FanPost

The Second Annual Twins Awards

Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports

Here we are again, folks. I'm going to, once again, loosely dissect the season's numbers and assign meaningless awards, because I'm bored. After a roaring success of over .500 baseball, the Twins fell just 2 days short of a post season berth, something which hasn't happened since 2010. But, a winning record, which also hasn't happened since 2010, was a welcome sight. I, for one, was hoping for a third place finish, and some rookies making an impact. I was blown away by the fact that ELEVEN (11) rookies made an appearance for the Twins this year, even if it was in limited capacity for some. This year, I am handing out only 45 awards, down from last year's 50, but this also means that fewer players appeared, which means that there were fewer injuries. Or, at least, that's MY way of viewing it. To qualify for an award, you must have appeared in a game for the Twins this season, different from last year, when two players were only on the 40 man roster at the end, and that's why they got awards.

162 games. 44 players. 1 coach.

Let's get started.

Batters

#1 Jordan Schafer (27 Games, .217 BA) BYE-BYE BIRDIE AWARD
He was released June 18 after spending a large quantity of time on the DL. I guess he has more major league hits than I do, so I guess that's something.

#2 Brian Dozier (157 Games, .236 BA, 28 HR, 101 Runs) ALL-STAR AWARD
He led the Twins in doubles, homers, and was third in RBI, and tied for third in triples. If he can get his batting average up (like I said last year) he'll be infinitely better. BTW, I called him being an All-Star last year.

#5 Eduardo Escobar (127 Games, .262 BA, 7 positions played) UTILITY MAN AWARD (AGAIN)
Once again, he played a lot of positions, seven, one more than last year. 71 at SS and 35 in LF led the way (with 11 at 2B, 8 at DH, 5 at 3B, and 1 at RF). And, he only committed 7 errors this year, down from last year.

#7 Joe Mauer (158 Games, .265 BA) DISAPPOINTING PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR AWARD (AGAIN)
Once again, he set career lows for a full season in his triple slash, plus a career high in stikeouts, hitting 100 for the first time. Way to go, Joe.

#8 Kurt Suzuki (131 Games, .240 BA) BACK TO LEFT FIELD AWARD
No one really expected Kurt to top himself from last year, but he did improve his defense from last year, in more games to boot. I'm okay with him being around for one more season in Minnesota.

#9 Eduardo Nunez (72 Games, .282 BA) SUPER BACK-UP AWARD
Nunez did the same thing as last year, except he hit better. So yeah, he played around the field again, and was really good when we needed him.

#11 Jorge Polanco (4 Games, .300 BA, 2:1 BB:K, 0 XBH) YOU MIGHT BE USEFUL SOMEDAY AWARD
Jorge did the same thing as last year. Played some games and didn't strike out. Someday...

#12 Chris Herrmann (45 Games, .146 BA) BACK-UP CATCHER AWARD
I learned how to spell his name for this season, expecting him to do something. He didn't really do something.

#17 Doug Bernier (4 Games, .200 BA) STILL HERE AWARD
I called this. We saw him in September again.

#19 Kennys Vargas (58 Games, .240 BA) REGRESSION AWARD
Yeah. Vargas. He played more games than last year, so that's a plus. He didn't do much else.

#20 Eddie Rosario (122 Games, .267 BA, 15 Triples) TRIPLE CROWN AWARD
So Eddie Rosario is kinda good. He's the first rookie in a long while to hit 10+ Doubles, Triples, and Homers, plus steal 10+ bases and have 10+ outfield assists. This, by the way, is hilighting the first of the several Twins rookies to impact the team this year.

#21 Shane "Sugar" Robinson (83 Games, .250 BA, Very Nice Smile) BEST NICKNAME AWARD
Sugar Shane came forth as the fourth outfielder, and he was fun to watch. Just a really classy guy.

#22 Miguel Sano (80 Games, .269 BA, 18 HR) TWINS ROOKIE OF THE YEAR AWARD
Ho. Ly. Crap. Miguel Sano came onto the scene and just ripped the cover off the ball. His exit velocity always seemed to be reaching 105+ mph. Hopefully the prediction of "this guy has a bright future" doesn't fall as flat as the same predicition of Vargas last year. Did I mention impactful rookies?

