The Twins' Biggest Surprises at the All-Star Break

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The All-Star break is officially upon us, which makes this a great time to zoom out and look at this Twins team as a whole. We're 97 games into the season, and it's been a year filled with plenty of highs and lows. While we all expected guys like Byron Buxton and Joe Ryan to be among the Twins' best players entering the season, I wanted to focus on some of the more surprising performances we've seen.

I've got two pleasant surprises, and two disappointments. There are going to be plenty of players I don't mention, so don't get mad at me if I leave out your favorite player who's having a great season—or the guy you can't stand who's underperforming. I should also note that I won't be including players who were acquired or moved into significant roles midway through the year. Guys like Yoendrys Gómez and Simeon Woods Richardson won't be making this list.

With that out of the way, let's start with the positives. The first good surprise has been Taj Bradley. Bradley's first stint as a Twin last summer didn't exactly leave fans feeling overly confident heading into 2026. There were certainly flashes, but there were also inconsistencies that made it difficult to know exactly what the Twins had. Through 18 starts this season, though, I've been really impressed.

Bradley owns a 3.59 ERA across 102 2/3 innings while piling up 118 strikeouts, which currently ranks tied for 15th in all of baseball. The strikeout numbers have been especially encouraging because they're backed up by noticeably better swing-and-miss stuff. His cutter and splitter have both taken meaningful steps forward, giving him legitimate weapons beyond his electric fastball. Speaking of that fastball, it's averaging 97 MPH, allowing him to challenge hitters even when they know it's coming.

Has everything been perfect? Of course not. There have still been stretches where his command has disappeared, and he'll occasionally run up his pitch count because of it. But overall, Bradley has looked every bit like a No. 2 starter for a large portion of this season, and perhaps the most encouraging part is that he's still only 25 years old. There's still plenty of room for him to grow as a pitcher, and if he continues refining his command while maintaining this level of stuff, the best very well could still be ahead of him.

The second positive surprise, in my opinion, has to be Kody Clemens. When the season began, I don't think many people expected Clemens to become one of the Twins' most valuable position players. But here we are, 60% of the season down, and he's been one of the more consistent bright spots in the lineup.

He's currently sporting an OPS just shy of .800, while trailing only Byron Buxton for the most extra-base hits on the team. Beyond the offensive production, Clemens has provided value all over the diamond. He's played quality defense at multiple positions, giving Derek Shelton flexibility with his lineup on almost a nightly basis.

The underlying numbers make his season look even more impressive. Clemens ranks in the 93rd percentile in average exit velocity, while posting an 81st-percentile barrel rate. He's consistently hitting the baseball hard; those aren't the types of metrics you normally see from a player who was viewed as more of a depth piece entering the year.

Clemens's expected batting average sits roughly 15 points higher than his actual batting average. So as productive as he's already been, there's an argument to be made that he's actually deserved even better results. It's certainly possible that Clemens gets moved over the next few weeks if the Twins decide to sell at the deadline. But if Tom Pohlad believes this team can make a run, Clemens is the kind of player who helps you win baseball games.

Now, let's move to the negative column. We'll start with Luke Keaschall. Before everyone races to the comments, yes—I know he's been swinging the bat better over the last couple of months. But we're evaluating the season as a whole. Coming into the year, there were some high expectations for Keaschall. He was leading off on Opening Day and looked like someone who could quickly establish himself as a fixture near the top of the lineup.

Instead, he enters the All-Star break hitting .258 with a .696 OPS. While he’s not known for his power production, his quality of contact has been abysmal. Keaschall ranks in the 11th percentile or worse in average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, and barrel rate among major-league hitters. That's simply not the type of contact profile you want to see from someone expected to be a key contributor offensively.

To his credit, he still puts the bat on the ball well, and he doesn't chase pitches very often. Those are valuable traits. But when the quality of contact is this poor, it becomes much more difficult to consistently produce. Again, he was batting leadoff on Opening Day. Now he's hitting ninth almost every day. Considering the expectations surrounding him entering the season, a sub-.700 OPS through 97 games isn't where I or you hoped for Keaschall to be.

The other disappointment has been the Twins' defense as a whole. I don't think anybody entered the season expecting Minnesota to be the best defensive team in baseball, but I also don't think anyone expected things to be this rough. The team currently owns the third-worst defensive efficiency rating in baseball while posting an ugly -28 Defensive Runs Saved, the second-worst mark in the majors.

The left side of the infield has been an issue for much of the season. Tristan Gray struggled there, while Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis both had their share of defensive problems before eventually changing positions. Keaschall also had a difficult time at second base before making the move to the outfield.

To the Twins' credit, though, they haven't been stubborn about it. Derek Shelton and the coaching staff have shown a willingness to move players around the diamond in an effort to maximize their chances of succeeding defensively. They recognized certain alignments weren't working and have tried to adjust instead of simply hoping things would improve. That doesn't erase the defensive struggles we've seen over the first 97 games, but it does show they're actively trying to fix the problem.

Like I said at the beginning, there have been plenty of surprising performances this season—both good and bad—that I didn't mention here. But in my opinion, these are the four that have stood out the most.

---

Now I'm curious to hear from you. What has been your biggest surprise from the Twins so far this season? Let me know in the comments.

View full article

[Whitey333]

Imagine that.  Another Keaschall hater.  So sick of it.  IMO hes still very young to be knocking him down.  Young players make mistakes.  Must be patient with these young players.  We've been very patient with Lewis and many others.  Expecting Keaschall to hit Homer's is ludicrous.  Not everyone is a home run hitter.  I believe Keaschall has all the tools.  Give him a break.

[Linus]

I think you nailed it. Taj has been fantastic and Clemens has been a good “glue” guy. I would add Lewis to the disappointment list 

[Heiny]

I would add Kreidler to the positives.  He has played well at the SS position and his bat has been better than expected.  Also Larnach has been better than expected both offensively and defensively.  My biggest disappointement has been Royce.  I like him at 1st base and although he's been a little better after the demotion, his BA has been abysmal at under .220 and the way he chases the outside pitch is very annoying.  Zebby has been a pleasant surprise and I expect him to keep getting better.

[weitz41]

The biggest surprise for me is how bad the AL is as a whole.

But for the Twins. I agree. Bradley has been a big surprise. I thought maybe a #4 or#5. he pitched like a #2 and that's because Ryan has been so good. Imagine if Lopez was healthy and doing his usual thing. That's a tough top 3. 

Clemens is well on his way to being the team MVP. Bux #'s say it should be him. But the flexibility pushes him over the finish line just a whisker ahead of the Buck truck for me.

It's hard for me to point to any one Twin for the defense. There are just too many bat 1st players on the roster. With all the changes in the field I'm willing to do a wait and see on that as a whole. Also, this is part of why I think Clemens is the team MVP.

Forgot 1 thing on the positive side. IDK who should get the kudos. They have made a point of we have to be better on defense and are trying to fix it. That may be the biggest surprise of all..

[FlyingFinn]

Good article but I disagree on the Twins defense being a surprise. Many thought it would be bad and projected Bell at 1B, Lee at SS, and Wallner in RF. Obviously the Twins came to the same conclusion and almost none of those happen now.

[Parfigliano]

Clemens is a big surprise.  Plays multiple positions and is on pace for 22-23 HR and 64-65 RBI.

They should quit trying to turn Keaschall into a HR guy or they are going to mess him up like Martin.  Let him be an OBP guy who steals base.  Someone has to be on base for someone to hit the multi run HR.

[Mike Sixel]

42 minutes ago, Heiny said:

I would add Kreidler to the positives.  He has played well at the SS position and his bat has been better than expected.  Also Larnach has been better than expected both offensively and defensively.  My biggest disappointement has been Royce.  I like him at 1st base and although he's been a little better after the demotion, his BA has been abysmal at under .220 and the way he chases the outside pitch is very annoying.  Zebby has been a pleasant surprise and I expect him to keep getting better.

