2011 All-MLB Teams

ALL-MLB FIRST TEAM
Catcher: Alex Avila, Detroit
First Baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
Second Baseman: Dustin Pedroia, Boston
Third Baseman: Adrian Beltre, Texas
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado
Left Field: Ryan Braun, Milwaukee
Center Field: Matt Kemp, Los Angeles NL
Right Field: Jose Bautista, Toronto
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston
Starting Pitchers: Justin Verlander, Detroit; Roy Halladay, Philadelphia; Cliff Lee, Philadelphia; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles NL; Jered Weaver, Los Angeles AL
Relief Pitchers: Craig Kimbrel, Atlanta; Mike Adams, San Diego/Texas; Mariano Rivera, New York AL


ALL-MLB SECOND TEAM

Catcher: Mike Napoli, Texas
First Baseman: Adrian Gonzalez, Boston
Second Baseman: Ian Kinsler, Texas
Third Baseman: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
Shortstop: Jose Reyes, New York NL
Left Field: Alex Gordon, Kansas City
Center Field: Jacoby Ellsbury, Boston
Right Field: Justin Upton, Arizona
Starting Pitchers: Cole Hamels, Philadelphia; Dan Haren, Los Angeles AL; James Shields, Tampa Bay; Doug Fister, Seattle/Detroit; C.C. Sabathia, New York AL
Relief Pitchers: Jonathan Papelbon, Boston; Koji Uehara, Baltimore/Texas; David Robertson, New York AL



ALL-MLB THIRD TEAM

Catcher: Miguel Montero, Arizona
First Baseman: Joey Votto, Cincinnati
Second Baseman: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati
Third Baseman: Aramis Ramirez, Chicago NL
Shortstop: J.J. Hardy, Baltimore
Left Field: Matt Holliday, St. Louis
Center Field: Curtis Granderson, New York AL
Right Field: Lance Berkman, St. Louis
Starting Pitchers: Ian Kennedy, Arizona; C.J. Wilson, Texas; Josh Beckett, Boston; David Price, Tampa Bay; Felix Hernandez, Seattle
Relief Pitchers: Tyler Clippard, Washington; Sean Marshall, Chicago NL; Rafael Betancourt, Colorado


A reminder that each player was only eligible at one position, that position being the one he played most often.

Stan Musial Award for Best Player

The last of the Baseball Blogger's Alliance awards is also the biggest: the Stan Musial Award, its version of the MVP.  I'll reveal my thoughts on both leagues, though, as with all the other awards, my ballot is only eligible for the American League voting.

AMERICAN LEAGUE


1. Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS
2. Jose Bautista, TOR
3. Justin Verlander, DET
4. Miguel Cabrera, DET
5. Curtis Granderson, NYY
6. Adrian Gonzalez, BOS
7. Jered Weaver, LAA
8. Alex Gordon, KC
9. Alex Avila, DET
10. Dustin Pedroia, BOS

Also considered: Ian Kinsler (TEX), Robinson Cano (NYY), Adrian Beltre (TEX), Evan Longoria (TB), Dan Haren (LAA), James Shields (TB)


NATIONAL LEAGUE


1. Matt Kemp, LAD
2. Ryan Braun, MIL
3. Troy Tulowitzki, COL
4. Roy Halladay, PHI
5. Joey Votto, CIN
6. Prince Fielder, MIL
7. Cliff Lee, PHI
8. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
9. Justin Upton, ARI
10. Albert Pujols, STL

Also considered: Lance Berkman (STL), Andrew McCutchen (PIT), Jose Reyes (NYM), Cole Hamels (PHI)

Walter Johnson Award for Best Pitcher

I'll continue revealing my ballot for the Baseball Bloggers Alliance's postseason awards.  Today I'll look at the Walter Johnson Award, given to the top pitcher in each league.  Again, my votes count only for the American League, but I'll show you my thoughts on both.

AMERICAN LEAGUE


1. Justin Verlander, DET
2. Jered Weaver, LAA
3. Dan Haren, LAA
4. James Shields, TB
5. Doug Fister, SEA/DET

I think Verlander will run away with this, and rightfully so.  Among AL pitchers, he ranked first in IP, ERA, and WHIP, second in xFIP, third in K/9 and K/BB, and fourth in FIP.  Not to knock the other pitchers on this list, as they all had great seasons in their own right, but I can't see an argument for someone other than Verlander.

Teammates Weaver and Haren put together quite the 1-2 punch for the Angels this season.  Neither struck out a ton of batters, just a respectable amount, but both threw over 235 innings and placed second and third, respectively, in the AL in WHIP.  Weaver also was second by 0.01 points in ERA, and Haren led the league in K/BB ratio, thanks to the second-lowest walk rate in the bigs.  Some batted ball luck certainly helped Weaver, who had the lowest GB% among qualified starters, but he was pretty good too.

Shields almost reached 250 innings and rated well across the board.  Fister is surely the most surprising and controversial name on my list, as I was shocked to find him there myself.  His strikeout rate was mediocre, but because of impeccable control he was fifth in the AL in strikeout-per-walk ratio.  Combining that with an above-average groundball rate, he was also in the top six in ERA, WHIP, and FIP.  I doubt anyone else will have him ahead of C.C. Sabathia, but I thought that statistically Fister had the better year.

