Twins ranked as one MLB's most 'unwatchable' teams

The Minnesota Twins are off to one of the worst starts in franchise history. It's not all that surprising considering they did next to nothing to bolster a roster that collapsed down the stretch last season — and the early results are that the Twins are basically unwatchable.

It is the second year running that ESPN's David Schoenfield has release his 'MLB Watchability Rankings' — and the Twins have fallen three spots from last year to an abysmal No. 27 this year.

"The Twins ranked low last year, and I'll repeat what I said then: The team itself is probably better than this ranking, but there isn't a lot of glitz and glamour here. No big star (Carlos Correa's shine has dulled and Byron Buxton really never got there in the first place), no big masher, no speedster on the bases or must-see ace on the mound," Schoenfeld wrote.

Schoenfeld's rankings are based on points from six categories:

• Star Power (10 points available)
• Young Talent (10 points available)
• Baserunning (5 points available)
• Defense (5 points available)
• Minutiae (5 points available)
• Bonus (5 points available)

Of the 40 points available, Minnesota only mustered up 14 points, just four more than the last place White Sox.

The categories where the Twins racked up the most points were Star Power and Minutiae. Star power is determined by ESPN's top 100 rankings, where Minnesota is only represented by Carlos Correa at No. 62.

The Minutiae category is based on "Ballpark, uniforms, mascots, unintentional comedy, broadcasters, colorful characters, etc. -- fun factors that might make you want to tune in to watch this team." So presumably Target Field, TC Bear and the Twins uniforms caught Schoenfeld's eye.

The Twins also got three bonus points for Prince Day in June, Joe Ryan's four-seam fastball, and "having a Harrison, a Bailey and a Griffin on the roster -- as first names."

The most damning points total was in the baserunning category, which garnered Minnesota just one solitary point. Schoenfeld lists the criteria for scoring in the baserunning category as "Speed is exciting. This includes not just stealing bases but overall team speed."

Imagine a team with Byron Buxton getting just one point out of five in a speed-based category. The years of injury history and inability to get on base have chilled the buzz around the blistering pace of Buxton, and Jose Miranda's baserunning blunder Saturday probably didn't help the cause.

If you think the Twins are unwatchable, you're not alone. The rest of the nation is starting to catch on to Minnesota's troubles.

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