Cruz, Maeda on All-MLB Second Team
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MINNEAPOLIS -- The Twins have won two consecutive American League Central titles on the strength of a well-rounded and deep roster, but having star power on both sides of the ball has certainly helped. Nelson Cruz once again led the Twins' offense, while the newly acquired Kenta Maeda emerged as the true ace of the pitching staff, and both were recognized for their 2020 performance with All-MLB Second Team selections on Wednesday.
Marcell Ozuna of the Braves won First Team honors at designated hitter ahead of Cruz, who was the First Team DH on last season's inaugural All-MLB Team. Maeda fell to the Second Team starting rotation behind Trevor Bauer, Shane Bieber, Yu Darvish, Jacob deGrom and Max Fried in the voting conducted by fans and a panel of experts.
• Here is the star-studded 2020 All-MLB Team
The honor added to another impressive awards season for the 40-year-old Cruz, who has been extensively recognized for both his on-field production and philanthropic efforts throughout the year. He won both the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian Award and the Marvin Miller Man of the Year Award for his work in improving his hometown of Las Matas de Santa Cruz, Dominican Republic, and his efforts to help families through the COVID-19 pandemic.
He added his fourth career Silver Slugger Award and a sixth-place finish in AL Most Valuable Player Award voting after hitting .303/.397/.595 with 16 homers in 53 games -- again leading the Twins in homers and OPS. He remains a free agent, though both he and the Twins have expressed interest in a reunion.
"I had to sacrifice so much stuff for my family playing through the season," Cruz said as part of the Diamond Awards presentation, during which he won both the Most Valuable Twin and Twins Leadership awards. "I was talking to my teammates after we lost to Houston. One of the things I told them was, 'I know it hurts for you guys, but I think it hurts double for me, because I don't know that I'll have a chance to come back to the playoffs, you know?' So I have to take care and I have to take advantage of every opportunity that I have."
Cruz was expected to be the driving force behind the Twins' lineup, but Maeda exceeded all expectations after the club acquired him in an offseason trade with the Dodgers, finishing as the runner-up to Bieber in AL Cy Young Award voting.
Maeda's 2.70 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 66 2/3 innings were exemplary, but his MLB-best 0.75 WHIP was where he particularly shone. In addition to being the lowest mark in club history, it also marked the second-best among qualifying pitchers in MLB's Modern Era (since 1900). He carried that into the postseason, when he made the Game 1 start for the Twins in the Wild Card Series against the Astros and threw five shutout innings.
"The main goal is to be able to be a starting pitcher throughout the season, which I accomplished because the Twins saw my value as a starting pitcher and they traded for me as a starting pitcher, which is huge," Maeda said after being named the Twins Pitcher of the Year. "To stay healthy in the rotation throughout the season and be able to pitch in the postseason, also as a starting pitcher, was the goal that I accomplished, and that made me happy."