Minnesota Twins Dynasty
When the 2002 season rolled around, new manager and GM, Chris Muller, knew that Minnesota, with the addition of a few key things that he felt he could bring, had the potential to take it all home. Whether it be having the talent to trade for better talent or having our own home-grown talent, Chris was bound to find out. With over three million dollars to work with before the 2002 season will even begin, Chris is very excited about the new position. "I am glad to finally run my own professional baseball team," said Chris, "it's been my dream ever since I was a little boy." In case you haven't heard, old GM Terry Ryan decided to step down as general manager and take a less-stressful position as the team's scout. He then handed the job to his close friend, Chris Muller. Muller had all the experience needed to run a professional baseball team. Muller felt that Gardenhire, the Twins current manager, wasn't cutting the cake in Minnesota, so he decided to fire Gardenhire and hire recently retired Tony Gwynn to manage the Twins. "I feel that Tony knows the game better than anyone," Muller stated, "and I feel he has what it takes to lead this team to a championship - maybe more." Gardenhire had no comment when the Minnesota Press attempted to interview him.
Coaching Changes. With less than a month to go before the start of the 2002 season, Muller looked at what he needed to accomplish. First on the agenda, the Twins needed to solidify their coaching staff. Hitting coach Scott Ulger was fired and new hitting coach, Bill Soderberg, was signed to a six-year, $420,000 contract. Also, pitching coach Rich Anderson was fired and Mark Waters, the new pitching coach, was signed to a six-year, $460,000 contract. That is all Muller felt had to be done as far as coaching changes go, for now.
Roster Changes. Muller felt the only weakness on the roster was in right-field. Although our new scout, Terry Ryan, claims that Brian Buchanan is an all-star, Muller just wasn't buying it. The big problem was, the Twins really had no room to give up a player at any position because management felt that they were secure in all aspects of the team. After an extensive meeting with management, Muller decided to let Buchanan start the season on the active roster, starting in right-field. There was also a slight weakness in the bullpen. So Muller took immediate action in signing veteran RHP Josias Manzanillo to a one-year, $1.52 million deal. He also made a smart aquisition in signing a one-year, $520,000 deal with 39 year-old veteran lefty, Rich Rodriguez.
The 2002 Season Begins...
With
that, Muller felt that the Twins were ready to begin the 2002 season.
Two days before the season-opener, the Twins released the official opening-day
rosters.
| Position | Starter | Position | Starter(s) |
| C | A.J. Pierzinski | Starting Rotation | RHP Joe Mays |
| 1B | Doug Mientkiewicz | RHP Brad Radke | |
| 2B | Luis Rivas | RHP Rick Reed | |
| 3B | Corey Koskie | LHP Eric Milton | |
| SS | Cristian Guzman | RHP Kyle Lohse | |
| LF | Jacque Jones | Middle Relievers | RHP Jack Cressend |
| CF | Torii Hunter | RHP Mike Jackson | |
| RF | Brian Buchanan | RHP Bob Wells | |
| DH | David Ortiz | LHP Travis Miller | |
| Set-Up | RHP Josias Manzanillo | ||
| Bench | LHP Rich Rodriguez | ||
| C | Tom Prince | Closer | LHP Eddie Guardado |
| 2B/3B | Jay Canizaro | ||
| SS | Denny Hocking | ||
| OF | Bobby Kielty |
Muller immediately saw his Twins take off on the road to success. After finishing the month of May, the Twins had a record of 19-8, two games ahead of the White Sox for the lead in the AL Central. This month brought three injuries. The Twins lost A.J. Pierzinski for two weeks with back spasms and they also lost Luis Rivas for one week with foot issues. The loss of Rivas, however, wasn't all that bad, because Jay Canizaro came in and hit nearly .400 and rode a hot streak until Rivas returned. The Twins were continuing to win, then a major setback came. Doug Mientkiewicz will be out for 5 weeks with a broken foot. Highly touted prospect, Mike Cuddyer, was brought up from AAA to replace Mientkiewicz on the active roster. He will start at first base until Doug returns. Cristian Guzman had an incredible month, hitting .414 with 3 HR, 26 RBI, and 12 SBs. David Ortiz, on the other hand, was a major disappointment. He hit only .157, but had 5 HR, 15 RBI. Rick Reed had a great month, going 4-1 with a 2.35 ERA while Joe Mays went 4-1 with a 3.23 ERA. Manzanillo and Rodriguez, the two pre-season signings, have been a disappointment, only because they have both pitched under 7 innings.
