Nick Nelson

Lance, I thought this was very obvious but apparently not: the panel was about bringing more Black diversity to baseball, specifically. And there's also a much larger conversation going on in our country about Black inequality, stemming from events that took place in our own city. So that's what we're talking about. Make sense? First of all it was Levine, not Falvey. Second of all, that's a lazy strawman. The Twins have never in history hired a minority for a manager or GM role. MLB front offices in general are disproportionately white. This doesn't strike you as problematic? Even if white people do tend to be the best person applying for the job, why is that happening? How can we create more diversity in the qualified candidate pool? That's the topic here. There is zero need to get defensive about it.

13% of Americans are Black, so no. Incidentally, that was the percentage of Black MLB players at the turn of the century, and today it has dropped almost to half that. It's a bad trend.

Baseball has a problem. It's not new, and it's not a secret. Lacking diversity throughout the game manifests in numerous ways, but the underrepresentation of African-Americans is a plainly evident one. In their continuing efforts to acknowledge and address this issue, the Minnesota Twins held their first Front Office Diversity Roundtable via Zoom on Tuesday night.A few years back, Jay Caspian Kang wrote about the "unbearable whiteness of baseball" for New York Times Magazine, noting among other things that just over 8% of major-league players were Black at the time. That number has since dropped even further – in 2019, Black players comprised just 7.7% of MLB rosters. This troubling disparity is reflected in the managerial ranks (there are only two African-American managers in MLB) and especially in front office leadership (there have been five African-American general managers in baseball history). It's no coincidence, then, that the disparity also reflects in the sport's audience – a 2014 study found that 9% of pro baseball's television viewership was Black, compared to 83% white. Why is baseball failing to resonate with, recruit, and elevate African-Americans? It's a complicated and largely theoretical question that I won't delve into here. What's important now is to alter this imbalance, and bring more racial equality to the game's demographics. The simplest step in that direction is to highlight Black people currently succeeding in professional baseball roles, let them share their stories, and encourage others to follow in their footsteps. On Tuesday, the Twins did just that. Noah Croom, General Counsel & Partner for Beautiful Game LLC, curated a panel that featured four members of Minnesota's front office operation: Sean Johnson - Director, Amateur ScoutingDeron Johnson - Senior Advisor, ScoutingNavery Moore - Fellow, Pro ScoutingJosh Ruffin - Analyst in Advanced ScoutingTwins general manager Thad Levine kicked off the discussion with a firm statement before going off-screen to follow as a viewer: "It is our belief that the hiring practice of Major League Baseball and the Minnesota Twins has been flawed." He cited complacency as a primary cause, hinting at a similar sentiment to the one shared recently by a fellow white male executive, Theo Epstein of the Chicago Cubs. "I've hired a Black scouting director, [and] farm director in the past, but the majority of people that I've hired, if I'm being honest, have similar backgrounds as me and look a lot like me," Epstein said on a conference call last month. "That's something I need to ask myself why. I need to question my own assumptions, my own attitudes. I need to find a way to be better." The Twins have their own ignominious history on this front. Former owner Calvin Griffith, who brought the team to Minnesota in the 1960s, made horribly racist remarks in 1978 that have echoed through the decades. The Twins are one of only three MLB teams that has never hired a minority to be a manager or general manager. During a conversation earlier this summer with The Athletic, Torii Hunter shared a story about an unnamed member of the Twins organization calling players the n-word. But history is just that. As we turn focus to the present, the organization's commitment to condemning racism and promoting equality is now on the leading edge, and I personally couldn't be prouder. The person referenced by Hunter was promptly jettisoned by Derek Falvey. The statue for Calvin Griffith that once stood outside Target Field has come down. The Pohlad family committed $25 million to racial justice causes in the aftermath of George Floyd's murder. And while I can't speak to the relative prevalence of Black employees in Minnesota's front office, I can say that four very bright ones stepped up during the diversity roundtable to speak thoughtfully about this critical subject. Panelists answered questions from Croom on a variety of topics, ranging from their paths to their current positions, to the value of mentorship, to the reasons for a lack of Black athletes entering the sport, and much more. In efforts to create more interest and opportunity for underrepresented minorities, the Twins announced they have launched a Diversity Mentorship Program, through which individuals from these groups can engage Twins employees during office hours for career advice, project feedback, résumé tips and more. Signing up is easy; just click on the link and fill out a quick form. At one point in the roundtable, Croom asked whether panelists felt that the Floyd tragedy, and the resulting rise in awareness and attention directed toward systemic racism throughout our society, might serve as a tipping point as baseball seeks to turn around its age-old problem. Deron Johnson admitted that it's hard to judge at this moment, due to widespread hiring freezes stemming from the pandemic, but expressed genuine optimism. “This is a time where people can get into the game, or at least get their names out there. I do believe that.” Sean Johnson, who credited Deron (not related) as a mentor that helped pave his way, followed by voicing agreement. "Hopefully this is the moment we need to put us in a place where we put an end to all this stuff." Amen, Sean. (During the event, the Twins announced an upcoming second installment of the Front Office Diversity Roundtable series, which will feature women in the organization. Stay tuned for details, as we'll be sure to share them here.) A WORD FROM TWINS DAILY Diversity and inclusion have been weighing heavily on our minds here lately, with many ownership discussions taking place. Twins Daily is run by five white men, and it's not lost on us that an overwhelming majority of our site's writers and readers fall into the same category. While this can be partially attributed to the aforementioned overall demographics of baseball, to crutch on that as an excuse is a cop-out. We know it. We're not running away from it. Bringing more diversity to our site's community will be an emphatic focus going forward. When more voices, viewpoints, and backgrounds are represented, we all benefit. I can't say at this moment what exactly our efforts will look like, but one simple thing you can expect is a lessened tolerance for any language deemed hateful, intolerant, or non-inclusive – even if it might be presented in an ostensibly "respectful" manner. Our commitment to letting everyone speak their minds remains firm, but it is of the utmost importance to us that everyone who arrives at Twins Daily feels comfortable and welcome. We expect every single one of you to hold us accountable and help us along the way on this path forward to a better Minnesota. Thank you as always for visiting, engaging, and supporting. We can't wait to enjoy this wild and wacky 2020 season with all of you, and hopefully plenty of newcomers to the community. Click here to view the article

