Spring Training Questions: Second Base

The style of play between Brendan Harris and Alexi Casilla could not be more different then, say, the local customs of their respective hometowns of Albany, New York and San Cristobal, Dominican Republic. The 27-year-old Harris presents a what-you-see-is-what-you-get workman-like fielding approach and in his first full major league season finished with an impressive .286/.343/.434 batting line with Tampa Bay. Meanwhile, the 24-year-old Casilla, spoken of by scouts teeming with potential, has shown flashes of unbridled quickness in his limited play in 2007 yet did nothing offensively (.222/.256/.259) to convince management that second base should go through him in the spring of 2008. Both are hoping to be the starting second baseman for the Twins come March 31st and both have two distinctly different offerings. (Yes, you could argue that Nick Punto should also be considered for the position but for all intents and purposes Punto stands as much of a chance as Ralph Nader did for being President in 2004.)

Offensively, the advantage goes to Harris who has both more minor league seasoning and major league exposure to boot. Developmentally, Harris has been the beneficiary of two additional seasons in the minors to hone his skills at the plate. In six minor league seasons and 2,490 plate appearances, Harris compiled a batting line of .294/.359/.467 while walking in 8.7% of those plate appearances and striking out in 15.9%. Casilla during his four seasons in the minors had 1,589 plate appearances and batted .298/.368/.374 and walking in 8.9% and striking out in 10.2%. In 2007, both Casilla and Harris were given the opportunity to put their talents on display. As Harris was given more than 500 plate appearances to showcase his bat. Casilla meanwhile was shipped between Minneapolis and Rochester and only compounded 204 plate appearances in that time. Harris's .286/.343/.434 was punctuated with 50 extra base hits (33% of his hits went for extra bases) as Casilla produced an easily forgettable .222/.256/.259 with just 6 extra base hits (14% xbh%).

The right-handed batting Harris also proved particularly adept at hitting left-handed pitching, a problem in 2007 and exacerbated in by the departure of Torii Hunter. In 162 plate appearances against left-handed pitching last year with Tampa, Harris hit .345/.411/.487 adding 14 extra base hits (28% xbh%). The switch-hitting Casilla, on the other hand, in 92 career plate appearance against lefties from the right side of the plate in 2006 and 2007 hit .271/.292/.318 with only 4 extra base hits (17% xbh%).

Defensively, the two are very dissimilar. While Harris is more of your straight-forward gloveman with mediocre range, pundits have described Casilla's talent as "electric" even though there is no real metric to measure this. This also seems to be the logic present when considering starting Casilla over Harris. I've heard Bert Blyleven repeat this mantra when Casilla was in the line-up and wondered what exactly the commentator was quantifying this as. You won't find that stat column addressing this on Baseball-Reference.com but rather as a talking point on Baseball Tonight. Sure, it is indicative of a potential upside but how does this transfer as to on the field immediately?

One could gauge this on the ability to track down balls that are typically out of the standard second-baseman's zone. In 2007, Casilla and Harris both played over 400 innings at second, and both playing on home games on the rapid surface of fieldturf. The Hardball Times reports that during that span, Casilla showed that he had the motor to nab 13 balls out of zone before they reached right-fielder Michael Cuddyer territory in 421 innings. These 13 plays put him in the company with other highly touted second base prospects with good range like Cleveland's Andrusal Cabrera (321innings), Tampa's BJ Upton (416 innings) and Chicago White Sox's Danny Richar (491 innings). Meanwhile in Harris's 404 innings he managed to wrangle down only 2 balls out of zone. This number gives Harris the dubious honor of logging the most innings in the American League at second base but recovering the fewest amount of balls outside of the zone. The next closest to Harris with significant time charted at second was Kansas City's Estaban German who in 406 innings made 9 plays out of zone. Under this definition Casilla would obviously cover more breadth while Harris would let some balls that Casilla would be able to make a play on bleed through to the outfield.

Another measurement of what could qualify as "electric" is how quickly a second baseman can start and pivot on a double play ball. In Casilla's limited time with the Twins in 2007 he started 16 double plays. This shows a quick release from the exchange of the glove to the throwing hand coupled with a dart of an arm. Harris, on the other hand, started 9.

(Aside: Of course this stat does not put anything into context because it does not account the instances when the players failed to convert a double play ball. Had there been a statistic that showed how many balls COULD have been turned - given the right circumstance - into a double play this would have give a better framework for judgement on the differences between Casilla and Harris's defense. For instance, Casilla's 16 double plays started out of 36 possible situations in which a double play could have been converted is only a 44% conversion rate. If Harris had 9 double plays started out of 12 possible situations would have been a 75% double play conversion rate. This is a statistic that needs to be tracked in order to properly analyze the fielding abilities of a middle infielder.)

Likewise, Casilla turned 23 double plays while Harris turned 17 in that time-frame. Being able to both cover the base and make a quick turn are two qualities that a second baseman in the major leagues needs. Casilla's 23 double plays turned was just 3 short of the double plays turned by Luis Castillo (26) during his 2007 tenure with the Twins, completed in 205 fewer innings played. This shows that Casilla has a strong, quick arm and pivot 90 feet from first base.

Naturally, the numbers above are (somewhat) reliant on several mitigating factors out of the infielder's control including (a) the amount of groundballs induced by the pitching staff and (b) the capabilities of the shortstop partner. Both Alexi Casilla and Brendan Harris had several pitchers that were above average in groundball percentage. Casilla benefited from having starting pitchers Boof Bonser (45%), Matt Garza (48%), Carlos Silva (48%) in addition to relievers Juan Rincon (49%) and Matt Guerrier (47%) all of whom were above the league average in groundball percentage of 43%. Harris, meanwhile, had starters Edwin Jackson (45%) and JP Howell (46%) and relievers Shawn Camp (57%), Brian Stokes (48%) and Casey Fossum (45%) that induced above the aforementioned league average of groundballs.

