the problem is this turnaround is in the negative direction.

Taking a look as what has transpired for the Twins since they were last swept by the New York Yankees in the divisional round of the playoffs it might be all that surprising that the team is struggling.  

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It’s the $184 million question.

Well, for the Twins, it’s more like the $184 million gamble.

It is too early to panic in the Twin Cities, but it’s pretty close to that. With the Twins All-Star batting champ catcher Joe Mauer on the 15-day DL looking thin and not so MVP-ish, everyone in the state of Minnesota is starting to ask themselves the question only a brave few have raised before about their golden child: Should Joe Mauer stop catching?

When this question was raised after the St. Paul native inked his monster contract, the largest the Twins have ever handed out, those who raised it were crucified.

But the question is becoming more and more valid as the years pass. He’s just in the second year of a deal that will keep “Baby Jesus” in a Twins uniform until the 2018 season, but Twins fans are sobering up from the hangover of securing their hometown hero in Minnesota.

The blasphemous idea that Mauer switch positions is finally starting to seem rational to not only Twins fans, but those inside the organization.

After all, he is a $184 million investment and to have him get gassed on year three or four would be disastrous.

The reason for this is not only because the critics of the deal (of which there are plenty) would rub everyone’s face in it, but the Twins would be stuck in a massive finical hole.

The Twins have had problems keeping star players in Minnesota before and the contract they gave Mauer will definitely hinder their chances of retaining players under contract now.

Players like Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Jim Thome are free agents after this year and with the Twins needing to look ahead at resigning Justin Morneau after 2013 and dealing with Fransisco Liriano after this season, the roster may look drastically different next year.

This is the first trickle effect of the Mauer deal, but the second is a floodgate.

It’s no secret catchers decline fast in the majors and Mauer is starting to show he is no different. Many fans are naively assuming that Mauer has yet to hit his prime, but the fact of the matter is he may have done this in his batting championship season.

Mauer is in his seventh year as a catcher in the major leagues and he has recently been plagued by a string of injuries which have aged him as a catcher.

Just this offseason, he had arthroscopic knee surgery and his recent illness has caused his knees to become sore, hence his trip to the DL.

With seven years remaining on his deal and his knees beginning to go, the answer to all the questions may be to simply move Mauer from catcher to another position.

This can work for and against the Twins.

In the pros category, Minnesota can solve their finical problem if they switch Mauer. They already have Drew Butera, who albeit doesn’t posses Mauer’s defensive prowess but is a favorite among pitchers.

Last season, there was a string of games near the end of the year where pitchers such as Carl Pavano that actually requested Butera over Mauer.

Mauer could fill a hole his contract will create in the outfield or perhaps (and most likely) dig in at third base depending on how sold Minnesota is on Danny Valencia.

If all else fails, Mauer could fill the DH spot should they not be able to re-sign Kubel or if Thome decides to call it a career. This also may allow the Twins to keep Denard Span and possibly Delmon Young instead of trading one of them away this year.

But these same scenarios can hurt the Twins as much as it can help them. Worst case is the Twins keep Mauer at catcher and his knees deteriorate to the point where his hitting begins to suffer. This would spoil the entire point of the monster contract.

The Twins would then retool their outfield and start from stretch as they did when they got rid of Torii Hunter. Kubel, Thome and Cuddyer would then all leave via free agency and either Denard Span, Delmon Young or both are traded to free up money and fill in positional areas made vacant by all the moves.

By the time the prospects they receive or the players they call up are ready to be starring players, Mauer will be near the end of his contract and the pitching rotation will be in turmoil.

This is all, of course, worst case scenario, but it’s not an unreal possibility. It’s becoming more and more evident that Mauer needs to move and it’s one of many things the Twins will need to deal with in the next few years.

The counter to all the negative scenarios is Ivan Rodriguez has lasted over 20 years behind the plate and he hasn’t moved positions.

It’s not speculation anymore and Mauer needs to move—his knees are blatant evident of that. But if and when he does is an entirely different story.

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This is NOT a list of the two greatest hitters for each team. This is a list of the greatest individual seasons for two hitters on each team. 

Steroids are ignored. Barry Bonds is on this list. So is Alex Rodriguez (twice, actually, and not with the Yankees). Rafael Palmeiro, Manny Ramirez, and other known or assumed users are here. 

Listed by division, not ranked by greatness. 

