The Team Nobody Wants to Play

Two Octobers ago, the Boston Red Sox allegedly broke a "curse" and won their first World Series title in a million years. Last October, the Chicago White Sox won their first title in a million and one years. These were treated as great stories and to the fans of these respective franchises, surely they were.

Were they really "feel-good" stories, though? The Boston payroll is second only to the New York Yankees, year-in and year-out. The White Sox play in one of the biggest media markets in the country and have a payroll to match. Let's be honest, these teams aren't really underdogs — they're underachievers.

The two Florida title teams could have qualified for "feel-good" status had the Marlins not held fire sales within two years after each of their championships. Many regard the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks as the feel-good story of the recent past for winning a championship only a few years after joining Major League Baseball, but if anything, the D-Backs were an example of what was wrong with baseball. On the bright side, this is a good place to begin explaining why the Minnesota Twins have the potential to be one of the biggest "feel-good" stories in baseball history and the best team in baseball this year.

It was almost five years ago when the Diamondbacks beat the Yankees in thrilling fashion to take home the franchise's first and only championship. The Diamondbacks were celebrated as what was right with baseball. They were the expansion team that slew the giant Yankees machine.

Just a short time later, Major League Baseball announced its intention to contract two baseball teams. It was almost a foregone conclusion that one of teams would be the Minnesota Twins. The Twins were beloved in Minnesota — they brought the region its only professional sports championships in recent memory by winning the World Series in 1987 and 1991.

As baseball's financial landscape changed, however, the small-market Twins were left in the dark. The players that brought the Twins to the top either left through free agency or retired with the exception of a few who were traded because they were no longer affordable. The once-boisterous Metrodome crowd was now sparse and silent. Major League Baseball felt the Twins were no longer able to compete in this new era of baseball and were part of the problem baseball needed to fix.

The problem, however, was teams like the Diamondbacks. MLB had too many teams, yet it continued to expand with teams in Phoenix and Tampa Bay. While the Devil Rays were already a huge failure in Tampa Bay and have remained so to this day, the Diamondbacks were the "success" story. The fundamental problem was that Major League Baseball had lent the Diamondbacks large sums of money, money that would be used to pay the likes of Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, two primary reasons the Diamondbacks won it all that year.

In essence, baseball was ready to sacrifice a team with one of the most dedicated fan bases, a team that had served as an example of grittiness, fun, and hustle through its recent history for two teams without traditional fan bases that should never have been established if baseball was in such dire straits. Even worse, baseball was ready to bankroll the newer teams if need be while ignoring "problems" like the Twins.

After a court order made it so the Twins would have to honor their commitment to the Metrodome for the 2002 season, the sad-sack Twins did the improbable and won their division. The Twins were definitely not the most talented team in the league, but they were gritty, they had fun, and they played hard. Most of them had come up through the minors together and because of it, the team had great chemistry. This was the Minnesota Twins' way. It had worked in the past and it was working again.

The Twins even won a playoff series that year against Oakland. By the time the year ended, any realistic talk of contraction had ended, as well. The Twins won two more division titles in a row, but failed to advance past the first round either year. Still, the Twins were hailed as baseball's "feel-good" story and they were — to a point. The lovable Twins had staved off contraction and had shown they could compete. That's a pretty good ending, but it's not ideal. In a storybook ending, the hero doesn't compete for the girl, he gets the girl.

This year, the Minnesota Twins have a chance to do a number of things. They can prove that they are the epitome of an exceptionally well-run small-market team, not the "Moneyball" Oakland A's. They can further prove a point to those in Major League Baseball who would have had them gone five years ago. They can bring a championship back to the state of Minnesota for the first time in 15 years and by finally "getting the girl" — the Minnesota Twins can write the final chapter of one of baseball's most remarkable stories.

Now all they have to do to accomplish these things is win the World Series — and that may not be as far-fetched as it seems.

In baseball, good pitching and defense win in the postseason. It also helps to have good hitting and speed. How about the intangibles, such as leadership and heart? Sure. Some of the contenders boast most of these qualities, but only the Minnesota Twins, however, have all of the bases covered, so to speak.

