Minnesota Twins: Ryan Doumit Is Key to Twins' Success

Back on June 29, the Twins signed Ryan Doumit to a two-year extension through the 2014 season and since then Doumit has been absolutely crushing it. In the last 22 games, Doumit is hitting .385 with 14 RBIs.

All of that was highlighted on Sunday when Doumit went off against Kansas City, when he hit two home runs (one from each side of the plate) and drove in four in a 7-5 win over the Royals. Doumit isn’t a big household name on the Twins like Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, but Doumit is crucial to the success of the Minnesota Twins.

The team is in a rebuilding mode, but Doumit is a guy the Twins need to keep as a cornerstone of the organization. The Twins offense isn’t that far away from being a very solid squad; it’s only a couple tweaks away. It’s the pitching that’s the problem, but that’s a whole other story.

First of all, Doumit has a very valuable bat. This season Doumit is hitting .291 and has a lifetime average of .273. Throw in the fact that he’s got some pop and that he’s a switch-hitter, he brings valuable flexibility to the Twins lineup.

Speaking of flexibility, the fact that Doumit can play three positions is a real lifesaver for Ron Gardenhire. Doumit has the ability to play catcher, first base and right field. This gives him the opportunity to stay in the lineup no matter what and to fill in for Mauer and Morneau for short stints or for a long stretch.

Justin Morneau was just put on the paternity leave list which allows the Twins to put Mauer at first for the time being and giving the full time catching spot to Doumit. His flexibility is invaluable.

The Twins have people to build around for the future and it’s starting to look bright. With Joe Mauer, Justin Morneau, Josh Willingham, Trevor Plouffe, Brian Dozier and Ryan Doumit, the Twins are building a strong offensive corps. Once they build up the pitching Twins fans might see some wins, but until then we’ll sit back and hope to see more wonderful play from Ryan Doumit.