Article: Twins Daily 2018 Awards: Most Valuable Player

[Nick Nelson]

The times they are a changin'.

 

For the last 15 years, Joe Mauer has been a fixture in the Twins clubhouse. No more. For the last four years, Paul Molitor has held the manager's chair. No more.

 

And now, Brian Dozier's three-year reign as Twins Daily MVP comes to an end. Overtaking the throne is Eddie Rosario, and his nod is well earned even if it says more about the surrounding nucleus than him.In 2016 and 2017, Dozier was worth 6.2 and 5.0 WAR respectively (per FanGraphs). Last year Byron Buxton came in second on the Twins at 3.5, which slightly edges Rosario's team-leading mark here in 2018 (3.4).

 

This isn't meant as a knock on Eddie. For much of the season, Rosario seemed determined to carry this lackluster team on his back. It's not really a stretch to say he won a couple midsummer games single-handedly.

 

In June, as the Twins began fading in the division race and the offense mostly fizzled around him, Rosario flourished, posting a ridiculous .330/.395/.689 line and at one point homering seven times in a 14-game span. He was exhilaratingly brazen on the base paths, stealing runs from opposing teams out of nowhere. He went all-out in left field and unleashed fury with his arm.

 

With his team struggling to stay afloat, and Dozier a shell of his former self, Rosario played his ass off to try and make up the slack.

 

It seemingly took a toll.

 

From July 1st onward he hit just .254/.284/.359, collecting 14 extra-base hits in 60 games after totaling 43 in his first 78. In the latter weeks Rosario battled a nagging quad injury that eventually ended his season in mid-September.

 

He was largely a non-factor in the second half, and yet Rosario still stands out as a fairly clear-cut choice for team MVP.

 

Like I said, this award speaks to larger things than Rosario's production, but his all-around step forward as a ballplayer at age 26 should not be downplayed for that reason. So let's give Eddie his due and take a closer look at what fueled the stellar, if front-heavy, campaign he put together.

 

I call it the E.D.D.I.E. equation: Excitement. Discipline. Defense. Intensity. Explosiveness.

 

EXCITEMENT

 

There was no player in baseball you'd rather watch on third base. He antagonized opposing pitchers by dancing down the line, once

. He deked outfielders and left them bewildered as he scored easily on shallow flies. At times he seemed intent on stealing home and no one would've been surprised if he tried. Rosario's antics at third were but a microcosm of the intoxicating unpredictability he brought in all phases of the game.

 

DISCIPLINE

 

He still won't be confused for a patient hitter, but the improvements that enabled his 2017 emergence held steady for Rosario. His walk rate of 5.1% was down a tad from last year's 5.9% but still dwarfed his previous career clip of 3.3%, and he also reduced his strikeouts to a career-low 17.6% — an amazing feat for someone who swings so frequently. Rosario swung at a higher percentage of pitches (57.7%) than any other qualified American League hitter but had a lower K-rate than any Twin other than Mauer, Max Kepler and (of course) Willians Astudillo. The left fielder has settled into a groove of striking out three times for every walk, and that looks to be workable for him.

 

DEFENSE

 

FanGraphs had Rosario jumping from 2.5 WAR in 2017 to 3.4 in 2018. Baseball-Reference calculated an even larger leap, from 1.7 to 3.6. And yet, Rosario actually finished with worse numbers this year (.803 OPS, 24 HR) than last (.836 OPS, 27 HR). Why? The answer lies in his defense. By almost any metric, Rosario was vastly more valuable in left field, tracking down more drives and ranking among the league leaders in outfield assists. Hell, he even played a couple innings at third base and turned in a Web Gem.

 

 

INTENSITY

 

There is a certain edge that sometimes separates the good from the great – a fiery drive to compete and win. I'm not saying others on the Twins don't have it, but Eddie Rosario absolutely has got it. He launched all those max-effort howitzers from the outfield despite a triceps injury limiting him through much of spring training. His season-ending quad aggravation in left occurred because he was sprinting after a ball, while playing hurt, after lobbying his way back out there. He swung out of his shoes pretty much every time he offered at a pitch. Pushing himself to the max so relentlessly might have ultimately undermined Rosario (and the same is true for several of his teammates), but that intensity is what makes him who he is. And he's at least reined it in enough to cut back on some of the wild swings and mental mistakes.

 

EXPLOSIVENESS

 

At 6'1" and 180 lbs, Rosario makes you wonder where all of that explosive strength comes from. He's pure wiry muscle and, while not necessarily the speediest runner, his movements are as quick as they come. A combination of premier hand-eye coordination and lightning reflexes enables him to crush pitches nowhere near the plate. When he's locked in, Rosario is a nightmare matchup. There's no reliable way to get him out. His three-homer outburst against Cleveland in early June, culminating in a walk-off home run, was one of the most amazing individual performances in recent Twins history, pulling Minnesota within 3 1/2 games of the Indians for first place.

 

It was as close as they'd get. Rosario couldn't do it alone, and the team was pretty much cooked by the time his slide began around the All-Star Game, which he narrowly missed playing in. Maybe that's why it was barely noticed, and most of us look back on his 2018 with nothing but positivity.

 

That's as it should be. The Twins weren't a very good team this year but for several months Rosario put on a hell of a one-man show. As the rest of the team's young position-player core stagnated or regressed, he took another step forward, solidifying his stardom and status as a worthy building block.

 

The Ballots

Here’s a look at the ballots from our seven voters.

