The Twins are shocking the world

00:00:03
Speaker 1: Hey, what do you have for me on Garrett Crochet. We're about to talk to Dan Hayes about the Twins and we can ask him about Crochet. Since the Twins burn all star lefty starters, Crochet ten earned runs eleven runs total. He recorded five outs, no punch outs. It was the most uncharacteristic Garrett Crochet outing ever.

00:00:24
Speaker 2: Yeah, it happens. It happened, everybody. Oh, look at these is. He's not the only.

00:00:31
Speaker 1: One scooble fromber Crochet a target field in the past week, twenty two earned runs in eleven innings. That's an eighteen twenty eight hit. Seven walks. Don't stop the Twins, machinede.

00:00:47
Speaker 3: They're hot, baby, They're hot on. All you people out there that say the Twins weren't going to be good, look at them.

00:00:51
Speaker 2: Go now, we'll take it all back. All you other people.

00:00:54
Speaker 1: Wait for the one minute same here for the one minute that we have.

00:00:57
Speaker 2: Before your other people. Scott craps.

00:01:02
Speaker 1: With Crochet. This stuff was down a little bit, like they were talking.

00:01:06
Speaker 2: I know they were always stuff was down.

00:01:08
Speaker 1: And he didn't look yet, you know, like some guys are, like I'm looking at every reading right even between innings. Crochet is clearly not that guy. He probably looks later, but he was like, oh, well, my stuff is down? What was it? And I think the reports were, oh, it's not like a mile an hour. I was like, okay, cool, I'm fine.

00:01:24
Speaker 2: Guy.

00:01:26
Speaker 1: You know, like you would think it.

00:01:27
Speaker 2: Was it was cold out. You're right, it was cold out. And you know what. We had Tristan Gray on yesterday.

00:01:33
Speaker 1: Who does he play for the Twins?

00:01:34
Speaker 2: He didn't play, but we should have known.

00:01:37
Speaker 1: But imagine if like you're a starter, like an ace and and you might like you get a million mics in your face and they're like, your stuff's down?

00:01:45
Speaker 2: What happened?

00:01:46
Speaker 1: And you're thinking like, oh crap, was my stuff down like three miles an hour? It's down a point, he's down one mile an hour? Okay, I'm next.

00:01:53
Speaker 2: Would be con question, bro next next?

00:01:57
Speaker 4: Oh no, they were jumping all They had a game plan and the entire team stuck with it. That's the most I've watched a Twins game this year, other than Trek Scooble's game. And they had a game plan. Everything that was down, everything that was gonna be an all speed pitch down in his zone. They were just like we're just not gonna swing and they were just hopping on that heater. They hopped on Trek Scooble's heater. They just didn't swing at his change up. Like great, great team approach. It clearly had an approach that they executed against three really good lefties.

00:02:34
Speaker 3: It's really hard to get a team to do that, to get especially against guys. I mean, I'll never forget speaking of the Twins. When I was in the White Sox, Johan Santana, who won two so Young's and was a great pitcher for a long time.

00:02:47
Speaker 2: We had all his pitches.

00:02:48
Speaker 3: Okay, we we still couldn't hit him, but we knew when he was doing to change up.

00:02:53
Speaker 1: Hey, Dan Hayes is back with us on FT covers the Twins for the Athletic and one of the new hosts of Twin Cities Territory. Dan, great to have you on. We love having you on the FT team. The show sounds great and the team looks really good. The first couple of weeks, what has gotten into the Twins?

00:03:10
Speaker 2: Maybe hater hater?

00:03:12
Speaker 1: Maybe maybeter Pole add the new owner or the new control owner was right. He had been telling you guys all off season. This team's good.

00:03:22
Speaker 5: Yeah.

00:03:23
Speaker 6: Look, the hopometer was four point three percent going into the season, the Athletics Hopemeters. There were like six teams below sixty percent in baseball and the Twins were at four point three percent. So thanks to the Twins for doing this to help pump up the show at the start, and you know, have fans want to tune in and listen. But you know, you guys were talking about the roller coaster on that last segment and going into that schoobl start a week ago.

00:03:49
Speaker 5: This was a team that.