Having a more sure-handed shortstop partner creates more opportunities to execute a double play. Harris's most common middle infielder comrade, according to Baseball-Reference, was Josh Wilson whose RZR was .736. When Casilla was in the infield his most common partner was Jason Bartlett whose season RZR was .804. Clearly, Casilla was blessed with a better shortstop in 2007. All things being equal in 2008, both would benefit from the increased defensive capabilities of Adam Everett.

The rotation in 2008 is still a question-mark with the 5th rotation spot vacant now that Johan Santana, Matt Garza and Carlos Silva have left. Newcomer Livan Hernandez was more of a flyball pitcher (41% fb%) as is internal candidate Kevin Slowey (50% fb%). This may suggest that the Twins will not have the luxury of having as many ground balls overall in 2008 as they did have in 2007.

A characteristic that typically correlates with the label of being "electric" is that the play of the prospect is littered with errors. This is particularly true with Casilla. To date, Casilla has not proven to be in the same category as Harris who has shown to be nearly flawless. In 143 games in the minors at second, Casilla made 25 errors (.17 errors per game). Harris in his 239 minor league games at second made 17 errors (.07 errors per game). While Casilla has clearly proven that he has the record to make big plays, he has yet to show that he is sure-handed enough to make ordinary plays. In his 421 innings, Casilla had a .784 RZR and committed 10 errors (8 on fielding). This RZR put him slightly above BJ Upton (.783 RZR) but below Luis Castillo (.801). Harris's play incited confidence as he finished with a .826 RZR, only committing one error in that time. This .826 RZR placed him above regulars like Boston's Dustin Pedroia and Los Angeles's Howie Kendrick.

All things being considered, Harris would provide the kind of defensive stability that Ron Gardenhire respects (as was evident by the choice of starting Juan Castro over Jason Bartlett rather than let the prospect learn on the job) but also would add a potent bat to the lineup, one that may suffer lethargy from two positions, shortstop and center, in 2008. Harris also would provide a solid right-handed bat against left-handed pitching and alleviate the amount of errors due to growing pains. As I had previous noted, a healthy Adam Everett at shortstop would exponentially increase the play of the middle infielder to his left. With all of this in mind, Brendan Harris should be the starting second baseman. I do not want to dismiss Casilla as someone who should be sent to Rochester either. His impressive range and quick-hands as highlighted above by his double play started/turns as well as the plays made out of zone merits time in a major league line-up. His presents on the roster allows for Gardenhire to sit the left-handed batting Mike Lamb when there is a lefty on the mound and shift Harris to third and play Casilla though the everyday second baseman should be Harris.

Spring Training Questions: Centerfield

One of the biggest questions the Twins have yet to answer is the identity of the opening day centerfielder. Until the end of spring training, we might not know who will be filling the vacuum left by Torii Hunter. For whatever reason, the unspoken consensus among pundits seems to be Carlos Gomez. For a period of time, I was also swept up in it too. After all, he has some major league experience and all the scouts seem to love his tools. Maybe it is out of craving vindication for trading the world's best pitcher and that we need to see immediate dividends. But ultimately are we allowing emotion to dictate this choice in 2008?

The options are as follows: It could be either one of several candidates including (A) prospects such as Denard Span in addition to the recently acquired Carlos Gomez or Jason Pridie along with (B) veterans Michael Cuddyer, Craig Monroe and Delmon Young or (C) a combination of all of the above or (D) none of the above, such as free agent acquisition that has not happened yet (both Kenny Lofton and Corey Patterson as still available and Coco wants out of Boston). What can be assumed is that there will be multiple attempts throughout the season to see which of these potential suitors will be able to anchor one of the most demanding positions in all of baseball.

Group B certainly has the talent and experience (minus Young) but lacks the speed to cover the area appropriately. Monroe has the most innings logged at center and his best revised zone rating came in 2005 when he played 229 innings with Detroit and produced a .778 rating. In comparison, Hunter has been above .890 in the previous two seasons. The problem presented when we have questionable hitters, such as those in Group A, is that we already have Adam Everett who is glove but no bat. Two suspect bats in one lineup could result in some lopsided games. Which make Group B appealing. Having a member of this group in center would improve the offensive, although it would allow for the power alleys to be expanded defensively (letting in runs is also a prerequisite for lopsided games).

Group D would be a giant question mark, considering someone like Lofton's accelerated age (41), and the fact that we would be right back here in 2009 debating who is going to man centerfield (or woman, maybe I'm not thinking out-of-the-box enough). And this feels masturbatory. Hell, I could start ranting about how much of a perfect fit Grady Sizemore would be in Minnesota but it won't come to fruition. Group D is purely speculative and does not exist plus at this late juncture in the off-season I'd bet the house that the Twins would not acquire veteran talent (maybe at the trade deadline).

Group A, including Gomez, has the necessary tools to cover plenty of turf but would lack the experience and the chances that the team would suffer from interminable lapses in fielding judgement (throwing to wrong bases, over throwing cut-off men, etc) is increased from immaturity. They all cover very good ground as indicated by their minor league numbers:

	games in outfield	range factor	errors	fielding percentage	assists
Gomez	275	2.38	19	.972	12
Span	444	2.36	17	.984	25
Pridie	536	2.35	18	.986	44

Gomez (2.38 rf) covered significant ground but committed 19 errors (.972 fld pct) in only 275 games in the outfield. This suggests someone who is more probable to having a larger learning curve. Span did not guard as much turf (2.36 rf) and also committed 17 errors (.984 fld pct) in 444 games and Pridie (2.35 rf) committed 18 errors (.986 fld pct) in 536 games. Gomez threw out 12 baserunner in that time period while Span gunned down 25 and Pridie erased 44. What might be determined out of this is that Jason Pridie's steady glove and arm might compensate for having less prowess.

