Michael Cuddyer

[buzzsaw]

Okay, so there are some here that call him a huge choker and others that disagree to some extent. I am kind of in the middle, some games he just comes up short and others he pounds a huge line drive homerun. If anything I'd call him inconsistant with a decent upside.

[nofishfisherman]

I think he is a good player that is welcome on my team.

He is decent in the field with an absolute gun for an arm and he has some pop in his bat. He might end up with 25 hr's and 100 RBI's, he has some bad at bats and stikes out at times but with that sort of production I won't hammer him to bad. I would like to see the Twins get a right hand bat this off season to hit between Mauer and Mourneau and then move Cuddy to the 6th spot. In that 6 spot he can do some damage as well if Mourneau keeps hitting around .320 next year.

Since this is Cuddy's first year really settling in as a full time player at the same position I look forward to what he might be able to give us next year. I think he still has unfulfilled potential.

Besides he seems to be a good club house guy, the last few years he was willing to get jerked around between 3-4 different positions, get bench for a few days, then thrown back out at a new position and he did it without complaining. He paid his dues and he deserves all the success he gets.

[SledNeck]

I'm glad to see him getting timely hits...I really is about time. He still has the worst batting avg of any starter on the team.

[IFallsRon]

And he doesn't swing at balls that bounce 10 feet in front of the plate like the overpaid stiff who was out there last year.

[buzzsaw]

Just to clarify "all" of the stats for everybody.

leads the team in strikeouts - not even close!

2nd in RBI's

2nd in walks

2nd in HR's

1st in doubles

3rd in triples

4th in slugging %

5th in on base %

6th in stolen bases

5th in hits

1st in runs scored (tie w/castillo)

4th in at bats

3rd in games played

In my opinion, if he cuts down on those strike outs the guy is a complete stud. What do you guys think?

[colonel42]

Come on Hunter is still out there!!!! Oh maybe you meant Jones. Hee Haa!!!!!! Go Twinkies. Finsh the sweep today and bring the brooms back again on Sunday sweeping the sox back to Chicago. Garza will have a better day----let's hope.

[nofishfisherman]

Yeah I think he is just as good as Jones was only paid less. He does have the worst average at .268 but if thats your worst average on your team then you are doing something right I think. If he had that average last year he would have been one of the leaders on the team.

I am not going to say he is an allstar or anything like that but he is a solid player. Your entire team cannot be allstars unless you are the yankees so you need guys like Cuddy to fill out the rest of your lineup.

[fishyguy]

Cuddyer does strike out too much but I like his numbers. They are not #4 numbers but everyone knows he is not supposed to be there. It is only Morneau's failings in the #4 spot that put him there. If he was batting 6th where he should be his stats would be outstanding.

He is on pace for:

.265 avg.

.505 slugging

107 runs

117 RBI

27 HR

Not too bad considering he platooned for the first month of the season.

[Willy]

Good player. I think he's a good stick. He IS a middle of the order bat. Now that he is finally getting a chance to play everyday, he is producing.

He drives in runs, hits HRs, and has a knack for coming up big when we need him to. The only thing this lineup needs right now is a right handed bat to hit behind Morneau to protect him a little bit. Now whether they get someone in the offseason and put him behind Morneau, or put that guy in the 4 hole and move Cuddy to 6. Either one would work as Hunter is not really the type of guy to protect our best hitter.

I also like the fire the guy plays with. He is the kinda guy you want on your team, he gets pumped and keeps the guys going.

He also has what I would call the best outfield arm on the team. Strong hard throws that are extemely accurate. Teams are not gonna want to run on Cuddyer if they have a chance to.

I think he will be a staple in the Twins lineup for alot of years.

[colonel42]

He is one of those guys you just love to hate. Some nights you just ask yourself what the heck is he waiting for and the next day your praising him. Baseball is like a roller coaster. All in all he is having a banner season, like you said work on the strike outs and he will develope into a great player.

[nofishfisherman]

I like have Morneau in the 5th spot, keeping him and Mauer apart really messes with the bullpen of the other team. You know this way one of the two is going to get a pitched to. Move Cuddy to 6, Hunter to 7 and get another big bat for the 4th spot. Bartlett, Punto and Castillo and right where they need to be. This lineup is real real close to being outstanding next year.

