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It all goes back to Sano/Buxton not doing much this year. Polanco missing a half season. Santana and Castro being hurt 90% of the year. Etc. I definitely think that the Falvey/Levine combination will be just fine. They just need more time. They've done a lot of good things. But this was an interesting line to me: This is the feeling from people in and outside the organization. I've talked to many players still in the organization and some now outside of the organization. I've been told by several that they feel like "just a number." A lot of guys signed or drafted before the new regime feel like their time may be short... Terry Ryan was very present. It was important to him that the players knew he was around, and they knew he could be communicated with, etc. He spent a lot of time at the affiliates. It's a completely different culture. Even if some of the names are the same. There have been a lot of guys let go (front office types, scouts, etc.). Some have remained but the culture is completely different. It's all business.. and that doesn't have to be a bad thing.

I don't see the angst over the trading deadline "sale". We weren't going anywhere, and as we may have noticed there is nothing in Rochester that indicates we are going anywhere next year either. Any talent, if it exists is south of there. There are things that can't be controlled. Injuries, sadly suspensions, and unexpected slumps. These happen to everyone. The issue is what do you do when they happen, and the season is lost. In some aspects they did fine, get what you could for expiring contracted players. But after that you need to use the time to find out what you have, and what you don't. Polanco to me is an example of how not to do this. Once Dozier was gone it was time to move Polanco to second base and let anyone, even Giminez, , play SS. You already know Polanco can't, so you have to find out if he can play second. Garver is another example. WAY to many wasted innings with Wilson and Giminez. These things seem obvious, at least to me. What isn't obvious is who is responsible? Molitor? Or the FO? Something just seems amiss in the coordination of the roster, and the on field playing time. One last thing. Teaching "launch angle" style hitting to players who don't have the natural power to hit the ball consistently into the seats is senseless. I would guarantee it ruins as many hitters as it improves. I think Kepler may be a good example.

In fairness, that article about Pressley doesn't suggest the Astros fixed Pressly. Alston is specifically credited for getting him to use it and pushing him to keep using it. Frankly, I think most of these issues still stem from the state the franchise was in when these guys took over. Two years is not a lot of time. Luhnow didn't rebuild in two years either.

I'm not sure it's fair to compare the Twins to the Athletics and the Rays based on this year. Over the last three years, the A's averaged 70 wins and the Rays 76. Things happened to pop for the Rays and A's this year and they happened to pop for the Twins last year. Especially in a year where the Twins had so many issues with injuries and effectiveness that Oakland seems like it's gotten it easy (and they haven't). We need a broader perspective than this year. And that pertains to a lot of the grousing about the Twins. We get it, this year went poorly. But overall this organization has an excellent farm system featuring some exciting players approaching or in the high minors, a solid MLB core, and payroll flexibility to augment weak areas. This glass is 3/4 full people.

They also created a bunch of new positions as well. Orgs don't turnover well when they fire everyone, and I'd argue that there was plenty of good talent in the org, it just wasn't used well. I think a radical shakeup is accurate. I wouldn't be surprised if there's more shaking up this offseason either. Like it or not, transforming a culture doesn't happen overnight.

The organization doesn't care about the players? The organization under the new regime looked at what happened last year and, in the off-season, rewarded the team by going out and spending money on free agent acquisitions, which, from I read, was greeted with enthusiasm by the clubhouse. Something the FO has been loathe to do in the past. Yet, the players brought in by Ryan didn't respond and step up. Also, key players, players that were brought in by the previous FO, have struggled at the MLB level. Sorry, this whole, "the organization doesn't care about the players" crap is another way to avoid the obvious: The players on the field aren't getting the job done.

There is so much in this that is reflexively negative. 1.) The 40 man roster is bad now because the Twins sold at the deadline. It’s supposed to be bad after that. You try random guys, you bring in mid-season free agents. Judge the Twins 40 man by the beginning of the year (talented!) or the beginning of next year (TBD but talented and augmented!) 2.) Worst in your lifetime? Are you two years old? Because the Twins teams of the early 2010s were undeniably worse, top to bottom. The 2016 team lost 103 games with Robbie Grossman as their second best hitter. The starting pitchers had a 5.39 ERA. If you think this year’s team is worse, you’re suffering from delusions. Unless you have some actual evidence to back up the absurd claims? 3.) I think people overestimate the ability to sign long-term contracts for young players. Yes Evan Longoria signed a deal but that doesn’t happen every day. Most of the Twins better young players have already signed decent contracts when they were drafted/signed. They have a nest egg and have every incentive to wait for free agency. There’s also value in waiting – this year’s Buxton season would be way more disappointing if you were paying him $8-10 million. Same with Sano. I’m for signing long-term deals with guys but I’m not naïve enough to think it’s easy to do or to blindly criticize a process about which I have no information. 4.) Do you really think that the front office isn’t involved in lineup construction? Molitor makes the decisions but I’m positive that they are weighing in and having a dialogue. You’re trying to create a fire where there is none. Stop it. 5.) I predict that you will never have to answer for the absurdity of that Orioles prediction. I’m going to try to remember it for next year but will almost certainly forget. I wish I could bet large sums of money with you on this (and am willing to). The Twins are a team that was in the playoffs last year, had a down year but still a lot of great pieces, and have a top 5-10 farm system with top-end talent to augment the current core. The Orioles are a historically bad team that sold off its top-end talent, has terrible contracts to veterans, and has a bottom ten system that lacks any high-end talent. They will almost certainly be a bottom-feeding team next year. 6.) You think the Twins have no hope for 2019? Are you crazy? I’m not saying they’re going to be favorites but let’s take the negativity down a notch or nine. The Twins have a good core of young pitching, solid upside pieces at six different positions (RF, LF, CF, 3B, SS, C), the payroll to address areas of concern (pitching, DH, 2B, maybe 1B), and are still in a terrible division (KC will be worse, Detroit is bottoming out, Chicago is still a few years away). There is every reason to have hope for next year, even before offseason moves. C’mon. You’re being negative just to be negative. This isn’t Sportscenter, we don’t need hot takes. We need reasoned discussion. Work in some figures or evidence or analysis to support your rantings. Otherwise it’s really hard to take you seriously.

