Twins

The death march to 90 losses for the Minnesota Twins continues today with another doubleheader, this time against the South Side Sox. Sixteen games remain in this frustrating season which produced one, maybe two, rotation pieces and some optimism that the Twins can score enough runs to be competitive.

My thoughts have shifted to 2015.

In case you missed it, there's a new commissioner of Major League Baseball.

I know that for many fans, that may come as a shock. There are fans who can legally enjoy a brew or two at ballgames who have never attended a big league game that wasn't played under rules dictated by Bud Selig. If it's true that "the exception proves the rule", then that applies to Bud Selig's role in "proving" the Peter Principle.

To say that the Twins have not traditionally been a team that specializes in power-hitting would be a late entrant for "Most Obvious Statement of 2015." Anyone who has followed Minnesota baseball knows that home runs have generally been a little tough to come by around these parts. In the past decade, the Twins have never ranked in the top half of the American League in long balls, and they've been last or second-to-last five times during that span.

There's reason to think that trend might be changing, though.

During the month of April, while the Minnesota Twins stumbled out of the gates with a nine-game losing streak and ultimately finished with a 7-17 record, one storyline broke through the overarching dreariness as a shining beacon of hope.

It looked as though Joe Mauer, finally, was back.