Another Year of Intangibles

[Cody Pirkl]

It’s worthwhile to look at stats. They tell a story of a player or team’s season. When you only look at stats however, you miss a chunk of the story being told. Behind each slash line and number total is a person with his own uniqueness. It’s why we ask about “clubhouse fit” when a Nelson Cruz or Josh Donaldson gets added to the roster. Each player has his own immeasurable contribution they make to their team. Because of that, today I’m going to count down the top 5 intangibles to look forward to in 2020.5. Luis Arraez’s Particular Set of Skills

 

I have to imagine that pitchers absolutely loathe watching Arraez step up to the plate. Not because he’s going to hit one 450 feet like the Miguel Sanos of the lineup, but because whatever happens next is just not going to be enjoyable.

 

Everything from his contact ability to him furiously shaking his head after every pitch he takes says there’s just no way that can be fun to pitch to. Just ask Edwin Diaz.

 

, the soft-tossing spark plug will be spinning sliders from the Twins bullpen for an entire season in 2020.

 

Romo’s veteran presence has obvious value for a bullpen of all ages and pitching styles. While he was a three-time world champion in the 2010s, he’s also just a good pitcher even after 12 years in the league and a fastball averaging well under 90 mph. He’s just a fantastic guy whose energy rubs off on everyone around him. It’s also safe to say that through the ups and downs of the season, he’s probably going to keep everybody lighthearted.

 

 

2. Josh Donaldson’s Intensity

 

Josh Donaldson is a fiery guy as Matthew Taylor pointed out last week. He makes it known that he not only comes to play every day of the week, he’s here to beat you. It doesn’t matter if it’s the division-clinching game or the getaway game the day after, it’s getting Donaldson’s 100% effort.

 

There’s a reason so many questions were raised in regard to Donaldson’s fit in this clubhouse. The Twins don’t have anybody like him. By all accounts however, this group has a wide range of characters already present and the atmosphere is fantastic. I think an intense superstar is more of a missing piece of the puzzle rather than a presence that’s going to rock the boat.

 

1. Rocco Baldelli’s Managing Style

 

Rocco is the glue that holds this roster together. His ties to being a player so recently give him valuable insight into the everyday grind of his players. He’s able to manipulate lineups day in and day out and press the right buttons to keep everybody as fresh as possible. We saw career bests from a lot of the lineup from the 26-year-old Kepler to the 39-year-old Cruz in 2020, and that’s no coincidence.

 

Rocco embraces analytics and always seems to be looking for that next edge in a calm and collected way. It’s difficult to put a number on the effectiveness of a manager, but I’d argue that a Manager of the Year award likely does just as well. Look for Rocco to become even more effective at managing games in 2020, which will be only his second year doing so.

 

Last year was a lot of fun for statistical reasons like setting the home run record and winning 101 games. We were all lucky however in the sense that we got to see everything that the box scores don’t tell you. This year looks like there are going to be even more intangibles to help contribute to another successful season, certainly more than I listed here. Which ones are you most looking forward to?

 

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[wildwildwest]

Last year the way the team pulled for each other was special I think we will see more of the same this year. Rocco's positive attitude seemed to flow through the club and I do not see that changing.

[Nash Walker]

This is a great idea and article Cody. I am personally excited for Joshua Adam Donaldson and the grit he brings to third base. There’s so much talent and personality on this club. It’s a special group that is capable of extremely special things.

[Doctor Gast]

I`m excited to see this special chemistry come to fruition. This chemistry will drive each player to improve even greater. Some say that there`ll be a big drop off in productivity but I don`t see it. Yes the ball won`t be as lively & some might have a slight pull back  but overall we`ll see improvement especially defensively. Rosario is committed in this area & I imagine Arraez, Polanco & Sano are too.

 We have many valuable players & some impact players. Many throw out "impact" very loosely. Buxton is an impact player, when he`s on the field something happens, it`s exciting to see & he inspire others. But others are more valuable because they are more able to produce over the season. Hopefully Buxton will be healthier. I also see Graterol as an impact pitcher but because of his condition he`s not as valuable as others. When he does pitch it`ll be exciting & in the future he`ll be more valuable especially w/ Berrios mentoring (hopefully this tie will keep Berrios aTwin as Cruz was attracted to Sano.

 Together w/Baldelli`s coaching staff & the FO, I look for great things! GO TWINS!!!!!

[Richie the Rally Goat]

Fun article!

[rv78]

The offense is going to be great. The bullpen is much improved with Clippard and if Graterol stays. If the starting pitching holds up or they make a move yet to improve it this team could set a club record for wins in a season. The one intangible that I think will make a huge difference is named Buxton. Can he finally put together a full productive season? It's going to be a fun season to watch.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 I couldn't agree more. Thanks Cody for a fun article.

[JoshDungan1]

Having a more dependable group out in the pen can't hurt either. Up until the final month or two of the season, it was more than a little difficult for the team to know what relief pitchers would be consistently good and which ones buttholes would have to be clenched for.

 

Pen work was (in my mind) one of Rocco's issues at times last season, so having a more consistent and less-likely-to-self-implode pen should give him more confidence to be able to go to a wider range of guys in a wider range of situations and know that damage will be limited more often than it was last season.

[highlander]

My additional intangible is Marwin's versatility. We really have 9 starting position players. His ability to spell multiple defensive positions for rest, injury, mid-game pitching matchup is very unique. Ahire had this ability also but not to the extent of Mr. Gonzalez.

[blindeke]

Good list.