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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

Have Hildy, Won’t Travel

Fairly, the Minnesota Twins bullpen has been a lightning rod of discussion in 2019. From talks about what more could be done, to the breakdowns that have cost the club a couple of games, this group will remain under the microscope. With the bright lights on them, internally developed arms have been the anchors at the back of the group. Arguably the most impressive reliever has been Trevor Hildenberger, and that’s a development Twins fans can get behind.   Hildenberger was a 26-year-old pitching
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

5
Minnesota Twins

Has A Twins Team Flopped This Hard?

Back at the end of April I questioned whether or not the Twins were good. This team was expected to compete for the AL Central division, and there were real World Series aspirations. Now, owners of the worst record in baseball, it’s worth contemplating if any Twins team has flopped this badly.   We’re past the point of it being early, and there’s plenty of blame to go around, but much of it lands on the players in the dugout. Sure, Minnesota could go on a run and make it a relevant sum

Handing Out the Hardware: 2018 Edition

As a member of the Internet Baseball Writers Association of America, or IBWAA, each year the group is tasked with voting on end of season awards. Having now been a part of the voting process for the past few years, it's always fun to see where we stand in comparison to the BBWAA. In 2018, there's been so many strong seasons from veterans and rookies alike, this one of the most exciting ballots to fill out in recent memory.   Ballots are due back to the IBWAA by September 30, but I have already f
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Handing Out The Hardware

As the 2017 Major League Baseball season rushes to a conclusion, ballots have gone out for Postseason awards. As a member of the IBWAA, I have the privilege of casting a vote each season. With the awards being a reflection of a full season of work, my ballot has already been cast and is ready to be unveiled.   Throughout the 2017 season, we've seen a handful of exciting performances from veterans and rookies alike. Both on the mound and at the plate, major leaguers across both the American and N
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Handicapping The Twins Rotation

The Minnesota Twins are set to kick of spring training action with their first exhibition against the University of Minnesota on Thursday February 22. Following Stephen Gonsalves' first pitch in that tilt, the club will then play a full month's slate of games before embarking on Target Field. There's some certainties in the rotation, but there's some serious question marks too.   Before digging into some of the more uncertain options, it makes some semblance of sense to start with what we know.
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

8

Hailing From State, Twins Pick Brent Rooker

With their second pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball draft, the Minnesota Twins selected Brent Rooker from Mississippi State. He's one of the most exciting hitters in the country, and he's a guy the Twins targeted in 2016 as well. I had the opportunity to catch up with him, and get a little more insight into the process and his game.   Rooker was absolutely incredible for the Bulldogs this season. He batted a robust .387/.495/.810 along with 30 doubles, three triples, 23 homers, 82 RBI, and
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Gut Punch, Sano Gone

The Minnesota Twins were in the 9th inning of another lackluster offensive performance today against the Detroit Tigers. Despite a wonderful outing from starter Lance Lynn, Minnesota found themselves trailing 3-1 in the final frame. With 2 outs, a runner on, and Miguel Sano on the bench...Jake Cave hit for himself. It was at that moment the Twins had solidified their decision. Miguel Sano needed to go.   Immediately following the game, it was announced that the slugging third basemen would be se
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Grading Paul Molitor's Early Returns

We are now coming up quickly on the halfway point of the 2015 Major League Baseball season, and for the Twins this year, things have been notably different with Paul Molitor at the helm. Ron Gardenhire was given a tough deck of cards to play with the past few years, but Molitor has innovated early, and it's been a welcomed addition to the organization. After being named the next Twins skipper, many suggested that Minnesota was once again going with the easy internal option. Stick to the "Twins W
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Grading Out The 2017 Twins: Starting Pitching

With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well.   In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting p
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

6

Grading Out The 2017 Twins: Relief Pitching

With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well. In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting pit
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Grading Out The 2017 Twins: Offense

With the Minnesota Twins now finished with both the regular and postseason portions of their 2017 Major League Baseball season, it's fair to look back on the year that was. This group matured, and turned around a catastrophic 2016 effort to once again give steam to a young team going places. It was a group effort, but breaking down individual performances is a must as well.   In order to provide some brevity, we'll make this a three part series. Today, grades will be handed out to the starting l
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Gordon Getting It Done For Kernels

After stumbling to a 90 loss season in 2013, the Minnesota Twins found themselves awarded the 5th overall pick in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft. With a couple of different options at their disposal, Terry Ryan and company went with high school shortstop Nick Gordon. With a lineage of great baseball surrounding him, and big league defensive skills showing already, Gordon was going to be a worthwhile project. In 2015 though, he's been the catalyst for what could be a Championship winning Ce
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Gordon Commanding Spotlight Among Twins Prospects

Selected 5th overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft, Nick Gordon was immediately among the organizations best prospects. With a strong family pedigree, and plenty of talent on his own, the expectations were sky high for the high school shortstop. Now, fast forward four seasons, and he's proving himself at Double-A with the Chattanooga Lookouts.   In 2016, Gordon got his first taste of High-A ball. Spending the whole season in Fort Myers, after making a compelling
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

5

Glen, This One Is For You Too

Following his one-out appearance on September 30, Glen Perkins found himself in tears. He came on to throw three pitches in the Minnesota Twins 161st game of the season. Asking Kennys Vargas for the ball as he walked off the diamond, Perkins likely knew the answer to the question Twins Territorians found themselves wondering, "Is this it?" As the club heads to the Wild Card game against the New York Yankees, Perkins isn't on the roster, but this game is as much for him as it is anyone.   Sitting
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Gibson Keeping Hitters Off Balance With Offspeed