1. You don't know Buxton was going to hit below .200. Historically, September is the best statistical hitting month over his career. 2. This story isn't going away because nothing has been resolved yet. 3. Buxton getting called up wouldn't do anything for the short term future of this team, agreed. However, the FO chose to piss off one of their foundational players for the organization's short term benefit. Imagine you at your own job. Working through injury, being a team player. You're 13 days away from getting a raise and other benefits. Instead your boss says we don't need you anymore this year. No one would take that well.

The human aspect of the job seems to be the thing Falvey and Levine struggle with the most. Minimal to no communication with key organization players past and present. Ignore your personal feelings about these players... They did not speak to Dozier about an extension or his future with the team. They did not speak to Mauer about his opinion of getting traded or not. They did not speak to Buxton about their decision to send him home for the season. Most decisions they've made so far is for the benefit of the organization, and Pohlad's wallet. It's not like they've done anything beyond the rules set in place. However, they don't sound like people I would personally want to report into. I want to feel like a real person, not an ant in an ant farm.

Congrats to the Miracle Men! Well done all around! It looks like this is where the future is brewing, and things are cooking-- A big tip of the cap to Seth- It's a lot of work and bother to go through every day and sift through the box scores and such to bring us such a great load of info. Especially in this lost season, I know I'm not the only one who looked forward to the minor league updates regularly, for some glimmers of hope. So thanks to the Miracle, E-town, and the Kernels who played playoff-caliber baseball, and to all the players and coaches who toil in the fields in pursuit of a dream. Good luck, one and all.

Count me among those that believe they haven't done all that much wrong. The problems leading to this year's failure are the result of bad luck, lack of performance by several critical parts of this team, a bad decision by their shortstop and a failure by most of the free agent signings who all looked good on paper. I hope they don't make too many radical moves this coming off-season. Rather, they should focus on signing a few of their in house youngsters, Berrios, Rosario and Gibson...well, Gibson isn't young anymore. Then sink or swim next year to some extent based on whether or not the two super prospects, Buxton and Sano, perform. If not, going into 2020 write them out of the plan and move on. They also need a second baseman. Go get Eduardo back should take care of that. As for the on field staff, agree that there seems to be something missing and a change might make sense.

Are you older than 7? Because those early 2010s teams were pretty awful too. Or was there a valuable core there as well that I'm forgetting? I also think you're forgetting the mid to late 90s. The Twins had nothing like Buxton/Sano/Kepler/Rosario/Polanco/Garver/Berrios/Romero/Gonsalves/Buesnitz back then. Escobar 2018 >>> Escobar 2016. Rosario 2018 >>>> Rosario 2016. Kepler 2018 has the same stats as 2016 Kepler and is still 25 - the upside is still there. You're right that Buxton/Sano have regressed but neither is by any means done. Dozier is gone. I'd agree that 2018 position players are not as exciting as 2016 but that's mostly because the unknown is exciting and has a higher ceiling. And the pitching is where it's totally different. 2016 Santana was good but the rest of the staff was Hot Garbage Gibson, Duffey 2.0, Hughes, Tommy Milone, Ricky Nolasco. The Twins of 2018 have so much more upside: Great Gibson, Berrios, Romero, Gonsalves, even Odorizzi. And that's not even getting into the pen. The 2018 Twins pen is up-and-down but there's more upside now than there was in 2016 - go look at those names and get excited. I'd take the 2018 Twins situation over the 2016 Twins situation in a heart-beat. Pitching is way harder to find than a few patches in the lineup.

Did you say the same things last year when the Twins were on their way to the playoffs? Were you complaining about them being numbers? I love how 90% of the board has swallowed "The Front Office Sees Players As Numbers" hook line and sinker with no evidence. Like we never even validated that claim. Being analytical is not the same thing as being inhuman. I'm pretty sure that Flavine are just as human as TR, who also made hard decisions like trading AJ and Dougie when the time was right. A hint: when you sound like a gasbag retired player complaining about how these kids don't know how to play like you did in the old days, it's perhaps time to dial it back a notch.

