Previewing the Minnesota Twins' Playoff Run: Part III, Position Players

Joe Mauer, Catcher  

He’s the best offensive catcher in the American League and one of the most valuable players in baseball. He’s an effective glove behind the plate and manages pitchers very well. Mauer is a patient hitter with a .418 OBP, which ranks somewhere near the top of the American League.   

Mike Redmond, Catcher  

Redmond has had limited playing time this year, as Mauer has shown exceptional aptitude at hitting left-handed pitching and has been pain free most of the year. Still, Redmond plays an important role for the Twins, as all backup catchers do.

His numbers are way down this year from earlier years, his OPS is hovering around .650, but he’s enjoying a very high LD percentage, which makes me think he might regress upwards a bit, if he gets playing time.  

Brian Buscher, Third Baseman   

After Mike Lamb proved he’s no longer worthy of regular work in the majors, and injuries weakened the Twins’ bench, Brian Buscher was finally brought up to the majors. Through age 25, Buscher was a .250 hitter who never saw his OPS creep much above the league average.

He was looking like a permanent minor-league roster filler.

However, something happened, because over the past two years, Buscher got his OPS near the .900 level while in the minors and is now hitting .313/.337/.410 in the majors this year. For the Twins, Buscher has been, and could continue to be, the answer at third base.  

Alexi Casilla, Second Baseman  

After hitting an unexciting .222/.256/.259 last year in 204 plate appearances, Alexi found some game and is hitting an exciting .315/.357/.440 while playing a competent second base (and occasionally SS). There’s nothing in his peripheral numbers to suggest his success is a fluke. However, he’s playing well above his career .293/.367/.366 line in the minors.  

Brendan Harris, Shortstop  

Harris is in the middle of his second full season of full-time work. His .691 OPS is a drop from his marks last year, and his zone rating rank is low compared to his American League peers. As a shortstop with below-average glove work and average offensive production (his production is near the median for AL shortstops), he doesn’t project well.

Approaching his 28th birthday, it’s looking like Harris won’t find any kind of permanent groove at the major-league level. Harris might bounce back, but he’s not someone I would bet on to be a permanent fixture of the Twins' organization.  

Mike Lamb, Third Baseman  

“Mike Lamb just hasn’t panned out” —Bert Blyleven, (18 July 2008 pregame comment)  

I couldn’t put it better than that, thanks Bert. Mike Lamb is getting a little unlucky as his “Batting Average on Balls In Play” (BA/BIP) statistic suggests to me, but there’s not much bounce to hope for. His .220/.257/.292 line can only go up.  

Justin Morneau, First Baseman  

The 27-year old former AL MVP is having another great season, hitting .323/.391/.512 while making his second All-Star team. While I used to think Morneau got a little too much praise, the fact that he ranks among the top-five first basemen in the majors for Gross Productive Average (an adjusted derivation of OPS) shows he is among the elite hitters of baseball and deserves the recognition he’s getting.  

Nick Punto, Utility Guy  

After his horrendous season last year, Punto has recovered well in limited playing time this year. In 116 plate appearances, the Twins' utility guy is hitting .324/.383/.471. He's seeing less pitches per plate appearance by swinging at early pitches and is driving the ball hard somewhere in play. His LD percentage has improved from 14 percent to 22 percent from last year. It's a small sample size, and Punto will likely regress to his career marks: .250/.318/.331.  

Carlos Gomez, Center fielder  

Gomez was the highlight addition from the offseason for the Twins. Acquired in the Santana trade, Gomez became the starting center fielder for the Twins. Replacing Torii Hunter, Gomez had big shoes to fill, and for a while, it was looking like he might accomplish it.

However, his .641 OPS and .287 OBP look pathetic in comparison to the person he was competing with in Spring Training. Denard Span is enjoying a great offensive season and is presently with the club, replacing the injured Michael Cuddyer.

Gomez ranks dead last among all qualified leadoff hitters in OBP and ranks 20th out of 22 qualified center fielders in OPS. We have to balance his offensive ineptness with the fact he leads all center fielders in defense. He has the No. 1 zone rating and the No. 1 range factor.

If and when Cuddyer comes off the DL, my move would be to send Gomez down to the minors to get some hitting done before coming back to the club in September, while I would move Span over to center.

However, the Twins can't even move Gomez from the leadoff spot in the batting order, let alone make such a drastic move as I suggest.  

Denard Span, Outfielder  

Span was brought up to fill-in for Michael Cuddyer after Cuddyer found himself on the DL. Since his call up, Span has hit .315/.413/.418. The Twins will be facing quite a dilemma when Cuddyer is ready to come off the DL. My suggestion? Drop Craig Monroe.  

Delmon Young, Outfielder  

Young was the highlight of the Bartlett/Garza trade this offseason. Now playing mostly in left field, he has a respectable .746 OPS, but the improvement Young is showing this year is the thing to watch.

In April, Young had a .619 OPS. In May, it jumped to .697, and in July, it was .817. So far in July it's a very nice .960.

Young has show consistent improvement in all aspects of his offensive game. This is a great development for the Twins and it has solidified Young as the left fielder for the future for the Twins.  

Jason Kubel, Designated Hitter 

Everyone is waiting for Kubel to become the hitter he was supposed to be. It's looking like the long wait is over. His .799 OPS this season is a career high and the last two months has seen a swing in OPS.

Last year, Jason Kubel was my pick to click, and I see no reason to go back on it. Kubel might be the best hitter on the Twins team in the second half.  

Craig Monroe, Designated Hitter  

Monroe is the sort of hitter I really love. He doesn't hit the ball often, but when he does, it's normally bouncing off a wall or into some guy's seat. A right-handed power hitter with a low OPS, low BA, and low OBP, he has a respectable SLG of .414.

He's not worth what the Twins gave him, but he's been acceptable in his role. However, I think Monroe's time in the majors is limited, and I hope the Twins decide to stick with some of the younger options they have down the stretch.