Twins

The Land of 10,000 Lakes has a rich history of cultivating homegrown talent in the sport of baseball. Hear the authentic stories of those who grew up in Minnesota and have had the chance to fulfill the childhood dream of wearing a Twins jersey.

2020 has been a year to remember, for the better and worse. Yet even in these challenging times it’s important to keep in mind the wonderful things that cultivate our gratitude for the Minnesota Twins and the beautiful game of baseball.

The Land of 10,000 Lakes has a rich history of cultivating homegrown talent in the sport of baseball. Hear the authentic stories of those who grew up in Minnesota and have had the chance to fulfill the childhood dream of wearing a Twins jersey.

On a shelf sit two bottles of dishwasher gel. One is a brand name you’re familiar with, the other a generic. You start reaching for the brand name and notice it’s $5.99 while the other is only $3.69. Is there any reason to pay nearly twice as much for a comparable product?

For many, Dec. 2 represents scouring the internet on Cyber Monday, trying to find the best deal on an air fryer or a new coffee maker. For MLB teams, that date holds much more weight, as it is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players. Nine Twins are eligible, eight decisions are presumed locks. Then there’s C.J. Cron …

Starting pitching is more important than the bullpen when constructing a World Series contender. I went back to 2016 to prove my assertion. Only once did both World Series teams have top-20 bullpens and on average starting rotations ranked two spots better for postseason teams, per fWAR.

It only takes a glance at the Twins front office list to see it’s still very much male majority, especially in baseball operations, communications, and broadcasting. What does that tell me as a female baseball fan? Women still aren’t adequately represented in the front offices and operations staff of my favorite team. The old boys club is alive and well.

Every once in a while I get inspired to write up something at a level beyond my Twitter feed. After the Women’s Baseball Experience this year, I wanted to write it up, but struggled with how. I finally decided it needed three parts – what happens during the session, the panel after the field portion, and my baseball experience as a woman along with what I want as a female baseball fan.

The time is coming for more Twins prospects to join the club. In 2020, the team figures to dip into their deep pool of outfielders. Who seems most likely to see big league action first?

As much as I would like to design my offseason blueprint around the Twins pushing all of their chips into the middle of the table and upping their payroll to $150 million or more, I have years and years of history telling me that isn’t going to happen.

Going into 2020 the Minnesota Twins can spend to levels the franchise has never before seen. I wrote up how even a marginal offseason accomplishes that, and they’ve already entered uncharted territory by handed out a qualified offer for the first time. What’s more important is that the front office understands why it’s imperative they get the spending done.

There’s no denying that the Minnesota Twins greatest need this offseason is pitching. The front office has stated their focus will be on arms defined as “impact” and filling out a rotation that’s virtually empty is a must. With the premiere arms having plenty of suitors, the Twins could turn to what they did best in 2019.