Minnesota Twins: 3 things Josh Donaldson brings to the Twins
The Minnesota Twins landed their big free agent, but what does “The Bringer of Rain” bring to a team that won 101 games last season?
The Minnesota Twins offseason appeared to be a repeat of a movie that Twins fans had seen before after striking out on adding an impact pitcher. However, the Twins continued to find ways to improve the team through free agency and while it wasn’t another arm to put on the mound, they came away with a big victory, reportedly agreeing with Josh Donaldson on a four-year deal.
Known as “The Bringer of Rain,” Donaldson’s offensive ability is going to be what most fans are talking about, but he still is capable of bringing much more. As a 34-year-old that just played a full season in the National League, Donaldson is still able to man the hot corner at an elite level and by shifting Miguel Sano over to first base, the Twins got a whole lot better with this signing.
The Twins still need to make a major move before we plan a parade route on Nicollet Mall, but Donaldson’s arrival is a step in the right direction. This article will take a look at what Donaldson can provide and how he can help the Twins get over the hump in 2020.
The Bringer of Rain makes the Bomba Squad even more dangerous
As mentioned in the introduction, Donaldson’s offensive ability is what made several teams fall over themselves to sign him this offseason. Outside of a 2018 season which was marred by injury, Donaldson has been one of the more consistent power hitters in the league, slugging 33 or more home runs in three of the past four seasons.
While he probably isn’t going to match his absurd 2015 line (.297, 41 HR, 123 RBI) that netted the American League MVP award, he will bring a bat that ranked in the upper echelon of exit velocity (98th percentile according to Baseball Savant) and hard-hit percentage (97th percentile).
What’s even more impressive is that Donaldson’s power comes with quite a bit of patience, as he’s ranked within the top 20 of walks in every full major league season outside of his 2018 disaster. While he also is prone to strikeouts (155 K in 549 AB last season), he should fit right in with the feast or famine approach that the Bomba Squad had in 2019.
Slotting Donaldson’s bat in the middle of the Twins lineup also gives pitchers less options to pitch around as The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman noted that the entire starting lineup boasts an OPS above the MLB average of .758.
Twins' starting nine and their OPS last year:
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) January 15, 2020
1.031 Nelson Cruz
.995 Mitch Garver
.923 Miguel Sano
.900 Josh Donaldson
.855 Max Kepler
.841 Jorge Polanco
.838 Luis Arraez
.827 Byron Buxton
.800 Eddie Rosario
.758 *MLB AVERAGE*
This lineup is bonkers now. https://t.co/GPbYsyljqK
With nowhere to hide, Donaldson’s arrival arguably gives the Twins the best lineup in baseball regardless if they switch to the old baseballs in 2020.
Donaldson should help the Twins infield defensively
While everyone knows about Donaldson’s abilities at the plate, the bigger draw for the Twins might have been his defensive ability at the hot corner. The Twins were one of the defensive infields in all of baseball last year and with Miguel Sano committing 22 errors in just 91 games at third base, Minnesota knew that an upgrade needed to be made.
Donaldson was one of the games elite defenders at third base last season, finishing third in Baseball Savant’s outs above average metric with his eight OAA finishing behind Colorado’s Nolan Arenado (17) and Oakland’s Matt Chapman (14). What might benefit the Twins is his range, which helped record five outs above average in front of him and three toward shortstop.
Getting to more balls should help out Jorge Polanco, who owned the worst OAA (-16) by an infielder last season along with Toronto’s Vladamir Guerrero Jr. Meanwhile, Sano ranked 29th among third basemen (-3) in OAA, meaning a move over to first base could be a productive one after signing a three-year deal earlier this week.
In most measurables, the addition of Donaldson should create a ripple effect in the infield and while they are hoping that Sano’s move to first base goes smoother than an attempt to move him to right field in 2016, this should save Twins pitchers from having to get unnecessary outs moving forward.
Donaldson brings even more swagger to Minnesota
Probably the best thing that Donaldson brings is an extension of the attitude the Twins took on during the 2019 season. For the longest time, the Twins were known for the “Twins Way,” where they would do the right thing, scratch and claw and show up to work politely and whatever happened on the diamond just kind of happened.
The Twins took care of that by blasting 307 home runs and with that came a certain kind of swagger that had been missing since Torii Hunter and Doug Mientkiewicz were wearing Twins uniforms. Of course, those two were on the 2002 team that responded from the threat of contraction with an appearance in the ALCS.
Donaldson should have no problem instilling a swagger within the Twins and with this MLB Network interview posted by Parker Hageman, it’s clear that he’s not coming to Minnesota to go the opposite way (or hit ground balls).
Next. Twins make their splash, sign Josh Donaldson. dark
As if his bat wasn’t a major clue, Donaldson should have no trouble fitting in with the Bomba Squad and if he can provide a steady presence at third base over the next couple years, it should be an easy task to live up to his big contract.