Minnesota Twins: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

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The Minnesota Twins are a little more than a month into the 2018 season and it has been…interesting.

The Minnesota Twins are 9-14 as we close out the month of April. Everything that can go wrong has gone wrong to this point of the young season. However, Minnesota is only 3 1/2 games out of first place in the American League Central and still have plenty of time to turn things around.

As bad as this season has seemed to begin, there have been some positive signs that provide hope for fans. So, before we get to the good, the bad, and the ugly for the Minnesota Twins, let’s take a look back at the 2017 season.

A brief look back

Minnesota had a much better start to the season during 2017 and finished April with a 12-11 record. That is definitely nothing to write home about and didn’t exactly inspire confidence throughout the fan base. However, it was only the beginning to a return to the playoffs for a team that had lost more than 100 games during the 2016 season.

Brian Dozier delivered yet another stud season and helped propel this team to the postseason. He hit more than 35 home runs while winning his first career Gold Glove. However, this team stepped up as a whole and Dozier had a lot of help with getting the Twins to the playoffs.

Joe Mauer had a breakout season as a first baseman. I know, people don’t want to admit it, but Mauer can handle things just fine at first. He continues to reach base at an above-average rate and was barely on the outside of the Gold Glove voting during the 2017 season.

Speaking of Gold Glove Awards, Byron Buxton had a true breakthrough as the 2017 season came to a close. He not only won the Gold Glove in centerfield, he also won the Platinum Glove, which is awarded to the league’s top defender.

Speaking of outfielders who enjoyed breakout performances during last season, the Twins had Eddie Rosario. He hit almost 30 home runs and has the potential to be special for Minnesota.

That’s only some of the offensive breakouts and Minnesota had plenty of pitching help along the way. However, it’s time we take a look at how the current season has started. So, without further ado, here is the ugly start to the 2018 season.

Logan Morrison’s start

Logan Morrison has started his Minnesota Twins career about as bad as a player can. There is a reason Morrison lingered on the free agent market for so long and those reasons have shown through to begin the season.

Morrison already has 20 strikeouts in his first 20 games with the Twins. He has looked lost at the plate and has done little to earn his $5 million salary. For Minnesota to turn things around they will need LoMo to find his groove and start cracking some home runs.

There have been signs of life in his bat of late. He has five hits in his last 20 plate appearances with a .400 on-base percentage. That constitutes a hot streak for Morrison after starting the season with only six hits in his first 63 plate appearances with a .206 on-base percentage. Morrison hasn’t started hitting home runs, but he will, and that will be the key for a Minnesota turnaround.

Fernando Rodney and other members of the bullpen

The Twins rebuilt their bullpen over the offseason and Fernando Rodney was a big part of the plan. However, that plan has backfired and Rodney has been a key culprit. He has a 2.3 HR/9 and a 4.7 BB/9 in nine games pitched during the 2018 season.

The Minnesota Twins bullpen as a whole hasn’t been very good so far this season. Outside of a couple of pitchers that we’ll discuss later, the results have rarely been there from the pen. Taylor Rodgers has been the worst in the bullpen surrendering 10 runs in only 10 2/3 innings pitched.

He is far from the only pitcher who is underperforming. It seems almost everybody that Paul Molitor brings in gives up runs consistently. Hopefully, they can turn things around or this will be a long season in the Twin Cities.

An honorable mention shout out to Lance Lynn for his ugly 7.11 ERA during four starts in April. However, that’s enough of the ugly for now, let’s take a look at some of the bad performances.

Jake Odorizzi

Jake Odorizzi is only in this section of this list because of his seven home runs and 16 walked allowed already this season. Odorizzi has been prone to give up home runs throughout his career, but this has been a terrible start.

However, Odorizzi has been pitching well and has allowed the same numbers of runs as José Berríos to this point. Odorizzi will need to find a way to keep the ball in the park for the Twins to have success moving forward.

Berríos needs help from Odorizzi and Lance Lynn to keep this team afloat until Ervin Santana returns. However, Lynn has been a terrible investment for Minnesota and looks nothing like the pitcher he was with St. Louis.

