Alex Boxwell

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

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

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

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!

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!

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!

Jhoan Duran is not only the best reliever the Twins have had since Joe Nathan; he is the most talented pitcher they have had since Johan Santana/2006 Francisco Liriano. There have certainly been talented players throughout that timespan, even an all-star or two, but no one has had the absolute shutdown stuff this guy possesses. If he is remotely near the zone, opposing hitters have little to zero chance of doing anything. So why not try him in the rotation?
Twins fans have been begging for an ace since Santana's departure following the 2007 season. The closest we have come was probably Ervin Santana or Jose Berrios. Instead, we have been treated to the likes of Scott Baker, Carl Pavano, Kyle Gibson, Lance Lynn, and Jake Odorizzi. They were not bad pitchers, but they were not aces. Don't get me started on the likes of Samuel Deduno, Ricky Nolasco, Scott Diamond, or Hector Santiago. Feel free to add some more of your favorite lukewarm bowls of mashed potatoes to this list. I'm sure I left off some true gems.
So again, why not try Duran in the rotation? The whispers have already begun. He has starting experience (though with a bit of injury history). He's 6'5", 230lbs, and his body can take the innings. He has four pitches (4SFB, splinker, curveball, slider/cutter), a trait uncommon for relievers but usually necessary for starters. All the signs point to him being rotation capable, especially if he were to add a change-up. It wouldn't even have to be that good, and he would have an insane makeup as a starter. The temptation is palpable, and I have had these thoughts in the back of my head since the first time I watched this guy unleash the nastiest repertoire I have ever seen. It's not just the velocity and the movement, but the command. It is unique from others that possess stuff approaching the filth he brings.
All this being said, the answer is to resist the temptation. As tantalizing a notion as it would be, knowing every fifth day you get to watch this magnificent beast bring triple digits and then make hitters look foolish as they flail over the top of a mid-upper 80s hammer, we must resist.
Look at his numbers, folks. It's upsetting how good he was, especially in the second half when he really found his mojo. He was a man who was never rattled, never deterred. He knew he was better than anyone stepping into that box, and yes, I mean ANYONE, and it showed.
Confidence and mental state are crucial to all aspects of baseball, but especially to pitching. To a certain degree, to be a true stud on the mound, you have to have the mindset that you are the biggest and baddest motherf----- in the land. No one can beat you. That mindset comes from confidence, which comes from success.
Putting Duran in the rotation risks that success. Duran just turned 25 this month; messing with a young player who has already achieved that mindset is dangerous. You risk getting the yips after a few bad starts and then not being able to return to form in the pen. The yips are real and can happen. Anyone who has pitched knows this to be a harsh reality. It is just not worth it. Yes, we may never know if we have a true ace amongst us here and now, but we have the baddest mofo we could ever ask for, and that needs to be enough.

Numbers, numbers, numbers, they dictate everything in baseball today. What pitch, how far a runner takes his lead, and everything in between is controlled by analytics and NUMBERS. This makes modern-day baseball the perfect medium for a manager like Rocco Baldelli.
Scenario time. It's the 6th inning, the score is 3-0, and the starter is at 75 pitches. However, the opposing leadoff hitter is now walking toward home plate for the 3rd time of the day. Baldelli discreetly puts a finger to his earpiece as a mysterious voice tells him, "Do it…." He lifts his finger from his ear, spits out his bubblegum, and slowly walks to the pitcher's mound. The starting pitcher's day is over. Derek Falvey can be seen grinning ear to ear.
This scenario plays out across baseball, not just in Minnesota. There are many other examples like it, but the 3rd trip starter yank is the perfect showing of how analytics drive every decision in baseball. You don't have to like it, hell it infuriates me, but it is not changing any time soon, so why fight it? Instead, let us enjoy having Mr. Baldelli as the Twins' manager for as long as possible.
Baldelli is only 41 years old, and it was not too long ago he was running around center field in Tampa and ripping doubles into the gap. Going so quickly from retirement to management makes him the perfect player's manager. His job is to be laid back, allow his players to do what they need to, say the right thing to the media, and tell the replay booth to F-off occasionally.
The Twins hired him, with that being the expectation. They wanted a manager to gel with the players and serve as a pseudo interpreter/boxing bag between the front office and the media. Someone that would not be rattled by media pushback on their new style of play. That is all his job is, and it is all it needs to be, and it is perfect for modern baseball, where 99% of decisions are coming from the iPad anyway. He is the perfect guy to not get in the way of the players.
The polar opposite can be seen with the absurd hiring of Tony La Russa by the White Sox. For some inexplicable reason, that organization thought it was a good idea to resurrect a corpse to manage one of the youngest and most talented teams in baseball. It did not go well.
Somehow, a no-doubt Hall of Fame manager and an elite level of youth and talent came together to create losing baseball. It wasn't a coincidence that when La Russa had to take a medical leave last year, the team immediately started winning.
Yes, the Sox had some critical injuries, but in today's game, an old-school manager who makes great 'gut feeling' decisions is not what young players vibe with (Dusty Baker is GOAT and an exception). Young players want a manager like Rocco. Someone just old enough to listen to and respect but young enough to have perspective and understand what it's like on the player side of a clubhouse. He is akin to a tuxedo t-shirt. It says, "I can be serious, but I'm here to party."
Next time you feel like losing your mind at Rocco for yanking your favorite Twins starter, remember this. That is not his decision alone and is a product of the current regime. It does not matter whose butt Falvey/Levine have their hand up; someone will be their puppet. Let it be Rocco. By traditional standards, he could be better, but by the new standard, he is perfectly fine. That is what makes him great.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

