After a stumbling start this spring, the Twins have at times played the best baseball in the major leagues. The Twins were four games under .500 and 12.5 games behind the Central Division leading Detroit Tigers on May 27. Earlier this week the Twins had the best record in major league baseball dating back to June 8, 51 wins, 20 losses.
The Twins won division championships three of the last four years. With a nucleus of star players who are all 27 years old or younger, the likelihood of similar success is almost certain if ownership can keep these players under contract and surround them with productive support players.
All of this is according to plan, manager Ron Gardenhire said. Some clubs are willing to go in cycles, building and rebuilding. Not the Twins. “The one thing we have always talked about is just maintaining and getting better and better,” Gardenhire said. “And now we have a good corps of players. If we can keep surrounding them with good young players coming through our system and not having to force the issue we ought to be pretty good for awhile. …”
With a young team including key players who have come to Minnesota from the farm system during the season, the expectation could have been that a championship season was in the future, but Gardenhire and the Twins expect to win now.
Building for a World Series champion? “No doubt. That’s our ultimate goal and it’s not out of our minds this year believe me. …Right now we think we have a very good ball club.”
Gardenhire said the new stadium, scheduled to open in 2010, will generate increased revenues, hopefully allowing ownership to pay the large future contracts that Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Francisco Liriano,Johan Santana and perhaps others will command. With a current payroll of about $62 million, the Twins are far below the mega spending of some other teams and the budget that will be needed to satisfy their stars or super stars.
“I think the new stadium is going to be huge,” Gardenhire said. “It’s going to really help revenue out with our ball club and we will be able to keep a lot of these players.”