With only a few minor injuries after May (including the loss of Rivas for three weeks), the Twins have a record of 40-15, six games ahead of the White Sox for the lead in the AL Central. Corey Koskie had a 20-game hitting streak snapped just days before the month's end. Brian Buchanan won a player of the week award this month, and lefty Eric Milton won pitcher of the month. Corey Koskie had an incredible month, batting .343 with 12 HR, 28 RBI, 27 Runs, and 6 stolen bases. He now leads the team in runs and homeruns. Jacque Jones also stepped up batting .341 with 5 HR and 16 RBI. Another key batting performances was Torii Hunter, who batted .301 with 11 HR, 28 RBI, and 3 SB. The real story, though, was how two guys who were almost off the team, stepped up big time. Brian Buchanan, who was almost dealt after displaying a .209 batting average, hit .319 with 6 HR and 19 RBI this month, so needless to say he will continue to start in RF. The other was David Ortiz, who the Twins almost sent down to AAA because he was batting .198, but since he is only 26, the Twins decided to just give him a chance. He really showed Gwynn and the rest of the staff what he could do, batting .330 with 9 HR and 27 RBI this month. The pitching story this month was all about Eric Milton. He went 6-0 with a 1.27 ERA, earning him the AL Pitcher of the Month Award. Also stepping up was Josias Manzanillo, who in 11 games, went 2-0 with a 0.68 ERA and 3 saves.
At the end of June, the Twins have a major-league best 55-27 record - 5.5 games ahead of the White Sox. An overall good month, but Rick Reed was lost for 3 weeks due to a shoulder injury. Johan Santana was brought up from AAA to take his spot in the rotation. Everyone on the team is playing so well, but here are a few who stood out this month. Corey Koskie hit .320 with 3 HR, 20 RBI, 19 Runs, and 4 SBs. Also playing well was Cristian Guzman; he hit .356 (he leads the MLB in Batting Avg.!!) with 2 HR, 17 RBI, 18 Runs, and 6 SBs. Brian Buchanan is proving that he can in fact stay on the Twins roster, batting an incredible.388 with 1 HR, 18 RBI, and 16 Runs, and he is also in the midst of an 18-game hitting streak (the longest currently in the majors). It looks as if he will not be traded this year as originally planned in the beginning of the season. David Ortiz also played very strong, hitting .272 with 5 HR, 21 RBI, and 15 Runs. Pitching-wise, Joe Mays had yet another good month, going 4-2 with a 2.72 ERA. Closer Eddie Guardado was awesome this month with a record of 1-0, 7 saves, and a 0.90 ERA. Overall, the bullpen is playing incredible, and the starting staff is playing excellent as well. At this point, Muller feels there is absolutely no need to make any trades because the Twins have everything they need to continue winning.
