Requiem of the 2019 MN Twins

[Vendetta11]

The 2019 Minnesota Twins season was filled with so many fantastical, magical moments. This summer felt like a dream baseball fans yearn for. The Minnesota Twins, a club for over 40 years were known for lack of power, suddenly became the "Bomba Squad". Sure Major League Baseball tinkered with the ball itself in the offseason, in which we witnessed an increase of homeruns hit in a season like no other. But damn, it was fun to watch a baseball team that even during the steroid era, struggle to have at least one player with 20 homers in a season, crank out 307 of them. Which of course, is a new MLB record for home runs hit by a team in a season. Even with the new baseball, it was still incredible to see. Eight different players hit over 20 this year, five of which, hit over 30, and one with over 40.

This was a season where the Twins captured a Division Crown, the team's first since 2010. In a year that most projected them to be extremely mediocre at best (and I will concede admitting that I thought a good year by the club meant 81 to 85 victories), but the Bomba Squad ended up winning 101 games. The Twins exceeded expectations. Yes they did. Rookie manager Rocco Baldelli brought in a brand new attitude and different ways of going about baseball. The mixture of using analytics and to pair with human element was a fresh start for a franchise that has scoffed at sabermetrics for so long, as the Twins were one of the last clubs to embrace the theory. The new mentality resonated with the players right off the bat, and you could tell. There was something different. Something you couldn't quite put your finger on, but there was fresh optimism with our boys.

So many players stepped up in unexpected ways. Whether it be Nelson Cruz's quiet leadership, playing with a ruptured tendon in his hand majority of the season, putting together an impressive power display at the ripe old age of 39. Signing him last off season was met with indifference and scoff. And yet, he's one of the key cogs why the Twins broke out of the gate swinging for the fences. You can bet on the Twins picking up his team option for next year. They would be stupid not to. Cruz lived up to the "Boomstick" nickname and them some. He was a joy to watch.

Other veterans signed as free agents contributed as well. CJ Cron was a nice addition at 1st base. A guy with some pop and decent defense. Although I do have to wonder what his year would have looked like if he didn't injure his thumb. That's a tough injury to play with, while swinging a baseball bat. Jonathan Schoop showed solid pop with his bat, and displayed his rifle of a right arm at second base. How can we look past the two triple plays that were completed, and probably wouldn't have happened if Schoop wasn't on the field. Lastly, the second best signing behind Nelson Cruz, was the ultimate Swiss army knife - Marwin Gonzalez. Even with the ice cold start he had at the plate, his play was crucial all year as he plugged just about every hole that was left open when someone went down with an injury. You have to love guys that just want to go out and play, and do not care what spot you put them in. 1st base? Sure. How about left field tomorrow? Okay. How about 3 base on Friday? You got it.

[Vendetta11]

Cont...


Several of the Twins young core finally started to reach their potential. Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver all had career years. Byron Buxton was having a breakout season as well, until his body couldn't hold up from being run into outfield walls. Miguel Sano after looking absolutely lost at the plate all last year, and for a good chunk of this year after missing over a month due to a freak off season injury, ended up the being a fearsome slugger we all hoped he could become. Jose Berrios looked like a staff Ace until he started running out of gas in August. Eddie Rosario had a career year despite being Eddie Rosario, aka - streaky as hell. Kepler, who battled injuries late in the season still cranked out 36 homers, including 5 home runs in a row off of Cleveland's Trevor Bauer. Polanco turned himself into an Allstar shortstop (although his glove could still use some work). And Mitch Garver went from back up catcher with poor defense, and 8 career homeruns, and turned into an above average catcher and hitting 31 home runs. Hard work, apparently pays off.

Then there were the rookies. Some really great stories to boot. Devin Smeltzer, a young man that beat cancer as a kid, who was acquired in the much fan hated Brian Dozier trade last season. A trade that I was perfectly fine with however, as Dozier showed signs of slowing down in production, and was a free agent at the end of the season. Smeltzer showed some moxie and guile, as he is not gifted with a mid-90's fastball. Sure he had some shaky starts against the Tribe, but I liked what I saw. He was unafraid to attack the strike zone and go right after hitters. Then there is Randy Dobnak. A guy that wasn't even drafted by any Major League team, get signed by the Twins in 2017 while pitching for an independent league, not to mention a guy that has a 4.99 rating as an Uber driver - starts the year in Single A, and worked his way up to the majors. Yes, he didn't pitch well in his lone appearance in the post-season, but that will not take anything away from his feel good story. Who doesn't dream of going to "the show" while working a part time job just to make ends meet?

