Scouting the Competition: 7 Serious Questions for Minnesota Twins Correspondent Malcolm Hamilton

     First off, for the angry mob that just can’t get past using Andruw Jones and Mark Kotsay as our DH this season and have been driving themselves nuts following all the Twitter tweets, let me just say that yes we offered Johnny Damon a contract, no it wasn’t better than the Tigers offer, and no, we did not come back and make a second offer.  We just don’t have the budget flexibility to trump Detroit’s 1 year, $7M offer (possibly even 2 for $14M).  Not happening.  But onto more pressing news…We’re back with out next installment of Scouting the Competition, this time talking to the man that covers the Minnesota Twinkies, Malcolm Hamilton.  I’d like to personally thank Michael for taking the time out to share some enemy information with us and give us some added insight into our division rival and current reigning AL Central champs.  So let’s get it going with 7 Serious Questions…

7 Serious Questions for Twins Correspondent Malcolm Hamilton

1.  I feel like the Twins lack a proven ace in their rotation.  Scott Baker has made strides over the last couple of years and Kevin Slowey could be an intriguing #2 so long as he is healthy.  But Nick Blackburn has been inconsistent, Carl Pavano is still a huge question mark and who knows what’s going on with Francisco Liriano.  How do you see the Twins pitching shaping up for the 2010 season?

     While the Twins certainly do not have a proven stud at the top of their rotation, Ron Gardenhire and Twins management have absolutely no issue with handing the ball to Scott Baker on opening day.  Baker might be the least sexy number one in baseball but he has earned that role through consistency and grittiness.  The rest of the rotation is in more of a state of flux.  Slowey demonstrated his great talent and potential in 2008, but 2009 saw him struggle with injuries and inconsistency.  If he can come back strong, look for Slowey to lock down the number 2 spot in the rotation.  After four disastrous years, Carl Pavano seemingly found himself again after being acquired by the Twins.  Fourteen wins and almost 200 innings in 2009 demonstrated to Minnesota that Pavano is ready to be middle of the rotation veteran.  Now he just needs to lower that ERA closer to 4.  I actually disagree with your assessment of Nick Blackburn being an inconsistent pitcher.  In fact, Blackburn has been uncannily consistent over the last two years.  In 2008, he posted 11 wins, 11 losses, 96 strikeouts and a 4.05 ERA.  In 2009 he had 11 wins, 11 losses, 98 strikeouts and a 4.03 ERA.  Eerily similar, right?  Blackburn came up the Twins system as a highly regarded prospect and hasn’t disappointed in the Majors, however it is time for him to progress from consistent to dominant.  Barring something completely unexpected happening, Baker, Slowey, Pavano and Blackburn will be four of the pitchers in the Twins rotation at the start of 2010.  The real competition will be over the fifth spot.  In terms of pure potential and raw talent, Francisco Liriano has no equal in the Twins organization.   However, he’s been such an unmitigated disaster over the last four years that he cannot be relied on in anyway.  However some signs are pointing towards a resurgence.  Liriano has absolutely torn up winter league ball and is supposedly healthy for the first time in a long while.  While the Twins will give Liriano every chance to earn the number five job, there is a strong possibility of him having to work on his consistency and earn the role gradually.  Brian Duensing was given a shot in Minnesota after injuries derailed the rotation last year and he ran with that opportunity.  Duensing posted a 3.64 ERA in 9 starts and was a large reason that the Twins made the playoffs in 2009.  However, he wasn’t ever considered to be all that strong of a prospect so many believe that his 2009 numbers were a fluke.  If Liriano and Duensing don’t work out in the five hole, minor leaguers Jeff Manship and Tyler Robertson might be given a shot.  Also, when Glen Perkins returns from injury, he could be given a long look for a rotation spot
 
2.  How do you see the additions of Orlando Hudson and J.J. Hardy impacting your team?  Remember, Hardy was demoted for some time last year and the O-Dog was benched by Joe Torre in L.A. in favor of Ronnie Belliard.

