1999 Minnesota Twins
Encyclopedia
The 1999 Minnesota Twins
Minnesota Twins
The Minnesota Twins are a professional baseball team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They play in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The team is named after the Twin Cities area of Minneapolis and St. Paul. They played in Metropolitan Stadium from 1961 to 1981 and the...

 began their season on a positive note, with Brad Radke
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's...

 getting the win in a 6-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays
Toronto Blue Jays
The Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....

. Unfortunately for the Twins, the team finished the season in last place. However, with the first pick of the MLB Entry Draft, the Twins were able to select perennial All Star Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer
Joseph Patrick Mauer is a Major League Baseball catcher for the Minnesota Twins. He is the only catcher in Major League history to win three batting titles...

 the following year.

Offseason

  • October 2, 1998: Todd Ritchie
    Todd Ritchie
    Todd Everett Ritchie is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played in the major leagues from -....

     was released by the Twins.
  • December 14, 1998: Alex Ochoa
    Alex Ochoa
    Alex Ochoa is a former Major League Baseball and Nippon Professional Baseball outfielder. He is a Cuban American and is currently an assistant coach for the Boston Red Sox....

     was traded by the Twins to the Milwaukee Brewers
    Milwaukee Brewers
    The Milwaukee Brewers are a professional baseball team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently playing in the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League...

     for a player to be named later. The Brewers completed the deal by sending Darrell Nicholas (minors) to the Twins on December 15.
  • December 15, 1998: Melvin Nieves
    Melvin Nieves
    Melvin Nieves Ramos is a former professional baseball outfielder. He played all or part of seven seasons in Major League Baseball from 1992 until 1998, and two seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball in 1999-2000...

     was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
  • December 21, 1998: George Williams
    George Williams (catcher)
    George Erik Williams , is a retired professional baseball player who played catcher in the Major Leagues from -. He played for the Oakland Athletics and San Diego Padres.-External links:...

     was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
  • January 27, 1999: Bob Wells was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
  • February 16, 1999: Bobby Kielty
    Bobby Kielty
    Robert Micheal Kielty is an American professional baseball outfielder for the San Diego Padres of Major League Baseball.-College :...

     was signed as an amateur free agent by the Twins.
  • March 20, 1999: Melvin Nieves was purchased from the Twins by the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks
    Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
    The are a Japanese baseball team based in Fukuoka, Fukuoka Prefecture. The team was bought on January 28, 2005 by the SoftBank Corporation.The team was formerly known as the Fukuoka Daiei Hawks. In 1988, Daiei bought the team from Osaka's Nankai Electric Railway Co., and its headquarters were...

    .
  • March 31, 1999: Dan Serafini
    Dan Serafini
    Daniel Joseph Serafini is a left-handed Major League Baseball relief pitcher who is currently a free agent and coach/owner of Throw Like a Pro Baseball Academy.-Minor league career:...

     was purchased from the Twins by the Chicago Cubs
    Chicago Cubs
    The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

    .

Regular season

Seventeen rookies saw playing time for manager Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....

 in the 1999 season. Some of these rookies, such as Corey Koskie
Corey Koskie
Cordel Leonard "Corey" Koskie is a former Major League Baseball third baseman. He batted left-handed and threw right-handed.-Baseball career:...

, Torii Hunter
Torii Hunter
Torii Kedar Hunter is a Major League Baseball right fielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.Hunter has taken away many home runs throughout his 13-year major league career by "climbing the fence" in the outfield. He has won nine consecutive Gold Glove Awards as an outfielder.Hunter resides...

, and Joe Mays
Joe Mays
Joeseph Emerson Mays is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher.Mays is a 1994 graduate of Southeast High School in Bradenton, Florida. He also attended Manatee Community College in Bradenton. He and his wife, Melinda , have two children.Mays began his major league career with the...

, would go on to future success. The season was not without its bright spots, including Doug Mientkiewicz
Doug Mientkiewicz
Douglas Andrew Mientkiewicz is a first baseman who last appeared in the majors in with the Los Angeles Dodgers. He bats left-handed and throws right-handed...

’s .997 fielding percentage and Koskie’s team-leading .310 batting average. Another bright spot occurred on September 11, when pitcher Eric Milton
Eric Milton
Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...

 threw the only no-hitter
No-hitter
A no-hitter is a baseball game in which one team has no hits. In Major League Baseball, the team must be without hits during the entire game, and the game must be at least nine innings. A pitcher who prevents the opposing team from achieving a hit is said to have "thrown a no-hitter"...

 of his career against an Anaheim Angels
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

 team that consisted mainly of September call-ups. However, the euphemism “rebuilding year” must be applied to the Twins’ 1999 campaign.

