Uncustomed Heroes of 2018: Twins

The good news is that the Twins had a good July and a great September. The bad news is the other five months of the season.

The Twins are just this Jekyll and Hyde type of team lately, where one season they'll be fantastic and the next season they'll be terrible. It's honestly just a question of when their big stars are on. Miguel Sano, one of the defining presences of their great 2017 team, was sidelined for a lot of the year, only hitting .199 in his 71 games this year. I doubt Sano's best days are done, but I do think the Twins should be concerned.

 In place of the injured Jason Castro came rookie Mitch Carver into the starting catching position, and he did an admirable job, with only 4 errors, and a .268 batting average. With Castro likely back in the mix for 2019, expect him to make a run at the starting position.

 Thanks to Jorge Polanco's PED suspension and Eduardo Escobar's midseason trade, Ehire Adrianza got a lot of time at shortstop this year, and it's about time, too, as he's been kicking around as a backup infielder since 2013. His defense wasn't perfect, and he was more of a utility presence in place of a more permanent option, but...he could definitely be in the mix next year, even as the team makes a push in the realm of power-hitting.

Robbie Grossman continued to be one of the more low-key DHs in the league, with only 5 homers but a .273 average and 108 hits. Perhaps he'll be a bit more suited to an NL squad, or whoever ends up signing him. Meanwhile, the Minnesota DH in 2019 will either be CJ Cron or Nelson Cruz, which is a major upgrade.

 Willians Astudillo...seems like the right kind of weird for Minneapolis. In 93 at bats, Astudillo only struck out thrice, and had an average of .355. And, I'm not sure if you've seen the viral vid, but this guy can RUN. He's also a valid option at catcher, third base and second base, and will NO DOUBT factor into the Twins' options for 2019. This guy is just too much fun. If Colon doesn't re-sign somewhere, at least we'll have Willians Astudillo.

 In exchange for Brian Dozier, the Twins sent a guy that...honestly had a better second half. Logan Forsythe's at came alive again in Minneapolis, with 46 hits and 14 RBIs in 50 games. Not sure if he's officially back at Rays status, but...he's definitely putting in the effort again.

After fifteen seasons of leading the team, Joe Mauer finally hung up his cleats this year. Mauer is DEFINITELY a hero in Minnesota, and is a surefire Twins HOFer, though his Cooperstown credentials will have to be seriously looked at. Having seen him play once or twice, most recently hiding out on the Twins' AAA affiliate, I respect his style of play, and his sportsmanship, and I am gonna miss him on the Twins.

Coming Tomorrow- A team that lost 100 games, yet is somehow still in the race for Machado.

Baseball Road Trip 2018: Scranton-Wilkes-Barre Rail-Riders (or Yanks for the Memories)

Today was the last stop on my whirlwind baseball tour, which had taken us a week, and cost us countless dollars funneled into collective 50/50 raffles. But we made it out the other side. And we ended the trip with some friendly, familiar territory.

The Scranton-Wilkes Barre Railriders. Or...the Yankee-to-be's.

First of all, not only was this the more impressive of the AAA facilities we attended (narrowly edging out the well-attended-but-homey Toledo Mud Hens), but this was the game where we knew the most players. It didn't entirely have to do with the fact that my dad and I are diehard Yankee fans. No, it's because their adversaries, the Rochester Redwings, were the Twins' AAA affiliates, and that team...ALSO featured some people we'd heard of.

These were our seats...and I think they were the nicest ones of the trip.

Second row, not far along the first base side, with a tantalizing view of the batter's box and visiting dugout, and great view of the stadium, which is, again, a pretty great facility. Obviously they knew that Yankees fans would be in attendance.

The RailRiders had a nice core of Clint Frazier, Tyler Wade, Brandon Drury, Ryan McBroom and Billy McKinney, all of whom had a pretty nice day today. Frazier and McKinney had home runs, as did many of the RailRiders, who had a nice time hitting off of the Rochester starter, making the eventual win even more inevitable.

#43 for Rochester...looked familiar, though. Just in the way he stood in the batter's box. It's like he'd done this sort of thing before. It's like I'd seen him before.

