Spring training begins in Florida in just a few weeks and Twins fans might be excited to know that oddsmakers in Las Vegas are signaling a potentially good season ahead.
According to BetOnline, the over/under win total for the Twins in 2019 is 84 1/2, which is tied with the Brewers, Mets, Phillies and Rays for ninth-most in the big leagues.
- Houston Astros 96½
- Boston Red Sox 95½
- New York Yankees 95½
- Los Angeles Dodgers 94½
- Cleveland Indians 90½
- Chicago Cubs 88½
- St. Louis Cardinals 88½
- Washington Nationals 87½
- Milwaukee Brewers 84½
- Minnesota Twins 84½
- New York Mets 84½
- Philadelphia Phillies 84½
- Tampa Bay Rays 84½
- Atlanta Braves 83½
- Los Angeles Angels 83½
- Oakland Athletics 83½
- Colorado Rockies 82½
- San Diego Padres 78½
- Arizona Diamondbacks 77½
- Cincinnati Reds 77½
- Pittsburgh Pirates 77½
- Toronto Blue Jays 77½
- Chicago White Sox 75½
- Seattle Mariners 74½
- San Francisco Giants 73½
- Texas Rangers 70½
- Kansas City Royals 69½
- Detroit Tigers 67½
- Miami Marlins 65½
- Baltimore Orioles 60½
If these win totals come true, then the Astros, Red Sox and Indians would be division winners while the Yankees, Twins and Rays would be the top three competing for two wild card spots, with the Angels and Athletics right on their heels.
The Twins have certainly added some players that should give their lineup a chance to be successful this season, with Nelson Cruz, C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop all capable of hitting the ball over the fence and driving in runs.
But Minnesota has done very little to bolster its pitching staff, although they’ve recently added right-handed reliever Blake Parker and left-hander Martin Perez, who will reportedly have a chance to win a job in the starting rotation.
Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey believes Parker could compete with Trevor Hildenberger, Addison Reed and Trevor May for the closer job, according to team’s website.
Minnesota’s bullpen finished ninth in the American League with a 4.45 ERA last season, certainly not good enough to contend in the postseason when dominant bullpens are at their best.
Bullpen arms (locks in bold)
- Blake Parker
- Addison Reed
- Trevor May
- Trevor Hildenberger
- Taylor Rogers
- Gabriel Moya
- Adalberto Mejia
- Andrew Vasquez
- Chase De Jong
- Stephen Gonsalves
- Kohl Stewart
- Fernando Romero
- Martin Perez
- Michael Pineda
“My view is, bullpens are grown, not necessarily always bought, and I think that when you look at what pitchers we have in our organization, if we’re plus on the starter side, in some cases, some of those guys may end up in the bullpen,” Falvey said, via the team’s website.
Starting pitchers (locks in bold)
- Jose Berrios
- Jake Odorizzi
- Kyle Gibson
- Michael Pineda
- Martin Perez
- Adalberto Mejia
- Chase De Jong
- Stephen Gonsalves
- Kohl Stewart
- Fernando Romero
- Zack Littell
- Dietrich Enns
- Felix Jorge
It’s also been widely reported that the Twins could experiment quite a bit this coming season with an “opener” rather than a starter. An opener is typically a relief pitcher who will go an inning or two before handing the ball to a “primary pitcher,” which could be a normal starter or a long reliever.
Because the Twins have a mountain of low-end starters on the roster, they could mix and match them as openers throughout the season.
