In a recent article from the Pioneer Press’ John Shipley, Twins starting pitcher Pablo López commented on the state of the team’s culture.
“Culture,” López said, “is one thing we’ve been lacking the last couple of years.”
“We have an opportunity here to take this clubhouse and say, ‘Hey, let’s take this opportunity to create the culture that we’ve been lacking the last couple years,’ the culture that prevents good teams from losing a lot of games, a good culture where instead of losing five games, you lose two and the guys pick themselves up so fast that it’s like, ‘Hey, we lost two; let’s back in the winning column,’” López said.
“That is something we’ve discussed as a group, like, ‘Hey, let’s reshape the philosophy and culture of who the Twins are: We hold each other accountable, we play hard, we compete and we don’t take anything for granted,” López added. “We’re happy to be here. You’re fortunate and blessed enough to wear this (uniform), but you also have to play hard. Just being up here doesn’t fully cut it.”
Were Pablo López’s recent comments on the Twins’ culture a shot at Carlos Correa?
Many Twins fans have gone to social media to share their thoughts on López’s recent comments, suggesting that Correa was an issue in the clubhouse, as he was Minnesota’s highest-paid player and one of the perceived leaders of the team.
For those who are wondering, “He” refers to Correa.
I doubt that López directly meant to call out Correa, especially since he was just one of eleven players whom Minnesota traded within days before the July 31 MLB Trade Deadline. Still, Correa was supposed to be a clubhouse leader as someone with World Series experience and who was making more money than any other player on the team. One has to wonder if he was one of the main reasons the Twins have been lacking culture.
Again, this is all speculation. Twins Daily’s Nick Nelson recently wrote an article on the topic, suggesting that López’s comments may have had more to do with how Rocco Baldelli manages the clubhouse in “relaxed, laid-back” fashion.
At the end of the day, the only people who know the reasons for the Twins’ lack of clubhouse culture (whatever that actually means) are the people who are part of the organization or have been on the team recently. Hopefully by next season, López and the rest of the team’s veterans have shaped the culture they want, and it leads to a postseason berth.
