Minnesota is probably hitting too many ground balls

post from Baseball In-Depth on 11 April 2012 07:10:00 PM. © Baseball In-Depth

The Twins routinely rank at or nor the top of hitting ground balls in relation to fly balls, but this year it is off the charts:

Ground Balls/Fly Balls (2012)
1. Twins: 2.33
2. Indians: 1.22
3. Padres: 1.20
4. D-backs: 1.20
5. Giants: 1.07

For an idea of how bizarre 2.33 is, here are the highest ratios from the last few seasons:

Highest G/F (2008-2011)
2011: Twins .99
2010: Astros .98
2009: Astros .99
2008: Giants: .98

Not surprisingly, the Twins are last in runs, hits, and near the bottom in doubles and home runs. They're 0-4, and they started the season by losing three straight to the Orioles. The Orioles may have some promising arms, but they're not all Brandon Webb in his prime.

This will undoubtedly come back to earth a bit at some point (Denard Span and Alexi Casilla will hit a fly ball at some point), but we might be looking at a team that hits an unusually high number of ground balls (and scores very few runs). It might even be tonight with Jered Weaver, who is a great pitcher, but allows a fair number of fly balls.