Matthew Taylor

Bill Simmons of The Ringer made this idea famous from a 2014 column that he titled “The Action Hero Championship Belt”, where he went back in history and awarded the championship belt to the reigning king of action movies. That actor would don the belt until the next movie star would perform well enough to snatch the belt away from him. For our purposes, we are going to do the same thing but with Minnesota Twins players throughout history. Here are our rules: We’re starting from 1961, when the Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins. The bomba belt can only get traded when the reigning belt wearer changes teams or another player snatches the belt away by incredible, sustained performance. 1961-1971 (11 seasons) — Harmon Killebrew Average season: .265/.390/.540, 39 HR, 106 RBI, 154 OPS+ Arguably the greatest Minnesota Twins player of all time, Killebrew held the Minnesota Twins bomba belt for 11 seasons, longer than any other Minnesota Twins player has held onto the belt. During his 11 seasons with the belt, Killebrew was an all-star in each season, finished top-5 in MVP voting six times, and won the MVP 1969. Killebrew lost his championship belt in 1972 at the age of 36 when his batting average dipped down to .231. 1972-1978 (7 seasons) — Rod Carew Average season: .350/.414/.468, 201 H, 32 SB, 149 OPS+ Carew nabbed the bomba belt from Killebrew in 1972 and held onto it for 7 seasons where he finished in the top-10 in MVP voting five times and won the MVP award in 1977 after posting a .388 batting average and an OPS+ of 178. Carew lost the belt in 1979 after he was traded to the California Angels. 1979-1981 (3 seasons) — Roy Smalley Average season: .272/.358/.786, 110 OPS+ The Minnesota Twins were in pretty rough shape in the beginning of the 1980s, and our belt holder, Roy Smalley, reflects the rough shape that the Twins were in. Arguably the weakest belt holder in Twins history, Smalley was awarded the belt due to having little competition. In 1979, Smalley was named the starting shortstop for the American League all-star team. Smalley lost the belt once he got traded to the New York Yankees midway through the 1982 season. 1982-1985 (4 seasons) — Kent Hrbek Average season: .296/.366/.484, 22 HR, 94 RBI, 129 OPS+ The Twins continued to struggle throughout the beginning of the 1980s, however a new star began to emerge for them in Hrbek who burst onto the scene in 1982 to grab the bomba belt that Smalley left behind. Hrbek was an all-star in 1982 and was runner-up in the MVP voting in 1984 after posting an OPS+ of 145 and knocking in 107 runs. Hrbek lost the belt in 1986 when a certain Twins legend played well enough to snatch it away from him. 1986-1995 (10 seasons) — Kirby Puckett Average season: .324/.366/.499, 20 HR, 98 RBI, 132 OPS+ Kirby Puckett needs no introduction. The hall-of-famer snatched the bomba belt from Hrbek in 1986 and held onto it for 10 years, the second-longest of any Twins player. Puckett held the belt through 10 all-star seasons, 7 top-10 MVP seasons, and 2 World Series championships. Puckett only gave up his belt when his glaucoma forced him to abruptly retire. 1996-1997 (2 seasons) — Chuck Knoblauch Average season: .315/.418/.463, 188 H, 54 SB, 127 OPS+ After Puckett’s retirement, Knoblauch took the bomba belt and wore it admirably for two seasons. In those 2 seasons, Knoblauch was an all-star each year, posted a top-20 MVP season, and won a gold glove and silver slugger in 1997. After getting traded to the Yankees (at his request), Koblauch surrendered his bomba belt. 1998-2002 (5 seasons) — Brad Radke Average season: 12-12, 4.18 ERA, 116 ERA+ In another rough stretch of Minnesota Twins baseball, Radke was the highlight for the Twins, earning an all-star game appearance and leading the Twins in bWAR over the course of those 5 seasons. Radke didn’t have the strongest of belt-wearer resumes, but was an underrated pitcher who capped off his belt-wearing campaign by posting winning performances in games 1 and 5 of the 2002 ALDS. 2003-2007 (5 seasons) — Johan Santana Average season: 17-6, 2.81 ERA, 162 ERA+ No pitcher in Twins history has had a stronger 5 year run than Santana from 2003-2007. During this run, Santana earned five top-10 Cy Young Award finishes and nabbed the award twice. Santana only gave up the belt when he was traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2008 season. 2008-2013 (6 seasons) — Joe Mauer Average season: .328/.411/.474, 156 H, 141 OPS+ From the end of the Metrodome era to the opening seasons at Target Field, no player was better for the Minnesota Twins than Joe Mauer. Over his 6 years with the bomba belt, Mauer was a 5-time all-star, 4-time silver slugger, 3-time gold glover, and an MVP in 2009. Mauer gave up his belt in 2014 when he slugged a career low .371. 2014-2017 (4 seasons) — Brian Dozier Average season: .254/.338/.476, 32 HR, 120 OPS+ The Twins were far from competitive during these years, and Brian Dozier was the lone bright spot for what were otherwise forgettable teams. Dozier eclipsed 20 home runs in each of his four seasons with the belt, and posted his best season in 2016 when he hit 42 home runs, the most by any Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew. Dozier surrendered his belt in 2018 after being traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. 