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Minnesota Twins: 2017 MLB Projections and World Series Predictions

By Jordan Ison

Apr 17, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Cleveland Indians during batting practice prior to tonights game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 17, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; The Cleveland Indians during batting practice prior to tonights game against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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MLB: Arizona Diamondbacks at Los Angeles Dodgers
April 14, 2017; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Clayton Kershaw (22) reacts after the top half of the fourth inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

NL West Final Standings

1) Los Angeles Dodgers (94 – 68)

Key Pitcher – Clayton Kershaw

Key Batter – Justin Turner

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Dodgers are a lot like the Nationals in the fact that they seem to have all the pieces necessary to win a World Series. Their great pitching and consistent hitting could definitely lead them to the promise land.

Reason Why They Will Fail – Inability to come through in the clutch. We saw it against the Cubs in the NLCS last year. When the Dodgers need a hit the most, they always seem to come up short. If they can’t take that next step, they could fall out early this year.

2) Colorado Rockies (89 – 73)

Key Pitcher – Antonio Senzatela

Key Batter – Nolan Arenado

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Rockies can hit the the baseball. Hard. Led by Nolan Arenado, this may be the best hitting team in the league. They may also have the best home field advantage as well.

Reason Why They Will Fail – Their pitching can be shaky at times. Their still young and inexperienced, so that’s to be expected. But for a team that seems ahead of their time, the pitching could slow this team down from their ultimate goals.

3) San Francisco Giants (82 – 80)

Key Pitcher – Madison Bumgarner

Key Batter – Brandon Belt

Reason Why They Will Succeed – Madison Bumbarner leads a solid pitching unit that can provide a shut-out on any given night. They also have the bat speed to produce runs, but this team operates through the pitching staff.

Reason Why They Will Fail – The Giants have a lot of power behind their bats, but they also strikeout quite a bit. The inability to pull together a solid rally could be the demise of the Giants.

4) Arizona Diamondbacks (71 – 91)

Key Pitcher – Zack Greinke

Key Batter – Paul Goldschmidt

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Diamondbacks starting rotation has been phenomenal thus far. If they want to find the postseason in 2017, that will have to continue.

Reason Why They Will Fail – Their bullpen can’t always be trusted. Even if they hold onto leads early in the season, they allow base-runners very often. It’s not a good recipe to late-inning success.

5) San Diego Padres (61 – 101)

Key Pitcher – Jhoulys Chacin

Key Batter – Wil Myers

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Padres will need a surprisingly strong effort from a fairly unknown pitching rotation. If the pitchers can be successful, the lineup isn’t too bad.

Reason Why They Will Fail – This is a clear rebuilding year for the Padres. They don’t have great players outside of Wil Meyers. They won’t have a good season, but it’ll be good experience for the young guys.

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