Kuzul

For the final article in my series on Twins offseason moves:

In the spirit of the Pioneer Press‘ Tom Powers’ idea that the “Minnesota Twins need more useful players, not stars” if the Twins want to make substantial improvement next year, I present an article addressing one of the Twins’ biggest needs this offseason: relief pitching.

Without a true closer and without too many reliable relievers, the Twins need to consider the following players if they want to have a solid bullpen in 2013.

Note: All players were listed as Free Agents when this article was written, via BaseballReference.com and MLBTradeRumors.com.

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If you’ve been following the Minnesota Twins at all this past offseason, you probably know that they must fix their pitching rotation if they want to get back to relevance in the American League Central. For the Twins to do that, they must take a look at every possible avenue (as they’ve done recently according to ESPN 1500 AM’s Darren Wolfson) and decide which pitchers can help their team the most.

That process sounds like it’s a case of playing fantasy baseball, but the Twins have to go deeper than that to fix what is arguably the worst starting rotation in Major League Baseball.

If the Twins aren’t careful with who they select to fill their void of solid starting pitching, they could wind up signing another version of Jason Marquis or Ramon Ortiz. A failure like that could see the Twins rotation become even worse and subject their fans to more Brian Duensing or Nick Blackburn in the process.

With all the names being thrown around this offseason, here’s a look at who could once again turn the Twins rotation into a strength.

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As the Minnesota Twins play their last series of the 2012 season, take solace in the fact that things are never as bad as they seem. Even though the Twins are currently battling to avoid finishing last in the American League, they are nowhere near the worst team in baseball. That honor goes to the Houston Astros once again. 

A look at the Minnesota Twins’ recent history also shows that a quick turnaround is possible.  

The last time the Twins finished consecutive seasons in last place was 1999 and 2000. Over these two seasons, they lost an average of 95 games. Within two years, in 2002, they won the AL Central with 94 wins.

Here’s a look at nine takeaways from this season that provides some hope that the Twins can duplicate this feat.

The Twins are shedding some of the deadwood

Just before the trading deadline in July, the Twins traded Francisco Liriano to the Chicago White Sox. An exceptional rookie season in 2006 ended with a 12-3 record with a 2.16 ERA and the need for Tommy John surgery. Since returning in 2008, he has never able to replicate that success. His next best season was 2010 when he finished 14-10 with a 3.62 ERA. Before being traded this year, Liriano was 3-10 with a 5.31 ERA. 

In August, the Twins finally had enough of Nick Blackburn and optioned him outright to their Triple-A affiliate, removing him form their 40-man roster. With a career 43-55 record over six seasons, Blackburn never finished with a winning record. Yet the team kept giving him a regular turn in the starting rotation. This was his worst season with a 4-9 record and a 7.39 ERA. 

Last week the Twins granted Tsuyoshi Nishioka’s request for a release from his contract. In two seasons, he played in only 71 games—with only three this year. He will head back to Japan with a .215 batting average and 14 errors in the field for a .957 fielding percentage.

Trevor Plouffe has emerged as the Twins’ third baseman

After failing to claim the shortstop position in 2011, Plouffe took over at third base when the Twins sent down Danny Valencia in early May. At the time Valencia, who had led the Twins in RBIs in 2011, was hitting only .190.

For most of the summer Plouffe found himself in a home-run derby with Josh Willingham as they took turns leading the Twins. An injured thumb in late July kept him out of the lineup for almost a month. Despite that he is second on the team with 24 home runs.

Glen Perkins has developed into a potential closer

 Like another former left-handed pitcher, Perkins started his career as a starter but found success at the end of the bullpen. For Eddie Guardado, it was only one season as a starter before moving to the bullpen. He would eventually end up as the Twins’ closer and led the AL with 45 saves in 2002—the same year the Twins won their first AL Central Division title.

