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For the Minnesota Twins, 2019 was one of the most exciting seasons in recent memory. While it ended with another postseason collapse, it was marked by a much different offense than Twins fans had recently become accustomed to. Coming off an era where the offense was most commonly referred to as a nibbling group of carnivorous fish, they seemingly overnight turned into Jaws and could take out opposing pitchers in one big bite. That led to the Twins claiming the single-season team home run record by hitting 307 home runs and gaining the moniker “The Bomba Squad.” In 2023, that record is under fire by none other than the National League-leading Atlanta Braves. On the way to the season of 307 home runs, the Twins had ten players who hit at least 10 home runs. Five of those players, Nelson Cruz (41), Max Kepler (36), Miguel Sano (34), Eddie Rosario (32), and Mitch Garver (31) had over 30 home runs on the season. C.J. Cron (25), Jonathan Schoop (23), and Jorge Polanco (22) made it over the 20 home run mark. As of this writing, the Braves are on pace to hit 309 home runs as a club. Matt Olson is leading the charge for the Braves by hitting 43 home runs to this point. That is already two more than the Twins leader Cruz had in 2019. Marcell Ozuna (31) and Austin Riley (32) are also above 30 home runs. Ronald Acuna Jr. (31) also just joined the 30 home run club Thursday night as he became the first player in MLB history to hit 30 home runs and steal 60 bases in the same season. Ozzie Albies (28) is just behind them. Something especially interesting is Eddie Rosario is now on the Braves squad and looking to grab the team home run title for a second time. While Rosario struggled initially after leaving the Twins, he has, like so many, found a productive home in Atlanta. He currently sits at 20 home runs and is hitting .262/.314/.487 with an .801 OPS. The Twins themselves are still a power-hitting club. Minnesota is still far behind Atlanta, sitting sixth in the MLB with 187 home runs. Max Kepler leads the way for the Twins with 21 home runs. Michael A. Taylor and Joey Gallo are at the 20 home run mark. In comparison, Kepler is a repeat of the 2019 team; the other leaders are of a much different makeup here in 2023. As Twins fans, we will focus most on the magic number to win the division. We can certainly glance occasionally to see if the Bomba Squad’s mark will hold or if the Braves take over the top spot. No matter what, we can hold onto the fact that “he was out.”

Edouard Julien has made his case. Batting over .500 for weeks will do that. Fielding questions notwithstanding, it’s safe to declare that not only is he a borderline Rookie of the Year candidate, he’s very much our team’s new Ed. Longtime fans remember the golden days of 2016, when not one, not two, but three Eds provided Edheads with all the Ed they could handle and then some. Eduardo Escobar, Eddie Rosario, and Eduardo Nunez, on the same team, sometimes in the same lineup. We didn’t know how good we had it. Were we ever so young? One by one, those Eds went away, until the Twins were left Ed-less. Since Eddie Rosario departed after the 2020 season, the Twins have not made the playoffs. They haven’t even finished above .500. Correlation doesn’t equal causation? Yeah, right. No Eds, no postseason. The facts speak for themselves. [NOTE FROM STU: It’s true that pitcher Edgar Garcia appeared in six games for the Twins in 2021. But, as we all know, Edgars don’t contribute to your team’s Ed count. You can argue it’s unfair but you’re arguing with the wrong person. I just work here.] But in 2023, a new Ed has appeared. A Canadian Ed if you can believe such an absurd thing. Does Gord Julien capture our hearts and minds? Of course not, he’s playing hockey in some raccoon-infested Toronto suburb, wasting that beautiful swing on slapshots and wristers. Fortunately, his folks named him Ed. The rest is a story still being told. Does the appearance of this new Ed mean an Ed-aissance for the Twins? A quick look at their minor league system shows a cupboard bare of prospective Eds. Daunting as that might seem, the current Twins regime has proven capable of moving prospects for veterans when they think it’s necessary. There’s some Eds out there. Dare to dream. Dare to compete. Dare to win. With Ed. Until then, we celebrate you, Ed Julien. Thank you for letting us believe again.

