5 Reasons to Keep Watching the Twins

[Alex Boxwell]

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images

 

The deadline happened. It has almost been a week. The front office determined, accurately, that the current roster wasn’t capable of winning a championship and pivoted to 2026 and beyond. Was it the right decision? Was it good for the organization long-term? Only time will be able to tell us the answer. What are we left with as Twins fans? The current product on the field and maybe a slight sense of betrayal… but is this current product worth watching?

What is clear is that, at face value, this is not a playoff-caliber team. What are the redeeming qualities of the roster that may be a reason to spend your free time on this ball club? I’ll give you five reasons to tune in. You can certainly add more. Use the Comments below to discuss what it is that keeps you watching and following this Twins team?

Reason #1: The Joe Ryan Experience
The first and most obvious reason to watch occurs on Joe Ryan bump days. As fans, we begged and pleaded to leave the Joe Ryan Experience in Minnesota and (for now), he’s here. He has proven to be well worth tuning in for to see the high-level pitching and, of course, his antics. He has a shot at some milestone numbers as well such as 200 strikeouts, and a career-high in wins, WAR, and ERA (career-low, in this case).

Reason #2: Backing Byron Buxton 
Although his health is unfortunately back in the headlines, the second reason to keep watching is Byron Buxton. He is on the doorstep of a 20/20 season and is within shouting distance of his career-high in homers. He will not be setting a career mark in games played or at-bats, but he has a shot at just about everything else. It won’t result in a postseason appearance this year, but it’s a beautiful sight to see Buxton play a high level of baseball. (And just admit it, you like doing the Buck Truck while watching Buxton run out triples and mashing dingers.)

Reason #3: "Rubbernecking" 
The next reason to watch the big-league club is out of morbid curiosity. It's the same reason we watch true crime movies and documentaries or slow down to look at a car crash. Like many of you, I have followed this team religiously for as long as I can remember, and there were guys in the lineup and bullpen on August 1st that I had never heard of. They've added more since then via the waiver wire. With no Buxton, and on the days that Joe Ryan does not pitch, this squad has shown the capability of playing like they are one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball. There will be some plays and some games that are absolute disasters. People love having something to complain about. So this could be that thing that makes you want to tune in.

Reason #4: Who will step up?
Fourth, we will see players like Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis, Ryan Jeffers, Brooks Lee, and Trevor Larnach have the opportunity to seize leadership roles. These guys have been around for a while, and it opens a window for them to rise to the occasion. There are only two months left of the season, but this is a pivot point with the franchise. Guys that take this in stride can make themselves a part of the DNA of the Minnesota Twins going forward. The flip side is also true, if production falters and sentiment in the clubhouse goes south for certain guys, they may find themselves with a new organization.

Reason #5: Before They are Stars
Lastly, on a more positive note, there will be young players who emerge from this and begin big league careers. There will be a guy or two who were late draft picks or maybe aren’t high-level prospects that get an opportunity and turn it into a rock-solid career. This career might not end up being with the Twins long term, but guys will find some traction because of this opportunity and for me, that is so fun to see. We have seen it recently with Pierson Ohl looking solid in his first couple of big-league outings. Maybe Carson McCusker will get another opportunity, or they may decide to see what Aaron Sabato can do over a month. Could Payton Eeles get an opportunity? We are likely to see the Twins debuts for Taj Bradley and Mick Abel, maybe even Kendry Rojas, and that can be exciting. 

There are some reasons to watch this team. Let's rip the band-aid off now: They will not win many games. They’ve had the worst record in baseball since June 13th. If you’re into finding some fresh faces to follow, it’s a good time to watch. If you’re looking for consistently good baseball your best bet is to tune into the Joe Ryan experience and hopefully Byron Buxton is in the lineup that day as well. The rest is all speculative and I, like many of you, will be following along to see how it all shakes out.

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[Gamblerssoftball]

I am sure that every single one of these guys that take the field for the Twins has the desire to play at the highest level possible. I, for one, enjoy watching to see what they can do. They may not play well enough to win as much as they would like, but I like watching them progress. This is not the end of the world. It's all about gaining experience and a chance to stay on a major league roster. It's enjoyable for me.

[Doctor Gast]

I'm not going to waste my time & money on the Twins. I'll check the box scores for some players & highlights if I want to see something, but that's it. Nothing will change until management changes. Pitching, catching & INF are constructed to crash, why do I want to watch that? I've been a Twins fan since they arrived to the TC, but I'm taking a break.

[rv78]

With Rocco running the show it won't matter. There's no consistancy to who he puts in the lineup or why. No reasoning or confidence for the player, only the process, and that process has proven itself to be a failure for quite a few seasons now. The firesale held at the trade deadline proves it does not work. Unfortunately the powers in charge think it is the players that did not work, and refuse to admit it is the process they have enbraced. Something tells me they will continue their insanity. 

