Jim Thome's Hall of Fame plaque

Jim Thome late last week said that he'd prefer the "block C" cap on his Hall of Fame plaque over the "Chief Wahoo" logo that he wore during his stellar tenure in Cleveland.

A colleague suggested this weekend that the solution is for him to have the Twins' TC, but I'm pretty sure he knew that isn't happening.

Thome spent all or part of 13 seasons in Cleveland and no more than four in his other stops (Philadelphia, White Sox, Dodgers, Minnesota,  Baltimore). He hit the majority of his homers for Cleveland, gathered the majority of his RBIs for Cleveland. His slash numbers were better for the Tribe than for any of his other teams. There's no real question that he's going in as an Indian, even though he and the Hall haven't discussed it yet.

Somebody said on Twitter that nobody in the Hall has Wahoo on his cap. There's a fairly large crop of Indians from the 1940s and '50s enshrined -- Bob Feller, Bob Lemon, Larry Doby, Lou Bordreau, Early Wynn -- but most of their plaques have a 'horseshoe C". Wynn appears to be the exception; he appears to have a cap that combines the horseshoe with Wahoo. After that generation, there's a lack of Indians in the Hall. A few guys who played briefly for the Tribe, such as Bert Blyleven and Roberto Alomar, but nobody who truly identifies as a Cleveland Indian.

I don't know that Thome ever voiced an objection to Wahoo as a player; if he did, he did so privately. Historical accuracy says his plaque should have Wahoo; the commissioner now declares the logo unfit "for on-field use." Theres always the Catfish Hunter blank cap solution, but I don't think Hunter's two teams dilemma is the same as Thome's logo-in-disgrace issue. Thome will want to be identified with Cleveland. He'll get the block C.

A big Hall of Fame class

The writers voted in four this year: first-ballot candidates Chipper Jones and Jim Thome, plus holdovers Vladimir Guerrero and Trevor Hoffman. Edgar Martinez missed making it five by 20 votes and will almost certainly get in next year.

Add in the two selected by whatever they called this cycle's veterans committee (Alan Trammell and Jack Morris) and it's going to be a long induction ceremony this summer.

It's a big class, and the writers finally made some progress on their backlog of candidates. They've had a number of multi-inductee classes of late -- this was the second time in four years that they've chosen four -- but the first time they didn't get there with a majority of first-time candidates.

Two of them were short-term Twins (Morris and Thome), and obviously neither will have a TC cap on their plaque. Morris' cap is obvious (Detroit), and I would think Thome will go in as a Clevelander over the Phillies or White Sox. I would vote Montreal Expos for Guerrero, but I can see a case for the Angels. He won his MVP award in Anaheim.

I'm not big on the Hoffman selection. It might look better a generation from now if the one-inning closer is still the standard, but I see that approach to bullpen management fading now, and it might become obsolete in my lifetime. Of course, the three-out closer has been a thing for 20 years now, and we already have Dennis Eckersley and arguably John Smoltz in as a result. Now Hoffman, and next year Mariano Rivera ... If it is a fading strategy, four is probably too many, but there are worse HoF selections than Hoffman.

One is Morris, but I've beaten that horse enough over the years.

Do the Twins need a pinch-hit specialist?

Chris Colabello
hit .284/.358/.478
in his first season
in the affiliated
minors last year.

For most of 2012, the Twins carried three catchers, two of whom were generally in the starting lineup. Joe Mauer had about half his playing time behind the dish (72 starts) and split the rest between first base (30 starts) and designated hitter (42 starts); Ryan Doumit started 56 games at catcher, 48 at DH, 16 in left field and six in right field; Drew Butera started 32 games at catcher; and Chris Herrmann picked up the other two catcher starts.

The primary reason for carrying the third catcher was the 90 games — a bit more than half the season — of DH duties for Mauer and Doumit. Catcher is a highly specialized defensive position, and managers are loathe to be without one on the bench in case of injury. While a DH can take the field, the result is that the pitchers would have to hit for the remainder of the game.

Mauer, at least in theory, is to catch more this year, and if that does occur, Doumit is likely to get a heavier share of the DH duties. In which case the basic motivation for granting a roster spot to Butera remains intact, even though the playing time would diminish.

But Ron Gardenhire said last week that he's not committed to carrying three catchers, and that he wants to have a pinch-hitting threat on his bench this year — probably thinking in terms of hitting for Pedro Florimon, the front runner for the shortstop job.

This line of thought, coupled with Jim Thome's public appeal for a job, has a goodly portion of the Twins twitterverse hoping for Thome's return. I'm not in favor; I think Thome's about done, and even if he isn't, he's not a particularly good fit for the Twins roster.

Thome's tried being a pinch-hit specialist a couple of times for National League teams, and has found he needs a steady dose of at-bats. Using him as a DH would necessarily take at-bats away from one of the Doumit-Chris Parmelee-Mauer-Justin Morneau-Josh Willingham collection of catchers/first basemen/corner outfielders. While it's not a bad idea to spell Doumit (and perhaps Parmelee) against left-handed pitchers, Thome is not the guy to do that with.