It was only May 21 when the team's brain trust realized that this would not be a world champion team. On that day, the Twins traded Rick Aguilera
Rick Aguilera
Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....

, then their highest paid player, to the Chicago Cubs
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

. The team also traded Scott Downs and received Jason Ryan
Jason Ryan (baseball)
Jason Paul Ryan is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during two seasons at the major league level for the Minnesota Twins. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 9th round of the amateur draft...

 and future starter Kyle Lohse
Kyle Lohse
Kyle Matthew Lohse is a right-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in , Lohse was traded to the Minnesota Twins in in a deal involving Rick Aguilera. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, .Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki...

 in return. The team finished the season with a 63-97 record, ranked fifth in the American League Central Division. The team's lone all-star representative was Ron Coomer
Ron Coomer
Ronald "Coom Dawg" Coomer is a former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 9-year career from to . He played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...

.
  • The lone representative of the Twins in the All-Star Game was second baseman Ron Coomer
    Ron Coomer
    Ronald "Coom Dawg" Coomer is a former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 9-year career from to . He played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...

    .

  • The highest paid Twin in 1999 was Rick Aguilera
    Rick Aguilera
    Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....

     at $ 4,300,000; followed by Marty Cordova
    Marty Cordova
    Martin Keevin "Marty" Cordova [cor-DOH-vuh] , is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins , Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles...

     at $ 3,000,000.

Offense

The offense was not impressive. Minnesota was last in the league in slugging and had only one more walk than the league-worst White Sox. The team leaders were: Coomer with 16 home runs; Cordova with 70 RBI; Koskie with a .310 average; Walker with 148 hits and 37 doubles; and Lawton with 26 stolen bases.

Several players failed to meet expectations offensively. In June, Lawton was hit in the face by a pitch. He missed a month and had trouble finding his swing after returning. Mientkiewicz had a great season batting-wise at the double-A level in 1998, but was not able to follow it up the following year at the major league level.
Team Leaders
Statistic
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...

 
Player Quantity
HR
Home run
In baseball, a home run is scored when the ball is hit in such a way that the batter is able to reach home safely in one play without any errors being committed by the defensive team in the process...

 
Ron Coomer
Ron Coomer
Ronald "Coom Dawg" Coomer is a former first baseman and third baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 9-year career from to . He played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Los Angeles Dodgers...

 
16
RBI  Marty Cordova
Marty Cordova
Martin Keevin "Marty" Cordova [cor-DOH-vuh] , is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins , Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles...

 
70
BA
Batting average
Batting average is a statistic in both cricket and baseball that measures the performance of cricket batsmen and baseball hitters. The two statistics are related in that baseball averages are directly descended from the concept of cricket averages.- Cricket :...

 
Todd Walker
Todd Walker
Todd Arthur Walker is a former Major League Baseball infielder.-College:Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame...

 
.279
Runs
Run (baseball)
In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted balls are met or assured...

 
Chad Allen  69

Pitching

Radke, Milton, and LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins
LaTroy Hawkins is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Through 2011, he was third of all active pitchers in career games pitched.-Minnesota Twins:...

 filled the first three spots in the starting rotation throughout the season. The fourth and fifth spots were less predictable. Mays did emerge as a capable starter midway through the season, making 20 starts. Also making an appreciable number of starts in 1999 were Mike Lincoln (15), Dan Perkins (12), and Jason Ryan (8).

Aguilera started the season as the Twins’ closer and recorded eight saves, but Mike Trombley
Mike Trombley
Michael Scott Trombley and raised in Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from -.-External links:...

 took over the closer duties in May and finished the season with 24 saves. Trombley, Bob Wells, Travis Miller
Travis Miller
Travis Eugene Miller , is a retired Major League Baseball player who played pitcher from - for the Minnesota Twins.-External links:...

, Eddie Guardado
Eddie Guardado
Edward Adrian Guardado is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher. Throughout his career, Guardado had played with the Minnesota Twins , Seattle Mariners , Cincinnati Reds , and the Rangers .His common nickname is "Everyday Eddie", a testament to his durable arm during his first stint with the...

, and Héctor Carrasco
Héctor Carrasco
Héctor Pacheco Pipo Carrasco is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher...

 had respectable seasons out of the bullpen.

