LastOnePicked

Jose Miranda would like a word. C'mon, there's no question that the Twins have struggled and continue to struggle to develop pitching. This was supposed to be the year of the "pipeline," but there are still no standouts and no one you'd put much stock in for 2023 beyond Duran. That's a big problem - and it's not a problem every team has.

I've had the opportunity to study and teach nonverbal communication. It sounds absolutely crazy, I know, but I've always though that Baldelli's constant displays of "grief eyebrows" might have an impact on team morale. I think he's a very decent human being, but he must be a bit hard to fight for as a player because he almost always looks overwhelmed, fatigued, apologetic and deflated. Watch his postgame conferences, and you'll see this expression constantly. It does not convey toughness, and if players are often seeing this, too, it may impact their ability to perform at peak levels.

I think the biggest leadership problem with the Twins is that there is no player leader, and there hasn't been for awhile. Going into this season, there was so much emphasis placed on this being "Buxton's Team." Even Correa deferred his leadership role to Buxton. The problem with that is that Buxton can't lead this team, and he doesn't even want to. You can't have a team leader miss two games a week with nagging injuries. Team leaders have to be durable, and Buxton isn't and never has been. And he doesn't have to be. He's an immensely talented platoon player, and was signed for a fair rate considering his injury history. Buxton has said repeatedly that he does not want to lead. With his history, he's wise enough to know that he can't be. Battlefield leaders cannot be injury liabilities. Correa knew he was only going to be here for a year, so he couldn't take on the mantle of team leader. The Cruz trade left a huge leadership vacuum that this team then simply did not know how to fill. And for all of Rocco's positives, he is not tough and he does not project confidence. Most of the time he has a look on his face that he's just been punched or he's just about to be. His one big ejection outburst after the Toronto call at the plate made him look like an amateur - he ended up screaming at the on-field crew who had made the right call. So, despite the interpersonal dimension being dismissed so often, this team is lacking the guy who can rise up and say "get on my back." There's no one with big shoulders to ride with this team. They can't hold the line, and Cleveland has known it since June. It was only a matter of time that team led by a competent veteran manager would chip away and take advantage.

Gleeman and Bonnes talk often about 60/40 decisions for the Twins. Simply, a lot of the decisions that Rocco and the FO make are entirely defendable decisions. They would seem - theoretically, at least - to be wise decisions. BUT ... a 60/40 decision still has a 40% crash rate, and that 40% has hit this team consistently. Add in the unexpected disasters - Wes Johnsons resigns, Royce Lewis tears ACL again, pipeline arms falling off - and it's just a snakebit organization living under the curse of some uprooted spruce. And sadly, this has all happened at exactly the wrong time. After an 0-18 run in playoff misery and a crash-and-burn year in 2021, there is simply not much charity or grace or optimism left in the fanbase. We're only 1.5 games out with plenty of games left against key rivals, but most posters here (myself included) are declaring the season dead. So, it seems like there are only two options left. 1) Set aside disappointment and just root like hell for this club over the final stretch. Our beleaguered losers need a boost that only a loyal fanbase can provide. Or 2) Pack it in, watch it burn, and push very hard for a total organizational rebuild starting in 2023. No Rocco. No Falvine. New coaches. Start fresh, and let a 5-7 year rebuild play itself out. I haven't made up my mind yet which option I prefer, so don't feel bad if you haven't either.

This. 2022 was supposed to be the make-or-break year for this FO's ability to deliver on the pipeline. It hasn't happened, and there are no promising arms on the horizon. Time to move on.

I don't even have that confidence. I've never seen a season with a division so ripe for the taking, and this team still seemingly can't rise to this low challenge in 2022. Look, a lot of bad things have happened to this team this year, but the good-to-great teams rise and overcome and the average-to-bad teams make excuses and sink.

When you have very talented players and they persistently underperform, it may actually be the fault of coaching. We've been making this tired excuse for Rocco for too long.

Yes they are. Sometimes I think this is terribly-run organization, and other times I think their luck is just flat-out lousy. As a fan, neither is comforting. But, I had my rage response earlier this week. I've taken a deep breath. Now I'm just pulling for these guys to give it their best and make a run. This isn't our year, but they can take advantage of a weak division and at least go down throwing punches to division rivals.

Agreed. Keeping Pagan and letting him re-sink the season over and over and over again shows that the team just isn't committed to winning - not even in the "Carlos Correa" year. The Twins lack the spine needed to hold a division.

Colome, Pagan and soon Lopez. Sooner or later, we need to realize that the common denominator is probably the MN Twins. I don't know what the issue is, but when a Twins pitcher gets the "yips," they never recover here. Coaching HAS to be a part of this. It's Pagan, yes, but it's bigger than Pagan. This team just cannot hold the line or rise to a challenge, either in late innings or against top teams. I thought that was starting to change in Spring, but I was very wrong. Same garbage, different year.

I made this exact same decision just before the All-Star Break. I highly recommend it to everyone. I came back to TD today just to check in, commiserate and see how the good folks here are surviving the club's total implosion. It's pretty clear it's going to get worse, folks. Now might be a good time to hop off the ride.

