The Twins are heading to the post season with their offense finally starting to come around. I mean more than just these last couple of games against Oakland and Colorado. The last few months have seen rookies like Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner take an outsized role on the team, while the return of Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco have also added some life to the roster.
This is a situation where the narrative fits the season better than the stats. Just look at the team leaders for the year. Right now, they are without RBI team leader Carlos Correa, and his 65 runs batted in. The 2nd highest home run total belongs to Joey Gallo, also on the shelf. Both of these things can be true, and it is also true that these players have also disappointed their fans.
The value of counting stats notwithstanding, 65RBI and 21 home runs are both terrifically low figures for an RBI team leader and a #2 in home runs for a playoff team. In this case, it shows a couple of things. One, Correa is one of the ew consistent every day presences in the lineup, and two, the Twins roster effectively pivoted to the fresh faces after the halfway point in the season.
The rate stats for players that are going to be on the roster headed into the post season are strong. With one of the best rotations the team has ever had, the vibes have been very good through September. There was n element of confidence, and a feeling that the Minnesota Twins might actually make some noise in the postseason.
I was at the game when the Twins clinched, and there was a feeling of euphoria, right up until Kyle Farmer declared that the Twins were definitely going to win a game in the playoffs this year. That's when all the stats that really matter came back to haunt us.
0-18.
No playoff wins for 19 years.
The good news is, there isn't likely to be an outcome that is more embarrassing than our expectations.
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