Minnesota Twins at the All-Star Break: A Job Half Done

[Nick Nelson]

As a perpetually lagging offense threatens to derail a historically great pitching staff, the front office faces a second half full of pressure with increasingly heightened stakes.

Image courtesy of Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine were hired by the Twins after the 2016 season, primarily, to turn around a woeful arms department. There are other components to winning games of course, but Minnesota's pitching operation was in such a dismal state that it was preventing any real chance of success.

To its credit, the Falvine Machine has proven its mettle on this front. Through trades and a few late-round success stories, the Twins have risen to the pinnacle of Major League Baseball in pitching prowess. 

As Aaron Gleeman noted last week, the Twins' pitching staff checked in at the halfway point leading all of baseball in virtually every important metric, from ERA to strikeout rate to OPS against to quality starts. 

In the seventh year of their tenure, Falvey and Levine have fulfilled their vision of building a truly elite pitching corps – and it's beyond elite. Amid all the valid disgruntlement around the team's middling overall results in the first half, we really should take a moment to recognize this monumental accomplishment. Particularly when you consider where they came from.

In the 2016 season, the last before the front office turned over, Minnesota ranked 29th in ERA, 27th in strikeout rate, and allowed the highest batting average of any team in baseball. Help was not on the way. These were the pitching prospects ranked among Twins Daily's top 10 in the system that year: José Berríos (#2), Tyler Jay (#5), Stephen Gonsalves (#6), Alex Meyer (#8), Kohl Stewart (#9) and Nick Burdi (#10). 

Aside from Berríos, it was in retrospect a brutal group – representative of the broken pitching approach that culminated in the dismissal of Terry Ryan's regime. Minnesota's front office had grown out of touch with the tenets of successful modern pitcher development, leading to continual breakdowns in talent evaluation, prospect handling, and on-field results. 

Their staffs were full of slow-tossing, strike-throwing, pitch-to-contact hurlers who got bashed around endlessly. By the time Ryan was relieved of duties, the franchise had become a punchline for its stubborn reliance on mediocre pitchers with no real upside.

Falvey's involvement with the operation in Cleveland, as assistant general manager for arguably the most effective pitching powerhouse in the league – with self-limited resources, no less – was a chief selling point for a Twins team in desperate need of an overhaul. The results have been undeniable. 

In seven years before Falvey took over, the Twins ranked 29th among MLB teams in ERA, ahead of only Colorado. Compare the context of Coors Field and you can fairly state that Target Field housed the worst pitching staff in the league on balance in its first seven seasons of operation.

Since Falvey's first season in 2017, the Twins rank 14th in ERA. To move from the absolute bottom of the league to the top half, particularly given the system he inherited, is a resounding delivery on the promise that sold the organization on this bright young executive: an opportunity to modernize their methods, and go from laggards to leaders in the arms race.

The makeup of this premier Twins pitching staff epitomizes how the hire has worked out exactly as hoped on that front. Their two highest-stakes trades for pitching have yielded frontline starters who were both named to the All-Star Game last week: Sonny Gray and Pablo López. The front office turned trade deadline "sell" rentals into Joe Ryan and Jhoan Duran. They turned a 12th-round draft pick into Bailey Ober. 

You can quibble with the misses (Tyler Mahle, Jorge López, etc.), and you can quibble with the philosophies (too many same-sided changeups!), but you cannot argue with the final result. Falvey and his braintrust did it: they took the Twins from the bottom to the top from a pitching standpoint.

Of course, that is only one side of the coin. And when we expand our view to that ever-so-important other half of winning baseball games – scoring runs – we find the Twins front office cast in a very different light.

Even with this world-class pitching staff, the team finds itself below .500 here at the All-Star break, at risk of botching one of the biggest opportunities in franchise history thanks to an underperforming offense that can't get out of its own way. 

In a blowout loss to close out the first half on Sunday, the Twins were held to a two runs for a 17th time in 91 games. They've scored two or fewer in 37 of 91 games (41%), posting a 6-31 record in those contests. 

In short, the offensive shortcomings of this team have single-handedly sabotaged any chance at consistent winning, at a time where the bare minimum of run-scoring competency would result in a comfortable division lead and full-on vindication for the organization's leadership. 

How'd we get here? It's strange.

You can't say the current front office didn't inherit a favorable situation on the position-player front. The state of pitching in the Twins system might have been dire circa 2016, but they were brimming at the time with promising young hitters: Byron Buxton, Miguel Sanó, Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario were all 24 or below. In the latest draft they had added a highly promising high school bat in Alex Kirilloff, and in the next they would add another in Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick.

