TWINS 6/12/02
June 12, 2002
Latest Team Information:
The Twins are concluding their longest home stand of the year with a rematch of the 1991 World Series – Braves vs Twins. The Twins are currently 7-5 on their homestand. Considering how well they had played at home during the first two months of the year, this record is disappointing.
After a month and a half of injuries, the Twins finally have all their position players healthy. 2B Luis Rivas was the last one to come off the DL. Since Rivas has been back, the offense has imporved. The player who seems to have benefited the most from Rivas’ return, is SS Christian Guzman. While Rivas was on the DL, Guzman was not the player he was last year. Hopefully the Twins can stay healthy the rest of the year.
Local Perspective:
One area of disappointment has been in game attendance. With the Twins in first place, there are many who expected the Twins to draw many more fans. There seems to be two factors attributing to this. 1) The Twins have not been host to many winning teams. The Tigers, Royals, Marlins, Angels, just don’t draw like the Yankees and Red Sox. 2) The Metrodome. Take it from someone who has attended many Twins games. The Dome stinks for baseball. The majority of seats force you to turn your body at weird angles and give you terrible sight lines. If the Twins are going to stay ahead of the pack and win the AL Central title, they will need more fan support to get them through the dog days of August.
Rumor Mill:
You can forget about the Twins adding payroll in July. Their payroll is already at $40 million and Pohlad will not allow any more money to be spent. Twins GM Terry Ryan has said that is pleased with the amount of talent at Triple A Edmonton, and will not hesitate to bring up players from their.
Injuries:
With the return of 2B Luis Rivas, the Twins everyday starting lineup is now available. The status of the Twins starting pitchers is not so defined. SP Joe Mays has been out for the past 2 months. He has gotten second opinions, third opinions and fourth opinions on his right arm. Doesn’t seem to me that anyone can give a definite date for his return. If he can come back by July 31, it will be like adding a pitcher through trade. Mays has been unavailable the vast majority of the year, so adding a pitcher who one 17 games last year, would be similar to making a trade. SP Brad Radke is also on the DL for the 2nd time this year. He has a bad groin. Radke wasn’t pitching all that well before his injury, so maybe this will give him some time to pull everything together.
On the Farm:
The Twins have numerous prospects currently playing at Triple A Edmonton.
OF Michael Cuddyer - .333, 11 HR and 22 RBI
OF Micheal Restovich - .301, 11 HR and 43 RBI
OF Jason Ryan - .286, 17 HR and 52 RBI
DH-1B Matthew LeCroy (Now with the Twins) - .393, 9 HR and 32 RBI
First overall draft pick C Joe Mauer is currently batting .286, 2 HR and 29 RBI for Class A Quad City.
Quick View
Add:
OF Jacque Jones - most leagues probably have already picked him up, but if not, grab him. With Rivas now back and batting 9th, Jones’ RBI chances will increase.
SP Kyle Lohse – if you are in a small league, Lohse may not be worth as much as in a large league. He has already won 6 games, and will get you 6 innings and 6 K’s a game. He may also be worth more in Keeper Leagues.
Drop:
SP Joe Mays – I don’t think Mays will contribute to much this year. He has been out about 3 months and nobody knows when he will return.