Also considered: C.C. Sabathia (NYY), C.J. Wilson (TEX), Josh Beckett (BOS), David Price (TB), Felix Hernandez (SEA)


NATIONAL LEAGUE


1. Roy Halladay, PHI
2. Cliff Lee, PHI
3. Clayton Kershaw, LAD
4. Cole Hamels, PHI
5. Ian Kennedy, ARI

Halladay won this award last year, and he should again in 2011, followed closely by two teammates and Kershaw.  Looking at this, it's hard to believe the Phillies aren't still playing, but that's baseball for you.  The first three were all very close, but Halladay prevailed because of a league-best K:BB ratio and FIP combined with an excellent ERA and WHIP.  Hamels was a pretty easy choice for fourth, and then the last spot was a toss-up between Kennedy and Cain.  Kennedy grabbed it because in the end I valued his superior K:BB ratio more than Cain's continuous home run-dampening ability.  I know a lot of people would have Cain's teammate Lincecum in the top five somewhere, but I just couldn't put him there because of his comparatively high walk rate and subsequently comparatively high WHIP.

Also considered: Matt Cain (SF)

Willie Mays Award for Best Rookie

So the Baseball Bloggers Alliance has actually already handed out this award, so I'm a little late to the party.  Still, I wanted to share my would-have-been ballot for who deserved each award.

AMERICAN LEAGUE


1. Eric Hosmer, KC
2. Michael Pineda, SEA
3. Jeremy Hellickson, TB

Hosmer and Trumbo were clearly the best of the position players, at least in my opinion.  Hosmer's superior batting average and plate discipline numbers gave him the edge, in addition to Trumbo's huge advantage on defense likely not being an accurate measure of each player's performance in the field.  The three pitches--Pineda, Hellickson, and Ogando--are very closely grouped.  Pineda and Ogando have better peripherals, while Hellickson had better results (i.e. ERA and WHIP).  Pineda's strikeout rate was enough to overcome that, while Ogando's was not.

Also considered: Alexi Ogando (TEX)*, Mark Trumbo (LAA), Ivan Nova (NYY)


NATIONAL LEAGUE


1. Craig Kimbrel, ATL
2. Danny Espinosa, WAS
3. Freddie Freeman, ATL

I have a hard time voting for a reliever over an everyday player, but Kimbrel's dominance was unmatched, as noted by his appearance at the top of my ballot for the best NL reliever.  When you're the top player at your position, that's grounds for the rookie of the year award.  Most people have Freeman over Espinosa for the second position, but I don't agree.  They have similar counting numbers, but Freeman has the better triple-slash while Espinosa played much better defense at a more difficult position.  I gave Espinosa the edge.

Also considered: Brandon Beachy (ATL), Wilson Ramos (WAS), Cory Luebke (SD), Vance Worley (PHI)


*Ogando is not eligible for the Rookie of the Year award.  I mistakenly included him as a consideration.

Goose Gossage Award for Best Reliever

The Baseball Bloggers Alliance has started handing out their awards for the 2011 season.  Up next is the Goose Gossage Award for the top reliever in each league.  As a member of the BBA, I thought I'd share my ballot for the award.  My vote will only count for the American League, as I'm a member of the Minnesota Twins chapter, but I've outlined my thoughts on both.


AMERICAN LEAGUE


1. Mariano Rivera, NYY
2. Jonathan Papelbon, BOS
3. Koji Uehara, BAL/TEX

Believe me, I did not give this to Rivera on reputation.  He earned it once again (I realize he actually did not win it last year, he finished third) with a sparkling season.  With nearly one strikeout per inning and impeccable control, Rivera totaled 7.5 strikeouts for every walk.  He recorded a a 1.91 ERA (4th), a 0.90 WHIP (2nd), and a 2.19 FIP (3rd) to round out another phenomenal campaign at age 41.

Papelbon was a close 2nd, as he exhibited similar control but showed a much greater ability to miss bats, striking out 12.17 batter per nine innings.  His WHIP was also quite comparable, coming in at 0.93, but due to some worse luck he had an ERA of 2.94.  Unfortunately for him, luck is part of the equation, so he gets the runner-up position.

I don't think anyone will quibble with Rivera and Papelbon being on the ballot, but I'm a little worried people won't be as accepting of Uehara.  He doesn't have the saves that Rivera and Papelbon do, but otherwise he's not far behind.  Another guy who showed pinpoint control and still missed a bunch of bats, Uehara actually had the highest K/BB rate in the league (a ridiculous 9.44).  He gave up a ton of homers, even more than you'd expect from a fly-ball pitcher such as himself, but he balanced that out with good luck in the BABIP department (.196).  All in all, his zesty K/BB rate and league-best WHIP of 0.72 were too much to overlook.

Also considered: David Robertson (NYY), Daniel Bard (BOS)



NATIONAL LEAGUE


1. Craig Kimbrel, ATL
2. Tyler Clippard, WAS
3. Sean Marshall, CHC

Kimbrel has already claimed the BBA's Willie Mays Award for the league's top rookie, and now he should add the Goose Gossage Award to his mantle.  His sky-high strikeout rate (14.84/9) was second to Kenley Jansen, and, while his control was never his strong suit, he averaged almost 4 strikeouts for every walk.  Combining that with a solid ground ball rate (44.8 %) allowed Kimbrel to lead the NL in both FIP and xFIP. As long as his ERA (2.10) and WHIP (1.04) were reasonable--and they were better than reasonable--that was a recipe for winning this award.

Clippard may not find his way on to many ballots because he isn't as big a name as closers such as John Axford and Joel Hanrahan (who had very good years in their own rights), but if you don't overvalue saves, he's right there with the best relievers.  He led the league in WPA despite not recording a single save, posted 4 strikeouts for every walk.  In addition his WHIP topped all other NL relievers and his ERA was third among that group.  Critics will point to his infinitesimal ground ball rate (20.2 %) and his unsustainable BABIP (.197), but I think the facts I already offered outweigh those two factors.

