Minnesota Twins: A Look Back at the First-Half of the Season

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The Minnesota Twins have been one of the surprise teams during the first-half of the season. They are currently 49-40 and 4.5 games back of the Kansas City Royals for first place in the American League Central. They currently have the second best record in the American League and are the Wild Card leaders by one game.

It’s been an exciting first-half of the season for the Twins. They won 20 games in the month of May. It was the first time the Twins won 20 games in a month since 1991, a year in which they won the World Series.

They have seen a number of prospects make their big league debut. Some of those debuts were disappointments; others have been thrilling.

Glen Perkins, the Twins closer has thrown his name into discussion for the best closer in baseball. He leads the American League with 28 saves. He is also a perfect 28 for 28 in save opportunities. He made the All-Star game for the third straight time this season.

The Twins start the second half of the season today and are in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 2010.

Let’s take a look back at five storylines from the first half of the Twins season.

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Don’t call it a comeback. Okay, you can call it a comeback in this case. Torii Hunter, a Twins fan favorite from the day he made his big league debut in 1997, until he left via free agency in 2007, returned to Minnesota when he signed a one year contract in December.

Hunter has provided veteran leadership for the young players in the Twins organization and is getting it done on the field.

He is hitting .257 with 14 home runs and is tied for the team lead with 49 RBIs. He’s projected to finish the season with 22 home runs and 79 RBIs. The 22 home runs would be the most he’s hit since the 2011 season.

Hunter may not be the outfielder he once was, but he has made plays in right field that reminds everybody why he won nine gold gloves.

Can Hunter continue to produce at the plate and the field during the second-half of the season? Or will his age finally catch up to him?

Next: DozierMania

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This is no longer Joe Mauer’s team. This is now Brian Dozier’s team. The Twins second baseman has been the Twins MVP throughout the first-half of the season.

Dozier is currently only trailing the reigning MVP, Mike Trout for runs scored with 67.

Dozier is currently hitting .256 with 26 doubles, three triples, 19 home runs and 50 RBIs. He leads all second baseman in runs scored, home runs and RBIs.

Despite being one of the best second baseman in baseball, Dozier was snubbed from the All-Star roster. When the starters were announced for the All-Star Game, it was Houston Astros second baseman, Jose Altuve who was the American League starting second baseman. When the reserves were announced the next day it was Cleveland Indians second baseman, Jason Kipnis, not Dozier. That night Dozier hit a walk-off, home run against the Detroit Tigers.  Dozier lost the Final Vote to Kansas City Royals third baseman, Mike Moustakas and it appeared Dozier would be left off the All-Star Roster; before an injury to Jose Bautista forced him to miss the game and the Twins second baseman took his place. In typical Dozier fashion, he hit a home run in his first All-Star Game at bat.

Dozier is on pace to hit 28 home runs, 40 doubles and drive in 80 runs. Dozier may not get a lot of National media attention, but he is the heart of this team.

Next: Quality Starting Pitching

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It’s all about the starting pitching and the Twins starting pitching has been much improved this season.

The past two seasons the Twins starters have finished dead last in earned run average. Last season the starters combined for a 5.06 earned run average. In 2013 the starters combined for a 5.25 earned run average.

Through the first-half of the season the Twins starters have combined for a 3.86 earned run average, which is good for 12^th best in the league and fifth best in the American League.

The Twins don’t have a true “ace” it’s been five guys going out and doing their job.

Kyle Gibson has been the most consistent of the Twins starters. Gibby is currently 8-6 with a 2.85 earned run average. He finished the first-half strong recording four straight quality starts.

Tommy Milone has been lights out since returning to the rotation in June. He has recorded six straight quality starts and is currently 5-1 with a 2.84 earned run average.

He has given up just two earned runs in his last 19 innings pitched.

Phil Hughes, the man who was the Twins ace last season got off to a slow start this year, but has been on a roll as of late. He’s currently 8-6 with a 4.32 earned run average. If Hughes can cut down on the home runs he’s been giving up he could be in store for a great second-half of the season.

At one point of the season Mike Pelfrey looked like the Twins ace. Big Pelfrey was 2-0 with a 2.25 earned run average. He’s been scuffling as of late though going 1-4 with a 6.08 earned run average in his last seven starts. He has been excellent at Target Field with a 3-2 record and a 2.22 earned run average. When he is away from Target Field he has struggled with a 2-4 record and a 6.02 earned run average.

Ervin Santana, the Twins prized free agent returned from his 80 game suspension before the All-Star Break. Santana looked sharp in his first start back and shaky in his second. Santana is scheduled to start tonight against the Oakland Athletics and can set the tone for the second-half of the season with a strong outing.

Next: Prospects

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The Twins are winning and that’s been the top storyline of the season. After four long years of losing, it’s been exciting to watch the Twins be competitive once again. But, it’s also been exciting to see four of the Twins top 10 prospects make their big league debuts.

It all started with Eddie Rosario, the Twins number nine overall prospect at the start of the season. Rosario made his big league debut on May 6, and hit a solo home run on the first big league pitch he saw. Since that swing, Rosario has become an everyday player for the Twins and is hitting .284 while providing stellar defense in the outfield.

The Twins top prospect, Byron Buxton made his big league debut on June 14. He may not have hit a home run, but he did score the game-winning run in his big league debut. Buxton struggled at the plate in 11 games, hitting .189 with 10 strikeouts. His struggles at the plate didn’t stop him from providing great defense in center field. Buxton is currently on the disabled list with a thumb injury and is expected back sometime in August. His first big league stint didn’t go as planned, but the future is bright for the young center fielder.

Alex Meyer, made his big league debut on June 26. He pitched 1.2 innings out of the bullpen and gave up four earned runs and two home runs. Is next outing of the bullpen was slightly better, but far from great, giving up one run and issuing two walks in one inning pitched. Meyer is back in Triple-A and working on his command and consistency issues.

Miguel Sano, the power-hitting third baseman and designated hitter made his big league debut on July 2. Through 11 big league games Sano is hitting .378 with two home runs, four doubles and eight RBIs. He could be locked in as the Twins cleanup hitter for the foreseeable future.

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