Offensively, they are all suspect. Gomez is the only member of Group A with any major league experience, and depending how much you rely on predictions he is expected to finished somewhere between .247/.307/.355 (ZiPs) or .270/.330/.390 (MARCELS). Instead of using the projections, let us analysis the career minor league numbers instead:

	plate appearances	xbh%	walk%	k%	milb batting line
Gomez	1,425	27%	5.7%	17.5%	.278/.336/.399
Span	2,184	16%	8.4%	14.6%	.283/.348/.348
Pridie	2,634	31%	6.2%	18.2%	.279/.326/.432

What we see is that the left-handed batting Pridie and Span have spent almost equal amount of time at the plate in the minor leagues (minus 500 plate appearances by Span). What we see in these numbers is a profile of two distinctly different hitters. While they have comparative batting averages (.283 vs .279), Span shows slightly more discipline at the plate with a higher walk rate (8.4% vs 6.2%) coupled with the higher on-base percentage (.348 vs .326) while making more contact as indicated by a lower strike out rate (14.6% vs 18.2%). Span though, does not generate nearly as much power as Pridie. Pridie has a great advantage over Span in percentage of hits that went for extra bases (31% vs 16%) and a better slugging percentage (.432 vs .348). These numbers indicate that Pridie is better suited offensively - not overwhelmingly mind you - to be given the opportunity to start in center. However, Gomez is interesting, aside from his MLB experience, is his right-handed bat. He is younger than Pridie and yet his numbers are very similar. His percentage of hits that went for extra bases (27% vs 31%) isn't that far off and Gomez is better at getting on base (.336 vs .326) making him a better candidate for the vacant lead-off spot. Furthermore, Gomez has hit left-handed pitching fairly well as he hit .308/.341/.462 with the New Orleans Zyphers in 2007, usually an Achilles heel for the Twins.

Historically it has been difficult to transition from a prospect to an everyday centerfielder (or any position for that matter), unless your name is Ryan Braun: It took over two seasons for Torii to finally become the centerpiece on the diamond. Group A provides a similar situation to what transpired in 1999 where the Twins pitted prospects Torii Hunter, Chris Latham and Jacque Jones against one another in spring training. While Hunter had the lowest batting average of the three at the end of the spring auditions, his glove and rocket arm as his saving grace (it also didn't hurt that you had Tom Kelly as a manager who highly valued defense). Latham and Hunter went north while Jones went west to Salt Lake for more minor league conditioning. After veteran Matt Lawton was put on the 15-day DL following a Dennys Reyes fastball to the eye socket, the Twins recalled the left-handed batting Jones on June 9th, 1999. From June 20th on Jones was the primary starting centerfielder. The 23-year-old Hunter was the opening day centerfielder and played 107 games in center while Jacque Jones played in 82.

While Jones displayed better range (2.48 rf) than Hunter (2.38 rf), he was deficient in overall fielding (5 errors, .969 fld pct) to Hunter (1 error, .996 fld pct). Offensively, Hunter was behind the curve on Jones. Hunter hit a lowly .255/.309/.380 with 9 home runs (28 xbhs) while striking out in 17% of his 422 plate appearances. Jones, on the other hand, finished his year batting .289/.329/.460 with 9 home runs (35 xbhs) and striking out in 18% of his 347 plate appearances. The Twins commitment to defense won Hunter the opening day centerfield spot in 2000. When his average slumped to .207/.243/.300, though, Hunter was on a trek back to Salt Lake. The two months spent in triple-A helped Torii regain confidence in his plate approach. When he was recalled in July, Hunter rebounded to finish .280/.318/.408.

This of course is a different era than in 1999 or 2000 with a different manager and different general manager but they still orginate in the same school as Tom Kelly and Terry Ryan. If Gomez or Pridie make the roster out of spring training they could experience whiplash from the pulling to and from triple-A.

From here on out the media will be doing its best until the bus is packed and heading north to provide fans with hints from various management personnel from the organization. Bill Smith and Ron Gardenhire have already gone on record giving the opportunity to Pridie, Span and Gomez to win the spot. ESPN, on the contrary, has Gomez as the #1 centerfielder on the depth chart reaffirming the masses belief that Gomez is the odds-on favorite. Rotoworld has Monroe as the lead candidate for the Twins. According to STATS blog, it is a two-dog race between Gomez and Pridie (with the outside chance of Monroe).

The best - and most likely - scenario that will happen in 2008 is Group C (which would be a rotation of Group A and Group B). When Gardy wants the increased defense he might be inclined to start one of his younger, faster kids. If a line-up requires offense, Monroe or Young might be inserted at center and allow for Kubel and Cuddyer to man the corners.

Without seeing a minute of batting practice or pepper for that matter, I am saying that Jason Pridie is the starting centerfielder on opening day. Whether or not he performs well enough to retain the position over the course of the season is still questionable. If the Twins cling to contention, against all odds, certainly a trade deadline transaction might be reasonable if no one has claimed that position through June. Lofton is usually available around that time.

Centerfield Influx.

It is a daunting task replacing an icon. Just ask Rich Becker. He was the first full-time centerfielder after several attempts were made to insert wayward journeymen into the role following the Kirby Puckett era. The Twins find themselves in a similar situation to what played out during the 1994-1995 seasons. For those two seasons it was a tumultuous time for the Twins, Hrbek had announced his retirement effective at the end of the '94 season and Kirby was not able to cover as much ground as he once did. Like the franchise's modern day version, the 1994 Twins did not seem to have a replacement for the bulbous future Hall of Famer. Some believed that a double-A product Richard Godhard Becker was the right candidate. Others thought they needed a temporary solution to provide more seasoning to Becker and other internal candidates.

