A Month Later, The Twins’ Players-Only Meeting Created A Reset

Teams love a reset, and after the Twins’ terrible showing against the Braves at the end of June, it seemed essential to find a new course. Although not every series or game has worked out in Minnesota’s favor, it cannot be denied that the hitters have finally figured something out.

Since the All Star Game, the Twins have led the American League in hitting WAR, tied with the Angels for most runs scored. Even if strikeouts are still up, so are walks. More importantly, the runs scored have exploded. Before the break, the Twins managed to score either two runs or less in 37 of 91 games. They’ve only had a single game—a tough shut out against Seattle’s George Kirby—where they didn’t score at least three runs. They’ve fought off deficits in late innings for stunning comebacks. Even with the particularly tough performances by Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo, the Twins are suddenly a hitting machine.

So who exactly changed? And how did these players go from zeros to heroes?

Note: I skipped rookies Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis. Lewis was injured only days after the players’ meeting. Julien was present for the meeting, but he was clearly adjusting to the majors still —though it didn’t take long to figure it out. Also notable: Donovan Solano is a bit down on the month after his stellar mid-season work, mostly due to a few less hits this month alongside reduced playing time.

Carlos Correa: 90 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 113 Post-Meeting WRC+
During an Apple+ broadcast earlier this season, Dontrelle Willis asked Correa if he thought he could strike out the former pitcher. “In May, you get me, in July, I’ll get you.” Correa’s slow start is part of his usual M.O, but this season seemed particularly disastrous with the All Star batting a season low.212 through the end of June. Rocco Baldelli responded with something aggressive for the hitter, by turning him into a lead off player. The results have been quite notable; Correa is hitting .278 since the meeting and dropped his strikeout rate from 24.1% to 18.4%. He’s done so by sacrificing power for a series of singles and doubles—his isolated power is down around 33% but his BABIP is up over 100 points. Correa may prefer to slug a few more home runs, but he’s clearly adjusted to a very different role by playing like another former Twin.

Max Kepler: 84 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 124 Post-Meeting WRC+
Most fans continued to be baffled by Max Kepler’s presence in a line up with players like Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach wasting away in the minors. He responded by becoming one of the most reliable bats on the team. Kepler went from hitting under the Mendoza Line to batting .287/.330/.483 since the meeting. His power is about the same, but Kepler has increased his BABIP from a paltry .195 to a strong .333. In a recent interview, Kepler puts the success on his teammates; when they’re on base, he’s been aiming to hit them home.

Alex Kirilloff: 120 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 150 Post-Meeting WRC+
There were so many questions regarding Alex Kirilloff going into the season, especially after starting on the IL in order to slowly improve his wrist issues. Any thought of the wrist has essentially vanished. Since the meeting, Kirilloff has notably become more patient at the plate, doubling his walk-to-strikeout ratio, jumping his slugging from .401 to .532, and doubling his Isolated Power from below average to elite. Perhaps if you spend some time studying Aaron Judge, you can become an elite player too.

Ryan Jeffers: 130 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 150 Post-Meeting WRC+
Ryan Jeffers was not exactly struggling in the early parts of the season as much as fighting to justify more playing time. Since the meeting, Jeffers and Christian Vasquez have evenly split their time behind the plate, but the younger man has taken the advantage to increase his BABIP from .389 to .429 as he mashes against Right Handed pitching. His .408 On Base Percentage is currently only second to Edouard Julien and he's posting a .981 OPS for July. If Vasquez's utility has become almost entirely behind the plate, Jeffers is making up for it.

Michael A. Taylor: 80 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 117 Post-Meeting WRC+
Willi Castro: 97 Pre-Meeting WRC+, 95 Post-Meeting WRC+
I’m pairing these players together because Castro’s most useful aspect in the last month of the season hasn’t been his bat as much as his improved role in the field. Though Taylor remains an elite player, acting as a platoon player rather than full time in Center Field has allowed Baldelli to put him with the right match ups. Rather than hit a miniscule .213, he’s improved it to a respectable .256. Castro has slipped a bit after his strong run in June, though he has significantly tripled his walk-to-strikeout ratio. By giving Taylor the needed breaks to match against better hitters, Castro hasn’t dropped that much (while actually almost leading the team in Win Probability Added for his critical steals). The same approach has made Kyle Farmer a weapon for the team as well, where less playing time means better plate appearances. 

Getting swept in Atlanta is one thing... Getting swept in Kansas City is another. Do the Twins need another players-only meeting?