Good pitching? How about the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana? ESPN's Buster Olney thinks this guy is so good he should be league MVP. Let's see, he's leading baseball's pitching triple crown categories of wins, strikeouts, and ERA. That's all of baseball, by the way, not just the American League, and he could be the first to achieve such a feat in over 20 years. He's personally 9-0 since the All-Star Break and the Twins won both of his no-decisions since the break, as well. As a matter of fact, the Twins have won all of Santana's no-decisions on the year.

You want more pitching? How about Francisco Liriano? Let's not forget that Liriano was even better than Santana when he went down with an injury in August. He was better than Santana! Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer said Liriano had nastier stuff than Santana and White Sox catcher A.J. Pierzynski, a former teammate of Santana and a guy who was traded for Liriano, confirmed these sentiments to none other than Johan Santana, himself, at the All-Star Game.

Opposing hitters had the highest swing and miss ratio against Liriano by far over any other pitcher. When he went down in August, his ERA was a miniscule 2.19 and he had struck out 142 batters in 119 innings. As a matter of fact, he was the Cy Young and Rookie of the Year front-runner at the time of his injury. Fortunately for Minnesota and unfortunately for the rest of the league, Liriano is scheduled to come back very soon (as of this writing).

Now in a short series with rest days, the Twins could, in theory, start both of these guys at least twice. Considering that these guys have been virtually untouchable throughout the season, it would be considered an accomplishment for the opposition to saddle them with even one loss combined. In a five-game series, that's good enough for a Minnesota series victory. In a seven-game series, that only puts them one victory away. Minnesota has enough talent in its rotation to assume that someone else could pick up one additional win.

Carlos Silva has underachieved this year, but has been better-than-average the last two years and has shown positive signs the last few weeks. Brad Radke has been the rock, the model of consistency over the last 10 or so years. He was a 20-game winner when the team was awful and he was the number one starter when the team returned to respectability. Yes, he's hurt right now, but he pitched hurt all year. Considering he aims to retire after this year, I wouldn't bet against him pitching come playoff time and pitching well. He's done it all year, hasn't he?

Matt Garza has had an up-and-down major league experience so far, but his experience has been very brief. He was just recently named the USA Today Minor League Player of the Year. Yes, player — not pitcher. Although he's been roughed up a little, he has the talent to shut down anybody at anytime. Boof Bonser has also been somewhat of a find. He's gone 5-5 with a 4.50 ERA, but he's been an integral component of this team down the stretch, getting big wins at crucial times.

Look, all of these guys don't have to be Liriano and Santana. As a matter of fact, with Santana and Liriano, it's possible that none of these guys will be needed at all. For Twins fans, however, it should be comforting to note that there are many viable options if all that is required is one or two wins.

The bullpen is right up there with the starters. The Twins' bullpen is the best in baseball. Its 3.07 ERA leads all of baseball. The bullpen consists of set-up guys who were once closers in the minor leagues or who have closer stuff. Jesse Crain struggled early, but now sports a 3.84 ERA that is better than it looks. Juan Rincon has been his usual reliable self with a 2.97 ERA, and Pat Neshek, the newest find, is a side-armer with a funky delivery and a 2.15 ERA.

The lone left-hander is Dennys Reyes, a journeyman starter and long-reliever, who has found a home in Minnesota as a lefty specialist. He's been almost unhittable in Minnesota with a 1.04 ERA and recently had a streak of over 21 scoreless innings broken. With so many weapons on the pitching staff, it seems almost unfair that Minnesota's closer is Joe Nathan, the most dominant closer in baseball. Sorry, Mariano Rivera, but it's true. Just look at the numbers. Nathan is 6-0 with 31 saves and a 1.82 ERA. He's only blown two saves all year.

The pitching staff, as a whole, has issued the fewest walks in the league and struck out the most batters in the league, as well — both on the year and after the All-Star Break. Since the All-Star Break, the staff leads the league in batting average against at .250 and ERA at 3.65. The closest competitor in ERA since the break is Oakland with a 3.97 ERA. So, if pitching is what wins in the postseason, then Minnesota is the front-runner.