#24 Trevor Plouffe (152 Games, .244 BA, 22 HR, 86 RBI, 28 GDP) NO FLUFF IN THESE NUMBERS AWARD
Plouffe, once again, led the team in RBI, and this time he didn't get hurt at the end of the season. He teamed up with Torii this year to become the first Twins duo to drive in 80+ each since Willingham and Mauer in 2012. I would also like to point out the similarities to both Dozier and Plouffe's numbers this year, as they almost matched each other across the boards. Grounding into Double Plays being an exception.

#25 Byron Buxton (46 Games, .209 BA) ALLITERATION AWARD (GET IT?)
Buxton has arrived, ladies and gentlemen. I only made it to one game up north this year, but man was he fun to watch. Made a pair of shoe-string catches to save some runs and almost threw someone out at first when they tried advancing. Good things happening in Minnesota! Also he's a rookie.

#26 Eric Fryer (15 Games, .227 BA) THIRD STRING CATCHER AWARD
Hey, at least your batting average is higher than Herrmann's.

#31 Oswaldo Arcia (19 Games, .276 BA) SERIOUSLY, WHERE'D HE GO? AWARD
He did smack two long balls in his 19 games this season, and he also hit 12 down with Rochester, so we know he's still got it. The injury bug got to him, and gave some young guys some opportunities though, which is never a bad thing for a club on the tail end of a rebuild.

#32 Aaron Hicks (97 Games, .256 BA) PHOENIX AWARD
Hicks looks like he might have finally decided he wants to play baseball. He set, or matched a career high in every meaningful statistic excluding walks, but also excluding strikeouts, which he seems to have cut down on. A very popular outfield at the end of the year was Rosario, Buxton, and Hicks, and frankly, I'm okay with that.

#39 Danny Santana (91 Games, .215 BA) JUNIOR YEAR IS ALWAYS THE HARDEST AWARD
Well, Santana sophomore slumped. Hard. He did have such a roaring success in 2014, that I wasn't going to be surprised with a down year, but hopefully he can be very unlike one Danny Valencia (remember that guy?), and bounce back from his second-year woes.

#48 Torii Hunter (139 Games, .240 BA, 22 HR, 81 RBI) COMEBACK PLAYER AWARD
Well, hello there old friend. Welcome home. Torii showed us that even at 39 years old (and 40 for the last part of the season) he can still put a little bit of pop into the ball. He tied for second on the club in homers, with Plouffe, and he was second in RBIs. He also made it back to 20 homeruns for the first time since called Los Angeles home back in 2011. I think he just missed us.

#67 Max Kepler (3 Games, .143 BA) EXISTANCE AWARD
Hey, you get a number this year! Something something something Rookie.

Pitchers

#15 Glen Perkins (3-5, 3.32 ERA, 60 Games, 54K, 32/35 SV) OPEN FOR BREAKFAST 24/7 AWARD
Glen was good again this year when he played. Lingering back and neck issues seem to be the story of his life as a closer now. Though he did achieve career save number 100 this season. Please get well soon, Perk!

#22 Tim Stauffer (1-0, 6.60 ERA, 13 Games, 6K) WE RISKED IT, AND DIDN'T GET A BISCUIT AWARD
Tim Stauffer. A bullpen arm that was allegedly competeing for a rotation spot, but we all knew he wasn't. He was knocked around pretty good, and then got injured, released, and then fared even worse with the Mets. Oh well. The 'pen WAS getting a little crowded. At least he allowed someone else to put on #22 and do something useful.

#33 Tommy Milone (9-5, 3.92 ERA, 24 Games (23 starts), 91K, 1/1 SV) SOUTHPAW OF THE YEAR AWARD
After a disappointing five starts last year, Milone slotted into the rotation for a majority of his time this year quite well. He definitely got the benefit of good luck behind him, which helped the fact that he allowed more than a base runner per inning. But, all said and done, he ate a little more than 5.1 innings/start, which isn't much, but at least he kept his ERA below 4. He also got a save in his only non-start appearance. Clutch?

