All Things 2021 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

Side note: I got tickets to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Phillies at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. What a great experience. Tailgating, live band on the street outside the entrance. Beautiful location alongside the Allegheny. Good food in the concessions. It made Target Field seem dull and pedestrian. Someone from the marketing department needs to go talk with Pittsburgh because they are doing it right.
Plus it was Hawaiian shirt night so I got my souvenir.
Target Field, you're letting us down.
 

Side note: I got tickets to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Phillies at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. What a great experience. Tailgating, live band on the street outside the entrance. Beautiful location alongside the Allegheny. Good food in the concessions. It made Target Field seem dull and pedestrian. Someone from the marketing department needs to go talk with Pittsburgh because they are doing it right.
Plus it was Hawaiian shirt night so I got my souvenir.
Target Field, you're letting us down.
For one, Ive wanted to see PNC so bad. I'm going to look for conferences to go to in Pittsburgh so I have an excuse.

Target Field is way better than the dome. But when you plunk it in such a small spot, its hard to a great atmosphere all of the time, IMO
 

Having seen the White Sox lineup from 3 rows above their dugout last night, I don't see how the Twins compete with that for several years given their current state. They looked like a collection of NFL tight ends.

Except for the pop up that Sano dropped, every ball they hit was LOUD.
 

Side note: I got tickets to see the Pittsburgh Pirates take on the Phillies at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. What a great experience. Tailgating, live band on the street outside the entrance. Beautiful location alongside the Allegheny. Good food in the concessions. It made Target Field seem dull and pedestrian. Someone from the marketing department needs to go talk with Pittsburgh because they are doing it right.
Plus it was Hawaiian shirt night so I got my souvenir.
Target Field, you're letting us down.
So ... there was a live band on the street, and the ballpark is on the river, across from downtown.

That's what made it for you?

Guaranteed the concession food (over-prices as it is) in Target Field is every bit as good, probably better, than PNC, and the stadium itself is every bit as good and probably better.


Seems a silly take to me. They're both great stadiums, I imagine.
 

Is there any point in watching the Twins, the rest of this season?

Buxton coming back?
 


Twins mailbag: Post-deadline plans, TV ratings, Byron Buxton’s future and Nick Gordon vs. Rob Refsnyder​


Now that the smoke has cleared following a frantic, star-studded trade deadline that saw the Twins send Nelson Cruz to Tampa Bay for two prospects and deal José Berríos to Toronto for two more, there are all sorts of follow-up questions that need answering about the team’s present and future.

Let’s crack open the mailbag and get right to them.


Aside from the Byron Buxton contract extension or possible trade, what are some key Twins storylines to watch for this offseason? — Jacob L.

In terms of importance, the biggest offseason Twins storyline will be whether they continue to act like sellers, as they did at the trade deadline, or turn their attention to improving the 2022 club. Twins officials insist they want to reload, not rebuild, with an eye on contending next season, yet they traded Berríos and openly shopped Buxton, Josh Donaldson and other veterans at the deadline.

It’s possible Berríos was a unique situation in that he was focused on post-2022 free agency — or at least confident he’ll get a bigger payday than the Twins’ top extension offer — and brought back a sizable, better-than-expected trade haul in what proved to be a seller’s market. If that’s the case, then perhaps the Twins hang onto everyone else and try to add veteran pitching (again) this offseason.

However, if their seller status remains in place this offseason, that would mean continuing to field offers for Buxton, Donaldson, Taylor Rogers, Kenta Maeda, Max Kepler and other key pieces. You can try to label that as something other than a “rebuild” and maybe the Twins feel they can still be competitive in 2022 and 2023 even without those veterans, but it’s certainly not a “reload.”

I’ve been told trading Berríos makes sense, but I still don’t get how trading away their best/only good pitcher will help the Twins next year? — Jesse M.

There is no argument to be made that trading Berríos helps the Twins in 2022. It doesn’t. No one, with the Twins or elsewhere, would suggest otherwise. Any argument in favor of trading Berríos is that losing him hurts the Twins less for the next 1 1/2 seasons than gaining top prospects Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson helps the Twins for the future, beyond 2022. We’ll see.




Any chance Berríos re-signs with the Twins as a free agent? — Mark O.

