The Minnesota Twins will start their postseason journey as underdogs. I’m excited to see them back in action and hopeful for another World Series championship. The path leading up to this point hasn’t been easy. But this year’s playoffs will be a highly competitive event, especially for the Twins. In general, this season feels different and surprisingly weighs to Minnesota’s advantage.
I’m excited about Minnesota’s chances this postseason, especially considering the bullpen’s strength. Two hard-throwing righties, Chris Paddack and Brock Stewart, have returned to the mound, providing a significant boost. Paddack has been out all season recovering from Tommy John surgery, while Stewart has been on the injured list with elbow tendonitis for the past three months.
Minnesota’s bullpen suddenly has an abundance of talented relievers, an asset most AL contenders are struggling with. They have Jhoan Duran, Emilio Pagán, and Caleb Thielbar paving the way. Paddack and Stewart will provide further depth, as will recently re-cast starters Dallas Keuchel and Kenta Maeda. Minnesota’s bullpen will have a total of nine arms the team can count on in October, many of whom have dominant reliever upside.
Over the last two weeks, they led the AL with a 2.93 ERA without the recent additions of Paddack, Stewart, and Maeda. It will only add to the team’s strength when Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, and Byron Buxton make it back in time for the Wild Card series. I don’t think anyone sees either missing more time, barring some unforeseen setback.
It’s worth noting that the AL West has had some surprising twists lately. It has been the division to watch. The Houston Astros have been relatively good for most of the season, but they are at risk of not making it to the playoffs. Likewise, the Seattle Mariners had a remarkable winning streak from the end of August to September after everyone wrote them off. Still, they are in danger of missing out on the postseason. The AL West will come down to the wire and determine who Minnesota will host a few days from now.
The Twins have managed to beat several AL contenders, like the Texas Rangers, Baltimore Orioles, Astros, and Mariners, positioning themselves to have a clear path to the World Series. The new MLB rules require all teams to play each other at least once during the season, giving the Twins a good look at possible playoff matchups. They were able to study the AL contenders in the latter half of the season after deadlines and call-ups.
Minnesota has held its ground this season against whomever its first-round opponent ends up being:
- 4-2 vs. Houston: +4 run differential
- 3-4 vs. Seattle: +2 run differential
- 3-3 vs. Toronto: +2 run differential
- 5-2 vs. Texas: +14 run differential
Minnesota’s problem throughout their postseason drought has been a lack of offense. They have scored four runs or less in each of their last 15 postseason games. However, with the strongest bullpen in recent memory and a clearer path to the World Series than ever before, the Twins may just have what it takes to make a deep postseason run this year.
