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The start of Spring Training is only a month away and as the Minnesota Twins look forward to the upcoming season, there are some team and personal records that Twins players can set in 2023. Image courtesy of Jordan Johnson, USA TODAY Sports The Easy and Obvious Byron Buxton and Jorge Polanco both sit at exactly 98 career home runs, and it likely won’t take them many games to both reach the 100 career home run mark. Once they do, they’ll become the 25th and 26th Twins ever with 100 career home runs in franchise history. Based off their 2023 ZiPS projections by FanGraphs, Buxton is expected to hit 30 home runs this season and Polanco 20. If either of them meets these projections, they’ll surpass the likes of Corey Koskie (101), Jason Kubel (105), Roy Smalley (110), and Eddie Rosario (119) on the franchise history home run list. A Stretch, But Could Happen Fielding percentage is always a difficult stat to project, and rarely is it ever included in any pre-season projection systems. Even if fielding percentage isn’t calculated into a player's projected stats, the Twins single-season record for fielding percentage by a shortstop could very likely be broken in 2023. The single-season record for a shortstop’s fielding percentage was set by Leo Cardenas in 1971, with a .985 fielding percentage in 153 games. Carlos Correa’s fielding percentage for the Twins was .983 in 136 games in 2022. Correa is already a Platinum Glove winner, and, if last year is any indication, he could set a new record for the best defensive season by a Twin at shortstop. The Bizarre Fools Dream Only 23 pitchers in Twins franchise history have at least 25 career saves with the team. The last reliever to enter this mark was Taylor Rogers in 2019, but three Twins relievers may reach this mark this season: Jorge Lopez, Emilio Pagan and Jhoan Duran. However, it’s also possible none of them will. Lopez only recorded four saves after being acquired from the Orioles at the trade deadline. FanGraphs ZiPS projections currently project’s him to record the most saves for the Twins in 2023 with 20. While it’s likely Lopez will have save opportunities with the Twins this season, Rocco Baldelli has never kept a pitcher in the designated closer role for an entire season in his four years as manager. 21 saves is a stretch for Lopez, but it isn’t out of the realm of reality for him to get to 25 career saves as a Twin. Duran will likely have a few save opportunities here and there in 2023, like he did with the Twins last season. The expectation for his role out of the bullpen right now is to be the same as it was all last season, taking various high-leverage roles. FanGraphs ZiPS projects Duran to record 11 saves for the Twins this year, and if so, it would put him at 19 for his career, only six short of the 25-save threshold. Pagan would have to be an entirely different pitcher from 2022 to reach this mark, and be trusted in save situations. While he remains on the roster, it is highly unlikely he will get the 16 saves he needs to get to this mark in a Twins uniform. There are many more records that could be set in 2023 by the Twins but only when the season begins will we know what other records will be surpassed. If there’s a record you believe will be broken by a Twin in 2023 that wasn’t mentioned here, leave a comment below on which it will be. View full article

NOTE: RandBall’s Stu is moving his youngest child to college this weekend. He asked former Twins great Joe Mauer to step in and write about the great Minnesota get-together. Thanks for helping out, Joe! Joe Mauer Reviews Minnesota State Fair Attractions “I don’t really like spicy food, but it’s cool what they do with butter.” NOTE: RandBall’s Stu is moving his youngest child to college this weekend. He asked former Twins great Joe Mauer to step in and write about the great Minnesota get-together. Thanks for helping out, Joe! Hey guys, it’s Joe Mauer from St. Paul. Like a lot of you I love going to the State Fair. If you’re new to Minnesota or haven’t gone in a while, here are some cool things to do. THE GIANT SLIDE A lot of you probably saw that picture of me and the kids on the Giant Slide last week. It was a pretty cool deal, but I made sure we hopped on right when we got there, before eating any of the food. When I was a kid, Jake (Mauer, Joe’s brother) got on it after eating a bunch of Fresh French Fries and he got a stomachache. We had to leave early so he wouldn’t barf. Mom was so steamed. THE BUTTER SCULPTURE I don’t really like spicy food or carving things (“Knives are the devil’s middle finger,” Mom says), but it’s cool what they do with butter. SWEET MARTHA’S