Friday, July 8, 2005
JUNE GRADES - The Hitters
Good morning!
Before getting to the Twins hitter's grades, just a few quick links:
Timberwolves reserve forward Eddie Griffin violated his parole, so he will now spend 15 days in jail. That can't be good for his negotiating of a new contract!
This site is primarily about the Twins, so I feel the need to tell you that Britney Spears is carrying twins.
The Braves called up another outfielder, top prospect Jeff Franceor yesterday. He answered by hitting his first big league homer in the second game of a sweep of the Cubs. The Braves are truly amazing. Many games, their lineup includes the likes of Kelly Johnson and Ryan Langerhans in the corner outfield positions, Wilson Betemit at 3B or SS, Pete Orr has played a lot at 2B. Brian McCann is doing some catching. Time Hudson, Mike Hampton and John Thomson have all missed a lot of starts and guys like Kyle Davies, Roman Colon and Jorge Sosa are doing well in the rotation. How this team is the current leader in the NL Wild Card is amazing to me!
The FM Redhawks won the first half of their division of the Northern League meaning they will make the playoffs again.
If you came to this site from the Stick and Ball Guy's site, I hope I don't leave you speechless. Feel free to e-mail me any time!
Curious about how the former Twins are doing? Check out Sun ap led Wo d from yesterday.
Well, yesterday you read the grades that I gave to the Twins pitchers for June. Today, it is time to grade the hitters. Seventeen hitters got at least one at bat for the Twins in June. And no, I am not going to count the Twins pitchers and grade them for that. That is probably alright with them since they combined to go just 2-22 with Johan Santana and Joe Mays each collecting one hit.
So, let's take a look at the players and see how they did in the season's third month and please feel free to comment, even disagree:
HITTERS
BRENT ABERNATHY
(7 Games, 5-18, .278/.364/.444, 0-2B, 1-HR, 2-RBI, 0/0 SB, 3 BB, 1 K)
Abernathy's contract was purchased from Rochester early in the month after Nick Punto tore his hamstring. He had been ripping up AAA and truly deserved the call-up. Although his time was cut short by an injury of his own, I think he showed that he is a capable big league 2B still, certainly better than Luis Rivas.
June Grade: B+
MICHAEL CUDDYER
(23 Games, 18-72, .250/.360/.417, 3-2B, 3-HR, 8-RBI, 2/2 SB, 12 BB, 15 K)
I kept reading how terrible Cuddyer was in June and how 3B was such a position of need. Well, if you go by Runs Created Per 27, he had the third highest on the team for the month. His walks were excellent, leading to a very good on-base percentage. His OPS was .777, which is not good particularly for a 3B, but it also wasn't terrible. I would love to see him cut down on the strikeouts, but sadly a side effect of taking so many pitches means a lot of two-strike counts. His power still hasn't blossomed to what we had hoped, but it isn't bad either. A move to 2B would be great for him because then the lack of power would not hurt so badly.
June Grade: C+
May Grade: A-
April Grade: D-
JUAN CASTRO
(22 Games, 14-67, .209/.229/.299, 6-2B, 0-HR, 4-RBI, 0/0 SB, 2 BB, 12 K)
Castro's offense returned to, well, Castro levels in June. Just look at those numbers. An OPS of .528. That's Guzman-like! Yes, his defense remained solid, but a little offense is always appreciated. It would be nice to simply get some quality at bats. That said, this is really what we expected from Castro, right?
June Grade: D
May Grade: A-
April Grade: C+
LEW FORD
(24 Games, 20-77, .260/.344/.442, 6-2B, 1-3B, 2-HR, 12-RBI, 2/2 SB, 8 BB, 13 K)
If nothing else, we can say that Ford has been very consistent this year! Consistently mediocre. Like with Cuddyer, it seems that Ford has found himself in a lot of 0-2 counts of late. Why? Because he has been taking a lot of first and second pitches right down the middle. Now, what I like abot Ford is that even when he is down 0-2, he is able to put together a quality at bat and make the pitcher throw a bunch of pitches. He also gets a lot of infield singles through hustle. I would just like to see him be a little more aggressive with some of those first and second pitch fastballs down the middle of the plate.
