As I am writing this the Twins are only one game out of the final Wild Card spot in the American League and only 3.5 games of the AL Central Division lead. Minnesota has exeded expectations and if they weren’t dealing with various injuries to the likes of catcher Ryan Jeffers, Pablo Lopez and others they may be above .500.
Byron Buxton is following up last year’s great statistical season with one here in 2026 that could be his best ever. The added bonus is the team winning series and are relevant. If the Twins can stay in the hunt it will keep the sports fans occupied in the upper Midwest until Vikings training camp and college football fall camps start in August.
This time a year can be known as the “sports abyss” with only Major League Baseball having games right now of the “Core Four” sports leagues (NBA, NFL, MLB and NHL). Yes, we do have a very good WNBA team with rookie sensation Sofia Miles leading the way in very impressive fashion, especially with
Napheesa Collier still recovering from offseason ankle surgeries; and the World Cup is going on. But having the “hometown nine” playing well makes the summer better.
Hopefully behind Buxton, Royce Lewis, Josh Bell and others can keep the offensive punch going, Joe Ryan can keep setting the tone for the starting rotation and the bullpen keeps succeeding in their roles. If they do, we could be talking about this team under first year Manager Derek Shelton surprising the baseball world with success well into September. Something no one expected to start the season.
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