Who Was the Least Valuable Player on the 2026 Twins?

6 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Alan Jackson the country singer was on our roster the whole time? 

 

At a minimum he could have at least sung the national anthem or 7th inning stretch.  But nope, he just sat quietly on the bench.  

6 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

And shout out to @The Great Hambinofor giving the honorable mention to Justin Lawrence. He is the worst pitcher I’ve ever watched in person wearing a Twins uniform. 

I looked up historic worst Twins pitchers for grins

JA Happ, Scott Klingenbeck, John Pacella, Jerry Fosnow, Sean Bergman, Matt Shoemaker, Terry Felton, Liam Hendriks

Cody Christie turned it into an article in 2024.

1 hour ago, Twins GFP said:

Not to be confused with most disappointing, I am not sure how anyone competes with SWR in this category. Arguably the biggest reason the Twins did not make the playoffs this year (don't go down that rabbit hole, another discussion for another thread).

You've said this many times and I just gotta know.  How did a #5/6 starter who made 10 starts in April and May and put up -1.2 WAR cause the Twins to miss the playoffs by 7 games?  

my vote is SWR followed by Lewis.  SWR absolutely cratered and never recovered.  He was no different with the Jays after they acquired him.

Part of the MVP/LVP is the expectation that this guy is a Big Piece Of The Puzzle and that's a multiplier for how well or poorly fans end up feeling about them.  SWR was going to be a #3 or #4, looked to be on the upswing, and got a third of a season to prove who he was.  Wallner had hit well above average for a couple years and was penciled in as a starter based on a lot of good hitting, but he was sent out at the quarter season mark. We got a full season of Caratini, who was picked up with an extra year because he'd been seen as a league average hitter at a hard position to fill where Jeffers was a potential free agent. Lewis flashed incandescent hot streaks between deep, dark valleys of injury, poor hitting and unmet promise. He was sent down, was reborn, and then died again, which is sort of a tough metaphor for a guy that has been burdened with so many expectations since he draft day and early grand slam glory.

I go for Lewis because he's the best player. SWR just may not be that good, the new world where everyone throws 96+ means Wallner may just never hit again, and Cartini is a slow 33 and was not responsible for his appearances at 1B.  So just as I never hold hurt players accountable for poor performance, I won't get down on a guy for reading the lineup card, grabbing his glove and getting out there. Injuries and assignments are Shelton's job, or Zell's, not the players'. 

That said,  Zell isn't biting on that slider away, and Shelton is just standing there if you need someone to work with you on your defense. The players do have to address their weaknesses, and while those others may not be physically able to overcome age or high velo pitching, Lewis was seemingly able to right himself in St Paul almost immediately. He played 15 AAA games and hit 10 HR with a 1.303 OPS and then came back on June 5 and posted a .842 OPS for the rest of that month. He can absolutely play when he's right, so it was doubly rough when the rest of the year was a slow deflation that completely collapsed after the Field of Dreams game, where he only managed a .467 OPS in 136 PA. 

So in my mind these other guys just aren't that great and Lewis still might be. To whom much is given much is expected, and all that. And he was both healthy and on the field in 2026, so he gets to wear this paper crown.  Congrats, don't do it again.

47 minutes ago, MeleMouth said:

What you defined could "meat" (sic) the criteria for the most disappointing player, of course if you define it that way the award could go to the rally sausage. In contrast, the least valuable player, at least from an economics standpoint of value, is the player who provided the least benefit for his cost.

Really sorry my typo confused you.  I will lower my expectations of people’s comprehension and maybe even proofread.

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

The MVP is usually for the player who played most of the season with the team. The LVP shoud have to meet the same criteria. That should eliminate the injured for the year and jettisoned players from consideration. 

Position players who played. More than 100 games with an fwar less than 1 would be Lewis, Caratini, Bell, and Martin. They all have negative WPA for the season. Starters with at least 20 starts and an fwar less than one would be Zebby.  Relievers who managed to pitch 40 innings and you could question would be Orze,  and Adams,  Adams is a development project, Orze had a decent FIP, but poor results. Zebby is a development project. That leaves the 3 position players. And Bell. It is a pickem on the players. I would thing voting would be a tie for Lewis and Caratini 

I like this methodology and I vote for a tie as well. 

36 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

You've said this many times and I just gotta know.  How did a #5/6 starter who made 10 starts in April and May and put up -1.2 WAR cause the Twins to miss the playoffs by 7 games?  

It would be really helpful if you read the entirety of my comments instead of just cherry picking words to fit whatever narrative you feel like.

At no point in my argument did I say that SWR was the SOLE REASON for missing the playoffs, just arguably the biggest reason.

As was quoted earlier by @old nurse, if SWR pitched at a level to previous seasons, we were probably looking at 4 wins out of his 10 starts. That doesn't even include what the Twins would have potentially gained with a full season of previous production.

59 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Alan Jackson the country singer was on our roster the whole time? 

 

Well, he probably had more people turn out for his farewell tour than the Twins did for their season. 

5 hours ago, Russ said:

The sad part is there are too many choices

Would.he sadder if anyone of them besides Caratini (out of necessity) is around in March. 

3 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Lopez haters are 🫏🤡

With their logic Carlos Correa was LVP.

1 hour ago, Vanimal46 said:

I unfortunately witnessed Justin Lawrence enter the 7th inning of a 4-4 game against the Cardinals. Then within 10 minutes he gave up 4 hits, 4 ER, and 2 HRs launched in the upper deck. 

