Minnesota Twins make a few intriguing minor league signings

There’s no such thing as a bad minor league signing and the Minnesota Twins have recently made a few intriguing minor league signings in an attempt to fill out the fringes of the roster in hopes of finding at least one that pans out.

Included in the recent group of signings is a possible insurance candidate for the uber-talented yet oft-injured center fielder, Byron Buxton.

Minnesota Twins bring in a few intriguing minor league signings.

The big-name of the group is center fielder Keon Broxton. Certainly not signed for his offense, Broxton is a fantastic defender who could serve as a viable backup to Buxton, or an elite speed option off the bench late in games this season.

First, the offensive woes. Broxton didn’t see any time with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2020, but did play for three different teams in 2019, including the Mets, Orioles, and Mariners. He slashed a combined .167/.242/.275 with an astronomical 45.6 percent strikeout rate.

He did, however, swipe 10 bases and walk 8.8 percent of the time, which was lower than his career 10 percent walk rate.

All four teams were hoping Broxton could return to his 2017 form in which he was still a below-league average hitter, but recorded 39 extra-base hits (20 home runs) and swiped 21 bags, but those numbers never materialized.

Broxton’s real value comes in his speed and defense. Per Baseball Savant, Broxton ranked in the 95th percentile in sprint speed and among the 94th percentile in both Outfielder Jump and Outs Above Average.

He was worth 9 OAA in 2019, good for 8th among all center fielders and just behind Byron Buxton’s 12 OAA which ranked 6th. Looking at FanGraphs’ defensive metrics, Broxton has recorded 17 Defensive Runs Saved and a 10.9 Ultimate Zone Rating over his last two seasons in the majors.

Both of those numbers rank among the top seven of all center fielders from 2018-2019 and either match or exceed Byron Buxton’s numbers during that same time span.

The Minnesota Twins have a number of exciting young outfielders set to battle for playing time, but Broxton could be a valuable piece to keep around.

Minnesota also inked LHP Andrew Albers. Albers is a very familiar face for the Minnesota Twins as this is the third time he has signed with the organization.

Now 35, Albers hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2017, having spent the last three years pitching in Japan. He has 26 total appearances at the MLB level, 16 of which have come with the Minnesota Twins.

He’s averaged just a tick under six strikeouts per game, but has walked less than 2/9 IP in his big league career and owns a 4.10 ERA across 120 innings. As a rookie, Albers made 10 starts for the Twins, going 2-5 with a 4.05 ERA and 1.18 WHIP.

Albers has a tough climb to make the Opening Day roster, but he will be an interesting name to follow after becoming a rare former MLB-er to find his way back to the big leagues after a long stint overseas and at 35 years of age. Perhaps, the Minnesota Twins see something that makes them think he’s worth some spring training innings to see what happens.