Minnesota Twins vs AL Central: Starting Pitching
How does the Minnesota Twins’ starting pitching compare to their AL Central competition?
Heading into the 2016 season, the Minnesota Twins, Detroit Tigers, Chicago White Sox and even reigning World Series champions Kansas City Royals, all have question marks regarding the starting rotation.
Really, the one team that pretty much knows what they have going into the season are the Cleveland Indians. And what they have is what the Twins are in desperate need of.
Strikeouts.
It’s a seemingly deep position for the American League Central and one that should be an interesting aspect to watch within the division.
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Minnesota Twins 2015 Recap
It was no coincidence the Twins improved season also saw a better performance from their starting pitching.
Despite a down year from Phil Hughes, an injury-plagued year from Ricky Nolasco and an 80-game suspension for Ervin Santana, the Twins were able to get solid performances from Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone and a strong first half from Mike Pelfrey.
Once Santana returned and Tyler Duffey entered the rotation, the Twins found themselves in the hunt for a playoff spot.
Still, there was a big difference between the Twins’ first and second halves of the season. Throughout the first half the Twins had a combined ERA of 3.81 but saw those number bump up to 4.39 in the second half.
That wasn’t all on the starting staff as the bullpen struggled mightily but the hope is that the Twins will get a boost in 2016 from a full season of Santana, a healthy return of Hughes and the continued improvement of Gibson.
Next: The Rest of the AL Central
Chicago White Sox: Chris Sale is a strikeout machine and should lead the White Sox. After that is where things get a little questionable for the Sox.
Cleveland Indians: Perhaps the strongest aspect of the team and the single most important piece to their contention. The Indians were tops in strikeouts by the starting staff.
Detroit Tigers: A historically strong staff struggled mightily last year with injuries and inconsistency following the losses of Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello. The Tigers hope to rebound in 2016.
Kansas City Royals: The champs had a much stronger bullpen than starting rotation but still found a way to win games and keep the team in it until the end.
1. Cleveland Indians
Was there ever any doubt on this one? The Indians’ starters had 969 strikeouts last season, topping their 2014 mark of 946.
Led by former Cy Young winner Corey Kluber who will anchor the rotation, the Indians will feature three starters who could easily surpass 200 strikeouts while their last two starters bringing a few question marks regarding their experience, or lack there off.
It’s fitting to see the Indians be the team with the best pitching staff in the Central because in order to compete their starters will need to carry the team as their offense ranked 18th in runs scored.
Still, even if the Indians struggle to provide run support, the simple idea of a team with three starters striking out at least 200 batters should be enough to strike fear in their opponents.
Next: Tigers, White Sox
Detroit Tigers
A healthy Justin Verlander, the signing of Jordan Zimmerman and the potential return to form for Anibal Sanchez should provide a boost for the Tigers whose starters finished 27th in ERA with 4.78.
Expectations were high last season for the Tigers who featured a staff full of potential game changers. David Price was part of the staff as was 2014 All-Star Alfredo Simon. But what was to be a potential dream year turned into a nightmare as Simon struggled with his control and finished with an ERA of 5.05.
Price was the bright spot for the team with a 2.53 ERA but was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays once it was clear the Tigers weren’t going to compete.
Verlander also struggled early, making his debut in June after suffering a triceps injury. Still, he was able to finish the season strong despite a slow start.
If Verlander is healthy and Zimmerman pitches the way he did in Washington, the Tigers could feature a strong staff. Sanchez will be an X-Factor for the Tigers, as he always has been but the real question, like with the Indians, will be the back two starters.
Twins fans know very well just how good Pelfrey can be but also just how bad he can be. Fifth starter Shane Greene had a 6.88 ERA in just 18 games and would need to vastly improve this season.
So while there’s a lot of room for potential, which is why the Tigers are No. 2, their season could just as easily implode from a pitching perspective.
3. Chicago White Sox
So this is where things get tricky. It was closer than one would imagine when it came to this spot but ultimately Chris Sale and the White Sox nabbed the No. 3 slot.
After posting 274 strikeouts, Sale proved to be a true ace and one a team can build around. Now for the White Sox, it’s just a case of actually building around him.
To put things into perspective, the White Sox starters finished second to the Indians in strikeouts with Sale being responsible for nearly 30-percent of those.
The Sox will feature Jose Quintana who is looking to build off a year that saw him go 9-10 with 177 strikeouts and a 3.36 ERA.
Following them will be Carlos Rodon, John Danks and Mat Latos. All three of these starters do feature some positives but prove to be a serious dropoff following Sale and Quintana.
Until the Sox put some more solid pitchers around those two, this team will continue to be a middling one as their offense ranked 28th in the league in runs.
Next: Twins, Royals
4. Minnesota Twins
Sure, the future may put the Twins a few notches higher when the likes of Tyler Duffey and Jose Berrios are mainstays in the rotation but until then, the Twins will be a rotation of five No. 3, possibly No. 2 starters.
Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson and Phil Hughes will be the Twins’ top starters but will next feature the solid, yet inconsistent Tommy Milone, and Ricky Nolasco and his much-publicized health and performance issues.
Last season was a steady improvement over the previous seasons but the one thing the team lacks is that ace. There isn’t a Kluber or a Sale or a Verlander to steady the ship.
Gone are the days of Brad Radke and Johan Santana. Now the question remains, will the team’s staff be enough to make the playoffs and make some noise once there? The Twins are sure banking on it, but this may be the final time we go into a season with questions regarding the staff ace as Berrios will no doubt be waiting in the wings.
Kansas City Royals
The fact that the champs can take this spot is just indicative of how good the rest of the team really is. If this were a list of bullpen rankings, the Royals would arguably take the top spot.
The Royals lost big acquisition Johnny Cueto to free agency and will instead feature Edinson Volquez as the No. 1 starter, followed by Yordano Ventura, Ian Kennedy and Kris Medlen.
Sound underwhelming considering these are the reigning champs? You’re not alone.
But the Royals proved they didn’t need a shutdown staff to win the Series. They ranked 22nd in starter ERA but ended up 10th in total team ERA, which is just a credit to how well their bullpen performed.
It also helped the team got an AL Central-leading 724 runs from the offense.
So do the Royals need the best staff to win the Series? No. Will they have the best staff? Probably not. As the Royals have proven time and time again, as long as the starters keep them in the game heading into the later innings, their offense can take it over while their bullpen shuts the door—Whether it’s a 1-0 game or a 5-all tie.
That is how I see the starting pitching playing out in the Central. Ideally the Twins will begin the upward trend we all are hoping for but until a true staff ace emerges, it’s going to be a tough battle for pitching supremacy in the division.