Round Three

By David Jensen

2008 is an important year for Boof Bonser. This is his third year in the majors, he is a very talented pitcher and much has been expected from him since Minnesota acquired him from the Giants. On top of that, the Santana trade has put more pressure on him to perform now. He is the longest tenured Twin and has the most career starts in the American League in the rotation. That is why I picked Boof for my annual “Perform or you’re dead to me” ultimatum. Previous challenges have made Justin Morneau an MVP and Carlos Silva a Cy Young candidate, for Seattle. My expectations for Bonser are average for a number two starter: seven wins with a winning percentage of at least .450 with an ERA under 3.75 at the all-star break.

A month into the season, Boof has, at times, looked like a premier pitcher. In six starts, he is 2-4 with a 3.75 ERA, 22 strike outs and 9 walks. Opponents are hitting .250 with three home runs against him in 36 innings of work.

In his first two starts, he wasn’t sharp, but he gave the Twins a chance to win both games. He allowed three ER in on eight hits in six innings with four ks against the Angels. Against Kansas City, it was 3 ER on eight hits in seven innings with four ks and no walks. Minnesota lost 9-1, 3-1. In his third start, in KC, Bonser shut out the Royals on three hits for six innings to pick up his first win. Next was his only truly bad game thus far. The Devil Rays lit him up for seven runs, six earned, on seven hits in just four innings as the Twins lost 7-3. He rebounded in his next start by holding Oakland to two runs on three hits over six innings. Same old story, Boof falls to 1-4 as the A’s win 3-0. Bonser finished April in fine style. Against the hated White Sox, he allowed six hits in seven innings with one walk and 8 ks. He gave up just one run on a solo shot by Joe Crede.

Despite a 2-4 record, Bonser had a good month of April. He’s given up 8.8 hits per 9IP with a 3.75 ERA. Minnesota’s offense has averaged 7.7 hits and 1.7 runs of support in his starts.