Marshall is another non-closer who pitched very well for a bad team, meaning he may not get much recognition here, even though he should.  While he doesn't top any single category, he rates very highly across the board.  He topped one strikeout per inning, kept his walk rate very low, induced a high number of ground balls, and kept runners off the bases and prevented runs from scoring.

Also considered: Rafael Betancourt (COL), Jonny Venters (ATL), Joel Hanrahan (PIT), John Axford (MIL), Eric O'Flaherty (ATL), J.J. Putz (ARI)

2011 Game Balls

How incredibly timely.  Within a week after the season ended, I've already totaled up the game balls from 2011.  Consider that I posted 2010's game ball tally in mid-July and it seems incomprehensible that I've already done it.

Michael Cuddyer - 18
Scott Baker, Jason Kubel, Trevor Plouffe - 9
Carl Pavano, Jim Thome, Danny Valencia - 8
Brian Duensing, Francisco Liriano, Joe Mauer - 7
Nick Blackburn - 6
Alexi Casilla, Luke Hughes, Justin Morneau, Denard Span, Anthony Swarzak - 5
Drew Butera, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Ben Revere, Rene Tosoni, Delmon Young - 4
Chris Parmelee, Matt Tolbert - 3
Scott Diamond, Jose Mijares, Joe Nathan, Glen Perkins, Kevin Slowey - 2
Joe Benson, Alex Burnett, Brian Dinkelman, Liam Hendriks, Jim Hoey - 1

-----------------------------------------
CAREER LEADERBOARD

1. Mauer - 60
2. Cuddyer, Kubel - 47
4. Morneau - 39
5. Blackburn, Young - 38
7. Baker - 34
8. Liriano - 33
9. Span - 29
10. Pavano - 26
11. Slowey - 25
12. Thome - 21
13. Casilla - 18
14. Duensing, Valencia - 15
16. Carlos Gomez - 14
17. Perkins - 12
18. Nick Punto - 11
19. Orlando Hudson, Plouffe - 9
21. Swarzak - 7
22. Brendan Harris, L Hughes, Craig Monroe, Tolbert - 6
26. Orlando Cabrera, Mike Lamb, Mijares - 5
29. Boof Bonser, Burnett, Brian Buscher, Butera, Joe Crede, Livan Hernandez, Nathan, Nishioka, Revere - 4
38. R.A. Dickey, Matt Guerrier, Parmelee, Mike Redmond - 3
42. Craig Breslow, Jesse Crain, Diamond, Matt Macri, Jose Morales - 2
47. Luis Ayala, Brian Bass, Benson, Matt Capps, Dinkelman, Matt Fox, Matt Garza, Hendriks, Hoey, Torii Hunter, Bobby Keppel, Bobby Korecky, Jeff Manship, Wilson Ramos, Randy Ruiz, Johan Santana, Carlos Silva, Rondell White - 1

Word Search Answer Key

Pretty self-explanatory.  If you've done the word search and couldn't locate a name or two, this is your ticket to completion.

Click to enlarge

Twins 2011 Word Search

With the Twins 2011 season slowly lurching to a close, we need something to distract us.  And then we finish it, to remind us what we were distracting ourselves from.  That's why I've made this word search, which features every player to play with the Twins this season, plus their manager.  Then, when you're done, write out all the letters that weren't circled for a secret message (how exciting! [it's not]).

Every player is listed by their last name only.  Any two players who have the same last name have their first initial included too.  Have fun!

Click to enlarge

Answer key to be posted sometime in the next few days.  I would have put it right below this, but it's too easy to see the circled players by accident when scrolling through.

2010 Highlights Video

This is simply a video I created to go along with my 2010 Twins Highlights post.  Enjoy!

2010 Highlights

Somehow, despite how late in posting these I am every year, I top myself the next year.  Now's a good time to look back at the highlights of the 2010 season, however, considering the lack of highlights the 2011 Twins are currently producing.  Without further ado...


Honorable Mentions
4/12- Twins win first game in the history of Target Field
5/21- Twins score 7 runs in the first and lead 15-0, but Carlos Gomez still admires his 3-run homer in the eighth inning
6/26- Johan Santana pitches his first game against Minnesota, but Carl Pavano bests him with a complete game shutout
8/10- Twins hit five homers to beat White Sox and take over first place
9/4- Michael Young makes the last out when he contacts his third base coach, giving the Twins the victory



10. Liriano strikes out 7 straight hitters in outdueling Tim Hudson (June 11th vs. Atlanta)
It was a magical night during a fantastic season for Francisco Liriano.  Having given up a run in the second inning to put the Twins down 1-0, Liriano came back with a vengeance in the next frame.  Melky Cabrera started it with a groundout, but following that Liriano struck out seven consecutive Braves batters.  Martin Prado, Jason Heyward, Chipper Jones, Troy Glaus, Brian McCann, Yunel Escobar, and Omar Infante all went down on strikes before David Ross grounded an 0-1 fastball to second base for an out.  By then, Liriano had tied a Twins record with the 7 consecutive strikeouts, a feat accomplished once before in 1966 by Jim Merritt.  All except Escobar struck out swinging, and five of them went down on sliders while two were victims of Liriano's changeup.  When all was said and done, Liriano had pitched 8 innings of 1-run ball to go with 12 strikeouts, leading the Twins to victory over Tim Hudson and the Braves.

