Minnesota Twins clubhouse gets competitive over fantasy football

As a long baseball season winds down, a new one is heating up for a few Minnesota Twins players: fantasy football. 

"I do take pride in taking kickers and defense early," said relief pitcher Travis Adams. "Not early in terms of first, but maybe like ninth, 10th round."

Adams competes in the Twins fantasy football league. As he's risen through the ranks of pro ball, his NFL knowledge may be going the other direction.

"When I first got drafted, our minor league one, I won two out of the first three years, came in second one year and then ever since then it's been a falloff. It's been a downward trend," he said.

The Twins run a fairly standard 12-team fantasy league made up of players and sometimes teams of players and clubhouse staffers.

So, who is the most competitive?

"I wanna say Royce (Lewis)," said Twins starting pitcher Mick Abel. "He's always in on the trades. He's always looking to make moves. He's into it. He's very invested."

"We lost by two points our first week," said starting pitcher Mike Paredes. "Kenneth Walker, he was the nail in the coffin. But there's always next week. That's why they have 17 weeks of playing."

Who did Paredes lose to?

"Royce. Royce has got a squad," Paredes said.

While Lewis works the waiver wires, starting pitcher Bailey Ober is the league's commissioner. A hefty responsibility especially when dealing with highly competitive people.

"So far so good," said Adams. "We got our little week 1 report that he puts into AI. It trashed my team, but it was pretty funny."

"From what I've heard there was trouble with the IR spot in the past," said Abel. "So we didn't have an IR spot going into this year. But now we have an IR spot. I guess he's gonna be pretty strict about that."

Paredes made his MLB debut this season before landing on the injured list. That means more time to polish his fantasy lineup.

"Travis Adams and Connor Prielipp, they like to say that I talk a big game when it comes to fantasy," Paredes said. "I think that I know ball pretty well."