Minnesota Twins Hitter of the Month: August 2026

I see all the angst about Keaschall’s defense. People forget that Tony Gwynn was a pretty crappy defender when he came up and eventually became a Gold Glover. Keaschall seems like the kind of guy who will do the work to improve on that side of the ball. 

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

I guess the rest of the line up was so bad we don't get a traditional countdown.  Just a quickie article to get it out there.  

Keaschall is this generations Dan Gladden but good.  They do have a similar power output and speed.  Opposite average and on base skills.  I do agree that Keaschall needs a defensive position and will get better with work.  

But can probably already say names better than Gladden. 😀

It's September. It's still not "Carantini," Mr. Dazzle. Last night I heard him say Dingler threw the ball into right field when it happened and he was doing play-by-play and then into center field when summarizing it in the postgame show. Urgh. 

25 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Keaschall is definitely on a 2 month heater. Brutal start to the season. Strange power outage in June. But crushing it in July & August. Deserving winner.

But Culpepper sure looks like he'll get a few of these hitter of the month" awards. Heck of a start to the MLB career.

Agreed. I would love to see Shelton put those two back to back in the 1-2 spots in the Order. Lee can hit 5 or 6. I would start tonight. 

22 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Who is the Twins defender of the month? Definitely not Keaschall.

That is easy...Culpepper at SS. He has been a breath of fresh air.

This is going to sound crazy, but if the Twins can get hot and somehow sneak into the playoffs, he'll probably get some down-ballot MVP votes.... deservedly

Keasch definitely got into the Detroit pitcher's head while Keasch was on base. Jumping all around, stealing 2nd base ,then jumping around while Clemens was at bat. I loved it. Pitchers who say that they don't pay any attention to that type of stuff, are liars. 

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He has not been consistent. -1 OAA for August. I hope that isn’t their best defensive performance. That would be sad.

Oh my goodness. I did not know that. Why is that? Lack of range? Errors,? Poor positioning? Errant throws? His arm strength looks strong to my eyes.  What do you think specifically has caused his below average OAA for August? How did I miss this? I am not worthy. 

I love the expression that Keasch plays ball like a man with his air on fire. He is constantly in motion.  He is a pest for the opposing pitchers.  In summation, he hustles. 

10 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

9-1 is also back to back

It is but the #9 hitter gets a lot fewer ABs over the course of the season than the #2 hitter, so I'd prefer Culpepper in the 2 hole with Jenkins 9 and Keaschall 1.