Twins

Byron Buxton’s biggest goal for the season was to avoid a trip to the IL, but he wound up being unavailable at the season’s most critical juncture. Does that mean the Byron Buxton health plan failed?

The Twins topped the Angels on the back of the bullpen and some big bats coming through in important situations. 

Bailey Ober has missed plenty of time due to injury in his professional career, including the majority of 2022. He’s finally made it back just a bit too late. He’ll finish the year in the Twins rotation, but perhaps we could ask, should he stay there long term?

Lew Ford became a fan favorite in the Metrodome era. Fifteen years after leaving the Twins organization, Ford can't say goodbye to baseball. 

The Twins didn’t take advantage of two loaded bases situations and were offensively limited by a solid Shohei Ohtani start. Louie Varland gave them a chance, but the Angels did just enough to hold on to their lead.

Minnesota hoped Byron Buxton would return to help the team with their playoff push. With the team’s playoff chances fading, he is set to undergo season-ending knee surgery. 

The Minnesota Twins are trending towards a finish to the 2022 Major League Baseball season that has them looking at something near a .500 record. It was hardly how this had to go, but not far off from where projections initially suggested. If the organization is going to avoid another shakeup, then 2023 is do or die.

As the 2022 season closes, there are still meaningful opportunities for Twins players. Here are three players with something to prove in the season’s final games.

The Minnesota Twins used a franchise record 37 pitchers at the Major League level this season. With plenty of short starts causing a level of scrutiny, the goal is in developing better arms that can go deeper into ballgames. There’s no better place to do that than within your own system.

A week ago, TD member @CRF said "It ain't Ober...till it's Ober." Well, now it's Ober, and the only pun left is Sugar Ray's breakup song.

Frontline starting pitching was the Twins' most significant need this winter, and the club decided to double down on young pitchers being ready to contribute. Clearly, the pitching pipeline plan failed for 2022, but is there hope for the future?

The Twins played their final game at Kauffman Stadium for the season Thursday afternoon trying to avoid being swept by the Royals for the first time since August of 2020. Could the Twins hold off another loss or did the decline of the season show further digression in Thursday’s game?