The Big Bats
4. Josh Donaldson (Bats: R, Third Base)
Josh Donaldson signed the biggest free agent contract in Minnesota Twins history last offseason. The deal, signed for 4 years, $92 million (with a 5th year option that could make it $100 million) ensures Donaldson will play a big role in the lineup going forward. He started making his impact known right away, training with Royce Lewis (who has a similar leg kick to Donaldson) and hanging around his batting cage sessions, asking questions and talking to Lewis.
The former MVP put together a .259/.379/.521 slash line in 2019 with 37 home runs. He looks like an ideal cleanup guy who can also get on base for the deep lineup to bring him home. Don’t be surprised if he sees the highest run total of his career this year.
5. Max Kepler (Batts L, Right Field)
In addition to Polanco, the Falvey-Levine combo also signed Max Kepler to a long-term extension with the Twins ahead of the 2019 season. With the new three batter minimum rule, it is important to mix our lefties up in our lineup. This leaves us with a choice between Kepler or Rosario in the five-hole.
Kepler, who broke out hitting 36 home runs last season with a .252/.336/.519 slash line in 134 games, looks like the better option of the two, and a staple in our lineup for a long time. You can read more about why he will dominate this year in Otto Johnson’s article found here.
6. Miguel Sano (Bats: R, First Baseman)
Miguel Sano showed up to Spring Training in the best shape of his career.. He looks fully committed to the Twins and his move to first base after signing an extension this off-season. He missed the first part of the season recovering from a freak injury that caused a large cut on his leg. He came back to hit a .247/.346/.576 slash line with 34 home runs in only 105 games.
What makes this even more impressive is that he adjusted his swing mid-season, causing his numbers to slump for about a month in the middle of the year. Sano would slide into a 4/5 spot on most teams, but because of the team’s depth, he’ll slide into the 6 spot this season.