Quoting from the Book of Ben, chapter & verse:
“For seemingly the 10th season in a row, the Twins simply can’t manage to string together any offense against left-handed starting pitchers”
Is this actually true? Well, let’s take a look (I’m including all lefties here—SP & RP alike). In 2016-2018, the Twins were about league average against LHP…
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2016: 103 OPS+ overall vs LHP; 87 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
2017: 100 OPS+ overall vs LHP; 96 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
2018: 94 OPS+ overall vs LHP; 110 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
In the Bomba Squad season of 2019, Twins’ bats battered a 125 OPS+ vs LHP and 109 OPS+ LHB vs LHP.
Somewhat inexplicably, those numbers plummeted in the pandemic-plagued 2020: 80 OPS+ vs LHP; 50 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
Things stabilized a bit in 2021-2023 (if still very poor lefty-on-lefty)…
2021: 97 OPS+ vs LHP; 72 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
2022: 96 OPS+ vs LHP; 93 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
2023: 96 OPS+ vs LHP; 70 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
The past two campaigns? Even better versus southpaws, if that can possibly be believed…
2024: 105 OPS+ vs LHP; 89 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
2025: 101 OPS+ vs LHP; 84 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
What to learn from all this? Well, primarily that MN’s supposed feebleness against port-siders has largely been over-emphasized—more in-the-moment frustration than analytical truth. I’m just as surprised as anyone, as I too would have subscribed to Ben’s old-time religion on this topic.
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This year’s extremely small-sample-size breakdown so far bears out—not great, but not abysmal:
2026: 89 OPS+ vs LHP; 84 OPS+ LHB vs LHP
That being said, I wouldn’t mind seeing a few Red Right Hands on opposing mounds in the near future…
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