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About this blog

Catch up on all things Minnesota Twins from an insider's perspective without the added slant.

Entries in this blog

Missing Playoffs Provides A Simple Blueprint

In any given year, there's some sort of an expectation as to how things should go before it gets off the ground. Despite coming off a franchise worst 103 losses in 2016, the 2017 Minnesota Twins were representative of a better team. They weren't expected to make the playoffs, but competing on a nightly basis was a fair ask. As the season wears on, your conclusion is often presented months in advance. At some point, it's wise to adjust how you finish.   With the trade deadline in the rear view mi
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Misplaced Concern Doesn't Highlight True Issues

Yesterday, the Minnesota Twins completed their second game of the 2015 Major League Baseball season. While they are now 0-2, after 1/81 of the season, it appears as if a large contingent of the fan base is already waving the white flag. Considering the stretch that is the Major League Baseball season, two games is representative of a very small sample size. In football, it may equate to one drive, or basketball, a possession. With that notion, joining the knuckle-dragging contingent suggesting d
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

7
Minnesota Twins

Minors Causing Major Issues for the Twins

Remember when a global pandemic killed off an entire Minor League Baseball season? That was unfortunate, and it’s been great to have an affiliated season back in full swing, but the Twins have taken their lumps injury wise on the farm too. I have consistently been of the mindset that this Twins team is an outlier when it comes to performance. There’s too much talent on this team for them to be as bad as they’ve been. With that reality, expecting a resurgent turnaround in 2022 is hardly far-

Minnie and Paul Changing for Twins?

Today WCCO posted a story regarding the Minnesota Twins longstanding logo of Minnie and Paul shaking hands. The depiction is of two individuals representing Minneapolis and St. Paul coming together over what would be the Mississippi River. In the ongoing effort to advance diversity and inclusion however, the imagery is now be called for questioning.   While not a Twins employee, Dr. Charles Crutchfield acts as the Twins consulting dermatologist. He offers that the pair need a fresh look that, “h
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

14

Minnesota’s Mysterious Fifth Starter

Recently the Minnesota Twins signed veteran starting pitcher J.A. Happ to bolster their rotation. He’d slot in as the 4th starter with where things stand currently, and Randy Dobnak would be the clubhouse favorite to round out the group. It remains to be seen whether or not another move is coming, but there’s a dark horse to eat someone’s lunch.   At the risk of sounding too punny, maybe he’s a dark kangaroo. Lewis Thorpe recently turned 25-years-old and is a former top-100 prospect. He couldn’t
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Minnesota’s First Half MVP

As the door closes on the first half of the 2019 Major League Baseball season the Minnesota Twins sit in sole possession of first place in the AL Central Division. They have a 5.5 game lead over the favorited Cleveland Indians and find themselves with Postseason odds north of 96%. This drastic turnaround is because of the work both Rocco Baldelli and the front office has put in, but one player on the field has made an incredible impact as well.   After being cast aside by plenty of Twins fans du
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

7

Minnesota's Offseason Report Card

At this point, January is essentially in the books and February brings the realization that spring training is just around the corner. Pitchers and catchers will begin to report, and meaningful baseball will soon be here. After competing at a higher level than expected in 2015, the Twins have heightened expectations for the season ahead. The question is, how did they position themselves to compete this offseason.   Going into the winter, the most notable area of need for the Twins was in the bul
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Minnesota's Next Free Agent Arm?