[High heat]

I can’t watch regularly either. I like watching prospects and young guys even if they flounder. Knowing the major league players were all just traded to put $ in the greedy poorly managed financials illiterate Pohlad family.
 

 the sell off while getting limited legit prospects back and knowing the fire sale isn’t over as long as the Pohlads own the team makes me disinterested.  
 

Ryan and Pablo will be traded this offseason if the team isn’t sold Lewis likely isn’t safe either.  The Pohlads have turned the Twins into the Pirates organization.

[Patzky]

40 minutes ago, Gamblerssoftball said:

I am sure that every single one of these guys that take the field for the Twins has the desire to play at the highest level possible. I, for one, enjoy watching to see what they can do. They may not play well enough to win as much as they would like, but I like watching them progress. This is not the end of the world. It's all about gaining experience and a chance to stay on a major league roster. It's enjoyable for me.

All of the Cleveland games and the first two at Comerica have been fun, and competitive.. truly what else can you ask for when watching a ballgame? Let's be spoilers..

[Nshore]

Lewis and Lee are far from locks to be part of the future.  IMO, Lewis swings too hard and Lee swings too soft.  Maybe they could get together and meld their swings into something that works at the Major League level, because hitting in the .240's isn't going to cut it.

[Swimbo]

38 minutes ago, Doctor Gast said:

I'm not going to waste my time & money on the Twins. I'll check the box scores for some players & highlights if I want to see something, but that's it. Nothing will change until management changes. Pitching, catching & INF are constructed to crash, why do I want to watch that? I've been a Twins fan since they arrived to the TC, but I'm taking a break.

I concur, I will check in with articles here and box scores but I won't commit any money or extensive time to the Twins for a while. 

I appreciate the players giving it their best effort but I want Falvey and the Pohlads gone. 

The BS letter sent to season ticket holders by Falvey shows he's out of touch and is either a spineless puppet of the Pohlads or truly incompetent.

Until the big shake up is with ownership and management,  I will be a casual fan and contribute as little financially to them as possible. I have to right size my budget for the Twins to compete with my other interests.

[NYCTK]

14 minutes ago, Patzky said:

All of the Cleveland games and the first two at Comerica have been fun, and competitive.. truly what else can you ask for when watching a ballgame? Let's be spoilers..

I actually wore my Twins cap for the first time in a year yesterday because this team is actually making real decisions. Are they good? Obviously not, not at this point, but at least they're done lying to themselves and pretending they were. 

 

[Vanimal46]

Reason #6: We are diehard sicko fans 

It feels good to quit pretending this was a contending team. Now we can smile at the good things and laugh at the bad things happening on the field. 

[bunsen82]

I have been a more consistent watcher since the deadline.  1. Is to watch the younger players and see who is playing well.  2. I have always wanted to root for underdogs - if you have been a fan long enough you remember cheering during Dozier days and the Radke days.  There weren't a whole lot of wins,  but you still got to watch some special players.  3.  Seeing if this impacts lottery odds. 

Seeing how Baldelli contorts this bullpen put together with the same rubber bands and duct tape that was in Stewarts arm is something I have had my popcorn ready 🤣.  Topa and Sands have both been pretty solid in their new increased leverage positions.  (Sands shouldn't have had any runs yesterday if Buxton was playing).   The rest . . . very questionable so far.   I didn't see any way we could even be competitive with this bullpen.   Tonkin is your #3 currently,  yuck.  Kriske and Hatch look like the 2 new ones.  Can we find anything redeemable in those 2 players.  Waiting to see if we reclaim  Alcala.  He has been a train wreck this year,  but he has legitimate top 4 reliever upside.   

[cjm0926]

Like you mentioned, young guys will come up and hopefully develop. For guys like Lee and Martin, they obviously make mistakes in-game which then people call for them to be sent down and proclaim they are not apart of the future. Even though it may not be pretty right now, I think the best thing for those guys like Lee, Martin, Wallner and Keaschall is to learn on the job in the big leagues, especially with the lowered expectations now. They don't have anything left to prove in the minors, and hopefully they can keep gaining experience this season and come back improved  and more comfortable/confident next season. I think it is underlooked for many guys how important it is to get familiar and some confidence on the big stage. As for guys like Julien and Miranda, I think that stage has passed and they may need a change of scenery.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

1 hour ago, Alex Boxwell said:

What is clear is that, at face value, this is not a playoff-caliber team.

Honest question @Alex Boxwell

How was the 2025 team different from the 2023 team? 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I don't really need specific reasons.  I'm a life long Twins fan and baseball fan.  For me there will always be reasons to watch the games. My ongoing support for the team, however, does not prevent me from being extremely disgusted and frustrated by what has (not) been accomplished in the past few days.  I think they're idiots, but unfortunately for now, they're my idiots.  We're starting over.  Hopefully something good will come along.  