 

Nick Nelson: 1) Jose Berrios, 2) Eddie Rosario, 3) Kyle Gibson

Seth Stohs: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Kyle Gibson, 3) Jose Berrios

John Bonnes: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Kyle Gibson, 3) Jose Berrios

Tom Froemming: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Jose Berrios, 3) Kyle Gibson

Cody Christie: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Jose Berrios, 3) Max Kepler

Steve Lein: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Jose Berrios, 3) Kyle Gibson

Ted Schwerzler: 1) Eddie Rosario, 2) Jose Berrios, 3) Kyle Gibson

 

Points

Eddie Rosario: 34

Jose Berrios: 27

Kyle Gibson: 22

 

How would your ballot look? Give a shout in the comments and start the discussion.

 

Previous Twins Daily MVP Winners

2015: Brian Dozier

2016: Brian Dozier

2017: Brian Dozier

 

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[nclahammer]

Great article on my favorite Minnesota Twin.  First time I've ever seen it written about Rosario wearing down in the second half after carrying/leading the team much of the first half.  I've always felt that was the case.  Congratulations Eddie Rosario and here's to an even better 2019.

[rdehring]

Thanks for acknowledging how good this young man is.  It is just plain fun watching him out there every day.  Looking forward to the FO getting his signature on a long-term deal this winter because he is the type of player you can build around.

[mikelink45]

I also enjoy the fact that in the Kepler/Buxton/Sano/Polanco era - it is Eddie that rose to the top while absorbing all kinds of criticism in his first years for lack of plate discipline.  Way to go Eddie, now just keep it going through a full season.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Nick, interesting that you authored this article, but voted for Berrios. Did you have a Berrios article already written? If so, will you print it? I would have voted for Berrios also, although I was very pleased with Rosario's season.

[USAFChief]

I can get behind Rosario as the Twins MVP in 2018, but...

 

- that fact really points out how bad this season was, and

 

- I want to believe in Rosario, but I just can't quite put serious doubts behind me.

[Nick Nelson]

 

Nick, interesting that you authored this article, but voted for Berrios. Did you have a Berrios article already written? If so, will you print it? I would have voted for Berrios also, although I was very pleased with Rosario's season.

Nah, we don't start writing these until the votes are tallied and the awards finalized. I did pick Berrios but in my mind it was basically a two-way tie at the top with Gibson close behind. I'm totally good with Eddie being the choice.

[Nick Nelson]

 

I can get behind Rosario as the Twins MVP in 2018, but...

 

- that fact really points out how bad this season was, and

 

- I want to believe in Rosario, but I just can't quite put serious doubts behind me.

Can't blame ya. His second half definitely threw some cold water on the "New and Improved Eddie Rosario" narrative, as he basically stopped drawing walks and his production tanked. But I do wonder how much of that owes to fighting through the quad injury.

 

From July 1st, 2017 to June 30th, 2018, Rosario was an absolute freak over a full one-year span:

 

157 G, 614 AB, .308 AVG, .560 SLG, 35 HR, 46 2B, 106 RBIs, 40 BB

[joefish]

Eddyit?

Eddiotic?

He drives me crazy. Sometimes in a good way. Sometimes not.

[deanlambrecht]

Given Eddie's dismal second half, I wondered if Jake Cave might get some votes from the distinguished panel.  I'm a bit surprised that he did not.

 

I think he's a shoo-in for ROY, right?  Regardless, Cave was definitely the "nice surprise" of the season.

[yarnivek1972]

Given Eddie's dismal second half, I wondered if Jake Cave might get some votes from the distinguished panel. I'm a bit surprised that he did not.

 

I think he's a shoo-in for ROY, right? Regardless, Cave was definitely the "nice surprise" of the season.

Cave for AL ROY? No way. The voters will give deference to guys that played all year long.

 

I would think Miguel Andujar would be the overwhelming favorite.

[rv78]

What is Cody Christie smoking? Kepler was his choice for #3. Really?? 

 

Here's hoping Sano, Buxton, Cave, Polanco, Garver, and Kepler give him a run for Twins Hitter of the Year in 2019, and that Berrios gets CYYoung in the AL.

[Nick Nelson]

 

Cave for AL ROY? No way. The voters will give deference to guys that played all year long.

I would think Miguel Andujar would be the overwhelming favorite.

Believe he's talking about Twins Daily's ROTY nod, which we actually handed out earlier this week to Mitch Garver, who narrowly edged Cave. 

 

As far as AL ROTY, I don't see how it could go to anyone but Ohtani. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

 

 

 

From July 1st, 2017 to June 30th, 2018, Rosario was an absolute freak over a full one-year span:

 

157 G, 614 AB, .308 AVG, .560 SLG, 35 HR, 46 2B, 106 RBIs, 40 BB

Wow! I had no idea.

[joeshmoe]

Cody: Max Kepler? Really?

[big dog]

 

 

 

From July 1st, 2017 to June 30th, 2018, Rosario was an absolute freak over a full one-year span:

 

157 G, 614 AB, .308 AVG, .560 SLG, 35 HR, 46 2B, 106 RBIs, 40 BB

OK, that works.  Let's guarantee that as an average performance over the next 6 years and sign that long-term deal!

[deanlambrecht]

 

Cave for AL ROY? No way. The voters will give deference to guys that played all year long.

I would think Miguel Andujar would be the overwhelming favorite.

 

No, sorry.   My bad.   To clarify, Cave as Twins ROY.   Definitely not AL ROY.