Carlos Correa is the Twins' Biggest Problem

I think his plantar faciitis is affecting his hitting.   I have had pf, and it SUCKS.

If his plantar faciatis is so bad he shouldn't be playing.  But I will say it makes for a convenient excuse.  Correa and Buxton have been killing this team.  If they are as hurt as Baldelli claims they should be put on the IL indefinitely until they can play.  Plus it's hard a lot of times to take Baldelli seriously anyway.  He isn't very transparent.  Last season he kept telling us its the process not the results that we are interested in.  Really? If that were to happen in normal corporate America that person would be gone.  Also last year when both Correa and Buxton were somewhat decent Rocco had the both scheduled off on some home games.  Hus response?  I'm not sure what to do when they are scheduled off the same day.  OMG what incompetence!  Those thought processes continue this season.  Nothing changes.  Rocco is a big part of the problem with the Front Office an even bigger part.

Actually David Popkins the hitting coach and Baldelli are our biggest problems. 

Their direction in the hitting department (all or nothing mentality and lacking a

quality plan at the plate) and Baldelli's lack of overall ability to adjust 

to the new game with the new rules is "our biggest" problem.

Am hoping for a change very soon. Too much talent on this team and system to be where we are at. 

So now its Correa? It has been, in no particular order, Kepler, Rocco, Pagan, Buxton, Larnach, Popkins, Falvey, Levine, Lopez, Lopez, Solano, Castro, Miranda and the trade of Arraez according to the TD staff and users. At least we know where to start to fix the problem.

Left unmentioned so far are the reports that Correa supposedly took Miranda under his wing in the off-season—and Miranda promptly turned into a bad AAA player.

The Twins certainly expected a LOT more out of Correa.  But they certainly expected a LOT more out of Buxton.  I would posit that those two hitters are essential for the Twins offense to be even average.  But those two guys alone don't account for striking out 16 times in a game.  The game yesterday was a microcosm of the Twins season.  Good pitching has the Twins down 2-0 in the 7th inning.  They put the first two guys on base...and the next three hitters all strike out! 

At this point the Twins have a better "run differential" than the Yankees but are 8 or 9 games worse.  It seems whenever Rocco taps a relief pitcher in a key part of a game disaster follows.  It may not be "reality" but it sure seems that way.  We're clinging to first place in a terrible division but look out.  Jose Ramirez is starting to heat up and if he stays hot and Correa and Buxton continue to flail and fail the Guardians will blow right past us.  There is a lot that SHOULD change.  How much changes and who is part of the change is debatable, but one thing is clear to me.  Since Rocco took the helm in 2019 with Falvey and Levine in our F.O. we won the division and set a major league HR record.  In 2020 we won a Covid shortened division title, and then in 2021, 2022 and now this season we've under achieved.  Whether it was the crap SP's like Happ and Shoemaker, Archer and Bundy the F.O. tried to pass off as major league worthy, the lack of truly trying to build a competitive bullpen or even signing a LH power hitting outfielder who K's a lot instead of a RH hitting outfielder when your roster already consisted of Kepler, Kirilloff, Larnach and Wallner (with your best RH hitting OF option Kyle Garlick) not much has gone right for our intrepid front office.  There could be a lot of empty seats at Target Field the second half of this season.  Change is needed.  Tough decisions loom.  How patient will the Pohlad family be??  

Yes, agreed Cody.

Doesn't make a difference what sport it is, but the team's veteran stars must be the team's on the field leaders.  My old Packers had Starr, Gregg, Kramer, Kramer, Taylor, Hornung, McGee, Nitschke, and Wood, plus others.  My Braves had Spahn, Burdette, Crandall, Mathews, Aaron, Logan and Adcock.  For the Twins, that's Buxton and Correa.  Add Kepler and Polanco who are veterans who have been around the longest and you have a group of four that should be providing the leadership.  With Correa in his second year with the biggest long-term contract, he needs to be out front. 

Additional leadership must come from the Manager and certain coaches.  I am not in the clubhouse or dugout, but all indications are that none of this group is providing that leadership.  And if they are, it sure as hell isn't making any difference.  I guess the good news is that with Correa around for another six years the Dior store should have a nice bottom line.

Eventually responsibility for success in all businesses comes back to the owner.  I don't know where the Twins will end the year, but an awful lot seems to be pointing to a replay of last year.  I guess the pitching is so good that a total collapse isn't likely, but a division crown certainly isn't looking good.

Should Cleveland win the division with a .500 +/- record with the Twins double digit games out, young Pohlad should be furious.  Having a computer running the team ain't working.  Hopefully, he will sit down with top management and demand change or resignations, whichever seems most appropriate.

Yes- his PF is hampering him- but his defense still warrants a place in the lineup, but should be batting 7 or 8.

The biggest problem that I see is Correa has appointed himself team captain and with his fairly good career and huge salary- it’s only natural. However, his leadership is horrible. I don’t see a lot of hustle or “leading by example”. His mood is completely dependent on his offensive performance at the time and, as we all know, that has been absolutely depressing. 

Rocco has now chewed out the team in public, but really this leadership problem falls into his lap. He needs to change Correa’s attitude- or bench him as an example. There is no accountability on this team

.….and Buxton needs to be shut down for the year.

14 minutes ago, Ole St Carleton said:

Yes- his PF is hampering him- but his defense still warrants a place in the lineup, but should be batting 7 or 8.

The biggest problem that I see is Correa has appointed himself team captain and with his fairly good career and huge salary- it’s only natural. However, his leadership is horrible. I don’t see a lot of hustle or “leading by example”. His mood is completely dependent on his offensive performance at the time and, as we all know, that has been absolutely depressing. 

Rocco has now chewed out the team in public, but really this leadership problem falls into his lap. He needs to change Correa’s attitude- or bench him as an example. There is no accountability on this team

.….and Buxton needs to be shut down for the year.

No, Buxton needs to be shut down (placed on the IL) until he can play baseball.  That means batting and playing center field.

Maybe Shortstop is no longer a position to invest in a longterm contract.  Take a look at this year’s mediocre to poor production from Francisco Lindor, Javier Baez, Xander Bogaerts and Trea Turner.   I liked the re-signing of Correa thinking about last September’s production (or was that just “garbage time” to use an NBA term?).    The division looked weak and the times didn’t seem to call for a slower and steadier rebuilding.  
But in retrospect, the Twins have an abundance of promising shortstop prospects - Royce Lewis looks like he’s halfway to being a future star and leader.   already.  Kyle Farmer, a starting SS last year with the Reds, was already on board.   AND maybe just maybe the Twins should have thought that they weren’t so much smarter than the Giants and the Mets (who are doing better with their overpriced, but merely mediocre shortstop Lindor).  
Now those Shortstop prospects are blocked long-term and the Twins May have to hope they can hoodwink another team into taking on a Josh Donaldson (or worse) type of player.    Best case scenario - it’s just foot pain and Correa returns to superstar form when it goes away.  He’s still a great defender. 

2 hours ago, Karbo said:

He needs to be dropped down in the lineup. IMO hitting 7th or 8th.

We don't have enough bottom of the order slots for all of our bottom of the order hitters.

If I'm ranking biggest problems:

1.  Ownership.  It's no accident that the team's 30 year run of ineptitude has coincided with the Pohlad sons and now grandsons running the show.  Call it the franchise's Corporate Era.   

2.  Front office.  These guys are clearly in way, way over their head.  Is Derek Falvey really one of the 30 best performers at his job on the planet?  A smart but inexperienced leader would surround themselves with people who've done it before with success; Falvine surround themselves with young, inexperienced yes men like Baldelli and Popkins.  

3.  Correa.  He needs to eat a steady diet of humble pie, and he needs to focus less on being the legendary leader/honorary GM he has anointed himself to be, and more on being a better baseball player.

4.  Buxton.  His performance is actively hurting the team. 

5.  Coaching staff.  If they aren't part of the problem then coaches/managers truly are meaningless.  

2 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

If his plantar faciatis is so bad he shouldn't be playing.  But I will say it makes for a convenient excuse.  Correa and Buxton have been killing this team.  If they are as hurt as Baldelli claims they should be put on the IL indefinitely until they can play.  Plus it's hard a lot of times to take Baldelli seriously anyway.  He isn't very transparent.  Last season he kept telling us its the process not the results that we are interested in.  Really? If that were to happen in normal corporate America that person would be gone.  Also last year when both Correa and Buxton were somewhat decent Rocco had the both scheduled off on some home games.  Hus response?  I'm not sure what to do when they are scheduled off the same day.  OMG what incompetence!  Those thought processes continue this season.  Nothing changes.  Rocco is a big part of the problem with the Front Office an even bigger part.

Here here!

3 hours ago, Karbo said:

He needs to be dropped down in the lineup. IMO hitting 7th or 8th.

I think we have a whole team of 7 8 and 9 spot hitters

Correa was a long term mistake. When the Twins signed him last year for 3/105 I thought it was a good deal for both. This past offseason the Mets and Giants both got cold feet on 12 and 13 year deals. So what do the Twins do. Offer him 6/200. No way in hell do I offer that deal. I go right back to the 3/105 with NO opt outs. He stays hungry which I honestly believe is part of the problem. Guys generally have career years before signing long term deals. Now they're stuck with him. Same as Buxton. No one is going to trade for broken players. Even if the Twins eat those contracts. 

2 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

Actually, it's not. The league leaders in GIDP almost always match Correa's profile. Guys with a lot of at bats, who aren't particularly fast, who hit the ball hard enough for the infield to turn two, who aren't the biggest strikeout offenders...

And the thing is, if you do all those things, a lot of the balls those guys hit go through the infield and over the infielders as line drives. Here's your list of career leaders in GIDP. I'll be glad if Correa ends up on this list:

While I agree that a large number of double plays aren't necessarily as bad as the OP suggested, I'm afraid this list is full of selection bias. These are hitters who DID have hits "go through the infield and over the infielders as line drives," or somehow made up for their double plays in other ways, and so had long careers as a result (and therefore their count of DP is high). You list doesn't have players who also hit into lots of double plays but DIDN'T also have the corresponding successful hits, and so had shorter careers and their count of DP is lower and they're not on this list.

This season, anyway, Correa is unfortunately in the second group. :(

So I'll be glad if Correa ends up on this list too -- but if he does, that'll be because he does have successful hits in addition to the double plays and has a long career. (Though I suppose he could also make the list because the FO/manager keeps playing him anyway, which is entirely too plausible...)