As a starter in 2008, Perkins finished with a 12-4 record in 26 starts. He made 17 starts in 2009 and a single start in 2010. Over the last two seasons he has found success out of the bullpen appearing in over 65 games each season with a 2.47 ERA and a total of 18 saves. This season he has 16 saves in 20 opportunities heading into the final series against the Blue Jays.

Jared Burton has become a force at the end of the bullpen

 After appearing in only 10 games and pitching a total of eight innings over the last two seasons for the Cincinnati Reds, Burton pitched in a career-high 63 games this year with his lowest ERA in five seasons at 2.18 that led the Twins. After Matt Capps injured his shoulder, he took turns with Perkins as the closer and earned five saves.

Perkins and Burton have become a pretty formidable left-right tandem at the end of the bullpen.

Ben Revere is a rising star for the Twins

In his third season with the Twins, Revere continues to get better. His batting average, currently at .286, has climbed every season. He’s also the first Twin to steal 30 or more bases in consecutive seasons since Chuck Knoblauch last did it four straight seasons from 1994 to 1997. He also plays spectacular defense, earning a GIBBY in 2011 for the catch of the year. This season, in 120 games, he has not committed an error.

Justin Morneau is back

In 2010 Morneau was in the midst of the best season in his career when everything fell apart on July 7. Leading the team with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs, he suffered a concussion against the Blue Jays, which ended his season.

In 2011 he was only able to play in 69 games hitting only four home runs. This year he has played in 134 games. He hit 19 home runs and drove in 77 RBIs.

Ryan Doumit and Josh Willingham are significant additions to the roster

When general manager Terry Ryan failed to sign Michael Cuddyer or Jason Kubel, it looked like things were going in the wrong direction, fast. Then he made a couple of signings that at the time seemed to be pretty modest.  While both Doumit and Willingham are hitting right at their career batting averages, both have provided power to the Twins’ lineup.

Both Doumit and Willingham had career highs in home runs and RBIs for the Twins—Doumit with 18 home runs and 75 RBIs and Willingham with 35 home runs and 110 RBIs.

Joe Mauer is an iron man

In 2011 Mauer played in only 82 games, the fewest games in his career since his rookie season. This year he has matched his career high playing in 146 games, splitting time at catcher with Doumit and playing 30 games at first base.

After hitting only .287, low for Mauer standards, he challenged for his fourth batting title with a .320 batting average.

Scott Diamond is the ace the Twins have been looking for

 A former Rule-5 draft pick from the Braves in 2011, Diamond struggled last season finishing with a 1-5 record in seven starts with a 5.08 ERA. Fortunately, the Twins were able to work out a deal to keep Diamond, and this year he emerged as the leading starter on the Twins’ rotation that had nine pitchers make at least 11 starts. He led all starters with 26 starts, 168 innings pitched, 12 wins and 3.54 ERA.

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With just two games left in the 2012 season, the near-.400 Minnesota Twins need to start thinking about their 2013 campaign.

Once laying claim to the AL’s top-ranked defense, reliable pitching and timely hitting helped the Twins win six American League Central Division Championships from 2002 to 2010.

The 2012 Twins season tried and failed to regain this winning formula.

At the end of the 2012 season, the Twins find themselves in largely the same position that they did at the end of 2011.  Here are some reasons why the the Minnesota Twins have a long climb from the cellar in 2013.

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The Tsuyoshi Nishioka era in Minnesota is over.

The Minnesota Twins announced that the move was requested by the struggling Japanese shortstop, who batted .215, had 50 hits (no home runs) and 19 RBI with two stolen bases.

A much-hyped player before coming to America, Nishioka was a standout for the Chiba Lotte Marines in his home country. From 2003-’10, he hit .293, had 911 hits (55 home runs) and 19 RBI with two stolen bases.

His play did not transfer to the majors, however, and he requested his release yesterday.

Here are a couple takeaways from his career in Minnesota.

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As reported by John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota Twins pitcher Samuel Deduno’s season has come to a close.

