Author: David Shama

Delmon Young’s minimal major league home run numbers are startling compared to what he did in the minor leagues.  Young has one home run so far this season, even though he is the team’s regular left fielder and has 241 at-bats.  He hit 13 last year for Tampa Bay before being traded here in the off-season.  His major league home run total is 17.  In 353 games in the minor leagues he hit 59 home runs with 273 RBI and a batting average of .317.   With the Twins he’s hitting .266 with 20 RBI.

Former Twins Matt Garza and Jason Bartlett, part of the Young trade, continue to impress with the surprising Rays (second in the East Division).  Garza is 4-3 with a 4.38 ERA.  He is tied for third in most wins on the staff.  Bartlett has been a contributor to the Rays’ defense playing shortstop and has seven errors in 61 games.

To use a Denny Green phrase, the Twins appear to be who we thought they were. A lot of opinion before the season had this team finishing at about .500.  Despite losing six consecutive games, the Twins are within three games of .500 with a record of 31-34.

Viable Twins’ candidates for the American League all-star team are closer Joe Nathan, catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin Morneau.  No one else is close.

At least one local media report speculated earlier this spring that the Twins might trade Francisco Liriano.  He’s trying to work his way back to the major league.  At Rochester he has a 2-2 record, 3.94 ERA, walking 23 in 59.1 innings and striking out 47. Just two years ago, before he missed part of the 2006 season with his elbow injury, Liriano was better than Johan Santana or any other Twins pitcher.  The two might have pitched the Twins into the 2006 World Series.

The MIAC has hired Brittany Feser as the conference’s assistant director. A native of Springfield, Minnesota, Feser has spent the past two years as a graduate assistant at Wisconsin-La Crosse.  The assistant director position is available through the NCAA Ethnic Minority and Women’s Internship Grant. The grant is designed for Division III institutions and conference offices to hire a 10-month full-time individual for two years.

Tony Oliva has been around the Twins’ organization since the early 1960’s but he told Sports Headliners no player with the local team was faster than new center fielder Carlos Gomez.  He also said the 22-year-old’s base stealing potential is unlimited.

Oliva, whose roles with the Twins have included player and coach, is 66-years-old but he still spends time at the Metrodome with the players as a part-time coach.  The former Cuban star talks in Spanish with Gomez, the young Dominican Republic player who has dazzled fans with his fielding, hitting and base stealing.  “It’s good to remember where we came from,” Oliva said.  “How hard we worked to play this beautiful game. …”

In his first major league season last year, Gomez played in only 58 games for the New York Mets, hitting .232 with two home runs, 12 RBI and 12 stolen bases.  Since being traded to the Twins, the results have been dramatically different.  Gomez, who covers large areas of center field, ranks fourth among Twins regulars in hitting with a .279 average.  He is tied for third on the team in home runs with five and has 24 RBI despite batting leadoff.

On the bases he makes Twins’ hearts beat faster in anticipation, while jumping on the nerves of opposing teams.  He leads the Twins with 18 stolen bases, and is tied for fourth in the American League.

Chuck Knoblauch set the franchise record for most stolen bases in a single season, 62 in 1997.  In baseball history, players have stolen 100 bases or more in a season 20 times, according to www.baseball-reference.com. Rickey Henderson did that three times including 1982 when he stole 130 bases, second only to Hugh Nicol who had 138 in 1887.

Gomez stole 64 bases during a minor league season in 2005.  What about his base stealing potential in the major leagues?

“At least 40 to 50 bases a year,” Oliva said.  “I think it’s going to be better than that. …The more he plays, the more he learns about the pitchers.  Because most of the time, you steal the bases from the pitchers.  But if you don’t know the pitcher, it’s very hard to steal it from him.  He’s been doing a very good job so far.”

How about 100 stolen bases in one year for Gomez?  “I don’t say that,” Oliva said.  “There’s no limit.  There’s not too many people who steal 100.  But if he hits .300, he may be able to steal it (that many bases).  Who knows?  It’s very hard to set a limit. …”

Gus Frerotte is direct in conversations with his fellow quarterbacks.  Frerotte, 36, has 14 more years of NFL experience than 2008 No. 5 draft choice John David Booty, 12 years more than starting quarterback Tarvaris Jackson, and nine years more than backup Brooks Bollinger.

Frerotte said after practice on Friday he offers advice to the other quarterbacks, tells them what he thinks.  Asked for an example, Frerotte mentioned Booty.  “Footwork,” Frerotte said.  “The other day, Booty, his feet were all screwed up.  I said, ‘you gotta have your feet right.  Because if your feet are off, or whatever, that hampers your throw. That hampers everything else. …”

Frerotte said he has encouraged Jackson to be a “pocket quarterback.”  By staying in the pocket a quarterback often maximizes opportunities to make plays but it can be tempting for a gifted runner like Jackson to start running.

Jackson’s performance will be highly scrutinized in 2008 after a 2007 season in which he was inconsistent.  Frerotte predicted a “different guy” in 2008.

Frerotte was signed by the Vikings in the off-season to provide leadership and better backup play if Jackson needs to be replaced because of injury or performance.  Frerotte said he’s making progress in learning the offense and his arm is still strong.

“You see guys that are given gifts and I believe that just was my gift,” Frerotte said.  “I wasn’t able to run fast or jump as high as anybody else but I could throw the ball as hard as anybody. And as I’ve gotten older that hasn’t dissipated at all.  It’s stayed the same.  I blew out my shoulder one year in Denver and was able to have surgery on it and came back and was throwing just as strong. …”

Is the velocity as good as ever?  “Yeah, I think so,” Frerotte said.  “It’s just the other parts that don’t have much velocity on them anymore.”

There’s anticipation Frerotte’s arrival means the Vikings will release Bollinger, keeping Booty as the third quarterback.  Frerotte referred to Bollinger as a “good kid” and said he’s been helpful in answering questions about the offense.

“He’s been really open about everything so it’s been a nice relationship so far,” Frerotte said.