RSS Twins Team Notes

[Minnesota Twins]

Game 162: Twins at Phillies

FIRST PITCH: 2:05 PM CDT​

TV: Twins.TV​

RADIO: TREASURE ISLAND BASEBALL NETWORK​

KNOW THINE ENEMY: The Good Phight​

“I know that I can’t take no more—it ain’t no lie”

This is it. The last Minnesota Twins baseball game of the season. It’s never good when your favorite team’s final contest has been scheduled on a calendar for over a year, but here we are.

“Don’t really wanna make it tough—I just wanna tell you that I’ve had enough”

In some ways, Game 162 of 2025 is a mercy. No more bad baseball from a largely uninspiring mix (especially post-trade deadline). It’s time to hit the reset button, take the cartridge out, blow on it a few times, and hope for better results next time.

“I’m giving up I know for sure—I don’t wanna be the reason for your love no more”

At the same time, this is also a sad moment. We’re all here because we love baseball—and that is now at an end. Sure, the playoffs will continue through October (maybe November—yeesh), but they’ll be enjoyed from a distance—not like this.

“I’m checking out, I’m signing off—I don’t wanna be the loser and I’ve had enough”

What James Fillmore started back in March, I’ll finish this late-afternoon (I was up early to watch the Vikings, so a “baseball nap” may or may not occur at some point). See ya’ll in the final recap of 2025.

“Baby bye bye bye”

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...s-philadelphia-phillies-game-162-the-last-one

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Phillies 2, Twins 1: Good—bye

Before any mention of diamond activity, I want to dispense the heartiest of thank-you’s to all the writers and commenters here on Twinkie Town. For the most part—let’s say June onward—this has been a horrible season. The Pohlad ownership group flipped fans the perpetual bird, your favorite player (minus Byron Buxton, ironically) was likely either hurt most of the season or traded away, and by late-September the lineup and bullpen was largely staffed by guys who should be in the minors. Yet, through it all, many of you stuck around deep into the morass to continue commentating. I’ve mentioned this before, but this year even I found myself contributing to more game thread commentary than ever before. So, thank you all for making this a top-flight Minnesota Twins community—come hell or high water.

In terms of the actual baseball played today, Twins SP Simeon Woods-Richardson closed his 2025 campaign out on a high note: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 9 K.

Alas, Cristopher Sanchez matched him hurl for hurl: 5.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 8 K. A true pitcher’s duel (or possibly just two teams with nothing left to play for along very different reasonings).

The visitors finally dented the scoreboard in T6 when Austin Martin walked and was propelled along the base paths (capped off by a dive into the plate) via Ryan Jeffers’ double. 1-0 MIN.

It looked like the Twins might carry that 1-0 line over the finish line—until old friend Max Kepler said “nahhh—you aren’t getting out of Philly that easily”, smashing a solo shot off Genesis Cabrera in B8. 1-1 tie.

So, in the ultimate of ironies, when Cole Sands polished off a clean B9 the season that every Twins fan wanted to be over was extended into Bonus Baseball (TM).

Of course, YOUR 2025 Twims (intentionally spelled wrong in keeping with the year-long meme) failed to score in T10, leading to another irony (will they ever cease?!): the season came to a close on a sacrifice fly that sent another old-friend-turned-competitor Harrison “Darth” Bader scampering home.

Your Sunday afternoon final: Philadelphia Phillies 2, Minnesota Twins 1

Your 2025 Minnesota Twins final: 70-92

I already said my thank-you’s up top and will not initiate the Midwestern 30-minute goodbye (I prefer the Irish variety). To paraphrase the sing-along that ended each day of kindergarten (thank you, Mrs. Hosch)…

“Goodbye now, goodbye now, the clock says we’re done…I’ll see you next season, goodbye everyone”

Studs​

• Everyone who penned a post or concocted a comment on Twinkie Town this season. We appreciate you!
• Woods-Richardson: Should the Pohlads decide not to continue tearing down the roster, one can still dream on a Lopez-Ryan-Ober-Matthews-SWR rotation in 2026

Duds​

• Pohlad ownership group (perma-dud)
• Kepler: Extending the ‘25 misery

Comment of the Game​

• Minnesota1952 sharing my absolute enthusiasm for an extra-inning meaningless Game 162.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...s-game-162-finally-this-rotten-season-is-over

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Rocco Baldelli Fired

The Minnesota Twins have announced that manager Rocco Baldelli will not be returning in 2026.

The Minnesota Twins today announced that Rocco Baldelli will not return as the club’s manager in 2026. pic.twitter.com/IgGgOMfhHI

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 29, 2025

Baldelli was hired by the Twins in 2018, replacing Paul Molitor. He had previously served as the major league field coordinator for the Tampa Bay Rays. Baldelli had been picked 6th overall by the Rays in 2000 and played for the Rays and Boston Red Sox between 2003 and 2010, before retiring due to injuries.

After seven seasons with the team, Baldelli finishes his stint with the Twins as the third-winningest manager in club history, behind Tom Kelly and Ron Gardenhire, with an overall record of 527-505. In his time with the Twins, he won the AL Manager of the Year award in 2019 as the Bomba Twins took the majors by storm, setting the record for most home runs in a year, and won the AL Central crown three times, in 2019, 2020, and 2023. However, in his other four years, the team finished at least 10.5 games back of the division leader.

Baldelli certainly had his vocal detractors. Seen as a player-friendly manager, it was rare to see any emotion from the dugout. He certainly had his blowups with umpires, but for those of us raised on infamous Gardenhire ejections, this was a far cry from that. His strategic calls were also often called into question, often around the topics of analytics. He would yank a starter too quickly because his third-time-through-the-order numbers were terrible; he would be extremely rigid with platoon splits, pinch-hitting for lefties when facing righty pitches, even when the replacement hitter was a worse batter. But to say that the collapse in the past few seasons was only due to strategic decisions would be a short-sighted argument.

He will probably go down in history as the Twins manager who broke the infamous playoff game and series losing streak in 2023, as the Twins finally won a playoff game for the first time in 2004 and won a series since 2002. However, since 2023, by no fault of his own, the team has been slowly decimated, through cut payroll, broken promises, and teases of hope.

After the brilliant 2023 season, owner Joe Pohlad announced the team would be “right-sizing” their payroll by slashing $25 million. However, the team did find a way to succeed, with a high-water mark of a 70-53 record on August 17, 2024, before injuries and poor offense doomed the team to finish fourth in a stacked AL Central. Still, there was hope in 2025 that a healthy and deep rotation, potential improvement from young players like Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner, and one of the best bullpens in baseball could help this team return to the playoffs. News of a potential sale to new ownership also buoyed fan interest.

Unfortunately, the offensive struggles continued, and despite a 12-game winning streak in early May that put the team over .500, the Twins were never able to win games consistently. A Pablo Lopez injury, poor hitting performances from Carlos Correa and Lewis, and random blow-ups from the bullpen prevented the Twins from taking advantage of the best season in recent history from Byron Buxton. In addition, the team sale fell through, and it seemed as if the penny-pinching ways were to continue. Baldelli did get his team option for 2026 picked up, indicating that ownership was planning to stick by their man. Almost to reinforce that, a fire sale at the trade deadline doomed the rest of the season for the Twins, as if the team didn’t want to place the blame for a lost season on their manager.

And yet, at the end of the 2025 season, the Twins now find themselves manager-less. The end of the season was atrocious, with the team finishing the second half of the season with a 23-43 record. To put that into perspective, the Colorado Rockies, who finished with the worst record in the major leagues this year, had a 21-45 record. Even with a team that lost 10 major league-caliber players over the trade deadline, to finish as poorly as they did warranted a change.

Plenty of ink will be spilled on potential replacements, but the main issue still stands. The Twins just frankly aren’t spending enough money on a baseball team that can compete, and they aren’t developing players to compete at a high enough level. A new manager isn’t going to necessarily improve hitting and pitching development down to the minor league level or help sign a big free agent at a discount. The core issue with the Twins is the organization as a whole, and unfortunately, any manager who takes this job is doomed to deal with the consequences of poor ownership.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minnesota-twins-news/49459/rocco-baldelli-fired

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Game 160: Twins at Phillies

First pitch: 5:45 Central​

Weather: National Weather Service somewhat still gutted, temperature perfect, 75°​

Opponent’s SB site: The Good Phight (not a great name, but TwinkieTown ain’t ideal either)​

TV: Twins TV. Radio: What state gave us Billie Holiday, Joan Jett, and Ween? Guess! Hint: not Wyoming​

Today’s starting pitcher contestants include the formidable TBD, a pitcher so intimidating, none dare speaketh or typeth his full name, only the initials. For the Twins, it’s Deadhead Joe Ryan. Ryan is currently living in a week-by-week rental hotel with four packed suitcases and a three-day rotation of clean clothes. Not because he expects to be traded. Because he’s Jackie Daytona.

Here are the pitcher stats, I know you all love the pitcher stats:

I’m going to spend a few words talking about current MLB.com Twins beat writer Matthew Leach. Who is fine. He’s perfectly normal and fine. But he did write one recent line that bugged me.

Leach likes to mention his favorite music acts, in his columns. No doubt, he has seen all of them live, or will soon. Maybe buys a T-shirt at each concert, from an approved vendor. I would imagine so.

Anyhoo, Leach’s latest “Twins mailbag” post had this line in it, about a concert scheduled at Target Field for next year:

“The opening act is the legendary Sleater-Kinney (don’t you dare miss them if you go).”

No. Just, no. You don’t get to love Sleater-Kinney, Mr. Leach. You just don’t.

Sleater-Kinney is a band for us, OK? The people who have never quite fit in. I imagine Matthew Leach fits in everywhere.

Here’s how I suspect Mr. Leach’s life has gone.

Had a good GPA in high school. Upper 3s. The guidance counselor suggested “journalism school,” and Matt – who’d already written three articles praising the wrestling team for the school paper – agreed. Matt didn’t get into his top choice, but he got into his second. And loved every minute of it. “Grammar for journalists” was his favorite course, although he enjoyed them all.

Matt graduated, and got a job writing press releases for the USA Network. The title Silk Stalkings was a proud brainstorm coinage. Eventually, Matt was able to find internships, and then employment, with baseball teams! Matt so loves baseball. When it’s not taking time away from his hanging out with favorite friends. Like Matt, they are successful people, starting to think about what their retirement options should be. There’s so many different wealth-management companies to choose from!

In fact, Matt’s going to a free steakhouse dinner, next Tuesday. The free dinner is hosted by one of those wealth-management companies. Promising much better annual returns on investment than any other company.

Matt does not notice the one slightly-scruffy gentleman in the corner, snickering under his breath as the slide-show math numbers quite clearly do not add up and muttering “this presenter’s flop sweat is up there with Albert Brooks in that one scene from Broadcast News.” Whose spouse is saying, “now there, keep it down, James.”

I resent the fact that Matt Leach likes Sleater-Kinney. I’m glad he enjoys the music, it’s great! But I don’t want it to be for normies like him. I want it to be for weirdos like us. The kind of people who would get this bit:

At any rate.