June Grade: B-
May Grade: B-
April Grade: B
TORII HUNTER
(25 Games, 30-91, .330/.410/.681, 6-2B, 8-HR, 22-RBI, 5/7 SB, 8 BB, 15 K)
"No one really expects Torii Hunter to hit much. Sure, we all wish he would, but no one really expects it. So, when he hits .235 in a month, we aren't surprised." That is part of what I wrote about Hunter in his May report card. Well, I think it is fair to say that Torii made me look silly! He had probably the best month of his major league career. He led the Twins in pretty much every offensive category. He continued to show both power (8 HR) and speed (5 SB). It was really fun to watch Torii carry the team. I hope he can keep it up, even to some degree.
June Grade: A
May Grade: D
April Grade: A-
JACQUE JONES
(25 Games, 24-98, .245/.306/.408, 2-2B, 4-HR, 16-RBI, 6/6 SB, 9 BB, 16K)
Jones was horrendous in May and not terrific in June. He did hit for good power and drove in some runs. His walk numbers continue to be higher than anyone would expect. And he finally started stealing some bases too. But the average just is not there. There have been a lot of swings-and-misses from Jones, which is not unusual. I would like to see him put the ball in play more often.
June Grade: C
May Grade: D
April Grade: A
MATTHEW LECROY
(12 Games, 8-25, .320/.400/.600, 1-2B, 2-HR, 6-RBI, 0/0 SB, 4 BB, 12 K)
His at bats continued to decrease in June. That said, at least this month he was productive. That 1.000 OPS is pretty impressive. Good power and average. He stood true to his lefty-righty splits by bashing lefties and really struggling against right-handers. The strikeouts are just too high too. 12 K in 29 plate appearances?
June Grade: B+
May Grade: D+
April Grade: A-
JOE MAUER
(19 Games, 19-72, .264/.303/.403, 4-2B, 2-HR, 9-RBI, 3/3 SB, 4 BB, 11 K)
Mauer had a tough month. Not so much because of the .264 average. That is going to happen throughout a season. It is just strange to see Mauer with just four walks and 11 strikeouts. He just didn't seem to put together the types of at bats we have enjoyed from him. From a fantasy perspective, he is still valuable as a catcher. He hit for some power, but three stolen bases is very good for a catcher. Expect Mauer to bounce back with a strong July and the rest of the season.
June Grade: C
May Grade: B+
April Grade: A-
JUSTIN MORNEAU
(24 Games, 17-74, .230/.318/.419, 3-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 10-RBI, 0/0 SB, 9 BB, 14 K)
Morneau was not good in May either, but at least he was still able to drive in a lot of runs. In June, Morneau was not good. I talk about how Cuddyer and Ford should be more aggressive? Well, Morneau has seemed really jumpy at the plate. I was surprised that he had walked nine times because I can remember seeing him take a lot of really bad swings in hitter's counts. That said, he still put up decent extra-base hit numbers. My expectations were probably too high for his first full season, but I do think that he will have a strong second half.
June Grade: D
May Grade: B
April Grade: A
NICK PUNTO
(2 Games, 1-3, .333/.500/1.333, 0-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 4-RBI, 0/1 SB, 1 BB, 2 K)
It is hard to really grade Punto for June. In the first game of the month, he had a big home run, but later in the game he tore up his hamstring trying to steal 2B and missed the rest of the month.
June Grade: INC
May Grade: A-
April Grade: B
MIKE REDMOND
(10 Games, 6-31, .194/.242/.258, 2-2B, 0-HR, 4-RBI, 1 BB, 6 K)
I have said a number of times that all a team can ask of a backup catcher is being able to handle a pitching staff, give Joe Mauer a day off from time to time and be adequate at the plate. For the most part, Redmond has always done alright with the bat, but I think it is fair to say that Redmond was not very good in June. He does put together quality at bats, but he even struck out a lot which is unusual. To summarize though... I'm not worried.
