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Minnesota Twins Just Keep on With Surprising Good Vibes

Posted on June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 by David Shama

There’s an unexpected positive vibe around the Twins so far this season. At least there is in my head and that of acquaintances.

After the roster shuffling and gaffes of ownership in recent years, the bar for expectations was admittedly low going into the season. This spring the Twins are flirting with a .500 record and Wild Card spot in the playoffs.

Gasp.

With questions about the talent on the roster and unknowns concerning new coaches and manager Derek Shelton, it was easy to be pessimistic about the Twins last winter. The starting pitching has been surprisingly good and so, too, has the run scoring. The defense has been solid and sometimes spectacular. The preseason woebegone bullpen has been just that, but occasionally something better.

Check your pulse if you are not more interested in the Twins after last night’s 16-8 rout of the Diamondbacks in Phoenix. Byron Buxton hit a grand slam in a 10-run fifth inning and he’s now tied with Yordan Alvarez of the Astros for the American League lead in home runs with 24. Minnesota, 37-41 this season, has won seven of its last 10 games.

Shelton and staff have impressed. There’s emphasis on fundamentals and execution. It’s an exaggeration but it seems like the Twins have laid down more successful bunts in 78 games than they did in seven years under previous bench boss Rocco Baldelli.

Kudos to Shelton and the coaches including hitting coach Keith Beauregard for reviving the offense from last season. Only the Yankees with 388 runs scored have touched home plate more times than the Twins (384) among American League teams.

Pitching coach Pete Maki and assistant Luis Ramirez deserve kudos, too. Starters like Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober and Zebby Matthews can deliver outstanding performances. Reliever Yoendrys Gomez has been a surprise in the bullpen, stingy with runs, and he leads the team with six saves.

Buxton, 32, is having a career season with home runs and remains a superb centerfielder. Another outfielder, Trevor Larnach, has been hot at the plate—and often the third outfielder is utility journeyman Kody Clemens who has sharpened his stick enough to hit third in the lineup.

Royce Lewis, the man of many stances, has returned from exile in St. Paul to make enough contact with the ball to raise his batting average to .200 and match his 200 pound frame. He may also have found a home at first base while valued young performers Luke Keaschall and Brooks Lee play at second and third base respectively.

Then there are google guys, players you didn’t know about but are contributors to the spring vibe. Shortstops Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler have had their moments as have catchers Victor Caratini and Alex Jackson.

The Twins are playing without one of their key starters and veterans in catcher Ryan Jeffers. The injured Jeffers, along with Ryan and Buxton, are drawing trade speculation as the MLB August 3 Trade Deadline approaches.

Such rumors are partially fueled by ownership which has been unwilling in the past to pay pricy veterans. Burned by the past gaffes, fans are reluctant to embrace the Twins now. Parting ways with the team’s best veterans will only deepen the “wound.”

And oh, if the front office hadn’t traded away North St. Paul’s Louie Varland last season! He has 15 saves, with a 0.86 ERA for the Blue Jays. If he had remained a Twin, the club would likely have four or more wins.

Worth Noting

Murray’s restaurant owner Tim Murray, who has visited all the MLB stadiums, now gets his baseball travel fix going with friends every other year to World Series games. His favorite parks are Fenway, Wrigley and PNC. (Murray’s is a longtime advertiser of this space.)

Hats off to former Golden Gophers athletics director Joel Maturi and wife Lois for their volunteer role in hosting a hugely successful open house last week at Second Harvest Heartland in Brooklyn Park. Maturi is a board member for the food bank which is the second largest of its kind in the nation. Timberwolves coach Chris Finch is also on the board.

Spanish playmaking guard Sergio de Larrea is the most speculated pick by the Wolves at No. 28 in the first round of Tuesday’s NBA Draft, per AI.

Don’t be surprised if Wolves assistant coach Michah Nori is the new head coach of the NBA Trail Blazers.

With a corporate naming rights deal, Williams Arena is now The Barn by Blue Cross and Blue Shield. No word I am aware of as to how or if the University of Minnesota will preserve the name of Dr. Henry Williams, the longtime namesake of the arena.

Williams coached Minnesota football from 1900-1921 and has the best football winning percentage in school history. He was 136-33-11 (.786) as coach of the Gophers, and his team won or shared eight conference titles.

