Uncustomed Heroes of 2024: Twins

I think it's as simple as this. The Minnesota Twins had the team this year. They were on track to make the playoffs with a month and a half left to go in the season. If Correa, Buxton, Kepler, Miranda, Lewis and Ryan stay healthy, they get there. Those six players are the heart of this team, and even in partial seasons accomplished so much. But for large swaths of the season, the majority of this group was hurt. Miranda and Lewis came back, Buxton and Correa would try and jump back in, but it was enough of a gap that the Royals and Tigers caught up and reduced them to fourth, just a year after finishing in 1st and winning a playoff series.

The injuries in Arlington and Atlanta may have gotten more publicity, but the injuries in Minneapolis turned a wild card favorite into a surprise onlooker. And it's very funny that Rocco Baldelli is showing the same 'never the same quality in consecutive seasons' tactic he had as a player. 

Trevor Larnach, barring the first couple weeks of the year, was a rare Twin that stayed healthy this year, and provided needed power assistance as the go-to DH this year. In 112 games, Larnach hit .259 with 52 RBIs and 15 home runs, and had a .771 OPS. Larnach has become a pretty reliable member of the young pack of hitters, and this year was another nice leveling up at the plate.

2025 Prediction: Another step further, hitting .276 with 25+ homers.

Because the Rays wait until the exact moment you're not expecting them to move you to move you, Manuel Margot was dealt to the Dodgers at the very beginning of the offseason [in the Tyler Glasgow deal], then moved over to Minnesota right at the end of camp. Margot had a chance to win a ring this year, but fate had other ideas. And so, Margot, now in a crucial OF role with the Twins, had his weakest season to date. In 129 games, Margot hit .238 with 31 RBIs and only 4 stolen bases. Three season after his defensive peak with Tampa, Margot was below average defensively and struggled at the plate. For the first time in his career, Margot will be facing free agency this year.

2025 Prediction: I honestly think the Rays'll bring him back. And he'll do better.

 

Kyle Farmer had his best statistical season to date last year, thanks to some excellent defense and strong contact numbers. This season, with an injury to recover from and other infield options getting play, Farmer's appeal was significantly lessened. In 107 games he hit .214 with 25 RBIs and 5 homers. Both defensively and offensively he was below average this year. 

2025 Prediction: Has something of a rebound year with Denver, though I doubt he'll be starting all year. Then again, if they trade McMahon he certainly might..

Matt Wallner was ushered into the young hitting group last year, as he took advantage of a late call-up and became one of the most refreshing hitters in the lineup. This year was very similar: he wasn't with the team initially, but once he got there he was a very helpful fill-in and helped the OF depth tremendously. In 75 games he had 37 RBIs and 13 home runs. And an .894 OPS, which is pretty fantastic.

2025 Prediction: Kepler's likely gone, Margot's gone, Larnach's primarily a DH...I think Matt Wallner's got a starting OF spot next year, and I think he's gonna be a serious ASG candidate. 

Chris Paddack came over in a trade in 2022, and considering that the Padres received Brent Rooker and Taylor Rogers in the trade, it's kinda wild that Paddack's lasted longer. Ultimately, 2024 was the Sheriff's most prolific year in Minneapolis, though still injury-shortened. In 17 games he went 5-3 with a 4.99 ERA and 79 Ks. At least a little closer to his 2019 breakthrough. 

2025 Prediction: Well, it's his last year before free agency, so watch him go absolutely wild out there.

Not only was Griffin Jax the Twins' best reliever of the season, he was one of their best players period. In 72 appearances, Jax had a 2.03 ERA, 95 Ks, a 2.8 WAR and 10 saves. Jax had a higher WAR than Pablo Lopez this year, which I would not have called. For a guy who didn't work as a starter in Minneapolis, I'm glad he's found a real niche for these guys.

2025 Prediction: I don't think the follow up will be as prolific but he'll have some great relief appearances. Perhaps less of them.

It was handy to have a consistent guy like Griffin Jax around because the closing option, Jhoan Duran, was less consistent this year. He finished the season with a  6-9 record, a ton of blown saves and only 23 saves. Duran can still throw as hard, but I think he just wasn't as unhittable as he's been in prior years.

2025 Prediction: Either he rights himself and becomes a great closer again or he blows his arm out and misses time.

Austin Martin was the other piece of the return for Jose Berrios, aside from Simeon Woods-Richardson, who was very useful this year. Martin got plugged into numerous roles this year, as he plays both the outfield and some infield positions. Unfortunately he doesn't play them very well. His very unpolished defense at least distracted from his passable offense, but while he hit .253, he only had 16 RBIs and 1 homer in 93 games. 

2025 Prediction: Honestly, I think he gets cut at some point.

So, Carlos Correa got hurt, then Royce Lewis got hurt, and there was a vacancy at short. So...in comes Brooks Lee, the Twins' top infield prospect, to get a taste of the majors. Unfortunately the 23 year old couldn't get much done at the MLB level, hitting .221 with 3 homers and 27 RBIs in 50 games. With both those guys back in 2025, I'm not sure what kind of role Lee will play with this team.

2025 Prediction: If the Twins get good enough that they need to make a big deadline deal, Lee will be the top piece going to a competitor. And THERE he'll blossom into something.

Towards the end of the year, the Twins called up two pretty well-regarded pitching prospects to start some games. Paddack and Ryan were hurt, there was room, let's get the kids up. Zebby Matthews had a really rough go of it, but David Festa, who was around for 14 games, did decently, with a 4.90 ERA and 77 Ks.

2025 Prediction: Will make camp with the team, but he's gonna have to be used in long-relief for a bit.

Coming Tomorrow- Mercifully, not very many White Sox. 

