Meet the Minnesota Red Wings

What has gotten into to the Minnesota Twins lately? Within the past couple of weeks, they have combined to go to 7-3, and with Cleveland Indians going 3-7, which means the Twins have gained a lot of ground on the Tribe. With no Joe Mauer, Jim Thome, Joe Nathan, and a barely healthy Justin Morneau; how are the Twins winning? Is our farm teams finally producing Major League talent?

It has been a long time since we have seen the Twins Farm teams produce players like Jason Kubel, Morneau, and Mauer quality. The past few years we have seen players like Denard Span, and Danny Velencia make a splash in the Majors, but now with all the injures to the Twins, and with most of the roster starting the season it the minors,  it seems like instead of the Minnesota Twins, they should be called Minnesota Red Wings. With a bullpen full of players that even I do not know, and bench full of AAA players. Twins fans can not start to think that the season is already over,but is it to early to start becoming pessimistic?

If the last five years have taught us anything, it should be never to count the Twins out until after game 163. If you take out 2002, 2004, and 2010 Centerl Division Championships, which those three years the Twins comfortably won the division, and take a look at 2006, 2008, and 2009; which all three years came down to the last weekend, or game 163(twice), and those three years the Twins started out the season terrible, just like this year.

If you look at the team now, do you see the team clinching the Division on the last day like 2006? Or

win 17 out of the last 21 games to tie Detroit like 2009? Your answer is probably no. Yet the Twins history speaks for themselves, and right now it looks like they have started their move towards their 7 Division title in 10 years.

With a roster riddled with inexperience, and "DL" list that is big enough to start their own nursing home, gets everybody nervous. Here is a little hope though, Mauer could be activated this weekend, and with Tsuyoshi Nishioka getting closer to returning; it seems like the Twins luck could be turning around. Yet I will be the first person to say Mauer needs to produce like the player we are paying him to be, and not to mention Alex Casilla is starting to become the most clutch hitter in the Majors, should I remind you of game 163 in 2009?

This team has talent, and are led by one or if not the best manager in the Majors in Ron Gardenhire(2010 AL Manager of the year). They play in the newest ball park in the Majors, and have the most die-hard fans in the nation, because no other team fans will sit in a open air stadium in early April, and late October with t-shirts and shorts on; that only happens in Minnesota. So with a mix of young talent, and experience players; this team could turn heads once the dog days of summer hits, and carry it over to September, where their third straight American League Central Division title could be within crasp, but the playoffs are a whole other subject.