Top 25 Twins Daily Most-Viewed Articles of 2023: Part 2 (16-20)

There are some interesting topics in today's group of five frequently viewed articles. We had a look back at a Twins trade from nearly a decade ago. Initially, it looked real bad, but ultimately, it didn't work out great for either side. There are a couple of spring training articles on the Twins injury situations. They were two weeks apart, yet information had changed already. Coming into 2023, how were the Twins past decade of top picks doing? More important, how are they doing now, after the 2023 season? Finally, there is an article on the Twins still being a little shifty, even after rules involving shifting changed. 

#20 Aaron Hicks and a Complete Trade Result 8 Years in the Making 
by Matt Braun
May 28

In November of 2015, the Twins traded center fielder Aaron Hicks to the Yankees in exchange for catcher John Ryan Murphy. With the Yankees releasing Hicks in May, Matt took the time to look back at the trade. The Twins basically got nothing. Hicks was very good for the Bronx Bombers and turned it into a seven-year, $70 million contract. The Yankees released him with three years and $31.5 million. Out from Yankees Stadium, Hicks signed with the Orioles for the remainder of 2023 and helped them. The Twins had Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Eddie Rosario.  

#19 Where are they now? The Twins last 10 First-Round Draft Picks
by Cody Christie
Jan 23

From Kohl Stewart in 2013 through Brooks Lee in 2022, Cody reviewed where the Twins top picks were heading into the 2023 season. The Twins first-round picks from 2014, 2016, 2017 and 2018 contributed to the 2023 big-league roster, though only two of them were on the playoff roster. That said, I think we can all agree that 2021 top pick Chase Petty helped the 2023 Twins as well since he was traded to the Reds in a one-for-one swap for Sonny Gray.  

#18 Injuries Already Impacting the 2023 Twins Roster 
by Cody Christie
Mar 6 

Shortly after spring training began, the Twins already had a significant number of injured players. We knew already at this time that Alex Kirilloff and Jorge Polanco would start their season’s a little late. Gilberto Celestino had already had thumb surgery. A couple of the injuries were believed to be minor, but obviously Jose Miranda’s shoulder issue affected him all season.   

#17 Injury Concerns Are (Sigh) Already Mounting for the Twins 
by Nick Nelson
Mar 19

Two weeks later, Nick was in Ft. Myers and just 10 days before Opening Day, there were still a lot of question marks. The hope was Byron Buxton would be ready for Opening Day. The front office finally admitted that Jorge Polanco would not be ready for Opening Day. Along with Polanco, Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff had also not yet played in a spring training game. In addition, Nick noted that Max Kepler had left a spring game with hip soreness and that there were concerns about Tyler Mahle’s velocity and Kenta Maeda’s readiness. 

#16 The Twins Are the Shadiest Team in Baseball 
by Matthew Trueblood
Dec 13

In 2022, the Twins shifted in the infield more than all but five other MLB teams. Heading into the 2023 season, baseball added several new rules, one of which altered how much shifting could be done in the infield. For instance, there had to be two infielders on each side of second base, and all four infielders had to be set up on the infield grass (not in shallow right field as had become “normal.”) The Twins played within those rules, but stretched them as much as they could and as often as they could. This is an excellent Caretaker article. 

More to come tomorrow, but if you missed a previous edition: 

Part 1 (21-25)
Part 2 (16-20)
Part 3 (11-15) - Coming Tomorrow!