We all understand this viewpoint but many of us disagree. Buxton gets better by playing baseball, preferably with the Twins, not by sitting at home playing with his XBox while the Twins play on without him. The Twins could have used this time to work on Buxton's skills AND work on fostering the relationship. Even sitting on the bench is better than sitting at home.

The Lynn and Odorizzi contracts aren't anathema to a rebuilding effort - they really blocked no one, especially with Santana being injured and the young starters being predictably up and down. Those were short term moves to keep the team competitive. And I don't think it's a rebuild and I'd be surprised if you could find the FO saying it is. This has been a retool and rightfully so. The Twins have the pieces to be competitive - it just didn't work out this year. They should be working for short term veteran moves that give the team a chance now while preserving resources for an upswing in the next few years.

They are not playing the young players..... Gimenez, Field, Grossman, Belisle.... Are not young. If they were playing the young players more, that would be good.

I wouldn't like that kind of employer either, and I loved the comfortable and history embracing atmosphere the team created through most of the early part of this centrury. But I'm tired of this club being soft and rolling over every time an Alpha team comes along, and I have a hard time not seeing a corolation. A lot of players probably wouldn't like that atmosphere, but really, I don't want those players either. I want the ones that are also cutthroat and will always put winning ahead of comfort. My previous affinity for the constant deferring to the team's history and family-first atmosphre always stemmed from the old World Series teams. Once they get there again I'll soften up and embrace that stuff again. But it's just been too long; time for business, not hugs.

I haven't seen it confirmed anywhere that the FO chose not to call up Buxton without conferring with him. Am I missing something? Everyone in there Buxton-ness is assuming the player has been wronged significantly. So much so that I've seen articles on TD promoting/advising Buxton's agents to file a grievance with the Players Association. Based solely on speculation? When this website starts favoring (continuously over 2+ weeks) a player, an under-performing one at that, to a point of calling for the team to be hurt for some perceived and unconfirmed wrong, then I as a reader start getting frustrated and confused.

I think there are two main issues, one old school, one new school. As far as analytics go, I don't think this team is practicing what they preach. I just can't see any possible scenario where an in-depth dive supports giving players with no upside like Matt Belisle, Robbie Grossman, Johnny Field, Jake Odorizzi and so many of these other replacement level players so many looks. Maybe that weighs into Nick's last point, things are still coalescing, or maybe it speaks to the second to last point that there's a disconnect. My other main issue is the absolute lack of energy and enthusiasm. I know it sounds like a cheap shot and it is in no way measurable, but I'm putting that on Molitor. I don't believe the stereotypical stoic and emotionless Minnesota demeanor is appropriate for managing a baseball team in this centruy I wouldn't be excited about coming to work if my boss looks like he just put his dog down every day.

Buxton was not about a short term benefit. There is room to criticize the FO, but their reasoning was the exact opposite of that. Buxton has largely been bad at his job, you should keep that in mind in your analogy too.

