What if?

It’s impossible not to do it. We’ve all got that voice in the back of our head whispering those soulless, heart-wrenching words.

“Would the Minnesota Twins have gone further in the postseason if the 2020 MLB season was a ‘regular year?’”

We’ll never know how many licks it would take for the Twins to get to the center of that Tootsie-Pop called a playoff win. My mom (and first grade Sunday School teacher) embedded the serenity prayer into my mind from a young age; “accept the things I cannot change.” There’s no changing the fact that 2020 presented Twins fans with an all too familiar feeling, and there’s no changing that. However, there are a few reasons that suggest that the legacy of the 2020 Twins could look different given a regular season and playoff format.

Wins, Wins, Wins

The 2020 Twins finished the regular season with a 36-24 record, mounting a stellar .600 winner percentage. While that doesn’t mathematically translate to the .623 winning percentage the Twins racked up in their 101 win 2019 season, it’s pretty darn close. It is safe to say that a healthy 2020 team would complete a full season with close to or over 100 wins.

Through 60 games in 2019 the Twins were an outstanding 40-20. Their strong start correlated with a majority of playoff teams in 2019. 8 of 10 playoff teams posted a winning record after 60 games. The only exceptions? The AL West Wild Card entry Oakland Athletics (30-30, .500) and eventual World Champion Washington Nationals (27-33, .450). Six teams that posted a winning record after 60 games did not make the playoffs.

All in all, the progress of a team after 60 games is not a sure-fire indicator of how the team will end up after 162 games and in the postseason. However, it can certainly be said that there would be a good chance the Twins would have a favorable playoff matchup in a full 2020 season. Yes, the Astros probably would have gotten rolling and eventually posted a solid record, despite being the first MLB team (alongside the Brewers) with a losing record to make the playoffs. Hypothetically in a full best of 5 divisional series, the 2020 Twins would have an excellent shot to at least win a game against the Astros (or frankly most teams).

Doesn’t get Much Better (On Paper)

The Twins have two strengths off the playing field that don’t get enough credit. The front office and skipper Rocco Baldelli.

The Twins front office had a ‘steak dinner of a team’ following the 2019 season. However, some seasoning was needed to make the masterpiece Bobby Flay-worthy.

• A healthy dash of starting pitching that would complement a rotation that had as many lows as highs.
  
• A sprinkle of bullpen experience to complement a staff that had in-house rising stars and seasoned veterans from across the league.
  
• A strong dose of hitting that would complement the league’s strongest offense.
  

Derek Falvey and Thad Levine completed the recipe and on paper the 2020 Twins looked unstoppable. The addition of Kenta Maeda and Rich Hill turned the Twins rotation into a top five MLB staff. Add in bullpen fixtures like Tyler Clippard, Jose Alcala, and Caleb Thielbar and the Twins had one of the strongest and most complete pitching staffs across baseball.

And to top things off, the addition of Josh Donaldson brought raindrops to an offense that was already filled with thunder.

It was no surprise that preseason power rankings placed the Twins among baseball’s elite teams. On paper the Twins looked like a deep playoff team. Combine that with Rocco Baldelli’s early career success and things looked great (the guy has won two division titles in his first two seasons at the helm, not even the great Tom Kelly could do that).

That’s Baseball for Ya

Unfortunately for the 2020 Twins, baseball is not played on paper. Regardless of how long a season is, players are going to get hurt and hitters are going to find slumps. The Twins saw Donaldson struggle with calf problems all year and Byron Buxton faced concussion symptoms at the worst possible time. On the pitching side of things Jake Odorizzi couldn’t catch a break in the short season, dealing with three separate trips to the IL. Injuries like these would certainly occur in a full season but there would be much more time for players to rest and work their way back in and managers to make prolonged decisions.

And while the 2019 Bomba Squad may be gone it’s tough to think that the Twins offense wouldn’t find a groove in a full season. The Twins were inconsistent at the plate all year and it is probable that that would have been able to find a plateau and work out kinks in a 162 game season.

Not a ‘Fluke’ Year

I’m not here to say that the Twins postseason blunders were solely because of a short season. Yet it is hard to imagine that a team with this caliber of players would not have made some noise in October given more time to work out kinks and injuries, restore confidence at the plate, and find their true identity as a ballclub.

I guess we’ll find out next year.

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