The Twins signed Emmanuel Rodriguez during the 2019 international signing period for $2.5 million. At the time, MLB.com called him the “next Eddie Rosario,” which may have conjured up some mixed feelings for Minnesota fans. As a 16-year-old, Rodriguez showcased many skills that were comparable to Eddie Rosario . His powerful swing could spray the ball around the field, and he had a strong outfield arm. He was considered one of the top international players during his signing period, and the Twins hoped his advanced approach would help him during his professional debut. Unfortunately, the pandemic meant he didn’t debut until the 2021 season in the FCL. In 37 games, he hit .214/.346/.524 (.870) with five doubles, two triples, and ten home runs. His 23 walks helped improve his overall on-base percentage, and he went 9-for-13 in stolen base opportunities. His biggest issue was that he struck out 56 times in 126 at-bats, which was more swing-and-miss than an organization wants from a young player. It was a decent debut, but he hadn’t placed himself among the team’s top prospects. Minnesota sent Rodriguez to the Florida State League in 2022, where he was over two years younger than the average age of the competition. In 47 games, he hit .272/.493/.552 (1.044) with five doubles, three triples, and nine home runs. He continued to show an advanced approach at the plate and drew more walks (57) than strikeouts (52). His numbers are even more impressive because he only faced younger pitchers in four plate appearances for the season. His season was cut short when he tore the meniscus in his right knee while sliding into a base. It was a disappointing end to a season that put him in the conversation as a top prospect. Entering the 2023 season, Emmanuel Rodriguez was among baseball’s Top-100 prospects, according to the three major national outlets. Baseball Prospectus (42nd) and Baseball America (46th) had him among the Top 50, while MLB.com ranked him 88th overall. At Twins Daily, Rodriguez ranked as the third-best prospect in the Twins organization behind Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis. Different outlets value certain traits when it comes to ranking minor league players. Some prefer a player who has proven himself in the upper levels of the minors, and others prefer to consider a player’s overall ceiling. Clearly, Rodriguez was a player that evaluators would watch closely throughout the 2023 campaign. Rodriguez had an interesting start to the season with Cedar Rapids. In his first seven games, he went 5-for-27 (.185 BA) with 17 strikeouts in 34 plate appearances. All five of his hits went for extra bases, including three home runs which resulted in a .953 OPS. He was placed on the Injured List (IL) with a strained left abdomen and didn’t appear in a game from April 15th to May 6th. There were struggles at the plate when he returned from the IL. In 20 games during May, he posted a .572 OPS with three extra-base hits and a 30-to-17 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Core muscle injuries can linger, which might have been one reason for Rodriguez’s struggles. Rodriguez began to find his offensive stroke as the calendar flipped to June. In the month's first 20 games, he hit .315/.452/.589 (1.041) with three doubles, one triple, and five home runs. He posted a significantly improved 19-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio while being a perfect six-for-six in stolen base attempts. The Kernels continue to use him in center field regularly, but he has also made four starts in right field for the first time in his professional career. Even with time on the IL, he has played in more games than any other professional season, and he’s started to showcase all five tools. Royce Lewis recently graduatd from prospect eligibility, putting Rodriguez in the conversation as the organization’s top prospect. Rodriguez must prove that his hot hitting in June is not a fluke and that he can continue to thrive while facing older pitching. By season’s end, he has an opportunity to be among baseball’s Top 25 prospects, but there is still work to be done in 2023. What impressions do you have regarding Emmanuel Rodriguez over the last two seasons? Would you rank him as the organization’s top overall prospect? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins have seen several outfielders leave the organization since 2020, and in that time, they have kept a struggling and deep-declining Max Kepler. Who are these outfielders the Twins let go over the last three years, and how have their careers been over the last three seasons? Jake Cave The Twins put Cave on the waiver wire at the end of the 2022 season and after the Baltimore Orioles grabbed him and did the same, he ended up with the Philadelphia Phillies. Cave saw some playing time with the Phillies early this season playing in 20 games for them but didn’t provide much offensive production as a fourth outfielder. His numbers at Triple-A have been an entirely different story as he’s torn up pitching at that level posting a triple slash of .374/.454/.728 and an OPS of 1.181 with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in across 36 games. While these are numbers from Cave’s production at Triple-A, they’re still better than any 36-game stretch Kepler has had since 2019, and his 20 games in the Majors are still that of a fourth outfielder. He hit .222/.286/.333 with a .619 OPS in 63 at-bats, and while Kepler has had better stretches of 20 games than this Rob Refsnyder Refsnyder became a full-time outfielder while he was with the Twins in 2021 after every other man who could play center field got hurt. Refsnyder parted ways with the Twins at the end of that season and has become a bench player for the Boston Red Sox in the two seasons since. There he’s played the most games he has with any franchise in his career at 102 and has proven to be versatile in his role with the team. Refsnyder has accumulated a triple slash of .296/.399/.451 and a .849 OPS with seven home runs and 42 runs batted in 295 plate appearances with the Red Sox over the last season and a half. In Kepler's last 102 games dating from June 18, 2022 to June 18, 2023, Kepler has had a .201/.278/.328 triple slash and a .605 OPS with 10 home runs and 33 runs batted in across 348 at-bats. Brent Rooker Rooker had a chance to show some of his talents with the Twins as their 2021 season crumbled in the latter half. He didn’t get anywhere near the same playing time in 2022 after being traded to the Padres a day before the season started, and later playing in 14 games with the Royals after the Padres designated him for assignment. Rooker is now a member of the Oakland Athletics, has seen the majority of his games at DH, but has still played 25 of his 65 games in outfield. In the first month of the 2023 season, Rooker was a whole new ball player as he had a .353/.465/.779 (1.245), nine home runs, and 22 runs batted in. Rooker slumped at the plate after the month of May hitting only two home runs, driving in 10 and posting a .198./.290/.327 (.616). Rooker has been hitting slightly better in June than he did in May and his numbers during the month of April top every month of a season Max Kepler has had since 2020 in those statistical categories. While trading Rooker away is starting to look bad now, the place where he is shining into his potential as a player is much more needed in Oakland with a fan base dealing with much worse circumstances. Eddie Rosario He may not have had the best strike-zone judgment, but his hitting abilities over the last three season has landed him an NLCS MVP and a World Series ring. Rosario’s 2022 season was bad. He played in only 80 games and hit well below league average, .212/.259/.328 (.587). This season has been another story at least. In 61 games, he’s been back to his regular self posting a .256/.294/.479 (.773) with 11 home runs and 31 runs batted in. The full season totals since 2021 though show a different picture as Rosario has a .246/.291/.423 triple slash and 91 wRC+ to Kepler's .214/.304/.379 triple slash with a 92 wRC+. LaMonte Wade Jr. When the Giants acquired LaMonte Wade Jr. from the Twins in 2021, he was coming in as a fourth outfielder on the roster. Three years later, he’s now their everyday first baseman and successor to Brandon Belt. Wade Jr. is fulfilling the potential he showed as a prospect in the Twins farm system years ago. He ranks second in the big leagues this season in on-base-percentage (.416) to his old teammate, Luis Arraez (.440). His OPS+ this season is at 145, which is good enough to place him ninth-best in the National League. Even with the positional change, Wade Jr. joins this group as showing much more production in 67 games at the plate this season than the Twins have seen from Kepler over the last three years. Looking at it all now, the majority of these six players who have left the Twins outfield core over the last three years have had month-long or career-best stretches that eclipse any offensive production Kepler has shown in the last three years combined. Over 281 games since 2021, Kepler has a .215 batting average, a .305 on-base percentage, a .380 slugging percentage, and a .685 OPS. That places him below average in all these categories. His highest OPS+ in the last three years hasn’t even reached the league average of 100, falling two points short at 98. While many of these players provide positive what-ifs from their performances since leaving Minnesota. There’s no telling if they would have replicated the same results staying here. Either way, it may be safe to say that Refsnyder, Rooker, Rosario, and Wade Jr. would have been safe bets to keep than Kepler at this point.

