The Crede Signing

Only time will tell if Crede helps the Twins win ballgames in 2009. That's exactly why I'm excited about it. I've already complained that we hoped Buscher would be adequate at third. I think many Twins fans would also agree that we know that Harris would be serviceable at third. Where's the fun in that? With Crede, it's anybody's guess.

Usually, I'm not one to put too much credence into baseball statistics, but the Crede signing made me curious. How much of his career production is a product of lighting up the Twins? I did a simple analysis comparing his career numbers, his career numbers against the Twins, and his career numbers excluding the Twins. I multiplied the respective rates of HR/AB by 500 AB to see how a typical season might look. Remarkably, there was little difference.

Career: 23 HR
Against the Twins: 25 HR
Career Excluding Twins: 22 HR

Now, remember that as a Twin, he'll face all the same teams except he faces Chicago instead of Minnesota. I don't think White Sox fans would be as cynical and angry if players like Joe Crede weren't hitting way too many home runs against them. So, I think it's safe to say we don't have to worry about Crede's career production being a product of Twins pitching.