From Breaking Hearts to Breaking Records | Ranking the Minnesota Twins 2010 Decade By Season

The 2010s for the Minnesota Twins were, for the most part, a dumpster fire. Just like most of the 1990s, the decade was a mess. From losing seasons to poor draft picks, there were only a few bright spots for our grubby little fan hands to dig into. 

Oh, but there were some record-smashing good times too! So, let’s rank those 2010-2019 Twins’ seasons from worst of the worst to.. bomba-squad… while trying not to trigger anyone’s PTSD.

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#10 | 2011 – The Beginning of the End

You may wonder why the 2016 team is not the worst. Considering they had the worst record of the decade. While true, 2011’s abysmal season came as a shock for a Twins team that won the AL Central Pennant the year prior. 

With a 63-99 record and an aging team full of injuries (only Michael Cuddyer, Ben Revere and Danny Valencia played more than 100 games). Hopes of another playoff appearance turned to frustration. It didn’t help that Joe Mauer started to show signs of wear and tear behind the plate, playing in only 82 games. 

Throw in the disastrous Tsuyoshi Nishioka experiment and you have the makings of the worst season of the decade. The only notable moments were Francisco Liriano’s no-hitter and Jim Thome’s 600th career home run.

#9 | 2013 – The Honeymoon Is Over

While we got back to seeing the typical Joe Mauer — garnering another All-Star appearance and Silver Slugger Award — the rest of the squad was pedestrian at best.

No player came close to 100 RBIs or runs. Justin Morneau led with 74 RBIs and Brain Dozier led with 72 runs. With Mauer being the only one remotely close to hitting .300.

Glen Perkins was the only solid pitcher. This season brought his first of three All-Star appearances. The rest of the staff was inconsistent. Hell, the best ERA of any long-term starter was Sam Deduno at 3.83. 

However, some good did come this year. The Twins drafted Mitch Garver and Miguel Sano, who started to make waves in the minors. He even got benched after taking a 30-second home run trot. Epic trolling by the big man!

#8 | 2012 – Bats Thrive. Pitching Slides.

One could argue that Josh Willingham (remember him?) deserved the top hitting spot in 2012 by clubbing 35 HR and driving in 110 runs. But Mauer continued to do what he did best.

With Willingham, Morneau, Mauer, and Ryan Doumit all over 70 RBIs and a team OPS of .715, the pitching staff continued to be the problem. Scott Diamond was the only pitcher to win more than ten games. While the majority of pitchers posted vomit-inducing ERAs and WHIPs.

The decent output from the offense that could’ve led to many wins was completely offset by the lack of pitching talent. Oh, and Rick Anderson’s lack of pitching management. 

#7 | 2016 – Can Only Go Up From Here

I may be crucified for placing this season as high as it is. However, even with the team going 59-103, I have good reason.

It was one of the most memorable years of the decade. Primarily because the front office was finally showing signs of direction.

With Max Kepler, Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco all becoming staples in the lineup, they showed what was to come. The group hit a collective .249/.308/.432 with a .704 OPS, 66 HR, and 226 RBI.

Still, pitching was clearly an issue for the club. No pitcher won more than nine games and the team posted a collective ERA of 5.08. 

It was unfortunate that some awesome games put together by Brian Dozier couldn’t get the team more wins. But it was still a great season to look towards the future. 

#6 | 2014 – Not an All-Star Season

Glen Perkins could have been the pick for top pitcher in 2014. With his 34 saves, he deserved an All-Star appearance — which was played at Target Field. Also, Phil Hughes put together one of the better seasons for the Twins, who put out a lot of inept starters earlier in the decade.

This season was not too memorable, outside of the All-Star Game being played in Minneapolis. Not much to call home about, but overall an average season.

#5 | 2018 – Changing of the Guard

With Jose Berrios being slotted as the team’s ace for a few seasons, it wasn’t surprising that he continued to show signs of progress in his strikeouts, innings pitched, and ERA.

As for the offense, fans continued to see growth with the younger players. Which led to the historical 2019 season.

Thankfully, the season had a decent number of highlights! 

From Joe Mauer’s 2,000^th career hit, to his emotional final game (in which he came out of the dugout to take his last pitches behind the plate), the season had the feeling of something brewing and a changing of the guard. 

#4 | 2015 – The Anomaly Year

This season was quite the anomaly when you dive deeper into it. Things were looking up after Paul Molitor took over, and the team put together their best season since 2010.

The power numbers started to see an uptick, with three players hitting more than 20 HR and five more reaching double digits. Still, the transition between the old guard and the new was taking shape. 

The best moment from this season was Dozier’s walk-off home run against the Tigers to cap off a comeback and solidify his worth as an All-Star over Mike Moustakas.

#3 | 2017 – Back to the Postseason

During Molitor’s best year at the helm, the 2017 Twins saw a sign of things to come. With power becoming more prevalent, drafting Royce Lewis and Brent Rooker, and the progression of the young guns, it was the year the organization finally made it back to the playoffs.

Mauer’s penultimate year provided a .305 batting average with fewer than 100 strikeouts, solidifying his Hall of Fame career.

Throw in Dozier having his best season and it was a year full of memories and a renewed faith. 

#2 | 2010 – Starting the Decade with a Bang

It was difficult to pick a top hitter and pitcher in 2010. Everyone made positive contributions (.273/.341/.422 team line and six pitchers reached double digit wins). Along with the opening of Target Field, it was a great year to be a Twins fan.

Hell, Thome hit a homer off the flag pole this season! See if you can find a young Jack in the section it lands in…along with the woman who gets her nose broken by another fan trying to steal the ball from her.

One can only imagine what would have happened if Morneau had not been concussed against Toronto in mid-July. Up to his concussion (81 games), he was hitting .345/.437/.618 with a 1.055 OPS, 53 R, 102 H, 25 2B, 18 HR, and 56 RBI. Had he maintained that pace, it probably would have won him his second MVP.

#1 | 2019 – Birth of the Bomba Squad

This team was not only one of the greatest teams in Twins history, it was one of the best in MLB history as well.

Setting numerous batting records, including 307 total home runs, eight players hitting over 20 apiece, and another three hitting double digits (all under a rookie manager, mind you). They had it all working and is why Twins fans are hoping for a 2020 season.

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It was unexpected for the Bomba Squad to break records this early, but they blew the league out of the water with their moniker at the forefront by completely mowing over the competition. While they didn’t always look like world beaters, going only 36-17 in April and May, they never once dipped below .500 on the season and they had an absurd .679 road win percentage. 

Enjoy the Bombas!