The Twins’ annual Diamond Awards brought a few expected winners and a few reminders of just how much this 2026 club leaned on certain players to stay afloat.
Kody Clemens headlined the group after a breakout year that turned him from a journeyman into one of Minnesota’s most important bats. He finished with 27 home runs and 81 RBIs, production that helped keep the Twins relevant deep into the season. For a team that didn’t buy at the deadline and never really made September easy, Clemens was a central reason there was still something to play for.
Taj Bradley earned pitcher of the year honors after giving the Twins exactly what every rotation wants: volume, steadiness and punchouts. He made 31 starts, went 12-6 with a 3.73 ERA and struck out 205 batters. Bradley also worked as the club’s stopper, going 5-2 with a 3.93 ERA in 15 starts after Twins losses.
Brooks Lee was named the Most Improved Twin after a season that made his importance impossible to ignore. He led the team with 156 games played and posted 24 home runs and 83 RBIs. He also led all MLB switch hitters in home runs, a particularly encouraging sign for Minnesota’s lineup.
Connor Prielipp took home the Outstanding Rookie Award after following up his minor league pitcher of the year honor with his first full taste of the majors. He went 6-7 with a 4.87 ERA in 2026, a season that gave the Twins something to build on with a young arm.
Byron Buxton was recognized twice, winning both Twins Defensive Player of the Year and the Bob Allison award, which goes to the “player who exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field,” the statement read. Injuries limited him to 93 games, but he still hit .254 with 25 home runs and 46 RBIs while continuing to shine as one of the game’s better outfield defenders.
Ryan Jeffers, who is set to hit free agency, won the “Media Good Guy” Award for his availability and accessibility to reporters. The Twins described him as one of the more consistent and better players on the roster, and if his Minnesota run is over, he left on strong terms with the people around the team.
In Other News...
Twins Ownership Uncertainty Just Got More Frustrating For Minnesota Fans
The chatter around the Twins ownership has only added to an already restless stretch for a fan base that has watched the club navigate payroll cuts, a roster fire sale and a series of organizational changes. The Pohlad family previously explored selling the team, then opted to keep control and bring in minority investors, leaving plenty of uncertainty about where things go next and who, exactly, will be steering the franchise in the years ahead.
Recent reports tied the Twins to a possible sale involving a limited partner in the organization, but the story was quickly met with pushback from multiple sources. The latest denials have made the situation more confusing than clarifying, which is the last thing Minnesota supporters needed after months of frustration over how the club has been run. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Have Already Found Their 2027 Rotation Cornerstone
Taj Bradley gave the Twins exactly the kind of season teams dream about when they go looking for a long-term arm. After arriving in Minnesota, he settled in as a frontline presence in 2026, handling a heavy workload and giving the club both durability and swing-and-miss stuff while earning Pitcher of the Year recognition. For a rotation that has spent too much time searching for stability, Bradley suddenly looks like the sort of pitcher around whom a plan can be built.
Minnesota has plenty to sort out this winter, from catching help to bullpen depth, but Bradleys emergence changes the conversation at the top of the staff. The Twins are already weighing the idea of locking in more certainty beyond the seasons they control, and the bigger question may be how aggressively they try to turn one breakout into a true rotation anchor while the rest of the pitching infrastructure catches up. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Prospect Eduardo Tait Has One Tool Keeping His Future Alive
Eduardo Taits first full season in the Twins system gave Cedar Rapids plenty to watch, even if the overall line was uneven. The catcher arrived in a 2025 trade and showed why Minnesota targeted him in the first place by driving the ball enough to leave the yard 22 times, a reminder that his bat still carries real impact potential.
The rest of the profile was tougher to sort through, though, with the offense backing up around that power and the defensive questions behind the plate still hanging over his development. For a player whose future value depends on proving he can handle both sides of the catcher position, 2027 now looms as a pivotal year for Tait to show the Twins he is more than just raw pop. [Read more 🡒]