You can't say this front office hasn't invested in hitters. They locked down Kepler and Polanco long-term just ahead of their breakout 2019 campaigns. They've pushed ownership to repeatedly rewrite the franchise record for free agent spending, with high-profile splurges on Josh Donaldson, Carlos Correa, and then Carlos Correa (again). They overlooked their risk-based reservations to keep Byron Buxton home for $100 million. 

Roughly $80 million of the team's record payroll this year is allocated to five position players: Correa, Buxton, Joey Gallo, Christian Vázquez, Kepler. Their entire Opening Day pitching staff accounted for a shade under $50 million. 

Finally, you can't say this front office hasn't shown in the past they can build a successful offense. In 2019 the Twins hit a major-league record 302 home runs on the way to scoring 939 times. Their overpowering offense led the way in a 101-win season full of thrilling highlights. 

Looking back, you might make a case that the Bomba Squad season was the starting point of this ill-fated path we've now traveled. That year, the Twins embraced a mentality of ambushing opposing pitchers, aiming to elevate and do damage – it paid off handsomely, to say the least. Albeit at a time where all their hitters were clicking, and cashing in their uppercut hacks against a juiced ball.

The Twins have since tried to recapture that highly effective (highly marketable!) offensive dynamic in various ways, starting with the blockbuster signing of Donaldson to upgrade an already potent lineup. Despite their efforts, they have never come close. After finishing second among MLB teams in runs scored in 2019, Minnesota ranked 19th in 2020, 14th in 2021, and 17th in 2022. Now they find themselves all the way down to 24th at the All-Star break here in 2023.

The fantastic quality of this pitching staff and total inadequacy of this offense make for a remarkable contrast. In evaluating the current Twins front office against the backdrop of its predecessor's pitching woes, you almost wonder if a parallel path is playing out with hitting now: a commitment to a way of doing things that once worked, but no longer does.

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[mikelink45]

So glad that Kiriloff and Julien are on the roster = I hope they stay there.  In the last game it was them and Miranda who got hits - where were the vets?  Lewis looks legit, but so did Buxton before his rash of injuries. 

Now we have Correa and Buxton signed as stars, but playing at replacement level.  So we have Taylor's bat in the lineup along with old Strikeout Gallo, and Vasquez and his disappearing bat.  Kepler stays in the lineup and all of us shout to TD - replace them.  We have wasted a half year of Wallner who has been hitting really well.  (we will bring him up when he hits a slump). Wouldn't Steer look good? 

Year	Age	Tm	Lg	G	PA	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	SB	CS	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS	OPS+	TB	GDP	HBP	SH	SF	IBB	Pos	Awards
2 Yrs				116	484	420	57	110	24	2	16	59	9	3	53	97	.262	.353	.443	.796	110	186	6	8	0	3	0
162 Game Avg.				162	676	587	80	154	34	3	22	82	13	4	74	135	.262	.353	.443	.796	110	260	8	11	0	4	0
2022	24	CIN	NL	28	108	95	12	20	5	0	2	8	0	1	11	26	.211	.306	.326	.632	72	31	2	2	0	0	0	5/34DH
2023	25	CIN	NL	88	376	325	45	90	19	2	14	51	9	2	42	71	.277	.367	.477	.844	121	155	4	6	0	3	0	357/DH

 

What do we do?  The FO will not dump their signings, but we need something drastic.  

In addition, while our SP have been great, the BP has not been.  Will it straighten out?  Not sure how.  Sands is not the answer.  What will they do?

[terrydactyls]

18 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

What do we do? 

What do we do?  SELL! SELL! SELL!

The Twins are below .500, not in 1st place (in the worst division in MLB), and have a record of 36-45 against all teams not named Kansas City or Oakland.  This is not a team that can advance in the playoffs (if they even make the playoffs).  Time to look towards 2024 and beyond.  Everyone on this team should be available for trade for the right price.  If playoff contenders are willing to give up top prospects for one player (like Steer and Encarnacion-Strand for Mahle), make the trade.  Get the young guys on the MLB team and see how they perform for the next 71 games.  

[TwinsDr2021]

The way I see it the only real differences between the current FO and the last FO is the current FO willing to trade a few of the pitching prospects (Graterol, Petty, Hajjar)

Ryan was a great trade, Duran has been great, but it isn't like the old FO had a problem with getting/converting pitchers into the closer role.

