Twins Daily Hitter of the Month - April 2023

The Minnesota Twins made their mark on the mound for most of the month of April. Even though the pitchers showed up in spades for the Twins to start the year, there were a number of qualified candidates for hitter of the month. Let’s dive in.

Honorable Mention #2: Max Kepler 18 G, .242/.319/.452 (.771) 4 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
From popular DFA candidate to honorable mention for hitter of the month, it was quite the roller coaster of a month for Max Kepler. Ever since a breakout season in 2019, Kepler has experienced his fair share of struggles at the plate, posting a below-average 98 OPS+ from 2020-2022.

Over the first 12 games of the 2023 season, it looked like it would be the same old struggles at the plate for the left-hander, with a brutal slash line of .175/.244/.400 (.644).

Since the start of the second Yankees series, though, Kepler has found his stride at the plate posting an extremely promising slash line of .364/.444/.546 (.990) with four RBI over six games. It’s obviously a small sample, but a small glimmer of hope that his bat might still have some life in it.

Honorable Mention #1: Byron Buxton 26 G, .258/.324/.557 (.881), 6 2B, 7 HR, 17 RBI
Another player with a roller coaster month, Byron Buxton had arguably the biggest slump of any player on the team in the month of April when he was stuck on a run of fifteen consecutive at-bats without a hit (including 12 strikeouts).

Since breaking out of that slump, Buxton has been on a scorcher, slashing .308/.372/.821 (!!!) with 10 extra base hits and 11 RBI over his last 10 games.

The biggest win for Buxton in the month of April is the fact that he stayed healthy and finished third on the team in plate appearances.

Hitter of the Month: Joey Gallo 19 G, .236/.354/.709 (1.059), 3 2B, 7 HR, 14 RBI
While Byron Buxton had a big month of April, he was eclipsed by a newcomer who had an even bigger month. Joey Gallo introduced his big-time bat to Minnesotans in a big way, posting a ridiculous slugging percentage of .709 with seven home runs, many of them being moonshots.

Gallo is currently on pace to post his best batting average since 2019 and the lowest K% of his career. While those numbers are likely to regress to his career averages, Gallo has shown that he is more than just a fringe signing. The only thing that has slowed Gallo this season has been a minimum-stay trip to the injured list for a right intercostal strain. Gallo possesses real power at the plate and represents a middle of the order bat that this team was needing this month... and will continue to need throughout the season. 

Who do you think was the best hitter for the Minnesota Twins in April? Leave a comment below and start the conversation.