I’m not going to beat a dead horse (to borrow the overused turn of phrase) and recap just how terrible 2013 was for the Minnesota Twins. Instead, I’d like to point out the silver lining – even bad teams have good players. Even though the Twins themselves would like to forget 2013, there is a group of players whose effort is worth noting.
We’re only a few weeks away from the MLB MVP, CY Young and other awards being handed out – so let’s take that concept of ‘award season’ and turn it towards the players on the 2013 Twins. Specifically, let’s find the Twins’ season MVP, CY Young, Gold Glove and Silver Slugger.
Season MVP:
The candidates
Joe Mauer: .324/.404/.376, 144 OPS+, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 5.4 WAR
The obvious leading candidate for MVP is the Twins’ starting catcher. Mauer had a down year in RBI, largely due to the Twins’ inability to put any consistent hitters ahead of him in the lineup. Going beyond the RBI and homeruns and you’ll see that Mauer put together another outstanding season. His 144 OPS+ ranked him 11th (in both leagues), showing that Mauer was still the on base machine he’s always been. His wRC of 83, shows that he didn’t add many runs to the team’s final ledger, due in large part to no one being on base ahead of him. These were hardly career lows for Mauer, but missing the last month of the season with a concussion and failing to crack 50 RBI does feel like a low point for the Twins’ best hitter.
Brian Dozier: .244/.312/.414, 100 OPS+, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 3.8 WAR
There was a short list of ‘players who needed to improve’ coming into 2013. Fans and experts frequently cited Trevor Plouffe, Chris Parmelee, Scott Diamond, Aaron Hicks and Pedro Florimon as players that needed to give a greater contribution for the Twins to win. Left off those lists was Brian Dozier, who many looked at as a lost cause, following an underwhelming 2012 rookie season. Dozier responded by becoming one of the best hitters in baseball after July. (He admittedly started very slow and likely only kept his roster spot due to his improved defense). Dozier lead the majors in extra base hits following July 31st, and went on a bit of a power tear, hitting 13 home runs in the last two months of the season. This offensive improvement combined with his incredible defense at 2B (his .992 fielding percentage was well above the league average of .985) make him one of the best Twins players of 2013.
Glen Perkins: 2.30 ERA, 177 ERA+, 36 SV, 2.1 WAR
Glen Perkins transferred beautifully into the closer role in 2013, providing a near guarantee save in the back of the ‘pen. There was little to enjoy with the Twins in 2013, but Perkins was certainly on the short list of highlights. The only downside to Perkins’ MVP race is role – it’s hard to name a closer on a 96 loss team as the most valuable player. When you’re losing, you don’t need a closer – an argument that effectively saps Perkins’ chances before they get off the ground.
Winner: Brian Dozier
You could rightly name Joe Mauer as the MVP and receive little in the way of argument from anyone. I give the advantage to Dozier due to his defensive improvement at a position of huge need. The Twins have not had a reliable second baseman who could also hit in many years. Dozier fills a void in the Twins’ lineup and adds a valuable bat. His second half performance was strong enough to override the slow start, making him my 2013 Twins MVP.
2013 Twins CY Young
The Candidates
Absolutely none of the starters qualify for consideration for any Cy Young award. Scott Diamond, Mike Pelfrey , Kevin Correia, Vance Worley, Cole DeVries, Samuel Deduno, Liam Hendriks, Andrew Albers, Pedro Hernandez and Kyle Gibson each had underwhelming or downright horrid years. The bullpen had some stronger performances, especially from Jared Burton, Caleb Thielbar and Anthony Swarzak but they didn’t do quite enough to win the award either.
Winner: Glen Perkins
Perkins may not have done enough to make him the Twins’ MVP, but he was certainly the MVP of the entire pitching staff, making him the default Cy Young simply due to a complete lack of competition. If you think another Twins pitcher deserved the award, I’d love to hear it.
2013 Twins Gold Glove
The Candidates
Brian Dozier: .992 FLD%, 9 rDRS (defensive runs saved), 6 Errors
We’ve touched on Dozier’s improvements already, but its worth pointing out last season’s second baseman (Alexi Casilla) numbers: .930 FLD%, 15 rDRS, 9 Errors. Casilla made more flashy or out of the zone plays (as evidenced by his higher defensive runs saved) but he also missed move of the routine plays, evidenced by his lower fielding percentage. Casilla’s errors always seemed to come at the most inopportune times – typically allowing an inning to explode and putting the Twins in a deep hole. Dozier was much more consistent, something the Twins defense desperately needed.