Felton

 I still cringe when I hear that name or see fuzzy blond hair on the mound

1 hour ago, Twins GFP said:

At no point in my argument did I say that SWR was the SOLE REASON for missing the playoffs, just arguably the biggest reason.

As was quoted earlier by @old nurse, if SWR pitched at a level to previous seasons, we were probably looking at 4 wins out of his 10 starts. That doesn't even include what the Twins would have potentially gained with a full season of previous production.

Yes, we agree that you have said he is the biggest reason they missed the playoffs.  SWR won 5 games in 2024 in 133 innings, and he won 7 games in 2025 in 111 innings.  So for 2026 - 2 wins in 66 innings - he was pretty close to his 2024 pace, which was his best season.  

In his 2 decent seasons his ERA+ was a tick over 100, with his FIP actually a shade over his ERA.  I am not sure what you expected from him.  He was bad, but he participated in 10 of 162 games (and won 2 of them) and threw 4.6% of the team's innings.  He's not in the top 20 reasons why the team missed the playoffs by 7 games.

The Twins were in playoff position on August 1, 2 full months after SWR had been let go.  If they had simply gone .500 the rest of the way they likely would have made the playoffs.  

It's funny that no one seems to want to criticize Joe Ryan, but his absolutely terrible 2nd half had MUCH more impact on the team's fate than a random #6 starter's 10 spring starts.  2 or 3 more wins from our "ace" in August/Sept and the story could have been much, much different.  

All that said, the real biggest reason they missed the playoffs is they just weren't good enough.

2 minutes ago, Woof Bronzer said:

Yes, we agree that you have said he is the biggest reason they missed the playoffs.  SWR won 5 games in 2024 in 133 innings, and he won 7 games in 2025 in 111 innings.  So for 2026 - 2 wins in 66 innings - he was pretty close to his 2024 pace, which was his best season.  

In his 2 decent seasons his ERA+ was a tick over 100, with his FIP actually a shade over his ERA.  I am not sure what you expected from him.  He was bad, but he participated in 10 of 162 games (and won 2 of them) and threw 4.6% of the team's innings.  He's not in the top 20 reasons why the team missed the playoffs by 7 games.

The Twins were in playoff position on August 1, 2 full months after SWR had been let go.  If they had simply gone .500 the rest of the way they likely would have made the playoffs.  

It's funny that no one seems to want to criticize Joe Ryan, but his absolutely terrible 2nd half had MUCH more impact on the team's fate than a random #6 starter's 10 spring starts.  2 or 3 more wins from our "ace" in August/Sept and the story could have been much, much different.  

All that said, the real biggest reason they missed the playoffs is they just weren't good enough.

Thank you for misquoting me AGAIN. I did not say he was the biggest reason, but arguably the biggest reason. That is a large distinction. When you attempt to dispute what I say, please quote me correctly.

That being said, you say SWR is not in top 20 reasons why the team missed the playoffs by 7 games. Please list the 20 things that had had a bigger impact on them missing the playoffs than SWR and his 1-9 record over the first third of the season.

36 minutes ago, Twins GFP said:

Thank you for misquoting me AGAIN. I did not say he was the biggest reason, but arguably the biggest reason. That is a large distinction. When you attempt to dispute what I say, please quote me correctly.

That being said, you say SWR is not in top 20 reasons why the team missed the playoffs by 7 games. Please list the 20 things that had had a bigger impact on them missing the playoffs than SWR and his 1-9 record over the first third of the season.

It's a large distinction????  Sure, whatever you say.  This is a fan blog, you are arguing your opinion.  I understand perfectly.   I'm perfectly comfortable with the way I'm quoting your own words back to you.  (I don't blame you for continuing to qualify what you said though.)

SWR was 2-7, you can't even get your own facts straight.  

Here's 20 off the top of my head, in no order:

1.  Pohlad family still owns the team

2. $100m payroll

3.  Incompetent GM

4. Poor use of limited offseason resources without solving position problems

5.  Embarrassingly bad bullpen to start the year

6.  Matt Wallner falling off the face of the earth

7.  Buxton injured 2nd half

8.  Lopez injured all year

9.  Joe "Ace" Ryan completely melts down in 2nd half again

10.  Tom Pohlad insisting on making the playoffs

11.  Trotting out a terrible collection of SS for months

12.  Melting down in August (again)

13.  Waiting too long to bring up Culpepper

14.  Waiting too long to bring up Jenkins

15.  Royce Lewis, #1 overall draft pick turned bust

16.  Caratini, who made 10x what SWR did

17.  Not doing enough at the deadline

18.  Poor roster construction with 10 outfielders on 40 man

19.  Wasting a roster spot for months on a player you refuse to play

and 20, the biggest one of all:  the roster simply did not have enough talent.  

I could go on...

9 hours ago, mikelink45 said:

So many good choices I have to go  a different direction.  We signed Lopez to be an Ace, we gave him a big contract (in Twins terms) and never got to see him on the mound.  From a dollar standpoint he was least valuable. 

I was going to mention Pablo. Thanks for doing so. Very little value he gave us. 

8 hours ago, mnfireman said:

Lopez haters are 🫏🤡

You misinterpret the Lopez posts. He took up a large percentage of the Twins budget and we got nothing from it.  That does not mean that we would not have liked to have him in the rotation all year.  He has been in 14 games in two years for $40+ million on a team that will not spend. 

It feels unfair to pick one.  

Apologies if I missed him being mentioned but Justin Topa pitched for us in 23 games which is approximately 23 more times than ever should have happened.  And almost exclusively in high leverage situations.

I pick the TD staff, for creating the category, and wimping out and not making a selection.