Unfortunately, This Minnesota Twins Offense Isn't Just Off to a Slow Start

[bean5302]

I think this article is correct about this being who the Twins are. That said, it's not who the Twins should be. It's been reported the Twins' locker room had some issues, certainly not unexpected based on what happened to end the season, and the decisions made by the front office this past offseason and spring.

One thing feels pretty clear. Baldelli has lost this team.

[Vanimal46]

3 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

One thing feels pretty clear. Baldelli has lost this team.

Agreed. We don’t even need access to the locker room to see that. I’ve played on bad sports teams as a kid, and reported into doorknob managers in my corporate life. I know that look on their face…. The look of disengagement. Going through the motions until the season is over, or finding a new job. 

[JD-TWINS]

2 hours ago, GNXman said:

Twins hitters continue to be clueless. What are they teaching them in the minors??? All these high draft picks they "achieved" these last several years are either busts, or poor picks to begin with. Not sure new ownership is the answer here, but right now this franchise is sinking out of sight. And that is sad. As a long time Twins fan, I am finding myself to just not care anyore. Thats alarming.

You really don’t care if you think New Ownership can’t/won’t be a positive on some level……..

Hitting is not good at all. Lee looks like an overmatched 13 year old………really bad!! Between him & Martin (early first round draft picks) & Lewis (1st overall) being hurt 70% of the time it’s tough to digest. Correa & Buxton 1st & 2nd overall picks as well - these guys need to perform at a League average level at the absolute minimum and right now Buxton barely meets that criteria so far this season - these other 4 guys are non-contributors.

Getting swept by a team that entered series with 5 wins is embarrassing.

[Reptevia]

Apology accepted. Not sure what you will write about now though…

[Dennesey55347]

The Twins haven't been consistently good with RISP since.... um. Morneau was the last RBI producer. I said after the first month of the 2018 season that Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Rosario, and Polanco ("The Saviors") were over-valued under-performers. 

[RpR]

5 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

4 guys with OBP over .300 & 3 of the 4 are barely over .300. Only Wallner is impressive at .374 OBP. That’s “brutal”.

Wallner & Lewis & “something” from Correa are all needed to make the offense respectable………..after 14 PA’s Keaschall has 4 hits & a walk. Brief, but encouraging. Buxton is warming but still all over the place from a consistency standpoint.

Lee does not look like a MLB hitter ……. not good with his expectations. Julien is spotty, to say the least. Keaschall may anchor 2B soon with Lewis at 3B. These moves help offense on paper going forward.

Larnach is going to be difficult to roster for more than another couple weeks with this level of production. He’s really disappointing after his ‘24.

Bader & France have been decent to good at times………with a bunch of AB’s they may actually decline going forward.

Not good picture.

More of the magical Lewis rah-rah; nothing says, he will be any better, than last September's  collapse.

It is amazing you say Bader and France will get worse, but Julien who is back to what he is, is given a break, over Larnach,

Now Wallner may hold steady, and Lee's glove is badly needed at 3rd base,  Keaschell , looks good right now but, right now it does not take much to look good.

The Twins do not need the preferred wonder boys to do good, or at least average, they need the the WHOLE d---ed team to be far better than they were last Spring and last Fall.  Right now without Bader and France it would be a sad story, although Buxton is a breath of fresh air at this moment.

[joefish]

Would you choose to pitch around anyone on this team right now? Every spot in the lineup is a soft spot. 

Gloom, despair,  and agony on me.

Pfffft.

[JD-TWINS]

35 minutes ago, RpR said:

More of the magical Lewis rah-rah; nothing says, he will be any better, than last September's  collapse.

It is amazing you say Bader and France will get worse, but Julien who is back to what he is, is given a break, over Larnach,

Now Wallner may hold steady, and Lee's glove is badly needed at 3rd base,  Keaschell , looks good right now but, right now it does not take much to look good.

The Twins do not need the preferred wonder boys to do good, or at least average, they need the the WHOLE d---ed team to be far better than they were last Spring and last Fall.  Right now without Bader and France it would be a sad story, although Buxton is a breath of fresh air at this moment.

Saying Julien “is spotty at best” isn’t really giving him a pass, is it? Then saying “Keaschall will probably be playing 2B” doesn’t seem to be giving Eddie a pass either.

Larnach is not near where he should be. He’s been injured in the past but I’ve heard nothing of poor health. ANYONE, hitting sub .200 that bats lead-off or #3 hole fairly often (even hitting #9) should be seriously scrutinized.

These two are both disappointments!

Nothing says anyone will ever perform again nor to a level the fans think is acceptable. Of the guys not playing and/or not contributing, Lewis has as good a shot as anyone to be successful. September of ‘24 isn’t his only month in MLB to contrast against.

