The Twins Can Win Playoff Games With Their Bench

Now, I won’t go so far as to say that the Twins’ bench is Built for October™. However, postseason depth is much, much different than regular season depth. Come October, teams with a talented bench don’t necessarily have a useful bench.

Consider 2019-2020 super-utility man Marwin Gonzalez for a recent Twins example. In his prime, Gonzalez was a manager’s dream in the regular season. He could be penciled in almost everywhere, almost every night, and provide a competent bat and glove for 130 games a year. He might even be a mainstay at one spot due to injury—as he was in the opening months of 2019 filling in for the injured Miguel Sano.

Competent bats and fielders—high-end backups—see little time in the playoffs. They’re regular-season depth. Without injuries, Rocco Baldelli would have had little use for those skills. The likes of Jarrod Dyson, Billy Hamilton, and Terrance Gore, blazing-fast base-stealers with little else in the way of value, are where the money is at.

In 2019, the Twins ALDS bench consisted of Jason Castro, Jonathan Schoop, Ehire Adrianza, and Jake Cave. Of course, every team will carry a backup catcher, justifying Castro’s presence.

Schoop was the best bat of the group, but he only played second base and could have been a pinch-hitting option. However, few players could be justifiably lifted from the starting lineup, even against lefty pitching, which Schoop had a .908 OPS against. Subbing him in in Game 2 required Luis Arraez to move to third base, Sano to first, and Gonzalez to left field.

Adrianza and Cave were competent backups in the infield and outfield, respectively. However, without an injury, there was little use for them other than Adrianza as a defensive replacement or Cave as a pinch runner (and not a top-tier one).

In 2020, the Twins had a larger bench, though an arguably less useful one—Alex Avila, a hobbled Mitch Garver, Willians Astudillo, Adrianza, Cave, and Alex Kirilloff. Three catchers. Ironically, they all played in Game 1, as Ryan Jeffers started and was pinch hit for by Garver, who was replaced by Avila to actually catch until Astudillo pinch hit and grounded into the most predictable game-ending ground play this side of 2023 Carlos Correa.

Astudillo was the most helpful piece on that bench, as he could perform a precise role: putting the ball in play. Adrianza, Cave, and Kirilloff (who had no MLB plate appearances then) could each be relied on as an injury (or Eddie Rosario ejection) replacement.

Hopefully, the point is evident here. The Twins didn’t have situationally functional pieces on their bench. They arguably had a better lineup in those years than they have this year, but a functional bench is an advantage for any playoff team.

Enough about the past. What could a playoff bench look like in 2023? Depending on how many pitchers the team chooses to carry in the Wild Card round, they could have up to an eight-man bench (three starting pitchers, six relief pitchers, nine in the starting lineup, and eight on the bench). More realistically, they might carry five or six for the Wild Card round. Here are the options:

Christian Vazquez
As the backup catcher, Vazquez is a lock for the roster. Every team needs at least two catchers. Beyond that (I’m warning everyone reading this), Ryan Jeffers probably won’t start three games in a row, whenever or wherever that happens. Vazquez is the inferior catcher, but he will probably start at least one game.

Michael A. Taylor
Taylor has been the primary center fielder due to Byron Buxton’s injuries, and a betting man would lean toward him still being in that role in the postseason. I’m listing him here on the off chance Buxton returns. Taylor will be a quality pinch runner, and he could be subbed in to play left field alongside Buxton and Max Kepler as a late-game, elite defensive replacement in left field.

Willi Castro
Castro is the third of five seeming locks to be on the roster. He’s enabled of manager Rocco Baldelli’s shenanigans all year, and his ability to pinch run could be crucial, as he’s a great runner with more than 30 stolen bases. He’s also a competent fielder, so if the defense needs to be jumbled up for any reason, he can patch it up.

Kyle Farmer
Farmer could fall into the Adrianza bucket—a good glove in the infield. However, he also has a history of hammering left-handed pitching and is on a tear recently. Many don’t want to hear this, but he’ll probably start against a lefty over Edouard Julien, pinch hit for him against a lefty reliever, or finish the game at second base (if, for some reason, Julien needs to start there instead of as the designated hitter).

Joey Gallo
Kidding. Foot injury or something.

Donovan Solano
Thus far, there hasn’t been a bona fide pinch hitter discussed, but Donnie Barrels is the man for the job. The fifth lock to make the roster, he’s as trusted a pinch-hitter as a team can ask for against a righty or lefty. Beyond that, he’ll likely start at first base if the Twins face a lefty starter.

Jordan Luplow
We’re getting into the more questionable choices, but don’t be surprised in the least if Luplow makes the roster as a right-handed outfield option. If he is on the roster, he’ll probably start in left field against lefties and bat in the top half. You can kick and scream about it, but please don’t take your anger out on me; I’m just the messenger. I also think it’s reasonable, but I’m still just the messenger.

Andrew Stevenson
Stevenson is probably the least likely to make the roster among those who still have a chance. If Taylor indeed starts in center field, Stevenson might be given a spot in a similar role. He could be a second pinch-running option behind Castro and a late-game defensive replacement in left.

Gilberto Celestino
Celestino was called up to Minnesota for the first time in 2023 on Sunday. He originally wasn’t on this list, but if he’s up now, he may be a right-handed alternative to Stevenson. I’d give him minimal odds unless additional injuries force him into said role.

Now, I won’t sit here and say that having a bunch of useful tools makes a team a World Series contender. Nonetheless, any one of these players could reasonably be used in a position that decides whether or not the Twins win or lose a game. There’s depth at each position, but there are also pinch runners, platoon hitters, and defensive replacements that can give a slight edge to a team that they would otherwise lack. Every edge matters in October. Let’s see some moves, Rocco.