Terry Ryan confirms, BTW, Deduno will miss next start, so in all likelihood done for season. #MNTwins

— John Shipley (@johnDshipley) September 29, 2012

It is unfortunate that it has ended following a difficult start against the Yankees on Sept. 26, where the pitcher only lasted 1.2 innings.

After a strong outing on Sept. 10 against Cleveland, he has only pitched eight innings in his final three starts.

During the Sept. 26 start against New York, the Twins dugout noticed that he was flinching every time the ball was thrown back to him. He was diagnosed with eye irritation, and after a long confrontation on the mound, the team forced him to leave the game.

“I couldn’t get his glove open to get the ball even,” said manager Ron Gardenhire after the game. “He kept saying he was fine, but if you just watch with your eyes there, and you see that he’s kinda flinching from balls and that’s not good enough.

“I will never leave a player out there in that situation.”

He had his eyes checked out before the start, but was cleared to play after telling the team doctors he was fine.

Gardenhire says Deduno hoodwinked the team.

“Before the game everything was fine,” said the manager, “he was having no problems and that’s what the kid was telling us and that’s all we’ll go by.”

After going 5-2 with a 3.62 ERA in July and August, Deduno, who originally began the seasons in the minors, went 1-3 with a 6.43 ERA in September.

It wouldn’t be far-fetched to think that the 29-year-old wanted to get everything under control and end the season on a good note, knowing an Opening Day rotation spot was available for him next season.

A spot that is his for the taking if he can just get that crazy fastball under control.

***

Hey I heard you were a wild one/

Oooh/

If I took you home/

It’d be a home run/

Show me what you do

Flo Rida – Wild Ones

***

Deduno is pleasant and soft-spoken off the diamond. Once the takes the mound, however, he’s a wild one.

One night he’s throwing more strikes than Pete Weber. The next he’s issuing more free passes than Groupon.

He’s as predictable as the Minnesota weather in late summer.

The erratic righty from the Dominican Republic made 15 starts, going 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA while throwing slightly more strikeouts (57) than walks (53).

“He has a lot of movement on his pitches,” says catcher Joe Mauer.

“With him I just kinda sit in the middle and aim down. Some will cut and some will sink, but the stuff that’s tougher to catch is probably tougher to hit too.”

Mauer compares him to another pitcher he caught—Mets knuckleballer RA Dickey.

“The ball is kinda all over the place,” he says. “It’s kinda like Dickey.

“It’s kinda unpredictable a little bit.”

His strikeouts and walks are not evenly divided on a nightly basis. Rather, Deduno tends to have one night where he leaves opposing hitters befuddled as they head back to the dugout crestfallen and on others he’s perplexed as they take a slow trot to first.

For example, on Aug. 19 at Seattle he pitched six innings, issued six walks and had two strikeouts. Then on Aug. 29 against Seattle he had seven innings pitched, no walks and nine strikeouts. And on Sept. 10 against Cleveland he pitched seven innings, walked three and struck out six.

 “He fits the mold of an effectively wild pitcher,” continued Doumit. “He’s always going to be like that.

“He’s always going to be a high-walk, high-strikeout kind of guy, but if he can harness it, you don’t see too many pitchers with natural movement like that, and it’s a testament to him.”

The difference between Triple A and the majors comes down to one thing: Sam Deduno has to harness that fastball.

***

No one man should have all that power/
The clocks tickin‘ I just count the hours/
Stop trippin‘ I’m tripping off the power/
Till then, f*ck that the world’s ours

Kanye West – Power

***

To understand Deduno’s fastball, imagine a sorcerer summoning lightning from the sky.

He holds it in between his palms for a moment before unleashing it upon his enemies.

That ball of lighting swells as it is held between the hands of the sorcerer, quivering in every direction while the energy is mustered.

If released at the right time, it will dart in an irregular pattern before disposing of the enemy.

If it is held too long, it will blow up in the sorcerer’s face.

That’s what it must feel like to toss Deduno’s fastball.

“It’s like a screwball,” says Doumit. “It’s funky—that’s the best work I can use to describe it.”

