Friday, August 5, 2005
JULY GRADES - The Hitters
Good morning everybody!
Well, yesterday you read the grades that I gave to the Twins pitchers for July. Today, it is time to grade the hitters. Most of the pitchers did fine, but it was not a good month for the offense. For the month, they combined to hit just .252/.325/.383 with just 112 runs in 28 games.
So, let's take a look at the players and see how they did in the season's fourth month and please feel free to comment, even disagree:
HITTERS
BRENT ABERNATHY
(1 Game, 0-1, .000/.000/.000, 0-2B, 0-HR, 0-RBI, 0/0 SB, 0 BB, 1 K)
Abernathy came back from injury, got one at bat, and then Bret Boone was signed and Abernathy was sent down to Rochester where he has now played a number of new positions. It's really not fair to grade him on his one at bat
July Grade: D+
June Grade: B+
BRET BOONE
(14 Games, 9-53, .170/.241/.170, 0-2B, 0-HR, 3-RBI, 0/0 SB, 4 BB, 13 K)
Sometimes it is important to admit when you're wrong! When it comes to Bret Boone, I was wrong. Well, I wasn't really wrong because we all knew that he was done. But this done? You had to think that he could mix in an extra base hit, maybe a home run or two, a decent on-base percentage. No, Boone was absolutely not good for the Twins. I will continue to say that it was worth the risk assuming the PTBNL is no one of consequence. It just didn't work. At all. And it took just 14 games to realize it!
July Grade: F
MICHAEL CUDDYER
(11 Games, 8-27, .296/.375/.481, 3-2B, 1-3B, 2-RBI, 0/0 SB, 4 BB, 6 K)
Cuddyer was again made to be the scapegoat of the team's lack of offense (along with Morneau). He was benched and became a utility player again. Please be sure to check out Stick and Ball Guy's comments on the situation yesterday. I agree with him completely! His average is decent. He takes walks. And he does get some extra-base hits, even if they haven't been home runs (until the first couple days of August). Yes, he strikes out too much, but there is no doubt he deserves to play every day. See more of my Cuddyer thoughts below.
July Grade: B
June Grade: C+
May Grade: A-
April Grade: D-
JUAN CASTRO
(22 Games, 14-52, .269/.264/.404, 4-2B, 1-HR, 11-RBI, 0/0 SB, 0 BB, 7 K)
The five extra base hits were pretty good. Excellent RBI numbers. I guess I don't know all the rules, but note that his on-base percentage is lower than his batting average. Castro is more aggressive at the plate than even Hunter and Jones. I guess that is good, meaning he'll have at least three chances to put the ball in play. The defense is fine, but when the offense is the problem, Castro needed to be replaced with Jason Bartlett!
July Grade: C-
June Grade: D
May Grade: A-
April Grade: C+
LEW FORD
(23 Games, 13-75, .173/.259/.227, 4-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 2-RBI, 1/1 SB, 6 BB, 11 K)
Ford was at least consistent the first three months of the season. He was putting up steady, though unspectacular, numbers. July was not a good month though for Ford. The batting average was well below .300. He hit for little power, which would be fine if he were leading off or near the bottom of the order, but Gardy did have him hitting between 3 and 6 still. To Ron Gardenhire's credit, he stuck by Ford throughout most of the month. Ford is, and should continue to be a regular. But if we're being honest, it was not a good month for Ford.
July Grade: D-
June Grade: B-
May Grade: B-
April Grade: B
TORII HUNTER
(26 Games, 27-100, .270/.324/.340, 7-2B, 0-HR, 8-RBI, 5/7 SB, 8 BB, 19 K)
After an incredible June, Torii Hunter's offense returned to normal. Average batting average. Decent walk total. Plenty of strikeouts. He went from eight homers to none in the month though. Hunter is what he is, and I am ok with that. Unfortunately, on the last day of the month, Hunter broke his ankle (and who knows what other damage was done) and is likely out for the rest of the season. Not that Hunter should be in the four or five hole of the lineup, but he is important to the team.