July was a crazy month for the Twins. After the month's end, the Twins were at a solid record of 68-40, 8 games ahead of the White Sox for the division lead. Being selected to the All-Star game were: Joe Mays, Rick Reed, A.J. Pierzinski, Cristian Guzman, and Corey Koskie. This month brough two devastating injuries. Eric Milton was lost for 8 weeks due to a pulled tricep muscle, and Kyle Lohse was lost for 3 weeks with a strained tricep muscle. That's two out of the five starters on the disabled list. Muller had to react quick, so he brought up Johan Santana and J.C. Romero from AAA to fill the voids in the starting rotation. Romero was of service, going 1-2 with a 3.38 ERA. Also, Muller pulled off a deadline deal that will help the Twins incredibly on their run to the playoffs. The Twins sent RHP Jack Cressend and prospect CF Jamal Strong to the New York Yankees for veteran LHP Mike Stanton. Muller quoted, "I feel this trade was great on our behalf because it brings not only a strong south-paw to the bullpen, but also a veteran team leader who has playoff experience. We're glad to have Mike with us now." Once again, the Twins played solid this month. Corey Koskie batted .319 with 7 HR, 28 RBI, 19 Runs, and 4 SBs. Guzman added to that with a .354 average, 2 HR, 18 RBI, 14 Runs, and 7 SBs. As for the staff, they played pretty poorly after the loss of two of the starting pitchers. The only notable performace this month was Joe Mays, who went 4-1 with a 3.04 ERA. Over the next two months, Chris Muller and the rest of the management staff will be looking at which of these following potential free-agents will get a new contract: Brad Radke, Rich Rodriguez, Rick Reed, Josias Manzanillo, and A.J. Pierzinksi.
August was a disasterous month for the Twins. After the month had gone by, the Twins still had firm grasp of the AL Central with a record of 80-57, 3 games up on the White Sox. Cristian Guzman still leads the majors with his .367 batting average, but the rest of the team just didn't play like the normal Twins this month. A.J. Pierzinkski continues to fight for that new contract as he he batted .314 with 2 HR, 15 RBI, and 17 Runs this month. Doug M. also helped out, batting .391 with 4 HR, 19 RBI, and 17 Runs. Brian Buchanan once again shows off his skills at the plate, batting .309 with 7 HR, 25 RBI, and 14 Runs. The pitching is what hurt the Twins this month. No starter had an ERA under 4.00 this month. The only notable performance was Josias Manzanillo, who had a 2.40 ERA through 15 innings. If Manzanillo continues on this path, he will get his new contract.
What a great finish to the season for the Twins. The Twins finished it all up with a record of 93-69, clinching the AL Central by 8 games. This month brought two injuries that really hurt the team, however. Eric Milton was lost for 9 days with a muscle strain, and the Twins went on to lose 7 straight games during that time. Once he came back, Doug Mientkiewicz went down for 6-7 weeks with a broken foot. "This really hurts us for the playoffs," Gwynn said, "but with Cuddyer filling in, we shouldn't lose any chemistry." So Michael Cuddyer was brought up from AAA to fill his shoes. Other than that, the Twins had a great month. Luis Rivas hit .305 with 2 HR, 12 RBI, 12 Runs, and 7 SBs. Corey Koskie had similar stats, batting .302 with 2 HR, 11 RBI, 11 Runs, and 4 SBs. Cristian Guzman continued to show why he was an all-star by batting .330, with 3 HR, 13 RBI, 21 Runs, and 9 SBs. Torii Hunter was great this month, as well. He hit .307 with 8 HR, with 18 RBI, 13 Runs, and 2 SBs. The starting pitching continued to struggle, as the only notable performance was Rick Reed who went 2-2 with a 3.41 ERA. The bullpen was much better. Mike Stanton got his stuff together and went 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA. Bob Wells also had a nice ERA of 2.77 this month. Eddie Guardado was also helpful, as he went 2-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 4 saves.
Next came contract extensions. Although Rick Reed is 38 years old and didn't play great this year, he played good enough to get the job done. GM Chris Muller felt that it was the right desicion to sign Rick Reed to a 1-year extension for $995,000. "I'd like to see Rick finish his career here in Minnesota, and he provides the veteran leadership we need on this team," Muller said after inking the deal last night. Brad Radke was also signed to an extension. Although he had a bad season last year, he was given a 4-year, $3.9 million dollar deal. A.J. Pierzinksi was the next to get a contract extension. He was rewarded for his great season with a 5-year, $5.15 million dollar deal. Josias Manzanillo and Rich Rodriguez were not given an extension at this time. After playoffs are over, the Twins management will look at their financials and see what they could do.Now the Twins will face off against the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the playoffs.
