Twins Fall to Bottom of The Athletic’s Hope-O-Meter

[Linus]

18 hours ago, DarrenPS said:

Twins fans have always been and will continue to always be so dramatic. Am I happy with the Pohlad's? No of course not. Do we deserve to be that far at the bottom of that list? Not even close

The fans get to feel how they feel and that will be different across the board. Your opinion on how they should feel is meaningless. 

[LastOnePicked]

It's not just that they lose ... it's that, as an organization, they're losers. They don't act and set a winning agenda - instead they react and are constantly scrambling to patch roster holes and catch up to the latest trend. It starts with ownership. The "Spin the Pohlad Wheel" offseason got us Tom, a guy who  clearly had no ability to assess the quality of the roster and decided to kick tough decisions down the road. A critical injury to Ryan, Lopez and/or Buxton was entirely predictable ... and this roster clearly needed all three at peak health just to start sniffing around .500.

I wouldn't have been pessimistic about a commitment to a rebuild. I don't mind watching a young team take its lumps if there's a greater plan in place. But watching fringe veterans and failed post-hype prospects attempt to "compete" for the AL Central is nauseating. And the fool's talk of "we expect to win" makes it so much worse, because you realize that there's still no one competent or cognizant in the organization to steer the ship.

 

[nicksaviking]

8 hours ago, ashbury said:

Is that what the Hope-O-Meter is supposed to be measuring?  I don't think the question posed to respondents is how their team ranks to (other) bottom-dwellers.  Colorado has had decent attendance, above 2.4M last year, in support of a ballclub that hasn't sniffed .500 for seven years.  Minnesota's fan base is in a foul mood, and it needn't be that way.  Twins ownership and their FO delegates should be studying the Rockies franchise to understand where the "fun factor" is that accounts for people coming to the ballpark for a good time even "if they don't win it's a shame." 

I presumed that’s what the new owners wanted. Not wins, rings or shiny things, just more interest and more attendance and more viewers.

Yet I don’t see any implemented changes outside of re-using that disingenuousness $2 beer promotion from a decade ago.

News flash Tom, the only people who that promotion would work on are the same people who are still complaining about getting conned by it ten years ago. Oh, and, it seems 22-year-olds don’t drink beer any longer anyway.

[ashbury]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I presumed that’s what the new owners wanted. Not wins, rings or shiny things, just more interest and more attendance and more viewers.

Yet I don’t see any implemented changes outside of re-using that disingenuousness $2 beer promotion from a decade ago.

News flash Tom, the only people who that promotion would work on are the same people who are still complaining about getting conned by it ten years ago. Oh, and, it seems 22-year-olds don’t drink beer any longer anyway.

I think baseball as a whole, and the individual franchises within, need to take an "all of the above" approach to the health of the game, with regard to the dimensions you allude to.  It's not some sleight of hand trick to try to boost attendance in ways that are separate from the efforts that go toward rings, things, and shiny wins.  A truly healthy industry would allow for owners to receive profits even in a down year, while having incentive to gain larger profits when the season goes well.  I don't begrudge even the Pohlads that.  What I do begrudge is skimming off a profit even while the hometown fan base is feeling surly.

Places like Boston* and St Louis and Milwaukee have traditionally punched above their weight class (in terms of market size) relative to powerhouses elsewhere in the majors, as "good baseball towns".  Colorado looks like is working its way into that camp too.  I can tell you that attending a game at Fenway is a lot of fun even in a season where the Sawx aren't legitimate contenders.  I'm super curious now to attend a random game at Coors and see what it's like.  Surely the Twins FO has contacts and connections to tell them the answers that I have to make a long road trip to learn.

 

* Yes, Boston.  They are the 7th ranked TV market in the US, but it's hard to place the fan experience that low - they're right up there with the truly huge markets - and I don't mean just at the ballpark but talking baseball with acquaintances there.

