Nothing to Lose

The Twins have nothing to lose this year, mainly because they're not going to win anything except perhaps third place in the AL Central. This fact leads into one of the primary reasons for this site--to give Kubel a full year (550 ABs) and see if he puts up numbers that show he should be a regular player on the Twins for the next few years.

Before we get into the lineup Gardy put out there tonight, let's go over some basic facts.

• Jason Kubel is a better hitter than Craig Monroe

• Mike Lamb is a better hitter than Nick Punto

• Matt Tolbert is a better hitter than Nick Punto

One thing to define--by "hitter" I mean someone who works a count and is able to wait for a pitch they can drive and, if they don't see a pitch they want, take a walk. Because of this, they make starting pitchers throw more pitches per AB, so we don't see Jon Garland or Joe Saunders getting through 8 innings with only 85 pitches. You will see this a lot with Detroit, Cleveland, Boston, and the Yankees.

Of the players listed above, here is the list, in descending order, of how good these guys are: Kubel, Lamb, Monroe, Tolbert, Punto.

Now, with that in mind, here was Gardy's lineup against lefty Joe Saunders tonight.

1. Gomez
2. Harris
3. Cuddyer
4. Morneau
5. Young
6. Monroe
7. Redmond
8. Punto
9. Everett (who was replaced by Matt Tolbert for unknown reasons before the game)

This illustrates one of the most frustrating problems with Ron Gardenhire. He loves the righty/lefty match-ups. He loves them so much he's blinded to the quality of a hitter--it only matters if they bat from the "right" side of the plate (depending on the other teams starting pitcher).

Punto should not be a starter in any lineup. He was the worst hitter in the major leagues last year and he lost his starting job this spring by hitting an abysmal .125/.192/.167 even though Gardy was shoveling spring ABs to him to try and have a reason to give him the 2B job.

Monroe will OBP under .300 this year. He cannot lay off any pitches. He's basically a poor man's Jacque Jones.

Tolbert has some promise, and he's young. He still has some room to learn and show what he can do. I'd start him in a lineup before Punto any day of the week.

Kubel is a tremendous hitter. He should've been in the lineup instead of Monroe.

Lamb is a disciplined major league hitter. He doesn't need rest the third game of the year. He should definitely have started over Punto at 3B.

Now, in terms of plate discipline, there is an exception in the Twins lineup. Delmon Young is a 22-year-old stud who has incredible upside. He strikes out too much and doesn't walk enough, but he's 22. There is plenty of time for him to grow as a hitter. Gardy recognizes this and will probably play him in all 162 games this year. That is wise.

What isn't wise is playing a 31-year-old who is a career .256/.302/.446 hitter over a 26-year-old who tore up the minors before he tore up his knee.

Delmon Young = Potential
Jason Kubel = Potential
Craig Monroe = No Potential

This is what is infuriating with Gardy--he can recognize the potential in Young, but is somehow completely oblivious to the potential in Kubel. I'm almost beginning to wonder if Gardy has something personal against Kubel.

One final note: Anyone who gives equal playing time to Kubel and Punto should not be a major league manager.

ABs for Kubel: 5
ABs for Punto: 3

I think we'll keep track of this, just in case.