Leaderboard

If you listen closely, you can still hear the chants of "LEEEEWWWW" raining down from the Metrodome seats. Lew Ford left his mark on the Twins franchise in parts of four seasons, and his mark on the baseball world continues to this day. Let's look back at Ford's Twins tenure and what he has done since leaving the Twins. The Boston Red Sox drafted Ford in the 12th round of the 1999 MLB Draft out of Dallas Baptist University. His Red Sox's tenure was short-lived as the Twins traded for Ford in September 2000 for reliever Hector Carrasco. Ford spent the next three seasons in the upper levels of the Twins farm system before debuting in 2003. Minnesota was riding high entering the 2003 season after making it to the ALCS in 2002. Once on the brink of contraction, the Twins needed players like Ford to keep the franchise moving in a positive direction. As a 26-year-old rookie, Ford quickly made his mark on the Twins roster. In 34 games, he hit .329/.402/.575 (.978) with 11 extra-base hits and 15 RBI. Even in limited action, he helped the Twins win the AL Central for the second-consecutive season. Ford's best season in a Twins uniform came in 2004 when he compiled 4.5 WAR as an everyday outfielder. To put that into perspective, no one on the 2022 Twins has accumulated that high of WAR. For the season, Ford hit .299/.381/.446 (.827) with 31 doubles, 15 home runs, and 20 steals. He even showed up in the playoffs by going 3-for-11 with a double, two RBI, and a stolen base. At the season's end, he received down-ballot votes for the AL MVP. Over the next three seasons with the Twins, Ford averaged over 100 games per year, but his offensive numbers started to decline. He got on base over 32% of the time, but his OPS+ dipped to 80, and he looked past his prime. From there, he bounced around from different organizations and even made it back to the big leagues with the Orioles in 2012 as a 35-year-old. However, his natural baseball home was with the Long Island Ducks of the Atlantic League. In August, Ford turned 46 years old and was still wearing a uniform this season. The 2022 season was Ford's 12th season with the Ducks and his eighth in a role as player/coach. In his time with the Ducks, he has been a three-time All-Star (2014, 2016, 2018) and named the Atlantic League's Player of the Year in 2014. As a 41-year-old, he competed in the Atlantic League's Home Run Derby. He leads the Ducks in many career accolades, and he continued to play well for the team this season. During the 2022 season, Ford played 32 games and hit .270/.293/.429 (.722) with five doubles and five home runs. He became the first player in franchise history to record 1,000 hits in a Ducks uniform. He reached the milestone with an RBI single in the Ducks' 8-2 win over the Charleston Dirty Birds on August 28th. Ford also became just the fourth player in Atlantic League history to reach 1,000 hits, joining former Ducks infielders Bryant Nelson and Ray Navarrete as well as former Somerset Patriots infielder Jeff Nettles. Last fall, Ford told MLB.com that his favorite memories with the club have been tied to the team's success. "We have won three championships in this league," Ford said. "We broke the record for wins in 2019 and won the championship. That stands out. The winning stands out. All those championships stand out." Ford's impact on baseball will be felt long after he eventually steps away from the game. For now, he refuses to say goodbye, and chants of "LEEEEWWWW" will continue to follow him each step of the way. What are your memories of Ford? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine took over the Minnesota Twins front office six seasons ago. 2023 will be year seven. In that timeframe the club has been to the postseason three times while winning two AL Central division titles. There’s certainly some success there, but ultimately it comes with an 0-6 record in the postseason, which has accounted for one-third of the 0-18 futility during October. There’s only a partial pass for the Twins to be had in 2022. The injuries were significant. 37 pitchers have been used for the first time in franchise history. Byron Buxton played injured from the jump, and time was missed by Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler, and Jorge Polanco. All those things are fair to suggest that plenty has been working against Rocco Baldelli and his bosses. It’s also time to realize there’s no more room for error or excuses. It’s safe to say that the front office, and the manager, aren’t looking for a pass. Both those in the clubhouse and those employing it are looking for a way to create a sustainable winner for the future. Falvey was brought in to develop a pitching pipeline similar to that of Cleveland. Levine is a smart general manager who has made some shrewd moves. Baldelli can run a clubhouse and has orchestrated difficult decisions. For all the good each party has done, the results now have to follow. In year seven the Twins won’t, and shouldn’t be given the benefit of doubt. 