Minnesota Twins Daily Clips

Friday, October 16, 2015

 Twinsights: Brian Dozier’s hip passes MRI scrutiny. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 1  Should we read into Pohlad’s latest comment on long-term contracts?. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 1  Mackey: Imagine if Minnesota teams had an ‘Oops Bin’ like LA does. 1500espn.com (Wetmore) p. 3  Twins’ Wade A Surprise Sensation. Baseball America (Miller) p. 4  As Mets continue playoff push, morale-booster Michael Cuddyer has kept clubhouse upbeat and loose. New York Daily News (Hamill)

Twinsights: Brian Dozier’s hip passes MRI scrutiny

Mike Berardino | Pioneer Press | October 15, 2015 Brian Dozier got some good news after a rough second half. A recent magnetic resonance imaging exam on the all-star second baseman’s hip showed no structural damage, according to a person with direct knowledge. Surgery will not be required. Twins general manager Terry Ryan revealed Dozier’s MRI plans last week during his season-ending media session. Ryan said the tests on Dozier’s hip were simply to “make sure everything was in order.” After posting a combined on-base slugging percentage of .841 before the all-star break, Dozier slumped to a .639 OPS in 69 games thereafter. His on-base percentage dropped from .328 to .280 and his slugging percentage plummeted from .513 to .359. That included a .565 OPS after Sept. 1, when he hit just .197 with a .270 on-base percentage in 30 games. Dozier still managed to lead the Twins with 3.4 Wins Above Replacement, as measured by Fangraphs.com. That was down notably from the 4.7 fWAR he posted in a breakout 2014 season, but Dozier still ranked fifth among all qualifying second basemen in the American League while missing just five games.

Should we read into Pohlad’s latest comment on long-term contracts?

Derek Wetmore | 1500espn.com | October 15, 2015 Sometimes a professional athlete says something he or she shouldn't have said, and it gets that athlete in trouble with the boss. That can happen at any level in a pro sports organization. But when a team owner says something? Except for very rare cases, nobody can get mad at the person who owns the team. So file these comments away as nothing more than interesting. It may not be worth reading between the lines too much, but the comments at least should be noted. Twins owner Jim Pohlad spoke to the Star Tribune, and La Velle Nealpublished a Q&A addressing a range of topics. One in particular stood out to me: payroll. Here's what Pohlad said when asked about the subject, according to Neal: "Everyone brings payroll up because everyone wants to talk about it. But we're willing to do whatever it takes. I will tell you that I'm not a huge fan of long-term contracts. It's having to commit for so many years and there's really only downside to the club. There's hardly any instances where it has been upside, across baseball." That last part especially is interesting for a team owner that has said he wants to see his team take the next step and get to the postseason. There's such an immediate contradiction between not being a fan of long-term contracts and being willing to do "whatever it takes." Instead of harping on that contradiction, let's move past it and start granting the benefit of the doubt. Perhaps Pohlad is willing this winter to push the payroll beyond the club record $113 million to begin the 2011 season. Perhaps whether or not he's a fan of long-term deals, he'd be willing to let general manager Terry Ryan do one if it was seen as necessary -- after all, he's signed off on big-money deals in the past. Maybe the team owner would be curious about the kind of front-loaded contract that would pay a player a higher average annual value in exchange for a shorter contract. Maybe it wasn't intended as one, but that could also read as a criticism of how some of the team's current lengthy deals have worked out. Or honestly, it could have just been something Pohlad said during a press interview that might not have any bearing on the team's immediate outlook. -- Current long-term contracts for the Twins: Player Years $$ Until 8 $184 million 2018

Joe Mauer Ervin Santana 4 $55 million 2018 Ricky Nolasco 4 $49 million 2017 5 $58 million 2019

Phil Hughes 4 $22.175 million 2017

Glen Perkins 4 $20 million 2018

Brian Dozier Source: Baseball Prospectus -- It's still too early to know whether Santana's or Hughes' deals will look good for the Twins. If you're being very generous, the jury's still out on Nolasco's. But except for Perkins and Dozier, it's hard to see any of these deals looking great on the books by the time they get to the end of them. It's also hard to imagine in-demand free agents -- David Price, Johnny Cueto, Zach Greinke, Jordan Zimmerman, Matt Wieters and others -- signing short-term contracts this winter. Personally, I didn't read that comment from Pohlad as a hard and fast decree that the Twins won't extend any more long-term contract offers. Still, it caught my attention. In the essence of completeness, I'd also like to include another quote from Neal's story, which underscores the idea that the Pohlads have tossed Ryan the keys to the baseball operation and asked him to drive it. On how the team takes the next step: "I think we just continue to encourage Terry to do whatever he thinks it takes to take that next step. ... It's not a situation where we sit around and give input. Terry pretty much knows what he wants to do." Ryan, Pohlad and the Twins definitely have an interesting winter in front of them.

