New Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine came to town as part of the new analytics mafia in baseball, but their approach to rebuilding the worst team in baseball will be slow and methodical … at least for now. Read more
Twins plead for open minds as they turn page on 103-loss season
Hope and renewal are the currency of Opening Day, and while the Twins tried to hawk both Sunday, it's not clear they have the inventory on hand, not with 103 losses still so fresh.
"There hasn't been a lot to cheer about, at least very consistently for a while," manager Paul Molitor empathized. "We understand our fans are looking for hope." Read More
Souhan: Hope roams in the Twins' outfield
When the Twins and the architectural firm Populous designed Target Field, they wedged the ballpark into an improbably small footprint and unwittingly damaged the careers of their two most important players. In its early years, Target Field proved to be a beautiful beast.
A grass infield and higher outfield wall turned many of Joe Mauer's Metrodome hits into outs. Whether because of curing concrete or unpredictable airflow, Justin Morneau's drives to center and right-center too often fell short of the seats. Read More
Breaking down the 2017 Twins roster
It's a new era, all right. Given carte blanche to raze the roster, new Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine open the 2017 season with a radically reconfigured club that includes … let's see … just five players who didn't play for the Twins last year. Truthfully, Falvey and Levine are probably the most intriguing Twins employees of 2017, as they evaluate their assets and execute their blueprint for a team that has certainly avoided the weight of expectations following a disastrous, 103-loss crash landing. Here's the team ...
Position players Read More
Souhan: Twins' new bosses inherit the worst and hope for the best
Monday is signified as Opening Day, which for the 2017 Minnesota Twins is unfortunate. This is a franchise much more desperate for closure than the false promise of a baseball holiday.
The 2016 version of the Twins earned the right to be called the worst in franchise history. The Boys of Spring posted the worst winning percentage in the Minnesota version of the franchise, and the worst since the 1955 Washington Senators were inspiring jokes. Read More
Reusse: Gladden first came onto Twins scene 30 years ago
Dan Gladden remained officially a rookie with the San Francisco Giants in the spring of 1984, having played in 18 games after a September call-up the previous season.
The Arizona portion of spring training was over on March 28 for the '84 Giants, and they were on buses at the Scottsdale ballpark, heading for the Phoenix airport. Read More
Star Tribune staff predictions for 2017 Twins
Columnists and beat reporters get their chance to predict the future.
Sid HartmanPredicted record: 80-82 Read More
Getting analytical with the Twins' Derek Falvey
In the advanced era of baseball numbers-crunching, Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey talked with Star Tribune baseball writer La Velle E. Neal III about meaningful statistics.
Offense: What is WOBA? Read More
Hartman: St. Peter tells fans to stay patient with Twins
Dave St. Peter joined the Twins in 1990 as an intern when they were in the midst of turning a last-place club into a World Series winner one year later.
St. Peter has seen more losing seasons than winning seasons as he has advanced to become the Twins president and chief executive officer. He's watched the Twins lose 90 or more games 10 times in 28 years while they've made the playoffs in seven of those seasons. Read More
Dozier's home runs strike blow for the 'little man' at second base
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The pressure was mounting. Each swing mattered. The score was tied, and connecting on a fat pitch would win the game, electrify the tense crowd, crush the losers. "I was a little nervous, to be honest," Brian Dozier said.
It didn't show. Dozier let a couple pitches go by, then unleashed his high-in-the-zone uppercut and launched a blast that easily cleared the fence in left field and nearly carried over the one beyond it. His teammates cheered and congratulated him. Another Dozier walk-off. Read More