The Twins' strength is their pitching, but they've made some noise offensively, as well. White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen dubbed the top and the bottom of Minnesota's order the "piranhas." He meant it as a compliment and the "piranhas" have embraced it. Guillen believes it's players like the "piranhas," Luis Castillo, Nick Punto, Jason Tyner, and Jason Bartlett, that frustrate the opposition. These are the scrappers, the guys that are getting by with more than just pure talent.

The "piranhas" are relentless, not allowing the opposition to rest. According to Guillen, they just nip and nip at you until the skin is gone. You know, like, well, piranhas. They take the extra base, lay down the perfect bunt, steal a key base, or make a great defensive play. These types of players can always be found on Minnesota rosters. These are the types of players Minnesota has been able to afford in the past in place of the middle-of the-order types. What sets this year's version of the Minnesota Twins apart from previous Twins clubs is that these Twins actually have very legitimate middle-of the-order type hitters in addition to the "piranhas."

Since this is a "feel-good" story, let's add some more good feeling stuff. Joe Mauer is Minnesota born and bred and the Twins were his favorite team growing up. He is a former all-state basketball player and was named player of the year in both baseball and football his senior in high school. By the way, that's national player of the year in both sports. It's said that he dates Miss USA 2005 and is unfailingly nice and polite.

The Twins took him with the first overall pick in the 2001 amateur draft over pitcher Mark Prior, who many considered one of the best prospects in years. Many speculated that the Twins drafted Mauer over Prior for what else, but monetary considerations. Ironically, just a few months after drafting the hometown boy, his favorite team and the organization he was now a part of was being considered for elimination from MLB.

Now, just over five years out of high school, Mauer has seen the talk of contraction come and go and he is one of the main reasons the talk has never resurfaced. Mauer, still only 23-years-old, is the Twins' third-place hitter and leads the majors in hitting with a .350 batting average. If he holds on to the lead, he will be the first American League catcher in history to win a batting title and the first catcher overall to win one in over 60 years. Mauer is also third in the league in on-base percentage.

One of Mauer's most telling stats, however, is his .465 batting average with runners in scoring position and two outs. In other words, when it's time to be clutch, Mauer hits .465. That's unreal, but it's a trend that one can see throughout the middle of the order.

Take Mauer's roommate, Justin Morneau. He won't be, but should be, the American League MVP. He is tied with teammate Michael Cuddyer for the league lead in RBI with runners in scoring position and two outs with 37. Considering the Twins have 42 come-from-behind victories, these stats with runners in scoring position and two outs for Mauer, Cuddyer, and Morneau, are more than just fodder.

Justin Morneau is in the American League top-10 in batting average (sixth), home runs (ninth), and RBI (second). He leads the league in batting average since June 1st with a mark hovering above .350. The biggest case, however, one can make for Morneau being the MVP is that it seems that his personal success has coincided with the team's rise.

Consider this: on June 1st, the Twins were a very subpar 24-29. Justin Morneau was hitting .240 with 10 home runs and 36 RBI. Since that time, Morneau has hit 23 home runs with 82 RBI while batting over .350. The Twins have gone 60-30 during that time period. I challenge anyone to find a comparable statistic for another MVP candidate. Morneau has great individual stats and it seems that there is some sort of correlation between his personal success and the success of the team.

In addition to the two lefties, the Twins boast two very effective righty bats, as well. These bats belong to the aforementioned Cuddyer and the Twins' leader and defensive mastermind, Torii Hunter. Cuddyer, a former top prospect, is finally beginning to show why so many thought he could be a superstar. He's got 22 homers and 98 RBI, that's one more RBI than Jim Thome. As mentioned earlier, he excels when runners are in scoring position and there are two outs. Cuddyer also has 37 doubles and 5 triples. Torii Hunter has 24 home runs and 77 RBI while batting .273. Both of these guys missed time during the year due to injury. If they hadn't, these numbers would potentially be even more impressive.

Although there is no Rickey Henderson on this team, almost everyone in the lineup except for Morneau possesses good to better-than-average speed for his respective position. So, even though the Twins don't have guys that can steal 50 bases, they have a lineup that can run and is aggressive at doing so. Even Joe Mauer, the catcher, has 8 steals this year. This overall speed also helps in taking extra bases, bunting, scoring on sacrifices, and stretching singles into doubles, and doubles into triples.

