Minnesota Twins Trending in Right Direction in Week One Ups and Downs
The Minnesota Twins’ opening week was full of ups, but also a couple of concerning downs.
Maybe this isn’t a mirage, this 2017 season. I’m sure most of the division leaders after Week One won’t be at the top come May Day, but to dismiss numerous positive signs would just as foolish.
Last year, the Minnesota Twins started off the seasons 0-9, a historic laying of an egg never before seen since the franchise moved from Washington to Minnesota. The 4-0 start was just the sixth time a team has accomplished that feat after a 100+ loss season the year prior.
The last two teams were also A.L. Central clubs. The Detroit Tigers in 2004 after their own historically bad season (119 losses), and the 2003 Kansas City Royals streaked to a 9-0 start the season after losing an even 100.
The surprising Royals were led by manager Tony Pena. They stuck with the eventual division-winning Twins until September, and finished up 83-79 – an improvement of 21 wins. While the Tigers finished 20 games behind the first place Twins, their 29-win improvement was good enough to leapfrog the Royals in the standings.
Which brings us to Minnesota. The Royals plummeted to a division-worst record (58-104) just after a sudden improvement. Their first winning record since 1994 wouldn’t be replicated until 2013 – a year before back-to-back World Series appearances.
Meanwhile, the young, up-and-coming Tigers would tread water in 2005 before making the leap to the World Series in 2006. So, are the Twins a redux of Kansas City or Detroit? Was last year just the first year of many as Minnesota struggles for relevancy, or are they truly a team on the rise?
UP: Minnesota’s bullpen. Seemingly cobbled together during the offseason, this collection of arms has heretofore performed amazingly well given their histories. But, as pundits have said, this year they are being put in situations where their strengths are being utilized.
Instead of just coming in for the seventh or eighth inning, management is more acutely aware of potential pitcher-batter matchups for the upcoming innings. As such, expect to see lefty Taylor Rogers pitching when the opposing lineup features left-handed batters, and Matt Belisle when there are righties due up.
Likewise, the lefty-righty combination is apparent with Craig Breslow and Ryan Pressly too. Pressly is gaining more confidence in the later, high-leverage situations, in both himself and his manager.
Belisle is the only one of the four to give up a run through week one. Rule 5 pickup Justin Haley performed well his first time out, but not nearly as well his second. Then again, a short start forced the young hurler into a game much earlier than anticipated. And, because of this, he was exposed to multiple innings instead of a more ideal appearance.
DOWN/UP: Byron Buxton at the plate versus Buxton in the field. In the field, Buxton has produced Gold Glove-caliber defense, with numerous highlights both coming in and going back on batted balls. His ability to steal extra base hits away from K.C. and Chicago bolstered Twins starters on the mound.
However, his recurring penchant for seemingly starting every at-bat 0-2 has led to 14 strikeouts and just a single walk, in 27 plate appearances. With only two hits, his ability to pressure opposing pitchers while on base has yet to be unveiled.
Meanwhile, Minnesota is averaging five runs per ballgame, with none of them being scored by Buxton despite his appearance in the middle of the lineup for the first four games of the season, until manager Paul Molitor finally dropped him to seventh, and then eighth, for the final two games against the White Sox.