Joe Mauer could see five former Twins at next month’s All-Star Game at Citi Field in New York. Mauer, though, is likely to be the only current Twin in the July 16 game featuring the best players from the American and National Leagues.
Fans have Mauer as the leading vote recipient among catchers in the most recent results released by Major League Baseball while three former Twins are also popular. J.J. Hardy is first among AL shortstops, David Ortiz leads the designated hitters and Torii Hunter is third in balloting for outfielders. Counting the starting pitcher, eight position players and a designated hitter, the American League lineup in the 2013 All-Star Game could include four players, or 40 percent of the personnel, with Twins connections.
It’s up to the All-Star Game managers to choose the pitchers for their rosters and ex-Twins Joe Nathan and Jason Marquis look like possibilities for the AL and NL staffs. Nathan, who the Twins didn’t re-sign after the 2011 season, already has 20 saves for the Rangers and was chosen for the 2012 All-Star game. Marquis, who the Twins released last season, is 8-2 with the Padres and just one win behind the National League leaders.
When have so many Twins alums been All-Star candidates? Perhaps never, and that dates back to when the franchise started playing in Minneapolis-St. Paul in 1961. Players have more freedom to switch teams than years ago and the Twins have parted ways with a lot of guys because the organization was unwilling (or unable) to meet salary demands. But the club has made some poor personnel decisions, or just been unlucky with the development of some players who went elsewhere.
Hardy is one of the most distressing mistakes. The Twins traded Hardy to the Orioles in late 2010 for two minor league pitchers who did nothing for Minnesota. Hardy is among AL leaders in home runs with 13 and tops in double plays for shortstops with 47. Not only are the Twins still trying to fill the shortstop role but also in center field where Carlos Gomez, now a .300 hitter with power, once played for Minnesota before being traded to the Brewers to acquire Hardy.
When the 2013 season started there were 35 ex-Twins on MLB rosters, according to a April 13 story on Startribune.com. Most of them obviously won’t make the All-Star Game but some are producing the kind of numbers that could make a struggling Twins team coming off consecutive last place finishes in the AL Central a better club.
Among alums with the best hitting stats are Gomez and Michael Cuddyer with batting averages of .326 and .337. Even infielder Nick Punto, hitting .263 for the Dodgers, might be an upgrade as a leadoff hitter for the Twins. Pitchers Grant Balfour, Jesse Crain, Francisco Liriano and Pat Neshek have turned heads with their impressive ERAs. R.A. Dickey, although struggling this season, won the Cy Young award in 2012.
The Twins, of course, are looking to the future, not the past, while anticipating the development of hot young prospects in the minor leagues. Perhaps soon those prospects will be turning the franchise around but at this year’s All-Star Game some Twins fans could turn their heads away and wince after seeing who is on the field, or even while looking at the statistics of Twins alums.