The 2018 Minnesota Twins: the good, the bad, and the ugly

Injuries

The Minnesota Twins should have known that they were in trouble for 2018 on the injury front when the first “official” injury of 2018’s season across MLB was staff veteran Ervin Santana, coming off of one of the best seasons of his career. The initial prognosis was a late-April return, but Santana never could get right in 2018, and eventually was shut down after 5 ineffective starts in July and August.

Losing the one reliable returning starter was a big blow already to the season, but the injuries just seemed to pile up from there. While the team would rank among the lowest in total DL stints with 20 on the season, it was the impact of those who did miss time that hurt so badly.

Perhaps worse was those who played through injury. Late in the season, after he was with another team, team leader and leadoff hitter entering 2018 Brian Dozier revealed that he had been playing through a knee injury since the early part of the season. That could explain his putrid .227/.307/.405 performance while with the team.

The inability to stay in shape meant 2017 All-Star Miguel Sano struggled through 2018 to the tune of a .199/.281/.398 season marred by injury and a demotion.

The case that could carry into 2019 is the case of Byron Buxton, the uber-talented player who ended 2017 on an absolute tear. Multiple reports have surfaced that he was pushed to the majors while still not fully healthy from a fractured toe suffered in minor league rehab after having severe migraines returning from the Puerto Rico series in early April.

He never was healthy at any point of the season, pushed to play through injury multiple times until it got to be too much. However, when Buxton was finally healthy in August, crushing the ball at a .365/.400/.596 clip over the month in AAA, he did not get a September call back to the Twins, with many blaming service time as the issue. New Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has already reached out to his young center fielder and may be the perfect manager to take advantage of his skills.

Only one Minnesota Twins player was able to amass 600 plate appearances and/or 150 games on the season on the position side, though the pitching staff remained fairly healthy, outside of Santana.

Now to the bad…

Starting slow

With the injuries and slow starts from multiple players, the Minnesota Twins limped out of the gate in 2018. Of course, the AL Central division in 2018 was arguably the worst overall division in the game, so the Twins were able to remain in first place until April 20th, using defeats of their division rivals in Cleveland as part of the padding for their standing.

The team finished April 1-9 after closing the 20th in first place, and they’d never spend another day in first on the season. While certainly not playing the way they had hoped, the Twins did work their way back to nearly .500 by May 12th before falling off again to close out the month of May.

Veteran performance

With few “big money” players on the 2018 Minnesota Twins, the ones that were under contract for significant cash underperformed heavily.

Before he was lost for the rest of the season, catcher Jason Castro had opened the season with a paltry .143/.257/.238 average over 19 games. Offseason signee Logan Morrison went from one of the American League’s home run leaders in 2017 to hitting .186/.276/.368 over 95 games in 2018 with 15 home runs.

Lance Lynn was brought in after Santana’s injury, and he was a disaster with the Twins, posting a 5.10 ERA over 102 1/3 innings before being traded away midseason. Jake Odorizzi wasn’t a lot better, making 32 starts, but only getting to 164 1/3 innings due to his mammoth struggles the third time through the order leading to a 4.49 ERA.

The bullpen saw struggles from guys that were expected to be excellent in 2018 as well. Trevor Hildenberger was the team’s closer at one stretch in 2017, but he finished the year with a 5.42 ERA in 73 appearances. Addison Reed was signed in the offseason to provide a possible “second closer” with Fernando Rodney, but he pitched to a 4.50 ERA over 55 appearances. Young arms like Alan Busenitz (7.82 ERA) and Tyler Duffy (7.20 ERA) and veteran reliever Matt Belisle (9.13 ERA) were all shuffled in and then quickly back out due to their ineffectiveness.

The struggles of veterans Dozier and Santana were already mentioned and at least had some relation to their injuries.

Polanco’s PEDs

Late in spring, the announcement was made that starting shortstop Jorge Polanco would be opening the season on the restricted list due to a suspension for PEDs. This required the team to shuffle the lineup late in the spring when there really wasn’t a chance to get a solid shortstop option. Polanco hit well upon his return (.288/.345/.427 with 6 HR, 7 SB over 333 PA), but his continued struggles at shortstop defensively could lead to his eventual move from the organization.

Now too more “cheery” things…

Guys named Ed

Before he was traded, Eduardo Escobar was having an exemplory season for the Minnesota Twins, among the league leaders in doubles, hitting .274/.338/.514, with 37 doubles and 15 home runs in 97 games. He’d go on to finish his season strong with the Arizona Diamondbacks, finishing with 48 doubles and 23 home runs on the season, his 48 doubles finishing 2nd in all of MLB.