Sure enough, it was Joe Mauer, at the top of a rehab assignment post-concussion, and he was playing for Rochester. He didn't have the best day, striking out a few times, and it may take a bit to get him back to where he was, but...it's still Joe Mauer. He's a Twins legend. And here he is, playing in AAA. We yelled out 'hey, love the way you play', but he was in the zone.

Now, the guy that HEARD us...

was the Rochester catcher. If you're from Philadelphia, which I am (now that I'm done with college that is), you know exactly who this stocky catcher is. Cameron Rupp, who held the backstop for a few years. And he got to launch a home run off of the Riders' ace tonight, which he seemed pretty enthused about. My dad yelled out, cordially, 'we miss you in Philly, Cam'. Rupp turned to us, and nodded, kindly. I bet he misses Philly just as much right now.

The game, though truncated due to a doubleheader, went pretty well. McKinney and Frazier went long, making their return to New York seem inevitable. Their defenders did well, especially Kyle Higashioka behind the plate. The fans were into it, even if there were a ton of Pennsylvania Ps' around. It was, if anything, a quaint, if polished, way of ending the baseball trip. Plus, we ended with a home-team win, which is nice.

So, that's all I have to report. A lot of baseball happened over the last week, and not all of it was good, but it was definitely worth the trip.

All Blocked Up Again

Last year, around this time, I wrote repeatedly about the four-team blockade in the AL Central, where the Royals were the only team who didn't have a winning record, while the Twins, Indians, Royals and White Sox were all clinging together in an effort to compete.

This year isn't as sleek or sexy as that blockade, but there's still some interesting stuff going on.

The top two teams, the Twins and Indians, have even records. 4-4 and 5-5 respectively. Which means both teams are good, but not good enough to have more wins than losses. The Tigers, in third, have one less win than the Twins, and are somehow sort of right in it. The Royals and White Sox are sort of intertwined in there, but without the massive wins.

This isn't AS interesting, but once again, the AL Central teams are here to play, and won't give up. Especially the Twins, who were leading up until the blockades happened.

Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano are so far the ones doing most of the offensive handiwork, with an emphasis on Dozier's homers and Mauer's average. Joe Mauer won an MVP 9 years ago, and despite a position change, he has not let up, and is still a pretty great lineup presence. Hell, even the pitching has improved, as Jose Berrios has Jake Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson on hand who are doing about as well as he is.

It will be tricky to get past the Indians, and escape the blockade, but the Twins do have some really crafty stuff hiding around. It will take some work to get a lot of the lineup up to speed, but this seems like a pretty cool team, one that might be dangerous when underestimated.

Coming Tonight- A power-hitting first baseman for a team that should not, by any means, be in first place, yet definitely is.

The Twins are Back!

The Royals-Twins thing has been pretty fierce over the last month. At one point the Royals were fiercely flinging themselves forward, hoping to take a stab at the Indians...and that's sort of backfired in the last week or so, as they're back in third, as the Twins have had an incredible week, and have managed to reclaim relevance again.

It's kind of odd, as they're basically the exact same team as before the incline, just without Brandon Kintzler and with without Jaime Garcia. In all theory, they should still be on the decline, but the bats have lit up, Joe Mauer and Brian Dozier have returned to dominance, and team that shouldn't have been a great one this year is slowly coming back.

Joe Mauer is a great story, because a lot of people counted him out after he stopped catching, and he's still been hanging on, becoming a great bat at first, and still retaining the leadership position he'd inherited once everybody left around the end of the 2000s. People trust Joe Mauer, because he's won an MVP, he's brought the team back from the depths, and he's still there, doing a pretty nice job. He's not a Hall of Famer, not anymore, but the Twins are probably gonna reserve some part of Target Field for him once he retires.

In terms of this Twins team, I'm not sure if they have it, not only in order to take down the Indians, but even to enter into the ever-shifting AL Wild Card race. Still, they're a sneaky little favorite, and I'd love to see them make a run at it.

Coming Tonight: A lot of people were asking where the Chicago Cubs, the ones that one the World Series, have been earlier this season. Well, they're showing up. This rookie's been helping.

