The Minnesota Twins Top 10 Bright Spots as MLB Season Finishes
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.
Taylor Rogers
Taylor Rogers has been a steady workhorse for the Twins in late inning situations with an 11-6 record from 2016-2018. His career stats with the Twins for those 3 years look like a solid #2 or #3 starter’s numbers! In 174.2 IP, he’s only allowed 162 hits with 51 walks (11 intentional) and 177 strikeouts! His WHIP this year is an excellent 1.058 with 64 strikeouts in 57.2 IP and 62 appearances. Rogers is a stalwart and a keeper! Rogers splits show an excellent performance vs. left handed batters in 2018. Taylor Rogers Splits
Kyle Gibson
Kyle Gibson has produced a fairly steady season, worthy of a #2 or #3 starter on a solid contending team; a team that makes the playoffs and has a good chance to advance. Some inconsistency and a fairly weak Twins offense have limited him to only 7 wins on the season in 171 innings but with a 3.74 ERA. Based on the ERA and allowing only 152 hits in those 171 innings and striking out 158, Gibson makes this list.
Logan Forsythe
Logan Forsythe, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Brian Dozier trade, primarily so the Dodgers could shed his salary, has seen his career greatly rejuvenated since going the Twins with a slash line of .300/.394/.345 with an OPS of .739 as a Twin. The exciting statistic to me is the .394 OBP. It’s been dropping a bit lately, so let’s hope that high OBP holds up. It’s possible that Joe Mauer and Logan Forsythe could give the Twins some serious on base power in the top two positions in the batting order in 2019. And that’s a great way to kick start any powerful offense!
Eddie Rosario
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Eddie Rosario is clearly the Twins best hitter at this point, although he does chase pitches outside the strike zone. This is somewhat worrisome as far as his achieving his full potential going forward. Rosario’s 2018 slash line of .292/.329/.484 is solid but far from spectacular.
I’m a big believer in utilizing maximum plate discipline in the manner of Joe Mauer and Robbie Grossman. I think, perhaps Rosario could take a step to the next level with forcing the pitcher to come into the strike zone more often.
Rosario can have lapses on the base paths and defensively at times. Tom Schreier quoted Paul Molitor in this July 17, 2018 article on ZONECOVERAGE:
“I kind of look it as less than it used to be as far as things that don’t seem to go in sync with making a good decision. But how many times has he made decisions that have been maybe he’s the only guy on the field who would try it, but they’ve worked out?” said Molitor. “So, you’d have to probably give something to get something there. But what I like is I rarely have to go to him on something that he does and right after the fact, he realizes. He’ll come and he’ll acknowledge it.”
Adalberto Mejia
Adalberto Mejia’s performance with the Twins was encouraging at 2-0 with a 2.01 ERA and a solid WHIP of 1.164. Mejia has reminded me at times of Francisco Liriano back when Liriano’s slider was so effective. So, the potential seems to be there to be a top 3 starter.
Brent Rooker
Brent Rooker was ranked the #7 prospect for the Twins in a recent article by Puckett’s Pond’s Nate Palmer, ranking the #10 through #6 prospects for the Twins. Palmer had Rooker ranked #5 Puckett’s Pond Minnesota Twins 2018 Top-40 Prospects:#6-10. Rooker’s 2018 slash line of .254/.333/.465 with a .798 OPS at AA Chattanooga was encouraging at 23 years old in only his 2nd year of professional ball. Somehow his raw numbers of 503 AB with 34 doubles, 4 triples and 22 home runs with 79 RBI seem to convey the excitement around his bat better than the slash line!
Next. Tyler Austin, big home runs and the case for 2019. dark
Oliver Drake
Oliver Drake, acquired on waivers from the Toronto Blue Jays, has been a big surprise. Having pitched for 5 teams in 2018, his performance for the Twins so far has been a breakthrough. His WHIP of 0.955 in only 14.2 IP, over the course of 13 appearances and 5 games finished is the most impressive statistic. He has also struck out 15 batters in those 14.2 IP. The Twins saw something they liked in Drake and so far, it has panned out better than expected. He may have a role in the 2019 bullpen.