Welcome to part six of this series, in which we look at the all-decade teams comprised of only guys selected to an All-Star team in that decade. You can refer to part 1 for the full methodology. Without further ado, let’s dig into the 2010s. The 1960s are still reigning supreme. Can the 2010s all-decade team be the one to take the 60s down?

The 2010s Twins Teams

We are almost there! The 2010s featured the tail end of the Mauer/Morneau/Cuddyer core, and the introduction of the Dozier/Berrios/Sano/Polanco/Kepler core. The middle part of the decade also featured some pretty terrible teams, and the “total system failure” that led to jettisoning the Terry Ryan front office and bringing in Falvey and Levine. It also saw them cycle through managers, moving from Gardy, to Paul Molitor, to Rocco Baldelli. The Twins spent the entire decade at their new home, as Target Field opened to the public for the 2010 season. We also saw the Bomba Squad set the all-time HR record in 2019 (although they were helped by the juiced ball). But what about their All-Stars? How was the 2010s all-decade team? Did it stand a chance against the powerhouses from the 1960s and 1970s? Read on to find out.

Starting Pitching

SP1 - Jose Berrios - 2019. This was Berrios’ second straight All-Star nod. He was a workhorse, throwing 200 innings. He struck out 195, and ended the season with a 3.68 ERA and similar 3.85 FIP. He also fielded his position well. Prior to the season, he had focused on improving his changeup. He also worked on his pitch mix. Those tweaks helped him to very solid results.

SP2 - Jake Odorizzi - 2019. Odorizzi made his lone All-Star team in 2019. It was a career year for him after spending the winter at the Florida Baseball Ranch working on his mechanics. His velocity was up and he struck out 10.1/9, gave up just .9 HR/9, and finished with a 3.51 ERA and even better 3.3 FIP. In the juiced ball year, this is especially impressive since offensive numbers were way up.

SP3 - Ervin Santana - 2017. Did you know that Ervin is just a name he made up? True story. His real name is Johan. But, since there was already a pretty good player by that name, he changed it to avoid confusion. Maybe one of the players named Diego Castillo in our system should consider something similar. Name aside, Santana had a good season in 2017, although it was bolstered a bit by luck, and by his defense. He had a 3.28 ERA, but his FIP was more than a full run higher, at 4.46. He was helped by a .247 BABIP, but he did wind up being 35% better than average. He didn’t strike a ton of guys out, at 7.1/9. He did go deep in ballgames, with 5 complete games and 3 shutouts. Overall, this was one of the best pitching seasons since Johan left.

Relief Pitchers

CL - Glen Perkins - 2013. Perkins was a great closer for a long time, but 2013 was the best of the best. He finished with a 178 ERA+, saved 36 games, and pitched to a 2.3 ERA. He struck out 11.1/9, and his WHIP was fantastic at .926. He also had some of the best entrance music in baseball, with Johnny Cash’s “God’s Gonna Cut You Down” likely filling opposing hitters with dread. His career - stop me if you’ve heard this before - was cut short by injuries, as he tried to recover from labrum surgery. Luckily, we still get to experience Perk on broadcasts (if you are fortunate enough to be able to watch. Sorry, everyone else).

SU - Brandon Kintzler - 2017. Kintzler became the de facto closer after Perkins was injured in 2016. The Twins were enamored with his results, never mind that the underlying peripherals said he wasn’t that great. In 2017, the sinkerballer pitched to a 3.03 ERA despite only striking out 4.9/9. He didn’t walk a ton of guys though, and his depressed BABIP and 77% strand rate helped as well. Kintzler was the last of the “pitch to contact” closers for the Twins.

Lineup

C - Joe Mauer - 2013. Another year, another great Mauer season. He had his typical upper-.800s OPS, batting .324/.404/.476/.880, 42% better than league average. He won his 5th and final Silver Slugger in his final season behind the dish, in which he had yet another concussion. After the season, he became strictly a first baseman and DH. I know I said this in part 5, but Mauer was truly a special player.