9. Valencia hits a walk-off single against the Tigers (September 1st vs. Detroit)
Francisco Liriano battled Max Scherzer in a pitcher's duel that saw the score tied at one after a full slate of nine innings.  Liriano threw seven scoreless innings with seven strikeouts before giving way to the bullpen, which gave up the game-tying run in the eighth inning.  Scherzer, meanwhile, tossed a career-high nine innings and racked up nine punchouts, but did allow one run.  That set the stage for Danny Valencia to come to the plate facing Tigers reliever Ryan Perry in the bottom of the tenth with one out and Michael Cuddyer on second base.  And Valencia delivered, lining a game-winning single to left-centerfield that scored Cuddyer.  The Minnesota victory, their second one-run win over the Tigers in two days, put the final nail in Detroit's coffin, pushing them 12 games behind the Twins in the division.

8. Kubel's pop up hits a catwalk at Tropicana Field, scoring the deciding runs (August 5th at Tampa Bay)
It looked like the Twins would grab an easy victory over the Rays.  As the eighth inning rolled around, the Twins led 6-0 and Kevin Slowey was cruising.  B.J. Upton led off the inning with a solo homer, however, and after a hit batter, single, and a walk--and getting two outs--Slowey was removed from the game.  Jesse Crain and Ron Mahay offered no relief whatsoever, though, walking in a run and allowing a game-tying grand slam, respectively.  In the next half-inning, the Twins were threatening with runners on the corners and two outs.  That's when Jason Kubel hit a sky-high pop up that looked to be the end of the Twins' scoring chance; instead, the ball glanced off the highest catwalk at Tropicana Field, which is referred to as the A ring and sits about 190 feet above the playing field.  Kubel, only the second player ever to have hit the A ring, chuckled as he stood at first base having earned an RBI for driving in the go-ahead run.  Cuddyer singled to follow him, adding an insurance run that turned out to be unnecessary as Matt Capps closed out the 8-6 victory.


7. Span hits 3 triples in one game, helping the Twins beat the Tigers (June 29th vs. Detroit)
Having relinquished first place the night before to Detroit, the Twins were looking for a reversal of fortune on this Tuesday afternoon.  Denard Span got them off to a good start, lacing a ball into the gap that rolled to the deepest crevice of Target Field, right at the 403 foot sign, and racing into third base for a triple.  In the fourth inning, following a single in the third, Span hit a deep drive over the head of Magglio Ordonez, whose attempt to catch it was vaguely reminiscent of Delmon Young.  It then bounced back past him after hitting the wall, allowing Span to scamper in for an easy triple.  The very next inning Span came up again, blasting a pitch deep into right field, looking like it was a sure homer.  It hit high off the wall, though, and bounced over Ordonez's head; it was actually misplayed so badly by Ordonez that first baseman Miguel Cabrera ended up fielding the ball, giving Span another easy triple.  He had a chance to set the modern era record with 4 triples in a game, but instead drew a four-pitch walk, settling for becoming the 29th player to hit 3 triples in a game since 1919, the third since 1990, and the second Twin ever to do so.  His five RBIs also helped the Twins take over first place with an 11-4 victory.


6. The Twins steamroll the Royals 19-1 (July 26th at Kansas City)
It was just one of those days where everything went right for the Twins.  And, once more, it was Francisco Liriano pitching a great game, as seems to be becoming a pattern in these highlights.  He threw seven scoreless innings, allowing only three hits and walking no one.  But obviously the bats were the real story on this day, as the Twins set a season-high with 19 runs, the most since their 20-run outburst against Chicago the previous July.  Danny Valencia set the tone by smacking a 2-out grand slam off Zack Greinke in the first inning to put the Twins up 6-0.  Joe Mauer was the star of the show, though, collecting five hits in as many at bats, doubling, homering, and driving in 7 runs.  Valencia and Delmon Young also had four hits apiece, making this one of three times during the 2011 that three teammates had at least four hits.  The team combined for 11 extra base hits, the most in one game for the Twins since 2002, and tying the most since 1979.  All in all, it was a fun day to be a Twins fan.

5. The Twins clinch the AL Central division title (September 21st vs. Cleveland)
Unlike the 2008 and 2009 season, the Twins had a relatively comfortable September, locking up the division title with 11 games to go in the 2010 season.  On this day, it was Scott Baker who started and gave the Twins five solid innings.  Still, Minnesota trailed until late in the game, when a 4-run eighth inning put the Twins up 6-4 on the Indians.  Denard Span drove in the go-ahead run with a single, and Orlando Hudson brought Span in with a double to stretch the lead to two.  Matt Capps came on for the ninth and picked up the save, ending the game with a strikeout of Michael Brantley.  The win meant the White Sox would have to win every remaining game on their schedule, along with the Twins having to lose all of their remaining games, to even achieve a tie in the division.  When Chicago lost later that night, it was official: the Minnesota Twins were the 2010 American League Central Division Champions!

4. The Twins score 4 runs in the ninth to walk-off against the White Sox (July 18th vs. Chicago)
Coming into this four-game series with the White Sox, the Twins were 3.5 games out of first place.  After a tough series-opening loss, they trailed Chicago by 4.5 games.  They won the next two, however, giving themselves a chance to cut the lead to 1.5 games with a victory in this one.  That didn't look all that likely when the ninth inning arrived, given that Minnesota was down by the score of 6-3.  Bobby Jenks was in to close the game, but he didn't even manage to get an out.  Walks to Orlando Hudson and Joe Mauer and singles by Jason Kubel and Michael Cuddyer brought Jenks' night to a quick end with the White Sox clinging to a 6-5 lead.  Sergio Santos came in and promptly walked Jason Repko, loading the bases for Delmon Young, who hit a shallow fly ball to center.  It dropped in front of Alex Rios, bringing in the tying and, after Rios threw the ball in the vicinity of the third base dugout, the winning run.  With that, the Twins had scored four runs in the ninth to win in walk-off style without making an out in the inning.