If the Twins do forego a third catcher in order to carry a bench bat, better that it be a right-handed hitter. I don't know that they have that guy in camp — maybe non-roster invitee Chris Colabello, a 29-year-old refugee from an independent league who had a big season with the Twins Double A club last year. Colabello will be leaving camp soon to play for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic, but he's gotten a couple of notable hits in the early exhibition games.

If Colabello, or someone of his right-handed ilk, wins the roster spot, he could get his "stay-sharp" at-bats against lefties and, at least in theory, improve the lineup by limiting Doumit's right-handed at-bats.

Gardenhire has shown little concern over the years about maximizing the platoon advantage with his hitters, and would probably prefer Thome to Colabello (or any right-handed hitter). That scenario appears to me a case in which the front office — meaning general manager Terry Ryan — needs to protect Gardenhire from himself.

Thome resisting the inevitable

Jim Thome hit 37
homers in a bit less
than two seasons
with the Twins.

Most playing careers end not when the player chooses, but when the game chooses. Winter runs its course, and nobody makes the player an offer; spring comes, and the player has no team.

And the game moves on without him.

This is happening now to Jim Thome, he of the 612 home runs and, for Twins fans, the heroics of Target Field's debut season.

He's 42. He cannot help a team in the field, cannot help it on the bases, cannot help it against left-handed pitching. He found last year with the Phillies that he doesn't cope well with a strict pinch-hitting role, and over the past several seasons has found that four days in a row in the lineup as a DH is pushing the envelope with his health.

He still wants to play, albeit on his terms (such as a major-league contract, not a minor-league deal).  It's just difficult to see the situation where he can — a contending team that can use a platoon DH who needs a pinch runner. That's a mighty specific role in an era in which benches are thin and versatility is prized.

He's on the outside looking in, and the game will move on without him.

Contemplating Jim Thome and Johan Santana

Jim Thome has hit 24 home runs in Target Field.

Jim Thome DH'd against the Twins in all three games of the just-completed three game series twixt the Twins and Phillies. The Twins kept him in the yard in one of those games; it was also the game the Twins won.

After Thome's three-run shot Thursday off Scott Diamond, one of my co-workers asked why Thome was with the Phillies, who have limited use for a DH (and none after this month).

Answer: Because the Phillies offered him a contract early in the offseason, and Thome figured the offers would be few and far between; because he and Charlie Manuel, the Phillies manager, go way back; because he figured Philadelphia gave him a good shot at the World Series title that still eludes him.

But realistically, he and the Phils aren't a real good fit. They tried to use him some early on at first base; he wound up spending almost two months on the disabled list. He came off the DL in time for the interleague road games, which gives Manuel the chance to get him in the lineup, but once that's over (next week), about all he can do is pinch-hit.

I don't know if there are any American League contenders who can carry a part-time designated hitter. Part-time because he's not David Ortiz; you can't just stick Thome in the lineup seven games a week. His history with the Twins suggests that his three-day run in the lineup in Minnesota this week is about as much as he can handle without a day or two on the bench.

When he can hit, he's a threat, still. It's the "when" part that's the issue.

---

Johan Santana has made two starts since his no-hitter. He's pitched 10-plus innings and allowed 10 runs. It could have been worse' he left Thursday night's game having loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Another ex-Twins pitcher, Jon Rauch, bailed him out of that mess.

A definitive line of cause-and-effect cannot be drawn here, but ... 134 pitches for the no-hitter, followed by two bad starts, even with extra days off.

Dissecting the Bill Smith Era: Other trades of 2011

Jose Morales hit .297
in his three partial
seasons with the Twins.

When: Dec. 16, 2010
What: The Twins sent catcher Jose Morales to Colorado for left-handed pitcher Paul Bargas
Value: Bargas not only hasn't reached the majors, he didn't pitch at all in 2011 because of a brain tumor. Morales opened the season as the Rockies' No. 2 catcher but had only 71 plate appearances (-0.1 WAR, 1 win share). He was nontendered this offseason and signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Twins motivation: Open a spot on the 40-man roster

The Twins traded Morales because they needed roster space to re-sign Jim Thome and Carl Pavano, because he was out of options and would have to clear waivers to be sent to the minors, and because they had decided they prefered Drew Butera's defensive chops to Morales' batting average.

Bargas reported to camp with an obvious health problem and was quickly found to have a brain tumor. Chip Scoggins of the Star Tribune earlier this month wrote about Bargas, who expects to be in camp this spring. (As a sign of how much I like the piece, I link to it despite the Strib's paywall). I don't know enough about Bargas' talent to be optimistic about his future as a pitcher, but I sure will root for him. (Update: Fixed the link.)

