MLB: Minnesota Twins Whatnot 6/4

In this edition of Minnesota Twin's Whatnot, we will explore the future of the AL Central race and get the inside scoop on Ron Gardenhire.

Who will be the main competitors for the AL Central title late in the season?

Marty Andrade: Well, not the Twins. It's remarkable this team is near the .500 mark, let alone over that mark. Good pitching combined with increased offensive production from some surprising people (Alexi Casilla, who knew?) have really helped the Twins in May. Offensively the Twins were sixth in SLG, fifth in OPS, third in OBP, and third in runs scored in the AL. This would have to continue the rest of the season for the Twins to win the division.

I highly doubt it will continue, especially if guys like Harris, Punto and Lamb continue to get playing time. The Twins would also need to drop Livan Hernandez to stay competitive and Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer all need to increase their production dramatically. But, if the Twins do make some moves this season and acquire one or two players with decent numbers to play regularly in the infield somewhere and if Hernandez disappears into the ether then I would be very optimistic.

My money is on the Indians or the Tigers, the White Sox are also in the running. There's too much statistical noise for me to make a clear prediction yet. All three teams have the personnel and peripheral numbers to contend late in the season.

Dan Wade: Detroit and KC are done. I’m as shocked as anyone, but I just don’t see the Tigers pitching getting together enough to be a factor. Chicago will stay around as long Gavin Floyd and John Danks let them, which I think puts them in the mix at the end of the year. Cleveland won’t be great if Pronk can’t get it together, but I think V-mart and Grady will come around and they’ll be in the thick of it come September. 

This leaves the Twins. They’ve been far from stunning, but they are getting the job done in most games. I don’t think this exact team can make a serious run at the title, but with Baker and Liriano coming back at some point, I think you’ve got to seriously look at the talent level and say that its right there with other teams. One to two moves could make this team really good, and they may even be inhouse moves, we’ll see how Hughes looks in a few months.  

Andrew Kneeland: Cleveland was the easy pick to run away with the division before the season, so I expect them to bounce back sometime. They are certainly not out of the race yet.

Detroit and Kansas City may very be out of the race. Detroit has pitching issues that will continue to hand them losses if they don't sort it out. The Royals are also out of the race.

As much as it pains me to say, I don't think Minnesota can continue to hang with Chicago. The White Sox will probably slip up sometime soon, but as they fall, so will Minnesota.

The Twins have been blessed with great pitching early on from Slowey, Perkins, and Blackburn. Their future in this division may turn for the better if both Baker and Liriano can rebound and pitch well, and if Bonser can be effective out of the bullpen.

What is your opinion of Ron Gardenhire?

Marty Andrade: I hold a minority opinion of Ron Gardenhire among Twins bloggers (at least, it seams like a minority position). I like him. Gardy gets a lot of flak for holding positions which are held by just about every manager in baseball (the limited closer role, throwing away the No. 2 spot in the batting order, believing scrappy play makes up for poor stats). Nick Punto is huge scar on Gardenhire's competence. There are other negatives and I'm never hesitant to talk about shortcomings in Gardenhire's managing style.

But I would suggest the more important measure of Gardenhire's success needs to be holistic. Looking at his entire career it's clear Gardy isn't half bad. He consistently beats his Pythagorean projections. His team is generally competitive despite consistent lineup holes and a limited budget (not to mention years of inaction from Terry Ryan when it came to meaningful midseason trades). His players are well behaved and work well together.

In the grand scheme of things, Twins fans should be happy we have Gardy over some other managers.

Dan Wade: He’s not an idiot and that’s the very best thing a manager can be. I think he gets the best out of his players, which is absolutely key to this team being successful.

That all said, I think he’s terrible at managing the bullpen, but it all evens out to a well above average manager. Great behind the scenes + Bad in games.

Andrew Kneeland: A few years ago, I thought Gardy was the best manager in the Bigs, and I wanted to manage a major league team someday. Now I do not want to be the scapegoat for a team’s losses.

I think Gardenhire is an average to below average manager. There are certainly better managers out there, and there are certainly worse. I am fine with Gardy, as I do not see a better alternative right now. As someone said to me once, Gardenhire is alright, but his "quirks" are what drive me crazy.

His quirks include playing favorites, not managing the bullpen well, and his love for Nick Punto.

Who will be the next pitcher to be called up?

Marty Andrade: With only 15 earned runs in his last six starts, I would put Francisco Liriano as being the next pitcher to be called up.

Dan Wade: Liriano, no one else has looked good enough to earn it. Yohan Pino might be on his way up to AAA, but not to the show.

Andrew Kneeland: If it's not Liriano, I'll cough up a horse. Liriano will be back after Baker gets called back up on Thursday. Boof Bonser will more to the 'Pen to make room in the rotation for Baker, and someone will have to move down to make room for Liriano.

No one else in the Twin's farm system have proved themselves enough to be called up to the Bigs, but a few may be ready for a move from AA to AAA, or from A to AA.

How many Twins games do you attend in a regular season?

Marty Andrade: I used to go to 10 or so games a year. With gas prices the way they are, I don't go as often (I live a fair distance from the Metrodome). I've yet to make it to a game so far this year but I expect to make it to at least five.

Dan Wade: Hard to say. When I lived in MN and had, uh, ticket connections, I went to 25 or so a summer. Now I’m lucky if I make it to 15 when I make it at all. Last year I was stuck in Chicago all summer and made it to more Cubs games than Twins games.

Andrew Kneeland: Certainly tough to say. I have lived in south eastern South Dakota for four years now, and haven't made it to many games at all. It is a good four hour trip, and I just don't have the time. I haven't gone to one this year, and most likely won't.

I will be moving to southern Arizona this weekend, so I may never see a Twins game again.