#36 Blaine Boyer (3-6, 2.49 ERA, 68 Games, 33K, 1/2 SV) HE WAS ON FOYER AWARD (GET IT? LIKE FIRE?)
Another San Diego free agent that came to Minnesota this year, Boyer actually stuck. He worked his way to a solid 2.49 ERA in 65 innings of work. Boyer definitely did his job well, this year.

#37 Mike Pelfrey (Low-High, Bad, Too Many Games, Not Enough K) PLEASE DON'T COME BACK AWARD
I refuse to look at his numbers. He started games down the stretch that he no business being in, and, if I'm being completely honest, I feel he is largest defining factor in the Twins not getting that second wilcard spot. Did we need it this year? No. But, it would have been nice knowing that every 5th game didn't come with a high probability of a pitching not making it out of the 4th inning. (his numbers: 6-11, 4.26 ERA, 30 starts, 86K, 1.47 WHIP))

#44 Kyle Gibson (11-11, 3.84 ERA, 32 starts, 145K, 194.2 IP) MAYBE I CAN GET SOME HELP NEXT YEAR AWARD
Kyle Gibson. I like him. Almost threw 200 innings (led the team, by the way), led the rotation in WAR and ground ball percentage (which explains the several billion double plays turned behind him), and also made the White Sox look like chumps every single time (3-0, 1.21 ERA, 23K in 4 starts) . What more could you ask for?

#45 Phil Hughes (11-9, 4.40 ERA, 27 games (25 starts), 94K, 29 Homers) THIS ISN'T YANKEE STADIUM AWARD
Phil returned to Yankee Stadium form, giving up 29 homers, a league high. Not quite the ace he was last year, but he stuck a winning record on the board, and ate 155 innings. Could be worse, but I'm looking for a bit more consistancy out of him next year.

#47 Ricky Nolsaco (5-2, 6.75 ERA, 9 games (8 starts), 35K) LET'S GO FISHING AWARD
Nolasco got hurt this season. Again. Only 2 more years on is contract before we can go after a bigger fish. (For those keeping score at home, yes, I DID make a fish joke last year about him as well.)

#49 Kevin Jepsen (1-1, 1.61 ERA, 29 games, 25K, 10/11 SV) IHOP CAN SOMETIMES BE JUST AS GOOD AWARD
Jepsen set a career high in saves this year, with 10 of the 15 coming as a Twin. He was acquired at the deadline from the Rays for a pair of minor leaguers, and figures to be a staple next season. This was his second year in a row of solid baseball, posting a combined 2.33 ERA with Tampa and Minnesota this year, and a 2.63 last year for the Angels. He was a good fill in for Perk at the end of the season.

#50 Casey Fien (4-6, 3.55 ERA, 62 games, 41 K, 0/4 SV) MAINSTAY AWARD
Fien came out of this season with his lowest ERA in the last 3 seasons. He's also up for arbitration, so this bullpen staple of the last 4 years is looking at a pay raise this winter. He also ranked second in Twins relievers in innings, second in appearances, and once again paced all relievers in decisions. Fien has been one constants that I haven't been upset to see since he came to Minnesota. Oh, he also didn't have a wild pitch this season. I'm a Fien Fan.

#51 Alex Meyer (0-0, 16.88 ERA, 2 games, 3 K) 2016 TWINS ROTATION PIECE
Well, Alex Meyer didn't exactly DAZZLE anyone, but he did strikeout more than a batter per inning, which is what we expect. His ERA of 16.88 leaves something to be desired, but he's going to do good things. RoOkIe.

#52 Brian Duensing (4-1, 4.25 ERA, 55 games, 24 K, 1/1 SV) WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO WITH YOU AWARD
Duensing just finished his 7th season in Minnesota. He set career lows in innings pitched and strikeouts, and bumped his ERA from the last two seasons as well. He Finished his third season in a row without making a single start, but he's had a solid run with the Twins so far. He's a free agent this winter, and it's going to be interesting to see if the Twins decide his tenure, experience, and leadership will be enough to earn the soon-to-be 33 year old a contract for next season.