June Grade: D
May Grade: C+
April Grade: B
LUIS RIVAS
(9 Games, 8-23, .214/.267/.214, 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 1 BB, 4 K)
Rivas is basically a utility infielder now, and it is about time. Hopefully soon the Twins will designate him for assignment too! He missed much of the season and the only reason he came back so quickly was because of another infield injury. Still no extra-base hits. No speed shown on the few times that he did get on base. No plate discipline. Nothing spectacular on defense, although he did make a couple of nice plays at SS. I think Rivas's time as a Twins is quickly coming to an end.
June Grade: D
May Grade: D-
April Grade: D
LUIS RODRIGUEZ
(22 Games, 18-57, .316/.350/.439, 4-2B, 0-3B, 1-HR, 3-RBI, 1/1 SB, 3 BB, 8 K)
I have been very impressed with L-Rod so far. He just looks like he knows what he is doing at the plate. He doesn't try to do too much. He understands the situations in his at bats. He had some extra-base hits. Defensively, he was excellent at 2B and also played well at SS when Castro was hurt for a few games and has done well at 3B too lately. Through the end of June, he had yet to commit an error. I think Rodriguez has made his point to the Twins and will likely be a utility infielder for the team for a few years yet.
June Grade: A
May Grade: B+
MICHAEL RYAN
(16 Games, 6-24, .250/.296/.250, 0-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 4-RBI, 0/0 SB, 2 BB, 6 K)
When Terry Tiffee's production plummeted down to rock bottom, the team wanted a left-handed bat that they could use off the bench. Michael Ryan had come back from a horrible 2004 to post very strong AAA numbers this spring. So he deserved the call-up. It is ok because Ryan is old enough that it is fine for him to not play much. He started off really poorly as a pinch-hitter, but has been better of late.
June Grade: C
SHANNON STEWART
(23 Games, 27-92, .293/.327/.457, 9-2B, 2-HR, 13-RBI, 1/1 SB, 6 BB, 14 K)
Stewart carried the Twins in May with average and power. This month, his numbers were basically similar to what his career averages would indicate. Instead of hitting a bunch of home runs, Stewart hit a lot of doubles. He still drove in a lot of runs. I am amazed by Stewart though. We all know that the Twins are a better team with him playing and with him leading off. However, if you look at his numbers, they don't jump out at you. A .300 average is good. But a .330 on-base percentage is not great for a leadoff hitter. However, it just works, and Stewart is generally very consistent. Way too many strikeouts in the month though.
June Grade: B+
May Grade: A
April Grade: B-
TERRY TIFFEE
(2 Games, 1-8, .125/.125/.125, 0-2B, 0-HR, 1-RBI, 0/0 SB, 0 BB, 0 K)
Really when he played in these two games, we knew that his time with the Twins was coming to an end. He was just awful and looked lost at the plate. When he was sent down, he went four for his next forty, dropping his AAA average to about .200. However, in the past two weeks, he has been on a tear and has his average up over .260. He also has added a lot of power and has 9 homers at Rochester.
June Grade: D-
May Grade: D-
April Grade: B+
GLENN WILLIAMS
(13 Games, 17-40, .425/.452/.450, 1-2B, 0-3B, 0-HR, 3 RBI, 1/3 SB, 2 BB, 7 K)
What a great story Glenn Williams is. After 11 minor league seasons, Williams finally got the call to the big leagues. If we're being honest, Williams fell on the depth chart of infielders after Luis Rivas, Michael Cuddyer , Juan Castro, Jason Bartlett, Nick Punto, Terry Tiffee, Luis Rodriguez, Brent Abernathy and probably Augie Ojeda when the season began. But he was really hitting at Rochester when more injuries hit. Williams fully took advantage of his opportunity. He had at least one hit in all 13 games he played in. That is really impressive when you consider in a couple of those games, he only pinch hit. He was hitting for average and showing good plate discipline. He had become the starting 3B with Michael Cuddyer moving to 2B. And then came the injury. Williams dove back to 1B on a pickoff attempt and tore is shoulder in front and back and will now be out at least 6-8 weeks.
June Grade: A
So, there are my June Grades for the Minnesota Twins hitters. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts or comments on any of them. Please feel free to agree or disagree and let me know why. Send me an e-mail.