Over the course of the 2017 Major League Baseball season, Kyle Gibson has been demoted to Triple-A, and experienced multiple periods of struggle at the big league level. Right now however, in the midst of a playoff race, he's been among the Twins most consistent starters. Diving deeper into the change, it doesn't appear anything more than a minor tweak was made. The results suggest that it may have made all of the difference.   Forever, Gibson has been noted as a ground ball pitcher. Despite own
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

3

Getting Late Early in Relief for Twins

The Minnesota Twins just finished up a four game set with the Los Angeles Angels. By the time Fernando Romero was done with his five innings against Shohei Ohtani, Paul Molitor was tasked with utilizing a bullpen coming off an extra inning affair and quite a bit of recent work. What the Minnesota skipper was also having to deal with, was being a man short from beyond the outfield fence. Phil Hughes was available, but he isn't an option either.   Hughes was jettisoned to the Twins bullpen after f
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

1

Getting Late Early For Glen Perkins

Entering into the 2017 Major League Baseball season, the Minnesota Twins might be very close to having to write off a long term organization staple. Glen Perkins is currently working his way back from shoulder surgery, and if his labrum issues weren't concerning enough, the sum of all parts presents plenty of reason for pause.   After being name an All-Star for the third straight season in 2015, Perkins went on to post a 7.32 ERA across 19.2 innings the rest of the way. He recorded just four sav
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

7

Get To Know Twins General Manager Thad Levine

Last night, LaVelle E. Neal of the Star Tribune reported that the Minnesota Twins next General Manager will be none other than Thad Levine. Levin is currently working with the Texas Rangers under Jon Daniels, and he'll assume the role with the Twins under new Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey.   As the news broke last night, stories started to filter in about who Thad Levine was. Twins Daily's Cody Christie had Levine tabbed as a potential candidate way back in July, before we even knew of Fal
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

4

Generating A 2017 Twins Wish List

The Major League Baseball Postseason is in full swing and we're quickly approaching what could be a very entertaining World Series. Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins season has long been over, and any hopes of the Postseason were dashed nearly from the get go. That all being said, Derek Falvey coming in as President of Baseball Operations provides the organization with plenty of opportunity for change.   When you've lost as much as the Twins have of late, there's plenty of areas that require ta
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Gardy The Great Flipping Sides

It was inevitable right? I mean after all, how long could the 57 year-old Gardenhire sit down in Florida puffing on stogies? Eventually, the former Minnesota Twins manager was going to find a new job, and it would be much to the chagrin of Twins Territory. What might have been unexpected is that said new job would come within the AL Central and have Gardy staring into the Twins dugout from the other side.   That scenario looks very much like it will come to fruition at this point.   It was repor
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

From Minnesota To The Show

When it comes to thinking of baseball talent hotbeds, Minnesota probably isn't high on the list. The state deals with cold weather and snow from the better (or worse) half of the year. Regardless of Twins Territory being a passionate grouping of Major League fans, the high school scene doesn't draw as much national attention. There are the outliers however; the Joe Mauer's, Paul Molitor's, and Logan Shore.   Sure, Shore isn't yet on the level of a Hall of Famer, and another guy with the potentia
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

From Korea With Success: Thames Paves For Park

The Minnesota Twins inked ByungHo Park to a 4 year, $12 million deal prior to the 2016 Major League Baseball season. Park's first year stateside didn't go well, and I believe a lot can be attributed to a nagging wrist injury. In 2017 however, fellow KBO slugger Eric Thames is taking the league by storm, and it's fair to wonder what the difference is.   Thames came up with the Toronto Blue Jays, making his debut in 2011 at the age of 24. He was a 7th round pick out of Pepperdine, and his first tw
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

2

Four Months of Waiting, but Twins Baseball is Here

It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. When I went down to Fort Myers in early March to cover the Twins, I wasn’t supposed to leave under the haze of a global pandemic. My office has been closed for months. Sports have been shelved just as long. The Twins defending the AL Central crown wasn’t intended to take place in just a 60-game sprint. None of this was supposed to happen, but here we are, and we have baseball.   I don’t know if we’ll get through the entire schedule. I think MLB has done a
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

0

Fort Myers Likeliest Star

We just a couple of months away from the Twins kicking off spring training action and even closer to pitchers and catchers reporting to sunny Fort Myers. For the Twins, much of the roster should already be decided, but there's a few cracks for someone to carve out playing time. It's down in Florida that we generally see those storylines play out.   A season ago, it was Eddie Rosario who slugged two homers in 17 spring games that drove the conversation regarding him coming north. In 2014, Aaron H
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

9

For Twins, Future May Mirror Cubs

The Twins Way, it's a moniker that has been thrown around Twins Territory for years. Often synonymous with feelings of angst, disgust, or displeasure, the Twins Way is more mocked than it is celebrated. Whether it exists or not, the Twins Way may be more in line with the current trajectory of another franchise than it is given credit for. That other franchise won 97 games in 2015, and plays in the National League Wild Card game this season.   That other franchise, the Chicago Cubs.   Back in the
Ted Schwerzler

Ted Schwerzler

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