A couple of struggling outfielders

Eddie Rosario was the Minnesota Twins breakout star during the 2017 season. However, things have not been as smooth for him to begin the 2018 season. He already has 20 strikeouts through his first 91 plate appearances.

He is hitting .230 and has drawn only three walks all season. Rosario is still playing well defensively which has helped cover for Byron Buxton not being in the lineup. Speaking of Buxton, his season has started poorly as well.

Buxton hasn’t played since April 12th when he started experiencing migraine headaches. However, things got worse for him while playing his back in the Minors. Buxton fouled a ball off of his toe and is now out indefinitely and that’s a major blow for the Twins.

Buxton was hitting a paltry .195 through his first 43 plate appearances so it’s not like he was off to a scorching start. His defense is what Minnesota has been missing and the pitching staff has suffered.

The Minnesota Twins need their speedy Platinum Glove award-winning centerfielder if they have any chance to contend this season. They also need Rosario to come close to matching his production from last season. There’s still a lot of games left in this season so it’s too soon to panic. However, if these two don’t get things going in the right direction soon Minnesota will suffer.

An honorable mention shout out to Miguel Sano. He has started the season hitting .213 with 36 strikeouts through his first 90 plate appearances. Alright, we’ve covered the ugly and the bad, now let’s take a look at the good starts for Minnesota.

The right side of the infield starting hot

Brian Dozier hit safely in the Twins first 17 games and helped keep Minnesota from falling too far behind in the division. Dozier has been one the more consistent performers for Minnesota, however, his start has cooled over the past week.

Dozier is hitting only .260 but he does have four early home runs and a .333 on-base percentage. Although he hasn’t displayed the same ability defensively that won him a Gold Glove last season, he has been very good at the keystone.

Another player who has started this season strong is first baseman, Joe Mauer. Although the Minnesota Twins have struggled to score runs, it isn’t because there haven’t been runners on base.

Mauer has a very good .454 on-base percentage to go along with a solid .293 batting average. He already has 22 walks in only 98 plate appearances with only 11 strikeouts so far. Mauer has done enough to earn an opportunity to finish his career in the Twin Cities.

José Berríos emerging as an ace

José Berríos has been unbelievable on the mound to start this season. Through his first four starts, Berríos surrendered five earned runs total, all against the Seattle Mariners. He still managed to have a 1.63 ERA and 29 strikeouts with only ONE walk in 27 2/3 innings pitched.

However, things haven’t gone well over his last two starts against the New York Yankees and the Cincinnati Reds. Berríos pitched only seven innings allowing nine earned runs with seven strikeouts and five walks in those two games.

More from Puckett's Pond

This will all go down as a minor blip on the radar for Berríos this season. He has emerged as a legitimate ace for the Minnesota Twins and he will be the anchor for the pitching staff. These next two pitchers have done well in helping out of the bullpen.

Bonus: Two good starts from the pen

First, we’ll start with Addison Reed and his strong start to his Twins career. Reed has a 2.57 ERA through his first 14 innings pitched with Minnesota. Although he has allowed four earned runs, he has done well limiting walks to this point.

Reed has 13 strikeouts with only four walks and is the pitcher this staff needs in the ninth inning. Fernando Rodney has been brutal in the closer’s role, but we’ve already covered that. However, Reed has 125 career saves and can easily handle the pressure of the ninth inning.

Ryan Pressly has been the standout performer for the Twins through the first month of the season. He has allowed only one earned run through his first 13 2/3 innings pitched.

On top of that, Pressly has 19 strikeouts with only three walks and is another pitcher who could close games for this team. One thing is certain, Fernando Rodney needs to go. Pressly, or Reed, could be the answer the Twins have been searching for.

Next: The Minnesota Twins have made a surprise roster move

This concludes “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly” for this month. Stay tuned to Puckett’s Pond for the latest news and stories about your Minnesota Twins. Want to share your opinions with other Twins fans? Join the writing team here at Puckett’s Pond and have your voice heard! Contact us via Twitter or apply above for more details.

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