Former Gopher football great Bobby Bell — Bobby Bell

Bobby Bell turned 86 last week. He terrified opposing offenses as a defensive tackle for Gophers teams from 1960-1962 that won a national championship and Rose Bowl. He should be on a short list of Gopher football legends deserving statues at Huntington Bank Stadium.

The football Gophers figure to have at least a couple thousand fans in Seattle for their September 26 game against Washington. A friend is asking if anyone knows of people selling individual boat tickets for “sail-gating” on that Saturday. Anyone who has a connection can email ds@shamasportsheadliners.com.

My late father was in the Army during World War II. He was stationed in Panama and liked to quip: “The enemy never took the Panama Canal.”

Happy Father’s Day!

Comments Welcome

Twins Nix Royce Lewis June 6 Jersey Giveaway

Posted on May 27, 2026May 29, 2026 by David Shama

Royce Lewis’ demotion to Triple-A St. Paul earlier this month apparently made the Twins re-think their giveaway promotion of his jersey for the June 6 home game against the Royals.

The promotional calendar for 2026 home games originally had the first 10,000 fans that day receiving a replica No. 23 jersey. Now the promotional calendar and a ticket spokesperson confirmed that fans will receive a Byron Buxton t-shirt instead.

A Buxton bobblehead will be given away to the first 10,000 fans at the game with the Cardinals on June 27. That offering was on the original promotional schedule.

The mercurial Lewis, who has played parts of five seasons with the Twins, has a career storyline among the most curious in club history. With both a dizzying array of injuries and hitting extremes, Lewis is a captivating figure who once looked like one of MLB’s brightest young players but at other times appears out of place on the roster.

Lewis, who turns 27 June 5, had what appeared to be a breakout season in 2023 when in 217 at bats he hit .309 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. In the postseason he became the third player in MLB history to homer in his first two postseason at bats. He set the stage for the dramatic during the regular season by hitting four grand slams in a 20-game span as he helped the Twins win the AL Central Division title.

Good Royce/bad Royce. The last two seasons his batting averages were .233 and .237. He was hitting .163 when the Twins demoted him on May 19 to the Saints.

The hope is Lewis will find confidence and rhythm in his swing. Against inferior pitching to what he sees in the bigs, the right-handed hitting infielder has gone on a tear. With the Saints in seven games and 27 at bats he has whacked five home runs.

Lewis has supposedly slumped in recent seasons because of struggles with fast balls and his prevalence for chasing pitches. In response he has sought advice and made adjustments to his batting stance.

Whether he can work himself back to better production in the majors won’t be known for a while. The Twins, though, have sent a message with his demotion and cancellation of the June 6 giveaway.

And there’s more. Twins’ manager Derek Shelton has moved shortstop Brooks Lee over to third base, the position once thought to be locked up by Lewis. That’s a development that might block Lewis’ path to regular playing time when he makes his presumptive return to the big-league club.

Worth Noting

Anthony Edwards of the Timberwolves played in 61 regular season games so he wasn’t eligible for the three All-NBA teams the league recently announced. The minimum to qualify is 65 games. Edwards was named to the All-NBA second team in 2024 and 2025.

Anthony Edwards, Timberwolves player — Anthony Edwards photo courtesy of Minnesota Timberwolves

Uber talented and competitive, Edwards could improve his team by showing more maturity in his leadership role. His stock will also rise if the Wolves acquire a quality point guard who can complement Edwards and teammates with playmaking.

A Gophers football authority talking to Sports Headliners about quarterback Drake Lindsey and his spring arrest in Arkansas for underage drinking and possessing fake identification. “We’ll see if it leads into (suspension for) the Eastern Illinois (opening) game. I don’t want to make too big of a deal out of it.”

BetMGM set the win total for Big Ten football teams earlier this month. Minnesota is projected at 6.5, the same as Nebraska, Wisconsin and UCLA. Of the Big Ten’s 18 teams, only five others have fewer wins predicted.

Indiana and Oregon are the leaders at 10.5.

Start times were announced today for five of the Gophers football games:

7 p.m. September 3 Eastern Illinois at home;

2:30 p.m. September 12 Mississippi State at home;

11 a.m. September 19 Akron at home;

2 or 7 p.m. October 24 Iowa at home;

6:30 p.m. November 27 at Wisconsin.

