Ten minutes later, with the questioning still ongoing, it started to rain. So Pohlad — who has done enough of the sessions now to recognize most of the regulars — asked several reporters to get under the dugout roof so they wouldn’t get wet.
It was the smallest of gestures, a kind one, in a time and place where kindness is in short supply.
In the four months since Tom Pohlad replaced his brother Joe as head of the organization, he’s heard and read all manner of vitriol from the loudest, most frustrated segment of Twins Territory — the ones who blame the Pohlads for everything that’s ever been wrong with this franchise throughout their four decades of ownership.
That it’s gotten this vicious and nasty shouldn’t surprise anyone who lives here and follows baseball. Cutting payroll in 2023 after the Twins won their first playoff series in 21 years still chafes, and last summer’s trade deadline selloff angered fans even more. That the Pohlads ultimately held on to the club instead of selling was the last indignity for many of them, who took to social media to rip the family. The club’s failure to publicly condemn the ICE takeover of Minneapolis hasn’t sat well, either.
Any talk about this team going into spring training was decidedly negative. In late March, The Athletic published what it called a “Hope-O-Meter,” a non-scientific poll of more than 11,000 fans about how optimistic they were about their favorite club. The Twins finished dead last, with only 4.3% optimistic.
“You think I didn’t read that?” Tom Pohlad said.
“Nobody likes to read that kind of stuff. I’m not surprised by it. I’ve been very clear about what we’ve been through as an organization. Inside these walls, there’s a palpable buzz and energy about what we’re building here. I know there is skepticism outside these walls. But the feeling in this stadium is very positive and hopeful about where we’re going, and I think where you see it the most is the competitiveness you’re seeing day in and day out on the field right now.”
Trust with the team
Pohlad, 45, is an experienced senior business executive; he oversaw several Pohlad companies but had never been involved with the Twins until last winter. He’s big on establishing relationships and trust. And he’s been more visible than any Pohlad ever in charge.
He spent time in Fort Myers at spring training, meeting people and learning how the club prepares for the season. At the home opener, Pohlad and his father, Bob, were on the field for batting practice. After the 10-4 Twins victory over Tampa Bay, Pohlad entered the clubhouse to hug and congratulate Tristan Gray, the journeyman infielder whose grand slam and five RBI keyed the victory, and starting pitcher Bailey Ober.
Last Sunday, when the Twins honored Byron Buxton in the clubhouse for his ten years of major league service time, Pohlad attended and gave Buxton a Rolex watch. Earlier in the week, he made his first appearance at CHS Field in St. Paul to watch the Saints and top prospects Walter Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabby Gonzalez.
“He’s very hands on, very involved,” said pitcher Pablo Lopez, recovering from Tommy John surgery. “In spring training I told him he should put some pants on and take batting practice. He laughed, but he wouldn’t. He’s a very relatable person.”
Then there’s the stuff nobody outside the club sees. Pohlad texted Lopez after his surgery, then sought him out in Fort Myers to follow up. He also texted condolences to a training staffer whose mother passed away. And he continues to pick the brain of manager Derek Shelton.
“The biggest component to me is his willingness to ask questions, his willingness to learn and his willingness to take feedback on things that are not his expertise that he’s trying to learn about,” Shelton said. “He has done that since the day he took that over, and he continues to do that. It’s never, ‘Hey, we’re going to do this, this and this.’ It’s like, ‘What are your thoughts here, what are you doing?’ It’s been great.”
Look: Fans have a right to feel what they feel, and Pohlad knows what he’s up against. The animosity towards the Pohlads began with grandfather Carl, whose ham-handed attempts to lobby for a new stadium in the late 1990s and perceived eagerness to contract the franchise in 2001 created much of it.
“In some way, shape or form, our family has gone through the wringer, for good reasons and bad reasons, over the course of 40 years of ownership,” Tom Pohlad said. “It comes with the territory. I think the new thing that I’ve sensed, being in the chair I’m in, is the weight of responsibility I feel toward the people who work for the Minnesota Twins. They’re the ones who come to work every day wanting to hold their heads high.
“How fans feel makes them hold their heads higher or lower. I feel a great sense of responsibility to turn this franchise around first and foremost, for them. As I said to them this morning when I had an all-staff meeting, I’m in this position because of my last name. I have to deal with this. They don’t have to deal with this. They choose to be a part of this organization. That’s the responsibility we have as a family to them.”
The product on the field
It’s not surprising that the Pohlads are much more popular with their employees than with rank-and-file fans. The Twins and Kansas City were the only MLB teams that didn’t furlough full-time employees during the pandemic. The choice contributed to the $500 million debt the club incurred, and the decision to explore a sale.
While the new $2 Friday happy hour beer promotion proved an instant hit, Pohlad knows there’s a lot more work to be done to win back fans. The club’s attendance problems since 2019 are well documented. The Twins drew 36,042 for the home opener, but cold weather limited crowds the rest of the homestand. The Twins (7-6) finished it off by sweeping four from the Tigers, with a different pitcher recording a save in each victory. When last checked, the Hope-O-Meter had risen to 27.7% — not nothing, but still not great.
Friday, the Twins announced another goodwill gesture to fans — free tickets for another game to anyone who attended the home opener, a make-good after a power outage delayed the start for almost an hour. Folks who bought tickets through the Twins will receive an email with a link for four freebies for the April 17 game against Cincinnati, a Friday night, featuring the pregame happy hour with live music and postgame fireworks.
“It’s nearly impossible to sell patience given where we’re at, which is why what happens on the field is the only thing that’s going to matter at the end of the day,” Pohlad said.
“We can sell all the $2 beers we want. We can have all the concerts we want. But people want to see a winner. I think the product we put on the field is ultimately what is going to drive hope, if you will, within our fan base.”