00:03:50
Speaker 6: Was had a five thirty ops against left handed pitching starting pitching so far this season and over the last week, it's been those four games that you guys were the two in Toronto. They didn't win on Friday, but they got to Corman as well, so they've they've hit lefty pitching. It was a matter of time sort of like Lindor, where you knew Buckson was gonna hit better than he had been. You knew that Luke Kishaw was going to start to hit a little bit.

00:04:17
Speaker 5: They weren't performing.

00:04:18
Speaker 6: Through the first nine games, and now here we are, you know, with this the slow run where they took swept Tigers for four and took two of three in Toronto and then beat up Crochet last night. And a team that was way at the bottom of the offensive numbers now is fifth and runs scored. So it's a roller coaster. I think that what you're seeing so far. You mentioned Eric the approach. I went over and listened to Cora and Crochet just to hear what they had to say. And Cora was said before the game that he knew they jumped on lefties and and said they covered everything up last night. They were so disciplined with it. You're right, it's a team that's working together. I think that's going to be the key for this group because there is a lot of high end draft pick talent that's.

00:05:04
Speaker 5: Never really been realized. You look around the room yesterday.

00:05:08
Speaker 6: One of the Red Sox writers came over to us and he's like, I haven't heard a lot of these guys, and I was like, well, first rounder, first rounder, first rounder, second rounder, and they've been in the big leagues for a little while, but it just hasn't happened.

00:05:19
Speaker 5: This is a good start for this group.

00:05:21
Speaker 6: They needed some good vibes given how down fans are, and I think that's the most optimal way to start a season is just to come out because they're battling cold.

00:05:31
Speaker 5: They're battling miserable temperatures.

00:05:33
Speaker 6: The last time Mick Abel started, or two times ago, it was twenty four degrees wind chill when he started the game. I mean, I don't know how you hit in that. I don't know how you pitching that. They're seventeen April home games this year, so plenty of chances to be in that miserable cold, and they're finding a way to kind of make it work. And it's great for them, it's great for their fans.

00:05:56
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00:06:18
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00:06:58
Speaker 2: Just want to make sure I'm not a hater.

00:07:06
Speaker 7: Me.

00:07:07
Speaker 2: Sorry, these are both twins and bableheads of me. Yes, that's me. I'm both of them, So I'm not a hater of the twins. But what I mean, what what?

00:07:14
Speaker 3: Honestly, you have to be surprised. Everybody's a little bit surprised. Yea, I know the twins are gonna say, we're not surprised. We thought we had this. Everyone's a little bit surprised by this. But what is it? Derek Shelton, is it? Dad Levine and that crew in Fallavey being gone? What what has changed Because you mentioned the team approach. It's not like they got a bunch of new players. They just kind of brought guys up from the organization. So what is the new voice that's changed in this clubhouse to make them have this team approach and also be better pitching.

00:07:43
Speaker 6: Well, Derek Shelton, win was the bench coach, was great at the relationship part of things, and players loved him. And he came in and said, we're gonna make sure everybody is on the same page.

00:07:53
Speaker 5: We're gonna communicate.

00:07:54
Speaker 6: Everybody seems to understand their role and for whatever reason, they are a close knit group. Barn Buckson mentioned last night. Shelton mentioned it and a lot of team dinners early, guys just trusting in one another. But you're right, I mean, it is surprising you look and the signs for regression are still there. I mean, this is the team with the worst infield defense by defensive run saved in baseball. They don't have a bullpen where right now, there have been thirteen fastballs thrown over ninety seven miles prior to ten of those were Andrew Morris in his debut There to day, he's a starter or has been a starter for his whole career, and right now he's up in the bullpen. Who knows what his long term path is. The other three were Mick Abele on the day he piggybacked, So no other Twins relievers hit ninety seven like that bullpen. There's going to be some regression there. And right now, I mean, as it is, that group is maybe twenty second or twenty third in war, so they haven't even been that great to begin with. So yes, this is propped up a little bit, but there's some really good starting pitching. Taj Bradley has been just incredible so far. Mickable finally when he got a good conditions. You know, the first one was a piggyback. I wouldn't wish a piggyback on any young pitcher. And his second one was that twenty four degree win chill last time out was like forty degrees. He puted six scoreless against Detroit and looked really good. Joe Ryan finally on his last turn, had a really good outing. So the Simeon Woods. Richardson had four scoreless on Friday. Apparently he had a bad case of subway in Toronto and had foods poisoning and like the outing took, you know, went away from him.