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Mackey: Imagine if Minnesota teams had an ‘Oops Bin’ like LA does

Phil Mackey | 1500espn.com | October 15, 2015 I've never fully understood the obsession with payroll among baseball fans in Minnesota, mostly because the pecking order seems pretty cut- and-dry in a non-salary cap league: The largest markets with the most lucrative local TV deals will have the most chips at the poker table. Then the mid-markets with semi-lucrative TV deals. Then soup kitchens. Then Tampa Bay and Oakland. Yes, newer stadiums do tend to provide revenue boosts - especially during the honeymoon periods - but nothing compared to inherently having millions more people in a given market. It's the reality of an uncapped league - teams in Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Boston, New York, Chicago and Philadelphia are almost always going to have the most resources. The rest of the league needs to find more creative ways to win regularly. And THAT'S what the focus should be on here in Minnesota - pushing the Twins to be more creative. For what it's worth, Jim Pohlad did tell the Star Tribune this week that he's willing to push the payroll even higher than $108 million the Twins spent in 2015, which will mostly help cover the cost of arbitration raises. But on the subject of payroll, two things struck me while watching the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLDS. 1.) They spent a historic $283 million on player salaries in 2015, which is a ridiculous number that even the Yankees ($219 million) applaud with envy. 2.) Roughly 1/3 of that money was spent on players the Dodgers aren't using or are no longer employing. The following players are cashing Dodgers-issued checks to either sit at home, wear another team's uniform, or (mostly) ride the bench: Brian Wilson ($9.5 million), Matt Kemp ($18m), Dan Haren ($10m), Chase Utley ($4m), Bronson Arroyo ($9.5m), Alex Guerrero ($6.5m), Chad Billingsley ($3m), Dee Gordon ($2.5m), Erisbel Arruebarrena ($4.5m) and Ryan Webb ($2.7 million). So, basically, the Dodgers have a $200 million payroll AND an "Oops Bin" of nearly $80 million. They're able to take the contents of that Oops Bin and flush it down the toilet without looking back. THAT'S the most underrated luxury of having the highest payroll in baseball - a luxury teams like the Twins don't have. Ricky Nolasco and Joe Mauer take up 1/3 of the team's payroll. If they played for the Dodgers, head of baseball ops Andrew Friedman would simply move them to the Oops Bin and find new players who are more productive. So... What if we created an Oops Bin for Minnesota contracts? Who would we place in that bin? Off the top of my head, here are a few possibilities... Nolasco: Two years, $25 million left. When he hasn't been hurt he's been mostly terrible, and the Twins have plenty of mid- and/or bottom-of- the-rotation-type pitchers who deserve a chance on the 25-man roster.

Mauer: Three years, $69 million left. Honest question: If you had to pick just two out of these three players to be in the every-day starting lineup, who would you choose? Miguel Sano, Trevor Plouffe and Mauer... And remember, it's possible the Twins might have to make that choice this offseason or next spring.

Jason Pominville: Four years, $22.4 million left, and his production, at nearly age 33, took a downturn last season.

Niklas Backstrom: $3.4 million this year. To do... what exactly?

Nikola Pekovic: Three years, $35.8 million left. He never plays, and the Wolves already have plenty of depth up front without him.

Blair Walsh: $3.75 million guaranteed for a kicker who has dropped off the face of the earth, although it might be too early to write him off entirely. Walsh was, after all, one of the best kickers in the NFL as recently as a couple years ago.

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Twins’ Wade A Surprise Sensation

Phil Miller | Baseball America | October 15, 2015

MINNEAPOLIS—The draft is a game, that includes some guesswork after the first few rounds, so there’s no shame when a draft pick doesn’t work out the way scouts thought. And the Twins admit: They were wrong about LaMonte Wade. “I wasn’t sure he could play center field, and didn’t think he’d show much power,” said Mike Radcliff, the Twins’ vice president for player personnel. “But LaMonte has outplayed his stock a little bit, no question. You love kids like this.”

