Matthew Taylor

Thanks for this info, Nate. I thought about consulting you on this piece knowing that you've been reading a ton about the '65 team. I had the feeling that it was Versalles's defense that pushed him over the edge, and certainly seems like that was the sentiment back then.

It's an interesting thought experiment for sure. I'm not sure that he would have gotten in even with an MVP through the BBWAA voting as at his peak he only reached 47% of the needed 75% of the votes. However, he was only one vote shy of getting in through the Golden Era Committee election 2011. So maybe an MVP award could have swayed one of those voters to go the other way?

Strikeout totals were a mis-type which has been fixed. Thank you!

The 1965 MVP race came down to two Cuban-born Minnesota Twins players in Zoilo Versalles and Tony Oliva. Versalles ended up taking home the hardware, but did the right Minnesota Twins player win the award?At 25-years old, Zoilo Versalles became the first ever Minnesota Twins player to win the American League MVP. Versalles was a near-unanimous MVP, by claiming 19 out of 20 first place votes, ceding the only other first place vote to fellow teammate and fellow Cuban, Tony Oliva. With all of the advanced statistics and sabermetrics that we now have at the tip of our fingers, we are able to look back at the 1965 MVP race in a fresh way and see if the right decision was made, or if Oliva had a rightful claim to the award. With a mediocre slash line of .273/.319/.462, it’s fair to question the validity of Zoilo Versalles’ MVP campaign. In fact, the .273 batting average for Versalles is the second-lowest batting average for any MVP since 1960. In addition, Versalles led the Majors in strikeouts with 122, 58 more strikeouts than his teammate Oliva. So why exactly did Versalles win the award? Versalles put together a career year in 1965 and led Major League Baseball in runs, doubles, triples, extra base hits, total bases and WAR. He recorded 27 steals and was the leadoff man for the best team in the American League. Aside from his bat and his legs, he was publicly viewed as a great defensive shortstop and was awarded a Gold Glove, despite the fact that he led baseball with 39 errors. Additionally, Versalles heated up at the stretch run of the season, posting a 1.004 OPS in August and a .912 OPS in September. Oliva was no slouch in 1965 and certainly has a case to make for being the 1965 MVP. After posting a .321 average, Olivia claimed his second straight batting title in addition to posting his second straight season atop the hits leaderboard with 185 hits. Oliva bested Versalles in plate discipline with a far better K% and BB%. Although Oliva played a less important position in the field, he did so admirably with a 96% fielding percentage. Here is a side-by-side comparison of the stats for the cuban-born Twins players: Download attachment: Screen Shot 2020-04-02 at 9.52.41 PM.png From a strictly offensive standpoint, Oliva posted the superior numbers in 1965, especially when we take into account the advanced statistics we use in baseball today. In addition to the stats above, Oliva bested Versalles in wRC+ by 23 points and OPS+ by 26 points. Even when you shift towards situational hitting, Oliva was the superior player, with an .837 OPS in high leverage situations compared to Versalles's .806 OPS in those high leverage situations. Aside from the apparent MVP lobbying that went on from third base coach, Billy Martin, on behalf of Versalles, what seemed to have pushed him over Oliva in the minds of MVP voters was his defensive play, which was deemed Gold Glove-worthy. On the surface, the defensive praise for Versalles appears to be misguided as evidenced by his afore-mentioned 39 errors. Using the statistics that we have today, though, confirms that Versalles was a wizard with the glove. According to Fangraph's "total zone" statistic, Versalles saved 17 runs above average in 1965, compared to the 6 runs saved above average for Oliva. Taking positions into account, Versalles's defensive ability shines even more. Fangraphs uses a statistic called defensive runs above average, which adjusts for positional difficulty and awards a defensive value — using this metric, Versalles scored a 26.6 compared to the below average -1.6 for Oliva. Certainly a case can be made for either of these players to have won the MVP in 1965, but which one was more deserving of the award? Do you think Olivia should have won the MVP? Or was Versalles the correct winner? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

It's really a great point and something I considered. It's hard to award the belt in real time, and I think this exercise bears that out. Keeping Berrios with the belt is more than reasonable.

