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Rocco Baldelli’s club has seen debuts of multiple rookies this season, while also enjoying the play of superstar Carlos Correa. Despite dealing with plenty of injuries and adversity, bright spots have been aplenty for a club looking to re-establish itself atop the American League Central division.
Here are five of the best developments for the Minnesota Twins in 2022:
Griffin Jax
A year ago Griffin Jax was a starter that had next to nothing going for him. He had an ERA over 6.00 and was giving up homers at an alarming rate. Converted to a full-time reliever this season, Jax has arguably been one of the most underrated arms in baseball. Baldelli went to him often in high-leverage situations, and he worked as a setup guy for the club’s best relief arms. Now striking out over 10.0 per nine innings, he’s emerged as a weapon in relief for quite some time.
Nick Gordon
Finally healthy, and experiencing a full season, Gordon has emerged as a true asset as a utility player. Byron Buxton played through an immense amount of pain this season and put up All-Star numbers while doing so, but when he missed time it was Gordon who stepped up. Royce Lewis’ injury gave Gordon even more run, and having filled in all over the place, Gordon has done more than his part with both the bat and the glove.
Luis Arraez
There was no doubt that Minnesota’s Arraez could hit. He spent a good deal of the year batting north of the .330 mark, and he was a deserving All-Star. The shocking part is that he stepped up at first base, despite never playing there before, and has held down the role for months. No Alex Kirilloff and no Miguel Sano meant Minnesota was in dire straits. Arraez has never been considered a good defender at second base, and he’s not exceptional at first, but to pick it up on the fly and keep hitting has been nothing short of amazing.
Jose Miranda
There’s no argument to be made that Miranda earned his demotion. He posted a .484 OPS through 19 games and it was time to head back to St. Paul. When the roster spot opened after Lewis’ injury, he turned the car around and never made it back to CHS Field. He’s been on fire since, deserves some votes for Rookie of the Year consideration, and leads Minnesota in runs batted in. He’s not a good defender and has played a decent amount as the designated hitter down the stretch, but you have to be thrilled with the continuation of what was an amazing minor league season in 2021.
Jhoan Duran
Enough can’t possibly be said about Jhoan Duran. He came into the season as a starting pitching prospect and was not expected to make the Opening Day roster. A dominant showing in Fort Myers forced the organization’s hand, and he looked electric in a late-inning role. With the fastest pitches not only in Twins history, but among Major League Baseball as a whole, he’s become one of the best relief arms the sport has seen. Duran has closed out games but has given Baldelli an arm to rely on in the highest leverage scenarios and has provided Minnesota with more value than they ever could have imagined.
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