[nicksaviking]

47 minutes ago, ashbury said:

I think baseball as a whole, and the individual franchises within, need to take an "all of the above" approach to the health of the game, with regard to the dimensions you allude to.  It's not some sleight of hand trick to try to boost attendance in ways that are separate from the efforts that go toward rings, things, and shiny wins.  A truly healthy industry would allow for owners to receive profits even in a down year, while having incentive to gain larger profits when the season goes well.  I don't begrudge even the Pohlads that.  What I do begrudge is skimming off a profit even while the hometown fan base is feeling surly.

Places like Boston* and St Louis and Milwaukee have traditionally punched above their weight class (in terms of market size) relative to powerhouses elsewhere in the majors, as "good baseball towns".  Colorado looks like is working its way into that camp too.  I can tell you that attending a game at Fenway is a lot of fun even in a season where the Sawx aren't legitimate contenders.  I'm super curious now to attend a random game at Coors and see what it's like.  Surely the Twins FO has contacts and connections to tell them the answers that I have to make a long road trip to learn.

 

* Yes, Boston.  They are the 7th ranked TV market in the US, but it's hard to place the Fenway experience that low - they're right up there with the truly huge markets.

My perception might be way off on this, but when I've been in Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle or San Francisco, it felt like it was still a cool event to go to a ballgame. Maybe I'm too far into the forest to see the trees here, but I often get the vibe that the Twins are for grandparents. But I've also gotten that vibe in Kansas City, Tampa and Miami, and those places struggle with attendance too. 

And if that's the case, that's got to be at least partly attributed to chronic marketing and messaging mistakes. The same demographics of fans that follow the Cubs through sun or rain should be following the Twins, but I almost think they don't.

[ashbury]

18 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

My perception might be way off on this, but when I've been in Boston, Chicago, St. Louis, Denver, Seattle or San Francisco, it felt like it was still a cool event to go to a ballgame. Maybe I'm too far into the forest to see the trees here, but I often get the vibe that the Twins are for grandparents. But I've also gotten that vibe in Kansas City, Tampa and Miami, and those places struggle with attendance too. 

And if that's the case, that's got to be at least partly attributed to chronic marketing and messaging mistakes. The same demographics of fans that follow the Cubs through sun or rain should be following the Twins, but I almost think they don't.

We're on the same page.  I was about to add, "Twins fans go to the ballpark to be entertained.  Red Sox fans go to the ballpark to have fun.  It's subtle, but there's a difference."

A semi-quantitative metric for me: how often does the Jumbotron need to exhort the crowd to "clap-clap-clap"?  I don't know specific numbers for most places but I can tell you the answer at Fenway; zero.

And, as you note, the steps needed to correct this in MSP amount to marketing, not baseball acumen, and will take a long time even if done seriously.  You don't turn an ocean liner around on a dime.  (I know where I'd start: pay a few shills to yell "Let's Go Twi-ins" and similar cheers at appropriate moments during the game. There was some of that, organically, at the Toronto series in October '23. The name "Pablo" featured prominently that one game - what a muffed opportunity in the months afterward.)

[glunn]

12 hours ago, DarrenPS said:

If you think they're worse than the Rockies you aren't even really worth responding to

Moderator note -- it's OK to disagree but it's not OK to be disrespectful.

[nicksaviking]

56 minutes ago, ashbury said:

And, as you note, the steps needed to correct this in MSP amount to marketing, not baseball acumen, and will take a long time even if done seriously.  You don't turn an ocean liner around on a dime.  (I know where I'd start: pay a few shills to yell "Let's Go Twi-ins" and similar cheers at appropriate moments during the game. There was some of that, organically, at the Toronto series in October '23. The name "Pablo" featured prominently that one game - what a muffed opportunity in the months afterward.)

Yeah, likely a long and laborious fix; if that's possible at all.

You're right. and when the Twins do the things to be the 'entertainment' it comes off as desperate and pandering. I don't think every other ballpark feels the need to have some kind of contest or interactive activity going on between each half inning. Seems this stuff would be aimed at the people who would be staring at their phones only half paying attention anyway. Like you suggest, those people probably aren't there to have fun. So why is that the crowd the Twins are drawing in? Is it the crowd they are TRYING to draw in?

