Minnesota Twins: 4 Twins that should be in the MLB All-Star Game
Despite the holding the top records in the American League, the Minnesota Twins will only be sending two representatives to the MLB All-Star Game.
The Minnesota Twins have put together a great first half in 2019. Entering Sunday’s series finale with the Chicago White Sox, the Twins were one game back of the New York Yankees for the best record in the American League. To boot, Minnesota also led the AL in runs per game at 5.74 just ahead of the Yankees, who check in at 5.73.
With a strong resume in hand, many thought the Twins would send several players to the MLB All-Star Game in Cleveland on July 9. However, in a system that is voted on by their peers and opposing managers, only Jake Odorizzi and Jorge Polanco will be making the trip as the Twins got hosed in the All-Star voting process
While Odorizzi and Polanco deserve the accolades for making it to Cleveland, the bigger story is why the Twins didn’t have more representatives going. By comparison, the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians, who both trail the Twins in the AL Central by a considerable margin, will be sending three representatives a piece, making this a bizarre decision.
There are benefits to not having the entire team make its way to Cleveland, especially for a team that is as banged up as the Twins are right now. However, there were several players that deserved to make the trip over some of the players that did make the cut.
Eddie Rosario – OF
Eddie Rosario had a tough hill to climb to become a starter in the All-Star Game as there were several outfielders that were deserving of that honor. In fact, it’s hard to argue that the fans didn’t get the AL outfield correct as Mike Trout, George Springer and Michael Brantley have all had strong seasons so far and deserve to take the field in Cleveland.
Despite that, it was almost a given that Rosario would make the trip as a reserve, but he was passed over in favor of Mookie Betts, Austin Meadows and Joey Gallo. Meadows and Gallo are both deserving of the nod, but the down season of Betts draws plenty of questions.
The Red Sox are in the middle of a disappointing year coming off a World Series championship and Betts’ 2019 season has been one of the biggest head scratchers league-wide. The 26-year old put together a monster MVP campaign last year, hitting .346 with 32 HR, 80 RBI and 30 stolen bases, but hasn’t lived up to the hype this year.
Entering Sunday, Betts was hitting just .261 and his slugging percentage, which was a league-leading .640 in 2018 has dropped to .456 this season, which would be a career-low outside of his rookie year where he slugged .444 in 2014.
While Betts has suffered a hangover, Rosario may be having his best season to date. His line of .280 with 20 HR and 60 RBI has helped power one of the best lineups in the league and even though he is on the shelf with a sprained ankle, it’s still a mystery why he wouldn’t be named to the All-Star game and possibly have Betts as his replacement.
Either way, it appears that Rosario getting snubbed for the All-Star Game is becoming just as much of a tradition as the Midsummer Classic itself.
Max Kepler – OF
Sticking with the theme of outfielders that have outplayed Betts, Twins leadoff hitter Max Kepler also belongs on this list. Kepler came into this seasons with plenty of questions after a disappointing 2018 season that saw him hit just .224. While many saw a steep decline, the Twins saw his low BABIP (.236) and decided to bank on his potential with a contract extension before spring training.
Much like his counterpart Polanco, who will start the All-Star Game via fan voting, Kepler has proven the faith the Twins put in him to be warranted with a career season. Kepler is also outhitting Betts across the board with a .269 average, 21 HR and 53 RBI.
Sometimes with voting like this, a player’s reputation takes precedence over their actual stats this season. With Betts and the Red Sox struggling, it’s fair to wonder why neither Kepler or Rosario got the nod to head to Cleveland.
Jose Berrios – SP
Last year, Jose Berrios broke out as one of the brightest young arms in baseball, compiling a 12-11 record and a modest 3.84 ERA. While it was a good season, many expected Berrios to take another leap forward in 2019 and he has done just that.
In 17 starts this season, Berrios has went 8-4 and nearly shaved a full run off his ERA checking in at 2.89. While he’s had his moments as a high-wire act, Berrios has been extremely good for the Twins this season, giving them much needed innings and instilling confidence in the clubhouse.
While Berrios’ performance is better than when he got the All-Star nod in 2018, he still didn’t get the invite to Cleveland, which may be one of the biggest head scratchers.
The pitching spots in the Midsummer Classic were loaded up by automatic spots for some teams like John Means of Baltimore and and Shane Greene of the Tigers, but there were others that were random such as Brad Hand of the Indians.
What might be more surprising is that Berrios almost has superior stats to Houston’s Gerrit Cole, who was the Astros’ sixth All-Star representative. On the season Berrios has more wins (8) than Cole (7) and a lower ERA (2.89) than the Houston ace (3.42).
While the Astros do benefit from recency bias from capturing a World Series in 2017, it’s still fair to wonder what else Berrios has to do to make this team.
C.J. Cron – 1B
The Twins have been looking for power at first base since Justin Morneau retired and with Joe Mauer walking away after last season, the Twins answer at first resided in C.J. Cron. After winning a spring training battle with Lucas Duda and Tyler Austin, Cron finally earned the everyday role he had been craving and has taken off ever since.
On the season, Cron is hitting .271 with 17 HR and 52 RBI and has provided pop in the middle of a lineup that has taken a huge step forward this season. While Cron rightfully came up short to Cleveland’s Carlos Santana in the MLB All-Star Starter Election, it’s debateable whether Cron should have been passed in favor of Chicago’s Jose Abreu.
Again, Abreu has more name recognition and a track record to help sway voters on the fence, but his 2019 season hasn’t been on the same level as Cron’s. Although he has 19 HR and 60 RBI compared to Cron’s line, he’s hit for a lower average at .262 and hasn’t done much to elevate a White Sox lineup that is among the bottom half at 4.34 runs per game.
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This is part of the strange fact that the Indians and White Sox have more representatives than the Twins do. In the end, it may not matter considering the Twins main goal is to get to the postseason and make some noise, but it has to be disappointing to see their breakout players of 2019 fail to get rewarded for their efforts.