Since relocating from Washington to Minnesota 59 years ago, 12 different Minnesota Twins players have taken turns as the acting best player on the team. In this exercise, they will be awarded the “Minnesota Twins Bomba Belt”. Who has worn the belt over the years, and who possesses it now?Bill Simmons of The Ringer made this idea famous from a 2014 column that he titled “The Action Hero Championship Belt”, where he went back in history and awarded the championship belt to the reigning king of action movies. That actor would don the belt until the next movie star would perform well enough to snatch the belt away from him. For our purposes, we are going to do the same thing but with Minnesota Twins players throughout history. Here are our rules: We’re starting from 1961, when the Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins.The bomba belt can only get traded when the reigning belt wearer changes teams or another player snatches the belt away by incredible, sustained performance.1961-1971 (11 seasons) — Harmon KillebrewAverage season: .265/.390/.540, 39 HR, 106 RBI, 154 OPS+ Arguably the greatest Minnesota Twins player of all time, Killebrew held the Minnesota Twins bomba belt for 11 seasons, longer than any other Minnesota Twins player has held onto the belt. During his 11 seasons with the belt, Killebrew was an all-star in each season, finished top-5 in MVP voting six times, and won the MVP 1969. Killebrew lost his championship belt in 1972 at the age of 36 when his batting average dipped down to .231. 1972-1978 (7 seasons) — Rod Carew Average season: .350/.414/.468, 201 H, 32 SB, 149 OPS+ Carew nabbed the bomba belt from Killebrew in 1972 and held onto it for 7 seasons where he finished in the top-10 in MVP voting five times and won the MVP award in 1977 after posting a .388 batting average and an OPS+ of 178. Carew lost the belt in 1979 after he was traded to the California Angels. 1979-1981 (3 seasons) — Roy Smalley Average season: .272/.358/.786, 110 OPS+ The Minnesota Twins were in pretty rough shape in the beginning of the 1980s, and our belt holder, Roy Smalley, reflects the rough shape that the Twins were in. Arguably the weakest belt holder in Twins history, Smalley was awarded the belt due to having little competition. In 1979, Smalley was named the starting shortstop for the American League all-star team. Smalley lost the belt once he got traded to the New York Yankees midway through the 1982 season. 1982-1985 (4 seasons) — Kent Hrbek Average season: .296/.366/.484, 22 HR, 94 RBI, 129 OPS+ The Twins continued to struggle throughout the beginning of the 1980s, however a new star began to emerge for them in Hrbek who burst onto the scene in 1982 to grab the bomba belt that Smalley left behind. Hrbek was an all-star in 1982 and was runner-up in the MVP voting in 1984 after posting an OPS+ of 145 and knocking in 107 runs. Hrbek lost the belt in 1986 when a certain Twins legend played well enough to snatch it away from him. 1986-1995 (10 seasons) — Kirby Puckett Average season: .324/.366/.499, 20 HR, 98 RBI, 132 OPS+ Kirby Puckett needs no introduction. The hall-of-famer snatched the bomba belt from Hrbek in 1986 and held onto it for 10 years, the second-longest of any Twins player. Puckett held the belt through 10 all-star seasons, 7 top-10 MVP seasons, and 2 World Series championships. Puckett only gave up his belt when his glaucoma forced him to abruptly retire. 