2018 (1 season) — José Berríos Season: 12-11, 3.84 ERA, 111 ERA+ 2018 was largely a transition year for the Minnesota Twins as they traded away many of their best players from the previous era and the stars of the current era had yet to break out. The one player who did was José Berríos, who earned his first opening day start and his first all star appearance. While Berríos didn’t hang onto the belt for long, at only 26 years of age he has more than enough potential to grab it again. 2019 - ? — Nelson Cruz Season: .311/.392/.639, 41 HR, 166 OPS+ In a season where the Minnesota Twins won their second most games in team history, Nelson Cruz was the man who grabbed the bomba belt with the best performance of the year. Cruz led the Minnesota Twins in home runs, slugging %, and OPS. Cruz was the driving force behind the 102-win season and currently holds the Minnesota Twins bomba belt. Will he hang onto it past 2019? Or will a new challenger step up in 2020 and snatch it away from him? What do you think about the history of the Twins bomba Belt? Who do you think will hold it in 2020 and moving forward? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

As the Twins brass looked on at the roster, evaluating who should be the 26th man, they weren’t too pleased with their options. Jake Cave has a nice bat, but is a bit redundant as another left-handed corner outfielder. Willians Astudillo can catch, but regressed quite a bit in 2019. With nowhere else to turn in a season when expectations are so high, the Twins called upon Dr. Matthew von Taylor-stein to concoct a Twins monster that would slot in as the 26th man and push this team over the edge. In building his Twins monster, Dr. Taylor-stein will be taking key attributes from various Minnesota Twins players over the years to build the ultimate Minnesota Twins player with just three simple rules: We are only building for a batter, fielding is not considered. We can’t take more than one attribute from a single Twins player. We can’t operate on current Twins players. With that in mind, let’s get our operation started: Intelligence: Joe Mauer Honorable Mention: Kent Hrbek We can have all of the physical tools in the world, but if we don’t have a bright head on our shoulders, all of our talent will go to waste. That is why we are starting our Twins monster with the head and using the head of Joe Mauer. From the moment he was drafted first overall, Mauer has always revelled in the mental parts of baseball. He turned swinging the baseball bat into a science and used patience and plate discipline to ensure that he would make every pitcher work hard. Mauer famously showed patience with his 12% BB% and showed plate discipline by never posting a K% higher than 18%. In addition, by taking Mauer’s head, we get to sport the sideburns that would make any man jealous. Power: Harmon Killebrew Honorable Mention: Justin Morneau Knowing that we have the head of Joe Mauer, we can add some brute strength to our Twins monster, and who embodies this better than Twins Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew? Killebrew is the all-time club leader in home runs in a season (49), seasons with 40+ home runs (8) and career home runs (559). The Killer not only hit home runs in bunches, but he hit them far, by recording the farthest home run in the history of Metropolitan Stadium when he launched a homer 520 feet. Taking the arms of any other Twins player in this situation just isn’t an option. Contact: Rod Carew Honorable Mention: Tony Oliva For the hands of our Twins monster we need a player who can handle the bat well, ensure that he will make good contact, and get on base. The perfect candidate for this is Rod Carew. In the history of the Minnesota Twins franchise, no player has a higher career batting average than Carew’s career .334. Over the course of his 19 year career, Carew won 7 batting titles and just 4 times failed to eclipse a .300 batting average. By combining the power of Killebrew with the hands and bat control of Rod Carew, our Twins monster is going to be one powerful beast. Speed: Chuck Knoblauch Honorable Mention: Cesar Tovar With all of the baseballs that our Twins monster is going to be hitting, we’ll need to be sure that we have the legs to get around the bases, and with Knoblauch we will do just that. His career 276 stolen bases is most in team history, as is his 62 stolen bases that he recorded in 1997. In total, Chuck has posted 6 different seasons with more than 30 stolen bases and will do an incredible job moving our Twins monster across the baseball diamond. Heart: Kirby Puckett Honorable Mention: Gary Gaetti All that is missing from our Twins player now is the heart. The heart of our player is what will produce in the clutch. It’s what will give our player the drive and the passion to inspire his teammates and galvanize our team. No player in Twins history embodied this more than Kirby