The estimated value of the Twins franchise has increased by more than 100 percent in five years.

Forbes.com released its annual guesstimated valuations of major league baseball teams recently and valued the Twins at $490 million.  The estimated value in 2006 was $216 million.  That calculates to a 126.8 percent increase.

It was five years ago when the state legislature approved funding by Hennepin County and the Twins to build Target Field.  The downtown stadium, recognized nationally among the best baseball venues in the country, opened last year to record franchise attendance for a single season.

It has been a change in stadiums, not winning, that jump-started the franchise’s value. The club won a division championship in 2006 while playing in the antiquated Metrodome.  Three of the four previous seasons the Twins had been Central Division champions so winning was nothing new in 2006 when Forbes ranked the franchise the 29^th most valuable among 30 teams in major league baseball.

Forbes assigned the Twins a No. 12 valuation this year after a season of outdoor baseball in Target Field, a ballpark that emphasizes fan friendly features.  That valuation has the Twins ahead of such historic franchises as the Braves, Orioles, Pirates and Tigers.

The Twins’ operating income (pre-tax, pre-interest profit) has increased from $7 million in 2006 to $26.5 million, according to Forbes.  That income and the appreciation in franchise value are big payoffs for the Twins’ ownership that reportedly invested $195 million in the $545 million ballpark.

In the years ahead the Twins will need to continue winning if the ballpark in going to be full and revenues are to increase.  The perennially losing Pirates, operating in a ballpark similar to Target Field, ranked No. 30 in value on the 2011 Forbes list.

Comments Welcome

Call me giddy because of possible 50 degree temps later in the week, but there is a dugout full of reasons to be optimistic about the Twins’ season that opens on Friday in Toronto.  Let’s not suggest the Twins will—gulp—beat the Yankees or Red Sox in the playoffs but this team can win 90 games or more and wear another Central Division crown.

Here’s why:

This is a not too young, not too old team.  Key players are mostly between 25 and 30, guys with experience but years away from retiring.

The mix of talents looks promising with at least okay pitching, strong defense and outstanding run production.

The Twins are built for success in their home run unfriendly ballpark.  A perhaps mediocre pitching staff benefits from the dead air and deep fences of Target Field.  Speedsters Denard Span, Alexi Casilla and Tsuyoshi Nishioka can steal hits from opponents when not swiping bases themselves.  Joe Mauer and other Twins hitters can hit the ball into the outfield gaps, if not over the fence at Target Field where Minnesota had the best home record in the American League last year.

Nishioka’s bat control is a nice addition to the No. 2 spot in the batting order.  His nifty bunting will advance runners for Mauer and Justin Morneau.

Unlike last spring when fans were in a panic over Joe Nathan’s impending Tommy John surgery, the ballclub got through spring training with no major injuries.

Count pitchers Francisco Liriano and Brian Duensing and outfielders Delmon Young and Span among Twins who could have career years, boosting the team’s chances for success.

The Twins will have seven off days during September to stay fresh late in the season.

Comments Welcome

Carl Pavano, who will pitch opening day in Toronto on Friday, was the team’s No. 3 starter at the beginning of last year.  Pavano, 17-11 last season, pitched seven complete games, a major league total exceeded only by Roy Halladay’s nine.

The Twins don’t play a game in April against the White Sox and Tigers, their major rivals for the division title.

Former Twins pitcher Juan Berenguer’s son, Chris, is the Division III Player of the Year in hockey.  The Hamline senior defenseman is a three-time All-American.

Former Chaska High School pitcher Brad Hand, drafted by the Marlins in 2008, pitched in two spring training games for Florida, compiling a 9:00 ERA in five innings.

Successful basketball programs don’t have five important players transfer within about 12 months but that’s reality for the Gophers.  The departed now include Colton Iverson, the junior center who for whatever reasons didn’t improve during his career at Minnesota.  Earlier this year guard Devoe Joseph transferred, while last off season forwards Paul Carter and Royce White, and guard Justin Cobbs, also left the program.  Minnesota was 6-12 in the Big Ten last season.

What if Iverson joined White at Iowa State playing for former Timberwolves executive Fred Hoiberg who in his first year coaching in Ames has made national news with several transfers joining his program?

Former pro wrestler Jumpin’ Jim Brunzell, who played football for Gophers coach Murray Warmath, gave new Minnesota coach Jerry Kill a poster with Warmath’s game maxims.  Included is one called oske wow wow that means “interception, find a different colored jersey and make a block.”

The Gophers, 3-9 last season, will have spring practices tomorrow, Thursday and Saturday.  “We may take a step back, before we take a step forward,” Kill said last week before spring practice started.

The Minnesota Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame will have its annual awards dinner on April 17 at the University of St. Thomas.  Kill will be the keynote speaker and Isaac Odim from the University of Minnesota Duluth will be among those honored.  Odim is the first recipient of the Bob Stein College Scholar-Athlete Award.  To purchase tickets to the event or become a member of the chapter, visit www.nffmn.org.

Comments Welcome