Twins

When Zack Littell returned to Rochester at the start of the month of June, he was told that he should work out of the bullpen. Did he sulk? No. Did he make some alterations? Yes. Over the weekend, we caught up with the Twins right-hander about the changes he has made and why he has shown so much success of late.

Gearing up for the Minnesota Twins Opening Day, I had an empty afternoon and popped on notorious ballhawk Zack Hample’s new film. Zack Hample vs. the World may lead you to believe it’s about the story of a ballhawk, but I left it thinking anything but.

Twenty five years ago tonight, the Minnesota Twins played in one of the greatest World Series games in baseball. Jack Morris’s ten-inning effort, and Gene Larkin’s deep-enough fly ball single scored Dan Gladden, and the Twins were the 1991 World Series champions.

It’s hard to believe that so many of the sports stars who make their in-season homes in the Twin Cities were not even born when that game was played. The Twin Cities is one of 13 Metropolitan areas in the United States to have teams in all four major sports (baseball, basketball, football and hockey). Each of those teams have undergone change in recent years, in the front office, in the coaches, or simply a turnover in players.

The strategy appears to be the same for all teams, and it is not a unique strategy. Every organization in every sport wants to develop its own players and build a core which can later be supplemented when the team is ready to compete for championships.

It would be fair to say that the Minnesota Vikings are furthest along that track. Despite their loss on Sunday, they are generally considered to be a contender, in large part due to their defense. The Minnesota Wild have played in the playoffs each of the last four seasons. They are looking to take the next step. The Minnesota Twins, or at least their fans, thought the team had turned a corner with their 2015 season in which they were not eliminated until the penultimate game of the season. They then lost 103 games in 2016. The team has not been in the playoffs since 2010, their first season at Target Field. Last night, the Minnesota Timberwolves opened their 2016-17 season. While so young, there are hopes and many reasons for excitement about this team.

As the 2018 World Series is set to start tonight in Boston, indications would seem to be the the Twins are down to just a couple of final candidates for the next team manager. Twins bench coach Derek Shelton, Cubs bench coach Brandon Hyde, and Rays Major League Field Coordinator Rocco Baldelli appear to be the favorites, though it is entirely possible that there are other candidates that we just aren’t hearing as much about.

So instead of dissecting each candidate, let’s take a moment to consider what we, as fans, would want to see from the next Twins manager. What traits do you think are important, and why?

I feel no need to call for anyone to get fired. I won’t do it. Yes, I fully understand and don’t necessarily strongly disagree with the overwhelming philosophy that major changes may be needed to right this ship. The grass isn't always greener (though sometimes it really is), and sometimes change for the sake of change can be good. We will never 100% agree with any other person on every baseball topic.

So instead of regurgitating the old, tired discussion about why the Twins should fire their general manager or others in the front office, let’s be a little more productive. Let’s not jump to hyperbole and automatically bash everything about the Twins brass. Like all of us, there is good and not-so-good in everybody. People have strengths and areas for improvement.

Also, let’s not pretend that this (the Twins shockingly bad 11-33 record) is the fault of just the GM. There is plenty of blame to go around. Ownership warrants blame. The front office deserve blame. Player development can be questioned, if you like. I’m sure the scouts find some blame too. The manager and his coaching staff deserve some blame, and I do believe that the players deserve a large amount of the blame.

That frustrating roster move might make more sense than you think.

Minnesota's alleged interest in free agent utility man Marwin Gonzalez has sparked speculation on his potential place on the Twins’ 25-man roster.

For Your Dad, though, the real guessing game is what he’s going to call him.

Sources close to Your Family confirmed on Thursday that conversations about the possible signing concluded with Your Dad wondering why they’re signing “this Merlin Gonzalez character” instead of Bryce Harper.

If you’re a Minnesota Twins fan, and especially if you’re a big enough fan to have found this site, you need to find a way to visit spring training in Fort Myers. If you’re not, I expect it is because you’re not sure what there is to do there. This story, which we’ll run annually on Twins Daily is to help you find the best stuff to do at spring training.