When: Jan. 26, 2011
What: Claimed left-handed pitcher Dusty Hughes off waivers from the Kansas City Royals
Value: Hughes was awful with the Twins (9.95 ERA in 12.2 innings; -0.4 WAR, 0 win shares)
Twins motivation: What I call Craig Monroe Syndrome: He had gotten Twins lefties out while with K.C., and the Twins took this as an indication of his talent.

I still remember seeing one particularly wicked breaking ball Hughes threw in a spring training game to freeze Carl Crawford; that single pitch had me briefly convinced he was a shrewd pickup (and a silly discard by the Royals). He didn't throw enough such pitches, however.

He was outrighted in May. He has signed a minor league contract with Atlanta.

Rob Delaney wasn't
even deemed worthy
of a draft pick as an
amateur player

When: Jan. 28, 2011
What: Lost right-handed pitcher Rob Delaney on waivers to Tampa Bay
Value: Delaney made four appearances for the Rays with an ERA of 10.80; no win shares and -0.2 WAR
Twins motivation: Created a spot on the 40-man roster for Hughes.

Delaney, like Anthony Slama, put up good numbers in the minors for the Twins, but the Twins were unwilling to give him a real chance in the majors. The Rays designated Delaney for assignment in September to open a spot for phenom Matt Moore; it's unclear to me if Delaney is still in their system or if he's a free agent he signed this month with Miami.

When: March 20, 2011
What: Lost right-handed pitcher Pat Neshek on waivers to San Diego
Value: Neshek worked 24.2 innings for the Padres with an ERA of 4.01; more tellingly, he walked 22 (and struck out 20) in those 24.2 innings. He had 1 win share and 0.0 WAR.
Twins motivation: They wanted to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

It was significant that the Twins dumped Neshek even though he still had an option left; that indicates that the organization either had concluded that he was unlikely to regain his pre-injury effectiveness and/or didn't want him around.

He was up and down with the Padres, and he is currently a free agent.

When: Aug. 25, 2011
What: Lost designated hitter Jim Thome on waivers to Cleveland
Value: He had 13 win shares total for the season, 0.5 WAR with the Indians.
Twins motivation: Cleared his salary off the books for the last six weeks or so of the season, gave him a chance to be at least in the fringes of a pennant race and an opportunity to make amends with the fans of his first major league team.

Jim Thome pretended
to play third base for
one pitch against the
Twins in a September
game.

Big name, exceedingly minor deal. It was originally announced as a player-to-be-named trade, but once it was obvious that the Indians weren't making the postseason they changed it to straight cash and not much of it.

Thome has signed with Philadelphia for 2012, and the Phillies are making noises about playing him at first base on occasion. Good luck with that.

When: Sept. 27, 2011
What: Claimed right-handed pitcher Esmerling Vasquez off waivers from Arizona
Value: The Twins did not add him to the active roster for the final week of the season.
Twins motivation: He's a power arm bullpen possibility.

The Diamondbacks needed to clear space on their 40-man roster, and lopped Vasquez, who has pitched in 141 major league games for the D'backs (137 innings, 80 walks, 120 strikeouts). Good arm, uncertain control. The Twins are collecting a bunch of this kind of arm and hoping one of them can figure it out.

When: Oct. 31, 2011
What: Claimed right-handed pitcher Jeff Gray off waivers from Seattle.
Value: Has not pitched for the Twins
Twins motivation: Another bullpen option.

I'm including this transaction and the following one with the 2011 season because they came just before Bill Smith was removed from the general manager's job, and they ought to be included.

Gray is a knock-around reliever who has been in the majors with Oakland, the Cubs, the White Sox and Seattle. I'm not particularly enthused about him, and would expect that Vasquez and Lester Oliveros (and others) are ahead of him on the totem pole, but Gray is on the 40-man roster, so he's got a chance to make the team this spring.

When: Oct. 31, 2011
What: Claimed left-handed pitcher Matt Maloney off waivers from Cincinnati
Value: Has not pitched for the Twins
Motivation: Provides some depth for the starting rotation.

Maloney hasn't established himself as a major leaguer, and his stuff isn't all that impressive, but he's put up good numbers in Triple A. Maybe he's what's derisively known as a Quadruple A pitcher, but I suspect he'd be an improvement over Nick Blackburn if given a shot. Of course, Blackburn has two more years and some $10 million left on his contract, so he's got dibs on the rotation berth.

Notes, quotes and comments

Philadelphia? Right down there.

Item: Jim Thome lands a job with the Phillies. One year, $1.25 million, pending a physical.

Since nobody knows when Ryan Howard, who tore his Achilles tendon in making the last out of the division series oh so long ago, will play, this signing has triggered immediate speculation that Thome will actually play first base at least part time. Ain't gonna happen; wouldn't be prudent.

The Phillies have carried pinch-hit specialists the past few years (Matt Stairs, Russ Gload), and that will be Thome in 2012.

Item: The Twins refused to allow the Baltimore Orioles to interview Mike Radcliff for their vacant general manager's job, citing a pending front office reorganization, and are apparently about to bring back former assistant GM Wayne Krivsky.

