Twins Fans Should Stop Worrying

If you go on twitter at all during a Twins game this year, you’d think they’re in danger of getting their playoff berth taken away. But here is a nice little chart that shows the Twins recent form is nothing new, and it’s nothing to be worried about

note: “down stretch” refers to the teams last 20 games

This chart compares the Twins to the last 7 World Series champions (I momentarily forgot who won the 2002 Series, so I just decided to stop after 2003). As you can see, the Twins record in their last 20 games is right in line with most of the previous champs, their hitter’s fWAR is the second best on that list, and while the pitching leaves a little to be desired, they will surpass perhaps all the teams on this list except the 2009 Yanks, 2005 White Sox and 2004 Red Sox in terms of total wins.

Another reason not to be worried is this. In the playoffs, the three most important things are probably 1. an ace (check) 2. good defense (check on the infield, eesh on the OF) and 3. a good bullpen (definitely could be better, but definitely could be worse).

This isn’t exactly groundbreaking analysis, but it is further reminder that the playoffs are essentially a roll of the dice, and form coming into the playoffs is mostly irrelevant.