At this point, it's pretty clear that the Twins have pitching, speed, and hitting. They also play very good defense and have the intangibles.

The Twins are tied for second in the AL in fielding percentage at .986, a very good mark. Boston is in first place, but these stats can be deceiving. Although the Red Sox make most of the plays they're supposed to make, they lack the range of the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota also makes the plays it's supposed to make, but because of its overall team speed and consistent commitment to defense over the years, its defense is more effective than Boston's.

Torii Hunter, a Gold-Glover many times over, has made an art form out of taking away home runs and Joe Mauer has established himself as one of the best defensive catchers in all of baseball. Luis Castillo is also a former Gold Glove winner and Michael Cuddyer has only made four errors in right field, his first year playing that position full-time, and is second in the league in outfield assists. The rest of the defense is solid, though not spectacular, but gets the job done.

Finally, the Twins have the intangibles. They are the best home team in baseball. Their road record is a little misleading. The Twins are 35-36 on the road this year. Any team that overlooks them in this regard, however, is in for a rude awakening. The Twins were 8-20 on the road on June 1st. Since that time, they are 27-16. They have done a lot of growing up over the year. Moreover, they've got the grit that teams feed off in the postseason, like the Angels with David Eckstein a few years back.

The Twins also have leadership coming out of all corners. Santana is a leader on the pitching staff and the entire team feeds off the way he puts his team on his back down the stretch run every year. Torii Hunter and Brad Radke have been with the Twins since the Twins were horrible. They were key in getting the Twins to the next level a few years ago and remain leaders and key cogs with this year's Minnesota ballclub.

Cuddyer has emerged as the team's fiery leader. He can always be seen pumping his fist or yelling words of encouragement to his teammates, a la Derek Jeter. Joe Mauer, at 23, has actually helped the development of his roommates, Jason Bartlett and Justin Morneau, although he's younger than both of them. Also, starting pitchers have an ERA of 3.99 when he's behind the plate, third best in the AL.

On the bench and sometimes starting, wily veterans like Rondell White, Phil Nevin, and Mike Redmond have also taken on leadership roles. As a matter of fact, if you're watching a Twins game and see a bunch of fired up Minnesota guys tapping their noses, know that these taps are in reference to Redmond's constant reminders to his teammates to "smell those RBI."

Of course, management cannot be overlooked. The Minnesota front office has always done a masterful job of acquiring under-the-radar talent, as the presence of Liriano, Santana, and Nathan can attest to. Minnesota General Manager Terry Ryan is generally regarded as one of the best in the business for making due with fewer resources and for getting his manager, Ron Gardenhire, the type of players he likes to utilize.

The Twins have an outstanding scouting department and an outstanding minor league system, as well. Gardenhire himself is a true leader and an underrated field general. He possesses the same fire in his belly that his players have. His players definitely follow his lead. If a manager could be scrappy, Gardenhire would be at the top of the list.

In the end, the Twins can complete what really amounts to a "feel-good" story this year by winning the World Series. In my opinion, not only can they do it, but they have as good a shot or better than anybody. This is a team that is unmatched in starting pitching and relief pitching. The offense can hold its own with its combination of scrappiness, clutch-hitting, and overall good play. The defense is one of the best, if not the best, in the league. Finally, the Twins have leadership in many different places and a team chemistry that cannot be overlooked.

Due to the team's slow start, many pundits and media talking heads have ignored them or dismissed them. You can bet, however, that their potential playoff opponents have not. I mean, who wants to face a team that's won two out of every three games since June 1st (60-30), a team that has shown it can win at home and on the road, a team that is extremely talented in every facet, yet still plays the game with as much hustle, heart, and determination as if it were a team of guys fighting for a final roster spot? Nobody.

That's just it. Why are the Minnesota Twins a candidate for "feel-good" story for the ages? Because they've gone from the team that nobody wanted around to the team that nobody wants to play. Now, all they have to do is "get the girl" and the story is complete.