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After collapsing over the last month and a half, the Minnesota Twins will officially miss the 2024 MLB Playoffs, with the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals earning their berths as Wild Card teams instead. Throughout the week, manager Rocco Baldelli heard “Fire Rocco” chants from the fans at Target Field and was asked about them post-game on Saturday.
Baldelli kept it real, making it clear they have every right to feel a type of way about the Twins failing to live up to expectations.
Via Bobby Nightengale:
“The fans, I think, have a right to feel almost any way they choose,” Baldelli said. “I believe that. Frankly, any time we haven’t had success here, I’ve heard them in the stadium, and that’s part of managing a Major League Baseball team.
“I respect the fans. The Minnesota Twins fans showed me last year when we were in the playoffs amazing things, things that can change the outcome of a game in favor of their team. You can’t have greater passion than what I saw. If I’m going to accept that, take that and enjoy that, then I’ll also take the criticism when things don’t go well.”
The Twins only won 12 of their final 37 games to close out the regular season.
Twins' collapse not on Baldelli
Baseball is a team sport. All Baldelli can do is put his best players on the diamond and hope they perform. The reality is they didn't. Minnesota hit just .219 in the month of September and a mere .235 since the All-Star break. They weren't great on the mound either, compiling a 4.45 ERA post-All-Star break.
Baldelli's contract runs through 2025 and he admitted that being fired hasn't exactly been on his mind:
“I’ve never stressed out about that,” Baldelli said. “I stress out about the way we play. I stress out about the results and the process for us to get to those results. I don’t go to bed thinking about my job. I go to bed thinking about the job we do and how we need to do it better. And that’s the reality of it. We’ll let things play out.”
“I’m fully motivated and enjoy what I do,” Baldelli said. “I appreciate our organization and our fans. That goes without saying, but I still feel as passionately today about doing the job as I did the day I took it.”
Starter Bailey Ober gave his take on the blame being put on Baldelli's shoulders, saying it's not his fault:
“I feel like most of the blame should be on the players,” Ober said. “But everyone’s entitled to their own opinion. If the players hear that, I don’t think anyone is really agreeing with that. It’s like, seriously, can’t you see what’s going on? He’s not the one at fault for this mishap that happened. We didn’t get it done.”
The Twins head into the season finale on Sunday with an 82-79 record. With Baldelli at the helm, Minnesota has made the playoffs three times in his six years in charge of the organization.
