Rocco Baldelli and the front office had sent down one of the best players in the Twins’ lineup and his teammates were perplexed by the decision, according to Dan Hayes (The Athletic).

Teammates Shocked

…well-thought-out decisions aren’t always received as such in the clubhouse. And the quietest postgame atmosphere of the season, which was the case Tuesday, would suggest this one didn’t land.

Not only did players have to absorb a tough, three-run loss on the field, but they also were shocked to discover Lewis was headed back to Triple-A St. Paul despite an outstanding start to his major-league career. That Lewis was a capable fill-in during his 11-game stint, batting .308/.325/.564 in 40 plate appearances while playing a smooth defensive shortstop, wasn’t lost on teammates.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

Players Care About Winning

Major League Baseball players know how the business of professional baseball works so their reaction to Royce Lewis’ demotion is telling. At the end of the day, everyone in the Minnesota Twins locker room wants to win games and they were keenly aware of what Lewis brought to the table in accomplishing that shared goal.

Sure, changing Lewis’ position wouldn’t have been the easiest thing to do and may not have been what was best for his development. But his teammates don’t care about any of that. In his eleven big league games, Lewis had convinced those in the Twins’ locker room that he could help win games.

“Royce has been playing great,” Correa said Wednesday morning. “He’s been one of the best players on the field since he’s been up. So yeah, it was sort of a surprise. He’s just been so electric, so good during this stretch with us.”

“You guys saw the clubhouse, saw the vibe. That will tell you what you need to know.”

Fans, Players Both Mad

We know Rocco Baldelli and the Minnesota Twins organization cares about comradery and happiness inside the roster. But this move clearly pissed some people off. What will that mean in the long run? Who knows. One thing is clear, however. Fans who were mad about Royce Lewis’ demotion were not alone.

It may not be a mutiny but real recognizes real and Twins players recognized what Lewis brought to their team. Correa even sat with Rocco to discuss the decision and try to make more sense of it. Maybe that sort of thing happens often… but I doubt it.

Wednesday morning, Twins players publicly and privately expressed disappointment with the decision to demote Lewis. This isn’t a mutiny — it’s far from it. Players have grown accustomed to the concept that baseball is a business and tough decisions are commonplace.

But it doesn’t mean they have to like it, either — even if Lewis could return to the team soon.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

After sitting with Lewis and offering words of encouragement Tuesday, Correa met with Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. He wanted to hear the team’s rationale.

“I had conversations with Rocco (on Tuesday) night. We talked about his plan and everything. What they’re thinking makes sense. They’re the ones that run the team, and they know what moves they have to make.

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

This, immediately after he hit a homerun and a double in Tuesday night’s loss vs the A’s. His final night in the big leagues (for now) pushed his batting average (in 11 games) up to .308 and OPS to .889.

Did anyone else think that was gone, then about to be caught, then gone again? ROYCE LEWIS GOES YARD!!#mntwins pic.twitter.com/UNdEo3dvV3

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) May 18, 2022

Carlos Correa will be activated tomorrow. Royce Lewis will be optioned to Triple-A. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 18, 2022

Frustration Hits Fanbase

Fans and many media members in town had convinced themselves, even before last night’s performance, that Royce Lewis was up with the Minnesota Twins to stay. Why would they send down one of their best hitters in a summer where they’re clearly going to compete for an American League Central championship?

Reports had even surfaced (via Darren Wolfson – SKOR North) that even the Twins were discussing where to play Lewis when Correa returned. Doogie’s report got even the most cynical excited… like me. Maybe Rocco and Falvine were going to take the route of boldness, if only for this one instance.

A sizable portion of the fanbase doesn’t like some of the decisions being made during games and behind the scenes, lately. So when the news of Lewis’ demotion started reaching the masses on Wednesday morning, the frustration hit overflow levels.

This is a laughable choice. Truly embarrassing roster management to not keep Lewis with the major league club. Twins are hugely disappointing

— Dane Mosher (@___daner) May 18, 2022

no excuse to send Royce Lewis down to AAA. none. absolutely fucking unbelievable decision

— Carl (@PrimeKirilloff) May 18, 2022

I don't buy that you can't try Royce Lewis out at other positions at the major league level, especially 1B

— Melissa Berman (@Melissa_Berman) May 18, 2022

But understandable

I have no problem with driving the bandwagon of outrage. But in the case of Royce Lewis’ demotion, I’m not as turned off as others rightfully are. While I wish Baldelli and Co. would have kept him up, I understand their motivation in sending him down. Yes, he could have changed positions and adjusted but the move isn’t as easy as some are making it out to be.

Baseball games are usually won and lost at the mental level. Physically, a baseball player may only activate a handful of times through a nine inning contest. Mentally, they have to be on at all times, especially in the big leagues. Whether in the field, at the plate or on the basepaths, players have to be focused.

