My colleague Bill Helkamp, who conducts executive communications training, recently posted an article on the long-term strengths of our home-town Minnesota Twins. Although the Twins are sitting out the playoffs after losing a season-ending squeaker to the White Sox, Bill has some fascinating insights on why the Twins contend more often than a small-market team should.
The Twins commitment to their strong player development system is in the DNA of the team. It was critically important to Calvin Griffith, the previous owner who brought the Twins to Minnesota in 1961. Griffith put his farm system in place because he didn’t have much money compared to rich teams in the big media markets of Chicago or New York. With the exception of Bert Blyleven, who came to the Twins in a trade, the stars of the 1987 and 1991 World Series came from the farm system. The current owners, the Pohlads, have plenty of money, but use their keen business instincts to avoid overspending. The Twins have been blessed with capable “baseball men” like Andy MacPhail, Terry Ryan and Bill Smith, and the great players like Joe Mauer who just keep coming. The Minnesota Twins have been built for the long term – not fancy, but consistent, disciplined and selfless. We could all take a lesson.