July Grade: C+
June Grade: A
May Grade: D
April Grade: A-
JACQUE JONES
(25 Games, 28-95, .295/.374/.579, 7-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 17-RBI, 0/1 SB, 11 BB, 18K)
Who would have expected that Jacque Jones would lead the Twins in walks this far into the season? Certainly not me! 11 walks in a month is excellent for Jones. Sure, 18 strikeouts isn't anything to get excited about, but the six homers in the month are. So are the seven doubles. He led the team in runs, homers, RBI, total bases, Slugging Percentage and OPS. A good month for Jones!
July Grade: A-
June Grade: C
May Grade: D
April Grade: A
MATTHEW LECROY
(13 Games, 9-34, .265/.390/.441, 0-2B, 2-HR, 3-RBI, 0/0 SB, 7 BB, 8 K)
His 7 BB:8 K rate is far better than previous months. Really decent numbers for LeCroy considering the small number of plate appearances. .831 OPS is good. He's incredible against left-handed pitching, and really poor against right-handed pitching (see below). He is good with limited time.
July Grade: B
June Grade: B+
May Grade: D+
April Grade: A-
JOE MAUER
(24 Games, 29-89, .326/.417/.483, 8-2B, 2-HR, 11-RBI, 3/3 SB, 14 BB, 16 K)
After a really tough June, Mauer came back with the type of month that we all hope to see a lot of for the next dozen or so years. Great batting average. Lots of walks! Ten extra basehits. More strikeouts than we would expect, but when you put up these types of numbers, you get a little reprieve. Gardy finally started using him at DH on days when he didn't catch, which is obviously a good thing. Sure, we'd love to see more home runs, but that will come in time.
July Grade: A-
June Grade: C
May Grade: B+
April Grade: A-
JUSTIN MORNEAU
(27 Games, 19-89, .213/.311/.416, 4-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 11-RBI, 0/1 SB, 12 BB, 18 K)
The numbers really don't look that bad. The batting average is poor, but he still walked 12 times and had nine extra base hits. Of course, I think most of those were late in the month. This is a case where the numbers don't exactly say how bad he was last month. He was poor enough that the team really did think about sending him back to Rochester. However, in yesterday's Tribune, there was a bit saying that Paul Molitor told Morneau to look at his 2004 and 2005 numbers combined. It showed that in 163 games, he has hit .262 with 34 homers and 102 RBI. So, put those numbers into perspective, and we can still dream about how much potential Morneau truly has!
July Grade: D-
June Grade: D
May Grade: B
April Grade: A
NICK PUNTO
(24 Games, 20-100, .200/.279/.270, 2-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 3-RBI, 0/3 SB, 11 BB, 17 K)
Look at his numbers again and then realize that this is the guy that Gardy said was better than Michael Cuddyer. I mean, he played in 24 games, and got 100 at bats while posting an OPS of .549. For a slap-type, on-base guy, 17 strikeouts is ridiculous. The 11 walks are good. He does play good defense wherever he plays. We all appreciate his hustle and of course he's still a better option than Rivas.
July Grade: D+
June Grade: INC
May Grade: A-
April Grade: B
MIKE REDMOND
(8 Games, 10-27, .370/.370/.519, 1-2B, 1-HR, 8-RBI, 0 BB, 1 K)
Redmond had a great month. Sure, he had just eight games, but he made the most of them. Lots of hits, and an impressive number of RBI in limited time. Again, this is exactly what you would want from your backup catcher!
July Grade: A
June Grade: D
May Grade: C+
April Grade: B
LUIS RIVAS
(7 Games, 5-16, .313/.353/.563, 2-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 4-RBI, 1/1 SB, 1 BB, 2 K)
Take away two games in Kansas City this month, and his numbers look like this: 0-7 .000/.125/.000 with one RBI. Remember, he went 3-4 with two doubles, a triple and 3 RBI in one game and was 2-5 the next day. But four-plus years of being horrible finally caught up with him when he was the player sent down early in the month. Although he hit well in his second and third games at Rochester, he later went on an 0-21 streak and his average dropped to .167. He is now hitting .208 there. We should never see Luis in a Twins uniform again! (and Twins fans the world over rejoiced!)