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To make life easier, let’s just say that Dice-K cost a clean $100 million. I mean, that extra $3,111,111.11 really isn’t anything to write home about anyway. I can easily make that much money in three, maybe four lifetimes.

With that absurd amount of Benjamin’s, I’d buy Roy Halladay. Halladay was signed through 2013 with a 3year/$60 million contract. I’d rather have spent my money on three years of Halladay instead of six years of Daisuke Matsuzaka.

With the remaining (approximately) $40 million, I’d have taken the Boston Red Sox, the entire AL East, the rest of the American League and their counterparts in the National League out to Sizzler for an all-you-can-eat steak dinner. And if anything is left over, maybe some Pink (read: crack) Berry afterward.

If anyone has too much to drink, Dice-K will be available as the designated driver to ferry people home free of charge. After all, he doesn’t really need the money now, does he?

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Over the past nine years, the Minnesota Twins have dominated the American League Central. They have won six division titles in that span (seven if you count their tie for first in 2008), since Ron Gardenhire was named manager. Although they have not necessarily had the most talent, they play hard—and they scrap for every win possible.

Unfortunately, in that span, they have only six playoff victories. Four of them were in 2002 and their last playoff victory was in 2004. Regardless of their disappointments, the Twins have been resilient. They keep coming back for more. Their desperation for playoff victories is reminiscent of a child actor not named Neil Patrick Harris trying to hold on to Hollywood. No matter how hard they work, the big bad industry continues to shut them down.

Last year, however, they moved outside. With Target Field came a new swagger. They won 94 games and they looked poised to take down the Yankees. They had this new, beautiful stadium and they had home-field advantage over the Bronx Bombers. Unfortunately, the Yankees embarrassed the Twins, coming from behind twice at Target Field, then dismantling them at Yankee Stadium.

This year, though, was going to be the Twins year. Still, they are off to terrible start. They have lost each of their first three series—and they are sitting in last place in a division they have won six times. So, there are two main questions the Twins must answer. What is the cause for their poor start? Also, is there a legitimate cause for concern in the Twin Cities?

The Twins take pride in doing the little things right. Clutch hitting, good pitching and solid fielding will win you baseball games. Nevertheless, the Twins have been completely unable to do two of those things.

The hitting has been terrible.

Slumps happen. To have a collective batting average of .214, however, is an embarrassment to the game of baseball.

In hitter’s counts (3-1, 2-0), the team is a combined 2-19. Tsuyoshi Nishiokia and Delmon Young singles shouldn’t be all hitter’s counts accumulate to. The team is relatively patient, but when they do get ahead, they need to capitalize on it. Until they start getting hits when they are ahead in counts, the hitting woes will continue.

When teams struggle, they need their veterans to carry them through. Michael Cuddyer, Justin Morneau and Young have a combined four extra base hits. Four. Not each. Four total. That can’t happen for guys that are staples in the middle of the order. Jason Kubel and Jim Thome have played relatively well, but without the other three producing, the Twins will be in for a long, unsuccessful summer.

Sometimes, slumps can be overcome. Doesn’t good pitching out-do good hitting anyway? Well, the Twins have been unable to pitch well either.

Outside of Nick Blackburn, who has been lights out, the Twins pitching staff is in shambles. Every other starter’s ERA is over five. Francisco Liriano can’t throw a strike (eight walks in 9.1 innings)), Carl Pavano can barely keep the ball in the park (three home runs in 12 innings) and Scott Baker has been pretty brutal on both accounts (six walks and four home runs in 11 innings). When three of your starters consistently give up runs, it doesn’t matter how the team is hitting.

The bullpen has been a little brighter, but it hasn’t been that much better.

Although Jose Mijares and Joe Nathan have pitched well—and the rest of the crew has been slightly promising. Even though Jeff Manship and Dusty Hughes have been shelled, Kevin Slowey and Matt Capps have been decent.

If the pitching, especially the starters, doesn’t improve, it won’t matter how well the Twins hit; they will continue to lose games.

Another problem for the Twins is their inability to win on the road (and against certain opponents). They have a 114-130 record away from home in the last three seasons (including the playoff against the White Sox). Even though they’ve been tremendous at the Metrodome and Target Field, they need to start winning on the road to be considered a legitimate contender. Last year, they took a step in the right direction and finished above .500 (41-40), but they have returned to their losing ways on the road (2-4).