(The Krivsky item comes via the Star Tribune, and I'm going to be sparing with my links to them now that they've erected a paywall.)

There are only 30 general managers' jobs in baseball, and normally they're pretty coveted. The Orioles job is not. There are basically five reasons: 1) The New York Yankees; 2) the Boston Red Sox; 3) the Tampa Bay Rays; 4) the Toronto Blue Jays — the O's division rivals all have excessive resources and/or very sharp GMs, so the competition is fierce — and 5) (which  may be the biggest reason) the Baltimore ownership.

Radcliff was the Twins scouting director for more than a decade under Terry Ryan and got the title vice president of player personnel when Ryan retired and Bill Smith ascended to the GM post. He has seldom been linked to other jobs, and it's entirely possible that the denial of permission came not only because the Twins want to keep him but because he's not interested in working for Peter Angelos.

Krivsky probably would have been Ryan's successor had he not decamped for the Reds GM post in 2006. He didn't get a clean shot in Cincinnati; the owner there dumped him for Walt Jocketty quickly when Jocketty left St. Louis.

I assume Krivsky will fill the "assistant to the general manager" post vacated by Joe McIlvane (himself a former GM, with San Diego and the Mets) in September. He took a similar job with Seattle. I suspect the Twins knew then that they were going to bring Krivsky back.

Bob Forsch was a staple of Whitey
Herzog's rotations in St. Louis,
pitching for all three of the White Rat's
pennant winners (1982, 1985, 1987).

Item: Bob Forsch, who pitched against the Twins in the 1987 World Series, who is third on the St. Louis Cardinals' all-time wins list, who threw out the first ball before Game Seven of the just-completed World Series, died.

Another piece of evidence that those of us who were adults during the 1987 World Series are getting old.

Forsch, an 11-game winner during the regular season that year for the Cardinals, worked out of the bullpen during the Series and picked up the win in Game Four with 2.2 innings of one-run relief. He was also the guy who threw the grand slam pitch to Dan Gladden in Game One and who loaded the bases for Kent Hrbek's slam in Game Six.

Forsch had two no-hitters in his career, the only Cardinals hurler to throw more than one.

Perhaps even more rare than a pair of no-hitters is 168 wins for a guy with such a low strikeout rate. It helped, to be sure, that he had such glovemen as Ozzie Smith, Willie McGee and Tommy Herr behind him, and a very forgiving park as his home environment.

Thome third base theater

Something that hasn't been seen since
1996 — Jim Thome playing third base.

Jim Thome began his illustrious career playing third base for the Cleveland Indians. On Sunday —the last home game of his second coming with the Tribe — he played third base once more.

For one pitch. For sentimental reasons.

Sentiment is basically why Thome's spending this month with the Indians, who were sliding out of contention when the Twins sold him to Cleveland. He takes a few swings, accepts a few cheers, rebuilds the affection Indians fans once felt for the franchise's all-time home run king.

Thome sounds as if he's inclined to play again next season. If he does want to return, it won't be with Cleveland. The Indians have a $13 million commitment to Travis Haefner, and it makes no sense to devote two roster spots to injury-prone left-handed DHs, neither of whom can play in the field. If Cleveland could find a taker for Haefner, they probably would have done so ere now.

With one out and one on in the seventh inning of a tied game Sunday, Cleveland manager Manny Acta had Thome pinch hit. It was a curious choice: The Twins had lefty Glen Perkins on the hill, and the man Thome was hitting for, Shelley Duncan, is a power-hitting righty. Perkins walked Thome on four pitches, then got a double play to end the inning.

And then Thome borrowed a glove from teammate Jack Hannahan — Thome hasn't played third since 1996, and hasn't played defense at any position since 2007, when he played first base in one game — and went out to play third base.

Acta said later that he had instructed reliever Joe Smith to throw his first pitch well out of the strike zone, to make sure Thome wasn't actually called upon to make a play. But Smith threw a strike to Trevor Plouffe. Then Acta replaced Thome with a legitimate player

Ron Gardenhire, who had been tipped off to the plan by Acta, said: "I just wanted Trevor to drop a bunt down first pitch, just to entertain ourselves."

I don't know if Gardenhire was serious in saying that. I'm guessing he was joshing. I do know that, listening to the radio broadcast on the way to work, that's want I wanted. Bunt on him.

Would that be disrespectful to Thome, to try to take advantage of a sentimental gesture in his behalf? If so, it is also disrespectful to the game, to the spirit of competition, to have a frivolous player in the field, even for a single pitch in a game that won't change the standings one iota.

Thome in Cleveland

A "welcome (T)home" in Cleveland on Friday.

When Jim Thome's plaque goes up in the Hall of Fame, his image will bear a Cleveland Indians logo.

Not the Twins, the White Sox or Phillies. Thome made his mark in Cleveland. He holds that franchise's career records for home runs, walks and strikeouts and is second in RBIs —and remember, it's one of the American League's eight original teams, 111 years old, so it has some serious history.

