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Minnesota Twins: Time to Throw in the Towel on Logan Morrison

By John Geiger II

DETROIT, MI - JUNE 12: First baseman Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers beats Logan Morrison #99 of the Minnesota Twins to the bag to make the out on Morrison's hit to Cabrera during the third inning at Comerica Park on June 12, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI - JUNE 12: First baseman Miguel Cabrera #24 of the Detroit Tigers beats Logan Morrison #99 of the Minnesota Twins to the bag to make the out on Morrison's hit to Cabrera during the third inning at Comerica Park on June 12, 2018 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /
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The Minnesota Twins front office deserves credit for trying to improve the offensive production during the offseason. However, things haven’t worked out the way anybody had hoped they would.

The Minnesota Twins shocked everybody while making the playoffs a season ago. However, power from the left side of the plate was one thing that the 2017 lineup was missing. The Twins front office did their best to fill the void by signing Logan Morrison during the offseason.

Morrison parlayed a 38 home run campaign with the Tampa Bay Rays during the 2017 season into a $6.5 million one-year contract with the Twins. There’s also an option for the 2019 season that is triggered if Morrison reaches 500 plate appearances valued at $8.5 million. If Morrison managed to reach 600 plate appearances, his option would cost Minnesota $9.5 million for the 2019 season.

Unfortunately, Morrison has failed to live up to even the smallest of expectations during the first few months of this season. However, this is a common theme for Morrison throughout his entire career. It might be time for Morrison to forget about being an everyday player and embrace a platoon role to prolong his career.

How bad has it been?

I’ve personally wanted to write about his struggles during the early parts of this season for weeks. However, Morrison kept teasing us all by hitting the ball hard while hitting into outs. He has always been a boom-or-bust hitter, but this year he has provided very little boom for the Twins.

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The 30-year-old slugger has played in 61 games this season and has managed to hit only 7 home runs to this point. He’s currently hitting a disastrous .194 which as sad as this sounds, is an uptick from a week ago. However, that’s not even the worst stat currently on LoMo’s stat line.

He’s sporting a meager .649 on-base plus slugging percentage and has only 18 extra-base hits all season. Morrison has provided almost nothing that the Minnesota Twins signed him for and his opportunities may be drying up soon.

One stat every Twins fan should keep an eye on all season are Morrison’s plate appearances. Remember, he only needs 500 plate appearances for his 2019 option to vest. Morrison is currently at 237 for the season and will need to earn every single one of the next 263 plate appearances if he wants his option guaranteed.

Next: Could the Twins trade Brian Dozier?

Minnesota should be smart as we move toward the closing months of this season. If Morrison is unable to turn things around, and the team has ANY other options to fill the void, the Twins should make certain Morrison doesn’t reach 500 plate appearances.

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