Alexander Shun | @alexpshun
Digital Content Manager | KFAN.com
A very young yet very talented team is one that requires patience and a great deal of managed expectations. The state of Minnesota has already experienced such things with one sports team in the last year (Timberwolves, anybody) and will head into this summer once again needing to temper their expectations, this time of a Minnesota Twins team that is overflowing with talent but has failed to translate such talent into wins.
With a new duo at the helm of the Twins organization in Senior Vice President and General Manager Thad Levine and Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey, the team's future is a bright one, but admittedly Twins fans shouldn't be expecting a playoff run this coming season.
Falvey spoke with KFAN's Paul Allen Thursday morning on Allen's #92Noon show and the team's new CBO talked about the patience that Twins fans should have this season.
"I think every young team needs a little room to grow and sometimes that runway comes with a bit of struggle, and that's the challenge we see," Falvey said. "With this group, we want to make sure we're playing competitive baseball every night. I think this group has created an environment in the club house that will lead to that, but that's what will make Twins fans proud."
Falvey, entering his first season with the Twins, made the final round of roster reductions on Thursday to bring the MLB roster to 25 players. While many tough decisions were made, the roster now stands at 13 pitchers and 12 position players, the extra pitcher being something that Falvey says is of great importance when looking around the league while also being the most challenging decision to make.
While difficult conversations were had and tough choices had to be made, Falvey said that those conversations and decisions should pay off for the team in the long run, especially in their development.
"You expect to have some difficult conversations at the end and I want those guys to be a bit disappointed, those who are on just the outside looking in, because that means they're hungry," Favley said. "That means they're fighting to get back to be a part of what we're doing moving forward. They're difficult conversations, I don't take them lightly, but I'm confident in the group we're heading North with."
Minnesota's season begins on Monday afternoon when they take on the Kansas City Royals, and while there may not be a ton of buzz surrounding Twins baseball entering the season, maybe they can generate some buzz given all that youthful talent they have.