Very unlikely. To sign Berríos as a free agent, the Twins would have to out-bid 29 other teams, which has essentially never happened for the Twins when bidding on any prominent free-agent pitcher. And that’s why Berríos turned down the Twins’ extension offers, knowing odds are one of the other 29 teams would pay him more on the open market. Additionally, it would cost the Twins a draft pick to sign him.

Can the Twins sweeten their extension offer by tearing up the last year of Buxton’s contract for 2022? — Rohn J.

Yes. My understanding of the contract negotiations is that any deal signed by Buxton would have started in 2022, his final season of arbitration eligibility. If, for example, he’d agreed to a seven-year extension, that would have covered his arbitration-eligible 2022 season — when he’s projected to be paid roughly $8 million — and six seasons of free agency.

What remains a mystery, in terms of why talks stalled, is the widely reported notion that the two sides were mostly in agreement on the guaranteed money and their disagreement was primarily with playing-time incentives. That’s the opposite of how these things typically go because teams are generally thrilled to lower the upfront money and raise the incentive-based pay.

Are we ever going to get to watch the Twins on streaming services? What, if anything, can the Twins do to put pressure on Sinclair? — El A.

It’s out of the Twins’ control, unfortunately. They’re one of 16 teams on a Bally Sports network, which are owned by Sinclair Broadcast Group. None of those 16 teams are widely available on streaming services, so half of all MLB fans are in the same boat as Minnesotans. Not surprisingly, those 16 teams, as a group, have seen their audiences plummet.

According to Forbes, the 16 teams on Bally Sports networks collectively have seen an audience decline of 19 percent compared to 2019, the last full MLB season. Meanwhile, the 14 teams not on Bally Sports networks collectively have seen a slight audience increase compared to 2019. Some of that is based on the teams involved, but the math seems pretty simple: no streaming, no audience.

That’s certainly been true locally, although it’s also true that the Twins being in last place would have led to a big drop in audience no matter what, particularly compared to the division-winning 2019 season. Whatever the case, the Twins’ television audience is down 47 percent from 2020 and 55 percent from 2019. They’ve averaged 49,000 viewers per game, compared to 109,000 in 2019.

I’ve stopped watching the games, and rely on your tweets and articles to keep up with the squad. What, if anything, should cause me to tune back in to this last-place team? — Anthony M.

I’m basically in the business of getting people to subscribe to The Athletic and to read my articles, so if you’re still doing that, then I’m happy. Convincing fans to watch games, at Target Field or on TV, is a job best left to the Twins. I will say this, though: In a season as frustrating as this one, the fact that you continue to read our Twins coverage is not something we take for granted. It means a lot.

What does the future hold for Rob Refsnyder and Nick Gordon? — Sean M.

Refsnyder returning from the injured list last week and bumping Gordon back to Triple A upset a lot of fans. I get it, in that Gordon is a former top-five pick with much more name recognition than most 25-year-olds trying to carve out a career in a bench role. I also agree, in general, that the Twins should be giving more playing time, not less, to unproven players like Gordon in a lost season.

On the surface, sending Gordon back to the minors in order to use a roster spot on a 30-year-old journeyman makes little sense, but Refsnyder has shown real upside this season after working with Triple-A hitting coach Matt Borgschulte to alter his swing mechanics. He’s hit .333/.394/.508 in 20 games for the Twins and .318/.425/.621 in 18 games for the Saints.

Maybe it’ll prove to be a mirage, but Refsnyder is elevating the ball more often and simply hitting the ball harder. He’s also shown the ability to be a far more capable emergency center fielder than expected, in addition to being an option in the outfield corners and everywhere but shortstop in the infield. Refsnyder isn’t the same player he was before 2021, and the player he is now looks good.

If you’re a big believer in Gordon, there’s reason to question why he’s increasing his fielding versatility at Triple A rather than doing so in the majors in place of Andrelton Simmons, Willians Astudillo or Jake Cave. But lumping Refsnyder into that same group may be misguided since he might be playing his way into the Twins’ plans for next season as a much-needed right-handed outfield bat.




Are the Twins working on a contract extension for Michael Pineda? If not, why didn’t they trade him? — Dylan K.

