The Minnesota Twins have had an underwhelming first half, with a 45-46 record against a relatively weak AL Central. Since the All-Star Break, the Twins are 10-7 and looking to make a postseason run for the first time since 2020. Minnesota has one of (if not) the easiest schedules remaining for the second half of the season in the MLB.
The Twins must stay consistent and resilient at the plate and on the mound if they want to be serious contenders. It’s also important not to underestimate the Cleveland Guardians, who could potentially make a comeback just like they did last year when they won the division. Minnesota holds a small lead over Cleveland and will need to be concerned about how last season ended.
Minnesota’s most difficult remaining matchups are against the:
- Tampa Bay Rays (3 games)
- Arizona Diamondbacks (3)
- Texas Rangers (7)
- Cincinnati Reds (3)
- Philadelphia Phillies (3)
- Milwaukee Brewers (2)
Last year, the St. Louis Cardinals were in a similar situation as the Twins. At last year’s All-Star break, the Cardinals were a half-game back of the Brewers and had one of the easiest remaining schedules. But St. Louis won the NL Central by a seven-game margin over Milwaukee last year because they remained consistent throughout the remainder of the season. Minnesota can do the same and should already have about a seven-game lead over the Guardians had they remained constant in the first half of the season.
The Twins front office must have done a 180-degree turn to re-evaluate its strategy of how competitive they wanted to be moving forward with the roller coaster re-signing of Carlos Correa in the off-season. Adding Correa long-term to pair with Byron Buxton ensures Minnesota will remain consistent year-over-year. After signing them, they have one goal in mind: Building a solid foundation around them. They want to build a team that can win the AL Central for the foreseeable future.
However, before the Twins can dream of hoisting the Commissioner’s Trophy, they’ll need to concur their 18-game postseason losing streak. Putting themselves in a position to be yearly title contenders has been Minnesota’s goal since it hired Derek Falvey and Thad Levine in 2017. It takes time to put those pieces together to remain consistent, and it looks like they have finally started to achieve that as an organization.
Minnesota’s All-Star veterans can deliver consistency to the young talent inside the Twins clubhouse, and it’s important to bring in experienced free agents to strengthen the team. Minnesota’s long-term success relies on consistency, and having veterans on the roster can help achieve that goal.
The Twins organization will have its work cut out for it after the 2023 season. Currently, nine players on the active roster will be free agents. That includes Kenta Maeda, Sonny Gray, Joey Gallo, and long-time Twin Max Kepler, who has a club option at the end of this season. No matter what Minnesota decides, they’ll have their hands full trying to sign additional players like Correa and Buxton long-term while also ensuring that their younger talent has the opportunity to develop properly before joining the active roster.
The Twins made the first real stride since the offseason by signing their No. 5 overall draft pick, Walker Jenkins, on July 25. As a senior at South Brunswick, the 6’3”, 212-pound outfielder hit .417 with two home runs, 33 runs scored, a .632 on-base percentage, and a .633 slugging percentage in 24 games. Jenkins is also a two-time Gatorade North Carolina Baseball Player of the Year. In his four seasons at South Brunswick, Jenkins hit .487 with 20 doubles, two triples, 14 homers, 53 RBI, and scored 78 runs. He will be a name amongst many others to watch in the organization helping Minnesota compete in future seasons.
I will agree with others who say that the Twins starting rotation looks promising and could potentially lead the team to the postseason. Maeda has been showing improvement over his last few starts, boasting a 4.53 ERA on the season with 65 strikeouts and 51 hits allowed. Sonny Gray is even better with a 3.22 ERA on the season, having allowed 115 strikeouts and 105 hits. It’s worth noting that Gray has also been on the mound more this season due to Maeda’s time on the IL for elbow soreness earlier in the first half.
Nonetheless, Minnesota’s starting rotation is impressive at the moment, and it will be exciting to see how they perform as the season progresses. Even though the trade deadline has passed, I’m confident that the Twins have what it takes to stay consistent and weather any bad outings that may come their way. There’s still plenty of baseball left to be played, after all.
