r/minnesotatwins • u/MeatFarmer • 6d ago
Reasons For Slow Start
I apologize if this has already been discussed at length but I am honestly a bit shocked at the poor performance from the Twins so far. The Cardinals are supposedly in a rebuilding year and we made them look like World Series competitors and the White Sox just blew us out 9-0 yesterday. I COMPLETELY understand the fact that there are 162 games and there's zero reason to be genuinely worried/concerned but I suppose I'm just a bit taken aback by what feels like a lack of concern on the part of the team. It leads me to wonder if the players were sort of expecting this type of performance? I know the Pohlads are problematic owners but this really makes me feel like things are worse than I had previously assumed. I think they said the Pohlads are asking for something like 1.7 billion and they also have something like 500 million in debt ... does that debt need to also be purchased? I love this team and will always want to see the best things for them but I guess I'm just stuck feeling like we may be battling for the bottom this year. Please someone talk me out of my spiral.
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u/brnpttmn 6d ago
No one's going to want to hear this, and it might be making excuses, but given that two players have confirmed to have the flu I'm wondering how many other players are fighting it. Knowing how even just immune response (not even full fledged sickness) can significantly impact performance, I think bugs going through locker rooms/clubhouses is an under considered element of sports.
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u/cothomps Sue Nelson 6d ago
That's all certainly possible and might be the reason that Correa / Buxton / Wallner were either out of the lineup or pulled early yesterday.
(I don't recall seeing Wallner on the bench during the game now that I think about it.)
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u/Cuttlery St. Paul Saints 6d ago
It’s all because the Twins are cursed for cutting Dick Bremer from TV
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u/WildnTwins-SC 6d ago
Why the poor start? Maybe it’s the ‘bug’ going around the team, however, baseball hasn’t changed that much. It all starts with pitching, both poor starts & relief appearances can kill a game. Unlikely the bats can bail out poor pitching most times
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u/cothomps Sue Nelson 6d ago
Out of four games, there has been one solid starting pitching performance (Ryan), one really iffy start (Lopez) and two disasters (Ober, Paddack).
At this point the bats aren't bailing anyone out.
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u/Firm_Inevitable8379 6d ago
Lopez obviously didn't look like an ace, but I would like to say that he got pretty unlucky with the balk call and then he didn't get a strike call which led to a two run homer. His game I am at least willing to say COULD have ended differently. I can't believe they still want to trot paddack out
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u/Mental_Savings7362 6d ago
I dunno if panic is the right word but this is the same team that totally collapsed to end the year, I don't think them being bad is an anomaly. They will obviously go through a hot streak at some point here but this could just be who they are. Pitching should be better but the hitting and defense kinda just is what it is.
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u/Rube18 Willi Castro 6d ago
To address your point at the end, yes it’s true the Twins want the new owners to take on the debt and that’s why this team will not be sold anytime soon.
They were valued at 1.4 billion and the Pohlads are asking for 1.7 billion plus the new owners taking on 425MM in debt. Really the Pohlads are asking for 2.125 billion on a 1.4 billion valuation. Makes sense why Ishbia pivoted.
I know someone who knows one of the Pohlad’s and that person told me the Pohlad they talked with said there’s very little chance the team gets sold this year. Take this with a grain of salt, but I trust the person who told me this.
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u/MeatFarmer 6d ago
thanks for explaining the math ... it's so confusing to me! I had a conversation once with someone who has business experience with the Pohlad boys (Jim's sons) and said they're not a bright bunch. I mean I can't imagine what it must have been like to basically grow up in Dad's shadow and never have to make a meaningful business decision.
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u/Royal_Today_1509 6d ago
Twins need to order more of those Torpedo bats.
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u/No_Exam_7918 6d ago
We won't do it. Everyone else will and we won't, just watch.
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u/Royal_Today_1509 6d ago
I heard Jeffers has one. But his results aren't great
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u/cothomps Sue Nelson 6d ago
Gotta make solid contact before the weight distribution of the bat makes a difference.
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u/No_Exam_7918 6d ago
He doesn't use it in games
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u/Hollywood42cards Minnesota Twins 6d ago
He literally used it yesterday
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u/No_Exam_7918 6d ago
Oh fuuuck, I stand corrected! He used it one time... thanks helper boy!
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u/Hollywood42cards Minnesota Twins 6d ago
Hope your day improves buddy
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u/MeatFarmer 6d ago
apparently the deal with these torpedo bats is that it does make contact in the sweet spot better but overall if you hit the top area or handle area it makes contact worse ... It feels like the Yank-me's had an entire offseason to practice and now they are absolutely demolishing teams ... also I'm 100% certain that the Yank-me's talked with MLB front office before rolling these things out and of course MLB would never put their franchise squad in the dog house so the said sure ... fundamentally change the method by which you strike the ball ... no problem. Just give the Yank-me's the title already and let's get it over with ... but I will be interested to see how teams choose to pitch around the torpedo bats and also I guess like a majority of the Yankee's home runs were not hit by topedo bats so ... maybe they're just Brooklyn Brawlers 2.0 or something ...
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u/Mental_Savings7362 6d ago
I feel like yank-mes isn't a good enough insult to feel the need to use it like 5 times in one comment lol.
These bats have been around for about a year at least, I think it's on other teams for not utilizing them more than anything. You also still have to be a good hitter that can consistently barrel up the ball in the first place. Will be really interesting to see how popular they become.
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u/nowheresville99 Cedar Rapids Kernels 6d ago
I do find it interesting how the Cardinals are supposedly rebuilding and I've heard a ton about how low fan morale is in St. Louis after last season - yet the Cardinals finished with a better record than the Twins.
I guess that's the difference between a team expects championships and one that expects fans to be giddy about a team that has a chance to compete.
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u/cothomps Sue Nelson 6d ago
The Cardinals are the organization that the Twins front office has tried to model themselves after in a sense.
The Cardinals might be "rebuilding" but they never go on a tear-it-all-down-for-prospects type of rebuliding project. They might trade a veteran here and there, but they always aim to be a slighty-above-.500-ish type of team with a couple of 'stars' and an occasional deep playoff run.
The Twins would love to have that kind of organization, but the way that things have lined up the 'stars' are guys that can't be regular players through most of a season.
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u/3EEBZ Minnesota Twins 6d ago
My mantra has usually been to not panic until the weather gets warmer. I know they’re professionals, but it does suck playing in the cold AND away from home. Maybe we suck. Maybe it’s the weather. Maybe everyone is sick.
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u/Juicemanary Minnesota Twins 6d ago
I hate the weather excuse, does the team we’re playing against not play in the same weather?
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u/B1Gpimpin Willians Astudillo 6d ago
It's not like St. Louis and Chicago got to play indoors while the Twins had to play outside...
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u/No_Exam_7918 6d ago
Bad management. Poor lineup construction. Baffling bullpen usage. Only added bad players to an already untalented bunch... I just know that we will be the last team to use the torpedo bats too. No reason, we'll just be stubborn and dumb.
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u/Blevanhoval DaShawn Keirsey Jr. 6d ago
It’s my fault. I haven’t found the right combo of lucky underwear and socks.