MLB free agency is really one name for two overlapping but distinct tasks. One of those is finding short-term answers to immediate problems. In this aspect, a front office needs to reinforce thin areas on their roster; balance the pursuit of upside with the necessity of setting a firm floor for a given roster spot; and husband their resources as closely as possible. They need to fill holes without leaving themselves ossified or cornered when the opportunity or the need to change tack arises. The other task that makes up free agency, though, is adding high-impact talent to the franchise on a long-term basis. This is talked about too rarely, but it’s crucial. That’s because, ultimately, having star-caliber players is a non-negotiable prerequisite for consistent contention. To longtime baseball fans, this can seem like the vapid talk of a cotton-headed basketball or football fan. No individual can have the same impact on a ball club as LeBron James can have on a basketball team, or even the impact that any of several good quarterbacks can have on their rosters. One of baseball’s beautiful characteristics is that depth will out, and that good teams are unavoidably reliant upon a broader base of contributors. Every roster spot matters, and stars can’t carry subpar fellows very far. The bottom 60 percent of a 26- and a 40-man roster needs to be full of guys who hew closer to average than to the replacement level, or else a team will stall out over the long season. True though that might be when it comes to analyzing a team based on its two or three best players, it fades into irrelevance if you judge a team by its seven or eight best. Good teams need above-average players—not a couple of them, but a cadre. It’s simple math, really. If you have that army of credible, almost-good players rounding out the bottom of the roster, you’ve set a floor somewhere between 70 and 75 wins. If the top handful of batters and pitchers are each just a win above average, though, you can’t push much past 85 wins. Teams with real chances of reaching and causing trouble in the postseason, and especially those who stand any chance of doing so multiple times in a span of a few years, need to have clear paths to 90 wins or more. A deeper dive into players who post a 4+ WAR tells why the Twins have been coming up short against the more elite teams in the American League, including in the postseason. But we reward our Caretakers with the meatier stories like this, since they’re the ones that support paying writers for a more thorough examination. If you would like to join them, you can read this story and also get other perks, like a free ticket to the Winter Meltdown, meet and greets, special recognition in the comments sections, and more exclusive in-depth explorations of Twins topics. Just sign up here. We would love to have you join the hundreds of people that value having Twins stories, rumors and conversation 365 days per year. Thank you for considering it.

Plenty of former fan favorites populate the rosters of the National League’s best teams this season. Not all of these players have performed admirably this season, but the playoffs allow for players to shine on the biggest stage. Here are eight former Twins to watch on the NL’s playoff teams. Mets: Trevor May, Eduardo Escobar Escobar is in his 12th big league season with his fifth different organization. During the 2022 campaign, he has been the primary third baseman for the Mets in their fight for the NL East title. However, his defense at third ranks among the NL’s worst for third basemen, as only Alec Bohm has a lower SDI. Escobar provides other dynamics to a club as he has an OPS+ above 100 for the fifth consecutive season, where he has played more than 60 games. The Mets haven’t made the playoffs since 2016, so the club has pressure to win in October. May is heading to free agency at the season’s end, so he wants to end his Mets tenure on a high note. In 23 appearances, he has an ERA north of 5.50 with a 1.57 WHIP. He is striking out more than ten batters per nine innings for the sixth consecutive season. He’s had multiple IL stints this year for a stress reaction on the lower portion of his humerus and a COVID situation. In September, he has a 3.14 ERA while holding opponents to a .694 OPS, so the Mets hope this carries over to the postseason. Braves: Jake Odorizzi, Ehire Adrianza, Eddie Rosario, Robbie Grossman Odorizzi was pitching well for the Astros to start the season, but the Braves traded for him at the deadline for reliever Will Smith. Since joining Atlanta, Odorizzi has posted a 5.66 ERA with a 1.67 WHIP in nine starts. Odorizzi isn’t guaranteed to make the playoff rotation with other strong pitchers, but Spencer Strider’s injury may give Odorizzi an opportunity. Adrianza made ten playoff appearances during the Braves’ 2021 World Series run, and the club found a way to bring him back for 2022. He started the year in the Nationals organization, but the Braves traded Trey Harris to Washington for Adrianza. So far in 2022, Adrianza has hit .174/.267/.207 (.473) in limited action. He will likely serve as a bench option for Atlanta as a late-inning defensive replacement. Rosario was a playoff hero for the Braves last season, winning the NLCS MVP before heading to free agency. Atlanta re-signed the outfielder