One of the children’s books that I enjoy reading to my daughters is about a mouse named Wemberly. Wemberly is a perpetual worrier. Her concerns run the gamut—they know no bounds! At Halloween, Wemberly was concerned that everyone would have the same butterfly costume as her—then she worried that she was the only one. As the Twins fan, I find myself relating to Wemberly as each new season unfolds. And so, it has come to this. I give you a list:Ten Reasons for Wemberly to worry about the Twins:
1. A staff full of fly ball pitchers and a fielding corps that includes Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer who will all be even slower on grass. Then what if Denard Span goes down?? –gulp—
2. What if Justin Morneau’s back injuries linger??
3. What if JJ Hardy really is the JJ Hardy of 2009?? What if Delmonte Young at his best is just a .280 hitter and a .300 slugger??
4. What if Orlando Hudson’s wheels and bat really are slowing down??
5. What if Slowey and Neshek cannot return to form??
6. What if this team benefited from the Metrodome more than we thought and they play on grass, in the cold even worse than we feared??
7. What if a full year of a shiny waxed Pavano looks more like a late model Livan Hernandez?
8. It sounds like his slider may be coming back but will Liriano ever be able to locate his fastball again??
9. Will this teams bloated payroll and change in personality to a more power oriented game work out?
10. When a ‘small market’ team spends $96 million, is anything less than a WS appearance a disappointment??
1. A staff full of fly ball pitchers and a fielding corps that includes Delmon Young, Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer who will all be even slower on grass. Then what if Denard Span goes down?? –gulp—
2. What if Justin Morneau’s back injuries linger??
3. What if JJ Hardy really is the JJ Hardy of 2009?? What if Delmonte Young at his best is just a .280 hitter and a .300 slugger??
4. What if Orlando Hudson’s wheels and bat really are slowing down??
5. What if Slowey and Neshek cannot return to form??
6. What if this team benefited from the Metrodome more than we thought and they play on grass, in the cold even worse than we feared??
7. What if a full year of a shiny waxed Pavano looks more like a late model Livan Hernandez?
8. It sounds like his slider may be coming back but will Liriano ever be able to locate his fastball again??
9. Will this teams bloated payroll and change in personality to a more power oriented game work out?
10. When a ‘small market’ team spends $96 million, is anything less than a WS appearance a disappointment??
Ten Reasons for Wemberly to chill (and considering April weather at Target Field, I do mean CHILL):
1. Stat geeks are projecting Twins pitchers pretty much across the board to increase their number of strikeouts slightly this year over last, which will (slightly) take pressure off their defensively subpar outfielders. Still not sure what the plan is if Span gets injured though… While Delmon still looks lost out there defensively sometimes, he and the others would have to be considered adequate. He might even start hitting before September this year!
2. Morneau will be fine. His spring numbers are modest but the team has encouraged him to take it very easy
3. JJ Hardy has looked solid this spring! I like the prospects of how high his ceiling can be!
4. O-dog is no spring chicken, but his spring tells a tale of one playa who still has it going izz-on!
5. Both Slowey and Neshek have looked better than expected. In fact, Neshek, a sure bet to start in the minors may now be headed north with the team next week!
6. Target Field is spectacular by all reports. There is talk of selling every ticket for every game before the season even begins. If the fine people of Minnesota have bought into outdoor baseball, then why shouldn’t I??
7. Who am I kidding? Pavano is Livan Hernandez: a milk-toast, inning eating journeyman who is serviceable at the bottom of any rotation.
8. Frankie Liriano may never be the beast he was for that one half season. But Frankie Liriano may have recaptured his mojo and has looked like at worst a legitimate low end starter again this winter and spring
9. The Twins lineup, now infused with Orlando Hudson, JJ Hardy, and Jim Thome could be very dangerous. I marvel at how the Twins and White Sox have essentially exchanged offensive personalities (in fact, each team even has the team’s former players)—the Twins now having a power emphasis while the White Sox have evolved to a more scrappy, Ozzie Guillen-esque lineup
10. It may be ultimately disappointing, but it sure will be fun to watch!
Come along for the ride with Wemberly and I! What, we worry?!?
1. Stat geeks are projecting Twins pitchers pretty much across the board to increase their number of strikeouts slightly this year over last, which will (slightly) take pressure off their defensively subpar outfielders. Still not sure what the plan is if Span gets injured though… While Delmon still looks lost out there defensively sometimes, he and the others would have to be considered adequate. He might even start hitting before September this year!
2. Morneau will be fine. His spring numbers are modest but the team has encouraged him to take it very easy
3. JJ Hardy has looked solid this spring! I like the prospects of how high his ceiling can be!
4. O-dog is no spring chicken, but his spring tells a tale of one playa who still has it going izz-on!
5. Both Slowey and Neshek have looked better than expected. In fact, Neshek, a sure bet to start in the minors may now be headed north with the team next week!
6. Target Field is spectacular by all reports. There is talk of selling every ticket for every game before the season even begins. If the fine people of Minnesota have bought into outdoor baseball, then why shouldn’t I??
7. Who am I kidding? Pavano is Livan Hernandez: a milk-toast, inning eating journeyman who is serviceable at the bottom of any rotation.
8. Frankie Liriano may never be the beast he was for that one half season. But Frankie Liriano may have recaptured his mojo and has looked like at worst a legitimate low end starter again this winter and spring
9. The Twins lineup, now infused with Orlando Hudson, JJ Hardy, and Jim Thome could be very dangerous. I marvel at how the Twins and White Sox have essentially exchanged offensive personalities (in fact, each team even has the team’s former players)—the Twins now having a power emphasis while the White Sox have evolved to a more scrappy, Ozzie Guillen-esque lineup
10. It may be ultimately disappointing, but it sure will be fun to watch!
Come along for the ride with Wemberly and I! What, we worry?!?
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