alexlegge

Indeed. His first half in 2010 was a step above even his MVP season. He was arguably the best player in the game. Now he's arguably the best color commentator in the game. Thankfully that puts him at much less risk of job-related brain trauma. I suppose there are worse realities than this one.

Hey, 2 out of 3 ain't bad, right?? If we have 2 out of 3 anytime this weekend, it'll be a very good sign.

That grand slam increased their championship win probability more than any other play that year. Sano is imperfect. He's human. He struggled with conditioning and had some concerning off-field moments throughout his career. Undoubtedly, he would've benefited from having Nelson Cruz as a permanent life coach (heck, early-career Nelson Cruz would've benefited from having late-career Nelson Cruz as a life coach). Personally I tend to agree with your take here. That being said, I don't necessarily think it's unethical to make fun of Sano the athlete. I wouldn't actively promote it, but it feels more 'gauche' than 'gross.'

Imagine if playing hockey actually helped prevent brain injuries....what a boon that would've been to Twins teams of yore!!

Twins record, games in which trio of Correa/Buxton/Lewis all appear: 6-0 Twins record, all other games: 18-20

If Buck had to keep a ball in a glove on his hand for a year, I have no doubt he could manage, including in his sleep. But yeah - the mechanics of this collision looked a bit more concerning for Correa. Though I hope that the decision to take Buxton out a half-inning later was just a matter of delayed precaution.

There's some funky magic dust that helps the Twins and Wolves play off each other's success this time of year. If one team wins, it re-ups the magic dust supply for the other team. Either team can afford to lose a game, but the natural supply of magic dust will quickly vanish if the losses start piling up. UNLESS, that is, we embrace the pseudo-science of Minnesota Sports Alchemy (I know, I know, 'pseudo' is really doing a lot of work there, but doesn't it always?). As an avid disciple of this dark art, I've deduced that a recipe for this magic dust can be approximated by manipulating famed MLB juicer attention spans. In fact, I'm pretty certain of 2 ingredients, which in tandem seem capable of producing an unstable cloud of chaotic sports magic. MN sports magic dust recipe (INCOMPLETE - please help): - keep A-Rod focused on anything other the Twins - keep Roger Clemens focused on the Twins - remaining ingredients TBD [Logically, there must be some role for Barry Bonds....but what???] [Other possible components: David Ortiz? Jorge Polanco? Nelson Cruz? Brain & Nerve Tonic?] Note: This magic dust only applies to Target-sponsored teams. Call me a skeptic, but I don't think there's any magic dust capable of solving the Viking's playoff riddles. That requires an elite QB and an elite kicker. As a MN sports alchemist, I'm not in the business of creating elite sports talent out of nothing.

Lee appears to be heating up, which is a very good sign. There's a notable medical reason to be more optimistic here: the rate of recurrent herniated discs among athletes is relatively low: 10ish percent. By comparison, Royce Lewis' two main injury concerns have been ACL tears (20ish percent recurrence rate) and hamstring strains (30ish percent recurrence rate). There are various reasons for these discrepancies, but it's worth noting one of the simpler ones, because it applies to Correa and Lewis: recurrence rates of lower extremity injuries factor in the possibility of re-injuring the same side *or* the opposite side. In other words, a strain to your right hamstring increases your risk of straining *either* hamstring thereafter. Spinal injuries, on the other hand, tend not to have the same risk-doubling effect, because we only have *one* spine to worry about (thankfully, the majority of spinal discs aren't particularly susceptible to sports-related herniations). This is an over-simplification of an advanced medical topic, but there's more than a kernel of truth to it. The little we've seen of healthy Brooks Lee has been phenomenal. Hopefully he doesn't turn into a pumpkin (or a low-probability statistic).

2nd best catch of the year (considering the circumstances), and there's a big drop between 2 and 3.