After the 2015 Major League Baseball season that the Minnesota Twins just experienced, expectations for the upcoming 2016 year are at an all time high. Having not made the playoffs since the 2010 season, this offseason is pivotal. Terry Ryan and the Twins brain-trust will be expected to make some key moves to push the Twins over the top. Once again, could it be another free agent pitcher that highlights the winter?   Each of the past few seasons, the Twins have made a splash. First it was Ricky
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Minnesota's Most Intriguing Prospect

When you have arguably Major League Baseball's best farm system, your bound to have an abundance of exciting young prospects. The Twins saw one of the best rookie classes in recent history embark upon Target Field during 2015, and there's still some big names yet to come. While Jose Berrios, Max Kepler, and Alex Meyer could all get significant time in 2016, there's another name that carries a whole level of mystery all his own. Enter Adam Brett Walker.   Walker's name is one that has started to
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

9

Minnesota Twins First Half In Review

Coming off a season in which the Minnesota Twins posted a record amount of losses, conventional wisdom would've told you to be down on this 2017 squad. However, a year prior in 2015, virtually the same group compiled an 83-79 mark. At the All Star Break this season, Paul Molitor's club looks more the group of two years ago as opposed to the one from last year. There's been good, bad, and ugly, but what do we make of it all?   First and foremost, the Twins were tabbed with an over/under of 74.5 w
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Minnesota Pushing for a Pen Advantage

Remember when the Minnesota Twins had a terrible bullpen and it was one of the worst in baseball? That’s how the 2019 Major League Baseball started, and aside from Taylor Rogers, Rocco Baldelli was chucking darts when turning to his relievers. At the trade deadline the Twins were supposed to upgrade their staff, and while they got one burned on one deal, they did accomplish that through another. More than anything though, Minnesota has benefitted from internal talent rising to the top. Against b
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Minnesota Punting On Half The Diamond?

In the 2000 film, Remember the Titans, two teammates are depicted proclaiming "Left side!, Strong Side!" In doing so, they're referring to the strength of their team (or more accurately, the offensive side of the ball). On defense in 2017, the Minnesota Twins may not find themselves proclaiming that the left side of the diamond is anything close to strong. The question is, how much of a problem is it.   Thinking about the way in which the Twins will likely set up their Opening Day lineup (I took
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Minnesota Needs To Stop Compounding Mistakes

he slog through the 2016 Major League Baseball season has continued for the Minnesota Twins. After yet another loss, the club sits at 10-27, while being more than 13 games back in the AL Central division. Paul Molitor's club looks as lost as he does at times, and there's plenty of blame to go around. At this point, what the Twins need to do is stop compounding their own mistakes.   Recently hired by Baseball Prospectus, Aaron Gleeman penned a piece that I have to imagine has been a long time com
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Minnesota Making Room On The Mound

As spring training looms, Paul Molitor and the Minnesota Twins will soon have to make some tough decisions. While the 25 man roster as a whole must be settled upon, the Twins will need to decide how they'll round out the rotation. It's obvious another Jose Berrios or Ervin Santana type impact arm is needed, but on the back end, the group has plenty of suitors. For two players though, the future is all but certain.   First, there's 31 year-old Phil Hughes. Still owed $26.4 million through 2019, t
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

7

Minnesota Makes Much Of Nothing

When Derek Falvey and Thad Levine consummated trades with both the Seattle Mariners and Los Angeles Angels, they made much of absolutely nothing. Sending $1 million worth of International Bonus Pool space to both teams, the Twins got two legitimate prospects in return. Knowing that Bonus Pool is really not cash at all, makes the move even more shrewd.   Going into the offseason, the Twins had the third largest International Bonus pool to offer Shohei Ohtani or any other international free agent
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Minnesota Becoming Spoiled in the Fifth?

Michael Pineda made a start for the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday night in California against the Los Angeles Angels. He gave up a home run to Mike Trout during the second at bat of the game, the opposition was leading 3-0 entering the 3rd inning. That was your que to go and do a quick Twitter search, and it wouldn’t have been pretty. The reality is we’re seeing a shift in expectations.   Entering play on May 22 the Twins pitching staff owned the 7th best fWAR in baseball. The 3.68 ERA of Minnesota
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Minnesota and the Arms Race

