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Minnesota Twins: 5 most important players in the second half

By Chris Schad

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 28: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins watches his two run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 28, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JUNE 28: Miguel Sano #22 of the Minnesota Twins watches his two run home run against the Chicago White Sox during the second inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on June 28, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by David Banks/Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JUNE 26: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Target Field on June 26, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Twins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4.(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JUNE 26: Taylor Rogers #55 of the Minnesota Twins pitches in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Target Field on June 26, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Minnesota Twins defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-4.(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images) /

Taylor Rogers

Many Twins fans are scouring rumors and Twitter to see who the team could land at the trade deadline to help their bullpen. While the addition of Ken Giles or Will Smith would be a shot in the arm for the club, the Twins will have to have some of their current arms step up in the second half to make a push.

While a lot of the Twins relievers have been inconsistent this season, one constant has been Taylor Rogers. The left-hander has emerged to be one of baseball’s best relievers since the middle of last season when he started using his slider more. Since June of 2018, Rogers has posted a 1.56 ERA with 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings and has become a dominant reliever at the end of the Twins bullpen.

The question for Rogers now is whether he can handle the pressure of a playoff race. Even if the Twins do get a reliever via trade, it will still be on Rogers to get some of the biggest outs the Twins will face all season. In a perfect world, Rogers would be the Twins’ version of Andrew Miller, who helped carry the Cleveland Indians to the World Series in 2016.

It remains to be seen if Rogers can be that dominant, but in the closing months, he’s going to have to be the Twins’ best in-house option.

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