Twins – Page 130 – David Shama's Minnesota Sports Headliners

Twins See Catcher Castro as ‘Framer’

Posted on April 4, 2017April 4, 2017 by David Shama

Among the terms heard in Major League Baseball these days is “framing pitches.” Twins fans likely will hear the phrase used a lot this season when media talk about catcher Jason Castro.

The 29-year-old was acquired during the offseason with the hope he can help a struggling pitching staff. Castro’s skill for “framing” is supposed to help Twins pitchers receive more called strikes from umpires. He has a knack for positioning his glove so pitches look more like strikes.

Castro was the Astros regular catcher the four previous seasons, and he gained a reputation for his glove work framing pitches and being among the best in the majors at his craft. “He is one of those ones near the top of the list,” said former big leaguer Roy Smalley, now a Twins TV analyst. “That can be really, really significant when you think about how important counts are to hitters.

“For example, on a 1-1 pitch it’s a huge deal what the umpire calls on a close pitch, whether it’s 2-1, or 1-2. Huge difference on a 2-1 pitch whether it goes to 3-1, or 2-2. Those kinds of things happen five or six times in a ballgame. It can mean the difference between winning or losing a ballgame.”

Castro, signed as a free agent, replaces last year’s starting catcher Kurt Suzuki who the Twins apparently didn’t want back. That’s a savvy move, according to an online story Sunday by Sports Illustrated. The article said analysis from Baseball Prospectus showed Castro was third in the majors (+16 runs) in framing pitches last season, while Suzuki was seven runs below average. For the past three seasons Castro is a plus 37, Suzuki a minus 32, the story said. That translates to 2.3 more wins per season.

Castro, who hit .210 last year, had two hits and two RBI in yesterday’s 7-1 season opening win against the Royals at Target Field. He also helped starting pitcher Ervin Santana hold the Royals to one run on two hits.

In his last 10 starts at Target Field, Santana is 5-3 with a 2.42 ERA.

Worth Noting

The Gophers baseball team opens its 2017 Siebert Field schedule tonight in a 6:30 p.m. game against North Dakota State. The Gophers and head coach John Anderson are 18-8 overall and 6-0 in Big Ten games. Sports Headliners reader Steve Hunegs notes that while the Gophers have had three different head football coaches in the last three years, Minnesota’s baseball program has three since 1948.

A Gophers athletic department source emailed that the 2017 salary pool for football assistant coaches is $3.1 million, compared with about $2.9 million last year. The top paid assistants are offensive coordinator Kirk Ciarrocca and defensive coordinator Robb Smith, who each earn $700,000. P.J. Fleck, who was named head coach January 6, reportedly makes $3.5 million and is the highest paid Gophers football coach ever.

Newly signed Vikings reserve quarterback Case Keenum was a teammate of Minnesota starter Sam Bradford when the two played for the Rams in St. Louis in 2014.

Legendary ex-Vikings coach Bud Grant, who turns 90 on May 20, holds his annual garage sale at his Bloomington home May 17-19. “This will be his latest, last garage sale,” son Mike Grant told Sports Headliners with a smile.

Area resident and Sun Country executive Eric Curry didn’t officiate last night’s NCAA title game between North Carolina and Gonzaga, but he had another busy basketball season working games in various parts of the country. Curry’s assignments included the Armed Forces Classic at Pearl Harbor, the Mountain West Conference championship game and three rounds in the NCAA Tournament. He estimates flying more than 100,000 miles over a five month stretch.

Minnesota philanthropist Wayne Kostroski will help debut Taste of the Master Chefs in Augusta, Georgia on Friday. Kostroski, of course, is founder of Taste of the NFL (“the party with a purpose”) that has raised millions to fight hunger in the United States. The new event in the hometown of the Masters Golf Tournament will benefit the Salvation Army of Augusta.

“…My incentive has been that with all of the high-end parties and corporate hospitality during Masters week, I did not see one event that was geared to provide dollars and/or relief to local families in the Augusta area,” Kostroski wrote in an email.