Ever since I can remember, the Twins marketing has always felt quaint and folksy and inoffensive. And outside of action-themed toys for boys and extra caffeinated soda, that seemed to be the style of advertising for every product, at least until the early 1990s. I hear or see Twins marketing now and it still feels like it's from that era. Like they're selling bran flakes to grandpa or dish soap to mom (I'm not misogynistic, dish soap used to ALWAYS be marketed to moms). It all sounds like it's aimed at a geographical demographic that's nearly irrelevant to the North Loop of Minneapolis, and an age group that is older than me. And at 46, I'll be the first to admit that I couldn't tell you what passes for edgy and cool these days. It's almost certainly not using the words 'edgy' and 'cool'.

[knothole61]

12 hours ago, Cris E said:

I don't understand COL fans.  They have been outright bad and management has been without a clue for a long time, and yet people buy tickets and come to games. Good for them, I'm happy they enjoy baseball, but I don't understand it.

MN, OTOH, I totally get.  We were on a long upwards trajectory that culminated in winning a playoff series for the first time ages, we had some kids on the way that were promising, we'd finally spent on some free agents that seemed to put us over the top, and in under two years we were flat on our butts with ownership lying to us. The losing was familiar, but the lying about Winning, Results and Spending were a new form of gaslighting that really showed a contempt for fans. 

All obscenities to the Pohlads. I'm going to Saints games this summer.

I have friends in Denver...it can be kind of a mellow place. I think some dudes, etc. from LA have relocated and there's a kind of a laid back vibe in certain sectors. Also, have you taken in a game at Coors Field on a sweet summer evening? it's a beautiful place with a beautiful view and it's hard to get too distressed in my humble opinion.  

[SteveLV]

And the deterioration of downtown Minneapolis is not helping anything, either.  I have friends that refuse to go there for a game now who used to regularly attend.  It is too bad, as I love the stadium itself and they did a great job shoehorning it into that tight location.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

20 hours ago, RpR said:

 

 

When your day is long
And the night, the night is yours alone
When you're sure you've had enough

Sometimes everything is wrong
Now it's time to sing along

When your day is night alone (hold on, hold on)
If you feel like letting go (hold on)
If you think you've had too much

 

Don't throw your hand, oh no
The days and nights are long
When you think you've had too much
Well, everybody hurts sometimes
Hold on, hold on, hold on
Hold on, hold on, hold on

Beautiful. I needed that today. Thanks R.

[nicksaviking]

On 4/1/2026 at 7:35 AM, SteveLV said:

And the deterioration of downtown Minneapolis is not helping anything, either.  I have friends that refuse to go there for a game now who used to regularly attend.  It is too bad, as I love the stadium itself and they did a great job shoehorning it into that tight location.

Downtown Minneapolis is still a great time.

Without going too far off the rails, I will say that the Pohlad's have always supported the kinds of news agencies that are TELLLING people that downtown Minneapolis is a dangerous war zone. So if they were counting on that demographic to show up, that's on the Pohlad's for turning them away.

[Linus]

The attendance question is a tough nut to crack. Mainly because it’s been brewing for a while and is probably the result of a bunch of different things. For sure winning baseball would help but something else is needed. They ought to call the Wild - they seemed to have tapped into something. 

[nicksaviking]

4 minutes ago, Linus said:

The attendance question is a tough nut to crack. Mainly because it’s been brewing for a while and is probably the result of a bunch of different things. For sure winning baseball would help but something else is needed. They ought to call the Wild - they seemed to have tapped into something. 

I thought this was specifically what Wild owner Leopold was brought in for. 

I suppose it's possible advertisers were already locked in and marketing strategies had already been paid for so it was too short notice to Wild-up the Twins. That sounds unlikely though.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

My Hope-O-Meter is way down. The phrase “Rudderless” gets used around here a lot lately and it fits. The ownership and FO have been in absolute disarray for years, and this offseason showed that the ownership finally understood that, but just threw gasoline on the fire.

