If you're a Minnesota Twins fan who grew up loving small ball baseball, where bunts, hit and runs and steals are common place. If remember sitting around the TV watching Cristian Guzman and Luis Arraez sprint around the bases and out-think opponents, I can see how you'd be frustrated with the game of baseball today, where strikeouts are more common than cracker jacks and all that matters is the longball.
There's some good news for you, though. Major League Baseball agrees and they've been altering the rules of the game , in order to generate more of that action that classic baseball fans miss, adding a pitch clock, making bases bigger and limiting the number of times pitchers can throw over.
All of these changes have come to try and make the game of baseball more exciting. Some teams have leaned into those changes, others have not. And when it comes to stealing more bases, the Twins have decided not to use recent rule changes to their advantage.
Last Spring Training, Royce Lewis voiced his desire to steal more bases. Byron Buxton also entered spring training 2024 trying to steal 30+ bases. But then… the regular season eventually started and the Minnesota Twins NEVER ran, finishing dead last in Major League Baseball with 65 total stolen bases on the year.
For more context, the Washington Nationals led the MLB in steals last season, successfully stealing 223 bases. That's 158 more than the Twins, but who is counting? Heading into 2025, speedsters on the Twins roster are speaking out.
Even those who are no longer on the team want to see more action, including MLB legend Rod Carew, who stole 353 career bags during his 19 MLB seasons. He can't stand the Twins' refusal to run and has challenged Byron Buxton to steal 60 bases this season, which would be only five short of the entire team in 2024.
Carew : "I see guys who can run who aren't running. I don't know why they're not. But I do wish they would," said Carew, who reiterated his goal of "50 or 60" for Buxton. "If you get a good jump, if you read the pitcher and time it well, you should have success. But I guess it's all analytics."
Buxton : "He told me, 'If you don't steal 60 [bases], I might not speak to you next spring! He's been on me about it. When he starts wagging that finger, what are you gonna say?"
Royce Lewis, who was safe in six-of-seven steal attempts during 2023, didn't get a single opportunity last season. In 2017 Buxton went 29-of-30 in stolen base attempts and has been given double-digit opportunities just twice in the seven seasons since.
It's fair to suggest that the game today isn't the same game it was years ago. Batters are looking to make the most out of each swing and waiting on baserunners can make that a lot more difficult. Still, the MLB is literally making rules that make stealing bases easier. How long are we going to ignore it?
Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
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Twins utility man Austin Martin has speed and told reporters, "every time I get on, I want to run". Problem is, the Minnesota Twins have yet to give him the green light. Martin went on to say, "we focus a lot on slugging and OPS, but to be a good baseball team, the more we can use our athleticism." Unfortunately, he's barking up the wrong tree.
Twins president Derek Falvey's first response on the stolen bases question was, "it's hard to steal many bases if you don't have the speed for it." That's certainly true, and the Twins have been one of the slower teams in baseball the past few years.
But there is still plenty of speed on this roster and Falvey knows that. Opportunities to steal are there. The Minnesota Twins just aren't interested. Eventually, Falvey admitted to Miller that stealing bases is just not something this organization really cares about.
"Taking that chance doesn't have as much upside as we probably wish it did. For certain parts of our lineup, doubles and [home runs] is a better way to score. … In the current game, stealing bases is not as prominent. It's a part of our offensive strategy, just not a core part. There are moments when it's a valuable option, but it's not something we prioritize over everything else."
The former Blue Jays top prospect has never, and will never, be a power hitter. He often finds himself at first base and his speed is an asset to use on the basepaths. As a rookie, he went just 7-of-10 when attempting to steal, and the 70% threshold is not good enough to succeed at the big league level. That said, he did successfully take 76 bases on 91 attempts while in the minors .
Don't expect superstar Carlos Correa to rip off a bunch of stolen bases. He racked up 27 during the first two seasons of his big league career and then realized he isn't fast. In the 857 games since, Correa has stolen just six bases (in eight attempts), and has not done so successfully since 2019.
Minnesota doesn't really care if Correa can deceive the opposition this season. The focal point here is being available and remaining on the field with a pair of healthy feet. Last season Correa played in just 86 games while dealing with plantar fasciitis again.
Although it took a while for his heel pain to go away, Correa is in the best spot he has been for quite some time.
"I've been feeling really good. You know me. When you have those types of [foot] injuries…you have to focus every single day of the offseason on getting it right and talking to doctors. I saw a lot of people…We found the right ingredients to get it right. I'm in a really good spot right now."
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Correa and Baldelli both talked to MLB's Bill Ladson in regards to his current situation. It appears as though the nagging foot issues is in the rearview mirror. That is great news for both Minnesota and the star shortstop. Prior to the problem the past two seasons, back issues are the only thing that have kept the World Series winner out of the lineup.
Minnesota Twins Carlos Correa switched to Shohei Ohtani 's New Balance cleats last year after the Jordan Retro 1's caused feet problems for him.
Looks like he's back in Nike's this season (he has a sponsorship deal with them). pic.twitter.com/FCwu2hWwlP— Ted (@tlschwerz) February 17, 2025
There is a new focus for the Twins offense this season, and health is imperative for Baldelli's top players. The more they can distance themselves from previous injury issues the better. If this group is able to remain healthy through the year, it's going to certainly cause problems for the rest of the division.
