Twins Daily Hitter of the Month - August 2023

[Ted Schwerzler]

The Minnesota Twins wrapped up the month of August holding onto a lead in the AL Central division. As they look towards a postseason berth, a handful of hitters have helped to keep them afloat of late. Who takes home the title though?

 

Minnesota has done little to separate from the Cleveland Guardians in 2023, and that is why they hold only a five game lead as the calendar turns to the final month. While August’s 15-12 record was their second best month of the season, it also highlights how close they have played to a mediocre team.

Rocco Baldelli’s club has done well on the mound in 2023, and it’s because of a strong pitching staff that the Twins find themselves in a solid position. For August, a few of the Twins bats continued to heat up following the All-Star Break, and after having no hitters play in the game, that has been a nice development.

While the lineup as a whole may not have turned a corner, these are the players that have stirred the drink:

Honorable Mention: Ryan Jeffers - .246/.338/.539 (.876), 74 PA, 16 H, 4 2B, 5 HR
The Twins have been waiting for Ryan Jeffers to break out for some time, and it's finally happening in 2023. Despite bringing in Christian Vazquez to head up catching duties, Jeffers has forced his way into the strong side of a split.

Jeffers has had some very big games in August including a two home run game against the Arizona Diamondbacks, and a big blast against the Texas Rangers that included a bat flip they didn’t like.

Minnesota has not seen the returns from Vazquez at all offensively, and while the bar was not high for him to clear, seeing Jeffers step up and carry that load has been huge. Baldelli has put Jeffers in the designated hitter spot at times with Byron Buxton out, and his bat has been hot enough to warrant the extended playing time.

#3: Michael A. Taylor - .257/.321/.581 (.902), 81 PA, 19 H, 8 HR
In the same way Vazquez brought in for his defense behind the plate, Taylor was acquired for the same reason in centerfield. That has been beneficial with Buxton unavailable defensively, but the bat wasn’t expected to play like this. Launching his 20th home run of the season during August, Taylor has set a new career high in longballs.

Having been mostly a light hitting batter, Taylor has always been known for his elite defensive abilities. Not only has he brought some speed to the table for Minnesota, but the power surge is something he hasn’t tapped into since being with Washington way back in 2017.

Taylor posted eight extra-base hits during August, and each of them left the yard. He had a multi-homer game in a big contest against the Rangers, and he has continued to do it while being available defensively on a daily basis. What Taylor has meant to Minnesota this year goes far beyond what would’ve been realistic expectations during spring training.

#2: Royce Lewis - .273/.355/.600 (.955), 62 PA, 15 H, 3 2B, 5 HR
The only thing keeping Lewis from topping this list is availability. He played in just 14 games during August after returning from a lengthy stint on the injured list due to an oblique injury. Despite missing time, you certainly wouldn’t know he may be rusty given the production.

No matter how sporadic the playing time is for Lewis, he continues to produce at the plate. His 12/6 K/BB since returning to action is a very strong sign for his plate discipline development, and his five home runs continue to show an immense amount of game power. Lewis, as he has done all year, continues to find himself in the thick of big moments as well.

Against the Rangers and Guardians, Lewis launched the first pair of grand slams in back-to-back games during Twins history. He found himself with another opportunity later in the Guardians series as well, and drove in 14 runs across the action he saw. Making a deep run in the postseason will be largely reliant on the continued production of Minnesota’s historic rookie class, and Lewis is right there leading the charge.

#1: Max Kepler - .314/.392/.616 (1.008), 97 PA, 27 H, 8 2B, 6 HR
No one has had a season of higher peaks and valleys than that of Max Kepler. From initially looking like a candidate to be DFA’d earlier, to producing like one of Minnesota’s best players, it has been quite the transformation. Kepler has been on fire since the All-Star Break, and he didn’t slow down during the month of August.

Baldelli has not been able to get production from Joey Gallo in left field, or Buxton in center, but Kepler has propped out the outfield alongside Taylor. He is driving the baseball from the left side, and elevating pitches with an opportunity to generate extra-base hits. Kepler has always had a sweet stroke, but the ability to provide lift has held him back.

Should the Twins pull away from the Guardians down the stretch, it will likely be in part due to the continued success from their regular right fielder. When Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach began to put pressure on him earlier this season, Kepler responded with production that not only has kept him in the lineup, but may keep him around next season as well.

How do you feel about the Twins hitters during the month of August? Is there someone else that should have made the list? Do you expect any repeat performances for September?

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[Patzky]

Solanooooo

[AlwaysinModeration]

14 hours ago, Patzky said:

Solanooooo

He was good…hit .368 for August…but 5 doubles, 0 homers, and an .821 OPS doesn’t quite make the list.  Which is saying something.

He IS hitting .800 in September, though.

[mikelink45]

I felt like the other posts - Solano has been great

Date	Tm		Opp	Result	Pos	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	IBB	GIDP	SF	SH	ROE	BOP	WPA	aLI	cWPA	acLI	RE24	PO	A
2023-09-02	MIN	@	TEX	W 9-7 (10)	2B 1B	5	1	4	0	0	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.255	1.18	0.11%	0.82	2.972	12	2
2023-08-30	MIN		CLE	L 2-5 (10)	1B	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0.026	1.20	0.02%	1.19	0.345	15	0
2023-08-29	MIN		CLE	L 2-4	PH 1B	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	-0.061	1.17	-0.03%	0.85	-0.490	2	0
2023-08-28	MIN		CLE	W 10-6	1B	4	1	3	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	8	0.087	0.55	0.05%	0.52	1.064	7	0
2023-08-27	MIN		TEX	W 7-6 (13)	2B 1B	4	1	2	0	0	0	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0.484	2.07	0.19%	1.33	1.342	7	1

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Solano should have been on this list.  He  deserves his nickname of Donny Barrels. 

[Doctor Wu]

Count me in the Solano camp too, but Kepler's recent performance has also been very, very good. I was one of those who wouldn't have minded the Twins trading Kepler away a month ago (or maybe just giving him away; I really don't think he had much trade value at the time), but he has certainly turned things around lately. Great to see both Kepler --- and Solano --- getting some timely hits.