How Minnesota Twins Quietly Became American League’s Best Baserunning Team (No, Really)

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins are the AL’s best baserunning team. Here’s how it happened. 

 

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

For years, the Minnesota Twins have been plagued by poor baserunning. Whether it was missed opportunities to take the extra base, ill-timed steals, or grounding into double plays at alarming rates, the Twins' deficiencies on the bases were a constant source of frustration for fans and an Achilles' heel for a club in the middle of a winning window.

But in 2025, something strange and refreshing has happened. The Twins have become a competent—even good—baserunning team.

According to FanGraphs’s Baserunning Runs (BsR), the Twins rank fifth in all of baseball. That’s a welcome step forward for a team that finished 26th in the same category last year. Even more impressive, no American League team ranks ahead of them, with the Boston Red Sox trailing by over a full run. Statcast tells a similar story: the Twins again come in fifth for baserunning value, the highest rank of any AL club.

To say this turnaround was unexpected would be an understatement. In 2023, Minnesota finished 20th in BsR at -5.3, and things got worse in 2024, with a -11.2 mark. Statcast pegged their decline similarly, going from 21st (-5 runs) in 2023 to 24th (-8 runs) last season. It’s the kind of performance that usually draws internal reviews and a potential change to the roster pieces. Instead, the Twins largely returned the same roster, and have found a way to improve.

So, what changed? A healthy Byron Buxton certainly helps. When he’s on the field, few players are more dynamic. Through the first month of the 2025 season, Buxton has already been worth 2 Baserunning Runs, tying him for first in all of baseball. This isn’t just about stealing bases (although he is 5-for-5 in stolen base attempts). It’s about how he reads balls in play, takes the extra base, and forces defenders into rushed throws. His impact is felt even when he doesn’t touch the ball. Based on Statcast modeling of this play, for instance, Buxton earned 0.19 runs added, because about a fifth of the time, a runner either has to stop at third or is thrown out, rather than scoring from first on this well-struck double. (Notably, Buxton got such a good read and is so fast that there wasn't even a play on him. He cruised home with ease.)

Buxton isn’t the only surprise contributor, though. Matt Wallner, long known more for his power than his foot speed, has also been quietly effective on the bases. He’s already tallied 1 Baserunning Run, showing better instincts and smarter decisions, particularly when going first to third or scoring from second. He isn’t going to rack up stolen base totals with his player type, so it's critical for him to be a smart baserunner to help the team win. 

Adding Luke Keaschall to the roster has also helped the team’s baserunning dynamic. Keaschall was known as a strong baserunner in the minors, with MLB Pipeline giving him a 55 run grade entering the 2025 season.

“Keaschall runs well, with good instincts, so he should continue to be a base-stealing threat,” the scouting report said at the time. He’s already stolen three bases in four games for the Twins and had 23 steals in 103 games last year. Keaschall adds a dynamic that has been sorely missing from Minnesota over the last two seasons. 

The team’s approach seems to have shifted from reckless to refined. Gone are the head-scratching stolen base attempts and basepath blunders that defined previous seasons. (Forget about that one specific Jose Miranda play at second base, if you please.) In their place: competent, calculated aggression.

That’s not to say every player has made the leap. Willi Castro, the team’s best baserunner in 2023 with 33 steals and 3 BsR, took a step back last season, costing the team three runs on the bases. So far, in 2025, he hasn’t returned to his 2023 form, but isn’t hurting the team, either. He’s hovering around neutral, and for a team that’s seen him yo-yo in value, that’s a win.

Carlos Correa, meanwhile, remains an enigma on the bases. The numbers suggest he’s improving. He’s worth a neutral 0 BsR in 2025, after finishing with negative values in the previous two seasons. But the eye test tells a more complicated story. Correa still jogs out too many routine ground balls, and though he can turn on the jets when needed, those moments are inconsistent. That said, the improvement is worth noting, especially when you remember he grounded into a league-leading 30 double plays in 2023 while playing through plantar fasciitis. He cut that number to just five last year, and while he’s already matched that mark in 2025, the trend (overall) is positive.

