Matthew Lenz

In part two of this series, we look at what the “under the hood” metrics tell us about Rubel Cespedes and Poncho Ruiz. View full video

In part one of this series, we look at what the “under the hood” metrics tell us about Jose Miranda, Anthony Prato, and Noah Cardenas. View full video

Our Twins are looking to clinch the series against the White Sox with Joe Ryan on the bump! He’s been LIGHTS OUT so far this year and is due some positive regression after getting dinked and dunked in his last start against the Detroit Tigers. Joe’s splitter is a large reason for his success early on in 2024. He’s added 500 rpms of spin resulting in a higher whiff rate and lower expected results (xBA, xSLG, etc.), per Baseball Savant. He’ll be throwing it to a team that ranks 21st in baseball in their productivity against the pitch. In other words, we might see another double digit strikeout performance from Joe! Lets go, Twins!

Love to see another dominating performance…we need all the momentum and positive vibes we can get!

We’re three weeks into the marathon of the 2024 MLB season, but it’s never too early to identifying the good and the bad so far. View full video

Backed to the dugout, yes.

The Twins sure do have a type, don’t they? Haha

Did you know the Minnesota Twins have a prospect who is taller than Aaron Judge? Meet Carson McCusker, the former Indy baller turned Double-A corner outfielder who towers above the competition. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge Carson McCusker was drafted in the 26th round out of high school by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 2017 MLB draft. Ultimately, he decided to play baseball for the Cowboys of Oklahoma State where he played in 147 games while accruing almost 600 plate appearances. He had a solid yet unspectacular four years with the Cowboys, where he hit 23 home runs and carried a .886 OPS with a solid walk rate, but struggled with strikeouts. The once MLB draftee went undrafted in the COVID-shortened 2020 MLB Draft. This led him to the independent Frontier League and the Tri-City Valley Cats out of Troy, New York. In two-plus seasons with the Valley Cats, McCusker’s height was not the only thing that stood out. Hitting from the right side of the plate, he slugged 36 home runs over 592 plate appearances, posted a .996 OPS, and struck out at a lower clip than his days in the Big 12. His profile and stats made enough noise that the Twins signed him to a Minor League contract on June 29th, 2023. In that time, the 25-year-old, 6’ 8” prospect has spent time at three levels, including starting the 2024 season with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge promotion. Over 207 plate appearances, McCusker has smacked 14 home runs with a 76:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio and an .860 OPS. While the accumulating strikeouts and lack of walks are a concern, the righty does some major damage when he makes contact with the ball, posting a 90th percentile exit velocity of 106.2 miles per hour (mph) and max of 111.6 mph. But, ultimately, it’s the contact rate that will be the difference maker in whether Carson McCusker can one day be a big league bat for the Minnesota Twins. Ideally, you want contact rates to be in the mid-to-low 70s but McCusker’s are in the mid 60s. Pair the below-average contact numbers with just a 7.7-percent walk rate, and you have a guy who relies a little too much on doing damage when he makes contact with the ball. While the Twins value power bats and don’t seem overly concerned with strikeouts, they also value guys like Edouard Julien and Kala’i Rosario, who have some pop AND can get on base at a high clip, even if their strikeout numbers are elevated. Unfortunately, at least for now, that’s not McCusker’s game, and it never has been. But, maybe, there is another route to the big leagues. In just four games with the Wind Surge, McCusker has made highlight reel defensive plays in each of the corner outfield spots that show off his glove and his arm. While fielding data and highlights are few and far between at the lower levels, it’s worth noting he has four more outfield assists in 2023. If the holes in his swing can be plugged by plus defense and a plus arm, then there might be something here for the relatively unknown big man. Soon, Max Kepler will likely be gone and there are big question marks about whether Trevor Larnach can handle off-speed pitching well enough to be a big league regular. While it’s too early to have long-term concerns, Matt Wallner has had a slow start to the season, and the likes of Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Brandon Winokur are a year or more away from potentially making their big league debut. This gives McCusker an outside chance to make a name for himself in 2024 with the proper adjustments at the plate. While he doesn’t have the draft capital or prospect pedigree like the others mentioned above, he has the height and power to stand out. View full article

Here's a just-for-fun exercise: Who else would be fun to see in the broadcast booth, alongside Justin Morneau, Glen Perkins, Trevor Plouffe, LaTroy Hawkins, and Denard Span? Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports It was announced last week that Denard Span would join the Minnesota Twins broadcast booth in 2024. He joins a quartet of former players I am dubbing the “2K Twins,” that includes Perk, Plouffe, LaTroy, and Morneau. While (in one sense) this pushes me closer and closer to my inevitable mid-life crisis, it also gives me another thing to look forward to ahead of the 2024 season. I’ve enjoyed the recent shift in the broadcast plan, to one that shares the 162-game burden among many voices and personalities, rather than the same color analyst over and over and over and… you get it. Moreover, I look forward to fresh perspectives on today’s Twins and the overall game. Listening to the likes of Bert Blyleven, Jack Morris, and other players from an older and very different era trash today’s game just didn’t work for me. This shift is one thing--maybe the only thing--that Bally Sports and the Minnesota Twins have gotten right on the TV front over the last few years. Gone are the days of listening to the same two voices for 162 games a year, and here are the days of a rotating broadcast tandem. While I’m not advocating for anyone else to get kicked from the booth, I thought it’d be a fun exercise to look at a few other alumni whom I’d like to see put on the headset. Here’s my personal top three, in no particular order. Johan Santana A member of the Minnesota Twins and Venezuelan Baseball Halls of Fame and currently helping with Spring Training in Fort Myers, Santana has been around more in recent years. Don’t read this as a shot to Perk or LaTroy, but I would love to hear Santana talk pitching and provide live analysis of what he’s seeing as it happens. Imagine celebrating “Pablo Day” alongside one of his countrymen, and listening to the Cooperstown snub break down each pitch, at-bat, and the approach the righty is using. Moreover, with so many foreign-born players in today’s game, it would be great to get the game from someone with a similar perspective as many of today’s players. And, as Cody Christie suggested, staying involved in a variety of ways should help his case for Cooperstown--to right the wrong of the BBWAA. Michael Cuddyer Cuddy, another Minnesota Twins Hall of Famer currently involved with Spring Training, has stayed involved in the game through USA Baseball. In addition to that, just scrolling through his Twitter feed will show you the various podcasts and shows to which the former Twins outfielder has contributed. He's also been outspoken about mental health in sports. And at the end of the day, who would be more fitting to talk about the current era of Twins baseball than a guy who spent considerable time at six different positions in his career? Corey Koskie I’d bet that Morneau and our friends to the North would just be tickled pink to see another Canadian in the booth. A key cog to the early years of the 2K Twins, he’s stayed involved with the game at the youth level, coaching various teams--including with MASH Baseball and Benilde-St. Margaret’s. He was even suiting up for the Loretto Larks, a townball team in the West metro, as recently as 2021. Again like Morneau, Koskie’s career left you wanting more for the guy who dealt with more than his fair share of concussions and was done at just 33 years old. But the perspective he could bring as someone who is currently raising, coaching, and very involved with young athletes could be a fresh look at what makes today's athletes tick. Who else would you like to see in the broadcast booth alongside Cory Provus? Join the conversation in the comments! View full article

I think we need to do away with Sheila.

The Twins have an influx of infielders and need to replace Emilio Pagan. Could Kyle Farmer be the answer? View full video

The Twins added two names to their 40-man roster and left eight others open to being taken in the rule 5 draft. Let’s review the moves and look at one player the Twins should look to acquire. View full video

The Arizona Fall League has wrapped up. Let’s take a look at the final week of action and some takeaways from Twins prospect’s performances. View full video

There are various deadlines five days after the World Series concludes, which have kept the Twins busy. Let’s catch up on everything that happened in the first week of the offseason and preview what’s to come. View full video

Week 5 of the Arizona Fall League, and the league as a whole, is in the books. Let’s take a look at how the Twins prospects performed, including one bringing home somee hardware. Stay tuned at the end for a preview of content to come over the next few weeks! View full video