Nobody in the Twins clubhouse has seen anything like it.

“You’ve got to be ready because you don’t know where the play is,” says outfielder Ben Revere. “It’s like, you make that sinker, is it going the other way? Or he might just leave it straight and they’ll pull it so I’m just like, ‘I don’t know.’

“I told Jerry White, my coach, I don’t know where to play him because I don’t know if he’s going to be painting or how his ball’s going to be.”

 “Some will cut and some will sink,” adds Mauer, “but the stuff that’s tougher to catch is probably tougher to hit too.”

On some nights the opposing batters can’t hit him.

“He was buckling some guys over on that side,” said Gardenhire after his Aug. 13 start against Detroit. “That’s not the norm for the Detroit Tigers. They’re a really good hitting baseball team.”

On other nights the opposing batters get hit.

“He’s been throwing the ball pretty decent lately and the last few starts have been good,” said manager Ron Gardenhire following a particularly wild outing on Sept. 15.

“Today, it’s one of those things that was just going everywhere. He threw fastballs, probably 55-footers. Fastballs.”

So, in short, his fastball is always a threat to opposing batters.

But that’s not always a good thing.

He has been working with pitching coach Rick Anderson constantly to help him with control.

“There’s some mechanical things Andy’s talked with him about that have allowed him to get his fastball over the plate more,” says Gardenhire.

“He has great stuff. Now it’s about mastering the strike zone a little better.”

***

Things are getting outta control/
Feels like I’m running out of soul/
You are getting too heavy to hold/
Think I’ll be letting you go

Lupe Fiasco – Letting Go

***

“My mechanics [were] perfect,” said Deduno after a treacherous Sept. 15 outing against Francisco Liriano and the White Sox.

He had thrown 86 pitches. Only 40 were strikes.

Anderson had gone to the mound in the second inning to speak to Deduno.

“He told me, like—it was in my mind…”

His voice breaks. He is visibly upset.

“I tried to do too much.”

Pause.

“I tried to be perfect.”

He pursued complete control of his fastball.

“He said that he was putting too much pressure on himself,” said Gardenhire, “he was getting mad at himself and when you do that you don’t relax and that’s what happens.

“That’s the reason: Everything tenses up and you don’t let the ball go right.”

After that start he faced Detroit and, unlike his Aug. 13 appearance, he struggled. He went 2.1 innings, walked three batters and gave up seven hits.

Sometime after that night he had the eye irritation, but told the team’s medical staff that he was fine and ready for his next start.

He wanted to hold on to that ball once again. With that ball, he could get his season back on track and end the year on a high note.

And that brings us to that Sept. 26 outing. In the second inning Gardenhire went to the mound, asking for the ball.

But it remained in his hand, concealed by a tightly closed glove.

With that ball he does something that cannot be contained and in that moment he couldn’t do what is ultimately in his best interest:

Just let go.

All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Tom Schreier writes a weekly column for TheFanManifesto.com and contributes to Hockey’s Future and Stadium Journey.

Follow @tschreier3

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

In 2012, the Twins most likely will not have the AL MVP, Rookie of the Year, Gold Glove Winner, Cy Young or Relief Man of the Year. Still, the Twins are still in the running for a few official MLB awards.

This article discusses realistic chances of Twins winning official awards and assigns fictional team awards to key players.

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Minnesota Twins pitcher Brian Duensing is in his element as a reliever.

On Saturday, Duensing pitched in relief of starter Sam Deduno, who only went four innings in a 5-3 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

He went 3.1 innings, allowing only one hit and a walk while striking out Alejandro De Aza and Kevin Youkilis.

“I felt real good,” he said. “I felt I was in my own rhythm immediately when I got on the mound.”

He pitched three straight 1-2-3 innings before a difficult eighth inning.

“He really shut it down today,” said manager Ron Gardenhire. “Came in, threw over the plate, used all of his pitches, looked really efficient and relaxed out there.”

