The Twins made strong moves at the 2022 trading deadline to improve their pitching, bringing in starter Tyler Mahle and relievers Jorge López and Michael Fulmer.
Strikeouts, injuries, lackluster performances: Twins fans have had it with the Twins
Patrick Reusse has been a dedicated student of the Twins for 63 seasons, but when Carlos Correa swung at that breaking ball a foot outside the batter's box, he had enough.
August 5, 2023 at 4:57AM
Following the games of Aug. 4, 2022, they were 55-50 and leading the American League Central Division by one game over Cleveland and two games over the Chicago White Sox.
Attendance had been mediocre, but the complaints from the Twins loyalists were not over-the-top. OK, there was criticism aimed at manager Rocco Baldelli for pulling starters early, and he did have a strong defense for that:
The starters were Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan and pray for rain.
Carlos Correa, the much-honored shortstop, wasn't living up to his billing — an OK average of .266, but only 37 runs knocked in and an untimely 12 grounded-into double plays.
Byron Buxton, in the first season of his seven-year deal, was hitting home runs (a whoppin' 26 at that point), although with a modest total of 46 RBI. Plus, he had a disturbing 100 strikeouts in 297 at-bats.
A year ago, it did seem Correa was here to add some class to the infield for one season, and Buxton was in center field, capable of covering that acreage as have few others in MLB history.
Hey, the Vikings were getting started with a new coach, and as an afterthought to Purple anticipation, the first-place Twins were taking a bit of heat from the usual suspects — Star Tribune comment posters and angry Twitterites — but that was about it.
Exactly one year later, the Twins started a three-game series vs. Arizona on Friday night at Target Field. Jorge Polanco, Max Kepler and Michael A. Taylor hit solo home runs to right field, the pitching was strong with Bailey Ober, Caleb Thielbar and Emilio Pagán, Jhoan Duran provided an exciting 20th save and the home team came away with a 3-2 win.
The Twins are now 57-54 and hold a 2 ½-game lead in the AL Central over Cleveland — a team that weakened itself at the trade deadline. The other three, including the miserable, underachieving White Sox, are nonfactors in MLB's worst division.
And yet from what seems to be all corners, we have Twins followers blowing a fuse.
Guess what?
As an attendee of the first-ever Twins game at Met Stadium in April 1961 and a dedicated student of this club for 63 seasons, I've been in that large group hurling complaints at a TV screen that is only responsible for revealing the blunders.
This happened last Tuesday:
Correa led off against Dakota Hudson, a St. Louis pitcher moved into the rotation due only to the trade of two Cardinals starters. Hudson reached two strikes. He threw a breaking ball that reached the other batter's box. Correa swung and missed by a foot.
"I will not watch another night of flailing by our heroes, winners of a postseason game as recently as 2004,'' I said remotely to Dick Bremer and Roy Smalley, the BSN broadcasters. "Good night, gentlemen.''
And that was it. Back to "Malaka,'' a crime TV series from Spain that I'd been watching. I knew there would be some violence upcoming, but it couldn't be as disturbing as Correa swinging miserably at that breaking ball.
Yes, the Twins wound up getting Correa back for six years, $200 million, after the Giants and the Mets used the same orthopedic expert to back out of much larger contracts. Terrific shortstop. Also, leading the world by hitting into 20 double plays and batting .220.
How can a hitter of Correa's talent, not yet 29, find himself batting .220 with an on-base percentage of .295? That and $200 million are starting points for fans' surliness.
Then there's Buxton. Batting .207, with 109 strikeouts, but worse for the choir of unhappiness … he was not playing in the field.
He had been a full-time designated hitter. That kept him in the lineup, except he failed to hit, which angered team followers more.
Finally, on Friday, Buxton went on the 10-day injured list with a sore hamstring.
There's also $11 million spent to sign Joey Gallo – now with 118 strikeouts (43% of plate appearances) as the Twins breeze toward an MLB record for team strikeouts.
So, that's it. Our team is in first place, we're mad as Hades and we're not going to take it anymore.
(Note: The 2022 Twins went 23-34 after Aug. 4 and finished third.)
Santana edged Ryan Mountcastle and Nathaniel Lowe for the American League honor, the Twins’ first Gold Glove in seven years.
