Three up, three down at the quarter point of the Twins’ season
The Twins crossed over the quarter mark of the season on Sunday by completing a series win in Cleveland, an unfriendly place to them over the course of the past few years. And at 18-23, they’re last in the tightly packed American League Central, which at this point doesn’t have a clear favorite. How’d they get here?
Some relatively good starting pitching, a bullpen among the league’s worst and a lineup that has weathered its ups and downs. Here’s a look at which players have been performing — and who hasn’t — through the first 25 percent of the season. Note, this list does not include Taj Bradley, as he recently landed on the injured list with pectoral inflammation.
Bradley’s performance (4-1, 2. 87 ERA) has been one of the most promising developments for the Twins this season. Three up Ryan Jeffers Jeffers is doing everything he can to earn himself a nice pay day when he hits free agency for the first time this offseason.
He’s adapting to a heavier workload behind the plate and hitting better than ever. After catching about 50 percent of games over the course of his career, Jeffers has started 25 of the Twins’ games behind the plate — about 60 percent. When he’s not catching, he has started some games as the designated hitter because the Twins work to keep his bat in the lineup.
Jeffers is slashing . 298/. 403/.
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