“I was very efficient,” echoed Duensing, whose fastball stayed in the low 90s. “Quick innings and all the results were for the most part on the ground and that’s all I can really ask for.”

In the eighth he fanned Youkilis, but gave up a double to Adam Dunn and walked Paul Konerko.

“I felt like Dunn hit a really good pitch,” he said. “With Konerko, I didn’t want him to beat me.”

At that point the Twins were down 4-2 with the heart of the lineup coming up in the latter innings.

“We kinda got back into the game there, I wanted to keep it close,” he continued. “I told myself I’ll keep it close, and if I miss I and if I walk him that’s fine, we’ll have a chance for a double-play ball.

“The walk was kind of an unintentional, intentional walk.”

The double play never came, but relievers Casey Fien and Tyler Robertson got the team out of the inning without giving up a run.

“I’ll take this outing every time,” said Duensing.

He has found his role on this team.

All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Tom Schreier writes a weekly column for TheFanManifesto.com.

Follow @tschreier3

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Minnesota Twins fans don’t have much left to cheer for in the 2012 season, but as always, we can look towards the future. While the team fell far short of the most optimistic expectations, there have been some bright spots and reason for optimism in 2013.

Over the last few weeks of the season, I am going to look back at what went right and what went wrong during the 2012 season and try to provide some hope for Twins’ Territory heading into the offseason.

While it is hard to pinpoint the strongest parts of the Twins’ organization, it is easy to find the weakest link: starting pitching.

Yes, Scott Diamond has been above-average for most of the year and is probably the reason our favorite team will avoid losing 100 games, but beyond him there are some serious issues moving forward.

Issue No. 1: Organizational Depth

It may be hard to remember, but Diamond was option seven or eight for the Twins heading into the season. That wouldn’t be a bad situation to be in as a contending team, but as Diamond has quickly leaped to be our staff “ace,” it shines a light on just how thin starting pitching depth is in the organization as a whole.

The Twins had to reach past option seven or eight all the way to players like PJ Walters and Cole De Vries to fill out the starting rotation. More recently Sam Deduno and Esmerling Vasquez have been called upon as starting options.

While De Vries and Deduno have shown that they are capable of pitching at the major league level, calling these players up from the minors has completely depleted any depth in the lower levels to the point where there are truly no players in  Triple-A or Double-A who could be called up in September.

Issue No. 2: Reduction in Payroll

Whether we like it or not, in 2013 the Twins’ payroll will be going down from 2012 levels. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but the major cost savings will be coming from the starting rotation.

The Twins spent roughly $24 million on starting pitching in the 2012 season, with $15 million of that going to Carl Pavano and Scott Baker, who both are free agents when the season is over. The Twins do hold a $9.25 million team option on Baker’s contract, but are unlikely to pick that up for a pitcher coming off of elbow surgery.

As we all know, the Twins do not like to spend big money on starting pitching. Top-of-the-rotation pitchers like Zach Greinke will command too much money on the open market for the Twins to make an offer. That leaves mid-to-low level pitchers like Jason Marquis in the Twins’ price range to try to fill out the rotation.

As of today, Nick Blackburn is the only starting pitcher the Twins will owe more than $1 million to next season. That definitely will create some flexibility, but also a lack of uncertainty heading into 2013.

Issue No. 3: No “Ace”

As stated earlier, Scott Diamond has easily been the Twins’ best pitcher this season. That, however, does not make him an “ace” pitcher. While there should be no doubt he would be a member of nearly every major league team’s starting rotation, he would be a No. 2 starter at best on a playoff-caliber team.

The same can be said for the rest of the starting pitchers who should be under contract for the Twins heading into the 2013 season. Deduno, De Vries and Liam Hendriks all have shown the ability to get batters out, but not to dominate every time they toe the rubber.

The most intriguing pitcher in the organization is undoubtedly Kyle Gibson. He may be the one pitcher the Twins use in 2013 who has the stuff to be an “ace.” Unfortunately, Gibson is coming off of Tommy John surgery and probably will not be ready to anchor a pitching staff going into the 2013 season.

