Brad Radke vs. Camilo Pascual

While listening and writing into the entertaining Fanatic Jack's podcast on Wednesday night the topic of Brad Radke's greatness was brought up. While Radke was a fine pitcher I felt there had to be pitchers of the same or better caliber than him that played for the Twins. I threw the name of Camilo Pascual into the discussion and created a short debate on the merits of each pitcher. Neither person running the podcast had much background on Pascual. How unfortunate. The Minnesota Twins are 50 years into their existence. Fans cannot lose track of those players that played decades ago. They were very talented and represented the team well. Camilo Pascual is an excellent example of that. Even though Camilo may object, let's put him under the microscope briefly.

Let's start a comparison with ERA+. Radke had a career of ERA+ of 112, while Pascual had a 103 for his career. Now let's look at Camilo's years with the Twins only. His Twins only ERA+ averages out to 114. He spent 7 years as a Senator and another 6 with the Twins. Some of his most dominant years were in Minnesota.

• For 3 years from 1961-1963 Pascual led the AL in strikeouts with: 221, 206 and 202
• From 1961-1964 he won 15, 18, 18 and 14 games.
• In 1961 he had 8 shutouts and followed that up with 5 in 1962.
• His ERA+ numbers from 1961 through 1966: 123, 123, 149, 109, 106 and 74 (yikes!).

Brad Radke had pinpoint control as we all know. He led the league with 1 walk per 9 innings in 2001 and over the course of his career posted an outstanding 1.6 walks per 9 innings. Pascual cannot compare here. He averaged 3.3 walks per nine innings and never averaged below 2.4 walks per 9 innings during his career. I could analyze Brad Radke further, but why? Radke just doesn't have the league leading numbers that Camilo did in some areas for even a short amount of time. Breaking down Brad Radke's numbers show him to be a slightly above average pitcher as his ERA+ of 112 shows. He was 12% above league average over the course of his career while Pascual was 14% better than league average while in a Twins uniform. I will take Camilo Pascual because of his league leading strikeout numbers for that 3 year stretch from 1961 through 1963. I admit it's close and Radke was part of an important Twins group that resurrected life back in to the franchise, but Camilo Pascual was better. His dominance was greater despite it being short lived.

Cardboard Insights

Every February for the past 26 years I look forward to a simple tradition. The opening of a new Topps baseball card pack. What will the new design look like? How good will the photography be? It's simply fun and for me the opening of that pack is the opening of the baseball season. This year as I opened my first pack I came upon Randy Johnson's card. It's a beautiful card of him lunging and throwing in one motion to first base after what I'm assuming is a bunt attempt. A difficult maneuver for a 6'11 person at age 45. Then I realized this is the last regular baseball card Randy Johnson will ever have. I flip to the back and in small print is a career that began in 1988. The numerous statistics in red indicate he led the league in that category and there are amazingly 28 of them. Anybody can go to the internet and look up a player's career statistics, but in this age of technology and instant communication a baseball card still holds tremendous insight into the quality of a player's career. To hold 20 some odd years of work in your hand crystallizes a career. As I looked at the card I realized Randy Johnson was a rarity. A player of enormous talent who dominated hitters for prolonged stretches in overpowering ways. Of course I knew he was a great pitcher, a Hall of Fame pitcher in fact, but seeing his entire career as the numbers bounce off each other on the back of that baseball card I realized I may never see a pitcher like him again. Did I realize he was a once in a lifetime player as I watched him? Not really. It's odd how players you grow up with or players you watch currently often seem very good, but it isn't until they retire and you reflect on their historical standing in the game does their true greatness come out. A baseball card helps this process happen. Randy Johnson is the greatest left handed pitcher ever. Did I comprehend that until I looked at that one final card of his? Surprisingly I didn't. A baseball card while small, fragile and for the young, is still enormously insightful and entertaining. I guess I was luckier to get that Randy Johnson card than I originally thought.