Not defending the prior FO their time at ended, but this current rotation has come with a price.

Ryan - great trade basically free

Gray - top 5 prospect and first round draft pick

Lopez - all star player

Ober - great draft development even with all the injury set backs.

Maeda - top 3 prospect

Plus the trades for Mahle and Paddock.

Don't get me wrong I am fine with this approach (actually like it) but lets not pretend it doesn't come with a cost.

[mnfireman]

The second half of the season is time for Buxton to get back in CF. The team can get the same offensive production by rotating other players through the DH spot, but the defense improves by having MAT as the backup CF instead of Castro. 

Yes Buxton is league average at DH (101 OPS+), but MAT is not league average in CF (82 OPS+). Kirilloff, Julien, Gallo, Jeffers, Solano and (SSS) Wallner are above average OPS+. Lewis, Correa, and Polanco could all have a "day off" at DH. As could Miranda, and a "day off" from the glove could help his offense.

If Buxton gets hurt, MAT goes back to CF and the others can continue the DH rotation. 

[OvertheHill]

I too am amazed at this half season of excellent starting pitching but the other parts of "winning baseball" just aren't there. 

I see the Yankees fired their hitting coach. Twins? No - we're good. Going to die on this hill, apparently. 

The BP is shaky at best. Had chances to bolster that in the off season but it didn't happen.

As has been been pointed out by many posters, the energy and apparent morale of this squad is in the toilet. I'm not in the locker room or dugout, but it does not appear that Rocco is the man for this particular moment. Roster construction is primarily on the FO, and it's been horribly flawed since Day 1 of this season.

The record speaks for itself.

Sell, blow it up, whatever. Build for next year and beyond.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Outstanding summation of where the Falvine FO has taken the Twins in 7 years. I really feel you hit the nail on the head about the Twins current commitment to an outdated hitting philosophy which is not working. As much as I hate to cry, "Fire somebody", I now feel that is necessary with the Twins hitting coaches. Something must change quickly, regarding the lineups (the manager's responsibility) and the hitting philosophy of the Twins current hitters.  The pitching is outstanding, the defense is very good also (just my observations). Gallo, Kepler, Vasquez, Taylor, Buck (who has not played a game in the field this year) and Correa are all above average fielders and have helped the Twins pitchers achieve greatness this year. But these good defenders are strikeout prone, resulting in the Twins being on track to setting an all-time  major league strikeout record by hitters. Do you think this might be the problem? Duh ! Here's your sign ! Several of these players need to be replaced quickly. I suggest Gallo be traded for whatever , even if the Twins need to eat some of his salary. Kep keeps doing just enough defensively and offensively, to hang around. But he also needs to be traded. His thoughts just seem to keep wandering to the green summer hills. Vasques needs to bat less...say maybe 35-40% so Jeffers can play more.  Someone needs to pinch hit for Vasquez in critical at bats. Let Farmer catch in emergencies and in blowout games. Yes, Farmer.  Taylor and Buck need to bunt more and to start hitting to all fields. Until he can start producing at the bat, Buck needs to bat 7,8 or 9 in the order. It is not rocket science. Correa is needed to anchor the infield on defense every game, He needs to get back to hitting the ball to right field and stop hitting into so many double plays. All of the Twins hitters need some intensive lessons on bunting and hitting behind the runners, in order to advance the runners. I know folks may say a bunt is just giving up an out, but the Twins are not about to set a major league record for the most bunts in a season.  There, I feel better now. 

[jun]

Gallo needs to be let go. Buxton should get back in CF. Miranda should be sent back to AAA. Julien should be the standard DH. Correa should bat 6th or 7th. Wallner and Larnach should stay in the major. Jeffers should start in most of the games. Get Polanco as healthy as possible and let him play. If Kepler refuses to play CF, trade him and promote Chris Williams so that Vazquez could play less. This would solve some of the problem internally.

[singlesoverwalks]

So if a fan from 2016 woke up from a 7-year coma a week ago, the last two series before the All-Star Break would have already told them everything they needed to know about what this team is in 2023. Two home series, one a sweep of the horrible Royals at home, the other getting swept by the upwardly mobile (but not mighty) Orioles: this is a mediocre team that certainly isn't the worst, but isn't well-led enough to build any momentum, and will punish you if you allow yourself to get emotionally invested.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 hour ago, terrydactyls said:

What do we do?  SELL! SELL! SELL!

