The year is 2016. The Chicago Cubs are well on their way to breaking their 108-year World Series title drought, Mike Trout is raking at an eventual MVP rate, and the Minnesota Twins are without a doubt the worst team in the Major Leagues.

On October 2, the season would mercifully end with a win over the division rival Chicago White Sox. Although the season ended on a win, those would be few and far between in 2016.

As we dream about the coming months here in 2019, let’s take some time to remember how far our hometown Twinkies have come.

Over the coming weeks, I plan on doing a deep dive into the 2016 season and comparing it with 2019 in order to remind Twins fans of our rise from the ash heap of baseball. You might call us MLB’s version of the phoenix. Today, let’s look at some of the overall statistics from your 2016 Minnesota Twins.

The final stats for the 2016 season are simply astounding. The Twins ended the 2016 campaign with a dismal record of 59-103. After 93 games, the Twins were 34-59. Today, the Baltimore Orioles, who can potentially have one of the worst seasons in MLB history, are 28-65. The 2016 Twins were a meager six games better than the 2019 Orioles. Some other shockingly horrendous stats include:

• The Twins allowed a staggering 889 runs, while scoring 722 runs in 2016. I’m no mathematician folks, but that adds up to a lot of losses. 103 of them to be exact.

• In 2016, the Twins had a 13-game losing streak in the month of August. Let that sink in for a minute. A 13-game losing streak. As I write this, the Twins have not yet experienced a 3-game losing streak in 2019. The Orioles have encountered a 10-game losing streak this season, but they have not yet approached a 13-game losing streak.

• The team ERA for 2016 was a terrible 5.08. Today, that figure has been lowered down to a respectable 3.92. That’s over a full run saved per game. Given an entire season, saving a run per game will equate into a lot more wins.

• The Twins had the 9th best offense in the AL in 2016. Now, Minnesota has elevated their offense to the best offense in the AL. Given their pace of 5.68 runs per game, the Twins are projected to score a staggering 920 runs this season. Any team that scores 920 runs not only makes the playoffs, but often makes a deep run in them.

It’s easy to forget how awful the Twins were in 2016. Twins fans had endured a painful last five seasons, where 2015 saw them make a run for a wild card berth, only to fall short in the final series of the season. Given that result, Twins fans were hopeful going into 2016. What ensued was not only a major disaster, which ultimately cost GM Terry Ryan his job midseason, but a heartbreak of a season that soured many Twins fans on the team’s future.

Today, in the midst of a season where the Twins are on a 102-win pace, Twins fans need to remember the tragedy that was 2016. The Twins have come so far in such a short time. They were not expected to seriously contend for the division, much less open a 6-game lead on Cleveland in mid-July.

No matter how the season ends, 2019 will go down as a historic year, not only because of the Twins record-setting play, but because of how far the Twins have come in 3 short seasons. Twins fans, buckle up, go buy some Tums, and enjoy the ride. The next two-and-a-half months are going to be fun.