Who cares. A common phrase I hear more and more often. Did you hear about the Carlos Correa fiasco? Who cares. Do you think Dansby Swanson is worth the money and years he received? Who cares. Did you see the new rules for this year? Who cares. This feeling of apathy loomed over most of the conversations I tried to have about baseball while home for the holidays, and when I was done sipping eggnog out of frustration, I came back to Iowa for some more of the same. To them, the upcoming ‘who gives a damn’ bowl that the Hawkeyes were playing in was far more interesting than the insane contracts being thrown about like money was going out of style (I’m talking to you Steve Cohen). The more time I spend trying to talk baseball with those that aren’t as into it as myself, a truth harder than the plate in Carlos Correa’s leg becomes obvious to me. Baseball is failing to market itself properly to gain interest from both the average fan and potential young fans alike. There is no singular solution and I certainly don’t have all the answers. However, the lack of visibility for its star players, fun-killing unwritten rules, and media blackouts are all core issues that are eating away at the popularity of the sport.
Similar to the ‘who cares’ response I receive from folks a lot is the even simpler, ‘who?’ My mother-in-law, who is about as far from a sports fan as you can be and is from Texas, mentioned the huge contract that Dak Prescott signed with the Cowboys. I tried pulling the conversation towards baseball and followed up with the Aaron Judge contract and the insane amount of money and years dropped into the lap of a player already in his 30s. I expected her response to be related to the amount of money we pay to professional athletes, instead she said, “who?” That’s a problem MLB. Your star players need to be recognizable to the average person and need to be highlighted and promoted as such. Everyone knows who Lebron James or Tom Brady is, but not too many people outside of us baseball fans know who Aaron Judge, Fernando Tatis (I know…), or Bryce Harper are.
I think part of the issue is that there are unwritten rules in baseball that don’t allow its star players to show off their personality and become icons and known to the general public. The best example I can think of happened to Fernando Tatis (again, I know…) in 2021 I believe. The Padres were up big and the bases were loaded. It was 3-0 and Tatis got an absolute meatball and hit an epic blast. Four more runs. Afterwards, the cameras showed Tatis in the dugout getting chewed out for swinging 3-0 when his team was up big. He later apologized. APOLOGIZED. This infuriated me. One, why shouldn’t he swing? Two, he gets paid based on performance. Three, it gets his team a larger cushion. Lastly, home runs are awesome and incredibly difficult to hit. Honestly, the odds are he would have gotten himself out (pace of play, you’re welcome). Not only that, but now you have taken one of the young and amazing talents in your sport, whom you wish to be one of the faces of the league (really, again, I know…) and reprimanded him for doing something exciting and scoring four runs for his team. Absolutely absurd. In contrast, the NFL lets Justin Jefferson do the griddy every time he scores and really show off his personality. Baseball needs to start promoting their players better and do the same. Bat flips to the sky and pitchers screaming their heads off after a 3rd out strikeout? Yes, please.
Even if those unwritten rules erode, players become known, and fans are ready to put their butts in seats and couches to see it, there is the final issue… REGIONAL BLACKOUTS. This might be the most egregious offense of all. To watch an MLB game, you must do one of three things. One, purchase cable in your region and spend well over 100 dollars on channels you don’t need or care about. Two, purchase MLB TV and hope you aren’t located in a market for whomever you are trying to watch (Iowa blocks Twins, Brewers, Cubs, White Sox, Royals and Cardinals by the way). Three, pay a king’s ransom in purchasing a ticket, food, parking, etc. to attend a game in person. This option is becoming insanely expensive when it does not need to be. MLB makes the bulk of its money off media rights (hence the regional black outs forcing the purchasing of cable) and attendance becomes less important each year. In fact, attendance has dropped every year since 2012, but revenue has been steady. With inflation, attending a game as a family of four is becoming almost impossible, which means fans need to be able to watch on TV. This however, is incredibly difficult and expensive as well. I think the solution could be moving on from the regional markets and leaning into a streaming service with no blackouts. This would involve having different priced packages for how many teams you want to follow or if you want ads or not. There could be single, 10, 20, and 30 team packages.
By moving away from some of the unwritten rules that dampen a player’s personality, more stars worth watching will begin to emerge. If MLB can combine that with making the game easier to access and view, the youth will be drawn in by these exciting and vibrant players. This will result in kids becoming engaged with baseball at a young age and hopefully herald in a new age of baseball popularity. MLB needs to make the first move however, and I don’t see them moving on from the regional sports networks that have been an absolute cash cow for them.

Can you smell it? Piss and peanuts…? Wait, I forgot the Metrodome was demolished a decade ago. I meant the glorious aroma of hotdogs, peanuts, and fresh cut grass, which will soon will fill the air and bring the 2023 MLB season with it. However, this season is unique in that it comes with a set of impactful new rules. As a quick overview for the unaware, bases are getting 3 inches larger, a pitch clock will be enforced, and defensive shifting will be limited. As I looked at the details of these game changing, era defining, fix-all rule changes, it would have been easy to sit back and say to myself, well at least they are trying to speed up the game and make it more ‘exiting.’ Instead, I will say that MLB has completely missed the mark on why people aren’t attending or watching the games, and these rule changes make it all the more obvious. This is the clearest to me in their attempt to shorten the length of games with the addition of the pitch clock and limiting of pickoff attempts.
Rhythm, timing, and mental warfare are a few of the major components that make baseball the amazing sport that it is. Limiting a pitcher to 20 seconds between pitches and only allowing two pick off attempts should be a criminal offense. Whoever thought that was a good idea should be in prison. Not only is the 20 second limit going to basically force a pitcher to give one look at the runner and then either come home or throw over, the two-pick policy will allow the runner to get an INSANE jump on the next pitch. A pitcher needs to be able to vary his timing and throw over. The bigger bases are already allowing the runner to be four and a half inches closer, which is significant if you think about how close a lot of stolen base attempts are. Combining bigger bases with the addition of the pitch clock and pick off limit is going to make it almost impossible for a pitcher to control the running game. We will see a dramatic drop off in catcher’s throw out percentages, which will have even the likes of Yadier Molina in his prime shaking his head.
Next up is the limiting of defensive shifts. Learn to hit the ball where they ain’t, that’s all I have to say about that. However, I would be more than happy to hop on one foot with the other firmly placed in my mouth if Joey Gallo and Max Kepler become .300 hitters because of this.
The fact that MLB is trying to promote offense and shorten the game through a series of absurd rule changes tells me they have grossly miscalculated why people don’t watch baseball. That, or I am completely wrong on this issue. For the sake of going down a rabbit’s hole on the latter, I will stick to the assumption that it’s the former. The reason people aren’t watching baseball is NOT because the games are too long. MLB games averaged three hours and five minutes in 2022. The NFL, America’s most popular sport, averaged three hours and twelve minutes. In addition, according to a study from the Wall Street Journal, albeit from 2013, the amount of actual game action in an NFL and MLB game was 11 and 18 minutes respectively. That data was collected a while ago, but the idea that stems from it holds true. Both sports have significant down time between action, and I would argue that the downtime is far more interesting in baseball. In football they just huddle up and call a play. In baseball that time between pitches IS action. The mind games happening between the runners, pitchers and hitters are crucial to the outcome of the next pitch. That ‘down-time’ is part of what makes the game so rich and unique when compared to other sports. Where the NFL succeeds and MLB fails, is their ability to market and highlight the sport so fans actually want to sit down for three hours for a few precious minutes of action. MLB needs to find a way to get people to understand the game, not dumb it down.
The real issues plaguing baseball’s popularity are not being addressed (see part II), and these ridiculous rule changes not only do nothing to solve the problem, but end up diluting what makes the game of baseball truly great to begin with. The more MLB doubles down on trying to speed up the game as a solution, the quicker the game will lose people’s interest, and attendance will continue to drop as it has each year since 2012. Do we want to play baseball or do we want to play dumb and fast? I believe the two to be mutually exclusive.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

