Twins

Yesterday, we reviewed the top Minnesota Twins hitters from the decade of the 1980s. That group was impressive. Today, we will discuss the top Twins pitchers during the 1980s.

Yesterday, we reviewed the 21st through 30th most-viewed articles on Twins Daily in 2018. You’ll want to read that, but today, find out which stories or articles ranked 11th through 20th in terms of most viewed on Twins Daily way back in 2018. It’s fun to see which stories were deemed most intriguing. Sometimes it is breaking news, and sometimes it is speculation. Sometimes it is just a topic or a player that we were intrigued by.

Yesterday, we looked at the top hitters in the Minnesota Twins farm system in August. There were a lot of solid candidates. Today we look at the top starting pitchers in the final month of the minor league season.

There is definitely a theme with the top of this group, a theme that we have seen throughout the year. The Twins have found quite a few southpaws that have had terrific seasons in 2014.

Yesterday, we discussed three utility bats with enough upside to entice the Twins to make a significant trade before Monday’s deadline. Today, let’s discuss three more. These guys wouldn’t send shockwaves through the American League Central race, but they could alter the Twins’ fortunes at the end of the season, or in the playoffs.

Yesterday, we discussed how the Twins’ and Max Kepler’s unusual long-term contract was a result of him being a somewhat unusual candidate to receive a long-term deal. The Twins also announced a long-term deal with Jorge Polanco. The deals' similarities and differences reflect a few truths about the Twins plans and tendencies.

Yesterday, we began a series looking back and ranking the Minnesota Twins first-round picks all the way back to the first MLB draft in 1965. In Part 1 (31 through 53), there were a lot of interesting names, but very few who spent much time in the big leagues. Most from that list never made it to the big leagues.

Today in Part 2 (21-30), we start to see some guys who may never have become stars, but did have roles on big league teams for a decent amount of time. You will recognize many of the names. A couple of these guys have a chance to continue to work their way up this list.

If you want to look at the criteria was for being ranked or some of the background on this series, please click here to review.

Yesterday, we graded out the 2016 Minnesota Twins infield. Today, we'll continue our player-by-player review with a breakdown of the outfield. This unit saw many significant developments this year, especially with young talents experiencing breakthroughs and setbacks.

Yesterday, the Royals gave their star catcher/packmule/perpetual-thorn-in-the-Twins’-side Salvador Perez a five year contract extension through 2021. Perez had been operating under an incredibly team-friendly extension he signed after he had been in the league for less than a year, which guaranteed him just seven million dollars over five years and carried several very below-market team options. Even as the Royals ground their catcher into a sticky paste through overuse, it was easily one of the most team friendly contracts in the league in large part because the Royals invested in him so quickly after his promotion to the big leagues.

The Twins are in a similar position to the Royals in 2011, when Kansas City first committed to Perez, with several young players with less than a full year of experience. Are any of them worth signing to a similar deal, and would any of them take it? Let’s take them one-by-one.

Yesterday, Nick wrote an article talking about how the Twins deserve credit for acquiring Jake Odorizzi and working with him to find his best self in 2019. Today, I wanted to continue the “Finding the Next Gerrit Cole” theme by literally trying to find someone who could possibly provide the type of impact that Cole had on the Astros. Maybe there is one potential trade candidate out there who fits that mold.

Yesterday, Nick wrote about a forgotten player who hopes to be a factor in the Twins pitching staff in 2018, Phil Hughes. Another pitcher finds himself in a similar boat. Trevor May had Tommy John surgery last March and spent the 2017 season rehabbing. That process continues. We can’t with any certainty know when he will return to the Twins. However, as with Hughes, we can certainly speculate what his role might be for the Twins in 2018 and beyond.

Yesterday, Nick penciled in a starting rotation for 2017. Improving the Minnesota Twins starting rotation should be (and will be) the top priority for whoever the incoming President of Baseball Operations and General Manager are. Aside from Ervin Santana, the starters have been pretty much awful. The bullpen hasn’t been a whole lot better, so today I’m going to see if I can help pencil in a Twins bullpen for 2017.

Yesterday, I posted my projections for the 2016 Minnesota Twins catchers, Kurt Suzuki and John Ryan Murphy. Today, we move to first base where Joe Mauer will again be the primary option. Byung Ho Park will also get some time at first base, though he’ll be the designated hitter most days. We’ll post his projections later.

In his third season back from a concussion, what do we expect from Joe Mauer in 2016?