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Why the Minnesota Twins are not a fluke (and could win 100 games)

By Chris Schad

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 25: Eddie Rosario #20 and Jonathan Schoop #16 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate scoring runs against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of the game on May 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 25: Eddie Rosario #20 and Jonathan Schoop #16 of the Minnesota Twins celebrate scoring runs against the Chicago White Sox during the first inning of the game on May 25, 2019 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images) /
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TORONTO, ON – MAY 06: Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins knocks in a run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 6, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images)
TORONTO, ON – MAY 06: Eddie Rosario #20 of the Minnesota Twins knocks in a run on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre on May 6, 2019 in Toronto, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

The Twins finally have an established lineup

Over the past couple of seasons, the Twins have been a team that has been waiting on its future. As fans drooled over the potential of Miguel Sano and Byron Buxton as they arrived in Minneapolis, many have waited to see what this lineup would look like once they hit their stride at the major league level.

Before this season, that answer provided inconsistent results. In the train wreck that was the 2016 season, the Twins ranked 10th in runs per game as they waited for several young pieces to gain traction. In 2017, Minnesota rebounded to put up 5.03 runs per game and made the postseason, but slumped back down to 4.56 runs per game in 2018 .

This year, the Twins have seen a lot of the players they have been waiting on come of age. Buxton is currently enjoying the best season of his career leading MLB in doubles and surrounding pieces such as Max Kepler, Eddie Rosario and Jorge Polanco have found a more consistent approach at the plate.

Even the Twins additions have come through as waiver pickup C.J. Cron has added a power element at first base the team hasn’t seen since Justin Morneau and Jonathan Schoop has been a more consistent addition over former Twins mainstay Brian Dozier.

As the season moves along, this lineup should get better as Nelson Cruz returns from a wrist injury and Sano rounds back into form after his delayed start to the season. The Twins may not hit 300 home runs this season, but the run production isn’t going anywhere.

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