The rebuild of Minnesota's front office started in autumn of 2016, with the hirings of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine at the top. It progressively continued after that, with additions and swaps throughout the regime, and nearly two years later the Twins have a very different look. The end goal of this overhaul was clear: Bring in new ideas, fresh thinking, modernized evaluation. The Twins wanted – and needed – to reach the sophisticated level of fellow small/mid-market franchises like Tampa and Oakland, which manage to overcome their inherent restrictions and succeed beyond expectation. Yet here in 2018, with their new baseball operations department settled in, the Twins still find themselves lagging behind. What gives?No one made much of the Rays or Athletics this spring – ostensible rebuilders in extremely tough divisions. As we enter mid-September, though, Oakland is nipping at Houston's heels in the AL West, while Tampa remains relevant in the wild-card standings, 14 games above .500. Meanwhile, the Twins are hopelessly out of contention, potentially headed toward another 90-loss finish. Despite being tailored largely to the new front office's specifications, this team never really mustered a threat in an historically bad division. Highly favorable circumstances and a record payroll couldn't save Minnesota from almost front-to-back irrelevance. Once again, we Twins fans are left to look longingly at the Tampas and Oaklands of the world, and wonder why their success continues to elude us. It's not like those teams have been without setbacks. The Rays lost top prospect Brent Honeywell, verging on MLB-readiness, to Tommy John surgery in spring training. Jose De Leon, too. The A's rotation has gone through the wringer this year – they're rattling off wins these days behind a patchwork group that includes a resurrected Edwin Jackson. These scrappy, savvily constructed teams are simply rolling with the punches, getting it done, hitting all the notes Minnesota seems to miss. The Twins are trying their best to imitate some of the rising trends being championed by these innovative franchises. We've seen them follow in Tampa's footstops with the "Opener" strategy a few times, albeit with dismal results. A noted pitching guru, Falvey has implemented new methods and helped lift Minnesota's strikeout proficiency from the deepest dregs, but the overall results have been customarily mediocre. Like the A's, we've seen the Twins eagerly embrace the launch angle revolution – they hit the second-highest fly ball percentage of any team in baseball behind Oakland – but like its pitching staff, Minnesota's offense has been lackluster, paling in comparison to the contending units they are supposed to be challenging. The inferiority of this club was thoroughly evident last week when they were dismantled by the Astros. The same has been true frequently when Minnesota has faced off against top-tier teams. Diagnosing the Problem In general, I think it's tough to knock the strategies deployed by Falvey and Levine since taking over the Twins. They've been opportunistic with player acquisition, making a number of smart future-focused additions, and they've undeniably killed it with both their first two drafts. The new top execs have also populated the ranks of Minnesota's front office with plenty of sharp, respected pros. But something isn't clicking. Why does Ryan Pressly only fully unleash his curveball and reach his potential upon departing Minnesota for Houston? Why do Twins pitchers and hitters continue to struggle with adjustments, experiencing endemic regressions? Why are this team's weaknesses being exploited so much more often than the reverse? There are several theories. One is that the shift to an analytical focus has been too extreme. Terry Ryan was the ultimate people person, and that has underlying value. Falvey and Levine are friendly and engaging guys, to be sure, but their style of management could only be described as cold and calculated. They shuttle players in and out from the minors with total abandon. They took Kyle Gibson to arbitration – a step the Twins haven't taken with a player in more than a decade – in their first full offseason at the helm, almost as if to make a statement. And most strikingly, they left Byron Buxton off the September roster, in a move transparently motivated by service time preservation. These intangible, relationship-based factors are almost impossible to analyze, but it's foolish to ignore them. The 2018 Twins felt in many ways like a mercenary gang – heavy on one-year contracts, light on long-term commitments – and the Buxton decision seems to epitomize this "all business" mindset. The human element does matter. TR's teams in the early 2000s were consistently greater than the sum of their parts. This year's club never seemed to gel. Maybe there's a disconnect somewhere. As much as Falvey talks about fostering a collaborative culture, he has radically shaken up a firmly entrenched organizational structure. He is also channeling his agenda into the clubhouse through a manager he inherited, and whose merits have hardly been proven on the field. All the data and analytics and research in the world don't matter if they aren't fully absorbed and applied. I thought this tweet from Parker last week framed it pretty well: This all brings us to what is in my mind the most likely, and least concerning, scenario: it's all still coalescing. October 3rd will mark the two-year anniversary of Falvey's hiring. And his ranks as a lengthy tenure in a franchise that's seen unprecedented churn. I believe in him, and Levine, and what they're building. I do believe that the first two problem areas discussed here – misalignments at both the human and organizational levels – have substance, and need improvement. But I also think both are natural byproducts of the circumstances before us: a cerebral 35-year-old thrust to the top of a major-league baseball franchise for the first time, with a second-year GM still acclimating to the head role. Some might disagree, and I'd be curious to hear your thoughts in the comments, but from my view, the front office shortcomings of 2018 can be chalked up mostly to growing pains. As we head into Year 3, it's time to regroup, look inward, and get these issues ironed out. A critical offseason lies ahead. Click here to view the article

Aside from the big league club, the Ft. Myers Miracle are the final Twins affiliate whose season continues. And on Monday night, the Miracle season ended with a Florida State League championship! They join the Elizabethton Twins as the two Twins affiliates to win a championship in 2018!Congratulations to the Florida State League champion Ft. Myers Miracle! MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 8, Daytona 5 Box Score The Miracle begin their Florida State League playoff series on Tuesday night. What a performance by right-hander Edwar Colina! Promoted to the Miracle for one regular season start, Colina has done well with the Miracle and he came up huge for them on Monday night. The right-hander gave up three second inning runs, but it came with the help of two errors which made all three runs unearned. He kept pitching and worked a total of 6 2/3 innings. He gave up just the three unearned runs on two hits. He walked four and struck out six. Having fallen behind 3-0 after two innings, the Miracle responded very well right away in the top of the third. Jose Miranda and Travis Blankenhorn each singled in a run to cut the deficit to 3-2. With two outs, Ryan Costello drilled a three-run homer to push the lead to 5-3. Alex Kirilloff led off the fifth inning with a double. After a walk, Travis Blankenhorn advanced the runners with a bunt. He was also safe at first on an error. Caleb Hamilton grounded out to score a run. With two outs, Shane Carrier knocked in two runs with a single to give the Miracle an 8-3 lead. Adam Phillips came on and got the final out of the seventh inning. He came back out for the eighth frame. With one out, he gave up a single. It was followed by a two-run homer off the bat of Ibandel Isabel. He led the Florida State League with 35 home runs during the regular season. After a walk, a hard-hit grounder hit the mound and bounced right to Travis Blankenhorn who completed a double play to end the inning and end the threat. Hector Lujan came on for the ninth inning. After a fly out, he gave up a single. However, for the second straight inning, a ground ball to Travis Blankenhorn resulted in an inning-ending double play, which was also a game-ending and championship-winning double play! Congratulations to the Ft. Myers Miracle! STARS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Hitter of the Day: Ryan Costello, Ft. Myers Miracle (2-4, HR, 3 RBI). Twins Daily Pitcher of the Day: Edwar Colina, Ft. Myers Miracle (6.2 IP, 2 H, 3 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 6 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Midseason Top 20 Twins Prospects performed. #1 - Royce Lewis (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, R #2 - Alex Kirilloff (Ft. Myers) - 1-5, 2B, R #3 - Brusdar Graterol (Ft. Myers) - Did not pitch #13 - Travis Blankenhorn (Ft. Myers) - 1-3, 2 R, RBI, SH #15 - Ben Rortvedt (Ft. Myers) - Did not play #21 - Jose Miranda (Ft. Myers) - 1-4, BB, 2 R, RBI TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS No more Games Scheduled (until the Arizona Fall League. Please feel free to ask any questions about Monday’s game, or ask any questions you may have. Click here to view the article

