The resurgence of Minnesota Twins Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia
As things sit today, the Minnesota Twins find themselves looking into a weekend series with the Houston Astros with a current record of 28-30. Having played .500 baseball for much of the season, expectations have been overwhelmingly met. With the assumption that the Twins would once again be staring at a 90 loss season, and some predicting even 100, competitive baseball three months in has been a nice surprise.
The interesting piece of the equation, is how the Twins have gotten to where they are. From early season pitching woes, to disabled list trips left and right, few could have expected this kind of showing on a nightly basis. Two of the biggest components in the Minnesota Twins offensive spark as of late have been the return of Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia (sprained ankle aside).
Since returning from the disabled list, Josh Willingham is slashing a ridiculous .333/.522/.727. In that 11 game span, he has four long balls with 11 RBIs and has also drawn 11 walks in comparison to 10 strikeouts. Willingham has made a few defensive gaffes, as he has been prone to in left field, but with the offensive prowess he has displayed, no one is going to complain.
Following in the footsteps of Willingham, Oswaldo Arcia is equally hot slashing .356/.356/.711. While the lack of walks compared to 11 strikeouts isn’t pleasing, Arcia also has four home runs with 12 RBIs and he capped it off last night with a grand slam.
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The production from the two middle of the order hitters has been extremely impressive. With Arcia spraining his ankle last night against the Brewers, the Twins are hoping that it’s nothing more than a short day-to-day ailment. While many criticized the Twins for not dealing Willingham two years ago, and stating he was done, Josh has done an impressive job of maintaining his relevance as a strong power hitter in 2014.
As June continues on and fades in July, the Minnesota Twins will have a better idea as to where they stand. Regardless, Oswaldo Arcia has started to establish himself as a great part of the Twins future and Josh Willingham has positioned himself for a breakout year and a potential trade cog for the Twins to continue to build for the future.