I was looking for something else, and found this: https://jacobbielecki.substack.com/p/the-life-and-times-of-hack-wilson

It’s about Pennsylvania-born slugger Hack Wilson. Who lived hard and died rough, and had more talent than 99% of anybody who’s ever played MLB baseball — and 100% of people playing MLB baseball are better at that than 99% of us will ever be at anything. Yes, Michael Tonkin kinda sucks at being a relief pitcher. But Michael Tonkin only sucks compared to Griffin Jax, and Griffin Jax sucks compared to Mariano Rivera. Compared to how good you or I am at anything, Michael Tonkin is the guy who can juggle three bowling pins in his right hand while composing Mozart-level piano sonatas with his left hand. The most average and blah MLB player is a supreme, otherworldly talent. And wow was Hack Wilson talented.

I’m not going to just rip off Jacob Bielecki’s post and summarize it here. Go read it. But I’ll give you highlights.

“At the beginning of the 20th Century, Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, a town thirty miles northwest of Pittsburgh, was home to steel and other heavy industries. Ellwood City attracted rough and tumble types who worked long back breaking hours in the steel mills or coal mines and drank heavily once they clocked out. The city was named after Isaac L. Ellwood, the inventor of barbed wire, a perfect name for such a harsh town.“

On a manager/player interaction: “‘McCarthy did make one attempt to curb his star player’s drinking. He invited Hack to his office and placed one worm inside a glass of whiskey and one inside a glass of water. When the worm in the whiskey died, McCarthy asked “What does this teach you?” Hack replied, “If you drink whiskey, you won’t get worms.’”

Hack Wilson had, from 1926-1930, an OPS of 1.031. Which is off the charts! Anything above .800 is good, above .900 is perpetual All-Star, and above 1.000 is “wow are you roided.” But Hack Wilson was not roided, since A-Rod wasn’t alive yet to pass him the phone# of Dr. Feelgood. Wilson was that good on pure talent.

Talent which he drank away. And drank himself into an early grave. And he cheated on his wife (not the first MLB player or the last to do so), neglected his son (who became a school principal and refused to attend his dad’s funeral). Owned a bar, and would entertain bar patrons by singing (oh good grief would I love to have a recording of what that sounded like).

Was Hack Wilson a good person? No. Neither am I, although I don’t neglect any kids, but I might if I had some, I dunno. Was Wilson a talented person? Oh, absolutely yes. A complicated person? Most of us are. And that’s what makes us interesting.

So, to cycle back, Matt Leach. Give me something that suggests a complicated person. Don’t be giving me team fluffery that A.I. could do. Do like Jacob Bielecki and give me stories about a weird stubby-looking drunk-a** dude who mashed taters, or about Allen Roth, the Canadian who invented modern baseball statistics. (That’s in this post. This Bielecki writer guy is really good! I’m sure you readers all know other good writers, too!)

Because, if you’re not gonna celebrate or be complicated & weird, then don’t suggest Sleater-Kinney. Stick to Nickelback or Creed.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minnesota-twins-game-threads/49344/game-160-twins-at-phillies

 

[Minnesota Twins]

The Twins Fan Guide to the Postseason: AL Edition

The Minnesota Twins have missed the playoffs for the fourth time in the last five seasons after their latest and greatest collapse. The good news is that there is still plenty of baseball to watch for the next month featuring some of the best players in recent Twins history.

With 12 teams in the postseason, we need some clear criteria on how to break them down. So with that in mind, we’ll be using the following five categories and assigning a score between 1-10 for each. Best cumulative score wins all Twins fans’ support for October.

• Twins Connections: how connected are you to the Minnesota Twins? This includes former Twins players, prospects, coaches, or greater Minnesota ties. Additionally, are there any current Twins who would get rings if you win the World Series? The longer tenured your former Twins, the better your score.
• Entertainment: How fun is it to watch you play baseball? Style of play is a factor, but moreso do you have players and storylines that are fun to root for and players who have fun on the field? Think Harrison Bader. Ironically, a bad bullpen also plays up here because it keeps things interesting.
• Ethical Ball: This is the style-of-play and anti-Cleveland Guardians category, who I find both infuriating and unenjoyable to watch. We don’t want all homers or all dink-and-dunk singles, we want a power/speed mix, aces to carry you, and an elite bullpen with good stuff.
• Most Recent World Series: This is straightforward, how recently have you won a championship? I like some 2019 Nationals/2023 Diamondbacks out-of-nowhere deep postseason runs, sorry Dodgers.
• Intangibles: a catch-all category to award or dock points as I see fit. Is your owner ideologically aligned with the Pohlads? How many former Cleveland Guardians do you have on your roster? Do you now or have you ever employed Aroldis Chapman? Are you the Yankees? All these things will lower your score in the intangibles category.

We’ll go by postseason seeding and award a champion at the end. Let’s get into the definitive guide of who Twins fans should root for this postseason!

Toronto Blue Jays​

Twins Connections: 7/10

• Jose Berrios: 6 seasons with Twins
• Louis Varland: 4 seasons with Twins
• David Popkins (coach): 3 seasons as Twins hitting coach
• Ty France/Isiah Kiner-Falefa 1 season(ish) with Twins
• Jeff Hoffman: Spring Training with Twins that revitalized his career
• Twins Rings: Alan Roden

Berrios was one of my favorite Twins while he was here and Varland was a great development success story and a Minnesota native to boot. There’s also something funny about the Twins firing Popkins, him going to the Jays and Toronto immediately having the best offense in MLB. And while it would be fun for Roden to get a ring, his 12 games with the Twins before his injury were uninspiring and I have no personal connection to him.

Entertainment: 7/10

Vladimir Guerrero Jr. is as fun as they come and had an excellent season after a rough start. George Springer has revived his career and put up a 166 wRC+ (career best) and 5.2 WAR (second highest of career) at 35 years old. Alejandro Kirk is like if Willians Astudillo was actually good. After that, every single player in their regular lineup has an above-average wRC+ except for Andres Gimenez, who is one of the five best fielders in baseball. Bo Bichette may be able to return to DH in the ALDS as well, bringing another strong bat to a deep lineup.

On the pitching side, things are a bit more suspect, which could actually make things more entertaining. Injuries to Jose Berrios and Chris Bassitt leave questions in the rotation after ace Twins 2023 postseason legend Kevin Gausman. Shane Bieber, who just returned from Tommy John surgery, is lined up to start Game 2 of the ALDS, while 42-year-old Max Scherzer and 2024 draftee Trey Yesavage (80-grade name) are in line to start games 3 and 4, respectively. A questionable bullpen leaves just enough entertainment late in the game.

Ethical Ball: 6/10

While the pitching woes will make for some strong entertainment, the Jays lose some points here for their lack of starting pitching and questionable bullpen. Conversely, their lineup ranks high here. They have a strong mix of power bats (Springer, Vladdy, Addison Barger) and elite role players that do the small things well (Nathan Lukes, Daulton Varsho, Ernie Clement, Gimenez). If Anthony Santander can shake off injury-related slump and Bichette can return, the lineup is good enough for me to bump their score to a 7.

Recent World Series: 8/10

The Blue Jays haven’t won a championship or league pennant since 1993, though this is relatively recent compared to other postseason teams, which knocks them down to an 8.

Intangibles: 9/10

Thankfully, this team has never employed Aroldis Chapman, is not the Yankees, and the ownership consortium does not seem to align themselves with the Pohlads’ way of thinking. Rogers Communication, the Canadian telecom company that owns the Jays, has repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to invest on the field and their community. They were one of the finalists for Shohei Ohtani two winters ago, which doesn’t happen accidentally. Additionally, Blue Jays fans seem very nice and Canada is geographically close to Minnesota. Unfortunately, they do employ a few too many former Guardians for my taste (Bieber, Clement, Santander, Gimenez, Straw, Sandlin) so they’re left with a solid 9.

FINAL SCORE: 37/50

Seattle Mariners​

Twins Connections: 6/10

• Jorge Polanco: 10 seasons with Twins
• Mitch Garver: 5 seasons with Twins
• Donovan Solano: 1 season with Twins
• Luke Raley/Casey Legumina: Former Twins prospects

You can’t tell the story of recent Twins success without Jorge Polanco so he gets a heavier weight. Additionally, Garver’s 2019 breakout where he hit 31 bombas in just 93 games was a highlight of a season full of them. And Solano was instrumental in 2023’s long-awaited curse-breaking postseason win, though he was cut a month ago and Garver barely plays, which knocks them down despite Polanco’s great season.

Entertainment: 8/10

Cal Raleigh just had the best catcher season in MLB history and is giving Aaron Judge a run for his money in the AL MVP race. Julio Rodriguez is the embodiment of baseball fun. Randy Arozarena is a historically elite October hitter. And Josh Naylor, Eugenio Suarez, JP Crawford, Polanco, and Garver are capable of getting hot and carrying the team by themselves. Their starting staff of Woo, Gilbert, Kirby, Miller, and Castillo might be the best in baseball, but one of them will need to pitch out of the bullpen.

In the bullpen, Andres Munoz is probably the best closer in baseball right now. Matt Brash has one of the 5 best breaking balls in MLB. And Eduard Bazardo and Gabe Speier have quietly turned in solid seasons on the middle of Seattle’s relief corps. Brash and Munoz are just wild enough to keep things interesting at the end of games too.

Ethical Ball: 9/10

The Mariners targeted their main ethical weak points at the trade deadline, acquiring Naylor and Suarez from the Diamondbacks to bring some much-needed power to their lineup. They could use some work on the speed and defense side with JP Crawford having a down year in the field and on the bases, while Jorge Polanco’s return to the field took exciting rookie Cole Young out of the lineup.

On the pitching side, they unquestionably have the aces, but have the difficult task of deciding which of the four gets bumped from the rotation and run the risk of choosing incorrectly. They also feel a reliever short, but Bryce Miller or Luis Castillo could potentially fix that.

Recent World Series: 10/10

The Mariners have never won the World Series OR the AL pennant and just on their first division title since 2001. If these guys aren’t a 10, then who is?

Intangibles: 6/10

While the Mariners have shown a willingness to invest in the team in recent seasons, longtime GM Jerry Dipoto is responsible for saying out loud the thing many baseball fans hate: that the main goal of the franchise is to win 54% of your games over a 10 year period, which is an 87 win pace. While mathematically that does make sense now with the expanded playoff field, it’s not something you want to hear from the person leading your franchise. HUGE demerit there.

However, the Seattle Mariners are famously not the New York Yankees, have never employed Aroldis Chapman, and only employ a single former Guardian (Naylor). Good recovery, Seattle.

FINAL SCORE: 39/50

Cleveland Guardians​

Twins Connections: 1/10

• Carlos Santana: 1 season with Twins
• Sam Hentges: from Arden Hills, MN
• Derek Falvey: former assistant GM

Carlos Santana is now on the Cubs after getting cut earlier this season. Sam Hentges is out for the year after undergoing knee surgery. Falvey just had four terrible collapses in five seasons and got promoted as a result. Go Tigers!

Entertainment: 1/10

If I can borrow a phrase from a Tweet I currently can’t find, the Guardians’ lineup is Jose Ramirez and a bunch of raccoons in a trench coat. Ramirez is incredible and one of two players (Kyle Manzardo) in the lineup hitting above league average. The collective wRC+ of the 10 players with at least 300 plate appearances besides Ramirez and Manzardo is 82, the same as Brooks Lee’s 2025 total. They’ve scored the fewest runs in baseball, hit the ball weaker than any other team by a wide margin, and do it while claiming that they’re playing the game the “right way.” These guys suck.

