Miguel Cabrera has left the building.
Now that the Minnesota Twins’ longtime inter-division nemesis has left Target Field as a player for the last time, many will surely let out a collective sigh of relief. While the surefire Hall of Famer hasn’t produced much in the last few seasons, he had been a true thorn in the Twins’ side since the Florida Marlins traded him to the Detroit Tigers in 2008. That’s 16 seasons of Twins’ pitchers shaking in their boots whenever the 12-time All Star stepped into the batter’s box.
Cabrera had a massive .304/.373 /.522 (.895 OPS) slash line in 242 games against Minnesota. He belted 47 home runs, driving in 169 RBI and leaving dents across Target Field’s outfield wall. He was a titan against the Twins, whether they were winning the AL Central or sitting at the bottom of it.
But now that he has crossed Target Field’s foul lines for the last time, many are left wondering who will take his place as the Twins’ next nemesis? While it’s hard to compare any of the players on this list to one of the best right-handed hitters of all time, here are some candidates that could take his place.
Bobby Witt Jr.
Minnesota’s most recent series against the Kansas City Royals is a sign of things to come, then their star shortstop might just be the next “Big Bad” in the TCU (Twins Cinematic Universe). The former top-prospect in all of baseball, Witt put on a show when he and the lowly Royals swept the Twins immediately before the trade deadline. He went 9-14 with two mammoth home runs, a double and five singles in that series, cementing himself as the biggest up-and-coming threat Minnesota is bound to see whenever they face KC.
Not only is Witt a threat at the plate, but he also showcased his prodigious speed by swiping three bags against the Twins in July. Even at his peak, that was never a big part of Cabrera’s game.
Witt, 23, is blossoming into the player the Royals were banking on when they selected him second overall in the 2019 draft. He has a strong .277/.318/.496 (.814 OPS) with 34 stolen bases and counting. That’s a dream come true for the Kansas City faithful, but it could be the start of another inter-divisional nightmare for the Twins.
José Ramírez
While the Cleveland Guardians have stumbled with one of the worst offenses in the league this season, Ramírez still finds a way to pack a punch for his club (just ask Tim Anderson). The club’s longest-tenured player is having another stellar season, with an overall slash of .286/.359/.490 (.849 OPS) and 18 stolen bases. He’s a five-time All Star, a four-time Silver Slugger, and a perpetual pest to his divisional foes (once again, ask Tim Anderson).
Against the Twins over his 11-year career, Ramirez has hit .276 with 158 hits, 21 homers, 72 RBI, 86 runs scored, and 19 stolen bases. He’s played 150 games against our hometown nine. That’s just short of a full season’s worth of games, especially by Ramírez’s standards. By the end of this season, he will likely reach that 600 at-bat threshold. He will have a pace that replicates that of a 20-20 club hitter with a great glove and the intangibles of a seasoned veteran. Does it match Cabrera’s shine? Not quite, but it’s a long track record of production against the Twins.
Spencer Torkelson
The consensus top overall amateur in the 2020 draft hasn’t sprinted out of the gate since debuting in the Major Leagues. Still, Torkelson has prodigious raw power that the Twins saw first-hand on Wednesday afternoon. In Detroit’s 8-7 win over the Twins that day, he smashed two massive home runs, after belting another on Tuesday evening. All in all, the stocky first baseman is only hitting .212 against the Twins in his young career. But half of his hits have gone for extra bases, including six home runs.
That’s a far cry from the type of production that he’s replacing for the Tigers, but it could be a sign of more to come. Torkelson has taken his lumps in his two seasons at the big league level, but he’s turned it on lately. Since June 27th, Torkelson has a sterling .252./330/.560 (.889 OPS) slash line, which is 42 percent better than league-average, according to wRC+. To put that in perspective, Cabrera’s bat throughout his career is roughly 39% better than average according to the same metric. Long story short, Twins fans may want to brace for a new menace in Motown.