What’s the count, how many outs, what happens if the ball is hit here, or there? Who is my cutoff, am I a cut off, do I hold the runner or not hold the runner? I mean, this is only scratching the surface of what you’re taught to be mindful of in little league. In the MLB, these guys have full scouting reports for every opposing player in their back pocket.

And predictable…

I’m not trying to make baseball out to be more complicated than it is. A lot of the mental side comes second nature at a young age. But that’s part of my point, too. Royce Lewis would probably look fine playing another position, especially to the naked eye. I can see the sarcastic tweets after he catches his first fly ball in left field: ‘Oh I thought Royce Lewis couldn’t learn another position’.

But the game speeds up for a player who has to think too much. If what is second nature to others, has to become front of mind thought, the game gets harder. That goes for all sports and all jobs. Twins leadership wants to avoid that, at the MLB level, and will move him around when games mean less in St. Paul.

So because of all these different reasons, the Minnesota Twins’ decision to send Lewis is both understandable and predictable. Would I, or the average baseball fan, keep Royce Lewis up? Yes, probably. But this Twins regime is not going to step outside of their cautious approach to health and development very often. And that remains the case here.

Just like I predicted earlier this week.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Source: #MNTwins will promote Royce Lewis and he will make his #MLB debut tonight in the wake of Carlos Correa’s finger injury.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 6, 2022

We do not know how long Correa’s IL stint will be. Hopefully, weeks and not months. Until the 2012 #1 overall draft pick is ready to return, it’ll be the #1 overall pick in the 2017 draft who will fill his void at shortstop.

Yes, Lewis has struggled with injuries that have hampered the beginning of what we all hope is a successful career. But he’s been healthy through 24 games so far in 2022. And the results have been marvelous.

Across the river, Royce Lewis is hitting .310, with 3 HR, 11 2B and 11 RBI. His OPS is .993. If left to dominate AAA pitching in St. Paul all summer, the California kid would have competed for MiLB Player of the Year. Hopefully, Correa returns in time to give him that chance.

Until then, let’s see Royce Lewis is ready for the Big Leagues.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Pitchers and catchers across the MLB reported for Spring Training this week. That meant the Minnesota Twins are in Fort Myers, FL, but that’s not the only thing happening in the local baseball world. The Saint Paul Saints, who will play as the Twins’ AAA affiliate for the first time, released their 2021 schedule as well.

The Saints’ first game is April 6 and the schedule stretches 142 games long. All of them will take place vs just SIX Midwest regional opponents (because COVID). 70 of them will be at CHS Field in St. Paul.

Pomp Meet Circumstance, Saints First Season In Triple-A Begins With April 6 Home Openerhttps://t.co/w033Oo3gwz pic.twitter.com/41vfE8GSDn

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) February 18, 2021

Get your Saints tickets early and often

Just in case you haven’t been paying attention, the Minnesota Twins farm system is pretty stacked. Their minor league stockpile of youngsters is ranked 8th in the MLB by Bleacher Report, 8th by The Athletic (Keith Law), 5th by ESPN and 8th by Baseball America.

Most of that top talent is knocking on the Big League door and most of their highest-ranked prospects will start their seasons at either ‘AA’ or ‘AAA’, meaning CHS Field will be a fun place to watch baseball games this summer.

Outfield

The St. Paul Saints outfield should be full of future MLB maulers throughout the 2021 season.

(OF) Alex Kirilloff – 23 years old : It’s already being reported that the Twins top prospect (#26 by MLB.com) will start his 2021 season at ‘AAA’ so the organization can gain an extra year of control over him in the future. He’s expected to be called up by the end of April so get your tickets early if you want to see Kirilloff in a Saints uniform.

(OF) Trevor Larnach – 23 years old: Here’s a guy who some people have compared to the guy listed above. MLB.com ranks Larnach the #80 prospect overall, but Baseball America ranks him #39. Trevor has a decent glove and he hits the shit out of the ball. He’ll actually start in Wichita (AA), according to MiLB.com, but it won’t be long before he finds St. Paul. Both MLB.com and Baseball America expect Trevor to find the big league roster by 2021.

(OF) Brent Rooker – 26 years old : It’s quite possible that Brent Rooker starts his season with the Twins, especially if they do hold Kirilloff down for the first few weeks of the season. It’s also very possible that Rooker dawns the Saints uniform for quite a few games this season.

(OF) Gilberto Celestino – 22 years old : Celestino has been the player mentioned as the heir apparent to Byron Buxton in center field. Celestino is already on the Twins’ 40-man roster so he could start the season in St. Paul, though Wichita would make more sense from a distance. You should see him in St. Paul eventually this summer, especially if the Twins start pulling outfielders to Minneapolis.

