Minnesota Twins

Miguel Sano won’t face criminal charges connected to an accident over the weekend where a police officer broke his leg in multiple places.

On Monday, Sano went to traffic court and the police found no intent on his part to hurt the officer.

The trend in baseball around power bullpens isn't new. But here in 2018, this seismic shift has become as conspicuously apparent as ever.

If the Minnesota Twins want to establish themselves as true championship contenders, it's blindingly clear they need to stockpile some serious late-inning juice. While the club appears to have a decent foundation in place, much work remains on this front.

Miguel Sano was detained in his hometown of San Pedro De Macoris, Dominican Republic, for a traffic incident involving a police officer. He was released from jail but will need to return on Monday. We will continue to update this article as details emerge.

With the baseball season being so long, a down year can really drag on a fan. On the plus side, playing that many games generates plenty of memorable moments, even in a forgettable season. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be taking a look back and sharing some of my favorite highlights from the 2018 season.

Let’s kick things off today with a bit of a sensitive subject: Walk-offs.

The times they are a changin'.

For the last 15 years, Joe Mauer has been a fixture in the Twins clubhouse. No more. For the last four years, Paul Molitor has held the manager's chair. No more.

And now, Brian Dozier's three-year reign as Twins Daily MVP comes to an end. Overtaking the throne is Eddie Rosario, and his nod is well earned even if it says more about the surrounding nucleus than him.

Looking ahead to 2019, it certainly appears any hope of the Twins reaching their potential will once again rest upon the shoulders of Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano.

Does it really need to be that way?

Of course not. It seems to me the lessons to be learned from the 2018 season are 1) Be as prepared as you can for injuries, and 2) Don’t devote time to players who show no signs of progress. Both of those lessons need to be applied to how the Twins proceed with Buxton and Sano.

If there’s been one constant with the Minnesota Twins, it’s been the need for starting pitching. There’s been no shortage of bright spots in that department over the years, but there just never seems to be enough of it.

The 2018 season didn’t end the way the Twins would have liked, but the team’s top three starters — Jose Berrios, Kyle Gibson and Jake Odorizzi — all turned in strong performances. All three took the ball every time their spot came up in the rotation, and all three were above average, ranking inside the top 35 in fWAR among qualified starting pitchers.

Even in the midst of a sub-par season, there were plenty of players who made positive strides. Yesterday, Kyle Gibson was named the team’s most improved player after having the best big-league season of his career. Other impact players included multiple rookies.

Today, the Twins Daily 2018 Rookie of the Year winner will be announced. There were 20 rookies who played with the team in 2018. This was up from the 19 rookies to play with the Twins during the 2017 campaign. However, this year’s winner is a player very familiar to those who have followed our minor league coverage over the last handful of years.

Congratulations, Mitch Garver.

USA Today's Bob Nightengale is reporting that Minnesota Twins manager Paul Molitor has been fired and a press conference this afternoon has been scheduled to announce it. Molitor managed the Twins for four seasons, two of which they exceeded expectations and two of which they did not. They finished this year 78-84, a disappointment after making it to the postseason last year with an 85-77 record.

A year after the Twins made massive improvements, jumping from 59 wins in 2016 to 85 wins in 2017, 2018 was a disappointing season for the Twins. Today we begin our week of handing out the Twins Daily 2018 Awards by looking at the players who showed the most improvement.

In 2017, there were several players who showed significant improvement. In a difficult 2018 season, improvement was more difficult to find, but one player took some major strides forward this year, particularly in terms of consistency.

Near the end of the movie The Dark Knight, Commissioner Jim Gordon gives a memorable speech. He tries to explain to his son why his hero, Batman, is being hunted by the police.

Because we have to chase him. Because he's the hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now, so we'll hunt him. Because he can take it, because he's not a hero. He's a silent guardian, a watchful protector, a Dark Knight.

Batman is a misunderstood hero throughout much of the Dark Knight saga, much like Joe Mauer was a misunderstood baseball player for most of his baseball career.

Joe Mauer's big send-off yesterday, combined with the ominous uncertainty surrounding Miguel Sano, leaves the corner infield spots as a major source of mystery as the Minnesota Twins embark on their offseason.

Let's take an early look at a few players who will be available in free agency.