Things aren’t much better on the pitching side. Star closer Emmanuel Clase is pseudo-suspended while the league is investigating him for gambling. Cade Smith is incredible as their next man up, but this isn’t the Cleveland baseball you got used to in the 2010s. Gavin Williams is prone to walk 5 batters in any start, Tanner Bibee gets hit around, and everything behind them is smoke and mirrors. This is a bad baseball team who is incredibly unenjoyable to watch who used devil’s magic to win the AL Central with a -6 run differential.

Ethical Ball: 1/10

Guardians players, fans, and social media are going to try to make you think that because they don’t hit home runs or strike out that they play an ethical brand of baseball. Don’t believe them. There’s nothing ethical about grounding out to short in every single at-bat. Don’t fall for the propaganda!!

Also, in terms of real life ethics, Clase and Luis L. Ortiz are currently being investigated for gambling on baseball and fixing pitch outcomes, the cardinal sin of sports. There’s nothing to like about the Cleveland Guardians.

Recent World Series: 6/10

Sure, Cleveland hasn’t won a World Series since 1948 or a pennant since 2016, but they’re a postseason mainstay and just went to the ALCS last season. Also, I don’t like them and I’m writing this article. It already pains me that I can’t give them the lowest total score imaginable, so I was just looking for any excuse I can to knock them down a few pegs.

Intangibles: 1/10

Cleveland may not be the Yankees, but they score terrible marks in every other relevant category. Their ownership is perfectly aligned with the Pohlads, perhaps even to a more extreme degree. The Guardians have never employed Aroldis Chapman, but are the former longtime employers of both Mike Clevinger and Trevor Bauer, two of the all around worst people in the sport. Also, famously, every player on the roster is a future former Guardian. Add on the fact that their fans are quite unpleasant and Progressive Field having a terrible in-game experience, and that’s how you get a 1 in this game.

FINAL SCORE: 10/50 (but spiritually, even lower)

New York Yankees​

Twins Connections: 2/10

• Brent Headrick: 2 seasons with Twins
• Ian Hamilton: 1 season with Twins
• Luis Gil: Former Twins prospect
• James Rowson: Former Twins hitting coach

Unfortunately, the only active former Twin with the Yankees is the hitting coach. Headrick is on the IL, Gil may have a chance to start if the Yankees advance, but his performance in 11 starts after returning from injury was underwhelming. Twins connections are poor, plus we hate them so that’s not ideal.

Entertainment: 9/10

Hate him if you want, but Aaron Judge is so fun to watch. He’s the best hitter since Barry Bonds and puts up video game numbers every year. Then he goes around and looks lost in the playoffs. He also can’t throw after an elbow injury a month ago, which the fates have foretold will cost the Yankees a game at some point this postseason. It’s going to be a great time. Add in a vintage Giancarlo Stanton performance, bounce backs from Cody Bellinger and Jazz Chisholm Jr., and breakout seasons from Trent Grisham and Ben Rice and these Yankees unquestionably have a fun lineup.

Max Fried and Carlos Rodon lead a strong rotation for the Yankees, and another prophecy has been revealed that a broadcaster will stumble over Cam Schlittler’s name, who has been very good in his own right. The revamped bullpen with David Bednar, Camilo Doval, and holdovers Devin Williams, Luke Weaver, and Fernando Cruz have all either been lockdown late inning options or absolute disasters. I regret to inform you this team is one of the most entertaining in the field.

Ethical Ball: 7/10

The Yankees are lacking a bit in the speed side for their starting lineups, but make up for it with Jose Caballero, Amed Rosario, and Jasson Dominguez on the bench. Fried and Rodon are as good of a 1-2 combo in the playoff field, with solid options behind them. The bullpen has been elite of late, but could fall apart quickly, knocking them down a couple more pegs.

Recent World Series: 3/10

Sure, New York hasn’t won it all since 2009, but they were in the World Series last season and their fans are so entitled to championships that I find it hard to award them anything higher than a 3. They’re postseason mainstays and that won’t be changing anytime soon.

Intangibles: 3/10

The Yankees simply love to employ Aroldis Chapman, acquiring him on two separate occasions and having him on the team for 7 seasons. Brian Cashman has his issues, but you never have to doubt his commitment to doing what it takes to win. They only employ a single former Guardian (Rosario), but their fans are simply the worst. Also, and most crucially, they are the New York Yankees. Tough look.

FINAL SCORE: 24/50

Boston Red Sox​

Twins Connections: 3/10

• Jorge Alcala: 7 seasons with Twins
• Jovani Moran: 4 seasons with Twins
• Liam Hendriks: 3 seasons with Twins
• Michael Fulmer/Rob Refsnyder/Jose De Leon: 1 season with Twins
• Nick Burdi: Former Twins prospect
• Craig Breslow (POBO): 3 seasons with Twins
• Justin Willard (Pitching development): Former Twins coach
• Jarren Duran: future Twin (probably)

Despite a relatively robust list of Twins connections, Boston’s group includes two players no longer in the organization (Alcala, Fulmer), two unlikely to be on the postseason roster (Moran, De Leon), one injured player who is out for the season (Hendriks), one who hasn’t yet played for the Twins (Duran), leaving only two people behind the scenes and a short-side platoon bat (Refsnyder). Burdi is not on the 40-man roster, but would still receive a ring since he pitched a few innings for the Sox early this season.

Entertainment: 5/10

The Red Sox have been decimated by injury and still snuck into the five seed thanks to collapses from Tigers, Twins, Orioles, Rays, and Rangers. What’s left isn’t all that pretty, but there’s still some potential for fireworks. The biggest loss is rookie phenom Roman Anthony, who compiled 2.7 fWAR with a 140 wRC+ in 71 games before an oblique injury shut him down. He could potentially return in mid-October, but the Red Sox will have a lot of work to do to get that far.

While the Red Sox may not have many better hitters than the Guardians, they get a slight pass for it not being the primary plan. Jarren Duran and Alex Bregman are fun, but everyone around them is a liability offensively. Masataka Yoshida and his 88 wRC+ is their regular cleanup batter, while players like Cedanne Rafaela, Wilyer Abreu, and Carlos Narvaez are valuable for their contributions elsewhere, not necessarily at the plate.

The pitching staff is similarly in disarray. If I may borrow a phrase from the Guardians’ section and still a Tweet that I can’t remember, Boston’s pitchers are Garrett Crochet, Aroldis Chapman, and a bunch of raccoons in a trench coat. Garrett Whitlock has some juice too, and Crochet is one of my favorite pitchers to watch, but there’s only so much they can do. A lack of lineup depth means their pitching needs to be elite to make a run, and I just don’t think they have quite enough at this point.

Ethical Ball: 4/10

A healthier roster would rate significantly higher, but missing the power from Triston Casas, Roman Anthony, and Marcelo Mayer leaves the lineup wanting. Their role players would be perfect with better hitters around them, but as it stands they are pressed into spots above their pay grade.

The exact same can be said for the pitching staff. Kutter Crawford, Hunter Dobbins, Tanner Houck, Richard Fitts, Jordan Hicks, and Liam Hendriks leave them a few arms short despite dominance from Crochet and Chapman.

Recent World Series: 2/10

The Red Sox won it all in 2018 for the second time in five seasons and the fourth time in the previous 14. While 2018 was a while ago at this point, Red Sox fans, and Boston sports fans in general, have been spoiled with titles over the past 20 years, with the Celtics, Patriots, and Bruins all winning multiple championships. The Dodgers are the only team in 2025’s playoff field that have won a World Series more recently.

Intangibles: 3/10

The Red Sox ownership group is one of a handful of billionaires trying their best to ruin professional sports. The Fenway Sports group is more interested in spending money on the Liverpool Football Club than the Red Sox, while trading away Mookie Betts, Rafael Devers, and others while claiming financial hardship as one of the biggest, most valuable sports franchises in the world. They’ve begun to reverse course the last couple seasons, acquiring and extending players like Anthony, Crochet, Bello, Rafaela, and Yoshida.

Unfortunately for them, one of the other players they signed to a big extension is Aroldis Chapman, earning them a double demerit both for signing him in the first place and then extending him. Also Jarren Duran simply loves yelling slurs at fans. Thankfully, the Red Sox are not the Yankees and get one of those points back for also being their main rival. They also get some credit for Fenway Park being very cool and playoff games at Fenway being an elite experience.

FINAL SCORE: 17/50 (we’re all surprised this is lower than the Yankees, honestly)

Detroit Tigers​

Twins Connections: 2/10

• Chris Paddack: 4 seasons with Twins
• Kenta Maeda: 4 seasons with Twins
• Manuel Margot/Dietrich Enns: 1 season with Twins
• Akil Baddoo/Sawyer Gipson-Long: Former Twins prospects

Everyone listed would get rings if the Tigers win it all, but Maeda was released months ago and Paddack didn’t make Detroit’s postseason roster after a terrible showing post-trade deadline. Margot had a forgettable year in Minnesota and Dietrich Enns played for the Ron Gardenhire Twins in 2016, and is now on the Orioles. Not a lot of Twins representation here.

Entertainment: 6/10

If Garrett Crochet isn’t the best pitcher in the AL, Tarik Skubal is. Skubal is a bonafide ace who puts on a show every time he takes the mound. A weak, yet exciting bullpen behind him will make for some good swings late in the game as long as the bats can keep up with the runs allowed in the late innings. Riley Greene, Spencer Torkelson, and Kerry Carpenter are capable of hitting a ball 500 feet every time they’re at the plate, while Javier Baez is going to do something entertaining in every game, for good or bad. Add in the fact that they’re trying to wash away their late season collapse to the hapless Guardians, and these guys make for some fun storylines, even if the players themselves are underwhelming.

Ethical Ball: 5/10

Offensively, these guys play some strong ethical ball. It’s dragged down a bit by one of their key defense/speed role players being the highly-paid Baez, but overall the lineup has a strong showing in every category with good balance. Pitching is where things fall off, as the rotation behind Skubal and the entire bullpen is incredibly suspect. Former #1 pick Casey Mize can be hit or miss and no one has known what to do with Jack Flaherty for about five years now. They’re walking on eggshells after Skubal.

Recent World Series: 7/10

The Detroit Tigers haven’t won a World Series since 1984 and have been among the worst in the league for the past decade, essentially since those peak Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Victor Martinez squads. It would be fun to see the Tigers get a ring, but there are others more deserving.

Intangibles: 5/10

POBO Scott Harris aligns perfectly with the Pohlad view of spending on a baseball team. Their outright refusal to spend any significant resources on pitching put them in this exact spot, though they’re not as bad as Cleveland. They aren’t the Yankees, have never employed Aroldis Chapman, and only employ a single former Guardian (Paul Sewald) who was barely on the team. A good bounce back despite Harris’ best efforts.

FINAL SCORE: 25/50

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The Seattle Mariners and the load-bearing Jorge Polanco come out on top with 39 out of a possible 50 points, narrowly edging out the Blue Jays, who may have had a stronger case if Jose Berrios was available. We’ll be back tomorrow with the NL version and to crown a champion of the Twins fan postseason guide!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...-twins-fan-guide-to-the-postseason-al-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

My year at the ballpark(s): 2025

During the 2025 MLB season, I attended 29 live contests—all featuring YOUR Minnesota Twins (for better or for worse—heavy on the latter). Twenty-three at 1 Twins Way and six more at various away locales. One less than ‘24—perhaps understandable considering the post-July slump (only 3 attendances in August & 3 in September).

The tale-of-the-tape & highlights…

Overall Record​

13.5 wins, 15 losses. Why the 0.5? Well, on one occasion a game I was at got suspended due to rain and finished up the next day (in a MN victory!). So, pedantically I saw 13.5 wins.