Pineda and the Twins coming to terms on an extension before he reaches free agency this offseason shouldn’t be ruled out. They like Pineda a lot, on and off the field, they’ve already signed him twice before and the 2022 rotation clearly needs help. But none of that would have kept the Twins from trading Pineda if they’d received a decent offer. They never got one, for Pineda or for Simmons.

I was happy to see Trevor Larnach lay off some breaking stuff recently and take his walks. Given how obvious the issue is, do you think he successfully adjusts? — Abe F.

(This is referring an article I wrote last week about Larnach’s struggles against non-fastballs and pitchers forcing him to adjust by feeding him off-speed stuff.)

I’m confident he’ll adjust. Not only is Larnach a very talented young hitter with a strong track record in the minors and in college, he’s often praised by coaches and teammates — and Justin Morneau, as I wrote about during spring training — for his intelligence, work ethic and devotion to improving as a hitter. Plus, a rookie struggling with off-speed stuff isn’t uncommon. He’ll put the work in.

Would the Twins rethink their 2017 draft strategy, knowing what they know now about Hunter Greene and Royce Lewis? — Ben J.

Greene, the consensus top prospect in the 2017 class, blew out his elbow soon after the Twins passed on him with the No. 1 pick, but now he’s healthy and thriving at Triple A while Lewis is out with a torn ACL. Greene is the better prospect at this point — he’s above Lewis on the midseason lists of Baseball America and The Athletic, among others — but the gap is relatively close.

Part of the Twins’ strategy involved signing Lewis for a below-slot bonus and reallocating some of their limited pool money on a high-bonus prospect later in the draft. That ended up being Blayne Enlow, a high school pitcher who fell to the third round because he wanted first-round money to bypass college. Enlow got $2 million, became a good prospect … and blew out his elbow this May.

Who are the Twins’ top-10 call-ups from Double A or Triple A beginning Sept. 1? — Marc C.

September roster expansion is no more. Previously, teams could expand their roster from 25 players up to as many as 40 starting in September, but that was eliminated last season. Now the active roster from April through August is 26 players and the September roster expands to only 28 players. You may see some Twins prospects called up for the first time in September, but not like before.

Will we see Josh Winder up with the big-league squad this year? — Tim B.

As of last month, I’d have said maybe, but I’m told Winder has been shut down for 2-3 weeks at Triple A with what the Twins are calling shoulder fatigue. It’s being viewed as a precautionary move intended to manage his workload after a 2020 season in which Winder, like most pitching prospects, threw no innings. But it’s still unfortunate news for a prospect having a breakout season.

Winder was one of the prospects the Twins pointed to as making huge strides behind the scenes last season and he showed that was for real by dominating Double-A hitters with a 1.98 ERA and 65 strikeouts in 55 innings, earning a spot in the Futures Game. Winder hasn’t been as effective since an early July promotion to Triple A and is now sidelined, likely ruling out a Twins call-up.




Will Lewis Thorpe get a chance to start again this year or has he played his last game for the Twins? — Edilberto P.

Thorpe has been on the Triple-A injured list since early June with a strained left shoulder, but he recently completed a rehab assignment and has rejoined St. Paul’s rotation. Given the state of the Twins’ staff, and the fact that Thorpe will be out of options next season and can no longer be sent to the minors, they should be motivated to take an extended look at him down the stretch.

Do you anticipate any major Twins coaching or front-office shakeups after the season? — Anthony M.

In an interview with Dan Hayes last month, Twins owner Jim Pohlad indicated that major changes are unlikely for the front office and he gave manager Rocco Baldelli a vote of confidence.

There will definitely be coaching changes. They opted not to officially replace Mike Bell as bench coach after he passed away during spring training, splitting his various duties among several coaches. That position will be filled on a full-time basis. I’d also expect at least one or two other coaching changes, although that’s purely speculation at this point.

Why can’t I stop watching games? This team is going nowhere this season and many of the games are frustrating to watch. Why do I still find myself compelled to watch? Do I need to seek help? — Dave M.

Because bad baseball is still way better than no baseball. And come December or January, you’d kill to be able to watch some random Twins loss to the Royals that would have driven you nuts in August or September.

But yes, seek help. And then let me know what they tell you.
 

Having seen the White Sox lineup from 3 rows above their dugout last night, I don't see how the Twins compete with that for several years given their current state. They looked like a collection of NFL tight ends.

