A Glimpse of the Twins’ Future

A Roundtable with Angel Leon, Lefty Louis & Daniel Collins

When the MLR expanded to include minor league players, the Minnesota Twins jumped at the opportunity to build upon their already successful franchise. Charlie Scott and his team captains scouted free agents and communicated with others to find the perfect additions. While they may have been searching for specific position depth, that wasn’t the most important thing to them. Charlie Scott wanted to find players with energy, drive and clubhouse commitment..

Insert left fielder Angel Leon, first baseman Lefty Louis and starting pitcher Daniel Collins. These prospects fit the bill perfectly with their love for the game, their positive energy and their drive to win. Luckily I was able to snag them during the 4th inning of their minor league game to ask them a few questions. Sit back and learn about the players who are the future of the Minnesota Twins.

LaVelle: This is for all of you. How did you hear about MLR/Fake Baseball? What made you want to join?

Angel: Well LaVelle. I originally found out about MLR from Kyle Corbett. I’ve always loved baseball and seeing a big community supporting baseball was enticing to me. When I saw what this was all about, I was immediately hooked. Not only the idea of having your own player, but the idea of talking and playing against lots of baseball lovers that are just as passionate or more passionate than me was the final piece.

Lefty: I heard of about fake baseball when one of my friends, Kyle Corbett, joined the league. I joined because I really enjoy numbers and Im super looking forward to the analysis aspect of it.

Daniel: I found out about it from Mongster [Mash], who is on the /r/ootp official discord, he was talking about it and I thought why the fuck not join it sounds cool!

LaVelle: Daniel, you were patient when it came to choosing a team to sign with. What were you looking for in possible suitors? And what made you decide to ultimately sign with the Twins?

Daniel: I was looking for a cool community far more than immediate playing time. When I first got messages, Mike really went above and beyond with his answers to my questions. Plus, seeing as I am an incredibly unathletic person in real life, I thought it’d be cool to do the whole free agency thing. As I said before, Mike really sold me on this group of people, and convinced me to join!

LaVelle: Similar question to Angel and Lefty. I hear you two know each other from before joining the MLR. Did that factor into your decisions to sign with the Twins? I know you both hit the free agency market at the same time.

Angel: Well, You’d have to ask Lefty since I signed before him. But really, I signed here because Mike and the organization convinced me that this was the best situation for me to start my career here and man was I right. The organization and the players make the learning process easy and very family friendly. Everyone pitches in and helps in one way or another. It was just the perfect situation for me to join.

Lefty: I don’t believe that the signing of Angel Leon affected my decision to join the Twins. With that said though, I am super excited to have a prior friend of mine as part of the Twins organization. It will definitely help with the transition to the MLR community.

LaVelle: This is for all of you. Now that you’ve joined an MLR team, what have you learned about the fake baseball process?

Lefty: I’ve learned a lot about MLR so far. I am doing my best to learn most of the memes for the league. I am so stoked to have learned the way of pattern analysis. The Twins have been very influential in helping me develop the pattern analysis ideology.

Daniel: I had a fair understanding of the premise when I signed up, but y’all really [The Twins] have shown me what kinda cool dedication can go into this (especially the graphs and charts, I’m a sucker for a good chart). I really love the sport of fake baseball, and hope to have a good career here!!

Angel: There’s so much things that I’ve learned that I can’t even start to say. The Twins organization has really helped me and I hope it translates to on field performance, both in the Minors and (Eventually) in the Majors

LaVelle: All three of you have seen success in your first minor league game. It might be a little premature but Lefty and Angel are batting 1.00 and Daniel has 5 Ks through 4 innings with 0 earned runs. What has your approach been in the game against the Bananas?

Daniel: I just go out and pitch like it’s any game. Nothing special. The slider is really finding its spot today.

Angel: Gotta see how the pitcher is doing. He’s just joking and not being serious, so take advantage of a guy that’s not serious and pound on him.

Lefty: Well we have noticed the memeball approach from the Bananas so we are looking to take advantage of that. Only Johnny Dickshot can play memeball successfully.

LaVelle: Who is your favorite MLB player?

Angel: I’m going for a future Hall of Famer in Vladimir Guerrero. Love his eye and bat. Can hit anything anywhere. That’s what makes him so good and his son isn’t bad either.

Daniel: Didi Gregorius.

Lefty: My favorite MLB player growing up was Tim Hudson. I loved watching him hurl the ball. Nowadays though I don’t watch MLB much. I’d much rather prefer watching the MLR.

LaVelle: And who is your favorite MLR player, Lefty?

Lefty: My favorite MLR player has gotta be Pete Wheeler. He’s the guy i closely relate myself to on our team.

LaVelle: What will your walk up song be when you reach The Show?

Lefty: My walkout song has gotta be “Aint gonna die tonight” by Macklemore. That’s the attitude I try to take into every at bat.

Daniel: “Til’ I Collapse” by Eminem.

Angel: I wanted to stay close to my spanish roots and have “El Desprecio By Aventura” But I want something to not only hype up me but the fans and shows my opinion on other pitchers, so Imma use “Survival of the Fittest” by Mobb Deep.

LaVelle: Your manager Charlie Scott speaks highly of all three of you. When you reach the show, what will you be able to bring to the team that no one else can?

Angel: A new view on things and a passion that nobody in the MLR can match. I always play with a chip on my shoulder at all times, no matter what.

Lefty: I think I will bring a different approach as I like to take a really methodical strategy to the game. I’m not going out there looking to hit a homerun every at bat. Im looking to do whatever it takes to get on base.

Daniel: I can’t say I can bring anything no one else can, but I’m here to play this great game, and try to play well for this team!

LaVelle: Is there anything you’d like to say to the fans, teammates and opponents reading this interview?

Daniel: Get ready. The Maniel is coming.

Lefty: I just wanna say that everyone in the MLR should be ready for the Twins. Even if I don’t get an extended call up, we are ready to take the league by storm. We will leave a mark this season.

Angel: This Leon has been unleashed, once Lefty Louis, Daniel Collins and I come up, Ain’t nobody stopping this big 3, we’re that good and I’m that confident that we can beat anyone at anytime. I just wanna say good luck to all because the Twins don’t play and joke around and we don’t either.

I would like to thank Angel Leon, Lefty Louis and Daniel Collins for sitting down with me. It was a pleasure getting to know them more and I can see why the Twins organization is excited about them. As they continue to develop and perform, expect to see them reach the big leagues. Some may even be called up for Session 4…