Former Gophers football coach Lou Holtz is an avid golfer and has been a member of Augusta National Golf Club for almost 15 years. Holtz turned 80 in January and still plays the legendary course.

Holtz, who once was an assistant coach at Ohio State, joins Nike founder Phil Knight as guest coaches April 15 for the Buckeyes annual spring football game.

Michele Tafoya, the sideline reporter on NBC TV’s Sunday Night Football who lives in suburban Minneapolis, speaks to the CORES lunch group Thursday, May 11 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Bloomington, 1114 American Blvd. More information is available by contacting Jim Dotseth, dotseth@comcast.net.

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Gophers Fleck Eyes Stadium Expansion

Posted on April 2, 2017April 2, 2017 by David Shama

You have to give P.J. Fleck credit for ambition and vision. The new Gophers football coach hasn’t even completed the team’s spring practice schedule, but last Friday night he was talking about expanding the seating capacity of TCF Bank Stadium.

The dynamic 36-year-old arrived in Minneapolis January 6 after four years as head coach at Western Michigan, and he started pointing the program toward eventual Big Ten and (yes) even national championships. On Friday evening he stood in front of a packed room at the DoubleTree Hotel in St. Louis Park and spoke about creating a lot more ticket buyers at TCF Bank Stadium.

“You see, we have 55,000 seats in our stadium, but my plan already three years down the road is to expand it to 85,000,” Fleck told an audience of high school and youth football coaches.

Fleck wants to grow his program’s budget and referenced a “certain rival” who has $40 million more in budget than the Gophers. How to catch up?

“(Add) 30,000 more seats,” Fleck said. “But to be able to do that we have to connect people who don’t even like football.”

At the Minnesota Football Coaches Clinic Fleck didn’t talk Xs and Os. Instead the message was often about “culture,” or connecting with people inside and outside his program. He hinted at aggressive marketing efforts for Gophers football coming this spring and summer.

Part of the messaging will be to convince the public, even those who don’t care much about football, that the Gophers enrich the quality of life in the state with what they do both on and off the field (think community service)—and are worthy of support including on Saturday afternoons at TCF Bank Stadium. “Our program is about two things. Serving and giving. That’s it,” Fleck told the audience.

When speaking about budgets, Fleck didn’t say who that “certain rival” is but it could likely be Wisconsin. The Badgers draw sellout crowds of more than 80,000 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. There is no doubt behind the scenes Fleck is taking dead aim on the Badgers who turned around their program in both results and support in the 1990s. Wisconsin has won 13 consecutive games against Minnesota.

Fleck, who years ago started a bucket list that included becoming a Big Ten coach, is full of energy and ideas. He concedes his dynamo style and lofty ambitions aren’t for all, but some authorities think Fleck deserves a place among America’s most promising young coaches.

“I’ve got a good feeling about him taking this job,” Duke coach David Cutcliffe told the coaches Friday night at the clinic, which is an annual project of the Minnesota Football Coaches Association. Cutcliffe is 62 and old enough to be Fleck’s dad, but he knows the young coach’s story at Western Michigan where in four years he took the Broncos from 1-11 to 13-1, and built a fan base never seen before in Kalamazoo.

Fleck received a standing ovation when he stepped to the podium Friday night and then he reached out to his audience. His talking points included praise for the work of the state’s prep coaches. He acknowledged there are many resources to make Gophers football elite but said, “…If we didn’t have the (quality) high school coaches we have in the state of Minnesota, I would not have taken the job. I recruited this area. I remember it vividly.”

Fleck referred to himself as a young “schmuck” when he was recruiting as a member of the Northern Illinois staff and Minnetonka High School coach Dave Nelson showed him the kindness of inviting him into the Nelson home. That made a lasting impression on Fleck and he acknowledged Nelson, the MFCA Hall of Fame coach who was seated in the audience.