In the strike-shortened 1994 season, Puckett was displaced from center by a committee fronted by Alex Cole (who played in 84 games in center), Shane Mack (24 games) and a 22-year-old Rich Becker (23 games). Shane Mack's preseason DL stint allowed for both Becker and Cole to have opportunities to win a full-time position. Becker started as the opening day centerfielder but was sent back to triple-A after returning from the disabled list in June. His highest level prior to the majors had been double-A and it began to show. Cole began to play well enough to convince MacPhail and the front office that he could play center field, which also allowed Becker more conditioning in the minor (whose numbers were steadily declining offensively). Various injuries to Cole (with a broken leg finale) led to Becker's return to centerfield in June 1995 which was his until after the 1997 season when Becker was traded to the Mets and the Twins signed Otis Nixon to bridge the position until the next prospect (Torii Hunter in 1999) could develop.

The Twins searched for replacements before the 1994 season since Rich Becker (AA) and Torii Hunter (low-A) were viewed as light-years away from being major league ready. One player identified was Alex Cole, a journeyman centerfielder who had most recently played with the Colorado Rockies after being selected in the 1992 expansion draft. (This acquisition was one of the last free agent bargains inked by Andy MacPhail prior to Terry Ryan assuming the general manager role for the Twins following the return of baseball post-strike in 1995.)

Cole, after being shuffled from the Pirates, Cardinals and Padres organizations, made his major league debut with Cleveland in 1990. He was called up in July and dispite playing in only 63 games that season he stole 40 bases (caught in only 8 attempts) and hit .300/.379/.359. He showed good plate discipline for a 24-year-old walking 28 times (10.9% bb%) and striking out in only 38 (14.8% k%). His production peaked in his second season as is ability to get on base greatly reduced thereafter. Cole was traded to Pittsburgh but he became the first centerfielder in Rockies history and managed to cover significant ground in the expansive Mile High outfield. The Rockies front office hated his mental lapses such as repeatedly threw the ball to the wrong bases and often missing cut-off men. One play inparticular stands out in Denver fans memories when Cole was tracking a ball deep to center and scaled the wall only to have the ball bounce off of his back. In addition to being a blooper reel with the Rockies, Cole was also a reporter's dream making Rickey Henderson appear somewhat coherent. Once in the lobby of an Atlanta hotel, Cole sought out the Denver Post's Woody Paige and said "Myself made a great try on that long ball. Why are you knocking myself? Anybody can throw to the wrong base once."

Cole signed with the Twins (choosing them over the Tigers and Indians) just before spring training in 1994 to a minor league contract. The former Rockie proved to be swift, stealing 8 bases and breaking the previous Twins spring training stolen base record (7) shared by Rod Carew and Al Newman. This speed led to the decision to bring Cole north as the 4th outfielder. Offensively, it proved to be a good decision as Cole got off to a fast start hitting .329/.444/.476 in the month of April. He also walked in 17% of his plate appearances solidifying the lead-off spot. Unfortunately, the same defensive maladies that made him a liability to the Rockies was afflicting him with the Twins as well. In the home opener on April 6th, Damian Easley hit what would have been a ball played off the plexiglass has it not been removed during the offseason. Cole, playing left field, lazily drifted back short of the warning track when he suddenly realized that the ball was going to be further back than he thought. He scrambled to make an attempt on the ball but it dropped harmlessly into newly unguarded first row of seats. On April 17th, Cole lost two balls in the sun at Oakland resulting in three runs in a 5-1 loss to the A's. A few days later, however, on April 24th the misfortune turned: Cole hit is first home run of his career, a towering shot over the wall in centerfield at the Skydome, ending a 1,317 major league at-bat drought (in comparison, Jason Tyner had to wait only 1,220 at-bats for his first). This home run would be often sited as an example during the juiced-ball accusations of that summer. "When Alex Cole hits one, you've got to take it into consideration," Twins pitcher Kevin Tapani told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Cole would go on to hit 3 more home runs that season.

What can be said of Cole was that with every contribution he made offensively and on the basepaths to scoring a run was negated by his defensive ineptitude. At the plate, Cole finished hitting .296/.375/.403 with 4 home runs and 23 rbis. He led the team in triples (5) and walks (44) His splits were terrible in 1994. The left-handed hitting Cole hit righties well batting .327/.399/.451 but was a lethargic .104/.232/.104 in 56 plate appearances against lefties. While carrying a 2.49 range factor (when the league average was 2.09), his .969 fielding percentage (when the league average was .982) overshadowed his ability to cover ground. His mental lapses worried the front office and new GM Terry Ryan. Cole was a restricted free agent but was an uncertainty in the offseason because new policies being discussed during the strike could make him available on the open market.

Prior to the beginning of the 1995 season, Terry Ryan allowed outfield fixture Shane Mack to leave for Japan. Mack, who had led the team with a .333/.402/.564 line in 1994 but had began the season on the disabled list, was expected to command a hefty salary and the finite resources would be allocated in retaining Chuck Knoblauch. It was believed internally that Pedro Munoz and Alex Cole along with Marty Cordova and Rich Becker could easily supplant Mack's production at a much lower cost. On April 6th, 1995, Ryan resigned Cole to a one-year, $500,000 contract. With Cole and Chuck Knoblauch hitting 1-2 with Puckett, Munoz and Cordova following them the Twins felt they had a semi-dangerous line-up. So long as Cole and Knoblauch were on base, there was always the possibility of scoring runs.

