Twins Underperforming Alex Jackson Clubhouse Leadership Metric

The Minnesota Twins' struggles in August and September, while not surprising, are certainly a setback for a team and a fanbase hoping to take advantage of a weak American League and battle for a playoff spot. 

OK, check that. They are surprising, by one little-known statistical measure.

"If you look at the AJCLM, this team should not only be in the playoff hunt, but battling the White Sox for the AL Central," said Abel Langston, a self-taught mathematician and aspiring sabermetrician from New Hope. "It's frankly shocking that they aren't."

The AJCLM is the Alex Jackson Clubhouse Leadership Metric, which measures the impact of infrequently-used third catchers and is named after the current Twins reserve backstop.

"Since he was recalled from St. Paul on August 17th, the data points that provide the backbone of the AJCLM all called for a late-season surge by the Twins," said Langston. "Just looking at the hard numbers, the team should be on a 21-game winning streak."

The team is 9-12 since Jackson rejoined the club in place of the injured Austin Martin. Langston says he is at a loss to explain why reality has diverged so drastically from the projections.

"The AJCLM takes into account all the intangibles a third catcher brings to a team," said Langston. "You have leadership. You have gumption. You have being a team player. You have all the late-inning flexibility a manager wants. You have a 'what if both my other catchers get hurt' insurance. You have grit and want-to. The kind eyes and winning smile...there might be no other player on earth who grades out as an 80 on all those functions like Jackson."

While the team's in-house statistical analysis doesn't use Langston's metric, sources say they are equally surprised at the lack of knock-on effects Jackson's presence has provided as the season slowly slips away.

"His inner strength and quiet leadership are bona fide elite skills," said a scouting department source who asked to remain anonymous in order to provide candid information. "He is the first guy in the clubhouse who'll ask, 'Hey, you need a lift to the airport?' He has helped three different players move into their new places this summer. One of them had a piano."

Jackson has had three plate appearances since returning to the club, drawing a walk and hitting a single.

"It's admittedly a small sample size, but if a player gets on base two out of every three times, we're talking first-ballot Hall of Famer," said Langston. "There are just more questions than answers at this point."

The Twins host Cleveland for a three-game series this weekend. Jackson is only expected to play if "the whole team gets malaria," said a front office source.

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