COOKIES They give you a whole bucket of chocolate chip cookies! Las Vegas is supposed to be this cool, anything-goes city but I’ve been there, and guess what? No cookie bucket. What happens in Falcon Heights stays in Falcon Heights. THE BUTTERFLY HOUSE Went in here with (former Twins player and coach) Scott Ullger one time. Said one of the monarchs disrespected him. The next day he waved Jason Kubel home even though the shortstop had the ball. I don’t want to talk about it. THE MIRACLE OF BIRTH CENTER Mom doesn’t let us go in here but I’ve heard it’s pretty wild! 4-H BARN Lotta cute animals if that’s your thing. It smells kinda like that one time Corey Koskie ate Indian food in Fort Myers, so just know that going in. Pretty strong! THE HAUNTED HOUSE Not a chance! THE MIDWAY I keep winning all the big prizes at the throwing games and the carnies get mad at me. Also if anyone wants 17 giant stuffed tigers shoot me a DM. ALL YOU CAN DRINK MILK Holy cow! LOL, pun intended. Brother, you can sit me down there all day with a cold glass of 1% and keep them coming! Everyone there calls me “Norm.” I don’t correct them, figure they have their reasons. PRONTO PUPS You guys know I’m not a guy who’s going to do a bunch of hot takes, but I’m just going to say it: Pronto pups are the real deal. Lotta pals love corn dogs, Glen Perkins says they’re “the glizzy” and I’m pretty sure that’s a Stillwater swear. For me, though? A pronto pup with just a bit of ketchup. Too much of the big red will get you antsy in the pantsy. Go easy. Thanks for reading! Image license here. View full article

Nick Nelson and John Bonnes continue their examination of the Minnesota Twins' 2003 season and focus on the team MVPs for that season. It was a season that saw a deadline deal bring Shannon Stewart to Minnesota and he was outstanding throughout their summer push. It was also the season that cemented the greatness of Johan Santana, as he entered the rotation mid-season and was the Twins most valuable pitcher. It was also the penultimate year of wildly-underrated Corey Koskie in a Twins uniform, who led the team in wins above replacement. View full video

John Bonnes and Nick Nelson continue their retrospective of the 2000s Minnesota Twins teams by talking about the best performances on the breakout 2002 squad. Corey Koskie continued his underrated run as a Twins, Torii Hunter emerged as a star, and Everyday Eddie Guardado took the reins of the closer job. And let's not forget The Vulture himself, Tony Fiore, winner of ten games as a middle reliever. View full video

Nick Nelson and John Bonnes talk about the best players in the Twins' breakout 2001 season, including one of the most underrated Twins seasons of all-time from third baseman Corey Koskie, a highpoint in the career of Joe Mays, and a career year from shortstop Cristian Guzman. View full video

John Bonnes and Nick Nelson discuss the MVP candidates from the Twins' breakout 2000 season, including long-term Twin Brad Radke, outfielder Matt Lawton, and the on-base machine, third baseman Corey Koskie. View full video

The last month, we have been highlighting some of the best players in the Twins 60-season history. Today, we enter the 21st century. Who makes the team of the '00s? These should all be familiar names for Twins fans.Tom Kelly suffered through some rough Twins seasons but when he retired after the 2001 season, he left the team in a good spot. Ron Gardenhire took over and the team won six division titles in a decade. As we have seen in other decades, much of that credit for this decade belongs to the offense. The team had two MVPs, a three-time batting champ, several Silver Sluggers and Gold Glove Awards, more All Stars, lots of 30+ double seasons and many 30+ home run seasons. The list below includes some of the better players in Twins history, but don't worry, there are still a few tough choices in this "lineup." And, frankly, there are some snubs that are deserving as well. Read through this list and share your thoughts in the lineup. The Twins Hitters of the 2000s C - Joe Mauer (2004-2009) 699 games, .327/.408/.483 (.892) with 158 doubles, 72 homers, 397 RBI. The #1 overall pick of the 2001 draft rose quickly through the Twins minor league system and made his debut on Opening Day 2004. In the following seasons, he became one of baseball’s best players. In 2006, he hit .347 to become the first catcher in American League catcher to win a batting title. He won another in 2008 (.328) and 2009 (.365). He was baseball’s best player in 2009 when he won the AL SABRmetric Triple Crown at .365/.444/.587 (1.031). He was named the league’s MVP that season. Through the 2009 season, he had three batting titles, three All-Star appearances, three Silver Sluggers and his first two Gold Glove awards. 