A major pitfall of human beings is eulogizing people once they are gone. The nicest comments you’ll ever hear about another person is when they are, sadly, no longer with us. Isn’t that depressing? We can’t appreciate people while they are here or to quote The Office “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you actually left them”. As Twins fans we bring this unfortunate reflex to our fanhood aggressively and without question. Some examples Joe Mauer, our current Front Office, Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa… we’ve done it to them all. 
The fanbase’s criticism of the front office is natural. We were supposed to be good last year, blew it, and now we’ve done little to rectify the depth issues. However, I’d like to open the hood on the front offices moves a bit more. Remember where we’ve come from Twins fans, and we will love this front office when they are gone…
Rather than acquiring contracts like Ricky Nolasco or Nathan Eovaldi, this front office has turned towards the trade market rather than bending the knee to an overpriced pitching market. They have acquired Kenta Maeda who when we last saw in a full season, granted it was 2020, was receiving Cy Young votes in a Twins uniform. We traded away Nelson Cruz for Joe Ryan and rather than pay Berrios we shipped him off for (at the time) a fantastic haul. Berrios is on the verge of losing a spot in that Blue Jays rotation don’t forget. All these arms, Chris Paddock included, would have cost 15-20 Million annually on the open market. That’s just the fact of the free agent pitching climate. 
I understand that the dollar signs point to a lack of effort but don’t lose sight of where we have come from. The arms we have brought in are good and have saved the organization hundreds of millions of dollars rather than getting equivalent arms in free agency. This year is no different. We are clearly close to being legit contenders and we want to lose sight of the process and chase the finish line by blowing money on pitchers that make no sense. Stay the course, something is coming, we’ve made creative moves every off-season and I don’t see why this year will be any different.
Don’t forget where we have come from, appreciate what we have, be hopeful for the future. If you don’t like it, we can go back to getting guys like Adam Everette at shortstop, trading Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps and getting guys like Mike Pelfrey to hold down the rotation. None of them are bad players but we saw how moves like that didn’t move the needle or were way too short-sighted. We will miss them when they are gone.
The pinnacle of we will love you when you’re gone is Joe Mauer. Besides with Kirk Cousins this year, I’ve never seen the average fan swing so wildly with their opinion on a player. I get it was an emotional deal seeing Mauer regress, he was and is still OUR guy. Minnesota born and raised, three batting titles, MVP, Gold Glove catcher, he was OUR guy. Battered with injury he came out from behind the dish and Joe Mauer was the target of everyone’s frustration because his body couldn’t do what it used to. He was still a productive player, and the contract was not bad enough to keep the old regime from trying to acquire and lock up talent. We as a fan base hated him for it anyways.
Almost as if we lifted a curse, as Mauer strapped on the gear one last time in his last game it was like the angst of the Minnesota Twins fan evaporated into thin air. An outpouring of love and pounding the table for first ballot hall of fame induction. It is some of the strangest behavior I have ever seen. Even when he was wining batting titles, it was- “he should hit more home runs". “he doesn’t catch enough”, “he never swings at the first pitch”. Now that we’ll never see him play again, we all have taken a running leap back onto the band wagon and for no reason other than we will love you when you’re gone...
I do not think the front office or any of the players are perfect as players, executives, or people. I just firmly believe they can do better and will do better. We can also do better as fans and people. Take a step back and appreciate what you have in front of you as much as you can. Whether it’s Buxton patrolling centerfield, the front office making a trade for a controllable starting pitcher, or if it’s someone or something in your everyday life. Love people while they are here, not when they are gone. What makes us great as a community is we get to choose.
 Go Twins, love you all.