From the belated season start on April 26th to May 30th, the decision to retain Cole was looking ingenious. He was batting .360/.422/.493 while adding 6 extra base hits in 75 at-bats. This allowed for one additional season of growth for Rich Becker in triple-A Salt Lake. Defensively, Cole suffered the same ailments as he did in 1994. On May 3rd against the visiting Royals, Cole lost yet another fly ball in the Dome's ceiling and then ended up throwing the ball into the infield to no one in particular. Two runs scored on that play.

Unfortunately, Cole's resurgence as a professional player was up-ended when he broke his leg fielding a base hit. On May 30th playing at Milwaukee's County Stadium, Fernando Vina hit what should have been a routine base hit in the bottom of the 8th inning. Cole, stopping to play the ball on a bounce, snapped his right leg and buckled. The diagnoses was a broken leg. Even though Cole would return for several games in September and play 24 games with Boston the following year, his career was effectively over.

In addition to resigning Cole, the Twins employed the right-handed batting 31-year-old Jerald Clark to offset the void created when left-handed pitching was on the mound. Signed to a minor-league contract on March 6th, Clark had played the 1994 season with the Yakult Caneries in Japan. Initally, Clark was brought on to complete for the recent vacancy at first base as well as left field. In 109 at-bats, Clark showed pop as he batted .339/.354/.550 with 3 home runs and 15 rbis. But he was far from a patient hitter. Through May 16th Clark had 40 at-bats and no walks. Left with no other viable platoon options, Clark would go on to play center in 10 of his 23 games with the Twins. He might have been one of the more astute players on the roster, describing the Metrodome to a Rocky Mountain News reporter: "It's got different acoustics," Clark said "Its got a different smell, too, if you care to notice."

As Clark will also learn, it has a different background too, then say, the sky. Like Cole, Clark turned plenty of balls hit to center into adventures. On May 19th, with Ken Griffey Jr at the plate and Clark manning center at the Metrodome, Griffey hit a towering fly ball that sent Clark sprinting back to the warning track. Only the flyball fell way short of the track in shallow center resulting in an rbi double for Griffey.

With Cole about to be out for the majority of the season with the broken leg and Tom Kelly not ready to allow Jerald Clark to be the full-time centerfielder, Terry Ryan made an emergency recall of Rich Becker from triple-A. Becker, who was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round of the 1990 amatuer draft, had seen sporadic major league time in 1993 and 1994. He developed well in the minors: in high-A Visalia, he hit .316/.442/.486 with 15 home runs. At double-A Nashville in 1993, Becker hit .287/.397/.450 with 15 home runs again (a strikingly similar season to that of Carlos Gomez's .285/.350/.423 while with Binghampton). This performance earned him a September call up in 1993 and the opportunity to vie for the starting centerfielder position in spring training in 1994. The scouts took note of his hustle, his uniform was always dirty. In fact one Twins scout, Don Cassidy, told the Pioneer Press after seeing Becker play in Kenosha that "Rich Becker will be our starting center fielder one day. He's got all the tools; reminds me of (Philadelphia's) Lenny Dykstra." But Becker suffered from on-going knee problems. In September 1993 he torn some cartiledge that required surgery on his knee. The following April, Becker strained a ligament sliding into home.

After being assigned to the Pacific Coast League in spring training, the 23-year-old Becker had been hitting well at Salt Lake, through 36 games he was batting .309/.430/.512. He was fleet of foot and covered ground as indicated by his 2.73 range factor (lgRF 1.99), though he too was a blooper reel stemming from youth and inexperience. On July 29th, he lost a fly ball in the Dome's roof as the bases loaded with Yankees costing the Twins the game (although, Matt Walbeck failed to cover home in the 7th that led to another run as well). On September 5th, Becker allowed a groundball to skip through his legs allowing CECIL FIELDER to score from 1st. A little over a week later he misplayed a Lance Johnson flyball for a triple. In spite of this, Becker proved to be much more reliable with the glove in center than Cole or Clark.

Becker's bat was his biggest detriment. From May 31st on, Becker hit a paltry .237/.303/.296. He struck out in over 21% of his plate appearances and coaxed walks in only 7%. His plate approached proved so poorly that in August the Twins decided to send Becker to the Florida Instructional League with the rest of the rookies to have him rediscover his swing and phase out his switch hitting (by 1997 he was strictly a left-handed batter).

In all, 1995 was right near the sharp bottom of the Twins decline. Fans stayed away from the Metrodome in droves. Only 1.05 million people entered the downtown stadium as the Twins finished last in attendance in the American League (even being outdrawn by Milwaukee). The team followed suit and finished 5th in the newly created AL Central, a whopping 44 games behind the front-running Cleveland Indians. In what was Kirby's last professional season he hit .314/.379/.515 with 23 home runs, earning yet another berth the All-Star game. Puckett led the team in extra base hits (62) and rbis (99). But at 35, Puckett was slowing down even by corner outfield standards where he had a low 1.86 range factor (1.99 league range factor). Had 1995 not been Puckett's swansong and would have been able to come back for the 1996 season, he would have been best suited for designated hitter.

The 1996 season did not go according to plan. In what was Terry Ryan's first full season to prepare for, he signed Greg Myers and Paul Molitor with the assumption that the pitching prospects like Brad Radke, Frankie Rodriguez and Latroy Hawkins would emerge has front line starters. Tragically, Puckett had to bow out of baseball after glacoma appeared in late spring. Throughout the season Molitor, Marty Cordova and Chuck Knoblauch all played well but only Rick Aguilera could produce a winning record (8-6) in his 19 starts. Fans began to reappear as the Dome was visited 1.4 million times, good enough for 11th best out of 14 American League clubs. In the first full season back from the strike, Becker was in a battle with double-A sensation Matt Lawton and recently acquired Roberto Kelly as a backup insurance policy. With good reason too. Becker started the season 3-43 (.070 ba), hitless in 23 at-bats, finally batted through and finished the season as his best totals as a professional. He finished .291/.372/.434 with 12 home runs but struck out in nearly 20% of his at-bats. His 1997 season emulated his 1995 season and the Twins decided to give up on him. On December 12th, 1997, the Twins traded Becker to the New York Mets for Alex Ochoa.

