StandingO

With each new year comes new faces and new expectations. Both internally and externally. And after a lackluster, injury-plagued 2022 season, the Twins will have heightened pressure to perform better for not only themselves and management, but from a relentless fan base as well. In the current state of the AL Central division, there is no time to waste in the present. The time to win is now and this team has the tools to do just that. So, what should we restless Minnesota fans look for in the 2023 season?

Health

The obvious elephant in the room surrounding this team is its health throughout the season. One could argue that with a healthy squad, a postseason birth last year was a very feasible outcome. But as we witnessed, that was not the case. It doesn’t matter how much extra depth the team now has, keeping the core healthy will need to be a priority this year. The front office has taken steps in the offseason to manage this area. They brought in a new head athletic trainer, Nick Paparesta. Will that solve the issue? Probably not entirely but something needed to be done. The MLB season is long, and injuries are unavoidable, but the Twins need to decrease the amount and length of these injuries. It doesn’t help that two assumed starters will start the year on the IL—Kirillof and Polanco. That is going to be tough to stomach for Twins fans. Time will tell but the team’s health isn’t exactly passing with flying colors to get out of the gate. 

Improved Pitching

Fans should look forward to seeing an improved starting rotation. What has been a crutch to this team for many seasons now looks like it might be a solid strength. While there isn’t a clear-cut ace, the rotation is filled top to bottom with quality depth. All five starters will have made an opening day start in their careers. A healthy Kenta Maeda will look to return to form from his first year with the team. There undoubtedly will be some slow progress to start the season before he returns to form but in the long run, he can help this team reach their season goals. And we can’t talk about an improved rotation without mentioning the addition of Pablo Lopez—unfortunately by way of losing Luis Arraez, but that’s business. An opening-day starter for the Twins he will look to carry the workload of being a front-line starter for a playoff-bound team. For me, the acquisition that will be the most impactful for the pitching doesn’t happen to be a pitcher at all. Adding a veteran catcher like Christian Vasquez will have a major factor in this year’s pitching success. He has all the experience and pedigree to manage a starting rotation and help them draw out every ounce of their potential. I look forward to seeing the runs allowed per game drop below 4 this year. 

Young Talent

As we just previously talked about, injuries will happen. And when they do look, look to see some of the young future talent for the Twins step up in place. Some potential names to keep an eye on include Eduard Julien, Brooks Lee, and Matt Wallner on the hitting side. Louie Varland and Simeon Woods Richardson are also very viable replacements in the starting rotation in case the injury bug strikes the clubhouse again. In the ladder case, we have seen both get some major league appearances late last season. I hope we don’t have to see too many young guys thrown into tough positions where they have to be more than they are ready for early in their careers. 

Offensive Power

This lineup (when healthy) has the potential to blow the cover off the baseball. Buxton had a career-high in home runs last year and looks to top that this season with a healthier body. We all know the potential Joey Gallo has stored in his bat. The question with him is making the bat meet with the ball. If he can figure it out we should be able to see quite a few balls this year hit into the flagpole. Miranda has shown added power this spring as he has slimmed down and added muscle. With that said, Trevor Larnach might have the most untapped power potential out of the group. It was a rough go-around for him last year and had an off-season to recover from core muscle surgery. The organization has high hopes for him to reach his power potential this season. I really hope he does, because when he is locked in he has one of the smoothest and purest lefty swings out there. All in all, might not be a bad year to purchase some seats in the right-field bleachers and bring a glove with you.