Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan. Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan is tired of low expectations.
Following a fourth consecutive 90-plus loss season in 2014, the Twins changed managers and handed out their most lucrative free agent deal in team history. With one of the top farm systems in all of baseball, Ryan said the time is now for the Twins to start contending again.
“I think we need to set the bar higher,” Ryan said Thursday, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “There’s no sense talking about improvement. We want to get to the postseason, just like everybody does. You don’t hear Boston talking about improvement, and their record wasn’t that much different than ours last year.”
While many of the Twins’ top prospects — Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Jose Berrios and Alex Meyer among them — are likely a year away from being penciled into their spots at the big-league level, it’s possible all four could make their major league debuts in 2015.
Those players — along with left fielder Oswaldo Arcia, shortstop Danny Santana and designated hitter Kennys Vargas, who are being counted on to win jobs this spring — are considered the young cornerstones of the franchise.
“We’ve got a little more depth than we’ve had in recent years,” Ryan said. “We’ve got a little more experience than we’ve had in recent years. We’ve got some offense. We’ve got power. We’ve got some speed. We’ve got more pitching to choose from, of course, which is our biggest issue and has been for quite a while.”
Optimism is prevalent in every major league camp this time of year, but especially in Fort Myers, Fla., where Ryan’s positive outlook has trickled down to new manager Paul Molitor and his players. At their season-opening meeting last week, Molitor shared his expectations with the players — and they have bought in.
“The past three years, I’ve said that everyone looks great down here, but deep down we knew we had some holes,” second baseman Brian Dozier told the Star-Tribune. “This year is a lot different. The people we brought in have had success around the league. The flaws we had, we’ve addressed. From our day one meeting with (Molitor), he said, ‘No more talking about last year — we’re setting our standards high.’
“So I’m going to say it: Contend for a world championship. That’s our goal.”