1996-1997 (2 seasons) — Chuck Knoblauch Average season: .315/.418/.463, 188 H, 54 SB, 127 OPS+ After Puckett’s retirement, Knoblauch took the bomba belt and wore it admirably for two seasons. In those 2 seasons, Knoblauch was an all-star each year, posted a top-20 MVP season, and won a gold glove and silver slugger in 1997. After getting traded to the Yankees (at his request), Koblauch surrendered his bomba belt. 1998-2002 (5 seasons) — Brad Radke Average season: 12-12, 4.18 ERA, 116 ERA+ In another rough stretch of Minnesota Twins baseball, Radke was the highlight for the Twins, earning an all-star game appearance and leading the Twins in bWAR over the course of those 5 seasons. Radke didn’t have the strongest of belt-wearer resumes, but was an underrated pitcher who capped off his belt-wearing campaign by posting winning performances in games 1 and 5 of the 2002 ALDS. 2003-2007 (5 seasons) — Johan Santana Average season: 17-6, 2.81 ERA, 162 ERA+ No pitcher in Twins history has had a stronger 5 year run than Santana from 2003-2007. During this run, Santana earned five top-10 Cy Young Award finishes and nabbed the award twice. Santana only gave up the belt when he was traded to the New York Mets prior to the 2008 season. 2008-2013 (6 seasons) — Joe Mauer Average season: .328/.411/.474, 156 H, 141 OPS+ From the end of the Metrodome era to the opening seasons at Target Field, no player was better for the Minnesota Twins than Joe Mauer. Over his 6 years with the bomba belt, Mauer was a 5-time all-star, 4-time silver slugger, 3-time gold glover, and an MVP in 2009. Mauer gave up his belt in 2014 when he slugged a career low .371. 2014-2017 (4 seasons) — Brian Dozier Average season: .254/.338/.476, 32 HR, 120 OPS+ The Twins were far from competitive during these years, and Brian Dozier was the lone bright spot for what were otherwise forgettable teams. Dozier eclipsed 20 home runs in each of his four seasons with the belt, and posted his best season in 2016 when he hit 42 home runs, the most by any Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew. Dozier surrendered his belt in 2018 after being traded to the Dodgers at the trade deadline. 2018 (1 season) — José Berríos Season: 12-11, 3.84 ERA, 111 ERA+ 2018 was largely a transition year for the Minnesota Twins as they traded away many of their best players from the previous era and the stars of the current era had yet to break out. The one player who did was José Berríos, who earned his first opening day start and his first all star appearance. While Berríos didn’t hang onto the belt for long, at only 26 years of age he has more than enough potential to grab it again. 2019 - ? — Nelson Cruz Season: .311/.392/.639, 41 HR, 166 OPS+ In a season where the Minnesota Twins won their second most games in team history, Nelson Cruz was the man who grabbed the bomba belt with the best performance of the year. Cruz led the Minnesota Twins in home runs, slugging %, and OPS. Cruz was the driving force behind the 102-win season and currently holds the Minnesota Twins bomba belt. Will he hang onto it past 2019? Or will a new challenger step up in 2020 and snatch it away from him? What do you think about the history of the Twins bomba Belt? Who do you think will hold it in 2020 and moving forward? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

