Lets face it, the Twins are a mediocre team as far as talent wise. Most people picked them to finish 4th in the division or even last. So we should be happy that they made to the 1st quarter mark at .500 and in second place. But I think a lot of Twins fans keep thinking what could have been.
But since the Twins have hit the 1st quarter mark, I will go through my 1st quarter review.
1st quarter review
3 good things.
1. Livan Hernandez
This is turning out to be a great signing for the Twins so far. He has put up a 6-1 record with one complete game. The Twins have also one 8 of his starts. So he has come in and been a rotation ace and hopefully a losing streak stopper.
2. Carlos Gomez
I know he isn't putting up stellar numbers or anything, but I really like this kid. His speed alone makes him such a weapon. If only he could raise that OBP and get on base more to do more damage. His fielding needs some work too, but I think he could be a star in a couple years. Plus he has given the Twins something to feel good about after losing Santana.
3. Nathan
I can't say enough good things about Joe Nathan. Re-signing him was the best move by Bill Smith so far. He is very important to the teams success. In 12 save opportunities he has 12 saves and no losses. If for some reason the season falls apart, he is valuable trade bait as well.
3 disappointments
1. Liriano
This has to be the most disappointing thin for the Twins season by far. Such high hopes for this guy and it appears his confidence is gone. Just think 2 years ago we were looking at 2 plus years with Liriano and Santana topping the rotation. Liriano gets hurt and everything changes. I really feel for the guy and I hope he can bounce back sometime down the road, but the rotation will not be the same without him.
2. The Delmon Young Trade
Well I have to say this trade is a failure so far. Delmon Young may turn out to be a hall of famer some day but for now the Rays seem to have gotten the better deal. Bartlett is still a below average hitter but I think Garza is going to be a big part of their rotation. and will be missed by the Twins. The worst thing is that young has no HRs and only 4 extra base hits. He was supposed to provide some power and replace Hunters production. The Twins took a gamble and lost a good young starter and haven't seen any rewards yet.
3. Fundamentals
It seems the Twins aren't playing like the Twins of old. Poor fielding, slow double play turns, misjudging fly balls, throwing errors and horrible base running. These mistakes have been going on all year and were especially present in the Jays series. This is not Twins baseball, the Twins used to be the highlight of web gems every night now they are a laughing stock.
Bottom Line
OK so I am not satisfied with .500 at this point because I know it could have been better. I would like to see a few things happen in the next quarter.
1. Young's production go way up.
2. Tolbert becomes an everyday second baseman.
3. Gomez draws more walks.
Those are just a few things that could help the team but they need a lot of work. Next up is the Rockies in Colorado. The defending N.L. champs have struggled this year to a 15-26 record and have lost 5 in a row. Lets hope the Twins streak is the one that ends tonight as Blackburn 3-2 (3.93) takes on Jimenez 1-4 (5.53).
No comments:
Post a Comment