May 28, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Ben Revere (11) against the Oakland Athletics at Target Field. The Twins defeated the Athletics 5-4. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-US PRESSWIRE

In a recent series-opening victory over the Orioles, the Twins pounded out 20 hits and scored 19 runs, a record for Target Field. Despite the amazing offensive production from the whole team, the highlight from the night has to be awarded to an individual defensive play. And the winner is? Ben Revere.

That victory seems like a distant speck of joy from the past. This past week of Twins baseball has been painful in about every way. Still, Revere continues to be one of the only bright spots shining down on the team this year. His play has led to numerous reports speculating the Twins can now afford to trade Denard Span. It’s also led to articles praising the “2-3″ punch of Revere and Joe Mauer. He’s currently batting .309/.346/.363, with as many steals as strikeouts (21). That’s incredible. The 24-year-old has played in only 65% of the team’s games, but already ranks 4th among Minnesota’s position players in WAR and has a UZR/150 rating of 34.7, which would rank him #1 in the entire MLB if he had only played enough innings so far this year to qualify. Even more incredible. If the stats aren’t enough, indulge some more by clicking the links provided below; they’ll take you to magical memories of speed, grace, gravity defiance, Spiderman, and, of course, somersaults.

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Revere shares a name with an Massachusetts  great, Paul Revere, who rode his horse on country roads to alert those abroad of the British’s coming. (I hope I related that correctly, if it’s wrong blame Sarah Palin.) Paul has been long gone, but today his namesake resides in Minnesota’s spacious right field. It seems on a nightly basis that Ben gets on his horse and gallops to snag baseballs that seem to be sure base hits, bringing rare moments of joy to Minnesota fans everywhere. He’s also making a name for himself in the process, so let’s make sure not to miss any of it.

“AAA & AAAA middle infielders are wishing they were Japanese imports tonight”

August 15, 2011; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Tsuyoshi Nishioka (1) watches the game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Despite Nitkowski’s pessimism of the deal (he had, after all pitched against Nishioka from 2007-2008 in the Japan Pacific League), few others predicted a wholly negative outcome from this contract. A season and a half in, it appears that that is exactly how this contract turned out. Nishioka was sent to minor league camp early in spring training this year, and he hasn’t come close to sniffing the big leagues since. He’s batting .233/.305/.288 for Rochester in 64 games, 52 of which came at second base. Such performance hardly merits a spot on any team’s 40-man roster, which merits the question whether he is even worth the Twins keeping.

The Twins will undoubtedly have to pay for the $3.25m+ remaining on Nishioka’s contract through 2013, but there may be a way for the team to get a little cash value back on him: selling his rights. I will be honest, I cannot say I’m well-read as to how this process exactly works, but I do know that several big-leaguers have had their rights sold to foreign clubs over the past few years, with whom they then negotiated new deals. Examples include Matt Murton, Vinnie Chulk, Hayden Penn, Brian Gordon, and Henry Sosa.

I bring these examples up because when the phrase “rights sold to” is used, it usually infers money changes hands. I admit I have no idea how much money this could be, but if the Twins paid over $5m to negotiate a contract with Nishioka, couldn’t we at least get a tenth of that ($500k) for foreign club to receive his rights and pay him to play next year in their league? He was a popular and successful player over there, so I’m confident a return overseas would be amenable to him and some club eager to bring in a fan favorite who was a former five-time All-Star in their league.

While it could be tough for Twins management to already admit this was a big mistake and swallow a $3m+ contract, this seems like it could be the best avenue to take: exporting Nishioka, signing another AAA or AAAA middle infielder to take his roster spot in Rochester (for far, far less money), and utilizing the newly vacated spot on the 40-man roster with a promising prospect or a promising big-leaguer on waivers, such as the recently DFA-ed Justin Germano. That way, we may see at least a little value garnered from this situation.

June 12, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Minnesota Twins catcher Joe Mauer (7) and Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jared Burton (61) talk during the seventh inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at Target Field. The Twins won 11-7. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-US PRESSWIRE

While his cameo appearance in the mid-summer classic was a brief one, Joe Mauer represented the Twins well by singling up the middle off LHP Wade Miley, then dutifully manning first for the AL squad’s final two innings. The optimism in me hopes that his perfect All-Star performance serves as a good omen for Minnesota’s second half of the season. I’m not about to predict nor pray for a division title, but there are certain things I hope to see from the team over the next 77 games, which I’ll list here categorically.

• Rotation – Here is how I’d like to see the rotation shakeout over the next 3 months. July’s starts will be taken by Francisco Liriano, Scott Diamond, Cole DeVries, Samuel Deduno, and P.J. Walters, who should return from the DL soon barring any further setbacks. If Liriano continues to pitch well, he should be dealt by July 31, netting some young talent for the system. By then, let’s hope that Carl Pavano can slide into his rotation spot for the month of August. If he shows some value in a few starts when he returns from the DL, he could be dealt by August 31 for either salary relief, middling prospects, or both. While Liam Hendricks could take that spot for September and aim for his first victory of the season, I’d prefer the team to give 5 or 6 more starts to Nick Blackburn. He’s owed nearly $5 million this year and more than that next. If he can straighten things out at Rochester, these few starts could give management an idea of whether he is worth keeping around for 2013, or if they should just cut ties. Hendricks should get the chance to pitch out of the bullpen in September to restore his confidence in getting major league hitters out.
• Bullpen – This bucket list is quite simple: Trade Matt Capps, make Jared Burton closer, keep Glen Perkins in the setup role he excels in, return Brian Duensing to his relief role (he’s always shown he’s better there), and call up Anthony Slama as soon as he’s healthy again. Alex Burnett, Jeff Gray, and Anthony Swarzak can round out the rest of the pen.
• Offense – The upcoming trade deadline will set the rumor mills afire as baseball fans look for the Twins to sell. There is no doubt they should be sellers, but the question is will it be a fire sale or will we see just a few sparks? Let’s hope that the only key offensive contributor dealt is Denard Span. I love Span and what he brings to the table, but so do most of the other 29 MLB clubs. He appears over past concussion issues and now able to contribute as a table-setter. Trading him would bring a return of prospects who could positively impact the major league squad for years to come. Other than that, let’s just hope Justin Morneau solves his allergy of left-handed pitching; Trevor Plouffe power never fades; Chris Parmelee, Joe Benson, and Brian Dozier show they have futures as solid regulars; and Danny Valencia and Tsuyoshi Nishioka get September call-ups, giving them a chance to show they can contribute in Minnesota, in Valencia’s case, or, in Nishioka’s, any other place in the world that will pay his remaining contract.
• Defense – The Twins need to play Ben Revere exclusively in center field following the trade deadline. Mauer has hit excellently this year, so I would hate to do anything that throws off his groove, but I still suggest this semi-radical idea: use September to test out his defensive versatility and prowess. Try Mauer at third, right, and left for a few games. Such experiments could speak volumes to Twins management as they plan for the future. My only hope is that none of this hypothetical toying and tinkering would affect Mauer’s quest for his fourth batting title.

The second halves of seasons have typically brought excitement and reasons to cheer to Twins fans over the past decade. While we may not be cheering over a playoff berth come October, hopefully fans will be cheering for a team that’s returned to respectability and contention. Too optimistic? Time will tell, but if Mauer performance turned out perfect last night, why can’t my plan turn out that way as well?