Piranhas (baseball)
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"Piranhas" (also known as "Little Piranhas") is the nickname applied to a group of hitters for the Minnesota Twins baseball team. Specifically, the term applies to shortstop Jason Bartlett, now on the Tampa Bay Rays, third baseman Nick Punto, outfielder Jason Tyner, and formerly second baseman Luis Castillo, who was traded to the New York Mets on July 30, 2007.
Midway through the 2006 season, the Twins opted for a lineup that included Tyner batting eighth, Bartlett ninth, Castillo first, and Punto second. Manager Ron Gardenhire said that these players are like four leadoff hitters: all are fast and hit for average but not power. During the 2006 season, all four hit between .290 (Punto) and .312 (Tyner), but hit a combined six home runs.[1]
The term "piranhas" was coined during the 2006 season by Chicago White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen. Quoth Guillen: "All those piranhas -- blooper here, blooper here, beat out a ground ball, hit a home run, they're up by four. They get up by four with that bullpen? See you at the national anthem tomorrow. When I sit down and look at the lineup, give me the New York Yankees. Give me those guys because they've got holes. You can pitch around them, you can pitch to them. These little guys? Castillo and all of them? People worry about the catcher, what's his name, Mauer? Fine, yeah, a good hitter, but worry about the little [guys], they're on base all the time."[2]
