2 Twins Players Who Quieted Injury Concerns In 2021

[Cody Christie]

Byron Buxton gets a lot of the focus for his myriad of injuries throughout his professional career, but he isn’t the only Twins player with an injury history. Here are two players that stayed healthy and productive during the 2021 season.

Every season, some players can avoid injury and stay productive. MLB Trade Rumors identified 15 hitters who could quiet some of their injury concerns in 2021. Two of those players were critical components of Minnesota’s lineup last season. 

Josh Donaldson, 3B
Recent Injury Woes: Missed 149 games between 2018-2020
2021 Season: 135 G, .247/.352/.475 (.827), 127 OPS+, 26 HR, 26 2B

Donaldson signed with the Twins leading into the 2020 season, and expectations were high for his first campaign. This was especially true since he was coming off a season where he posted a 126 OPS+ while hitting 37 home runs and 33 doubles. Unfortunately, the pandemic shortened the season, and injuries limited him to 28 games. Many fans were frustrated that he wasn’t on the field, and some of those frustrations trickled over into his second season in Minnesota. 

Last season, Donaldson managed any injury concerns and played over 130 games for only the second time since 2016. Over the previous five years, he has been rotating between seasons marked by injury and healthy seasons. If this pattern holds, his 2022 campaign might be lining up for him to miss more time, especially since he will be in his age-36 season. Perhaps that is one reason the Twins would be willing to trade Donaldson this winter. 

At this point in his Twins tenure, it’s clear the Twins have failed Josh Donaldson. Minnesota is in the middle of their winning window, and he was signed as a veteran player to help push the club to playoff success. He has provided tremendous value when he has been on the field. Maybe the 2021 season points to him figuring out a long-term solution to some of his injury woes.  

Miguel Sanó, 1B
Recent Injury Woes: Missed 155 games between 2018-2020
2021 Season: 135 G, .223/.312/.466 (.788), 112 OPS+, 30 HR, 24 2B
In two of the last three seasons, Sanó has collected 30 or more home runs, so fans may have forgotten how much time he has missed due to injury. Last season, he played a career-high 135 games, which was 29 more than he had played in any other season. From 2018 to 2019, he averaged 88 games per season, which included some minor league demotions to find his swing. 

When Sanó makes contact, he ranks among baseball’s best at barreling up the ball. Last season, he ranked in the 97th percentile or higher in average exit velocity, max exit velocity, hard-hit %, and barrel %. He also showed a dramatic improvement in his ability to draw walks as he finished the year in the 78th percentile compared to 2020, when he was in the 46th percentile. At this point, Sanó is a streaky big-league hitter that can still provide value to a team throughout a season.  

With Alex Kirilloff’s emergence, there is a good chance Sanó starts seeing more time as the team’s primary DH. Sanó is also in an important year for his future with the organization. Minnesota has a $14 million team option for 2023 with a $2.75 million buyout. It seems unlikely that the Twins will pick up that option, so Sanó is playing for his next contract this season. If he wants to stay in Minnesota, he will have to continue to prove he can stay healthy and provide value. 

Do you think both players can stay healthy in 2022? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[h2oface]

I'm a fan of Donaldson in general..... his progression from childhood, his fire, and his ability, and am glad he is on the team. I hesitate, however, to give him credit for "what the batted ball data shows he should have hit". The only thing that matters, is what he did. And that was, even in 2021, not coming up with the hero big hit so often when we needed him, and the opportunity was his as he stepped up to the plate. I would even go so far to say that Josh has failed the Twins in the first two years, and not the other way around. 2021 was a disaster not only from the pitching staff performance, but also because just about all the players were suffering at the plate, other than Polanco, and Buxton when he was on the field, There were times when you could look at the box, and half the batters were hitting around, or less, than .200! When we really needed him, in the short 2020 season and down the stretch and for the postseason, he could not take the field, and be the player he was paid to be. I know..... injuries happen, but that was the biggest failure in the tenure so far. I hope, if we even have baseball, he is prepping and doing what he needs to on his own to stay healthy and on the field, and provide performance that justifies his contract.

[DocBauer]

I don't like to buy in very deeply as to what numbers say someone "might" have done or "should" have done. Numbers can be skewed and what's most important, usually, is what actually happened at the end of things. Even still, Donaldson DID play and produce. And based on various WAR numbers, that I appreciate but don't always "get" henearned his pay in 2021. And I liked how the Twins rotated him at DH here and there to help keep him fresh. A similar 2022 would be just fine with me. And with everyone around him performing better, his numbers could rise if he plays another 130G. And he's still fine defensively, though his range has slipped some.

Sano is just always going to be a streaky player it appears. But he's so good and so dangerous at times that I can live with that, even though I'm not sure I ever want him hitting higher than the 5 hoke. He still brings tremendous value over the course of the year, even though it doesn't appear he'll ever be the hitter we had hoped for. I also don't think he's quite as bad defensively as some numbers indicate. He's still learning 1B and makes some silly mistakes. But he's solid on pop-ups, mostly fields cleanly, and is adept at scoop plays.

The biggest issue here might be room with Kirilloff back and healthy and the need for Miranda to play. It's also why we don't need a full time DH. (Areaez also fits in to the DH picture). Of course, we know over an entire season, these things will often work themselves out.

Both of these guys are an oxymoron. Each offers real value and real production not only for the Twins, but for other teams as well that would like to have them and could benefit from their presence. (Especially if the DH is adopted in the NL). But there are enough questions about each that there are real questions of return value if traded vs just keeping them and what they can bring to the Twins.

Sano may be inconsistent, but remains so dangerous and largely productive at the end of the day. Even healthy, Donaldson isn't getting younger, but is still good and dangerous and provides fire and experience and if traded, do you really get much salary relief considering you will have to eat part of his deal?

I think both probably remain with the Twins to open 2022 and I'm OK with that. I'm not in a hurry to move either one. But I'm also OK with doing so if the right deal comes along. 

 

 

[Doctor Gast]

In 2021, I think the biggest health plus is Jorge Polanco, 2019 & 2020 he played hurt and needed surgery both years, Being finally healthy shown big dividends, can't wait for a fully restored & acclimated Polanco for a full 2022.

[Linus]

A big reason the twins signed Donaldson was for his defense. To the extent they have to do DH him that certainly subtracts from his overall value. 

[bean5302]

I think Donaldson would have benefitted from a longer stint off recovering from his calf injury last year, but the Twins just didn't have the guys on the roster they wanted to cover the position.

Glad to see Sano managed more plate appearances than ever before. I don't like to see anybody missing games because of injury.

[TwinsDr2021]

11 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I don't like to buy in very deeply as to what numbers say someone "might" have done or "should" have done. Numbers can be skewed and what's most important, usually, is what actually happened at the end of things.

? agree with this statement. The season is over we have what players actually did, not what they should have done. But we can look at those numbers and use them as prediction going forward.

[Trov]

Although Donaldson did not miss a bunch of time, he still has major injury concerns.  His sprint speed is about as fast a turtle stuck in mud.  He has no plans of pushing his legs just in case.  I am not saying that is a bad thing, as his bat still has value, but you cannot tell me every time he tries to open it up you hold your breath wondering if his calf will explode. 

[chpettit19]

I think they'll share a bunch of the DH duties in 2022. When Sano is hot he'll be in the lineup everyday. When he's striking out 75% of the time he'll get time off. The Twins have the flexibility to rest guys and sit guys when they're cold. At least around the IF. With JD, SS yet to be brought in, Polanco, Sano, Kirilloff, Arraez, Gordon, and Miranda I'm not worried about injuries with the IF.