Lastly for the Twins rookies - Luis Arraez. I can't help but admit it, I LOVE this kid. I really do. Here is a player that doesn't hit for power, isn't particularly fast, doesn't really have a position in the field where he truly excels, but if there is one thing Luis Arraez can do, is get on base. He is Billy Beane's wet dream type of ball player. No matter what level of baseball Arraez has played in his young career, he has shown everyone that he can flat out hit, and get on base. In the year of the homer, having a guy like him that can consistently get on base are invaluable. Sure he doesn't "look" like a stud, but his 92 games in the regular season showed that is a legitimate major leaguer. I would be surprised if this season was just a flash in the pan. Arraez has shown a great eye at the plate, has patience, and willing to grind a pitcher out. You can't teach those skills. You have them or you don't. I look forward to see what the kid does in the future, hopefully in a Twins uniform for years to come.

With all that said, the obvious Achilles heel to everyone this year was the pitching. And unfortunately while the Twins bats got stifled in the ALDS with off speed pitches and breaking balls (because the Yankees did their homework and knew that that throwing fastballs early in the count meant trouble with a team that feasted on fastballs all year), the Twins pitching staff could not hold the Yankees bats down. They were overmatched at just about every turn. Only Jake Odorizzi (who got absolutely shellacked earlier this July against the same Yankees team) and Devin Smeltzer seemed to do their job. Everyone else seemed to shrink under the pressure when their number was called upon.

Thus, yet another post-season sweep result of our beloved Twins. A season filled with loud Bombas, clutch hits, laser throws, only to see the team go out in a whimper. Yes, the Yankees are the superior team, they have more talent to be blunt. While personally I did not expect the Twins to beat the Yankees in a 5 game series, I did hope they would have put up a bigger fight than they did. For whatever reason, the biggest and most frustrating moment for me was the bottom of the second inning of Game 3. Twins down by a run, load the bases with nobody out, and yet, are unable to score. I told my wife that was the moment the game was over. Yes, I know... it was only the second inning and the game was 1 to 0. But you cannot leave the bases loaded like that and expect to win against the Yankees. Or any good team for that matter. That moment was like watching all the air go out of them balloon.

[Vendetta11]

Cont...

While I expected a Yankees series win (thinking it would go 5 games), I was still hopeful for a fun-filled series loaded with homeruns, clutch hits, and surprise pitching performances. But like so many Twins post-season experiences that we have witnessed the past 15 years or so, the Twins go out quietly. 16 post season losses in a row. Which ties the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks in pro-sports post-season futility. And I will be honest, it hurts as a fan. Minnesota is officially the most cursed sports market in the nation. This isn't hyperbole either. It's a fact. A painful one at that. The Twins/Vikings/Timberwolves/Wild fanbase has been conditioned to expect the worst at all times. As soon as something goes awry, majority fans fall silent, and patiently await the impending doom they know for sure is coming.

Full disclosure, I am one of those fans. I wish I could be more hopeful, but when it has been 28 years since the last of any of the 4 major teams made it all the way to a Championship, let alone winning one, is getting a little suffocating for the masses. I wish I could be more optimistic like my wife, a person to her core is damn near pure sunshine... but me? I am as cynical as a person can get. And I am far from the only one. Why are Minnesota sports fans always in such a foul mood? To steal a line from The Hound of Game of Thrones - "Experience".

But I digress. The Minnesota Twins season has now come to a close. While it ended in just about the worst way possible as a Twins fan, it does not diminish the joy, the fun I had all season long watching them play. This was a very good baseball team, regardless of how we feel right now. But now winter is on the horizon. And it's time for the Twins' front office to have a "come to Jesus" moment regarding their pitching staff, especially the starting rotation. If the Twins ownership and front office are serious about molding the Twins into a long-term baseball juggernaut, they will have to get crafty and land some top tier starters. Whether that be via free-agency or trade, the team's hand is a bit forced as only Jose Berrios and Martin Perez (who's team option will most likely be declined) are under team control next season.