AL Central Update-Clemens Testimony Reaction Edition (2.15.08)

This should be a post regarding the reporting of pitchers and catchers, which usually is a cause for jubilation and typically makes me think of the up-tempo Josh Ritter song "Snow is Gone". Here in Minnesota, seeing the words "pitchers and catcher report" in print conjures up imaginary odors such as mowed grass and the scent one gets from kicking up infield dirt, even if the exterior thermometer reads well below zero. Here in the prairie land though, we still have a half-dozen snow falls left until spring finally commences but such a beautiful announcement reminds us that there is land on the horizon.

Normally at this time of year I am satisfied debating such issues as the recent Hernandez signing, if the Twins received enough prospective talent for Johan, or whether the Twins participated in the 4th outfielder market too soon when they acquired Craig Monroe. These arguments seemed to have conclusions. We will find out at the end of the 2008 season whether the Twins were justified adding Livan. We will have any answer in three years whether the bounty that was reaped for Santana was enough. We will know if $3.8 million was squandered on Monroe. These have answers.

Like the rest of America the last two days, I have been fixated on the Roger Clemens ordeal. Not on Clemens specifically, but the way the whole witch-hunt has degraded to what is essentially neo-McCarthyism. Like Communism and "the Red Scare", I believe that what really frightens congress (politicians, et al) is that this idea of injecting HGH could pour over the boundaries of our sacred fields into the American people: People idolize these players; People hate aging; These players have temporarily defied aging; Ergo, people might start gravitating towards human growth hormones or stem cells that might be able to provide youthful vigor prolonging the inevitable end. Don't forget that the government is still scared of stem cells (some don't even like the research). This has become bigger than the game itself. Hell, maybe an issue that will define a generation.

If growth hormones added longevity to a career without being a physical detriment, how is that a bad thing? Because everybody can't afford it? Because Clemens, et al should have conceded to aging and accepted the fact that they would not have been still playing if they couldn't do so without HGH? Should Debbie Clemens have simply allowed SI to touch up the photos without the aid of HGH?

I don't have an answer. I waffle on both sides. Half my foot is in the "let them all do everything" camp and the other believes in mandatory testing in the on-deck circle. Maybe when I am 65 and still playing softball pain-free I will think back on the HGH forefathers that made it possible for me to play on the diamond as a retiree the same as I would when I was 35 and mired in work. Maybe when my kids starts dabbling in steroids at 15 I'll be cursing the players whose cards I once idolized for teaching my young such a dishonest way to win. Who knows. Mentally, I want to return to considering whether Nick Swisher or Alexi Ramirez is a suitable centerfielder in US Cellular or if the Twins really do have a true lead-off hitter. These aren't heavy. But I can't just yet. Here are some of the more thought provoking columns in the afterglow of the testimony of Roger Clemens:

• The Strib's Pat Ruesse lambasted Clemens ability to so easily throw his wife under the bus. In efforts to discredit his character, Ruesse quotes former Boston Globe scribe Mike Barnacle describing Clemens as:

"If Clemens had not once been able to consistently throw a baseball 95 miles per hour past men with bats in their hands, he would be wearing bib overalls and sitting on a milk crate at the open end of a trailer somewhere, brushing his tooth, while shooing away flies from his head," Barnicle wrote. "The man is a complete dope."

• Rick Morrissey at the Chicago Tribune discusses that many celebrated what the ideal of Clemens is (an old man that won multiple Cy Youngs) but cringes at the idea of his 39-year-old wife. He questions why the bulging six-pack was the way she wanted to look:

But back to the pursuit of perfection. Allegations of HGH use aside, what told Debbie Clemens that the look she achieved was worth striving for?

What tells women that beauty is breast augmentation or nose jobs or face lifts? Or even that beauty can be found in an incredibly intense workout regimen and a strict lifestyle?

I don't find most female bodybuilders to be particularly attractive.

Both they and overly driven athletes have the same glassy eyed, single-minded look to them. It's neither beautiful nor excellent.

In our world, the line is getting very, very blurred between natural and unnatural.

In the pursuit of perfection, women with artificial breasts and athletes with artificially large biceps sometimes don't seem so different.

• The Kansas City Star's Joe Posnanski in his personal blog gives his thoughts on the televised hearings. Including this on the idea of mistaking it for a B-12 shots:

I do want you to pause for a moment here and think about how stupid this B12 thing is for a moment. Let’s assume for a moment that Roger Clemens is weary of needles, a reasonably fair assumption since it appears he kept taking shots in the buttocks region, which is where needles-haters take shots. I know where he’s coming from. I hate shots. I am nervous about shots, I don’t like them, I don’t like when my daughters have to get them, I don’t like seeing them on TV. Anyone who knows me and several people who don’t know me will tell you: I hate shots.

OK, let me tell you what it means to hate shots: There’s is no way, no chance, no possibility that I would take a voluntary B12 shot unless there was a lot of money involved. No chance. A vitamin shot that MIGHT help me in some vague way or MIGHT NOT help me at all? Are you serious? Why in the hell would I do that? I don’t even believe in flu shots. I wouldn’t take a B12 shot even if recommended by a doctor (which, as Rep. Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Iowa righlyt pointed out, a doctor would not recommend unless I become a vegan or have to deal with Alzheimer’s or start dealing with mental health issues which is growing more and more likely by the day). And, while I love my mother very dearly, there’s is no way I would start taking B12 shots because she decided they’re good for met. Hating shots means hating shots all the time; you only take a shot when it’s ABSOLUTELY necessary and you really try to avoid them then too.