In game one of the ALDS the Twins rallied for 7 runs early in the game to knock Pedro out of the game after about 3 innings. The Twins pulled of a sweet 12-8 victory to go up 1-0 in the series. Click here to see the box score.
In game two of the ALDS, the Twins played excellent once again, only this game was a little more close. After a rain delay that took both team's starters out after 3 innings, the relievers came in and did all the work. Thanks to Michael Cuddyer (yes that's the Twins' starting first baseman's backup) the Twins pulled off a close win, 4-3, to take the series lead 2-0. Click here to see the box score.
In game three of the ALDS, the Twins just could not keep up with Ronaldo Arrojo. He pitched a gem, plus Garciaparra knocked 2 homeruns off Milton, so the Twins could do nothing else but take the loss. The Twins fell 5-1 to the Red Sox in game three, but still lead the series 2-1. Click here to see the box score.
Game four of the ALDS was very close. Pedro, however, was just too much for the Twins. He played a superb game and Nomar Garciaparra continues to have a great postseason. In turn, the Twins lost a very close game, 3-2. The final out was made in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, 2 runners on, and Pierzinksi was up - but he just could not get the job done. The series is now tied 2-2. Click here for the box score.
Game five was a huge disappointment. The Twins just could not get it done and fell 6-1 to the Red Sox. The Red Sox now advance in the playoffs. "I am not upset with the way we played," stated Gwynn in a post-game conference "I feel that this Twins team has played fantastic this season. We were good enough to make it this far, and although we had some injuries throughout the course of the season, I am very pleased with the effort these men have put forth this year." GM Chris Muller added, "I agree with Tony. These men played their guts out for 162-plus games. Yes, it's sad that it has to end here, but this just gives us the motivation we need to come back next year and take it the next step further. As for the Red Sox, we wish you the best of luck in the playoffs." Click here to see the box score.
That wraps up the Twins 2002 season. The Twins management wanted Josias Manzanillo to come back to the team, but since there was less than $2 million dollars in available funds, an agreement could not be reached with the veteran. Rich Rodriguez will also become a free agent. This coming pre-season, the Twins will be looking for mainly bullpen help.
2003 Pre-SeasonCoaching Changes. The Twins started off the 2003 pre-season by making a few coaching changes. The Twins released scouting manager Terry Ryan, who Muller felt did a poor job last season, and signed scouting director Brian Cashman, who GM Chris Muller felt was a much better scouting director and would definitely help him and the Twins organization, to a 4-year deal worth $1.5 million dollars. Also released was AAA manager, John Russell, and AA manager Stan Cliburn. The A manager left the Twins so there was a need for three minor league managers. Three top minor league managers were signed to fill the empty void: Jose Marzan (AAA) was signed to a 2-year, $1.25 million dollar deal, Bobby Jones (AA) was signed to a 2-year, $985,000 contract, and Dave Trembley (A) was signed to a 1-year, $984,000 contract.
