Manager Tom Kelly always seems to have a blank, unaffected look on his face -- win or lose. But he must be smiling on the inside these days because the Twins' 50-31 record at the halfway mark was their best through 81 games since the 1970 team went 54-27. Last season, Minnesota didn't earn its 50th win until Aug. 4 -- game No. 111. It's hard to believe just how far this team has come.
First-half MVP: With his confidence restored after winning Olympic gold in Sydney last September, first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz has finally become the player the Twins thought he'd be and more. Though he cooled off considerably in June, batting .237 with two homers and 12 RBI, Mientkiewicz was a big reason why the Twins got off to such a fast start. Mientkiewicz ripped off a career-high 15-game hitting streak from April 16 to May 2, and was hitting .413 on May 12.
Biggest surprise: You could certainly say Joe Mays' team-leading 11 wins and 3.02 ERA makes him the surprise story of the first half. But you have to admit, Corey Koskie's surge in power and speed on the bases gets him an honorable mention. After hitting only nine homers in 146 games (474 at-bats) last season, the 28-year-old third baseman has belted 12 bombs in 80 games (293 at-bats). He's got wheels, too. Koskie has swiped 11 bases in 13 attempts.
Biggest disappointment: Jacque Jones is a mild disappointment so far. The 26-year-old left fielder, who hit 19 homers and drove in 76 last year, has just six long balls and 28 RBI. The most disappointing stretch of baseball, however, came from June 14-23 -- losing eight of nine games. But the Twins turned it right around by winning 13-of-15 to end the first half.
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Twins first-half comparison
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2000
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2001
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W-L
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38-52
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55-32
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HR leader
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Jones, 13
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Hunter, 13
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BA leader
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Lawton, .330
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Lawton, .325
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ERA
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Radke, 4.28
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Mays, 3.02
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Second-half goals: Stay healthy. The Twins have managed to succeed without DH David Ortiz (wrist) and left-hander Mark Redman (shoulder, triceps), but a lack of depth on the bench could hurt them if there are more serious injuries in the second-half.
Minor-leaguer to watch: Third baseman Michael Cuddyer, one of three Rock Cats invited to this year's Double-A All-Star game. The 22-year-old Cuddyer is second in the Eastern League in runs (59), third in homers (21), fourth in RBI (58) and slugging pct. (.576) through July 4.
Grade:  -- They won 18 games in April. It's just a fluke, right? They won 16 more in May. Are they for real? And they broke even in June (14-14). These Twins are for real, just ask their AL Central opponents. Minnesota won 31-of-45 divisional games through July 4. TK has a confident bunch of youngsters.
(Scale: 1 to 4 baseballs; 1 = worst, 4 = best)
Here's what you had to say about the Twins' first-half performance.
Marty Bernoski is an associate editor at ESPN.com
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