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Mike Lowe · 10-25-2013, 06:10 PM

Mike Lowe Journal Entry - Wednesday, June 5, 2013
The hitters

The lineup has been consistent since opening day minus a revolving door at CF due to Aaron Hicks being hurt for 4 months, and signing free agents Dallas McPherson and Bill Hall for some depth at 3B/IF, also due to injuries.

Hicks was off to a great start, and really set the table nicely for the power down in the order. Before Hicks went down with a torn back muscle, his line was .275/.363/.388 in 80 ABs, with 8 steals. To replace Hicks in CF, we got a nice spark from AAA call-up Antoan Richardson who has since cooled and is now back in AAA (Gardenhire wasn't playing him with his recent lack of production). Darin Mastroianni has been spending most of the time in CF, and has been hitting just over .200.

CF is definitely a weak point in the lineup, and I've done some shopping around. Trading is tough with my settings though, and I don't want to give up much for a 3 month filler (especially with the CF prospects in the organization). Currently, I have our #4 prospect, Oswaldo Arcia, learning to play CF in AAA (both strategy locked). Arcia has destroyed AA pitching through 200 ABs, and I'm very close to giving him a chance with the Twins. Once he shows he can handle CF (he's a corner guy currently, with good range/arm), he'll be up.

Aside from Mauer having the MVP year I mentioned in a previous post, Ryan Doumit has been outstanding. His line of .308/.357/.500 has given us one hell of a #2 hitter. He's been the biggest piece I've tried to dangle out for a trade as well, as I'm not really sold on Doumit, I do feel he's replaceable, and in the coming seasons, his contract gets nasty:

$6.5M in 2013 (age 32)
$10M in 2014 (age 33)
$13M in 2015 (age 34)
$17M in 2016 (age 35)

Other notables in the lineup:

Morneau is having a good year again, and with his contract up (and wanting $21M/year in an extension), he'll likely be traded by Aug 1.

While not providing much with the bat, Eduardo Escobar has been a defensive stud. Gardenhire likes to use Dozier at SS, who's hitting .256/.326/.423 and is average defensively. Strangely, when both of these guys play the IF on the same day, Gardenhire always has Dozier at SS and Escobar at 2B, even though Dozier is the better 2B statistically too!

Oddly enough, both Bill Hall and Dallas McPherson are on the DL currently.

I'll post some screens of the lineup and hitting stats later today.

10-25-2013, 06:10 PM	#3
Mike Lowe Hall Of Famer Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 2,168	Mike Lowe Journal Entry - Wednesday, June 5, 2013 The hitters The lineup has been consistent since opening day minus a revolving door at CF due to Aaron Hicks being hurt for 4 months, and signing free agents Dallas McPherson and Bill Hall for some depth at 3B/IF, also due to injuries. Hicks was off to a great start, and really set the table nicely for the power down in the order. Before Hicks went down with a torn back muscle, his line was .275/.363/.388 in 80 ABs, with 8 steals. To replace Hicks in CF, we got a nice spark from AAA call-up Antoan Richardson who has since cooled and is now back in AAA (Gardenhire wasn't playing him with his recent lack of production). Darin Mastroianni has been spending most of the time in CF, and has been hitting just over .200. CF is definitely a weak point in the lineup, and I've done some shopping around. Trading is tough with my settings though, and I don't want to give up much for a 3 month filler (especially with the CF prospects in the organization). Currently, I have our #4 prospect, Oswaldo Arcia, learning to play CF in AAA (both strategy locked). Arcia has destroyed AA pitching through 200 ABs, and I'm very close to giving him a chance with the Twins. Once he shows he can handle CF (he's a corner guy currently, with good range/arm), he'll be up. Aside from Mauer having the MVP year I mentioned in a previous post, Ryan Doumit has been outstanding. His line of .308/.357/.500 has given us one hell of a #2 hitter. He's been the biggest piece I've tried to dangle out for a trade as well, as I'm not really sold on Doumit, I do feel he's replaceable, and in the coming seasons, his contract gets nasty: $6.5M in 2013 (age 32) $10M in 2014 (age 33) $13M in 2015 (age 34) $17M in 2016 (age 35) Other notables in the lineup: Morneau is having a good year again, and with his contract up (and wanting $21M/year in an extension), he'll likely be traded by Aug 1. While not providing much with the bat, Eduardo Escobar has been a defensive stud. Gardenhire likes to use Dozier at SS, who's hitting .256/.326/.423 and is average defensively. Strangely, when both of these guys play the IF on the same day, Gardenhire always has Dozier at SS and Escobar at 2B, even though Dozier is the better 2B statistically too! Oddly enough, both Bill Hall and Dallas McPherson are on the DL currently. I'll post some screens of the lineup and hitting stats later today. Last edited by Mike Lowe; 11-11-2013 at 10:03 AM.