[ashbury]

For this fan-at-a-distance, these are some interesting angles. 

For the fan at the ballpark paying full prices for tickets and concessions? Not so much.

[EGFTShaw]

And no mention of watching Luke Keaschall 

[NYCTK]

11 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Reason #6: We are diehard sicko fans 

It feels good to quit pretending this was a contending team. Now we can smile at the good things and laugh at the bad things happening on the field. 

I admit, I found last year's collapse hilarious for this reason. Specifically the final two weeks. They just played so poorly it was undeniably funny. 

[jmlease1]

6 minutes ago, ashbury said:

For this fan-at-a-distance, these are some interesting angles. 

For the fan at the ballpark paying full prices for tickets and concessions? Not so much.

Fair.

Since I paid for my remaining tickets back in Feb, I'm still going to go. The hard part is going to be when I get asked if I want to buy for next season. Going to be very hard if the Pohlad Family is still grasping the ownership and sucking the life and fun out of the team.

I don't blame anyone for wanting to take a break or tune out with this ownership. I'm praying for a sale sooner rather than later.

[farmerguychris]

I think the writer is right about it being like watching a car wreck.  I'll watch on TV since I already have the package, but I won't be going to any more big league games.

I already have plans to visit Cedar Rapids and have tickets, so I feel good about paying minor league prices to see a very similar product the rest of this season instead.

 

[roger]

46 minutes ago, EGFTShaw said:

And no mention of watching Luke Keaschall 

Thanks EGFT.  For me he is the best reason to watch this team.

[Rhyno006]

51 minutes ago, EGFTShaw said:

And no mention of watching Luke Keaschall 

Exactly! 2 out RBI double in the top of the first today... so far he's picking up where he left off before getting beaned (he was hit on the hand if I recall correctly?). 

This article was a nice perspective reset for me- I still don't like the Pohlads and how the team is being run but revising my expectations to just watching a bunch of guys play ball and maybe play the spoilers in September can be fun too. 

#selltheteam

[Squirrel]

57 minutes ago, ashbury said:

For this fan-at-a-distance, these are some interesting angles. 

For the fan at the ballpark paying full prices for tickets and concessions? Not so much.

I get my MLB package for free, so watching every so often I usually see something I haven’t before. If I had season tickets, though, I’d probably be mad

[rdehring]

Speaking of Keaschall, does he remind anyone else of Bobby Witt.  His size, build, hair, speed, clutch hitting all reminds me of someone I consider one of the top five players in the game.  Will he ever be close to as good as Witt, probably not.  But who knows?

[tony&rodney]

#1. Born in Minnesota and as such assigned by birth to be a fan of "our" teams.

#2. Twins fan since their first game in 1961. Too late to quit.

#3. Baseball is my favorite sport/hobby.

#4. There is always something to enjoy even in the worst of times, such as pitch selections.

#5. Baseball is summer and I love summer.

[Unwinder]

2 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Reason #6: We are diehard sicko fans 

It feels good to quit pretending this was a contending team. Now we can smile at the good things and laugh at the bad things happening on the field. 

Yeah, I'm a sicko for sure. I hate to admit it. Would love to be one of the guys who boycotts ownership, but my first thought when I found out that Jax and Varland had been traded was "tickets are gonna be cheap!"

[USAFChief]

4 hours ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

I don't really need specific reasons.  I'm a life long Twins fan and baseball fan.  For me there will always be reasons to watch the games. My ongoing support for the team, however, does not prevent me from being extremely disgusted and frustrated by what has (not) been accomplished in the past few days.  I think they're idiots, but unfortunately for now, they're my idiots.  We're starting over.  Hopefully something good will come along.  

Well.said.

Ditto.

[Bodie]

Someone at Target Field seems to have noticed that the "core" wasn't a fringe player or two away.  The first signs of intelligent life one several years.  I'm a Twins fan - kinda hafta believe. 

 

Or maybe a a diarrhea plauged goose "farted" in the showers, and half the team demanded out.  I may be a fan, but I'm not a(n utter) fool.  So I know the second is only slightly less likely...

[RpR]

Reason 6: You are a baseball fan in Minnesota,; only reason I need.

[Lefty61]

Yes, baseball fan in Minny; and a new owner is coming, more concerned about 2027 and the expiring CBA.  Congrats to the holdovers and roster mix-ins on the impressive series win in Mo-town! And listening more than watching, for over 50 years!  

[nmcowboy]

9 hours ago, EGFTShaw said:

And no mention of watching Luke Keaschall 

For me, he is the only reason to watch.