Twins get Minor League Organization of the Year f/home-grown talent

[Jersey Yankee]

Wednesday, September 11

Twins hit it big in being named organization of year

By Kevin Winter
SportsTicker

By now, the story has been told numerous times. They should not be where they are. They almost were not allowed to be where they are. But the bottom line is they are there, alive and well.

They are the Minnesota Twins and they have been running away with the American League's Central Division since May, thanks to one of the youngest and most exciting teams in the major leagues.

Their success this season has been accomplished primarily because of homegrown talent. As a result, the Minnesota Twins have been named SportsTicker's 2002 Organization of the year.

"First and foremost," said Twins general manager Terry Ryan, "this is a testament to all of our scouts in our minor-league system. It all starts with scouting."

The baseball world received their first glimpse of just how good Minnesota could be when the Twins made an improbable run at last season's Central Division crown, before fading down the stretch and finishing six games behind the Cleveland Indians.

After all, Minnesota had finished each of the prior two seasons last in the Central Division. The Twins were 26 games out in 2000 and 33 out of first in 1999. But the nucleus was in place for a team that could potentially be something special if all of the pieces fit together.

"The club that we field now is the same club that we fielded in 1999 and 2000," Ryan said. "In 2000, that was the year we thought we had something special."

As it has turned out, Ryan was right. The Twins do have something special and it does not rest with just one player. Torii Hunter receives the majority of the attention, thanks in large part to his amazing athletic ability which is on display every night in center field. Hunter has become the main offensive weapon, hovering around the .300 mark while leading the team in homers and RBI.

The 27-year-old Hunter was the 26th overall selection by the Twins in the 1993 draft and did not make his major-league debut until 1998. He spent the entire 1999 season with Minnesota, split time between the Twins and Triple-A Salt Lake in 2000 before becoming a fixture in the Minnesota outfield a season ago.

Hunter is the most notable, but he is not alone. The Twins are loaded with homegrown talent throughout their starting lineup. First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz, second baseman Luis Rivas, third baseman Corey Koskie, outfielder's Jacque Jones and Bobby Kielty and catcher A.J. Pierzynski are all products of the farm system.

On the mound, right-hander Brad Radke is the veteran of the group after being selected back in 1991 and right-hander Joe Mays is coming off a 17-win season after spending three previous three years down on the farm. "Everyday" Eddie Guardado leads the American League in saves while J.C Romero and LaTroy Hawkins have provided quality middle relief and setup opportunities.

"The draft is vital for this organization as well as other small-market organizations," Ryan said. "We aren't going to get into free agency too often. If so, we have to pick and chose."

The organization has also faired well trading away some of their high profiled players in exchange for prospects. In 1996, the Twins sent third baseman Dave Hollins to the Mariners for a player to be named later. That player turned out to be slugger David Ortiz.

The biggest deal may have been in 1998 when Minnesota sent second baseman Chuck Knoblauch to the New York Yankees in exchange for shortstop Cristian Guzman, left-hander Eric Milton, outfielder Brian Buchanan and right-hander Danny Mota. Although Buchanan and Mota are no longer with the organization, Guzman and Milton have certainly left their mark.

Those are just the players at the major-league level. The list has yet to hit the group of talented youngsters that helped guide the Minnesota farm system to a combined 368-313 mark (.540) this past season, the fourth-highest organizational winning percentage among all 30 major-league clubs.

"Coming out of spring training," Ryan said, "we had four or five players that had a legitimate shot of making the big-league club, but we had to send them to Triple-A because it's a numbers game. As it turned out, we needed most of them right away."

Outfielder Michael Cuddyer and 1B/DH Matt LeCroy each saw a significant amount of time in Minnesota because of injuries while outfielders Michael Restovich, Mike Ryan and Lew Ford and first baseman Justin Morneau tore up the upper levels of the minor leagues.

Further on down in the system lie a couple of gems. Catcher Joe Mauer, a Minnesota product, was selected by the Twins with the first-overall pick in 2001. He hit .400 in the rookie level Appalachian League a season ago and batted .302 with four homers and 62 RBI for Quad City in the low-Class A Midwest League this past season.

Outfielder Jason Kubel, who was a 12th-round pick in 2000, has made a tremendous impact over the last two seasons. The 20-year-old batteed .331 in the Gulf Coast League a season ago and followed that up with a .321 average, 17 homers and 69 RBI for the River Bandits in 2002. Both Mauer and Kubel were recently named to SportsTicker's 2002 All-Teen Team.

Of course, all of the success this past season almost never came to fruition because of Major League Baseball's plans to contract during the offseason. Both the Twins and the Montreal Expos were on baseball commissioner Bud Selig's hit list this past winter, and both survived.

"The awkwardness of the winter was a little difficult," Ryan admitted. "We've scuffled for the last decade and then we finally get some favorable things going our way and then it looked like it might not happen."

No one was sure what would happen. But what Ryan did tell his staff, both in the office and within the organization throughout the world, was that they would approach the offseason as if they would open the 2002 campaign at the beginning of April just like everyone else.

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to play this year," Ryan said. "We felt like we finally had some stability with the players we had in here."

The Twins had stability on the field and now there is stability in the Metrodome seats. The fans have returned and are ready for another magical ride, similar to the ones in 1987 and 1991. Dust of your Homer Hankies fans, the Twins are back.

The past SportsTicker Minor League Organization of the Year winners include:

2001: Houston Astros
2000: Chicago White Sox
1999: Oakland Athletics
1998: Texas Rangers
1997: Detroit Tigers
1996: Atlanta Braves
1995: Cleveland Indians
1994: Kansas City Royals

[Michaels07]

Big time success.How about that Bud, you ole contractor you!

[Jersey Yankee]

Originally posted by Michaels07
Big time success.How about that Bud, you ole contractor you!

Kinda shows that some teams don't give up, which is great f/baseball. Also shows that if you wanna win, don't complain about payroll, just play. No predetermined excuses (Muts and Sux "fans"), just play the game!!!

[ctyanksfan1]

The Twins just seem to know young talent and they have a fast track to the majors. It seems like yesterday half the Minnesota Twins were playing New Britain. The same can be said for Expos, although that may change since everyone in their front office went to the Marlins.