Twins Video
I am beyond impressed by what the Minnesota Twins have done up to this point. It's a team that makes me feel proud to root for them. This group has shown incredible determination and resiliency to put themselves in the position they are currently in: less than three games out of first place, squarely in playoff position, with 30 games left in the season. They are outpacing their preseason over/under and on pace for nearly 90 wins, a mark they've reached once in the past 13 years.
They have managed to do this DESPITE all of the following:
- Ownership slashing payroll during the offseason and giving the front office no flexibility to replace outgoing talent, much less add on.
- Stumbling to a 7-13 start that left them eight games out of first place by April 21st.
- The bullpen gradually whittling down to two or three trustworthy options -- in part because the front office's lone deadline acquisition was a total failure, released within one month of being acquired.
- Suddenly losing Joe Ryan, a borderline All-Star and (still) their staff leader in fWAR, for the season in early August.
- Lengthy injuries for Byron Buxton and Royce Lewis, as well as -- most critically -- the loss of a borderline MVP contender in Carlos Correa, the heart and soul of their team, for six weeks running.
Through all of this, the Twins have battled and endured. For a while, they were hanging in there, consistently winning and splitting series to make up ground on Cleveland and close the gap in the AL Central. Even without Correa, or Buxton or Ryan for the most part, they won 11 of their first 16 games in August, shaving 4 ½ games off the division lead.
But eventually, all of these setbacks and limitations are going to collectively catch up with you, and it feels like we're seeing that play out in real-time with the Twins. They've proven they are a great team when their horses are mostly healthy and performing, but with so many of their top players down, it goes without saying this squad is only a severely diminished version of its best self. The remaining players who are left to carry the load seem to be wearing down and buckling under all the weight they've been left to bear.
This feels palpably apparent in Minnesota's recent results, with crushing defeat after crushing defeat. The Twins have dropped seven of their past nine, and they've given up leads at the end of the game in four of those. Increasingly the club's performance is characterized by sloppiness, rapid meltdowns on the mound, and blown opportunities at the plate.
It's not just missing three key players that hurts, it's the nature of those losses: a starting pitcher, starting shortstop and starting center fielder are perhaps the three most difficult positions to backfill, especially when those players are arguably three of the five best on the team. These are devastating injuries and the Twins have been left reeling, with young players pushed aggressively into roles they probably aren't ready for out of necessity. Under different circumstances, Edouard Julien and Austin Martin would likely not be in the majors, much less costing the Twins crucial games with their bats and gloves.
The most troubling part is that there's no real light at the end of the tunnel.
Ryan won't be back. Correa might not be. And it's unclear when Buxton will be able to return or how effective he'll be. There are some potential longshot reinforcements to bolster the bullpen internally but the unit is in rough shape. Meanwhile, one more significant injury in the rotation, bullpen or lineup could snap this sinking ship in half like the Titanic.
Even if things don't manage to get worse, the tough reality is that it's difficult to envision a major change for the better in the circumstances the Twins face. Therefore, the guys who are still here and grinding away -- as well as Brooks Lee, one of the few key reinforcements whose return does feel imminent -- need to find it within themselves to rekindle their spark and rise above it all in the final month of the season.
If they can't, this beleaguered squad appears destined for a quick playoff exit or even missing out on the postseason entirely; a legitimately excellent team crushed by the burden of endless second-half setbacks.
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