But he has not been warmly greeted as a visiting player in Cleveland since leaving for free agent riches after the 2002 season.  He had said they'd have to tear the Indians uniform off him for him to leave; all it took was silly money from the Phillies. Many Cleveland fans have not forgiven him for that.

From the Let's Go Tribe blog's piece after the Thome trade went through Thursday:

I've left the most ticklish issue for last: the psychological impact of Thome coming back nine years after leaving in acrimonious fashion on the Cleveland fanbase. Of course another Cleveland athlete has since managed to top Thome in acrimoniousness of a departure, but the events of November 2002 still remains a rather bitter chapter in Indians and Cleveland sports history. Usually at least once a season a columnist, normally from another market, remarks on how Indians fans should put aside their feelings of bitterness and cheer Thome. Of course, it's easy to say those things when you didn't have the emotional investment in him that Cleveland fans did, and feel the despair that came with that hero leaving like Cleveland fans felt. It's easy to tell someone else to forgive when you aren't emotionally involved. Yes, reason says that Thome made the correct financial decision for his family, and he made the decision that gave him a better shot of winning a ring. But we're fans, not philosophers.

So then he returned Friday in an Indians uniform. How was he greeted? Standing ovation.

Which is fitting and proper. Time wounds all heels, and heals all wounds. Big Jim was a big part of the best run the Indians have ever had. How he left doesn't change what he left behind.

Fare thee well, Jim Thome

Cleveland? Right down there.

Tragic number: 17.

---

So ... The Twins waived Jim Thome this week, and Cleveland won the claim on Wednesday, and the Twins and Indians agreed on a deal, and Thome agreed Thursday night to accept the trade.

Just in time for the Jim Thome Wind-up Walker giveaway tonight at Target Field.

I doubt anybody is particularly happy with this conclusion. It's just better than any of the alternatives.

Thome wants a shot at a World Series title. Cleveland has a better chance to provide that than the Twins do, but not a good one. He would have preferred Philadelphia, but the Phillies, as the top team in the National League, would have needed everybody else to pass on Thome.

There was a way to get Thome to Philadelphia. Step 1: Thome rejects a deal with Cleveland. Step 2: The Twins put Thome on release waivers, with Thome again utilizing his complete no-trade clause to reject any claims. Step 3: Thome signs with the Phillies.

That would have been ideal for Big Jim, but not so much for the Twins. They would still have owed him the rest of his salary, and they would get nothing from the Phillies. This gets the Twins the ubiquitous player to be named, and moves the remainder of his salary to the Indians. The savings is a small portion of their payroll, but considering that they were over budget from the moment they re-signed Carl Pavano, the savings are probably welcome. The player they get is unlikely to be significant, but you never know.

The only reason for the Twins to finangle Thome to the Phillies would be to make him happy — maybe even with a under-the-table agreement for his return. That may not interest them. Thome was a big help in 2010, not so much this year, partly because he was part of the injury brigade — which is to expected. He's 40, he has a chronic back issue, he can't play in the field. He has to hit A LOT to make using a roster spot on him worthwhile.

The Indians were probably only interested in Thome because they lost Travis Haefner, their regular DH, to a foot injury. With a healthy Haefner, they have no use for Thome. Even so, they're 6.5 games behind Detroit, and their chances of making that distance up are slim. And a significant portion of the Cleveland fan base resents Thome for leaving as a free agent after the 2002 season.

For the Twins in 2011: This deal opens a spot on the 25-man roster AND on the 40-man roster, which means almost anybody could be called up. As of late Thursday, there was no word on who was getting the call. My guess: Rene Rivera, which would give the Twins three catchers. He's coming up in September anyway.

Big news day: Jim Thome, Delmon Young, draftees signed

Jim Thome's 600th career homer was his 11th of the
season, and his fourth off a left-handed pitcher.

News item: Jim Thome hit his 600th home run Monday night.

Comment: The milestone feels devalued in the wake of the Steroids Era, but 600 taters is a lot of mashing.

This may sound a bit cynical, but now that Thome's gotten No. 600, I expect the Twins to move him in a waiver deal. 

Thome would, I'm sure, like another chance to win a World Series, and that clearly isn't happening in Minnesota this year. There are probably contenders willing to take on the rest of his salary. Heck, somebody was willing to take on Delmon Young's ... but that's another item.

I doubt Thome will slide through waivers all the way to the Phillies, but that's a team that might be particularly interested in adding a left-handed pinch-hitter who could DH in the World Series.

Delmon Young in the Olde English D. His brother
Dmitri starred for the Tigers about a decade ago.

News item: The Twins traded Delmon Young to Detroit for Cole Nelson and a player to be named.

Comment: I expect to say more about this trade and its ramifications in a separate post. For now, this point: As disappointing as Young was in Minnesota, he's going to be a regular for the Tigers.

Jim Leyland said he's already told Magglio Ordonez that the regular outfield the rest of the way will be Young, Austin Jackson and Brendan Boesch.

