MLB Playoffs: Three most dangerous postseason teams in 2020
By Nick Stevens
Can the Minnesota Twins finally get over the hump in the MLB playoffs?
The Minnesota Twins as a dangerous playoff team? Absolutely.
Yes, the Twins have lost 16-straight playoff games and another postseason matchup against the New York Yankees may yet again spell disaster for Minnesota, but this is 2020, there is no home-field advantage in the MLB playoff bubble, and why shouldn’t the 2020 MLB season ended with more weirdness, like the Twins winning a bunch of playoff games?
Before the season started, I noted starting pitcher Kenta Maeda has an under-the-radar signing that would impact the playoff race and he’s proven that right since his first start. Maeda is 5-1 with a 2.43 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, a .158 average against, and a 30.6% strikeout rate in nine starts for the Twins.
After struggling in his first five starts, Jose Berrios has been dominant over his last five outings and looked more like the All-Star version of Berrios. If Berrios is on top of his game and the Twins are able to follow up with Maeda, Randy Dobnak, a fresh Michael Pineda, and a healthy and extremely fresh Jake Odorizzi, who was also an All-Star last season, the Twins have one of the deepest rotations in baseball.
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The towering home run power hasn’t been there for Minnesota this season, but Nelson Cruz is playing his way into the MVP conversation, Josh Donaldson is finally healthy, and it’s nearly impossible to get a ball past Byron Buxton in the outfield.
If the Twins can make a run with this roster, I don’t really know what else they can do.
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With no days off, the 2020 MLB playoffs are going to be fast and intense. Which team has the stamina to go all the way? Which starting rotation has the firepower to stay healthy in October? We find all of that out in just two weeks.