Kyle Lohse Memorial Award​

(So named for the amount of times I saw him pitch at the Metrodome when I wanted Johan or Radke)

• Chris Paddack: 6 starts seen
• Bailey Ober & Joe Ryan: 5 starts
• SWR: 4 starts
• Zebby & Pablo: 3 starts
• David Festa: 2 starts
• 1 bullpen game

Dog Days of Summer​

Twice I Barked at the Park with my sisters’ golden retrievers and doodle. A great time was had by man and beast.

Thievery—and not the Byron Buxton variety​

In my second game of the season, I had the baseball glove I’ve been taking to games since 1999 stolen out from under my seat during a restroom run. After navigating the five stages of grief, this necessitated new leather.

Leavin’ on a Jet Plane​

I was fortunate enough to get to Seattle, Houston, & Colorado (where I ran into a few of our tribe—John Foley & Brandon Brooks) this summer. Three more check marks on the ballpark bucket list! The utterly improbable comeback against the Mariners was unreal!

Fun Foodstuffs​

From dogs to donuts to on-the-road fries, I ingested some fun ballpark cuisine in 2025.

At-Home Highlights​

• April 22: Byron Buxton’s game-saving, walk-off catch!
• May 10: Seven wins in a row!
• May 23: I see London, I see France hit a walk-off winner!
• June 7: Riding the Northstar Line for the final time—with my locomotive-obsessed 4-year old nephew.

• July 12: Seeing Byron Buxton’s cycle with the aunt who brought me to so many games at the Metrodome.
• July 28: The bell tolls for Jhoan Duran one final time.
• September 12: A wild comeback capped by Luke Keaschall.

It was—by almost no metric known to man—a good season for the Minnesota Twins. But I managed to squeeze as much fun out of it as I could. I hope you were able to do the same.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general/49217/mlb-minnesota-twins-zach-koenig-year-at-ballparks-2025

 

[Minnesota Twins]

The Twins Fan Guide to the Postseason: NL Edition

Welcome back to part two: the National League. Some stronger Twins connections and overall enjoyment from watching the team led to some higher scores this time around. As a reminder, here are the categories we are ranking teams with:

• Twins Connections: how connected are you to the Minnesota Twins? This includes former Twins players, prospects, coaches, or greater Minnesota ties. Additionally, are there any current Twins who would get rings if you win the World Series? The longer tenured your former Twins, the better your score.
• Entertainment: How fun is it to watch you play baseball? Style of play is a factor, but moreso do you have players and storylines that are fun to root for and players who have fun on the field? Think Harrison Bader. Ironically, a bad bullpen also plays up here because it keeps things interesting.
• Ethical Ball: This is the style-of-play and anti-Cleveland Guardians category, who I find both infuriating and unenjoyable to watch. We don’t want all homers or all dink-and-dunk singles, we want a power/speed mix, aces to carry you, and an elite bullpen with good stuff.
• Most Recent World Series: This is straightforward, how recently have you won a championship? I like some 2019 Nationals/2023 Diamondbacks out-of-nowhere deep postseason runs, sorry Dodgers.
• Intangibles: a catch-all category to award or dock points as I see fit. Is your owner ideologically aligned with the Pohlads? How many former Cleveland Guardians do you have on your roster? Do you now or have you ever employed Aroldis Chapman? Are you the Yankees? All these things will lower your score in the intangibles category.

Let’s get into it and crown a champion!

Milwaukee Brewers​

Twins Connections: 1/10

• Trevor Megill: 1 Season with Twins

Despite their geographical proximity, the Brewers have very few connections to the Twins. Megill pitched for the Twins in the 2022 season before being traded to Milwaukee where they instantly turned him into one of the best relievers in baseball, as they are wont to do.

Entertainment: 8/10

The Brewers are what the Guardians think they are. They have two bonafide stars in the middle of the lineup in William Contreras and Jackson Chourio, while Christian Yelich is a half step below them as he’s been playing through a slew of back injuries in his mid-30s. They’re complimented by 10-12 legitimate, above-average bats who all are good enough at certain skills to keep opposing teams off balance. Brice Turang does everything well, is an elite base stealer, and led their hitters in fWAR. Caleb Durbin, Joey Ortiz, Isaac Collins, and Sal Frelick are all high-end defenders with some juice, while complimentary/platoon bats Andrew Vaughn, Jake Bauers, and Rhys Hoskins can start or come off the bench and completely change a game.

Milwaukee’s pitching staff is led by perennial dark horse Cy Young contender Freddy Peralta and backed up by a contingent of electric young arms like Quinn Priester, Jacob Misiorowski, and Chad Patrick. The late season injury to Brandon Woodruff put a dent in their plans, but they are chock full of starters that can take over a game. Their bullpen is headlined by the electric Abner Uribe and his sinker he can pump up to 100 MPH and the aforementioned Megill. This staff is electric.

Ethical Ball: 9/10

The platonic ideal of ethical baseball. Elite speed, game changing power, an excellent mix of power and finesse in the pitching staff. The only thing docking them a point is their starters behind Peralta and Priester. Misiorowski, Patrick, and even wily veteran Jose Quintana have gone through stretches where they’ve looked like a competent third playoff starter, but none of them have been able to perform consistently. The Brewers are being coy about Woodruff’s availability for the playoffs, but a strained lat coming off of major shoulder surgery that kept him out for 18 months make his return unlikely.

Recent World Series: 10/10

The Brewers have never won a World Series or an NL pennant. Like the Mariners in the AL, this is an easy 10.

Intangibles: 7/10

Milwaukee once again comes up clutch when they need it most. While the Brewers have been viewed as an ideal for building a contender on a budget, they’ve made investments in spots they’ve needed to and are excellent at self-scouting and shoring up holes. This is the best version of what the Twins want to be, though it would still be nice if they could get their payroll closer to the top half of the league. I will give them the benefit of the doubt since they are a little ahead of schedule this season and have shown a willingness to spend in the past.

Critically, the Brewers are not the Yankees, only employ a single former Guardian (Bauers), and have never had Aroldis Chapman on their team. Let’s split the difference and call it a solid 7.

FINAL SCORE: 35/50

Philadelphia Phillies​

Twins Connections: 10/10

• Jhoan Duran: 4 seasons with Twins
• Max Kepler: 10 seasons with Twins
• Harrison Bader: 1 season with Twins
• Twins Rings: Mick Abel, Kody Clemens
• Matt Strahm is from Fargo, ND

While there isn’t a lot of quantity here, the quality is unmatched. Kepler spent 15 years in the Twins’ system and 10 years in a Twins jersey. Duran is probably the most electric reliever in Twins history and probably a top five reliever even in just 3.5 seasons. Bader was with us for a short, but fun stretch. And Strahm is sneakily one of the best athletes to come out of Twins Territory in a while. Add in the fact that Clemens and Abel would get rings, and there’s a lot of Minnesota athletes I’m personally invested in seeing succeed.

Entertainment: 9/10

Even in his 30s, Bryce Harper is good for a fun quote every time he has a mic in front of him. They lost Zach Wheeler, currently in the “best pitcher in baseball” conversation, but still have an exciting staff of electric lefties (Jesus Luzardo, Ranger Suarez, Cristopher Sanchez) and solid veterans (Aaron Nola, Taijuan Walker). Their bullpen behind Duran, Strahm, and Orion Kettering is suspect, but they have the starters that means they won’t have to get into the ‘pen all that often. The lineup is great 1-9 and these guys simply like playing together. They’re fun to watch!

Ethical Ball: 8/10

With a caveat that I haven’t watched much of the Phillies this season, these guys are very solid ethically. The loss of Wheeler hurts on the ace front, but the acquisition of Duran shored up their biggest real world and satirical ethical weakness. Power from Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Alec Bohm, and Nick Castellanos mixed with the speed and defense of Trea Turner, Bader, JT Realmuto, Kepler, and others makes for ideal baseball ethics. With a strong bench, the Phillies legitimately go 12 deep here and can mix and match as needed.

Recent World Series: 6/10

The Phillies haven’t won it all since 2008 but have been a regular in postseason in the near 20 seasons since. They made a surprise NL Pennant run in 2022 and have infamously choked in wide open NL’s of the past when teams like the Dodgers were eliminated early. Time to redeem themselves and push it all in for 2025!

Intangibles: 10/10

The Phillies spend money on a competitive roster, have an owner who has openly said he’s okay losing money on the team in an effort to be a better steward in their community, and have a good mix of homegrown players and external acquisitions. POBO Dave Dombrowski’s self scouting is elite, allowing him to shore up the roster when needed. Meanwhile, they have never employed Aroldis Chapman, are not the Yankees, and have 0 former Guardians on the roster. The platonic intangible ideal.

FINAL SCORE: 43/50

Los Angeles Dodgers​

Twins Connections: 2/10

• Eddie Rosario: 6 seasons with Twins
• Brock Stewart: 3 seasons with Twins
• Ben Rortvedt: 1 season with Twins
• Brusdar Graterol: 1 season with Twins
• Twins Rings: James Outman, Noah Davis

Rosario and Stewart are a strong base, but Rosario played 3 games with the team while Shohei Ohtani was on parental leave, making him arguably the funniest replacement player all season. Stewart pitched 4 games for the Dodgers and then got yet another season ending shoulder surgery. Ben Rortvedt is only on the roster because Will Smith is hurt. Brusdar Graterol has been out all season. The ties are weak and James Outman is bad.

Entertainment: 10/10

I hate to admit it as much as the next guy, but one of the positives of the Dodgers acquiring everybody is they tend to be very entertaining. Ohtani is, in my opinion, the greatest baseball player of all time. He’s about to win his third straight MVP (and fourth overall and fifth straight top two finish), is the greatest hitter alive, and did it while putting up Cy Young-caliber pitching numbers in 14 starts since returning from his second Tommy John surgery.

Then there’s the rest of the team. They are stacked with aces and first-ballot Hall of Fame pitching out of the bullpen in his final season. The bullpen, frankly, is awful which will keep lesser teams in it longer than they should be. Mookie Betts had his worst season as a pro, which should make his postseason heroics all the more entertaining. Max Muncy put on glasses and became a top five hitter once again. Insane, wildly entertaining stuff happening in Los Angeles.

Ethical Ball: 5/10

The Dodgers may be fun, but the bullpen liability takes a huge bite out of their ethics score. And while the Dodgers have power and hits in spades, their aging roster and Ohtani’s unwillingness to run since returning to the mound make the lineup rather boring. The only player under 30 starting for LA is 24-year-old Andy Pages, who had a terrible second half after being an All-Star.

Recent World Series: 1/10

I don’t award zeroes in this exercise otherwise that’s where the Dodgers would be. They won it all last season for the second time in five years and have spent to the point where it’s shocking when they don’t at least make it the World Series. Sorry, Dodgers.

Intangibles: 5/10

Now, by the criteria previously laid out, the Dodgers should theoretically rank much higher. They’ve never employed Aroldis Chapman, are not the Yankees, somehow employ 0 former Guardians despite their roster churn, and have an ownership group who are the antithesis to the Pohlads. However, the 2020s Los Angeles Dodgers are the spiritual successors to the 2000s Yankees with their roster chock full of aging superstars. And while they get a pass on the Chapman thing, they have repeatedly demonstrated they will sign players who are among the worst guys in the league (Trevor Bauer, Julio Urias), meaning they would absolutely employ Chapman if they could. Wins over everything, I guess.