Uncustomed Heroes of 2021: Padres

 

The San Diego Padres were 67-49 on August 10th, in decent playoff position, looking for a Wild Card spot that would likely be against the Dodgers. In the games that followed, the Padres yeeted themselves out of playoff competition, struggled to re-plant themselves as Fernando Tatis played games in the outfield, and signed the death warrant for Jayce Tingler. 

What happened? The Giants and Dodgers were better, and the cracks in this team just made themselves even clearer, despite some good trade deadline moves. 

Wil Myers is the longest tenured member of this team. This was his age-30 season, and he had some pretty pedestrian numbers after being a solid piece of the team for so long. In 146 games he hit .256 with 63 RBIs and 17 homers. 

2022 Prediction: For the last year on his contract, will end up on another club by the end of the year.

Jurickson Profar was re-upped after a successful 2020 campaign, and responded with a slight step down, hitting .227 with 80 hits in 127 games. His contact numbers have buckled, and he's found less and less space to really succeed in San Diego.

2022 Prediction: Has much fuller and consistent numbers off the bench next year. 

Tommy Pham still is chasing his Cardinals and Rays numbers, but had an improved 2021, with a 1.4 WAR, 15 home runs and 49 RBIs. Pham's ability to hit for average has diluted a great deal, and I'm not sure if he's exactly what the Padres signed up for a few years ago. 

2022 Prediction: A lower-budget signing that delivers for a middle-tier team.

In the absence of Austin Nola, Victor Caratini became the starting catcher in San Diego, after flirting with startership in Chicago. In 116 games, Caratini hit .227 with 39 RBIs and slightly subpar catching numbers. Yes, he's very much linked with Yu Darvish, but once Nola returned, he sort of faded into the back again.

2022 Prediction: Will lose even more playing time to Jorge Alfaro.

The rotation was something of a letdown this year, with only Joe Musgrove finishing with a WAR under 4.  Chris Paddack has continued his parade of letdown seasons after his 2019 come-up, this year delivering a 7-7 campaign with a 5.07 ERA. Not a great run of things.

2022 Prediction: As the rotation evolves, Paddack will be moved to the bullpen and do considerably better.

Meanwhile, 2020 playoffs call-up Ryan Weathers got 18 starts, where he had a 6.36 ERA, as well as 12 relief appearances, where he had a 2.49 ERA. I recall his father David going through a similar process in figuring out where best to be utilized before going to the pen full time.

2022 Prediction: The Padres make a decision on Ryan, and he rewards them for it.

Craig Stammen's late career renaissance continues to be astounding. In another strong year at Petco Park, Stammen had a 3.06 ERA and 83 Ks in 88 innings, along with a 1.5 WAR. For a bullpen that seems loaded every year, Stammen has been one of the surefire constants, and it's good to see him continue his strong work.

2022 Prediction: He's gonna be 38 so a few steps down, but still consistent and well-relied-upon.

Also, in his second year back from Japan, Pierce Johnson continued to be a strong bullpen option, with a 3.22 ERA and 77 Ks in 59 innings. Johnson may not have the exclamation point of his 2020 season, but he's built US consistency, and the Padres can rely on him for a bit.

2022 Prediction: More of the same, but with probably a lower ERA.

The Padres, in all their pitching woes, decided to pick up Jake Arrieta after his release from Chicago. Arrieta was putting in blah numbers with the Cubs, so they figured a change of scenery would do him good. In 4 games in San Diego, Arrieta sported a 10.95 ERA and 3 losses, and was back on the lookout very shortly afterwards.

2022 Prediction: Retirement due to lack of offers.

And a very smart trade deadline deal was getting Daniel Hudson from the Nats as their team got picked apart. Hudson was having another strong year in Washington, and ultimately his numbers hit a bit of a snag upon joining the Padres. Hudson had a 5.21 ERA with 13 earned runs, despite 27 Ks, in 19 innings.

2022 Prediction: The Dodgers get some silver-tier, not gold-tier, Hudson stuff. 

Tomorrow, some extra members of my hometown Philadelphia Phillies.

Friar Maker

(Music Pun Streak #4- Because Zeppelin is never a bad idea)

So...let's talk about something Padre-wise that has nothing to do with Manny Machado or Fernando Tatis Jr.

Yes, the rotation. Literally the one thing I thought would doom the Padres this year is putting them right into the conversation. The rotation consists of six pitchers ranging from 22 to 27; three of them came from the farm system, three of them were traded to San Diego for such talents as Fernando Rodney, Trevor Cahill and Derek Norris.

...and we all know how THEY turned out in Miami, Kansas City and Washington, respectively.

Right now, the stars of this rotation are the rookies. Chris Paddack, Nick Margevicius and Pedro Avila all have ERAs under 3, and all have staggeringly low WHIPs. Paddack seems to be an early standout, with 21 strikeouts in 4 starts. And the 'old guard' of Matt Strahm, Joey Lucchesi and Eric Lauer seems to be holding up well as well, with Lucchesi notching 29 strikeouts in 5 starts. I think if you can call anyone here the ace, it's Lucchesi, as he had an impressive rookie year last year and could have a MLB-great year if given the right team.

This rotation and a surprisingly alright bullpen have headed up a decent Padres squad. More importantly, they've proved that the Padres are gonna do more than just hit home runs this year. Having Machado, Tatis, Eric Hosmer and Wil Myers certainly helps the run total, but...they can pitch their way out of things as well, which is a good thing to say for a team that hasn't had a wholly impressive pitching staff in over a decade.

The team's in second now, dominating over the expansionists and San Fran, and hopes to stay in the conversation long enough to overtake first from the Dodgers. For their sake, I kinda hope it happens.

Coming Tomorrow- His team still isn't in first. But that's not gonna stop this frigging fanbase.