This. I completely checked out just before the all-star break. It was clearly setting up to be one of the most frustrating seasons in memory, and I'd had enough. I peek at the week's scores on Sunday night. It's been a wise choice to not invest any further in this club. They don't have it - they are sunk. How much of that is Rocco's fault - or attributable to what he says or doesn't say after games - is unclear. What is clear is that he doesn't have what it takes to lead an MLB club to prominence. Players simply do not rise to meet the challenge under his management. Barring an incredible final 50 games, this should be his - and this FO's - last season at the helm.

Incompetence is toxic, absolutely. The hitters have put him and this team in position multiple times, and he's failed over and over again. He may be a nice guy, but results matter a lot more at the pro level, and I'm sure the players are wondering why he's still getting all these chances. That will kill the morale of this team - if it hasn't already.

Can't even imagine what this is like for Jayce Tingler. He's watching Pagan destroy another season for a totally different team, right before his eyes. Maybe even getting the manager fired again in the process. When some of us said the Rogers trade was a disaster in the making, this is exactly what we meant. And when some of us said that Rocco's inability to adjust when changes are needed - this also is what we meant. Just listen to him make excuses and fawn over Pagan ("his stuff is great, but his execution isn't good" - what the heck IS pitching if not EXECUTION?). This won't change because Rocco won't demand changes. He seems more worried about clubhouse chemistry than being decisive and taking a stand over player nonperformance. Pagan should not be on this squad today, period. But this will be the Colome disaster all over again.

Personally, I think he's a guy you break the bank for. Yes, the last three years of any contract won't be as productive. So what? By that point he can be mentoring Lewis' return to shortstop. Sign Correa to a 7 year deal. Slide a rehabbing Lewis over to 2nd to take Polanco's place. Consider trading Polanco, Martin, Miller and/or Steer for great pitchers. Keep Palacios as a low-cost solid backup. I think having Correa here through the 2020s drastically increases the chances of a World Series title in Minnesota.

Great, great article. Perfect example of how relationships help make progress and growth at both personal and organizational levels. Yes, I'm pissed, but Wes will be missed here.

I'm going to drop this after this post because it's getting rather silly, but do you really think they wouldn't hire their superstar pitching guru #1 choice for the job if he wasn't available immediately? That they couldn't have gotten him working with staff in October? Come on, that doesn't hold water either. It's IDEAL for him to join their program now, sure. But if they targeted him this strongly, they certainly would have brought him on later. That's how any employer would work with a top choice for an ongoing program.

Where has anyone even said "evil"? - C'mon, there's no reason to take this into the realm of the ridiculous. But there is a line of logic here that is ridiculous - that contracts don't matter if one party of the contract is unhappy. I'd be curious to follow fan reactions if Rocco left the Twins in August for a better offer with the Yankees, or if Buxton saw a chance to join the Braves in September to be closer to home. I give you all credit for being worker-supportive, but I still lean towards the importance of relationships, mutual trust and commitments. But I'm getting old fast.

C'mon, this is a strawman, Mike: 1) Sounds like the Twins offered to match the salary, despite not even being warned in advance that he was looking elsewhere for jobs. 2) If he's that sought after, the job certainly would still be available in the MLB postseason. Perhaps even with a greater salary, if other top schools knew he was available. When you agree to be an MLB pitching coach - and when you make specific recommendations over which pitchers to bring in because you can build a relationship with them and help them redevelop their pitches - I believe you accept an obligation to complete your contract. If you can't, you warn your employer in the offseason of your interest to leave so they can prepare. This didn't happen. So I am not going to cheer for Wes abandoning his relationships and responsibilities here, no. Sorry. Commitments should mean something. But good for him, Everybody knows that more money = more happiness, right?

Sure. And just as the Twins FO would face criticism for firing him abruptly and without cause, so too should he withstand criticism for leaving under the same circumstances. That's also part of the two-way street. But he's getting his paycheck, so I'm sure the criticism won't mean much.

This discussion seems to have shifted to whether Johnson had the right to leave (of course he does), but I think we were arguing about if it was right or decent of him to leave in this way and at this point in the season (of course it wasn't). Don't let the door hit you on the way out, Wes.

I'd even say shameful. So much emphasis placed here on the "Wes Way" and his work with the staff. This a low move, and ruins any good feeling I had about what he did here.

I respected what he did here, but I do not respect leaving the team midseason with no warning. This is a high-profile position that requires a full season commitment. That must have been clear, right? The job either meant something here, or it didn't. Apparently, it didn't ... or it didn't mean much. For the players who built a relationship with Wes, this leaves them - and the team - in a tough spot. Might want to clarify expectations of the job for the next pitching coach.

I voted "buy," but I do not yet fully trust this FO to make the right moves. The shadow of Sam Dyson looms large, and I've yet to ever see the Twins land impact pitching in a pennant race. It may be a moot point come the deadline, though. With this shaky bullpen and very limited rotation, the Twins could easily be 5+ games behind Cleveland within a month. If that's the case, you sell Kepler, Sano, Archer, Sanchez and possibly Correa and hope for wiser signings over the offseason.

Yes, but what's odd is that I'm both grateful that we're a competitive team and also completely full of rage that we've lost our decent lead in the standings. And right when my doctor says I need to watch my blood pressure. Sheesh!