Anyone that’s been around baseball recently has heard some variation of “Old School” vs. “New School” baseball. It’s like asking someone to pick between bacon or sausage. Both are good, and you can like one more than the other, but you don’t have to hate someone or the meat over it. Makes no sense. The difference is people identify baseball as a part of who they are and baseball isn’t high in cholesterol.
The “old” vs. the “new” is an incredibly broad generalization that has split baseball fans, coaches, and even players almost directly down the middle. Whether it’s the application of analytics, showing excess emotion on the field, how to swing, how to throw, throwing at guys, and the (ever-present) how you wear your uniform. The issue with all these things is not one act or another but the application of each “school”. Neither camp, believe it or not, is rooted in evil.
Social media has taken these arguments on play styles into everyone’s living room. I have coached baseball and specifically hitters at the travel ball, high school, and collegiate levels. You best bring your boxing gloves if you want to talk about teaching a kid how to hit. If you spend a minute on Twitter, you’ll come across one grey-haired dude or another speaking in absolutes saying swing up (new school) or swing down (old school). The fact of the matter is they are both right and they are both wrong.
As a baseball community, we have regressed into a kindergarten level of thinking where everything is so “black and white”. I’m not sure if it’s laziness or an odd compulsion to never change because “this worked back in my day”. Regardless of the topic, we do each other a great disservice by not taking the time to evaluate things on an individual basis. We want to generalize and then slide something to the left or right, alienating a huge portion of our community that needs us to do better.
Baseball is so beautiful because so much is based on feel and rhythm. For so many great players the game is almost a dance. The game moves slower and it’s such a pleasure to watch. Many guys I have played with fall into this category and think “I need to swing down and be quick”. This is not the result you get at the end but it’s about the feel. If someone pinned these guys in a corner and told them they had to swing uphill or else they’re wrong… you may have been deprived of some of the better talents the game has ever seen. Some examples of “swing down” guys are Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Joe Mauer, and Mike Trout. Nice group of “idiots” that didn’t know how to hit right?
On the other hand, there is a more technical way to teach baseball. There are so many players that have revamped their swings to find more power and reach new potential by elevating the ball more. The biomechanical truth of the swing is that elite hitters have a slight uphill swing, that is a fact. To match the plane of the pitch and open your timing window as a hitter, you must have that slight uphill path. Some people get sensitive about how to achieve this. Some great hitters I’ve heard speak from this more literal approach to hitting are- Ted Williams, J.D. Martinez, Aaron Judge, and Joey Votto. Another phenomenal group of “dummies”.
The fact of the matter is always application. They are both right and wrong equally. You must approach the individual and not be lazy. The same goes for throwing at someone. If someone goes spike up on your star shortstop and that guy gets a fastball off the butt cheek- that’s even Steven. Brush it off and get back to the game (now if that pitch creeps up by the shoulders we start to have problems).
When it comes to players “pimping” homers or pitchers pounding their chests, that’s a simple application of the golden rule- don’t do it if you don’t want someone to do it back. It’s a part of the game that makes it great. If everyone played like robots then it would look like no one cares and if no one cares about winning or their performance, then the World Series wouldn’t matter. No one would watch. If something is too over the top guys look like idiots anyways, isn’t that punishment enough? If someone hits a homer and slides into home plate, they’re going to get eaten alive in the clubhouse. A lot of these things police themselves but we turn them into stories because we don’t see what happens behind closed doors.
The duality of baseball is just another thing that makes the game so unique and so available for everyone. We need to leave sweeping generalizations at the door for this game to reach its potential and its audience. We need electric players like Fernando Tatis Jr. just as much as we need players like Paul Goldschmidt. Both are fantastic talents but some might be more reserved with their emotions on the field, most of the time you get more consistent performance from those who are consistent with their emotions.
Old School vs. New School came into play a ton with the Minnesota Twins last year. Many argued that the decisions came from an iPad and perhaps they did. I truly don’t know or care. What I do know is that the two times through the order cap on Archer and Bundy spoiled a postseason trip. Our bullpen was good in the second half. Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan had more stress put on them than Bartolo Colon’s belt buckle. The best-case scenario this year was five innings from Archer and Bundy, then cashing the pen. What happens to your horses at the top? If they are less than great, they give the ball to a worn-out bullpen. High-end starting pitchers love that...
The statistics don’t lie, the back of the rotation stunk the third time through the order, and that's ok but you must build a pitching staff to match. Either you have swing guys in the bullpen who are available for two-three good innings, or you have to have starting pitchers you trust to go three times through the lineup. We saw the current build of the pitching staff wasn’t sustainable for 162 and we paid for it by coughing up a division crown in the second half.
Analytics don’t lie or tell truths; they are data points and you’re a fool if you don’t look at the data available to you. What seems to be the disconnect is applying these numbers and the forward-thinking to building the roster. We saw that disconnect with the Twins staff last year, you get a jumbled mess and everyone is mad at everyone. To have a great baseball team you need old school and new school. They both are good when applied properly, so you don’t have to pick sides. When someone asks, “bacon or sausage?” you just say yes.

Anyone that’s been around baseball recently has heard some variation of “Old School” vs. “New School” baseball. It’s like asking someone to pick between bacon or sausage. Both are good, and you can like one more than the other, but you don’t have to hate someone or the meat over it. Makes no sense. The difference is people identify baseball as a part of who they are and baseball isn’t high in cholesterol.
The “old” vs. the “new” is an incredibly broad generalization that has split baseball fans, coaches, and even players almost directly down the middle. Whether it’s the application of analytics, showing excess emotion on the field, how to swing, how to throw, throwing at guys, and the (ever-present) how you wear your uniform. The issue with all these things is not one act or another but the application of each “school”. Neither camp, believe it or not, is rooted in evil.
Social media has taken these arguments on play styles into everyone’s living room. I have coached baseball and specifically hitters at the travel ball, high school, and collegiate levels. You best bring your boxing gloves if you want to talk about teaching a kid how to hit. If you spend a minute on Twitter, you’ll come across one grey-haired dude or another speaking in absolutes saying swing up (new school) or swing down (old school). The fact of the matter is they are both right and they are both wrong.
As a baseball community, we have regressed into a kindergarten level of thinking where everything is so “black and white”. I’m not sure if it’s laziness or an odd compulsion to never change because “this worked back in my day”. Regardless of the topic, we do each other a great disservice by not taking the time to evaluate things on an individual basis. We want to generalize and then slide something to the left or right, alienating a huge portion of our community that needs us to do better.
Baseball is so beautiful because so much is based on feel and rhythm. For so many great players the game is almost a dance. The game moves slower and it’s such a pleasure to watch. Many guys I have played with fall into this category and think “I need to swing down and be quick”. This is not the result you get at the end but it’s about the feel. If someone pinned these guys in a corner and told them they had to swing uphill or else they’re wrong… you may have been deprived of some of the better talents the game has ever seen. Some examples of “swing down” guys are Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Joe Mauer, and Mike Trout. Nice group of “idiots” that didn’t know how to hit right?
On the other hand, there is a more technical way to teach baseball. There are so many players that have revamped their swings to find more power and reach new potential by elevating the ball more. The biomechanical truth of the swing is that elite hitters have a slight uphill swing, that is a fact. To match the plane of the pitch and open your timing window as a hitter, you must have that slight uphill path. Some people get sensitive about how to achieve this. Some great hitters I’ve heard speak from this more literal approach to hitting are- Ted Williams, J.D. Martinez, Aaron Judge, and Joey Votto. Another phenomenal group of “dummies”.
The fact of the matter is always application. They are both right and wrong equally. You must approach the individual and not be lazy. The same goes for throwing at someone. If someone goes spike up on your star shortstop and that guy gets a fastball off the butt cheek- that’s even Steven. Brush it off and get back to the game (now if that pitch creeps up by the shoulders we start to have problems).
When it comes to players “pimping” homers or pitchers pounding their chests, that’s a simple application of the golden rule- don’t do it if you don’t want someone to do it back. It’s a part of the game that makes it great. If everyone played like robots then it would look like no one cares and if no one cares about winning or their performance, then the World Series wouldn’t matter. No one would watch. If something is too over the top guys look like idiots anyways, isn’t that punishment enough? If someone hits a homer and slides into home plate, they’re going to get eaten alive in the clubhouse. A lot of these things police themselves but we turn them into stories because we don’t see what happens behind closed doors.
The duality of baseball is just another thing that makes the game so unique and so available for everyone. We need to leave sweeping generalizations at the door for this game to reach its potential and its audience. We need electric players like Fernando Tatis Jr. just as much as we need players like Paul Goldschmidt. Both are fantastic talents but some might be more reserved with their emotions on the field, most of the time you get more consistent performance from those who are consistent with their emotions.
Old School vs. New School came into play a ton with the Minnesota Twins last year. Many argued that the decisions came from an iPad and perhaps they did. I truly don’t know or care. What I do know is that the two times through the order cap on Archer and Bundy spoiled a postseason trip. Our bullpen was good in the second half. Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan had more stress put on them than Bartolo Colon’s belt buckle. The best-case scenario this year was five innings from Archer and Bundy, then cashing the pen. What happens to your horses at the top? If they are less than great, they give the ball to a worn-out bullpen. High-end starting pitchers love that...
The statistics don’t lie, the back of the rotation stunk the third time through the order, and that's ok but you must build a pitching staff to match. Either you have swing guys in the bullpen who are available for two-three good innings, or you have to have starting pitchers you trust to go three times through the lineup. We saw the current build of the pitching staff wasn’t sustainable for 162 and we paid for it by coughing up a division crown in the second half.
Analytics don’t lie or tell truths; they are data points and you’re a fool if you don’t look at the data available to you. What seems to be the disconnect is applying these numbers and the forward-thinking to building the roster. We saw that disconnect with the Twins staff last year, you get a jumbled mess and everyone is mad at everyone. To have a great baseball team you need old school and new school. They both are good when applied properly, so you don’t have to pick sides. When someone asks, “bacon or sausage?” you just say yes.

Anyone that’s been around baseball recently has heard some variation of “Old School” vs. “New School” baseball. It’s like asking someone to pick between bacon or sausage. Both are good, and you can like one more than the other, but you don’t have to hate someone or the meat over it. Makes no sense. The difference is people identify baseball as a part of who they are and baseball isn’t high in cholesterol.
The “old” vs. the “new” is an incredibly broad generalization that has split baseball fans, coaches, and even players almost directly down the middle. Whether it’s the application of analytics, showing excess emotion on the field, how to swing, how to throw, throwing at guys, and the (ever-present) how you wear your uniform. The issue with all these things is not one act or another but the application of each “school”. Neither camp, believe it or not, is rooted in evil.
Social media has taken these arguments on play styles into everyone’s living room. I have coached baseball and specifically hitters at the travel ball, high school, and collegiate levels. You best bring your boxing gloves if you want to talk about teaching a kid how to hit. If you spend a minute on Twitter, you’ll come across one grey-haired dude or another speaking in absolutes saying swing up (new school) or swing down (old school). The fact of the matter is they are both right and they are both wrong.
As a baseball community, we have regressed into a kindergarten level of thinking where everything is so “black and white”. I’m not sure if it’s laziness or an odd compulsion to never change because “this worked back in my day”. Regardless of the topic, we do each other a great disservice by not taking the time to evaluate things on an individual basis. We want to generalize and then slide something to the left or right, alienating a huge portion of our community that needs us to do better.
Baseball is so beautiful because so much is based on feel and rhythm. For so many great players the game is almost a dance. The game moves slower and it’s such a pleasure to watch. Many guys I have played with fall into this category and think “I need to swing down and be quick”. This is not the result you get at the end but it’s about the feel. If someone pinned these guys in a corner and told them they had to swing uphill or else they’re wrong… you may have been deprived of some of the better talents the game has ever seen. Some examples of “swing down” guys are Barry Bonds, Manny Ramirez, Joe Mauer, and Mike Trout. Nice group of “idiots” that didn’t know how to hit right?
On the other hand, there is a more technical way to teach baseball. There are so many players that have revamped their swings to find more power and reach new potential by elevating the ball more. The biomechanical truth of the swing is that elite hitters have a slight uphill swing, that is a fact. To match the plane of the pitch and open your timing window as a hitter, you must have that slight uphill path. Some people get sensitive about how to achieve this. Some great hitters I’ve heard speak from this more literal approach to hitting are- Ted Williams, J.D. Martinez, Aaron Judge, and Joey Votto. Another phenomenal group of “dummies”.
The fact of the matter is always application. They are both right and wrong equally. You must approach the individual and not be lazy. The same goes for throwing at someone. If someone goes spike up on your star shortstop and that guy gets a fastball off the butt cheek- that’s even Steven. Brush it off and get back to the game (now if that pitch creeps up by the shoulders we start to have problems).
When it comes to players “pimping” homers or pitchers pounding their chests, that’s a simple application of the golden rule- don’t do it if you don’t want someone to do it back. It’s a part of the game that makes it great. If everyone played like robots then it would look like no one cares and if no one cares about winning or their performance, then the World Series wouldn’t matter. No one would watch. If something is too over the top guys look like idiots anyways, isn’t that punishment enough? If someone hits a homer and slides into home plate, they’re going to get eaten alive in the clubhouse. A lot of these things police themselves but we turn them into stories because we don’t see what happens behind closed doors.
The duality of baseball is just another thing that makes the game so unique and so available for everyone. We need to leave sweeping generalizations at the door for this game to reach its potential and its audience. We need electric players like Fernando Tatis Jr. just as much as we need players like Paul Goldschmidt. Both are fantastic talents but some might be more reserved with their emotions on the field, most of the time you get more consistent performance from those who are consistent with their emotions.
Old School vs. New School came into play a ton with the Minnesota Twins last year. Many argued that the decisions came from an iPad and perhaps they did. I truly don’t know or care. What I do know is that the two times through the order cap on Archer and Bundy spoiled a postseason trip. Our bullpen was good in the second half. Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan had more stress put on them than Bartolo Colon’s belt buckle. The best-case scenario this year was five innings from Archer and Bundy, then cashing the pen. What happens to your horses at the top? If they are less than great, they give the ball to a worn-out bullpen. High-end starting pitchers love that...
The statistics don’t lie, the back of the rotation stunk the third time through the order, and that's ok but you must build a pitching staff to match. Either you have swing guys in the bullpen who are available for two-three good innings, or you have to have starting pitchers you trust to go three times through the lineup. We saw the current build of the pitching staff wasn’t sustainable for 162 and we paid for it by coughing up a division crown in the second half.
Analytics don’t lie or tell truths; they are data points and you’re a fool if you don’t look at the data available to you. What seems to be the disconnect is applying these numbers and the forward-thinking to building the roster. We saw that disconnect with the Twins staff last year, you get a jumbled mess and everyone is mad at everyone. To have a great baseball team you need old school and new school. They both are good when applied properly, so you don’t have to pick sides. When someone asks, “bacon or sausage?” you just say yes.

