Josh Donaldson Says Minnesota Fans “Don’t Even Care” About Baseball

[Matthew Taylor]

Josh Donaldson has never been shy about sharing his opinion, and the former Minnesota Twins third baseman is making waves with some rather unflattering comments about his former team and the state of Minnesota.

On a recent episode of his Get It Done League podcast, Donaldson was discussing Jeff Hoffman being traded to the Twins at the deadline and his thoughts on Minnesota as a destination. Donaldson did not exactly give his former home a ringing endorsement.

"He's going to get to go to Minnesota, where it's 'Minnesota Nice'... people in Minnesota... I don't think they even care about baseball that much... Playing there for two years, I thought it was mediocre at best," Donaldson said.

Parker Hageman of Twins Daily shared a clip of Donaldson's comments on X, and it quickly generated plenty of engagement from Twins fans, many of whom remember Donaldson's own two-year run in Minnesota quite well.

Donaldson signed with the Twins as a free agent ahead of the 2020 season and spent two seasons with the club. While he was productive when on the field, posting a .829 OPS, many fans had a sour taste in their mouths over Donaldson's time in Minnesota. Injuries limited him to just 163 games over those two years, and he missed the Twins' 2020 postseason run because of injury.

Donaldson's tenure in Minnesota was also defined by his personality. He became a polarizing figure among Twins fans, with his attitude, controversial comments and perceived lack of leadership rubbing plenty of people the wrong way.

After spending the 2022 and 2023 seasons in New York and Milwaukee, Donaldson retired following the 2023 season. He now hosts Get It Done League alongside former teammate and All-Star Russell Martin and veteran broadcaster Arash Madani.

Now, his comments about Minnesota have given Twins fans another reason to revisit the Donaldson era.

What do you make of Josh Donaldson's comments? And what is your overall opinion of Donaldson's time with the Twins? Let us know in the comments.

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[Brock Beauchamp]

[BobAzar]

If it wasnt for the bobblehead I have at home, I would forget that he played for the twins at all. My only memory of him is opening day 2021, in milwaukee, hitting a double down the line and pulling up with a leg injury in the first inning. 

[Dman]

Objectively I think he has a point.  This hasn't been a "great" market for Baseball IMO.  There is a reason the TV deals weren't that great as they don't have the viewership that other clubs have.  Maybe it's the baseball product, but I tend to agree that Minnesota fans are a bit ambivalent about baseball. I know several Die Hard Vikings fans and Wild fans, but I feel like I am one of the few that follows the Twins with that same level of passion. 

I'm not saying there aren't big time fans of the Twins out there, but I would say the experience is different than St Louis, LA Dodgers, and other places.  Again maybe it is just the way baseball is setup with small markets generally struggling to compete, but I don't think he is completely wrong given other baseball environments.

[DJL44]

Baseball is the #4 sport in this market after football, hockey and basketball. 

[Vanimal46]

5 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Baseball is the #4 sport in this market after football, hockey and basketball. 

#2-4 are interchangeable depending on if they're winning. The NFL dominates every market they're in so that's a given... It wasn't that long ago when the Wolves were the laughing stock of all sports. It's amazing what new ownership can do to turn around a franchise. Maybe one day the Twins will get that luxury. 

[DJL44]

1 minute ago, Vanimal46 said:

#2-4 are interchangeable depending on if they're winning. The NFL dominates every market they're in so that's a given... It wasn't that long ago when the Wolves were the laughing stock of all sports. It's amazing what new ownership can do to turn around a franchise. Maybe one day the Twins will get that luxury. 

Minnesotans will sell out the arena for a bad NHL team but won’t fill the stadium for a good MLB team.

[Craig Arko]

At very least it’s safe to say we don’t care very much about Josh Donaldson.

[Vanimal46]

4 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Minnesotans will sell out the arena for a bad NHL team but won’t fill the stadium for a good MLB team.

The Wild haven't had a bad stretch of years like the Twins and previously the Wolves. They've made the playoffs 12 out of the last 14 seasons. If they did, the sell outs would end. 

[ashbury]

If you've ever lived in a "good baseball town" you'll at least understand where he's coming from.

And still, a player just doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't, doesn't say the quiet part out loud.  It serves no purpose.

Typical Josh Donaldson pot-stirring.