Back at the end of April I questioned whether or not the
Twins were good. This team was expected to compete for the AL Central division,
and there were real World Series aspirations. Now, owners of the worst record
in baseball, it’s worth contemplating if any Twins team has flopped this badly.
We’re past the point of it being early, and there’s plenty
of blame to go around, but much of it lands on the players in the dugout. Sure,
Minnesota could go on a run and make it a relevant summer by playing some compelling
baseball and battling back towards .500. The reality though, is that process
will take months and there’s been nothing to suggest that development is coming.
Rocco Baldelli has pulled strings that haven’t worked, but
he’s also watched a plethora of injuries dog his roster, and an overall
ineffectiveness of talent be put on full display. The front office failed to
put their best foot forward across the board, but even the alternatives are
somewhat of a reason. This clubhouse was built on holdover and internal talent.
Simply put, they haven’t been good enough.
The 2016 Twins were nothing short of a dumpster fire. That
group lost 103 games and the house was cleaned. After a 2nd place
finish in the division the year prior, a level of ineptitude that low probably
wasn’t expected. They weren’t expected to be juggernauts however, and much of
the groundwork was laid early on when the Paul Molitor club started the season
0-9. That Twins team recorded their 13th victory while already
owning 34 losses. This group sits at 13-25, but it’s not hard to imagine a
further slide with a difficult week ahead.
Since beginning the year 5-2, Minnesota has gone on a
stretch culminating in an 8-23 record. They have hit poorly, pitched badly, and
played defense embarrassingly. There have been very few bright spots to this
group as a whole, and even where there have been, they likely have a blemish or
two to their credit as well.
It’s May, so looking at who becomes trade bait and which
assets you might ship off still seems a bit premature. If nothing else, the
level of practicality in terms of other teams desire probably won’t get sorted
out until there’s at least another month worth of a sample size. That said, it’s
beyond high time that the guys in this clubhouse take this personally. I have
no indication that there’s a character or clubhouse problem, but the nightly
meltdowns have gotten to a point where the embarrassment is bordering on
apathy. No one should feel bad for a group of underachievers, and neither
should those currently going through it. Adversity has offered the opportunity
to respond, and there’s more than enough talent for a relative turnaround.
No one saw this coming for the Twins, and the only ones able
to course correct are those that are on the field. Take it personal. Make a
stand. Do something to stop this incredibly poor level of play we’ve now seen
for over a month.
