We all know that the American League Central hasn’t exactly been a powerhouse division the last several seasons, but for an idea of just how deep Minnesota’s organization is, and how creative the front office and field staff have been when it comes to adjusting on the fly, it’s sort of interesting and instructive to look at the roster of the 2002 team. That season, of course, the Twins went 94-67 and won the first of their three straight division titles.
Here are the guys who were on the roster of the club in 2002 who are no longer with the team:
Brian Buchanan
Casey Blake
Cristian Guzman
Denny Hocking
Bobby Kielty
Corey Koskie
Doug Mientkiewicz
Dustan Mohr
David Ortiz (twenty homeruns)
A.J. Pierzynski (.300 BA)
Tom Prince
Jack Cressend
Tony Fiore (10-3, 3.16 ERA)
Eddie Guardado (45 saves)
LaTroy Hawkins (6-0, 2.13 ERA)
Mike Jackson
Matt Kinney
Eric Milton (13-9, 4.94 ERA)
Rick Reed (15-7, 3.78 ERA)
Bob Wells
That’s half a rotation, almost a complete bullpen, six starters (if you count the outfield rotation of Mohr/Kielty/Buchanan), and the primary utility guy off the bench. Yet despite turning over those twenty roster spots in under three years, the Twins will once again open the season as favorites to repeat in the Central, and they’ve managed to almost completely reassemble their team without making any substantial alterations in their budget. Which tells you about all you need to know about why the organization is seen as such a model around the league.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply