Twins Daily Awards 2026: Most Valuable Player

[MeleMouth]

19 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Tied for 15th on the team in WAR with Jeff Hoffman and Austin Martin. Bell plays absolutely zero defense (half time player) and was one of the worst baserunners on the team. He was one of the reasons this team finished below .500.

The case for Bell would start with his being 1st in producing runs above average and an above-average clubhouse guy. However, his wRC+ and WPA were both mediocre.

[mrmpls]

3 hours ago, Brandon said:

Clemens extra value comes from playing good defense at multiple positions.  His ability to play CF was discovered out of necessity.  And he continually moved where needed.  

Morris and Gomez were probably under consideration until their last month or so of the season.

My vote would be for any of the top 5.  

im a Kody fan but in reality his Defense at 2b was below average 

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75 Attempts37 Attempts1 Attempt5 OAA0 OAA-5 OAAClemens, KodyOuts Above Average on Responsible Plays for 2026OUTS ABOVE AVERAGE

BOX PLOTS - STARTING POSITION

▾

                     Box Plots - Starting Position                     Box Plots - Ending Position                 

Lineup Position	Attempts	Success Rate	Estimated Success Rate	OAA
2B	248	77%	78%	-3
1B	117	80%	78%	1
RF	33	97%	91%	2
LF	27	93%	92%	0
CF	19	95%	92%	1

 

	Field Location	Attempts	Success Rate	Estimated Success Rate	OAA
[+]	ALL 2B	248	77%	78%	-3
[+]	ALL 1B	117	80%	78%	1
[+]	ALL RF	33	97%	91%	2
[+]	ALL LF	27	93%	92%	0
[+]	ALL CF	19	95%	92%	1
	ALL	444	81%	81%	1

Save Visual View Player Page 

[Cris E]

4 hours ago, Andy MacPhail said:

I'm sorry but Keaschal few good plays in the OF, Buxton makes looks very routine. I know that Buck didn't look good playing injured, but he was elite when he was healthy. His stats were on top of the teams totals even considering his incomplete playing time. IMO, if we remove entirely Buxton's impact on the team (no matter how incomplete it was) compared to Keaschal, Clemens, Lee or Bell's; the team would suffer the most. That's the definition of team's MVP.

In fact the team would have improved if we removed half of Buxton's season,  I love the guy, but he was terrible, far below his standard and the team average, for much of the season. His last 22 games from June 27 to Aug 25 he posted a .483 OPS. I know I've written before about the source of the hope that he and Shelton were seeing, but the team needs to be better about benching injured guys. (Royce Lewis was just as bad for almost as long: .476 OPS  in 34 games between Aug 18 and the end of the year.  How about the end of the year for Morris: 9.37 ERA in his last 17 appearances after Aug 18. Did everything suck after that Field of Dreams game or what?) 

[Cris E]

Forgot to add: Keaschall going away, Bradley in second and BB in third.

Byron's half season was on a historic pace (25 HR by Father's Day) while the others did a lot of fine work with some normal ebb and flow that really feels like they were laying a foundation for really excellent futures. If we were a real playoff team my standard would be who was getting us to the World Series, but we're a young, improving team and these two showed real growth that points towards all-star ceilings.  

 

[DataNerd]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I think he will be okay if they move him to left field. That is the position that maximizes his athletic talent (speed) and minimizes his weakness (arm). If they play Keaschall in RF and put Jenkins or Rodriguez in LF I will spend some of my time next summer yelling at the television. This team has to stop causing self-inflicted problems on defense.

Yep, we saw this with Austin Martin where moving an athletic guy to the OF resulted in him being horrible in 24, average in 25 and above average in 26 (despite being a bit slower this year).  Keaschall is faster than Martin was as well, and even with a bottom 5 OF arm should be able to be above-average in LF.

[DataNerd]

2 hours ago, mrmpls said:

im a Kody fan but in reality his Defense at 2b was below average 

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75 Attempts37 Attempts1 Attempt5 OAA0 OAA-5 OAAClemens, KodyOuts Above Average on Responsible Plays for 2026OUTS ABOVE AVERAGE

BOX PLOTS - STARTING POSITION

▾

                     Box Plots - Starting Position                     Box Plots - Ending Position                 

Lineup Position	Attempts	Success Rate	Estimated Success Rate	OAA
2B	248	77%	78%	-3
1B	117	80%	78%	1
RF	33	97%	91%	2
LF	27	93%	92%	0
CF	19	95%	92%	1

 

	Field Location	Attempts	Success Rate	Estimated Success Rate	OAA
[+]	ALL 2B	248	77%	78%	-3
[+]	ALL 1B	117	80%	78%	1
[+]	ALL RF	33	97%	91%	2
[+]	ALL LF	27	93%	92%	0
[+]	ALL CF	19	95%	92%	1
	ALL	444	81%	81%	1

Save Visual View Player Page 

Clemens had been above-average at 2B before this year, and 3 OAA/RAA isn't much, that can just be a couple bad plays.  1 FRV in 994 career IP at 2B is solid for a utility guy.

[djvang]

Why don't they consider LF where his weak arm wouldn't be as big a liability? Having him in RF is a green light for runners go from 1st to 3rd on a single.

[Danchat]

Taj would get my vote if I had a say. 

[HarmonK03]

7 hours ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

No more vet placeholders who are "nice players" playing every day. Commit. Play Keaschall, Jenkins, Culpepper, Lee, EmRod, and Roden pretty much every day

I agree with this except for Roden.  What has he done to earn regular playing time other than we traded for him.  He had a good stretch in the last month of the season but every other stint in the major leagues he was below average.  And his good stretch came when he wasn't playing every day, which sounds more like a bench player.  Now if he can rake on a regular basis and force his way into the lineup that is a different discussion.  But he is past prospect status and has yet to earn regular playing with either Toronto or us.  He looks more like a fourth outfielder at best.  We don't need more experiments at 1B.

[HarmonK03]

I would go with Luke as well.  Clemens had some good moments at the plate.  He can play multiple positions on defense but that does not make him a good defender.  His arm is not strong enough or accurate enough to play the outfield on a regular basis.  His best position is probably 2B as he can't scoop throws at first. 

[Mike Sixel]

6 hours ago, MeleMouth said:

The Twins have been locked into a failing strategy of prioritizing power over defense and strikeouts. They are probably now seeing the error of that strategy and are going to prioritize contact skills and defense. Unfortunately, they are late to that party, as shown by the teams playing in the ALCS and NLCS.

Knowing the Twins, their late pivot to the styles currently being played by TBR/CLE/MIL will happen right before those teams find another competitive advantage for the Twins to be late to. Who knows, maybe the next competitive advantage will be to prioritize power over contact. 

They literally changed their drafting style 4 years ago....so, wut? It takes time for players to come to the bigs.

In any event, Taj, Clemens, Keaschell, (buxton and Jeffers if they played more would be 1/2).

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, DataNerd said:

Yep, we saw this with Austin Martin where moving an athletic guy to the OF resulted in him being horrible in 24, average in 25 and above average in 26 (despite being a bit slower this year).  Keaschall is faster than Martin was as well, and even with a bottom 5 OF arm should be able to be above-average in LF.

100%! That said, what to do with ERod and Jenkins? I mean, I have no good plan here.....Because I also think Luke could be the 1B (maybe?). 

[mrmpls]

57 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

100%! That said, what to do with ERod and Jenkins? I mean, I have no good plan here.....Because I also think Luke could be the 1B (maybe?). 

..Because I also think Luke could be the 1B (maybe?). Hell will freeze over b4 that happens

[jmlease1]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

100%! That said, what to do with ERod and Jenkins? I mean, I have no good plan here.....Because I also think Luke could be the 1B (maybe?). 

I think there's plenty of ABs for an OF of Buxton, Jenkins, E-Rod, and Keaschall if they're also cycling them through the DH slot. They can even fit Roden in there. That lets them give Buxton more time off and minimize Keaschall's defensive challenges. That's a higher upside group than keeping Bell, but there's some risk with younger guys struggling to adjust. But I'd take that risk over another 1 year veteran mediocrity right now.

[MeleMouth]

1 hour ago, Mike Sixel said:

They literally changed their drafting style 4 years ago....so, wut? It takes time for players to come to the bigs.

In any event, Taj, Clemens, Keaschell, (buxton and Jeffers if they played more would be 1/2).

Changed their strategy four years ago, huh? Evidence is spotty. In the last four drafts, they've still been using a lot of high picks on power over contact hitters, many without a plus defensive home.

In 2023 they didn't need a strategy in the first round, because they took Jenkins, and they also took Keaschall who has excellent contact (although poor defense) in the second, but they also drafted Winokur (OK power, poor contact, maybe some defensive hope) in the third round.

In 2024, Culpepper was probably a good pick, although he has contact and defense yellow flags, and they also took Debarge (OK contact, sub-OK hit tool, OK power, no plus defensive home) in the first round and Amick (power, no contact, poor defense) in the second. Diaw in the third is a project. He appears to have very good contact and may become a very good defensive player.

In 2025, Houston has great defense (!) with what looks like good contact, but they then took Young in the second. He's like Joey Gallo, except with less power and with worse defense and even worse contact. Additionally, their prize trade acquisition among position players was Tait, a catcher who has power, but poor defensive skills and bad contact.

In 2026 Lackey was an obvs first pick, so no strategy applied, but Tinney (whom I like) in round 2 is again a classic power over contact hitter without a defensive home. 

Of the players they actually selected in the past four years, not counting the automatic choices of Jenkins and Lackey, only Houston is close to being a likely good contact, good defense player, with hopes for Diaw and Culpepper, and perhaps dreams on Keachall's defense.

Further, strategy applies to development as well as player selection, and there is little evidence that they are helping players improve their contact skills. In 2026, Cedar Rapids and Wichita had terrible strikeout records, even with Houston and Diaw, so if they changed their overall strategy four years ago, better contact would have shown up at those levels by now. 

[ashbury]

The Twins went 11-3 in the games Alex Jackson played the entire game at catcher.  Ladies and jellybeans of the jury, I rest my case.

[Mike Sixel]

1 hour ago, MeleMouth said:

Changed their strategy four years ago, huh? Evidence is spotty. In the last four drafts, they've still been using a lot of high picks on power over contact hitters, many without a plus defensive home.

In 2023 they didn't need a strategy in the first round, because they took Jenkins, and they also took Keaschall who has excellent contact (although poor defense) in the second, but they also drafted Winokur (OK power, poor contact, maybe some defensive hope) in the third round.

In 2024, Culpepper was probably a good pick, although he has contact and defense yellow flags, and they also took Debarge (OK contact, sub-OK hit tool, OK power, no plus defensive home) in the first round and Amick (power, no contact, poor defense) in the second. Diaw in the third is a project. He appears to have very good contact and may become a very good defensive player.

In 2025, Houston has great defense (!) with what looks like good contact, but they then took Young in the second. He's like Joey Gallo, except with less power and with worse defense and even worse contact. Additionally, their prize trade acquisition among position players was Tait, a catcher who has power, but poor defensive skills and bad contact.

In 2026 Lackey was an obvs first pick, so no strategy applied, but Tinney (whom I like) in round 2 is again a classic power over contact hitter without a defensive home. 

Of the players they actually selected in the past four years, not counting the automatic choices of Jenkins and Lackey, only Houston is close to being a likely good contact, good defense player, with hopes for Diaw and Culpepper, and perhaps dreams on Keachall's defense.

Further, strategy applies to development as well as player selection, and there is little evidence that they are helping players improve their contact skills. In 2026, Cedar Rapids and Wichita had terrible strikeout records, even with Houston and Diaw, so if they changed their overall strategy four years ago, better contact would have shown up at those levels by now. 

So, all four first round picks play defense.....

[MeleMouth]

12 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

So, all four first round picks play defense.....

Picking Jenkins and Lackey has nothing to do with strategy. They were, respectively, the fifth and third overall choices in drafts that had five and three top prospects. If they really prioritized defense, they would have picked Jacob Wilson instead of Jenkins.

Culpepper and Houston could have been BPA, but a bunch of 2d and 3d rounders in recent years are weak on defense and the organization as a whole has downplayed defense until the second half of this year.

The 2026 Twins started with fielders who ranged from well below average to terrible at 1B, 2B, SS, 3B, LF, and RF, and their main C was bottom quartile. Even the once-great CF is now average at best. Changing to prioritize defense in the middle of the year wasn't part of a strategic plan, but instead was necessitated by widespread failure. On an organizational basis, it's a reach to say they changed their strategy based on two first round picks in four years.

[tony&rodney]

Luke Keaschall is a fair choice, which I fully support.

My only observation is to note that all of the Twins young position players could be seen on many, many occasions approaching Josh Bell, talking while Bell listened intently and then responded. There were just a ton of examples. One stood out. Walker Jenkins was mired in a rough MLB experience and after a very frustrating failed plate appearance he went straight to Josh Bell. 

Sometimes it seems like the best teams all have a veteran that the players go to. Jose Ramirez is a total star and that guy. Christian Yelich is less than he once was a player, but he is that guy. Yandy Diaz is still productive and he is that guy.

[DataNerd]

5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

100%! That said, what to do with ERod and Jenkins? I mean, I have no good plan here.....Because I also think Luke could be the 1B (maybe?). 

I'm not planning on Buxton/ERod/Jenkins all being healthy for more than a month unfortunately.

[killercarewoliva]

23 hours ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

I agree with the OP, Keaschall was the team's MVP last year and it wasn't particularly close with Buxton and Jeffers being unavailable for so much of the season. No one can argue that Keaschall wasn't the team's best hitter and best base runner. He was, and once again it wasn't very close - there wasn't anyone in his range. His Defense at 2B was very bad and it might even have been worse in CF, no question, but he improved in RF and was above average by year end if you believe the analytics which here match the eye test. The guy is 23 and just started playing the OF on a regular basis. He will be  be a better OF next year. Players actually do improve over time with repetition and practice. I think he'll settle in as an above average but not elite corner OF. I'll take that from a guy who is becoming one of if not the best leadoff hitters in baseball. In short, Keaschall was a very good but not great player last year who could be getting better, but if he's your MVP that says something important about your team.   

This exercise does really show the Twins key weakness - we don't have the 2 or 3 truly elite players that championship contenders all have to carry the team through the tough times and shine in the playoffs. We don't have the 2026 Brewers Jackson Chourio, Turang,  and elite bullpen, the 2025 Dodgers Yamamoto, Freeman, Ohtani, etc. Buxton was that for half a season but that's the best he can be - elite for half a season. We're not going to be able to buy that player as a free agent. They're too expensive and want to play for a contender which means they generally won't come to the Twins in their current condition. That's a fact we need to accept to help determine strategy going forward. You can't get better unless you acknowledge where you are.

So what do we need to do to be the championship contender we say we want to be? Quit playing around the edges so much. Don't just sign or trade for another decent but not great veteran DH, another 4th starter, a 6th or 7th inning reliever, etc. like we did last year. That helps but won't get us where we want to go. Try to trade for a true middle of the order bat -  I would dangle Ryan plus to try to get that guy. If we can't get that player through a trade, and I think we probably can't, continue and accelerate the roster turnover process we started last year. No more vet placeholders who are "nice players" playing every day. Commit. Play Keaschall, Jenkins, Culpepper, Lee, EmRod, and Roden pretty much every day. See if 4 of them can occupy the first 5 spots in the batting order with Buxton getting the other for now. Bring up Houston early to mid-season to play SS with Culpepper moving to 2B. If that means Clemens becomes a Super UTL/DH/1B guy and Lewis goes somewhere else so Roden can play 1B most days, do it. Re-sign Jeffers even if the contract is an overpay and too long so there's a glide path for Lackey starting with a 1/3 share in 2028, going to a 2/3 share in '29 and '30.  Pitch Abel, Preilipp, Matthews, and Rojas in the rotation at the expense of Ober and Kremer (bullpen or trade bait) and see if there are any #1 or #2 starters in that group. Commit to Morris and/or Gomez as your closers, and maybe even put one of Rojas, Matthews or Festa in the BP getting high leverage innings. There's nothing wrong with surrounding these guys with some vets to ease the transition, guys like Buxton, Jeffers, Lopez, and Hoffman, but don't play guys like Bell, Ober, Clemens, Kriedler, Kremer, etc. at the expense of the young guys. Play the young guys. See what you have and see if you've got those 2-3 stars we need. It may be ugly, but it's the best way to get to where we want to go if we have the talent to get there. If it turns out we don't, blow it up and start over. Don't play to be decent to good, play to be very good to great.   

I did not mean to insinuate that Bell should be the MVP. I was just saying nobody's even considering the guy and when you have 96 RBIs well batting 5th something like that you're not going to be the leader in run scored but he's batting in those runs. I have not seen festa have very many good games. he continues to have a very high era so he's not ready to be a rotation piece injuries aside. Keaschel is fantastic. in the outfield buxton's still going to be playing center? yes I think Keaschell should move to left. then you have Jenkins in right field and Rolen needs to to see what he can do at first base. when it comes to Rodriguez, he's not a major league hitter yet so he will not be one of the three starters but has to make the team. you can't let go potential like that. Diaw might I'm not sure be the choice for the second catcher without Jeffers. I like ober as a long relief guy, not a starter. I foresee Jenkins and Buxton if these two pronged injury people can play the whole season. 80 rbis each. I don't think trading any of the starting pitching is a good idea. hopefully Houston can come up sometime during the season. moving Culpeper to second base where I think he will do better. but I say that reluctantly you can boot a ball at second just as easy as you can at short. he looks very major league ready at the plate. you get all these guys together in 27. get some time under the belt then 28. the twins could be looking really good, not just so so players. Abel if he comes back being well, he's going to show MLB how to be a true left-handed pitcher. it's going to be incredible. then you have Lopez. Ryan Bradley number 5 anybody. lots of choices but I don't think Matthews is one of them. when it comes to DH to go out and get 100 RBI guy it's going to cost a lot of money and maybe Bell can do an 80 RBI season making it worth what he's being paid. lots of people trying to get those defensive positions in the infield so let him just DH.