Update: Twins traded for Carl Pavano and FINALLY optioned R.A. Dickey to Rochester. Cool, just get rid of Dickey.
My feathers weren’t really ruffled when the Twins lost two out of three against the Cleveland Indians, because in all honesty, the Twins simply do not deserve to win the division. Not when they trot out a few of baseball’s worst hitters and a couple of baseball’s worst pitchers on a nightly basis.
(If you aren’t familiar with the Cleveland Indians, they are a minor league affiliate for both the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Red Sox.)
So, as is likely to happen when a team attempts to push forward with only 18 Major League caliber players on a 25-man roster, the Twins were bitten by karma in Cleveland.
Here’s where I start to sizzle…
Check out the post-game comments by Alexi Casilla and Mike Redmond — the two men responsible for killing a potential 2nd-inning rally. The Twins had runners on 2nd and 3rd with nobody out, and the Indians played the infield back for Redmond, who lined softly to second. Casilla followed by taking two strikes and flailing at a third.
Fire up the excuse computer.
“I did the best I could,” Redmond said. “That’s a tough draw for a backup player. That guy’s nasty. I haven’t hit a ball out of the infield off him yet. That’s the way it goes. Righties hit .170 off him, and lefties hit about .370 off him.”
Thanks, Red. Your at bat (and season performance) was bad enough. Keep making excuses and we’ll put a phone call into Jose Morales. I’m guessing he’s not busy. Good thing the front office likely doesn’t have the heart to release you.
What about Casilla?
“The first pitch — that wasn’t a strike, it was off the plate,” Casilla said. “That’s why on the last pitch, when he struck me out, I swung because if I don’t swing, he’s going to call a strike. I was trying to put in play, but it didn’t happen.”
Actually, Alexi, do you know why you struck out? It has nothing to do with the umpire. You struck out because you are an undisciplined, immature, bad hitter. Your contact % is at an all-time personal low, you don’t play quality defense, and have ZERO passion.
Two quality at bats by two of the ABSOLUTE WORST HITTERS IN ALL OF BASEBALL. And both of them sit in the clubhouse and deflect blame. Shame on them.
And shame on Ron Gardenhire as well as the front office for sitting on their hands and allowing this to happen every night. We’re to the point where it’s not Redmond’s fault he’s bad. It’s not Casilla’s fault he’s bad. Just ask them both.
Instead, it’s Gardy and the front office’s fault for allowing these guys to gather playing time while suitable replacements toil on the bench or at AAA.
Casilla = .229 wOBA, which is almost impossible, and Redmond = .277 wOBA… To put it in perspective, among players who qualify, Willy Taveras is baseball’s worst hitter, posting a .263 wOBa. Mauer is 2nd in baseball with a .432 wOBA.
You can also lump Delmon Young (.273 wOBA), Nick Punto (.268 wOBA), and Matt Tolbert (.241 wOBA) into the category of punchless (dare I say, worthless?) hitters the Twins have trotted out regularly at one point or another. Or all the time, in Punto’s case.
Unfortunately, based on track records, age, and common sense, it’s difficult to believe any of the aforementioned hitters — even if they improve drastically — can post anywhere near Major League average offensive numbers.
Trading for Orlando Cabrera was fine. He’s obviously on fire, and he’s a clear upgrade over Punto and Casilla. But when Gardenhire plays Cabrera ALONGSIDE Punto and Casilla instead of IN PLACE of them, it completely negates any positive value Cabrera may have.
Who is the odd man out? The Twins’ best middle infield bat — Brendan Harris. And even he is having a poor season offensively, but his .293 wOBA looks like Stan Musial compared to Punto, Casilla, etc.
Why doesn’t Gardy play Harris? Because the Twins believe Harris is incapable of playing second base, mostly because A.) Harris is uncomfortable over there (?), and B.) he’s not good at turning double plays.
1.) Man up and get comfortable.
2.) He’s not as bad at turning double plays as people think, AND any deficiency a player may have in turning double plays doesn’t even come close to matching Harris’ potential offensive upgrade.
For proof, I direct you to the 5th column from the right, Double Play Runs. In 809 innings at 2B since 2007, Harris is exactly league average at turning double plays (although he has been slightly below average in 2008 and 2009 after posting a solid 2007 number).
Just for argument’s sake, let’s say instead of average, he’s 1 run below average in 400 innings. That translates to 2 runs below average in 800 innings (again, he’s probably not that bad… I’m just saying).
In 930 innings this season, Dan Uggla is the most rigid turner of double plays at 2.4 runs below average. Luis Castillo, believe it or not, is right behind him at 2.1 runs below average.
Funny…
The best double play turner in baseball this season is Ian Kinsler, who is 1.5 runs above average.
So, as you can see, even if Harris is the worst double play turner in all of baseball, he’ll only cost his team a handful of runs AT WORST.
Moral of the story: Harris is by far the Twins’ best offensive option at second base. His range isn’t great, we know. But if the Twins are sitting him because of his inability to turn double plays, they are INCREDIBLY mistaken.