Comments Welcome

Owner Tom Pohlad: Minnesota Twins “Building for 2028”

Posted on March 1, 2026March 1, 2026 by David Shama

Tom Pohlad, the new face of the Pohlad family Twins ownership group, sounds like he might be tempering his previous optimism for the club in 2026.

Pohlad apparently indicated that at a social club gathering in Naples, Florida recently. Minneapolis-based attorney, writer and historian Marshall Tanick reported via email to Sports Headliners what Pohlad said at the Minnesota Breakfast club gathering, an organization in Southwest Florida that was started in 1964 by Minneapolis natives and draws prominent speakers during the winter months to its weekly programs.

Tanick wrote that Pohlad concluded his remarks by cautioning the team may not be immediately successful but is “building for 2028.” Earlier in the winter Pohlad repeatedly said the club will be competitive in 2026, perhaps indicating a final record that could challenge for the postseason.

A MLB.com story in mid-February said Pohlad met with reporters and was told one sportsbook projected the team’s over-under win total at 73.5 wins. “That’s ridiculous,” Pohlad said, per an article by Matthew Leach.

The Twins are coming off two disappointing seasons including a 70-92 finish last year. The club has made no significant roster changes as Minnesota prepares for the coming season in Florida. And the team’s prospects for a winning season have been further dimmed by a season-ending arm injury to ace starting pitcher Pablo Lopez.

The Twins have a short list of proven talents including pitcher Joe Ryan, catcher Ryan Jeffers and centerfielder Byron Buxton. Sportsbooks forecast a losing season.

Pohlad, though, is optimistic about the club’s farm system that is rated among the best in baseball. He’s hopeful that many players will emerge who can make the roster talent special.

Tanick reported that Pohlad also referred to young talent already with the Twins and those players coming from the farm system create an optimistic outlook for future team performance. “There’s no reason why every single year we can’t win our division,” Pohlad said.

Twins lead owner Tom Pohlad — Tom Pohlad photo courtesy of Marshall Tanick

Pohlad, who replaced brother Joe Pohlad as the Twins leader late last year, has emphasized improved communications since taking over. He addressed the team at the start of spring training, for example. And he’s been aggressive in reaching out to the fans including ticket buyers.

Tanick reported Pohlad told his Minnesota Breakfast audience he’s “trying to turn a new page” after what he termed “a rough couple of years” for the AL Central Division team. Part of mending fences with the fanbase, of course, will include better results on the field.

The organization will be mindful, too, of the fan experience at Target Filed. Traditionally overachievers on promotions, key offerings by the Twins in 2026 will include $2 pre-game beers, free ice cream on Sundays for kids, Friday Happy Hour (beer and food), merchandise giveaways, music concerts, and other allurements.

The disenchantment by Twins fans, though, takes many forms. For example, a middle aged couple whose past passion has included watching the club in spring training, has opted this year to attend Cactus League games in Arizona.

Worth Noting

New Twins manager Derek Shelton and general manager Jeremy Zoll also spoke to the breakfast group in Naples. Shelton is using the term “hunt for the good” to encourage an optimistic outlook.

He announced the club will be aggressive in its play including “run a lot” on the bases, per Tanick’s reporting. Surprisingly, in the team’s opening spring training game against major league competition, the oft-injured Royce Lewis stole a base.

Attendees at Twins home games at the Lee Health Sports Complex can expect extraordinary customer service. Smiling faces and helpful information are abundant. Game pricing can easily be three figures for two fans but can include parking, and hot dogs and sodas.

Longtime Twins broadcaster Dick Bremer, scheduled to be inducted into the club’s Hall of Fame July 11 when Minnesota hosts the Angels, turns 70 years old today. He was the franchise’s TV voice for 40 years with his career ending in 2023.

The Capital Club breakfast group will hear from former Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson on Wednesday, March 11 at Mendakota Country Club. Before his recent departure from the Department of Justice, Thompson was the lead prosecutor in the Feeding Our Future fraud investigation and related investigations of fraud in Minnesota Medicaid programs. Now in private practice, his clients include journalist Don Lemon. For more information, contact Patrick Klinger, patrick@agilemarketingco.com.

Pat Colbert, with the United States Tennis Association’s Northern Section since April of 1989, retires July 1. The former Assistant Executive Director of the section has been working part-time since January 1, leading up to his retirement. The Bloomington native played tennis for Normandale College where he was team MVP on the 1977 conference champions.

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