Top 25 Twins Daily Most-Viewed Articles of 2023: Part 3 (11-15)

In a season like the Minnesota Twins had in 2023, they got contributions from a number of player including some who they likely weren't expecting big things from. Donovan Solano was signed just before spring training and likely contributed much more. When determining their playoff rosters, they had plenty of good choices on the periphery of their roster.  A 'new' position for a veteran sure didn't work out as the team hoped, but it also makes sense to move one of the team's brightest stars to a new position. 

Feel free to discuss these five topics today. 

#15 The Twins Found a Diamond in the Rough 
by Ted Schwerzler
Apr 15 

There was a lot of head shaking when the Twins signed veteran infielder Donovan Solano. Ultimately, it was a tremendous, valuable addition to a roster in which depth was supremely important. That proved true nearly from Day 1. Jorge Polanco and Alex Kirilloff started the season on the Injured List. Early in the year, Kyle Farmer took a fastball to the face and missed significant time. Joey Gallo spent time on the IL early in the season. And Solano rewarded the Twins by starting fast. 

#14 Byron Buxton, Bailey Ober and Other ALDS Roster Decisions 
by Cody Christie
Oct 6 

After winning their first playoff game in nearly 20 years, and winning a playoff series for the first time in over two decades, the Twins advanced to the ALDS where they took on the Houston Astros. As there are with each new playoff series. For instance, needing just three starting pitchers in the Wild Card round, would Bailey Ober be on the second round roster?  Yes, and he started Game 1. How about Byron Buxton? Would he be on the roster? Well, initially no, but when Alex Kirilloff re-injured his shoulder and was removed from the roster, Buxton was added. Who would be the Game 4 starter, if needed? Since the Twins played just two games in their sweep of the Blue Jays, they didn’t need a Game 3 starter. So, the assumption was that Joe Ryan would start Game 1. Instead, Ober made that start and Ryan started Game 4. 

#13 The Twins Continue to Deal in Distressed Assets 
by Cody Christie
Jan 19 

In mid-January, Cody considered the Twins trend of acquiring players with injury concerns. For instead, Kenta Maeda had long had a slight tear in his UCL, but the Twins traded for him and got a great season before he needed Tommy John surgery. Tyler Mahle was an injury risk when the Twins acquired him. Sam Dyson wasn’t an injury risk when the Twins acquired him, though it didn’t take long to realize he had been hurt for some time. Chris Paddack was an injury risk. The Twins were able to sign Josh Donaldson in large part due to his injury concerns. In the most obvious example, the Twins were able to sign Carlos Correa in large part due to potential injury concerns.  

#12 It’s Time to End the Byron Buxton Experiment at Designated Hitter 
by Matthew Taylor
June 3 

The Twins made the decision before the season began that keeping Byron Buxton’s bat in the lineup was a priority. It was logical based on the offensive production he put up in 2022 before injury. Just two months into the season, Buxton was struggling at the plate, and he had already suffered through a couple of long, extended slumps in which he failed to make much contact. While the Twins didn’t expect a lot of offense from Michael A. Taylor , he provided tremendous defense in center field. 

#11 A New Position for Royce Lewis? 
by Ted Schwerzler
July 29  

After returning from his second ACL surgery, Royce Lewis played well. Then he missed about a month due to an oblique strain. At that same time, Jorge Polanco was getting some time at third base so that he and Edouard Julien could both be in the lineup most every day. Should the Twins have considered moving Lewis back out to center field. While his fluke injury a year earlier occurred in center, many still believe that with his speed and athleticism, it might be his best position.

Tomorrow we will jump into the Top 10 most-viewed articles of 2023. If you missed a previous day: 

Part 1 (21-25)
Part 2 (16-20)
Part 3 (11-15)  
Part 4 (6-10) - Coming Tomorrow!