FINAL SCORE: 23/50

Chicago Cubs​

Twins Connections: 8/10

• Caleb Thielbar: 8 seasons with Twins
• Ryan Pressly: 6 seasons with Twins
• Taylor Rogers: 6 seasons with Twins
• Willi Castro: 3 seasons with Twins
• Carlos Santana/Michael Fulmer: 1 season with Twins
• Michael Busch from Minnesota
• Twins Rings: Genesis Cabrera, Brooks Kriske

The Cubs get credit for quantity over quality here. Thielbar has sneakily been one of the best relievers in baseball, regaining his 2021-2023 form with the Cubs. He gets bonus credit for being a born Minnesotan as well. Rogers and Pressly were longtime staples at the back of the ‘pen for some bad Twins teams and are on the tail ends of their careers, though Pressly is no longer with the team. Meanwhile, Castro has been bad in his sparing usage in Chicago while Santana was left off the postseason roster entirely. Kriske just opted for free agency and Cabrera will likely be non-tendered within a few weeks. A load-bearing Thielbar is holding things strong.

Entertainment: 5/10

The Cubs were fun in the first half when Kyle Tucker and Pete Crow-Armstrong were playing like MVP candidates. Both have fallen hard in the second half, which frankly just makes me sad. Breakouts from Michael Busch and Seiya Suzuki have provided a bit more of a spark, but the rest of the lineup is good enough to win, but boring enough to make for a mediocre night at the ballpark.

Much like the lineup, the pitching staff is good, if uninspiring. Cade Horton was sneakily one of the best pitchers in MLB in the second half, while wily lefties Matt Boyd and Shota Imanaga both had solid seasons. The bullpen is a rotating cast allowing them win match ups, but leaves a lot to be desired on the entertainment front. The Cubs get points for winning, but lose some for being boring while they do it. Let’s split it right down the middle.

Ethical Ball: 7/10

The fall offs from Tucker and PCA take this down a bit with the lineup becoming somewhat unbalanced. That being said, Tucker, Happ, Busch, and Suzuki bring plenty of power on their own while Nico Hoerner, diminished PCA, Carson Kelly, and Dansby Swanson lock down the defense up the middle and bring plenty of speed and small-ball in their own right. They take a hit on pitching due to their mix-and-match unreliability, but still come out solid overall.

Recent World Series: 4/10

Since winning it all in 2016 and breaking one of the longest championship droughts in professional sports, there is no way to describe this team other than uninspiring. The only player left from that era is Ian Happ, who is a perfectly acceptable, boring player. There’s been little postseason success since then, but that’s on execs Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer for not investing in a team’s championship window.

Intangibles: 4/10

Let’s venture into the very safe and uncontroversial world of politics to briefly (BRIEFLY) talk about rookie third baseman Matt Shaw. Shaw was mediocre, at best, and uninspiring in his first MLB season, but that’s not why I’m writing about him. Shaw missed a couple games earlier this month to attend the funeral of Charlie Kirk. If you’ve read me before, you should clearly understand that I didn’t agree with Kirk in any way, shape, or form and found nearly all of his platform to be disingenuous hate speech disguised as intellectual talking points. To be clear, I do not think Kirk deserved to die for that. To be even clearer, Matt Shaw should not have been allowed to miss any games, let alone ones in the midst of a playoff race, to attend the funeral of a person who he saw on YouTube and met a few times during Spring Training. This was an organizational failure from everyone involved on the Cubs. Okay, back to fun baseball now!

Outside of that debacle, the Cubs also don’t speed nearly as much on their roster proportional to their market size and cultural impact. Jed Hoyer seemingly likes to cosplay as a small market GM while having the financial resources to compete with the Dodgers or Yankees if he chose to. Aroldis Chapman, of course, was instrumental to their 2016 World Series run and they only employ two former Guardians. Let’s balance this one at a four and move on.

FINAL SCORE: 28/50

San Diego Padres​

Twins Connections: 1/10

• Luis Arraez: 4 seasons with Twins

Oops, all Arraez! The three-time batting champ is the only connection Twins fans have to the Padres at this point. Arraez can be fun when things are working, but the defensively-challenged infielder has had a rough season, putting up just 0.9 fWAR in 154 games, with a wRC+ barely above league average. Never a power hitter, Arraez’s advanced metrics have taken a turn for the worst, putting up career lows in average exit velocity, ISO, batting average, OBP, hard hit rate, barrel rate, and WPA. Sure, he set a modern record by striking out in just 3.1% of his plate appearances, but there simply weren’t enough hits to justify his lack of power.

Entertainment: 7/10

Arraez and Jake Cronenworth are boring, but the core of Fernando Tatis Jr., Manny Machado, and Jackson Merrill are as fun as they come. They also saw nice bounce back seasons from Xander Bogaerts and Gavin Sheets, while shoring things up by acquiring Ryan O’Hearn and Ramon Laureano at the trade deadline. Plus, Jose Iglesias is an international pop sensation!

They’ve been hit by the injury bug on the pitching side, but still have a solid top three in Nick Pivetta, Dylan Cease, and 39-year-old Yu Darvish. Their best starter, Michael King, will pitch out of the bullpen as he is still working back from a season of injuries. In the bullpen, they have four All-Stars and legitimate weapons with Mason Miller, Robert Suarez, Jason Adam, and Jeremiah Estrada. If the Fathers can piece together the first five innings, the back four are locked down.

Ethical Ball: 6/10

Tatis and Merrill are excellent and basically everything on the diamond, from small ball to power to stealing bases to defense. After that, there’s a bunch of one dimensional players like Arraez, Sheets, and O’Hearn and are severely lacking in the speed/base running department. Pitching wise, they are a starter short if King is unable to pitch five innings, though that electric, lock-down bullpen can make up for that.

Recent World Series: 10/10

They haven’t been around that long, but San Diego doesn’t have a championship or pennant to their name. They also recently got their football team stolen from them, so I think the city deserves to see the Padres bring it home.

Intangibles: 10/10

The Padres are perfect in the Chapman, Guardians, and Yankees departments, so let’s talk about ownership.

Former owner Peter Seidler made a concerted effort in his last few years at the helm to push the Padres to a championship, outbidding the likes of the Dodgers, Yankees, and Red Sox for the services of Machado, Bogaerts, Darvish, Cease, and Juan Soto, among others. Despite their financial restraints, the Padres have pushed hard to compete. Peter’s brother John has taken over since Peter’s passing and maintained a top five payroll despite their relative market size. This is exactly what I’m asking the Twins to do, if not beyond my expectations. You don’t need to spend all the time, but push your chips in while you have a championship window. Instead, the Twins cut their payroll by $40M when their window opened in 2023.

FINAL SCORE: 34/50

Cincinnati Reds​

Twins Connections: 2/10

• Taylor Rogers: 6 seasons with Twins
• Zack Littell: 3 seasons with Twins
• Emilio Pagan: 2 seasons with Twins
• Ian Gibaut: 1 season with Twins
• Spencer Steer, Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Chase Petty: Former Twins prospects

The Twins recent penchant for trading with Cincinnati means they are littered with former Twins prospects. However, Rogers is now on the Cubs, Littell was a decline acquisition, Pagan had one infuriating and one decent season in Minnesota, Gibaut was forgettable (how many of you remember his time here?), and CES/Petty were left off the postseason roster. But hey, we always have Spencer Steer.

Entertainment: 4/10

While the Guardians stormed back to steal a playoff spot, the Reds fell ass-backwards into one thanks to the Mets’ incompetence. They went 40-40 over their last 80 games to sneak in thanks to a tiebreaker with New York, while their electric shortstop Elly De La Cruz had his worst season as a pro. The rest of the lineup is littered with guys who are good, but not great like Steer, TJ Friedl, Tyler Stephenson, Noelvi Marte, Gavin Lux, Austin Hayes. Meanwhile, their big trade deadline acquisition Ke’Bryan Hayes is simultaneously the best defender and worst hitter in baseball. Their pitching staff is fun, though! Hunter Greene and Andrew Abbot are a fun duo while being backed up by solid arms. Also, by the time this is being posted they’re already eliminated, which is not very entertaining.

Ethical Ball: 5/10

Let me describe this team in the exact same way their second half went. Perfectly average. They don’t do anything great. They don’t do anything terrible. Rather than being balanced with a mix of players who excel at certain aspects of the game, everyone here is completely average at everything, which makes for a perfectly average ethical viewing experience. A perfectly average 5 for you, Cincinnati.

Recent World Series: 8/10

The Reds last won a title and a pennant both in 1990. They had some competitive teams in the Johnny Cueto/Joey Votto days, but never were able to put it all together.

Intangibles: 6/10

I’ll give them this: the Reds have at least tried. They don’t always have the highest payrolls, but they’ve demonstrated a repeated willingness to push some extra cash in when the team is competitive. They only have two former Guardians, but unfortunately, Cincinnati is the originator of Aroldis Chapman. Another category, another average score for the Reds.

FINAL SCORE: 25/50 (a fittingly, perfectly average final score)

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With an overwhelming final score of 44/50, congrats to the official Twinkie Town Fan Guide champions: The Philadelphia Phillies!! I’m very excited to be rooting for Duran, Kepler, and Bader again.

From now until the Phillies are eliminated, we are officially rebranded as Phillies Town (open to suggestions here). I’m very excited to be rooting for Duran, Kepler, and Bader again, as I’m sure you all are as well. As we always say here at Phillies Town: “Win, Phillies, win!”

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...-twins-fan-guide-to-the-postseason-nl-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Smile Because It’s Over” Edition

The 2025 regular season has come to a close, with the Twins finishing with a 70-92 record. Prior to the start of the season, Fangraphs gave the Twins an expected win total of 84, with a 36% chance to win the division and a 55% chance to make the playoffs. It’s been downhill since that point, besides the 12-game win streak earlier this year. However, besides just poor baseball play, it’s also been a down year for the organization, as fan morale has tanked, and not just because of the product on the field. 2025 was the lowest season for attendance at Target Field and the lowest full-season attendance since 2000, as fans voiced their displeasure with the Pohlads with their wallets. One can only hope that the 2026 season comes with renewed optimism, but at this point, I’m just happy the season is over.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• In case you forgot what happened this past weekend, our Game Recaps are available!
• With the new site change, we also now have The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• In case you like reliving the (horrid) past, Matt Monitto has our annual “Name Every Twin” quiz ready for you!
• Zach Koenig reminds us of the excitement (and the pain) of the 2015 Twins season.
• Ben Jones looks at MLB’s new rule for 2026 – the automated strikes and balls challenge system.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Reid Forgrave at the Star Tribune checks in on Joe Pohlad with the end of the 2025 season.
• Betsy Helfand at the Pioneer Press puts a bow on Byron Buxton’s season. ($)
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage highlights the career year for prospect Aaron Sabato.

