Twins Daily Hitter of the Month: June 2023

Epic legends will be written about the abyss that was "The Twins Offense in June 2023." Twins Territory used the month to clamor for the jobs of the hitting coach, manager, anyone holding a bat, front office, hot dog vendors... it was that bad. The Twins had 897 plate appearances in June, and struck out 275 times. 31 percent of the time. In nearly a third of all plate appearances, a Twins batter strode to the plate and walked back to the dugout three strikes later. The symptoms of a terrible offense were visible in May, and became unbearable in June as they got worse despite the calls for accountability. Thankfully, the calendar now displays "July." 

There were surprising bright spots for the Twins lineup in June, however, if one is able to look past the emotions of the day-to-day drama and dig into the actual numbers. No better example of this is the first name up for honorable mention in the month of June.

Honorable Mention
Max Kepler - 5 HR, 11 RBI, .453 SLG, .728 OPS, 100 WRC+
Believe it or not, Kepler paced the Twins in home runs, and generated weighted runs created near the top of the roster. In only 69 plate appearances, he managed to achieve run production above his station. Do his .219 batting average and .728 OPS strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers? No. But don't be surprised if the guy everyone wanted to trade in July finds himself at the top of this list next month.

June Hitters of the Month
#4. Donovan Solano - 3 HR, 10 RBI, .444 SLG, .842 OPS, 143 WRC+
There is a case to be made that Solano was the best Twins hitter in June. That case will not be made by me, but I can't ignore the weighted runs created, OPS, and OBP which all led the team in June. He was the only hitter to bat above his weight in Tampa Bay, carried that momentum into Toronto, and tried to bring the team victories with surprising and timely power at home. The problem with Solano, is that he's a platoon bat that ultimately is stealing opportunities from younger and potentially more potent hitters in the organization. The Twins needed heroic outings in June to generate wins, and that's not Solano's game.

I have no doubt that each month for the remainder of the season Solano has the chance to be in the top four. If he doesn't, that means that the Twins are winning more, and the players that were counted on to produce this season have finally stepped up to the plate without just turning around and marching back to the dugout after strike three.

#3. Carlos Correa - 5 HR, 13 RBI, .467 SLG, .735 OPS, 100 WRC+
Why would Correa make this list? Why would Rocco Baldelli put Correa in the lead-off spot against Baltimore? I don't have answers that will satisfy anyone reading this article, other than this: Correa needs to be the leader of this team if the Twins have any chance of winning playoff games.

In June, Correa started the slow climb out of a terrible April and May, and began to provide glimpses of the superstar that could carry a team. Because it was only glimpses, he sits at number three on this list. Correa led the team in plate appearances at 97, but most importantly he led the team in the front office's favorite metric, with a .467 SLG percentage. Correa also led the team with 12 runs scored, and 13 RBI. And he did this at a time that it was desperately needed:

#2. Edouard Julien - 0 HR, 1 RBI, .407 SLG, .788 OPS, 125 WRC+
These stats don't pass the eye test. But to anyone who was watching the Twins in June, Julien at the plate was one of the few hitters worth paying attention to. He has "it," and the plate discipline, team-leading six doubles, elevated WRC+ factor, and .296 BA speaks to a hitter that doesn't let Baldelli's quick hook get the best of his attitude and approach at the plate. 

This video wouldn't be a highlight on many websites, but when the Twins struggled like they have with the bases loaded, a disciplined approach rises to the top of the list.

Winner: Royce Lewis - 3 HR, 11 RBI, .452 SLG, .816 OPS, 131 WRC+
In the month of June, Lewis took on the role of Twins' heartbeat. The only times they had an offensive pulse were when the top prospect was running the bases or stinging a ball into or over the outfield in a clutch situation. He ran the bases, swung like he hadn't yet been corrupted by a hitting spreadsheet, and shared a hope and charisma that carried the team through its darkest stretches.

As recently as yesterday, Lewis called out the coaching staff and argued that putting the ball in play might be an actual way to win baseball games. For that statement alone he should win June twice.

I admit that one could argue that Solano beat Lewis in most offensive categories. When you tune in specifically to watch Solano bat, see Solano call out what everyone knows to be a problem and then walk up to the plate and do something about it, he can slide up to the top spot on this list. Until then, the spot belongs to Lewis, and his .333 BA, .452 SLG, 131 wRC+, and the promise that this summer might still contain many magic moments like this:

Congratulations to Lewis on a stellar month of June, and hopefully, his continued improvement and performance will continue for the rest of the 2023 season. The Twins are going to need it. 

What do you think? How would you rank your top Twins hitters of June? Comment below.