The Twins head into the break at 48-49, and a few guys nobody saw coming are a big reason why.
The Minnesota Twins were not supposed to be in this position.
After going 70-92 last season and finishing dead last on many people's predictions lists, the expectations in Minneapolis were about as low as they could get.
But first-year manager Derek Shelton has the Twins sitting at 48-49 heading into the All-Star break, just three games out of first in the AL Central.
A lot of that comes down to contributions from players who weren't on anybody's radar back in March.
Kody Clemens, 1B
When the Twins picked up Kody Clemens from the Phillies for cash considerations last April, the plan was for him to fill in wherever needed.
Nobody expected him to take over as the everyday first baseman with real pop, but that's exactly what's happened.
Through 83 games, the 30-year-old lefty is hitting .243 with 16 home runs, 46 RBI and a .785 OPS, which puts him on pace to blow past his career-high 19 homers that he set just last year.
Clemens has shown he can handle first base every day while also filling in at second and the outfield when the lineup calls for it, and his bat has given the bottom half of the order a jolt it badly needed.
Yoendrys Gómez, CL
The Twins' search for a closer was one of their biggest early-season headaches.
They cycled through seven different guys with save chances in April before picking up Gómez from Tampa Bay on May 6 for cash considerations.
At the time, the 26-year-old right-hander carried a 6.23 ERA with the Rays and was already on his fifth organization in three years.
Since arriving in Minnesota, Gómez has looked like a completely different pitcher.
He's racked up 10 saves while posting an ERA well under 2.00 with the Twins, leaning on a 96-mph fastball and a sharp cutter that's turned into one of the nastiest swing-and-miss pitches in the bullpen.
What started as a throwaway pickup might be the most important move the Twins have made all year.
Taj Bradley, SP
After posting a combined 5.05 ERA between Tampa Bay and Minnesota last season, nobody expected Taj Bradley to become the Twins' most steady starter in 2026.
The 25-year-old righty enters the break at 9-3 with a 3.59 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 102.2 innings across 18 starts, forming a strong one-two punch with All-Star Joe Ryan that has given the Twins a rotation backbone that looked shaky on paper coming into the year.
The biggest difference has been Bradley's strikeout stuff, as he's punching out hitters at nearly a batter per inning while cutting down on the walks that dragged him down in 2025.
If these three keep it up, the Twins might be buyers at the deadline instead of sellers, which is something nobody would have predicted back in March.
