My season preview for the 2020 Minnesota Twins had them succeeding in the regular season and making the playoffs. I can safely say it was a pretty successful 2020 season for the Minnesota Twins. Although they weren’t able to advance past the first round of the playoffs they had a pretty good year.
The Twins were able to win their division by one game. Their record in 2020 was 36-24. Minnesota’s record was tied for fourth alongside the Athletics in the entire MLB.
There were some exciting aspects of the 2020 regular season for the Twins and their fans. Twins ace Kenta Maeda was in the Cy Young race and finished second in Cy Young voting. The old man Nelson Cruz put up MVP level offensive numbers. Also, Buxton was able to showcase solid offensive numbers by hitting 13 home runs.
2021 Offseason
The Twins like many teams had a pretty solid offseason. The 2021 Twins should be better than the 2020 Twins. The Twins’ major moves were the acquisition of Andrelton Simmons, who is a defensive wizard at shortstop, and the re-signing of superstar DH Nelson Cruz.
The Twins added relief pitcher Hansel Robles who struggled in 2020 but was great in 2018 and 2019.
Robles if he rebounds would be a fantastic arm in Minnesota’s bullpen. Another bullpen arm added was Alex Colome. The Twins did lose Jake Odorizzi, who signed with the Houston Astros, and while this is a decent blow to the pitching staff the team should do fine without him.
Potential 26-Man Opening Day Roster
Starting Pitchers: Kenta Maeda, Jose Berrios, J.A. Happ, Michael Pineda, Matt Shoemaker
Relief Pitchers: Taylor Rogers, Hansel Robles, Alex Colome, Randy Dobnak,
Starting Depth Chart: Mitch Garver (C), Miguel Sano (1B), Jorge Polanco (2B), Josh Donaldson (3B), Andrelton Simmons (SS), Luis Arraez (LF), Byron Buxton (CF), Max Kepler (RF), Nelson Cruz (DH)
Bench: Willians Astudillo, Kyle Garlick, Brent Rooker, Nick Gordon
Other Potential Members of the Opening Day Roster: Keon Broxton, JT Riddle, Andrew Romine
Twins 2021 Roster
2021 Season Preview: Offense
These past few years, Minnesota has been known for its offenses containing power. The Twins have built up a pretty good hitting squadron. The offense is led by Nelson Cruz, Josh Donaldson, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jorge Polanco, and Andrelton Simmons. Simmons is a new face to this lineup, but he should provide a solid bat in the lineup.
There is also Mitch Garver, Garver was great in 2019, winning the silver slugger for his position at catcher, but he struggled in 2020. If Garver rebounds he will be an excellent bat in this lineup. The power-hitting Miguel Sano will provide, well, the power. He is a low average hitter with immense power. He struggled a bit in 2020 and led the majors in strikeouts, but he did hit 13 homers.
Sano is another hitter in this lineup looking to rebound. Luis Arraez has a good chance of being an everyday player in 2021 for the Twins.
2021 Season Preview: Pitching
The Twins rotation is solid. There are a few question marks but it should be able to help the team win some ballgames. Also with the Twins’ lineup behind them, the starters shouldn’t be too stressed out. The rotation is led by Kenta Maeda who finished second in the Cy Young race in 2020. He is a true ace and should be able to lead the staff. ‘
Then, there is Jose Berrios who is a fine number two starter. Berrios is a guy who should pitch with an ERA around the mid to late 3s. J.A. Happ is a new member of the 2021 Twins. Last year for the Yankees Happ had a strong bounce-back year. Posting an ERA of 3.47 in 49.1 innings across 9 starts. Happ is a good lefty to have in a rotation and should do a nice job in the three spot.
Following Happ is Michael Pineda. Pineda missed some time in 2020 but he did post an ERA of 3.38 across five starts. In 2019, Pineda had an ERA of 4.01 across 26 starts. Injuries have been a problem for Pineda in the past, but if he can stay on the field he should do well as the four-man.
Finally, another new face with Matt Shoemaker. Shoemaker also missed some time in 2020 and struggled a bit. He also had a season-ending injury in 2019. But if Shoemaker is able to stay healthy is a nice veteran guy to have, especially as a fifth starter.
There are a few question marks. Can Happ continue the success from 2020? Will Pineda and Shoemaker remain healthy? The Twins will have to wait and see.
2021 Season Preview
The Twins have a very good chance at the playoffs. They play in a weak division so they should be able to rack up a good win total. However, the White Sox are considered to be the favorites to win the AL Central, and I have to agree with that. Could I see the Twins beating the White Sox for first? Absolutely, but I predict that they will end up with the number one wild card spot.
Kenta Maeda in a wild card game could give the Twins their first playoff game in years. I think it is fair to say that Twins fans have something to look forward to. This is a team that could win a world series, it’ll be tough, but why not the Twins? They have a pretty good squad.
2021 AL Central Division Season Preview
- Chicago White Sox
- Minnesota Twins
- Cleveland Indians
- Kansas City Royals
- Detroit Tigers