Puckett. While you can bring up some questionable parts of his past, nobody can ever doubt his passion, his love for the game, and his ability to rise up when the team needed him most. Puckett is the team-leader in career walk off hits and has the most memorable and in team history. No player loved the game more than Puck, and no player showed greater passion for the game he loved than Mr. Puckett. There is no better player’s heart that is better to give to our Twins monster than Kirby Puckett.After compiling all of the attributes from the best players in Twins history, Dr. Taylor-stein’s surgery is complete, the Twins monster has been assembled, and is ready to compete for the 2020 Minnesota Twins. How do you think our Minnesota Twins monster turned out? Would you have changed any of his attributes? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

In the decade of the 2010s, the Minnesota Twins hit a total of 19 walk-off home runs. Some of them were mired in the middle of a hopeless season, while others vaulted the club into a prime playoff position. Here are the top 5 Minnesota Twins walk-off home runs of the 2010s: 5. Eddie Rosario vs. San Diego Padres - September 13, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYnoZEWsIHw The number five walk-off homerun in our countdown comes courtesy of Eddie Rosario, who blasted a two-run, two-out shot in the bottom of the 10th inning off of Padres pitcher, Phil Maton, to keep pace in the American League Wild Card race. At the point of this game, the Minnesota Twins were only two games up in the race for the second Wild Card spot, with every game having so much meaning. Rosario hugged the right field foul pole and blasted the walk-off right inside the Gate 34 entrance. This was Rosario’s first career walk-off home run, and allowed the Twins to maintain their two-game lead in the American League Wild Card race. 4. Byron Buxton vs. Toronto Blue Jays - September 14, 2017 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GE-U5vIXkuo The two-game stretch from September 13 and September 14 of the 2017 season has to be one of the most thrilling and stress-inducing stretches that the Minnesota Twins have ever had. After capping off the game with a walk-off home run the previous night, Byron Buxton helped the Twins put on an encore for the Target Field faithful, blasting a walk-off of his own against Luis Santos and the Toronto Blue Jays, yet again in extra innings. After Matt Belisle gave up a tying home run to Justin Smoak in the top of the 9th inning, Buxton hit his first career walk-off homerun to save his pitcher and increase the Twins’ lead in the American League Wild Card to 3.5 games. 3. Miguel Sanó vs. Atlanta Braves - August 5, 2019 That sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of Miguel Sanó’s walk-off home run off of Chris Martin finally landing. Being called upon to pinch hit for Ehrie Adrianza, Sanó took a 1-0 cutter and blasted it 443 feet into center field, the 5th furthest ball he hit in 2019. The best part of this walk-off is that the moment Sanó made contact with the baseball, Ronald Acuña began jogging back to the dugout. Acuña was so sure that it was a homerun from the sound of the bat, that he didn’t even need to watch it, let alone chase it. This Sanó walk-off came at a time in the season where the Twins’ AL Central lead was down to just 3 games and every game was monumental. 2. Brian Dozier vs. Detroit Tigers - July 10, 2015 Arguably the greatest comeback in Minnesota Twins history, Brian Dozier’s walk-off home run off of Joakim Soria capped off a seven-run, 9th inning comeback for the Minnesota Twins over their division rival, Detroit Tigers. Entering the 9th inning of the game, the Minnesota Twins found themselves down 6-1 with a 0% win expectancy (per Baseball-Reference). After fighting back to make the game 6-5, Dozier stepped up to the plate with 2 men on and 1 man out. Dozier took the first pitch that he saw and launched it into the left field bleachers. Following the blast was an all-time call from Dick Bremer, “A drive to left field! Are you kidding me?!”. It was truly a memorable game for the Twins and earned the number 2 spot in our countdown of top walk-off home runs of the 2010s. 1. Jim Thome vs. Chicago White Sox - August 17, 2010 In their first ever AL Central pennant race at Target Field, this game was the first of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, over whom the Twins held just a 3-game lead in the AL Central. In a classic game that featured six different lead changes, Jim Thome stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Twins down 1 run. Facing a 1-0 count, Thome hit the ball so hard that it hit off the flagpole in the right field plaza, and gave the Minnesota Twins the walk-off victory. Not only was this the first ever walk-off home run for the Twins at Target Field, but it pushed the AL Central lead up to 4 games, and set the tone for what turned out to be a sweep of the White Sox and really cemented the Twins position in first place of the AL Central. Jim Thome will always hold a special place in the hearts of Twins fans, with this walk-off home run being the primary reason why. What was your favorite walk-off home run from the Minnesota Twins last decade? Did you witness any of them live? Leave a comment below and start the conversation. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