Many coaches in attendance at the DoubleTree are admirers of former Gophers head coach Jerry Kill. “Jerry Kill saved my career,” Fleck said. “I was let go when (Northern Illinois head coach) Joe Novak retired. Jerry Kill retained me. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for Jerry Kill.”

Worth Noting

MFCA executive director Ron Stolski said there were over 1,700 attendees at the clinic—the ninth consecutive year attendance has increased.

Totino-Grace’s Jeff Ferguson was recognized as the MFCA’s Man of the Year. His Eagles won the 6A state title last year. In 15 seasons as head coach of the Eagles his record is 173-21, with eight state titles in classes 4A, 5A and 6A.

Clinic speakers included North Dakota State head coach Chris Klieman and several assistants. Bison defensive coordinator Matt Entz told Sports Headliners that 40 percent of the NDSU players are Minnesotans.

Stolski will speak at the Bison spring football clinic on Friday. The Brainerd coach’s talk is titled “A Coach’s Journey: Lessons Learned in Six Decades on the Field.”

The clinic’s keynote speaker will be Jon Gruden, the former NFL head coach and now an ESPN football analyst.

The Twins announced this afternoon they have placed left-handed pitcher Glen Perkins on the 60-day disabled list with a left posterior shoulder strain. They have also selected the contract of catcher Chris Gimenez and optioned first baseman Kennys Vargas to Triple-A Rochester. Minnesota’s roster is now set at 25 with 13 pitchers, two catchers, five infielders and five outfielders.

Rick Stelmaszek, the longest tenured coach in Twins history with 32 seasons through 2002, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch at tomorrow’s Twins regular season opener at Target Field. Minneapolis rapper Dessa will sing the National Anthem, accompanied by a brass quintet from the Minnesota Orchestra.

World War II vet Henry “Hank” Langevin, 94, will raise the American Flag. He was born in St. Paul in 1922 and enlisted in the Army in 1941. He trained for two years to be a paratrooper and later as a glider. He fought in the Battle of Sicily and the Battle of the Bulge.

An online story in last Thursday’s Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that per the Westgate and Station Casino sports books, the Twins’ odds of winning the World Series are 100-1, with only four other MLB clubs facing longer odds. The Twins’ predicted win total is 74.

A week ago today the Gophers basketball team held its season-ending banquet on the floor of Williams Arena for the first time ever. “It was absolutely fabulous,” said former Gopher Al Nuness who attended. “I can’t figure out why we never had it there before. Everybody was just mesmerized.”

Minnesota native and Kings coach Dave Joerger talking about the Timberwolves who haven’t made the playoffs since 2004: “I think the future is very, very bright. This is a team that will be in the playoffs next year. …Nothing but the best is in front of them.”

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Don’t Buy Into Twins Exhibition Record

Posted on March 31, 2017March 31, 2017 by David Shama

A notes column, with emphasis on the Twins who open their 2017 regular season at home on Monday against the Royals.

The Twins lost 103 games last year but have a 2017 winning record of 16-13 in spring training as the club prepares to head north. Does a team’s exhibition record mean anything?

“Zip, zero.”

Those are the words of former Twins catcher Tim Laudner who now works as an analyst on Fox Sports North. Laudner, who will work Twins pregame and postgame programs, told Sports Headliners spring training wins and losses are misleading because MLB teams split their rosters for same day games, schedule more home games than away and often use marginal big leaguers instead of regulars.

Before the Twins compiled a regular season record of 59 wins and 102 losses last year, the club was 19-11-2 in exhibition games. Two years ago Minnesota’s regular season record was 83-79 after being 13-16-3 in spring training.

Sports Illustrated’s March 27-April 3 issue included an extensive preview of all 30 MLB teams, and the publication predicts the Twins’ record will be 69-93. The forecast is a fourth place finish in the American League Central behind the Indians, Tigers and Royals, but ahead of the White Sox.