Nice reflection piece here. I do think the decent teams of the Molitor years are worth considering here too; obviously they fell short of the postseason in 2015, but seeing raw-talent Sano and Buxton as rookies was so fun. Such a toolsy squad. Even in 2016, between starting and ending terribly, there was a stretch of 100ish games in the middle that felt far more competitive than they had during the first half of the decade. And 2017 was really the year that put Buxton's group of Twins more on the map. Polanco was a beast down the stretch and Buxton finally found his swing. Frankly, the pennant chase in 2017 season was more exiting than the one in 2023. Not necessarily more fun or more memorable, but in terms of the sheer thrill and unpredictability of it, it was great. Plus there was a sense of relief from finally getting back to playoff-caliber baseball in the Target Field era. The main difference was that the 2023 squad was able to play well for 4 games of the playoffs, whereas the 2017 squad only really managed to for 4 outs including their own in the top of the 1st

I'll cut straight to it with my pitch: There exists some point at which, even for the most hardcore fans, the cons of sending billionaires the wrong message outweigh the benefits of being able to enjoy Twins your fandom with the same ease. Whether or not you've reached that point is your decision, but I urge you to give it some consideration, and not to automatically sign up for the new sports package that will bring Twins broadcasts back to you. If you're not convinced about my pitch, here's more of my rationale: As someone born and raised in Minneapolis who has now lived in NYC for over a decade, I'm proud of my midwestern groundedness. It serves me well in the Big Apple. I tried not to get overly cynical in my immediate response to the trade deadline, despite many reasons to be frustrated....not the least of which is frustration for my parents, who as Twins season-ticket holders and Comcast subscribers this year (not to mention frequent purchasers of Twins gear) have basically been crapped on by the team up until this point. Despite my MLB.com subscription giving me TV access to fewer and fewer games each year, it's been mind-boggling that my parents, loyal fans living in the Twin Cities, have enjoyed access to only a small sliver of the TV broadcasts. Personally, I've attended three games this year: two losses at Target Field when I visited MN this April, and the ugly 15-2 blowout at CITI last week. Even after that debacle, and the trade deadline, I hadn't fully reached a breaking point. My poor parents have attended seven or eight games and seen them win in person as many times as I have (zero!). And yet, even considering all of that, I kept my cool after the trade deadline. But learning that my parents - and all of you - are being asked to pay more money now to watch the Twins...in Minnesota, in the wake of such a stupid deadline ---- that, to me, is where I drew a line. Perhaps your line is drawn somewhere else. You've probably made some modest financial commitment to the team this year (buying tickets or gear). You've certainly helped the team increase its revenue via some of your actions. Yet you've been denied aspects of fandom that you deserve. In response to an opening window of contention, you followed a team that traded away a fan-favorite for a washed up starter to cut payroll in the off-season...a team that has been unapologetic about a TV snafu that has rendered it impossible for you to watch several of their games...a team that has been flagrantly self-sabotaged by their billionaire ownership group. More frustratingly, amidst the Pohlads' open efforts to double down on their stinginess, they're now perfectly content with you being asked to pay more money merely to watch games you expected to have at the beginning of the season. And the nerve for them to allow this to happen at this time....when it became increasingly evident in the period between the All-Star Break that the Twins needed pitching help...as they coughed up several late close games, including an embarrassing extra-inning loss against a rival at a game which probably broke revenue records for them. They could've used a quality starter. Or even just used one decent bullpen arm, preferably a lefty. The only player they acquired at that deadline was a right-handed reliever who has been worth less than replacement value in each of the last three seasons....that's arguably a worse outcome than standing pat, and it makes the cynic in me me wonder if the trade was just an 'afterthought' trade made merely to pacify your frustrations -- as Comcast subscribers - before asking for more of your money. As if the Pohlads are a charity group. So again, I repeat my pitch to you: There exists some point at which the cons of sending billionaires the wrong message outweigh the benefits of being able to enjoy Twins fandom with the same ease. Whether or not you've reached that point is up to you to decide, but I hope you consider it.

Amen to this article. Blaming the fans for the drop in season ticket sales is like blaming the ocean when a tsunami damages your home. It's a perspective that can't do you any good unless you plan on moving. Please don't do that. But also: why not blame the sales department? As in, the non-baseball-ops side of things...who also have overseen the disastrous Bally snafu....am I noticing a pattern here?

