Jorge Polanco has been enigmatic as any player this season, and until the last 4 games, has likely flown under the radar in most reviews of the Twins’ season, save for a brief thought as to how one thought he would be able to hit much better than he has. A deeper dig into Polanco reveals that there isn’t really a better reflection of the Twins as a whole than the young shortstop. Don’t believe me? Here are a few things about Polanco that can also be said to describe his team.
- He’s young
- His defense is better than expected, and that defense is helping the pitching staff pitch above its talent. I think this description even applies to someone like Byron Buxton, as I’m not sure people fully appreciated the impact of a full season with him in the outfield.
- He was fine in the beginning of the year, slumped, and is now on fire again
- An offensive switch has been flipped since the beginning of August. He was hitting .382 with 3 home runs since the month began going into tonight. Of course, he hit another home run tonight.
- During that slump, everyone was ready to give up on him
- His plate approach is a primary reason for his rennaissance, with his strikeout rate down. In the case of the team, it is a change for the course of the season, whereas Polanco is returning to form after a terrible June and July.
- He can’t hit curveballs
- He came up through the Twins’ system. There isn’t a single regular starter, save for Jason Castro, that wasn’t developed in the Twins’ system.
- He does really good work against the White Sox
- His late season charge not only helps the team contend this year, but gives a lot of hope for 2018
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