Honestly, I want a Terminator in the front office. This organization has for so long put emotions ahead of sound baseball decision. I'm not saying our current Terminator is making sound baseball decisions, but I wouldn't have approached Dozier about an extension just because he was asking for one, I'd only do it if I actually wanted him back. Decisions on Mauer and Buxton should be based on what's best for the team, not the individual players (not saying they got it right, just that I don't want the players dictating the decisions). All this century we've been doing the "we are family" "aw-shucks" "let's just go out there and have fun" underdog bit. I've had enough. Maybe I'm a monster, but I want to win and at any costs. I don't think that starts with making concessions to players who aren't pulling their weight or aren't in the team's future. Let the field manager handle the human emotions, the motivation and the pep talks, that's supposed to be his job anyway. I want the guys actually running the show to make the best baseball decisions, even if it seems cutthroat.

All grousing and hind sight aside, when you look at the surprise that is the Oakland A's and the disappointment that is the Twins, it just goes to show how many things have to go right in order for a team to contend. Conversely, when a perfect storm of injuries and lack of production come along, it's very difficult for a team to overcome.

The negativity down the stretch is crazy. People wanted to play the young 'uns but are surprised when they aren't all-stars and when the Twins lose as a result. Not saying that Gonsalves will be the next Romero or that Astudillo is the next Al Newman but you're getting what you wanted and there is that chance. If it doesn't taste good, you shouldn't have ordered it.

wow is all I can say. I would love to know the average age of the posters to this thread. The Minnesota Twins I grew up with and the most recent successful teams(pre 2011) never resembled this mess AT ALL. Some of you would try to argue with me and say we couldn't beat the Red Sox, or the Yankees or the Astros this year anyway. These people support tanking a season with 60+ games to go. I assure you that those that concur with that decision are not season ticket holders. That being said, I remember 1987, everyone picked us to be swept out of the playoffs by the mighty Motor City Kittys. Our Twins had the 4th best record in the AMERICAN LEAGUE!! I would give my fortune to see you eat the crow if that would have happened last year. As a baseball fan you have to realize it takes a fair amount of good luck to win a title. If you dont believe me ask 1990's Brave Fan. All I ever wanted is for the Twins to be in it in September, and if they are, I know anything can happen. The Twin's Way taught me that. I wish i knew where that was now. Id rather make the playoffs and lose 10 years in a row than put up with this abomination even one more time. We didn't ask for this. When Andy McPhail was hired he inherited an interim manager and he himself was not even prepared to be offered the position of General Manager of the Minnesota Twins. At that time a decision was made to bring Ralph Houk in as a sort of overseer or consultant to both Andy and the rookie field manager, a guy named Tom Kelly. Do any of you remember him? I wonder if he is available to help us fix this mess. Before none of us even care anymore.

I'm going to toss this out there: What the FO does with the 40 man this off-season should tell us a lot. If it's cleaned up and players let go that have no business being on the 40 man, then good. Otherwise, yeah.

I can tell you one place where they're getting it wrong: take a look at the current 40 man roster, two years into their tenure. Arguably worse than at any point in my lifetime. And none of what young talent they do have has been signed to a long term contract. Not one single player. Maybe they've made improvements behind the scenes, but you'll have a hard time convincing me it's made any positive difference to date. And maybe they have a strong lower minor league system. We've had that in the recent past, too. And as Twins fans, nobody should have to tell us a strong lower minor league system isn't a guarantee of anything. It's only been two years, I get that. And they weren't handed a healthy organization. But it's reasonable to conclude the organization is in worse shape now than when they took over.

Seth, some of this might be true, but all business is not an end all in the baseball business. Players must know you care for their welfare and are interested in bringing out their best. If their best is not good enough, most of them will understand they tried and did not succeed. If you make it all business, you risk the players that do succeed being alienated from the club and if they feel like a number, they will leave as soon as they can. Example, if you play for Oakland or Tampa Bay, you most likely will be traded before you hit FA, therefore your loyalty to these clubs is likely to be less then to a successful club that your are a part of. Just do not want the Twins to become like a farm club, where most of your better players decide long before FA that they do not want to be part of the long term future of your club. It worries me along with other posters, that many of the Twins players traded or released the last couple of years (or left in minor league FA), have become much better players with their new clubs. That seldom happened in the Terry Ryan era We already have seen this with Pressly and Derek Rodriquez, two pitchers who should have been part of the Twins future.

