Rocco Baldelli hopes Twins fans are seeing what he and his staff are seeing. The team might be 11-20 since it sent 10 of its best players to other teams at the trade deadline, but it’s learning to play a different brand of baseball.
And the Twins manager sees it happening.
“We’ve made a ton of positive moves and adjustments since the trade deadline and our roster changed,” Baldelli said before Thursday’s series finale against the White Sox at Target Field.
Brooks Lee #2 of the Minnesota Twins throws the ball to first base to get out Jose Iglesias #7 of the San Diego Padres during the seconds inning at Target Field on Aug. 31, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Matt Krohn/Getty Images)
With a roster full of young players trying to plant their flag in the major leagues, there is a lot of teaching going on, he said. A lot of these players are getting their first real chance to play every day — from utility man Austin Martin to infielder Luke Keaschall, a revelation in his first 32 major league games.
Although the Twins are closing out a lot of games — since going 4-3 in the immediate aftermath of the deadline, they’re 7-17 — Baldelli is seeing plays that make him to turn to bench coach Jayce Tingler and say, “That’s a good sign.”
“You could (assess) it player by player, or you could look at the team as a whole and say, ‘We’re playing a different style. I think it has a chance to be a real effective style going forward,’” the manager said.
Asked to describe the team’s new style, Martin said, “It’s just playing baseball.”
“We’re not a one-dimensional team,” he added. “Even if you have a team full of sluggers one through nine, you’re not gonna hit a home run every day. You have to learn different ways to beat teams. … Pitching, defense, getting on base, putting pressure on the defense; it impacts every part of the game, as well.”
The experience is invaluable for a player trying to establish credibility.
Martin, called up from Class AAA St. Paul after the deadline, has played in 29 of the team’s 31 games since the deadline — starting two at second base, 10 in center field and 13 in left field.
His running, backhanded catch of an opposite field line drive to left on Wednesday robbed Kyle Teel of a likely double to end the fifth inning. The jump he got was a tangible sign of improvement in the outfield.
“Getting those types of jumps consistently, those are the types of plays that have the chance to make Austin a really good player,” Baldelli said. “He is that type of athlete … and adding the element of being an above-average left fielder to his game, I think, is vital, and something he’s fully capable of doing.”
Brooks Lee, the team’s top draft pick in 2022, is getting his first extended shot to show the Twins he can be an everyday shortstop. He played 14 full games there in the Twins’ first 89 games, but since Carlos Correa was traded back to Houston, he has played short in all 31 games.
A sure-handed infielder, Lee knows that if he wants to stay at short, he has to keep expanding his range and get to more balls.
“That will be the biggest focus,” he said. “It’s always been, honestly, to make sure I stay at shortstop.”
To that end, he has added a new tool to his belt — the long hop. Until this year, the strong-armed infielder had never done it, not intentionally.
“My whole life, I just tried to get everybody through the air,” he said. “Then just this year, playing third and playing short, I’ve tried to utilize that a little more. It definitely makes it a little bit easier.”
If the Twins didn’t officially cede a chance at the postseason when they traded away players such as Correa, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Willi Castro and Ty France, they certainly made it more difficult. What’s left now — the Twins are 11th in line for the third wild card spot, 10 1/2 games back — is working for next season and beyond.
With many of the young players, there are daily successes, Baldelli said. Steps toward being productive major leaguers — a good jump, an opposite field line drive, a stolen base, laying off a pitch out of the zone. If it’s a good baseball play, enough of them will eventually lead to wins.
“With a lot of young players on the active roster right now, you might end up with a few more of those things on a game-by-game basis than you would in other years or with other groups — which gives you more to do and more to talk about,” he said. “Which is good.”
Briefly
Right-hander Pablo Lopez, out since June with a shoulder injury, is likely to be activated from the 60-day injured list and make a start in this weekend’s series at Kansas City.
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