By the time you read this, the Twins may very well be out of the playoffs. Or they may still be playing! (The problems with being a weekly columnist…)
Regardless, the future is bright for our local nine. As I’ve listened to many games on the radio, a thought has struck me about this group. They remind me in so many ways of the 1987 team that won the World Series. Now it’s possible that this is the 1985 or 1986 version, but the parallels are there.
Look at the young core the Twins currently have in place. Alex Kiriloff, Matt Wallner, Royce Lewis, and Eduoard Julien are all players that have made an impact this year and look to be part of this team for years to come. Look back at the 1987 squad. Kirby Puckett, Kent Hrbek, Gary Gaetti, and Tom Brunansky were equivalent players to these young bucks.
Three of those four hit 30 or more home runs in 1987, with only Puckett falling short at 28, though he led the American League in hits with 207. Look at the current crop. Over a full, healthy season, is there any doubt that all four of these guys could match that ideal? Lewis has already hit five grand slams in his career and seems to come through in big spots. Wallner has hit some tape-measure home runs already. Kiriloff and Julien have both shown power to the opposite field.
The new big four almost match in positioning too: Lewis and Gaetti are both third basemen, Kiriloff and Hrbek at first base, Puckett and Wallner as outfielders. Brunansky was an outfielder as well while Julien plays second base, but I wouldn’t really compare Julien to former Twin Steve Lombardozzi.
If anything, the Twins current pitchers are better than the 1987 team. Frank Viola and Bert Blyleven led the starting pitchers and were great in their day. After that? Les Straker anyone? The 2023 version lines up with Pablo Lopez, Sonny Grey, and Joe Ryan, and that automatically puts them ahead. Throw in Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober, and the lead increases.
The bullpen has been my biggest concern with the Twins this season. Jeff Reardon was a lock-it-down closer in 1987, and Jhoan Duran has shown some cracks in the second half of this season. Some of the set-up men this year have been shaky as well, though injuries have impacted that area, too.
Assuming the Twins won’t win the World Series this year, what will next year look like? The beauty is that core of position players isn’t going anywhere. Carlos Correa almost has to get better at the plate; while his defense has been exceptional, the hitting stats have been subpar for him. Maybe Byron Buxton gets healthy? That’s almost a whole column to itself!
But this will not be the same team next year, not by a long shot. I’m pretty sure Jorge Polanco will not be part of the 2024 Twins. He is the longest tenured member of the team, but his injuries and age and the readiness of the young guys leaves him off the squad. Sonny Grey and Kenta Maeda will probably not return since they are free agents. It would be great to have them again, but the Twins will likely not pay what it takes, and Grey has had some run-ins with manager Rocco Baldelli that probably will have him looking elsewhere regardless.
The Twins have done a magnificent job of getting role players in here this year that have made a difference. Where would we be without Willi Castro or Michael A. Taylor or Kyle Farmer or Donovan Solano? All four have been spectacular at times and at least competent at others. When injuries struck, the ability of Castro and Solano to play all over the field has made a huge difference. I’m not sure of the contract status for each of them, but keeping at least a couple of them, especially Castro, would benefit the 2024 team.
And Rocco will be back. I had predicted if they didn’t make the playoffs this year, he’d be out of a job, but he’s now won three division titles in five years. I don’t always agree with his decisions, but it’s hard to argue with the results. Plus, they already won a playoff series this year, something that hasn’t happened in over two decades!
I’m very optimistic that we could see the Minnesota Twins in the World Series again soon. No matter what, I’ll continue to wear my Twins cap often and will cheer on the only professional sports team, outside the Minnesota Lynx, to win a championship in my lifetime. Win, Twins!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is ephemera, which means things that last only a short time, as in, “The Twins hoped their success was not ephemera, but would be sustainable.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!