The Minnesota Twins are projected by many to struggle again in the 2015 season. While they could just as easily be a team that turns plenty of heads this season, they are going to have the opportunity to determine their fate pretty early in the season. ESPN recently ranked the toughest schedules in the American League to start the season, and the Twins find themselves third.
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Behind only the Houston Astros and the Boston Red Sox, the Twins have the third toughest schedule to start the season, Because the piece is behind the ESPN Insider paywall, here’s what they had to say about the Twins:
"Games against teams that had records over .500 in 2014: 30 of their first 40.Home/road: 20 of their first 40 are at home.Noteworthy: Not only do the Twins have their share of in-division games against rivals from the AL Central early, but they also have a four-game series against Oakland and a two-game series against the Pirates. Before the All-Star break, the Twins will see the Tigers in 13 games and the Royals in 13 games. Good luck with that."
To start out the season, the Twins could either make waves or find themselves in the doldrums of the AL Central very early. Of the teams first seven series, six of them are against opponents in the division. The Twins only non-divisional opponent comes in the form of the Mariners when they travel to Seattle near the end of the month.
While this could prove to be somewhat daunting, I think it also represents the exact reason that Twins fans should have reason for optimism. The team is much improved on its own roster, but the AL Central opponents they will face also have plenty of questions.
There is significant hype surrounding both the White Sox and Indians this season. While Chicago will be without Chris Sale early, the Twins could get to them before their new faces are allowed to gel. The Indians still have to prove the pitching staff is as strong as believed, and Brandon Moss will be looking to replicate his 2014 success. Playing against the Tigers and Royals, the Twins will see two teams that have no doubt regressed from last season. Conceivably, the Royals could actually find themselves at the bottom of the division.
At the end of the first month of the season, things won’t be determined for the 2015 Twins, but we’ll have a pretty decent idea of what kind of team we are going to have in comparison to the division.
Next: AL Central Standings Predictions
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