The Minnesota Twins Top 10 Bright Spots as MLB Season Finishes

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ARLINGTON, TX – AUGUST 31: Tyler Austin #31 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates with third base coach Gene Glynn #13 after hitting a solo home run against the Texas Rangers during the fifth inning at Globe Life Park in Arlington on August 31, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images) /

The Minnesota Twins have obviously had a very disappointing season that has been hard on all Twins fans. Here are ten bright spots that stand out as the 2018 season winds down.

The Minnesota Twins have had a disappointing season, but here are some bright spots as we conclude the 2018 season:

Tyler Austin

Tyler Austin, acquired in the trade that sent Lance Lynn to the Yankees has big time power as Roy Smalley (Wikipedia bio) noted on recent Twins broadcasts. His numbers with the Twins so far really stand out, especially the .582 slugging percentage and 7 HR in 70 AB with the Twins! 15 Home Runs in only 191 combined at bats with the Twins and Yankees is especially impressive! Not only is Austin’s slash line with the Twins of .243/.308/.557 with an OPS of .865 impressive but his overall slash line with the Yankees and Twins of .230/.290/.503 with a .793 OBP is not bad considering his Yankee stats were quite modest. Meanwhile Gil has played in Rookie ball (successful) and low A ball in 2018 (not so successful).

Jose Berrios

Jose Berrios clearly has the stuff to be the Twins #1 starter in the future. However, inconsistency in 2018 has led to a slight drop-off in his numbers from 2017. His 2018 line is 11-10, 3.92 ERA with 171 strikeouts in 167.2 IP. His 2017 performance was 14-8 with a 3.89 ERA with 139 strikeouts in 145.2 IP. An encouraging sign is that Berrios’ WHIP has dropped from 1.229 in 2017 to 1.151 in 2018.

Jake Cave

As John Sickels wrote for SBNATION on March 17, the Twins sent minor leaguer Luis Gil to the Yankees for Jake Cave. Cave got his opportunity due to Byron Buxton’s many struggles this season and has made the most of it. He has hit some titanic home runs and his most impressive statistical achievement is a slash line of .284/.331/.510 vs. RHP ESPN. His overall slash line of .261/.310/.487 is solid. Give Derek Falvey and Thad Levine credit for this one!

Cave has had a few adventures in CF to be sure, with 4 errors in 44 games started in CF. He could be a 4th outfielder or continue progressing and contribute as a regular. With the Twins only having one outfielder producing solid numbers in 2018, there could be room.

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