Who Will Be The Minnesota Twins All-Star? 4 Choices
It's really hard to fathom how bad the Twins season has been as we're now 57 games in, or a little more than a third of the way into the season.
The Twins are 17-40 and 14.5 games out of first place in the American League Central Division. They are 12.5 games behind both the Tigers and the White Sox, so they've all but solidified finishing last in the division. They're playing baseball at a .286 clip, which is hard to do.
Regardless, the Twins will be represented at the All-Star Game this year. Every team is represented for the Mid-Summer Classic. This year, it's July 12 in San Diego.
So when a team is 17-40, who could possibly be playing well enough to be considered an All-Star? Here are four possibilities.
Eduardo Nunez
Eduardo Nunez is probably the most obvious choice and most deserving to be named an All-Star. A utility player, he's seen a lot of action with injuries to Trevor Plouffe and Eduardo Escobar as well as Brian Dozier's slow start offensively. Nunez is hitting .337 in 48 games to lead the Twins. That includes nine homers after a pair Tuesday night and 10 doubles with 24 RBI, and he has 12 stolen bases. In the infield, he's gotten 138 chances and recorded 43 putouts, 88 assists and been a part of 20 double plays. In those 138 chances, he has just seven errors.
While not the most popular name, Nunez has done enough to be selected an All-Star.
Joe Mauer
Joe Mauer is the most recognizable name for the Twins across the major leagues, and that's part of what baseball wants for the All-Star Game. In 56 games, Mauer is hitting .281 with six homers, six doubles and 21 RBI. In 53 games at first base, he has 334 total chances with 312 putouts, 22 assists and has committed zero errors.
He may not be the most deserving or having the best season for the Twins, but he is the face of the franchise. The All-Star Game is as much a fan vote and based on popularity as it is players who actually deserve to be there.
Robbie Grossman
The sample size is incredibly small, but it's not impossible that rookie outfielder Robbie Grossman could be the All-Star for the Twins. In just 17 games, Grossman is hitting .339 with four homers, six doubles and has 11 RBI. He has a .615 slugging percentage and in the outfield, he's made 1 error in 24 chances. If he can continue that trend over the next few weeks the more he plays, those chances of being named an All-Star can only get better.
Fernando Abad
The Twins best chance for an All-Star will probably come in the bullpen. Major League Baseball tends to stockpile teams with relief pitchers for the game and if the Twins send a pitcher, it will be left-handed reliever Fernando Abad. There haven't been many bright spots for the Twins on the mound so far this year, but Abad has been one of them.
In 26 games, he has a 0.87 earned run average with 21 strikeouts and five walks in 20 2/3 innings. While not the most exciting choice, he certainly has done enough to at least get a look to be considered an All-Star.
It will be interesting to see who will be the All-Star selection for the Twins. At 16-40, there isn't much else to pay attention to this summer. Unless, that is, you enjoy watching a train wreck in progress.