Personally, I hope they go for broke. The window of winning teams don't appear for small market teams for long. While frustrating that the front office didn't strike when the iron was hot earlier this summer, now is their chance in this upcoming winter offseason. This town needs a winner. Twins fans, and Minnesota sports fans in general are beat down. They are tired of feeling like flyover losers where we have to always find the good with the bad, and cheer for the proverbial 'moral victory". It is my belief, of all the teams in town, the Twins will have the best shot at breaking the sports curse that has been bestowed on this state. The Twins front office of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have shown that they are smart, capable leaders willing to think outside of the box to make the team better. Sure they have made mistakes, but I am confident that they will learn from the mistakes made in the past, and adjust for the future. I may be a black soul cynic with most things in life regarding pro sports, but the Minnesota Twins are truly my only hope.

[salamander]

Personally, I hope they go for broke.

I love the whole thread. Well done.

This part here though, will never happen. And the "true fans" will call you an idiot for thinking it should happen.
(Because you're not a true fan if you want the Twins to win. You're only a true fan if you protect the Pohlad's pockets)

[RubeTube]

Nice write up, Vendetta.

They won't go for broke next year imo and I don't think they will even win the division. It was a magical year that they squandered.

Teams like the Twins don't get years like this often. They should have went all in.

[Vendetta11]

Thanks guys. I needed to get that out of me. My wife and I attended last night's game, and I tried SOOOOOO hard not to piss in her cereal as she was incredibly excited to be there, where I was trepidatious as all hell. I really wanted the Twins to kick the living shit out of the Yankees, just for one damn game. But it wasn't meant to be. I'm telling you, when they didn't score with the bases loaded, I was pretty much done with the game. I will be perfectly honest, I wanted to leave right there, as I didn't want my time wasted. But I stuck it out until the score became 3-0, and then I left.

Even though I was frustrated to no end, as I sat in my car, I started typing this up just to get the negative juju out of my being. I didn't want the sweep by the Yankees to completely take away all the awesome moments that were had this year. Hell, one of my favorite moments (and I was also at this game) was when Sano came off the bench and pinch hit that walk off homerun against a very good Braves team. It was a wild, run ride, and I choose to take the good over the bad.

[Thrillkill]

Nice write up, Vendetta.

They won't go for broke next year imo and I don't think they will even win the division. It was a magical year that they squandered.

Teams like the Twins don't get years like this often. They should have went all in.

What the fuck are you rambling about? Might want to check those ages and contract status. We are awesome for many years to come.

[RubeTube]

Nice write up, Vendetta.

They won't go for broke next year imo and I don't think they will even win the division. It was a magical year that they squandered.

Teams like the Twins don't get years like this often. They should have went all in.

What the fuck are you rambling about? Might want to check those ages and contract status. We are awesome for many years to come.

Will be lucky to be .500 next year.

[Teh DMB]

Life is better without pro sports fanaticism.

Right now all but a very few of the players/managers are kickin' it in warm weather fishing, grilling, banging 2 chicks, tipping back a beer, and not thinking for 1 second about the season. They don't give an eff about their fans or the town the team they play on represents.

Heartfelt responses like these make me feel even stronger about my stance. I'm not going to tell anybody what to do or how to feel, and I still follow sports-on a much more casual basis.

Life is better without pro sprots fanaticism.

[weimy froob]

it was a very fun season vendetta. the pineda suspension basically ended any realistic notion of advancing in the playoffs. teams are too good in the post-season.

[Vendetta11]

Life is better without pro sports fanaticism.

Right now all but a very few of the players/managers are kickin' it in warm weather fishing, grilling, banging 2 chicks, tipping back a beer, and not thinking for 1 second about the season. They don't give an eff about their fans or the town the team they play on represents.

Heartfelt responses like these make me feel even stronger about my stance. I'm not going to tell anybody what to do or how to feel, and I still follow sports-on a much more casual basis.

Life is better without pro sprots fanaticism.

Totally fair take, and generally I am not a "sports fanatic". I do love and I am much more attached to baseball more than any other sport, due to my childhood memories with my Dad taking me to a bunch of Twins games as a kid in the 80's and 90's. So me and my pop have that cliched story of father and son taking in a catch, and share a love for baseball.

I do get what you are saying. I really do. And I have cut my "feelings" out for the Vikes, Wild/North Stars and Wolves. I honestly don't care anymore, ESPECIALLY the Vikings, after years of being a "die hard" NFL fan for most of my life. But as mentioned, baseball is a little different for me.