In the World of Baseball:

• The playoff picture for the American League: the Toronto Blue Jays and the Seattle Mariners earned byes to the ALDS, while two division matchups highlight the wild-card series. The Detroit Tigers try to avenge their free-fall from the top spot in the American League (I may or may not have accidentally cursed them) with a three-game series in Cleveland, while the Boston Red Sox, after trading their best player early in the season, head to the Bronx to face off against the Yankees, who actually ended up tying with the Blue Jays in terms of regular season record, but because of tiebreakers, were relegated to the first round.
• The playoff picture for the National League: The Milwaukee Brewers and Philadelphia Phillies have byes to the division series, while the NL West and NL Central duke it out in the wild-card round, with Cincinnati traveling to LA to face the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres heading to Wrigley for a series in Chicago against the Cubs. Cincy clinched the final wild-card spot on Sunday with the New York Mets completing their own free fall from the best record in baseball two-ish months into the season to an early Cancun trip in October.
• Money doesn’t buy championships, but it sure helps you get a shot! Andy McCullough at The Athletic looks at how payroll defines the 2025 playoff teams. ($)
• Jorge Castillo at ESPN looks at the Mets’ collapse from World Series contender to fourth in the three-team wild card race.
• The San Francisco Giants have fired manager Bob Melvin in the first of many offseason moves for the MLB.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...-minnesota-the-smile-because-its-over-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Was 2025 the worst Twins season in recent memory?

Earlier this week, I did a little make-do with the 2025 Minnesota Twins season—recalling my ballpark exploits regardless of wins and losses. Baseball is a unique sport that way.

But let’s not kid ourselves—other than simply loving the game and sharing it with family/friends, 2025 was a disaster for the Twins organization. We all know the reasons why—we’ve been talking about them all season long. So, let’s compare notes on a few other dismal campaigns from 2010+ and see which was worse for us fans.

2011: 63-99​

• The utter disbelief of a complete August/September collapse after a decade of cromulence.

2016: 59-103​

• Total. System. Failure.

2018: 78-84​

• By the end of ‘18, Molitor managed to right the ship a bit. But a 35-44 start—after 2017’s playoff appearance—ultimately doomed the repeat attempt.

2021: 73-89​

• The Matt Shoemaker & Alex Colome season. Enough said.

2025: 70-92​

• The Pohlads—the Great Sell-Off—the late-season apathy. Yeesh.

What say you on the matter? Which one of these recent wretched seasons was the worst…

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...orst-season-recently-2011-2016-2018-2021-2025

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Season to forget, players to remember: name every 2025 Twin (quiz)

This is the first year we get to see how Sporcle embeds in WordPress, which is one of the few exciting takeaways from the 2025 Minnesota Twins season.

After a flat start, freefall, and fire sale, the Twins have ended the year with a 70-92 record. But those 70 wins (and yes, the 92 losses as well) came from a group of 57 players, from franchise mainstays to veteran cups of coffee to rookies getting their first taste of MLB action. They had plenty of talent (and too many guys who were not suited for major league play), but while some of their talented players shined, others fizzled, flopped, or flamed. Fudge.

As is yearly tradition, it now comes time for you to try to name those 57 players in a Sporcle quiz. You can play it on that site, or you can play it embedded below.

But first, a reminder as to rules of the quiz:

• Players are listed at the position where they played the most games. The number of games is their season total, not exclusively at that position.
• Last names are accepted.
• For players with diacritical marks in their name, the quiz will accept their names with or without the diacriticals.

That’s all I’ve got for you. Have fun!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...ber-name-every-2025-twins-player-sporcle-quiz

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Phillies Town | Dodgers 5, Phillies 3: Philadelphia Does Their Best Twins Impression

Welcome to Phillies Town, Twinkie Town’s Philadelphia Phillies playoff coverage because I like watching Jhoan Duran play baseball and don’t handle change well. Let’s go Phillies!

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I thought covering the Phillies would be fun because they are a good baseball team, have fun players that are easy to root for, and have a recent track record of postseason success. However, I think the Phillies are actually pulling a prank on me because they did their best postseason Twins impression in my first game as a Phillies fan.

The game started well for Philadelphia against two-way superstar and probable GOAT Shohei Ohtani, tagging him for three runs in the second inning. Speedy catcher JT Realmuto ripped a triple to center with two men on to bring in the first two, with Realmuto coming around on an eventual sac fly from former Twin Harrison Bader. Meanwhile, Cy Young conteder Cristopher Sanchez was carving up the Dodgers’ star-studded lineup for the first five innings, allowing only two hits and a walk.

You can only hold off that Dodgers lineup for so long. They finally got to Sanchez in the sixth with a timely two-out rally. After retiring Mookie Betts and Teoscar Hernandez, Freddie Freeman and Tommy Edman both reached in front of repeated Dodgers postseason hero Enrique Hernandez, who drove both runners in with a double in the left field corner. 41-year-old David Robertson got the Phillies out of the inning with them still on top 3-2.

Robertson stayed in to face the first two batters in the seventh inning, but allowed Andy Pages and Muncy to both reach before manager Rob Thomson turned to veteran fireman and Fargo, ND legend Matt Strahm. In a dangerous spot against two of the best hitters alive, Strahm was able to strikeout Ohtani looking and get Betts to pop out. But with one out to go, the other Hernandez, Teoscar, did the rest of the damage, driving a three-run shot out to right center to put Los Angeles up 5-3.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, they did their best 2025 Twins impression with the lineup providing absolutely nothing after their big third inning. Ohtani retired 15 of the final 17 Phillies batters he faced and gave way to a deeply flawed Los Angeles bullpen. Unfortunately, the Dodgers’ wealth of starters mean that former All-Star Tyler Glasnow was the first man out of the ‘pen. He pitched well in the seventh, but ran into trouble in the eighth when he walked the bases full with two outs. Fireman Alex Vesia came in to get pinch hitter Edmundo Sosa and put an end to the Phillies’ threat.

A couple of ex-Twins paired to give the Phillies a last breath of hope in the ninth. After an excellent top half pitching from Jhoan Duran, where his only flaw was a walk to Ohtani who they were clearly trying to pitch around, Max Kepler hit a soft double to right field with one out to bring up the tying run. However, it only took former top prospect Roki Sasaki three more pitches to get Nick Castellanos and Bryson Stott to hit into the final two outs.

Final: Dodgers 5, Phillies 3

FORMER TWINS WATCH

• Jhoan Duran: 1.0 IP, 0 R, 1 BB, 2K
• Max Kepler: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K
• Harrison Bader: 0-0, 1 SF, 1 HBP, left game with hamstring injury

STUDS

• JT Realmuto: 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 R, 1 3B
• Cristopher Sanchez: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BB, 8 K
• Jhoan Duran: electric

DUDS

• Trea Turner/Kyle Schwarber/Nick Castellanos: combined 0-9, 4 K, 1 BB
• David Robertson: 0.1 IP: 1 H, 1 HBP, 2 R

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/playoff...philadelphia-does-their-best-twins-impression

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Welcome to Phillies Town

In case you missed it, I spent about 10,000 words and far too much time breaking down the best teams for Twins fans to root for this postseason, following a very defined and scientific process while surely introducing none of my own personal bias against the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees. The Seattle Mariners came out on top in the AL with a final score of 39/50 thanks to Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, and a relatively fun roster. However, our overall champion was from the NL with the Philadelphia Phillies achieving a 44/50 mark.

The win comes largely thanks to their Minnesota connections and how much fun they have on a baseball field. Philadelphia starts former Twins Max Kepler and Harrison Bader in their everyday lineups, while Jhoan Duran has continued his 9th inning dominance since being acquired at the deadline. Additionally, current Twins Mick Abel and Kody Clemens would get championship rings should the Phillies win the World Series. To make things even more exciting, they’ll face off in the NLDS against the Los Angeles Dodgers, the modern reincarnation of the early 2000s Yankees.

We’re in for a fun one tonight with Cy Young contender Cristopher Sanchez facing off against two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who has been marvelous since returning to the mound this summer. The lefty-throwing Sanchez gets the platoon advantage on the likes of Ohtani, Freddie Freeman, and Max Muncy which should play to the Phillies’ advantage, but it’s worth noting that Freeman essentially has even splits against lefties, and while Ohtani is worse, it’s still an .898 OPS compared to his 1.076 mark against righties.

As we say here at Phillies Town: win, Phillies, win!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/playoff-coverage/49524/welcome-to-phillies-town

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Phillies Town | Dodgers 4, Phillies 3: Late Rally Falls Short

Welcome to Phillies Town, Twinkie Town’s Philadelphia Phillies playoff coverage because I like watching Jhoan Duran play baseball and don’t handle change well. Let’s go Phillies!

---

One game after the Phillies’ offense stalled out in the late innings, Philadelphia reversed course by saving all their runs for the final two frames in game two. Unfortunately, they didn’t have quite enough time to mount a full comeback.

Let’s pick up the game in the seventh, since nothing of note happened until that point. Starter Jesus Luzardo had dominated the game up to that point, retiring 15 straight Dodgers and not allowing a baserunner since the fourth inning. With the pitch count looking healthy and Philadelphia low on reliable relievers behind former Twin Jhoan Duran, Luzardo came back out for the seventh inning, facing the star-studded Dodgers lineup for a third time. Unfortunately, that dreaded third time penalty immediately showed up, with Luzardo allowing Teoscar Hernandez and Freddie Freeman to both reach, putting runners on second and third with no outs.

Manager Rob Thomson turned to Orion Kerkering, the Phillies’ second-best righty in the ‘pen, to face an impossible situation. Kerkering was able to get Tommy Edman swinging for the first out. The second man up was Enrique Hernandez, who hit a soft grounder just past the mound. Trea Turner tried to get the runner at home, but Teoscar Hernandez narrowly beat the tag to break the seal and put the Dodgers up 1-0.

View Link

Kerkering made the damage worse by walking Max Muncy to load the bases with still only one out. After getting Andy Pages to pop out, catcher Will Smith delivered the kill shot with a clutch single to left to score two more. Shohei Ohtani added one more run on an RBI single of his to give the Dodgers a four run lead on a night where the Phillies had managed only a single hit through the seventh.

The ex-Twins did their best to mount a rally in the late innings, though. Max Kepler led off the eighth with a pinch-hit, bloop triple to right. Turner drove him in, but ultimately the Phillies couldn’t manage another run in the inning. Philadelphia got the benefit of finally seeing the Dodgers’ struggling relievers in the ninth, particularly Blake Treinen. The first three batters of the ninth inning reached, highlighted by a double from Nick Castellanos on a slider well out of the zone which scored two more for the Phillies with him on second as the tying run, still with no outs.

View Link

With a slew of lefties coming up, the Dodgers pulled Treinen for left-handed Alex Vesia. Bryson Stott laid down a picture perfect bunt to try to advance Castellanos to third, but Max Muncy made the best defensive play of the postseason so far by nabbing the lead runner.

View Link

Another former Twin did his part to keep the rally alive. Harrison Bader, with a bad groin and all, delivered a pinch-hit single, putting the winning run on base still with only one out. Max Kepler had a chance to tie or win the game, but hit a soft grounder to second, as he is wont to do. Vesia was slow getting to first base, keeping Kepler from hitting into his patented game-ending GIDP. Unfortunately, NL batting champ Trea Turner also couldn’t come up with the final hit the Phillies needed, officially putting them down 2-0 and needing to win three straight games to advance.

The good news is that the Phillies have been horrendous at home over the last three postseasons and have come back from down 2-0 in the past, but they’ll need the offense to come to life facing one of the best pitchers in the NL in Yoshinobu Yamamoto. It’s a tall task, but they have the talent to do it.