Alright, Twins fans... time to put your money where your mouth is. If it's all about spending money, if it's all about pushing the budget where it "should be", if it's all about signing a pitcher, once he receives his imminent release, it's time to sign Trevor Bauer.
You're sick and tired of the low-risk pitching signings with no ceiling? Here ya go. An arm with ace-type stuff, a wild amount of baggage, and every player I know has hated him more than getting leftover concessions for the post-game spread. 
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that an arbitrator reduced the suspension of Trevor Bauer, which has placed the Dodgers in an uncomfortable position that will force their hand sooner rather than later; likely his release. The Dodgers have until January 6th to add him to the 40-man roster, trade him or release him. Happy Holidays to the Dodgers front office... They have been tight-lipped on his future likely in hopes of acquiring a piece in a trade for Bauer. 
We have seen this play out in a similar fashion in the NFL with the more than cringe-worthy Deshaun Watson scenario. Media backlash and less than stellar performance from a player with layers of rust. I wanted nothing to do with Trevor Bauer before the suspension and I want even less to do with him and his vlog now.
For all our fans slamming the table for we need pitching or we need an ace... here's your opportunity, do you really just want pitching that bad? Or does it actually matter where the money goes and who walks into the clubhouse? As a lifelong Twins fan, if it takes bringing in a guy like this, I'd rather not win and honestly, we'd be better off with less talent and a better clubhouse. We live in a world where everything has turned into WWE. It doesn't matter how you make people feel anymore, you're just rewarded for making people feel something.
In my experience playing with guys who have been 1st round picks, played in The Show, or never saw the field in college, one of my favorite things about baseball players is when people ask- "What was playing with 'insert players name' like?" The first thing people say is either "Great dude" or "Eh... kinda sucks to be around". People that didn't play always want to know how good people were and then ballplayers tell you what kind of guy they are. It's fascinating. For whatever reason, when you're in the clubhouse with guys it's almost subconscious, your first instinct is 'How does this person make you feel?' and I love that about baseball.
Maybe it's my Holiday spirit showing through but I want to see us get back to being remembered for the right reasons. Hold a door open for someone, tell someone you love them, and brush the snow off your neighbor's car. These are the things that make humans great. We can consciously make decisions for the better and we can choose to do right. I had the honor of playing for the winningest coach in Big Ten history, and an even better human being than a coach- John Anderson (go gophers). The quote he beat into us that will stick with me forever- "No one will remember your batting average, your ERA, or how many awards you won. Your teammates will remember how you made them feel and the relationships you built here." Let's take a step back from the "notice me" culture we have built and get back to putting others before ourselves.
This winter, be a good person and say no to Trevor Bauer. He can make $10,000 a month playing in Mexico, that's still a nice living.
 
 

Alright, Twins fans... time to put your money where your mouth is. If it's all about spending money, if it's all about pushing the budget where it "should be", if it's all about signing a pitcher, once he receives his imminent release, it's time to sign Trevor Bauer.
You're sick and tired of the low-risk pitching signings with no ceiling? Here ya go. An arm with ace-type stuff, a wild amount of baggage, and every player I know has hated him more than getting leftover concessions for the post-game spread. 
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that an arbitrator reduced the suspension of Trevor Bauer, which has placed the Dodgers in an uncomfortable position that will force their hand sooner rather than later; likely his release. The Dodgers have until January 6th to add him to the 40-man roster, trade him or release him. Happy Holidays to the Dodgers front office... They have been tight-lipped on his future likely in hopes of acquiring a piece in a trade for Bauer. 
We have seen this play out in a similar fashion in the NFL with the more than cringe-worthy Deshaun Watson scenario. Media backlash and less than stellar performance from a player with layers of rust. I wanted nothing to do with Trevor Bauer before the suspension and I want even less to do with him and his vlog now.
For all our fans slamming the table for we need pitching or we need an ace... here's your opportunity, do you really just want pitching that bad? Or does it actually matter where the money goes and who walks into the clubhouse? As a lifelong Twins fan, if it takes bringing in a guy like this, I'd rather not win and honestly, we'd be better off with less talent and a better clubhouse. We live in a world where everything has turned into WWE. It doesn't matter how you make people feel anymore, you're just rewarded for making people feel something.
In my experience playing with guys who have been 1st round picks, played in The Show, or never saw the field in college, one of my favorite things about baseball players is when people ask- "What was playing with 'insert players name' like?" The first thing people say is either "Great dude" or "Eh... kinda sucks to be around". People that didn't play always want to know how good people were and then ballplayers tell you what kind of guy they are. It's fascinating. For whatever reason, when you're in the clubhouse with guys it's almost subconscious, your first instinct is 'How does this person make you feel?' and I love that about baseball.
Maybe it's my Holiday spirit showing through but I want to see us get back to being remembered for the right reasons. Hold a door open for someone, tell someone you love them, and brush the snow off your neighbor's car. These are the things that make humans great. We can consciously make decisions for the better and we can choose to do right. I had the honor of playing for the winningest coach in Big Ten history, and an even better human being than a coach- John Anderson (go gophers). The quote he beat into us that will stick with me forever- "No one will remember your batting average, your ERA, or how many awards you won. Your teammates will remember how you made them feel and the relationships you built here." Let's take a step back from the "notice me" culture we have built and get back to putting others before ourselves.
This winter, be a good person and say no to Trevor Bauer. He can make $10,000 a month playing in Mexico, that's still a nice living.
 
