The Twins won their final series of the 2026 season over the Texas Rangers, including a 6-4 win on Sunday.
The Twins wrap things up with a 77-85 record, good enough for third place in the American League Central.
Was it a good season? In many ways, yes.
After the Twins traded away all of their best relievers in 2025, including Louis Varland and Jhoan Duran — both of whom had career years this season — I was certain the Twins were on the verge of a 100-loss campaign.
But new manager Derek Shelton, armed with plenty of young talent, found a way to overachieve during the early part of the season, and even to contend in July with a 15-9 record, but then it all fell apart as the Twins posted losing records in August and September.
It’s the third straight season that the Twins have struggled in the second half. Somehow, someway they need to figure out how to sustain the winning until the very end. Take note of what the Cleveland Guardians did. A losing record in July, a .500 record in August and then they went 16-9 in September to win the division.
The MVPs
- Starting pitcher Taj Bradley: He set career marks in wins, earned run average, games started, innings pitched and strikeouts. He also tossed the first immaculate inning in team history.
- Bullpen coach LaTroy Hawkins: He had the unenviable task of figuring out to how to get the best out of a motley collection of relievers, and he made it work, distributing 45 saves among 15 different pitchers.
The runner-ups
- Kody Clemens, Byron Buxton, Brooks Lee, Josh Bell and Luke Keaschall all deserve credit for making huge contributions. Clemens hit a team-leading 27 home runs, while Buck, Lee and Bell hit 20 or more, and Keaschall led the team in hits with 149 and slashed .282/.374/.407. Bell also drove in a team-leading 96 RBI.
Took a step forward
- Starting pitcher Zebby Matthews finished the season at 9-11 with a 4.90 ERA, but he was 5-0 in August and pitched to a 2.57 ERA at Target Field. There’s still some upside, I believe.
- Starting pitcher Dean Kremer: He came over from the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline and pitched to a 4-1 record with a 3.48 ERA. It’s a very encouraging sign for the future.
- Starting pitcher Connor Prielipp: I’m still a little on the fence about Connor, but he does have swing-and-miss stuff. He fanned 128 batters across 125-plus innings.
A mixed bag
- Outfielders Trevor Larnach and Austin Martin played fairly well, and Larnach slashed .269/.352/.436, but his power numbers dipped to 13 home runs. In their defense, I still don’t feel that either player has been given the opportunity they deserve. Larnach played in only 122 games and Martin, 118.
- Starting pitcher Joe Ryan: What are we to make of Ryan? He has the stuff to have a breakout season, but what’s it going to take to get him there? Are there physical limitations or is it all between the ears? He still fanned 159 across 144-plus innings.
Took a step back
- First baseman Royce Lewis: Lewis struggled mightily to start the year, and although he played improved baseball after he re-joined the team from the minors, it wasn’t that much better. He ends the season with a slash line of .227/.287/.380 with 15 home runs, but also a team-leading number of strikeouts at 130.
- Starting pitcher Bailey Ober: Faced with diminishing returns on his fastball, Ober pitched to a 7-7 record with a 4.47 ERA. He also allowed 133 hits across 131 innings and fanned only 96 batters.
- The bullpen. Hawkins, pitching coach Pete Maki and manager Shelton made it work, but it’s still very much a work in progress. I thought the Twins had found a closer in Yoendrys Gomez, but now I’m not so sure after he struggled late in the season. Have the Twins recovered after trading all of their best relievers? Not yet.
The future
- The good news: Looks like rookies Kaelen Culpepper, Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez are right where they belong: in the major leagues.
Extra innings…
–Bottom line: It was a down year for the American League, including for the Twins. Only five of 15 teams in the AL had winning records, and the Houston Astros won the AL West with a record of 81-81. Not good.