Carlos Correa dominates Twins’ Diamond Awards

When the Twins bring back the Diamond Awards, their annual charity event to raise money for research and education in brain, nerve and muscle disorders at the University of Minnesota, in person for the first time since 2020, shortstop Carlos Correa will spend much of the night being honored.

Correa likely won’t be in attendance — and quite possibly will be a member of another organization by that point — but for his 2022 season, the shortstop took home five awards, as voted on by members of the Twin Cities Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America and the Twins Community Fund Board of Directors.

The 18th annual Diamond Awards will be held on Jan. 26 at The Depot Minneapolis.

Here is a look at all the award winners.

Most Valuable Twin: Carlos Correa

What does $35.1 million buy you? Turns out, a team Most Valuable Player.

The star shortstop finished the year with a team-leading 5.4 bWAR (Wins Above Replacement per Baseball Replacement). He hit .291 with 22 home runs and a .834 OPS. His 140 OPS+ was actually higher than it was a season ago when he finished fifth in AL MVP voting.

Correa is expected to opt out of the final two years of his contract with the Twins to seek a long-term megadeal.

Bob Allison Award: Carlos Correa

Correa also took home the Bob Allison Award, given to the player who “exemplifies determination, hustle, tenacity, competitive spirit and leadership both on and off the field.”

Correa quickly became a vocal leader in the Twins’ clubhouse, and many of the younger players credited him with mentoring them. He took a particular interest in rookie infielder Jose Miranda, whom he invited to his Houston home to train with during the offseason.

Defensive Player of the Year: Carlos Correa

Center fielder Byron Buxton is a four-time winner of this award, but Buxton often found himself serving as the team’s designated hitter because of his knee injury, allowing Correa to take home the team’s top defensive honors.

Correa, who won the American League Gold Glove and Platinum Glove in 2021, was given this award for his slick fielding at shortstop.

Media Good Guy: Carlos Correa

Correa was a near-unanimous winner of the Media Good Guy Award — an honor he also earned while in Houston — for his honesty and his willingness to frequently represent the team in interview sessions, especially after tough losses, among other things.

Carl R. Pohlad Outstanding Community Service Award: Carlos Correa

Correa earned this award for his charitable work with the Correa Family Foundation, a nonprofit which focuses on providing financial support and enriching experiences for children with cancer and their families.

Correa and his wife, Daniella, hosted a “Hero of the Month,” each month at Target Field, and participated in the Twins’ Week of Service, helping pack food. He also worked with the Minnesota Twins Community Fund.

Most Improved Twin: Nick Gordon

In his second season with the Twins, the former first-round draft pick became a do-it-all utilityman, playing both left and center field, as well as around the infield. Gordon, the son of former major=league closer Tom Gordon, also took the mound four times in mop-up duty. At the plate, the 26-year-old hit .272 with a .743 OPS and a 113 OPS+. Gordon showed some more pop in his sophomore season, finishing with nine home runs among his 41 extra-base hits.

Twins Pitcher of the Year: Jhoan Duran

While starting pitchers Sonny Gray or Joe Ryan perhaps had an argument for this award, Duran’s dominant rookie season as a reliever earned him the honor. The 24-year-old finished the year with a 1.86 earned-run average and a 0.975 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched).

The hard-throwing Duran converted all eight of his save opportunities, and his Win Probability Added, a stat which credits a player for how much his performance impacted his team’s chance of winning, was first among all American League pitchers.

Twins Outstanding Rookie: Jhoan Duran

Duran debuted on Opening Day, tossing a scoreless fifth and sixth inning. He quickly worked his way up the leverage ladder, tackling increasingly important game situations and seemingly being unfazed by it.

He never wavered throughout the season, proving a steady presence in a bullpen that sorely needed it, and making it easy to forget he was a rookie.

Upper Midwest Player of the Year: Daulton Varsho

While a number of Upper Midwesterners had standout years — including Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar, Diamondbacks outfielder/catcher Daulton Varsho, who hails from Marshfield, Wisconsin — took home the award for the first time in his career.

Varsho posted a 4.9 bWAR and finished the season with 27 home runs for the Diamondbacks, playing in 151 of the team’s 162 games.

Twins Alumni Community Service: Al Newman

Newman was given this award for his work raising money for local sports teams and helping youth baseball players with their development. He recently joined the St. Joseph Park Board.

Twins Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year: Matt Wallner and Louie Varland

The Twins previously announced the pair of Minnesotans as their Minor League Player and Pitcher of the Year respectively. It’s the second straight season Varland has earned the honor, joining José Berríos as the only two pitchers to win the award in consecutive seasons.

Wallner, a Forest Lake native, hit .277 with a .953 OPS between Double and Triple-A this season, slugging 27 home runs and earning a late-season promotion. Varland, who lives in Maplewood, posted a 3.06 ERA between Double- and Triple-A across 126 1/3 minor-league innings, before finishing the season out with the Twins.

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