There are no-brainers..and then there's that Jon Gray trade.

Alex Cole is a deep cut. I like it.

I definitely looked at Torii for that spot. While we don't have objective Statcast data, I used SB, SB% and triples as measures of speed. Knoblauch laps Torii in all three of these categories.

With the 2020 baseball season now officially under delay, the Minnesota Twins have time to add to an already-talented team. Only this time the Twins won’t be using traditional methods of adding talent.As the Twins brass looked on at the roster, evaluating who should be the 26th man, they weren’t too pleased with their options. Jake Cave has a nice bat, but is a bit redundant as another left-handed corner outfielder. Willians Astudillo can catch, but regressed quite a bit in 2019. With nowhere else to turn in a season when expectations are so high, the Twins called upon Dr. Matthew von Taylor-stein to concoct a Twins monster that would slot in as the 26th man and push this team over the edge. In building his Twins monster, Dr. Taylor-stein will be taking key attributes from various Minnesota Twins players over the years to build the ultimate Minnesota Twins player with just three simple rules: We are only building for a batter, fielding is not considered.We can’t take more than one attribute from a single Twins player.We can’t operate on current Twins players.With that in mind, let’s get our operation started: Intelligence: Joe Mauer Honorable Mention: Kent Hrbek We can have all of the physical tools in the world, but if we don’t have a bright head on our shoulders, all of our talent will go to waste. That is why we are starting our Twins monster with the head and using the head of Joe Mauer. From the moment he was drafted first overall, Mauer has always revelled in the mental parts of baseball. He turned swinging the baseball bat into a science and used patience and plate discipline to ensure that he would make every pitcher work hard. Mauer famously showed patience with his 12% BB% and showed plate discipline by never posting a K% higher than 18%. In addition, by taking Mauer’s head, we get to sport the sideburns that would make any man jealous. Power: Harmon Killebrew Honorable Mention: Justin Morneau Knowing that we have the head of Joe Mauer, we can add some brute strength to our Twins monster, and who embodies this better than Twins Hall of Famer, Harmon Killebrew? Killebrew is the all-time club leader in home runs in a season (49), seasons with 40+ home runs (8) and career home runs (559). The Killer not only hit home runs in bunches, but he hit them far, by recording the farthest home run in the history of Metropolitan Stadium when he launched a homer 520 feet. Taking the arms of any other Twins player in this situation just isn’t an option. Contact: Rod Carew Honorable Mention: Tony Oliva For the hands of our Twins monster we need a player who can handle the bat well, ensure that he will make good contact, and get on base. The perfect candidate for this is Rod Carew. In the history of the Minnesota Twins franchise, no player has a higher career batting average than Carew’s career .334. Over the course of his 19 year career, Carew won 7 batting titles and just 4 times failed to eclipse a .300 batting average. By combining the power of Killebrew with the hands and bat control of Rod Carew, our Twins monster is going to be one powerful beast. Speed: Chuck Knoblauch Honorable Mention: Cesar Tovar With all of the baseballs that our Twins monster is going to be hitting, we’ll need to be sure that we have the legs to get around the bases, and with Knoblauch we will do just that. His career 276 stolen bases is most in team history, as is his 62 stolen bases that he recorded in 1997. In total, Chuck has posted 6 different seasons with more than 30 stolen bases and will do an incredible job moving our Twins monster across the baseball diamond. Heart: Kirby Puckett Honorable Mention: Gary Gaetti All that is missing from our Twins player now is the heart. The heart of our player is what will produce in the clutch. It’s what will give our player the drive and the passion to inspire his teammates and galvanize our team. No player in Twins history embodied this more than Kirby Puckett. While you can bring up some questionable parts of his past, nobody can ever doubt his passion, his love for the game, and his ability to rise up when the team needed him most. Puckett is the team-leader in career walk off hits and has the most memorable and in team history. No player loved the game more than Puck, and no player showed greater passion for the game he loved than Mr. Puckett. There is no better player’s heart that is better to give to our Twins monster than Kirby Puckett. After compiling all of the attributes from the best players in Twins history, Dr. Taylor-stein’s surgery is complete, the Twins monster has been assembled, and is ready to compete for the 2020 Minnesota Twins. How do you think our Minnesota Twins monster turned out? Would you have changed any of his attributes? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

That's an awesome memory! Thanks for sharing.

