American League: Who Are the Contenders and Pretenders?
By Phil Akre
Minnesota Twins
As of April 10, 2017, the Minnesota Twins are in first place in the American League Central with a 5-1 record. How have they done it? Pitching, pitching, and more pitching.
The Twins currently lead the majors with a 2.04 team ERA. In his two starts this season, staff “ace” Ervin Santana has let up just two hits and one earned run. As for the bullpen, the Twins rank third in MLB with a 1.61 ERA.
The bats have done their part as well, as the team sits eighth in the majors with 30 runs scored through six games. Third baseman Miguel Sano looks like the superstar he was billed to become with a shiny .350 average and two home runs already. Newcomer Jason Castro has also performed well, with a .308 average and five RBI.
But, this team lost 103 games last season. Just a season ago, the Twins finished with the league’s 10th worst average and the second worst team ERA. Phil Hughes and Kyle Gibson own a combined 4.81 ERA the last two years. There’s little reason to think they will rebound to the tune of maintaining a sub-3.00 ERAs.
Once prized prospect Byron Buxton is still just 23, but he has looked lost at the major league level, and the bust label might start to float around sooner than later. Will a makeshift rotation and suspect lineup amount to anything come October? In short, no.
Pretender