Twins Pitchers: Out of Control?

One of the chapters in my book, the Ducksnorts 2007 Baseball Annual, examines strategies teams like the A’s and Twins have employed to remain successful over the past several years. The A’s are fairly well chronicled in Michael Lewis’ Moneyball, but what about the Twins?

One thing I discovered about the Twins is that their pitching staff tends to force the opposition to put the ball in play. They’ve surrendered the fewest walks in the American League in each of the past three seasons, and they’ve finished no worse than third in that category since 2001.

This year, however, the Twins find themselves in the middle of the pack. Through May 18, six teams have allowed fewer walks than the Twins.

 
We’re only a quarter of the way through the season, and it’s not like this is the only reason Minnesota is struggling. That said, the Twins appear to be straying pretty far from something that has helped give them an advantage over the past several years.

I wonder how much of this is due to the retirement of strike thrower extraordinaire Brad Radke. More importantly, I wonder if the Twins can get their mojo back before it’s too late. In the AL Central, there is precious little margin for error. Now would be a real good time to stop walking batters and start winning games.