July Grade: B+
June Grade: D
May Grade: D-
April Grade: D
LUIS RODRIGUEZ
(19 Games, 13-53, .245/.369/.396, 4-2B, 2-3B, 0-HR, 7-RBI, 1/2 SB, 10 BB, 10 K)
With the signing of Bret Boone, L-Rod was relegated to a more part-time role. The batting average wasn't great, but the other numbers are pretty solid. I love the 1:1 BB:K rate. That is what always kept me intrigued by him in the minor leagues. As you know, I'd love to see him playing 3B full-time right now with Cuddyer moved over to 2B. We'll see.
July Grade: B
June Grade: A
May Grade: B+
MICHAEL RYAN
(12 Games, 5-22, .227/.292/.455, 2-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 2-RBI, 0/1 SB, 2 BB, 4 K)
Mid-month, Michael Ryan had a 2-3 day with a huge two-run homer in a win against the Angels. Since that day, he has been 0-12. Four of those hits came in two games. So, although the numbers don't look good, they're not even that good!
July Grade: C
June Grade: C
SHANNON STEWART
(26 Games, 27-106, .255/.316/.311, 4-2B, 0-HR, 8-RBI, 3/5 SB, 6 BB, 23 K)
What a horrible month for Stewart! A month earlier, we were in agreement with moving him into the 3-spot in the lineup because he was, at the time, the Twins best hitter. Maybe that was the problem, he hit .188/.257/.250 in 32 at bats in that spot. But as he is known as an instigator at the top of the order, a .316 on-base percentage is horrible. Then, he suddenly lost the power that he had shown the previous month. And finally, 23 strikeouts???? How does that happen from such a "professional" hitter?? Of course, I expect him to be better the rest of the season, but it was not a good month for Stewart.
July Grade: D+
June Grade: B+
May Grade: A
April Grade: B-
TERRY TIFFEE
(4 Games, 3-11, .273/.273/.545, 1-2B, 1-3B, 0-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 0 BB, 1 K)
It probably isn't fair to grade Tiffee on just 11 at bats, positive or negative, but it is good to see Tiffee back in the big leagues. After his earlier demotion, he went to AAA and struggled. But he came on and definitely earned his return trip to the Twins. It will be interesting to see how he is used this time around. Likely he will get a spot-start at 3B and do some DHing and PHing.
July Grade: C
June Grade: D-
May Grade: D-
April Grade: B+
So, there are my July Grades for the Minnesota Twins hitters. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts or comments on any of them. Please feel free to agree or disagree and let me know why. Send me an e-mail.
I got the following e-mail from a friend "Nick" yesterday:
Seth,
I have to admit that you’ve changed the way I view Cuddy. I’ve never really liked the guy, but I’ve always known he has the skills to produce. Now, I just have this feeling that we’ll get rid of him and he’ll blow up somewhere else. He’s only 25? When you think about it, he’s the best 2B since Chuck Knoblauch. That’s only if we play him at 2B! I know he hasn’t been around that long, but hasn’t he always kind of been a second half player? I think if we stick with him (which we should) he could be a consistent 25 HR and 90 RBI guy. God, he’s been smashing the ball lately!
He’ll probably end up signing with Boston (David Ortiz) next year and hit 30 HR and drive in 100, and we’ll have Rivas or Punto at 2B. What kind of contract do we have with him?
I responded to his specific questions one-by-one and thought it might be interesting to share that with you:
I have to admit that you’ve changed the way I view Cuddy. - this is part of the reason that I have this site in the first place. I would read the newspaper, or listen to the Twins broadcast, and basically just believe everything that I was hearing/reading. But in the past few years, before I started the site, I really started questioning a lot of what I would read/hear. I guess I’m a person who loves hearing every angle of an argument, pros and cons, and everything in between. However, then I take all of that information and develop my own opinion on the subject. I don’t mean to change anyone’s opinion, just to maybe provide an option that some may not have thought of. I’m certainly not claiming that I’m always right. But there are definitely some things that you read/hear that are not true. Dick Bremer and Bert Blyleven used to always tell us how important Cristian Guzman or Luis Rivas were. Hearing that over and over made me really start questioning what I was hearing. I realized that their jobs was to promote the team and the broadcast. Their job is to reach the common, average fan. To do that, it doesn’t help to bash members of the team, even if they are playing horribly. So anyway, I have just read and heard too much from different forms of media on Cuddyer, and I really think that the Stick and Ball Guy proves that Cuddyer has been just fine offensively this year. I don’t want to change your opinion, but just provide numbers or analysis to maybe make you look at it a little differently.
I’ve never really liked the guy, but I’ve always known he has the skills to produce. Now, I just have this feeling that we’ll get rid of him and he’ll blow up somewhere else - People will tell you that he’s been given a chance. Has he? In 2003, he won the RF job out of spring training. He hit about .230 in April, in about 15-20 games and suddenly was benched. People forget that the team’s batting average at that time was about .250. No one was hitting. Cuddyer got benched and played infrequently. And then he was sent down. He came back up and hurt his hamstring and really was never at 100% the rest of the year. Last year, he played a lot at 2B and a bunch at 3B. He actually played pretty well offensively and defensively. And again, this year, he started out real slow, so that got people thinking he couldn’t handle an every day job. Then as he started hitting, his defense faltered some. I would contend still that he is better suited for 2B, but has the arm for 3B. And I agree. If he goes somewhere else, he will become an absolute offensive stud.
He’s only 25? - actually he turned 26 right before the season started.
When you think about it, he’s the best 2B since Chuck Knoblauch. That’s only if we play him at 2B! - Todd Walker had one good offensive year, and the pitchers all complained about his defense that he was ostracized and eventually sent down before being traded to Colorado. Since then, it’s been Rivas, and well, he’s terrible (he is 0 for his last 21 at Rochester, so his average there is now .167). But yes, I agree, he should play 2B.
I know he hasn’t been around that long, but hasn’t he always kind of been a second half player? – Let’s look at the numbers for the last three years (2002-2004)
Pre-All Star Break – 262 ABs - .240/.310/.401 with 13 doubles, 7 HR
Post-All Star Break – 291 Abs - .275/.350/.467 with 17 doubles, 13 HR
So yeah, his OPS is .106 higher post-Break, which is really significant. An .817 OPS is not great for a 3B by any means, but probably no worse than league average. It would probably be above average for a 2B.
I think if we stick with him (which we should) he could be a consistent 25 HR and 90 RBI guy. – I would be thrilled with that, and those are the types of numbers I was hoping for this season. But when he hit just .205/.275/.288 in April, there wasn’t much chance of that. When Gardy inexplicably decided to make him a role player again, it really hurt the chance. But I see this happening in his future still.
God, he’s been smashing the ball lately! - Since the All-Star Break, he is hitting .324/.385/.735. That’s a 1.120 OPS. Not saying he’d keep up that pace, but I’d take it!
He’ll probably end up signing with Boston (David Ortiz) next year and hit 30 HR and drive in 100, and we’ll have Rivas or Punto at 2B.- That is my fear too!
What kind of contract do we have with him? - He will be eligible for arbitration this offseason. I would guess that he’ll sign for next year for about $750,000, maybe up to $1 million. Then you get three years of arbitration before you even become a free agent.
I also thought it would be interesting to look at the updated lefty-righty splits of Matthew LeCroy:
Going into today…
Vs LHP – 23-72 (.319/.425/.569) 0-2B, 6-HR (now 7), 13-RBI (.995 OPS)
Vs RHP – 18-87 (.207/.289/.333) 2-2B, 3-HR, 11 RBI (.622 OPS)
Small Sample, right? How ‘bout over the past three years (’02-’04)
Vs LHP – 94-311 (.302/.363/.578) 19-2B, 16-HR, 49-RBI (.881 OPS)
Vs RHP – 123-479 (.257/.303/.420) 25-2B, 17-HR, 81-RBI (.723 OPS)
As for yesterday's game, I watched the first three or four innings. Barry Zito was on. He was hitting spots with all three of his pitches and his curveball appears to be back. LeCroy got the Twins first hit, a home run in the 5th inning. He added a single later. Justin Morneau had a single and then an RBI double in the bottom of the 7th that tied the game at two a piece. But, after Kyle Lohse pitched seven quality innings (WOW!), the bullpen imploded. Jesse Crain came in an hit the first batter, Jason Kendall. Crain got an out, but then a wild pitch moved Kendall to 2B. Bobby Crosby then hit an infield single. So, Crain didn't give up much for hits, but still two base runners. And then JC was brought in and of course, he gave up a hit to Eric Chavez to give the A's a lead and allow another inherited runner to score. Afte an intentional walk to Dan Johnson, Juan Rincon was brought in and he got them out of the inning without another run scoring. But then Rincon gave up two runs in the 9th and the Twins lost 5-2.
