With seven weeks remaining before the MLB All-Star break, it's never too early to start thinking about who is going to earn the honor of representing the Twins in the Midsummer Classic. In each of the past four seasons, the Twins have had exactly two players named to the American League All-Star team, with Carlos Correa and Willi Castro representing the team in Texas last season. With that being said, let's take a look into who would represent the Twins if the teams were to be decided upon today, as well as who still has the ability to work their way into that conversation.
If the decision were to be made today, and the team had only one representative, who would it be?
If the trend of the past four seasons were to be broken and the Twins were to have only one player represent them in the All-Star game, as of today, that player would be Byron Buxton. Prior to landing on the 7-day concussion injured list following a collision with Carlos Correa, Buxton had played in 41 of the Twins' 44 games to that point. He is slashing .261/.312/.522 with 10 home runs, 5 doubles, 3 triples, 27 RBI, and 8 stolen bases through about a quarter of the season. His 1.9 fWAR places him second among American League outfielders, only behind Aaron Judge, who looks to be well on his way to his third MVP award. Beyond his impressive numbers at the plate, Buxton has continued to play the elite center field defense, which has been a massive part of his value throughout his career. Also among his competition for an All-Star nod are Trent Grisham, Wilyer Abreu, Steven Kwan, and Ryan O'Hearn. This group is strong, but at present, it seems fair to conclude that if the Twins were to be limited to one representative, it would be Byron Buxton.
Who else seems like a strong bet to make the team as of today?
As was previously mentioned, the Twins have had two players represent them at the All-Star game in each of the past four seasons. If that trend were to continue, their flamethrowing closer feels like the best bet to join Byron Buxton in Atlanta this July.
Jhoan Duran has been outstanding for the Twins this season. It is worth noting that each All-Star team typically only rosters about five relievers, so making the team as a reliever isn't an easy feat. Despite this, Duran feels likely to make that cut as of today. He currently owns a 1.11 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP in 24.1 innings with 29 strikeouts on the year while also converting 8 of his 9 save opportunities. These numbers place him among the elite relievers in the game, and he has certainly earned that title over the past few seasons. Currently, Andrés Muñoz and Luke Weaver feel like locks to be selected as American League All-Star relievers. It is also worth noting that every team must be represented in the All-Star game, and presently, Brendon Little, a left-handed reliever, feels like a decent bet to be the man who would represent the Blue Jays. That likely only leaves a couple of open spots where Duran could potentially slot in, but it feels likely that he would claim one of them. Among his competition for those remaining spots are Josh Hader, Hunter Gaddis, Will Vest, and fellow Twin Danny Coulombe.
Who else could work their way into the conversation?
At present, it feels like the Twins sending two representatives to Atlanta in Byron Buxton and Jhoan Duran would be the most likely scenario. This leaves out both Joe Ryan and Pablo López, who have both been outstanding in anchoring a very strong Twins rotation this season.
Ryan is 4-2 with a 2.58 ERA in 57 innings through 10 outings, totaling 67 strikeouts and just 8 walks, good for an 8.38 K/BB ratio that is second among qualified pitchers to only Tarik Skubal. He owns a WHIP of 0.81, which is also second among qualified pitchers, trailing only Nathan Eovaldi.
López is slightly hindered by the fact that he suffered a hamstring injury and spent a couple of weeks on the injured list earlier this season, but his numbers are also fantastic. He is 4-2 with a 2.31 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP in 50.2 innings through 9 starts, totaling 54 strikeouts to 9 walks.
The numbers for each of these two can certainly be looked at as All-Star worthy, but steep competition and 15 teams to represent make it seem as though they'd be on the outside looking in at present. With names such as Tarik Skubal, Max Fried, Hunter Brown, Nathan Eovaldi, Kris Bubic, and Jacob deGrom all in the picture, as well as Shane Smith likely representing the White Sox, Ryan and López are certainly in the conversation but likely wouldn't make the cut as of today.
A few more Twins who could work their way into this conversation by July are Ryan Jeffers, Harrison Bader, Carlos Correa, and Danny Coulombe. Jeffers has put together a solid season to this point, but has steep competition at the catcher position with names such as Cal Raleigh, Logan O'Hoppe, and Carlos Narváez. Bader has been outstanding defensively and paired very solid offensive production with it, but would likely need to see an uptick offensively to be named an All-Star. Carlos Correa has gotten off to a slow start thus far but has seen similar results in the past as well and still made his way onto an All-Star roster. Danny Coulombe is currently on the 15-day injured list with a left forearm extensor strain but has yet to allow a run this season. If he can make his way back from this injury within the next few weeks, he has a chance to be named to his first All-Star team. A final fun item is that it's worth noting that if Kody Clemens were to qualify, his 1.130 OPS that he has posted since joining the Twins would rank second in MLB behind only Aaron Judge, and he would surely be on his way to an All-Star selection.