Universe Corrects Temporary Oversight That Allowed Twins Fans to Have Something Nice

Somebody please tell me where the satire is in this article.

At least he'll be accumulating service time while he's hurt. I'd hate for him to get hurt at AAA and extend team control.

Also, remember, immutable forces help those who help themselves.

Well written but of course depressing.... The 5 stolen bases in 7 games was the most exciting to me... that kind of stuff can fire up a team and disrupt pitchers rhythm etc.... all of the intangibles. 

I didn't see the game.... were they just pounding the ball inside on him to move him off the plate?

Baseball gods gave us a glimmer of a window in 2023. Young core with some solid vets, good pitching, a couple playoff wins. It was right there for the taking. Pohlads should have pushed in the chips, instead they pulled back. Window summarily closed, Baseball gods back to hating the Twins ⚾️

The curse goes bck at least as far as the early 80s and John Castino ROY in 1979 and done in 1984.

20 hours ago, D.C Twins said:

Well written but of course depressing.... The 5 stolen bases in 7 games was the most exciting to me... that kind of stuff can fire up a team and disrupt pitchers rhythm etc.... all of the intangibles. 

I didn't see the game.... were they just pounding the ball inside on him to move him off the plate?

YOU have actually hit on the issue far better than this piece did.  The issue was that the kid was stealing bases.  The ghost of Billy Beane has spoken.  The kid got lucky this time.  The arm injury was just a warning.  Next time it will be something in the lower body that will permanently impair his ability steal bases.  Stop on his own or Billy and Bill James and the gods of baseball analytics will stop it for him.  Maybe it's a hamstring.  Or a quad.  The way he was going they just might have to make his leg fall off.  Listen up kid.

11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Seriously. WTF? I'm honestly starting to believe in curses.

I know a pitcher...usually...never intends to hit anyone, much less injure them, but Keaschall was hit WHAT, 3 times in 2 games? Or maybe once in 3 games?

And he's been up for about a week? That's got to be some kind of perverted record!

And now he's down for what, a good 6-8 weeks if everything heals well and quickly? So he's maybe ready in July if everything goes well?

This is just NUTS!

What have the Twins ever done to make the baseball gods so angry that every top player/prospect should endure so much injury and angst?

I got nothing.

He was stealing bases.  It's not the baseball gods.  It's the analytics gods.

54 minutes ago, saviking said:

Please explain why I don't remember as many injuries from the early days as I do today. thx

Here are 7 potential reasons. #7 alone explains 50% of " injuries " today. 

1. Players today push their bodies to the absolute limit.

Pitchers throw much harder (even relievers are often throwing 98-100 mph), hitters swing harder, and everyone trains to maximize strength and explosiveness. That constant max-effort creates way more strain on muscles, tendons, and joints.

2. Specialization from a young age.

Kids now often play baseball year-round instead of rotating sports by season. That leads to overuse injuries that build up over time — particularly arm injuries.

3. Bigger, faster, stronger athletes.

Players are just bigger and more athletic now, which ironically increases injury risk. Bigger muscles can overpower tendons/ligaments that aren't built to scale the same way.

4. More games, more stress.

The MLB season hasn't gotten longer in number of games, but travel, night games, shorter recovery times, and constant pressure (especially with today's analytics) can wear players down.

5. Better diagnostics.

Fifty years ago, a guy might have played through what today would be diagnosed as a torn ligament, stress fracture, or strain. Now we catch and label these injuries more precisely — so part of it is just better medical awareness.

6. Cultural shift.

In the past, players expected to play through pain and injuries unless it was absolutely debilitating. Today, teams protect their investments more, and players are more willing (and encouraged) to take time off to fully heal.

7. Players view themselves as commodities and investments.

Modern players recognize that their careers — and earnings — depend on staying healthy. They're more willing to prioritize their long-term future over "toughing it out" for short-term pride. With free agency, arbitration, and massive contracts on the line, protecting their body has become part of protecting their business value.

1 hour ago, saviking said:

So Dan, I've watched the Twins since 1961.. Please explain why I don't remember as many injuries from the early days as I do today. thx

Though you don't seem to grasp the meaning of the article or my comment, I will nonetheless try to give you some context:

This article only covers 2000-2022, but you get the jist:
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/3340279/2022/05/31/twins-top-prospects-injuries/

Other names we can add to this list include:
Jim Eisenrich
John Castino
Danny Thompson

That was without doing too much research.  The Twins have a history of touted players getting injured or otherwise. Add it to the other Minnesota sports lore issues and you can argue "curse".

Well said sarcastic truth indeed.

The IFS!!!  Brilliant!