Except for the pop up that Sano dropped, every ball they hit was LOUD.
To your point, here are the latest power ranking from The Athletic (The North Siders were #6 - and they got big YOUNG bats) -

26. Minnesota Twins

Record as of Aug. 9: 48-64
Last Power Ranking: 26


You can’t live your whole life looking forward or backward, lest you miss the present. This was a hard life lesson to learn; a practice I’m still working to improve. Even in difficult times, it’s best not to live with your head too far in the clouds. There are lessons to learn in hard times, and you’ll never get where you’re headed until you can accurately assess where you are. Spend too much time focused on the glory of the past, and the future sneaks up on you. Spend too much time focused on the future, and—

Actually, sometimes in a season like this, you just need a break. Let’s look toward the future, the future, and, well, indie ball.

27. Pittsburgh Pirates

Record as of Aug. 9: 41-71
Last Power Ranking: 27


Not an easy task staying “upbeat and peppy” in Pittsburgh this season. But everyone expected that, or they should have. August is the worst month for a rebuild. You just sat through four months of atrocious baseball and suddenly the realization hits that not only are there two more months of pain left in this season, but six months from now, you’ll be asked to do it all over again. Our Rob Biertempfel cut to the bone: “(GM Ben) Cherington is not going to rush guys by cutting corners on development.” Put that on a billboard!

28. Baltimore Orioles

Record as of Aug. 9: 38-72
Last Power Ranking: 28


It can’t stay bad forever! But no, yeah, it is still bad right now.

29. Texas Rangers

Record as of Aug. 9: 39-73
Last Power Ranking: 29


Eh, there’s always next year. No, no, the year after that, I meant.

30. Arizona Diamondbacks

Record as of Aug. 9: 35-78
Last Power Ranking: 30


The bar of bankrupt seasons this century was set by the 2003 Tigers, who went 43-119 for a .265 winning percentage, and the 2018 Orioles, who finished 47-115 at .290. So, in context, this Diamondbacks season will probably be saved from that humiliation.

They’re on pace for 50 wins and Madison Bumgarner is dealing again, which was actually a concern at one point not that long ago, weirdly. And there are some hot spells syncing in the lineup and some fun people en route to the bigs.

Then again, the margin for absolute embarrassment is thin with this club right now. One sideways week and the 2018 Orioles can start celebrating, wherever they are, like those buzzkills from the ‘72 Dolphins do whenever the last undefeated NFL team loses a game every season.
 

For one, Ive wanted to see PNC so bad. I'm going to look for conferences to go to in Pittsburgh so I have an excuse.

Target Field is way better than the dome. But when you plunk it in such a small spot, its hard to a great atmosphere all of the time, IMO
Ditto on PNC. I've been to Pittsburgh 2-3 times for Steelers games (the wife is a huge Steelers fan, lived there in grade school and HS) and always stay near the stadium and always walk past PNC. It looks fantastic. Not sure if they ever schedule Pirates games within a day or so of home Steelers games but I'd love to catch it sometime
 

For one, Ive wanted to see PNC so bad. I'm going to look for conferences to go to in Pittsburgh so I have an excuse.

Target Field is way better than the dome. But when you plunk it in such a small spot, its hard to a great atmosphere all of the time, IMO
Honestly, PNC is also in a tight spot, but the city goes out of its way to work with the Pirates to make the atmosphere great. They close off a couple streets and make it festive. Their public transit is not equal to ours, but they go out of their way to make things fun. You will enjoy it when you get there.
 



Maybe Austodio can transition from platoon player to an opener for the twins. He can’t be any worse than this kid they trotted out today.
That was a joke. Game was over before it started. Anyone who paid for tickets deserves a refund.
 

So ... there was a live band on the street, and the ballpark is on the river, across from downtown.

That's what made it for you?

Guaranteed the concession food (over-prices as it is) in Target Field is every bit as good, probably better, than PNC, and the stadium itself is every bit as good and probably better.


Seems a silly take to me. They're both great stadiums, I imagine.
Seems you have no direct comparison. Go to Pittsburgh and find out.
 





Get Simmons, Cave and Burroughs off this team. They have zero chance to contribute in 2022 so they should be gone. Get Gordon, Miranda and that lefty reliever up here.
 

