Who Was Twins Daily's Hitter of the Month for May?

Some new faces carried the load for Rocco Baldelli’s Minnesota Twins in the month of may. After Ryan Jeffers, Edouard Julien, and Alex Kirilloff commanded attention in April, that trio found the last flip of the calendar to be quite challenging. Being without Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Royce Lewis at times the past few weeks didn’t help either, but there were a few players who stepped up.

Honorable Mention #3 - Jose Miranda 25 G 23-85, .271/.308/.424, 4 2B, 3 HR, 15 R, 11 RBI
Maybe no one needed this May more than Jose Miranda. After a shoulder injury slowed him to start last season, he never got going and ultimately his sophomore campaign was a lost year. Looking to find a way into the Twins lineup on a consistent basis, nothing he did during 2023 was going to provide those answers.

While Miranda didn’t light the world on fire during May, he hit for a solid average and got on base. Dating back to spring training this year, quality of contact has been an issue. Miranda did launch a pair of home runs in May, but his 23.2% hard hit rate is a career-low, and brings cause for concern. The expected stats aren’t pretty, and maybe regression comes, but for now he’s making a case to get more run.

Honorable Mention #2 - Willi Castro 28 G, .278/.358/.454, 5 2B, 3 3B, 2 HR, 18 R, 5 RBI, 5 SB
Continuing to provide value as a utility player, Castro has been thrown into the Twins lineup all over the place while being very good in that role. His 1.5 fWAR is third-best among position players for Minnesota this season, and his two triples in May tied Carlos Correa for the team lead.

How Baldelli uses Castro as the lineup gets healthy remains to be seen, but the expectation should be that he’ll see most of his run in the outfield. Having been acquired at a young age after being jettisoned by the Tigers, Minnesota seeing Castro continue to grow has been a fun part of the process. He swiped five bases in May as well, which easily led the team.

Honorable Mention #1 - Carlos Correa 27 G, .255/.318/.480, 9 2B, 2 2B, 3 HR, 16 R, 14 RBI
What a difference a year can make. Now healthy and with the bout of plantar fasciitis behind him, Correa is becoming everything the Twins believed they signed up for. Somewhat of a slow-starter traditionally, Correa returned from his intercostal strain and hit the ground running.

His ten walks were a team high, and he looks more locked in than ever at the plate. Correa also has motored around the bases for a pair of triples, and had seven doubles in May as well. The home run swing hasn’t really been prominent thus far, but three longballs is a respectable number and canrise monthly as the weather turns warmer.

Hitter of the Month - Max Kepler 26 G, .294/.362/.529, 11 2B, 3 HR, 16 R, 11 RBI
Following a brief stint on the injured list after fouling a ball off his leg, Kepler returned and looks healthy while absolutely crushing the baseball. From being a potential DFA candidate early last season, to what he has done since, it’s hard not to wonder if he’ll be around for longer than initially expected.

Although being utilized in platoon spots, Kepler led the team with 11 doubles in May, and he cracked three home runs as well. His ten RBI matched Correa’s total, and his approach at the plate looks dialed in. While some of his teammates have yet to get it going, Kepler keeping up this run will be vital if the Twins are going to chase down the Cleveland Guardians any time soon.

Who do you think was the Minnesota Twins best hitter in the month of May? Leave a comment below to start the conversation.