The Seattle Mariners had Griffey on the White Sox. The Reds had Pete Rose on the Expos. Here are the three Minnesota Twins legends who wore uniforms that just looked wrong… 1. Harmon Killebrew on the Kansas City Royals After struggling through the 1974 season with a .222 batting average in 122 games in what turned out to be his final season with the Minnesota Twins, Killebrew was given an option to stay on with the Twins as a coach, or be released and join on with another team. Killebrew opted for the latter and was signed by the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal where he would finish out his career. In his single season with the Royals, Killebrew struggled through 106 games, posting a .199 batting average with just a .692 OPS as a 39-year old. The fact that this season kept Killebrew from being a lifelong Twin, after playing the first 21 seasons of his career in the Minnesota Twins organization, is a bummer, and the image of him in a Royals uniform is something that will never look right. 2. Bert Blyleven on the Pittsburgh Pirates Although Blyleven played for five different organizations in his 25-year Major League Baseball career, the images of Blyleven on the Pirates have always looked the strangest to me. I’m not sure the exact reason for this, maybe because of the distinct yellow pants, maybe because it was the only National League team he played for in his career, but it will forever look strange to me. Blyleven played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 and 1980 before threatening to retire if he was not traded. In his two seasons as a Pirate, Blyleven posted a 108 and a 97 ERA+. 3. Torii Hunter on the Detroit Tigers It was definitely an adjustment to see Torii Hunter in red after signing with the Angels in 2007, but after playing in Anaheim for five seasons, the shock eventually wore off. What was the strangest sight, though, was when Hunter signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Suddenly the long-time Twins legend became a rival that the Twins faced upwards of 20 times per season. In 2013 as a Detroit Tiger, Hunter was an All-Star, posted a .800 OPS and helped lead the Tigers to the ALCS. Thankfully, Hunter ended up returning to the Twins and playing his last MLB season at Target Field, because the images of Hunter in a Tigers uniform were just too odd. What Minnesota Twins legends wore uniforms that you think looked strange? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Here are three ways to consume baseball in a time when we have none: 1. Game replays on YouTube Nothing quite beats the sights and sounds of baseball. Having spring training suspended and the start of the baseball season delayed means having to wait even longer to watch the game we all love. Thankfully, technology allows fans the ability to watch game replays and take in the sights and sounds of baseball by watching games from seasons past. The best way to watch game replays is on YouTube where thousands of games are available to stream in full. Some of the best YouTube channels that offer these baseball games are the official MLB channel, MLB Vault and Classic Twins. Here are some games you can watch in full on YouTube right now: 1991 World Series, Game 7: Braves @ Twins 2002 ALDS, Game 5: Twins @ Athletics https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAVBXQoLQPE 2009 AL Central Tie Breaker: Tigers @ Twins 2. MLB The Show 20 Watching game replays are great, but many Twins fans are excited to see what the 2020 Minnesota Twins are going to look like. Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda’s debuts have now been delayed, and fans are left to wait to see how those additions will add to an already great team. One way to get a feel for how the 2020 Minnesota Twins team will look is by playing MLB The Show 20, which was released on Friday to those who pre-ordered and will be widely released on Tuesday, March 17, exclusively on Playstation 4. Here are the overall rankings for the Minnesota Twins' projected 26-man roster: If you don’t own a Playstation 4, or if playing video games aren’t quite your thing, MLB the Show 20 is being streamed live on Twitch for anyone to watch. If you have never used Twitch before, it is a streaming platform where any gamer can stream their video games and any user can watch those streams. Another avenue for baseball fans to watch baseball, and see the new Nike uniforms, new rosters, and even minor league players, which were just added to the game for the first time. 3. Participate in conversation online Finally, a third way to consume baseball during this time is by participating in conversation online. We are lucky to be living in a time where there are so many online baseball outlets and so many platforms to be able to participate in online discussion during this baseball hiatus. There are so many great places to