Twins Daily 2023 Awards: Most Improved

Before we begin, a word of caution to this year’s winners. Last year's winners didn't find much success in 2023. Griffin Jax saw his advanced stats drop across the board after receiving honorable mention in 2022. Luis Arraez got traded after being mentioned. Gilberto Celestino barely made it back to the major league squad and just got designated for assignment. Nick Gordon won the honor in 2022 and then fractured his leg in Dodgers Stadium mid-May and has yet to return to the Twins. Usually you win an award such as “Most Improved” by struggling at some point, so regression might be inevitable. For now, let’s enjoy this celebration of improvement, and we’ll worry about next year…next year!

2023 Honorable Mentions
Willi Castro: .257/.339/.411, .750 OPS, 8.3% BB rate, 24.2% K rate, 2.7 bWAR, 2.5 fWAR
When the Twins signed Castro to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training before the 2023 season, expectations were low. It’s not often that a Detroit Tiger castaway finds success elsewhere, and the signing was viewed as a low-risk insurance policy on spring training injuries.

In April, Castro found his way into the lineup, and it didn’t go well. His .176/.300/.324 line actually looks better than it felt in real time. But as Greggory Masterson pointed out in August, the misfortune and timing of teammates’ injuries allowed Castro to remain in the big leagues and he began to find his niche in the offensive and defensive game plans for the club.

Perhaps most importantly, Castro single-handedly forced the Twins to start stealing bases again. His 33 swipes paced the club (team total was only 86), and it was his relentless pursuit of taking an extra base in May that put the strategy back on the map for a reluctant coaching staff. As Hunter McCall noted in July, Castro went from castaway to part of the long-term mix due to his utility and speed. Not many infielders could make this play a reality.

And not many outfielders could make this play a reality.

Castro made both plays, and then some. Therefore, we have honorably mentioned him.

Emilio Pagan: 69.1 IP, 2.99 ERA, 23.8% K rate, 7.7% BB rate, 1.4 bWAR, 1.1 fWAR, 0.952 WHIP
In a Week 3 game in Boston, Emilio Pagan surrendered six runs to the Red Sox, raising his ERA to 7.88 over six appearances, and all but guaranteeing a raging fan base and a relegation to low-pressure relief outings for the remainder of his disappointing Twins career.

As the Twins head into the playoffs, Pagan found a way into the most crucial moments of the stretch run, lowered his OPS from .776 to .553 from 2022 to 2023, and limited his opponents to five home runs over the course of the entire season, down from 12 in 2022. The turn-around was everything that Twins management had expected, Twins fans had scoffed at, and the team desperately needed in a season where key bullpen arms continued to find their way to the IL or struggled in key situations. Lou Hennessy named the “Paganaissance” in July, and Matthew Taylor offered apologies on behalf of Twins Territory for our lack of faith. If the Twins finally break their postseason curse, Pagan will be a key reason why.

Ryan Jeffers:  .276/.369/.490, .858 OPS, 9/9% BB rate, 27.8% K rate, 3.3 bWAR,  2.7 fWAR
Ted Schwerzler pointed out at the end of July that Jeffers was starting to figure out what everyone suspected he was capable of. The “breakout” tempered somewhat in September, but Jeffers’ power did come alive as the season ended (nine of his 14 home runs were hit in August/September). He found himself pinch hitting and being thought of as an offensive threat again as the year went on.

Defensively, Jeffers improved behind the plate by throwing out 25% of runners, his highest rate in four seasons. He registered positive runs above average across the major defensive advanced stat metrics, and managed to stay consistently sharp despite platooning 50/50 with Christian Vazquez all season. How that ratio changes in the postseason remains to be seen, but since the Twins are undefeated in the games Jeffers has homered in his ability to contribute to playoff success as a game changer both at and behind the plate is obvious.

2023 Most Improved Twin!
Max Kepler: .260/.332/.484, .816 OPS, 9.2% BB rate, 21.6% K rate, 2.9 bWAR, 2.6 fWAR
At the Eating Crow diner, the number one spot on the menu is reserved for the Kepler-burger. Hopes were high for the long-time Twin with the removal of the shift and with his health finally operating at full speed. April couldn’t have gone worse for the Twins right fielder, or so we thought, but he proved us wrong with an even worse May performance. Kepler entered June with a slash line of .195/.273/.398 (.671), and yet the Twins held fast to their desire to send him out into the outfield day in and day out.

Their resolve and belief paid off, and Twins Territory happily ate their Kepler-burgers. August’s line of .314/.392/.616 (1.008) couldn’t have come at a more necessary time, and his 24 home runs and 66 RBI paced the club. Most important for the Twins playoff hopes, Kepler came through in the clutch more often than any other Twin in history.

Kepler’s rise from “bench him!/trade him!/cut him!” pariah to gold glove candidate with Team MVP potential has been well documented on Twins Daily. See Matt Braun’s or Greggory Masterson’s articles to ride the rollercoaster that was Kepler’s season. So it is with great jubilation and much satisfaction that we award Max Kepler with the Twins Daily 2023 Most Improved Player Award. He was the clear choice, and this redemption story couldn’t have found a better young man to star in it. Will the Twins pick up his option for 2024 and continue the story? Kepler’s ability to keep this feel-good season rolling through the playoffs will go a long ways towards answering that question. For now, let’s just enjoy the season that was before we turn our eyes towards World Series dreams.

What are your thoughts on selecting Max Kepler as the Twins Most Improved Player? How about the other candidates? Anybody that you would remove or add to the list?