Minnesota Twins: Who’s Hot and Who’s Not, Mid-May
The Minnesota Twins are sitting at 19-15 atop the AL Central. Let’s take a look at who’s been helping them get there and who’s been holding them back.
It seems as if the Minnesota Twins have hit their stride, 30+ games into the season. They have spent more time at the top of their division than any other team in the AL Central, including the Cleveland Indians.
A solid week last week helped them gain a one-game hold on the top spot in the division, and they are now looking forward to a week of home games to try to keep hold of it.
May is closing out quicker than expected, and the Twins are still red hot. Let’s go ahead and take a look at who’s been helping the Twins and who’s been hurting them.
Miguel Sano is staying extremely hot.
He’s been here all season long, and rightfully so. Miguel Sano is not only looking like the best Twins’ player, he’s also looking like one of the best in the MLB. He has a very strong bat and has the versatility to either play 3rd base, 1st base or DH.
Miguel Sano’s slash line is .297/.439/.667 with 10 home-runs and 30 RBI’s.
Miguel Sano leads the Minnesota Twins in batting average, home-runs, RBI’s, OBP and hits.
It’s fair to say if Sano keeps this up, he will be a shoe in for the All-Star game, but he may also be up there with Mike Trout for AL MVP. The Minnesota Twins have needed a player they can rely on offensively for a while, and Sano is looking the part.
I wouldn’t say that all of the Twins’ success can be attributed to Sano, because that isn’t true. Although, he has been a huge part of their success. If they want to continue their hot streak, Miguel Sano has to continue to play at a top level.
Brian Dozier hasn’t been his normal self lately.
It’s really been going on just about all year long, but Brian Dozier is nowhere near the player he was in 2016. He blew up last year with a career high in home-runs and RBI’s, but it doesn’t seem like he’s going to follow it up too well.
Brian Dozier’s slash line is .237/..343/.407 with 5 home-runs and 11 RBI’s.
Brian Dozier is 9th on the Twins in batting average and has the 4th most strikeouts.
While it hasn’t been a horrible year for any normal player, it’s Brian Dozier. The Minnesota Twins expect a lot from him. In a way, they expect him to be their leader. So far in 2017, he has not been that.
There’s a lot of time for him to get his home-run numbers up and RBI’s higher, but the strikeouts concern me. Coming from a normal lead-off hitter, you don’t want to start off the game striking out. Dozier needs to avoid strikeouts to give the Twins more chances offensively.
Kennys Vargas has been brilliant since being called up from AAA.
The Minnesota Twins needed more consistency offensively, so they looked to their farm system to solve that issue. Luckily for them, it’s worked out perfectly. They called up Kennys Vargas and he has been extremely good so far this season.
Kennys Vargas’ slash line is .255/.278/.529 with 4 home-runs in and 13 RBI’s.
Kennys Vargas has 4 home-runs, 2 doubles and 13 RBI’s in only 51 at-bats.
It’s easy to say that Vargas has been special, considering there weren’t high expectations for the player that started the season in Rochester. But seriously, Vargas has been great. He has helped the Twins by giving them another powerful option at the plate, something they needed so badly.
Expect Kennys Vargas’ role to only grow as the season goes on. Right now, he spends a lot of time in the DH spot and pinch hitting. DH may be the best place for a powerful bat who hasn’t proven his fielding abilities yet.
Hector Santiago has been lacking control as of late.
I know, it’s just one bad start by Hector Santiago, but if you look deeper into his numbers, there are reasons to worry that he’s about to begin a downward trend. And that’s the last thing the Minnesota Twins need right now.
Hector Santiago is 4-2 with an ERA of 3.80.
Hector Santiago is 2nd on the team in walks allowed and 2nd on the team in hits allowed.
Santiago has been fairly solid all season long, but there’s a lot of reasons to think that his success is based on the help he’s received from his fielders. Already this season, he’s walked 18 batters and struck out only 32. He’s also allowed 6 home-runs, tied for most on the Twins team.
I’m definitely not saying it’s time to send him down or trade him, that would be absurd. I’m saying, there is reason for concern when it comes to Santiago. His stats don’t quite match up with his record. He needs to have more ball control if he wants to find continued success.
Jose Berrios was impressive in his first MLB start of 2017.
It’s only been one game, but there is most definitely reason to freak out about Jose Berrios. He’s been a highly sought-after prospect for a long time, and we’ve just been waiting for his coming out party. We may have just seen it.
Against the Indians, Jose Berrios went 7.2 innings, giving up only 2 hits and 1 run.
Jose Berrios also struck out four batters and only walked one. His ERA is now 1.17.
The Minnesota Twins are in desperate need of some pitching help. Berrios could very well be that. Twins’ fans around the country were calling for him to be brought up, and when he finally was, there was a sigh of relief around Twins’ Nation.
If the Twins can get that kind of performance out of Jose Berrios every time he comes out, it could be very dangerous. He could be the second guy to a great 1-2 punch beginning with Ervin Santana.
Next: Get Outta Here With That Rebuilding Talk
The Minnesota Twins have been one of the surprise teams in the MLB this year. To keep it up, they’ll need the hot players to stay that way and the cold players to step it up. Only time will tell, but GO TWINS.