FORMER TWINS WATCH

• Max Kepler: 1-2, 1 3B, 1 R
• Harrison Bader: 1-1 with a clutch ninth inning hit on a bum groin
• Jhoan Duran: 1 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K

STUDS

• Jesus Luzardo through 6 innings: 6 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K
• Kepler/Bader: Key pinch hits to spark the rally

DUDS

• Jesus Luzardo in the 6th: 0 IP, 2 H, 2 R
• Orion Kerkering: 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 R, 1 K
• Trea Turner/Kyle Schwarber/Bryce Harper: combined 1-10, 3 BB, 5 K (now a combined 1-19, 4 BB, 9 K this postseason)

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/playoff...n-dodgers-4-phillies-3-late-rally-falls-short

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Monday Morning Minnesota: The “Louis Varland Is Pretty Good” Edition

The first round of the playoffs has finished, and now we get to see some old friends do cool things in the playoffs! Jhoan Duran, Louis Varland, and Harrison Bader all have now made playoff appearances, with Varland earning rave reviews from his teammates:

Kevin Gausman on Louis Varland and his big strikeout in the 6th:

“That was one of the greatest trades we’ve ever made.” #BlueJays

— Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) October 4, 2025

In Twins Territory, Rocco Baldelli was officially let go from his post as team manager. And thus begins a fairly consequential offseason for the Twins as they decide how to put together a team using the fewest resources possible.

The Past Week on Twinkie Town:

• Check out The Feed, where you can add your discussions about the Twins!
• Ben Jones explains why, with it being October, we are officially rebranding to Phillies Town.
• It’s Rival Roundup time! Brandon Brooks rings in the new offseason with Vol. 67 of his look around the MLB.
• Zach Koenig asks the question that no one wants to answer: Was 2025 the worst Twins season in recent memory?
• In case you’re still trying to determine a rooting interest for the playoffs, Ben Jones has the Twins Fan Guide to the AL and NL postseason.
• Zach Koenig takes us through his year at the ballpark.

Elsewhere in Twins Territory:

• Bobby Nightengale at the Star Tribune highlights the season from Austin Martin, who looks like he may have a spot on this roster in 2026.
• Aaron Gleeman at The Athletic looks at the state of the Twins after firing Rocco Baldelli. ($)
• Theo Tollefson at Zone Coverage evaluates Brooks Lee’s approach at the plate this season.

In the World of Baseball:

• Jorge Castillo at ESPN takes a look at rookie Trey Yesavage’s playoff debut in Game 2 of the ALDS.
• Daniel Kramer at MLB.com looks at how the Seattle Mariners finally got their first playoff win in 24 years.
• Several teams have fired their managers, or have announced they will not be returning in 2026, including:
  • San Francisco Giants (Bob Melvin)
  • Minnesota Twins (Rocco Baldelli)
  • Los Angeles Angels (Ron Washington and Ray Montgomery)
  • Atlanta Braves (Brian Snitker)
  • Texas Rangers (Bruce Bochy) – the Rangers hired Skip Schumaker

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...sota-the-louis-varland-is-pretty-good-edition

 

[Minnesota Twins]

I’m still salty about the 2005 AL Cy Young Award

Coming off a sparkling 2004 season & AL Cy Young Award win, Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Johan Santana put up what was perhaps an equally compelling campaign in 2005. His recognition for such an achievement? A 3rd-place AL Cy Young Award voting finish—possibly one of the worst travesties of MLB awards voting EVER.

But don’t just take my word for it—let’s see for ourselves:

2005 AL Cy Young 1st Place: Bartolo Colon​

• 21-8, 3.48 ERA, 33 GS, 2 CG, 222.2 IP, 157 K, 43 BB, 1.16 WHIP, 4.0 WAR

2005 AL Cy Young 2nd Place: Mariano Rivera​

• 43 SV, 1.38 ERA, 78.1 IP, 80 K, 18 BB, 0.87 WHIP, 4.0 WAR

2005 AL Cy Young 3rd Place: Johan Santana​

• 16-7, 2.87 ERA, 33 GS, 2 CG, 1 SHO, 231.2, 238 K, 45 BB, 0.97 WHIP, 7.2 WAR

To quote the old song:

“One of these things is not like the other…one of these things just doesn’t belong”

Well, I guess in this case it would be “one of these things VERY MUCH belongs!”. To this day, I don’t understand how Santana wasn’t the ‘05 AL Cy Young recipient—mind-boggling! Two theories:

• Bartolo Colon racked up 21 wins to Johan’s 16. This was clearly the result of the 2005 Anaheim Angels knowing how to score runs and the ‘05 Twins not. Today, we have a better understanding that other pitching stats matter far more than wins (or winning percentage). But twenty years ago, 20+ wins was seemingly a golden ticket for some new mantle hardware.
• An East Coast bias for Mariano Rivera. There is little doubt that Mo was the greatest closer of all-time—but equally little doubt that a one-inning closer simply cannot replicate the value of a starting pitcher. Rivera’s 4.0 WAR is actually quite impressive for the modern closer configuration. But only relievers like Goose Gossage or Bruce Sutter—who would reliably pitch 100-150 innings a season—ever compiled SP-like WAR.

You might be thinking “why does this matter—everyone knows Santana was a dominant pitcher”. But consider: Johan bookended 2005 with Cy Young Awards in ‘04 & ‘06. He first appeared on the Hall of Fame ballot in 2018—and immediately dropped off after garnering only 2.4% of votes. What if he had a 3-peat on his ledger?

Only Greg Maddux & Randy Johnson ever won three consecutive Cy Youngs (both took home four in a row, actually)—and they were HOF locks.

That’s why the 2005 AL Cy Young Award voting still rankles to this day. If justice had been served, Johan Santana may have a plaque—or at very least still be in the running for one—in Cooperstown.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/minneso...al-johan-santana-bartolo-colon-mariano-rivera

 

[Minnesota Twins]

North Star Stature Showdown: an OOTP tournament

His jersey is in Cooperstown, too! | Bruce Kluckhohn / Getty Images

Early in the season (I can’t remember exactly when), someone in the comments (can’t remember who) brought up the idea of a tall vs. short Out of the Park tournament. Now that the Twins season is over, it’s time to make that a reality.

With many thanks to whoever came up with the idea, we are proud to present the North Star Stature Showdown!

Having searched through Baseball Reference’s database, I have built up a 28-man team of the tallest players in Minnesota Twins history and a team of their shortest players. Each had to have some unfortunate omissions in order to fill up every position (I picked by height first, then by games played as a Twin, then by enough to fill out the diamond), but every player on the short team is between 5’7” and 5’10”, while all but four players on the tall team are between 6’5” and 6’11”.

And while I haven’t plugged these teams into OOTP yet — as usual, they’ll be imported with their best season as a Twin — I suspect that the tallest batter in Twins history, 6’8” Carson McCusker, will not be able to play on these teams because he debuted in the majors after the release of OOTP ‘26. So he’ll be the honorary manager. (If I am able to import him from Baseball Reference, he’ll take Joey Gallo’s spot.)

For jersey numbers, I tried to match each player with a number he wore as a Twin; for unavoidable duplicates, I picked another number they wore in the majors.

Your rosters, listed by relevant height by position (and numerically within matching heights), are:

Tall Tales:

Starting Pitchers
17 — Bailey Ober — R/R — 6’10”
48 — Mike Smithson — R/R — 6’8”
34 — Mike Pelfrey — R/R — 6’7”
35 — Michael Pineda — R/R — 6’7”
44 — Kyle Gibson — R/R — 6’6”

Relief Pitchers
60 — Jon Rauch — R/R — 6’11”
50 — Aaron Slegers — R/R — 6’10”
51 — Alex Meyer — R/R — 6’9”
58 — Trevor Megill — R/R — 6’8”
45 — John Candelaria — L/L — 6’7”
59 — Michael Tonkin — R/R — 6’7”
30 — Garry Roggenburk — R/L — 6’6”
31 — Dan Naulty — R/R — 6’6”
39 — David West — L/L — 6’6”

Catchers
7 — Joe Mauer — L/R — 6’5”
14 — Glenn Borgmann — R/R — 6’4”

Infielders
40 — Cotton Nash — R/R — 6’7”
19 — Kennys Vargas — S/R — 6’5”
37 — Scott Stahoviak — L/R — 6’5”
22 — Miguel Sanó — R/R — 6’4”
27 — Terry Jorgensen — R/R — 6’4”
9 — Gene Larkin — S/R — 6’3”

Outfielders
21 — Walt Bond — L/R — 6’7”
26 — Mike Poepping — R/R — 6’6”
32 — Dave Winfield — R/R — 6’6”
41 — Michael Restovich — R/R — 6’6”

Utility Players
8 — Dave McCarty — R/L — 6’5”
13 — Joey Gallo — L/R — 6’5”

“But what about middle infielders?”, you may ask. Well, it took until searching 6’4” players to find someone who played shortstop, which brought Terry Jorgensen and his eight games at the position onto the roster. And for second base, the only player 6’3” or taller with any time at the position is Gene Larkin, who played the position for… let me check… one-third of an inning in 1991. Good enough for the team.

Short Stories:

Starting Pitchers
18 — Eddie Bane — R/L — 5’9”
20 — Lee Stange — R/R — 5’10”
22 — Bobby Castillo — R/R — 5’10”
31 — Darrell Jackson — S/L — 5’10”
54 — Sonny Gray — R/R — 5’10”

Relief Pitchers
33 — Jackie Collum — L/L — 5’7”
19 — Bill Pleis — L/L — 5’10”
24 — Danny McDevitt — L/L — 5’10”
27 — Brandon Kintzler — R/R — 5’10”
28 — Mike Marshall — R/R — 5’10”
30 — Francisco Oliveras — R/R — 5’10”
53 — Danny Coulombe — L/L — 5’10”
56 — Carmen Cali — L/L — 5’10”
70 — Ronny Henriquez — R/R — 5’10”

Catchers
7 — Christian Vázquez — R/R — 5’8”
64 — Willians Astudillo — R/R — 5’9”

Infielders
3 — Sergio Ferrer — S/R — 5’7”
4 — Houston Jiménez — R/R — 5’8”
39 — Donovan Solano — R/R — 5’8”
74 — Ronald Torreyes — R/R — 5’8”
8 — Nick Punto — S/R — 5’9”
11 — Chuck Knoblauch — R/R — 5’9”

Outfielders
1 — Jarvis Brown — R/R — 5’7”
6 — Quinton McCracken — S/R — 5’7”
34 — Kirby Puckett — R/R — 5’8”
47 — Sandy Valdespino — L/L — 5’8”
37 — Ben Revere — L/R — 5’9”

Utility Players
12 — César Tovar — R/R — 5’9”

Over the next few weeks, I’ll play out the tournament and we’ll see which size ends up on top! (And I promise my own 5’3” height will not unfairly bias me toward the short squad.)

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...owdown-an-out-of-the-park-baseball-tournament

 

[Minnesota Twins]

How to make sure Twinkie Town shows up in your Google search

As many of you are likely aware, Google searches are … different these days.

The good news is Google is offering a solution for folks who like to get their news from specific sources. If you want to help Twinkie Town — while also streamlining all your Google searches — there is now a way.

Simply click on this link and add Twinkie Town as one of your “Source preferences.” That’s all there is to it!

Back in August, the tech giant debuted a feature called “Preferred Sources.” It’s a way for Google to prominently feature the results from websites you trust, like Twinkie Town:

“With the launch of Preferred Sources in the U.S. and India, you can select your favorite sources and stay up to date on the latest content from the sites you follow and subscribe to — whether that’s your favorite sports blog or a local news outlet. …

When you select your preferred sources, you’ll start to see more of their articles prominently displayed within Top Stories, when those sources have published fresh and relevant content for your search.“

As some of you might know, AI searches are hurting outlets around the world and in all spaces. We’ve worked hard at Twinkie Town to build a brand you can trust and rely on for Minnesota Twins coverage. Our goal is to serve you, the fans.