Pedro Florimon: .973 FLD%, 12 rDRS, 18 Errors
Florimon may never develop into an offensive threat, but if he can keep making defensive improvements (2012 numbers: .965, 7 rDRS, 7 Errors) he won’t need to carry a threatening bat. Much like second base, the Twins have been searching for a short stop that can make the routine plays for many years. Florimon looks to be the solution to that problem. His .973 FLD% is exactly league average and his defensive runs saved is towards the top end of short stops. His defense was certainly a welcome addition to the Twins this season.
Aaron Hicks: 1.000 FLD%, 2 rDRS, 0 Errors
Hicks may have had a disastrous rookie campaign at the plate, but he was Major League ready in the field. The speedy centerfielder made some difficult plays look routine and even managed to rob a couple of home runs from Carlos Gomez and Adam Dunn. Without a full season under his belt, it’s hard to list Hicks as a favorite to win the Twins’ Gold Glove, but he performed well enough to earn an honorable mention
Winner: Brian Dozier
It came down to consistency versus difficulty. Dozier made the routine plays almost every time he had an opportunity, while Florimon made a few more difficult and out of range plays. When a team is as bad as the Twins were in 2013, you tend to value consistency a little more – thus, the award goes to Dozier.
2013 Twins Silver Slugger
The Candidates
Trevor Plouffe: .254/.309/.392, 14 HR, 52 RBI, 93 wRC+
Plouffe slumped through most of the season, but a late August and September hot streak (that saw him bat over .300 during the final 8 weeks) drew his numbers back up to respectable levels. It’s telling that a player with numbers as average as Plouffe’s were this season is the leading candidate for what essentially amounts to the best offensive player on the Twins. They’re not great, but given his competition (or lack there of) Plouffe moves to the top of the heap.
Brian Dozier: .244/.312/.414, 18 HR, 66 RBI, 101 wRC+
Like Plouffe, Dozier benefited from a hot streak to end the season. Dozier’s streak was longer (starting in July) and a bit more consistent, but the fact that he didn’t put a full season together really does hurt his case. That being said, with a slightly above average wRC+ and an ISO of .170, Dozier is easily one of the best bats in the 2013 Twins lineup.
Josmil Pinto: .342/.398/.566, 4 HR, 12 RBI, 169 wRC+
Yes, small sample size for Pinto makes it hard to distill any real truth from his September numbers (he was limited to just 83 at bats in the last month of the season). But you cannot argue that the rookie took advantage of the opportunity he was given. Pinto absolutely crushed the ball in September, hitting for average and boasting an impressive .224 ISO. It’s hard to put him at the top of the list simply because one month does not a season make – (See: Plouffe, Trevor 2012) but his performance cannot go unnoticed. Pinto should be back with the Twins full time in 2014, here’s hoping his September trends continue if and when he gets a chance.
Oswaldo Arcia: .251/.304/.430, 14 HR, 43 RBI, 103 wRC+
This award was Oswaldo Arcia’s to lose starting the year. The rookie burst on to the scene, hitting for decent average, displaying solid power and providing a threat to the Twins lineup that they desperately needed. Unfortunately, Arcia battled injuries and his own discipline for much of the season, tarnishing what was otherwise a very good rookie campaign. He struck out too many times (117) to cover his solid ISO (.173) and injuries sapped some at bats away from him towards the end of the season. Still, a very good outing worth noting from the rookie outfielder.
The Winner: Brian Dozier
The theme of these awards has been consistency, and seeing as Brian Dozier was nearly the most consistent Twins player this season (behind Joe Mauer) it’s not much of a surprise that he’s taken 3 of the 4 awards (had he thrown an inning of relief like Jamey Carroll did during the year, I may have considered him for Cy Young too…) Dozier lead the team in home runs and extra base hits while boasting a solid average and above average ISO and wRC+. Arcia’s bat may be a bit more dangerous and Plouffe may hit for better average, but Dozier’s blending of both aspects makes him the Twins’ Silver Slugger winner in my book.
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