6. Twins contending after dismal season
A lot can change over the course of a year in baseball. But after the Twins went 59-103 in 2016, we weren’t expecting much in 2017. But through its first 63 games, Minnesota sits at 34-29. That’s not just an improvement over a dismal 2016. No, that’s a darn good record. The American League Central hasn’t been anything to write home about, but the fact that the Twins are leading this division so deep into the season is quite notable.
The offense has a few solid performers. None have been better than Miguel Sano, who has 16 home runs and is slashing at .297/.397/.590.
Minnesota’s pitching was dismal a season ago. Yet, 63 games into the season, two starters (Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios) have ERA’s well under 3.00.
Now, we do have to attribute some of this to luck. Minnesota’s run differential of -24 is one of the worst totals in all of baseball. At times, tun differential can be a misleading stat. After all, teams with good bullpens are designed to win close games, which don’t do much to help run differential. Unfortunately, that notion is shot down by the fact that the Twins have the worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball by a fairly comfortable margin.
Looking forward, that certainly has to change if this hot start is going to be maintained. But it all adds to how truly surprising Minnesota’s start has been. The Twins are in first place despite some issues that should have realistically buried this team.