Outlook

Heading into 2013, the only pitcher who will be in the starting rotation for sure is Scott Diamond. Sam Deduno has done enough to where he will get every opportunity to make the team out of spring training and the same can be said for Liam Hendriks.

While no one can be sure, I would bet the Twins re-sign either Carl Pavano or Scott Baker this offseason to a contract with a lower salary and also try to get lucky with a veteran free-agent pitcher as well.

Cole De Vries and Nick Blackburn will also be competing to make the rotation, with Blackburn also pitching to regain a spot on the 40-man roster this spring, as he was taken off the roster in August.

Minor league players with an outside shot of making the rotation out of spring training should be Kyle Gibson, as long as there are no setbacks in his recovery, and Pedro Hernandez. Hernandez is the 23-year-old lefty that the Twins acquired from the White Sox in the Francisco Liriano trade.

Of course there is the outside chance the Twins surprise us all and sign a top-level free agent or make a trade for a top-of-the-rotation pitcher.

Starting pitching will undoubtedly be the main question mark heading into the 2013 season. There are plenty of opportunities for young players to step up and grab one of the five spots.

If the Twins are to make an improvement in 2013, it will start with better starting pitching. How Terry Ryan and Ron Gardenhire plan to make that improvement remains to be seen.

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A three-strikeout first inning of Friday’s game indicated that Minnesota Twins starter Esmerling Vasquez had figured out his control problems and was going to go deep into the game.

A three-walk fourth revealed that the control problems are still there.

“He just kinda misfired,” said manager Ron Gardenhire after the 6-0 loss.

“He tried to get them to chase some pitches and they laid off some pretty decent pitches, close pitches, but ultimately he ends up walking in a run.”

Vasquez hit Chicago White Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis with a pitch in the first inning, a harbinger for things to come that night.

“He made some pitches,” continued the manager, “got through it.”

The pitcher already has 12 walks and only eight strikeouts in his 14-inning career with the Twins.

A 9-6 record (2.78 ERA) in Rochester, where he had a 98-to-39 K/BB ration, merited a call-up in September, but it’s hard to see him sticking with the team next season.

True, there are still five open spots in the rotation next season and putting the Carl Pavano and Scott Baker situations aside (and assuming Nick Blackburn won’t be back) it’s a rat race to see which pitchers will earn major league starts next season.

Scott Diamond is the most likely candidate to get a spot next season.

His second-half numbers have dropped off a bit (since being ejected in Texas he’s only pitched seven innings one time in three starts), but his early numbers indicate he should have a spot in the rotation for years to come.

For Sam Deduno it’s all about controlling that crazy fastball. If he can keep the walk rate low, that’s a dangerous pitch. If not, he’ll be in Triple-A next season.

Cole De Vries had a string of three straight wins going before snapping a rib in his last start. The local kid is likely to get a long look during spring training next season.

After that it’s hard to tell.

P.J. Walters showed some promise early in the year but got lit up in his last two starts since coming off the disabled list, and Liam Hendriks has yet to earn a win in the major leagues.

That left the door open for Vasquez, but it’s hard to see him stepping through it.

The Dominican pitcher topped 100 pitches in the sixth inning of Friday’s contest and didn’t seem to have any control after the first. Toward the end of his outing, he actually bounced a pitch to Konerko.

Kyle Waldrop replaced him with two outs in the sixth after A.J. Pierzynski hit a single off of him and he walked Dayan Viciedo.

“Today I feel much better,” said Vasquez. “I was more confident in my stuff today and I stayed more aggressive and used more pitches.”

“He used all of his pitches: his breaking ball and his changeup and his fastball and got through six innings.

“That was way better than last time and improvement’s what we’re looking for.”

There certainly has been some improvement, but it’s hard to see Vasquez cracking the Opening Day roster next year.

All quotes were obtained first-hand.

Tom Schreier writes a weekly column for TheFanManifesto.com.

Follow @tschreier3

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com