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In charting the ascent of a prospect core entrusted with restoring the organization's winning culture, we knew there would be growing pains. Unfortunately, they've been a little more severe than expected. But rather than focusing on the pain, let's focus on the growth.
Miguel Sano has endured a tough year, from a variety of perspectives. There were the position switches, the adjustments from opposing pitchers, the injuries afflicting his hamstring, elbow and back. Some of his troubles were self-inflicted, as Sano came under fire for his work ethic and his occasional antics on the field.
But at the end of the day, through all of that, what you have in Sano is a 23-year-old who has posted a .797 OPS and hit 24 homers in his first full season as a big-leaguer. He'll head into the offseason knowing what he needs to do to take his game to the next level. And, at least according to him, he'll have greater resolve to do so.
Similarly, it's easy to find positivity within the tumult of Byron Buxton's season. His makeup and mental fortitude were touted almost as much as his athleticism while prospect publications lavished praise during his rise through the minors. Both were on display while he stumbled repeatedly in his first several tries against major-league pitching.
While striking out at a catastrophic rate and failing to find any kind of traction for much of the season, Buxton was undoubtedly frustrated but it never really showed. When demoted to the minors, twice, he didn't let his dejection affect his play or focus. Now, during his fifth major-league stint here in September, the light bulb has finally flipped on.
Since his latest call-up Buxton is batting .288 and slugging .625. He shows renewed confidence at the plate. His defense, as ever, is game-changing in center field. He's finally playing like he belongs. If he sticks, his impact over a full season – both in terms of run scoring and prevention – can hardly be overstated.
Hitters throughout the lineup are inspiring optimism. Max Kepler hit his 17th home run on Sunday, a tremendous rookie showing for a developing young hitter whose highest total in the minors was 10. Jorge Polanco is a middle infielder that can credibly be written in as the No. 3 hitter, and has been on numerous occasions. Eddie Rosario posted an .812 OPS after returning from his short trip to Rochester. Brian Dozier has emerged as one of the game's biggest stars.
On the pitching side, obviously, things aren't so rosy. But I take solace in this fact: it can't get worse. It really can't. This team will come close to matching – and might still surpass – the Twins record for runs allowed set in 1996. That record was set with an atrocious pitching staff, at the height of the steroid era and its offensive inflation.
Jose Berrios has taken a beating, no doubt. We haven't seen too many pitchers struggle this much in their introductions to the majors, let alone talents of his caliber. But he's also 22, and fueled by relentless motivation to improve. At this point, I'm more eager to see how he comes back next year than worried he'll never find the strike zone. The stuff is clearly there.
The same can be said for J.T. Chargois, who has settled into a nice groove after initially getting roughed up. Over his last 10 appearances, the fireballer has allowed one run and three hits. It is evident that he's a cut above the rest of the erratic hard-throwers that have come through the Twins bullpen in recent years.
While the staff has delivered hideous results this year, there is a lot more ability than the numbers would suggest. And the Twins have the luxury of carrying some interesting assets like Tyler Duffey and Trevor May, who appear ill-suited for their current roles but boast undeniable upside.
Getting the most out of such assets has been a crippling failure for the club this season, but new leadership will be in place moving forward. Based on the rumblings, it sounds like we might have a name announced before the season ends next Sunday. Then, the focus will turn toward the future.
It's a future that will include more mature and experienced versions of Buxton, Sano, Kepler, Berrios, Chargois and more. It's a future that will be overseen by a rearranged front office, which will have at its disposal a premier trade chip in Dozier, a top pitching prospect in Stephen Gonsalves, and the No. 1 pick in next June's draft.
This 2016 season has been a hell of a speed bump, but it doesn't feel like much more than that. Plenty of signs still point to a quality product in the not-so-distant future. The bad taste in our mouths after this rotten campaign will only make the final destination that much sweeter.
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