Twins first-half awards, including MVP Byron Buxton and ‘wonderful maniac' Louis Varland

New York Times

5 hours ago

MINNEAPOLIS — Having reached the midpoint of the season at 39-42, the Minnesota Twins are a tough team to figure out with 81 games down and 81 games to go.
Their record suggests they're simply an average-ish team, hovering around the .500 mark to stay within the American League playoff picture as a wild-card hopeful. But the Twins have rarely played like an average team, instead looking either very good or very bad, with no middle ground.
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On one hand, the Twins rode great pitching and timely hitting to a 13-game winning streak in May. On the other hand, they were 13-20 (.394) before the streak and are 13-22 (.371) since the streak ended, consistently struggling to score runs and, of late, consistently struggling to prevent them as well.
Let's pause the Twins roller coaster at the halfway mark and hand out team awards for the first 50 percent of the season.
MVP is an easy one.
At age 31 and after a decade of constant injuries, Buxton looks as healthy as he's been in a very long time, and he's performed at an extremely high level at the plate, in the outfield and on the bases to produce immense all-around value for an otherwise punchless lineup.
Buxton started 64 of 81 games, including 64 of 70 games aside from missing two weeks in May with a concussion. And he's been a fixture in center field, making just one start at designated hitter two years removed from playing exclusively DH because of chronic right knee problems.
'It means everything,' manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'We're always going to be a significantly better club when he's playing in the middle of the field for us. You also get the joy of watching him play. And from his end, the joy and energy he brings. He's one of the best players in the game.'
479 FEET!
BYRON BUXTON LAUNCHES ONE WAY OUT! pic.twitter.com/RfVlPgFdkg
— MLB (@MLB) June 12, 2025
Buxton has batted .279/.345/.553 with 17 homers in 275 plate appearances, including an eye-popping .385/.419/.692 with runners in scoring position. He leads all center fielders in OPS and ranks in the AL's top 10 in homers, OPS, slugging percentage, runs (49), RBIs (48), fWAR (3.1) and WPA (+1.7).
In the surest sign Buxton's knee is feeling good again, he's 13-for-13 swiping bases for his most steals since 2019, and he's also simply running faster than he has since 2019, posting MLB's second-best average sprint speed behind only Bobby Witt Jr. And there's been no shortage of highlight-reel catches.
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This is one of the best and healthiest extended stretches of Buxton's career. And beyond lineup-leading fWAR and WPA totals, it's been so entertaining to watch, and so fun to see Buxton rediscover what he's capable of and the full scope of his game-changing ability when not held back by injuries.
Ryan gets the nod as the Twins' most valuable pitcher over Jhoan Duran, because he's thrown nearly three times as many innings and he's remained consistently very good in a starting rotation that has crumbled around him since Pablo López's shoulder injury on June 3.
Ryan hasn't missed a turn in the rotation despite a prolonged illness, logging 91 1/3 innings with a 2.86 ERA and a 104-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio while holding opponents to a .188 batting average that's third-best in the AL. He's also in the AL's top 10 for ERA, xERA, strikeout rate, walk rate and fWAR.
Consistency has been key for Ryan, who completed at least five innings in all 16 outings and allowed three runs or fewer in 13 of them, including zero or one run nine times. After the Braves knocked him around for a season-high six runs in Atlanta on April 20, he has gone 7-1 with a 2.38 ERA in his last 11 games.
'In times of change and uncertainty, knowing you have a guy who is going to produce,' Baldelli said. 'Get a lot of outs, throw a lot of strikes, and you feel like you're going to win every time Joe pitches. He's proven it so much, so continuously, you definitely look forward to the days he's on the bump.'
Joe Ryan, RIDICULOUS 80mph Sweeper. 😳 pic.twitter.com/Q2CwTh5PPZ
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2025
Varland's potential upside as a reliever was an annual topic while he mostly struggled as a starter, and Baldelli frequently insisted he'd be a late-inning bullpen asset immediately. Sure enough, Varland moved to the bullpen full time this spring at 27 and was working a high-leverage role within weeks.
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He's been reliably excellent with a 2.02 ERA and a 39-to-8 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 35 2/3 innings, raising his average fastball velocity from 94.9 to 98.0 mph and turning his curveball into a swing-and-miss weapon. Varland has been used in the bullpen's No. 3 leverage role behind Duran and Griffin Jax.
He's also been used a ton, period. Varland pitched in a team-leading 38 of 81 games, a 76-appearance pace surpassed only twice by Twins right-handers — Matt Guerrier in 2009 and Juan Rincon in 2004 — since 1980. It's a lot to ask for a first-year reliever, but Varland has been up to the task and then some.
'You have maniacs like Lou Varland, who want to pitch every single game,' Baldelli said. 'A good maniac. A wonderful maniac. Who has been throwing incredibly for us in a ton of different spots. Turned himself into a dominant bullpen arm. And he's of the mentality that he's ready to pitch every game.'
Louis Varland, K'ing the Side. pic.twitter.com/XGlv50tORR
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 13, 2025
This is a tougher one.
Buxton has been very good in center field, as usual. And despite struggling mightily in a career-worst season at the plate, Carlos Correa has played his best defense in a Twins uniform, ranking among MLB's top shortstops. But no one has made more hit-robbing, run-saving, hair-flipping plays than Bader.
It's no surprise that a Gold Glove-winning center fielder looks very good in left field, but the extent to which Bader's range and max-effort pursuit have clicked in a corner spot is remarkable. And in the rare instances when he's been needed in center field, he's impressed there as well.
Bader has mastered what Baldelli calls 'the double-knee slide catch' on sinking liners, and he fearlessly turns foul balls into outs. He's one of the AL's top 10 outfielders, regardless of position, with five Outs Above Average and seven Defensive Runs Saved despite starting only 58 of 81 games.
HARRISON BADER MAKES AN INCREDIBLE CATCH (this should not be shocking) pic.twitter.com/aWCpH9e7aW
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 13, 2025
Really slim pickings for this one, as no Twins rookie has had more than 70 plate appearances or 20 innings through 81 games. It's not uncommon for rookies to collectively have a larger role in the second half of seasons, and I'd expect that to be the case for the Twins over the final 81 games.
Keaschall played just seven games before breaking his forearm on April 25, but he's the default choice because it was an amazing seven games, and the only rookies to see more first-half action were Zebby Matthews (5.21 ERA), DaShawn Keirsey Jr. (.292 OPS) and Mickey Gasper (.488 OPS).
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Keaschall is still recovering, and there isn't a timeline established yet for his return to game action, but he recently began participating in baseball activities. Twins officials have expressed confidence about the 22-year-old speedster being a factor in the second half.
(Photo of Byron Buxton: Matt Krohn / Getty Images)