The Twins are below .500, not in 1st place (in the worst division in MLB), and have a record of 36-45 against all teams not named Kansas City or Oakland.  This is not a team that can advance in the playoffs (if they even make the playoffs).  Time to look towards 2024 and beyond.  Everyone on this team should be available for trade for the right price.  If playoff contenders are willing to give up top prospects for one player (like Steer and Encarnacion-Strand for Mahle), make the trade.  Get the young guys on the MLB team and see how they perform for the next 71 games.  

Can't say I disagree with Sell, but I want nothing to do with this FO rebuilding. they have had their time and it has gotten us 21, 22, 23 and zero playoff wins.

[PatPfund]

The problem with the Twins offense is clear. 5 players (Correa, Buxton, Gallo, Kepler, Polanco) were expected to be regular foundations at the plate. Only one (Correa) is likely to have a bounce-back in the second half; the others are hurt all the time and are likely to keep that up (Buxton, Polanco), or have established over the past couple seasons than they aren't as good as they once were (Gallo, Kepler).

The problem isn't acquiring better players (the Saints starting OF is better than the Twins), it is opening slots in the batting order for better hitters by trading (even for a bag of balls) Kepler and Gallo, putting Byron on IL whenever his injuries overwhelm his ability to hit, and moving Correa/Byron down the order until they start to hit. Only the Souhan column that hints ownership might be losing its patience gives me any (and it is dim) hope Falvine/Rocco will take the needed steps.

(And folks, Byron ain't playing in the field any time soon. Because he physically can't. But he also shouldn't be blocking up the DH spot hitting like he is. IL him until he can play baseball.)

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

I would need to see at least a full season, better yet 2 or 3 seasons, like the Dodgers or Cleveland had, maintaining a spot at the very top of the leader boards, before I start calling Falvey an elite pitching mind. Hopefully with a new organization. As said, there was a cost to get to this point.

Bringing in guys like Pagan, Mahle, etc, needs to be a part of the story as well, and not called quibbles. They have plenty of other whiffs on evaluations, in my opinion these are guys like Pressly, Dobnak, Wells, Thorpe, Gil, SWR, not to mention the train of fill in starters like Schoemaker and Archer, not trading guys like Jay or Gonsalves when they had a chance, and so on. All teams have misses like that, but an honest evaluation should mention the bad with the good and let people decide for themselves.

I still think the bullpen is very shaky and the best thing that could happen is that we get a weak draw when we host the 6 seed and play our games in the daytime out of the limelight. Because the only reliever I would trust in a high pressure situation in a prime time game against Houston or New York would be Duran. Duran being the one really solid acquisition after Joe Ryan. 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, OvertheHill said:

The BP is shaky at best. Had chances to bolster that in the off season but it didn't happen.

The bullpen has been better than I hoped but it isn't deep. They knew it wasn't deep this offseason (or should have) and didn't do anything about it besides signing minor leaguers Stewart and De Leon. They also knew they had trouble hitting lefthanded pitching and their big free agent signing was another lefthanded hitting outfielder with the same strengths and weaknesses as Kepler and Kirilloff and Larnach and Wallner.

[DJL44]

52 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Buck needs to bat 7,8 or 9 in the order

Who bats 3rd then? Vazquez? Miranda? Kepler? Gallo? Farmer? Castro? Taylor? The Twins have too many players who should be batting 7,8,9 in the order.

[jun]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Who bats 3rd then? Vazquez? Miranda? Kepler? Gallo? Farmer? Castro? Taylor? The Twins have too many players who should be batting 7,8,9 in the order.

Ideally it should be Lewis or Kirilloff. I would go with Solano / Wallner / Kirilloff as of now. Correa and Buxton have no business hitting 3rd. Buxton should bat 5th and Correa should bat 6th or 7th.

[Nashvilletwin]

Sorry, but some TDers are just more bottom line focused.

This FO and managerial staff have been a disaster. Seven years and not a single playoff series win, let alone a single playoff game victory, is simply unacceptable. Can there be any other interpretation? Honestly, can there be?

Regardless of winning the hapless AL Central from time to time, or one incredibly good hitting season from the Bomba Squad, or rebuilding our pitching staff (at great cost as insightfully pointed out above in a previous post on this thread), the overall goal is to win in the playoffs. Despite having an ownership group willing to spend and a minor league system producing top prospects (who somehow vanish upon making it to Target Field), this regime has been unable to accomplish that at all.