Drafted in the ninth round after his junior year at Maryland, the 21-year-old outfielder settled into the third spot in Rookie-level Elizabethton’s lineup, and provided steady offense all season long. He hit eight doubles, five triples and nine home runs—more power than the Twins expected—while posting a .312/.428/.506 average in 231 at-bats. “He’s a gap-power guy, but if he pulls it, it can get out,” Radcliff said. He also successfully stole 12 bases in 13 tries. The reasons for his success quickly became clear, Radcliff said. “He’s got a direct, short (left-handed) stroke, just a natural swing. He hits the ball hard,” he said. “And he’s as focused a kid as you can find. He’s a great effort guy, very intense.” A converted first baseman, he’s also impressed with his skills in the outfield. Wade’s speed was rated as average at best, but “he’s got great instincts. He takes really good routes,” Radcliff said, “so it doesn’t matter that he doesn’t have blazing speed. Again, his focus really helps him. He doesn’t look like a typical center fielder, but he makes it work.” So well, in fact, that the Twins promoted Wade to low Class A Cedar Rapids for the season’s final week and playoffs, and he played a significant role in helping the Kernels reach the championship round. TWIN KILLINGS • Outfielder Max Kepler had three hits in the Double-A Southern League championship round, but all three were home runs. Amid the Chattanooga Lookouts’ victory celebration, Kepler, named league MVP for his .322/.416/.531 season and 54 extra-base hits, was informed he’d been called up to the Twins for the season’s final two weeks. • Lefthander Tyler Jay, the sixth overall pick last June, finished his first season by allowing just five hits and one run in his final 10 innings for high Class A Fort Myers, striking out 13. The Twins kept Jay in the bullpen to reduce his innings.

As Mets continue playoff push, morale-booster Michael Cuddyer has kept clubhouse upbeat and loose

Brian Hamill | New York Daily News | October 15, 2015

In this season, when the New York Mets seem blessed by the baseball gods, the player who has become their spiritual clubhouse leader is Michael Cuddyer.

Make no mistake, Cuddyer's good buddy David Wright, who grew up in the same Virginia town, is still the captain of the New York Mets on and off the field.

But the guy who stepped into the morale booster role when Wright was injured and off in rehab was Cuddyer.

The veteran outfielder has been injured himself of late, suffering from tendonitis. But after every Mets game Cuddyer sets the clubhouse mood.

Even manager Terry Collins sometimes joins in.

"When we win, like that amazing game last week where we came from way behind the Nationals to win, I assemble all the guys right after the game," Cuddyer said. "Then I give out the award for the player of the game."

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He says the award is not always the guy with the most hits, or RBIs.

"Usually it's for the guy who turned the tide of the game or who really made a difference," Cuddyer said. "I used to do it with game balls, like back in Little League. But then Kevin Plawecki picked up a championship wrestling belt somewhere that I give out now after each game. If you win it more than once you put notches under your name."

Who got the belt after handing the Nats that crushing defeat in game two of their recent series?

"Kirk Nieuwenhuis," said Cuddyer. "He pinch hit that huge homer. It's important for us to have these moments together as a team. A time to do something not for stats, or arbitration or money. These little award sessions are a time when jaded pros and rookies still cheer for each other and do something together for the pure love of the game of baseball like when we were kids."

When the Mets lose a game, Cuddyer is also the guy who assembles the team to boost spirits. "Losing is part of the game," he said. "But I remind the guys, especially the young players, that tomorrow we have nine new innings to play better baseball. But that we can't win tomorrow if we bring tonight's loss to the field."

Cuddyer said when he was a kid he learned a lot of card tricks and amateur magic illusions.

"I do those tricks in the clubhouse," Cuddyer said. "It's a great way to break the ice with new guys. When a team of guys play together for 162 games across 200 hot summer days sometimes you can get on each other's nerves. You get tired. Grouchy. If you're losing as we did in a few rough patches, you need to lighten the mood. I am forever reminding guys that it's a privilege for us to be playing this beautiful kids' game as grown-ups. And to get paid for it. So let's all have us some fun while it lasts."

Although he's clearly guided by an inner-child, Cuddyer learned an adult lesson from the great Harmon Killebrew at a signing event in Minnesota. "I was autographing stuff for fans with a signature that looked like an EKG," says Cuddyer. "Harmon kept glaring at me. Unhappy. Finally he said that if I didn't start signing my name legibly he was gonna leave. He said I was being unprofessional and unfair to the fans that pay our salaries. I grew up a little that day. Ever since I take my time and sign my name so the fan can read it. I pass that lesson on to every new young player I meet."

Off the field Cuddyer also does charity work for, surprise, kids. "Listen I have three kids of my own and I couldn't imagine them growing up without ever receiving a gift," he says. "So my wife and I got involved in Gifts of Life, a charity that puts together $10 gift bags for underprivileged kids around the world. Kids who have never gotten a single birthday gift. We make sure they get a birthday gift. Just a little bag of books, pencils, pads, toys. Something to make them feel special. Knowing that somewhere, someone cares about them might light up and change a kid's life."

The way Michael Cuddyer has lit up the lives of his fellow boys of summer wearing orange and blue over in that green pasture in Flushing this amazin' season.

"Boy oh boy, are we having us some fun," he says.

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