Brian Dozier played like a franchise cornerstone this season. As he should. He's a durable veteran who hit 42 home runs last year and has always performed well at second base.
Joe Mauer returned to being a quality offensive player. Which is what he should be. He continues to lack power but his on-base percentage and fielding made him an important part of a winning team.
Ervin Santana led the rotation. Jason Castro and Chris Gimenez performed well defensively. Byron Buxton finally began fulfilling his potential.
These things all should have been expected.
What proved unexpected and fueled the Twins' late-season charge to a playoff berth, making them the first team to lose 100 games one year and qualify for the postseason the next, was the midseason rise of three pivotal but underrated players.
In a different era, they might have been called the Three Amigos, even though none are from Mexico and they hail from three different countries. There is no nickname that adequately groups them today, unless "essential" can be worked into a sobriquet.
Eddie Rosario. Jorge Polanco. Eduardo Escobar. To do what the Twins did this season, they needed a few key players to outperform expectations. All three have.
When scouts and publications pegged Buxton and Miguel Sano as future stars, they often left Rosario on a second tier. Smallish and lacking a history of plate discipline or power hitting, Rosario looked like he may become one of those players who can contribute to but cannot carry a team.
