Gleeman & The Geek: Twins Limping to the Finish Line

[John Bonnes]

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0:00 Intro
0:45 Why the game recaps have stopped: the Twins are playing out the string

2:21 Worst team in the American League down the stretch for a third straight year

3:50 15-27 since August 1: as bad as after the 2025 fire sale, and this time they were trying

6:38 John's counterpoint: at least there are rookies worth watching

9:02 "Something is fundamentally wrong": player development, injuries and defense

11:47 Derek Shelton, Jeremy Zoll, Tom Pohlad: new names, same organization

14:13 Are there basic philosophies that lead to the Twins fading every August and September? 

16:48 The 72.5-win over/under, and the fear that a youth movement becomes an excuse not to spend

18:20 Ryan Jeffers as team MVP, and the veterans who won't be back in 2027

27:08 Byron Buxton hip surgery: what we know about the timeline for spring training

30:58 The play in Sacramento that ended Buxton's season

35:18 Buxton's contract: two years left, $15 million, full no-trade clause

37:43 Planning the 2027 Twins outfield: Buxton, Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Luke Keaschall, Alan Roden

40:19 The Twins need a bat at first base or DH, and they're losing Jeffers

42:17 Walker Jenkins breaks out: three hits and a game-tying homer off Ben Joyce's 101 mph fastball

44:21 Should the Twins be worried about Walker Jenkins?

51:11 Hrbek, Buxton, Koskie, Kepler: Twins who started just as badly

52:50 Emmanuel Rodriguez homers in his debut, then slumps. Life with rookies

55:15 Rodriguez and prospect "freezer burn": seven years on the radar and still only 23

59:36 How Walker Jenkins handled the media during his slump

1:03:46 Was 2026 a wasted season? Thumbs down on the post-hype prospects

1:05:18 Cleaning out the fridge: an empty fridge and a garbage can full of expired corn salad

1:07:25 Luke Keaschall is a leadoff hitter to build around, if they can find him a position

1:08:51 Brooks Lee's step forward: 25 homers and better defense at third base

1:10:14 Kaelen Culpepper holds his own; Matt Wallner washes out; Royce Lewis's brutal finish

1:14:19 Twins pitching: Taj Bradley and Connor Prielipp step up, Bailey Ober and Joe Ryan step back

1:15:09 Culpepper's hamstring injury, his defense at shortstop, and Marek Houston on the way

1:20:13 Why Culpepper staying under 130 at-bats helps the Twins' farm system rankings

1:22:23 Ben Ross auditions to be the backup shortstop: Ross vs. Ryan Kreidler

1:28:48 Kendry Rojas could return for a final outing or two

1:30:31 The last Twins games for Jeffers, Ober, Trevor Larnach, Lewis and Taylor Rogers?

1:32:59 The case for adding $50 million in payroll around a young, cheap core

1:37:54 Twins draft lottery watch: a top-seven pick is within reach

1:41:17 Wrap-up: John previews his trip to San Francisco and Oracle Park

 

 

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