Minnesota Twins: Grading, Reflecting on 2016 Predictions
F. Jorge Polanco. Great hitting middle infielder, but can’t field with any consistency. If Escobar or Dozier is hurt, Polanco almost certainly is the first call-up. Keep him around long enough to drop a line in the water and see who bites.. 5. Which player is the most likely to be traded this year?.
This is a boom or bust prediction. That said, my second choice was Kennys Vargas.
I picked Jorge Polanco, thinking the Twins would find a team desperate for an extra bench player or a team needing to replace an injured middle infielder.
The Twins did trade a middle infielder near the deadline. However, it was not Polanco. Instead it was Eduardo Nunez.
Who will be the Twins breakout player of 2016?. . F+. Back in January I made picks for breakout hitter, breakout pitcher and bounce back player. For overall breakout player I’ll go with Kyle Gibson. It will be his fourth year as a Twins starter, and every year he has shown improvement. I predict he’ll be the Twins best starter by the numbers at the end of the season.. 6
Instead of a “F”, I gave myself a much deserving “F+” for how horrific this prediction transpired.
Kyle Gibson pitched awful the entire year. By the numbers, he matched his season best with one complete game. Additionally, Gibson walked the fewest batters and allowed the fewest hits in a full season.
That’s it for the positives, if there were any. He posted his worst stats in a season with at least 20 starts.
Clearly, this prediction stinks. Time to move on.
Who is the biggest risk to be a bust?. . A. Oddly enough, I am going to go against the grain and pick Byron Buxton. I did pick him to be the Twins breakout hitter of the 2016 campaign back in January. I still believe he can be the breakout hitter, however, everyone else feels the same way. The Rookie of the Year predictions surrounding him are expectations that he may not live up to. WARNING: Too high of hopes and expectations for Buxton’s performance may lead to disappointment.. 7
Like the Rosario prediction, I’m a little proud of myself for predicting this.
Byron Buxton started out the season unable to hit. He slashed .156/.208/.289 and struck out 24 times.
However, he played exceptionally well after his September recall. Buxton upped his numbers across the board, slashing .287/.357/.653/ 9 HR / 22RBI after his return.
He didn’t come close to winning the AL Rookie of the Year as some predicted. He didn’t breakout either. However, he did disappoint fans who thought he was going to show off his true potential this year.
For that, I earned a “A”.
. F. I am almost inclined to say Byung Ho Park for Rookie of the Year. Instead I’ll put my money on Brian Dozier winning a Silver Slugger at second base.. 8. Will any Twins win awards at the end of the year?
Brian Dozier winning a Silver Slugger award turned out to be much closer of a reality than Park winning AL Rookie of the Year.
Jose Altuve recently won the American League Silver Slugger award. Yet, one could argue Dozier is deserving of the award.
Dozier led all American League second baseman in home runs and slugging percentage, and was third in RBI. He finished second in stolen bases, and tied for first in triples with Altuve.
Even though I failed this prediction, it wasn’t all that far-fetched for Dozier to win a Silver Slugger this season.