First Half Pickup of the Season (Minnesota Twins edition)

The Twins enjoyed a great deal of off-season stability once again heading into Season 8, so this particular accolade was not hotly contested. Only two ML contributors ended last season as a member of some other franchise. Coincidentally, both of those players ended last season as part of the St. Louis Cardinals.

The Runner-up for the First Half Pickup of the Season (Minnesota Twins edition) is Wade Harper. The only Rule 5 acquisition for the Twins this season, Harper was selected in Round 1 of the Rule 5 Draft, with the 32nd overall pick. Though he has been part of the platoon, along with William Koh, that was asked to replace departing Free Agent Solly Yearwood, management was fully aware that Harper's value was tied to his glove rather than his bat.

Prior to being picked up by the Twins, Harper had never been fully appreciated by the franchise that employed him. A Third Round pick (108th overall) in Season 3 by donaldkey and the Chicago Cubs, Harper signed for the modest sum of $425,000 as a signing bonus. He then logged 190 AB in 69 games for the Cubs' Rookie League team that season before he was released. Recognizing his value as a minor league defensive replacement, jonboynky claimed him off of the waiver wire on behalf of the St. Louis Cardinals and assigned him to the AA level after the season had ended.

For the next three seasons, Harper toiled away at the AA level as a part-time player. He production with the bat was unspectacular, but he slowly forced himself into the lineup more and more often by virtue of his defensive prowess. His AB progressed steadily from season to season, from only 70 AB in 101 games in S4, to 191 AB in 100 games in S5, to 238 AB in 102 games in S6. Finally, in S7, still at AA for STL, Harper broke into the lineup full-time, posting a .224/.299/.310 line in 504 AB in 144 games. Though he struggled to make contact at times (103 strikeouts), Harper did accumulate 30 extra-base-hits and 20 stolen bases in that full season. Nevertheless, he did not fit into the long-term plans of STL, and so was left unprotected in S8's Rule 5 draft, where he was snapped up by the Twins.

Since getting his break in Minnesota, Harper has filled his role admirably. As the primary SS against right-handed hitting, Harper has batted .205/.271/.308 in 117 AB over 40 games. He's also been successful on 5 of his 6 stolen base attempts and contributed 14 runs, 4 doubles, a triple, 2 home runs, and 13 RBI. More importantly, he has fielded the SS position well, turning in a .981 fielding percentage and a 5.09 Range Factor thus far.

All that said, while Harper has undoubtedly been a valuable role player for the Twins so far, he is clearly not the winner of the First Half Pickup of the Season (Minnesota Twins edition). That honor goes instead to Hideo Hyun.

Primarily a left fielder in S7 for the Cardinals, Hyun was reasonably productive last season, particularly with the bat, hitting .243/.319/.513 with 38 HR and 23 SB. Eligible for his second arbitration hearing in S8, however, Hyun was seeking more money than the Cardinals thought he was worth. As such, he found himself in the unenviable position of being released and looking for work before Spring Training in S8.

The Twins, at that time, were faced with a bit of a dilemma. Management thought the ML squad was one big bat from becoming a top contender, and while Blade LaRue had filled in admirably towards the end of S7, he wasn't quite what management had in mind long-term. After some very surprising arbitration hearing results (most notably Virgil Mendoza and Gabby Martin losing their cases and being awarded the league minimum of $378,000 each), the Twins had an unanticipated payroll surplus and went looking at the available free agents.

By this point, four days after arbitration hearings, most of the better FA had been signed and were holding press conferences showing off their new uniforms. Hyun, however, had seemingly slipped through the cracks. Though not the big bat Twins management was hoping for, Hyun's combination of power and speed seemed to fit well with the Twins transition to a more well-rounded offensive team, and management thought he would be worth the signing as a stop-gap until the big bat could be landed (those attempts eventually proved fruitless). Hyun, anxious for a place to play, signed with the Twins for the reasonable salary of $3,750,000 in a one-season deal.

Four years removed from a stellar rookie season (.285/.346/.655, 56 HR, 102 runs, 130 RBI), Hyun found himself at a career crossroads when Spring Training opened. With All-Star candidates Jay Black and Hiram Bang firmly entrenched at the corner OF positions, Hyun was given the opportunity to compete for AB at 1B/DH. With the pressure on, especially with Donn Stafford expected to make the jump to the Major Leagues as the primary DH, Hyun performed admirably, hitting .389/.421/.667 in 18 Spring Training AB. While Stafford opened the season in AAA, Hyun played on a nearly daily basis early in the season at DH vs LH pitchers and 1B vs RH pitchers. When Stafford was called up, Hyun stuck as the 1B vs RH SP and the 4th OF vs LH SP, used to keep other players fresh (Moe Larkin generally starts vs LH SP).

So far, Hyun has recaptured the potent production that characterized his inaugural ML campaign. Appearing in 53 games, Hyun has logged 217, batting .313/.373/.650 for an OPS of 1.023 to go along with 20 HR and 10/11 SB. A 20-20 season seems in the works, and if playing time allows, 30-30 seems a possibility as well. Hyun has fit particularly nicely into the #3 spot in the batting order, allowing him to both score runs (53) and drive them in (50).

For all these contributions, Hideo Hyun has unquestionably been the First Half Pickup of the Season for the Minnesota Twins. For that Twins management salutes him, and vows to do its best to help Hyun add a World Series title to his collection of baseball accomplishments.

A Look Ahead to Season 6 for the Minnesota Twins; Part 1 - Pitching

With the start of Season 6 just around the corner, it's time to preview the defending champion Minnesota Twins, so here goes. In part 1, we focus on the pitching staff.