Perhaps the most important takeaway is that this year’s success isn’t built solely on one or two players. It's a collective effort. From young players making smarter decisions to veterans avoiding costly mistakes, the Twins have become a team that rarely gives away outs on the bases. It’s a marked change from past seasons, where the team’s offensive production was often undone by a running game that seemed stuck in quicksand. This year, those extra bases are turning into runs, and those runs have the potential to turn into wins if the Twins can get back on track.

It’s still early, and there’s always room for regression. But the Twins’ new identity on the bases may be more than just a blip. With Buxton healthy and a roster of players who’ve bought into a more disciplined approach, Minnesota is quietly building an advantage in an area that doesn’t always make headlines, but often decides games. This shift is a much-needed change for a team that’s long struggled to stay out of its own way on the bases.

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Can the Twins continue their baserunning resurgence? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[Jocko87]

Byron Buxton being healthy and the team being good at base running are two completely different things. 

[stringer bell]

21 minutes ago, Jocko87 said:

Byron Buxton being healthy and the team being good at base running are two completely different things. 

I disagree with that. Buxton's speed has won games and certainly helped the Twins "bottom line" as far as extra bases taken. It doesn't make anyone else faster, but it neutralizes most of other players' mistakes.

Also, adding both Keirsey and Keaschall as well as Harrison Bader has added speed and base running proficiency. 

[AceWrigley]

Whaaaaaat?

[Fatbat]

4 hours ago, Jocko87 said:

Byron Buxton being healthy and the team being good at base running are two completely different things. 

They are definitely 2 things and if they both happen for the rest of the season. Pencil ✏️ n a playoff run in October. 

[Doctor Wu]

Just the fact that they are stealing bases and running the bases more ... intently .... intelligently ... aggressively ... not sure how to define it, but it's fun to watch. 

[mikelink45]

Sure and we have the best BP in baseball and we are going to win the Central division - I agree we are better with Keaschall, but this is overstating the case

[Karbo]

so far so good, but too small of a sample size. Now they need to improve the OB% to make it really matter.

[Doctor Wu]

2 minutes ago, Karbo said:

so far so good, but too small of a sample size. Now they need to improve the OB% to make it really matter.

Yes indeed, The more runners we can get on base, the more havoc we can cause. Of course, that may be overly optimistic thinking on my part, but I remain hopeful. 

[Tjwalsh65]

Second coming of the Piranhas?

[Linus]

Another metric measuring things that cannot be accurately measured. I will say they have made far fewer bonehead plays on the bases this year which is a big improvement all by itself. And Buck being healthy is huge. The guy is so dangerous when he gets on base. 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

I am going to bet that there is little to no data on scoring from 2b on a single, or other non-obvious advances around 3b. IMO, 3b coaching has been the biggest baserunning liability for YEARS!

[hybridbear]

Very nice analysis. Is there a video for the Buxton play mentioned in these sentences?

Quote

Based on Statcast modeling of this play, for instance, Buxton earned 0.19 runs added, because about a fifth of the time, a runner either has to stop at third or is thrown out, rather than scoring from first on this well-struck double. (Notably, Buxton got such a good read and is so fast that there wasn't even a play on him. He cruised home with ease.)

It sounds like there should be a video embedded or linked but I don't see one. 

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

I am going to bet that there is little to no data on scoring from 2b on a single, or other non-obvious advances around 3b. IMO, 3b coaching has been the biggest baserunning liability for YEARS!

anecdotally, this feels right. but I don't watch enough other teams or track even during our games ho often the other team's 3b coach makes a gaffe. The many "what in the hell, watkins!" moments stick out, but i really have no idea how many terrible decisions there are in total, especially in context of the good decisions.

feels bad. is bad? not sure. might just notice it more because it's my team.

[RpR]

Twins Rookie Ties Improbable MLB Record Spanning Back to 1901

Twins Rookie Ties Improbable MLB Record Spanning Back to 1901

[Woof Bronzer]

Best baserunning team in the AL?  Who you gonna believe, a single random sabermetric nobody uses, or your lying eyes?  

[Doctor Wu]

21 hours ago, Tjwalsh65 said:

Second coming of the Piranhas?

Punto Power!

[Recognize]

Cool, they can run the bases well. How about scoring those baserunners now instead of leaving them on base