Bad Baseball...and also Joe Mauer

I wanna take a moment and talk about this strategy a ton of teams are using this season, of selling the big guns in order to be terrible NOW...and then get prospects and bulk up for the future. Yes, it helps in the long run, yes it ensures better future organizational depth, but...you're technically losing games intentionally, by not putting the GM effort into the roster.

The Twins are slightly different- they actually had a surprisingly good team in 2015, with a lot of elements working in places they shouldn't have. So, honestly, they weren't planning too hard on implementing said strategy in 2016, just keeping everyone who was working, and not piping in a TON of new blood. And...it wasn't enough, because everyone else in the division improved, and they didn't...actually taking a step backward, in a way. So...by staying neutral in the offseason, the Twins kind of sealed their fate when all the guys they were banking on either stopped hitting or got injured.

The ineptitude in Minnesota has been, for the most part, unintentional, but a lot of teams, like the Braves, Brewers, Reds, Padres and A's, are working on losing games now in order to succeed later, which is definitely working for them, even for every good player that's still there.

Joe Mauer, by the way, is having a nice season, and might be the Twins' lone All Star representative. But I feel bad for him that he's having great years, borderline HOF work, and he's still on the Twins, even as they sink deeper and deeper into the earth. Brian Dozier's like that too- I feel like he deserves better.

Still, hopefully the 'lose now' thing will work for the Twins, and in a decade or so I'll be scoffing about even having this conversation about them.

Coming Tomorrow- In his second year, he's leading his team back to relevancy in a division basically locked up since April.

Uncustomed Heroes of 2015: Twins

Not a whole lot for the Twins fans, but at least we have Joe Mauer, a guy that's been the undisputed anchor of the Minnesota offense for going on ten seasons now. I love what he's done to the Twins, and I hope he keeps delivering offensively, even if his defensively-excellent days are basically over.

Ervin Santana, thanks to a suspension, came to the Twins late in the season, but managed to pick up where he left off in Atlanta, throwing some beautiful stuff worthy of his late-2000's seasons. Not sure if he's staying with the Twins in 2016, but the pitching staff needs an anchor or two.

Coming Tomorrow- The White Sox are building up to a serious competing season in 2016, and here are some of the pieces they used well this year.

Custom Card of the Day: Dozier Edition

In the most inexplicable rise in power since...all the other inexplicable rises in power this season, the Twins, a team that was counted out by basically everybody this season, has shot to second place, behind the unstoppable Royals. I don't know how they've done it, to be honest. The Astros and Mets have had a slowly building crux of a team of late. The Twins, for the most part, are very scattered, don't have a lot together, and are relying a lot on rookies. Yet, somehow, that's working for them.

I don't know what did it. Was it the promotion of Byron Buxton? The return of Torii Hunter? The dismantling of the Tigers by everybody else in the AL Central? Either way, they're on top, and I'm happy about it.

Brian Dozier, as usual, is having a nice season at second, hitting well, playing good defensive ball, doing the same awesome stuff he usually does. i've become convinced that Joe Mauer is phasing out of his 'face of the franchise' role on the team. Sure, he still plays good baseball, but he's not the absolutely elite, MVP-caliber player he was. So, naturally, it's gotta be Brian Dozier now. He's the standard that the other guys look to.

I'm not sure if he's gonna make another Home Run Derby. Last year I think he did because it was in Minneapolis. But still, he's fun, he'll make an All Star team, and he's what the Twins need.

Coming Tonight: Speaking of the All Star Game, the guy that's currently, somehow, leading the shortstop votes.

Custom Card of the Day: Mauer Edition

Kurt Suzuki has every right to be disappointed about the fan reaction to him in Minnesota. Though, to be honest, whoever has to follow Joe Mauer as the day-to-day backstop the season he switches to first is just asking to be called a disappointment himself.

For a good 10, 9ish seasons, Joe Mauer was one of the best catchers in baseball. He hit well, he played like a champ, he racked up gold gloves and MVPs, and he became a household name in baseball. Hell, he made the cover of an MLB The Show. That's a definite milestone.

Now, after becoming the first baseman, he may be a little shaky, but he's still Joe Mauer. His sheer presence on the field is getting people to Twins games this year, and that says something.