In a time when we have no live baseball, sometimes the best way to cope is by reliving special moments from the past. While the 2010s didn’t provide many special end results, there were still plenty of special moments along the way.In the decade of the 2010s, the Minnesota Twins hit a total of 19 walk-off home runs. Some of them were mired in the middle of a hopeless season, while others vaulted the club into a prime playoff position. Here are the top 5 Minnesota Twins walk-off home runs of the 2010s: 5. Eddie Rosario vs. San Diego Padres - September 13, 2017 The number five walk-off homerun in our countdown comes courtesy of Eddie Rosario, who blasted a two-run, two-out shot in the bottom of the 10th inning off of Padres pitcher, Phil Maton, to keep pace in the American League Wild Card race. At the point of this game, the Minnesota Twins were only two games up in the race for the second Wild Card spot, with every game having so much meaning. Rosario hugged the right field foul pole and blasted the walk-off right inside the Gate 34 entrance. This was Rosario’s first career walk-off home run, and allowed the Twins to maintain their two-game lead in the American League Wild Card race. 4. Byron Buxton vs. Toronto Blue Jays - September 14, 2017 The two-game stretch from September 13 and September 14 of the 2017 season has to be one of the most thrilling and stress-inducing stretches that the Minnesota Twins have ever had. After capping off the game with a walk-off home run the previous night, Byron Buxton helped the Twins put on an encore for the Target Field faithful, blasting a walk-off of his own against Luis Santos and the Toronto Blue Jays, yet again in extra innings. After Matt Belisle gave up a tying home run to Justin Smoak in the top of the 9th inning, Buxton hit his first career walk-off homerun to save his pitcher and increase the Twins’ lead in the American League Wild Card to 3.5 games. 3. Miguel Sanó vs. Atlanta Braves - August 5, 2019 That sound you’re hearing? That’s the sound of Miguel Sanó’s walk-off home run off of Chris Martin finally landing. Being called upon to pinch hit for Ehrie Adrianza, Sanó took a 1-0 cutter and blasted it 443 feet into center field, the 5th furthest ball he hit in 2019. The best part of this walk-off is that the moment Sanó made contact with the baseball, Ronald Acuña began jogging back to the dugout. Acuña was so sure that it was a homerun from the sound of the bat, that he didn’t even need to watch it, let alone chase it. This Sanó walk-off came at a time in the season where the Twins’ AL Central lead was down to just 3 games and every game was monumental. 2. Brian Dozier vs. Detroit Tigers - July 10, 2015 Arguably the greatest comeback in Minnesota Twins history, Brian Dozier’s walk-off home run off of Joakim Soria capped off a seven-run, 9th inning comeback for the Minnesota Twins over their division rival, Detroit Tigers. Entering the 9th inning of the game, the Minnesota Twins found themselves down 6-1 with a 0% win expectancy (per Baseball-Reference). After fighting back to make the game 6-5, Dozier stepped up to the plate with 2 men on and 1 man out. Dozier took the first pitch that he saw and launched it into the left field bleachers. Following the blast was an all-time call from Dick Bremer, “A drive to left field! Are you kidding me?!”. It was truly a memorable game for the Twins and earned the number 2 spot in our countdown of top walk-off home runs of the 2010s. 1. Jim Thome vs. Chicago White Sox - August 17, 2010 In their first ever AL Central pennant race at Target Field, this game was the first of a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox, over whom the Twins held just a 3-game lead in the AL Central. In a classic game that featured six different lead changes, Jim Thome stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning with the Twins down 1 run. Facing a 1-0 count, Thome hit the ball so hard that it hit off the flagpole in the right field plaza, and gave the Minnesota Twins the walk-off victory. Not only was this the first ever walk-off home run for the Twins at Target Field, but it pushed the AL Central lead up to 4 games, and set the tone for what turned out to be a sweep of the White Sox and really cemented the Twins position in first place of the AL Central. Jim Thome will always hold a special place in the hearts of Twins fans, with this walk-off home run being the primary reason why. What was your favorite walk-off home run from the Minnesota Twins last decade? Did you witness any of them live? Leave a comment below and start the conversation. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Good one

