Former Twins ace Frank Viola rips team: 'Wrong leadership equals no chance to succeed'

The former Twins great vented on social media late last night.

August 27, 2021 at 4:36PM
Frank Viola in 1987 (RPA - Minneapolis Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

If you've been frustrated by the Twins' results — and perhaps even the leadership of the franchise — this season, you aren't alone.

You have company in one of the Twins' all-time greats.

Frank Viola, who won 112 games for the Twins and keyed their 1987 World Series title, went on Twitter late last night to vent about what he has seen.

The tweet came not long after the Twins were smoked 12-2 by Boston — another of Viola's former teams, by the way.

Whether it was that particular game or the cumulative effect of this season that got to Viola, it doesn't really matter. He packed a lot of punch into his character limit.

First, he critiqued the players, calling out their fundamentals and other elements essential to getting through a 162-game season successfully.

Then he opined that the Twins don't have baseball people people leading them.

And he concluded with the hammer: "Wrong leadership equals no chance to succeed."

It was vague enough as to not call anyone out specifically. And we should of course remember that the Twins under Derek Falvey and Thad Levine reached the postseason three of the last four years and under manager Rocco Baldelli made it two times in a row.

But it's hard not to be frustrated with the direction of this season, and perhaps a Twins legend giving a voice to the same thing other fans have been saying is not a bad thing.

about the writer

about the writer

Michael Rand

Columnist / Reporter

Michael Rand is the Minnesota Star Tribune's Digital Sports Senior Writer and host/creator of the Daily Delivery podcast. In 25 years covering Minnesota sports at the Minnesota Star Tribune, he has seen just about everything (except, of course, a Vikings Super Bowl).

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