Friday night, the Minnesota Twins were officially eliminated from postseason contention with a 7-2 loss to the Orioles. It was the culmination of what can only be described as an epic collapse. On Aug. 17, the Twins were 70-53 and five games up on a wild-card spot. They then fell into a 12-25 skid that eliminated them from postseason contention.
Needless to say, Twins fans are not happy, and sporadic chants of “Fire Rocco!” could be heard at Target Field during the team’s final homestand, referring to manager Rocco Baldelli. Baldelli is under contract through 2025 and said the fans have every right to be upset. From the Minnesota Star Tribune:
“The fans, I think, have a right to feel almost any way they choose,” Baldelli said. “I believe that. Frankly, any time we haven’t had success here, I’ve heard them in the stadium, and that’s part of managing a Major League Baseball team.
“I respect the fans. The Minnesota Twins fans showed me last year when we were in the playoffs amazing things, things that can change the outcome of a game in favor of their team. You can’t have greater passion than what I saw. If I’m going to accept that, take that and enjoy that, then I’ll also take the criticism when things don’t go well.”
Baldelli added he is “never stressed out” about his job security, only the team’s performance. Several players, including starter Bailey Ober, said the players are to blame for the team’s collapse, not the manager. “I feel like most of the blame should be on the players,” Ober told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
While everyone deserves a share of the blame for a collapse like this, including the manager, the fact of the matter is the Twins came into 2024 with inadequate rotation depth, and an offense with centerpieces (Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, etc.) who are known to spend time on the injured list. In the end, Minnesota was short on arms and their key hitters missed time.
This is the second time in three years the Twins faded badly down the stretch. In 2022, they were a half-game behind the third wild-card spot on Aug. 19, then went 16-29 the rest of the way to fall out of the race. Minnesota won the AL Central and the Wild Card Series in 2023. They snapped their North American pro sports record 18-game postseason losing streak.
Baldelli is wrapping up his sixth season as Twins manager. The team is 457-412 (.526) during his tenure and has won three division titles (2019, 2020, 2023). He was named AL Manager of the Year in 2019, his first season.
