Fantasy Baseball Year in Review – Minnesota Twins

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  • By Larry Vannozzi

    Last Updated on October 29, 2025 11:30 am by Paul Williamson | Published: October 29, 2025

    As a team that won the AL Central Division in 2023 and was just three games out of the wild card race in 2024, the Twins were expected to be competitive again in 2025.

    Whoops, not so fast. They were 11.5 games out of first place at the break and decided to sell at the trade deadline. In fact, they were heavy sellers and dispatched 10 players including shortstop Carlos Correa, star closer Jhoan Duran, setup man Griffin Jax, Harrison Bader and Willi Castro. The team that was 47-49 at the break went a mere 23-43 the rest of the season to finish in fourth place, 17 games behind the division winning Guardians.

    Catcher

    You expect some power production when you roster Ryan Jeffers. After all, the part-time catcher hit 35 homers in 2023 and 2024 combined.

    Surprise! Jeffers appeared to trade power for contact in 2025. Despite making nearly identical plate appearances in 2024 and 2025, he hit just nine homers this year after hitting 21 the previous year. He also scored fewer runs and had significantly fewer RBIs this year. Meanwhile, the .239 lifetime hitter who hit just .226 last year raised his average to .266 this year to go along with a career-high walk rate of nearly 11 percent. Jeffers missed a couple weeks in September with a concussion but was activated for the final week of the season. He ranked 20th at his position this year and will probably be a two-catcher league contributor next year but not someone to consider in traditional 12-teamers.

    First Base

    The Twins acquired Kody Clemens from the Phillies in April and the journeyman proceeded to have a surprisingly big role and successful season. He had 19 homers and 52 RBI, both of which were easily career highs for the 29-year-old. His average was just .213 but his expected average was much higher at .252. His exit velocities, barrel rate and hard-hit rate were all the best of his career. Unfortunately, he finished outside the Top 400 players despite all of his improvements. Although Clemens was a nice story in 2025, his future role is uncertain and he should be considered only in very deep leagues for 2026.

    Second Base

    Luke Keaschall wasn’t known in most fantasy circles heading into this season but that changed quickly in April. The youngster was called up for his major league debut on April 18 and made an immediate splash by hitting .368, scoring four runs and stealing five bases. It was extremely unfortunate that he suffered a fractured arm in just his seventh game, ending all the excitement nearly as fast as it started.

    The rookie missed over three months and was finally activated in early August. The excitement was rekindled as he batted over .290 in the final two months and stole nine more bases. A second injury, this time to his thumb, ended his season one week prematurely. In the end, Keaschall hit .302/.382/.445 with four homers, 28 RBI and 14 steals in just 49 games. Although he outperformed his expected stats, a positive note is that Keaschall’s good strikeout rate from the minors carried over to his initial taste in the majors (14%). He is an unproven commodity and has just modest power potential. However, Keaschall’s good batting eye, affinity for stolen bases and eligibility at the weak second base position make him a target in 2026 drafts. He could be worth a Top 175 pick – maybe even Top 150.

    Third Base

    Royce Lewis missed more than two weeks in June due to a left hamstring strain after missing the season’s first five weeks with a similar injury. Injuries have been a common theme in the 26-year-old’s brief career but at least he managed to set career-highs this year in games played (106) and plate appearances (403). Overall, he slashed .237/.283/.388 with 13 homers and 52 RBI. He also established a career-high by stealing 12 bases in just 14 attempts despite below average sprint speed. His spring ADP of Top 175 proved to be much too optimistic because his final stats barely landed him within the Top 400 this year.

    Lewis has developed into a bit of an enigma. He was outstanding in limited roles his first two years (hit over .300 in 2022 and 2023) but not nearly as good in expanded roles the past two seasons (combined .235 average in 2024-25). This year’s Statcast page showed Lewis to be average or below average in nearly all metrics. Ever present injury concerns along with back-to-back disappointing seasons should suppress his draft stock in 2026. Although Lewis might be worth a late-round pick in case he regains his early career promise, he is not someone to be relied upon in conventional 12-team leagues.

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    October 29, 2025, 11:30 am