Twins are striking a blow for the little guys

Sporting News, The, July 22, 2002 by Ken Rosenthal

Major League Baseball wanted to eliminate them. Now it's time to celebrate them. The biggest division lead in the American League belongs not to the Yankees nor the Mariners but to the Twins. And with righthanded starters Joe Mays and Brad Radke expected to return from injuries by the end of the month, the Twins' cushion--which reached nine games last Saturday--only figures to grow.

Mays (elbow inflammation) and Radke (pulled groin) combined for only 13 starts before the All-Star break. The trickle-down effect forced the Twins' bullpen to work the most innings in the A.L.

It's critical that the starters ease the relievers' burden, especially with 15 games remaining against the second-place White Sox. But I'll leave the doom-and-gloom scenarios to commissioner Bud Selig. If MLB wanted to promote all that is right in the game, it would explain the Twins' success, point by inspiring point.

Cohesiveness. Chemistry often is overrated, but the Twins are closer than most teams. The players possess a shared history, from their days in the minors to their struggles under former manager Tom Kelly to the uncertainties they faced last offseason, when Selig targeted their team for contraction.

Unable to support a large payroll, the Twins have had to rely upon their farm system to produce talent. They then had to be patient with their young players, allowing them to develop.

Almost all of their regulars are homegrown, as are several of their top pitchers. Three trade acquisitions--Mays, lefthander Eric Milton and shortstop Cristian Guzman--joined the organization early in their careers. And several of the Twins' coaches, like the players, are products of the team's farm system.

"Gardy." A coach's relationship with players changes when he becomes manager, often creating tension. But Ron Gardenhire, the Twins' third base coach from 1999 to 2001, has handled the transition deftly, keeping the clubhouse loose while holding the players' respect.

No longer in need of a stern taskmaster, the Twins were liberated by Kelly's retirement. All-Star center fielder Torii Hunter says the difference between Kelly and Gardenhire is "night and day." Catcher A.J. Pierzynski describes Gardenhire as "a character, kind of a clown," then adds with a smile, "We all are."

Gardenhire has yet to develop Kelly's game savvy and openly second-guesses himself in the dugout. But he's more open-minded, befitting the manager of a maturing club. Hitters aren't afraid to tell him their preferred counts for hit-and-runs. And Gardenhire shows confidence in lefthanded hitters such as Pierzynski and Jacque Jones by playing them against lefthanders.

"I told myself, `I'm not going to change my personality. I'm still going to try to be myself,'" Gardenhire says. "As a coach, I was blunt with 'em. I've tried to do that as a manager, too, whether they like it or not."

Dominant defense.

Hunter and first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz won Gold Gloves last season, and the Twins are above average defensively at virtually every position. They lead the league in fielding with only 48 errors in their first 92 games.

"We understand that's part of what got us here," Mientkiewicz says. "If we weren't so good defensively, we wouldn't have had a chance to get our feet underneath us offensively. It bought us extra time."

The Twins not only display exceptional range but also do the little things: hitting cutoff men, backing up bases and keeping potential double plays intact.

Emerging offense. In 1999, the Twins ranked last in the A.L. in homers and runs. They're still not an offensive powerhouse, but they're evolving from a speed team into more of a power threat. Even though they began the week ranked 10th among 14 teams in homers, they were first in doubles and sixth in runs.

If anything, they need to show more restraint on the bases--their .558 stolen base percentage is the second worst in the A.L. They also need to improve their 15-18 record in games started by opposing lefthanded pitchers, which is why they promoted their top hitting prospect, infielder/outfielder Michael Cuddyer, last Friday.

Right field was expected to be a problem for the Twins, but the unheralded Dustan Mohr and Bobby Kielty are helping produce the highest on-base/slugging percentage (OPS) at that position in the A.L. Cuddyer and another top outfield prospect, Michael Restovich, eventually could become the Twins' version of Adam Dunn and Austin Kearns.

Home-field advantage. The Twins are one of only three A.L. teams that play their home games on artificial turf, a surface conducive to speed. White Sox general manager Ken Williams says, "They play to their home park about as well as anyone."

The Twins' 30-17 home record to start the week was second to the Yankees' in the A.L., and look out if they get to the playoffs: They were 11-1 at the Metrodome in the 1987 and '91 postseasons, including 8-0 in the World Series.

Everyday Eddie, J.C. & Co. Closer Eddie Guardado is an All-Star. Setup man J.C. Romero is a closer-in-waiting. And the Twins are getting quality work out of former closer LaTroy Hawkins, veteran Mike Jackson and even journeyman Tony Fiore.