read about baseball and converse about it, but here are some excellent options that I would encourage you check out: Twins Daily (of course): You won’t find a Minnesota Twins website with more content posted and more discussion than Twins Daily. Every day on the front page there are consistently 3-5 new articles posted (even during the baseball hiatus), in the blog section, you can read articles that other baseball writers from across the internet have posted, or even start your own blog. Finally, in the forum section, you will see all kinds of daily discussion going on about the Minnesota Twins, baseball, or any other sport. Right now in the forums there is a discussion going on where members are recommending their favorite baseball books to consume during our time without baseball. Reddit: If you have never been on Reddit before, it is a social aggregation and discussion website with “subreddits” that are catered to specific interests. For baseball, some of my favorite subreddits are r/baseball, r/minnesotatwins, r/baseballcards, and r/sabermetrics. Facebook: On Facebook you can find different groups that are extremely active in discussing the Minnesota Twins. Some of the more active Minnesota Twins Facebook groups are “Minnesota Twins!” and “Minnesota Twins Territory”. Request to join these groups and participate in the always-ongoing conversation. Written content: There are so many great websites now to read (and comment) about baseball and the Minnesota Twins. Some of my favorites are: The Athletic, Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus, and Baseball America. How will you be filling the void left by the baseball hiatus? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

The Money According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the White Sox and Yoan Moncada came to terms on a five-year contract worth $70M ($14M AAV), with a club option for a sixth year at $25M. While at their base, their contract lengths were equal to that of Moncada, the salary attached to Kepler and Polanco’s deals were significantly less. Last offseason, the Twins signed Max Kepler to a five-year, $35M deal ($7M AAV) with a club option for a sixth year at $10M. In turn, Polanco signed a five-year, $25.75M deal ($5.15M AAV) with a sixth and seventh year club option at $10.5M and $12M, respectively. Clearly, in terms of money, the Minnesota Twins came out ahead of the White Sox with these contracts. Even if you combined the total salaries from Kepler and Polanco’s extensions it would still equate to less than the total value of Yoan Moncada’s extension with the White Sox. The Timing Yoan Moncada is 24-years-old with just over two years of MLB service time under his belt. By signing his extension, the White Sox are buying out Moncada’s final year on his rookie deal as well as all three years of his arbitration. If the Sox pick up Moncada’s sixth-year option, this contract would also buy out the first two years of the third baseman’s free agency and allow him to become a free agent at the age of 30. At the signing of his contract extension, Max Kepler was 26-years-old and was arbitration eligible as a Super Two prospect. By extending Kepler, the Twins bought out his arbitration years as well as up to two years of his free agency. Polanco signed his extension as a 25-year-old in his last year of pre-arbitration and was put under team control for up to three free agent years. While each of the players were at a similar spot in terms of service time, what really separates the Moncada extension was the fact that he was signed at the absolute peak of his value, coming off of a season in which he posted career highs in BA, HR, RBI and OPS. Conversely, when Kepler and Polanco were signed to extensions, they were coming off of very disappointing seasons. In 2018, the season before signing their extensions, Kepler posted career lows in BA, SLG and OPS. Similarly disappointing, Polanco was coming off of a season in which he served an 80 game suspension. The timing of these contracts allowed the Twins to get their guys for an absolute bargain, while the White Sox had to pay a premium by signing Moncada off of a career year. The Players Coming off of a 2019 season in which he was worth 5.7 fWAR, one could argue that at 24-years-old, Yoan Moncada is already the best player among himself, Kepler and Polanco. In 2019, Yoan Moncada finished 10th in the American League with a .915 OPS along with an exit velocity which was seventh best in baseball. After posting strikeout percentages in the 30s in his first two full seasons in the majors, Mocada improved in his plate discipline and trimmed down his K%. Moncada had a great 2019 season at the dish, but with that came a good amount of luck as he posted an unheard of .406 BABIP, which was by far the highest in baseball. In the field, Moncada still has some area to improve, as he has posted a negative DRS in each of the past two seasons at third base. While he hasn’t put it all together in the field yet, Moncada has all the tools to be a great third baseman with his strong arm and great athleticism. The Verdict Yoan Moncada is an