Bader & France are a nice surprise and have been helpful contributors. Historically, Bader for sure & potentially France, will regress. Doesn’t mean I’m not pulling for them or that I think they’ll collapse but it’s more than possible they may drop off at the plate.

Brooks Lee is needed because Castro & Lewis are unable to play - after they are able to play I do not see him being needed. He’s HAS proven in more than just a weekend (Keaschall’s exposure to MLB pitching) that he has a hell of a time producing at this level!

Completely agree that EVERYONE needs to look in the mirror and up their individual level of play.

[DJL44]

37 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

Larnach is not near where he should be. He’s been injured in the past but I’ve heard nothing of poor health.

He's running like a middle aged softball player.

[hitterscount]

Pretty much posted the same thing last year. Live in Wisconsin and am married to a diehard Brewer fan and watch a lot of Brewer games. Their approach at: the plate, stealing bases, running bases, emphasis on defense, bullpen usage is night and day difference. Murphy is 10X the manager that Rocco is. Players are asked to put the team first, including bunting to advance runners, just a refreshing brand of baseball. Paying to watch the Twins on MLB is like burning money. The offense is brutal and Rocco's approach to pretty much everything is questionable at best. It really is time to pull the bandaid while there is enough season left to turn things around. Can it be done??? I honestly believe it can. We have a quality starting rotation and Duran looks great again. Those two areas are reason for optimism. 

[nddan67]

Great article.  Agree with all or most of it.  Joe Ryan had a rough day yesterday it happens to all pitchers in the course of the season.  The starting pitching for the most has been decent.  The bullpen has been over worked and not much help for it in the minor leagues.  The Twins have 3 games with the White Sox coming up.  If they get swept or only win one game Rocco needs to go.  I have been a Twins fan since the beginning I was five years old when they came to Minnesota in 1961.  The way things are going they may very well make some of the teams in the early 80's seem better.  I still follow them because 64 years of following them.  Something needs to happen.  Fire at six of the 12 coaches don't need that many.  I see they signed some guys to minor league contracts last week.  Players who have been released by other teams.  Can hardly wait to see them (not(.

[KirbyDome89]

Spot on, people hyper focus on the last 2 months but that 90+ win pace was a mirage propped up by a glut of games against a couple atrocious opponents. 

[KirbyDome89]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I thought people here would be thrilled. All last year I heard posters loudly saying the team needed to reduce their strikeouts and stop trying to hit home runs. They've been very successful, reducing strikeouts below league average. Their home runs are now in the bottom 5 teams in baseball. According to Twins Daily posters this should have unleashed their full offensive potential.

Were they wrong? 

[DJL44]

32 minutes ago, KirbyDome89 said:

Were they wrong? 

I guess, if you're happy with the current offense, then by all means keep going down the path of more weak contact and fewer hard hit balls. A bunch of slow players hitting grounders seems like a bad strategy to me but everyone has their own opinion.

[joefish]

2 hours ago, JD-TWINS said:

Saying Julien “is spotty at best” isn’t really giving him a pass, is it? Then saying “Keaschall will probably be playing 2B” doesn’t seem to be giving Eddie a pass either.

Larnach is not near where he should be. He’s been injured in the past but I’ve heard nothing of poor health. ANYONE, hitting sub .200 that bats lead-off or #3 hole fairly often (even hitting #9) should be seriously scrutinized.

These two are both disappointments!

Nothing says anyone will ever perform again nor to a level the fans think is acceptable. Of the guys not playing and/or not contributing, Lewis has as good a shot as anyone to be successful. September of ‘24 isn’t his only month in MLB to contrast against.

Bader & France are a nice surprise and have been helpful contributors. Historically, Bader for sure & potentially France, will regress. Doesn’t mean I’m not pulling for them or that I think they’ll collapse but it’s more than possible they may drop off at the plate.

Brooks Lee is needed because Castro & Lewis are unable to play - after they are able to play I do not see him being needed. He’s HAS proven in more than just a weekend (Keaschall’s exposure to MLB pitching) that he has a hell of a time producing at this level!

Completely agree that EVERYONE needs to look in the mirror and up their individual level of play.

I looked deeply into the mirror this morning. Boy, they don't make em like they used to.

[Doc Lenz]

We need Sam Mele or Gene Mauch clones.

[Blyleven2011]

12 hours ago, Patzky said:

Are we sure about this (talent).

The talent isn't sure they have talent , its called lack of confidence  in all pressure situations with runners in scoring position ...

Pathetic pitiful piss poor pukey playing ...

[Aggies7]

Just finished watching Cleveland polish off a nice 6-4 win over the Yankees. Will the twins score that many in a 4 game series against NYY?

[Aggies7]

8 hours ago, bean5302 said:

I think this article is correct about this being who the Twins are. That said, it's not who the Twins should be. It's been reported the Twins' locker room had some issues, certainly not unexpected based on what happened to end the season, and the decisions made by the front office this past offseason and spring.