I keep wondering if we just simply experienced a confluence of factors that contributed to the malaise, and that fewer things were "done" wrong and more things just "went" wrong. I see some things that need to "coalesce". I see a couple more things that need fixing, starting with a replacement of Molitor. Many of the talent evaluators are holdovers, and that's good, as evidenced by a number of successful drafts, trades, international signings, etc. I don't see that this skill is a weakness, and it might be a strength, especially now that the human talent has been augmented by technology, systems, and analytical support. The organization really beefed up its baseball operations big time. We might want to give it another year to start reaping dividends. I'll continue to contend that the FO should not be on the hook for the colossal failings of Sano and Buxton, which I attribute mostly to just plain unforeseeable bad luck. And it's those two huge disappointments that dwarf any other contributing factors to the horrendous results we're seeing in 2018. There may be some personnel improvements that can still be made in the development ranks and in the field staff of affiliates, but I see coaching leadership at Target Field as a very likely culprit. So, MLB leadership, luck, and more time to gel, in that order, IMO.

Probably time for a new younger manager. I'm not sure Mollie is a bad manager but I don't think he's a good one. His results have been bad and /or just barely mediocre. When your best is mediocre it's time for a change.

Frankly, Ryan made a lot of changes when he came back in 2012 - nearly all minor league coaches are from 2012 or later. Brad Steil came in to run the minors and we saw him be much more aggressive in mid-season promotions. I tend to think the problem isn't really on the minor league coaches/development people. Something isn't clicking on the ML side of this. I still think Molitor is the biggest issue. I'm not sure what it is but we've had a couple seasons now where Molitor's team seemed completely unprepared for the season. I'd like to see a different kind of manager with this core of young players. As to the FO, I agree a lot of things that they did on paper makes sense but many haven't worked out as well as they should've. I'm not sure that means they are doing good things but I can at least understand most of their moves - Logan Morrison is a cheap buy, has good LH power, let's get him. Makes sense, didn't work. Reed is a good young arm with some success, let's sign him. Makes sense, he's not good.

It feels like most of these threads have been going in circles, so I don't know whether to post this in the Buxton thread, the grading Molitor thread, or the grading the front office thread. So I'll do it here. I was concerned too with the "no people skills" comment, particularly after reading the response from Seth, who seems to be basing it on real conversations rather than on what we read and speculate on. In grading Molitor, however, I do wonder if "people skills" is one of the positive things he brings to the table, and that's something that is going to be really tough for us as fans to judge. I don't get to see games, only listen on the radio and read the esteemed words of TD posters. But my sense is that Molitor does seem to relate to the players. His excellent pedigree is going to get him off to a good start, but that will wear off soon. As I posted elsewhere, however, he doesn't seem to throw his players under the bus, and in his interviews, he always seem to have their backs as a person, even when he acknowledges their misplays or poor choices. As Exhibit A, I'll use this example from Sunday's game talking about DeJong: “He asked about going back out for the fifth,” Molitor said. “Rightfully so. I had no problem with that. He was in the right frame of mind in terms of him saying he felt great and wanted to keep going. But no, we decided to set it up the way we did and went with it. And [Zack] Littell did a nice job coming in.”As Exhibit B, I'll note that it would have been easy to let the wheels spin off when they were 22-30 and on pace for 69 wins, but he was able to right the ship enough to go 39-36 in the next stretch and get within sniffing distance of .500. Unfortunately, they've gone 4-12 with a trade-depleted September roster playing against a lot of playoff teams since then, so low-to-mid 70s seems like the most-likely ending point. But still, after the lousy start, there were a few of us at least thinking that there was a chance of closing on the Indians. We also complain that Molitor doesn't change, but as Exhibit C, I'll note the change in bunting patterns. Anecdotally, it's seemed like he's bunted less this year, and the stats bear it out. At present, the Twins are on pace for about 19 non-pitcher sacrifice bunts after averaging 27 the last three years. To me, that at least hints at him being told to knock it off by the Analytics Folks and generally following instructions. Those sound like "grading Molitor" comments, but I'm posting them here because so many of the "getting it wrong" comments have focused on Molitor's still being here. Others have focused on a perception of their mishandling the Buxton callup situation. In another thread, I said: I think Levine was a straight shooter with his comments. I paraphrase his message as, "We made a tough decision, and Byron and his agent have their right to be disappointed. We would be disappointed if he didn't want to come up to the majors. We still believe Byron can help us, so we are going to do our part to make it a good relationship going forward." And I applaud them for not trying to force such a conversation right now -- those chats rarely go well when they happen in the heat of the moment.I haven't seen anyone reference this article -- if they have, I apologize for the repetition. But this article seems to suggest that they have been doing due diligence in reaching out to Buxton. http://www.startribune.com/twins-try-to-clear-the-air-with-byron-buxton/492822311/. We haven't heard Buxton's side, but that may be okay. If I'm the Twins in this situation, if the conversation has indeed gone well, my suggestion to Byron would be to say, "Look, we've made good progress in this conversation. Let's agree to keep working at it, and let's agree to keep our conversations to ourselves -- we don't want either of us to get burned by being misinterpreted by the media. When can we talk next?" That's a mature response on the Twins side, and if Byron is on board with that, his "not able to be reached for comment" response is a good one. All that to say that I'm in the "glass five-eighths full" category. After this season, I'm not quite as far as the person above who said it was three-fourths full, but I still think the trajectory is heading in the right direction. This doesn't seem like a front office that's going to make the big splash. Rather, they seem like a group that is going to make lots of moves with the hopes of improving themselves incrementally and winning more than they lose. As Exhibits D and E, how many other teams signed six free agents last winter or traded seven guys since mid-August?