One thing that doesn't get mentioned enough is the inconsistency with how they approached the "total system failure" of 2016. They hired new baseball execs and left their business/marketing operations system entirely intact. It would be akin to recognizing a total computer failure and opting to address it by doing a hardware overhaul to the RAM, fan, and circuit wires, but without touching the hard disks. Who in the heck would do that instead of spending a nominal amount more to buy a new computer?? Oh yeah, people like the Pohlads...the aggressively-stingy...dare I say stupidly-stingy? Sure enough, even that big-picture decision to cut corners has contributed to the disastrous TV situation this year.

I don't disagree with your premise, I just think that it had a net-negative impact. In other words, I certainly don't think it's a coincidence that they failed to gain any value out of three or four trades that year...and the following two years cannot find a suitable trade partner. If their farm system was so well-regarded, that doesn't seem like it would be the case. To the extent that we're both a little right and wrong here, I'd wager that perhaps you're slightly overrating the current farm system and underrating what they lost in 2022. I'm slightly underrating the current farm system and overrating what they lost in 2022. Either way, maybe where we can find a common ground here is that it feels crappy as a fan when, after that window finally opens...they show no interest in widening the opening, and largely due to their own action/inaction, they're seemingly struggling to *keep* it open.

A fan of guts, eh? You like tripe a lot? Some do, and there's nothing wrong with that. It doesn't have to be either/or. It's not an assembly line. Might I add that, in case you forgot, our bar for 20-year-high competitive window was merely "capable of winning a game in the postseason" - so that term really isn't *as* forceful as it sounds. The full farm system is more about sustainability for a 10+ year plan, whereas an opening competitive window is based on two things coming together at the right time: existing talent in the bigs (not part of the farm system whatsoever) and the rise of a core *group* of solid players at the highest levels of the minors. The Twins kind of had two solid cores back-to-back - one that broke into the league circa 2000, and one that broke in a few years later. By the time that 2nd group broke in, a lot of the first group was already in the bigs. Which is why we ended up with great baseball for most of that decade. This group is probably the strongest 'core' we've seen since then. But also, they joined a team of decent players from a previous core (Kepler, Buxton, Polanco). That's what makes the window open up more -- though when you're trading Polanco in the offseason, partially a consequence of stingy ownership, the window opening isn't very comfortable. Recall that the previous 'core' entered the league in the Paul Molitor era, a time when the Twins front office was in limbo. Remember that 10-year window without a decent core...from mid-2000s to mid-2010s?? The Ryan Doumit era?? That's where the farm system really matters. The Twins had a mediocre farm system at best, with bad player development strategies and an outdated pitching philosophy. Now, we're starting to finally see some glimpses of the 'sustainable championship-caliber baseball' that Thad Levine touted back when those guys were hired. And yet, ownership has done nothing with that window, and the 2022 trade deadline "gutting" was very unhelpful. Had any of those trades panned out OR not happened, then we might be looking at a much nicer window-opening. Right now, it's a creaky old thing that could easily come shattering down, and it barely even guarantees entry to the playoffs, let alone one win. Frankly, that's a little further closed than it was even last fall. Who's to say they wouldn't have landed bigger trades this year - or had a team that was more than 10-games above .500 - had the 2022 deadline gone differently? I stand by my original comment. It's all important and 2022 was a crappy deadline. Did they bet the farm on it? No. They just bet the intestines.

Like many, I am very frustrated with the way ownership has been trying to cut corners amidst the team's most promising competitive window in 20 years cracking open as of 2023. I do slightly appreciate that Joe Pohlad has been open about their intent all along; let's see if the messaging and/or approach changes as the broadcasting snafus begin to unsnarl. In the meantime, here's my feeble - albeit "wise" - attempt at a shred of optimism: two years ago, the narrative around baseball was that the Twins had won the trade deadline, making themselves clear favorites to win the division, while the meeker Guardians (and Pale-Hoes) stood pat. We all know how that turned out...it was an unmitigated disaster for us. Let's let the games play out (even the 15-2 losses). Worst case scenario, we end up where we were at the end of 2022, except without having gutted our farm system. ^_^

Here's the vibe of this year's deadline so far: All other contending teams, including the two that the Twins are currently chasing (Guardians and Yankees): "Good news! We've improved our team at the deadline." Twins: "Good news! Our fans will soon be able to watch our games on television. Also - I heart money!"