And the W-L results this year to date - as have been pointed out in excruciating detail in other posts - are incredibly disappointing. A game under 0.500, a sizable losing record against everyone other than KC, a 1/2 game behind the “rebuilding” Guardians, and with the starting staff we have is the definition of incredible underperformance. Besides all of that, the team is a snore to watch - filled with one and done players and listless high priced stars all intent on breaking the league record for strikeouts by a team in a season.

How can any reasonable person who has ever owned or managed a business of any type think that these results merit commendation, let alone ongoing employment? The results are right in front of us and the sample size is more than sufficient. 

This franchise has incredible potential. It has all the necessary inherent elements (i.e. ownership, fan base, facilities, minor league system, scouting, etc.) to be the best small/mid-market team in MLB able to truly compete for pennants year in and year out. Does it have the FO and big league managerial staff? Performance to date over seven years would indicate no. 

[TopGunn#22]

The Padres might be a seller but they are desperate for a catcher.  Package Vasquez in a deal and start playing Jeffers more.  Call up Camargo.  I'm firmly in the camp the F.O. should be buying and selling.  When your starting pitching is as good as the Twins is, you're never out of a game.  Right now the lineup is terrible and strikes out far too much.  Aside from Duran the only other guys in the BP who have been reliable are Jax (somewhat) and Stewart (currently injured but who should be back end of July).  I'm both buying and selling and I'm talking to everybody.  Guys like Pham and Bellinger are gettable at a price that won't hurt at all.  On BBTV's a guy called The Captain5 proposed the following trade:

Twins get:  Lane Thomas 27 y/o CF 20.6 value   

Nats get:  David Festa RHP 9.9  DeAndrade SS  2.4  Yasser Mercedes OF 5.6 and Misael Urbina OF 1.2  Total of 19.1.  The Twins may have to sweeten this deal since they are a little light but Festa is the only player with any real value and we just drafted Charlee Soto.  This deal is a no-brainer if the Nats were willing.  If they aren't, what else needs to be added/subtracted to make it work. 

But this team is a mess right now.  Any and ALL changes would be welcome.  I'm ready to move on from Rocco.  If the Yanks can fire their hitting coach why can't we?  We have no use for Kepler, Gallo or Vasquez any longer.  We need to get Jeffers more AB's as well as Larnach and Wallner (if Larnach isn't traded).  Sonny Gray won't be back.  Trade him for a prospect haul or to the Reds for Friedel.  Go out and scoop up Blake Snell to replace Gray in the rotation. 

I'll say this:  Gray has pitched tremendously well.  But when will he start regressing to the mean of what he is...an above average pitcher but not a top 5 Cy Young candidate.  I'd sell high on Gray and replace with a red hot pitcher like Snell.  Even though we need bats the padres have two things we could use.  A lights out closer in Josh Hader and a red hot LH starting pitcher in Snell.  Let's make a deal San Diego !! 

We need to Buy and Sell.  Get to work F.O.

[TNtwins85]

If we’re not gonna trade anyone or add any hitters these so called “professionals” need to put down their ego’s and start playing smallball. Trying to generate walks. Bunting for hits. Sacrifice bunts. Squeeze plays. Hit the runner over by just putting the ball in play away from the runner. I was watching the Pirates and Diamondbacks yesterday after switching the game from the horrific 15-2 drubbing. In the early innings the pirates hitter bunted the guy to 2nd. The next batter clearly stuck his bat out to hit it to the second baseman getting the runner to 3rd. Next guy glued out I believe but deep enough to score the runner. In the bottom half Corbin Carroll bunted Marte over to third after a double. Corbin Carroll… the Allstar hitter. That put Marte at 3rd with one out. Guess what, he scored on the next at bat I believe. Why are we not trying this brand of baseball at all? Ego? Idk anymore. Tough to watch professional hitters be as clueless as ours are. After the closed door meeting it seems we’re out of options and something drastic needs to happen. 

[Fatbat]

Simple solution, DFA someone and bring up Wallner and Jenkins. JK but not really. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

Who bats 3rd then? Vazquez? Miranda? Kepler? Gallo? Farmer? Castro? Taylor? The Twins have too many players who should be batting 7,8,9 in the order.

