A pair of standout Twins players are among this year's AL Gold Glove finalists
It's proof that the season as a whole wasn't as bad as it seemed at the end.
It's still hard to believe just how bad the Minnesota Twins were toward the end of the season. The price paid for the historic collapse was a near-90 percent chance to make the playoffs being spoiled, and four jobs in the clubhouse.
Minnesota moved on from hitting coach David Popkins and his entire staff, and also parted ways with general manager Thad Levine. The fallout will likely extend to the roster as well, with Minnesota set to make a number of key decisions on players with expiring contracts.
As bad as things were, there was plenty to be proud about. That might be hard to see given how the season ended, but we're already being reminded -- perhaps painfully so -- just how good the Twins were at one point in the season.
On Tuesday the Gold Glove finalists for the American League were revealed, which included two Twins players. As expected, Carlos Santana was named a finalists at first base, while Willie Castro was named a finalist at the utility spot.
Twins' Carlos Santana and Willi Castro named AL Gold Glove finalists
Here's the complete list of AL Gold Glove finalists:
Position | Player | Player | Player |
|---|---|---|---|
First Base | Carlos Santana (MIN) | Nathaniel Lowe (TEX) | Ryan Mountcastle (BAL) |
Second Base | Andrés Giménez (CLE) | Nicky Lopez (CWS) | Marcus Semien (TEX) |
Shortstop | Brayan Rocchio (CLE) | Anthony Volpe (NYY) | Bobby Witt Jr. (KC) |
Third Base | José Ramirez (CLE) | Alex Bregman (HOU) | Enrie Clement (TOR) |
Right Field | Juan Soto (NYY) | Wilyer Abreu (BOS) | Jo Adell (LAA) |
Centerfield | Jarren Duran (BOS) | Jake Meyers (HOU) | Daulton Varsho (TOR) |
Left Field | Colton Cowser (BAL) | Alex Verdugo (NYY) | Steven Kwan (CLE) |
Utility | Willi Castro (MIN) | Mauricio Dubón (HOU) | Dylan Moore (SEA) |
Catcher | Jake Rogers (DET) | Freddy Fermin (KC) | Cal Raleigh (SEA) |
Pitcher | Cole Ragans (KC) | Seth Lugo (KC) | Griffin Canning (LAA) |
It's an insane list of the best players in baseball, and the fact that neither Santana nor Castro being among the names sticks out is a pretty accurate reflection of how talented the Twins' roster was. So much of the season has been tainted by how things ended, but for most of the summer it seemed like only a matter of time before Minnesota was going to take over the AL Central.
That didn't happen, but the seasons that Santana and Castro have deserve to be honored.
Better yet, there's a real chance that they both walk away with Gold Gloves at their repsective positions. Santana was signed for his bat, but it was his defense that ended up being the most valuable thing he brought to Minnesota. Meanwhile, Castro was named an All-Star for the first time in his career, leading the Twins with 158 games played.
Now the question becomes how does this potentially impact their return to Minnesota?
Santana signed a one-year deal while Castro is arbitration-eligible this winter. There's an almost certain chance he gets tendered, but his salary projection is around $7 million, which could make him the biggest addition to the payroll this offseason.
That's all discussion for a different day. For now, this Gold Glove list is a reminder that despite how bad things ended the Twins did a lot of good things that we should look back on and appreciate.
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