Minnesota Twins: Who's Hot and Who's Not, Early Season Edition

4 of 7

Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports /

The Minnesota Twins are tied atop the AL Central at 6-3. Let’s take a look at who’s helping the team find success and who’s holding them back.

Considering the Minnesota Twins started the 2016 campaign 0-9, holding a 6-3 record thus far is a huge accomplishment to begin the year. The offense is looking good and is helping the Twins pull out victories even when the opponent is hitting well also.

The long ball has been a friend to the Minnesota Twins early in the year. The Twins have hit nine home-runs in 9 games this season, and are showing no signs of slowing down. Even with the strong offense, there are some players that seem to be holding the team back from being even better.

In this early season edition of “who’s hot and who’s not” we will look at who’s helping the Twins find offensive success and who’s at-bats are only hurting them. Without further ado, let’s get started.

Miguel Sano‘s powerful bat and consistent hitting have helped the Minnesota Twins get out to a hot start.

It’s no surprise that Miguel Sano has gotten off to such a hot start. We all knew he had tremendous power and a quick bat, but it was hard to see him getting off to this strong of a start to the season.

Sano crushed a 446-foot home-run in the April 13th game against the Tigers. That’s some serious power!

Sano has hit three home-runs this season, which leads the Minnesota Twins. He also leads the Twins in RBI’s at 11. A .310 batting average and eight walks through 9 games show that he’s not just powerful, he is also showing great patience at the plate.

Every team needs one: a powerful hitter that can drive in the speed demons at the top of the lineup. It looks as if the Twins have found theirs. For example, Sano crushed a 446-foot home-run in the April 13th game against the Tigers. That’s some serious power!

The Twins had some question marks surrounding their ability to hit the ball with serious power, but Sano has helped to answer those questions. Miguel Sano is on pace for 54 home-runs this season, and if he can achieve even close to that, the Twins have a great shot at a successful year.

There was a lot of hype surrounding Byron Buxton this year, but he has yet to find his stride.

It’s not that Twins’ fans expected Buxton to be the best of hitters, but a batting average of .088 is disappointing no matter the expectations. While his fielding has been fantastic, Byron Buxton has looked completely lost at the plate.

Not only does Buxton have the worst batting average on the team, but he also leads the team in strikeouts. He has struck out 19 times in only 34 at bats. His patience at the plate is also in question, as he has only been walked once in 8 games played.

I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon saying that Buxton should be sent back down to the minors

I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon saying that Buxton should be sent back down to the minors, though. While his hitting has been atrocious, his fielding and speed are a nice addition to the team.

Against the Tigers on April 13, Byron bunted in a base hit, stole second and ended up scoring. A role like that for the young Center Fielder could suit him well.

The fact is, even with the struggles at the plate by Buxton, the Twins are 6-3. I’d be lying if I said Buxton didn’t help Minnesota to get there at all. He has saved several doubles and runs with some great plays in center field. But if he wants to continue to start and get a chance to contribute, Buxton needs to find a way to start getting on base, where his speed can be lethal.

Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports /

Jason Castro has been the biggest free agent pick up of the season for the Minnesota Twins.

The former Houston Astros’ catcher signed with the Minnesota Twins this off-season and the signing has immediately paid off for the Twins. Castro has been a force behind the plate and in the batter’s box so far this season.

Jason Castro is batting .316 with an incredible on-base percentage of .536. He has drawn the most walks on the team thus far with nine walks in 28 at-bats. His patience is something that has been extremely helpful for the Minnesota Twins so far this year. Castro has also slammed one home-run, and 6 RBI’s on the young season.

Castro has been a force behind the plate and in the batter’s box so far this season.

A lot of questions were swirling the Minnesota Twins at the start of the year on who was going to be their main catcher. It’s fair to say Jason Castro has shut down the questioning.

While Chris Gimenez has played extraordinarily as well, Castro seems to be the easy choice for Twins’ management.

Aside from Brian Dozier and Miguel Sano, the Twins had to wonder where the rest of their hitting would come from for the season. Jason Castro has been a very nice surprise. Hard hitting catchers are hard to obtain, but if Castro can keep this pace, he will find his name in that list.

Left Fielder Eddie Rosario has had a rough start to the 2017 season.

Expectations weren’t too high on the hitting ability of Eddie Rosario bBatting at the bottom of the line-up. His speed and fielding helps to make up for it, but can the Twins afford to keep him in the line-up when he’s struggling so much at the plate?

Rosario has a batting average of .156 on 32 at-bats. He has yet to hit a home-run, has been walked twice and has struck out six times.

ROSARIO BETTER STEP UP HIS GAME BEFORE HE NO LONGER FINDS HIMSELF IN THE STARTING LINE-UP.

Obviously, there were no expectations that Eddie Rosario would be a power hitter, but with the speed he possesses, one should expect more extra-base hits and stolen bases. Rosario only has one double and one stolen base on the season.

Again, it’s way too early to consider demoting Rosario down to AAA. I wouldn’t even consider such moves until about 20 games into the season. But with the recent success of Robbie Grossman (check the foreshadowing), Rosario better step up his game before he no longer finds himself in the starting line-up.

The one positive thing I can say about Eddie Rosario at the plate thus far would be his ability to work the pitcher. He’s already had three at-bats this season that has lasted 8+ pitches. Now, if only he could turn those at-bats into hits or walks, he may not be on the “not” list.

Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports /

After a slow start to the season, Robbie Grossman has hit his stride for the Minnesota Twins.

Not many people expected Robbie Grossman to be getting the playing time he’s gotten so far this season. As a career .254 batter, nobody at all expected him to be put in the designated hitter position. But now he is on the verge of being the starting left fielder, and it seems as if Paul Molitor can’t keep him out of the line-up.

While the numbers may not seem too gaudy, it’s what he’s been able to accomplish at the plate that really makes Robbie stand out.

After a shaky start, Grossman is now batting .286 with an on-base percentage of .444. He has tallied up six walks compared to only five strike-outs. He also has one home-run, and 3 RBI’s in 27 at-bats.

While the numbers may not seem too gaudy, it’s what he’s been able to accomplish at the plate that makes Robbie stand out.

He is excellent at working the pitcher, averaging nearly 6 pitches per at-bat. While working the count can lead to strike-outs in a lot of cases, Grossman’s patience has paid off as he has drawn more walks than strike-outs.

It’s always nice to have a guy in the line-up that isn’t afraid to work the count. Robbie Grossman’s on-base percentage can be used as proof of his patience at the plate. With a .444 OBP, expect to hear Grossman’s name a lot during Twins’ games. If he keeps this pace up, one can only expect him to be an every-day starter very soon.

While Brian Dozier has had an average season thus far, he is yet to stand out from the crowd.

I know, I get it. Brian Dozier is the leader of this team, and at 6-3, he has to be given credit. I agree with that. But again, he IS the leader of this team. He needs to put up the kind of numbers a leader is expected to put up.

Minnesota Twins: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, Early Season Edition