Although it might be best to let the veteran players go off and explore greener pastures, Twins management has decided to try and keep the team together for at least one more season to see if any of the magic remains. Most of the pitching staff will be filled with established major-leaguers, and Twins management will be actively seeking to deal away some of the major-league-ready talent that simply won't get a chance to contribute to the Season 6 version of the Twins.

SP #1 - Yup, you guessed it. Lefty Chris Y. Nen is being brought back for another season of being the Twins' Ace. Though he is a few points off his ratings peak, Nen still rates as arguably the best SP in the World and with a good team behind him is poised to challenge for his sixth consecutive Cy Young Award.
Contract - Signed through S6 for $11.5M.

SP #2 - For the first time in years, there is a new #2 SP in Minnesota. No, no one was brought in via trade, but this year right-hander Gabby Martin is set to be moved up in the rotation. After an outstanding season where he finished in the top 5 of the Cy Young voting, sporting a 15-3 record with a 1.08 WHIP and a 3.08 ERA, Martin took another step forward in the off-season and is poised to make even greater strides. Still only 23 years old, Martin has the potential to be one of the most effective pitchers in the World. His Achilles heal may be his lack of a great durability/stamina combo (only 28/62 presently), which will limit his IP over the course of a season and could potentially put some added strain on the bullpen.
Contract - With only 1 ML year under his belt, Martin is locked up for the bargain price of $360k in S6.

SP #3 - Though he struggled somewhat in the Season 5 post-season, Twins management has enough faith in lefty John Jang to bring him back in Season 6 to act as the veteran core of the rotation. Jang has been quietly spectacular for the Twins over the past 5 seasons, accumulating a career record of 67-47 with a 1.26 WHIP and a 3.57 ERA over 1014.1 innings. In Season 5, management called off the dogs early and rested many veterans (including Jang) down the stretch, but he still posted an impressive 13-7 Win-Loss record to go with a 1.18 WHIP and a 3.70 ERA in 175.1 IP. On many teams, he'd be considered an Ace in his own right and be the career leader in most pitching categories, but he has been overshadowed by Nen.
Contract - Management recognized his true value in the off-season, giving him a 2-year contract extension at an over 50% increase - though at only $4.6M per year, he's still a great bargain.

SP #4 - Used as a swingman last season, 27-year-old righty Vic Nitkowski is likely to move into the rotation full-time this season. In 53 games last season (9 starts) Nitkowski threw 118.1 innings, with a 13-4 record and one save, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 2.59 ERA. After enjoying a 2-point increase in OVR rating in the off-season, including an impressive 3-point jump in vRH, Twins management is confident in Nitkowski's ability to be among the best, if not THE best, #4 SP in the World.
Contract - Nitkowski is arbitration-eligible and asking for $5.7M this season. The Twins have not yet decided whether to give him a one year deal or extend him long-term for 4 years at $5.8M per.

SP #5 - It's tough to consider a season where a pitcher went 11-4 a "disappointment" but that's exactly what last season was for then-#3 SP Clay Bellhorn. Bellhorn posted a respectable 1.39 WHIP and 4.29 ERA, but management hoped for much more from the highly-rated lefty. Still only 28 years old, maybe the move to SP #5 will help remove some pressure from Bellhorn and allow him to reach his full potential.
Contract - Like Nitkowski (above) Bellhorn is arbitration-eligible this season. Perhaps recognizing he has yet to fulfill his potential, Bellhorn is asking only $1.7M for Season 6, though management is considering the option of locking him up for the same rate as Nitkowski - 4 years at $5.8M per.

Long Relief -
Paul Suzuki (LH, 93.0 IP, 1.24 WHIP, 3.97 ERA in S5) is the established lefty long-reliever coming out of the pen. Arbitration-eligible, he'll likely be brought back for his one-year asking price of $1.6M. The righty RP that teams can expect to see coming in for long relief is Reid Moeller. Moeller was outstanding in his first full season with the Twins, going 11-0 in 84 appearances, with a 1.33 WHIP and a 2.98 ERA. He's seeking $1.7M in arbitration. The Twins are also committed to giving lefty Brian Helling an opportunity to succeed in S6. Though he has struggled more than expected in the past, his ratings and high ceiling suggest he may be poised to break through. Making only $378k, there's the potential for a good payoff with very little risk.

Setup Pitchers -
Twins management has yet to decide what route to take with stud right-handed RP Buddy Bryne. His effectiveness is undeniable (81 G, 84.0 IP, 1.14 WHIP, 3.86 ERA in S5; 351 G, 361.1 IP, 1.21 WHIP, 3.58 ERA career), but he is asking for the very high sum of $7.3M in arbitration. Alternatively, he's looking for only $6.0M per in a long-term deal, but that would require a four-year commitment. Though he will almost certainly be counted on by the Twins in their S6 push, it's not clear whether he will be locked up beyond that. His left-handed counterpart, Matt Crespo, was inked to a 1-year deal in the off-season for $4.0M. Crespo has been solid for the Twins since being brought over in S3, and management is expecting him to be the lefty anchor for the pen. Following two consecutive seasons of sub-2.75 ERAs, management also brought back righty Jason White by signing him to a 2-year extension at $2.8M per. White actually led the Twins in saves last year, but since the club employed a closer-by-committee, he only totaled 9 saves. Rookies Carlos Blanco (RH, 23 years old, $343k), Timothy Kent (RH, 25 years old, $343k), Tommy McIntyre (LH, 25 years old, $343k), and Tex Sefcik (RH, 27 years old, $343k) are expected to compete with returner Ralph Bradshaw (RH, 58 G, 69 IP, 1.20 WHIP, 3.26 ERA in S5; $378k in S6) to give the Twins bullpen depth in S6. Unfortunately, Twins management wants to only carry 13 pitchers going into S6, so someone is going to be left out in the cold.

That means if you are in the market for pitching options, Minnesota is a great place to go shopping!