As the Twins embark on their first division series voyage in a decade, the new regime’s impact on the 2019 club is easy to spot.



Using analytically-based approaches, Twins pitchers’ strikeouts are at an all-time high. The method in which hitters approach the plate has been drastically altered and — along with a juiced ball — resulted in the Twins homering and scoring like never before in franchise history. And the rest and recovery methods employed by first-year manager Rocco Baldelli’s staff are only part of a significant overhaul within the clubhouse.



But as much as modernizing the franchise’s ways led to 101 victories, an equally large factor in the Twins’ success is rooted in the scouting and player development of the previous regime led by Terry Ryan. Perhaps no better example demonstrates that group’s abilities than the trio of 16-year-olds they signed for $4.65 million in total bonuses during a risky 2009...