Ted Schwerzler

The Minnesota Twins owned the 15th overall pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. There were questions as to how they would use the selection, and whether or not a major league deficiency at catcher warranted a backstop being picked. Terry Ryan and his club didn't go that way out of the gate, but they didn't wait long. With their second round selection, the Twins took a high school catcher from Verona High School in Wisconsin. Ben Rortvedt became the second-highest drafted catcher since Minnesota grabbed Joe Mauer 1st overall in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. Signing recently for just below the slot value, a nice $900k bonus check coming his way, Rortvedt is ready to get his professional career started.I was able to catch up with Rortvedt recently and ask him a couple of questions in regard to his draft experience, playing career, and what's next with the Twins. Here's what he had to say: Off The Baggy: What was the draft experience like for you? Did you have any indication of when and where you were going? Did you watch the action live? Ben Rortvedt: The draft experience was much like the college recruitment process for me. People coming out to see you play and the communication was all similar. I had a rough idea where I might go and where I wanted to go from talking to teams and hearing things, but anything could have happened so I tried to keep my head on straight. I watched the draft live at home with some of my family. OTB: Being from the Midwest, I'm guessing you're plenty familiar with the Twins. What do you know about the organization and team as a whole at this point? BR: Being close to Minnesota I know the Twins have an incredible fan base. One of my high school coaches is a avid Twins fan, and many of my classmates are as well. It is great having that kind of support behind you. OTB: As a catcher, you become the highest player drafted by the Twins at the position since Joe Mauer went first overall. What sets you apart behind the plate? What are your strengths? BR: My strength as a catcher, I believe, is that I am well-rounded. I like to believe that I can impact the game behind the plate and at it as well. OTB: Entering the Twins system, what is the area of your game you're most looking forward to improving in your first year at the professional level? BR: Defensively I am looking forward to learning from the coaches and players that have a lot more years under their belt than I do; exchange thoughts on catching and improve my ability behind the plate. OTB: At the big league level, catchers can sometimes get lumped into an offensive or defensive role. You profile as a more complete player at the position. What is your hitting approach like? BR: My hitting approach is pretty simple. I try to take what pitchers give me. I don't try to do too much at the plate. Always thinking away and up the middle at the plate. OTB: Behind the dish, there're a handful of professionals that have made a name for themselves among the game's best ever. Is there a current or former major leaguer you model your game after and if so, why? BR: Being from Wisconsin I like Jonathon Lucroy. He's a great defensive catcher and very fundamentally sound. I also like Tucker Barnhart from the Reds. He is very smooth behind the plate. OTB: Finally, if there's one thing you take pride in how you play the game above everything else, what is it? BR: The one thing I take pride in is hustle and effort. Always giving your all on the field. Rortvedt ended things on a great note, with hustle and effort being things you can always control when it comes to the game of baseball. He'll likely be assigned to the short season Gulf Coast League for the Twins. Obviously, being a high schooler, there will be some developmental time that needs to take place, but Rortvedt could quickly become the best catching prospect in the Twins system. Keep tuned into Off The Baggy and @tlschwerz for updates on Ben Rortvedt's first season at the professional level. Good luck Ben! Click here to view the article

Very good comment, Twins could've afforded themselves some clarity had they chose to have a plan. They didn't.

Coming into the 2016 Major League Baseball season, Oswaldo Arcia was already on the outs with the Minnesota Twins. He was out of options and Minnesota seemed to be squeezing him out of their plans. With Miguel Sano heading to the outfield and Byung Ho Park taking over designated hitter at bats, playing time would be hard to come by. That narrative couldn't be more true over one-third of the way through the season. Through June 15, Oswaldo Arcia has gotten into just 32 games for the Twins. He's totaled 103 at bats, and he's drawn just 27 starts. The 25 year-old Venezuelan owns a .214/.289/.369 slash line, and his .658 OPS is the lowest total of his four-year major league career. What's worth wondering however, is what to make of it all? Sure, Arcia's numbers at the plate leave something to be desired. However, he's started back to back games just 11 times in 64 games for Minnesota. Since May 15, he's made just seven starts through 27 games despite the struggles of teammate Byung Ho Park. To summarize the situation, his opportunities, when they've been present, have been few and far between. At the end of the day though, that's kind of how a guy operating without options experiences the big leagues. So, what do the Twins do with Arcia? He's posted a positive fWAR just once over the past four seasons, and that was a 0.9 mark in 2014. He's been worth -0.5 fWAR thus far in 2016, and his defensive ability (or lack thereof) is always going to be a detriment. In 2016, Arcia has posted a -4 DRS thus far. In his two most complete MLB seasons (2013/14), Arcia owned -16 and -9 DRS marks respectively. An offensive asset more in thought than reality, and a defensive liability, the Twins decision making time is looming. That reality is only being compounded as Eddie Rosario is currently tearing up Triple-A. Sure, Rosario still isn't walking hardly at all, and his plate approach leaves an incredible amount to be desired at the big league level. Looking at what they've both put forth for the Twins however, it's a tough argument to suggest Rosario doesn't bring more to the table. Complicating things however, is that Rosario shouldn't come up to overtake Arcia's role. As things stand, only Byron Buxton and Max Kepler should be considered realistic cogs of the Twins future outfield. Both have tremendous upside and need to be given the duration of the 2016 season to get acclimated to the level Minnesota needs them to compete at. Despite both of their struggles, neither has anything left to learn at Triple-A. Swapping either player with Rosario would be a tremendous gaffe of the Twins end, and one that should remain out of the equation. Whether Minnesota is open to switching out Arcia for Rosario or not remains to be seen. The latter could rotate playing time with Kepler and would almost assuredly find himself in the field more often than Arcia has. A summer trade of breakout minor league signee Robbie Grossman could open up a spot as well. Regardless of what shuffle takes place, it appears Arcia should likely be the one to go. There's less than a zero percent chance that a major league team would put a waiver claim in on Oswaldo Arcia. He's a 25 year old power hitter that some organization is going to view as a prospect they can unlock. It may very well happen, and it would be unfortunate for the Twins to see it take place. However, much like Grossman, sometimes those situations just need to play out. Whether it's ideal or not, sometimes players just find themselves when presented a different set of circumstances. Minnesota seems to have hit the proverbial jackpot with Robbie Grossman, and Oswaldo Arcia affording another organization that opportunity isn't a death sentence. If time is up for Arcia in Minnesota, I think it's ok to come to grips with that being the reality. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

The Minnesota Twins owned the 15th overall pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball draft. There were questions as to how they would use the selection, and whether or not a major league deficiency at catcher warranted a backstop being picked. Terry Ryan and his club didn't go that way out of the gate, but they didn't wait long. With their second round selection, the Twins took a high school catcher from Verona High School in Wisconsin. Ben Rortvedt became the second highest drafted catcher since Minnesota grabbed Joe Mauer 1st overall in the 2001 Major League Baseball draft. Signing recently for just below the slot value, a nice $900k bonus check coming his way, Rortvedt is ready to get his professional career started. I was able to catch up with Rortvedt recently and ask him a couple of questions in regards to his draft experience, playing career, and what's next with the Twins. Here's what he had to say: Off The Baggy: What was the draft experience like for you? Did you have any indication of when and where you were going? Did you watch the action live? Ben Rortvedt: The draft experience was much like the college recruitment process for me. People coming out to see you play and the communication was all similar. I had a rough idea where I might go and where I wanted to go from talking to teams and hearing things, but anything could have happened so I tried to keep my head on straight. I watched the draft live at home with some of my family. OTB: Being from the Midwest, I'm guessing you're plenty familiar with the Twins. What do you know about the organization and team as a whole at this point? BR: Being close to Minnesota I know the Twins have an incredible fan base. One of my high school coaches is a avid Twins fan, and many of my classmates are as well. It is great having that kind of support behind you. OTB: As a catcher, you become the highest player drafted by the Twins at the position since Joe Mauer went first overall. What sets you apart behind the plate? What are your strengths? BR: My strength as a catcher, I believe, is that I am well rounded. I like to believe that I can impact the game behind the plate and at it as well. OTB: Entering the Twins system, what is the area of your game you're most looking forward to improving in your first year at the professional level? BR: Defensively I am looking forward to learning from the coaches and players that have a lot more years under their belt than I do; exchange thoughts on catching and improve my ability behind the plate. OTB: At the big league level, catchers can sometimes get lumped into an offensive or defensive only role. You profile as a more complete player at the position. What is your hitting approach like? BR: My hitting approach is pretty simple. I try to take what pitchers give me. I don't try to do too much at the plate. Always thinking away and up the middle at the plate. OTB: Behind the dish, there's a handful of professionals that have made a name for themselves among the game's best ever. Is there a current or former major leaguer you model your game after and if so, why? BR: Being from Wisconsin I like Jonathon Lucroy. He's a great defensive catcher and very fundamentally sound. I also like Tucker Barnhart from the Reds. He is very smooth behind the plate. OTB: Finally, if there's one thing you take pride in how you play the game above everything else, what is it? BR: The one thing I take pride in is hustle and effort. Always giving your all on the field. Rortvedt ended things on a great note, with hustle and effort being things you can always control when it comes to the game of baseball. He'll likely be assigned to the short season Gulf Coast League for the Twins. Obviously being a high schooler, there will be some developmental time that needs to take place, but Rortvedt could quickly become the best catching prospect in the Twins system. Keep tuned into Off The Baggy and @tlschwerz for updates on Ben Rortvedt's first season at the professional level. Good luck Ben!

