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On the surface, the variability of a 60-game season doesn’t seem to bode well for a team like the Twins whose talent would have more time to shine through over the length of a 162-game season. However, there are several reasons why the Twins are still a good bet. I’ll give you five.
1) This is the Bomba Squad!
The same line-up that gave us an MLB-record 307 dingers will be coming back in-tact. Sure they’re unlikely to hit 300-plus homers in 60 games (I’ll take the under if anyone’s interested), but there’s reason to believe that 2020’s lineup might be even more potent than last year’s record-setting squad. Having Luis Arraez from the get-go will certainly help, but the addition of Josh Donaldson could really bring the rings!
2) The Rotation Should Be Solid
While one could justifiably squabble that Minnesota doesn’t have a “true ace,” the rotation that they’ve built should bode well in a shortened season. An elite starter is obviously great to have, but an ace can still only pitch once every five days. The Twins already had a pretty solid core in Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, and Michael Pineda, and they’ve added Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill, both of whom are capable of ace-like stretches. Throw in Homer Bailey, Randy Dobnak, and Lewis Thorpe and the Twins are neck-deep in quality arms. In such a short season avoiding extended losing streaks will be crucial and the overall quality of the rotation should help to keep the Twins afloat.
3) The ‘Pen Could Be Great
The bullpen might not have the same name recognition of the Yankees, but they have the potential to be one of the best in all of baseball. With Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, and Trevor May, Rocco Baldelli has three late-inning weapons at his disposal. Throw in a few quality veterans in Sergio Romo and Tyler Clippard, along with a pair of exciting young arms in Zack Littell and Cody Stashak, and Minnesota has the makings of an elite bullpen.
4) The Twins Can Cash-in on Depth
In a 60-game season, an injury to a star player could be devastating for most teams. Minnesota can mitigate the loss of any one player both by having good players across the board and also by having incredible depth. If a position player goes down, the Twins have quality backup options in Marwin Gonzalez, Jake Cave and Ehire Adrianza. They also have a great farm system loaded with near MLB-ready bats that will be at their disposal in the form of a taxi squad.
The rotation is also well stocked in arms and a prospect such as Johan Duran could come in handy in the form of a starter or reliever should he be needed. The quantity of quality starters also gives Minnesota plenty of opportunity to get creative with the rotation size or methods such as piggy-backing to help erase the third-time through the order penalty that has historically hampered Odorizzi and Maeda.
5) The Central’s Not That Good
Minnesota will have an added advantage of playing the majority of their games against AL Central teams and the remainder against the NL Central. That means plenty of games against the likes of Detroit and Kansas City, and the NL Central, while filled with teams that should be decent (other than Pittsburgh), doesn’t contain any teams that hold a candle to the Twins in terms of overall talent. Not having to face teams such as the New York Yankees or the Houston Astros should greatly increase the Twins chances of reaching the postseason.
All in all, the Twins look to be a good bet regardless of the season’s length. Now all we need is a season!
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