1B - Justin Morneau (2003-2009) 867 games, .280/.350/.501 (.851) with 190 doubles, 163 homers, 623 RBI. Morneau was the Twins third-round pick in 1999. He made his MLB debut in 2003. He had his ups and downs for a couple of years, but he came into his own in 2006. He hit .321/.375/.559 (.934) with 37 doubles, 34 homers and 130 RBI. He won his first of two Silver Slugger Awards. He was an All-Star each of the next four seasons. He was the runner up for MVP in 2008. From 2006-2009, he hit 31 or more homers three of four years and drove in at least 100 runs all four years. 2B - Nick Punto (2004-2009) 659 games, .249/.325/.327 (.652) with 91 doubles, 11 homers, 174 RBI. Punto was the Twins 33rd-round pick in 1997, but he didn’t sign. He was later drafted by the Phillies and worked up to the big leagues with them. The Twins acquired him after the 2003 season in the Eric Milton trade, and he became a regular, playing a variety of positions, by 2005. While he’s not a perfect fit at second base, he provided the Twins a ton of versatility. He always took quality at-bats and made pitchers throw a lot of pitches. He also was a plus-plus defender around the infield. In 2006, he hit .290/.352/.373 (.725) with 29 extra base hits in 135 games. In 2008, he hit .284/.344/.382 (.726). He averaged nearly 16 stolen bases between 2005 and 2009. Also considered at the position: Luis Castillo. 3B - Corey Koskie (2000-2004) 688 games, .278/.373/.465 (.838) with 159 doubles, 89 homers, 377 RBI. Koskie, a native of Manitoba, was the Twins 26th-round pick in 1994. He made his debut late in the 1998 season. In 2000, he hit .300/.400/.441 (.841) with 45 extra- base hits. In 2001, he both scored 100 runs and drove in 100 runs. He also hit a career-high 26 home runs that season. He hit 37 doubles in both 2001 and 2002. He posted an OPS of .815 or higher in seven of eight seasons between 1999 and 2006. He also became a very reliable defensive third baseman. SS - Cristian Guzman (2000-2004) 710 games, .272/.308/.398 (.706) with 130 doubles, 38 homers, 263 RBI. Guzman was acquired by the Twins in the February 1998 Chuck Knoblauch trade. He was the Twins Opening Day shortstop starting in 1999. Initially, he was known for strong defense and his great speed. In 2000, he led the league with 20 triples. 2001 was his best season. He hit .302 and played in his first All-Star Game. He hit 28 doubles, a league-leading 14 triples, and a career-high ten home runs. He led the league with 14 triples again in 2003. LF - Jacque Jones (2000-2005) 881 games, .278/.327/.455 (.781) with 165 doubles, 123 homers, 432 RBI. Jones was the Twins second-round draft pick in 1996 out of USC (Southern California). The Olympian signed and made his debut midway through the 1999 season. 2000 was his first full season. In 2002, he hit .300 with 37 doubles and 27 home runs. In 2003, he hit .304 with 33 doubles and 16 homers. He hit 23 and 24 homers in 2004 and 2005, respectively. He was a solid left fielder with a great - though sometimes inaccurate - arm. Soon after the Twins acquired Shannon Stewart in 2004, Jones moved to right field. CF - Torii Hunter (2000-2007) 1,092 games, .273/.326/.478 (.803) with 241 doubles, 183 homers, 674 RBI. Hunter was the Twins first-round pick in 1993 out of high school. He had brief call ups in 1997 and 1998 but spent a lot of time traveling between AAA and the big leagues in 1999 and 2000 as well. He became a regular in 2001 and took off from that point. He was incredible with the glove and won six straight Gold Glove Awards between 2002 and 2007. He was an All-Star in those two seasons as well. Hunter hit a career-high 45 doubles and 2007. He had hit a career-high 31 homers in 2006. While known for his defense, Hunter came into his own offensively as well with the Twins. RF - Michael Cuddyer (2001-2009) 843 games, .270/.344/.457 (.801) with 173 doubles, 107 homers, 479 RBI. Cuddyer was the Twins top pick in the 1997 draft. He debuted very late in the 2001 season and had several cups of coffee in 2002 and 2003. He became a regular in 2004 and remained as such through the decade. He moved all over the diamond, but he became his best when he was thrown into right field where his rocket arm became a huge asset. That happened in 2006 when he hit .284/.362/.504 (.867) with a career-high 41 doubles, 24 homers and 109 RBI. In 2009, he received MVP votes for really leading the Twins in their incredible September to force a Game 163. That season, he hit .276/.342/.520 (.862) with 32 doubles and a career-high 34 home runs. DH - Lew Ford (2003-2007) 494 games, .272/.349/.402 (.750) with 80 doubles, 32 homers, 172 RBI. This may be a controversial choice, but Ford did play some DH throughout his time with the Twins. We could have gone with Denard Span whose first two MLB seasons were incredible with high batting average and on-base percentage. You could go with AJ Pierzynski who played in an All-Star Game as a Twins catcher before the Mauer years. How about Jason Bartlett for his short time with the Twins? For me though, the choice was Ford. In September of 2000, the Twins traded reliever Hector Carrasco to the Red Sox in exchange for Ford. He debuted in 2003 by hitting .329 (.928) in 35 games and made the playoff roster. In 2004, he burst on the scene with a huge first half which found him on the AL’s final vote for the last spot on the AL All- Star roster. Overall that season, he hit .299/.381/.446 (.827) with 31 doubles, 15 homers and 72 RBI in 154 games. He also had 20 stolen bases. That was the pinnacle, but he did play in 147 games in 2005. He spent most of the next two seasons with the Twins as well, though his performance dropped. But that 2004 season was special. What are your thoughts? Agree with the choices? Previous Installments Twins All-Decade Team, the '60s (The Hitters) Twins All-Decade Team, the '60s (The Pitchers) Episode 15: Get t o Know the 1960s Twins (with Dave Mona) Twins All-Decade Team, the '70s (The Hitters) Twins All-Decade Team, the '70s (The Pitchers) Episode 16: Get to Know the 1970s Twins (with Patrick Reusse) Twins All-Decade Team: the '80s (The Hitters) Twins All-Decade Team: the '80s (The Pitchers) Episode 17: Get to know the 1980s Twins (with Howard Sinker) Twins All-Decade Team: the '90s (The Hitters) Twins All-Decade Team: the '90s (The Pitchers) Click here to view the article

Work smarter, not harder. That’s a mantra which permeates the corporate world, imploring workers to take full advantage of tools and resources available to improve productivity. It’s cliche, to be sure, but there is something behind the notion that production can be improved by simply leveraging existing systems and processes. When it comes to getting the information into the hands of the hitters, the Minnesota Twins appear to have moved in the direction of working smarter.For almost a decade now baseball’s front offices have been harvesting analytical insight which could positively influence on-field performance. Well educated and highly trained individuals front office staffers have been slicing and compiling video, PitchF/X data, and now StatCast data in attempts to deliver potentially beneficial information to a roster of players who, by and large, have varying degrees of interest in receiving it. Since the conduit of communication is occasionally faulty, one of the growing trends over the last few seasons in Major League Baseball is that teams have been hiring analytically savvy coaches to work the dugouts and clubhouses. These new hires with real on-field baseball experience are able to distill the information into digestible bites for the players. The Twins recent hire Jeff Pickler doesn’t pretend to be a heady stat guy, but his experience with technology has made him uniquely qualified to dissect the video and data while working with players. As an assistant coach with the University of Arizona Wildcats in 2009, Pickler introduced the video BATS system to the program. The BATS system captures all plays on video, adds the necessary metadata, and is able to index and recall at-bats at a click of the mouse. “The thing about statistics — and this includes BATS — is that it allows you to explain the 'how' and 'why,' as opposed to just the 'what',” Pickler told the Arizona Daily Star in 2009. “We can all see the 'what' — we can see a guy's 3 for his last 14, that he might as well not be in the lineup tomorrow. The 'how' and 'why' is a little more complicated; that's what the data and video is able to show us. … We can figure out the how and why, and maybe fix things a lot sooner.” Pickler’s role with the Twins has not been crystallized and yet his addition could be necessary to maximize the growing mountain of information. And for coaches and players, the growing mountain of information can be overwhelming. As Tom Brunansky once said after he assumed the duties of the Twins’ hitting coach, he was fed enough data to “choke a cow” and that was before launch angles and exit velocity were in the common lexicon. Taking all of that info and trying to deliver the message to his hitters takes tact. The key to coaching is to be able to help players make adjustments to their weaknesses without drowning them in the numbers. Boiling it down, it's the old line from Tommy Boy about trusting the