When Rocco Baldelli made the pitch to his team last month, imploring them to be more aggressive on the base paths, the Twins manager admits he didn’t know what would come of it. Three weeks later, he could safely say “it’s gone even better than I expected.”
One of the worst base-running teams in the majors over recent years, the Twins’ new style of play has catapulted them to among the best. Since Baldelli had this discussion with his team, the Twins have swiped 30 bases, second in the majors to just the New York Mets. Their baserunning runs above average is first in the majors in that time period, per FanGraphs.
While no individual game result holds all that much importance as the fourth-place Twins, who will return to Target Field to host the Arizona Diamondbacks on Friday, play out the rest of their season, there’s plenty within those individual games that does matter. Changing their style of play dramatically, for example, is something that will carry on well beyond the final few weeks of this season.
“It’s exciting to be able to showcase your speed or just baseball IQ, really, because you don’t have to have speed to steal bases,” third baseman Royce Lewis said. “It’s just having baseball IQ, knowing when to go, when to get a jump on a guy, on a pitcher, just paying attention to the game more.”
Lewis has seven stolen bases this season, a new career high. All but one have come since Baldelli’s talk with his team.
Everyone’s getting in on the action — it’s not just some of the team’s more traditional base-stealing threats such as Byron Buxton or Luke Keaschall. Right fielder Matt Wallner stole three stolen bases late last month in a span of two games.
“When you’ve got a guy like Wallner, who you’re obviously worried about when he’s in the box, now you have to worry about when he’s out of the box and that gives a lot more opportunity to guys that are in the box, now,” utilityman Austin Martin said. “(Pitchers are) putting the pressure on themselves, worried about the running game; then they make a mistake over the plate. So, it all correlates with each other. I’ve honestly been impressed with how well we’ve done it.”
And it goes beyond just stealing bases.
Baldelli has said multiple times that he wants his team to be the best at going from first to third in the game, for example. The Twins want players dialed in on how they can make smart and aggressive decisions on the bases. And sure, it may come with a few more outs on the bases, but it’s a learning process.
Implementing this style of play has helped players stay “more engaged in the game,” Martin said, as they become more reliant on their own instincts to make decisions on the bases rather than a sign from the dugout.
“It challenges them to think. It puts the onus on them,” Baldelli said. “(Giving) guys an opportunity and space to make decisions on their own has really brought out a lot of really good things.”
And, players say, it’s simply a more fun style of play.
“We’ve got the green light, and three weeks later we’re the best baserunning team in the league,” Martin said. “It just goes to show what we’ve had in the clubhouse and how it’s kind of been suppressed a little bit. Now that guys are playing with more free rein, just feeling like they’re allowed to just play the game their way, I think it’s showing a lot of production.”
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