This Series Means More To Jorge Polanco

You could make the case for many different Twins being the face of their ALDS matchup against the dreaded Houston Astros. The obvious choice is Carlos Correa as he takes on his former club. Pablo Lopez might have an early edge after his brilliant start in Game 2 on Sunday night. Even Royce Lewis could garner some steam after his heroics in the Wild Card round and after his mammoth shot in Game 1 on Saturday afternoon. But this matchup could mean the most to the team’s longest-tenured Twin, Jorge Polanco. 

Often getting a supporting character billing for much of his career, the Twins’ infielder has seen and heard it all when it comes to his team’s reputation in the postseason. And after three wins in the first two rounds so far, he finally gets to see that reputation start to shift.

As this matchup with the Astros heads home to Target Field for the next two games, the stakes have never been higher for the Twins, and especially for Polanco. With top-prospects emerging in the club’s depth chart, the future is uncertain for the veteran switch-hitter. This is his prime opportunity to get even more redemption for his teammates of years’ past who couldn’t pull through with a win in the playoffs. But more importantly, it’s Polanco’s best shot at redemption for himself and all of the hard work he’s put into his 14 years with the Twins’ organization. 

The opponent in this matchup plays a significant role in Polanco’s quest for vindication. The Astros have been the most dominant-team in the American League for the better part of a decade, and they ousted the Twins in their last postseason appearance in 2020. In those two games at Target Field, Polanco tallied just one hit in eight plate appearances, and committed a tragic late-game fielding error that led to the Houston lineup taking a lead. At that point, Polanco had heard all about the unbelievable playoff losing streak. Now he found himself fully submerged in its tide. 

To put that behind him this time around, Polanco will have to carry the mindset that he held when playing against Houston in the regular season throughout his career. In 31 games against the Astros, Polo carries a .322/.382/.593 (.975 OPS) slash line with 16 extra-base hits. That’s elite production that may just be starting to rear its head into the playoffs for Polanco. We saw his mammoth three-run homer in Game 1 off of Hector Neris this year. Though that ultimately led to a Twins’ loss, it kept the team in the game and hopefully kicked the veteran Twins’ infielder into high-gear for the rest of the series. 

The Twins need him to fulfill his duties in the coming games against Houston, not just as a savvy hitter, but as a versatile fielder that can hold his own in a relatively-unfamiliar position. With Lewis relegated to designated hitter while he recovers from a hamstring strain, and rookie Edouard Julien requiring ample playing time against right-handed pitchers, Polanco has needed to acclimate himself to the hot corner in expedited fashion. So far in the postseason, that’s involved some sloppy errors and a few tougher-outs left unmade in the field. But while his defensive capabilities may have fallen short a few times, that doesn’t mean that they’re bound to for the rest of the series, or even the postseason. This is Polanco’s chance to step up and take control of the game now that he doesn’t have to worry about the monkey on his back anymore. His team needs him to help lead the way now more than ever. And if he can step up to the moment, Polanco can not only change the narrative going forward, but he can close the book on what it has meant to be a Minnesota Twin in the postseason for the last 20 years.  

He can do it for all of the great players he took the field with in the 2010s who couldn’t end the dreaded streak. 

He can do it for his three managers that helped to elevate his game to the where he finds himself today. 

He can do it for his longtime friend and current teammate, Max Kepler, who has shared a field and occasional bedroom with Polanco for their entire adult lives. 

But most of all, he can do it for himself as the longest-tenured and arguably most-underrated Twin of the last decade. He can do it against one of his biggest nemeses, and he can do it at home in front of the thousands of fans that watched him grow from a 20-year-old emergency call-up in 2014 to a beloved veteran on the team that finally beat the dreaded streak. 

What do you think? Can Jorge Polanco redeem himself this time around? Will this series against the Astros mean more to him? Let us know what you think in the comment section down below, and as always, keep it sweet.