Here at Off The Baggy, covering the Minnesota Twins means checking in on everything from the big league club on down to the farm. With the major league team in the midst of an unfortunate season, it's hard to not get caught up already looking ahead to 2017. With the Twins graduating a handful of their top prospects, looking at who's next is plenty exciting. Despite big names like Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano no longer being considered prospects, the Twins have some serious firepower left on the farm. Shifting more towards pitchers at this point, the organization should have plenty of players to rely upon in the coming seasons. Before taking a look at where the rankings fall currently, you can find the 2016 Top 15 Prospects HERE, and the midseason 2015 Top 15 Prospects HERE. With all of that out of the way, let's get into it. Your top 15 Minnesota Twins Prospects at the halfway point of 2016: 15. Jake Reed RP Unfortunately, Reed struggled out of the gate. In his first 27.1 IP, he owned a 5.27 ERA. While his 29 strikeouts were a welcomed statistic, command was once again an issue. He gave up 16 earned runs while walking 12 batter. However, he's seemingly turned a corner of late. Over his last nine innings, he owns a 1.00 ERA and has allowed opposing hitters to bat just .040/.194/.040 off of him. If he can continue to limit walks, he still should have a chance to reach Rochester by season's end. 14. Lewis Thorpe SP It's hard to move Thorpe much as he's yet to pitch in 2016. He's recovering from Tommy John surgery and has had a couple of hiccups during the process. I believe at one point he came down with mono, and that obviously slowed the process. He's still got youth on his side, and should he make a return in 2016, his ceiling remains as high as ever. 13. Felix Jorge SP The first new name in the midseason top 15, Jorge has absolutely earned his spot. At 22 years old, he's making his debut at High-A Fort Myers this season. He's made 10 starts thus far and owns a 1.64 ERA. His strikeout numbers sit at 7.5 K/9, and have remained virtually consistent since rookie ball. He's not going to be a frontline starter, but if Jorge can continue to replicate similar results, he'll be a solid rotation contributor in the middle to back end as he rises through the Twins system. 12. Nick Burdi RP Burdi falls out of the top 10 after a less than ideal begin to 2016. He injured himself during spring training and then has dealt with arm injuries for most of the regular season. He's made just three appearances, and remains on the Double-A disabled list. His stuff is absolutely electric when on the mound, but he's really struggled to get there this season. After some control issues a season ago, he really needed to use this season as a springboard and that just hasn't happened. 11. Daniel Palka OF Taking over the spot previously occupied by Adam Brett Walker, Palka has been more than a nice return to the Twins for Chris Herrmann. He currently leads the Southern League in home runs, and his power is plenty legit. He has strikeout tendencies very similar to Walker, but his on-base numbers tell a different tale, and his ratios are a bit better than the free swinger at Triple-A. I compared both Palka and Walker here, and if I'm taking a flier on one to hit, it's Palka. 10. Fernando Romero SP Romero makes the biggest jump thus far on the prospect list. After being outside of my top 15 to start the season, he's been absolutely unhittable since returning to Cedar Rapids following Tommy John surgery. Romero didn't pitch in 2014, but it doesn't appear that he's missed a beat at all. Four starts in, he owns a 1.17 ERA along with an 8.2 K/9 and a 1.6 BB/9. Romero put up solid numbers as a 19 year old at Cedar Rapids in 2014, so him dominating the level isn't completely unexpected. Regardless, should he continue to progress like this from Tommy John, he's going to force himself into the Twins plans. 9. Alex Kirilloff RF/1B The 15th overall draft pick by the Minnesota Twins in the 2016 Major League draft, Kirilloff may immediately take over the title of top power prospect. He's probably going to skip the Gulf Coast League and head right to Elizabethton. A high schooler, he'll have a significant learning curve at the pro level. He's already got tremendous pop in his bat and it should translate to wood just fine. He's likely destined for a corner spot at the big league level, but that hit tool is going to carry him on its own for a while. 8. Kohl Stewart SP Moving up one spot, Stewart has now made the jump to Double-A Chattanooga. Of the Twins pitching prospects, he's been the one considered to be a frontline starter most often. His strikeout numbers improved this season as he started out at Fort Myers. He earned a promotion though after a few rocky starts and then turned in a clunker in his Double-A debut. He settled in during start number two and should spend the rest of the season with Chattanooga. I want to believe in Stewart, but the strikeouts need to come, and the level of dominance needs to rise if he's going to fulfill that frontline potential for Minnesota. 7. J.T. Chargois RP Chargois made his MLB debut in June and it went hardly as planned. However, he should be back up with the big club sooner rather than later, and the expectation should be that he's capable of helping the Twins. At Triple-A Rochester in 2016, Chargois has struck out everyone to the tune of a 14.6 K/9. He's controlled walks and he's worked out of the closer role. With Glen Perkins looking like a serious shutdown candidate for the year, I'd be far from shocked to see the Twins using Chargois to save games in September. 6. Jorge Polanco 2B The only reason Polanco is this low on the list is because of the talent ahead of him. He's gone from being a guy that plenty of organizations have, to one that should be playing every day in the big leagues. Polanco has been jerked around by the Twins but is slashing .315/.380/.500 at Triple-A Rochester. He's capable with the bat at the big league level right now, and needing to play second base, a fit with the Twins is a tough ask. If Minnesota moves Eduardo Nunez (they should), it needs to be Polanco that picks up the extra playing time. 5. Stephen Gonsalves SP Right now, Gonsalves has no business being at High-A Fortt Myers. He's made 11 starts this seasons totaling a 2.33 ERA and has complimented that with a 9.0 K/9. He dominated the level a season ago and is ready for a challenge at Double-A. He was selected to represent the Miracle at the Florida State League All Star Game (that the Miracle are hosting), so he's not going anywhere before then. From what I've been told by a source, his promotion should come almost immediately after the All Star game. That would put him on pace to be an option for Triple-A (or the Twins) in late 2017. 