Minnesota Twins: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, Early May Edition
Early in May, the Minnesota Twins are sitting at 14-11, back atop the AL Central. Let’s see who’s been helping and hurting their cause up to this point.
It’s been a very bumpy road for the Minnesota Twins here in 2017. A hot start was followed up by a big slump, and now things seem to be rolling again for the Twins. Winners of 4 in-a-row, Minnesota has found their way to the top of the division once again.
The bats have looked better than they have in over a year. The pitching has been, well, good enough. The defense has been phenomenal, helping a pitching staff that can barely produce strikeouts quite a bit.
May is a very important month in the baseball season. The great teams make big leaps while the weak teams start to slide down to their rightful place. With that being said, let’s see who’s helped (and hurt) the Twins make a step towards greatness thus far.
Miguel Sano is making a very early MVP case.
Let’s be honest, this is an easy one. Miguel Sano has not only been the best player on the Twins, he has been one of the best in the MLB. After the offense had been stalling for a week or so, Sano has helped them get back to being one of the most exciting offenses in baseball.
So far this season, Miguel Sano’s slash line is .314/.443/.686 with 8 home-runs and 27 RBI’s.
Miguel Sano earned the AL player of the week award for the last week of April.
The slugging percentage stands out by far, but Miguel Sano has been doing everything for this Minnesota Twins’ team. He is fielding well, making contact with the ball almost every time to the plate and of course, obliterating balls into the stands.
The Twins’ offense hinges on the success of Miguel Sano. As seen already, when Sano is hot, the Twins win. When he is not, the offense can become stagnant. To find further success in 2017, the Minnesota Twins need Sano to continue this great season.
Jason Castro has been Unable to Get it Going at the Plate.
Looking solely at his offense, Jason Castro has really struggled. After starting the season off with a healthy .300 plus batting average, Castro has now dipped under .200. He is also racking up the strikeouts quickly.
So far this season, Jason Castro’s slash line is .194/.316/.358 with 3 home-runs and 10 RBI’s.
Jason Castro has struck out 20 times, third most on the Twins’ team.
His on-base percentage isn’t bad at all. Castro has been solid at drawing walks and has very good at-bats often. He has just been unable to capitalize on those at-bats. His strikeout numbers are sky rocketing and his batting average is plummeting.
While it doesn’t seem necessary that Castro becomes a huge part of the Twins’ offense, it would be nice. His catching ability alone makes him irreplaceable, but if you throw in a strong bat with that, Jason Castro could become a huge help to the Minnesota Twins.
Byron Buxton has Finally Started Rolling.
In my first two editions of “Who’s Hot and Who’s Not,” Byron Buxton found his name in the “Not” section. Finally, after a solid string of games, Buck is now on the “Hot” list. He’s finally improving at the plate and his presence in center field has remained, well, amazing.
So far this season, Byron Buxton’s slash line is .158/.256/.250 with one home-run and 3 RBI’s.
On May 2, Byron Buxton hit his first home-run of the season. Hopefully a sign of good things to come.
The numbers still look atrocious, I know. And they are bad, real bad. But from a visual perspective, Buxton has made a complete turn-around. He is getting quality at-bats, striking out less, earning walks and getting solid hits. He also had a triple last night in the victory over the Athletics.
The Minnesota Twins’ outfield has been superb defensively. Offensively, there has been much left to be wanted. Buxton stepping up at the plate could mean huge things for the Twins. They were successful without him hitting well, so just imagine how good they could be if he is hitting well.
Danny Santana has Found Himself on the Verge of Being Demoted.
It seemed, for a while, that Paul Molitor wanted to stick with Danny Santana as long as possible. Still, unable to hit the baseball, Molitor has stopped using Santana half as much, and now many think he is on his way to AAA Rochester.
So far this season, Danny Santana’s slash line is .143/.182/.190 with no home-runs or RBI’s.
Danny Santana only has 3 hits in 21 at-bats so far this season.
While it was clear that Santana wasn’t going to be a huge piece of this Twins’ team, he definitely could’ve helped coming off the bench. It just hasn’t worked out for him. While he’s got limited at-bats, it’s hard to see much upside in the way he’s been playing thus far in 2017.
Maybe Danny Santana will get another chance before he’s demoted, maybe he won’t, but it seems inevitable that he won’t be in Minnesota much longer. He’ll have to work on some hitting skills in Rochester before getting another shot to make his name known.
Eddie Rosario has been Very Dependable at the Plate as of Late.
After a cold start, Eddie Rosario has really settled in lately. He is currently on a 13-game hitting streak and looks to continue that today against the A’s. He is boosting his batting average with every at-bat and is working pitchers deep into the count.
So far this season, Eddie Rosario’s slash line is .292/.315/.393 with 2 home-runs and 9 RBI’s.
Eddie Rosario’s 13-game hitting streak is the longest of his career.
Rosie has been great defensively for the Minnesota Twins this year, as all of the outfield has been. Now it’s nice to see him get going at the plate. The Twins can depend on him to get on base. And with him hitting late in the lineup, he gives the bottom of the order the spark they need.
Only time will tell how long Rosario’s hitting streak will last, but 13 games is pretty solid. Eddie Rosario’s improved hitting has helped the Twins balance out a lineup that seemed very top heavy early in the year. They will look for him to keep it up.
Next: 5 Bold Predictions for the Next 5 Seasons
The Minnesota Twins already look much better than they did a year ago, but they are looking to only improve from here. With the bats rolling and the defense stifling opposing offenses, the Twins look to have a good chance of being a contender this year.