Levi Michael is officially part of the Twins system.

News item: The Twins signed their Big Three draftees — first rounder Levi Michael and sandwich picks Travis Harrison and Hudson Boyd — for a total of $3.18 million, which is about $730,000 above the "slots" recommended by the commissioner's office.

Comment: Baseball America reported that almost half the first-rounders were officially unsigned 10 minutes before the deadline. When all was said and done, only one first-rounder went unsigned, that being the Blue Jays pick. 

This last-minute scramble is silly.

Justin Verlander, pitcher

Justin Verlander: Nine strikeouts, no walks
in eight innings. He threw 126 pitches.

That was indeed an impressive outing Thursday night from Justin Verlander.

As I noted earlier this month when the Tigers changed pitching coaches, Verlander this year had learned to hold back his best stuff for when he needed it. He demonstrated that ability on Thursday, cruising along with a fastball around 93 most of the time mixed in with one of the best curveballs in the league. But when he needed it, he had 97-99 mph heaters to throw.

That much of the time it came with Jim Thome at the plate struck me. Go back a bit to last season, when the White Sox opted not to bring the big DH back in part because they had seen his bat slow down in 2009. When he hit that big August homer off a Matt Thornton fastball, one of the things Ozzie Guillen said was that Thome wouldn't have hit that pitch the year before.

I don't think he can now, either. Whether that's age or back problems or both, I don't know, but I just don't think Thome's getting to high velocity pitches as well as he did in 2010.

Which makes a matchup with Velander's velocity more emphatically unfair to Thome.

---

The more time Joe Mauer spends at first base, the less time Trevor Plouffe sees in right field. (Mauer at first means Michael Cuddyer in right.) And now that Jason Kubel is ready to come off the DL -- he's to be reactivated today -- it would seem a rather safe bet that there will be even fewer at-bats available for Plouffe.

This figures to be another test of Ron Gardenhire's willingness to use platoon strategy. Kubel and Thome both struggle against left-handed pitchers. If Plouffe is indeed a hitter worthy of time in a corner outfield, he should at least get starts against southpaws. But between Gardenhire's reluctance to platoon and Plouffe's thin track record as a quality hitter -- a track record essentially limited to his 2011 performance in Triple A -- I doubt he'll get that opportunity.

Not that platooning is a factor the rest of this series. Detroit will start righties the next three games. And Mauer, who has played first base the last three games, figures to move back behind the plate.

Expecting reinforcements

Even before the Twins took the field on Wednesday, it was made known that Joe Nathan and Jim Thome will rejoin the team Friday in Milwaukee.

Joe Nathan: Opened
as the closer, now not
even the best set-up
man in the bullpen.

Watching Ron Gardenhire reach into his bench for pinch-hitters Wednesday night and finding nobody with a 2011 batting average above .200 makes re-activating Thome, even without the DH rule in effect this weekend, a pretty easy call.

I would expect one of the catchers not named Joe Mauer to be shipped back to Rochester to make room for Thome. Assuming that Seth Stohs is correct in saying that Rene Rivera has an option left, it could be either; if the Twins have expose Rivera to waivers to send him out, Drew Butera should be the one sent down. Really, they're pretty interchangeable talents. (Rivera started Thursday's day-game-after-a-night game).

Nathan is another matter. He is said to have hit 93 on the radar guns in his rehab outings; I'm not impressed. We've heard inflated gun numbers from Triple A in the past. But he's getting $12 million plus; he's going to pitch if healthy.

I don't expect him to rank ahead of Matt Capps or Glen Perkins in the bullpen hierarchy, and I'm not sure he deserves to rank ahead of Alex Burnett right now either.

I would think Jim Hoey will be the demotee on this move. Anthony Swarzak has a well-defined role (long man) for which he is uniquely qualified among the current bullpenners, and I don't think Hoey has made himself more reliable in a leverage role than Phil Dumatrait.

DL stuff (UPDATED)

Just a quick note about the Twins moves today: Jason Kubel and Jim Thome were put on the 15-day disabled list, with Ben Revere and Luke Hughes recalled. Revere is in the starting lineup today -- in right field, which is a lousy fit for his popgun throwing arm, but whatever.

Perhaps more interesting, on a day in which Joe Mauer caught three innings in extended spring training (his first such action since April), the Twins shifted Mauer to the 60-day disabled list. This (a) means he definitely won't be back with the big club until at least June 12; and (b) opens a spot on the 40-man roster.

Perhaps that slot is going to sit open until Tsuyoshi Nishioka's ready to come off the 60-day DL, and was opened now to squash any speculation that Mauer's nearly ready to return. Or maybe there's another move looming involving somebody not now on the 40-man roster, such as Kyle Waldrop, Carlos Guterriez or even Kyle Gibson.

Brian Dinkleman is
hitting .297/.373/.400
in his second year at
Triple-A.

Update: The 40-man slot was filled by Brian Dinkleman, a left-handed contract hitter with some second base experience who has been mainly playing outfield in recent seasons. Trevor Plouffe has been sent back to Rochester to make room on the 25-man roster.