4. Nick Gordon SS Standing pat at number four, Gordon has had a nice 2016. It could look a lot better however had his last few weeks not been so rough. From April 7 through May 19, Gordon owned a .331/.370/.472 slash line for the Miracle. Since however, he's hit just .189/.268/.243 with 3 extra base hits, 18 strikesouts, and just five walks. His glove was always expected to be ahead of his bat, but he's totaled 13 errors in 46 games already after putting up 18 in 118 games at Cedar Rapids a year ago. I'm not worried about Gordon, but he's probably not as ready for Double-A as he once appeared early in the season. 3. Tyler Jay SP If there's a reason Jay doesn't move up, it's solely because of the talent ahead of him. Give me a thre headed monster from the top three Twins prospects and I'm ok. After working solely as a reliever in college, Jay has looked the part of a dominant starter in 2016. At High-A Fort Myers, he owns a 2.18 ERA and a 9.2 K/9. Since May 4, he's made 6 starts and owns a 0.70 ERA, .205/.266/.227 slash line against, and a 9.9 K/9. He too should see a promotion to Double-A in short order, and I'd still bet on Jay making it to the big leagues ahead of both Stewart and Gonsalves. 2. Max Kepler OF Debuting in 2015, Kepler wasn't going to become a regular until this season at the earliest. With Miguel Sano on the disabled list, he's been afforded that opportunity. It's fair to expect him to take his lumps, and he definitely has. Now with a handful of starts under his belt, Kepler owns a paltry .189/.271/.321 line at the big league level. His on-base skills will always help him though, and he's taking solid at bats. He'll continue to get his feet wet and be just fine. I'd be pretty disappointed if the Twins sent him back to Triple-A at any point during this lost season. 1. Jose Berrios SP Easily the most anticipated big league debut after Sano and Buxton, Berrios got his shot early with the Twins. In four big league starts, he's compiled a 10.20 ERA backed by an ugly 7.2 BB/9. The strikeouts have been there, to the tune of a 12.0 K/9, but he's gotten himself in danger far too often. The problem is that has continued since his demotion back to Triple-A. He owns a 4.99 ERA since returning to Rochester, and has nibbled at the strike zone far more than you'd like. He's been more susceptible to the home run this season and the command issues haven't helped that. The ceiling is still incredibly high, but his two biggest detractors have reared their ugly head. There you have it, the Off The Baggy Top 15 prospects at the midway point of the 2016 season. The next update will come at some point over the offseason. With the Twins looking to right the ship at the highest level, they'll again need to hope that a handful of their developed talent pays off for them. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Over the winter, the Minnesota Twins didn't make a ton of moves. They had a bad bullpen that they looked at more fliers than sure things. Minnesota won a surprising bid for KBO slugger Byung Ho Park. Then there was a move that was somewhat surprising in that it was able to happen at all; the Twins dealt Chris Herrmann to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a prospect named Daniel Palka. In coming to the Twins, Palka was a heralded power prospect who'd yet to play above High-A in the Arizona organization. He was dealt to Minnesota during the Arizona Fall League, and he ended up finishing that schedule with the Salt River Rafters (who were affiliated with Twins prospects just a year earlier). During the fall season, Palka had a nice showing. Despite not jumping off the stat sheet, he put up a .278/.330/.444 slash line with three homers. He's always been a high strikeout guy, but his power has made that more of a footnote. It wasn't until he joined the Twins organization to start the season that things really took off for the Georgia Tech alum. After a season in which the Chattanooga Lookouts were blessed with top Twins prospects like Jose Berrios, Byron Buxton, and Miguel Sano, the team has been gifted Palka in 2016. Through his first 59 games at the Double-A level this season, he owns a .277/.355/.563 slash line. His 16 homers lead the Southern League, and his .918 OPS is the best mark of his four year professional career. He's still striking out at a healthy clip (76/28 K/BB), but Palka has become something Twins fans have hoped another prospect may be. To find a safe comparison for Palka, you have to look back only one year at the 20155 Lookouts roster. On it, you'll find Adam Brett Walker, a player cut of virtually the same cloth. It was Walker who used the home run to power his game a season ago, and has long been clamored for among prospects lists throughout Twins Territory. The unfortunate thing for Walker is that his numbers don't look remotely sustainable, and if anything Palka is providing the blueprint for what he should be. At Double-A last season, Adam Brett Walker had a 0.06 HR/AB with a 0.39 K/AB. Palka owns a 0.07 HR/AB and a 0.34 K/AB rate this season for the Twins double a club. The difference in minimal, but when considering the approach, it's drastic enough to make a difference. In heading to Triple-A this season, things have only gotten worse for Walker. In Rochester, Walker owns a 0.07 HR/AB but a 0.5 K/AB. In striking out in 50% of his plate appearances, he's on pace to blow by his previous career worst 195 K set a season ago. Sure, there's plenty to suggest Palka will see a similar uptick in strikeouts when heading to the next level. Much like Walker, his approach is always going to lend itself to swinging and missing. Palka actually struck out more often than Walker at the High-A level, but is on pace to come in right around 20 strikeouts lower at the Double-A level. During June, Palka has ripped the cover off of the baseball. He owns a .341/.415/1.068 slash line with two triples, nine homers, and 19 RBI. His strikeouts have been present to the tune of a 17/7 K/BB ratio, but it's hard to find fault with his current results. Looking further back though, his past 162 games have been nothing to scoff at either. The last 162 comes out to total a gaudy .281/.356/..561 line with 35 doubles, six triples, 43 home runs, and 125 runs batted in. Pretty safe to say those numbers would equate to a top tier prospect at nearly any level. Considering where he's at, Palka is going to have to continue to substantiate his production. The Twins may keep him at Double-A all season, but regardless, his Triple-A production will have to follow suit. He'll need to avoid a serious uptick in strikeouts, unlike Walker has done, and continue the power production. For now though, there's no doubt Palka needs to be taken seriously. Among Twins outlets, I've probably been the most skeptical on Walker. He may get a cup of coffee this season due to being on the 40 man roster. However, I'd suggest anyone ranking Walker ahead of Palka in their prospect lists to strongly reconsider. Although very similar styles, Palka is currently doing it better, and it's time he gets his due for doing so. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