If you’re a fan of our work and want to get the best Twins coverage possible, this is an excellent win-win to improve your Google searches while helping Twinkie Town out.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...e-twinkie-town-shows-up-in-your-google-search

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Phillies Town | Phillies 8, Dodgers 2: The Zombie Lineup Lives

Welcome to Phillies Town, Twinkie Town’s Philadelphia Phillies playoff coverage because I like watching Jhoan Duran play baseball and don’t handle change well. Let’s go Phillies!

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After saving all their runs for late in game two, it appears our beloved Phillies were really saving all their runs for late in the series. With their backs against the wall, Philadelphia finally got some production from the top of the lineup as they kept the series alive.

With ace Zach Wheeler out for the season, Aaron Nola took the mound despite some unsightly numbers this season. Nola struggled with injuries throughout 2025, but has historically been the most steady starter in the sport. Things got out to a rough start in the first, though. After Shohei Ohtani hit into a 103 MPH out, Mookie Betts tripled to threaten to score immediately. Luckily, Nola sandwiched a Freddie Freeman HBP between two strikeouts to get out of the first unscathed.

After getting through the first eight hitters, manager Rob Thomson turned to lefty Ranger Suarez out of the ‘pen for a surprise piggyback playoff start. While it was a good idea in theory, the first batter Suarez had to face was utility man Tommy Edman, who exclusively hits left-handed pitchers and immediately hit a solo shot to let LA score first. For his career, Edman has an .809 OPS against lefties compared to just .683 against righties. While I understand the impulse to bring Suarez in to start the inning since he’s not a reliever, the smarter move would have been leaving Nola to face Edman before bringing in the lefty for Ohtani, but I digress.

Suarez was stellar the rest of the way, not giving up another run while scattering four other hits through five innings. Cristopher Sanchez and Jesus Luzardo are set up to start games four and five, but Suarez made a great case to be Philadelphia’s third starter should they advance to the NLCS.

Facing one of the NL’s best in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, it looked like it was going to be another long night for a formerly high-powered lineup. Luckily, the Phillies’ All-Stars remembered they were good in the fourth inning. Kyle Schwarber led off with monster 455-foot home run to knot the game at one apiece. Bryce Harper and Alec Bohm followed with singles and were gifted a throwing error by LA centerfielder Andy Pages allowing Harper to score and Bohm to reach third with only one out. Bohm eventually came in on a sac fly to put the Phillies up 3-1 and they never looked back.

There was still plenty of choking involved though, don’t worry. After the first two batters of the fifth singled and executed a beautiful double steal, putting two runners in scoring position with no outs, Yamamoto was lifted for reliever Anthony Banda who got Schwarber, Harper, and Brandon Marsh all out to end the threat without allowing the run, keeping the Dodgers in striking distance.

The game remained close until the eighth when the Phillies finally pulled away. Facing first-ballot Hall-of-Famer and notorious postseason choker Clayton Kershaw, Philadelphia rallied for five runs in the frame. The scoring got started with a leadoff dong from catcher JT Realmuto. The Dodgers then gifted the Phillies two runners with a walk and an error, letting nine-whole hitter bunt the runners over for the top of the lineup. NL batting champ Trea Turner came up clutch with a two-run, bloop single and set the stage for Kyle Schwarber, who hit his second home run of the night to give the Phillies an 8-1 lead.

The Dodgers added a meaningless run in the ninth, but the Phillies kept the series alive and have their best pitchers rested and available for Game 4 tonight.

FORMER TWINS WATCH

• Max Kepler: 0-3, 2 BB, 1 R
• Harrison Bader: DNP (injured)
• Jhoan Duran: DNP (blowout)

STUDS

• Kyle Schwarber: 2-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB
• Trea Turner: 3-5, 3 RBI, 1 R, 1 SB
• Bryce Harper: 2-4, 1 R, 1 BB
• Alec Bohm: 2-3, 1 R, 2 BB
• JT Realmuto: 2-5, 1 HR

DUDS

• No duds, Phillies win!!

It’s Cristopher Sanchez vs Tyler Glasnow as the Phillies fight for their lives once again. Should be a fun game!

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/playoff...-phillies-8-dodgers-2-the-zombie-lineup-lives

 

[Minnesota Twins]

MLB is in its Superstar Era

Because Major League Baseball was once the shining star of the sporting stage—it still dusts off the National Pastime moniker from time to time —it is sometimes easy to think that “then” was better than “now”.

We are regaled by our parents (or grandparents) with stories about the likes of Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Harmon Killebrew, Sandy Koufax, or others dominating the sports section of the daily newspaper. Even in more contemporary times, many of us can still recall the nation turning its lonely eyes to Ted Williams emerging from Fenway Park at the All-Star Game or the Boston Red Sox completing a comeback for the ages.

But please (please, PLEASE!) do not let this fractured media maelstrom convince you that baseball is in any way “lesser” between the white lines. In fact, though the sporty side of Taylor Swift is mostly NFL fodder, one could say baseball is in its Superstar Era at the moment.

Four examples from 2025…

Cal Raleigh (Seattle Mariners)​

• 159 G, 705 PA, 110 R, 60 HR, 125 RBI, 14 SB, .247 BA, .948 OPS, 7.3 WAR (bold denotes league-leader)

Even with zero context, one would look at that stat line and think “this is one of the greatest offensive seasons ever”. Now consider: the affectionately-named Big Dumper did it while squatting behind home plate wearing what are often referred to as the “tools of ignorance” for 121 of those games. Never before in the history of this great game has a catcher matched that kind of hitting prowess with defensive durability.

Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers)​

• 158 G, 727 PA, 146 R, 55 HR, 102 RBI, .282 BA, 1.014 OPS, 6.6 WAR

One year after establishing his own 50-50 club, Ohtani didn’t slow down at the plate whatsoever. Oh yeah—he also ascended the mound again following his late-2023 UCL tear surgery. The results: 47 IP, 2.87 ERA, 1.04 WHIP. Ho hum—just a Cy Young Award-pace as he worked back into flamethrower form.

Do you know how many MLB players have hit 50+ home runs and struck out even a single batter in the same season. Well, besides Ohtani, one—some guy named Babe Ruth in 1921.

Paul Skenes (Pittsburgh Pirates)​

• 32 GS, 10-10 W-L, 187.2 IP, 216 K, 42 BB, 1.97 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, 7.7 WAR

This black-jersey’d buccaneer is baseball’s unquestioned ace. Only Pittsburgh’s pitiful ownership situation and their ultra-cautious usage of the young (23) fireballer hold him back from further dominance.

His 1.96 ERA through 55 starts is the best beginning to a MLB career since 1913—when the ball was basically a soggy sphere of mush. That 0.95 WHIP? The best for a Pirates pitcher since Babe Adams posted a 0.90 in 1919.

Aaron Judge (New York Yankees)​

• 152 G, 679 PA, 137 R, 53 HR, 114 RBI, 124 BB, .331 BA, 1.144 OPS, 9.7 WAR

Ho hum—just more mind-boggling bat-smithing from the big man. His 62-home run ‘22 campaign will always be remembered for that number alone, but his rate stats were actually better this year. He has averaged (averaged!) a 1.117 OPS & 203 OPS+ over the past four years. That’s roughly equal to peak Mickey Mantle (1955-1958).

Baseball may not lead SportsCenter or dominate social media algorithms like it once defined ESPN (Baseball Tonight) or was the cornerstone of the morning doorstep fish wrap. But make no mistake—the stars today are just as talented and exciting (perhaps more so at the exact moment) as the celestial talents of yesteryear.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/general...n-judge-shohei-ohtani-cal-raleigh-paul-skenes

 

[Minnesota Twins]

Phillies Town | Dodgers 2, Phillies 1: And Now My Watch is Ended

Welcome to Phillies Town, Twinkie Town’s Philadelphia Phillies playoff coverage because I like watching Jhoan Duran play baseball and don’t handle change well. Let’s go Phillies!

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While I didn’t anticipate this going into this feckless experiment, it turns out that rooting for the Phillies was fairly similar to rooting for the Twins. Maybe there’s some lesson here about how baseball is difficult and how we, as a collective humanity, are all more alike than we realize if we set our differences aside and accept that our collective suffering comes at the hands of the top 1% (Dodgers/Yankees), but that’s probably not it. I’m sure I’m just cursed.

This game was scoreless until the seventh as Cristopher Sanchez and Tyler Glasnow threw dueling gems. The Phillies struck first in the top half of the inning after Dodgers manager Dave Roberts pulled Glasnow early in favor of Emmet Sheehan. JT Realmuto led off with a single, was replaced by Max Kepler on a groundout, and then scored on a Nick Castellanos double to scratch across a crucial run as the pitching staffs battled. Castellanos was stuck there and the Phillies took their lead into the bottom half of the inning.

Sanchez was cruising and came back out for the seventh, where the umps helped LA get started. After getting Will Smith out to start the frame, Alex Call walked when the ump missed a crucial 2-2 pitch that would have ended the at-bat (of note: Sanchez said the ump apologized to him after the game for missing the call). Enrique Hernandez followed with a single to put two men on for lefty killer Andy Pages before the lineup would flip back over to the superstars.

With the Phillies struggling to score runs, Phillies manager Rob Thomson turned to his closer Jhoan Duran early. His high strikeouts and elite ground ball rates mad him the best candidate to get Philadelphia out of the pickle. He was able to get Pages to ground out to first base, but Bryce Harper took the safe out rather than trying to turn two against the speedy Pages. With first base open, the Phillies intentionally walked Ohtani to get to Betts. Duran had Mookie on the ropes, but ultimately left a 3-2 fastball too high, walking in the tying run.

The game remained knotted at 1 until the 11th inning. It was all-hands-on-deck with the Phillies facing elimination, so Thomson turned to #2 starter Jesus Luzardo as the game went into extras. After cruising through the top brutal top half of LA’s lineup, Tommy Edman and Max Muncy hit soft singles to put the winning run on third with two outs. Duran and lefty Matt Strahm had already gotten the Phillies out of pickles and were unavailable, so Thomson was left with Orion Kerkering as the remaining high-leverage reliever. Kerkering walked Enrique Hernandez to load the bases for Pages, once again coming up in a huge spot.

Kerkering did his job and got Pages to hit a soft ground ball back to the pitcher, but it appeared the pressure got to the Philadelphia reliever. It took him a second to find the ball after he knocked it down, and rather than getting the force out at first to end the inning, Kerkering short-circuited and tried to get the runner at home. He sailed the ball over Realmuto’s head, but even if it was a strike the Dodgers likely would have scored. Game, series, match.

FORMER TWINS WATCH

• Max Kepler: 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K
• Harrison Bader: 0-1, 1 K, still dealing with groin injury
• Jhoan Duran: 1.2 IP, 0 ER, 3 K, 2 BB (1 intentional), allowed inherited runner to score in the 7th

After a grueling one (1) week as a Phillies fan, it’s time for Twinkie Town to move back to something way more fun than Philadelphia postseason baseball: offseason speculation.

Source: https://www.twinkietown.com/playoff...odgers-2-phillies-2-and-now-my-watch-is-ended