Dinkleman has had a pattern of hitting better in his second season at a level. But even then, his numbers look good for a second baseman, not so good for a corner outfielder. I assume that his defense at second is deemed substandard, because a good defensive middle infielder is seldom moved to left field. 

It would have been easier to recall Rene Tosoni, who was already on the 40-man roster. The Twins now will have to clear two spots on the 40 when Nishioka and Mauer are ready to play. I assume they have targets in mind.

The return of Jim Thome

I was skeptical -- at times embarrassingly so -- of the merits of signing Jim Thome last year. I detailed my reasons to be wary of Thome here and here.

Jim Thome contributed some of the
most memorable moments in Target
Field's first year.

That the signing turned out to be a great help to the Twins in 2010 didn't erase the reasons to be wary. And those reasons remain. He still can't help a team in the field, still painfully slow, still doesn't hit left-handers particularly well.

What he does do, he does extremely well, or at least he did last season. (Rob Neyer suggests here that Thome in 2010 was the most productive old part-time player in major league history.) Even at twice the salary of last year, it's not difficult to see why the Twins wanted him back.

I fear that there's bit of Brett Favre flavor to Thome's return -- an aging star coming off a surprisingly superb season and hoping for another season of magic. In Thome's case, of course, he's being paid as, and counted on as, a part-time player, not as the cornerstone of the roster.

We shouldn't expect him to perform at his 2010 level. That's asking a lot of anybody. If the regulars in the Twins DH-corner outfield-first base nexus stay healthy, there's not a ton of playing time left over -- but Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel have all had significant injuries in the past. Thome should still be productive enough to help fill the gaps as they arise.

At least there's this in favor of the deal: There had been reports connecting Manny Ramirez to the Twins. That notion, farfetched as it seems to me, is now dead and buried. Which it probably was anyway; I cannot imagine Ron Gardenhire letting Manny B. Manny in his clubhouse.

Thome's back

Jim Thome: 589 career
homers, 25 with
the Twins last season.

It's not often I read the free-agent market correctly, but my belief that there wouldn't be sufficient interest in Jim Thome for him to get a multi-year deal appears to have been correct.

One year, $3 million with playing time bonuses.

I'll do something more on this for Saturday.

Thome and Texas

Jim Thome remains unsigned, and over the past few days published reports have had the Texas Rangers sniffing in his direction.

Jim Thome can still mash right-handers, but the rest
of his game is lacking.

I'll have to see it to believe it. The Rangers have already signed Adrian Beltre to play third base, which leaves Michael Young positionless. He's not going to return to the middle infield -- the Rangers aren't that dumb -- and at $16 million annually, he's pretty much untradeable. Perhaps they'll put him at first base, thus giving him the cycle of infield positions (he started his career at second, volunteered to play short to accommodate Alfonso Soriano after the A-Rod trade, was moved to third against his wishes to make room for Elvis Andrus and now is being displaced by Beltre), but ... the current plan is to make him the DH. He probably, at age 34, isn't a good enough hitter to merit everyday play at either first or DH.

Even if there's fire behind this smoke -- and not just the self-serving leaks of an agent hoping to scare the Twins into upping their ante for Thome -- I'm not particularly worried about Thome departing.

There's a good case to be made that he doesn't really fit the Twins' needs anyway. The Twins must be aware that the White Sox are stockpiling lefty relievers with the explicit intention of playing matchups with the Twins' lefty-heavy lineup. If the Twins are going to carry a part-time DH, it ought to be a right-handed bat. That would allow the Twins to platoon Jason Kubel -- although there is little reason to believe Ron Gardenhire would be so inclined anyway.

 I wrote early in the offseason that I didn't see where a market for Thome existed. Now we're into January, and I still don't see where a market for Thome is.

Waiting for Godot: Pavano and Thome

Christmas is past and
Carl Pavano hasn't been
wrapped up yet.

The Twins have, still, two open spots on their 40-man roster. Presumably those are being held for Carl Pavano and Jim Thome.

Pavano and Thome play very different roles, but they have these things in common:

• They are older players whose very age makes them question marks;
• They performed better than 2010 than they can be expected to perform in 2011;
• They went into free agency expecting multi-year offers and, judging from the fact that they remain unsigned, aren't getting that kind of interest; and
• the Twins want them back, but aren't willing to bid against themselves.

Seth Stohs last week asked the question: Did the Twins lose out on other moves because they were waiting for Pavano?

My guess is not. As I see it, the Twins went into this offseason with two priorities:

1. Make the middle infield younger, faster and cheaper;
2. Revamp the free agent-laden bullpen.

They have certainly accomplished the first part, and they have a multitude of pieces from which to construct a new relief corps.

Now, if they retain Pavano, that will open some additional possibilities. Perhaps they'll trade one of their right-handed starters; perhaps they'll return Brian Duensing to the bullpen. But they've dealt with their chief concerns without a Pavano decision.

