When the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland A’s on March 26 in the 2020 season opener it will be the beginning of a new decade, their third this century. From 2000-2009 the Twins posted a record 863-758 for a winning percentage of .532 as they played out their final years in-doors at the HHH Metrodome.
In the current decade from 2010-2019 the Twins have played outdoors in their new digs at Target Field but their play has not matched their new outdoor surroundings as they have played at a winning percentage of .472 as they won 765 games and lost 855.
In spite of the Twins mediocre play in a decade in which they managed just four winning seasons they still averaged 2,438,495 fans per year but most of that can probably be attributed to the new ballpark they opened in 2010. So who were the best Twins players that fans got to see over the last ten seasons? Let’s take a look at who I have as the best player at each position with a strong assist from the WAR numbers from https://www.baseball-reference.com/ .
Catcher – Joe Mauer was the catcher between 2010 and 2013 before moving to first base and had a WAR of 17.4 during this period.
First Base – Joe Mauer played first base for the Twins from 2014 to 2018 and had a WAR of 10.4 during those years.
Second Base – Brian Dozier was an easy choice here playing there from 2012 until the trade deadline in 2018 when he was traded to the Dodgers. During this window in Minnesota he put up a WAR of 23.8 making him the second best player on the Twins team this past decade.
Shortstop – Jorge Polanco has been the Twins shortstop off and on from 2014 to current and has posted a 10.2 WAR.
Third Baseman – Trevor Plouffe played third base for the Twins from 2010-2016 and had a WAR of 8.6 during this time period.
Left Fielder – Eddie Rosario is also a current Twin and has played mostly left field since 2015 and during that time frame has put up a WAR of 10.3
Center Fielder – Byron Buxton has played in center field off and on since 2015 and when he isn’t down with some kind of an injury he has put up a WAR of 9.9.
Right Fielder – Max Kepler has put up a 10.8 WAR since he started playing the position for Minnesota back in 2015.
Starters are Kyle Gibson with a 9.6 WAR from 2013-2019, Ervin Santana with a 9.5 WAR from 2015-2018, Jose Berrios with a 7.5 WAR from 2016-current, Scott Baker with a 5.7 WAR form 2010-2011 and Phil Hughes with a 5.4 WAR from 2014-2018.
Relievers are Glen Perkins with a 6.8 WAR from 2010-2017 and Taylor Rogers with a 6.5 WAR between 2016-2019.