This crucial trio will be the Twins’ main source of success in ’24.
FORT MYERS, Florida — The bulk of the team that will try to advance was gathered around manager Rocco Baldelli as he stood and gave his season-opening speech to his clubhouse on the day of the first full-squad workout at Hammond Stadium (with Edouard Julien tasked with holding his coffee cup). Perhaps there is still a finishing move left on this Twins roster.
There’s always a winning message. They discovered something concrete the previous year to support those claims. However, nothing is guaranteed this year, as they want to be the team that adapts the best, perseveres the most skillfully, and advances to the next level.
Indeed, Baldelli stated, We’re going to draw a lot from the foundation and accomplishments we made last year, but that doesn’t get us far this year by itself.
I kind of said, ‘Rub a little playoff mud on your arm just to remind yourself of what you learned, but you have to go on.
The Twins have had a very quiet offseason, with the losses of Jorge Polanco, Kenta Maeda, and Sonny Gray being more noticeable than any of their gains.
However, they believe that a significant portion of the solution is already there for them to act on: improving their stars’ positioning for star-like seasons.
For the first time together, Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton all come into training camp off of sound, largely typical offseasons. Everybody is observing typical spring buildups.
Buxton stated, I think that all of us who dealt with injuries last year hampered who we wanted to be during the season.
It is unique for us to enter the World Series in good health and with everyone feeling the same desire to win the ring that we all desire. There’s something enjoyable and thrilling to anticipate.
Due to persistent knee problems, Buxton was limited to DH-only duty and had no significant impact on the Twins’ postseason run or playoff race last year, when they stormed to their first AL Central crown since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season and won a postseason series for the first time since 2002.
Correa struggled with plantar fasciitis and was a shell of his former self until the playoffs. Lewis participated in just 58 games due to hamstring strains and his second ACL recovery.