When it was reported on Tuesday that Tom Brady had played his final game as a Patriot and would be joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the first thought for many was just how bizarre Tom Brady was going to look in a Bucs uniform. Twins Territory is no stranger to its legends donning uniforms that just didn’t look right.The Seattle Mariners had Griffey on the White Sox. The Reds had Pete Rose on the Expos. Here are the three Minnesota Twins legends who wore uniforms that just looked wrong… 1. Harmon Killebrew on the Kansas City Royals After struggling through the 1974 season with a .222 batting average in 122 games in what turned out to be his final season with the Minnesota Twins, Killebrew was given an option to stay on with the Twins as a coach, or be released and join on with another team. Killebrew opted for the latter and was signed by the Kansas City Royals on a one-year deal where he would finish out his career. In his single season with the Royals, Killebrew struggled through 106 games, posting a .199 batting average with just a .692 OPS as a 39-year old. The fact that this season kept Killebrew from being a lifelong Twin, after playing the first 21 seasons of his career in the Minnesota Twins organization, is a bummer, and the image of him in a Royals uniform is something that will never look right. 2. Bert Blyleven on the Pittsburgh Pirates Although Blyleven played for five different organizations in his 25-year Major League Baseball career, the images of Blyleven on the Pirates have always looked the strangest to me. I’m not sure the exact reason for this, maybe because of the distinct yellow pants, maybe because it was the only National League team he played for in his career, but it will forever look strange to me. Blyleven played two seasons with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1979 and 1980 before threatening to retire if he was not traded. In his two seasons as a Pirate, Blyleven posted a 108 and a 97 ERA+. 3. Torii Hunter on the Detroit Tigers It was definitely an adjustment to see Torii Hunter in red after signing with the Angels in 2007, but after playing in Anaheim for five seasons, the shock eventually wore off. What was the strangest sight, though, was when Hunter signed a two-year deal with the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Suddenly the long-time Twins legend became a rival that the Twins faced upwards of 20 times per season. In 2013 as a Detroit Tiger, Hunter was an All-Star, posted a .800 OPS and helped lead the Tigers to the ALCS. Thankfully, Hunter ended up returning to the Twins and playing his last MLB season at Target Field, because the images of Hunter in a Tigers uniform were just too odd. What Minnesota Twins legends wore uniforms that you think looked strange? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

It has now been four days since the rapid spread of COVID-19 forced Major League Baseball to end spring training and delay the start of the regular season. While a necessary decision, the absence of the game has been undoubtedly challenging for baseball fans everywhere.Here are three ways to consume baseball in a time when we have none: 1. Game replays on YouTube Nothing quite beats the sights and sounds of baseball. Having spring training suspended and the start of the baseball season delayed means having to wait even longer to watch the game we all love. Thankfully, technology allows fans the ability to watch game replays and take in the sights and sounds of baseball by watching games from seasons past. The best way to watch game replays is on YouTube where thousands of games are available to stream in full. Some of the best YouTube channels that offer these baseball games are the official MLB channel, MLB Vault and Classic Twins. Here are some games you can watch in full on YouTube right now: 1991 World Series, Game 7: Braves @ Twins 2002 ALDS, Game 5: Twins @ Athletics 2009 AL Central Tie Breaker: Tigers @ Twins 2. MLB The Show 20 Watching game replays are great, but many Twins fans are excited to see what the 2020 Minnesota Twins are going to look like. Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda’s debuts have now been delayed, and fans are left to wait to see how those additions will add to an already great team. One way to get a feel for how the 2020 Minnesota Twins team will look is by playing MLB The Show 20, which was released on Friday to those who pre-ordered and will be widely released on Tuesday, March 17, exclusively on Playstation 4. Here are the overall rankings for the Minnesota Twins' projected 26-man roster: Download attachment: Screen Shot 2020-03-15 at 4.37.31 PM.png If you don’t own a Playstation 4, or if playing video games aren’t quite your thing, MLB the Show 20 is being streamed live on Twitch for anyone to watch. If you have never used Twitch before, it is a streaming platform where any gamer can stream their video games and any user can watch those streams. Another avenue for baseball fans to watch baseball, and see the new Nike uniforms, new rosters, and even minor league players, which were just added to the game for the first time. 3. Participate in conversation online Finally, a third way to consume baseball during this time is by participating in conversation online. We are lucky to be living in a time where there are so many online baseball outlets and so many platforms to be able to participate in online discussion during this baseball hiatus. There are so many great places to read about baseball and converse about it, but here are some excellent options that I would encourage you check out: Twins Daily (of course): You won’t find a Minnesota Twins website with more content posted and more discussion than Twins Daily. Every day on the front page there are consistently 3-5 new articles posted (even during the baseball hiatus), in the blog section, you can read articles that other baseball writers from across the internet have posted, or even start your own blog. Finally, in the forum section, you will see all kinds of daily discussion going on about the Minnesota Twins, baseball, or any other sport. Right now in the forums there is a discussion going on where members are recommending their favorite baseball books to consume during our time without baseball.Reddit: If you have never been on Reddit before, it is a social aggregation and discussion website with “subreddits” that are catered to specific interests. For baseball, some of my favorite subreddits are r/baseball, r/minnesotatwins, r/baseballcards, and r/sabermetrics.Facebook: On Facebook you can find different groups that are extremely active in discussing the Minnesota Twins. Some of the more active Minnesota Twins Facebook groups are “Minnesota Twins!” and “Minnesota Twins Territory”. Request to join these groups and participate in the always-ongoing conversation.Written content: There are so many great websites now to read (and comment) about baseball and the Minnesota Twins. Some of my favorites are: The Athletic, Fangraphs, Baseball Prospectus, and Baseball America.How will you be filling the void left by the baseball hiatus? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

