The Difference

[Matt Braun]

Poor man wanna be rich
Rich man wanna be king
And a king ain't satisfied
'Til he rules everything

Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins have lost. Included in the aftermath is the pouring of obituaries, a dissecting of a team surprising and, eventually, unthreatening. They'll use words like "scrappy" and "feisty"—words intended to praise with minor compliment, but ultimately mean there was no belief that Minnesota could have ever been a fair match for Houston. It was impossible. Their players—battle-tested; professional; of a different playing level; simply better—were always destined to win. In this reality and all others. Again. And again. 

These are the common narratives nestled in the threads of sports, where nuance is lost and understanding must be made easy. It's never about the games themselves: it's about the jerseys and names that accompany them. The known team winning, the unknown losing. Jeremy Peña, another success story in a long line of elite Astros players. Edouard Julien, a cute attempt at uncovering the same magic.

So it has been. So it has been pre-ordained. So it shall always be.

You can point to runners left on base, home runs, bad calls, the natural injustice of the sport, and how the Twins came up empty every single time with consistent help from freak occurrences and unusual plays, but it doesn't matter. That's how the better team separates itself from the lesser one; it's how losers lose while the winners roll with the punches. And the winners popped champagne while taking pictures on someone else's field. 

The difference was clear in dugout demeanor. The Astros were smiling, almost jovial. It was a lovely Sunday jaunt for them. They waved to their kids and laughed when Yordan Alvarez clobbered extra-base hits. They bunted for hits and watched their back-end starters dominate. They had bested cleverer teams than this—the best offerings from the Dodgers, Yankees, Red Sox, and whatever lone-season one hit wonder happened to sneak their way into the postseason this year—what real challenge could these Twins claim? It's doubtful that Pablo López's brilliance in game two even stirred them.

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If there's a soft hope for the Twins, it's in these very same Astros. They didn't apparate fully-formed: their first crack at the playoffs was in 2015, where they fell to the Royals. "A plucky effort," thought baseball, one made a little funnier when they missed the postseason the following season. 

It's perhaps these years—the ones bearing small, enticing fruit—that develop a team. Winning turns opinions, but winning doesn't often happen at once; it takes a foundation of success to become a powerhouse. We've seen the start; now it's time for Minnesota to relentlessly pursue their best. 

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[BH67]

More battle tested, yes. Simply better? No longer. At this stage, however, battle tested takes on amplified importance.

The Twins began realizing their potential on September 1. They did not lose more than two consecutive games at any time after August 11. They're learning to win more from internal confidence than from a surge of emotion. Next year should be something to savor.

[Patzky]

"Trust the Process" has been the team's unofficial mantra in 2023. It can also be applied to the long term, assuming the front office continues to "supply the process". 

[Logi_Clevs]

"Winning turns opinions, but winning doesn't often happen at once; it takes a foundation of success to become a powerhouse. We've seen the start; now it's time for Minnesota to relentlessly pursue their best."

 

Like this last line says, they have their start. The streak is broken. Mainstream baseball media now knows the Twins can win baseball games in October. Before this year, it was always, "Sure they can make the postseason but they won't win any games." Winning the series against the Jays not only ends the angst Twins fans have every fall, but it is the foundation of something new. A new era is coming in Twins baseball, and whether it ends with a World Series or more heartbreak, I couldn't be more excited. 

[LastOnePicked]

2 hours ago, Logi_Clevs said:

A new era is coming in Twins baseball, and whether it ends with a World Series or more heartbreak, I couldn't be more excited. 

I am 50% with you, all the way.

Seriously, I'm good on heartbreak. One of these years, I want to watch a Twins team that snaps opponents' necks. I'm curious for 2024, but this series made it clear that, despite some gains, they're still a long ways off from being one of "big boys" in MLB. 

[Logi_Clevs]

16 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

but this series made it clear that, despite some gains, they're still a long ways off from being one of "big boys" in MLB. 

I agree. But takes more than one season to become a "big boy". However the first step is progressive improvement seasons like the Twins had this year. The focus on next year is to have another step forward and not backwards. 

[LastOnePicked]

3 minutes ago, Logi_Clevs said:

However the first step is progressive improvement seasons like the Twins had this year.

I think you're right. The question I'm left with is probably better left for later in the offseason: Can you actually turn this team into a "big boy"? 