3. The Twins make up 5 runs in the ninth before beating the Phillies in 11 innings (June 19th at Philadelphia)
It was a wild night in Philadelphia, as the Twins and Phillies had more combined players hit home runs than in any other game in either 2009 or 2010.  Justin Morneau, Jim Thome, Joe Mauer, and Drew Butera all homered for Minnesota, while Philadelphia had five players each hit one, for a total of 9 different players.  Down 9-4 in the ninth, the Twins looked dead to rights in the final game of the series.  But four of those homers were yet to come, as Jim Thome followed an inning-opening single by Delmon Young with one of them.  With a Nick Punto walk and a Denard Span single, the Twins trailed by just two with a man on and Mauer coming to the plate, but the Phillies had also gotten two outs in between.  No matter, though, as Mauer tied the game with a 2-run blast.  In the tenth, Butera and Ross Gload traded solo shots, keeping the game even at 10.  An RBI infield single and a 2-run double by Young and Matt Tolbert, respectively, finally stretched the lead to 13-10 and gave the Twins the victory once Jon Rauch had taken care of business in the bottom of the inning.

2. Kubel's grand slam off Mariano Rivera lifts the Twins over the Yankees (May 16th at New York)
It was the Yankees again.  You knew the story.  The Twins go to Yankee Stadium, they get beat.  Blowout, walk-off, it could have been either, but you knew they would lose.  They lost all 10 games against the Yankees in 2009 (including playoffs), and lost the first 2 of this series.  Since 2007, they had run up 11 consecutive losses at Yankee Stadium.  So when the eighth inning opened with the Twins trailing 3-1, no one would have blamed you for turning the game off.  Even when the Twins loaded the bases with two outs, it still seemed a foregone conclusion that they would lose, especially with Mariano Rivera about to enter the game.  Then Jim Thome drew a walk, forcing home a run; but how many times had the Twins come close against the Yankees, only to lose in painful fashion?  Well, Jason Kubel changed that pattern when he drilled a 1-0 pitch from Rivera into the seats in the right field corner for a grand slam.  All of a sudden, Minnesota led New York, 6-3.  After Brian Duensing, Matt Guerrier, and Jon Rauch combined to end the game with two scoreless innings, Twins fans could finally celebrate a win in Yankee Stadium for the first time since 2007.

1. Thome hits a walk-off homer against the White Sox (August 17th vs. Chicago)
The White Sox rode into Minneapolis as losers of six of their last eight games.  The Twins opened the series on the heels of a 4-game winning streak.  Minnesota's division lead was up to 3 games.  A good series against the White Sox could utterly deflate them, whereas a bad series could have the opposite effect.  After Matt Capps blew the save, allowing a game-tying solo home run to Alexei Ramirez, Jon Rauch gave up a go-ahead RBI single to Ramirez in the tenth inning.  The Twins weren't done though.  Delmon Young opened the bottom half of the frame with a single, and then Jim Thome strode to the plate.  Matt Thornton delivered an 0-1 fastball that Thome absolutely crushed for the first walk-off home run in Target Field history, a no-doubter that gave the Twins a 7-6 victory.  As Thome circled the bases, the rest of the team circled home plate, awaiting his impending arrival with gigantic grins on their faces.  With the benefit of hindsight, it sure seemed like a turning point in the season for both teams.

2010 Awards

Only about 8 months late, so nobody's interested.  But I'm doing them for my own sake.

AL MVP: Josh Hamilton, Texas

AL Cy Young: Cliff Lee, Seattle/Texas

AL Relief Pitcher of the Year: Joaquin Benoit, Tampa Bay

AL Rookie of the Year: Austin Jackson, Detroit



NL MVP: Joey Votto, Cincinnati

NL Cy Young: Roy Halladay, Philadelphia

NL Relief Pitcher of the Year: Billy Wagner, Atlanta

NL Rookie of the Year: Jason Heyward, Atlanta

2010 All-MLB Teams

I've selected my First, Second, and Third All-MLB teams.  Why Major League Baseball (and every major sports league) doesn't actually hand out these awards, I don't know.  They do it in the NBA and it makes so much sense.  It's a very simple and concise way to look back and determine the best players in a certain season; and looking at them over a period of time gives a very simple and concise summary of the best players of that era.  Cy Young and MVP awards do that, but only for the best hitter and best pitcher in each league--the All-MLB teams cover a much wider swath.  With the introduction out of the way, here are my selections.

ALL-MLB FIRST TEAM
Catcher: Joe Mauer, Minnesota
First Baseman: Joey Votto, Cincinnati
Second Baseman: Robinson Cano, New York AL
Third Baseman: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay
Shortstop: Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado
Left Field: Josh Hamilton, Texas
Center Field: Andres Torres, San Francisco
Right Field: Joey Bautista, Toronto
Designated Hitter: David Ortiz, Boston
Starting Pitchers: Cliff Lee, Seattle/Texas; Roy Halladay, Philadelphia; Felix Hernandez, Seattle; Adam Wainwright, St. Louis; Jered Weaver, Los Angeles AL
Relief Pitchers: Joaquin Benoit, Tampa Bay; Billy Wagner, Atlanta; Hong-Chih Kuo, Los Angeles NL

ALL-MLB SECOND TEAM
Catcher: Brian McCann, Atlanta
First Baseman: Albert Pujols, St. Louis
Second Baseman: Kelly Johnson, Arizona
Third Baseman: Adrian Beltre, Boston
Shortstop: Hanley Ramirez, Florida
Left Field: Carlos Gonzalez, Colorado
Center Field: Chris Young, Arizona
Right Field: Shin-Soo Choo, Cleveland
Starting Pitchers: Josh Johnson, Florida; Francisco Liriano, Minnesota; Roy Oswalt, Houston/Philadelphia; Justin Verlander, Detroit; Ubaldo Jimenez, Colorado
Relief Pitchers: Joakim Soria, Kansas City; Carlos Marmol, Chicago NL; Matt Thornton, Chicago AL