 

Alright, Twins fans... time to put your money where your mouth is. If it's all about spending money, if it's all about pushing the budget where it "should be", if it's all about signing a pitcher, once he receives his imminent release, it's time to sign Trevor Bauer.
You're sick and tired of the low-risk pitching signings with no ceiling? Here ya go. An arm with ace-type stuff, a wild amount of baggage, and every player I know has hated him more than getting leftover concessions for the post-game spread. 
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that an arbitrator reduced the suspension of Trevor Bauer, which has placed the Dodgers in an uncomfortable position that will force their hand sooner rather than later; likely his release. The Dodgers have until January 6th to add him to the 40-man roster, trade him or release him. Happy Holidays to the Dodgers front office... They have been tight-lipped on his future likely in hopes of acquiring a piece in a trade for Bauer. 
We have seen this play out in a similar fashion in the NFL with the more than cringe-worthy Deshaun Watson scenario. Media backlash and less than stellar performance from a player with layers of rust. I wanted nothing to do with Trevor Bauer before the suspension and I want even less to do with him and his vlog now.
For all our fans slamming the table for we need pitching or we need an ace... here's your opportunity, do you really just want pitching that bad? Or does it actually matter where the money goes and who walks into the clubhouse? As a lifelong Twins fan, if it takes bringing in a guy like this, I'd rather not win and honestly, we'd be better off with less talent and a better clubhouse. We live in a world where everything has turned into WWE. It doesn't matter how you make people feel anymore, you're just rewarded for making people feel something.
In my experience playing with guys who have been 1st round picks, played in The Show, or never saw the field in college, one of my favorite things about baseball players is when people ask- "What was playing with 'insert players name' like?" The first thing people say is either "Great dude" or "Eh... kinda sucks to be around". People that didn't play always want to know how good people were and then ballplayers tell you what kind of guy they are. It's fascinating. For whatever reason, when you're in the clubhouse with guys it's almost subconscious, your first instinct is 'How does this person make you feel?' and I love that about baseball.
Maybe it's my Holiday spirit showing through but I want to see us get back to being remembered for the right reasons. Hold a door open for someone, tell someone you love them, and brush the snow off your neighbor's car. These are the things that make humans great. We can consciously make decisions for the better and we can choose to do right. I had the honor of playing for the winningest coach in Big Ten history, and an even better human being than a coach- John Anderson (go gophers). The quote he beat into us that will stick with me forever- "No one will remember your batting average, your ERA, or how many awards you won. Your teammates will remember how you made them feel and the relationships you built here." Let's take a step back from the "notice me" culture we have built and get back to putting others before ourselves.
This winter, be a good person and say no to Trevor Bauer. He can make $10,000 a month playing in Mexico, that's still a nice living.
 
 

Alright, Twins fans... time to put your money where your mouth is. If it's all about spending money, if it's all about pushing the budget where it "should be", if it's all about signing a pitcher, once he receives his imminent release, it's time to sign Trevor Bauer.
You're sick and tired of the low-risk pitching signings with no ceiling? Here ya go. An arm with ace-type stuff, a wild amount of baggage, and every player I know has hated him more than getting leftover concessions for the post-game spread. 
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that an arbitrator reduced the suspension of Trevor Bauer, which has placed the Dodgers in an uncomfortable position that will force their hand sooner rather than later; likely his release. The Dodgers have until January 6th to add him to the 40-man roster, trade him or release him. Happy Holidays to the Dodgers front office... They have been tight-lipped on his future likely in hopes of acquiring a piece in a trade for Bauer. 
We have seen this play out in a similar fashion in the NFL with the more than cringe-worthy Deshaun Watson scenario. Media backlash and less than stellar performance from a player with layers of rust. I wanted nothing to do with Trevor Bauer before the suspension and I want even less to do with him and his vlog now.
For all our fans slamming the table for we need pitching or we need an ace... here's your opportunity, do you really just want pitching that bad? Or does it actually matter where the money goes and who walks into the clubhouse? As a lifelong Twins fan, if it takes bringing in a guy like this, I'd rather not win and honestly, we'd be better off with less talent and a better clubhouse. We live in a world where everything has turned into WWE. It doesn't matter how you make people feel anymore, you're just rewarded for making people feel something.
In my experience playing with guys who have been 1st round picks, played in The Show, or never saw the field in college, one of my favorite things about baseball players is when people ask- "What was playing with 'insert players name' like?" The first thing people say is either "Great dude" or "Eh... kinda sucks to be around". People that didn't play always want to know how good people were and then ballplayers tell you what kind of guy they are. It's fascinating. For whatever reason, when you're in the clubhouse with guys it's almost subconscious, your first instinct is 'How does this person make you feel?' and I love that about baseball.
Maybe it's my Holiday spirit showing through but I want to see us get back to being remembered for the right reasons. Hold a door open for someone, tell someone you love them, and brush the snow off your neighbor's car. These are the things that make humans great. We can consciously make decisions for the better and we can choose to do right. I had the honor of playing for the winningest coach in Big Ten history, and an even better human being than a coach- John Anderson (go gophers). The quote he beat into us that will stick with me forever- "No one will remember your batting average, your ERA, or how many awards you won. Your teammates will remember how you made them feel and the relationships you built here." Let's take a step back from the "notice me" culture we have built and get back to putting others before ourselves.
This winter, be a good person and say no to Trevor Bauer. He can make $10,000 a month playing in Mexico, that's still a nice living.
 
