Of all the awards we do here, this one is my favorite. “Most Improved” is a perfectly up-for-interpretation concept: do we mean to reward breakouts, acknowledge rises to superstardom, or shed light on those who rose from the perimeter of roster considerations to everyday player status? I don’t know. And I’m glad I don’t know. Nine players appeared on a ballot for this honor, and today, we’ll go over the top three vote-getters.
3. Austin Martin
You’d be forgiven if you didn’t tune in much for the second half of the season. What with the 40% roster dismantling and sudden announcement that ownership wouldn’t change hands. Plus, the Twins just stunk.
Austin Martin was not one of the reasons the Twins stunk. Though his 2024 season painted him as a tweener—someone ok at too many things for their own good; yet not great at anything—his 2025 was an upgrade on almost every front. Fueled by incremental improvements in contact and chase rate, and a more all-fields approach, Martin’s wRC+ jumped from 92 in 2024 to 113 in 2025. That’s more than enough to demand a spot in the lineup.
Perhaps more significant was Martin’s defensive prowess in 2025. Advanced stats thought he was abysmal in 2024. Whether coming in or going back, Statcast believes he was worth -6 Outs Above Average in the outfield—a bad omen for such a great athlete. This year was different. Statcast credited him with +3 Outs Above Average in left field, the sixth-most in MLB for the position amongst players with at least 50 attempts. He probably should still only play center in a pinch. But an above-average left fielder who can also moonlight at second is a useful player.
Martin’s baserunning remains insane. He’s a madman on the paths. His aggression has led to some glorious plays, with a few too many “what-are-you-thinking” moments. Still, it grades out as above-average. And maybe we could use some more excitement in our lives.
2. Louis Varland
Well, this is a little awkward. The Twins moved Louis Varland to the bullpen, pushed his knuckle-curve to the extreme, and watched him rack up ground balls at an elite rate as a fire-breathing reliever. Then they traded him. It was by far the most shocking of their mid-season deals.
Varland suffered a significant drop-off in play following the deal—perhaps unsurprising given how hard he took the trade—yet, he’s now a critical part of what looks to be an important Blue Jays team.
1. Kody Clemens
Kody Clemens? Kody Clemens. The guy who was a Philly when the season started? The son of one of the greatest pitchers of all time?
Clemens joined the Twins under inauspicious circumstances. A plethora of injuries begat the acquisition of Jonah Bride on April 16th, with Clemens arriving 10 days later. Bride’s time as a Twin is best left as just this sentence, yet the latecomer proved more consequential. He started bashing homers. His bat speed had improved. Suddenly, as the team collapsed around him, Clemens stood out as one of the few bright spots on the roster.
Only a sporadic utility guy in his previous endeavors, the Twins penciled in Clemens almost everywhere: he played 58 games at 1st, 50 games at 2nd, 21 games in the corner outfield, and he even spent a frame as a center fielder. He was plus or neutral at every position. At 1st alone, he was worth 3 Outs Above Average, the 7th-most amongst all 1st basemen with at least 100 attempts.
The zenith of Clemens’ season came in a dramatic mid-September game. Most of the fanbase had checked out. This author only watched it because he had postgame responsibilities. He led off the 3rd with a homer, ordinary enough, before blasting another one the following inning. He simply doubled in the 6th. Then—as the opener for a grand, dramatic walk-off—he completed the trifecta with a solo blast in the 9th, giving the Twins their first three-homer game since Miguel Sanó in 2021.
Overall, Clemens slashed .216/.284/.442—lopsided and a touch tepid for a 1st baseman—but with an xwOBA that suggests he deserved better (.341). Even if he remains a slug-happy utility player, that is a much better outcome than the team ever could have predicted when they acquired him at the beginning of the season. For that reason, he is Twins Daily’s Most Improved Player for 2025.