     These additions are huge for the Twins.  Going into the offseason the club had relatively few holes but had a really serious dearth of talent up the middle.  Before the Hardy and Hudson acquisitions, the Twins were looking at some disastrous Alexei Casilla, Nick Punto, Brendan Harris, Matt Tolbert combination for second base and shortstop.  While the both had rather trying years in 2009, they are veteran players that have demonstrated that they can be above average players in the right situation.  While the second base job will be handed to Hudson in spring training, Hardy will probably have to compete with some of those listed above for shortstop.  The additions were typical savvy Twins moves.  They were relatively low cost and provided the squad with an influx of depth and talent at a previously weak position.
 
3.  Better snack cake: the Twinkie or the Choc-o-dile?

Is that a joke?  Twinkies are delicious and can survive nuclear holocausts. Case Closed.

4.  How do you think the move out of the dome will affect the team?

     Honestly, this is a really difficult variable to judge without having seen any baseball played in the new stadium.  People didn’t know what a bandbox New Yankee Stadium would be until there were a record amount of home runs hit there in April.  Get back to me mid-April and I’ll be happy to weigh in. 
 
5.  If you were to give light-sabres to Ron Gardenhire and Ozzie Guillen, do you think Gardenhire would be able to stand up against Guillen’s Yoda-like acrobatics and prowess?

     While I would love to say that Gardenhire would hold his own, I can’t.  I fear Guillen’s tenacity and speed would combine to destroy Gardenhire within the first thirty seconds.

6.  How much sense did it make to you for the Twins to sign Jim Thome?  If Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer and Denard Span are manning the outfield, Jason Kubel was slotted as your full time DH.  Now you have 2 DHs that can’t hit lefties.  Will Young be riding the pine against righties?

     The Thome signing was a very low risk move for the Twins so it’s difficult to say anything all that bad about it. He’ll provide the Twins with some much needed lefty power off the bench, but I really don’t see him being in the starting lineup all that often.  Delmon Young proved that he is at least a solid major league player, and the Twins won’t take away his at bats just to give Thome a couple of extra swings.  This move is very similar to Rockies acquiring Jason Giambi last season.  Like Giambi, Thome should provide some pinch hit power as well as some veteran leadership.  The deal is only worth 1.5 million so it’s actually a very minimal investment.  The only real chance of Thome getting everyday starts is if Young, Kubel or Cuddyer get hurt for a significant period of time.

7.  Which is the better movie:  Eight Men Out; a rivetting, historical docu-drama recounting the trials and tribulations of the misunderstood 1919 Chicago White Sox players who were at the mercy of a tyrranical owner, gamblers and corruption or Little Big League, the madcap adventures of 12 year old Billy Heywood as he inherits the Twins from his dead grandfather and appoints himself the manager?  Oh yeah, and it starred Timothy Busfield as the Twins best player.

     The might be blasphemous according to White Sox fans but I’ve never actually seen Eight Men Out.  I’ll have to assume that the movie is a somewhere between two other Cusak classics, Serendipity and 2012.  In which case it would be awesome.  But, Little Big League is a childhood classic, so I’m going to go with that.

     So that does it for Malcolm, and again, a very hearty thanks for taking the time.  For those that need a recap, let me just say that Malcolm is confident, bordering on delusional, about the Twins pitching, is still living in the cold war driven 80’s if he thinks that chocolately deliciousness is trumped by the shelf-life of a snack cake, and he’s a big fan of the Twins offseason moves.  He also will only report on a lack of dome advantage later on in the season and he is in serious need of a Netflix account so he can start watching some baseball movies.  That about right, Malcolm?  Atleast you have the good sense to know who not to screw with once technology hands us all light-sabres in this world. 

     Anyway, if you Sox fans out there want to continue to spy on the competition, you can find Malcolm Hamilton’s reports on the Minny Twinkies Blog right here on the Fanball Blog Network.

     Still waiting to hear from the Tribe and the little kitties from Motown, but I’ve got that chicken suit ready and waiting for when they need it!

Tags: Chicago White Sox, Minnesota Twins, Ozzie Guillen, White Sox