Why the Minnesota Twins Are Not a Surprise Anymore

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 25: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins congratulates teammate Jonathan Schoop #16 on a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning of the game on June 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - JUNE 25: Jorge Polanco #11 of the Minnesota Twins congratulates teammate Jonathan Schoop #16 on a solo home run against the Tampa Bay Rays during the third inning of the game on June 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)

The Minnesota Twins have been dominant all season long, and have been successful in the first half of the season, but it isn’t a fluke.

The Minnesota Twins haven’t really been at the top of the division since 2010 when Joe Mauer was still catching and was coming off of his MVP season the previous season.

Ironically the Twins are in their first season without Joe Mauer and are on their way to the postseason.

Minnesota doesn’t have an MVP candidate, but they have a combination of players that have made it to the second round of the All-Star vote.

If you’re reading this and don’t know who Jorge Polanco is, well you’re not alone.

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The only want people might remember his name was because of his PED suspension in 2018.

Polanco might just be on his way to Cleveland for the 2019 All-Star Game, as he is hitting .326 with 11 HR and 39 RBI.

Minnesota then signed him to an extension along with teammate Max Kepler and that might have headlines what was the best off-season in Minnesota in a long time.

They took utility man Marwin Gonzalez away from the Houston Astros and signed guys with playoff experience including Nelson Cruz and Jonathan Schoop.

Another underrated acquisition wasn’t one on the field but in the dugout. Rocco Baldelli was hired to be their manager and something must have clicked.

Jose Berrios struggled a little bit last season but seems to have gotten back to All-Star form. He is 8-3 with a 2.84 ERA in addition to nearly 100 strikeouts before July.

Don’t forget about Eddie Rosario who nearly made the Mid-Summer Classic last season. He is anchoring that lineup with 20 HR.

Minnesota already has over 50 wins and possess a comfortable 8.5 game lead over the defending American League Central Champion Cleveland Indians.

Minnesota still has 36 games against the Tigers, Royals, and White Sox-all struggling teams that won’t be in contention.

Therefore the Twins can pad that lead in the Central and perhaps get one of the top two seeds in the American League to set them up for a deep run into October.