| Failure in Minnesota |
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The Twins lost Tuesday night in the 163rd regular season game, and with it a chance at reaching the postseason. Considering how Minnesota was regarded back in the spring, just remaining in contention all season and forcing an extra game might be considered an accomplishment. Instead, it should be viewed as a colossal failure. Minnesota should have reached the playoffs, and the final standings should not have been close. It should never have reached the last week of the year. Before the season started, the organization seemed to think the team wasn’t ready to contend thus precipitating a series a moves. And yet, the organization countered those changes with a few far more perplexing changes that indicated it did believe the team could compete. It was a paradox that ultimately led to no postseason for the Twins. Here is a rundown of the worst mistakes Minnesota made that prevented them from winning the American League Central. Remember that one win at any point over the course of 163 games would have led directly to a playoff spot. Carlos Gomez sabotaged the Twins from the top of the lineup 5. Batting Carlos Gomez leadoff 4. Overuse of Craig Monroe 3. Signing Mike Lamb 2. Signing Livan Hernandez to a one-year deal for $5 milion The Twins would have been better off keeping Johan Santana for another season. 1. Trading Johan Santana for spare parts and a bag of balls Obviously, Minnesota performed well enough to contend all year and Santana’s presence in the rotation alone would have been worth 2-4 wins minimum over any pitcher in the rotation. Given that he could have replaced the 35 combined starts made by Hernandez and Boof Bonser, the difference is even bigger. Santana posted another Cy Young caliber season for the Mets posting a 2.53 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 206 strikeouts en route to 16 wins. That would have led Minnesota in every category. Even a midseason trade would have been preferable to the off-season move for the Twins. A better trade package might have been leveraged at the deadline, and the team would have had half a season of Santana. All these moves worked against Minnesota all season, an organization that is constantly praised as one of the best in baseball yet made several costly mistakes. Keeping Santana alone would have easily made the difference, but even more strange organizational moves compounded the problem. The Twins should be in the playoffs, but instead they are staying home for October and have no one to blame but themselves.
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| Read the article boys. "Here is a rundown of the worst mistakes Minnesota made that prevented them from winning the American League Central. Remember that one win at any point over the course of 163 games would have led directly to a playoff spot." Joe Nathan blowing saves at the end of the year was NOT a mistake made by the organization. Morneau not getting a hit the last month of the season was NOT a mistake made by the organization. etc, etc, etc. Lamb was a bust. But seriously, what else could you do with 5 million? It was worth the chance he might wake up. The opportunity cost of the money they spent on Lamb, Everett & Monroe was a drop in the bucket. Plus when Monroe was with the Tigers he crushed at the metrodome. The Twins just helped confirm its time for Monroe to sign with the Ho Chi Minh Farting Dragons. Moving Gomez OUT of the leadoff spot cost them more games. During a streak in which the Twins sat GoGo or batted him 9th, they went 2-12. He's a human time bomb but he creates more wins from the leadoff spot. He's a pouting 5 year old who plays like a pouting 5 year old if he bats 2nd-9th. Lets see what Bill Smith does this off season. Got any predictions here Jon? |
| Next time remind your "MVP" Morneau to maybe get a hit in an important game down the stretch. Can we say OVER RATED & Carlos Gomez = HOT DOG MORON |
| tell me now what the twins will be doing next year and who will win...you got the easiest job in the world...even a 5yr old would know that....the key is knowing before happening....lets be real...you are like those wall street guys telling why the market crashed...well only if they knew if the wave was coming....smell the coffee.jonlee |
| Those are just reasons 6, 7, and 8 and don't refute my point. None of the changes I talked about would have required anything outside the organization. Also, I don't think Twins fans actually agree with my assertion that Gomez was rushed. Minnesota thought that just because he's fast means he should bat leadoff. |
| Tell me you don’t get paid to write this stuff. Anyone could come up with those reasons why the twins didn't get to the playoffs. You could have earned your money by stating the twins should have spent money on their thin late relief bullpen. Knowing if Neshek goes down their done, they should have got some veteran relief for him. And by veteran relief, I don’t mean ancient "everyday Eddie." (2 million bucks) A bigger mistake was thinking Adam Everett (2.5 million – .213 avg) could be their everyday starting shortstop. And finally, an even bigger mistake was dreadful coaching late in the season. It was obvious the bullpen was not as dominant as years past, yet "gardy" was quick to pull a decent pitcher in favor for weak relievers such as Guerrier ( 5.19 era 1.59 whip) and Crain. |
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