The Cleveland Indians reigned over the AL Central for three straight years before the Twins came and took it from them in 2019. Now Cleveland is looking to reclaim the throne. They've got plenty of firepower to challenge for the title, even if GM Mike Chernoff's offseason (unlike Minnesota's) wasn't entirely reflective of an all-in contender. CLEVELAND INDIANS AT A GLANCE 2019 Record: 93-69, 2nd Place 2019 fWAR Leader (Offense): Francisco Lindor - 4.4 2019 fWAR Leader (Pitching): Shane Bieber, RHP - 5.6 Key Offseason Additions: Cesar Hernandez (2B), Delino DeShields Jr. (OF), Domingo Santana (OF), Emmanuel Clase (RP) Key Offseason Losses: Jason Kipnis (2B), Corey Kluber (SP), Nick Goody (RP), Tyler Clippard (RP) 2020 Over/Under: 32.5 Wins TEAM OVERVIEW The Indians traded away Trevor Bauer at the 2019 deadline and then dealt Corey Kluber after the season, subtracting two premier right-handed power pitchers from their routinely outstanding rotation mix. Of course, with Kluber missing almost all of last year and Bauer unspectacular before the trade, Cleveland still allowed the third-fewest runs in the league. Clearly neither hurler was essential to the team's success – albeit a level of success that left them on the outside looking in when the postseason came around. This year, the Indians need to show they can keep churning out stellar pitching performances from their remaining group while also trying to do enough offensively to keep pace with the high-flying division favorites. STRENGTHS The combination of Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber atop the rotation is beyond formidable. No two ways about it. Bieber ranked fifth among AL starters in fWAR last year, and the only reason Clevinger wasn't right up there with him is because he missed most of the first half with a back strain. Upon returning from his injury in late June, Clevinger pitched as well as he ever has, posting a 2.71 ERA and 12.1 K/9 ratio in 126 frames. Among AL starters who threw 100 or more innings, only Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander had a better ERA. Those two along with Chris Sale and Blake Snell were the only ones with a higher K-rate. Having his name mentioned alongside these ones tells you all you need to know: Clevinger is Cy Young caliber. And while the Twins get to avoid all those other aces in the regular season, they'll see Clevinger multiple times. He's going to give their lineup fits – last year he held the historically explosive Minnesota offense to seven total runs over four starts – and he's gonna shred inferior clubs like KC and Detroit to pieces. Same goes for Bieber, though it's fair to wonder if he can back up the brilliance of his breakout campaign. Even with Bauer and Kluber gone, Cleveland has plenty of starting depth behind Clevinger and Bieber, because they're simply a pitching development powerhouse. Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, and Adam Plutko all showed positive signs last year, and veteran Carlos Carrasco is seemingly back at full strength after a scary run-in with leukemia. The bullpen should still be an asset. Offensively, the Indians feature a pair of perennial MVP candidates in Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez. First baseman Carlos Santana is tremendous, quietly coming off a career year. And as a result of last summer's Bauer trade, Cleveland has a 25-year-old slugger with monstrous power potential at DH in Franmil Reyes. WEAKNESSES Even with those quality pieces in place, Cleveland's offense is suspect. They don't have a bad lineup per se, it just doesn't stack up against the league's premier units. Last year the Indians scored 170 fewer runs than the Twins; put another way, they scored almost 20% fewer runs than the Twins. While the Cleveland infield is undeniably excellent – manned by Ramirez, Lindor, Santana, and newly acquired second baseman Cesar Hernandez – the outfield could be pretty bad. Expected starters are Oscar Mercado, Tyler Naquin, and Domingo Santana or Delino DeShields. All posted a sub-800 OPS last year. At DH, Reyes' big upside remains more theoretical than proven at this point. Even if their stars shine on offense, Cleveland will need to ride the pitching staff to a division championship. And while there's little reason to doubt their rotation, the once-overpowering bullpen could easily take a step backward. Chaska native Brad Hand remains the steady ... hand ... at closer, and he's been in three straight All-Star Games, but his 5.40 ERA after the break last year was ominous. It seemingly contributed to Chernoff targeting Emmanuel Clase – a fireballing 22-year-old prize acquired in the Kluber trade – as Hand's eventual replacement in the ninth. But Clase won't play a role for Cleveland in 2020, after being hit with an 80-game PED suspension. Tyler Clippard has joined the enemy. Nick Goody and Dan Otero are among other former fixtures now departed, and while Oliver Perez is back, he turns 39 next month. For relief innings, Cleveland will be leaning on the likes of Nick Wittgren, Adam Cimber, Hunter Wood, and James Hoyt. Not exactly your established household names. WILD CARD I'm tempted to go with James Karinchak. He's one of the better pure relief pitching prospects in the game, having racked up 82 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A. You read that right. Karinchak has averaged 16.4 K/9 in three minor-league seasons. Just silly. But the Indians are likely going to be good at preventing runs with or without him. That's not really in question. So I'll venture a little further off the beaten path with my pick for Cleveland's biggest X factor: Bradley Zimmer. The former first-round draft pick has struggled to find his footing in the major leagues, to say the least. Last year represents the depth of his despair: He missed nearly the entire campaign due to injury, and went 0-for-13 in his extremely brief time with Cleveland, finishing his age-26 season with a .071 OPS. In total he's got a .230/.293/.359 slash line through 460 plate appearances in parts of three MLB seasons. But make no mistake: Zimmer is a talent. He was the 21st overall draft pick out of college in 2014, and was rated by MLB.com as the game's 19th-best prospect when first called up in 2017. It's been a tough go for the outfielder thus far, but he's still only 27, and by now Twins fans know better than to count out a heralded young player who is set back by early struggles and injuries in the big leagues. He doesn't figure to be a regular for Cleveland out of the gates, but if Zimmer catches on and turns the corner, he could provide a critical boost for the Cleveland offense. In starting to make his case, Zimmer homered twice off Clevinger in an intrasquad match last week. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

A rising core loaded with top-end talent was augmented dramatically over the winter by general manager Rick Hahn. The White Sox are shaping up to be Minnesota's staunchest division rival in the coming years, and may well represent the most dangerous threat to overtake the Central this year. A road-heavy 10-game season series against Chicago will kick off on Friday at Guaranteed Rate Field. CHICAGO WHITE SOX AT A GLANCE 2019 Record: 72-89, 3rd Place 2019 fWAR Leader (Offense): Yoan Moncada - 5.7 2019 fWAR Leader (Pitching): Lucas Giolito - 5.1 Key Offseason Additions: Yasmani Grandal ©, Dallas Keuchel (SP), Gio Gonzalez (SP), Edwin Encanacion (DH), Nomar Mazara (OF), Steve Cishek (RP) Key Offseason Losses: Ivan Nova (SP) Yolmer Sanchez (2B), Wellington Castillo ©, Ryan Cordell (OF) 2020 Over/Under: 31.5 Wins TEAM OVERVIEW Even before Hahn's offseason shopping spree, the White Sox were in line to welcome some new impact talent in 2020, with multiple top prospects set to enter the fold. Heading up that list is center fielder Luis Robert, ranked by MLB.com as the third-best prospect in baseball after spending a big chunk of 2019 at Triple-A. He's expected to be out there on Friday for his MLB debut. Likely to join him in the White Sox lineup, although maybe not from the start, is second baseman Nick Madrigal, ranked 40th on MLB's Top 100 list. The disciplined speedster was the fourth overall draft pick two years ago, and has reached Triple-A. It's only a matter of time before he's leading off for the Sox. These two electrifying youths, along with numerous free agent additions, will help elevate a club on the verge of seeing its rebuild pay off. STRENGTHS Without accounting for all the new talent entering the fold, Chicago already had arguably the best position player and best pitcher in the division. Third baseman Yoan Moncada's 5.7 fWAR was higher than any other AL Central player in 2019 (despite playing just 132 games). Lucas Giolito was an All-Star who finished sixth in the Cy Young balloting. He might not be quite at the level of a Mike Clevinger or Shane Bieber, but Giolito showed last year he's a legitimate ace, and the Twins will have to tangle with him right out of the gate. The big problem in 2019 was that Chicago's standouts – Giolito, Moncada, batting champ Tim Anderson – were weighed down by a bunch of laggards. To illustrate, the Sox produced 23.3 total fWAR, and 14.3 of it came from those three. The stars of the squad figure to get considerably more help in 2020. Yasmani Grandal is himself a star-caliber addition at catcher. New DH Edwin Encarnacion has slugged 32-plus homers in eight straight seasons, and he joins newly-extended Jose Abreu to give Chicago two dangerous righty power bats in the middle of the order. Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez are no rotation-fronters, but they add quality veteran depth to a unit that last year had no above-average performers other than Giolito. Nomar Mazara is a sneaky good addition in the outfield. Another low-key impact signing by Chicago was Steve Cishek, the ultra-reliable righty who joins closer Alex Colome and setup man in Aaron Bummer in a bullpen that can hold its own in the late innings. Combining all of these free agency additions with the expected arrivals of top prospects like Robert and Madrigal puts the Sox in position to make a massive leap forward in 2020, helping explain why their over/under for wins in the shortened season is just one behind the Cleveland Indians, who won 21 more contests last year. WEAKNESSES As Twins fans are well aware, free agents don't always work out and top prospects don't always hit the ground running. As good as Robert may be, there's no guarantee he'll be an immediate difference-maker for Chicago, and the same goes for Madrigal. Moncada himself is a fine example of baseball's steep learning curve at the highest level – he was rated as the second-best prospect in the game when he arrived in the big leagues at age 2016, but it wasn't until three years later that he truly emerged. Another of the organization's premier prospects will not be helping them this year: hard-throwing righty Michael Kopech, pegged by MLB.com as the game's No. 20 prospect, who chose to opt out of the 2020 campaign. Like Moncada and Giolito, Kopech was acquired during the team's burn-it-down firesale in 2016. After missing 2019 due to Tommy John surgery, he appeared ready to return this year at age 24 and unleash his triple-digit heat in a White Sox rotation that could've sorely used it. The loss of his potential impact is a hit for Chicago's short-term chances, because starting pitching looks to be their sticking point. Even with some big-name veterans added to the mix, there's still a sizable drop-off after Giolito, and the back of the rotation is short on proven performers. WILD CARD As mentioned, it's very possible that Luis Robert will hit some speedbumps as he acclimates to the majors. In fact, that should be expected, particularly given the plate discipline struggles he experienced in the minors last year. But ... if he catches on right away? Robert was one of the most highly-touted international prospects to come along in some time when Chicago signed him out of Cuba for $26 million in 2017. He's a strong defender in center, and offers a rare combination of speed and power. Last season as a 21-year-old he mashed 32 homers and stole 36 bases in 122 games between three minor-league levels. This is an electrifying talent with the potential to change games nightly, kinda like the former top prospect now manning center field for the Twins. Of course, Byron Buxton is a perfect example of how it can take a while to click. But that's not the case for everyone. If Robert has a smooth transition to the majors, look out. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Could not agree more. Road-tripping down to KC for a Twins/Royals series, beer and BBQ has become an annual summer tradition and one that I'll miss dearly this year.

The Twins will face each Central opponent 10 times in their coming 60-game sprint, so success against these familiar foes is critical. Fortunately the Royals – like the Tigers – are coming off a brutal 100-loss season. With that said, Kansas City does figure to offer a bit more resistance than Detroit, thanks to some legit high-end talent. KANSAS CITY ROYALS AT A GLANCE 2019 Record: 59-103, 4th Place 2019 fWAR Leader (Offense): Jorge Soler, OF - 3.6 2019 fWAR Leader (Pitching): Brad Keller, RHP - 2.2 Key Offseason Additions: Maikel Franco (3B), Trevor Rosenthal (RP) Key Offseason Losses: Cheslor Cuthbert (1B/3B), Jorge Bonifacio (OF) 2020 Over/Under: 25.0 TEAM OVERVIEW The Royals are a pretty top-heavy team, which could benefit them in the shortened format. Their offense is led by Jorge Soler, who blasted a league-leading 48 home runs with 117 RBIs in a breakout 2019. They're getting back one of baseball's best catchers in Salvador Perez, who missed last year due to Tommy John surgery. They've got some players. Just not enough players. General manager Dayton Moore did essentially nothing to upgrade a 103-loss team, other than adding another undisciplined slugger in Maikel Franco. Still, the plucky Royals could be pesky. STRENGTHS Perez is an undisciplined slugger in his own right, but also an elite defender and perennial All-Star. His return makes a big difference for a team that is not without its standouts, such as: Whit Merrifield, arguably the most underrated player in baseball. He was an All-Star in 2019, slashing .302/.348/.463 while playing five different positions. He has led the American League in hits two years running, led in triples last year, and led in steals in 2018 and 2017. Merrifield is a speedy bat-handling ironman who deserves far more notoriety.JORGE. SOLER. Like Merrifield, it seems we don't talk about this guy enough. That's the sad reality of playing for an irrelevant Royals team, I suppose. Soler had more home runs and RBIs last year than anyone on the Bomba Squad, and he posted a 1.076 OPS with 25 dingers after the All-Star break. He's the type of transcendent slugging talent that could do something wild like hit 30 jacks in 60 games.Hunter Dozier, who tied Merrifield for the league lead with 10 triples in 2019. The third baseman posted a Moustaka-esque .279/.348/.522 with 26 homers and 84 RBIs.Adalberto Mondesi, who tied Merrifield AND Dozier for the league lead with 10 triples in 2019 (no joke) and is entering his age 24 season. He's a former top prospect and he's crazy athletic, having slashed .263/.291/.424 with 43 steals last year, but his plate discipline has held him back thus far.The Royals are an interesting club. They had the AL's third-lowest team OBP in 2019 but the second-most steals. They aren't a power-hitting team generally, but they have the league's best power hitter. They're gonna be a thorny opponent. WEAKNESSES Maybe not that thorny though. The fact remains: even with Soler launching 48 bombs and a bunch of other scrappy dudes running wild, the Royals lost 103 games, which equates to the "Total System Failure" fiasco for Minnesota in 2016. Their rotation is weak, led by starters in Danny Duffy and Brad Keller who would maybe be competing for the Twins' fifth spot. Alex Gordon is basically a post-prime Joe Mauer presence at this point. The bullpen is flimsy. Worst of all, the Royals have an utterly mediocre farm system, and only three of their top ten prospects are above Single-A, none above Double-A. While Detroit has elite pitching prospects in the offing, Kansas City has no cavalry en route, and their rebuild has all the makings of a painful and extended one. So while the ROyals look like a better team than the Tigers at this moment, it's very possible that won't be the case by season's end. One has to wonder if they will try to cash in on Soler's high value at some point soon, with free agency just two years away. WILD CARD Speed. Kansas City's penchant for running makes them disruptive. (Think "piranhas.") They stole 117 bases in 2019 and they did so with a pretty strong 75% success rate. (The Twins stole a league-low 25 with a 53% success rate.) The Royals were also second among AL teams in triples with 40 – that'll happen when you've got three guys tied for the league lead. Now, the Royals do have a new manager in Mike Matheny, and there's no guarantee he'll exhibit the same aggressiveness as Ned Yost did. But given all the guys on this roster who can fly, and how difficult it's gonna be for them to score runs generally, I'd wager we see plenty of steals, hit-and-runs, and attempts to take extra bases. That puts pressure on opponents, even those with clear talent superiority. It could ruffle the Twins' feathers. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

In a shortened 60-game season, each AL Central opponent will account for nearly 20% of the Twins' schedule. As such, I thought it'd make sense to take a closer look at each division rival as we count down to Opening Day 2.0. We kick things off with a breakdown of the Tigers. DETROIT TIGERS AT A GLANCE 2019 Record: 47-114, 5th Place 2019 fWAR Leader (Offense): Niko Goodrum, UTIL - 1.9 2019 fWAR Leader (Pitching): Matthew Boyd, LHP - 3.3 Key Offseason Additions: C.J. Cron (1B), Jonathan Schoop (2B), Ivan Nova (SP), Austin Romine © Key Offseason Losses: Blaine Hardy (RP), John Hicks ©, Daniel Stump (RP) 2020 Over/Under: 22.0 TEAM OVERVIEW It's fair to think of the 2020 Detroit Tigers as the "Twins Rejects." They are led by manager Ron Gardenhire, fired by the Twins in 2014 after four straight 90-loss seasons. (He has now run that streak to six straight in Detroit.) Their most valuable position player last year, per fWAR, was Niko Goodrum – a middling prospect with the Twins before they let him go in 2017. He's now joined in the lineup by C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop, crowded out of the picture in Minnesota by better players and now probably the two best hitters in Detroit's lineup. Says a lot, doesn't it? STRENGTHS You have to look pretty hard to find them. This is a blatantly bad team that was likely on its way to another 100-loss season. That said, they do figure to be a bit better than last year. Cron and Schoop are clear upgrades, bringing legitimate pop to a lineup that was led by Brandon Dixon's 15 homers a year ago. Another bright spot for Detroit is that Michael Fulmer, who missed all of last year with Tommy John surgery and was expected to miss the start of 2020, should now be ready to go from the jump. The 2016 AL Rookie of the Year could pair with Matthew Boyd to give Detroit's rotation a decent 1-2 punch. WEAKNESSES Even with Boyd and Fulmer healthy, it's a bad pitching staff. They allowed 915 runs last year, more than any AL team sans Baltimore, and their biggest offseason move to address the unit was signing Ivan Nova off the scrap heap. The arms won't get much help from the gloves behind them; Detroit rated as one of the league's worst defensive teams last year, although Schoop and Cron should improve them modestly. I expect this to be one of the worst-hitting, worst-pitching and worst-fielding teams in baseball. The Twins went 14-5 against the Tigers last year, and playing to the same level against Detroit would yield a 7-3 record in their 10 matchups. WILD CARD The Tigers do have a pair of top pitching prospects who could potentially make a difference for their rotation in 2020. Casey Mize was the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2018, and has since developed into one of the game's premier young pitchers, ranking as MLB.com's No. 7 prospect coming into the season. He's 23 and had a successful run at Double-A last season, so it's not unthinkable he could be up sometime in August to ruffle feathers. Keep an eye out also for Matt Manning, a 6-foot-6 righty who is neck-and-neck with Mize for top prospect status in the system. He spent all of last year in Double-A. If these two get called up and catch on quick they can give the powerful Twins lineup some problems. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

His final numbers for the season were: .281/.332/.489, 27 HR, 94 RBI. (Not including his 3-HR showing in the ALDS.) Pretty typical Rosie campaign. Bout 5 minutes. Basically I just sim every AB in rapid-fire succession from a managerial dashboard screen. Although for a few of the bigger games (i.e. 163) I actually watched the whole sim play out, which takes more like 45 mins.

With the baseball season delayed, we spent the past few months simulating it – in its originally imagined form – on MLB the Show 20, to see how things might've gone for the Twins. Happily, we won the AL Central. Sadly, we lost in the ALDS (again). Let's wrap this thing up by taking a look at the final postseason outcomes and reflecting on takeaways from our simulated Twins results.To get caught up on what we're doing here, you can check out the introductory post in the series for an explanation of the premise and setup. But the quick version is this: We played a progressive simulated Twins season on MLB The Show 20 on PS4, and y'all helped guide the ship. PLAYOFF RESULTS Although the Twins beat Cleveland in a walk-off Game 163 thriller, it was the Indians who got the last laugh. After edging into the ALDS with a Wild Card Game win against Boston, Cleveland swept the Angels and advanced to face Tampa in the ALCS. (The Rays, of course, had knocked out our Twins 3-1 in the other ALDS matchup.) Cleveland won the ALCS in six games and moved onto the World Series, where they faced off against Washington, after the Nats topped LA in an NLCS repeat from 2019. In seven games, the Cleveland Indians defeated the Washington Nationals to become 2020 (virtual) World Series champs. Download attachment: playoffbracketfinal.jpeg Francisco Lindor was named World Series MVP after batting .348 in the seven games. Domingo Santana was the top overall performer in Cleveland's postseason run, batting .375 with four homers and 11 RBIs. Here are some of the other award-winners from the simulated 2020 season: AL MVP: J.D. Martinez, BOS (.299/.381/.590, 48 HR, 127 RBI) NL MVP: Ronald Acuña Jr., ATL (.294/.367/.607, 44 HR, 123 RBI) AL Cy Young: Chris Sale, BOS (18-5, 2.90 ERA, 283 K) NL Cy Young: Patrick Corbin, WAS (18-9, 3.65 ERA, 237 K) AL Batting Title: Mike Trout, LAA (.347) NL Batting Title: Wilson Ramos, NYM (.332) AL Reliever of the Year: Nick Goody, TEX (44 saves, 0.58 ERA) NL Reliever of the Year: Sean Doolittle, WAS (53 saves, 2.02 ERA) AL Rookie of the Year: Anderson Miller – OF, KC (.265/.309/.464, 14 HR, 58 RBI) NL Rookie of the Year: Dom Thompson-Williams – OF, MIL (.215/.261/.391, 10 HR, 33 RBI) AL Gold Gloves P - Hector Velasquez, BOSC - Jason Castro, LAA1B - Ji-Man Choi, TB2B - Ramon Urias, BAL3B - Hanser Alberto, BALSS - Elvis Andrus, TEXLF - Andrew Benintendi, BOSCF - Kevin Kiermaier, TBRF - Aaron Judge, NYYNL Gold GlovesP - Kyle Hendricks, CHCC - Kurt Suzuki, WAS1B - Freddie Freeman, ATL2B - Kolton Wong, STL3B - Nolan Arenado, COLSS - Miguel Rojas, MIALF - David Peralta, ARICF - Bryan Reynolds, PITRF - Bryce Harper, PHIAs to why the Red Sox did so well in the award voting despite finishing second in the AL East, and as to why those two mediocre rookie seasons were deemed award-worthy, I do not know. I'm simply relaying the info here. On that note, let's run through the final results for our simulated Twins. TWINS RESULTS Starting Lineup Luis Arraez, 2B: .331/.419/.483, 14 HR, 78 RBIJorge Polanco, SS: .270/.352/.437, 18 HR, 64 RBIMitch Garver, C: .266/.362/.444, 20 HR, 46 RBIMiguel Sano, 1B: .254/.359/.485, 36 HR, 100 RBIJosh Donaldson, 3B: .259/.369/.475, 35 HR, 98 RBIMax Kepler, RF: .285/.379/.464, 21 HR, 82 RBINelson Cruz, DH: .267/.342/.473, 28 HR, 99 RBIMarwin Gonzalez, LF: .281/.342/.480, 17 HR, 48 RBIByron Buxton, CF: .222/.294/.327, 6 HR, 26 RBIBench Alex Avila, C: .245/.338/.480, 12 HR, 31 RBIWillians Astudillo, C/UTIL: .291/.326/.384, 3 HR, 19 RBIJake Cave, OF, .295/.366/.468, 7 HR, 20 RBIBrent Rooker, OF: .248/.313/.406, 4 HR, 14 RBIRotation Jose Berrios: 224.2 IP, 20-5, 2.96 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 7.2 K/9, 2.6 BB/9Blake Snell: 185 IP, 12-10, 3.75 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 10.7 K/9, 3.6 BB/9Kenta Maeda: 188.1 IP, 18-8, 3.39 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 10.2 K/9, 4.0 BB/9Jake Odorizzi: 192 IP, 15-10, 3.66 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.5 K/9, 3.5 BB/9Alex Wood: 178.2 IP, 8-7, 2.77 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 7.5 K/9, 2.5 BB/9Michael Pineda: 45.2 IP, 4-2, 3.35 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 5.0 K/9, 2.2 BB/9Homer Bailey: 111 IP, 10-6, 5.43 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 6.8 K/9, 3.8 BB.9Rich Hill: 25 IP, 1-2, 10.44 ERA, 2.12 WHIP, 9.7 K/9, 6.5 BB/9Randy Dobnak: 49.1 IP, 4.38 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 5.5 K/9, 2.7 BB/9Bullpen Taylor Rogers: 71.2, 43 SV (6 BS), 2.51 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 9.4 K/9, 1.5 BB/9Tyler Duffey: 69.2 IP, 1.94 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, 10.3 K/9, 3.4 BB/9Trevor May: 64.2 IP, 3.06 ERA, 1.45 WHIP, 11.7 K/9, 5.2 BB/9Tyler Clippard: 66.1 IP, 2.71 ERA, 1.31 WHIP, 8.1 K/9, 4.1 BB/9Sergio Romo: 60 IP, 4.13 ERA, 1.54 WHIP, 9.3 K/9, 4.0 BB/9Fernando Romero: 53.2 IP, 3.35 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 6.0 K/9, 4.7 BB/9Zack Littell: 46. IP, 4.44 ERA, 1.56 WHIP, 6.4 K/9, 2.9 BB/9Cody Stashak: 9.2 IP, 8.38 ERA, 1.76 WHIP, 4.7 BB/9, 1.9 BB/9Devin Smeltzer: 5.1 IP, 8.44 ERA, 2.81 WHIP, 1.7 K/9, 8.4 BB/9INTERESTING TAKEAWAYS FROM OUR TWINS SIM Our Twins used the Injured List zero times all season. This obviously is unrealistic and pretty glitchy. I'm not sure why it happened – there definitely are injuries in the game, and other teams had plenty – but it's not the worst bug in this case. Who wants to deal with the unpleasantness of injuries in a virtual season, while a health pandemic has wiped out all actual baseball? And besides, I think this exaggerated outcome does speak to a true strength of the Twins: they were (and are) quite healthy heading into the 2020 season, with a number of prime-aged athletes and a sophisticated medical/training operation. Luis Arraez finished second in the AL in batting average (.331) and on-base percentage (.419). Arraez trailed only Mike Trout in both categories. He also batted .556 (10-for-18) in the ALDS. Arraez was just sensational in this simulation, leading the Twins in OPS. However ... Arraez and Jorge Polanco combined to commit 39 errors. Polanco's 20 were not all that stunning (he committed 22 in 2019) but the 19 from Arraez at second base were brutal. Miguel Sano had 13 errors, and was the only other player in double-digits. This highlights one of the rare foreseeable shortcomings on the 2020 Twins roster: infield defense. Josh Donaldson finished third in the AL in walks with 100. He trailed only Houston's Yordan Alvarez (112) and Boston's Xander Bogaerts (105). Although his overall production – .844 OPS, 35 HR, 98 RBI – was a bit light by his standards, Donaldson definitely delivered on this front, matching his 2019 total. Tyler Duffey was ridiculous. You can see the final numbers above, but here are a couple other things to consider. First of all, he gave up only three home runs all year, in 57 appearances. And secondly, he allowed one-third of his runs for the season in a single outing: in August where he was charged with five earned runs while recording one out against Houston. (I suspected shady tactics by the opposing Astros.) Subtract that appearance, and he had a 1.30 ERA in 69 1/3 innings. This game believes in Duffey, and so do I. Byron Buxton had a tough year at the plate. His was really the only disappointing outcome from all the simulated results. Buxton never found a rhythm offensively and batted just .222 with a 115-to-40 K/BB ratio in 511 plate appearances. On the bright side, he ranked second in the AL with 35 steals. Incidentally, I happen to think the real Buxton can be the Twins' most valuable player in this 60-game sprint. FINAL THOUGHTS Above all, I just wanna give major props to the team behind MLB The Show and its latest release. Clearly a lot of effort and thoughtfulness went into creating realistic player attributes and game dynamics, which is reflected in the (mostly) plausible outcomes in our sim. I also wanna express my sincere gratitude to everyone who voted, commented, and engaged with this series. I wasn't too jazzed about contributing another simulation to the void, but felt like infusing an interactive aspect might make it more fun for me and everyone else – if people interacted. So many of you did, and it made this series a nice little routine diversion over the past few months. With that said, I'm excited by the prospect of watching real baseball again. So if things proceed as planned and the 60-game season goes on without (catastrophic) incident, I probably won't be returning to this simulated team. If those plans go awry, however? I hope y'all are down to join me in navigating the offseason and building a champ in 2021. PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS Part 1: We Can Build This Thing Together (0-0) Part 2: 10 Games In, 6 Games Back (4-6) Part 3: Roaring Back (11-9) Part 4: Over the Hill (17-13) Part 5: Checking In at the Quarter Point (23-17) Part 6: Rising Power (30-20) Part 7: First Place! (Barely) (34-26) Part 8: Drafting and Dropping (38-32) Part 9: Cruz Control (45-35) Part 10: Pulling Ahead (52-38) Part 11: Bashing into the All-Star Break (58-40) Part 12: Deadline Decisions (62-46) Part 13: Inauspicious Debuts (66-52) Part 14: Treading Water as the Clock Ticks (71-57) Part 15: Stretch Race & September Call-Ups (78-59) Part 16: Dancing for the Division (84-63) Part 17: Down to the Wire (90-66) Part 18: Game 163 (94-68) Part 19: Twins Walk Off Game 163 (95-68) Part 20: ALDS Preview – Twins vs. Rays Part 21: Eliminated MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

In a 60-game season, where each game essentially counts as a series, slumps will be devastating. While the Twins have the softest schedule in baseball, there are still a few spots that loom as potential traps.As I size up the coming two-month sprint through the AL and NL Central divisions, three particular stretches stand out to me as challenges that could make a very good Twins team sweat. July 24th through August 2nd 3 games @ CWS2 games vs. STL4 games vs. CLERight out of the gates, the Twins will feel some heat. I happen to believe the White Sox will be a sneaky riser in the shortened format, and would bet on them winning more games than Cleveland. Minnesota opens in Chicago, then comes home to face the defending NL Central champion Cardinals, followed by a Cleveland team that's plenty formidable. Four games. Huge spot. A slow start in this shortened format will put a team behind the eight-ball, creating immediate stressful pressure. If the Twins go 3-6 in this opening stretch, they'll be digging themselves a fairly deep hole, especially since some of the losses are coming against their primary division rivals. August 18th through 26th 3 games vs. MIL3 games @ KC3 games @ CLEThe Brewers reached the postseason as a wild-card last year, led by one of baseball's best players in Christian Yelich. Milwaukee is at least the third-best opponent on the Twins' schedule, and this will be their second meeting between the two in a week. Following is a trip to Kaufmann, where wins cannot be taken for granted. (Minnesota's 2019 regular season ended with a walk-off loss in Kansas City.) Then it's off to Cleveland, for the only road series of the year against the Indians. September 8th through 20th 2 games @ STL3 games vs. CLE4 games @ CWS3 games @ CHCThis right here. This is the gauntlet. Here in September, the Twins make their first trips to Busch Stadium and Wrigley, and by now the big-market home teams will be very comfortable in their own digs. (As much as can be expected, anyway.) This stretch also includes Minnesota's final head-to-head chance against Cleveland, and another trip to Guaranteed Rate, where young talent could be starting to gel. Twelve games in 13 days on the tail end of an intense sprint. Even if the Twins play quite well, the reality is that it's gonna be almost impossible for them to build up a comfortable first-place buffer in the 43 games leading up to these ones. One way or another, urgency will accompany this tricky, travel-filled segment of the schedule. On the bright side, a nice reprieve awaits on the other end: Minnesota gets two off days in the final week, along with five home games against Detroit and Cincinnati. Hopefully the Twins will be in good enough shape by then to rest some regulars and set themselves up for the postseason. But with the 30 games in the three stretches of strong headwinds above representing half of their "soft" schedule, getting into that position will be no breeze. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Up to this point, Byron Buxton has shown he can catch anything. Except a break. A major-league career that's been characterized by setbacks and shutdowns was on track to open with another one in 2020, as the center fielder had been expected to miss the start of the season, but now fortune has finally turned in Buxton's favor.Buxton was behind the pack in spring training 1.0, ramping up slowly as he finished rehabbing from offseason shoulder surgery. Opening Day 1.0 seemed an unlikely target. Incidentally, he also got a late start to spring training 2.0, albeit for a very different reason. Buxton's repaired shoulder is now fully healed, but his arrival in Summer Camp was delayed slightly by the arrival of he and wife Linday's (amazingly-named) second son. It's no secret that injuries have plagued the 26-year-old in an MLB career that started in 2015, but has seen him appear in 100 games only once. While he had his troubles adapting to big-league stuff, rotten luck has mostly been at the root of Buxton's failure to put together a full quality campaign. One thing he HAS proven he can do, however, is play at an elite level over a 60-game span. He did so last year, playing in 57 of Minnesota's first 60 games and slashing .262/.318/.519 with 20 doubles, seven homers and three triples. Through that point, he ranked 16th among American Leaguers in fWAR. Of course, the injury bug bit soon after, and Buxton went on to start just 24 of the team's remaining 102 games. But those first 60 showed what the superstar talent is capable of, and it wasn't even the height of his potential. We've seen him better. Let's turn the clock back a little further – skipping over a 2018 campaign that was an unmitigated disaster for Buxton – and rewind to 2017. Here we find the closest thing to a complete season representative of his true ability. He played in 140 games, slashed .253/.314/.413 with 16 home runs and 29 steals, and earned the Platinum Glove as MLB's most valuable defender. His overall numbers for the '17 season were dragged down by immense early struggles. It was in the latter months, as Minnesota raced to an unlikely wild-card berth, that Buxton's game-changing ability truly emerged. He started 55 of the team's final 60 games that year, slashing .298/.342/.541 with 11 homers. He also went 13-for-13 on steals, which means you can inflate that slugging percentage for all intents and purposes. During this two-month stretch Buxton ranked sixth in the American League in fWAR, behind only: Josh DonaldsonBrian DozierMike TroutFrancisco LindorAaron JudgeBuxton's ability to make a seismic impact over 60 games is not theoretical. He's done it twice in the past two-and-a-half seasons. Staying on the field for much longer than 60 games in a row has been the issue, but for once, he's not staring down the rigors of a 162-game marathon. More importantly, Buxton is truly at the crest of his physical prime, fully healthy by all accounts. This is a perfect opportunity for his stardom to truly blossom. In an unprecedented sprint of a season, it helps to have the fastest runner in baseball. Of course, the flip side of all this is easy enough to see. A shortened schedule also means that any incident for Buxton – another collision with an outfield wall, or a jammed wrist sliding into second – would cost him a huge portion of his season. That's a tough reality. But it's frankly one we've all grown accustomed to, and one the Twins are exceptionally well prepared for, with Max Kepler able to man center and plentiful depth at the corners. The Twins can be one of the best teams in baseball without Byron Buxton. But if he can hit his stride over these 60 games, his as-yet-untapped upside could catapult them to rarified air. We've all learned better than to take that for granted. But right now, the stars are aligned for his star to shine. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Back in February, before the world unraveled, I wrote that the Twins were rolling into camp with a good case as the American League's best team. While much has changed in the four months since, I'm not sure Minnesota's case has been weakened. If anything, it's been strengthened.Preseason betting odds pegged Minnesota as the AL's third-best team, behind New York and Houston, which matched the general consensus view. MLB.com's updated power rankings have those teams in the same order now, with all trailing the Dodgers overall. I can certainly buy that the Twins are a notch below the Yankees and Astros, with all things being equal. But in late February, all things were not equal. New York was getting hit by early injury woes that figured to set them back early in the season. Houston was going through a leadership overhaul while embroiled in a massive scandal that villainized their entire organization. Many things have changed since then, but still they are not all equal. The Yankees' health situation has improved – for instance, left-hander James Paxton is now likely to be ready from the jump instead of missing three months, and the same is true for center fielder Aaron Hicks and DH Giancarlo Stanton. But they're still gonna be without starters Luis Severino (elbow surgery) and Domingo German (awfulness) all year. And while previously banged up players like Paxton, Stanton, and Aaron Judge are now purportedly healthy, you can't take for granted they'll experience smooth sailing with the short build-up to high-intensity action. This is a concern affecting every team in baseball, but the Twins, at this point *knock on wood*, are looking to be very near full strength and all systems go. Like New York, Minnesota figures to see some benefit from the late start, with Rich Hill potentially available for the full season instead of one-third of it, and Byron Buxton now expected to be ready from the jump. As for Houston, their ostensible disadvantages were more theoretical than New York's health setbacks. Who knows if their players would've been affected by the routinely hostile crowd environments, or the increased volume of beanballs, but neither will be factors anymore. What the Astros still WILL be dealing with is learning to play under a new manager – albeit a deeply respected one in Dusty Baker – while navigating this unprecedented scenario. Managers and GMs only matter so much, but there was a certain continuity represented by AJ Hinch and Jeff Luhnow. That's been snapped. And on a more basic and quantifiable level, Gerrit Cole is gone. The Twins, conversely, are fully finding their rhythm with a world-class front office and coaching staff. Rocco Baldelli is the reigning rookie Manager of the Year, while the baseball ops department has evolved into a cutting-edge machine, brimming with smart folks. Those smart folks still haven't guided the Twins to the ALCS, where Houston and New York met last October, so until further notice Minnesota remains a justifiable underdog. I will grant that none of the points above fundamentally alter that reality. Here's one thing that might: schedule. With the new regionalized reconfiguration in place for 60 games, the Twins are slated to face Central division teams exclusively. They have the easiest strength of schedule in the majors based on last year's results, and won't face any team in regular season action that won more than 93 games in 2019. The benefits of having cellar-dwellers Kansas City and Detroit in the division are magnified greatly by this new format, and while Cleveland gets to enjoy the same advantage, New York and Houston don't. The Astros are forced to deal with a healthy helping of the A's and Angels (I view the top-heavy Halos as a sneaky riser in the shortened season). Houston will also be stuck with the Dodgers in interleague play, while the Twins are saved from that original assignment. The Yankees, meanwhile, must fend off the pesky Rays and wrangle with the Red Sox, not to mention touring a deep NL East that features Washington, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and the Mets. That's a murderer's row compared to the NL Central, which was baseball's weakest division in 2019 and doesn't project a whole lot better in 2020. The Twins might not be a better team than the Yankees or Astros, but I would bet on them to win more regular-season games than either, based on the simple reality that they're lined up to experience far less resistance. No. 1 seed, here we come. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

In their ALDS matchup against the Rays, the virtual 2020 Twins finally snapped a long-running postseason losing streak for the franchise, but still failed to advance, as the players we traded away at the deadline exacted their sweet revenge. Let's break down the bitter end of this simulated season for the 2020 AL Champs.To get caught up on what we're doing here, you can check out the introductory post in the series for an explanation of the premise and setup. But the quick version is this: We're playing a progressive simulated Twins season on MLB The Show 20 on PS4, and y'all are helping guide the ship. In each installment I'll update you on what's happened since the last, and put at least one key decision up for vote. LATEST RESULTS (1-3) ALDS Game 1: L 3-2 (Sano 0-4, 4 K)ALDS Game 2: L 3-1 (Sano, Kepler, Cruz: 0-10)ALDS Game 3: W 11-5 (Cruz 3-6, 2 HR, 6 RBI)ALDS Game 4: L 9-5 (Odorizzi & Wood: 5 IP, 9 ER)THE PLAYOFF PICTURE We fell in four games to the Rays. Although our Twins did win Game 3 to end an 18-game postseason losing streak, they still went pretty quietly in this simulated ALDS, with a familiar breakdown in the offensive performance and execution that carried them through the regular season. And beyond their own self-created issues, there was the Eddie Factor. I'll provide game-by-game recaps below but suffice to say our former left fielder made us pay for the deadline deal that sent him to Tampa for Blake Snell. Elsewhere in the AL, Cleveland beat Boston in the Wild Card Game and then swept the Angels in the ALDS, so it'll be Cleveland vs. Tampa in the ALCS. Both NLCS series are tied 2-2 on this date in the sim (10/7/20). Download attachment: playoffbracket107.jpeg ALDS SERIES RECAP GAME 1: RAYS 3, TWINS 2 On a 44-degree evening in Minneapolis, the Rays and Twins engaged in a tightly contested pitcher's duel. Jose Berrios had his good stuff, but so did Charlie Morton. Both starters struck out eight batters over five-plus innings, but also ran up big pitch counts. After each had left in the sixth, Tampa led 2-1. The bullpens took over and put up zeroes, and Trevor May was looking particularly nasty, striking out four straight before he left a curveball over the plate against Eddie Rosario with two outs in the top of the eighth. Rosario put it on the overhang in right field, and his insurance run – putting Tampa ahead 3-1 – proved crucial as the Twins rallied for a one in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't get another. Download attachment: rosariohomerun.jpeg Rosario earned the Player of the Game nod. Berrios was tagged with a loss for the first time since May. Miguel Sano went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts out of the cleanup spot, helping negate a four-hit game for Luis Arraez (whose .331 average in the regular season ranked second only to Mike Trout in the AL). Download attachment: game1final.jpeg Game 2: RAYS 3, TWINS 1 My cynical blurb in the series preview turned out to be deadly accurate: Kenta Maeda, an 18-game winner and All-Star, battled through six erratic innings (5 H, 5 BB, 4 K, 3 R, 2 ER) while 22-year-old rookie Jordan Balazovic sliced the Twins lineup to pieces: 7 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K. You can't make it up. Download attachment: game2matchup.jpeg Sergio Romo and Taylor Rogers combined for three shutout innings behind Maeda but the Twins couldn't even muster a base runner in two innings against Tampa's bullpen. Once again the talent-laden Minnesota offense completely shut down on the biggest stage. Sano came up empty again in the cleanup spot (0-for-4 with 2 Ks), while the trio behind him – Donaldson, Kepler, Cruz – went 1-for-10. Having lost both games at home, the Twins headed to Tampa staring down elimination, and looking to their own deadline pickup to salvage the season. Game 3: TWINS 11, RAYS 5 Blake Snell was hardly spectacular in this one (6.1 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, 4 BB, 9 K) but he gave the Twins everything they needed as their bats FINALLY awakened. The Bomba Squad made it rain on Tropicana with 11 runs on 16 hits, breaking loose with a three-run seventh and five-run eighth. Arraez went 4-for-6, his second four-hit game of the series. Cruz went 3-for-5 with two homers and six RBIs. Kepler, Garver and Buxton each had multiple hits. Sano ... went 0-for-4 with a walk and three strikeouts. Download attachment: game3recap.jpeg Having finally gotten the monkey off their back, the Twins had a chance to take one more in Tampa and bring the series back to Target Field for Game 5. Game 4: RAYS 9, TWINS 5 Sadly, this is where it ended. In the series preview article, I polled readers to see who you wanted to start in Game 4. I suspect more people would've opted for Berrios on short rest if they knew we'd be up against elimination, but alas, that was a difficult caveat to factor in. Jake Odorizzi beat out Alex Wood for the most votes, so he got the nod, and it went pretty disastrously. The Rays jumped all over Odorizzi for four runs in the first inning, including a three-run homer from Rosario. With Wood warming up in the pen, Odorizzi went out for the second but was jumped on again. We pulled him and turned to Wood, who quickly gave up a couple hits followed by a devastating three-run homer off the bat of – you guessed it – Rosario. Through two innings Eddie had two jacks and six RBIs. By the end of the second it was already 9-1 Rays. The Twins mounted a couple humble threats and scratched across four more runs, with Marwin Gonzalez having himself a nice day (3-for-4, two runs, two RBIs) but there was no digging out of this hole. Download attachment: game4recap.jpeg As we put a bow on it: Our top performer in the series (same as all year long): Luis Arraez, who went 10-for-18 with four runs scored and only one strikeout in the series. Our biggest laggard: Miguel Sano, who went 1-for-17 with nine strikeouts after leading the club in home runs (36) and RBIs (100) during the regular season. And the ALDS MVP easily goes to Eddie Rosario, who hit three key home runs for the Rays in the series, including two in a six-RBI Game 4 outburst that sent his former team packing. Thanks to all who've followed along and interacted throughout this virtual season. It's been a lot more enjoyable than I expected, and I hope it gave some of you a fun diversion during baseball's strange absence over these past several months. Collectively, we made a bunch of decisions. Some helped our team get over the hump with a second straight division title, others came back to haunt us. So goes baseball, and life. I'll check in once more with a final simulated 2020 season update – sharing the rest of the postseason results and reflecting on some takeaways from this exercise – then I'll most likely sunset the series as we turn our attention back to real baseball. With that said, if things happen to unravel with MLB's plan to return for a 2020 season, I fully reserve the right to fire this thing back up in offseason mode. PREVIOUS INSTALLMENTS Part 1: We Can Build This Thing Together (0-0) Part 2: 10 Games In, 6 Games Back (4-6) Part 3: Roaring Back (11-9) Part 4: Over the Hill (17-13) Part 5: Checking In at the Quarter Point (23-17) Part 6: Rising Power (30-20) Part 7: First Place! (Barely) (34-26) Part 8: Drafting and Dropping (38-32) Part 9: Cruz Control (45-35) Part 10: Pulling Ahead (52-38) Part 11: Bashing into the All-Star Break (58-40) Part 12: Deadline Decisions (62-46) Part 13: Inauspicious Debuts (66-52) Part 14: Treading Water as the Clock Ticks (71-57) Part 15: Stretch Race & September Call-Ups (78-59) Part 16: Dancing for the Division (84-63) Part 17: Down to the Wire (90-66) Part 18: Game 163 (94-68) Part 19: Twins Walk Off Game 163 (95-68) Part 20: ALDS Preview – Twins vs. Rays MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Good question. I was curious so I went back and looked through their transaction history. They had quite a busy spell in June – in the same week they: Acquired Devers from Boston for Austin Meadows & Yandy Diaz.Acquired Aledmys Diaz from Houston for a pitching prospect.Traded Tyler Glasnow to the Cubs for top SS prospect Nico Hoerner. Between that and Snell-to-Twins at the deadline, they're kinda like rebuilding and contending at the same time I guess? Sounds like the Rays. Yeah, it's weird. For suspension of disbelief, I'm choosing to assume/imagine that he has some sort of minor injury that makes him unavailable for the next few days.