Minnesota Twins Mid-Season Report

Record: 44-48
Standings: 3rd place – 7 games behind KC Royals

Note: Most of this article was written before the Kielty/Stewart trade

First-Half Overview
The Twins first-half can be discribed as dreadful!! Every aspect of the team fell way below expectations. Hitting, Pitching, and Fielding all were below the standards set during the 2002 season. The Twins came into 2003 the overwhelming favorites to repeat as Central Division Champions. But right from the start, the KC Royals took hold of the division and seem to have it well in hand. After falling 8 games behing the Royals after the first month and a half, the Twins came on strong and actually had a 5 game lead heading into early June. But then the teflon ceiling came crashing down. June was a terrible month for the Twins, and July is starting out even worse. In the last 12 games before the All-Star break, the Twins had a 1-11 record. That not only allowed the Royals to cushion their lead, but also allowed the Chicago White Sox to move ahead of the Twins into second place. If things don’t turn around in a hurry, the 2003 season my go down as the most disappointing season in their history.

Individual Performances
C-AJ Pierzynski - .297 AVG, 29 Runs, 9 HR, 48 RBI

Pierzynski had a very successful 2002 season, and so far, has backed it up with an even better 2003 first-half. Pierzynski has already hit a career high in HR and will also set a new mark in RBI’s shortly. Pierzynski started the year hitting 7th or 8th in the lineup, but in the week before the All-Star game, moved up to 5th. If Pierzynksi stays in that spot, his RBI chances should go up.

1b-Doug Mientkiewicz - .296 AVG, 36 Runs, 7 HR, 35 RBI

Mientkiewicz will never be the protypical power hitting first baseman. What he can do is hit .300 and play great defense. With the pressure of Justin Morneau backing him up, Mientkiewicz is having a solid season. Mientkiewicz is also about the only Twins player who comes through in clutch situations. As you’ll see, many Twins regualars have averages in the .290 range, but most have not come through with runners in scoring position.

2b-Luis Rivas - .269, 30 Runs, 1 HR, 18 RBI, 8 SB

Rivas has started to perform better the past 20 games. Still his numbers are way below his potential. Rivas has tremendous speed and can hit with some power, but hasn’t shown much progress in the past year and a half. Rivas has been in the doghouse this year as well. Many in the Twins organization question his passion for the game and his willingness to learn and improve his game. Rivas is still young, but the Twins are keeping their eyes open for an upgrade at this position.

SS-Cristian Guzman - .257 AVG, 46 Runs, 0 HR, 21 RBI, 7 SB

Guzman is the biggest disappointment of all the positional players. No one has more ability on the Twins than Guzman. But Guzman has the type of attitude where he feels his talent is good enough. Well, the Twins organization is getting fed up with his attitude. Guzman was benched the last 3 games before the All-Star break, and who knows how he will respond. Along with upgrading 2nd base, the Twins are also keeping their eyes open for a more consistent shortstop.

3b-Corey Koskie - .298 AVG, 48 Runs, 14 HR, 55 RBI, 7 SB

Many Twins insiders felt that Koskie should have been the Twins All-Star game representative. Koskie got off to a slow start, but hit over .400 during June to boost all his numbers. Koskie is a key to the Twins offensive success. During the final series in Anaheim, before the All-Star break, Koskie injured his back. The Twins are hoping that the 3 days off will be enough, but there has been talk of him going on the DL. If you have Koskie on your fantasy team, watch his status closely.

LF-Jacque Jones – .300 AVG, 46 Runs, 10 HR, 35 RBI, 6 SB

Jones has spent the last 2 weeks on the DL with a groin injury. In his absence, Bobby Kielty has taken over the lead-off duties. Jones was having a solid year before his injury. How he comes back from it will also be a key to how the Twins will fare in the second-half.

CF-Torii Hunter - .252 AVG, 44 Runs, 14 HR. 57 RBI, 4 SB

Hunter’s RBI total may lead the Twins, but his poor production with men in scoring position is a key factor in the Twins inability to score runs. Hunter may be a great talent, but on a team devoid of right-handed power, Hunter needs to start maturing as a hitter and produce in the clutch. He can rob HR after HR on defense, but if he keeps grounding out to the SS with runners on second and third and one out, he has failed to help the team.

RF-Shannon Stewart – newly acquired for OF Bobby Kielty

Personally, not to thrilled with this trade. Stewart makes a ton of money, and the Twins are already loaded with OF. If the Twins were going to trade Kielty, I would of preferred them to trade him for pitching. We will just have to see how this works out.

RF/LF-Dustan Mohr - .272 AVG, 35 Runs, 8 HR, 23 RBI

When Jones went on the DL, Mohr moved from RF to LF. Mohr will never be an everyday starting OF, but he is a very serviceable 4th OF. Depending on how Jones’s groin feels, Mohr may see his playing time cut significantly in the second-half of the season.