excellent player who just got handed a really good contract by the Chicago White Sox. Although the White Sox have to miss out on the bargain that is his arbitration years, they get to delay Moncada’s free agency by two years and keep him under team control through his peak seasons of speed and athleticism. The issue for the White Sox, and where the Minnesota Twins get to claim victory over signing the better extensions, is that they are paying a premium by extending Moncada after a career year. The Minnesota Twins were able to extend Polanco and Kepler before their breakouts and as a result were able to sign them to extremely team-friendly deals. Comparing that to the amount of money that the White Sox had to shell out to Moncada, you can see just how good of a deal the Twins got. How do you think the Kepler and Polanco extensions compare to the extension that Moncada just signed with the White Sox? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Since coming to the big leagues in 2015, Kepler has shown himself to be strong in the field, posting a positive UZR and DRS in each season he has been with the Twins. In fact, over the past two seasons, Max Kepler ranks fifth among all outfielders in defensive runs saved and third among all outfielders in ultimate zone rating. The further you dig into Keplers numbers, the more you realize just how special of a fielder he is. From his 92nd percentile outs above average , to his 92% success rate, to his ability to make difficult plays (13th in 4-star catches), Kepler lights up any outfield defense leaderboard. What really made Kepler so special in the field last season was his ability to take the most efficient routes to fly balls. In 2019, no outfielder took better fly ball routes than Max Kepler, according to Statcast. This was not an outlier either, as Kepler finished 8th and 11th in the metric in 2018 and 2017, respectively. By taking such efficient routes to the ball, Kepler is able to make up for his average reaction times that he has posted in each of the past four seasons. Another area where Kepler has brought great value to the Minnesota Twins has been his ability to play center field. With Byron Buxton’s injury history, this has been something upon which the Twins have needed to rely on Kepler frequently over the past two seasons, shifting him to center field for 36% of his innings. In his time in center field, Kepler has played really well, producing above average numbers by any defensive metric. Kepler, though, lacks the top-end speed and athleticism that is required of a top-tier center fielder. Over the past two seasons, Kepler has posted a combined 17.6 UZR/150 in center, compared to a ridiculous 26.9 combined UZR/150 in right field. Being forced to leave his regular position of right field where he is one of the best in baseball in favor of center field, where he isn’t quite at that level, has limited his candidacy of being a Gold Glover. Heading into the 2020 season, Byron Buxton will hopefully enter the year healthy after receiving shoulder surgery in the offseason. The Minnesota Twins have been working with Buxton on his positioning and mindset as measures to keeping him healthy throughout the season. If Buxton can remain healthy for the 2020 season and Kepler is able to remain in the right field position where he has shown elite ability, a Gold Glove is certainly in play for Różycki. What do you think about Kepler’s chances at a Gold Glove in 2020? Do you think Buxton’s health is what will decide Kepler’s Gold Glove candidacy? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

For this article, I will be laying out the case for several different end results for the 2020 Minnesota Twins, and making a case for why each result would signify success for the Twins in 2020. Win the American League Central In baseball, there is still a ton of pride to be had in winning your division. Heck, at Target Field the Minnesota Twins fly pennants for each year that they won their division. Winning the division for a second year in a row and proving dominant over the four teams against which the Twins compete 76 times per year would definitely signify success. Additionally, playoff baseball is extremely random. Taking a 162-game season and parsing it down into a best-of-5 series isn’t the best way to determine superiority, and penalizing the Twins for losing such a short series in the playoffs would hardly be fair. Win a playoff series The Minnesota Twins have won the American League Central six times since 2002 without winning a playoff series. It’s time for the Twins to advance past simply making it into the tournament — they need to win a series. Every projection model has the Minnesota Twins winning the American League Central in 2020, but can they do more? If the Twins are able to get over the hump and win a playoff series after getting knocked out in the first round eight years in a row, that would show progress and signify a successful season for the Minnesota Twins in 2020. Win the American League pennant While winning a playoff series would be nice, expectations should be set higher for the Twins heading