Twinkie Town

AL Central rumors, uh, weren’t exactly the focus of the weekend. It’s a bird! It’s a billionaire TV personality’s private international flight! No, it’s — RIVAL ROUNDUP, BABY! In the world of real news, the Winter Meetings played host to the drawing for the 2024 MLB Draft lottery. In as weak of a division as the American League Central, it stands to reason that rivals would be involved, but one rival in particular came away with the top pick, just one season removed from a playoff appearance. Ohio defied the odds as the Guardians and Reds took the first two spots...

Photo by Bruce Kluckhohn/ The Zack Attack keeps coming back I consider Home Alone to be one of the greatest holiday films ever made. A favorite line comes from young Kevin McCallister’s mother—played by Catherine O’Hara—as she struggles to get home to her marooned son: “No no no—this is Christmas. The season of perpetual hope!” This holiday season, I’ll be examining a few baseball figures who best represent that spirit. First, the indomitable Zack Greinke. In 2023, Greinke posted this line with the Kansas City Royals: 27 GS, 2-15, 142.1 IP, 5.06 ERA,...

Photo by John E. Moore III/ The Twins didn’t select or lose anyone in the major league phase; some movement in the minor leagues. The Twins were never expected to pick anyone in the Major League phase of the Rule 5 draft, but there was some concern about losing players. As luck would have it, the Twins were also able to retain all of their Rule 5-eligible players. Due to his elite defense and speed, and a semi-breakout on offense, DaShawn Keirsey was the main player at risk of departing in the the MLB portion of the Rule 5 draft, but he was not made a priority by any...

Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/ Are there any good options that could fill the back end of the bench or bullpen? Last year, the Twins bench consisted primarily of Kyle Farmer, Donovan Solano, and Willi Castro, all of whom played well in their roles. As of now, the bench options include Castro and a collection of question marks. Farmer (trade candidate), Jose Miranda (injury and performance issues), Nick Gordon (injury/performance), and Trevor Larnach (performance), with AAA depth players Yunior Severino and Austin Martin next in line. With the upcoming Rule 5 Draft scheduled...

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/ Joseph Patrick Mauer Rounds 1-5 Results: Harmon Killebrew Kirby Puckett Rod Carew Tony Oliva Joe Mauer The first four Minnesota Twins in this poll hailed from Idaho, Chicago, Panama, and Cuba—fitting for baseball’s strong international reach. Now, one of Minnesota’s own—Saint Paul, to be exact—rounds out the Twinkie Town top five with a landslide victory. I have a sneaking suspicion that had not concussions robbed Mauer of years behind the dish and peak batting form, he would be at least a slot—maybe more—higher...

Pablo Lopez will be leading the way for a Twins starting rotation that appears to still be in flux for 2024. | Erik Williams-USA TODAY Sports Here’s hoping it’s quicker than the last one... The Minnesota Twins lost two of their top four starting pitchers from the second half of last season this week. Combined with their stated intention to enter next season with a significantly lower payroll than last year, it’s a strange vibe for a team that won the division and a playoff series last season with the league’s best starting rotation. Back in 2019 and 2020, the...

Photo by Patrick McDermott/NHLI via Not much is happening in Twins Territory The Past Week on Twinkie Town: We’re down to number 5 on the Greatest Minnesota Twins list! Zach Koenig bids a fond farewell to a few former Twins. Brandon Brooks checks out the AL Central hot stove in the Rival Roundup. Is Joe Mauer a first ballot Hall of Famer? Hayden Audette evaluates the local kid’s resume. Kirby’s Ferret awards the most “Nick Punto”-like player on the 2023 Twins. John Foley looks at one of the more intriguing questions this offseason - should Louie Varland...

Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports A notable major-league signing leads this weekend’s roundup. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! IT’S RIVAL ROUNDUP! After an eventful four seasons (one missed in full), Kenta Maeda has moved onto his next organization, signing a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers. Breaking: Kenta Maeda and Tigers have a 2-year deal— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) November 27, 2023 Despite coming over during the shortened season, and making just 53 appearances in four calendar years with the team, Maeda made an impression and spawned a handful of articles about...

Kris Atteberry to take over on radio. Earlier this morning, the Twins announced that Cory Provus will take over as the TV play-by-play man in 2024, replacing longtime Minnesota staple Dick Bremer. Provus had been the lead radio announcer since 2012 when John Gordon retired. We are pleased to announce our new lead television and radio broadcast talent for the 2024 season, @CoryProvus and Kris Atteberry! pic.twitter.com/anyCNIXsu9— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) December 1, 2023 Provus has been a fan favorite on radio broadcasts since joining the team, earning rave reviews...

Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/ So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen goodbye... As Jerry Seinfeld famously noted, sports fans generally cheer for laundry over individuals. As such, it is sometimes important to take a moment to remember those who have moved on from the Minnesota Twins. In this case, a few words on Sonny Gray & Kenta Maeda: Sonny Gray Truth be told, there were times when Sonny could rub folks the wrong way, such as his insistence on pitching deeper in contests when his resume in no way indicated that as a positive. Or, his random bouts of...

Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports The St. Paul native is finally eligible this year. Will he get into the Hall on his first attempt? Now that he’s officially been retired for five years, Joe Mauer was nominated to his first Hall of Fame ballot last week. He joined the ballot for 2024 alongside fellow first timers David Wright, Adrian Beltre, and Chase Utley. Mauer’s Hall of Fame candidacy has been the subject of some debate since his retirement, with some people believing that he only belongs in the “Hall of Very Good.” I might be a bit biased, but in my mind...

Starting pitching is much more valuable, but that stint in relief was tantalizing | Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Starters are more valuable and harder to find, but Louie was dominant out of the ‘pen There is a maxim in baseball that most relief pitchers are “failed starters.” Most of these kinds of adages are rooted in kernels of truth, even if they don’t blanketly apply to every case. The Twins’ current bullpen options comprise several examples. Jhoan Duran came up through the minors as a starting prospect. Griffin Jax started 14 games for the Twins in...

Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via With only the minimum percentage of sad or annoying stories. More fun ones! And dogs! Three years ago, Baseball America proposed a “Baseball Cup.” Sports Illustrated seconded the notion a few years later. You still see it bouncing around from time to time. What is it? Well, in England (and some other soccer-loving countries), there are actually TWO major championship trophies handed out each year. One is the league championship, which goes to the top-tier team with the best record. The other is a tournament...

Photo by David Berding/ Tony O! Rounds 1-4 Results: Harmon Killebrew Kirby Puckett Rod Carew Tony Oliva Ladies and gentlemen, we have an official Minnesota Twins Mount Rushmore. Stand and stare, argue over placement, and enjoy an ice cream cone in its presence before heading to Bear Country USA or Deadwood. Though MN’s own Mauer enjoyed his strongest showing yet, he was edged out by the Cuban sensation who found a forever home in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I can assure you a Cubano will be consumed in his honor this week. The new entry: more than likely, the reason...

Photo by Stephen Maturen/ The Twins’ ace moves on. Early this morning, Jon Heyman reported that Sonny Gray was nearing a deal with the Cardinals. Ken Rosenthal later added the deal was for 3 years and $75 million. Gray is coming off of arguably the best season of his career, pitching his most innings in eight years with a 2.79 ERA/2.83 FIP and 5.3 bWAR. He was rewarded with a second-place finish in AL Cy Young voting, even garnering a few MVP votes along the way. Sonny was inarguably one of the Twins’ best and most important players in 2023 no matter how you spin...