00:09:32
Speaker 5: Bailey over is still working through velocity stuff.

00:09:35
Speaker 6: His command is better, but he needs that velocity. All that said, I think the starting pitching can keep them in a competitive spot and they know that, and so you see those numbers out there. It's helped them stay in games. And the offense. I mean again, they just seemed to be on board with each other. The veterans have said to young guys, they really liked this coaching staff. They like the messaging they're hearing. I think the young guys are trusting that the veterans and these are new veterans. Josh Bell has coming and had a really nice influence on the clubhouse.

00:10:08
Speaker 5: Vic Carratini has also done the same thing.

00:10:11
Speaker 6: Both those guys are coming in and just doing whatever it takes for this team. Kartini is a catcher. He's only caught like four times so far. Ryan Jeffers has done most of the catching. Bell would like to be the first baseman. He's mostly been the DH and I think when guys see those examples, they're more willing to platoon. You look at that left field platoon right now between Austin Martin and Trevor Larnok. Martin had two more base hits to jump start those first rallies last night off Crochet and going into last night that group had an eight sixteen ops and left field. That's a team. You know, that's a surprising spot. But both guys understand that's how they're going to be used, and they're comfortable with it. And I think that all that stuff has really helped them out early on. And you know, it's a snowball effect. When you have good vibes going, everybody wants in on it.

00:10:57
Speaker 5: Everybody feels good. You saw it with brooks.

00:10:59
Speaker 6: Lee with his walk off hit against or his game winning hit against Detroit. He had started six for thirty one before that. The whole dugout was going crazy for him. So they're enjoying the upside of this roller coaster ride. And we'll see how long they can go, because certainly it could be regression with some of the flaws that the roster has.

00:11:18
Speaker 4: Okay, so you talked about regression, But which of these I want to say breakout because we're what's seventeen games in right, Which of these hot starts is the most sustainable out of the surprising guys. Like you said, a lot of people don't know these guys out of these starts on the offense, not on pitching. We'll get to pitching, okay, Which is the most sustainable for an entire one hundred and sixty two game season.

00:11:43
Speaker 5: That's a good question.

00:11:44
Speaker 6: Look, I think Josh Bell fits nicely and he's not a surprise guy, so actually we'll disqualify that. Martin has been an on base guy always and it wouldn't shock me to see him end up with a three point fifty three sixty on base He knows how to do that.

00:12:00
Speaker 5: You know, it's up around four eighty or five hundred right now.

00:12:04
Speaker 6: I didn't look the last minute, but he's been really good and he's still gonna regress. But if he's a three to sixty on base guy and getting in between Keyshaw and Buxton and kind of setting the table, that's that I think can be sustainable. You know, I don't think we're gonna see brooks Lee hitting the way he has, and he still needs to answer questions, but I think you saw him get that first big hit Thursday against Detroit and then had a nice weekend in Toronto.

00:12:32
Speaker 5: Afterwards.

00:12:33
Speaker 6: I think he's got a chance to come up and show a little bit more. He showed power last year. He's a really good fastball hitter. I could see that definitely sustaining. But there's certainly some great stories going on right now. Tristan Gray is thirty. Tristan Gray, you know, I think as most oft bats in any season before this was like ninety five. And he's got two homers, eleven RBIs early on.

00:12:56
Speaker 5: He's filled in nicely at shortstop. Is that sustainable?

00:12:59
Speaker 6: We'll see thirty, you know, but guys definitely are buying in and I think that allows them, that confidence allows them to keep going until you know, you run into a wall essentially, but it certainly could happen. I mean, I don't think anybody saw this being the fifth best offense in runs scored. You know, they need Matt Walner to hit more, they need Trevor Larnak to keep going. I do like Josh Bell's influence on those guys just being a middle order bat. It does not have to be a home run, it does not have to be all or nothing. Josh Bell drops isn't afraid to parachute a ball down the line and find a fine grass. He's you know, a really professional hitter. I think that influence will be great for some of the the other guys they'd like to be middle order bats.

00:13:45
Speaker 5: We'll see what Royce Lewis can do. The one thing I like.