into 2020. The American League is already shaping up to be an easier road this year than it was last year, leaving the Twins with an opportunity. The Astros lost Gerrit Cole and are sure to be distracted by the controversy that will be surrounding them all season, and the Yankees have been plagued by injuries. With the waves parting for the Twins heading into next season, it’s their time to pounce, achieve real success, and win the pennant for the first time since 1991. Win the World Series The Minnesota Twins are entering the 2020 season with their highest payroll in team history. Their championship window will never be any wider than it is right now. Nelson Cruz is 39 years old and there’s no guarantee that he will be with the club next season. Jose Berrios is entering his prime age-26 season. Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda are on board and all of the chips are on the table. Anything short of a World Series championship would be a disappointment. Coaches and players are all talking about championship aspirations for this team, and following through on those aspirations would be the only thing that would signify success for the Minnesota Twins for the 2020 season. After reading the cases for each end result for the 2020 Twins, what result will signify a successful season to you? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email

Coming up through the Twins’ farm system, there was never any doubt about Arráez’s ability to put the bat on the ball. At every stop he made along his minor league journey, the left hander reliably posted a .300 batting average while piling up plenty of hits. What kept Arráez from being more highly ranked as a prospect was his perceived lack of power. While he is never going to be a 30-home run hitter, his rookie season with the Twins showed that he has more power than his slight build might suggest. In 2019, Arráez posted a .439 slugging percentage (.435 was league average) and hit for a 162-game pace of 35 doubles, which would have put him 30th in baseball. In baseball, power is made up of two different components, launch angle and exit velocity. For launch angle, Baseball Savant defines a baseball hit at a “good angle” to be one hit between 8 and 32 degrees, known as the “sweet spot”. In 2019, Luis Arráez was ranked fifth among all hitters in SweetSpot% with 42.0% of his batted balls being hit between 8 and 32 degrees of launch angle. While Arráez was toward the bottom of the league in exit velocity, his consistent sweet spot hitting allows him to capitalize on those at bats where he was able to connect with good velocity. Like this double that he hit off Mike Fiers in July: https://twitter.com/MatthewTaylorMN/status/1233086027797016576?s=20 On this pitch, Arráez was able to sit on an offspeed pitch and get plenty of bat speed on the Fiers' changeup. Because of Arraez’s consistency in getting a good launch angle on the ball, Arraez was not only able to hit the ball hard (100.7 MPH), but he was able to put lift on the ball (29°) and smash it to right center for a double. Where Arráez generated the most power in 2019 was against fastballs, off of which he slugged .445. Against fastballs, Arraez generated an average exit velocity of 88 MPH and hit 14 of his 20 doubles and 2 of his four home runs. Like this absolute rocket off Adrian Sampson: https://twitter.com/MatthewTaylorMN/status/1233084829647982593 When Arráez was able to get the fastball off Sampson that he was looking for and was able to generate good velocity on his swing (102.2 MPH), Arráez was, again, able to reliably connect with a “sweet spot” launch angle which resulted in him sending the ball out to the Target Field plaza. Another encouraging piece from Arráez’s hitting profile in 2019 was his ability to increase his Hard Hit % (percentage of balls hit 95+ MPH) as the season went on. Arráez improved his Hard Hit % in each month from June - September and capped off his 2019 campaign by posting a 27.6 Hard Hit% and 88.8 MPH average exit velocity in September. Numbers that didn’t lead the league by any means, but provide a glimpse of some power that Arráez possesses that nobody would have imagined he had when joining the club last May. According to Fangraphs’ ZiPS projection system, their number one player comparison for Luis Arráez is Dustin Pedroia. Pedroia was another second baseman who was smaller in stature (5'9", 175#) and came into the league viewed more as a contact hitter than anything else. Throughout his years in the league, though, Pedroia developed power and hit between 12-18 home runs each season throughout his career. Predicting a similar career path for Arráez isn’t far fetched at all. He has the patience and the launching skills to make good contact, and if he can add a few MPH to his exit velocity under the guidance of hitting coach Edgar Varela, we could be seeing a Pedroia-like power profile coming over the next handful of seasons. Do you agree that Luis Arráez is more than just a contact hitter? Do you think he has the ability to add more power in the coming years? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email