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Twins Place Five Players on Ballot for Year-End MLB Honor
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- Twins Place Five Players on Ballot for Year-End MLB Honor
(Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images)
The Minnesota Twins missed the playoffs, but they will still have plenty of names in the mix for a year-end honor.
Major League Baseball opened the ballot for the 2026 All-MLB Team on Monday, and five Twins made the list, with second baseman Kody Clemens , third baseman Brooks Lee , catcher Ryan Jeffers , center fielder Byron Buxton and starting pitcher Taj Bradley all getting the nod.
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How the Voting Works
Fans can vote once a day at MLB.com through Friday, Oct. 9 at 2 p.m. ET, and fans and a panel of media members, broadcasters, former players and other officials will have an equal say.
There is a first team and a second team, each with a catcher, every infield spot, three outfielders, a designated hitter, five starting pitchers and two relief pitchers, and the picks are made without regard for league.
The winners will be announced Nov. 11 at the MLB Awards in Las Vegas, according to the league's release .
The Case for Each Twin
Clemens was one of the biggest surprises on the roster, hitting 27 home runs with 81 RBI in 145 games while moving all over the field, and Lee hit 24 home runs with 83 RBI and a .253 average in 156 games while playing 110 games at third base.
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Bradley may have the strongest case of the group.
He went 12-6 with a 3.73 ERA and 205 strikeouts over 178 1/3 innings in 31 starts, and a recap of his last start noted that he set personal bests in almost every category in his first full year with Minnesota after coming over in a trade with the Rays at the 2025 trade deadline.
Jeffers hit .256 with a .353 on-base percentage, 14 home runs and 56 RBI in 92 games, even after a broken left hamate bone kept him on the injured list from May 19 until July 10.
Buxton hit 25 home runs with an .830 OPS in 93 games, but his season ended on the injured list with a right hip impingement, and he has not played since late August.
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What It Means for the Twins
A few of these names will be part of big decisions this winter.
Jeffers is heading into free agency, and Buxton's health is going to be a question until he is back on the field.
The Twins finished 77-85 and third in the American League Central, seven games out of the last wild card spot, which was still a step up from their 70-92 finish in 2025.
The Twins also have reasons for hope in 2027, including pitcher Mick Abel , who took a step forward in his recovery from right elbow surgery, and outfielder Walker Jenkins, who broke through in a loss to the Angels.
Five nominees are a nice reward for a team that won 77 games, and it shows there is more talent here than the record says.
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Bradley and Lee are the two to watch, because both are 25 and look like long-term pieces.
If the Twins add more pitching, the next ballot could have even more Minnesota names, and pitcher Joe Ryan , who was looking to finish a complicated season on a high note , will be a big part of that push.