One thing feels pretty clear. Baldelli has lost this team.

I hadn’t seen the articles about the bad vibes going on at the end of last season until recently. Seriously hard to believe they ever brought him back for another year. Paying two managers or not, sounded very dysfunctional in that clubhouse. And surely, let’s hope anyway, the front office knew about the issues, and chose to hit the ol’ “ignore” button. And it wasn’t even his first late season collapse.

[KirbyDome89]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I guess, if you're happy with the current offense, then by all means keep going down the path of more weak contact and fewer hard hit balls. A bunch of slow players hitting grounders seems like a bad strategy to me but everyone has their own opinion.

You can't be dissatisfied with both? I doubt anybody who advocated for a philosophy shift also wanted the offensive ineptitude to continue. 

[knothole61]

12 hours ago, Taildragger8791 said:

I'm just upset I wasted money on the full-season MLB.tv package instead of going month-to-month so I could cancel already. This poo poo platter is not going to improve much, and if it does they'll be so buried it won't matter.

At this point I'm worried they'll need to sell off the few valuable parts they have and go into a soft rebuild by mid-season. They need at least 4 hitters better than anyone on the roster now, and those guys can't be butchers in the field. Tough to pull off.

Someone else made an enlightening comment when they asked "who would you want at the plate in a big at-bat today?". I'm disheartened that I couldn't answer that question. I'd say Wallner when healthy, but after that...oof.

The player I'd "want at the plate in a big at bat today," is Luis Arraez.

Oops!! 

[knothole61]

11 hours ago, joefish said:

Would you choose to pitch around anyone on this team right now? Every spot in the lineup is a soft spot. 

Gloom, despair,  and agony on me.

Pfffft.

I'd pitch around almost anyone to get to Vazquez!

[knothole61]

10 hours ago, DJL44 said:

He's running like a middle aged softball player.

Larnach has no fire inside...I'm not sure he ever had much, but in 2025 he seems like a guy playing out the string. I've been wrong before (many times) and I hope that I am about Larnach--but man, does he seem flat, or what?

[knothole61]

8 hours ago, Doc Lenz said:

We need Sam Mele or Gene Mauch clones.

"Bring Billy Back"?

[knothole61]

4 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

The talent isn't sure they have talent , its called lack of confidence  in all pressure situations with runners in scoring position ...

Pathetic pitiful piss poor pukey playing ...

Pshaw...

[DJL44]

8 hours ago, knothole61 said:

Larnach has no fire inside...I'm not sure he ever had much, but in 2025 he seems like a guy playing out the string. I've been wrong before (many times) and I hope that I am about Larnach--but man, does he seem flat, or what?

He appears to be playing through an injury that makes it painful to run. If he didn't have any "fire", I expect he wouldn't be on the field at all.

[Fatbat]

Luke Keaschall is on fire 🔥 

 

It better rub off on the rest of the lineup.

[knothole61]

12 hours ago, DJL44 said:

He appears to be playing through an injury that makes it painful to run. If he didn't have any "fire", I expect he wouldn't be on the field at all.

44, credit where credit is due, big homer tonight and his average is now up to .200. I'll wait two or three weeks to declared him full of fire, however. Hey, maybe he could instruct the team in the art of running on the infield grass as they near the bag at first, that worked out quite well for him. 

[Greglw3]

On 4/21/2025 at 7:16 AM, Doctor Wu said:

The Minnesota Twins offense has been a bottom-five offense to start the season. Bottom line: it's been brutal. However, if you were expecting anything different, you might have been kidding yourself. (Don't worry; I'm guilty, too.)

Brutal is the word. I also expected a lot more (okay, maybe a wee bit more) in the way of offensive production from this team. Sure, it's still early days, but the signs are not encouraging. We can't blame everything on cold weather or the lack of torpedo bats. 

I hoped for more but when they decided to improve on the 92 loss team, plagued by inept offense, by using the exact same outfield against righties, which problematically includes a lifetime .241 hitter, who is not athletic and is plodding, and a hitter coming off a .202 season, who recorded the least RBIs of any 22 home run hitter in the history of baseball (since RBIs have been measured) and demoted the athletic and fast Austin Martin to a platoon player - I was aghast and I expect little. 

Why Larnach and Wallner and their extremely limiting toolsets are up and .560 OBP, 300+ hitting Alan Roden is down is maddening.

And why Kaelen Culpepper isn’t up with this totally lifeless offense is frustrating. Culpepper oozes talent!!!

They’d be better off with Culpepper at SS and Tristan Gray at 3B. The burden of proof is on Lewis and Lee and neither show a good professional hitting approach at the plate.

And why Is James Outman up when he’s being used like Keirsey Jr. was last year? Sure keep all your speed vs righties on the bench and your most talented players in AAA. E-Rod might be able to help too.