The shortened 2020 MLB season didn’t go as many people were expecting it to, and for a handful of seasoned Minnesota Twins players, it went even worse. These players are looking to prove that their 2020 performances were a shorthanded fluke that doesn’t represent their careers entering into decline.
Some Minnesota Twins players did not have the best 2020 on the field. They look to return to quality form as Opening Day 2021 approaches.
One of these players is Josh Donaldson. The now 35-year-old third baseman is entering the second year of his 4-year, $92 million deal with the Minnesota Twins, and year one did not quite live up to the hype.
Donaldson’s 2020 season was limited to 28 games played, as Donaldson continued to battle his calf injuries on and off again in the two month regular season. In that time Donaldson posted a weak .222 batting average, with six home runs and 11 runs batted in, and he’s looking to improve on that.
2021 wouldn’t be the first time Donaldson looks to prove himself from an injury-filled previous season. Donaldson experienced limited playing time due to leg injuries throughout the 2018 season only playing in 52 games between the Toronto Blue Jays and Cleveland Indians.
In 2019, Donaldson had a comeback season with the Atlanta Braves, hitting 37 home runs, driving in 94 runs, and posting an even .900 on base plus slugging. These numbers led to his massive deal with the Twins, so the team is hoping that he can recover that form.
Donaldson has proven before he can recover from an injury-plagued season and return to all star form. Minnesota Twins fans should not expect to be wary for Donaldson’s career to be in decline because of his shortened performance last season, as Donaldson is still one of the most-likely MVP candidates on the roster.
Mitch Garver is another member of the Minnesota Twins looking to bounce back from injury in 2020 that limited his own playing time to 23 games. In those 23 games, Garver hit well below the Mendoza line at .167 for his batting average with only two home runs and five runs batted in.
Garver broke out as one the best hitting catchers in 2019 with the Bomba Squad, as Garver’s 31 home runs in 2019 were second among the catchers in the MLB, trailing behind the New York Yankees’ catcher Gary Sanchez.
2021 has to be a bounce-back year, and even though Garver turned 30 over the offseason, age has shown no sign of stopping this backstop quite yet. Hopefully he can lead the Minnesota Twins behind the plate on Opening Day.