ALL-MLB THIRD TEAM
Catcher: Victor Martinez, Boston
First Baseman: Miguel Cabrera, Detroit
Second Baseman: Rickie Weeks, Milwaukee
Third Baseman: Ryan Zimmerman, Washington
Shortstop: Stephen Drew, Arizona
Left Field: Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay
Center Field: Angel Pagan, New York NL
Right Field: Jayson Werth, Philadelphia
Starting Pitchers: Jon Lester, Boston; Mat Latos, San Diego; David Price, Tampa Bay; C.C. Sabathia, New York AL; Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles NL
Relief Pitchers: Rafael Soriano, Tampa Bay; Mariano Rivera, New York AL; Brian Wilson, San Francisco


And that's that.  A couple notes, though: 1) each player was available at only one position, the one they played most often; 2) a designated hitter was selected only for the first team because only 14 of 30 teams use one.

Extra! Extra!

I decided to figure out the longest scoreless inning streak and longest hitless streak.  I didn't do it originally because it would have been too much work to find the top 5 for each, having to look through endless play-by-plays of 2010 games.  I decided, however, just to find the longest of each such streak, since that was more doable.

Longest Hitless Streak
Most AB without a hit
1. Denard Span: 0-22, 6/1-6/6

Longest Scoreless Innings Streak
1. Francisco Liriano: 23.1 IP, 4/9-4/27   

2010 Streaks, Pitching Edition

Same deal as the previous post, just with pitchers.

Most Consecutive Games Pitched
Pitched in every team game
1. Jesse Crain - 4 (67 pitches), 8/2-8/5
    Jose Mijares - 4 (53 pitches), 6/27-7/31
    Jesse Crain - 4 (50 pitches), 8/2-8/5
    Brian Duensing - 4 (42 pitches), 6/29-7/2
    Randy Flores - 4 (20 pitches), 8/31-9/3 


Most Consecutive Wins
Consecutive decisions that were wins
1. Francisco Liriano - 8, 7/16-9/14
    Carl Pavano - 8, 6/9-7/27
3. Scott Baker - 5, 7/24-8/27
    Nick Blackburn - 5, 5/4-5/27
    Brian Duensing - 5, 7/18-8/20 

Most Consecutive Losses
Consecutive decisions that were losses
1. Matt Guerrier - 5, 6/12-8/3
2. Nick Blackburn - 4, 6/1-6/24
    Francisco Liriano - 4, 6/17-7/9
4. Francisco Liriano - 3, 5/8-5/20
    Francisco Liriano - 3, 9/19-9/30
    Carl Pavano - 3, 8/19-8/29

Most Consecutive 6+ Inning Starts
Consecutive starts pitching at least 6 innings

1. Carl Pavano - 12, 5/23-7/22
2. Brian Duensing - 11, 7/28-9/26
3. Carl Pavano - 8, 8/2-9/10
4. Francisco Liriano - 7, 4/9-5/15
5. Nick Blackburn - 5, 5/4-5/27


Most Consecutive Quality Starts
Consecutive starts of at least 6 innings and 3 ER or fewer
1. Nick Blackburn - 5, 5/4-5/27
    Francisco Liriano - 5, 4/9-5/2
    Francisco Liriano - 5, 5/26-/6/17
    Carl Pavano - 5, 6/9-7/1

Most Consecutive Scoreless Starts
1. Francisco Liriano - 3 (23 IP), 4/15-4/27
    Francisco Liriano - 3 (21 IP), 7/21-8/1

Most Consecutive Scoreless Games
1. Jesse Crain - 21 (20 IP), 6/13-8/4
2. Jesse Crain - 12 (11 IP), 8/7-8/31
3. Alex Burnett - 10 (13.2 IP), 5/11-6/6 
    Brian Duensing - 10 (9.1 IP), 4/17-5/12
5. Brian Duensing - 9 (10 IP), 6/24-7/10
    Brian Fuentes - 9 (9.2 IP), 8/28-10/2

Most Consecutive Games without allowing a Baserunner
Consecutive games without allowing a H, BB, or HBP
1. Alex Burnett - 5 (5.1 IP), 5/27-6/6
    Jesse Crain - 5 (4.1 IP), 8/11-8/17
3. Jesse Crain - 4 (4.1 IP), 7/21-7/28
    Brian Duensing - 4 (3.1 IP), 6/12-6/18
    Jose Mijares - 4 (3.1 IP), 6/16-6/30

Most Runs Allowed in a Game
1. Nick Blackburn - 8, 6/18
    Nick Blackburn - 8, 9/28
3. Nick Blackburn - 7, 7/4
    Nick Blackburn - 7, 7/10
    Francisco Liriano - 7, 7/9
    Carl Pavano - 7, 4/18
    Carl Pavano - 7, 8/19
    Carl Pavano - 7, 9/25
    Kevin Slowey - 7, 6/19

Most Hits Allowed in a Game
1. Carl Pavano - 15, 8/19
2. Scott Baker - 11, 6/27
    Nick Blackburn - 11, 5/4
    Carl Pavano - 11, 4/18
    Carl Pavano - 11, 9/25

Most Baserunners Allowed in a Game
Most H + BB + HBP in a Game
1. Carl Pavano - 15, 8/19
2. Scott Baker - 13, 7/19
    Nick Blackburn - 13, 4/24
    Francisco Liriano - 13, 8/6 


Most Strikeouts in a Game
1. Scott Baker - 12, 6/16
2. Francisco Liriano - 11, 6/11
    Francisco Liriano - 11, 8/1
4. Francisco Liriano - 10, 4/27
    Francisco Liriano - 10, 6/5
    Francisco Liriano - 10, 7/3

Most Walks in a Game
1. Francisco Liriano - 6, 8/6
2. Francisco Liriano - 5, 4/9

Most Consecutive Saves
Consecutive Saves without a Blown Save
1. Matt Capps - 12, 8/18-9/29
2. Jon Rauch - 7, 5/28-6/16 
3. Jon Rauch - 6, 4/6-4/17
4. Jon Rauch - 4, 4/27-5/16
    Jon Rauch - 4, 7/2-7/28

Most Consecutive Blown Saves
1. Matt Guerrier - 4, 7/3-9/2
2. Jesse Crain - 2, 9/2-9/25 
    Matt Guerrier - 2, 5/1-5/14 
    Jon Rauch - 2, 6/19-7/1

Most Strikeouts in a Month
1. Francisco Liriano - 40, June
2. Francisco Liriano - 39, May
3. Scott Baker - 33, May
    Francisco Liriano - 33, July
5. Francisco Liriano - 32, August

Most Walks in a Month
1. Francisco Liriano - 15, August
2. Nick Blackburn - 11, June
3. Nick Blackburn - 10, September
    Brian Duensing - 10, September 
    Francisco Liriano - 10, April
    Carl Pavano - 10, August

Most Saves in a Month
1. Matt Capps - 9, September
2. Jon Rauch - 7, April

3. Matt Capps - 6, August
    Jon Rauch - 6, May
5. Jon Rauch - 4, June
    Jon Rauch - 4, July

Best K/BB Ratio in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Scott Baker - 10.00, June
2. Carl Pavano - 7.33, April
3. Kevin Slowey - 7.00, July
4. Francisco Liriano - 5.00, June
    Kevin Slowey - 5.00, June

Worst K/BB Ratio in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Nick Blackburn - 0.88, April
2. Nick Blackburn - 1.18, June
3. Nick Blackburn - 1.60, September 
4. Carl Pavano - 1.75, September
5. Nick Blackburn - 2.00, May
    Brian Duensing - 2.00, September


Best ERA in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Francisco Liriano - 0.93, April
2. Carl Pavano - 2.25, June
3. Brian Duensing - 2.30, August
4. Nick Blackburn - 2.65, May
5. Scott Baker - 2.78, August

Worst ERA in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Nick Blackburn - 10.17, June
2. Nick Blackburn - 6.85, April
3. Carl Pavano - 6.12, September
4. Scott Baker - 6.07, June
5. Scott Baker - 5.72, April

Best WHIP in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Carl Pavano - 0.80, June
2. Francisco Liriano - 0.97, April
3. Carl Pavano - 1.04, July
4. Brian Duensing - 1.07, August
5. Carl Pavano - 1.12, April

Worst WHIP in a Month
Minimum 20 IP
1. Nick Blackburn - 2.18, June
2. Nick Blackburn - 1.73, April
3. Carl Pavano - 1.59, August
4. Francisco Liriano - 1.55, May
5. Scott Baker - 1.55, April

Most Innings Pitched in a Month
1. Carl Pavano - 43.1, July
2. Brian Duensing - 43, August
3. Carl Pavano - 40.1, August
4. Carl Pavano - 40, June
5. Scott Baker - 38, May

Best Game Score
1. Scott Baker - 84, 6/16
    Nick Blackburn - 84, 8/28
    Carl Pavano - 84, 6/26
4. Brian Duensing - 83, 8/14
    Francisco Liriano - 83, 4/27

Quality Starts
1. Carl Pavano - 21
2. Francisco Liriano - 20
3. Nick Blackburn - 14
4. Scott Baker - 12
5. Kevin Slowey - 9
6. Brian Duensing - 8
7. Jeff Manship - 1

Double Digit Strikeout Games
1. Francisco Liriano - 5
2. Scott Baker - 1 

2010 Streaks, etc.

I did this following the 2008 season, but not for the 2009 season.  It makes a reappearance now, because what do you want to do more right now than relive the Twins 2010 season?

Consecutive Games Played
Appeared in every team game
1. Michael Cuddyer - 94, 6/8-9/21
2. Delmon Young - 70, 5/28-8/14
3. Denard Span - 62, 4/5-6/12
4. Jason Kubel - 54, 5/27-7/28
5. Michael Cuddyer - 53, 4/5-6/2   

Longest On-Base Streaks
At least 1 H, HBP, or BB in every game with at least 1 PA
1. Michael Cuddyer - 27, 7/3-8/3
2. Denard Span - 22, 8/25-9/21
3. Justin Morneau - 19, 4/5-4/25
4. Denard Span - 18, 7/6-7/30
    Delmon Young - 18, 6/3-6/23

Longest Hit Streaks
At least 1 H in every game with at least 1 AB
1. Michael Cuddyer - 16, 7/16-7/31
2. Michael Cuddyer - 12, 8/26-9/7
    Jason Kubel - 12, 6/8-6/20
    Delmon Young - 12, 7/21-8/2
5. Delmon Young - 11, 6/3-6/15