butcher. For instance, if the data shows fastballs on the outer-half of the zone have proven to be a hitter’s kryptonite, coaches should set up drills that helps address the issue. That way players can continue their careers blissfully unaware of the amount of computing and brain power went into solving that problem. While the insight can be valuable, using it can be a matter of personal preference for players. Some may crave it, others may avoid it at all costs. For Jose Bautista, one of the game’s most impressive and cerebral hitters, knowing the information is a key component of his success. In 2011 he shared with the Toronto Star how he uses this data. Bautista revisited a matchup with White Sox pitcher John Danks. “I know he only throws a change-up away and a cutter, which is a small slider, inside,” Bautista told the Star reporters. “He complements that with a fastball on both sides of the plate. He only throws like 7 [percent] curveballs. He threw me five curveballs. I didn’t swing at any of them because I eliminated that pitch from his repertoire before the game started. So I knew anything that had a big spin or that started up in the zone would either be a ball or a curveball.” Bautista’s preparation and knowledge allowed him to look for one pitch in one zone or one area. That being said, longevity plays a role just as much as being fed a detailed heat map or chart breakdown. Bautista was able to draw upon his years of experience to know what the shape of Danks’ curveball was. Or the tilt of his slider. There’s no substitute for major league reps yet a hitter can layer on information to better their odds. For instance, recent Oakland A’s acquisition Trevor Plouffe said that over his career he was able to internalize what certain pitchers were doing and pair that with the data nuggets in order to capitalize in certain situations. “I think you get to know pitchers around the league and understand what they are trying to do to you,” Plouffe said last spring training. “And also we have so much data now, we can look and see, 2-1 count, seventy percent of the time this [pitch] is coming. If you have seen a guy enough and you understand what his breaking ball does, why not look for it in that count? If he wants to throw it for a strike it’s probably going to go.” Historically, that information was available through observation. Players weren’t asked to trust the data like they can with PitchF/X and StatCast in the modern era. In the not too distant past they also had to simply trust the scout or peers. "When I came up, there was none of this," Atlanta's Chipper Jones told MLB.com in 2009 regarding the proliferation of video. "You basically relied on word-of-mouth from your teammates to get the pitcher's repertoire and what their tendencies might be." Former Twins third baseman Corey Koskie recently shared his thoughts on using analytics as a player earlier this month at the MinneAnalytics hosted SportCon at St. Thomas in Minneapolis. Koskie was asked by the moderator Mike Max how much information he wanted to know going into an at-bat. Koskie responded by saying he was a ‘see-ball, hit-ball’ player in his career. The more information he got, the more it clogged his brain. Past experience getting burned when playing the percentages had created a bit of a distrust for the big lefty. “I didn’t want to be the one guy that gets up in a situation where I’m like, 3-2, runners on second and third and this guy throws a change-up (at) 3-2 seventy-six percent of the time or eighty-two percent of the time and the pitcher throws a fastball right down the middle and I was sitting on a change-up,” Koskie told the crowd. Koskie pivoted and said that he did have one example where trusting the information paid big dividends for him and the team. “We were in the ALDS against the A’s and Tim Hudson was throwing,” Koskie said. “Paul Molitor, who the Twins had him doing some advanced scouting, and he comes up and says, Corey, I know how you feel about this stuff but when Tim Hudson gets 2-and-0 he throws a change-up ninety-seven percent of the time over the last four weeks.” As it would just so happen, Koskie found himself in the exact situation during the third inning of Game 1 of the 2002 ALDS. The Twins were in a 5-1 hole at the Coliseum courtesy of some shaky defense. With one out, Cristian Guzman laced a single to center, bringing Koskie to the plate. Hudson quickly fell behind 2-and-0. “So I’m stepping in and all this stuff is going through my mind. Should I chance it? Should I chance it? Timeout, timeout,” He recalled as Molitor’s advice came flooding into his mind. “I took a step out, I said, you know what? If I’m ever going to do this now is