Dissecting the Bill Smith era: Other trades of 2010

Steve Tolleson got to play in Target Field in 2010,
but not as a member of the home team.

When: Dec. 12, 2009
What: Traded right-handed pitcher Boof Bonser to the Boston Red Sox for right-handed pitcher Chris Province.
Value: Bonser pitched two innings for Boston in 2010 before being released. He has worked 25 major league innings since the trade (all in 2010, mostly with Oakland) with an ERA of 6.12. He recently signed a minor-league deal with the San Francisco Giants. Province did not pitch well in 2010 in the Twins system and decided to quit playing last spring.
Twins motivation: Avoid going to arbitration with Bonser.

Bonser's once-promising career has been derailed by injuries. As matters stand, nothing to see here.

When: Feb.1, 2010
What: Waived infielder Steve Tolleson, who was claimed by Oakland
Value: Tolleson played in 25 games for Oakland in 2010. He spent 2011 in the minors, was traded in midseason to the San Diego Padres, was released after the season and signed to a minor league deal by Baltimore.
Twins motivation: Open a 40-man roster spot that was filled three days later by the signing of Orlando Hudson.

Tolleson's major league future, if any, figures to be as a utility infielder, and he probably doesn't have the arm to handle the shortstop part of the job.

When: Aug. 25, 2010
What: Claimed Randy Flores on waivers from Colorado
Value: Got 11 outs in 11 appearances for the Twins with an ERA of 4.91.
Twins motivation: Injuries to Jose Mijares and Ron Mahay left the Twins short of lefty relievers.

The Twins took a flyer on Flores, and he quickly fell out of favor with Ron Gardenhire.

When: Aug. 27, 2010
What: Traded right-hander Loek Van Mil to the Angels for left-handed reliever Brian Fuentes
Value: Fuentes gave up no runs in 9.2 innings with the Twins. Van Mil has not pitched in the majors

Matt Fox in his
sole game with
Minnesota.

Twins motivation: Injuries to Jose Mijares and Ron Mahay left the Twins short of lefty relievers.

Fuentes -- who had been closing in Anaheim -- was obviously over-qualified for the LOOGY role and was always viewed strictly as a short-term rental. The Twins made no serious attempt to retain him as a free agent, and he signed with Oakland. Van Mil, a unique prospect (7-foot-1 from the Netherlands), had a decent year in Double A and still could, if he ever manages to stay healthy, emerge as a major league relief option.

When: Sept. 9, 2010
What: Waived right-hander Matt Fox, who was claimed by Boston.
Value: Fox has pitched 1.2 major league innings since leaving the Twins. He signed a minor-league deal this offseason with Seattle.
Twins motivation: Opened a spot on the 40-man roster for Ben Revere.

Fox was put on the 40 to make one memorable spot start. My guess is that that will remain the high point of his career.

Seven years in the making

Kyle Waldrop is
likely to make his
major-league debut
in today's doubleheader.

Take this as a fresh lesson in how long it takes to judge a baseball amateur draft:

It wasn't that long ago that it appeared the Twins had utterly wasted their 2004 windfall of high-round draft picks. Today, it is possible that the 2012 team will have a regular middle infielder and about half of its bullpen as a result of that draft. Or maybe not.

The Twins had three first round selections that year. Trevor Plouffe — who, Sunday's brain fart notwithstanding, has been quite good in this third 2011 callup — was the first man the Twins selected that year, 20th overall. Glen Perkins came two picks later (22nd). Kyle Waldrop, who is being added to the major league roster today, was the 25th pick. (One of those picks came from the Cubs, who surrendered it for signing LaTroy Hawkins; another came from the Mariners, who had signed Eddie Guardado.)

Then their two "sandwich round" picks, again compensation for losing the Hawk and Everyday Eddie: Matt Fox and Jay Rainville. Fox pitched in one memorable game for the Twins and pitched this year in the Red Sox chain. Rainville is out of baseball.

The Twins picked up Anthony Swarzak in the second round.

It certainly could have had a more productive draft; Dustin Pedroia, for example, was drafted in the second round a few picks after Swarzak. It also could have been a lot worse; only 14 of the 30 players taken in the second round have even appeared in the majors to this point.

That draft hasn't helped the Twins a lot. I doubt they drafted Perkins, Waldrop, Fox, Rainville and Swarzak with the idea that they would wind up with a handful of middle relievers, but that appears their destiny.  They certainly drafted Plouffe with the idea that he'd become the starting shortstop, but he hasn't grabbed the job yet.

Perkins could inherit the closer's role. Perhaps Swarzak will emerge with a rotation berth. Maybe Plouffe will seize the shortstop's job after all. Waldrop has a chance to claim a bullpen spot.

Seven years out, and the Twins still have hope from that draft. Hope, but not a lot of accomplishment.

The Semi-Fantastic Mr. Fox

Momentum is tomorrow's starting pitcher.

That Tom Kelly mantra is part of why Thursday's fiasco appeared so potentially devastating for the Twins: They had no starting pitcher for the next day.

Matt Fox: Because
sleep is overrated.

An out-of-the-blue selection, a little roster juggling, a sleepless night and a day traveling later, and Matt Fox is an unlikely hero.

Pitching on short rest — he threw 90 pitches in six innings Monday for Rochester — and wearing the No. 61 made famous by Livan Hernandez, the right-hander looked like a Twins pitcher.

He threw strikes (for the most part): 90 pitches, 55 strikes, 35 balls, although he had just nine first-pitch strikes. He got 17 outs, none on strikes. Pitching to contact — but this game the defense was crisp. Denard Span made a big catch behind him in the first inning, the infield turned a double play (really they did) in the second, and he allowed just five baserunners.

He's not a great pitcher; whatever chance he had at that was probably ruined by his shoulder injury early in his minor league days. He doesn't figure in the Twins rotation plans moving forward, even with the injury to Scott Baker; Kevin Slowey is penciled in to make Baker's next scheduled start.

Fox will stick as a long-man/mop-up guy this month, soaking up some low-leverage innings.

But he earned his letter — and his cut of the postseason kitty — on Friday.

---

One potential reason Fox disconcerted the Rangers lineup: They probably knew almost nothing about him.

It was his major league debut; heck, he wasn't even on the 40-man roster on Friday morning. So they had no video of him.

He's been pitching in the International League this season; the Rangers' Triple A affiliate is in the Pacific Coast League. He spent 2009 in the Eastern League; the Rangers'  Double-A affiliate is in the Texas League. The last time Fox pitched in a league that included a Texas affiliate was in 2007. Since the Rangers hold spring training in Arizona and the Twins in Florida, they don't even cross paths in March.

This is no small advantage for a pitcher, to be so completely a stranger to the opponents.