This is a good comment! *high five*

After the first month of the 2016 Major League Baseball season, you'd have been hard pressed not to find articles throughout Twins Territory calling Joe Mauer back. He was coming off a great April, and now even further separated from his concussion, it appeared he had turned a corner. Then May happened and he cooled off. What's worth noting though, based on where things stand currently, Joe Mauer may be reinventing the wheel. Unfortunately, due to his concussion, Joe Mauer was forced to remake his big league career. No longer a catcher, he was going to have to make the move to first base. In doing so, his defensive prowess was being somewhat sapped, and his production almost assuredly would not stand up to the boppers who play the corner spot throughout the big leagues. It has taken a while to get to this point, but we may finally be getting somewhere. Back in April, I wrote one of those glowing pieces on Joe Mauer's production at the plate. His average was above the .300 mark, and he was once again an on-base machine. Some of that has changed, a lot of it hasn't, but the situation has been fluid in regards to Mauer all season long. What has remained consistent is that he's been one of the Twins lone bright spots. What's worth diving into is exactly how he's done it. Coming into the 2016 season, projection systems over at Fangraphs (ZiPS and Steamer) had Mauer being worth 1.3 fWAR at seasons end. Now, through just 58 games, Mauer has already been worth 1.4 fWAR for Minnesota. Sure, he could definitely take a nose dive and pull away production from that number, but expecting him to finish below a 1.3 fWAR mark seems like a bad bet. In fact, Mauer is on pace to be worth right around 4.0 fWAR at season's end, which would be his best total since 2013 (5.2 fWAR). In trying to understand what Mauer has done to reinvent himself, we have to take a look at the approach through all facets of the game. At the plate, my initial piece back in April did a lot of the leg work. Good things for Joe include a 37.1% hard hit rate, which is his highest output since the 2013 season, and nearly a 10% improvement over the past two years. He's hitting line drives nearly one-third of the time, which is easily a new career high (never has he hit above 30% previously). When he's hitting fly balls, which is something Mauer has done just over 20% of the time, they are leaving the yard 18.9% of the time, his highest mark since 2009 in which he hit 28 homers at the Metrodome. At the plate, Mauer is making great contact, and he's seeing solid results because of it. He's always been a patient hitter, but getting his swinging strike rate down to 5.1% has been huge. He ranks 11th in MLB among qualified hitters, and there's only nine players with rates lower than 5%. Mauer has also chased pitches out of the zone just 20.9% of the time, his best output since 2009 (20.3%). To summarize, not only is he seeing positive production, but it's backed by an approach that suggests its his own doing. Then there's the other side of things, that's truly been part of the revolution. Joe Mauer is actually a very good first basemen. On the season, of which he's started 40 games at first base, Mauer has been wroth 4 defensive runs saved while posting a 3.6 ultimate zone rating. His career high DRS at first base came in 2014, and was a total of 4. It took him 99 starts to reach that number. When looking at UZR, he never has been better than the 3,5 number he posted in his 2011 debut at the spot. On pace for 11 DRS in 2016, Mauer is having his most productive defensive season ever, including his time behind the dish. When looking at how he's played the game as a whole for the Twins in 2016, it's been pretty easy to see Mauer is an absolute asset. Things get taken up to the next notch when you look at the landscape of his competition. Only Miguel Cabrera owns a better fWAR thus far among American League first basemen (1.5 fWAR). Cabrera is the prototypical slugger. He's got 12 homers to his credit, he's hitting above .300, he has been what he has been his entire career. Joe Mauer is not Miguel Cabrera, and that's ok. Despite the belief that playing first base makes him need to be something like that, he's found his niche and been just fine doing it. Mauer is one pace to hit 20 home runs. He probably won't do that, but he'll be above 10. He's shown a strong approach at the plate, and he's playing a very good first base for Minnesota. Despite what many once believed Joe needed to be at his new position, he's now showing us what he is, and it's something that the Twins are more than welcoming to. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Leaving an early morning meeting this morning, I had the opportunity to catch a bit of Judd Zulgad and Phil Mackey on their daily radio show. The 1500 ESPN co-hosts were discussing the UFC reporter that was banned for life because he broke a story prior to the organization deeming it was ready to share the news. In having the discussion, and important topic came up, and it's one that directly effects the Minnesota Twins. As both Mackey and Zulgad broke it down, the pair dissected how unfortunate it would be should news only be filtered from first party outlets. If the UFC, or in our case, Major League Baseball (and it's teams) were the only ones presenting us with content, the landscape would look vastly different. Considering the landscape the Twins currently call home in Twins Territory right now, fans have options. There's at least two major sports stations, there's the Twins website itself, there's a handful of blogs (like this one that I appreciate you reading), and there's any number of personalities on Twitter (like this one that I'd hope you'll follow). In understanding that however, the realization should be in how information is presented. On the Twins website, you'd be hard pressed to ever find a story pointing a public finger at an individual or situation (16-40 record notwithstanding). On Twitter or on this blog, you'll find someone willing to equally praise and come down upon the club when needed. Heck, on some of the local sites, you'll find writers that lean one way, while others do little but to regurgitate the same team-centric attitude. As a whole, none of it is wrong, but if mandated, it all would be. Take a look at the state of the Twins currently. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor have constructed and ran out a team that has won 16 games in 56 opportunities. Fellow major league competition, the Chicago Cubs, have equaled as many victories in the same amount of time as the Twins have earned losses. There has been no shortages of blame to go around, or problem areas to take a look at. Over the course of the season's first two months, outlets have had the opportunity to cover both situations. We saw a reporter fairly question Phil Hughes pitching despite not having the ability to do so in the capacity he should've been expected. I've been critical or both Ryan and Molitor in this space, and there's been plenty made of the Total System Failure quote in the Twittersphere. On the flip side, Joe Mauer's resurgence has been praised, Byron Buxton's new approach has been heralded, and the good has been found. The allowance of both sets of narratives is what creates a level of content designed to benefit the consumer. At its core, sports are a form of entertainment. During their program, Mackey noted that media access was generated in its truest form to create a level of accountability and transparency between teams and their fans. He's not wrong at all, and that line being blurred wouldn't be a positive scenario for anyone involved. Leagues and their organizations becoming a monopolized form of access would provide fodder with little meat to it, while just barely scratching the surface of what truly envelops a fan's interest. Thanks to the avenues out there, you're currently able to consume sports, and the Minnesota Twins in the way in which you choose. If you want nothing but what the team deems appropriate, TwinsBaseball.com is for you. Looking for something in the form of analysis, with happy go lucky sprinkled in, there's a local site for that. Want someone to be as passionate when things are good, as they are when things are bad, well I think I've got you covered there. Regardless what your choice is, you're currently allowed to make it. Right now, the Minnesota Twins, Terry Ryan, Paul Molitor, and everyone at 1 Twins Way is falling flat. They should be held accountable for those actions, and it's the responsibility of those sharing their thoughts on the situation to do so. Despite baseball not having yet taken the drastic measures that UFC showed us over the weekend, it should probably provide a reminder as to how good the current situation is, and what the expectation to come out of it should be. Consume your fandom to the level in which you please, but also be aware enough to know that it's worth protecting. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

More often than not, what separates a smart person and a dumb person, is that the former realizes a mistake and addresses it. The latter sees the mistake and believes it will fix itself.

Right, it was a comment that made them essentially a legitimate laughing stock, and then has been followed up by inaction from within.

May 6, 2016 the Minnesota Twins graced headlines as owner Jim Pohlad called the season a "Total System Failure." The club had started 0-9 and now owned a 6-20 record on the year. By all defining terms, "Total System Failure" seemed accurate. The problem is that it doesn't seem to have resonated all that much. Fast forward to June 6, and the Twins find themselves in similar territory. They own a 16-40 record, meaning they responded to Pohlad's comments by replicating the ugly 8-20 output. What's worse than the record itself however, is how it's been achieved. In their latest loss, the Twins went down 7-5 to end a four game series at Target Field with the Tampa Bay Rays. Forget the fact that Minnesota pitching gave up 11 home runs (5 to Evan Longoria alone) in those contests, and dwell on the idea that the rolled over. In the 6th inning of a tie game, leading hitter (.331 average), Eduardo Nunez dropped down a sacrifice bunt. He had decided that the club needed to play for one run, with Byron Buxton on first, and gave himself up. Following the game, manager Paul Molitor noted that Nunez acted on his own accord with his sacrifice. What Molitor didn't do was show any sort of anger or discipline for the decision. Nunez made a poor baseball decision, and the Twins went on to leave the 6th without a run. Compounding problems, a similar position presented itself in the very next inning. Still tied, Robbie Grossman walked, and Molitor called upon Eduardo Escobar to drop down a sacrifice bunt. Again the Twins didn't score, and their decision to agree that they weren't capable of generating a base hit came back to haunt them. In a vacuum, there's been plenty of these situations over the course of the season. Despite being an elite baseball mind, Paul Molitor has looked like the stage is above him quite often. The Hall of Famer seems confused to best practices during in game scenarios, and there's been far too many head scratching opportunities. That brings us somewhat full circle on Pohlad's comments. Despite being an indictment of what had taken place, the response from the Twins has been to stay status quo. They record is an exact replica on both sides of the quote, and the execution has been similar as well. Molitor has been poor in his own right, and Terry Ryan has followed suit. If it isn't happening on the bench, then it's been in Ryan's hands. His star slugger hit the disabled list due to a pulled hamstring, and currently has an outfield spot to return back to. Former top pitching prospect Alex Meyer was made to wait 28 days prior to an exploratory MRI, only to be placed on the DL some 30 days after he last pitched. For all Ryan has done well in roster manipulation over his tenure, I don't remember a time with more negatives packed into a brief period of time than now. What it all comes down to isn't a quote, but rather a direction. No negative public comments from an out-of-touch owner are going to turn this dumpster fire around. The Twins need to commit to some changes, and they have to be made sooner rather than later. Sure, I believe both Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan need to go. It appears neither are capable of doing their jobs to a satisfactory level. Even before that though, Minnesota needs an identity. With underperforming veterans littered across the roster, a purge or shift should take place soon. It's time to move on from what you can, and allow the Buxton's, Sano's, Kepler's, and Polanco's to make this team theirs. Bring them up, let them invest in the process, and do what they can to put their stamp on 2016. The results aren't likely going to turn much for the better, but it would suggest a shift in process that should prove beneficial in the long run. For this club, things have gone far from as expected or desired. While that's unfortunate in and of itself, Pohlad, Ryan, Molitor, and the rest of the organization have done nothing to turn the tide either. At some point, it can't be about the newspaper fodder; there has to actually be actionable change. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

