If you go beyond the Twins’ so-so 8-11 record in Florida and scrutinize what they’ve actually done in those games, you might be tempted to forecast a rather alarming repeat of what made the team so maddening for much of the 2004 season.
Look at the runs scored and runs allowed numbers for the AL Central teams this spring:
Detroit: 125 RS/97 RA
Chicago : 122 RS/112 RA
Cleveland: 132 RS/107 RA
Minnesota: 77 RS/76 RA
Kansas City: 99 RS/105 RA
I doubt that it means a damn thing, but you see an awful lot of high scoring games in spring training, and seventy-seven runs seems pretty shocking. I guess if you want to take the glass-is-half-empty approach, you could be alarmed that the Twins have scored at least 25% fewer runs than every other team in the division. And the glass-is-half-full folks can always take comfort in those pitching numbers. All around, though, the math looks pretty damn familiar.
Finally, here’s a little spring training trivia: Gary Gaetti set the club record with ten spring homeruns in 1983. So far this year the entire team has hit ten homers in nineteen games.
As I say, I’m sure it’s nothing. I’m sure it doesn’t mean a damn thing. I wouldn’t even give it another thought. I’m sorry, in fact, I even brought it up.
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