Having that money is progress. You complain that they acquired mediocre players, but that's what you get when you don't have money to spend. They turned those players into an even deeper stash of good young players and freed up a ton of money to go out and try to find better players. My point is that complaining about the 40 man roster at the very end of a sell of season that went terribly wrong is completely missing the big picture. This season went badly. If Dozier, Santana, Buxton, and Sano play the way they were expected to for the first half this article likely is about where things are going right. The Twins were a playoff team with young guys showing they were going to take a step forward to become the superstar core. The front office went out and got pieces to put around that core to compete while also maintaining flexibility. That's their job. Santana and Berrios were supposed to be your 1 and 2 in some order. Lance Lynn is a legit 3/4 guy. Gibson and Odorizzi are legit 4/5 guys. They had young arms in the minors ready to get their shot when any of them faltered or got hurt. And you hope 1 or 2 of those guys takes a step and produces more than expected. Which happened with Gibson. They brought in veteran relievers who throw hard and strike people out like everyone was asking for. They supplemented that with veterans who can eat innings and had young arms waiting for their shot in the minors. They had 2 young supposed stars looking like they were ready to explode. A handful of other youngsters who'd showed potential and that they were ready to be everyday guys. They had a couple old guys who still had a year or 2 of solid play left in the tank and added a power hitting lefty to supplement that. They built around their young core with an eye on contending and everything fell apart. Is it the FO fault that Buxton and Sano both performed like AA guys? Is it their fault that Dozier was terrible the whole first half? Is it their fault Santana never healed? Is it their fault it took Lynn a while to get going? Did they know their young SS was about to get suspended for cheating? Everything fell apart and the FO shifted. They sold off guys who had expiring deals they weren't sure they could resign or didn't want to, just like every other good team does. The players failed. Miserably. So, yeah, the 40 man looks terrible right now. A bunch of those guys are going to be shipped out. This is a lot like small sample size problems. You're picking the end of a lost season in the middle of a roster transition (that was happening to some extent no matter what the W/L record looked like this year) to and saying the sky is falling. This is what 40 man rosters look like when seasons blow up in front of your face. How the FO responds is what matters. If it's the same 40 man to start next season you can be pissed. But don't walk in in the middle of their work and say the finished product is a disaster. Let them get to the final product.

Chief, we don't always agree but I agree with you here. There is a way to do things and some FO guys have a knack. I for one, miss what Andy did for us all those years ago. He saw the whole picture. But the one thing this FO and Molly struggle with is finding guys that fit in to a team chemistry. And knowing how to build chemistry. It doesn't happen by itself. You build team chemistry a number of ways, including silly stuff like Kangaroo Court and dumb ass clubhouse hijinks. Torii with his dance, Mike Red Dawg with naked batting practice. Stuff that makes people laugh, and loosen up. And want to be part of the organization. Players know they are going to make their money somewhere, but they would rather be where they are appreciated, and where they have a chance to win a ring. . Nick wrote a good article. He gave considerable thought to the human element, which I personally have commented on a buncha times. II think the human element is more important than technique, launch angles, metrics, and all of that statistical analysis. TRex didn't care about stats, neither did Kirby or Gags or Rat or Bruno. They just liked playing together. THAT is the human element. THAT is team chemistry.Guys liker Lombo and Randy Bush fit in on championship teams because they were great guys, if only fair players. When we added other good chemistry gamers like Gladden and Groove and Jeff Rearden, well, the rest, as they say is history. We need to find those kind of guys. Guys with heart. Guys who are fun to play with and who care more about the team, and each other, than themselves. Then pay them what they want. Instead we seem to be looking for numbers and stat performers. I think we need to look at guys who fit, so that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But this FO doesn't engender that kind of confidence in players that they care about heart. And I think this organization is turning into a blind alley, where they can be described as a group that knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

I don't doubt Falvey and Levine's credentials, they seem sharp and they've seen what it takes and been involved at successful organizations. My issue is this: if every team uses analytics, what is the advantage of being a team that uses analytics? How does it move you beyond league-average? There has to be something else that puts you over the top. Either a massive surge in talent or a massive improvement in "intangibles".