I'm just happy he's having a decent season so far, because he's a great player that deserves good seasons.

Coming Tonight: A Reds Pitcher that is playing well.

Custom Card of the Day: Mauer Edition

Man, that was a nice April, wasn't it? Sure, there was a bombing, two Philly-less playoffs, and a crappy Tom Cruise movie, but for the most part it was a very nice way to kick off the 2013 season. I'm gonna start doing these monthly check-ins because the chaos is fresh right after it happens, rather than 12 months after.

So, what are five incredibly surprising things that happened in baseball this month?
 1. The Red Sox are ahead of the AL East. Everybody thought if the Yankees were gonna be 'out of it', the Rays or the Orioles or the Blue Jays would speed ahead and collect the title. The Red Sox have gotten off to a surprising start, with powerful performances by Mike Napoli, David Ortiz, and Jackie Bradley. And for once I'm not cursing my luck.
2. The Phillies dropped like a brick. I mean, okay, maybe it was obvious that the Phillies weren't going to be as good as their best years, but DAMN. They fell hard! All the new players aren't performing, all the old ones are getting old, everything's falling apart and nobody's hitting. But as the rich get poorer, the poor get richer.
3. The Cardinals' Pitching. I don't think anybody saw this coming. Westbrook, Lynn, Wainwright, and to a lesser extent Garcia, have been pitching up a storm for St. Louis. And it's definitely working, since they're currently atop their division, the batting not even doing too much. Especially Westbrook, who hasn't had a great season since his days with Cleveland, finally getting hot early.
4. First place Rockies. This may not be legit for the long run, but hot damn I'm enjoying it now. The best part about the Rockies' sudden incline is that the power is coming from people like Michael Cuddyer, Dexter Fowler, Rafael Betancourt, Jorge De La Rosa, and all these people that weren't performing well last season. I love that everything's coming together for Colorado, and I don't care how long it lasts.
5. Yankees hit off the bench. Vernon Wells, Travis Hafner, Jayson Nix, Lyle Overbay. All four of them are hitting very well for the Yankees off the bench. Wells alone has been a major surprise, cranking out homers right and left. And it's surprising because everybody counted us out. And here we are hitting. It's awesome.

And, here are five things that didn't surprise me at all.
1. Brian Roberts was on the disabled list within two weeks of the season starting. Never change, BriRo. Never change.
2. Justin Upton has been hitting well. Yeah, we all kinda saw that one coming once he moved to the Braves.
3. John Lackey managed to get himself injured very early. Saw that one coming a mile away. Whatever happened to the John Lackey that pitched well for Anaheim?
4. Last place Marlins and last place Astros. Well...yeah.
5. An Indians team that looked so good from the getgo and was very stacked, still managed to underwhelm everybody and fall flat on its face. And then beat the Phillies. Seen it before.

And, five things I want to happen in May:
1. Granderson to come off the DL and start hitting like crazy again.
2. Matt Moore to just chill down a little bit.
3. The Dodgers to start getting good again.
4. The Royals to stay exactly where they are.
5. Justin Verlander to be as hot as Anibal Sanchez and Rick Porcello are.

So, that's it. I chose Joe Mauer as my way to announce that May better be good.

Coming Tomorrow- Dunno if I'll get to tomorrow's or Saturday's, but expect a newly made Tiger.

Custom Card of the Day: Mauer Edition



Not much else needs to be said. This is an awesome card, and it speaks in its own words.

Also, Joe Mauer's awesome. Even if he isn't what he was back in the 2000's. So there.

Coming Tomorrow- someone I can write more than 3 sentences about.

Year by Year Customs: 1971

I realize that the headliner barely got any playing time, and the one guy here who made the playoffs stunk the joint. In all fairness, they're all still good customs.

Coming Tomorrow- Psychadelic Tombstones, and a few decent stars.

The Long Delayed Return of Custom Cards

I think I finally got the old look right...I brightened the photo a little bit, and it looks a little older.
Also, Joe really deserved a custom after all this time.

I am back in the Custom Game, finally, and I'll be cranking out some more, soon.