1B - Justin Morneau - 2010. Morny was at the peak of his power in 2010 - literally. He finished the season with a 1.055 OPS, 87% better than league average. He walked almost as much as he struck out. Unfortunately, a concussion ended his season at the midway point after a head-first collision at second base, and that brain injury ended his peak and began his inexorable decline. He had accounted for 4.7 WAR in 81 games, and in addition to the best offensive output of his career, he was also playing his best defense at 1B. His WOBA also suggested he should have been performing about 10 points better than he was. Just incredible. Had he kept it up, he likely would have won his second MVP. He’s another player about whom you have to wonder what if.

2B - Brian Dozier - 2015. Bull Dozier had a nice little career, but 2015 was his only All-Star nod, despite it being far from his best season. In fact, it was his 4th best season as a member of the Twins. The following year he put up a 6-WAR season but wasn’t selected. The season before he accumulated 5.5 WAR and wasn’t selected. Regardless of those things, 2015 was still solid. He finished the year with a 104 OPS+, clubbed 28 HRs, added 39 doubles, and drew 61 walks. He also played a slightly-better-than-average defense at 2B. His xWOBA suggests that he was a little bit lucky. Dozier’s four-year peak was fun to watch, as it seemed like the first inning was must-watch baseball due to the number of pulled leadoff homers he hit.

3B - Miguel Sano - 2017. Sanó was likely one of the most polarizing players in recent team history. He had a couple of good seasons in 2015, 2017, and 2019, but his inability to field a position competently, and his inability to catch up to pitches consistently left fans wanting. There aren’t that many players that have documentaries about their lives, and Sanó is one of those few. Pelotero is a fun movie if you haven’t seen it. There also aren’t that many players with the sort of prodigious power that Sanó had. In the past 20 years, it’s Thome, Cruz, Gallo, and Wallner. In 2017, he put up an .859 OPS at the hot corner, good for 26% above league average. His defense wasn’t great, and his hitting was fueled by considerable luck, as he ended the season with a .375 BABIP, which is remarkable for someone of his size and speed. His xWOBA says he should have performed worse, and he also posted the second lowest average exit velocity of his career.

SS - Jorge Polanco - 2019. Polo was another fun player, and 2019 was his best season. During Spring Training that season, he signed a team-friendly 5-year extension along with Kepler. He responded by playing out of his mind all year. He received down ballot MVP votes for putting up an .841 OPS at short. He was a part of the Bomba Squad, hitting 22 HR and finishing the year with a .485 slugging. He was a plus baserunner, and struck out at a 16.5% clip, much better than league average. The switch-hitter started the season with a bang, hitting for the first cycle of 2019 on April 5. Selected in the same international draft as Kepler and Sanó, Polanco was seen by many as the lifeblood of the team for at least a few years.

OF - Michael Cuddyer - 2011. Cuddyer was a magician. Literally. I also ran into him once in a mall. Also literally. Not paying attention, I was looking at my phone and crashed into him in the Southdale mall. Not related to baseball, but he was very nice about it. He was a solidly above average player. Not a superstar, but he could be counted on to be solid year in and year out. At 2.3 WAR in 2011, he probably wasn’t worthy of an All-Star nod, but I’m not gonna take that away from him. With a 120 OPS+, he was above-average, but didn’t have any standout stats. He did, however, demonstrate positional flexibility, playing 77 games in RF, 17 at 2B, 46 at 1B, and also pitched an inning. He was also seen as a clubhouse leader, finding ways to lighten the mood and help younger players grow. Following the season, he signed a two-year deal with the Rockies (and won a batting title for them in 2013).

Overall, the 2010s team accumulated 38.6 WAR. With the 52 replacement wins, that gives them 90.6 overall. Not good, not terrible, but just squeaking by into the playoffs. That describes a lot of Twins teams throughout the past 20 years. The 1960s are still the decade to beat.

Comment below with your thoughts and memories from these players and seasons. Do you think the 2020s stand a chance at defeating the 1960s team?