On March 5, the Chicago White Sox inked third baseman Yoan Moncada to a hefty, five-year contract extension. How does this extension compare to the five-year deals signed by Max Kepler and Jorge Polanco last offseason? Let’s dig in and take a closer look.The Money According to ESPN’s Jeff Passan, the White Sox and Yoan Moncada came to terms on a five-year contract worth $70M ($14M AAV), with a club option for a sixth year at $25M. While at their base, their contract lengths were equal to that of Moncada, the salary attached to Kepler and Polanco’s deals were significantly less. Last offseason, the Twins signed Max Kepler to a five-year, $35M deal ($7M AAV) with a club option for a sixth year at $10M. In turn, Polanco signed a five-year, $25.75M deal ($5.15M AAV) with a sixth and seventh year club option at $10.5M and $12M, respectively. Clearly, in terms of money, the Minnesota Twins came out ahead of the White Sox with these contracts. Even if you combined the total salaries from Kepler and Polanco’s extensions it would still equate to less than the total value of Yoan Moncada’s extension with the White Sox. The Timing Yoan Moncada is 24-years-old with just over two years of MLB service time under his belt. By signing his extension, the White Sox are buying out Moncada’s final year on his rookie deal as well as all three years of his arbitration. If the Sox pick up Moncada’s sixth-year option, this contract would also buy out the first two years of the third baseman’s free agency and allow him to become a free agent at the age of 30. At the signing of his contract extension, Max Kepler was 26-years-old and was arbitration eligible as a Super Two prospect. By extending Kepler, the Twins bought out his arbitration years as well as up to two years of his free agency. Polanco signed his extension as a 25-year-old in his last year of pre-arbitration and was put under team control for up to three free agent years. While each of the players were at a similar spot in terms of service time, what really separates the Moncada extension was the fact that he was signed at the absolute peak of his value, coming off of a season in which he posted career highs in BA, HR, RBI and OPS. Conversely, when Kepler and Polanco were signed to extensions, they were coming off of very disappointing seasons. In 2018, the season before signing their extensions, Kepler posted career lows in BA, SLG and OPS. Similarly disappointing, Polanco was coming off of a season in which he served an 80 game suspension. The timing of these contracts allowed the Twins to get their guys for an absolute bargain, while the White Sox had to pay a premium by signing Moncada off of a career year. The Players Coming off of a 2019 season in which he was worth 5.7 fWAR, one could argue that at 24-years-old, Yoan Moncada is already the best player among himself, Kepler and Polanco. In 2019, Yoan Moncada finished 10th in the American League with a .915 OPS along with an exit velocity which was seventh best in baseball. After posting strikeout percentages in the 30s in his first two full seasons in the majors, Mocada improved in his plate discipline and trimmed down his K%. Moncada had a great 2019 season at the dish, but with that came a good amount of luck as he posted an unheard of .406 BABIP, which was by far the highest in baseball. In the field, Moncada still has some area to improve, as he has posted a negative DRS in each of the past two seasons at third base. While he hasn’t put it all together in the field yet, Moncada has all the tools to be a great third baseman with his strong arm and great athleticism. The Verdict Yoan Moncada is an excellent player who just got handed a really good contract by the Chicago White Sox. Although the White Sox have to miss out on the bargain that is his arbitration years, they get to delay Moncada’s free agency by two years and keep him under team control through his peak seasons of speed and athleticism. The issue for the White Sox, and where the Minnesota Twins get to claim victory over signing the better extensions, is that they are paying a premium by extending Moncada after a career year. The Minnesota Twins were able to extend Polanco and Kepler before their breakouts and as a result were able to sign them to extremely team-friendly deals. Comparing that to the amount of money that the White Sox had to shell out to Moncada, you can see just how good of a deal the Twins got. How do you think the Kepler and Polanco extensions compare to the extension that Moncada just signed with the White Sox? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

