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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: Cleveland Indians at Minnesota Twins
Apr 18, 2017; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) throws to first base for the out during the second inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /

AL Central Final Standings

1) Cleveland Indians (90 – 72)

Key Pitcher – Corey Kluber

Key Batter – Francisco Lindor

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Indians can hit the baseball really hard. That combined with a solid pitching rotation and possibly the best bullpen in the MLB, the Indians are the favorite to come out of the AL again.

Reason Why They Will Fail – Their pitchers have yet to hit their stride. They are inconsistent. The pitching rotation has shown some great outings and some terrible ones. They need to find some consistency.

2) Detroit Tigers (86 – 76)

Key Pitcher – Justin Verlander

Key Batter – Miguel Cabrera

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Detroit Tigers boast a very powerful lineup. Up and down their starting 9, they can hit the ball well. When their on, it’s hard to find a team that can keep up, run for run, with the Tigers.

Reason Why They Will Fail – Their bullpen has been known to let them down. While their offense can provide great run support, the Tigers need to find a way to hold onto leads down the stretch.

3) Minnesota Twins (83 – 79)

Key Pitcher – Ervin Santana

Key Batter – Miguel Sano

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Minnesota Twins are young and fast. Their fielding ability is off the charts. They don’t strikeout too many batters, but with a superb fielding crew behind them, it doesn’t seem to matter.

Reason Why They Will Fail – They are very inconsistent at the plate. The Minnesota Twins have struggled to consistently put runs on the board and it could ultimately be their demise.

4) Kansas City Royals (74 – 88)

Key Pitcher – Danny Duffy

Key Batter – Eric Hosmer

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The Royals fell in love with the deep ball a while ago and haven’t look back. Their ability to hit home-runs is nearly unmatchable.

Reason Why They Will Fail – The Royals struggle defensively. Whether it be their pitching or fielding, they can’t seem to keep other teams off the board. Despite their powerful offense, they don’t seem to have a lot of upside due to their defense.

5) Chicago White Sox (68 – 94)

Key Pitcher – James Shields

Key Batter – Jose Abreu

Reason Why They Will Succeed – The White Sox bullpen has been great to begin the season. They have been able to hold onto small leads without fail. If they can keep this up, they may be able to find a lot of success.

Reason Why They Will Fail – The White Sox don’t have a lot of big name players. They have a few players that scare pitchers when they’re coming to the plate, like Jose Abreu, but they really don’t strike fear into opponents.

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