Jeffers, Salano, Lewis (when he returns), Arraez (opps), Steer (opps), Rooker (opps), Encarnation-Strand(opps), Oh well, you may have a pointDJL44.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

32 minutes ago, TNtwins85 said:

If we’re not gonna trade anyone or add any hitters these so called “professionals” need to put down their ego’s and start playing smallball. Trying to generate walks. Bunting for hits. Sacrifice bunts. Squeeze plays. Hit the runner over by just putting the ball in play away from the runner. I was watching the Pirates and Diamondbacks yesterday after switching the game from the horrific 15-2 drubbing. In the early innings the pirates hitter bunted the guy to 2nd. The next batter clearly stuck his bat out to hit it to the second baseman getting the runner to 3rd. Next guy glued out I believe but deep enough to score the runner. In the bottom half Corbin Carroll bunted Marte over to third after a double. Corbin Carroll… the Allstar hitter. That put Marte at 3rd with one out. Guess what, he scored on the next at bat I believe. Why are we not trying this brand of baseball at all? Ego? Idk anymore. Tough to watch professional hitters be as clueless as ours are. After the closed door meeting it seems we’re out of options and something drastic needs to happen. 

Exactly.

[KirbyDome89]

On top of the aforementioned price paid for this rotation, we're just going to ignore the fact that the bullpen has 4-5 arms that can't handle any sort of leverage right now, or that despite the rotation being mostly healthy for the first half (RIP Mahle,) they're one minor/major injury away from Dallas ****king Keuchel starting games because "pipeline," guys like Varland and SWR are getting blown up at AAA? 

Can we just enjoy three months of good starts before racing to crown this team a top pitching organization? I mean seriously....

[TwinsDr2021]

19 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

On top of the aforementioned price paid for this rotation, we're just going to ignore the fact that the bullpen has 4-5 arms that can't handle any sort of leverage right now, or that despite the rotation being mostly healthy for the first half (RIP Mahle,) they're one minor/major injury away from Dallas ****king Keuchel starting games because "pipeline," guys like Varland and SWR are getting blown up at AAA? 

Can we just enjoy three months of good starts before racing to crown this team a top pitching organization? I mean seriously....

The Twins have little to no prospects in AA and AAA, which wouldn't be a bad thing except Lewis is hurt again, Larnach and Miranda have struggled, Wallner hasn't been given a chance, Julien and AK have been good. On the pitching side not very good either.

[Loops]

All of our current hitters falls in the same mold. Home run or strike out. The "Bomba Squad" was the worst thing to happen to the Twins. We got lucky one year and now feel that is the only way to go. There is zero chance to score a run if the ball is not put in play. When there was a chance to mix up our lineup a little (Arraez, Lewis, etc) we either trade them away because they don't have power, or they are injured and can't play. With Buxton's speed he should be able to get a ton of hits, but he is now aiming for more power than anything else. Maybe it is philosophy. Maybe it is all you see on highlight films are home runs. Maybe ... ??? But things need to change. The Twins are going nowhere this year.

[Karbo]

The hitting philosophy of "drive the ball" is just not working similar to how the "pitch to contact" philosophy didn't work. Yet the FO adds more of the same and the coaching staff keeps teaching the same. Something must change. Coaches need to go, if the FO wants to stay they must admit failure and do an about face to get rid of some people. Even us fans knew Gallo was a mistake, yet here he is, taking up a roster spot! The BP has a couple of dependable arms and a bunch of daily guesses. Yet none of the FO or coaches will call them out. Total system failure!

[Whitey333]

This team has been going nowhere now for 3 straight seasons.  There is no sense of urgency or fire in these veteran players that were suppose to lead this team. What an incredible waste of all the great starting pitching we've had.  This team continues to play boring, uninspired baseball.  Many times they look like they would rather be somewhere else than the ball field.  I keep hoping they are going to turn it around and put on a good winning streak.  Just when you think they may they lose and lose badly.  IMO the manager and FO have made a mess of this organization.  But it doesn't seem to matter since their is no accountability.

[Minny505]

There is no way I sell if I am this front office. This is probably the best team the Twins have constructed for a playoff run since 2006.

Outside of just getting hot at the right time, elite pitching and hitting homeruns is how teams win in the playoffs. While this team struggles in most other areas on the whole, these are the two areas of production that they have succeeded, ranking 3rd in team ERA and 8th in HRs.

Not selling does not mean holding onto Gallo and Kepler, or moving the latter to a strong-side platoon role in CF if they want to keep him. 

 

[Woof Bronzer]

32 minutes ago, Minny505 said:

There is no way I sell if I am this front office. This is probably the best team the Twins have constructed for a playoff run since 2006.

The Twins are 36-45 against teams other than the Royals.  

[Minny505]

1 minute ago, Woof Bronzer said:

The Twins are 36-45 against teams other than the Royals.  

I know.