The Royals had two shots in their window of contention and made the most of both of them. Let's see what this version of the Twins can learn from teams who have bounced back hard the next year.

[rv78]

So we are to believe the start of something good has happened. Only time will tell. WE could say the start of a new losing streak has happened too. That this team played beyond its potential this year and made the playoffs despite Rocco throwing games away. Can we be sure the Detroits, KCs. Clevelands and Chicagos will concede division crowns every year going forward or will the Twins have to eventually put their BEST foot forward each and every game to sustain success? Will the FO start using money efficiently and effectively to build a better team or will they continue to throw money away for Gallo type players or Buxton part-timers that arent there when you need them most? A lot has to change for the Twins to become a big-boy and the current "process" won't get them there.

[BH67]

21 minutes ago, rv78 said:

So we are to believe the start of something good has happened. Only time will tell. WE could say the start of a new losing streak has happened too. That this team played beyond its potential this year and made the playoffs despite Rocco throwing games away. Can we be sure the Detroits, KCs. Clevelands and Chicagos will concede division crowns every year going forward or will the Twins have to eventually put their BEST foot forward each and every game to sustain success? Will the FO start using money efficiently and effectively to build a better team or will they continue to throw money away for Gallo type players or Buxton part-timers that arent there when you need them most? A lot has to change for the Twins to become a big-boy and the current "process" won't get them there.

My glass is half-full. And if they sharply reduce the batting whiffs in 2024, it'll be closer to the brim.

[rv78]

2 hours ago, BH67 said:

My glass is half-full. And if they sharply reduce the batting whiffs in 2024, it'll be closer to the brim.

That will take a totally different approach to what they have been doing offensively. The only way Rocco knows how to manage is when his players hit enough Home Runs to win. Manufacturing runs is not in his DNA. Good Luck hoping for a reduction in whiffs. The FO and Rocco see no problem with it. 

[glunn]

Great thread.

[Aggies7]

The teams with the better record are 3-6 in series this postseason. Sometimes the better team gets outplayed in a short series. But not in our world. We’re the “just happy to be there” bunch

[Riverbrian]

16 hours ago, LastOnePicked said:

despite some gains, they're still a long ways off from being one of "big boys" in MLB. 

The Astros won 3 more games in a 162 game season. 

We were not hopelessly destroyed by the Astros in the playoffs. The Blue Jays were not hopelessly destroyed by us. 

Are the Dodgers or Braves one of the the big boys? 

Yes we are golfing now... but I'm not sure people realize just how close we were until strike three was called against Kepler to end it. 

And I'm not sure people realize just how close we were back in July when people were declaring this team not worthy of an addition at the trade deadline. 

 

 

[Doctor Wu]

18 hours ago, Logi_Clevs said:

"Winning turns opinions, but winning doesn't often happen at once; it takes a foundation of success to become a powerhouse. We've seen the start; now it's time for Minnesota to relentlessly pursue their best."

 

Like this last line says, they have their start. The streak is broken. Mainstream baseball media now knows the Twins can win baseball games in October. Before this year, it was always, "Sure they can make the postseason but they won't win any games." Winning the series against the Jays not only ends the angst Twins fans have every fall, but it is the foundation of something new. A new era is coming in Twins baseball, and whether it ends with a World Series or more heartbreak, I couldn't be more excited. 

We have turned the page, and the past is the past. The potential of this team is exciting!

[LastOnePicked]

4 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Are the Dodgers or Braves one of the the big boys? 

Sorry, just to clarify - a "big boy" team is a team that can reliably return to the postseason and make LCS noise along the way. Didn't happen for the Braves or Dodgers this year, but they've both recently proven they can make it there. The Twins haven't ... yet. That's the mark I'd love to see them reach.

 

[RpR]

29 minutes ago, LastOnePicked said:

Sorry, just to clarify - a "big boy" team is a team that can reliably return to the postseason and make LCS noise along the way. Didn't happen for the Braves or Dodgers this year, but they've both recently proven they can make it there. The Twins haven't ... yet. That's the mark I'd love to see them reach.

 

Up here the Twins will have reached Big Boy status if the team gets front page news coverage from TV talking heads; right now the Twins are third page news.

The TV talking heads, local news,  spoke about them after babbling about the Vikings, Gophers and Wild all summer.