While the Twins are projected by some to win the American League Central, there aren’t a lot of pundits out there predicting them to win it all. That won’t stop manager Rocco Baldelli dreaming, though. There are multiple players on Minnesota’s current roster who have a World Series ring.

Rocco Baldelli ready to plan a Minnesota Twins parade

The last few years, the Minnesota Twins have given fans a look behind the scenes with an in-house documentary production they’ve dubbed “The Diamond“. Episodes for the 2025 season have already started, with Spring Training, and they’ll continue throughout the year.

In the most recent episode, Rocco addressed the team with cameras rolling and delivered a very clear message. No matter what the outside world is projecting, or what collapse happened at the end of 2024, he wants a f***ing World Series, and they should too.

“There’s people who are not going to be with us on Opening Day, or in April or in May, who are going to be there at the end helping us win. All the work matters. Your families are on the field. Everybody is celebrating. You’ve got parades. I’ve never had a parade. I want a f**king parade. The community will forever be indebted to you. Forever. They’ll f**king love you. I want to give our community a gift like that. Let’s have a year to remember guys. We’re gonna work you, we’re gonna hone you. We’re going to challenge you so that you can be the best possible player that you can be. Good luck to all of you. Let’s have a great year.”

Rocco Baldelli – The Diamond

If there’s any one person in Major League Baseball who understands how fleeting World Series opportunities can be, it’s Rocco Baldelli. Once a sixth overall draft pick, the former top prospect saw his once-promising MLB career end after just 519 games.

Rocco has been managing the Minnesota Twins for seven seasons, now. He’s led them to the postseason three times, but it took the third try for him to win a playoff game. Finally in 2023, not only did Baldelli win his first playoff game, but he helped lead the Twins on the greatest postseason stretch in decades, all the way to the American League Championship Series.

Related: Another Year, Another Devastating Injury for Twins Pitching Prospect

2025 represents a fresh opportunity to turn the tide. There are plenty of familiar faces on this team, and once again the Twins will go as far as players like Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, and Byron Buxton can take them. The former already has a ring, and the latter two would love to join him in that reality.

MN Twins veterans can show the way

Carlos Correa and Christian Vazquez are arguably the most decorated players in the Minnesota Twins clubhouse. Correa won a World Series ring in 2017 with the Houston Astros. He had a pair of home runs and was part of a team that knocked off the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games.

Correa has also experienced the heartbreak of defeat. With the Astros he has lost a World Series title in both 2019 (against the Washington National) and 2021 (against the Atlanta Braves). As a player that has experienced the pinnacle of the sport, he has not been shy about wanting to get back.

Veteran backstop Christian Vazquez has a pair of World Series rings. He won his first with the Boston Red Sox in 2018 (against the Dodgers) and grabbed his second in 2022 with the Astros, a team Correa had just left to join the Twins.

Related: Chris Paddack in Danger of Losing Starting Job for Twins?

Minnesota has plenty of talent to make a run in October. They have leaders that understand what it takes. The manager wants to plan a parade and everything for the next handful of months will be building towards that.

Unfortunately, the Minnesota Twins didn’t make the 2024 MLB Postseason, but the organization is trying to sell hopes of a quick reset. Are the sportsbooks buying? Let’s find out what they think, now that 2024 has officially come to an end.

Surprising odds favor Twins among AL Central

Rocco Baldelli is expected to have a very similar core returning for the 2025 Major League Baseball season. The late year fade was unfortunate, but the sportsbooks seem to think that Minnesota should again contend for the top of the American League Central Division. BetOnline.com even has the Twins as the most likely to win the World Series from the AL Central.

Related: Minnesota Twins Land Two Silver Slugger Finalists

This offseason is a big one for the Twins. The front office shouldn’t have to deal with a decreasing payroll, but at the current amount, it will be difficult to add. Derek Falvey must get creative to infuse the roster with talent. There will need to be an influx of prospect talent that can come to the big league level and compete immediately as well.

Related: Minnesota Twins 1st Baseman Carlos Santana Wins Gold Glove

Minnesota isn’t going to add any substantial free agents, and they shouldn’t be expected to spend with the Dodgers or New York Mets. How they go about increasing their World Series chances remains to be seen. If they can get into the postseason this time around though, they’ll at least give themselves a chance.

Where will Twins’ odds stand after the offseason?

Dropping money on longshot World Series odds before the offseason even starts is a leap of faith, maybe even a sign of degeneracy. The top teams in the American League Central Division have plenty of questions to answer, and their decisions will all impact season projections.

The @CleGuardians with a #walkoff win thanks to Brayan Rocchio! pic.twitter.com/jlG6KB0Upq

— MLB (@MLB) September 19, 2024

It’s at least a little bit curious the sportsbooks see Cleveland as the top competition in the division and simply exclude the Kansas City Royals. Minnesota fell behind both last season, and each organization gave their youth exposure to the postseason. The Twins could easily leap back in front of both, but that not being reflected at this juncture is odd.

Related: Former MLB GM Lists 10 Free Agent Fits for the Minnesota Twins

While ownership explores a sale of the team, the front office will seek to improve it. The Twins haven’t won a World Series for decades, and putting an end to the drought is more than welcomed.

Iowa fan holds sign at World Series reading “It wasn’t a fair catch”

Iowa fans still mad – "It wasn't a fair catch" 😂 pic.twitter.com/IKZ6j7Ip2q

— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) October 31, 2023

In all fairness to this Hawkeye fan, he’s right. The Cooper DeJean did not legally signal for a fair catch during the punt return that never happened between the Minnesota Gophers and Iowa Hawkeyes this season. The waving he did with his left arm, before catching that punt, triggered an invalid fair catch signal.

I’m not going to get into the weeds because this happened two weeks ago. We’ve already covered that invalid fair catch from all angles. Unlike this dude, we’ve moved on with our lives.

But, if you have not moved on with yours OR if you’re a Houston Astros / Texas Rangers fan that has no idea why some loser Iowa fan is holding a dumb sign behind home plate tonight, here’s all (seriously everything) you need to catch up on the situation.

• Fleck Finally Beats Ferentz the Hawkeye Way – 3 Takeaways from Minnesota vs Iowa
• Cooper DeJean Invalid Fair Catch was Correct Call But Kirk Ferentz is Crying Anyway
• PJ Fleck Very Passionate About How Noncontroversial an Invalid Fair Catch Ruling is
• Tyreek Hill Weighs in on Cooper DeJean Invalid Fair Catch vs Minnesota

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

I was 2 years old when the Twins won this World Series and it is still the only major championship I have been alive for (go ahead @ me Lynx fans. I know you will). I still can’t imagine exactly what it would be like to watch a Minnesota team play in a championship game. I can’t imagine the aftermath in the Twin Cities…. the aftermath in my own life. I don’t know if my marriage would make it through…. You might not see me for a week…. I might end up in jail…. the possibilities are endless, really.

But, let’s get back on track. I can’t get enough coverage of the ’91 championship. After this game, I became a Twins’ fanatic. My mom and dad still like to talk about my obsession for the team back then, and my obsession for Chuck Knoblauch. At 3 years old, I could name the entire Twins’ starting lineup. My little league coaches hated be because I had to step out of the box and tighten my batting gloves, like Knoblauch after every pitch as I would get a few years older. I can’t even get my daughter to watch one inning with me.. Where did I go wrong?

Anyway, grab your coffee and a chair this morning, or take a seat on that toilet, and get ready for the goosebumps. This is incredible.

Happy Friday Minnesota.

Eric Strack
Minnesota Sports Fan
MinnesotaSportsFan.com @RealMNSportsFan

Thanks to MLB.com for the video