Alex Boxwell

With defense being more crucial than ever after the changes to the shift rules, the Twins are more positioned to benefit than any other team in baseball. Image courtesy of Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports Neither is inherently evil, whether it's the pitch clock or your politics. The application of both is where it can get ugly quickly, and things may start to get a little awkward at family gatherings, and yes, I'm still talking about the pitch clock. Love it or hate it, the new rules are here for 2023, and the Twins have built a team that can take advantage of the new era of baseball. With the shift changes, the pick-off rules, bigger bases, and the fact that the full season for an MLB player is roughly 150 games, the Twins used these facts to help coordinate roster moves. The Twins offseason was a roller coaster ride for shmucks like me trying to figure out what was going on with this team. Now that the dust has settled, the picture is more visible. The front office has constructed a team with elite defense and some left-handed bats that can benefit from an open right side for the first time in their careers. Defensively, teams with elite athletes that can cover ground and make superstar plays, rather than having a spray chart in their back pocket telling them where to play to create outs, will benefit the most. Athletes will be back making more outs, not data points. Having an elite defensive shortstop becomes way more attractive now that there will be a premium on being able to range to the left and right and make big-time throws. Now that shortstops can't swing to the other side of second base, we will see Carlos Correa (aka C4) ranging to his left and making that spin throw on the right side of second base a couple of times this year. I'm excited to see shortstops limited in their shifting ability and see some of the most impressive athletes in the world be able to show it off. The Twins get to be, arguably, the biggest beneficiary. The Twins also brought in Joey Gallo, who we have seen with a wider stance, driving the ball to all fields early in spring. Even this tiny sample size is encouraging. With no shift and pitchers not having as much incentive to throw the cutter inside because there is no iron curtain on the right side, we could see Gallo finally flourish. With a simplified Gallo approach, fans may see a fun uptick from your dad's least favorite player (trademark pending). Joey Gallo also fits the mold of the elite defenders that the team has placed a high value on; Michael A Taylor and the already-established Kepler/Buxton outfield combo may be worthy of a Soul Patrol-level nickname. The shift doesn't impact the outfield as much, but it's worth noting that the Twins attacked the defensive side of this team with the thought of improving their offense too, or the banned shift may provide that offensive uptick on its own. Every team in the league has abandoned the idea of a guy playing 162 games. (In 2022, only Atlanta first baseman Matt Olson and shortstop Dansby Swanson played in all 162 games.) The depth and positional flexibility will make Baldelli's job pretty simple (that thought may get the old-timers to sleep at night). The Twins have solid defenders that can play all over. Farmer, Gordon, Solano, Gallo, Kirilloff, Miranda, and Taylor (fans will see him and Buxton in the same outfield) can all play multiple positions. So much tinkering can be done with this lineup and not lose the edge created defensively. There are quality options when a player gets a day off due to injuries, rest, or just putting the best nine out there on a given day. The Twins aren't a finished product as it stands right now. More moves may be coming, but the Minnesota Twins will defend as well as anybody in the league as a unit. Great defense in a pitcher-friendly ballpark has the potential to be a phenomenal winning formula. It's getting to be time for the rubber to meet the road. I'm excited to start seeing the payoff of all the moves and top-tier defense returning in the MLB. There is no doubt in my mind that Twins management took the new rules into account when building an elite defensive ball club for 2023. Regarding the rule changes, you can see the glass half empty or half full, but we should know by now that the Twins front office sees a glass that was made too big. They dealt with reality and facts and used that logic to create a competitive product for 2023. Go, Twins! View full article

That's so awesome! Hope things went well and you were both able to enjoy it a bit! I remember my first start and at bat at the University of Houston, it felt I was having a cardiac episode in the batters box.