It appears that neither Jesse Crain nor Matt Guerrier — the two long-term Twins relievers who have signed elsewhere this month — found any sense that the Twins wanted to retain them. Nor has there been any sense that the Twins are particularly interested in keeping Brian Fuentes or Jon Rauch.

That lack of interest suggests to me that the Twins made a baseball decision as well as a financial one: That beyond the cost of re-signing even one of these veterans, it was time to move on to younger pitchers, fresher arms, in those roles.

True, they haven't added established major leaguers, but they are looking for four- and five-year solutions to both the middle infield and middle relief, not the short-term Band-Aids that the likes of Orlando Hudson and Rauch represent.

That means trusting your talent evaluators and going young. The Twins talent evaluators have, by and large, earned our faith.

----

Poll stuff: A slow week on the blog and a less-than-compelling question result in a mere 37 votes in this week's poll question:  Who should hit second for the Twins in 2011?

Tsuyoshi Nishioka won easily, getting 28 votes (75 percent) to Alexi Casilla's nine votes (25 percent).

New poll up.

The market for Jim Thome

Jim Thome, as is well known, signed with the Twins late in the offseason for a team-friendly $1.5 million guarantee plus playing time incentives. He settled on the Twins in part because there wasn't a lot of demand for him.

And, as is also well known, he had a spectacular season in a part-time role: 25 homers in just 340 plate appearances and his highest batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage since 2006. It was a great investment for the Twins.

Thome becomes a free agent again after the World Series, and the speculation is that it will take $4 million to sign him.

Jim Thome provided plenty of memories for Twins fans
in 2010, few of them better than his walk-off homer
off Matt Thornton on Aug. 17.

As I suggested in the Monday print column, I don't see it. The reasons that the market for his services last winter was miminal haven't gone away: He's still old, still slow, still can't help a team on defense, still struggles against left-handers (his memorable walk-off homer against Matt Thornton of the White Sox not withstanding).

He had a big year, yes -- but how likely is a 40-year-old with a bad back to repeat a 1.039 OPS?

Most important, few teams are going to pay $4 million for a half-time player. And between the need to protect his chronic back and the need to hide him against southpaws, he's a half-time player.

He knows it. The Twins know it. Even though the baseball media these days routinely says he became the regular DH after Justin Morneau's injury, the reality is that he never started more than four days in a row and that when he did put a few starts together, he quickly sat for about the same number of games.

The Twins may not be the only team interested in him on a part-time basis. But given his apparent preference for a midwest team, the implausibility of a fit with a National League team, and the equal implausibility of a fit with a noncontender, the most likely competitor for his services would appear to be, again, the White Sox, who turned him down last offseason because they wanted more flexibility on their roster.

The Sox may have a different view of things this winter, but they have budget issues of their own. Again, it's difficult to see them doing $4 million for a part-time bat.

The Twins would be wise not to go overboard in their bidding to retain him.

This race is OVAH! (Probably)

Lifted from Carl Skanberg's Smells Like Mascot blog.

For about a week after the Manny Ramirez trade, the White Sox made some Twins fans sweat. Then the South Siders' seven-game winning streak gave way to a three-game slide in Detroit, and now the Twins hold a six-game lead. Cue the Hawk Harrelson cockiness.

Here's what a magic number of 17 means when the two teams involved have 22 games left to play:

If the Twins go 11-11 the rest of the way, the White Sox have to go 17-5 just to get to a Game 163.

Mathematically, it's not over; but the path is getting mighty dark for the team in black.

---

The hulking Twin in the above cartoon is suggestive of Jim Thome, whose presence on the Minnesota roster rankles many of the White Sox faithful and is, I think, somewhat misinterpreted. From my reading of the Internets, the general assumption is that Thome is playing every day in the absence of Justin Morneau.

The truth is that it's rare to see him in the lineup four days in a row, and such a stretch is almost always followed by a couple days (or more) in which he is limited to pinch-hit duties at most.

I underestimated Ron Gardenhire's ability to handle the roster issues presented by a player limited to part-time DH duties. Thome enters today's play with 297 plate appearances, and that seems to be both a burden that he can sustain physically and a level keeps him fresh and productive while not screwing up other players' at-bats.

This is less easily done that one might think. Ozzie Guillen didn't think he could do it; that was part of why he argued against bringing Thome back.

Those three losses this week at Detroit all came at the hands of right-handed pitchers. Chicago scored a total of five runs in those games. It's no wonder there is disgruntlement among the fan base about the Thome decision.

---

One reason the Twins have thrived with a roster slot given to such a limited player is that Michael Cuddyer is a Swiss Army knife. The man has started 61 games at first base, 60 in right field, 14 at third base, one each at second base and center field. He's great at none, passable at each.

Mark Teahen was (is) supposed to fill a similar role for the White Sox (and provide some left-handed punch). But he not only hasn't hit, his defense has been atrocious enough to inspire this mocking flow chart. Quite amusing -- to a Twins fan.