the time because I have a ninety-seven percent likelihood he’s going to throw a change-up here and I gotta sit on this thing because if I don’t sit on this thing and he throws it and I’m sitting fastball, I’m going to look like an idiot anyway, so why don’t I just sit on this thing?” Koskie, of course, sat on it: For hitters, there is no right or wrong answer when it comes to how much information you should consume. Koskie had a fairly solid offensive career relying on his own experience to guide him. Plouffe has found the data to be a good supplement to his internal catalogue of pitchers. Bautista, meanwhile, believes the information to be a vital part of his mental preparation. Coaches, on the other hand, need to examine all the data in order to be effective. From the outside, with the hiring of Pickler as well as James Rowson as the hitting coach, the Twins appear to be moving toward working smarter. Click here to view the article

The worlds of analytics and sport are increasingly merging, a fact celebrated by MinneAnalytics on Tuesday with its inaugural SportCon event at the University of St. Thomas. Two members of the Minnesota Twins front office who perhaps best embody this dynamic – Derek Falvey and Jack Goin – were fittingly on hand as panelists.The wide-reaching conference, which featured an exhaustive array of executives, experts and entrepreneurs from every corner of sports and tech, offered plenty for baseball fans to like. During a panel on Sports Analytics in the Media and Pro Sports Organizations, Goin sat alongside ESPN VP of Stats & Research Jeff Bennett, Inside Edge cofounder Jay Donchetz and Milwaukee Bucks Director of Basketball Analytics Michael Clutterbuck. Goin, of course, is Director of Baseball Research for the Twins, and has spearheaded the team’s growing analytics department for years. (And as John notes today, he'll also be a Q&A guest at Winter Meltdown later this month.) He and Clutterbuck both spoke about the challenge of filtering and prioritizing an endless stream of emerging data and measurements. They talked about the nuances of communicating information without overwhelming, and the recognition that different players and coaches will be receptive to differing levels of input. The most interesting portion of this session, in my view, came toward the end, when panelists were asked what they saw as the biggest area for a potential breakthrough in their respective fields. Goin indicated that he'd like to see some advancements in the use of data to better manage injuries. Losing key players for indefinite stretches, and trying to make disabled list decisions based on limited information, are among the most significant pain points (pun intended) for major-league teams. Perhaps in the coming years, integrating analytics can help make the inexact science of sports medicine a little less... inexact. "If anyone's got any ideas on that, come see me after," Goin joked. (Though, given the setting, maybe it wasn't such a hopeless inquiry – a few local start-ups in that vein such as Prevent Biometrics and Player's Health had presented earlier in the day.) It's nice to see Goin taking on a more visible role with the organization. Perhaps that comes with the territory of a "Director" title, which he received a year ago, but it also seems related to the franchise's distinctly more outward analytical leanings under Falvey, who stepped in as Chief Baseball Officer in November. Falvey participated in a later panel titled "The Use of Data and Analytics in Baseball Coaching and Advance Scouting." This, for me and probably every other seamhead in attendance, was the highlight of the day. During the Q&A, WCCO's Mike Max discussed a variety of topics with the Falvey and former Minnesota third baseman Corey Koskie, as well as Pat Casey and Ty McDevitt, who serve as hitting and pitching coach for the Gophers baseball team. We shot a couple videos, which you can check out below. In this clip, Falvey discusses his background and analytics and his focus on actionable insights: In this snippet, Koskie amusingly talks about how he developed a lifelong aversion to statistics after a bad gambler's fallacy experience at the roulette table, until one memorable moment of redemption. In addition to all the panels, speakers and presentations, the SportCon event also included a tasty lunch, a midday mascot rampage (including good old TC Bear), and plenty of networking opportunities. It was really well put together and serves to further illuminate and elevate the burgeoning world of sports tech. Kudos to MinneAnalytics for knocking this one out of the park, and to the Twins for stepping up to the plate. Click here to view the article