Roster Changes. In the first deal of the season, the Twins sent RF Brian Buchanan, DH David Ortiz, and RHP Rick Reed (3 of the players that were originally going to be kept) to the Cleveland Indians for LHP Ricardo Rincon and RHP David Riske. This tradeopens up right-field, so prospect Michael Cuddyer could join the starting lineup. "I feel terrible that I had to make this trade," stated GM Chris Muller last night, "Brian did everything that we asked him and more last year, David is young and still learning, but managed to be a success last year, and Rick, the guy I wanted here in Minnesota to finish his career, were all traded. I hated to do this because these were three of my favorite guys, and three of my closest friends. The deal was needed to be done in order to solidify our bullpen because we have older players who will be retiring soon. I honestly believe Cleveland is a better place for all three players - because they will be given a chance to play there." The following free agents were signed:
Spring
training went well. Cliff Politte learned to be a SP, and will take
his spot in the Twins rotation as the #1 SP. Here is how the active
roster looks before the start of the 2003 season:
| Position | Starter | Position | Starter(s) |
| C | A.J Pierzynski | Starting Rotation | RHP Cliff Politte |
| 1B | Doug Mientkiewicz | RHP Joe Mays | |
| 2B | Luis Rivas | RHP Brad Radke | |
| 3B | Corey Koskie | LHP Eric Milton | |
| SS | Cristian Guzman | RHP Kyle Lohse | |
| LF | Jacque Jones | Middle Relievers | RHP Jeff Shaw |
| CF | Torii Hunter | LHP Mike Stanton | |
| RF | Michael Cuddyer | RHP David Riske | |
| DH | Rondell White | Set-Up | RHP Josias Manzanillo |
| LHP Ricardo Rincon | |||
| Bench | Closer | LHP Eddie Guardado | |
| C | Scott Hatteberg | ||
| 2B | Ruben Salazar | ||
| SS | Denny Hocking | ||
| OF | Dustan Mohr | ||
| OF | Bobby Kielty |
With that, Muller felt that he had a great team, ready to start the season. He and Gwynn both decided that they had the absolute best bullpen in the major leagues, without question. Let's hope they're right. The one thing Muller was still looking for, however, was a young superstar (possibly an outfielder) to build the team around. Could that happen this season? We'll have to find out. On that note, the 2003 season begins...
The Twins struggled mightly in April. They finished the month 11-16, 4 games out of 1st place (there is a 3-way tie in 1st) in the AL central. Jacque Jones went down at the end of the month with a broken finger, so DH Matt LeCroy was brought up from AAA to fill his spot in the lineup. There were absolutely no notable batting performances at all this month. As far as pitching goes, Brad Radke has a decent month, going 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Suprisingly, Kyle Lohse went 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA. Jeff Shaw went 0-1 with a 1.08 ERA this month, while Josias Manzanillo finished the month 1-1 with a 2.45 ERA. Muller quoted "I am very disappointed in this team this month. I am, however, not mad or upset. This will not force me to make any trades immediately because I know how these guys can play. Let's just hope they can pick it up!" On another note, GM Chris Muller talked to various managers from around the league, hoping to aquire his superstar. After pursuing greats such as Barry Bonds, Sammy Sosa, Alex Rodriguez, Lance Berkman, and Adam Dunn, Muller realized that you can't easily trade for a guy who is the team. "Even though I could not land my superstar this month, I am going to continue to look around and pursue for trades," Muller said last night after Minnesota's loss.
May brought some better hope for the Twins, but still not much. They ended the month on a 25-30 record, 4 games behind the leader, the Detroit Tigers, tied for 3rd place. During the month Corey Koskie got hurt for one week, as did Mike Stanton, but it was nothing major so they stayed on the active roster. Jacque Jones came off the DL about mid-May, but wasn't helping much. Muller decided to send OF Dustan Mohr down to AAA and bring up prospect OF Michael Restovich to platoon with Jones in LF. Key batting performances came from A.J. Pierzynski, who hit .364 with 1 HR, 13 RBI, and 18 Runs and Doug Mientkiewicz, who hit .301 with 3 HR, 17 RBI, and 10 Runs. Cristian Guzman bounced back heavily this month with a .317 batting average, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 20 runs, and 7 SBs. Torii Hunter also contributed with a .280 batting average, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 12 Runs, and 2 SBs. Pitching also improved this month. Kyle Lohse went 2-1 with a 3.60 ERA. Brad Radke added to that with a 4-2 record with a 3.50 ERA. In the bullpen, Mike Stanton rebounded nicely from last months 7.00-plus ERA, going 1-0 with a 2.03 ERA and 1 save. Lets hope the Twinkies can pick it up in the next couple of months so they can take a trip to the playoffs this year.
June
was a great month for the Twins. They went on a hot streak and finished
the month 42-41, cracking .500. They are currently 2.5 games ahead
of the Royals for first place
in the AL Central. There were no major injuries this month.
One interesting fact is that Michael Restovich
wrestled the starting LF job away from Jacque
Jones, so needless to say, Jones will not
get a contract extension this year and will become a free agent.