#54 Ervin Santana (7-5, 4.00 ERA, 17 starts, 82 K) SNORT AWARD
Ervin. The signing was a surprise to me, especially for 4 years, but I thought that a veteren who had actually had some more successful seasons than Hughes and Nolasco would be good. As it turns out, his role-model-ness ended up being PED's. He did have a rough couple of starts in a row, but he absolutely dominated down the stretch, and helped the Twins look like they were going to push their way into a game in New York. He's an innings eater, so that's always a plus. Hopefully, he learned his lesson, and next season can be one of good numbers.

#55 Neal Cotts (0-0, 3.95 ERA, 17 games, 9 K) NAP AWARD
Cotts came over from Milwaukee to be solidify the bullpen for a hopeful playoff run. He's a solid lefty reliever, and at 35, he offers that experience and calmness out of the pen. I'm fairly neutral whether he stays or goes.

#56 Caleb Thielbar (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 6 games, 5 K) GOOD LUCK AWARD
Thielbar was solid the last two seasons for Minnesota, playing 103 games and working to a 2.59 ERA. This season, he was designated and then claimed by San Diego. He's no longer with the team, but hopefully he can find continued success. He's only 28, afterall.

#56 Tyler Duffey (5-1, 3.10 ERA, 10 starts, 53 K) MAN-CRUSH AWARD
I think the award title speaks for itself. Duffey pitched his way into my heart, and now I have a man crush on him. Did I mention rOoKiE?

#57 Ryan Pressly (3-2, 2.93 ERA, 27 games, 22 K) UNDER 3 AWARD
Pressly worked himself into another season of sub-3 ERA. He's just been another solid arm from the pen, granted in limited appearances due to a trip the DL.

#58 A.J. Achter (0-1, 6.75 ERA, 11 games, 14 K) ABBREVIAED NAME AWARD
Achter is still holding onto that Rookie Status. He's not letting it go. He's also not really pitching well enough up top to be granted a full season. He's still under contract with the Twins for another 6 years though, so he's probably on a longer leash. Rookie Status.

#59 Michael Tonkin (0-0, 3.47 ERA, 26 games, 19 K) NO RECORD AWARD
Tonkin has successfully pitched 53.2 career innings, over parts of 3 seasons with Minnesota, without yet receiving a decision. I can't tell if that's good or not. But it certainly can't be bad, right?

#61 Ryan O'Rourke (0-0, 6.14 ERA, 28 games, 24 K) SO MANY ROOKIES AWARD
O'Rourke was pretty unspectacular in his games this year. He really liked letting the other team score runs. But, hey, he's a rookie (have I mentioned a lot of rookies?) so what can you do?

#62 J.R. Graham (1-1, 4.95 ERA, 39 games (1 start), 53 K, 0/1 SV) TRUE RULE-5 AWARD
Graham was the Twins Rule 5 pick from the Braves this year. He was required to stay on the 25-man roster all season, or get traded for, or get sent back to Atlanta. He stuck around, and didn't actually pitch too terribly. So, I guess the other abbreviated named player is probably going to stick around.

#64 Aaron Thompson (1-3, 5.01 ERA, 41 games, 17 K, 0/1 SV) ANOTHER ROOKIE AWARD
Thompson is a Rookie. He didn't strike many out. Oh well, I guess? Bullpen awards are hard, sometimes.

#65 Trevor May (8-9, 4.00 ERA, 48 games (16 starts), 110 K, 0/2 SV) MIDSEASON SWITCH AWARD
There's only good things to say about Trevor May this season. He struggled a bit in his starts this year (4-8, 4.43 ERA), but when he was moved to the pen, he worked his was into that 8th inning role spectacularly, pitching himself to a 2.87 ERA. He could even work multiple innings, if necessary, and he was just a solid guy. I look for him to compete for a rotation spot next season.

Coach

#4 Paul Molitor (83-79, -4 Run Differential, 2nd Place Division Finishd, 26/42 Challenges) MANAGER OF THE YEAR
I mean...what other award can he win? He was the manager. Also, he was pretty good in his first season. Here's to several more good seasons, and a World Series!


Well, that'll do it. Thanks for coming everyone. I hope everyone had a good time, and we'll be seeing you next year, with the Post-Season bound Minnesota Twins!

All numbers taken from Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com

RS