Monday, October 11, 2010

Twins 2010: Good, But Not Good Enough

MINNEAPOLIS - OCTOBER 07:  Danny Valencia #19 ...Image by Getty Images via @daylifeThe Minnesota Twins ended their season just like they ended some of their seasons in the past decade--losing to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series for the second consecutive year. 

While the Yankees will always be a team with a billion dollars' worth of talent playing at a high level, the Twins will continue to be a cut-and-paste operation reliant on minor leaguers and whatever players makes sense fiscally to management in the free agent market, new ball park or not.

Actually, the Twins' shortcomings became apparent long before getting swept by the Yankees.  Yes, they won the American League Central title for the second consecutive year with a record of 94-68, on the strength of having the best record in a division of bad or mediocre teams.  But the Twins won only two game since clinching the division.  And their record against the Yankees and the rest of the American League East was so abysmal, even the last-place Baltimore Orioles took a few games from them.

In the Year of the Pitcher in the major leagues, the Twins did not have a dominating arm, although Francisco Liriano and Carl Pavano came close.  With reliever Joe Nathan sitting out the year because of surgery, Matt Capps--brought in here from the Washington Nationals, which explains a lot about that franchise--did a nice job as a fill-in closer.  Jesse Crain and Scott Baker reinvented themselves as effective middle relievers after no longer cutting it as starters.

The one free agent that really paid dividends for the Twins was Jim Thome.  His towering home runs at Target Field and elsewhere enabled him to surpass Harmon Killebrew and Mark McGwire in the post-steroids era career record book.  Never mind that Thome is 40 and needs a pinch runner for those times when he hits a ball inside the park.

Michael Cuddyer, Denard Span, Delmon Young and Jason Kubel had good years at the plate, even as it became obvious that Target Field was becoming a hitters' park for the other team.

Injuries have also been a factor.  Justin Morneau hasn't played since suffering a concussion in a July game at Toronto.  Joe Mauer has been in and out of the lineup, which prevented him from racking up his usual MVP-caliber stats.

Those in the know are talking up the possibility that Ron Gardenhire would finally be named the American League's Manager of the Year, after having been passed over several times.  But after what's happened to the team the past few weeks, don't be shocked if the honor goes to someone else again.

The Twins will contend for the Central Division crown again in 2011.  If they want to bring a world championship to Minnesota, they'd better have the kind of talent that can compete with all of the American League teams, not just two thirds of them.  Can they afford to do that?
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