00:13:47
Speaker 6: You know, he's on the aisle right now, but he should be back in that Mets series and next week. He has walked, i believe, twelve times so far. His patience is through the roof. He's got a new swing going, he's got a little more time to see pitches, and we have not seen him do a ton of stuff. At the bottom line, he's hitting eight and maybe it's eight walks twelve k's, but look, he's the platform for success is there with him. His walk rates tripled this year and I think that you'll see him have a chance to break out and move more towards the middle to order as.

00:14:23
Speaker 5: This season goes.

00:14:24
Speaker 6: And if that happens, you know, looks the Twins need three guys to really hit, without question, Buckston.

00:14:31
Speaker 5: Keishaw, Royce Lewis. If you have those three.

00:14:33
Speaker 6: Hitting, you have a shot, especially with the starting pitching keeping them in games.

00:14:38
Speaker 5: Will that happen?

00:14:39
Speaker 6: We'll see Royce Lewis has had fourteen months of struggle coming into this opening day, and it's been encouraging to see what he's done so far. But there's definitely more power there for him to tap into and figure out that swing because he overhauled it entirely this offseason.

00:14:57
Speaker 3: Hey, surprisingly for me, you mentioned Brian Brookston. He's the all time leader of home runs at target Field. It seems it doesn't seem like that eighty five. I know it's only been there since what twenty ten, I think was the first year in target Field, But.

00:15:09
Speaker 2: Eighty five I thought I thought there would be a I guess Morne wasn't thereon mauerd didn't hit any homers. It just seems like eighty five is a really low number.

00:15:18
Speaker 6: It is it is, you know, I think early on Guard he said they were waiting for the concrete to settle in and the ball would start traveling more.

00:15:26
Speaker 2: I loved it here. I loved him.

00:15:28
Speaker 5: I thought it was, yeah, it's got a great hitters. I batters.

00:15:31
Speaker 6: I like I think that you look at how it's set up, it's a cool park.

00:15:36
Speaker 5: We'll see. I mean, I think Josh Bell I want to see what he can do.

00:15:40
Speaker 6: This year because it feels like this is the first time he played in Arizona a couple of years ago at the end of the season. But this is a chance to be in a non Kansas City, Washington Miami Hitters park for him, and like, I want to.

00:15:53
Speaker 5: See him attack it. I think Keishall can hit. We'll see. I agree with you.

00:15:57
Speaker 6: It's shockingly low number at eighty five for being a fifteen year old park, but you know, it's probably the way the franchise has always been built, which is you've got young guys, you got about five or six year window with them, and it hasn't been historically easy to keep guys around here, so it's hard to build up some of those totals. Buxton took a contract that in twenty twenty one was seen as a win win for both sides because you know his injury history leading up to that. They couldn't afford to give him what he projected to be worth, which was probably a two hundred million dollar contract if he was healthy. But he took seven years and one hundred million with all these performance escalators, and it basically safeguarding against injury and that's allowed him to stick around and he said it last night. He's not done yet, so I expect that to be, you know, in the one thirties.

00:16:52
Speaker 5: He's got at least.

00:16:53
Speaker 6: Three more years here, so he'll build it up and it will be a high number. But it was Max Kepler's eighty four before that, and you know we saw with him, he took an extension, stayed around for a little bit, but then eventually Max Kepler moved on. And that's what a lot of guys have done over the years, is they get to free agency and they move on.

00:17:10
Speaker 5: So it's hard to accrue those stats.

00:17:12
Speaker 2: Just cut our count too soon? Sorry, too soon. He got popped, I know.

00:17:23
Speaker 1: I'm just letting everyone know because some people probably forgot. But he got popped for Royds. He goes for eds, whatever drug of choice, for the pe.

00:17:32
Speaker 2: Whatever the drug.

00:17:33
Speaker 1: There are others. It's not always Royd. Testosterone is also a thing. I don't remember which one truth is his, but we tell it like it is on this show, just like Dan does on Twin City's territory. We got to jump, but Dan and Man, thank you for joining us. Hopefully this continues. Kratz and I would love to eat our words. I don't think a j thought they were going to be good either, but well there's pretend like he did. Dan, Thank you appreciate it than Twin City's territory. Check it out if you are a twins Van or want to follow the ride for now Zach Pierce and Tyler Dubby Workers and Dan Hayes running it on the Ft Network