Thursday Twins: Are the Twins conspiring to get rid of older employees?

A former Minnesota Twins scout is suing the team, claiming age discrimination. Howard Norsetter, who was once the team’s international scouting coordinator is claiming he was fired in 2017 as a part of a push to put younger people into positions in the organization. Sheryl Ring, who is like the best baseball-law person out there right now, has a great breakdown over at fangraphs of what is going on.

Sports Illustrated is profiling this offseason’s new MLB managers, and Rocco Baldelli just got his turn in their spotlight. There isn’t a lot of groundbreaking quotes here, but its a nice place to point the casual baseball fans in your life who are asking “Rocco who?” The money quote at the end though is solid. “the last time Minnesota hired a manager this young, 36-year old Tom Kelly took over in 1986 and won two World Series titles in six years.”

Phil Miller looked back at Ervin Santana’s four seasons with the Twins, and despite sounding a bit like “damning with faint praise” in saying “he was never Johan Santana. But there is value in being, say, Carl Pavano” Miller’s article goes on to rank Ervin rather highly among starting pitchers in Twin’s history.

If you’re feeling nostalgic for better days in the past, Rhett Bollinger takes us through the seven numbers the Twins have retired since 1961. I have my guess as to who number eight will be. I suspect Joe Mauer will be the last Twin to ever wear #7.

My penance for the dirty trick I pulled about “old-timey baseball players” last week is to give you this link. I promise, it really is old-timey. Way back in 1908, the Washington Senators played in a crazy game that saw a complete game by pitcher Burt Keeley. The Senators lost by a score of 18-1. Yes, you are reading that right. It was crazy enough to garner an entire article, which is a fun trot through some old-timey fun.