The Gophers are back playing baseball in Minnesota today. The first pitch is at 6 PM on B1G+, and for those of you looking to take in a baseball game in person, they will be at Zigi's house, US Bank stadium. The mid-week tilt will be against UW Milwaukee, who comes to town with a 4-2 record. The Panthers are paced offensively by Luke Seidel, who is 6-6 on stolen bases in as many games. He also boasts a .824 OPS as he holds down left field and the leadoff spot for UW Milwaukee. The Gophers limp into US Bank for their first home game after taking some tough losses to St Louis in Fort Myers last weekend. The Gophers are looking to bounce back with some home cooking against Wisconsin’s only Division-I baseball team by giving the ball to Eden Prairie’s own Ben Shepard. A right-hander that has pitched in a limited role so far this year but has seized his opportunities, and the University of Minnesota Duluth transfer will look to shut down the Panthers. On offense, the player I would like to highlight this week as your player to watch is Ike Mezzenga. The younger brother of Ben Mezzenga, a teammate of mine from 2016-2018, Ben was a fantastic leadoff-type bat who had incredible quickness (I did beat him in the 60, I want that on record). (Editor's note: @Alex Boxwell, you are the author, you can put it on the record. I won't research it!) While Ben was a relatively easy prospect to identify with his bat-to-ball skill and great speed and quickness, Ike has a different journey, making him potentially even more exciting follow than his brother. Ike did not jump off the page as a high-school prospect, not to mention his senior season was washed due to the COVID pandemic. He bet on himself and attended the nationally-renowned developmental junior college Northern Iowa Area Community College (NIACC). As a freshman at NIACC, Mezzenga saw few opportunities and struggled in his 40 at-bats. However, continuing to develop as a ball player and an athlete, he burst onto the scene as a sophomore and quickly put himself on the radar of four-year schools. As a sophomore, he had a three/four/five season, which has become the measure of having an outstanding offensive season. A three/four/five season refers to the slash line of .300/.400/.500 or better. Ike had an impressive .345/.423/.565 season, with 15 home runs in 53 games at NIACC. Mezzenga had a long road to becoming a Gopher but has shown that he can adjust to the level early this season, hitting fifth in the order and playing multiple positions while holding a .391/.462/.565 slash line going into play on Wednesday. He is a player I’m excited to follow because there’s no reason for his development to stop now. Limited recruiting interest out of high school, not playing well as a freshman at NIACC, he has shown the most important quality you need as a high-level hitter, and that is when he gets knocked down, he gets back up. Look for Ike to provide some pop in the middle of the Gopher order this season and continue refining his game into being a professional prospect. The Gophers will continue to improve throughout this season as this group learns how to succeed at this level of play. They will also be tested this weekend with #7 Vanderbilt and #4 Ole Miss matchups this weekend. Big measuring stick weekend is coming. If you want to play college baseball, it doesn’t get any better than that. If you want to watch some college baseball, head to US Bank Stadium on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Go Gophers

This is really all that needs to be said.

The storied University of Minnesota baseball program is the only sports topic nearer and dearer to my heart than Twins baseball. I’m a Gopher baseball alum from 2015-2018 and had the honor of playing for John Anderson, Rob Fornasiere, Todd Oakes, Pat Casey, and Ty McDevitt. There was some turnover with our pitching coach during my time. If you want a feel for why this program is important, check out some of TO’s story, “Hearts, Guts, Balls.” He was one of the best human beings I have come across in my life, and I was incredibly blessed to know him for the short time he was with us. TO's other mantra is displayed on this poker chip he gave each of us. Everywhere I have went in life this has come with me, something I always try and live by. Gopher baseball has been knocked down and beaten to its knees in the last few years. It’s the worst it’s ever been in John Anderson’s 40-plus years as head coach. The constant with 14 (Anderson), on paper, appears to be the wins. Suppose you look up his career at Minnesota. In that case, it’s 1,347 wins, 11 Big Ten regular season titles, nine Big Ten tournament championships, 18 NCAA tournament appearances, eight-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, and in 2008 an ABCA Hall of Fame induction. With such an impressive resume, it’s easy to say he’s maybe lost his touch or look at the rough 0-4 start to the season and say, “it’s over.” In 2015 and again in 2016, it was the same headlines and storylines- the program is outdated, out of touch, and just flat-out no good anymore. In my freshman season, we put together, at the time, the worst season in 14’s tenure. It felt like the sky was falling, but our steady leader John Anderson righted the ship. We won the Big Ten and made it to a Regional final against Texas A&M and parlayed that into one of the most successful, three-year stretches in program history. The naked eye says rock-solid winning seasons, year after year, are the legacy of this program. It’s not. What Gopher baseball is and has always been under the tenure of John Anderson is resiliant. This program has been through it all in his legendary tenure, on and off the field. The constant is the battle-tested Iron Ranger has always led the Gophers to the other side of difficult times. Judging this 2023 team on one tough weekend after coming out of their igloos to play top 15 competition is less than fair. The Gophers are running out a talented lineup worth a watch this weekend as they head down to Fort Myers to play Saint Louis on Friday and Saturday at 1:00 PM and Noon on Sunday. A player to watch is Brett Bateman. He’s my favorite bat we have had since Terrin Vavra. He has a similar left-handed bat that walks more than he strikes out and runs well, with 47 stolen bases between Minnesota and the Wilmar Stingers in 2022. Bateman patrols centerfield well but profiles better as a left fielder in pro ball. With elite bat-to-ball skills and excellent foot speed, he’s a pleasure to watch in the leadoff spot. With much of the same leadership, John Anderson and Pat Casey will get this going in the right direction. In 2018, we lost a close ball game to Joey Bart’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets to start the year, swept Kennesaw State in a doubleheader with one game being a barn burner, and then lost to Georgia State. We started 2-2, easily could have been 1-4 to start the year, and we hosted and won a Regional and then lost to the National Champion Oregon State Beavers in a Super Regional. Thankfully, we didn’t punt on the season after four baseball games. I know 2023 started on a rough note for my Gophers, but they are worth a watch online or if you’re lucky enough to be down at Spring Training. They have talented players and a coaching staff that does WAY more than win ball games. Go Gophers!

So given that take... why would the Twins give him the largest FA contract in the history of the franchise? To do Correa a favor? Keep the fans from rioting? Trick people into thinking we're not cheap? Correa has a brand image, that is very important to most athletes. Even if he didn't believe this roster was good, I agree he wouldn't say that it sucks. However, it makes no sense to sign him if the front office doesn't plan on pushing the budget and making the Correa/Buxton window as fruitful as possible.

Mahle and Lopez will have huge impacts on the Twins success this. I'm willing to hold out on calling those moves disasters because I like their stuff a lot and in baseball terms it was a very small sample of both. Rocco still has a winning record as a manager after dealing with scraps last year. I'm a little tired of him as the scapegoat. The moves this front office makes are master class compared to what the previous regime was doing. Give me Falvey and Levine everyday of the week over what we've seen in the past..

The Twins a good team as it stands right now. Contending for an AL central crown is very realistic for this roster.

Rocco does have a winning record as a manager. He's an easy target but not the issue.

That's fair. I think if some of the young players take a step forward or even just Kepler or Gallo recapture some of the 2019 magic that they're an arm away. The pitching is relatively deep but lacks an element of being able to dominate outside of Duran.

Haha someone's gotta make that a tshirt

I'd love to bring in a big bat but I don't think that's what would push this team over the top. It would be a nice piece but this lineup is going to score IF (big if) they stay relatively healthy. I think Mitch Haniger would've been a great add as a right handed run producer at a semi- discount rate. Even then, the bomba squad won a 100. The bats aren't going to be what gets it done.

Spring is around the corner, and so are projections for the 2023 season. The Twins are better, and they are healthy (for now). What is holding them back from being a consensus contender for a World Series? With players now in camp, it’s always fun to see what experts say about your favorite ball club. The Twins have improved the roster from last season. That’s an objective truth. However, they are projected to win between 80-87 ball games, depending on where you look. So what is the squeaky wheel that needs the grease? Health was the clear hitch in our giddy-up last year. The depth of this team has been addressed to the point that we could see another trade of a big-league player before the start of the regular season. Our cup runneth over with solid big league position players, and some would argue with arms as well, a far cry from what we saw last season. There has been plenty of clamoring for a left-handed bullpen arm. I fancied what I saw from Jovani Moran last year, and Caleb Thielbar was a big reason the wheels stayed on the bus as long as they did in the second half last season. I don’t see a huge need for a left-handed arm, but after last season’s horror show, finding another veteran southpaw to add to the mix would be welcomed. Especially with how we handle our starters. The other move that everyone wants to see is that we finally add the ace. We declared our six-year window started when Carlos Correa signed his deal. The league knows that, and other general managers can follow what’s happening. The Twins are a prime candidate for overspending on an expiring contract of an ace. The grease needed for this Twins team to compete for a championship is that ace. With that being said, sacrificing our depth and the health of this six-year window by trading away future key pieces would be a grave error. How it needs to unfold is we go into the season with roughly the roster we have now or a small move or two. Waiting gives our roster a chance to play out and organically have guys win or lose jobs at crowded positions. It also gives time for the unfortunate reality of the injury situation to play out. The idea of jumping at the first top-tier starter being shopped is very seductive, but we need to be more calculated than that. Sacrificing years four through six to go all in on year one of our window is not a calculated gamble; it’s just gambling. We can see this rearing its ugly head with the Yankees and Frankie Montas—the arm we all coveted at this time last year. If the ‘where Frankie?’ meme (which was fantastic by the way) paid off; we’d be much worse off in the starting pitching department, with Montas likely being shelved for the year due to shoulder surgery. The Front Office isn’t in the business of making moves to make moves, it has to be the move. The Twins’ time is now, and another move is coming. They need to keep playing their hand as best they can and wait to make the move. It hedges their bet against the health situation and ‘The Gallo Gamble’ (patent pending). Correa does not sign with the Twins if they don’t have a conversation about winning a championship. The cherry on top of this roster and the wild offseason would be the ace, but we will have to wait for mid-summer Christmas, the trade deadline. View full article