Is it just me, or does it seem like the last two years of Rays-Twins games have felt as though Rocco is on a scavenger hunt for all the ways in which he can be out-managed by Kevin Cash late in games? The man's not Yoda, for crying out loud. No more jedi mind meld necessary.

True! On that note, Ober's still only two starts into what will likely be a lengthy string of consecutive ERA-lowering starts. Could be a fun stat to follow. Positivity!!

Feel free to call me out for overreacting, but frankly, the bullpen looked more solid without Thielbar. Their current losing streak has been bookended by games he blew against Detroit. Ugly. Hopefully he figures things out quickly. And now that that's out of my system, here's some more positivity: on June 7, 2006, the Twins were 25-33. And I highly doubt this year's AL Central is gonna take 96 wins...

Drafted as a college senior in the 8th round of the 2009 draft, Dozier was nearly 25 by the time he made his MLB debut on May 7, 2012. A suboptimal defensive shortstop, he was quickly transitioned to second-base. He profiled as a light-hitting middle infielder, and lived up to that billing during parts of 2012 and 2013. He then proceeded to develop immense pull power for his size, notably on high fastballs, and became a key cog of several 2010s era Twins teams. He earned a late selection to the 2015 All-Star Game after finishing the first half with 19 home runs, including a memorable walk-off three-run homer against Detroit that capped a 6-run comeback victory by the Twins, which Dick Bremer called "the most electric moment at Target Field in years." Despite a forgettable second-half of 2015, Dozier continued his offensive prowess the following two campaigns, which ultimately were his most productive two in a Twins uniform. In 2016, he set an AL record for home runs by a second-baseman with 42 (since broken by Marcus Semien in 2021). The following year, he helped lead the Twins to the AL Wild Card game, as the 2017 Twins became the only team in history to make the playoffs after having lost 100+ games the prior year. He also led off that game with a home run off of Luis Severino, part of a memorable 1st inning in the Twins' losing effort. During his tenure with the team, he formed memorable double-play duos with both Eduardo Escobar (SS) and Trevor Plouffe (3B). Dozier was widely regarded as a positive clubhouse presence and media darling during his career. He was rumored to have been coveted by the Dodgers as a trade chip for multiple years, and was ultimately traded to them at the 2018 trade deadline. He went on to appear in back-to-back World Series after leaving the Twins, winning a ring with the Nationals in 2019. He retired after 9 years of major league service time. View full player

We already have a meaningful data point suggesting that this could be a slog: Royce’s comment after the game saying that it felt “basically the same.” He’s the most optimistic dude in baseball, yet he’s indicating that the crampy pain he’s experiencing after over an hour of rest is comparable to what he experienced during the high-intensity sequence of movements that triggered the injury… I’m no orthopedist, but that’s not particularly reassuring.

@Cody Christie Your expectations outlined here are pretty solid. The only other big marker for Buxton's success is avoiding any prolonged cold stretches at the plate. I'm not talking about an 0-for-18 week...more like 6 weeks of a sub-.500 OPS. That's partially on Rocco, the rest of the coaching staff, and the front office. It seems like usually those stretches signal some sort of injury concern - or at least the collective toll taken by his freakish caliber of play. Without any intervention, something like that is inevitable for him over a 162-game season. I'd much rather have him on the IL for a few weeks than dragging down the rest of the lineup while playing through pain.

One reason for optimism is that regression to the mean - in terms of health and performance - likely bodes as well for their offense as it does poorly for their pitching. If even one of Correa/Buxton/Lewis can post for 140+ games with good offensive production, that changes the equation dramatically.