New look Twins, revamped pitching staff ready to impress

**How do you think the Twins will finish in the American League (AL) Central?**

Nico: After what we’ve seen in the first two weeks of the season (I know it’s a small sample size), I think that the Twins could potentially finish first or second in the AL Central. I know that’s optimistic, but something is telling me that the tides are turning in Minnesota this year. I could see us going a respectable 92-68 and taking one of the two wild card spots in the American League. The AL Central seems to be up for grabs this year, and I think the Twins will give the Guardians a tough time down the stretch if our pitching can keep it together.

Nick: Pitching. This is an area where the team has lacked in the past, but this Twins pitching staff will finally be able to match up with the Guardians this season. As Nico mentioned, the Twins should finish first or second in the division this season. This roster is full of veterans and young stars who are looking to take the MLB by surprise this season.Will Rocco give the pitchers a longer leash?

Nico and Nick: Last year, we know we’re not alone when we say that we were frustrated with our manager, Rocco Baldelli’s, handling of our pitching staff and bullpen. Baldelli seemed to think that, statistically, it didn’t make sense to keep our starters in the game for the third time through opposing teams’ lineups. Due to this, our starting pitchers rarely saw the sixth, let alone fifth innings. This only put more stress on our bullpen in the dog days as they had to handle a much higher load in terms of volume. This ended up being the main factor that brought about our downfall at the end of last year.

Surprisingly though, Baldelli seems to have scraped this faulty ideology, as our pitchers have had more freedom on the mound this year. Twins starters averaged 4.83 innings per start in 2022, which ranked the third lowest in baseball. To start the 2023 season, Twins starters have averaged 5.90 innings per start through 16 games. To make it even better, Twins pitching as a whole has an earned run average of 2.60. This ranks second in the MLB just behind the Rays (2.54).

**Can Buxton stay healthy with the tactical move to Designated Hitter?**

Nico: If you’re a loyal Twins fan, you’ve seen first-hand the talent and potential of our flying center fielder Byron Buxton over the years. Unfortunately, three things are certain in Minnesota: snowy winters, sports teams choking and Buxton getting hurt. This has been a constant issue throughout the better part of Buxton’s nine-year career. There seems to be a solution on the horizon, though. To begin this season, Baldelli has wisely kept Buxton off the field by making him the team’s designated hitter. The massive hole left in center field has been filled nicely by Michael A. Taylor in commanding fashion. Batting out of the nine spot, he is tied for the team lead with three home runs and is batting .268, which is good for second behind our red-hot first baseman Donovan Solano. With Buxton not out in the field, we don’t run the risk of him getting injured trying to make game-saving plays on the grass.The move to DH also takes a heavy burden off his shoulders, as he can focus more on his offensive game. So, the answer is a hopeful yes—Buxton should stay healthy with less field time.

**Have the Twins found their ace in Pablo López?**

Nick: Back in late January, the Twins traded the reigning AL batting champion Luis Arráez for López. Many fans may have been very upset with this trade, but you must give up something special in order to get something special in return. I liked this trade from the start, but I had no idea how much I’d love it. López has dominated since becoming a Twin. He has put up ace-like numbers as he has a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings pitched so far this season. He has also struck out 33 batters and has only allowed 15 hits. The Twins have obviously loved what they have seen as well because in recent days, the Twins and López have agreed on a four-year $73.5 million contract extension that will start in 2024. Paying López only about $18 million a year is an absolute steal. Having López as the Twins’ ace for the next five years is going to be a luxury for the Twins, and if he continues to put up numbers like he has been, López is going to be one of the best starters in the majors.

**Initial thoughts/reactions on the new uniforms?**

Nico: With the start of this season, the team rolled out a new logo package which included an “M” with a red star above it for our away game caps. I can’t stop seeing the Marlins logo every time I look at it. I might sound like an old head here, but this rebranding struck a chord close to home. As long as I can remember, the iconic “TC” has graced the hats of all Twins players. Moving away from the classic “TC” is a hard pill to swallow. I know we still have the “TC” for our home game uniforms, but the kid in me is just crying inside. Hopefully, the modern, Times New Roman “M” will not consume the entire organization farther down the road. Tradition does mean a thing or two to some of us. I’m still holding out hope that we’ll bring back the retro red “M” logo that we retired before the 2014 season. The timeless “M” was present on our caps for both of our World Series wins in 1987 and 1991 with the likes of superstar sensations Kirby Puckett and Frank Viola in the Metrodome. Nevertheless, the new sleeve patch with the outline of Minnesota is a nice honor to the team’s roots on all four of our uniforms.

Nick: I love this rebrand. The new Twins uniforms are some of the cleanest in the game. Although, this rebrand has received a lot of hate regarding the new ‘M.’ Rightfully so; the new “M” is very plain, but the implementation of the star on the top of the “M” improves the logo just enough to create a clean, simple-looking logo. I don’t have that big of an issue with the new ‘TC,’ but I do like the old “TC” better. In the end, the team is looking to make more sales, and this is a very smart way to do it. A slightly different “TC” will certainly increase sales because fans will want merchandise with the current logo. Altogether, I will enjoy watching Twins games this season a little more due to the fresh, new look.