John Ryan Murphy made 11 starts before the Twins demoted him to triple-A. Murphy spent the majority of the year in Rochester. He didn’t return until the Twins called him up in September.
Murphy was behind the plate for 24 games while Kurt Suzuki caught 96 games. Not at all close like I predicted.
The only reason I didn’t receive an “F” is due to the last sentence in the prediction. Murphy didn’t out-hit Suzuki and therefore didn’t take over the starting role. For this, I’m able to salvage my grade and walk away with a “D-“.
Here again, I avoid another potential “F” with one grade-saving line.
Miguel Sano didn’t come close to the ESPN projections as he hit 25 home runs. However, with the way he struggled all year long, 25 home runs isn’t terrible.
Byung Ho Park hit 12 home runs. Not quite in the range I predicted but not too far off.
Despite not reaching the projections, it’s worth noting both sluggers missed considerable amounts of time. Sano missed 46 games, mostly due to injuries. Park played in only 62 games before the Twins demoted him to triple-A.
For what it’s worth, both were on pace to hit more than 30 home runs.
Even if the Twins didn’t give Jose Berrios the Kris Bryant treatment on purpose, Berrios did make his debut in late April. While Berrios didn’t stay on the active roster for long, he did debut before the month of May.
As far as predictions go, this one is a slam dunk.
I could have given myself another “A” for this prediction but instead gave myself a “B” because I’m not sure that fans necessarily dismissed him.
Regardless, Eddie Rosario did suffer through a horrific slump. From Opening Day to mid-May, Rosario slashed .200/.218/.313. Eventually, this led to his demotion to triple-A.
Rosario slashed a much improved .305/.335/.477 after being recalled in July.
Looking back, this prediction has me torn. On one hand, I’m proud of myself for finding a player who can and will decline from the previous year. Yet on the other hand, I don’t want the Twins or any of their players to fail.