Regardless of winning or losing on the road, the Twins can’t beat the Yankees. They have only won six games in their last 26 chances and the Yankees seem bored with defeating them. The Twins had an impressive comeback win over the Bombers last Tuesday, but they followed that up by blowing an early lead on Thursday. Every time they take a step forward, they seem to take two steps back. Until they beat the Yankees, the Twins will struggle making it to the World Series.

So, is there reason to panic? No, not yet. While the early-season struggles could turn into problems, right now, the Twins have nothing to seriously worry about. They are a veteran squad that knows how to win. Gardenhire is a proven winner (in the regular season, at least) and he will right this ship by the end of the month (especially with the easy schedule they have upcoming).

Obviously, no panic should be pressed in April, but the Twins need to be aware of their issues, and they need to take the appropriate steps to correct it.

Cuddyer, Morneau and Young need to get their swing back and the offense will start working again.

Liriano and Pavano need to start throwing strikes and the pitching will start to look better.

If they figure these things out, then maybe (just maybe!), the Twins will put themselves in position to face the Yankees in the playoffs. And maybe, after all these tribulations, they will conquer the Evil Empire once and for all.

Then again, we probably shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Minnesota Twins are doing a poor job of protecting the investment they made in catcher Joe Mauer. 

The eight-year, $184 million extension Mauer signed with the Twins last season places him fourth among the highest-paid position players in Major League Baseball.  

Mauer, who will turn 28 on April 19th, has a trophy case full of accolades that positions him on the precipice as one of the all-time great catchers when accounting for both his offensive and defensive abilities: three batting titles, three Gold Gloves, four Silver Slugger awards and an American League MVP leave no doubt that Mauer is not only one of baseball’s best catchers, but one of its best players.

The problem is the toll the catching position takes on the body, and the effect it has on the longevity of a player’s career.

Having already missed one of the team’s first seven games puts Mauer on pace to play only about 138 games—missing 15 percent of the schedule.

Here are five reasons the Twins need to find another position for Joe Mauer.

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In recent memory, we’ve always heard about how the AL East is Major League Baseball’s toughest division, with the Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays beating up on each other, along with the rest of the American League.

Some people make a case for the NL East, where the Philadelphia Phillies and Atlanta Braves have a stronghold, combined with an over-acheiving Florida Marlins squad and an even more under-acheiving New York Mets team.

It’s easy to say one division is better than the other based on records alone, so I had an idea: What if we take the best player at each position, from each division and create separate “All-Star” teams?  Which division would have the most talented squad?

That’s exactly what we are going to do in hopes we can finally come to a realization of which division is MLB’s best.  You might be surprised at how good (or bad) some of the teams end up being.

The selection process is simple: It will be the best player at each position today. It won’t be based on future potential, and it won’t be based on a player having a monster season five years ago. 

This will be a seven part series over the next two weeks: one part for each of baseball’s six divisions, followed by a summary piece that will hopefully allow us to figure out and debate which division really is MLB’s best.

We begin with the AL Central.

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With Opening Day only a few hours away, the crack of the bat is soon to be heard. The eyes of the sports world will shift from the dreariness of winter sports, to the excitement of baseball and the thrill of the approaching summer months. 

Last season was a memorable one for Major League Baseball. There were numerous perfect games (and near perfect games), including a perfect gem in the playoffs by Roy Halladay; Ken Griffey Jr’s retirement; the surge and disappointment of Stephen Strasburg; and the resurgence of the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants.

This season will be no different. There will be thrills and disappointment. But first, here are some players who will make the most impact in their respective leagues. These are the pre-season all-star teams.

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As fans and followers of sports, we tend to only take into account what players have done for their teams as of late.  Their success from the season before has corresponded with bigger salaries, more media exposure, higher fantasy rankings and a higher level of respect and dependence.

While the trend for good players is to evolve in the game and continue to get better, there are also those who accomplish statistical breakouts that should warrant some sort of speculation. 

Whether pitchers explode for an exceptional strikeout-to-walk ratio, hitters posting huge power numbers that exceed anything they’ve done in the past, or the simple breakout seasons that players provide every April to October, we need to look at the facts and be more realistic with our calculations.

The players on this list are highly respected, highly valuable and significant parts to their team’s success. 

With that said, many of them have over achieved or have produced inflated stats making these 10 names the most overrated players in the MLB.

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