 

Alright, Twins fans... time to put your money where your mouth is. If it's all about spending money, if it's all about pushing the budget where it "should be", if it's all about signing a pitcher, once he receives his imminent release, it's time to sign Trevor Bauer.
You're sick and tired of the low-risk pitching signings with no ceiling? Here ya go. An arm with ace-type stuff, a wild amount of baggage, and every player I know has hated him more than getting leftover concessions for the post-game spread. 
On Thursday, Major League Baseball announced that an arbitrator reduced the suspension of Trevor Bauer, which has placed the Dodgers in an uncomfortable position that will force their hand sooner rather than later; likely his release. The Dodgers have until January 6th to add him to the 40-man roster, trade him or release him. Happy Holidays to the Dodgers front office... They have been tight-lipped on his future likely in hopes of acquiring a piece in a trade for Bauer. 
We have seen this play out in a similar fashion in the NFL with the more than cringe-worthy Deshaun Watson scenario. Media backlash and less than stellar performance from a player with layers of rust. I wanted nothing to do with Trevor Bauer before the suspension and I want even less to do with him and his vlog now.
For all our fans slamming the table for we need pitching or we need an ace... here's your opportunity, do you really just want pitching that bad? Or does it actually matter where the money goes and who walks into the clubhouse? As a lifelong Twins fan, if it takes bringing in a guy like this, I'd rather not win and honestly, we'd be better off with less talent and a better clubhouse. We live in a world where everything has turned into WWE. It doesn't matter how you make people feel anymore, you're just rewarded for making people feel something.
In my experience playing with guys who have been 1st round picks, played in The Show, or never saw the field in college, one of my favorite things about baseball players is when people ask- "What was playing with 'insert players name' like?" The first thing people say is either "Great dude" or "Eh... kinda sucks to be around". People that didn't play always want to know how good people were and then ballplayers tell you what kind of guy they are. It's fascinating. For whatever reason, when you're in the clubhouse with guys it's almost subconscious, your first instinct is 'How does this person make you feel?' and I love that about baseball.
Maybe it's my Holiday spirit showing through but I want to see us get back to being remembered for the right reasons. Hold a door open for someone, tell someone you love them, and brush the snow off your neighbor's car. These are the things that make humans great. We can consciously make decisions for the better and we can choose to do right. I had the honor of playing for the winningest coach in Big Ten history, and an even better human being than a coach- John Anderson (go gophers). The quote he beat into us that will stick with me forever- "No one will remember your batting average, your ERA, or how many awards you won. Your teammates will remember how you made them feel and the relationships you built here." Let's take a step back from the "notice me" culture we have built and get back to putting others before ourselves.
This winter, be a good person and say no to Trevor Bauer. He can make $10,000 a month playing in Mexico, that's still a nice living.
 
 

To say Joey Gallo was bad last year would be like saying a turd isn't particularly tasty... it hardly describes the full truth. He hit .160 with 19 homers and a .638 OPS. Not to mention the 163 punch-outs in 410 plate appearances, that's just shy of a 40% strike-out rate. Absurd. His defense took a step back as well last year but inconsistent playing time can do that to an outfielder in terms of in-game jumps. On the surface, this sign makes little to no sense with the roster in its current state and if you don't believe in Joey Gallo as a player, the fact that he could improve, and if deployed properly that he is a productive player. HOWEVER, I would now like to present to you the Max Kepler situation
I love Max Kepler, as a young player I thought he was a candidate to grow into a player to hit .275-.300, threaten 30 jacks a year and play very good defense. You can't use a scouting report from 2014 to evaluate your talent, you can't think emotionally as a front office. You have to call a spade a spade. Max Kepler has had a combined OPS of .692 over the last two seasons (936 plate appearances) that's below the league average even for last year in a historically terrible year for offense (in '21 league average was .728). OPS is the easiest way to see how good a hitter is, if you want one statistic to rule them all... that is it. Kepler does not lift the ball well and that is fine but it has seriously limited his offensive ceiling and disbanding the shift is not going to be the sole reason to raise his batting average, he flat-out has to play better. The bottom line is he is a player that had an outlier season and has yet to improve in 8 seasons. 
Between Gallo and Kepler if you look at OPS, advantage Gallo. Even with Kepler having a clunker season last year Gallo was not far behind (.638 vs .666). I get Gallo strikes out way more than anyone in the world at the pro level but he could be a great fit. A lineup can only suffer so many Ks before it becomes wildly unproductive and frustrating regardless of OPS or whatever positive statistic they can provide. It's also a one-year deal, if the guy stinks they aren't going to play him there is hardly any risk. The people that say 'Wallner could do what Gallo does', it's a fair point but do you honestly think the scouting department didn't have that conversation? They clearly grade Gallo as a better player at this moment and that's fine. It's one year and Wallner could win the job and Gallo can ride pine all year, we are not married to him in any way shape, or form.
All this being said, with the addition of Gallo I become very hesitant to trade Arraez. With a guy like Gallo, the protection you need in the lineup for him is a player like Arraez. Strikeouts are bad, I hate seeing a guy punch out with less than two outs and a guy on 3rd more than anyone. I truly believe a lineup has a breaking point for how many strikeouts it can take before it becomes unproductive but I'll let some guy who has never played baseball find that statistic. A lineup can still be elite with Joey Gallo in it but other hitters in the lineup need to have some bat-to-ball skill. 
It's a long walk for a short drink of water but I lean towards liking the Gallo signing, we will have to use our personnel properly or he needs to improve dramatically. You will need to scheme your lineup around him, having Gallo hit 9th and Arraez hit leadoff would be how you would have to write it. Gallo and Kepler were both terrible last year, both will likely not be Twins in '24. I think the lineup has more potential with Gallo but if you have potential that just means you haven't done s**t yet. Regardless if your rightfielder is Kepler or Gallo they both need to take a considerable step forward from their recent performance. I think everyone is well within their right to be critical of this signing but you can't honestly say this signing isn't steeped in short-term potential. Sadly, more potential than it would've had with my guy Max Kepler.