Larnach is last among LF in baseball for defense....

[thelanges5]

Good article. This team has been more fun to follow than I thought. 
 

I’d add Morris to the list of surprises. I thought of him as a fringe fourth or fifth starter guy. He’s turning into a nice bullpen option.
 

My disappointment is similar to one of yours. Tom and the FO knew that the bullpen and defense were gonna be bad and didn’t do anything in the off-season to address them. Without getting too nerdy, the Twins could be at least 3 to 4 games better if they even had an average defense and average bullpen. 

[Blyleven2011]

My biggest surprise that the twins are so so SO SO close to 500 mark at the all star break ...

As a player on defense and offense  Kody Clemens has been a great surprise  ...

Pitching Bradley has been a surprise from what we saw last August and September  ...

Honorable mention ,

larnach has a good offense going this season  ...

Caratini and Jackson filled in nicely for the injured jeffers , before the jeffers injury I thought they were just so so , they stepped up their opportunity  ...

[stringer bell]

49 minutes ago, Linus said:

I think you nailed it. Taj has been fantastic and Clemens has been a good “glue” guy. I would add Lewis to the disappointment list 

 

50 minutes ago, Heiny said:

I would add Kreidler to the positives.  He has played well at the SS position and his bat has been better than expected.  Also Larnach has been better than expected both offensively and defensively.  My biggest disappointement has been Royce.  I like him at 1st base and although he's been a little better after the demotion, his BA has been abysmal at under .220 and the way he chases the outside pitch is very annoying.  Zebby has been a pleasant surprise and I expect him to keep getting better.

IMHO there is Royce I and Royce II. Royce I was a surprise and a disappointment. Batting average in the mid-.100s and OPS at .539. Since his return from the minors, he has been a well-above average hitter. and a surprisingly good first baseman--.266 BA and an OPS well over .800.

Larnach has put up the best numbers of his career. Not a lot of homers, but an improved BB/K ratio and OBP. His defense has been what is expected, but his hitting has overshadowed his deficiencies in the field. 

The defense has been poor, with the middle infield being the focus of their struggles. Kreidler and Clemens are good defenders and they've replaced poor defenders at both second and short. Austin Martin has shown he can cover ground and throw from the corner OF spots, Lee and Lewis have adapted to their new positions, but having a good SS is the piece that determines how good this defense is.

[Rufus]

Kreidler and Larnach?  The experts and fans freaked during the off season when the Twins tendered Larnach.  Looks like the Twins management was right on that tender.  

[D.C Twins]

The biggest surprise for the Twins is how God Awful the AL is this year!

[akmanak]

One thing comes to mind at that is the development of Bradley as you mentioned. 

The defense has struggled, but so has the bullpen and yet we are hovering at .500 which is another big surprise. 

[Pykkman]

Wallner has to be on the disappointment list?   

[Mike Sixel]

Bradley and Abel and Morris have all been much better than I expected. Need Abel healthy next year....

Clemens is the biggest surprise to me. I was not a believer in the breakout. I am now. 

[darin617]

4 hours ago, Whitey333 said:

Imagine that.  Another Keaschall hater.  So sick of it.  IMO hes still very young to be knocking him down.  Young players make mistakes.  Must be patient with these young players.  We've been very patient with Lewis and many others.  Expecting Keaschall to hit Homer's is ludicrous.  Not everyone is a home run hitter.  I believe Keaschall has all the tools.  Give him a break.

Why? Keaschall tried to increase his bst speed over the winter and it messed up his power.

[darin617]

Victor Caratini was huge when Jeffers was out.

[saviking]

2 hours ago, Rufus said:

Kreidler and Larnach?  The experts and fans freaked during the off season when the Twins tendered Larnach.  Looks like the Twins management was right on that tender.  

I agree. Larnach has been much maligned for the last 3 years. Even if you don't see him as a centerpiece going forward due to Jenkins and Rodriguez he has trade value now.