The Minnesota Twins won the AL Central for the third time in five years in 2023. Minnesota won 87 games in the regular season before vanquishing the Blue Jays and the team’s past playoff demons in the AL Wild Card round. Here’s our recap of the Twins’ 2023 season.
Related: 2023 MLB Season Recap: San Diego Padres
The Offense
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 778 | 10th |
| Home Runs | 233 | t-3rd |
| OPS | .753 | 7th |
| Whiff% | 28.4% | 28th |
| Hard Hit% | 41.4% | 5th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Figure | MLB Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.82 | 2nd |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.95 | 15th |
| Strikeouts | 1,560 | 1st |
| Whiff% | 27.4% | 4th |
| Chase% | 30.4% | 3rd |
The Good
The Twins offense didn’t have one outstanding performer, but rather many contributors. Twelve Twins had at least 10 home runs in 2023, including Matt Wallner (14), Michael A. Taylor (21), and Max Kepler (24). Kepler had a resurgent campaign in 2023, one that saw him post a .816 OPS over 130 games.
However, the spotlight in Minnesota shifted to two young bats in 2023: Edouard Julien and Royce Lewis.
Julien shined during the WBC for Team Canada back in March and made his MLB debut on April 12. The infielder went up and down at various points but proved to be a real keeper come midseason. Julien hit .263/.381/.459 with 16 home runs, and 33 extra-base hits, and became a strong top-of-the-order hitter in a hurry.
As for Lewis, the 24-year-old played just 58 games in the regular season — yet made quite the impact. Lewis hit .309 with 15 home runs in the regular season, then added four more in the MLB Playoffs.
The Twins pitching staff proved to be a dominant force. Minnesota had one of the game’s best 1-2 punches in Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray. Lopez finished second in the AL in strikeouts (234), while Gray ended the regular season second in the Junior Circuit in ERA (2.79).
Minnesota’s bullpen had a number of reliable arms, too. Between Brock Stewart, Emilio Pagan, Griffin Jax, and flamethrower Jhoan Duran, the Twins had a fearsome bullpen, to say the least.
The Bad
The Carlos Correa free agent carousel last winter went from San Francisco to Queens and ended back in Minnesota. The star shortstop re-signed with the Twins after a strong 2022 campaign in Minnesota, but his 2023 campaign was far from normal for Correa.
Correa hit .230/.312/.399 (.711 OPS) with 18 home runs and 49 extra-base hits over 135 games. The 29-year-old played through a foot injury during the 2023 campaign, which would explain some of Correa’s struggles.
Byron Buxton, meanwhile, also dealt with injury problems — even though Minnesota opted to keep the veteran outfielder away from the field to keep him healthy. Buxton only played 85 games and hit .207/.294/.438.
Pitching-wise, Jovani Moran and Jorge Lopez were less than impressive out of the pen. Moran was a key piece to the Twins bullpen in 2022 thanks in large part to his changeup, but the lefty owned an ERA north of 5.00 and gave up three home runs a year after he conceded none. As for Lopez, he too struggled before he was sent to Miami at the Trade Deadline.
Another issue in the second half was Joe Ryan, who had problems with the long ball. Ryan gave up 32 home runs in the regular season, 16 of which came in 54.1 frames after the All-Star break.
What to Look For in 2024
The Twins are well-situated to contend for the AL Central in 2024. However, Minnesota may look a bit different.
For one, the Twins could lose both Kenta Maeda and Sonny Gray in free agency, the latter of whom was given a qualifying offer. The Twins also need to figure out how to handle Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler, both of whom performed well in 2023 and had their club options picked up.
However, a logjam of corner outfielders and infielders could lead the Twins to make a deal for pitching if some of the current rumors floating around are to be believed.