Nick Punto gave the Twins a 1-0 lead after the top of the first with a solo home run. However, Kyle Lohse gave them two in return in the bottom of the inning. Lohse actually made a perfect pitch to David DeJesus that would have ended a Royals threat in the 4th inning, but a pop-up was dropped by Justin Morneau near the stands. The missed opportunity really cost as Lohse then allowed two runs to score that inning. It is a case where you can blame Morneau for not making the catch, and that would be fair and deserved. However, it was yet another example of Lohse not showing the ability to pick up his teammates and allowing such a mistake to really hurt. The Twins got RBI singles from Joe Mauer and Torii Hunter in the top of the 5th to cut the lead to one. Matt Guerrier relieved Lohse and after a quick sixth inning, the seventh didn't go so well. A single, a walk and a bloop single later and the Royals had another run. JC Romero came in and, true to form, allowed both inherited runners to score, plus another. That basically put the game out of reach. Mauer had a two-run double in the Top of the 9th, but it wasn't enough.
Nick Punto went 4-4 with that homer. Joe Mauer was 3-5 with the double and three RBI. Justin Morneau went 2-3 with a walk. Shannon Stewart went 2-5.
For what it's worth, it does sound as if the Twins may be the leading candidate to acquire Bret Boone. Should be an interesting couple of days.
Here are the pitching matchups for this series against the Kansas City Royals at Kaufmann Stadium:
Friday - 7:10 - Brad Radke (5-8, 4.07, 1.24, .288) vs Zach Greinke (1-10, 6.09, 1.55, .308)
Saturday - 6:10 - Joe Mays (5-3, 3.84, 1.33, .285) vs JP Howell (1-3, 7.77, 1.81, .313)
Sunday - 1:10 - Carlos Silva (7-3, 3.68, 1.24, .326) vs DJ Carrasco (4-3, 3.69, 1.41, .270)
ROCHESTER REDWINGS
Thursday - REDWINGS 5, Syracuse 6 - The Redwings got 2-4 days from Jason Bartlett, Terry Tiffee, Kevin West and Brent Abernathy, but it wasn't enough. David Gassner started and went just five innings. In that time, he gave up four runs on nine hits and a walk. Henry Bonilla then gave up two runs (1 earned) on three hits and two walks over two innings. Willie Eyre did pitch two perfect innings.
NEW BRITAIN ROCKCATS
Thursday - ROCKCATS 2, Norwich 1 - New Britain had just four hits, but it was enough on this day. They had RBI singles from Doug Deeds and Danny Matienzo. Errol Simonitsch had another excellent outing. In seven innings, he allowed just one run on six hits and a walk. He struck out four. Pat Neshek got the win by pitching two scoreless innings. He struck out three.
Also, Alex Romero was named the Twins Minor League Player of the Month. In 30 games, he hit .341 with six homers.
FT MYERS MIRACLE
Thursday - MIRACLE 10, St. Lucie 6 - Justin Jones made another start and improved to 2-1. That doesn't mean he pitched well. In 5.2 innings, he gave up five runs on seven his and three walks. Jannio Gutierrez gave up a run in his 3.1 innings. He struck out six. Trent Oeltjen led the offense by going 4-5. Matt Tolbert was 2-6 with a stolen base. Kyle Geiger was 2-4 with his third homer and three RBI. Scott Whitrock hit his 16th and 17th doubles in five at bats. Matt Moses was 1-3 but walked twice as well.
BELOIT SNAPPERS
Thursday - SNAPPERS 9, Wisconsin 7 - Jay Rainville's number are now almost equivalent, or in some case better, than Anthony Swarzak's. Just look at the left. Last night, he gave up an unearned run over five innings. He allowed two hits and a walk, while striking out six. Jonathon Martinez picked up his 9th save with a scoreless inning. Paul Rutgers led the offense, going 4-4. Chris Brown went 3-5 with a double. Landon Burt was 2-6. Deacon Burns went 0-1, but he had three walks, a sacrifice fly and his 11th stolen base.
ELIZABETHTON TWINS
Thursday - Twins/Kingsport - Rained Out.
That's it for today and for this week! Have a great weekend! As always, please feel free to e-mail me your thoughts on the Twins, the minor leagues, or anything you would like to discuss.