Cristian
Guzman once again tore it up this month, hitting
.294 wit 5 HR, 25 RBI, 16 Runs, and 6 SBs.
Rondell White
finally came around this month. He hit .350
with 4 HR, 13 RBI, 21 Runs, and 3 SBs.
Michael
Cuddyer also helped offensively as he he hit
.322 with 4 HR, 15 RBI, 14 Runs, and 3 SBs.
Pitching was good, as well. Brad Radke
went 4-0 with a 1.85 ERA.
The bullpen was once again excellent. David
Riske was 1-0 with a 3.06 ERA, while Mike
Stanton was 2-0
with a 2.45 ERA. Jeff
Shaw also added a little bit with a 1-1
record and a 3.00 ERA. Also, a deadline
deal was made by GM Chris Muller. In one of the most unusual trades
to ever go down in baseball history, the Twins
sent LF Rondell White, 2B Jay Canizaro, prospect 1B Justin Morneau, and
LHP Mike Stanton to the San Francisco Giants for slugger LF Barry Bonds,
RHP Jay Witasick, and prospect 1B Delvis Santos.
Bonds, 39, has spent the majority of his career in San Francisco, so nobody
quite understood why this deal was made. When asked about this deal,
Muller replied, "Barry Bonds is one of the greatest players in the history
of baseball. We had the chance to take him, so we jumped on the deal.
Hopefully Barry can give us that extra push to win us a title this year."
After reviewing the stats, it's a no-brainer why Muller made this deal.
Here are the stats of Jacque Jones and Rondell White combined
vs Barry Bonds over the past two years (through
July 2003):
|
|
|
|
| HR |
|
|
| RBI |
|
|
| R |
|
|
| SB |
|
|
| AVG. |
|
|
Don't
forget, this is two players combined versus one. In the 2 categories
Jones & White beat Bonds, it was by very little, as you can see.
This was a win-win situation for Muller and the Twins. Bonds is 39.
Should he choose to retire after the year, Muller could just make a run
at one of the all-star free agents next year such as Jason
Giambi, Luis Gonzalez, or Pedro Martinez.
If Bonds doesn't retire, he has a superstar slugger in the lineup.
"I like this trade. A lot. It only makes us stronger." quoted
Tony Gwynn after the deal was made. But Muller
wasn't done there. He seemed to have
caught the trade bug. In that same night, the
Twins sent potential free-agent Jacque Jones along with RHP Jeff Shaw to
the Oakland A's for LHP Mike Venafro (who
is also eligible for free-agency this coming season) and
minor league LF Chris Trittle. "This
fills the left-handed void in the bullpen created by Mike Stanton after
the Bonds trade. Venafro is an excellent addition to our bullpen
and will be offered a contract extension," said Muller after his second
deadline deal of the night. These two trades helped the Twins a lot.
Even though they lost LF Rondell White (who still had 4 more years on his
contract) they now have more money and more options on where to go next
season. Let's hope this aquisitions can lead the Twins to a championship,
so Bonds can get that ring he has wanted for so long. In case you're
confused, here is how the Twins roster looks, going
into August:
| Position | Starter | Position | Starter(s) |
| C | A.J Pierzynski | Starting Rotation | RHP Brad Radke |
| 1B | Doug Mientkiewicz | RHP Cliff Politte | |
| 2B | Ruben Salazar | RHP Joe Mays | |
| 3B | Corey Koskie | LHP Eric Milton | |
| SS | Cristian Guzman | RHP Kyle Lohse | |
| LF | Barry Bonds | Middle Relievers | RHP Josias Manzanillo |
| CF | Torii Hunter | LHP Mike Venafro | |
| RF | Michael Cuddyer | RHP Jay Witasick | |
| DH | Michael Restovich | Set-Up | RHP David Riske |
| LHP Ricardo Rincon | |||
| Bench | Closer | LHP Eddie Guardado | |
| C | Scott Hatteberg | ||
| 2B | Luis Rivas | ||
| SS | Denny Hocking | ||
| OF | Dustan Mohr | ||
| OF | Bobby Kielty |