5 Twins that need to have a big season in 2023

Tampa Bay Rays v Minnesota Twins
Tampa Bay Rays v Minnesota Twins / Brace Hemmelgarn/GettyImages
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Center Field. . Byron Buxton. player. 2. . 4.

This one is also obvious, as Byron Buxton has shown the ability to be an all-time player for the Twins but nearly every year an injury has sidelined him for a long period of time. It has not only caused his stats to plummet but the Twins have always struggled when Buxton is hurt. Buxton did play in 92 games last season (which was his most since 2017) and he was named to his first All-Star Game but was still overall limited due to a knee injury that occurred early in the season.

Now with the addition of Michael A. Taylor, Buxton will finally have a quality backup to be a substitute in center when Buxton needs rest -- or if he gets hurt again. It's an immeasurable weight to have off of his shoulders. With that being said, the Twins are going to need him to stay healthy for a good portion of this year because there will be no Luis Arraez to ignite this team at the top of the lineup. It will be up to Buxton and his counterpart at shorstop, Carlos Correa, to lead this team.


. Third Base | First Base. 2. . . José Miranda. 3. player

In 2022, it didn't take long for Jose Miranda to remind us of why he was the Twins top minor league prospect at the beginning of the decade. He started out slow with his bat but once he got that figured out, Miranda became one of the top rookies in the league. The young third baseman slugged a .268 batting average and had a .325 OBP.

Miranda also flexed his clutch muscle with his two most notable moments being a walk-off hit against Baltimore and a walk-off home run in a game against Milwaukee when he hit it off of one of the best closers in the league: Josh Hader.

Miranda will start the season at third base but with the Twins trading away Luis Arraez they are asking him to take a step up this year. He showed he has superstar potential during his rookie season but now he's gonna have to be the man that gets the hits for the Twins.