Overall, the pitching staff allowed the second fewest walks in the American League and had an average ERA.
Team Leaders
Statistic
Baseball statistics
Statistics play an important role in summarizing baseball performance and evaluating players in the sport.Since the flow of a baseball game has natural breaks to it, and normally players act individually rather than performing in clusters, the sport lends itself to easy record-keeping and statistics...

 
Player Quantity
ERA
Earned run average
In baseball statistics, earned run average is the mean of earned runs given up by a pitcher per nine innings pitched. It is determined by dividing the number of earned runs allowed by the number of innings pitched and multiplying by nine...

 
Brad Radke
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's...

 
3.75
Wins
Win (baseball)
In professional baseball, there are two types of decisions: a win and a loss . In each game, one pitcher on the winning team is awarded a win and one pitcher on the losing team is given a loss in their respective statistics. These pitchers are collectively known as the pitchers of record. Only...

 
Brad Radke
Brad Radke
Brad William Radke is a former Major League Baseball right-handed pitcher who played his entire 12 season career with the Minnesota Twins. Radke won 148 career games and was one of the most consistent pitchers in the Twins organization during the late 90's...

 
12
Saves  Mike Trombley
Mike Trombley
Michael Scott Trombley and raised in Wilbraham, Massachusetts is a retired professional baseball player who pitched in the Major Leagues from -.-External links:...

 
24
Strikeout
Strikeout
In baseball or softball, a strikeout or strike-out occurs when a batter receives three strikes during his time at bat. A strikeout is a statistic recorded for both pitchers and batters....

s
Eric Milton
Eric Milton
Eric Robert Milton is a former American left-handed starting pitcher in Major League Baseball...

 
163

Defense

Like most of manager Tom Kelly
Tom Kelly (baseball)
Jay Thomas Kelly , is the former manager of the Minnesota Twins baseball team from to . Currently, he serves as a Special Assistant to the General Manager for the Twins....

's teams, this one was fundamentally sound. For example, the team committed the third fewest errors in the major leagues in spite of its inexperience.

Chad Allen, Hunter, and Matt Lawton
Matt Lawton
Matthew "Matt" Lawton, Jr. is a retired professional baseball whose career spanned 15 seasons, including 12 seasons in Major League Baseball. Lawton, an outfielder, made his major league debut September 5, 1995, with the Minnesota Twins, who signed him four years prior...

 saw consistent playing time in the outfield. However, Jacque Jones
Jacque Jones
Jacque Dewayne Jones is a Major League Baseball outfielder who currently is a free agent-Early life:...

 saw enough at bats to supplant Allen the following season, leading to the “Soul Patrol” of Jones, Hunter, and Lawton. Terry Steinbach
Terry Steinbach
Terry Lee Steinbach is a former catcher in Major League Baseball who played for 14 years from to . He was drafted in 1980 out of New Ulm High School by the Cleveland Indians. He was the starting catcher for Oakland Athletics teams that won three straight American League pennants from 1988 to...

 was the starting catcher, with Javier Valentin
Javier Valentín
José Javier Valentín Rosario is a catcher in Major League Baseball who is currently a free agent. From -, he played for the Cincinnati Reds after playing with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays and playing in four brief stints for the Minnesota Twins from -. He is the younger brother of former Major League...

 as his backup. Three of the infield positions were fairly stable, with Mientkiewicz getting the bulk of the time at first base, Todd Walker
Todd Walker
Todd Arthur Walker is a former Major League Baseball infielder.-College:Walker attended LSU where he led the Tigers to the 1993 national championship. He also earned the 1993 College World Series Most Outstanding Player award. In 2006, Walker was elected to the LSU Hall of Fame...

 at second, and Cristian Guzman
Cristian Guzmán
Cristian Antonio Guzmán is a Dominican baseball player who plays second base and shortstop, who is currently a free agent.-Minnesota Twins:...

 at short. Although Coomer was the opening day third baseman, Koskie ended up playing the most games at that position. (Coomer saw time at first when it became apparent that Mientkiewicz was not yet ready to face major-league pitchers.) Brent Gates
Brent Gates
Brent Robert Gates is a former Major League Baseball second and third baseman. He is an alumnus of the University of Minnesota....

 also saw substantial playing time at third, as well as second. Marty Cordova
Marty Cordova
Martin Keevin "Marty" Cordova [cor-DOH-vuh] , is an American former Major League Baseball left fielder. He played for the Minnesota Twins , Toronto Blue Jays , Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles...

 played in 88 games as the designated hitter.