So based on the fear of shots alone I’m calling total bullcrap on the whole B12 shot thing.

• Detroit Free Press's Mitch Albom approaches the issues straightforward: who is lying because both can't be telling truth.

I think he [Clemens] is. I think if Clemens is guilty, he is treating it like an injury the other team can't know about. Just get out there, look tough and pitch your butt off. He may figure nobody will believe a creep like McNamee, and Pettitte will never turn hard on him, he can just say Andy "misremembered" their conversations. In other words, in pitching terms, he can retire the side.

A big risk? You bet. But Clemens is nothing if not self-assured.

Meanwhile, what's the big picture here? What changes if Clemens is proven a liar? We already have plenty of big fish admitting steroids. One more changes nothing. If he did it, he did it years ago, when there was no testing.

• Slate's Josh Levin decided that this is a split-party issue with Republicans siding with Clemens ('Perhaps that shouldn't be surprising, considering that the pitcher is a close friend of George H.W. Bush, "even building a horseshoe pit at his home for the former president," according to a 2006 USA Today article.') and the Democratic Representatives siding with trainer Brian McNamee ('Foxx, Burton, Shays, and Darrell Issa, R-Calif., attacked McNamee's credibility relentlessly, while their colleagues across the aisle—most notably committee Chairman Henry Waxman, Massachusetts' Stephen Lynch, and Maryland's Elijah Cummings—laid off McNamee and grilled Clemens.').

• Finally, even though I am sick of Boston's reign as the best sports town in America and Bill Simmons as their official scribe, I do like his ESPN The Magazine article written at the end of January describing a game in 1996 where the fatter version of Clemens struck out 20.

The stunning turn of events didn't leave me as satisfied as I thought it would. Whenever people write about the Steroids Era, they always focus on numbers. After all, the combination of numbers and history makes baseball unique. We crunch them, compare them, memorize them, and eventually they become living, breathing entities. The Steroids Era has made it impossible to say which numbers are genuine, so fans worry that we can't compare generations anymore. I'd argue that every generation has mitigating factors that affect the numbers, and in time we'll learn how to weigh those factors from the past 15 years. We just need time.

Best and Worst Acquisitions of 2007 (Poundfoolish Edition)

What sets the Twins apart from most franchises is that they avoid sinking both large sums of money and years at free agents. Instead they rely on internal development (Mauer, Cuddyer, Kubel, Morneau), well-timed trades (Young, Castillo, Stewart) and the occasional place-holder one-year contract (Rogers, Hernandez) to bridge them from season to season. Conversely this fiscal restraint can prove detrimental to a fan base when star free agents are allowed to walk or demand trades. The blowback usually comes from some fans who request the easily identifiable superstars and local heroes to be on the field.

Spending large amounts of both years and dollars on Torii Hunter and Johan Santana, obviously two players that would have aided in winning in 2008 and 2009, would have been beneficial in the immediate future however towards the later years of the contract, the Twins could burdened by injuries, aging and overall decline in performance. As people like to point out, there is yet to be a pitcher that has signed a $100 million dollar contract that a team has not regretted in the end.

The Twins have (usually) had the foresight to have candidates ready when another exits (exception: centerfield). In cases where there are no viable candidates internally, general manager seek out potential suitors on the free agent market which grows increasingly more expensive as the desired commodity is limited. Had they decided to find Hunter's replacement on the free agent market, they could have ended up paying anywhere from $7 million (Cameron) to $12 million (Rowand) to $18.1 million (Jones) as season -- all grossly inflated rates.

Here are some of the other acquisitons made prior to 2007 that we as a Twins collective can be glad we did not invest in:

Adam Kennedy | 2B | St. Louis | -5 WSAB | $2.5 million

How Acquired: Signed three-year, $10 million dollar deal

In the first year of a three-year contract returning to the team that drafted him as the 20th overall pick in 1997, Tony LaRussa and the St. Louis Cardinals were not too pleased with his prodigal return. Long been known for his glove at second (he has a career 4.54 range factor), Kennedy struggled to find himself in his new Midwestern home. In April and May he held a batting average of .229. His season bottomed out in June where he hit .172/.238/.172 in 64 plate appearances. He somewhat rebounded prior to a season-ending knee injury at .219/.282/.290, well below his career average of .275/.329/.390.

Kennedy is due $3.5 million in 2008 and $4 million in 2009. Which if improvement doesn't happen rapidly, the Cardinals organization could be choking on a $7.5 million dollars. Kennedy skipped the Cardinals Winter Warm-Up prompting LaRussa to comment, "This year, I just don’t think we have that margin (to let a player play out of a funk). Adam is a key guy in that mix. So I expect him to return to his winning player form. But he needs to make sure he dots all the I’s, and not coming (this weekend)
is I hope his first and only mistake."

Danys Baez | RHP-R | Baltimore | -2 WSAB | $5.5 million

How Acquired: Signed a three-year, $19 million dollar deal November 27th, 2006.

After the 2006 season concluded, Baltimore's brain trust determined that the team's bullpen needed the most attention. The team when out and signed Danys Baez, Corey Bradford and Jamie Walker to three-year deals worth a combined $41.5 million. Instead of alleviating an already dreadful bullpen, the three posted a franchise worst 5.71 era. Baez exacerbated the problem: In 53 appearances he went 0-6 and accumulated a 6.44 era with 3 saves.

Blessed mercifully by an injury that would require Tommy John surgery on September 15th, 2007, Baez will miss the entirety of his second year under the contract.

Adam Eaton | RHP-S | Philadelphia | -2 WSAB | $7.2 million

How Acquired: Signed a three-year, $24.5 million dollar deal (with mutual 4th year option at $9 million) on November 30th, 2007.

