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Minnesota Twins 3 Up, 3 Down: Mitch Garver continues to stay hot

By Chris Schad

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 12: Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners slides safely past Mitch Garver #18 of the Minnesota Twins during the tenth inning of the game on June 12, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mariners defeated the Twins 9-6 in ten innings. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 12: Dee Gordon #9 of the Seattle Mariners slides safely past Mitch Garver #18 of the Minnesota Twins during the tenth inning of the game on June 12, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Mariners defeated the Twins 9-6 in ten innings. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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DETROIT, MI – JUNE 9: Mitch Garver #18 of the Minnesota Twins doubles to drive in Jorge Polanco against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 9, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images)
DETROIT, MI – JUNE 9: Mitch Garver #18 of the Minnesota Twins doubles to drive in Jorge Polanco against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Comerica Park on June 9, 2019 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Duane Burleson/Getty Images) /

UP: Mitch Garver

Just like his teammate Nelson Cruz, many wouldn’t have blamed Mitch Garver if he needed some time to get back in the swing of things coming off the injured list. Instead of going through a post ankle injury slump, Garver has picked up where he has left off and is starting to blossom into one of the best hitting catchers in the game.

Since returning from his injury on June 2, Garver has compiled a slash line of .286/.359/.514 with two home runs and nine RBI. To add to the recent performance, Garver currently has a WAR of 2.0 this season, which would lead Major League Baseball among catchers if he qualified right now (something that would happen if he didn’t miss time with the previously mentioned ankle injury).

On a weekend where the Twins honored one of the greatest hitting catchers of all-time, Garver stepped up his game last week and clocked a two-run, go-ahead home run in the eighth inning of a 2-0 win over the Royals on Friday night. It’s unlikely that Garver will win a MVP award like Mauer did, but he’s putting on a show and becoming a major presence in the middle of the Twins’ lineup.

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