Ryan Jeffers

Jeffers recorded career-highs in games played (122) and home runs (21) as he avoided previous injury issues and served as Minnesota's primary catcher. Jeffers stirred All-Star game talk with a hot start where he hit 12 home runs with a .892 OPS though his first 51 games. He faded in the second half by hitting seven home runs with a .632 OPS in his final 47 games. Jeffers had shown above-average power his previous few seasons, but his hard-hit, exit velocity and other power metrics declined despite his home run totals. He still had above-average bat speed (67th percentile per Baseball Savant), so there's hope for a rebound. Jeffers also took a step back behind the plate where his pitch framing and other defensive metrics were below average. Still, the Twins will count on his bat as power source as the team's primary catcher again. However, Minnesota is dogmatic about sharing playing time between two catchers behind the plate, which limits his counting stats upside. Read Past Outlooks