to a 2-year, $18 million contract, and he’s having a career-worst offensive season. In 76 games, he has posted a 69 OPS+ with 18 extra-base hits. Rosario has missed time this season with an eye injury and a hamstring problem. Can Rosario make Braves fans forget his poor season with another October to remember? After leaving the Twins, Grossman revitalized his career in the A’s and Tigers organizations. Since 2019, he has posted a 99 OPS+ while playing strong outfield defense. The Braves acquired Grossman from the Tigers at the trade deadline for Kris Anglin, and he has raised his OPS by 61 points since moving to the NL. Atlanta has multiple outfield injuries that may push Grossman into a more critical role. Dodgers: Brusdar Graterol Graterol is having his best big-league season as he has set career-best marks in ERA, strikeouts, H/9, and ERA+. Los Angeles continued to use him in late-inning situations as he earned the first three saves of his career. His postseason numbers are even better than his regular season totals. In 18 appearances, he has a 2.04 ERA with a 0.62 WHIP and a 13-to-1 strikeout to walk ratio. The Dodgers look like one of baseball’s best teams, and Graterol will be asked to get some big outs in October. Phillies: Kyle Gibson The Phillies are fighting for their playoff lives, and Gibson might be one of the players to push them into the postseason. Gibson is heading to free agency this winter, so October is an opportunity for him to shine. Last season, he was a first-time All-Star but struggled after being traded to the Phillies (5.09 ERA). In 2022, he posted a 4.84 ERA with a 1.32 WHIP across 30 starts. Gibson was terrific in August with a 2.30 ERA as he held batters to a .637 OPS. Philadelphia will need that version of Gibson to make a deep October run. Can any of these players have an Eddie Rosario-type October in 2022? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Nearing the end of his seventh big-league season, Gio Urshela’s offensive profile has been interesting to follow throughout his career. It took until his age-27 season for a team to give him a chance to play over 100 games, and he made the most of the opportunity. In 175 games between 2019-20, he hit .310/.359/.523 (.881) with a 134 OPS+ and 72 extra-base hits. He was a well above-average hitter that offered some defensive flexibility. It looked like the Yankees had found another strong player off the scrap heap. During the 2021 season, his offensive numbers struggled as he posted a 97 OPS+ while striking out 109 times in 116 games. He ended the season with a .720 OPS and questions about his long-term role with the Yankees. His defense at third base also struggled as he posted a -1.2 SDI, which is one of the metrics used to award Gold Gloves. Only four American League third basemen had a lower total during the 2021 season. Coming off his down season, Minnesota acquired Urshela along with Gary Sanchez as part of the Josh Donaldson trade. Urshela seemed like he had the potential to be a bounce-back candidate, and the Twins acquired him with multiple years of team control. For the 2022 season, Urshela made $6.55 million through the arbitration process, and he will be scheduled to make more in 2023. So, should the Twins offer him arbitration or let him test the free agent waters? Entering play this weekend, Urshela has very similar offensive numbers to 2021. His .741 OPS is just over 20 points higher than last season, and he has almost an identical amount of extra-base hits. However, giving context to those numbers is crucial because offense is down across baseball this season. His 114 OPS+ ranks above league average and in the 67th percentile or higher in Max Exit Velocity, xSLG, and K%. Not everything has been perfect for Urshela this season. Among Twins hitters, he has the seventh highest Win Probability Added, which places him between Kyle Garlick and Royce Lewis. His defense has also been below replacement level, as only one AL third baseman has a lower SDI ranking. There have been good and bad moments for him throughout the season, but the team will have to consider what value he can provide the team for 2023. FanGraphs pegs Urshela as providing the Twins with $8.4 million worth of value so far in 2022. That is significantly more than the $6.55 million Minnesota is paying him this season, but it might be similar to where his arbitration figure ends up for 2023. Entering the 2021 season, the Twins had to decide whether or not to offer arbitration to Eddie Rosario. He was scheduled to make around $12 million in arbitration, and the front office decided to go in a different direction. It was the right decision, even if he had some big playoff moments for the Braves. The Rosario decision was likely more straightforward than what the team will do with Urshela. Looking ahead to next season, the Twins will have multiple options to play third base. Luis Arraez, Jose Miranda, and Royce Lewis are all options to fill the role at the hot corner. All three players are part of the team’s long-term plan, and Urshela’s arbitration money might be more wisely spent on other roster pieces. Do you think the Twins will offer Urshela arbitration? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

