Minnesota Signs Another DH

01/26/2010 9:24 PM -  Fred Zinkie

By: Fred Zinkie

Jim Thome continues to work his way around the AL Central.  After sessions in Cleveland and Chicago he is now heading north for a stint in Minnesota.  Don’t expect to see the Indians’ or White Sox version of Thome in 2010.  Let’s take a look at his value and the value of other Twins that were affected by his signing.

Jim Thome – He dropped to 362 at-bats in 2009 because he was pretty much a non-factor in September while he was with the Dodgers. He can still hit for power.  He hit 23 home runs last year, meaning that he could have had another 30 home runs season if he had just finished the year in a full-time role in Chicago.  The Twins won’t offer him a chance a 500 at-bats because they have a lot of depth at the OF and DH spots.  He definitely won’t play against lefties – he can’t hit them at all anymore.  He should DH sometimes against right-handers.  He will need to hit well to get much more than 300 at-bats.  He hasn’t hit .250 in either of his last two years and his contact rate fell in 2009 to a five-year low.  All of this adds up to an AL-Only pick but not a mixed league one.

Jason Kubel – He is firmly entrenched as an everyday player with the Twins after breaking out for 28 home runs last year.  He will DH often but the signing of Thome means that he will play some OF too.  He doesn’t hit lefties well either but he is better than Thome in that role.  His at-bat total has risen over the past four years but it might now stall out around the 500 mark.  That puts a bit of a cap on his potential but he can still be a very useful OF in all formats.

Delmon Young – If you needed another reason not to project a breakout season for Young in 2010 the Twins just gave you one.  Young’s at-bat total fell to 395 last year after exceeding 575 in each of the previous two seasons.  If the Twins wanted to push him back to full-time duty they wouldn’t have invested in Thome.  Young will play against all lefties and will play against some right-handers.  He can exceed 400 at-bats but may not be able to get to 500.  Add in the fact that he is coming off a disappointing season and it all adds up to a player that isn’t worth much in mixed leagues.  A trade out of Minnesota might be needed at some point to get his career back on track.

Justin Morneau – If the signing of Thome a sign that the Twins don’t trust Morneau’s back in 2010.  His 2009 season ended due to back troubles and he says that he is fully healthy for this year.  We shouldn’t jump to conclusions yet.  But, the Twins are now more protected from an injury to Morneau.  They could shuffle some players and get Thome into the lineup and keep up their overall power numbers.

Michael Cuddyer – Have you noticed that the Twins still don’t have a 3B?  And that Cuddyer has played almost as many games at 3B in his career as he has in the outfield?  I’m not saying that Cuddyer will be Minnesota’s 3B in 2010 but it is a possibility.  That would allow them to use Young, Span and Kubel in the outfield and Thome at DH.  That would give them their best offensive lineup against right-handers but it would compromise their defense.