2022 saw a franchise-high payroll that included the signing of superstar shortstop Carlos Correa. He fell into Minnesota’s lap and is likely gone over the offseason. It will be on the front office to appropriately name his replacement, and find ways to use that money. Plenty of the roster is penciled but almost all of it carries some level of uncertainty as to availability or expectation. There’s no more room for acquisitions like Dylan Bundy or Chris Archer. Every offseason addition has to be made under the premise of creating the best roster possible, with nothing added just to fill the fringes. Management can’t dictate any more reclamation projects to play a substantial role, and when something doesn’t work similar to Emilio Pagan this season, the plug has to be pulled. It’s more than fair to understand those running the Twins are an incredibly smart group with very good ideas. Both rooted in analytical outcomes and results based decision making, there’s probably never been a better group across the board. Ultimately though, the only thing that matters is the wins and losses, and they haven’t had enough of them. Over the winter the front office and coaching staff will need to find ways to improve internally. That will mean staffers being replaced, coaches being changed out, and developmental areas being addressed. This should be the last go-round for the collective as a whole, and there’s no excuse to forgo bringing in fresh faces to help reach the ultimate goal. There’s plenty of argument to be made that 2022 was never seen as the year to go “all in.” The trade deadline was navigated with a focus on the now, but a vision to the future as well. Fast forwarding to Opening Day 2023 and the future becomes now, with no more room for missteps. It’s time to come through on the vision, or change it entirely.

The Twins selected Dalton Shuffield with their tenth-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Because of the shortened COVID year, Shuffield spent five seasons in college, which is likely one reason the Twins were able to sign him for $20,000 and use the savings ($105K) on other draftees. At Texas State University, he hit .327/.395/.501 (.896), but his senior season was his best. During the 2022 season, Shuffield played 61 games and posted a 1.113 OPS with 20 doubles, five triples, and 13 home runs. He was named the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year after leading the conference in hits, runs scored, doubles, and triples. Defensively, he played shortstop over his final four seasons, but he also saw time at third base and in the outfield earlier in his career. He was also picked as a Collegiate Baseball All-American at the season’s end. As a 23-year-old, he had the college experience that would make it easier to move through the professional ranks. Shuffield comes from a baseball family. His father, Jack, was drafted by Kansas City in the fourth round in 1982. He played three seasons in the Royals organization and topped out at High-A. In over 320 games, he hit .256/.313/.342 (.654) while averaging 12 doubles per season. Minnesota assigned the younger Shuffield to the FCL Twins shortly after he signed with the organization. His time in the FCL was limited as he played three games and went 5-for-10 with a home run, four runs, and three walks. As an organization, the Twins needed depth at other levels in the minors, so he moved to High-A. In eight games, he went 7-for-24 (.292 BA) with a home run and two steals. Even with an aggressive promotion, his time in Cedar Rapids was limited because the organization needed him at another level. On September 9th, Shuffield made his Triple-A debut, collecting hits in his first two games. Since joining the Saints, he’s played in 11 games and posted a six-game hitting streak. In a small sample size, he has hit .297/.350/.595 (.945) with three doubles, a triple, and two home runs. At Triple-A, he was over three years younger than the average age of the competition, making his numbers even more impressive. The Twins followed an uncharacteristic development path with some of the club’s 2022 draft picks. Brooks Lee, the team’s first round pick, was promoted to Double-A before the season’s end. He’s already been impacting the Wind Surge during the playoffs. This also isn’t the first time this regime has been aggressive with a college prospect. Last season, the Twins drafted Ernie Yake in the tenth-round and he finished the season at Triple-A. Minnesota has also done well with senior signs like Brian Dozier, Mitch Garver, and Trevor Hildenberger. Shuffield likely isn’t going to appear on any top prospect lists, but he is already providing above-average value for a tenth-round pick. Players like Shuffield can provide organizational depth, primarily if he can provide defensive flexibility. Since joining the Twins, he has spent defensive time at both middle infield positions, with most of his time coming at second base. Even with his strong performance, there isn’t a guarantee that he starts the 2023 season in the high minors. Shuffield skipped Low-A Ft. Myers, and it might be best for his development to start next season in the lower minors or wherever the organization needs a utility player. His ceiling might be a utility player at the big league level, but Shuffield has value moving forward. What impresses you about Shuffield’s first professional season? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.