5. Trevor Plouffe: 55 HR Plouffe hit the first Target Field home run during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He also hit a milestone home run during Target Field's third season as he collected the 300th home run hit at the park. 4. Max Kepler: 64 HR Kepler has a chance to move up this list during the 2022 campaign. At the end of April, he clocked two home runs in one game against Detroit. His first career home run was one he likely will never forget as he walked off the Red Sox. 3. Eddie Rosario: 67 HR Rosario had a flair for the dramatic, and he was part of the team's Bomba Squad dramatics in 2019. He helped the Twins set a record for most players with 30 home runs in a season. One of his most significant home runs from that 2019 season was a pinch-hit homer that gave the Twins a late-inning lead. 2. Miguel Sanó: 76 HR Sanó can be a free agent at season's end, but that still gives him a chance to take over the top spot on this list. However, his cold start and recent injury may leave him searching for at-bats when he returns. There's no question that he has been one of the best power hitters for Minnesota in the Target Field era. 1. Brian Dozier: 80 HR Dozier has the most Twins home runs in Target Field history. He was also responsible for one of the Target Field's best moments. In July 2015, he smacked a walk-off home run that capped a seven-run ninth inning to give the Twins the win. Do any of these names surprise you? Which of the top-5 players has the most memorable home run? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. PREVIOUS POSTS IN THE SERIES -Home Run Hitters: 11-15 -Home Run Hitters: 6-10

What’s striking about Atlanta’s July makeover is they didn’t even go big. Their front office made several key improvements to the outfield, but taking on salary meant they didn’t have to give up much to make those upgrades. It’s pretty incredible what can be done if a team’s willing to invest. Not even go for broke, simply try. We don’t have to look back far to find a Twins team that’s comparable to this year’s Atlanta club. Back in 2017, the first year of Derek Falvey & Co.’s tenure, the Twins had one of the strangest deadlines in recent memory. They decided to go for it, then changed their minds. The Twins traded for Jaime Garcia on July 24, when they were 49-49, three games back in the division. They traded Garcia away on July 30, when they were 50-53, seven games back in the division. All-Star closer Brandon Kintzler was also dealt away on the 31st, leaving Matt Belisle to close out games. The 2017 club responded to that slight sell-off by going 20-10 in August. Back then, there was still an opportunity to make trades during August via waivers. There were some valuable pieces moved that month, but none of them to the Twins. Entering play on Aug. 31, 2017, the Twins still trailed Cleveland by seven games but were only a game back of the Yankees for the top wild card spot. Is it crazy to think a couple of improvements and a show of good faith by the front office may have resulted in the Twins catching the Yankees and having home-field advantage in that Wild Card Game? Maybe that wouldn’t have mattered and the Yankees were going to overcome the Twins no matter where the game was played, but I can’t help but wonder ... It’s hard for me to ignore the fact that Ervin Santana, who started that Wild Card Game, posted a 4.16 career ERA at Target Field and a 6.50 ERA at Yankee Stadium. José Berríos, who also ended up pitching in that 2017 Wild Card Game, has an even more extreme split, with a 3.61 ERA in Minnesota and a 6.43 mark at Yankee Stadium. At the very least, having that game played in Minnesota certainly couldn’t have hurt. The 2017 Twins were the first team in MLB history to make the postseason a year after losing 100 games, so it would be unfair to look back at that season as a failure. A missed opportunity? I think that’s fair. Even if the Twins had beaten the Yankees, they still would have had to overcome Cleveland and Houston, both of whom won more than 100 games that year. Seems far-fetched, but it’s also about as unlikely as this 2021 Atlanta team beating the 95-win Milwaukee Brewers and 106-win Los Angeles Dodgers. Highly unlikely, but not impossible. This 2021 Atlanta team shows that every front office in the league should be obligated to improve their club if they’re near .500 and have any shot of a postseason berth. A lot can happen over the final two months of the regular season. The New York Mets taking a nosedive definitely helped Atlanta’s ascension, but they definitely don’t get as far as they have without Eddie Rosario, Adam Duvall, Jorge Soler and Joc Pederson. Nobody saw this coming, postseason baseball is unpredictable and a hot team can punch above its weight on paper in a series. Give your team a chance and you never know what might happen. With 20/20 hindsight, the other issue with the 2017 decisions by the Twins front office is they hurt the club in both the short and long run. Huascar Ynoa was traded away and none of the prospects added in the second Garcia swap (Zack Littell and Dietrich Enns) or the Kintzler deal (Tyler Watson) made a big long-term impact with the Twins. It’s all water under the bridge at this point, of course, but here’s hoping this Twins front office learned its lessons and is paying attention to what Atlanta has accomplished this October.

