To say the Minnesota Twins have been disappointed in offseason acquisition Tsuyoshi Nishioka would be a huge understatement. Saturday, Nishioka’s uninspiring 2011 came to an end.
Minnesota decided to shut down Nishioka for the final two weeks of the year. The 27 year old is dealing with an injured oblique.
The Twins brought Nishioka in this December to sure up the middle of their infield. After paying $5 million just to negotiate with Nishioka, Minnesota signed the Japanese native to a 3 year $9 million deal.
Nishioka was a gold glove short stop and second baseman in Japan, where he hit a whopping .346 in 2010 as a member of the Chiba Lotte Marines.
After they won the bidding war for the right to negotiate with Nishioka, Minnesota decided to part ways with short stop J.J. Hardy. In his first and only year with the Twins, Hardy underperformed. He missed significant time due to injury and wasn’t very productive at the plate.
Both moves have backfired for the Twins this season. Hardy, who was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for a pair of Minor League relievers, has hit at a clip of .266/.307/.484 with 26 home runs and 71 RBI’s.
Meanwhile, Nishioka has been the one dealing with injuries and inconsistencies at the plate and in the field. After playing in only 6 games for the Twins, Nishioka missed two months of action with a fractured left fibula.
Nishioka has only played in 68 games this year, and when he’s been on the field he hasn’t been very effective. Along with his fielding issues, Nishioka has only hit .226/.278/.249 with 5 extra base hits and 19 RBI’s.
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