Thome signs with Twins!

[Mr.Seaguar]

The other day on ESPN first take they were discussing if Thome was a hall of famer. For those scoring at home, if your name comes up as potential HOFer, you have already flamed out. I am reminded of Sparky Andersons words, "The hardest thing to manage is an aging star." What about doddering old star, Spark?If you are a Twins fan the best you can hope for is that Thome goes on the juice and never gets caught.

[bunkerbay]

Thome signing good for fantasy, bad for Delmon

Jim Thome: I'm expecting at least 400 at-bats from him, and around 25 home runs and 85 RBIs

If Thome comes close to 400 at-bats that would be awesome. The more I hear from Twins nation though it sounds like Bill Smith is determined to make Grady play Delmon as much as he can just to prove to everyone that the trade he made was a good one. And from what Gardy said it sounds like he agrees with most of us and would like to see Delmon on the bench and Thome with more at-bats. Guess we'll see what happens.......

[Harmonica Bear]

When did Gardy say that?

[grousehunter]

Thome's second half OPS was 790 while Young had a 839 OPs his second half of the year.

Thome ahd a 209 batting average against left handed pitchers while young posted a 310 batting average against left handers

While that fantasy predicter may be right, its easy to look at certain stats instead of the whole player and sway it in there way.

Either way Young doesn't look like he will ever become the player everyone ever thought he would be, but hes are best option right now. I would not mind one bit playing Thome as our DH against left handed pitchers with Kubel in left field though. Hopefully Young can pull it together and start taking more pitches instead of swinging at everything.

[bassNspear]

i watched his interview last night on channel 5 news, and he was all about how the twins play baseball, and how they win games with the small ball. He said hes glad to be part of the twins team, and hopes he can help!

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Aren't the Twinks tired of picking over the White Sox scrap heap? Didn't Joe Crede tell you anything? I think you guys could get Minnie Minoso pretty cheap and Bill Melton in still looking good, he was the Home Run leader one year! LOL

Here is the skinny on Jim, and I am a huge Thome fan, for every tape measure dinger he hits for you he will ground into 30 outs and double plays to a 2nd baseman who is in short right field on the Thome shift and he will clog up the bases when he does manage to get on base. Love the guy but glad to see him in a Twinkie uni. Take his .240 avg and the homer shots but he will be a real base clogger for a team that prides itself on small ball. His dugout presence is second to none but he is just too old and too slow now. Great batting coach prospect though.

[fishersofmen]

Blah, blah, blah. If he stays healthy and gives us 25-30 HR's and 80+ RBI's for a couple million dollars yea thats a huge mistake.....

This guy off the scrap heap has personally whooped our $ss for years. I forgot did the Whie Sox make the playoffs last year or did they choke it away again.........

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

I never said it was a huge mistake Fisher, just pointing out the good and bad,and I did say I was a huge Thome fan. As long as you brought up the Pale Hose, when was the last World Series celebrated in Twinkie Town???? My ring is still shiny, yours?

[Rick]

You don't have a ring Windy. Much less a shiny one.

Last I heard the only shiny World Series Rings belong to the Yankees and the Pale Hose weren't even in the running for the shiny new rings.

The pale hose old rings were mistreated by you pretty bad being in the Twins dust last year.

[harvey lee]

Windy, maybe you are just a bit sore about Thome leaving Chi Town.

[SledNeck]

Windy, maybe you are just a bit sore about Thome leaving Chi Town.

Id figure he'd be sore about that late season series beatdown from the twins last season.

12-6 advantage Twins

[Cicada]

I think a lot of guys here are being way too unrealistic. 25-30 HR? Are you kidding me? 80-90 RBI? Just plain goofy in the head. If they use him for the purpose they say they signed him for, he will get 185 AB's this year. Think about it, he may DH for 50 games (that is probably generous) at 3.1 AB's per game, that's 155AB. Now add in pinch hitting situations for the remaining 112 games. You may actually "need" a pinch hitter in 30 games (also pretty generous). 30 plus 155 is 185 AB's for the year. Over the last three years, he has hit a home run in every 13.9 ab's (climbing higher every year to 15.0 last year). To give the dreamers the benefit of the doubt, we'll use the 13.9. That makes 13 home runs. His batting average for the last three years has been between .275 and .249 Let's say he hits at .250, that means 46 hits. He has struck out 1.2 times for every hit he's gotten in the last three years, giving us 55 strike outs. In the last three years, he has struck out 404 times and has 92 home runs. Tells me he is about four times more likely to strike out than hit a home run. Bottom of the ninth, two outs, down by one run, is this really a high percentage move?

[boatfixer]

... My ring is still shiny, yours?

Uh oh, someone is fantasizing again. Just a little warning Windy, you'll go blind

[Cicada]

Oh, and I forgot that situations where the other team may actually walk him will further dilute those statistics.

[fishersofmen]

Goofy in the head?? He will get 185 at bats??

Now that is goofy..... The purpose they signed him for is to knock in a bunch of runs regardless of what they are saying. The guy had 23HR and 77RBI's in just over 100 games last year! Yea a team that often times struggles to find any offense is going to sit that on the bench....

[Steve Foss]

I'm not as sophisticated a baseball watcher as some of you folks on here are. I just like watching the Twins win baseball games. I think Thome will help them win baseball games. So I think signing him is a good thing. Plus, when I'm watching the Twins-White Sox with my White Sox fan Dad, I can give him a lot of crapola when Thome hits a walkoff homer for the Twins instead of the White sox.

[zamboni]

As long as you brought up the Pale Hose, when was the last World Series celebrated in Twinkie Town???? My ring is still shiny, yours?

We have 2

[SledNeck]

I'm not as sophisticated a baseball watcher as some of you folks on here are. I just like watching the Twins win baseball games. I think Thome will help them win baseball games. So I think signing him is a good thing. Plus, when I'm watching the Twins-White Sox with my White Sox fan Dad, I can give him a lot of crapola when Thome hits a walkoff homer for the Twins instead of the White sox.

dont you get Brewers games at home?

[Steve Foss]

Originally Posted By: Steve Foss

I'm not as sophisticated a baseball watcher as some of you folks on here are. I just like watching the Twins win baseball games. I think Thome will help them win baseball games. So I think signing him is a good thing. Plus, when I'm watching the Twins-White Sox with my White Sox fan Dad, I can give him a lot of crapola when Thome hits a walkoff homer for the Twins instead of the White sox.

dont you get Brewers games at home?

I've never bothered to check. I don't think I've ever watched a Brewers game.

[Cicada]

"The purpose they signed him for is to knock in a bunch of runs regardless of what they are saying."

Do...do...the Twins lie to you often?

[Stratosman]

Another Packer fan Twins fan crossover...terrible.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

Zamboni,

I know you guys have two, which is one less that the White Sox.

Windy

[slabchaser]

I find it funny that we finally get thome. He would destroy the ball in the dome now that they arent in the dome they get thome.

[Windy City Walleye Hunter]

That is the definition of "irony" there Slab! But don't fret, when Jimbo hits them they usually don't need the dome effect, they are usually tape measure shots. I saw his 550th and it was a monster!

[zamboni]

Zamboni,

I know you guys have two, which is one less that the White Sox.

Windy

Did your great great great great grandpa tell you that? Rings won before we were a franchise don't count. No franchise=no chance of winning one. And the fact the players on those early teams are wormfood should tell you something