It's June, and the Twins are the worst team in baseball. They've currently been swept half as often as they have won games, and this season has gone the opposite of any expectations could have laid out. With a couple of months left to the trade deadline, it may be time for Terry Ryan to start sending his chips to the table. Minnesota doesn't have many any big names, but there's pieces that are worth moving. Despite Major League Baseball dictating trades being allowed (in the traditional sense) up until July 31, the Twins would be best served to act well before then. As a handful of their current commodities may have short shelf lives, moving them prior to any downfall would be a good idea. If you've begun reading trade pieces on the interwebs at all, you know who is considered as trade chip for Minnesota, but I'm prepared to tell you who the club should move. With that said, let's get into it. Fernando Abad- Level of trade necessity 10 Easily Ryan's best free agent signing of the offseason, Abad came in as a non-roster guy that the Twins believed they saw something in. Commenting that he was tipping his pitches, Minnesota thought that the 4.15 ERA in 62 games for the Athletics in 2015 was an outlier, turns out they were right. Currently, Abad owns a 0.93 ERA in 19.1 IP. He's posted an 8.4 K/9 and walked just 2.3 per 9, a career best. Abad is a lefty reliever capable of getting batters from both sides out. He's a luxury that the Twins don't need to afford. Their pen is bad, and so are they, his value doesn't push the needle much. Sending him to a contender to solidify their pen is the most realistic plan of action, and he should have plenty of suitors. Eduardo Nunez- 9 If there's a reason the Twins shouldn't send Nunez to the All Star game, it's because he shouldn't be with the organization when that time rolls around. Considering Abad a must trade, Nunez should be considered a must trade now. I'm not in favor of taking a bag of balls back for Nunez, but his value is never going to be higher than it is currently, and waiting only invites the opportunity for it to fall. Nunez's .329/.356/.494 slash line is well above his career norms (.274/.314/.401) and he's continued to be a poor defender. For now, he's been one of the lone contributors on a bad club, and making sure to get some return on that is a good plan of action. There's reason to believe a return for Nunez won't equate to much, he's got a decent track record that says this is a mirage. That being said, if someone is willing to cough up a mid-level prospect, the Twins should be all over it. Robbie Grossman- 5 Despite making few well timed moves during the offseason, and a poor display of roster control throughout 2016, Terry Ryan seems to have come up well with Grossman. The 26 year old is finally doing something he never has before, hit. An on-base machine, Grossman's bat has turned in a .359/.457/.667 line over his first 12 games with the Twins. He's already amassed 6 doubles and has two homers to his credit. Right now, Paul Molitor and crew have to be hoping the carriage doesn't turn back into a pumpkin. Sure, Grossman is 26, and not arbitration eligible until 2018. The team control he possesses makes him valuable if you believe this sort of thing continues. However, he was cast aside by the Astros for a reason, and couldn't find his way into the Indians plans. Grossman will probably always find ways to get on base, but betting on his bat is a risky gamble. With the ability to be a 4th outfielder at worst, I'm not going to simply give him away. I'd rather have Grossman in the organization as opposed to a retread like Darin Mastroianni in a pinch. However, Minnesota should be able to find a contender needing that type of lift immediately, and could maximize their return by flipping the recently claimed asset. Trevor Plouffe- 7 Over the offseason, my number on Plouffe would have been a 4. I am of the belief that Miguel Sano has been virtually as expected in right field, and while some may see that as an abomination, I'd put it as simply below-standard. Sure, playing the hulking Dominican in the outfield is about as suboptimal as it gets, but the Twins and Plouffe were tied to each other. Despite coming off a solid season for the Twins, Plouffe's winter trade market was non-existent. David Freese settled for nothing with the Pirates, and the Twins watched that all play out. The reality remained that Plouffe was more valuable to Minnesota than he was to anyone else. The unfortunate thing now is that I'm not sure that has changed. As much as I've been ok with sano in right, it's probably time to get him back on the dirt. Plouffe though, has hit for a career worst .648 OPS and he's walked significantly less than at any other point in his career. The power numbers haven't been there, and he's merely capable at third. I'm for dealing him to open up the roster spot, and get Sano to a more comfortable position. The problem I see is that the market may dictate the Twins simply give him away, and I'm not sure that's the best plan of action. The Others: 10 Only two guys fall into this category for me, and it's the combination of Phil Hughes and Ricky Nolasco. Remember, the numerical values represent the level of trade necessity for the Twins. I can't see either pitcher being coveted, but I'd look to move both for whatever you can get. Nolasco was poor money allocation from the get go, and Hughes' contract extension has turned out to be a significant blunder. The Twins have starting depth, even if it isn't all top tier, but opening up the roster spots and freeing the case is a plus in and of itself. Nolasco needs to go back to the National League, and Hughes may very well be pitching hurt. There's no real scenario in which I want to lean on either guy going forward, and offloading them makes that much easier. I can't imagine the Twins would be getting much, if any, of a return for Hughes or Nolasco. With Ricky, they may have to eat some money, and Hughes' extension pays a hefty price tag if he continues to trend the way he has. Ryan should be making it his mission to call, unload, and move on from the pair in whatever way possible however. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

I've written a few pieces wondering as much. He either doesn't like playing youth at times, or he doesn't know any better. Neither is a productive place to be with the current state of the 25 man.

Recently, Byron Buxton was brought back into the fold for the Minnesota Twins. I've talked plenty about why I think he can stick this time, and how Buxton along with Miguel Sano, can begin to usher in a new era for the Twins. It's in the latest outfield roster move that continues to further cements the Minnesota future though. In a game against the Oakland Athletics, Sano was trying to hustle out a grounder to break up a double play (he ended up being safe), but unfortunately pulled his hamstring in the process. The hulking star was lifted from the game immediately, and Oswaldo Arcia took over as a pinch runner. With Sano injured, and a disabled list stint now on the docket, Max Kepler is back in the fold for the Twins. What absolutely has to take place for the German-born prospect however, has to be nearly the opposite of what took place at the beginning of the 2016 Twins season. Having been recalled from Triple-A Rochester just two games into the year, Kepler was making his 2016 debut with Minnesota. Unfortunately, skipper Paul Molitor asked him to ride the bench in 12 of the 14 games he was present with the parent club. That's a mistake that should be avoided this time around. Over the course of his minor league career, Kepler has dealt with his fair share of injuries and missed games. However, when healthy, he's been one of the most reliable all-around prospects in the Twins system. Despite not having the ceiling of uber-prospect Buxton, I'd wager it a fair suggestion that Kepler may have a bit higher floor as well. There are few things that Kepler doesn't do to at least an above-average level, and the patience in his game should translate well to the big leagues. A career .281/.363/.446 minor league hitter, it's really been the past two seasons in which he's put it together. At Double-A Chattanooga in 2015, Kepler owned a .322/.416/.531 average while racking up the Southern League accolades. This season at Triple-A Rochester, after knocking off the rust Molitor put on him to start the year, he's batted .365/.452/.587 since May 7 (17 games). Kepler is capable of playing all three outfield spots, and has speed that is often overlooked as an asset in his game. Considering the Twins current roster construction, replacements in right field for Sano come down to either Arcia or Kepler. While it's understandable to want to get the Venezuelan some time, he's been used sparingly as a player out of options on the season. It appears that Arcia's future with the Twins may be as a bench bat at best, which means Kepler should be given the opportunity to run as a regular. We've seen this scenario play out not too long ago for the Twins. Molitor was handed a two week trial of Jorge Polanco when Eduardo Escobar hit the disabled list. He squandered the opportunity by getting him very few starts, and really didn't find out anything about Polanco at the big league level. The same can't play out again with Kepler. Knowing Sano will miss at least the next 15 days for the Twins, Molitor needs to get Kepler regular starts, and allow him to settle in. A positional shuffle may need to take place if Kepler hangs onto the job, but that's absolutely the kind of forced hand a bad team should be welcoming with open arms. Right now, the Twins have a trade candidate in Trevor Plouffe, a struggling designated hitter in Byung Ho Park, and a defensive liability in Miguel Sano. Musical chairs can be played among the three of them, but that thought process can be shelved for a while. It's Kepler's turn to show off his ability to be paired with Buxton for the Twins foreseeable future. We just have to hope Minnesota doesn't get in its own way. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