DH/C-Matthew LeCroy - .299 AVG, 17 Runs, 9 HR, 31 RBI

LeCroy was most affected by the Twins promotion of Justin Morneau. Morneau became the primary DH and LeCroy saw action only 1 or 2 times a week. However, Morneau has been stuggling lately and the Twins also released back-up catcher Tom Prince, which both will provide for more playing time for LeCroy. A big bonus for fantasy owners is that LeCroy will become eligible at C in the near future. When he does, will be an upgrade for your team in that area.

DH-Justin Morneau - .240 AVG, 8 Runs, 3 HR, 11 RBI

Morneau was one of the most anticipated call-ups in recent Twins memory. All Twins fans kept hearing about this power hitting 1b in the minors and couldn’t wait to see him in a Twins uniform. Well, when it finally happened, Morneau was considered the savior of the Twins offense. But Morneau has struggled in his first chance in the Majors. Teams are throwing him tons of breaking balls and high and away fastballs. Once Morneau gets more experience and makes adjustments, he should be fine.

Pitchers

SP-Brad Radke – 5 Wins, 68 K’s, 5.49 ERA, 1.37 WHIP

The so called Ace of the Twins staff has pitched like a 30 year old still in rookie ball. Radke has been OK on the road, but terrible at home. If he wasn’t making so much money, he would be in the pen or Triple A by now. Don’t expect a rebound in the second half, just more of the same terrible numbers.

SP-Rick Reed – 4 Wins, 46 K’s, 5.03 ERA, 1.37 WHIP

Another worthless starting pitcher. Sorry for all the negativity, but when you watch the Twins game after game get behind 4-5 nothing after 2 innings, you start to get ticked off. Reed was a good pitcher for the Twins in 2002, but has gotten rocked in 2003. This will more than likely be Reed’s last season in Minnesota, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him traded if the Twins fall much farther behind the Royals.

SP-Joe Mays – 8 Wins, 38 K’s, 6.50 ERA, 1.48 WHIP

Mays has recently been demoted to the bullpen. His numbers are just awful. Enough said.

SP-Kenny Rogers – 7 Wins, 4.89 ERA, 1.47 WHIP

Rogers has been the Twins most consistent starter. His main problem has been big innings. When he gives up runs, they aren’t 1 or 2 at a time, it is like 5, 6, or 7 runs at a crack. Rogers is a key pitcher in the second half. He needs to pick up 8 or 9 wins and have an ERA of 3.00 for the Twins to make up ground.

SP-Kyle Lohse – 6 Wins, 89 K’s, 4.78 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Lohse was the best Twins starter the first two months of the year. However, his last 6 starts have been brutal. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the second-half. It could be a big indicator in how successful a major league pitcher he will be.

SP/RP- Johan Santana – 4 Wins, 81 K’s, 3.00 ERA, 1.13 WHIP

Santana is the best pitcher on the Twins roster. He has taken over Joe Mays’ spot in the rotation and could be the guy who carries the Twins to a great second half. Santana has the stuff to be an Ace, so watch him closely. Keeper leagues must grab this guy now if possible.

RP-Juan Rincon – 1 Win, 31 K’s, 3.12 ERA, 1.27 WHIP

Rincon was brought up in May and has performed very well. Used primarily in long relief, Rincon has impressed many Twins observers.

RP-JC Romero – 2 Wins, 29 K’s, 5.20 ERA, 1.79

It looks as if 2002 was a dream season for Romero. His numbers this year are similar to his years prior to 2002. He also isn’t winning over any Twins coaches as he has not listened to anything pitching coach Rick Anderson or Manager Ron Gardenhire have told him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him demoted to Triple A just to shack him up.

RP-LaTroy Hawkins – 5 Wins, 53 K’s, 2.56 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, 13 Holds

Hawkins and Eddie Guardado have spoken out on wanting new contracts before next season (both will be free agents). The Twins have said no contract talks during the season. After watching Hawkins make free money his first 4 or 5 seasons with the Twins (as a starting pitcher who was AWFUL), he should be happy he is still in the Majors. However, he has been a key member of the bullpen the past 2 years. With the Twins strapped for cash, look for Hawkins to be somewhere else next year.

RP-Eddie Guardado – 1 Win, 32 K’s, 3.75 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 20 Saves

Guardado has been on 20 saves for over 2 weeks. Granted the Twins haven’t had many leads for him, but when they have, he has blown them. Guardado can be a free agent at the end of the year, and with him wanting closer money (which he doesn’t deserve), he more than likely will be wearing a different uniform next year.

Second-Half Prediction
As you may have realized from this article, I’m not real pleased with the team this year. They just don’t seem to be even close to the team they were last year. With that in mind, I predict the Twins will finish 3rd in the division, and will make significant changes during this second-half of the season and/or in the off-season.