Twins All-Decades Teams: 2010-2019

WCCO is looking back at some of the best players to ever take the field for the Twins and breaking it down by decade and position.

There were some bad Twins teams in the 2010s, but a decade of rebuilding saw the back half of the decade go a lot better than the first half, despite still not winning in the playoffs.

Just like our list from the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s, we picked a player for each position (which they had to actually play), along with three starting pitchers and a reliever.

During the 2010s, the Minnesota Twins had several catchers sit behind the plate, and while Joe Mauer was moved to first base due to injury, the single best season of the decade by a catcher belongs to Mitch Garver. 2019 for Garver had many thinking that he might become a generational talent. In 93 games, Garver batted .273 with a slugging percentage of .630 and an OPS of .995. In addition, Garver had 31 home runs, 67 RBIs, and 41 walks. While injury derailed his career in Minnesota, the joy that the 2019 Twins brought to fans is unforgettable, and Garver was a vital part of that.

Putting Joe Mauer as the first baseman in this decade feels right and wrong. While he played catcher for the team up until 2012, his last six seasons with the team were spent at first — until that teary-eyed last appearance in his old catcher gear. There is no need to talk about stats for Mauer here as this pick is solely based on what he meant to the franchise and the state, but let's do it anyway. Mauer didn't bat below .260 during his time at first, and while the pop seemed to have left his bat after he signed his massive contract, he still would knock in close to 55 RBIs a season which is more than you or I could do. Mauer wasn't fantastic this decade, but he was consistent in his play. You knew what you could get from him, and he never disappointed.

Brian Dozier was a fan favorite who became the best player on some bad Twins teams during the middle of the decade. Dozier gave fans something to be happy about during 100-loss seasons. He collected quite the stat line while with the Twins from 2012 to 2017. The Mississippian collected 151 home runs, 439 RBIs, 90 stolen bases, and 181 doubles. Dozier was an All-Star in 2015, a Gold Glove winner in 2017, and received MVP votes in three of his seasons in Minnesota.

Jorge Polanco has been nothing if not consistent during his time with Minnesota — postseason blunders aside — he has often contributed to the club offensively and defensively. Polanco was an All-Star in 2019, a year that was his best of the decade, and received MVP votes. Coming to Minnesota as a 20-year-old in 2014, Polanco became a main rotation player in 2017, and once he began getting at-bats, his bat got hot. Polanco hit 22 home runs in 2019, 45 in his six seasons, and 79 RBIs. During the back half of the 2010s, he has been a piece the team could rely on to produce throughout every year.

Even though it seems like Miguel Sano has been in a constant state of "needing to take the next step" since he got here, it can't be denied that he has produced offensively. In his first season with the Twins, Sano came out swinging, collecting 18 home runs and 52 RBIs in 80 games played. Beyond that, he collected 118 home runs and 315 RBIs when looking at the five seasons he played this decade. While he loves to strike out, and his trip to right field was a failure, Sano has been a big bat for the Twins, especially that 2019 Bomba Squad. Sano was an All-Star in 2017 and was third in Rookie of the Year voting in 2015.

Max Kepler might be the definition of homegrown success. Kepler's first full season with the Twins came in 2016, when no one wanted to watch them play baseball, and he became a shining spot. Kepler played in five seasons in the 2010s and collected some excellent numbers for a young player. Hitting .238 with a slugging percentage of .444, Kepler knocked in 280 RBIs and smashed 92 home runs during this stretch. He was a welcome sight in the outfield after trying to watch Miguel Sano play the position during one of the franchise's worst seasons. 2019 was his best year, in which he received MVP votes and hit a career-high 36 home runs.

While he did strike out a lot, 505 times to be exact, the energy he brought to Target Field was electric. I have never seen a player — other than Patrick Beverly — work a Minnesota crowd the way Eddie Rosario did. The argument could be made that Rosario was the most beloved Twin of the decade, accomplished simply by being himself. Rosario collected 106 home runs, 346 RBIs, 127 doubles, and 22 triples during his time with the Twins this decade. I would even argue that his walk-off home runs in 2017 and 2018 are only second to Jim Thome in Target Field history. While he is no longer with the Twins, he is the only Braves player I will ever be happy one a ring.

There are so many things to say about Byron Buxton. While injuries have been a significant part of his career so far, his fielding abilities and constant growth are why he makes this list. Buxton never hit the ball well this decade, but the argument is made that it's because he never played an entire season. The closest we got was in 2017 when he played 140 games and had a 16 home run season. Buxton's raw talent makes him one of the most athletic players to don a Twins uniform, even if he constantly crashes into the center-field wall and gets hurt. Either way, Buxton is a great player and by far one of the best outfielders the Twins had in the 2010s

The captain of the Bomba Squad! Nelson Cruz played one year with the Twins this decade and what he did for the team earned him this spot. At the age of 38-years-old, Cruz had one of his best years with the Twins in 2019. Smashing 41 home runs and 108 RBIs while batting .311 and having an OPS of 1.031 is insane for anyone, let alone someone who is almost 40. Cruz not only helped inspire the nickname of the 2019 Bomba Squad, but he also had one of the best ballpark hotdogs named after him, the Boomstick. You know you're doing something right when you are affecting the box score and the concessions stand. Cruz finished ninth in MVP in 2019, collecting a Silver Slugger as well.

Joining the organization in 2016, Joe Berrios did not start well in his first 14 games. But he did adjust and put together three straight 12-plus win seasons. Despite having a rough first year in the league, Berrios put together a record of 43-34 with an ERA of 4.21. This decade, Berrios quickly became the best starter in the Twins rotation, amassing 585 strikeouts in only four seasons. In 2018 he threw two complete games, including one shutout. That same year, and in 2019 he was also named an All-Star for the club, starting 32 games in both seasons.

To quote a coworker of mine, "Phil Hughes is a Twins legend." Coming over from the Yankees in 2014, Hughes spent four seasons with the Twins, in which he collected a record of 32-29. Hughes was a strong rotation pitcher who didn't need anything flashy to get the job done. With 352 strikeouts, three complete games, and a seventh-place finish in the 2014 Cy Young voting, Hughes earned his spot as one of this decade's top three pitchers for Minnesota.

Kyle Gibson started his career with the Twins in 2013 and became a member of the starting rotation during a time when the Twins were rebuilding one year and then trying to win it all the next. While Gibson never had a high winning percentage, being that he played on some awful Twins teams in the middle of the decade, he consistently won 10 or more games in all but two seasons this decade. With an overall ERA of 4.52, Gibson was a solid member of the rotation and amassed on average 155 innings pitched throughout his seven seasons in Minnesota.

Glen Perkins was a household name in Minnesota for the better part of his career. The three-time All-Star was a solid pitcher out of the bullpen for the Twins and, in my opinion, has one of the best beards in all of sports. Perkins posted a 3.18 ERA this decade to go with 342.2 innings pitched. Perkins amassed a record of 17-14, with 120 saves and 359 strikeouts this decade, making him one of the best arms for the Twins in the 2010s.