Alex Phillips signed from Evansville. I chatted a bit with Travis Harrison about him (Travis is with Evansville this year). Said he's 91-94 with a lot of strikes. Good slider and curveball. Attacks the zone.

Agree. I would also add that the FO was lauded for the shrewd moves made to bolster team's chances in 2018. Duke was good. Rodney was good. Odorizzi has been exactly who he's always been. Morrison was terrible. Lynn had a terrible April then was solid. All the FO can do is put pieces together, it's up to coaches to coach and players to play. Even the trades...the only guy who would have been with them next year was Pressly. They stocked the lower minors with prospects they could now either a) develop, or trade for a piece later. This season has surely been frustrating. It's frustrating having to watch Field, Giminez, etc. instead of getting a look at Nick Gordon, Byron Buxton, etc., but I do think this organization is in much better shape than it was two years ago.

Exactly. He lead the team last year in WAR ... and he hit like crap most of that year too. Buxton is valuable even when he isn't hitting, the MOST VALUABLE PLAYER ON THE TEAM. Yes, this is a bizarre concept as it's something no one has ever seen before in baseball. Nonetheless, it's true. If he's healthy, let the kid play. His hitting will only get better if he's playing baseball. For a front office that is supposedly data-driven, they sure seem oblivious to a lot of data.

Yes, the guy that runs them is Jon Daniels, and the reason for their position is that their pitching staff is worse than a dumpster fire, it is a full grown forest fire. That will take far longer to fix, than the Twins patching holes into what is a fair pitching staff. Yes we have underperformed and the staff ERA is going higher as we give tryouts to pitching for next year, but we are in far better shape than Texas.

And most strikingly, they left Byron Buxton off the September roster, in a move transparently motivated by service time preservation. LET! IT! GO! ALREADY! Buxton hitting below.200 for another month and risking injury, as he always does, through September would mean nothing for the team's future.

I don't see how anyone can say things are worse that all those 90 loss seasons. Those were some super high draft picks, if they don't pan out this will just take longer. Houston is where they are because their super high draft picks did pan out. This FO has made moves to improve the farm at every opportunity. I am bothered by some of the 40 man/ rule five stuff and the current marginal talents in the lineup. The angst over Buxton is overblown. Gibby got sent down twice something Ryan's regime wouldn't have done and it worked. That was some tough love. If Buxton is complaining now i hope it is in front of a mirror. Some of these guys need to understand the toughness it takes to be a Correa or Lindor. Talent is great but even the best are supreme grinders.

Congrats to the Miracle, what a year! Thank you Seth, and everyone else for keeping us up to date on another season of minor league ball. It really is appreciated. One question, when is the last time the Twins had two champions in one year? Expect there have been a few years, but I can't recall when. Who is this Alex Phillips, Seth? Checked his bio and appears he signed with the Twins a few weeks ago. Certainly was surprised to see him pitching late in the game last night rather than Moran. Have a great day guys, enjoy your off-season.

Pressly was pretty good for the Twins this year. That's why they got some good prospects by trading him. I was ready to give up on him multiple times over the years, but he is a success story--for both FO regimes. He looks even better when he's pitching for the best team in baseball. Change is hard, and the TR era culture was long-standing and perhaps unique. Perhaps a final house cleaning of veteran players from that era will help transition away from guys pining for the good ol days. I was nodding my head in agreement about the personal touch Falvey seems to lack. But maybe he's just crazy like a fox. I'm starting to think they decided to try and piss Buxton off in order to light a fire in him. I think Buxton is somebody who needs to embrace the Dark Side--he might be better when he's angry. Then again, maybe all they did was give him a worse complex. I hope not. I hope he's at home saying he'll show them they were wrong (and they'll be sorry when he leaves in free agency.)

The problem is the Twins haven’t acted like a rebuilding team. As evidenced by signing guys like Lance Lynn and trading for Odorizzi. Those are moves of a team trying to contend. And further, let’s talk about the continued playing time for Petit, Field, Belisle, Forsythe. If this organizationis trying to rebuild, they are not doing so in a way that any other team has done.

This team didn't have room for Aaron Hicks. What a shame, and how foolish it was and is. 10 walks. Wouldn't it be nice if the farm was even close to ready when the get the opportunities. Call me depressed and disgusted with this team.

The Prospect Summary indicates that Jose Miranda did not play, although he is mentioned in the game summary. He had FM's first RBI, and in the 3 run 5th inning was intentionally walked with no outs after AK's double in order to face Travis Blankenhorn, batting cleanup with an 1.3 OPS at the time. He has had quite a productive last couple weeks.

This is kind of fun!

The FO only inherited Molitor for the 17' season. They signed him to a 3 year extension after that year. Whatever role he plays in this mess can't be viewed as out of the hands of this FO.

Its a Miracle! Congrats on a fantastic finish to the season.