Longest Hitless Streaks
Zero hits in every game with at least 1 AB
1. Brendan Harris- 7 (0-20), 5/22-6/5
2. Drew Butera - 6 (0-19), 8/24-9/17
    Jason Repko - 6 (0-17), 8/11-8/25
    Trevor Plouffe - 6 (0-7), 9/4-9/28
5. Denard Span - 5 (0-21), 6/1-6/5
    Nick Punto - 5 (0-13), 7/2-7/10
    Nick Punto - 5 (0-12), 5/31-6/4

Longest Extra Base Hit Streaks
At least 1 XBH in every game with at least 1 AB
1. Delmon Young - 7, 7/1-7/8
2. Delmon Young - 5, 7/24-7/28
    Delmon Young - 5, 9/25-9/29
4. Michael Cuddyer - 4, 5/26-5/29
    Orlando Hudson - 4, 8/8-8/12
    Justin Morneau - 4, 5/20-5/23
    Jim Thome - 4, 9/4-9/11 (HR in every game)

Longest Multi-Hit Game Streaks
At least 2 H in every game with at least 1 AB
1. Justin Morneau - 6, 6/19-6/25
2. Justin Morneau - 4, 5/11-5/15
    Danny Valencia - 4, 7/24-7/27
    Danny Valencia - 4, 8/31-9/3


Most Consecutive Stolen Bases
Consecutive SB without a CS
1. Denard Span - 18, 4/9-7/24
2. Denard Span - 7, 8/31-9/28
3. Alexi Casilla - 6, 7/24-9/22
4. Orlando Hudson - 5, 4/23-6/20
    Nick Punto - 5, 4/7-6/6

Most Hits in a Game
1. Joe Mauer - 5, 4/24
    Joe Mauer - 5, 7/26

Most RBIs in a Game
1. Joe Mauer - 7, 7/26
2. Jason Kubel - 5, 5/27
    Jason Kubel - 5, 9/27
    Denard Span - 5, 6/29
    Matt Tolbert - 5, 9/4
    Danny Valencia - 5, 9/25 

Most Total Bases in a Game
1. Jason Kubel - 10, 5/27
    Denard Span - 10, 6/29
    Jim Thome - 10, 7/3
4. Joe Mauer - 9, 7/26
    Justin Morneau - 9, 5/17
    Danny Valencia - 9, 7/26


Most Hits in a Month
1. Delmon Young - 46, July
2. Denard Span - 42, May
3. Justin Morneau - 40, May
4. Joe Mauer - 35, August
5. Michael Cuddyer - 33, July


Most Runs in a Month
1. Orlando Hudson - 23, May
2. Michael Cuddyer - 21, July
    Denard Span - 21, July
4. Joe Mauer - 19, July
5. Michael Cuddyer - 18, September
    Justin Morneau - 18, April


Most Home Runs in a Month
1. Jim Thome - 7, September
2. Jason Kubel - 6, August
    Justin Morneau - 6, May
    Delmon Young - 6, July
5. Justin Morneau - 5, April
    Justin Morneau - 5, June
    Jim Thome - 5, July
    Jim Thome - 5, August
    Danny Valencia - 5, September


Most RBIs in a Month
1. Delmon Young - 30, July
2. Delmon Young - 24, June
3. Jason Kubel - 23, August
4. Michael Cuddyer - 20, August
    Jason Kubel - 20, May


Most Extra Base Hits in a Month
1. Justin Morneau - 19, May
    Delmon Young - 19, July
3. Joe Mauer - 15, July
4. Delmon Young - 13, September


Most Stolen Bases in a Month
1. Denard Span - 7, May
2. Denard Span - 6, April
    Denard Span - 6, September
4. Alexi Casilla - 4, August
5. Michael Cuddyer - 3, August
    Denard Span - 3, July


Highest Average in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Danny Valencia - .453, July
2. Delmon Young - .434, July
3. Justin Morneau - .400, May
4. Joe Mauer - .380, August
5. Jim Thome - .357, September

Lowest Average in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Jason Repko - .149, August
2. Jason Kubel - .173, September
3. Orlando Hudson - .194, September
4. Brendan Harris - .200, April
5. Nick Punto - .203, May

Highest On Base Percent in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Jim Thome - .518, September
2. Danny Valencia - .508, July
3. Justin Morneau - .496, May
4. Justin Morneau - .490, April
5. Joe Mauer - .482, August


Highest Slugging Percent in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Jim Thome - .881, September
2. Delmon Young - .736, July
3. Jim Thome - .723, August
4. Justin Morneau - .710, May
5. Justin Morneau - .640, April

Highest Strikeout Percent in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Jason Repko - 36.3, September
2. Jim Thome - 36.1, August
3. Jim Thome - 30.4, May
4. Jim Thome - 29.2, July
5. Jason Kubel - 28.4 July

Lowest Strikeout Percent in a Month
Minimum 50 PA
1. Joe Mauer - 6.3, September
2. Delmon Young - 6.6, July
3. Danny Valencia - 7.5, July
4. Denard Span - 8.2, July
5. Denard Span - 8.4, May

Multi-Home Run Games
1. Jim Thome -2
2. Jason Kubel - 1
    Justin Morneau - 1
    Danny Valencia - 1

Most Multi-Hit Games
1. Denard Span - 49
2. Delmon Young - 48
3. Michael Cuddyer - 40
    Joe Mauer - 40
5. Orlando Hudson - 35
6. Jason Kubel - 33
7. Justin Morneau - 32
8. Danny Valencia - 26
9. J.J. Hardy - 24
10. Nick Punto - 17
11. Jim Thome - 15
12. Alexi Casilla - 9
13. Drew Butera - 5
      Wilson Ramos - 5
      Jason Repko - 5
16. Brendan Harris - 3
      Matt Tolbert - 3
18. Jose Morales - 2
19. Trevor Plouffe - 1
      Ben Revere - 1