Beginning Baseball: Baseball Statistics 101

May 3, 2011 By 3 Comments
jason-kubel

Editor’s note: Amanda Lawson is a lifelong Green Bay Packers fan who is getting into baseball for the first time this year. After much deliberation and counsel, Amanda settled on the Minnesota Twins as her team. With “Beginning Baseball” Amanda is documenting her first season of baseball fandom.

If you’re going to learn about baseball, you need to know statistics.

Of course statistics are important in other sports too, but if you really want to grasp baseball and the talent and performance level of an individual, you need to understand the numbers behind the game.

So many games are played in baseball that one win cannot define a team. (Wow, I sound like a broken record!) And that’s where the numbers come in to play.

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Filed Under: Beginning Baseball, MLB Tagged With: baseball statistics, Francisco Liriano, jason kubel, minnesots twins

Fascinating Video: Joe Mauer Tipping Pitches From Second Base

October 1, 2009 By 4 Comments
joe-mauer

Just made my morning jaunt over to Deadspin and caught a fascinating video that shows Joe Mauer blatantly tipping pitches to Jason Kubel during the Twins-Tigers series.

Mauer is on second base with Justin Verlander pitching. The cat and mouse game, exquisitely captioned by whoever created the video, is a rare glimpse into the game-within-the-game that can be so often overlooked when watching a baseball game.

For some reason, all I can think about right now is how much I would love to hear Hawk Harrelson announcing this sequence.

Video after the jump.

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Filed Under: MLB Tagged With: baseball, Detroit Tigers, jason kubel, joe mauer, Justin Verlander, minnesota twins, MLB, tipping pitches, video

Twins Seek Two Year Extension on Jason Kubel

January 13, 2009 By 1 Comment
kubel

Minnesota Twins Seek Two Year Extension with Jason KubelLaVelle Neal reports that Jason Kubel has been in negotiations with Minnesota on a two year extension. Kubel, the Twins’ 26 year old DH, is coming off his best year in the majors batting .272 with 20 home runs.

He’s no Manny Ramirez, but he will certainly do.

Kubel’s young age and rising numbers make this extension a no-brainer. As a home grown Twin, he’s shown stability at the plate and adds rare pop to an otherwise bunt and run lineup. A two year deal should be a bargain for Kubel, who would have the opportunity, just as many of his Minnesota peers, to seek a larger payday elsewhere after his short term contract would expire.

Many, including LaVelle Neal, expect Kubel to have a breakout season. Anything better than .275 and 20 HR’s would be a welcomed addition to the Twins lineup.

Entering the prime of his career, expect no less from Kubel.

Filed Under: MLB, Uncategorized Tagged With: hot stove, jason kubel, minnesota twins, MLB