[Willy]

Quote:

---

He is one of those guys you just love to hate.

---

How can you say that? He is one of the nicer guys on the team. I guess to me he is the kind of guy that you always pull for. He's a good guy and does alot for the Twins and the city/state for which he plays.

[nofishfisherman]

I like that he is so available to the media. He never turns down an interview. He is the kind of guy you want to speak for your team and he does it alot. Him and Punto are always in front of the camera it seems.

It is hard to not cheer for him though.

[colonel42]

I hate when a ball player of his calibur sits and looks at a big curve ball for a called strike three or swings at a ball that isn't even close to being in the strike zone. Like I said a guy you love but hate sometimes. After reading the quote I guess that didn't come out the way I intended it to. Don't take it wrong he is one of my best players for this years Twinkies and he is one of the guys you can count on giving his everything all the time other then those huge sweeping curve balls.

[buzzsaw]

Getting some opinions out of this thread, good stuff guys, keep it coming.

His teammates love him!!!

[Willy]

Col, I see what you mean.

Cuddyer was a top prospect when he was coming up through the minors, so it's not like he is just having a fluke year. This kind of play was expected of him when he came up. It has just taken awhile for him to live up to his potential.

He has talent, and lots of it. I think if he can have a few more years, you'll see him turn into a heck of a righthanded slugger. The ball really jumps off his bat and he is a strong guy.

[nofishfisherman]

If you look at where he was last year and where he is this year it is amazing. Last year when he came to bat you shrugged your shoulders and just hoped for the best. This year you can have some realistic hope that he will get the job done.

He does need to cut down on the strikeouts and start seeing the curve ball better but when you are able to focus on one thing like that to improve on it is so much easier to approach then when you have 10 things to work on. He is very very close to being a big time slugger. Alot like Morneau was last year.

[Eckie]

Good thread, Buzz.

Cuddy's a classic team player, 110% all the time. Plus he's a stand up guy OFF the field. Defensively, he's a stud. Offensively, I like his numbers..sure, I can't help but cringe when he K's in a clutch situation, but I can guarantee he cringes a lot more than any of us do. He's one of my favorite players. Attitude is everything. I love watching guys play who PLAY for the right reasons.

[Duffman]

Two outs, two runners on, need a run to tie the game. Who would you rather see at bat, Hunter who has a higher avg, or Cudd? I'll take Cuddy anyday. He seems to get a hit when it matters most.

[Bobby Bass]

I think he has been real steady out there in right I would like to see him get a few days off, he looks tired to me. Saying that I don't leave the room when he is at bat, good things seem to happen with him at the plate.

[buzzsaw]

Well bottom of the 8th, two on and two out.... strike one.... ball one...

ball two... foul ball tater, strike two... low, ball three with Morneau on deck... darnnnnn!!

[UdeLakeTom]

Dang it

[SledNeck]

Quote:

---

Well bottom of the 8th, two on and two out.... strike one.... ball one...

ball two... foul ball tater, strike two... low, ball three with Morneau on deck... darnnnnn!!

---

Im not gonna say anything. I'll just let yall think for a while on that one.

Okay maybe one little....."see I told ya so!"

[not_nuf_time]

Come on, be real if it weren't for Cuddy this team would probably have ten less wins and be well out of the running. Hunter, over-rated, Cuddyer, under-rated. If it weren't for Justin M. he would be team mvp. He's produced in clutch situations more this year than anyone.

[soldoncass]

I love Cuddyer this year. I think he is the best fit in right field for the twins since Tom Brunansky (way back when). As for his striking out.... they get him a lot on those perfect pitches.(down and away nasty sliders). Pucket had a weakness there too, as I remember. In fact it would be interesting to see a stat on that for % of total stike-outs on that pitch for all players. Cuddyer has really matured a lot this year as a complete player, and if they are "off" just a little bit with the pitch, he makes them PAY a lot also. I think the l-r-l- combination in the middle of the lineup is probably the thing that other teams hate the worst when they play us.... that and the speeeeed from the 8-9-1-2- hitters that always seem to be on base for the 3-4-5 hitters. They are having an awesome year for sure. Fun to watch!