Twins

The Twins Almanac is back with a look at this week in Minnesota Twins history. It starts with a big trade, but there are stories of bad weather in the Met Stadium and Metrodome eras and much, much more.

In a miserable season destined for 100 losses, Twins fans can be sure that their team is a mess. But as the Sept. 18 episode of Gleeman and the Geek points out, most of that mess is as a result of just one side of the ball: pitching and defense. Aaron and John noted that the Twins are actually fairly decent when it comes to hitting, and raised an interesting question: how does the Twins run production stack up against the American League, if we ignore the games the league has played against the Twins pitching staff?

Man, does it feel good to finally have real baseball news coming out of Florida. At the beginning of the week, Glen Perkins threw off the mound for the first time on his way back from injury. Phil Hughes might turn his removed rib into jewelry. I also ran through multiple headlines fans could follow as pitchers and catchers reported to Fort Myers.

Many position players are already in camp but their official reporting date will be this weekend. Here are some headlines to keep an eye on in the weeks ahead.

After piling up doubleheaders the Twins travel to Baltimore and it seems like the weather might follow them. There is a 90% chance of rain tonight and a 70% chance tomorrow night so there might be another doubleheader this week to add to the pile.

Good weather if you are a Sea Lion but it's about all that is good for right now... sea lions. They have a serious PR problem after one of them pulled a 5 year old child into the water on Saturday. Back when I was younger… sea lions were always happy balancing a ball on their nose.

In case you haven’t seen the video, everybody is ok, but since the incident, authorities have put up additional signage stating “Don’t feed 5-year-olds to sea lions.” Some people need practical advice like that. Just like the warning on Preparation H, “Not for Oral Use;” you know that warning is on the packaging because someone did just that and then probably complained to the company after. “Dear Preparation H… I ate almost the whole tube and it did not cure me. I seriously question your product. I tried to call and complain but my mouth is so small that I can’t speak so I am writing you this letter. I would like my money back”.

Here are some things to think about:

Prospect mavens across Twins Territory were bracing for impact all day Friday, anxiously awaiting details on the rumored Jaime Garcia trade with Atlanta. That deal never happened, but it was a good reminder that now is as good a time as ever to get acquainted with the system.

There were plenty of notable performances Friday night, including Brent Rooker recording his first hit with Fort Myers. And his second … and third. Also, LaMonte Wade hit a big homer for the Lookouts, Tim Melville was brilliant for the Red Wings, Joe Cronin cracked a couple of homers for the Kernels and Akil Baddoo had a nice debut with E-Town.

Andrew Romine played all nine positions for the Tigers, but the Twins still couldn’t beat them, not that it matters. What does matter is tonight marked the return of Miguel Sano to the lineup. It was also an emotional evening for Glen Perkins, who likely made his final appearance for the Twins.

Kyle Gibson has been a steady performer this season, but Wednesday afternoon in Chicago the White Sox knocked him around a bit. Gibson failed to complete five innings for the first time since April 11 and just the third time overall this season in 26 starts. He also gave up three home runs for the first time all season. It was just the fourth time he’d given up multiple homers in the same game all season.

For a second consecutive offseason, the Minnesota Twins appear legitimately interested in the top available talent from Japan. And for a second consecutive offseason, it seems to be a foregone conclusion that player will wind up elsewhere.

But perhaps Minnesota will be luckier with Yusei Kikuchi than they were a year ago with Shohei Ohtani. If they can find a way to land the prized left-hander, it'd be a game-changer in their efforts to bolster the pitching staff.

Aaron and John return to the radio and talk about the ever-growing legend of Willians Astudillo, early impressions of Rocco Baldelli, Tyler Austin's brief stay on the roster, Byron Buxton's promising start, Michael Pineda showing big-time stuff, and joining the Costco world. You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher, iHeartRadio or find it at GleemanAndTheGeek.com. Or just click this link.

It’s clear this 2019 Twins lineup is special. The pitching staff? Not quite. How far would you be willing to go for balance? Would you trade Royce Lewis? Alex Kirilloff? How about both?

Would you trade Byron Buxton? Reports are indicating that's what it will take to land Noah Syndergaard.

When the calendar turns in just over a week the Minnesota Twins will play postseason baseball. They’ll host a game at Target Field for the first time since 2010. Rocco Baldelli will be looking to guide the franchise to its first October win since October 5, 2004. When constructing a 25-man roster for the playoffs teams often look to exploit opportunity on the fringes. An extra pen arm here, or a specific skill set off the bench. For the Twins, they could have a decision to make when it comes to the last position player.

When the Minnesota Twins decided to non-tender C.J. Cron it immediately created another position of need for the 2020 club. Joining the necessity to add starting pitching and a backup catcher, they’ll now must figure out who plays first base. The question is, was the decision part of a grander plan?