Eaton came off a season with Texas where injuries and rehabilitation limited his innings to just 65. His 7-4 record with a 5.12 era was good enough though for the pitching-hungry Phillies who signed him during the off-season to a potential $33.5 million dollar contract. Able to start 30 times for the first time since 2004 then with the Padres, Eaton was hit hard and never really acclimated to his new team. He finished with a 10-10 record in 30 starts but had a terrible 6.29 era (113 earned run, 3rd worst in the NL) and gave up 30 home runs (4th worst). All this in only 160 innings of work.

In 2008, the Phillies are still committed to him but have said that he will have to battle out for the fifth spot in the rotation against JD Durbin and Mr. Anna Benson (who recently signed a minor league deal).

Rich Aurilia | INF | San Francisco | -2 WSAB | $3.5 million

How Acquired: Signed a two-year, $8 million dollar contract on December 4th, 2006.

This is one of those instances where as a general manager you simply get robbed. Aurilia came back to San Francisco from Cincinnati where he finished a very successful season hitting .300/.349/.518 with 23 home runs. Then again, had the Giants front office performed their due diligence they may have realized that the Great American Ballpark was a much better hitting environment than At&T Park. But no one could have anticipated the steep decline in 2007 where Aurilia hit .240/.304/.368 with 5 home runs in 329 at-bats. Of course Aurilia's 2006 season was significantly out of the norm from his previous production and he was also approaching his mid-30's. Two facets that might have been consider prior to giving a two-year contract to.

One appealling aspect of Aurilia's 2006 campaign was that he absolutely mashed left-handed pitching in 2006 hitting .347/.406/.680 with 11 home runs in only 165 plate appearances. This alone would be reason enough to enlist a batter. Only in 2007, Aurilia's abilities greatly plateaued at 35 years old. Instead of hitting lefties as he did with Cincinnati, he slumped hitting .240/.265/.411.

Jason Schmidt | RHP-S | Los Angeles Dodgers | -1 WSAB | $12.5 million

How Acquired: Signed a three-year, $46 million dollar contract on December 8th, 2006.

On November 3rd, 2006 Sean McAdams wrote a piece of precautionary prophecy, quoting one unidentified GM as saying "We could be looking at some regrettable deals in a couple of years." A month later, the Dodgers sank $46 million and three-years into Jason Schmidt. Without a doubt, along with Barry Zito, Schmidt was the premium arm on the market last offseason. From 2001to 2006, Schmidt compiled an 84-47 record (a .641 wpct) coupled with a 3.44 era while with the Pirates and Giants. When considered during the off-season, Schmidt seemed like a low-risk signing.

Around spring training there were tell-tale signing of lingering arm problems, such as a decrease in velocity that Schmidt tried to brush off: "I know what it takes in Spring Training and I don't think about velocity now," said Schmidt, who has two more exhibition starts before he takes the ball in Game 3 of the regular season in Milwaukee. "It's not only about being ready for April 1 but for June and July and August and throughout an entire season. I feel fine."

After 3 starts Schmidt proved to be not fine. His shoulder needed surgery (again). This time there is concern that he will not be able to recover considering his accelerated age of 35: "The Tommy John success rate is 82-85 percent for returning to the previous level, while the success rate for labral tears is about 70-75 percent," said Stan Conte, Dodgers trainer and medical director. "The qualifier is that the studies only focus on labral tears and a lot of pitchers have a combination of injuries."

Nevertheless, the Dodgers are on the hook to pay $34.5 million dollars over the course of the next two seasons, with or without his services.

Juan Pierre | OF | Los Angeles Dodgers | -1 WSAB | $7.5 million

How Acquired: Signed a five-year, $44 million dollar contract November 22nd, 2006.

Next to pitchers, centerfielders seem to be the next big free agent cash crop. Seth Mnookin wrote an article for Slate questioning the practices of the general managers. Essentially, general managers preach frugality and quality is driving their decision yet their actions say something completely different. Mnookin cites the Dodgers signing of Pierre as such evidence.

Pierre is a one-tool hitter: He hits singles. No more, no less. In 2006 he led the National League with 156. For an encore, he led the league with 164 (of 196 total hits) in 2007. He doesn't walk (4.6% bb%), but he also doesn't strike out either (5.1% k%). And he certainly doesn't have any power (.060). He would be the ideal lead-off candidate only if his .331 on-base percentage wasn't the second-lowest among Dodgers starters. It is a shame that the Dodgers vastly overpaid for an eight-hitter.

Jay Payton | OF | Baltimore | -1 WSAB | $4.5 million

How Acquired: Signed a two-year, $9.5 million dollar contract December 11th, 2006.

As you might have guessed by now, the Baltimore Orioles are not the exactly wizards of the free agent market. The Baez contract - in addition to his bullpen compatriots - scream ill-advised. Even as they attempt to make a somewhat frugal maneuver, it backfires in their beaks. Jay Payton had a blue-collar season for the Oakland A's in 2006. In 557 at-bats, Payton hit .296/.325/.418 with 10 home runs. He shows little patience (3.7% bb%) but he doesn't strikeout a lot either (8.9%). That said, Payton lives and dies by the type of contact he makes and where the ball lands on the field. In 2006 he held an average of .313 on balls put in play. His high line drive rate (22%) assisted in achieving a near .300 batting average.

The Orioles probably saw his nifty batting line and figured that since that was close to his career of .281/.325/.432, he must be able to replicate that. Unfortunately between his decline on line drives (15%) and the placement on the field (.271 babip), Payton and the Orioles saw his hitting slip to .256/.292/.376. Payton could rebound, but it is still a gamble of a contract rather than a sure thing. Payton told his former hometown paper that he'd like to play until he is 40. It is a game of chance with Payton.