An anonymous scout quoted in the magazine is critical of the team’s starting pitching and warns that if injured closer Glen Perkins isn’t available, it’s a big problem for the Twins. “Well, they’re in big trouble anyway,” the scout said.

Max Kepler (photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins).

Looks like the Twins will have four new faces in their opening day lineup and batting order compared with a year ago—and one player, Miguel Sano, at a different position. It’s expected Jason Castro will be the catcher, with Jorge Polanco at shortstop, Max Kepler in right field and a yet to be determined player filling the Designated Hitter role when the Twins open the regular season. Sano is expected to play third base instead of right field.

The lineup for the opener last year was: Ervin Santana, pitcher; Kurt Suzuki, catcher; Joe Mauer, first base; Brian Dozier, second base; Eduardo Escobar, shortstop; Trevor Plouffe, third base; Eddie Rosario, left field; Byron Buxton, center fielder; Sano in right; and ByungHo Park at DH.

Many Twins players need to have better performances than last year for the club to make a major step forward, and near the top of any needs list is Mauer. He turns 34 next month and is coming off his lowest batting average in 13 years with the Twins. After hitting .261 in 2016 and .265 two years ago, the career .300 hitter is no longer assured of being No. 3 in batting order this season.

“There might be days against some left-handers that we might not see Joe in the lineup at all,” Laudner said. “Joe is getting a little long in the tooth. I am not going to say that Joe is a platoon player. Joe in the past has shown that he has done a really nice job of hitting left-handers. There’s going to be some tough decisions for (manager) Paul Molitor to make as to why he’s going to fit. Sometimes it might come down to the analytics, (and) sometimes it might come down to the gut instincts of…Molitor as to where he is going to bat in the order, or if he is going to be in the lineup at all.”

Laudner said Mauer still has “batting skills” and is capable of a much higher average this season than in the recent past. Whether he stages a comeback, Laundner said, is predicated on staying healthy. The last few years Mauer’s health chart has sometimes been as interesting as his hitting stats.

The Twins surprised yesterday by giving Park a minor league reassignment and opening up the DH role to what looks like a platoon plan with perhaps Robbie Grossman, Kennys Vargas and others. In spring training this year Park came to camp as a non-roster player but led the club in home runs with six and RBI with 13. The Twins decision makers reportedly want to have a roster of 13 pitchers, not 12, and that doomed Park for now, although he could be recalled later this spring.

Park, who will be 31 in May, had a difficult adjustment last year coming from his home in South Korea and trying to break into the big leagues with the Twins. Faced with a new culture, injuries and big league fast balls, Park hit just .191—although he did have nine home runs in his first 29 games.

Laudner predicted last year it would be a difficult adjustment. “I’ve played in Japan and that’s different than playing in the United States,” Laudner said referring to his owner international experience. …

Gary Trent Jr., the former Apple Valley star who played his 2016-2017 senior season for a school in northern California, scored seven points on 3 of 11 shooting Wednesday night in the McDonald’s All-American Game in Chicago. Trent, who will be a freshman at Duke in the fall, played 21 minutes for the West team that defeated the East, 109-107.

The website Casualhoya.com has been speculating about candidates for the Georgetown head basketball coaching vacancy. Minnesota’s Richard Pitino was included in a poll where 81 percent of voters said they didn’t want him as the Hoyas coach, while 19 percent did. …

ESPN will be televising 21 spring college football games. No, the Gophers game on April 15 at TCF Bank Stadium isn’t on the list. …

CollegeAD.com reported Monday the Gophers athletic department will be receiving more than $1 million as part of the NCAA’s one-time $200 million distribution to Division I schools in mid-April. Distributions are being made based on the number of athletic scholarships in place during the 2013-2014 school year. Schools with the largest athletic programs reportedly receive the largest amounts. The Gophers have a 23-teams program for men and women. …

The Wild’s Eric Staal played in his 1,000th NHL game on March 19 and will be honored in a pregame ceremony next Tuesday before Minnesota’s game against the Hurricanes at Xcel Energy Center.

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