One thing the Minnesota Twins have managed to get right over the years is finding a way to develop in-house talent in the farm system. It's often been used as a crutch for ownership to remain as cheap as possible, but it's hard to deny that the Twins know what they're doing in finding young players to help build the foundation of a future on.
Royce Lewis led that charge a year ago and Brooks Lee helped keep the wave rolling last season. Simeon Woods Richardson was a revelation for the pitching staff and Joe Ryan took a giant step toward developing into an ace before he got hurt.
All across the roster there are guys like Brock Stewart, Matt Wallner, and Austin Martin who have had varying degrees of impact and success with the Twins and are helping keep the lights on for a team that refuses to invest in itself. The youth movement has been thrilling to watch, and has taken the sting off a lot of the other stuff, and it seems like it's going to continue building.
MLB.com listed off each team's Rookie of the Year candidate for next season and the Twins pick is a name that is starting to become familiar to millions.
Luke Keaschall getting Rookie of the Year hype is something Twins fans should pay attention to
As is the case with most things about the Twins, talk of Luke Keaschall getting Rookie of the Year hype is tinged with good news and bad news. The obvious stuff to get excited about is the fact that the team has yet another rising prospect who is garnering attention, which goes to show just how deep the farm system is and how bright the future could be.
It alos seems to be an indication that he could be on track to get called up this year. He underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the season which halted his incredible rise as a Top 100 prospect, but hearing his name tossed into the Rookie of the Year conversation when there are plenty of other Twins prospects who could fit the bill seems to be a great sign.
Fans have an aversion to hearing about "the future", though, as it often comes with the team kicking the can down the road rather than investing in trying to win now. That was the case last year when a reduced payroll smothered all of the excitement a deep postseason run created, and it once again looks like the Twins are going to opt for the cheapest route possible moving forward.
That's why hearing hype about Keaschall is sort of Pavlovian in that it earns an eye twitch from anyone hearing an open excuse for the Pohlads to not add outside talent. The Twins have had a ton of success with homegrown players like Byron Buxton, Royce Lewis, and Matt Wallner with Brooks Lee looking like he's going to follow in those footsteps. Joe Ryan and Jhoan Duran were acquired in trades but they also fit the bill as young talent the Twins developed into key pieces of the team.
Last year Lee was knocking on the door of potentially earning an Opening Day roster spot and Emmanuel Rodriguez is filling those shoes this offseason, but as much as the youth movement has added a spark it's also provided an excuse to keep things as they are. Rather than add frontline pitching externally last winter, the Twins waited until injuries caused the early debuts of David Festa and Zebby Matthews.
That's where things already appeared to be headed with guys like E-Rod and Keaschall filling roster needs internally rather than taking championship swings with additions, and it's why hearing this Rookie of the Year hype is double edged for fans.
Still, the fact that the Twins have yet another up-and-coming player in the farm system is a reason to be excited and we should divorce ourselves from worrying too much about how it will be interpreted by decision-makers. Keaschall having a bounce back season after Tommy John surgery is exactly the type of vibes the entire team needs, and at least provides us with something positive to cling to.
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