Roster

1999 Minnesota Twins
Roster
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders

Outfielders
Manager

Coaches

Notable transactions

  • April 22: Jack Cressend
    Jack Cressend
    John Baptiste "Jack" Cressend III is an American former Major League Baseball player. A pitcher, Cressend played for the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians .-External links:...

     was selected off waivers by the Twins from the Boston Red Sox
    Boston Red Sox
    The Boston Red Sox are a professional baseball team based in Boston, Massachusetts, and a member of Major League Baseball’s American League Eastern Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight charter franchises, the Red Sox's home ballpark has been Fenway Park since . The "Red Sox"...

    .
  • May 14: Midre Cummings
    Midre Cummings
    Midre Almeric Cummings is a former Major League Baseball outfielder. Cummings played for the Pittsburgh Pirates , Philadelphia Phillies , Boston Red Sox , Minnesota Twins , Arizona Diamondbacks , Tampa Bay Devil Rays and Baltimore Orioles .Cummings was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the 1st...

     was signed as a free agent by the Twins.
  • May 21: Rick Aguilera
    Rick Aguilera
    Richard Warren Aguilera is a former Major League Baseball pitcher. During a 16-year baseball career, he pitched from 1985-2000 for the New York Mets, Minnesota Twins, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs....

     and Scott Downs
    Scott Downs
    Scott Jeremy Downs is an American professional baseball relief pitcher with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of Major League Baseball. He has previously played for the Chicago Cubs, Montreal Expos and Toronto Blue Jays...

     were traded by the Twins to the Chicago Cubs
    Chicago Cubs
    The Chicago Cubs are a professional baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of Major League Baseball's National League. They are one of two Major League clubs based in Chicago . The Cubs are also one of the two remaining charter members of the National...

     for Kyle Lohse
    Kyle Lohse
    Kyle Matthew Lohse is a right-handed starting pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals. Originally drafted by the Chicago Cubs in , Lohse was traded to the Minnesota Twins in in a deal involving Rick Aguilera. Lohse made his MLB debut with the Twins on June 22, .Lohse is a member of the Nomlaki...

     and Jason Ryan
    Jason Ryan (baseball)
    Jason Paul Ryan is a retired Major League Baseball pitcher. He played during two seasons at the major league level for the Minnesota Twins. He was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the 9th round of the amateur draft...

    .
  • May 26: Frank Rodriguez
    Frank Rodriguez (baseball)
    Francisco Rodriguez is a former major league pitcher.-Amateur career:Rodriguez won the Dick Howser Trophy in 1991. At the time of the award, Rodriguez was playing for Howard Junior College in Big Spring, Texas...

     was selected off waivers from the Twins by the Seattle Mariners
    Seattle Mariners
    The Seattle Mariners are a professional baseball team based in Seattle, Washington. Enfranchised in , the Mariners are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. Safeco Field has been the Mariners' home ballpark since July...

    .
  • June 2: 1999 Major League Baseball Draft
    1999 Major League Baseball Draft
    The 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Major League Baseball's annual amateur draft of high school and college baseball players, was held on June 2 and 3, 1999...

    • Rob Bowen
      Rob Bowen
      Robert McClure Bowen is a former Major League Baseball catcher.Bowen spends the regular season living in San Diego, California, but spends his offseasons in a suburb of Atlanta, Georgia. He also has a baseball camp each winter back in Fort Wayne, Indiana.-High school years:Bowen attended Homestead...

       was drafted by the Twins in the 2nd round.
    • Justin Morneau
      Justin Morneau
      Justin Ernest George Morneau is a Canadian Major League Baseball first baseman for the Minnesota Twins. At 6 feet 4 inches and 225 lbs, Morneau was originally drafted as a catcher by the Twins in 1999. He converted to first base in the minor leagues and made his MLB debut in 2003...

       was drafted by the Twins in the 3rd round.
    • Terry Tiffee
      Terry Tiffee
      Terry Ronald Tiffee is an American professional baseball infielder who is currently a free agent.-Career:Tiffee graduated from Sylvan Hills High School in and Pratt Community College in...

       was drafted by the Twins in the 26th round.
  • August 3, 1999: George Williams was traded by the Twins to the Houston Astros
    Houston Astros
    The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...

     for Josh Dimmick (minors).

Starters by position

Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Pos Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI

Other batters

Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in
Player G AB H Avg. HR RBI
12 22 3 .136 0 3

Starting pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO

Other pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G IP W L ERA SO

Relief pitchers

Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned Run Average; SO = Strikeouts
Player G W L SV ERA SO

Farm system

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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