Resolutions for the Twins to Adopt in 2024
The 2023 Minnesota Twins were arguably the most successful team in the last 30 years of the franchise. While they didn’t win as often or as convincingly as the Bomba Squad, they were well-constructed and made noise in October. Still, tweaks should be made if the franchise wants to see that success sustained.
Rocco Baldelli will come into 2024 as the longest-tenured American League Central manager. With Terry Francona retiring, Baldelli will have seen it all within the division. Only A.J. Hinch will rival him from an experience standpoint at the helm, and Baldelli must get the most out of his team daily.
As good as the Twins were last year, they had plenty of frustrating narratives and trends, too. Adopting a few new resolutions in 2024 wouldn’t hurt, and may go a long way to reaching the next level in the postseason. Here are a few to consider:
1. Get on the Run
It took the Twins quite a while to get on the board with stolen bases, and even when the dust settled, two players accounted for most of the team’s running game. Michael A. Taylor is a free agent, and while Willi Castro is back, he can’t be the only guy on the move. Minnesota has a plethora of talented potential base stealers, and utilizing their legs in a sport that now begs you to take 90 feet is a must.
Byron Buxton has racked up steals previously, and while he doesn’t need to be at second base to score, utilizing that part of his game makes sense. Royce Lewis can also fly, and finding ways to free him on the basepaths will be an important source of dynamism for what was sometimes a static offense. Edouard Julien racked up stolen bases on the farm, but left that part of his game in the minors; it’s something he could bring back. There will also be plenty of opportunities for Brooks Lee and Austin Martin to contribute on the bases when they arrive.
2. Stifle the Whiff
A greater sense of lineup balance would be great for Minnesota. The juiced ball and Bomba Squad season may have had the front office leaning into the home run a bit too much. This lineup can still punish the baseball, but there were far too many empty at-bats a season ago. Strikeouts are part of the game, and minimizing them at all costs involves making too many tradeoffs in other aspects of offense, but far too often, the Twins racked them up in a way that compromised their entire offense.
It’s great that Minnesota has a player like Julien, who can work at the top of the lineup. Finding ways to enhance the on-base production of every player in the mix will be important. Getting Buxton and Lewis to draw more walks should be a focal point. Ensuring Matt Wallner remains locked-in and looking for his pitch will help. Rather than hunting a single pitch or taking early, the Twins being more aggressive (with a balanced approach) could corral the gaudy strikeout numbers.
3. Shore Up the Defense
Minnesota’s defense has been very up-and-down over the last few years. Advanced metrics are difficult to assess in a small sample, but stack them up year upon year, and they begin to tell a story. Alas, it can be a conflicting one. Although the Twins were top-10 in Sports Info Solutions’s Defensive Runs Saved during 2023, they were bottom-10 by Statcast’s Outs Above Average.
Plenty of the issues took place on the dirt, and that is an area where Baldelli can have his team improve. Carlos Correa remains a talented shortstop, but that was the only spot where consistency was established. Royce Lewis was in and out at third base, and Julien didn’t start trending upward with the glove at second until later in the year. What happens at first base or with Alex Kirilloff remains to be seen, but having less of a revolving door there would be great.
4. Lock in Late
The Twins had one of baseball’s best starting rotations during 2023, but found themselves squandering opportunities due to an inability to maintain offensive consistency. Baldelli had to watch starters go multiple times through a lineup, only to be given a single run or two of support. It left the team with a 19-27 record in one-run games and put significant stress on the bullpen.
Minnesota has high-leverage arms like Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Brock Stewart, and Caleb Thielbar. They could see someone like Louie Varland continue to grow in the bullpen or another option emerge as reliable. Those guys have to be given some breathing room, and the lineup must produce more consistently. Threading needles in the late innings shouldn’t be such a constant need, and capitalizing on solid starts is necessary.
Although the American League Central shouldn’t be expected to turn into a juggernaut this season, Minnesota still must handle business if they expect to repeat. They did many things well a year ago, but making a few key tweaks could help them substantially.
What new resolutions would you like to see Baldelli’s Twins adopt in the year ahead?