There were to pretty distinct narratives that were expected to play out for the Minnesota Twins over the course of the 2016 Major League Baseball season. Many in the area saw this group as a potential playoff contender, and it was expected that their young stars would begin to emerge. While the playoff picture has been erased, the transition towards youth may now be getting off of the ground. After putting together an impressive rookie campaign, expectations for Miguel Sano in his sophomore season were through the roof. He was going to strike out a ton (and he has), but he was also going to push the envelope for home runs. Early results were indicative of a guy pressing a bit too hard, but of late, Sano seems to have found his stride. Fresh off of a stretch in which he homered in four straight games, Sano became the first Twins player to reach double digits in longballs during the 2016 season. Sure, his .237 average through 25 games in May might be a tick lower than desired, but his .851 OPS more than makes up for it. Over the course of the season's second month, he's launched eight homers and contributed 15 runs batted in. Since hitting his first homer of 2016 on April 18, Sano has owned an .875 OPS and has paced the Twins in the power department. While he continues to acclimate to right field, Sano has turned down the dial on the talk of him being out of position in right field. Sure, he's a defensive liability having been worth -8 defensive runs saved out in right. That mark however is better than Jay Bruce's -11 for the Reds, and nearly on par with sluggers J.D. Martinez (-7) and Jose Bautista (-5). In short, his power has done what should have been expected, in making his defensive game less of a narrative. Through the first two months of the season, Sano has been worth just 0.8 fWAR, but as I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, that number is on the rise. His process suggests the results will come, and the recent stretch of power is indicative of that. Then there's Byron Buxton... Recently being recalled from Rochester to replace an injured Danny Santana, this new look Buxton may be the second half of the tandem Sano needs. I outwardly wondered if Buxton's progress at AAA shows that he's turned the corner, and there's plenty of reason to believe he may have. Down at Rochester this time around, Buxton went back to something the Twins asked him to move on from post being drafted into the organization, a leg kick. His timing has been an issue at the big league level, and while being fooled quite often, he struggled to get his hands to the ball and make contact while driving pitches. Over the weekend, I checked in with a teammate of Buxton's and questioned about his progress. He told me, "He's playing with some much more confidence. He's on everything. When he gets out, it's because he just misses it. Whatever he changed is really working. We faced a guy a couple of days ago that was throwing 100 and Buck just smashed a ball up the middle like it was nothing." Coming from someone watching up close and personal, it's hard not to take that as more than just a grain of salt. Buxton leaves Rochester in 2016 with a .336/.403/.603 slash line in 29 games. Over the last month, he's hit safely in all but four games (out of 23) and has slashed .375/.444/.682. His gap power has resulted in seven doubles and a triple, while he's also launched six homers in the month of May. What may be most promising is that Buxton has decreased his strikeout rate to just 20% of his plate appearances at AAA, as opposed to 49% at the big league level. It's fair to immediately expect Buxton to be a defensive asset for the Twins, and among the best outfielders in all of major league baseball. If his bat travels north with him this time as it seems it may, he'll be ready to provide the two-headed monster that the Twins can ride throughout the rest of the season. Sure, things haven't worked out the way in which the Twins would have wanted. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor have both made some pretty significant mistakes. There's guys not performing, and really, the season is all but lost before the summer begins. That all being said, the transition of a youth takeover is something Minnesota has to be excited about, and June could definitely be ushering that in. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Baseball and the Minnesota Twins, have watched as the number one prospect has scuffled in his first few tastes of the big leagues. Byron Buxton has just 63 major league games under his belt, but they've gone anything but according to plan. Following his latest Triple-A stint though, is a corner about to be turned? Having won the starting centerfield job out of the gate, Byron Buxton was given the reigns for the Twins. He played a strong centerfield as was expected, but turned in a dismal .156/.208/.289 slash line through 17 games. His 24/2 strikeout to walk ratio was among the worst on the club, and he was struggling to get anything going. For the mega-prospect, the problem was really just getting that bat to the ball. He owned a 26.3% line drive rate, and was putting the ball on the ground an equal 26.3% of the time through his first 17 games. With the amount of speed at his disposal, that's truly a decent recipe for success. Unlike teammates such as Eddie Rosario, Buxton wasn't chasing bad pitches either. His 28.6% O-Swing suggested he had a fairly decent grasp on the zone. The problem was, actually getting to those pitches he knew to swing at. Prior to his demotion, Buxton totaled a 13.9% swinging strike percentage, while making contact on just 68.5% of his swings. If he was a big time power guy, those numbers would be far from terrible. The reality is however, that's not his game, and eventually led to his downfall. Fast forward to where we are now, and Buxton has made adjustments that have him looking like a different hitter. Having incorporated a leg kick at Triple-A Rochester, his timing looks to be much smoother. Through 24 games, he's slashing .333/.394/.576. His average in the month of May is north of .380, and his last 10 games have seen him hit nearly .500. Buxton's new timing mechanism has aided him to the tune of 6 homers in his last 17 games, and he's found extra gap power as well. The transformation that has taken place is Buxton fulfilling the expectations that were laid out for him. While the offensive numbers are all exciting, it's the adjustment to his strikeouts that create the most reason for promise. Having struck out in 49% of his MLB plate appearances in 2016, he's lowered that percentage to just 22% at Triple-A. He's taking more walks, and Buxton noted that one of his adjustments has been to stop swinging at pitches he doesn't believe he can do anything with. Considering the outfield that the Twins currently employ, Buxton's emergence is pushing for a role back at the top. Miguel Sano is entrenched in RF, but the LF and CF spots are far from locked down. Danny Santana has been in over his head as a starter in center, and he figures in best when used as a super utility option. Getting Buxton back up to man the middle, while letting the other pieces fall where they may, is in the Twins best interest. The Georgia native hasn't been on the farm too terribly long, but it would appear he's made significant strides and figured something out. A return to the Twins as they come back home to play the Rays on June 2nd would seem to make a lot of sense. Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor want to see this version of Byron Buxton helping the Twins, and it sure seems like he's got the right approach to make that happen. It's a rare occasion when a guy comes up and gets it right away. Sometimes the process is a bit slower of a transition than you would hope. In reality though, Buxton is a 22 year old future superstar, and it may very well be that the third time is the charm. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

