MLB: Minnesota Twins Whatnot 5/7

Never make too much of the ups and downs early in the season. The White Sox and the Indians are both scoring more runs than they allow, and this means they are much more likely to win over the long haul than the Twins who are scoring fewer runs than they allow. By the end of the season, Minnesota will still have a reputation of offensive ineptitude.

Andrew Kneeland: While it shouldn't prove to mean very much in the long haul, this sweep is good for many other reasons. The Twins' mentality must have changed now that they showed that they can actually score runs. The pitchers must be more at ease now that they know they don't have to pitch a three-hitter to earn a win.

In addition to those, this is great for the Minnesota fanbase. Most Twins fans were resigned to a losing, rebuilding season. While that still may be the case, this sweep can be viewed as a message to fans that Minnesota isn't out of this yet.

 

Gomez has also shown improvement recently. Does this affect his future with the Twins in any way?

Dan Wade: Gomez is the future of the franchise, so I don’t see him moving around too much between the majors and the minors. As I’ve said in the past, his problem is with very good offspeed pitches, which most AAA pitchers don’t have. He needs to see the pitchers first hand, and then watch tape to fix his approach.

His recent improvement has come as a result of his new goal of not striking out as much. Gomez knows what he needs to fix, and he is slowly starting to fix it. He is a work in progress, no doubt, but I think he will be the type of player who takes two steps forward and one step back. It’s a long road, but he is off to a pretty solid start.

Jon Grilz: It is still a waiting game to see what he is capable of. He still has to learn that he doesn't need to try and win games by himself. His recent attempt at a circus-style catch in the outfield and his misjudging of a past ball at third and being gunned down at the plate show that he still has a long way to go.

Jon Bartsch: I don't think so. He's been our choice at center field and leadoff since opening day. I didn't expect that to change unless he absolutely could never get on base. No one else on the roster can provide that kind of spark at the top of the lineup.

Yeah, he will attempt to hit the ball through the Metrodome's roof from time to time, but he is doing more than most people expected. His defense continues to be solid, and he knows how to bunt. If he was swinging away in every at-bat I would be concerned, but he is showing that he knows how to use his speed to get on base and score runs.

Kelsey Hakes:

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