The Minnesota Twins are eager to leave 2024 behind and while the sting of last season remains, the 2025 season offers a chance at redemption.
For some players, that could be a return to health. For others, it’s rebounding from a disappointing year to help the Twins avoid missing the postseason for the fourth time in the past five seasons.
Here’s a look at some of the Twins’ most important players who need to rebound and what their success could mean in 2025.
Jhoan Duran
There are a lot of teams that would take Duran’s performance in 2024. He had a 3.64 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in 54.1 innings and still had the highest fastball velocity in baseball at 100.5 mph. But Duran had some red flags that have Twins fans worried.
Hitters were more patient against Duran last year as his chase rate dropped from 30.1 percent to 28 percent. Opposing batters also squared up Duran’s fastball more often, hitting .296 with a .408 slugging percentage compared to a .213 average and .286 slugging percentage in 2023.
But there is enough to suggest Duran could be in for a rebound. The right-hander’s walk rate decreased from 9.8 percent to 6.6 percent last year and he did a better job of limiting hard contact, with decreases in hard-hit and barrel rates. Baseball Savant also logged a lower expected average (.205) and slugging percentage (.301) against Duran’s fastball, which could help the 26-year-old return to his dominant form in 2025.
Edouard Julien
Julien was considered a future cornerstone of the Twins after hitting .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs and 37 RBI in his rookie season. But despite starting the year with the team, he suffered a severe sophomore slump, hitting .199/.292/.323 with eight homers and 21 RBI in 94 games.
Julien had one of the league’s highest walk rates at 15.7 percent in 2023 but that number dropped to 11.0 last season. This especially hurt as he struck out at a 33.9 percent clip but Julien doesn’t have the profile of a free-swinger with a 17.8 percent chase rate.
While there is a misconception that Julien doesn’t swing enough, he swung at a higher rate in 2024 (40.6%) than he did in his rookie year (37.6%). The bigger issue is how pitchers are attacking him, throwing 44.1 percent of pitches on the edges last season compared to 40.4 percent in his rookie year.
Julien has a lot of the tools necessary to become a solid hitter but it may take a refined approach to reach that potential. As a projected option at first base, Julien needs to turn it around or risk playing his way out of the Twins’ long-term plans.
Royce Lewis
Lewis seemed primed for a breakout in 2024 and even homered in his first at-bat on Opening Day. But a severe quad strain and a right adductor strain derailed his path to stardom, leaving 2025 as a pivotal moment in his young career.
Lewis looked great early, hitting .292/.354/.685 with 10 home runs and 18 RBI in his first 24 games but slumped mightily after returning from his second stint on the injured list. While he hit .207/.370/.350 with six home runs and 29 RBI in his final 58 games, he got worse as the season progressed, hitting .182/.224/.250 with one homer and 12 RBI as the Twins went 11-26 over their final 37 games to miss the playoffs.
The good news is that many of Lewis’s advanced stats are similar to his 2023 season according to Baseball Savant. Lewis has also mentioned how fatigue played a role in his decline and that he’s worked to improve his conditioning this offseason to prepare for a larger role.
The easiest step to a rebound is returning to health and if Lewis can avoid the injured list this summer, there’s a chance he could be back on the path to stardom next season.