twins/mlb
Joe Christensen, the Star Tribune's national baseball reporter, has covered the big leagues since 1998. A Faribault native, he graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996. Before working for the Star Tribune, he spent three years covering the Orioles for the Baltimore Sun. He also covered the Padres and Dodgers for newspapers in Southern California. He'll share his thoughts here on the Twins and all things baseball.
Posts about Off the field
Postgame: Nishioka's relaxed clubhouse demeanor doesn't translate to the field
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: August 6, 2012 - 11:20 PM
CLEVELAND -- Tsuyoshi Nishioka was as relaxed as I've ever seen him before Monday night's game against the Indians.
There was no sign of the jitters that were painfully evident as soon as he hit the field, going 0-for-5 with two errors.
The game itself reminded me of his 2011 debut on Opening Day in Toronto. The ball found him right away, and he instantly looked frazzled. Tonight's first-inning error was an all-timer.
But for what it's worth, Nishioka seemed completely composed before the game, after arriving from Class AAA Rochester. He did plenty of interviews after leaving Japan for the major leagues last year, but the sessions never produced as much laughter as the one he conducted Monday.
Besides focusing on baseball in Rochester, Nishioka worked on overcoming the language barrier, too.
“I think I learned a lot of English -- and Spanish as well,” Nishioka said in words translated from Japanese by Ryo Shinkawa. “I learned a lot of English, so I’ll start reading newspapers now, and I’ll know what you guys are writing. So don’t be too hard on me.”
Nishioka, 28, smiled as he said this. To prove his point, he answered some of the American media’s questions in English. Asked if he was happy in Rochester, Nishioka quickly said, “Not happy.”
He paused to let the laughter subside, then explained in Japanese: “The staff down there was great. Geno [Manager Gene Glynn] and Bruno [hitting coach Tom Brunansky] -- I think they had to do a lot for me to keep my motivation up and maintain it throughout the season.”
Last year was a struggle for Nishioka on and off the field. He broke his leg and struggled when he returned, posting a .278 on-base percentage and making 12 errors in 68 games. His then-wife had their first baby in August, and the couple divorced over the offseason.
In Rochester, he gradually found more of a comfort level for the American game, not to mention American culture. His batting average by month went: .203 (April), .205 (May), .255 (June), .298 (July) and .071 (in three August games).
He committed six errors in 70 games at second base, and three errors in 14 games at shortstop. Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said the plan is to give Nishioka regular playing time at second.
“That’s what he was playing down there and playing very well,” Gardenhire said before the game. “All the reports have been that he’s playing fantastic baseball and having quality at-bats and playing solid defense. So I’m excited to see if he can carry that right into here.”
After the game, Gardenhire chalked up Nishioka's first-inning error to nerves and complimented him on his at-bats. The manager sounded undeterred in his plan to keep giving Nishioka playing time, but you have to wonder how long the Twins will let this go.
They are playing their best baseball of the season, and now they've got a guy who looked completely out of sorts patrolling the middle infield. That might change. Perhaps Nishioka will compose himself like he did in Rochester, but I'd have to think this must happen sooner rather than later.
Bill Smith's new Twins title: Assistant to the President and GM
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: December 16, 2011 - 8:54 AMBill Smith never really left the Twins, and now he's officially back as Assistant to the President and General Manager.
He spent four years as the GM before the Twins replaced him with Terry Ryan in November. The Twins immediately began discussing this new position with Smith and gave him some time to think about it.
Smith was seen at Target Field multiple times during the transition. He'll begin working under his new title on Jan. 1. Among his tasks:
* He'll continue to work with Lee County, fostering relationships he's been building since the Twins spring training facility opened in 1991. The Twins hope to do some major renovations on the facility for 2013.
* Assessing the team's player development in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, etc.
* Smith helped lead a seamless transition from the Metrodome to Target Field, and the Twins will have him lead their efforts on developing and maintaining their baseball-related facilities (Target Field, Hammond Stadium, etc.).
* Smith, a longtime member of baseball's minor-league advisory board, will work with Twins minor league director Jim Rantz on maintaining relationships with the team's affiliates.
"All of us with the ballclub are thrilled to have Bill Smith staying with the Twins family," team president Dave St. Peter said in the announcement. "His many contributions during a 25-plus year tenure with the Twins has directly resulted in much of the success this franchise has enjoyed on and off the field. To that end, we are excited to have this opportunity to have him on board with hopes of maximizing his many talents."
Cuddyer named Most Valuable Twin
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: October 31, 2011 - 1:48 PMThe Twins announced their 2011 Diamond Awards winners today, based on the voting conducted by the Twin Cities chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
All winners will be honored at the seventh annual Diamond Awards dinner on Jan. 26, 2012 at Target Field, with proceeds benefiting the University of Minnesota's research on ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease and ALS. (For ticket info, call 612-624-444 or click here.)