Spoiler Alert: Your NLCS MVP is Eddie Rosario Unsurprisingly, Eddie Rosario was named the NLCS MVP last Saturday, surrounded by his loved ones including his parents, wife, children, and closest inner circle at Truist Park. Lest we forget that Rosario was DFA’d by the Twins last offseason, signed by Cleveland, and subsequently traded to Atlanta for Pablo Sandoval, who had the third slowest sprint speed of all active players. As Jesse Sanchez of MLB said in his profile of Rosario’s humble upbringing to his MVP honor, Rosario was “born to hit” and “may be the best unknown player in baseball”. Give it up one more time for Ed-die, Ed-die, Ed-die! Nelson Cruz won the Roberto Clemente Award Last night, Nelson Cruz won the coveted Roberto Clemente award for philanthropy, joining the ranks of Clayton Kershaw, Yadier Molina, Albert Pujols, and many others. Cruz was awarded this honor for his tremendous philanthropic efforts in his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz in the Dominican Republic throughout the pandemic. Here’s a list of some of Cruz’s philanthropic efforts that he aided in this past year: Provided financial support to over 1,200 families who were affected by the COVID-19 pandemic Helped feed over 700 struggling families Gifted a firetruck, ambulance, and 80 uniforms to the town after a childhood friend’s home was burned down in a fire Organized dentists and optometrists to provide check-ups, dental services, glasses, and dental services Began construction of an education center And more! Not only is Cruz one of the most beloved players of all time, but he’s also an exemplary human being. Congratulations Nelson! Josh Donaldson watched a LOT of baseball Josh Donaldson was all of us, live-tweeting during every playoff game. Max Kepler snuggled a Frenchie *Googles how to become a bulldog* Randy Dobnak wasn’t a regular mom; he was a cool mom The man induces ground balls and is the biggest hype man on the planet. Everyone needs a friend like Randy. Louie Varland caught a big fish Devin Smeltzer caught an even bigger fish Sorry Louie Brent Rooker missed Jake Cave ....and we all now know where Cave stands on duck, duck, goose. Which other Twins would you like to see here in the future? Let us know down below in the comments!

At the end of the 2020 season, Rosario posted just a 1.0 fWAR which was worth $7.7 million. He was projected to land somewhere in the $10 million range through arbitration and fell short of that number again in 2021, putting up a 0.9 fWAR and $7.3 million valuation. The Twins saw that Rosario hadn’t been worth $10 million over a single season since 2018, and it was more than evident the type of player he was. No team disagreed with Minnesota’s assessment as the talented Puerto Rican went unclaimed on waivers. He ended up in Cleveland and bottomed out. The .685 OPS across 78 games was a career-low, and despite being at peak age, Rosario was finding new ways to fall short. He was sent to Atlanta for peanuts, or better yet a Panda, and somehow came alive. He attributes the resurgence to the warming temperature, and maybe he’s right. It’s certainly easier to perform outside of the frigid north, and Rosario’s .903 OPS in his final 33 games was the performance at its best. Now he’s on center stage and has given braves fans the full experience. In Game 3 of the National League Division Series, the Braves leadoff man found himself doubled off second base on a gaffe Minnesota fans had become too acquainted with. That came after the outfielder misplay against the Milwaukee Brewers on a ball hit by former Twins teammate Eduardo Escobar. That’s just half of the Eddie Rosario experience, though. The flip side of this coin is that Atlanta is using the former Twins lefty as a leadoff man and anchor in the middle of their lineup. He’s responded with a 1.690 OPS in the NLCS, complete with two homers, a triple, and coming up just shy of a postseason cycle. Across both rounds of the Postseason this year, Rosario is batting .467 (14-30). In six previous postseason games for the Twins, Rosario had just five hits and a .217 average (5-23). There are two different stories at play here, and they’re both fascinating to watch. The first is that the highs and lows of The Eddie Rosario Experience are a complete thrill ride. The man is on his way to winning the NLCS MVP, and something like that only highlights the latter point. Winning in the postseason is about getting hot at the right time. That can be a team thing or an individual completely carrying the load. It’s hard to spend and guarantee success (just ask the Dodgers in this series or the Yankees over the last decade). Money stacks the deck in your favor, but when you deal a Panda for an Eddie, and everything breaks right, you sit back and crack some peanuts while enjoying the show. Minnesota may be riding an 0-18 streak, but this is a thrill ride all of Twins Territory can enjoy. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email

Atlanta is getting their first taste of the very best part of the ERE, as he demolishes whatever Los Angeles throws at him and puts the Dodgers on the brink of elimination. This is the Eddie that we all grew to love in Minnesota. HOWEVER. We know what comes next. I shouldn’t say we know exactly what comes next. The beauty of the ERE is not knowing how he comes crashing back to earth. Sometimes it’ll be a garden variety mistake like missing a cutoff man or blowing through a stop sign. Others are things that approach art. Given the stakes, it seems obvious that the latter is more likely. Here are my three best guesses as to what comes next: Absolutely nothing. Eddie Rosario continues his blistering pace and carries Atlanta to a World Series title. Minnesota let him walk and Cleveland traded him for the ghost of Pedro Sandoval, of course two of America’s most cursed sports cities would give Eddie extra mojo. An outfield assist goes horribly wrong. There’s a play at the plate. Eddie fields the liner on one hop, winds up, misses the cutoff man, misses the catcher, misses the entire stadium, sails the ball into traffic, hits a city bus, sends the bus into a transformer, causes a chain reaction power outage that exposes dire flaws in the Atlanta electrical grid, sends entire region into chaos and vandalism, Atlanta reverts to subsistence farming and bartering with a collection of feudal lords clashing over control of the humid land. Dodgers advance due to forfeit. A crucial plate appearance goes sideways. A mighty swing and there it goes, a walk-off HR! But no. The bat has also flown out of Eddie’s hands. It connects a second time with the ball in flight, sending it into the waiting talons of a migratory bird. The bird carries it for miles before dropping it over Tropicana Field in Tampa, Florida. It falls through a hole in the roof and hits the catwalk in foul territory. Foul ball. Eddie strikes out on the next pitch, ending the rally and Atlanta’s season. That said, I’d like to hear your thoughts below. How do these playoffs end for Eddie Rosario? Does he quit in the middle of a game to become an HVAC repair tech? Wear a Hawaiian shirt to the plate? Hide all of Atlanta’s bats and gloves before the game because he “just loves pranks.” It’s the only interesting thing left in this postseason, and I can’t wait to find out. Image license here.

Last December, the Twins had a tough decision to make about offering a contract to Eddie Rosario. He was heading to his final year of arbitration eligibility, and he was expected to cost around $12 million in arbitration. To put that in perspective, Rosario was coming off a season where FanGraphs had him pegged at providing $7.7 million worth of value to the Twins. The front office used the money not spent on Rosario to sign 40% of the team's starting rotation. Minnesota also had other options for filling corner outfield spots. Alex Kirilloff and Trevor Larnach were both expected to make their regular season debuts in 2021, and they were scheduled to cost significantly less than Rosario. Each had the potential to provide equal or more value than Rosario during the 2021 season, so this made it easier to make their Rosario decision. He was designated for assignment and no other teams put a claim on him. Rosario eventually signed with Cleveland at the end of January for $8 million. He played in 78 games and hit .254/.296/.389 (.686) with 23 extra-base hits. Among AL outfielders with 300 plate appearances, he ranked in the bottom eight in wRC and wOBA. His 86 OPS+ was five points fewer than his previous career low. At the trade deadline, Rosario was traded to Atlanta for Pablo Sandoval, who Cleveland immediately cut. The Braves added multiple outfielders at the deadline to try and make up for the loss of Ronald Acuna Jr. Rosario found his swing again with the Braves as the club was fighting for a playoff spot. In 33 games, he hit .271/.330/.573 (.903), which raised his OPS+ by 45 points compared to his time in Cleveland. He hit seven home runs in fewer than 100 at-bats which were as many home runs as he had in over 280 at-bats before the trade. During the NLDS, Rosario went 4-for-13 with two RBI and a walk as the Braves surprised the Brewers. In the NLCS, his bat has continued to stay hot. Through the first four games of the series, he went 10-for-12 with two home runs, one triple, and six RBI. Rosario has clearly impacted Atlanta’s success so far this October. Fans may be excited by Rosario contributing to a team having postseason success, but the front office still made the right decision when it came to tendering him a contract. He was still a well below-average player for a majority of the season in Cleveland. As Twins fans recall, Rosario is a very streaky hitter, and he happens to be in the midst of one of his hot streaks at the season’s most impactful time of the year. Rosario will hit the free-agent market again this winter, and his market will largely remain unchanged. He makes poor baserunning mistakes and plays below-average defense. His offense also doesn’t make up for his other deficiencies. Rosario can undoubtedly be exciting, but Minnesota made the right decision in the short and long term. What are your thoughts on Rosario’s playoff performance so far? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email