Get Simmons, Cave and Burroughs off this team. They have zero chance to contribute in 2022 so they should be gone. Get Gordon, Miranda and that lefty reliever up here.
Dollars to donuts Cave is the bench coach next year😎.

He ain't every taking that uni off.
 

Fun to watch the Twins cut the Sox lead to 18 games.
 

Having seen the White Sox lineup from 3 rows above their dugout last night, I don't see how the Twins compete with that for several years given their current state. They looked like a collection of NFL tight ends.

Except for the pop up that Sano dropped, every ball they hit was LOUD.

The Twins finished 28.5 games ahead of the White Sox just 2 seasons ago. Their top hitters are pretty much the same now as they were then.

The Twins have plenty of talented young bats, things can change in a hurry.
 

The Twins finished 28.5 games ahead of the White Sox just 2 seasons ago. Their top hitters are pretty much the same now as they were then.

The Twins have plenty of talented young bats, things can change in a hurry.
I disagree with the description "plenty". Not to mention how they measure up on the mound. Right now would the Twins "ace" be the Sox rotation?
 
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The Twins finished 28.5 games ahead of the White Sox just 2 seasons ago. Their top hitters are pretty much the same now as they were then.

The Twins have plenty of talented young bats, things can change in a hurry.
Two years ago they had minimum MLB ABs under their belt - now they're coming in to their own.

Per Malcolm Gladwell it takes 10K hours to become an expert in anything, i.e., experience is required unless you are a wunderkind.
 

Funny, since you haven't been to Pittsburgh and have no reference point.
I have been to Pittsburgh. I thought the area by Pitt and CMU was lovely. Lot of young energy there, lot of very smart people. Going to be an important hub for robotics and computer science for decades to come, like Mpls has been for med-tech.

Have not been to PNC, but I know it's a great stadium ... for the stadium itself. Just as Target Field is every bit as much.


To pretend that closing off a street and having a live band there makes the experience of sitting in the actual stadium for 3.5hrs significantly better is .... well, either silly or just dishonest.
 

Two years ago they had minimum MLB ABs under their belt - now they're coming in to their own.

Per Malcolm Gladwell it takes 10K hours to become an expert in anything, i.e., experience is required unless you are a wunderkind.

You can say the same thing about Kirilloff, Larnach, Rooker, Jeffers, with Lewis hopefully getting back to full health for next season.
 

I disagree with the description "plenty". Not mention how they measure up on the mound. Right now would the Twins "ace" be the Sox rotation?

Pitching is the #1 concern, which is why I was in favor for trading Berrios, Buxton, and others to get as much young pitching talent as possible.

Long term, I am not concerned about their lineup. There's a lot talent there.
 

To pretend that closing off a street and having a live band there makes the experience of sitting in the actual stadium for 3.5hrs significantly better is .... well, either silly or just dishonest.

My favorite baseball experience is still Dodger Stadium, just love the Hollywood hills background on a blue sky day, and even for a park now nearing 60 years old still feels fresh. They keep it immaculately clean. Once I sat next to the garlic fries stand, and that odor did become overwhelming after several innings though it did compel me to buy some, which I enjoyed.
 

My favorite baseball experience is still Dodger Stadium, just love the Hollywood hills background on a blue sky day, and even for a park now nearing 60 years old still feels fresh. They keep it immaculately clean. Once I sat next to the garlic fries stand, and that odor did become overwhelming after several innings though it did compel me to buy some, which I enjoyed.
Still haven't been to a game there. Everytime I have been in LA the Dodgers are out of town. Bucket list for sure.
 

Still haven't been to a game there. Everytime I have been in LA the Dodgers are out of town. Bucket list for sure.

Well worth it, I suggest going to a day game if possible. Nice scenery.
 

I have been to Pittsburgh. I thought the area by Pitt and CMU was lovely. Lot of young energy there, lot of very smart people. Going to be an important hub for robotics and computer science for decades to come, like Mpls has been for med-tech.

Have not been to PNC, but I know it's a great stadium ... for the stadium itself. Just as Target Field is every bit as much.


To pretend that closing off a street and having a live band there makes the experience of sitting in the actual stadium for 3.5hrs significantly better is .... well, either silly or just dishonest.
The dishonesty is all yours as you show your ability to comprehend is severely lacking. Since you are clueless, I will ignore your foolishness.
 








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