 

[twinfan]

It's not surprising to see a low rating here. But a couple of winning seasons can change that. However, right now it is difficult to vision this team even getting above .500 much less competing for a playoff spot. We have some decent players, a couple of good starting pitchers but no bullpen, no big name (except for Buxton) and no depth. Add to that the loss of Lopez and optimism fades. I figured we would be around 20% but teams like the White Sox and Angels and even A's seem to have good young players who can excite the fans so they get more votes. 

[twinsfansd]

Is there any wonder that there is no hope when all the writers do nothing but trash everything about the Twins. Give us some positivity, please.

[Cris E]

The active gaslighting shows some serious contempt for Twins fans. "We're going for it. Watch the results. We have money for the right guy."  The payroll speaks more loudly, it enunciates, it is clear. If you give good effort MIN fans are pretty laid back. But the lying, that's no good.  Sell the team. 

[Linus]

1 hour ago, nicksaviking said:

I thought this was specifically what Wild owner Leopold was brought in for. 

I suppose it's possible advertisers were already locked in and marketing strategies had already been paid for so it was too short notice to Wild-up the Twins. That sounds unlikely though.

I had actually forgotten about Leopoldo being a minority owner. What I don’t know about marketing would fill Target Field but the Wild have a positive public persona and have connected with fans. As Cris E points out above, the Pohlads basically just BS their fans and assume they don’t know any better. 

[laloesch]

On 3/31/2026 at 3:46 PM, shortround81 said:

What worries me is how long the hopelessness is going to seemingly last. This isn't just a 2026 concern.

But, considering how close we came to being contracted back in 2001, s***** baseball is better than no baseball. Right, Montreal?

I think that the Montreal situation is more complex though.  The Expos only pulled more than 2 million fans in a season on 4 occasions (1979, 1980, 1982, and 1983) in the 35 years they were up there.  Even in 1993 when they won 94 games they didn't even get close to 2 million fans in attendance. Plus, Olympic stadium was a toilet bowl of a venue to watch a baseball game in.  Simply put, French Canadians are not big baseball fans and I have Canadian in-laws so I can speak to this.  All that said, the Expos got sc**w'd by MLB and the strike in 1994.  They would have almost certainly beaten the Yankees in the world series that year.  The Braves were also a strong contender too.  

[Sjoski]

21 hours ago, laloesch said:

Plus, Olympic stadium was a toilet bowl of a venue to watch a baseball game in. 

I was at a game there once....of the 26 stadiums I have been to...it's #27th.

[Twinsrtheworst]

I agree with a previous poster. Move em to North Carolina. We will welcome them either way open arms. Heck bring us the Saints as well. Obviously most fans on TD aren’t going to support the team even in a playoff season..2023.

[I Miss The Lakes]

22 minutes ago, se7799 said:

I agree with a previous poster. Move em to North Carolina. We will welcome them either way open arms. Heck bring us the Saints as well. Obviously most fans on TD aren’t going to support the team even in a playoff season..2023.

Thank you for your insight and contribution.

[Possumlad]

These numbers are mostly meaningless, or at least not useful in the way most people would take them. Unbelievably small, self-selected sample size.

~11,000 total fans responded to the poll - if every team was equally represented, that would be around 345 fans per team. 

We can reasonably assume that worse teams--especially those in smaller markets--got far less fan participation than average. 

Assuming the Twins were underrepresented as a % of the total (which I think is pretty safe), there aren't many possible sample sets that get the Twins to a 4.3% "Optimistic" result. 

The options are basically: 

1 Optimistic / 23 Respondents

2 / 46

3 / 69-70

4 / 92-94

5 / 115-117

6 / 138-141

7 / 161-164

8 / 184-188

Possible it's a bit higher, but I doubt it. At the very high end, you're looking at ~15 positive responses out of a self-selected group of fans who pay for the Athletic & care enough about the Twins to click through the pool. 

The very low number probably accurately represents how pissed off die-hard fans are at the current regime. But those fans opinions can change very quickly.