Infield:

(SS) Royce Lewis – 21 years old : Another top-30 MLB prospect (#29), Royce Lewis was the #1 overall pick in the 2018 draft and he’s now knocking on the door of the MLB. Some have even projected Lewis will take his first major league at-bat in 2021. Hopefully, that’s not the case because I’m not sure how good of a place the Twins would be in, should they find themselves calling up Royce Lewis this summer. That’s good news for St. Paul Saints fans, who could get much of this summer with the next Minnesota Twins star shortstop. He however, like Larnach, has already been assigned to Wichita (AA).

(2B) Nick Gordon – 25 years old : Once upon a time, Nick Gordon was Minnesota’s top pick. That was 2014 and times have certainly changed. It’s been years since Gordon has graced baseball’s top-100 lists but he’s just one call away from swinging a big league bat now. He’s expected to start his season in St. Paul and already sits on the Twins’ 40-man roster.

Pitchers:

(SP) Jhoan Duran – 23 years old : Duran could be the future of the Minnesota Twins rotation. He stands at 6’5″, 230 pounds and throws a high-90’s sinker with pretty good command. Whether or not he sticks as a starter remains to be seen, but nobody who’s seen him throw a baseball doubts his talent. For 2021, he hasn’t yet been assigned an affiliate, but is in big league camp with the Twins right now in Fort Myers and already sits on the team’s 40-man roster, making St. Paul his likely destination.

Jhoan Duran established himself as one of the best starting pitching prospects in the Twins' system last season. Here's a preview of some highlights I uploaded to YouTube.

Check out the #MNTwins Prospect Handbook: https://t.co/USNmvTeedw

Full video here: https://t.co/dFuQUnhhh7 pic.twitter.com/4xmc4WxUXx

— Tom Froemming (@TFTwins) January 19, 2020

(SP) Jordan Balazovic – 22 years old : Balazovic is the lower-ceiling but more likely to stick starting pitcher prospect. His fastball is nothing to sneeze at but he’s known more for his ability to throw any four of his pitches for strikes, in whatever count necessary. Jordan is also on the 40-man roster and down in Fort Myers as I type this. If you don’t see him at CHS Field right away, you will soon.

(P) Lewis Thorpe – 25 years old : Lewis Thorpe is sitting on his last opportunity with the Minnesota Twins. Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) has been told that Thorpe was granted a rare 4th minor league option by the MLB. That means he’ll get one more chance to prove he can live up to the hype he once held in this organization. Gleeman thinks he’ll spend more time in St. Paul this summer, than he will in Minneapolis.

Fun on the East side

The players listed above won’t play at CHS Field during the same time this summer but there’s a very good chance all of them do, at one time or another. Grab your tickets now because it could be awhile before this many top prospects are this close to busting into the big leagues.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

A lot is changing within the Major League Baseball minor league system, which is expected to cut 40+ teams from affiliate-status this week. With those changes, the Saint Paul Saints will leave independent baseball to become the Minnesota Twins AAA affiliate.

That’s not the only change. Last offseason, the Twins switched their AA club from Chattanooga (Lookouts) to Pensacola (Blue Wahoos) but that will change again TGIF 2021. The new AA affiliate will be in Wichita, Kansas (all of this via the Star Tribune).

The reorganization of Minor League Baseball is expected to be announced as soon as Tuesday, with the Twins reaching deals to have their top affiliates in St. Paul and Wichita, Kan.

The St. Paul Saints will leave independent baseball to become the Class AAA team for the Twins.

Star Tribune

Other Minnesota affiliates are expected to remain in place, and where they are (Cedar Rapids, Fort Myers). Having their main three minor league teams within driving distance to Minneapolis will be a big bonus, especially with the AAA club right across the river.

It’ll be a great attraction for Twins’ fans who want to watch the next wave of talent before it hits the big leagues, too. This is a good situation all around and I think everyone is glad it could come to fruition.

Unruly in Wichita

These moves aren’t without some consternation. We don’t know if the Saints will have to foot the $20 million dollars it takes to join the AAA affiliate market, or if the Twins will contribute. I’m not sure the Saints were worth $20 million before this announcement, so that seems odd. Carl Pohlad can pull that out of his pocket for a valet tip.

Meanwhile, Wichita is pissed off because they weren’t able to convince a AAA team to become the “Wind Surge”. That nickname is real. The Wichita tax-payers contributed to a $75 million stadium that Twins AA prospects will now get to play in. That’s a nice bonus for the Twins organization.

The “Wind Surge” is a pretty decent minor league team name but I’m not sure anyone can compete with the name of the last Twins’ AA affiliate, though…

The #MNTwins are switching AA affiliates again… RIP Blue *Wahoos. pic.twitter.com/9w31lsPRCW

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) December 1, 2020

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan