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Minnesota Twins Player of the Week: Centeno delivers huge first impression

By Jordan Wickstrom

Mar 4, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; A Minnesota Twins baseball cap is seen in the bullpen before a game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 4, 2014; Jupiter, FL, USA; A Minnesota Twins baseball cap is seen in the bullpen before a game against the Miami Marlins at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports /
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Juan Centeno delivers in first week with Minnesota Twins

Welcome to the Minnesota Twins, Juan Centeno!

After a stellar Spring Training that saw him hit .375 with eight RBI’s and a homer, and a minor league stint at Triple-A Rochester where he hit .245, Centeno was called up to replace disappointing catcher John Ryan Murphy.

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All Centeno did in his first five games with the Twins was go 7-for-15 with two runs and three RBI’s while collecting his first career home run in a crucial moment for the club.

Down 1-0 on Saturday afternoon with a runner run, facing former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, Centeno hit a go-ahead two-run blast to right field that helped snap an eight-game winning streak while also helping the Twins win the weekend series against the Cleveland Indians.

It was definitely a pivotal moment as the Twins have been looking for something, anyone to help kick start their offense.

And sure, it came from a highly unlikely source.

It wasn’t highly-touted prospects like Byron Buxton or Max Kepler, it was a guy who had spent the past three seasons with the likes of the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers.

Between those two teams over the past three seasons, Centeno has just 10 hits combined.

In just five games since his call up, he now as seven.

And it’s true, we can’t expect Centeno to hit .467 the rest of the way, heck, probably not even .300 but it is promising to see such a strong start from a player playing a position the Twins have had such trouble with in terms of production.

But again, we can’t get too far ahead of ourselves.

We all thought Josmil Pinto and Murphy were the future stars behind the plate. Pinto faltered and is no longer with the Twins while the jury is still out on Murphy who was demoted in favor of Centeno.

And for Centeno, the opportunity is there. The Twins don’t have a big-time catching prospect in the system, so if he can continue to develop, he may have a future.

The optimist in all Twins fans hopes for the best with Centeno and with that you can now add him to the list of young talent who could potentially make an impact for the Twins.

Next: Twins win series with Indians

It may still be early and the sample size is small, but you’ve got to be excited about the potential. It’s just a case of putting it all together.

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