Alexi Casilla Has His Own Favre

Alexi Casilla needs to become what Tarvaris Jackson was on the Minnesota Vikings this past season, a young player willing to sit and learn as a veteran plays his position for a season. No Brett Favre isn't going to play second base, but Orlando Hudson will. Casilla has had 903 plate appearances in a Twins uniform for a .244/.301/.314 line. His career OPS+ of 66 puts him 34% below where an average hitter would be. Defending him especially after batting .202 last year is difficult. Even his fielding is hard to justify. Surprisingly he has been -9.2 runs below average over the course of his short career. Some fielding metrics even have him as the worst fielding second baseman in the American League. Unfortunately, it can be said the Minnesota Twins spent all of last year trying to overcome the hole his poor performance left at second base. Just an average year by Casilla would have avoided putting the Twins in a Game 163 situation. They would have likely won the division outright by 2 games, but instead he batted .202. Needless to say, our friend Alexi is on the hot seat. Despite all this I feel the Twins would be wrong to cut or trade him. He's only 24...yes, just 24 and he won't turn 25 until July! He has above average speed, has had big moments in a Twins uniform and more importantly his minor league record indicates he's much better than what we've seen. In 1,809 minor league plate appearances Casilla had a line of .298/.371/.375. If those numbers regress 10% in the majors he becomes a .269/.334/.338. player. Yes, those are very average numbers and the slugging is frightening, but some potential shows. The 2010 season should be Alexi Casilla watching how Orlando Hudson plays professionally at second base, runs the bases, and approaches each at bat. Let Hudson play the same role Brett Favre played this year for his backup quarterbacks. Alexi Casilla needs the tutelage of a veteran player. 2010 is the final year for him to be a student.

Nick Punto Can't Stop Fate

Nick Punto has lived a charmed life, but it's just starting. His life is the life any of us would take if given the opportunity. Professional baseball player, father, husband and multi millionaire, but his destiny is more than that. There is something about Punto that makes one think he is more than just a player on the Minnesota Twins. His cosmic importance is more than we can comprehend. He is like a character on the TV show Lost. His importance is clear to those behind the scenes, but the rest of us try each day to figure what his value is in the grand scheme of the Minnesota Twins. Each game is a new episode for us. We either question his relevance or our eyes are opened to the skills he's capable of bringing to a winning ball club. He can be the good guy when he's throwing a runner out at home in the late innings of game 163 or the bad guy who runs through a stop sign at third base in the playoffs and is easily thrown out trying get back. Nick Punto is like many other people around us: Who are the good guys and who are the bad guys? Fans are left with that question nightly with his up and down play. Nick Punto's role with the Minnesota Twins is far from over. In the future once his playing days are over he will move into management and work his way up through the organization making his mark at every level. His destiny lies as manager of the Twins. Who will be there when Joe Mauer's number is retired? Manager Punto. Who will be there when the Twins win the 2025 World Series? Manager Punto. Nick Punto can't stop fate, he will always be a Minnesota Twin. Fans can try and disrupt his timeline, but everyone's fate is irreversibly cast. Nick Punto will be a part of our lives for a very long time to come.

Best Twins Team of My Lifetime

The above title may not be an overstatement. We have watched a front office go from settling for free agents that had glaring imperfections to one that is putting nearly a $100 million payroll on the field for the 2010 season. I was born in 1973, began following the Minnesota Twins in 1984 and this is the best Twins team I have seen going into the season. Of course there was the championship teams of 1987 and 1991, but going into spring training expectations were tempered for those clubs. The 2010 version of the Minnesota Twins looks like a team that should capture the division, win a playoff series and maybe even do more. Expectations are high and they should be. When a batting order of Span, Hudson, Mauer, Morneau, Kubel, Cuddyer, Young, Hardy and Punto are ready to go most nights along with having Jim Thome able to pinch hit or start when needed you are looking at a team that should win 4 to 5 games a week. The rotation isn't top heavy with talent, but full of pitchers who will win 12-15 games and Liriano is lurking, teasing fans with reports of a return of his 2006 form. So it's easy to see why optimism is so high for fans and players of the team. As long as the injury bug stays away and multiple players don't choose to have down years the Minnesota Twins will win 93-95 games and hit 190-210 home runs. In addition, they will win the division, win the ALDS in five games and represent the American League in the World Series. Will they win the World Series? Luck needs to be on one's side for that to happen and luck is unpredictable. Let's just say the Minnesota Twins will go to the World Series and open Target Field in style with the best team they've put together since I've followed the team. Nothing more can be expected at this point.