Most Valuable Twin: Michael Cuddyer
Twins Pitcher of the Year: Glen Perkins
Most Improved Twin: Perkins
Most Outstanding Rookie: Ben Revere
Upper Midwest Player of the Year: Des Moines native Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa Bay Rays)
Bob Allison Award (leadership on and off the field): Cuddyer
Mike Augustin Award (media good guy): Cuddyer
Minor League Player of the Year: Brian Dozier
Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Liam Hendriks
Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award: John Gordon
Carl Pohlad Community Service Award: Carl Pavano
Kirby Puckett Award: Terry Steinbach
Weaver's suspension viewed differently in The OC
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: August 3, 2011 - 1:13 PMANAHEIM, CALIF. -- You've seen the replays over and over: Jered Weaver fires the ball toward Alex Avila's head. He keeps walking off the field because he knows he's getting ejected, and he is screaming at home-plate ump Hunter Wendelstedt, so angrily he needs to be restrained.
Pitchers should never throw at a batter's head intentionally. It's that simple. But it would have been absolutely understandable if Weaver had thrown at somebody below the neck considering the context of everything that happened Sunday afternoon in Detroit.
Carlos Guillen asked to get a teammate buzzed when he showed him up -- big time -- on his home run.
Weaver (14-5, 1.88 ERA), who was locked in a terrific pitcher's duel with Justin Verlander, was pretty unsentimental. Avila is the same guy who caught him in the All-Star Game.
MLB handed Weaver a six-game suspension Tuesday, and he appealed. "I wouldn't do anything different," he said. Mark Whicker brings some interesting perspective in today's Orange County Register:
Every baseball player has an intimate, long-standing relationship with failure. And since failure is so communal, players do not celebrate actions that become someone else's failure. That is known as "showing someone up" and it is a major felony on a baseball field.
"Guillen did everything but a cartwheel," [Angels Manager Mike] Scioscia said. "The culture of this game has changed a bit, where hitters do stand and watch their home runs. It's more of an accepted practice. I do know that in my first year, which was 1980, that was not happening."
Whicker and Scioscia also make a good point about the overreaction toward Erick Aybar's bunt leading off the eighth inning, when Verlander was still working on a no-hitter:
Never mind that Aybar is an excellent bunter, the Angels were still close, and the act of swinging away wasn't working particularly well.
"I think the day that we stop trying to win a ballgame when we're down 3-0 is the day we take the uniform off and go home and let somebody else do it," Scioscia said, with emphasis.
What a game that was Sunday. It's one people will be talking about for a long time. I'll check back later this afternoon with the starting lineups from Angel Stadium.
Pregame post
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: July 14, 2011 - 5:26 PMJust a few bits and notes:
Lineup change: Thome, penciled in at DH, told Gardenhire he wanted to have another day "to run around" on his sprained toe before going in the lineup. He should be available to pinch-hit, however.
The new lineup is 1) CF Revere, 2) 2B Casilla, 3) C Mauer, 4) RF Cuddyer, 5) 3B Valencia, 6) LF Young, 7) DH Plouffe, 8) 1B Hughes, 9) SS Nishioka.
Gardy said the new lineup, with Hughes now at first, would give him "a chance to work with him a little bit and see where he’s at."
Span update: It was reported yesterday that Span was cleared for assignment -- in fact, he took concussion tests and the doctor's were pleased with his results, but he still has to wait to be approved by MLB (Span didn't know the procedure). Trainer Rick McWane said there is no timetable for how long that will take.
Baker: The righty will throw a bullpen session tomorrow. He is expected to start on Monday.
Morneau: He was cleared to start non-baseball activities. He can do pretty much whatever he wants in the weight room and off the field but needs another week or so before he can throw or hit.
AMELIA RAYNO
Delmon Young carted off the field with sprained right ankle
Posted by: Joe Christensen Updated: June 25, 2011 - 9:41 PMMILWAUKEE -- Twins left fielder Delmon Young was carted off the field after suffering a sprained right ankle in the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Brewers.
The Twins placed Young on the 15-day day disabled list and recalled outfielder Rene Tosoni from Class AAA Rochester.
Young was on crutches after the 11-1 loss and will have an MRI exam on Monday. He said he sprained the same ankle in 2003, before being drafted, and that one was worse.
Young smashed his right foot into the left-field wall, trying to catch a deep fly ball from Yuniesky Betancourt, who continued rounding the bases for an inside-the-park home run that gave Milwaukee a 7-1 lead.
Young appeared to get his right food stuck beneath the out-of-town scoreboard on the wall. He fell to the ground and grabbed the leg in obvious pain.
Young had X-Rays taken at the ballpark, and they showed no broken bones.
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