We all remember the Josh Willingham of 2012. He set career highs in runs, home runs, RBI, walks, and slugging percentage. He produced a glimmer of hope during the train wreck that was the 2012 Minnesota Twins. One thing the Twins have been lacking is that consistent home run hitter who can turn the game around with one swing of the bat. Justin Morneau was that guy for a few years, but injuries have slowed him down greatly and he hasn't played in over 135 games since 2008. Finally, in 2012 Willingham became that guy for the Twins, slugging 35 home runs and 110 RBI while maintaining a respectable .260 batting average. 2013, however, has been a completely different story for the man previously known as "Hammer". Through 50 games this season Willingham is batting .211 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI. Not the kind of production that the Twins are looking for and it is worth asking the question, WHAT'S WRONG WITH WILLY?!
To me Willingham's struggles come down to three main problems:
1) Injury problems. Willingham has struggled with a wrist injury all season.
2) Strikeout problems. Willingham is on pace to strike out 171 times. Which would shatter his previous high of 150 strikeouts in 2011.
3) Age problems. Like it or not, Willingham is getting old. He's 34 years old, and let's face it, he's not getting any younger.
Because of these three problems contributing to Willingham's early season struggles the Twins are at a crossroads and are probably asking themselves, WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH WILLY?!
Since lists of threes are easier to remember, let's keep it going. Here are three options the Twins have for dealing with Willingham.
1) Keep him. He's still on pace for 30 home runs. Fans love watching home runs. We don't have many better options. The team needs to act like we're still trying to compete now, so why not just keep him?
2) Send him to the minor leagues for a few weeks. It sounds ridiculous to send a 34 year-old veteran to Rochester, but it might be exactly what Willingham needs to find his swing again and get out of this brutal slump he's swung (or not swung) himself into. It would give us a chance to bring up some young talent to get some invaluable major league experience for someone like Eddie Rosario.
3) Trade him. While he isn't having a great season here in Minnesota there are plenty of guys who only need a change in scenery to get out of their slump. We could trade Willingham to a contender at the deadline, get some young talent (middle infielders or pitching preferably), and shed $14M in cap space while we are at it.
So what do I think the Twins should do with Willingham? I think we should do a mixture of numbers two and three. I think that two weeks in the minor leagues could do wonders for Willingham. Going against inferior pitchers to get his confidence back could do wonders. Then we bring him back. If he is still struggling, I have no problem at all trading him for whatever we can get. Even if we don't get much in return for him, dumping his contract would be fine. And if he comes back from his minor league stint and gets back to his 2012 form I still think we should trade him. This would increase his trade value greatly, and we should get much more in return.
To me Willingham's struggles come down to three main problems:
1) Injury problems. Willingham has struggled with a wrist injury all season.
2) Strikeout problems. Willingham is on pace to strike out 171 times. Which would shatter his previous high of 150 strikeouts in 2011.
3) Age problems. Like it or not, Willingham is getting old. He's 34 years old, and let's face it, he's not getting any younger.
Because of these three problems contributing to Willingham's early season struggles the Twins are at a crossroads and are probably asking themselves, WHAT SHOULD WE DO WITH WILLY?!
Since lists of threes are easier to remember, let's keep it going. Here are three options the Twins have for dealing with Willingham.
1) Keep him. He's still on pace for 30 home runs. Fans love watching home runs. We don't have many better options. The team needs to act like we're still trying to compete now, so why not just keep him?
2) Send him to the minor leagues for a few weeks. It sounds ridiculous to send a 34 year-old veteran to Rochester, but it might be exactly what Willingham needs to find his swing again and get out of this brutal slump he's swung (or not swung) himself into. It would give us a chance to bring up some young talent to get some invaluable major league experience for someone like Eddie Rosario.
3) Trade him. While he isn't having a great season here in Minnesota there are plenty of guys who only need a change in scenery to get out of their slump. We could trade Willingham to a contender at the deadline, get some young talent (middle infielders or pitching preferably), and shed $14M in cap space while we are at it.
So what do I think the Twins should do with Willingham? I think we should do a mixture of numbers two and three. I think that two weeks in the minor leagues could do wonders for Willingham. Going against inferior pitchers to get his confidence back could do wonders. Then we bring him back. If he is still struggling, I have no problem at all trading him for whatever we can get. Even if we don't get much in return for him, dumping his contract would be fine. And if he comes back from his minor league stint and gets back to his 2012 form I still think we should trade him. This would increase his trade value greatly, and we should get much more in return.
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