The 2016 Minnesota Twins are an absolute dumpster fire. Through 45 games, they own an 11-34 record, and there's really no reason to believe there will be a significant change any time soon. What seemed possible to be a second straight exciting season for the Twins has turned into nothing short of a nightmare. At the middle of it all is their newly appointed leader, Brian Dozier. Recently, I touched on the defiance of Dozier's approach at the plate, and how it's there that his leadership has failed the Twins the most. Deciding that everything has to be yanked to left field has not only hurt himself, but has done in his 24 teammates as well. Upon further consideration however, there's significantly more to Dozier's story. I think Brian Dozier was the sellout that he needed to be, and the one the Twins so desperately wanted. Minnesota made Dozier an 8th round selection out of Southern Mississippi in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He was anything but a slam dunk, but had nice projectables being taken in the top 10 rounds. Without the fanfare that follows first round picks, Dozier's grind started from day one. From 2009 (his age 22 season) up until 2011 (then 24) Dozier hit for average. He slashed .349/.414/.422 in his pro debut at the Rookie level, then turned in a .275/.350/.349 performance at High and Low A the next season. Upon finishing out at Fort Myers and reaching Double-A New Britain in 2011, he totaled a .320/.399/.491 slash line. His professional career to this point was one of a high average shortstop that got on base and collected plenty of doubles. After a strong spring training in 2012, and with a Twins team desperate for a breath of fresh air, Dozier saw his opportunity. He started the first 28 games of the 2012 season with Rochester slashing .276/.339/.371. In turn, it led to his MLB promotion for the Twins. During his rookie season, Dozier slashed .234/.271/.322 and played all 83 of his games for Minnesota at shortstop. He made 15 errors, wasn't a fit for the role, and was sent packing. Now, before we move forward, we have to take a minute to look back again. As a minor leaguer, from 2009 to 2012, Brian Dozier played in 365 games on the farm. Across that action, he hit a total of 16 home runs, and never picked up more than 9 (in 2011 between Fort Myers and New Britain). During his rookie season for the Twins, his total was six, in just 84 games. Something had changed. As a big leaguer, Dozier worked with an approach that was seemingly the opposite of what he rose through the minors with. No longer a high average guy, and sacrificing some of his on base skills, he'd transitioned his game to play with power. Becoming a dead pull hitter, Dozier saw balls begin to fly over the fence. As his career has gone on, that approach has only become more drastic. Here are his pull percentages in the big leagues: 2012- 39.6% 2013- 42.0% 2014- 53.8% 2015- 60.2% 2016- 50.8% Starting in 2012, Dozier went from hitting 6 home runs to, 18, 23, and then 28 (he has four through the first 45 games of 2016). What took place was a hitter that went from being ok with something that worked, to an approach that he was determined to make work. In fact, it absolutely did. In becoming a dead pull hitter, Dozier harvested power he'd never displayed at any point in his career previously. He now looked the part of a 20/20 hitter, and could lay claim to being one of the Twins greatest power threats. Despite the fall in average, he'd elevated himself to be among the best hitters at his new position, second base, in the big leagues. The culmination of his efforts came to a head in the summer of 2014. Snubbed from the All Star game despite looking like a logical candidate, he was instead selected to participate in the Home Run Derby. Taking place at Target Field, and with 18 homers to his credit, it was far too good of an opportunity to pass up. Unsurprisingly, he didn't hang with the likes of Yoenis Cespedes and Todd Frazier, totaling just two homers in the contest. The event though, brought forth his gain, and the Twins fall. On March 24, 2015 the Twins signed Brian Dozier to a four-year, $20 million contract extension. They bought out his arbitration years, and did so with a power hitting second basemen almost certainly going to cost them more in the long run. The problem though, was that only would be true if the production continued. In believing, and making himself out to be a home run hitter, Dozier elevated his career beyond where it may have went, but also likely shortened it significantly. Now still a dead pull hitter seemingly lost on the possibility of using the other field, his ineptitude at the plate has the Twins on the hook for $15 million over the next two years. Pitcher's aren't allowing Dozier to be the hitter he created, and thus far he's failed to adjust. A one time average and gap power guy, Dozier became enamored with the long ball. It allowed him to land a nice contract, he secured the right side of the Twins infield for the better part of the past four years, and it may have elevated his career to heights he never could have imagined. When things crash though, they do so hard. At the end of the day, I can't find any reason to fault Dozier for taking the approach at the plate that he has over the past few years. In fact, it's even hard to fault him for failing to adjust as he has in 2016, and may very well continue in the future. If there's fault to be had here, it's on the Twins. While the cost certainty of the contract extension may have looked nice initially, understanding that such a drastic change in approach may not be sustainable was an oversight, and one that could be incredibly costly. Minnesota could still very easily trade Dozier. He doesn't have no-trade protection, and his contract is relative peanuts in comparison to the going rate of a guy one year removed from an All Star appearance. That said, whether playing at Target Field or not, whoever employs Brian Dozier has to bank significantly on him continuing to get mistake pitches into his thirties, because the days of pitcher's allowing him to sell out and pull pitches into the left field seats appear to be over. Had things gone differently, Brian Dozier may have had a similar career arc to that of a guy like James Beresford. A good minor league hitter that hits for average but doesn't do anything to an extraordinary level. Instead, Dozier capitalized on his moment; it gave him his rise, and now will likely contribute to his fall as well. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Couldn't agree more and quoted you on Twitter saying as much.

When Torii Hunter decided to retire following the 2015 Major League Baseball season, he did the Twins a favor. Despite losing a solid clubhouse presence, Minnesota wasn't going to be forced into making the mistake of signing an aging replacement level player to another lucrative deal simply because of who he was. What the decision did however, was to force Minnesota to come up with another form of leadership. Brian Dozier quickly jumped at the opportunity, but his defiance has helped him to fall short. There's no denying Brian Dozier has had a horrible 2016 for the Minnesota Twins. It's May 24, and he's batting below the Mendoza Line. His offensive production has been non-existent, and the 2015 All Star caliber player looks like a thing of the past. In leading however, none of that matters. The only thing that's held Dozier back from being a capable leader is himself. While scuffling on his own, Dozier could be doing all of the right things, saying all of the right things, and providing the example for an 11-33 team looking to right the ship. Unfortunately, seemingly everything he has done has been of the exact opposite. Recently, Mike Bernardino of the Pioneer Press caught up with Twins General Manager Terry Ryan. He suggested, “We’ve got to fix him,” the Twins’ general manager said Sunday. “We’ve got to fix Brian Dozier.” In hearing of Ryan's comments, Dozier shook his head and offered this to Bernardino, “To be honest with you, I probably feel better than I have my whole career.” At some point, Brian Dozier has to come to grips with the problem he's created and become. Back in March of 2015, Fangraphs wrote a piece on the Twins locking up Brian Dozier through his arbitration years. In doing so, there's some pretty damning quotes that have come full circle. In looking at his pull tendencies, the piece states, "Extreme pulling is generally a hallmark of a player harvesting power near the end of a career, when it’s basically all that he has left in his offensive game...Dozier didn’t become an extreme puller to extend his major league career; he did so just to have one, at least as a regular, in the first place." After not only breaking down his extreme pull tendencies, but trying to equate what it means for his career going forward, the piece then offered up what may be next for the Twins second basemen. "Unfortunately for such hitters, extreme pulling is quite often their last adjustment. Dozier has not shown an ability to hit a ball even reasonably hard the other way in the air, on a line, or on the ground. Pitchers are going to pitch him away, and all Dozier is going to be able to do is draw a walk……for a little while at least, until that skill begins to decline as his ability to inflict damage erodes." In summary, the Fangraphs piece ends with a good walk away point of where we have seen Brian Dozier at in 2016. "Every club needs Brian Doziers in their system. He is an overachiever who has constantly figured it out as he has advanced, through college, into the minors, and then into the major leagues. To become a starter at that level and have some success, he has had to totally sell out to the short term fruits of extreme pulling. Pitchers are now likely to have the last word." And now, that allows us to look at today. It's been quite the recipe for disaster when it comes to Dozier in 2016. His 26.6% hard hit rate ranks as the worst mark of his career, save for his rookie season. While his pull percentage rests at just 50.8% (down roughly 10% from 2015) his 12.9% opposite field usage is the lowest total of his career. When we look at the actual placement of things, the numbers become obviously apparent. As was predicted in the Fangraphs piece, and could have been assumed per Dozier's approach, pitcher's have had their way with the Twins second basemen. His strike zone has been almost exclusively attacked on the outer third, and he's been the one who's failed to adjust. When considering where the ball is being pitched, Dozier's balls in play should tell a story of a player who finds success going to the right centerfield gap, right field, and occasionally back up the middle. Looking at both his spray chart and his heat map, nearly the exact opposite is true. Opposing pitcher's are begging Brian Dozier to find success in their pitches on the outside half, and he's doing absolutely everything in his power to run from it. At the end of the day, this is how and where Brian Dozier's leadership is failing the Twins the most. Regardless of the results, his process is broken. He's spoken out publicly about his lack of desire to change his approach, and nothing he's done at the plate suggests he's stepping down from it. It's hard to fault him however, as it is the power and pull tendencies that make him anything more than a replacement level player in the first place, but now with the book out on him, he has to give in and reinvent himself. Just 29 years old, we may have seen the best of Brian Dozier. Prior to being dictated at the plate, he used his last ditch effort to string together some really nice production for the Twins. The story is not yet over for Dozier and the Twins, but the ending absolutely can't and won't be the same as the beginning. Either the Mississippi native needs to decide he wants to rework things and contribute in some form or fashion for the duration of his contract, or he becomes another player that was and no longer is. For more from Off The Baggy, and the images of Dozier's results, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