Over the past few seasons, it's been fun to watch the emergence of a few arms for the Minnesota Twins. While starting pitching is obviously the premium you'd like to corner, talent in the relief corps is where some unusual suspects have emerged. From Ryan Pressly to Trevor Hildenberger, the 2018 culprit is a guy that already showed some promise a season ago.   Lefty Taylor Rogers has become a mainstay in the Twins bullpen, and after a 3.07 ERA across 55.2 IP during 2017, that was a realistic exp
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

10

Mike Trout Winning Off the Diamond

During this global pandemic one thing that has seen a massive boost in the sports world is collectibles, or trading cards, affectionately categorized as The Hobby. With something for everyone, and fans of every sport, your bound to find a way to pique your interest. In the modern baseball world, the Angels outfielder is king, and Mike Trout did it again over the weekend. As the unquestioned best player in the game today, Trout holds a special place at the top of the modern baseball card collecti
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Miguel Sano Could Really Make This Work

Through their first 41 games, Miguel Sano has been nothing short of a monster for the Minnesota Twins. He's been every bit the offensive stalwart he was expected to be, and he's taken it to a whole new level. Right now, he's been the most impressive player on the club, and in terms of WAR, Fangraphs quantifies him as the best player in baseball not named Mike Trout. The question is, how much of it is a mirage?   There's a couple of different scenarios at play with it comes to Sano. He's easily d
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Miguel Sano And His First Hardware

For years, since he was 16 in fact, Miguel Sano has been billed as the next great star for the Minnesota Twins. Having been signed for a then record amount out of the Dominican Republic, the mammoth human being was eventually going to lay waste to major league pitching. Fast forward to 2015 and that time has come. Whether he has played the field enough or not, Sano is ready for his first piece of hardware.   Sano debuted for the Twins on July 2nd. So far, he has played in 50 games, and compiled
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Miguel Making Good in Year 27

Take some time to watch Ballplayer: Pelotero during quarantine. Everyone has plenty of that right now and remembering the mega-prospect a teenage Miguel Sano was should not be lost on anyone. Now today, on his 27th birthday, we get to look back on what’s been accomplished.   Through parts of five Major League seasons Sano has amassed 8.5 career fWAR. He was in the running for a Rookie of the Year award, has made an All-Star Game, and surpassed the 100-career homer plateau. He’s also been asked t
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0
Minnesota Twins

Midseason 2021 Minnesota Twins Top 15 Prospects

It feels good to be able to write about actual minor league baseball action again. After it being shelved in 2020 and the only updates coming from unattended alternate site workouts, real games taking place is a welcomed reality. For Minnesota, there’s been lots of graduations from the farm, and even more shifting. Traditionally this top 15 update has come after the Major League Baseball draft. With the timing of that event being shifted into July, I wanted to keep things consistent. Coinci

Midseason 2020 Minnesota Twins Top 15 Prospects

It’s really weird to be providing a midseason update on Minnesota Twins prospects when not only has a Major League game not been played, but the Minor League season is all but cancelled as well. There hasn’t been anything of substance to look at, although my thoughts on a few players have shifted.   I can’t say that I derived anything of considerable substance from the week I spent watching back fields action down in Fort Myers, but there’s also been a (very brief) Major League Baseball draft th
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

6

Midseason 2019 Minnesota Twins Top 15 Prospects

It’s that time of year again, and with the 2019 Major League Baseball amateur draft in the books we can update the prospect rankings. After picking 13th in the draft this season the Twins took more of a developmental approach with their first-round pick. Going heavy on college players following that selection the system gets much deeper. With early season performances influencing those already into their pro careers this list has some movement to it.   My Top 15 Prospects were last updated in De
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

16

Midseason 2018 Minnesota Twins Top 15 Prospects

With the 2018 Major League Baseball draft in the rearview mirror, the Minnesota Twins have now brought more young talent into the organization. Despite not having the first overall pick this season, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were able to identify a handful of players that could be making an impact at Target Field in years to come. While this class seems catcher and college heavy, there's also a juggle of names already included in the Off The Baggy top 15 prospects.   Before diving into an upd
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

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