Eddie Rosario still drove Minnesota Twins fans nuts defensively with his inconsistent play, but his bat was excellent in 2018, hitting .288/.323/.479 with 31 doubles and 24 home runs.

Guys who were once top Twins pitching prospects

It was a good year for guys who were once regarded as the elite among arms in the Twins system. The “stud” of the group is Jose Berrios, a 24-year-old righty with ace stuff working his way into that role with the team, who finished the year with a 12-11 record, 192 1/3 innings pitched, a 3.84 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 61/202 BB/K ratio.

Kyle Gibson broke through after years of teasing the Twins with his potential, putting together 196 2/3 innings of quality pitching, with a 3.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 79/179 BB/K ratio.

Returning from Tommy John surgery, former top prospect Trevor May moved into the bullpen, and he was a dominant force, taking over closer duties after Rodney was traded. He pitched 25 1/3 innings, with a 3.20 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, and an impressive 5/36 BB/K ratio.

Guys with masks

The Twins signed minor league free agent Willians Astudillo in the offseason hoping for AAA catching depth. Instead, when Castro went down, Astudillo ended up getting some major league time at a few positions, and his tremendous attitude and portly physique made him an instant hit among fans. He hit .355/.371/.516 over 97 plate appearances.

Long considered one of the team’s best prospects, Mitch Garver was an “old” rookie at 27, but he did great things for the team in 2018. He hit .268/.335/.414 with 19 doubles and 7 home runs at the plate over 335 plate appearances. However, his strides from day 1 taking over for Castro to the end of the season as a defender behind the plate, however, were monumental, and the Twins should be set at the position for a number of years.

Finally, the last man with a mask deserves his own page…

So long, Joe

In one of the most touching tributes one could possibly draw up, the Minnesota Twins put Joe Mauer in catcher’s gear on the final day of the season. He caught just one pitch, but it was more than enough. Watching the video of the moment still leaves chills running down the spine.

Mauer gave the Minnesota Twins 15 years after being the #1 overall selection of the team in the 2001 MLB draft. He retires at or near the top of nearly every major hitting statistic in team history, finishing his career with an incredible .306/.388/.439 lifetime line.

For a decade, Mauer was the standard behind the plate for the combination of bat and glove both, as he was regarded as one of the elite defenders in the game behind the dish and became the first ever catcher in the history of MLB to win 3 batting titles, leading the entire major leagues two of those three seasons in hitting.

Joe’s peak came in his 2009 season, when he hit .365/.444/.587 with 30 doubles and 28 home runs, leading the American League in batting average, OBP, slugging, and OPS on his way to winning an MVP award.

Mauer finished his career with 6 All-Star game selections, 3 Gold Gloves, and 5 Silver Sluggers. The Twins have already announced that he will have his number 7 retired next summer.

Thanks for the memories, Joe.

Now, what lies ahead for the Minnesota Twins?

Hope for 2019?

The Minnesota Twins were rebuked by many of the long-term targets they had in the 2017-2018 offseason, which led them to sign more short-term deals. That left the team with plenty of financial flexibility this offseason, especially after Santana, Dozier, and Mauer came off the books as well.

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So far, the team has focused on short-term deals, but on guys with more established track records than in 2017, when Logan Morrison’s big 2017 season was really an “out of nowhere” year. The team has signed Jonathan Schoop and Nelson Cruz to bring power and depth to their lineup. They also claimed C.J. Cron from the Tampa Bay Rays after he had a big power season, but they have more depth behind him this year if he falters the way Morrison did in 2018.

The team is still sorting through pitching options, which could be from within, with Gibson, Berrios, and Odorizzi to lead the rotation, along with Michael Pineda once he’s healthy. The team has inquired on a number of veteran starters, but there is plenty of young, talented depth for the Twins to work with to fill the final 1-2 spots in the rotation if they choose to go that route and trust Berrios to take that next step to be their frontline guy.

The bullpen is the final need piece for the team. Two of the team’s three free agent signings last offseason were traded during the year, leaving just Addison Reed still on the team. May could be excellent back in the closer role, and there are a few solid young arms, but the team would like to pick up a veteran or two to solidify their bullpen.

More than anything, 2019 success for the Minnesota Twins will rest on the shoulders of young players producing, something that injuries hampered in 2018. If Buxton, Sano, and Berrios take that next step forward in 2019, the Twins could make a lot of noise not just in the AL Central, but farther into the playoffs!