Minnesota Twins: What to make of the team’s 0-9 start?
The Minnesota Twins shocked the MLB last year, however 2016 seems like an entirely different story.
We are over a week into the major league season and the Minnesota Twins have yet to win a ballgame. There were greater expectations coming into this year after the club had a surprisingly successful 2015 season. But the club just doesn’t look like the team they were last season.
The Twins weren’t expected to compete in 2015 because of a youthful roster and an overall lack of established talent. But somehow, the Twins were able to end the season with an 83-79 record and only finishing three games back of a playoff spot. How did a team that was picked to finish pretty much unanimously last in the AL Central overachieve so greatly?
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Well the Twins were able to get production from players that they probably weren’t expecting. Brian Dozier led the team with 28 home runs and made his first all star appearance. Torii Hunter found some of his youth finishing the year with 22 bombs. Others like Trevor Plouffe, Aaron Hicks and stud prospect Miguel Sano contributed greatly as well. But when you really look back at the Twins numbers last year, their record seems a little better than what their stats would make you think.
The Twins rotation was lead by Kyle Gibson, who finished the year with a 3.84 ERA. The only other starter on their roster who had an earned run average under 4.00 was Tommy Milone. Their bullpen did not light the world on fire either. Minnesota did have a more than capable closer in Glen Perkins, but the team needed reinforcements acquiring Kevin Jepsen from the Rays at the trade deadline. The lineup also didn’t feature any batter with a batting average in the .270’s, and while the team’s power was consistent throughout the lineup, nobody hit 30 or more home runs.
You might be thinking that the team was good in very close games, but actually they were just average, going 21-20 in games decided by one run. They also didn’t win many games in blowout fashion, finishing the year by winning 22 games by five runs or more. The team did win 35 of its games by 2-4 runs, which does show their ability to grind out wins. But what you can take away from the numbers and results from the Twins 2015 season is that their club had a lot of things fall in place.
Looking at the way the Twins are playing now further shows that what Minnesota did last year could have been misleading. The club has now lost nine straight games to start the season even though most of the players on this year’s squad are similar to what they trotted at in 2015.
The team has seven starting position players, not including the former number one ranked prospect, Byron Buxton, who played in 46 games last year. The Twins also added Korean slugger Byung Ho Park to a 4 year $12 million contract along with a an over $12 million posting fee to help beef up their offense. The club also brought back the same starting rotation and many of the team’s key bullpen pieces as well.
It may be too early to say that last year’s team was a fluke, but the Twins’ lack of depth in quality talent may be starting to catch up to them. There are some talented players on the roster in Sano, Buxton, Dozier and Park. But overall this year’s team doesn’t seem to have the players to be the above .500 club that they were last year. Minnesota was seen as an overachieving bunch in 2015 and with the start they had to this year they are proving just that.
What do you make of the Twins winless start? Are they going to continue to slide or eventually get to where they were last season? Let us know in the comment section below.