While he’s largely lauded for his offensive skills, Max Kepler has developed into an excellent fielder in his time with the Minnesota Twins. Now heading into a new decade of baseball, the German right fielder has a real chance at nabbing a Gold Glove in 2020.Since coming to the big leagues in 2015, Kepler has shown himself to be strong in the field, posting a positive UZR and DRS in each season he has been with the Twins. In fact, over the past two seasons, Max Kepler ranks fifth among all outfielders in defensive runs saved and third among all outfielders in ultimate zone rating. The further you dig into Keplers numbers, the more you realize just how special of a fielder he is. From his 92nd percentile outs above average , to his 92% success rate, to his ability to make difficult plays (13th in 4-star catches), Kepler lights up any outfield defense leaderboard. What really made Kepler so special in the field last season was his ability to take the most efficient routes to fly balls. In 2019, no outfielder took better fly ball routes than Max Kepler, according to Statcast. This was not an outlier either, as Kepler finished 8th and 11th in the metric in 2018 and 2017, respectively. By taking such efficient routes to the ball, Kepler is able to make up for his average reaction times that he has posted in each of the past four seasons. Download attachment: kepler jump.png Another area where Kepler has brought great value to the Minnesota Twins has been his ability to play center field. With Byron Buxton’s injury history, this has been something upon which the Twins have needed to rely on Kepler frequently over the past two seasons, shifting him to center field for 36% of his innings. In his time in center field, Kepler has played really well, producing above average numbers by any defensive metric. Kepler, though, lacks the top-end speed and athleticism that is required of a top-tier center fielder. Over the past two seasons, Kepler has posted a combined 17.6 UZR/150 in center, compared to a ridiculous 26.9 combined UZR/150 in right field. Being forced to leave his regular position of right field where he is one of the best in baseball in favor of center field, where he isn’t quite at that level, has limited his candidacy of being a Gold Glover. Heading into the 2020 season, Byron Buxton will hopefully enter the year healthy after receiving shoulder surgery in the offseason. The Minnesota Twins have been working with Buxton on his positioning and mindset as measures to keeping him healthy throughout the season. If Buxton can remain healthy for the 2020 season and Kepler is able to remain in the right field position where he has shown elite ability, a Gold Glove is certainly in play for Różycki. What do you think about Kepler’s chances at a Gold Glove in 2020? Do you think Buxton’s health is what will decide Kepler’s Gold Glove candidacy? Leave a comment below and start the conversation! MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article