Jon Mueller's Minnesota Twins Report
Saturday, February 11, 2006
White Sox vs. Twins
If anyone is like me, the conclusion of the Super Bowl brings one thing to mind,
when does spring training start? How long until we can see Johan take the mound?
I can’t wait for the season to start. As I was cruising the internet in class I
found the lack of baseball coverage to be a little lack-luster. Where are all
the articles about the Twins? Well I decided to take matters into my own hands.
I know just as much as anybody else when it comes to the Twins. I don’t need to
wait for Jim Souhon to tell me how we suck and why we aren’t going to win this
year. So here it is the Jon Mueller White Sox’s versus the Twins Breakdown.
Although I love the Twins and hate the Sox’s I tried to be as honest as
possible. Give credit where credit is due. So here it is.
| Position | Chicago | Twins | Outcome |
| Catcher | AJ Pierzynski | Joe Mauer | Twins - Twins traded AJ because they no longer needed him. |
| 1st Base | Paul Konerko | Justin Morneau | Sox - Konerko uses his power, Morneau still learning how. |
| 2nd Base | Tad Iguchi | Luis Castillo | Twins - Castillo is an All-Star, Iguchi overachieved in '05. |
| Shortstop | Juan Uribe | Jason Bartlett | Push - Neither has stepped up and taken game to the next level. |
| 3rd Base | Joe Crede | Tony Batista | Sox - Crede is better than any one of the Twins fighting for third base. |
| Left Field | Scott Podsednik | Shannon Stewart | Push - Both hit for average, neither can throw. Podsednik has speed. |
| Center Field | Brian Anderson | Torii Hunter | Twins - Brian how? Hunter is a perennial Gold Glover and hits OK too. |
| Right Field | Jermaine Dye | Lew Ford | Sox - Dye had a good year, we will see if he can do it again. |
| DH | Jim Thome | Rondell White | Push - Both need to come back from injuries, but have great ability. |
| Ace | Mark Buehrle | Johan Santana | Twins - Santana can out-duel anyone, just ask Freddy Garcia. |
| 2nd Starter | Freddy Garcia | Brad Radke | Push - Similar ERA, totally different styles. Either could have better year. |
| 3rd Starter | Javier Vazquez | Carlos Silva | Twins - Silva had lower '05 ERA and had winning record. |
| 4th Starter | Jose Contreras | Kyle Lohse | Sox - Contreras finally found himself in '05, Lohse needs to find himself. |
| 5th Starter | Jon Garland | Scott Baker | Sox - Sox get the nod, barely. Garland had one good year, Baker is solid. |
| Setup | D. Hermanson | Juan Rincon | Twins - Rincon is a stud, Hermanson can't over-power hitters. |
| Closer | Bobby Jencks | Joe Nathan | Twins - Nathan has proven he is a good closer for two years. |
| Bench | Gload, Widger, Borchard, Mackowiak, Ozuna | Redmond, Punto, Castro, Cuddyer, L-Rod, Sierra | Twins - Sox better stay healthy, Twins are deeper and more experienced |
| Bullpen | Cotts, Politte, etc. | Crain, Guerrier, etc. | Push - Both are solid and have a couple hole to fill |
I thought about rating the managers too, but I can’t even
understand Ozzie Guillen when he talks so I would probably just give Gardenhire
the nod
Outcome: Twins – 8
That other team – 5
Season Series: Twins win 11-8
So there you have it Twins fans, you have nothing to worry about in the upcoming
season. We added more hitting and there is no way the White Sox can have the
year they did last year. Next week the Twins versus the Indians.