[bean5302]

Not sure how this got sidetracked into a Rockies and Downtown Minneapois thing, but I'd like to note a couple things.

1) Rockies attract 30,000+ fans on average. The games are well attended, the in game entertainment is excellent and the team caters to young adults looking to have a great game day experience.

2) Target Field is not "downtown" per se Target Field is North Loop. North Loop is clean, extremely safe and well maintained. It seems like about 99.9% of comments regarding the 'scary Minneapolis' thing come from people who haven't been to Target Field in 10 years. North Loop is about as scary as "downtown" Maple Grove.

[Mike Sixel]

On 4/1/2026 at 7:31 AM, twinsfansd said:

Is there any wonder that there is no hope when all the writers do nothing but trash everything about the Twins. Give us some positivity, please.

Like ten people come to this site. Nothing written here moves the needle on the perception of the entire market. Blaming the press for badly run organizations is an odd take to me. I'm not sure how it's their fault the Twins keep losing?

[Possumlad]

1 hour ago, bean5302 said:

Not sure how this got sidetracked into a Rockies and Downtown Minneapois thing, but I'd like to note a couple things.

1) Rockies attract 30,000+ fans on average. The games are well attended, the in game entertainment is excellent and the team caters to young adults looking to have a great game day experience.

2) Target Field is not "downtown" per se Target Field is North Loop. North Loop is clean, extremely safe and well maintained. It seems like about 99.9% of comments regarding the 'scary Minneapolis' thing come from people who haven't been to Target Field in 10 years. 

This is untrue and willfully misleading. The North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis has a crime rate of 107.4 per 1000 residents per year, putting it the bottom 2nd percentile in the US (less safe than 98% of areas in the US). The area right around Target Field & Target Center specifically is pretty much identical: 

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-north-loop-minneapolis-mn/

I have no issue going to the area or bringing my family there, but it's not true to say that any concerns must ben from someone who hasn't been to a game in 10 years.

We go to 15-30 games a year between the Twins & Wolves, and on probably 1/2 those trips we see some crazy, wacked out nonsense that makes our kids scared or uncomfortable. I'll just say it's very common that you have to cross the street for your own safety around both stadiums. Anyone saying otherwise is either grandstanding or willfully misleading.

[flpmagikat]

On 4/1/2026 at 7:35 AM, SteveLV said:

And the deterioration of downtown Minneapolis is not helping anything, either.  I have friends that refuse to go there for a game now who used to regularly attend.  It is too bad, as I love the stadium itself and they did a great job shoehorning it into that tight location.

It’s a lot better than it was two years ago.

[flpmagikat]

On 4/1/2026 at 10:32 AM, Linus said:

I had actually forgotten about Leopoldo being a minority owner. What I don’t know about marketing would fill Target Field but the Wild have a positive public persona and have connected with fans. As Cris E points out above, the Pohlads basically just BS their fans and assume they don’t know any better. 

The wild players hang out around St. Paul and are part of the community. That helps.

[bean5302]

18 hours ago, Possumlad said:

This is untrue and willfully misleading. The North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis has a crime rate of 107.4 per 1000 residents per year, putting it the bottom 2nd percentile in the US (less safe than 98% of areas in the US). The area right around Target Field & Target Center specifically is pretty much identical: 

https://crimegrade.org/safest-places-in-north-loop-minneapolis-mn/

I have no issue going to the area or bringing my family there, but it's not true to say that any concerns must ben from someone who hasn't been to a game in 10 years.

We go to 15-30 games a year between the Twins & Wolves, and on probably 1/2 those trips we see some crazy, wacked out nonsense that makes our kids scared or uncomfortable. I'll just say it's very common that you have to cross the street for your own safety around both stadiums. Anyone saying otherwise is either grandstanding or willfully misleading.

ZOMG!!!! Look at "downtown" Maple Grove!!! It's all red! The only reason the grades aren't worse is Maple Grove gets blended with suburban areas and Osseo. I've gone to hundreds of Twins games in the past few years and I've spent plenty of other time in North Loop.