When you look back at a team that has started the Major League Baseball season 10-29 through their first 39 games, there's going to be very few positives. Through the first month for the Twins, one of the brightest spots was the resurgence of Joe Mauer. What is becoming a bit more clear to me though is that it wasn't a resurgence at all, but rather a player being allowed to thrive. Stick with me here, and let's take a look back at Joe Mauer over the past two seasons. To start the 2016 campaign, Joe played in all 24 of the Twins games. He started 23 of those, while playing eight innings during an extra inning contest against the Nationals in his lone day off. During that timeframe, he slash .321/.453/.440 while ripping five doubles and owning an impressive 20/9 walk to strikeout ratio. Through the first month, Mauer's .453 on-base percentage paced the big leagues, and it appeared as though he knew the strike zone better than the men behind the dish dictating it to him. He battled through long at bats and forced pitchers to come to him. Looking at the sum of his results, Mauer appeared to be the ideal leadoff hitter for the Twins. Then the calendar flipped to May. Minnesota has now played 15 contests in the month, and while Mauer has started 13 of them, he played nine innings in relief in one, while pinch hitting in the other. What essentially equated to 39 straight games, Mauer put together a paltry .182/.262/.255 slash line while owning a 16/6 strikeout to walk ratio. His plate vision has almost reversed, while his gap power has been sapped to the tune of a lone double. What's different? Maybe nothing but time. We've seen this before with Mauer though, and we don't have to go back far. In April 2015, Mauer owned a .318/.392/.412 slash line along with a 14/11 K/BB ratio while starting each of the Twins first 22 games. He followed that up by starting 16 of 17 games in May from the 1st through the 19, and his line during that time dipped to .234/.269/.297 with a 15/3 K/BB ratio. That looks again like fatigue set in for the Twins local product. In trying to give the theory a little more legs, I looked through Mauer's splits by month a year ago. Following April, his next best month was July. After owning .240 averages in May and June, Mauer's slash line rebounded to .298/.340/.426 during July. His strikeout to walk ratio still wasn't great at 17/6 but it wasn't in line with his ugly May. During July 2015, Mauer was given two days off starting 23 of 25 games. He was also lifted in the 6th inning once. So, it would seem to appear that at 33 years old, Mauer isn't the same youthful athlete he may have been at 23. Ok, in all fairness though, there's some credibility to the idea that Mauer's second month decline (and longer at times) could be to the fact that he's not giving his body enough rest throughout the season. Last season, Mauer played in 158 of the Twins 162 games and owned a career worst .265/.338/.380 slash line. Prior to that 158 game career high, Mauer had never played in more than 147 games for the Twins (2012). In his first season as a full time first basemen, Mauer played just 120 games for the Twins, but he did deal with injuries at times. When he was a perennial MVP candidate and All Star from 2006-10, Mauer solidly averaged 134 games a season (split behind catcher and designated hitter). I'm not sure there's ever a fair way to quantify a guy being over extended for sure, but one thing is certain, Mauer's slide has come as the season has drawn on. He doesn't strike me as a guy who is going to bow out of action, so the responsibility to protect him while also getting the most out of him should fall on his manager. If Mauer takes a day or two off a month, a production boost could be a welcomed by product. What Mauer did during the opening salvo of the 2016 season was incredibly impressive. His approach, eye, and results were among the best of his career. I want to see that again, and while it may or may not be fatigue related, experimenting to get a guy to cease from slashing .266/.383/.367 is a worthy cause. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

That last sentence is really the sad part of it. Ryan has done little to nothing to earn his role, but isn't going to be told to leave either.

Premature contract extensions at that. Almost as if Ryan himself is shocked a guy does well, and that he's not capable of signing any other good player ever again.

he slog through the 2016 Major League Baseball season has continued for the Minnesota Twins. After yet another loss, the club sits at 10-27, while being more than 13 games back in the AL Central division. Paul Molitor's club looks as lost as he does at times, and there's plenty of blame to go around. At this point, what the Twins need to do is stop compounding their own mistakes. Recently hired by Baseball Prospectus, Aaron Gleeman penned a piece that I have to imagine has been a long time coming. Hardball Talk wasn't ever going to be the avenue for such a dissection, but his focus on Terry Ryan and the Twins was a worthy entrant into his new venture. You can the read piece in its entirety here. While the highlights, err lowlights, of the article touched on the mediocrity that has been Terry Ryan's career, there was a key point that stuck out to me. Gleeman writes, "The question is not whether a Ryan-led organization can successfully rebuild and return to contender status within the next 2-3 years, but rather whether Twins fans should want Ryan and his right-hand men leading the organization when that happens." There probably couldn't be a better summary of where the Twins currently find themselves at. Through the first month and a half of the big league season, we've looked on as Paul Molitor, Terry Ryan's pick to replace Ron Gardenhire, has looked all but inept in year two. He's stunted prospects at the big league level, afforded oddly long leashes to struggling players, and has been overmatched by his counterparts in picking his spots more often than not. Whatever good graces Molitor created a season ago, have all but come to cease as he's now the owner of a 93-106 record (.467 winning %). It's a nice concept to suggest that the Twins be afforded the luxury of hope, or benefit of the doubt. It's fair to suggest that Terry Ryan and Paul Molitor could potentially right the ship if given enough time. It's maybe even fair to suggest that we may be a bit premature on suggesting a need for change. The reality is though, can you really make an argument against any of those things? Ryan has fumbled his was through nearly 20 years as GM of the Twins, yet has virtually nothing to show for it. His heralded farm system is a by-product of his shrewd scouting ability, but that is really where his expertise ends. You'd be hard pressed to find a prospect that turned out as expected not named Joe Mauer, and are we actually going to suggest that Ryan is the man to get the most out of what is to come? That brings us full circle on Molitor, who's continued to show an inability to understand, relate, and grow his youth. Alex Meyer, Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, Michael Tonkin, even Byron Buxton at times have been the unfortunate recipients of Molitor's lack of a plan. Considering this roster and team is going to need to be a reflection of the youth performing in a return to relevance, Molitor has done very little to suggest he's capable of fostering that. Sweeping changes mid season are never easy, and they're rarely suggested. I'm not sure there's any saving 2016, and frankly I don't expect that to be the case. I haven't been on board with moving on from this group quite yet, but that notion is becoming harder than ever to get over. If Minnesota is serious about capitalizing on the talent they've stockpiled, changes sooner rather than later need to be made. The big league club needs a manager that can relate to its core, a youthful group, while holding them accountable. It's maybe fair to assume that Doug Mientkiewicz, the man that's dealt with many of these kids on the farm, would be capable of the job. He was a runner up to Molitor in the 2015 selection process, and is likely going to be given his due by someone at the highest level. It'd be quite the organizational shift to move on from a "one of us" type in Molitor mid-season, but it's the "Twins Way" that needs to be distanced from. On the GM front, Ryan makes things a bit trickier. There's a ton of moving pieces when it comes to the head man, and with the season underway, rocking the boat that heavily could cause it to tip. I'm not sure if I'm more for allowing a new GM to pick his guy, or wanting to usher Ryan out at the most immediate moment. Regardless of how any GM change is handled, I firmly believe that Minnesota is not capable of winning with Ryan at the helm, and equally incapable should his replacement come from within. At the end of the day, it's time for the Twins to begin asking themselves a pretty simple question. Based upon what you've see from a GM and Manager with winning percentages in the .400's and roster moves that make you scratch your head more often than not, is this really the duo you want to put faith in returning the Twins to relevance? For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz