friedbrycenbeans

I'm not sure it would be? In fact, the Twins are the ONLY team in the American League to have a winning record vs. every AL division. They've handled the league (as bad as it is) really well this year. They got destroyed by the Rays... but every other team they either A.) have won or are winning the season series or B.) have been competitive Now how they've fared vs the NL... that's another story...

The current AL playoff picture reads a lot like that old saying about running into a bear. You don't have to outrun the bear, you just have to outrun your friends. 83 wins *should* snag you a spot to the dance. And FWIW, the Twins have the tiebreaker vs TOR, BOS and HOU. They are currently winning the season series vs. DET, TEX, CLE and NY. As far as the Central division goes... CLE is on an 11-17 stretch. And CHW has certainly earned the right to be respected. But the Twins will have plenty of opportunities to bring them back down to earth. This home stand is massive. Prove you've overcome your CLE demons with another series win vs them and take care of business vs LA. A 4-2 home stand means they'd need to go 35-30 down the stretch to get to 83 wins. Not easy. But not impossible either. The bullpen can derail things in a hurry. But if the offense keeps humming... it's time for people to realize this team has more than puncher's chance at punching their ticket to October baseball.

Bell with RISP this year .348/.380/.663 with a 183 wRC+

Bell since June 1st: .900 OPS .566 SLG 150 wRC+ 24 RBI He's basically been identical across the board with Buxton since June.

I don't want to see Buxton win with another team. I want to see him win with the Twins. If he takes a look around and come to the conclusion "I can't win with these cats" and wants out, I will be watching every AB he takes in October. But cripes man. We don't have much as Twins fans. Can we at least have this? Maybe... just maybe... some of these prospects will actually hit and thrive at the major league level (and not just for one singular year). And Buck can be the veteran presence that leads a new, young core to relevance. (I say this as Culpepper heads the IL cuz of course). I don't know. I'm going to be selfish here. I'm not one of those people constantly saying "I hope he waives his no trade clause and goes and plays for a winner". I understand why you feel that way. But I love Buxton too much to see him play in another uniform.

Buxton was actually 11-24 (.458). Minor error but important for my narratives.

I'll commit seppuku in the middle of target field if buxton ever plays for anyone other than the Twins

It'll make for a more interesting draft day, but I don't see a world where the Sox don't grab Roch.

I think Shelton is doing a fine job overall, but I don't think we really know anything about how he is "reshaping" this team. It's still incredibly early in his tenure and it's hard to draw much from a sample size this small. They are on pace to win 74 games, which is right where Vegas had them in the preseason. There are a ton of very talented teams underperforming now. The Twins are an undermanned team that is playing to their projections. Which is really all you can ask of a first-year manager. And to be clear, if the wheels fall off, that wouldn't be Shelton's fault either. I definitely agree you don't have to squint hard to see not just a competitive team, but a really good one potentially. It will take some players actually developing and a little more injury luck. But I think next year is the true start to a potential contention window in terms of the division.

Buxton has also turned a corner in both of those situations in the last two years. In '24 and '25, he slashed .288/.363/.524 with a 137 wRC+ with RISP In 24 in high leverage opportunities, he slashed .358/.429/.552 In 25, he slashed .236/.352/.500