Minnesota Twins: Projected Playoff Roster

The Minnesota Twins against all odds are in line to appear in the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Just who will be making the playoff roster?

Before games start on Friday, September 22 the Minnesota Twins find themselves in the 2nd wild-card spot. Which at this point seems incredible after they were just swept by the New York Yankees who are now 6.5 games ahead of the Twins for the top wild-card position.

While the Twins sit 2.5 games ahead of the Los Angeles Angels and Texas Rangers, the playoffs in 2017 are not a certainty but it is seeming more realistic each day. If the Twins are able to stay where they are in the standings they will be a playoff participant for the first time since the 2010 season.

As the standings are currently constructed the Twins will face that familiar playoff foe, the Yankees, just like they did in 2010. It was in that series the Yankees swept the Twins out of the playoffs 3-0. And after the most recent series, it certainly feels like history is doomed to repeat itself and the Yankees will deal the Twins another playoff exit.

The big difference between 2017 and 2010 is the playoff format. Instead of a 5 game series, the Twins will only have a one-game playoff to battle the Yankees in. Meaning the Twins only need one good game against the Yankees and they can continue into the next round of the playoffs. For the moment we will try and forget that all they need is one bad game and they will head home once again.

As playoff fever starts to become very present amongst Twins fans we can now start to speculate on who might make the Twins’ playoff roster and reverse the losing trend when facing the Yankees. There are some difficult decisions that the Twins’ leadership will have to make. Especially since playoff rosters take on a different feel than regular season rosters do. Beginning with the starting lineup we will take a look at the Twins’ roster options.

Starting Lineup

C Jason Castro

1B Joe Mauer

2B Brian Dozier

3B Miguel Sano/Eduardo Escobar

SS Jorge Polanco

LF Eddie Rosario

CF Byron Buxton

RF Max Kepler

DH Robbie Grossman/Eduardo Escobar

There isn’t much of a surprise here. The starting lineup has little to tweak and question. The one big question surrounds Miguel Sano’s availability as he tries to come back from injury. If I had to solidly land on a prediction it would be that Sano will be a DH at best for the playoffs. That would make Eduardo Escobar the starting third basemen and force Robbie Grossman to the bench.

If there is another question about the starting lineup it has to be if Max Kepler can hit left-handers well enough to stay in the starting lineup if the team faces one. In the New York Yankee series, it appeared that Molitor had trust in Kepler to have good at-bats against lefties. Not to mention having Kepler in right is just the best for the defense and the question marks that still face the teams pitching.

Fans should be able to continue to have good feelings about the lineup going into the playoffs. It is by far the strongest part of this team. As Joe Mauer continues to have a renaissance hitting performance and it feels like a new young bat steps up to be the hero each night.

Bench

C Chris Gimenez

UTL Ehire Adrianza

OF Zach Granite

OF Grossman/INF Escobar

1B/DH Kennys Vargas 

While the starting lineup created very little in the way of discussion, the bench has a little more intrigue to it. Chris Gimenez as the backup catcher is a certain lock. As well as either Grossman or Escobar depending on what exactly is going on with Sano. Ehire Adrianza and his versatility to play the infield and outfield and a bat that has produced some important hits earns him a spot on the playoff roster.

Looks like Zach Granite has also earned himself a spot on this roster as a defensive replacement for the outfield and a pinch runner. Considering there are a number of guys that can play the outfield on this roster, it wouldn’t be shocking if Granite is left off of it to create space to carry an extra bullpen arm.

Lastly, it seems Kennys Vargas has earned a role as a pinch-hitter and potential spot start DH with the playoff Twins. Since August 21st when Vargas has been regularly included in the lineup he has hit .300/.407/.947 with a .947 OPS. Vargas as a switch-hitting, power bat is a nice asset for a playoff team’s bench.

Starting Rotation

RH Ervin Santana

RH Jose Berrios

RH Kyle Gibson

This aspect of the roster only offers 3 positions come playoff time, but it may provide the most controversial position as well. The two easy decisions are that Ervin Santana and Jose Berrios will continue to be the #1 and #2 starters for the Twins. Santana has continued to be steady and reliable as he boasts a 3.34 ERA on the year and in the last 10 games a 3.29 ERA. Not to mention he has proven capable of taking over a game and winning it for his team with five complete games, three of which were shutouts this season.

After his start against the New York Yankees, there is concern surrounding Berrios and big game starts but he is still a lock here. There is a lot going on outside of baseball right now for Berrios so Twins’ fans will be hoping he is able to push that out of his mind or use it as fuel to help him pitch well.

It seems incredible to be typing this, but Kyle Gibson is the pick for the third starter. Things can change yet in the remaining games, but outside of his most recent start where he gave up 5 earned runs in 6.0 innings, Gibson is a better option and edges out Bartolo Colon.