Here is a question for you that I asked a couple of people yesterday. Is it really all Romero's fault for giving up so many inherited runs? Or, is it Ron Gardenhire's fault for continuing to put Romero into those situations? Sure, it's lefty-lefty, but how often does Romero actually get the job done? Do people not understand that the Angels won a World Series, and this year they again have the best bullpen in baseball, and they have NO left-handers in the bullpen!? I just don't get it!
So, what's next? Well, this rough stretch of the season continues with three games against the Red Sox. The sad part is that the Twins have so many games against the White Sox yet. Uggh!
Here are the pitching matchups for the weekend series against the Boston Red Sox at the Metrodome:
Friday - 7:10 - Brad Radke (6-10 3.88, 1.16, .275) vs Bronson Arroyo (9-6, 4.22, 1.21, .255)
Saturday - 6:10 - Johan Santana (10-6, 3.65, 1.06, .235) vs David Wells (9-5, 4.45, 1.24, .285)
Sunday - 1:10 - Joe Mays (5-6, 4.62, 1.42, .295) vs Tim Wakefield (10-9, 4.23, 1.33, .252)
ROCHESTER REDWINGS
Thursday - REDWINGS 4, Buffalo 1 - Seriously, Francisco Liriano is ready. I am now convinced. Last night, he made another start and improved to 6-1 with a 1.62 ERA. He went seven shutout innings. He gave up one hit and one walk. He also struck out 13. Can you say DOMINANT!? Beau Kemp then struck out two in his inning. Travis Bowyer gave up a run on a hit and a walk in his inning. The offense was led by Jason Tyner who went 4-4 with a double, a triple, and his 16th stolen base. Rob Bowen went 2-3. Brian Buchanan started his first game with Rochester and went 0-4. Luis Rivas went 0-2.
NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS
Thursday - ROCKCATS 7, Portland 1 - The Rockcats scored seven runs in the 7th inning. Eight players had one hit. Gabby Torres hit his first home of the year, a three-run shot. Errol Simonitsch got it figured out again. In 7.1 innings, he gave up a run on seven hits and a walk. He also struck out seven. Matt Yeatman got out of the 8th inning. Pat Neshek pitched a scoreless ninth.
FT MYERS MIRACLE
Thursday - MIRACLE/Sarasota - Rained out.
BELOIT SNAPPERS
Thursday - SNAPPERS 5, West Michigan 2 - Trevor Plouffe hit another home run, his 12th. Jeremy Pickrel hit his 11th. Javi Sanchez went 2-3. Eduardo Morlan picked up his second win. He gave up two runs on three hits and three walks in 5.1 innings. He struck out five. Josh Hill pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless relief. JP Martinez didn't give up a run in 1.1 innings.
ELIZABETHTON TWINS
Thursday - Twins 7, Kingsport 2 - Edward Ovalle went 3-5, and Jilmer Arratia was 3-4 with a double. Juan Portes, Erik Lis and Eli Tintor went 2-5. Tintor knocked his 4th homer of the year. Danny Vais went to 4-0 on the season. He went six two-hit innings. Tim Lahey pitched the final two innings for his 11th save.
GULF COAST TWINS
Thursday - Twins 3, Pirates 8 - Not a good day for the GCL Twins. Greg Yersich went 2-4 with his first home run. But of the five pitchers, only Nathan Crawford did not allow a run.
That's it for today and for this week! Have a great weekend! As always, please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts on the Twins, the minor leagues, or anything you would like to discuss.