The Minnesota Twins are headed into the final series of the regular season, so it’s time to see where they rank against the seven American League contenders.
It’s now late September, and with fall here it’s playoff time in baseball. The Minnesota Twins currently lead the American League Central, but are very close to several other teams. Here’s where they stand for seeding:
2 GB of Tampa Bay Rays, the first place team.
Even with the Oakland Athletics (though the A’s have two less games, keeping the A’s in second place).
1 G ahead of the White Sox for the AL Central Division Crown (Sox are now in fourth).
2.5 games ahead of the Yankees (who are currently in fifth).
The Astros will finish in sixth place (the Angels would need a miracle) as they are too far behind the Top 5 teams.
2.0 games ahead of Cleveland, who are in seventh, despite having the fifth best record.
5.5 games ahead of Toronto (again, the Angels need a miracle for this spot). The Blue Jays will be locked into this spot with one more win.
This is a truly crazy race. With just three games left for the Twins, the team could finish as high as first or as low as seventh in the American League. They can face every single opponent at this point, and because of that, we break down and rank every single team in the AL playoff field.
We grade these playoff teams by grading their rotation, bullpen, lineup, and bench/intangibles on a scale of 1-5 and then average it out. It’s a process, but we’ll go through it. In addition, we also have an estimated percentage of the chance the Twins play that team. Let’s go.
Francisco Lindor of the Cleveland Indians bats against the Minnesota Twins. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images) /
Playoff Contender No. 8: Toronto Blue Jays (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 5%)
Overall Grade: 3
Rotation: 3
Bullpen: 3
Lineup: 4
Bench/Intangibles: 2
The Toronto Blue Jays were the last team into the playoffs for a reason: they’re VERY young. The average age of their starting nine is 25 years old. They’re going to be a force in a couple years, but for now they’re pretty green, including with their manager, who’s working his second full season on the job.
Hyun Jin-Ryu is a legitimate ace, but the rotation behind him is questionable at best. Taijuan Walker has looked good since coming over with a 1.54 ERA, but his FIP of 4.60 suggests trouble. No one else looks ready for a postseason start. In the bullpen, it’s the same. There are good options, but very few of them.
There’s very little postseason experience on this roster and the depth of this team is lacking. I think they should be proud of this season, but whichever first place team faces them should have a relatively easy time.
Playoff Contender No. 7: Houston Astros (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 30%)
Overall Grade: 3.5
Rotation: 4
Bullpen: 4
Lineup: 3
Bench/Intangibles: 3
The Astros spent their first year post-cheating scandal struggling with injuries and ineffectiveness, but pitching has carried this team to the postseason. The lineup has been awful all year outside of Michael Brantley, George Springer, and Kyle Tucker, though none of those three have been great.
The only hope the Astros have is their pitching. Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. have been very good in 2020 and have 27 playoff games and 20 playoff starts between them. On top of that, Framber Valdez has emerged as an ace in the absence of Justin Verlander, and that bullpen is good.
The bench is rough, and that hitting has to pull something together. The pitching alone isn’t good enough to win a World Series. To finish it all off, A.J. Hinch is no longer the manager, Dusty Baker is, and his 23-32 playoff record (among other playoff struggles) makes him a really tough man for the job.
Playoff Contender No. 6: Oakland Athletics (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 5%)
Overall Grade: 3.5
Rotation: 3
Bullpen: 5
Lineup: 2.5
Bench/Intangibles: 3.5
Yes, the Oakland Athletics are currently the No. 2 team in the American League, but there really isn’t much to be worried about outside of the bullpen. The rotation has a decent starter trio in Chris Bassitt, Jesus Luzardo, and Sean Manea, but none of those guys are aces.
When Matt Chapman went down, the A’s lost their best player and team leader, and it’s hurt them even more than expected. They’re seventh in the AL in runs, fourteenth in batting average, twelfth in slugging, but fifth in walks. This team doesn’t score a lot.
Luckily for the A’s, the bullpen is excellent. Five different relievers have ERAs below 3.00 and their FIPs back it up. In addition, the A’s never look great statistically, but they fight hard. They won’t be an easy out, but this team isn’t a World Series contender.
Playoff Contender No. 5: Cleveland Indians (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 25%)
Overall Grade: 3.75
Rotation: 5
Bullpen: 4
Lineup: 3
Bench/Intangibles: 3
Cleveland is one of the tougher opponents the Twins might face in the playoffs, despite the Minnesota Twins going 7-3 against them during the regular season. The secret? The rotation and the streaky lineup.
This rotation gets the only 5 that we will hand out to a group of starters for a reason. Shane Bieber is a lock for the AL Cy Young and has a outside shot at the AL MVP. after that, Aaron Civale, Carlos Carrasco, and Zach Plesac offer a DANGEROUS playoff rotation.
The bullpen is solid too, with several late inning options that can hold a lead the starters give them, and though Terry Francona might not be fully into it, Sandy Alomar has done a very solid job and their shouldn’t be too much of a let down there.
The real question here is the lineup: It’s the most top-heavy in baseball, with Jose Ramirez is great, and Francisco Lindor and Cesar Hernandez are doing fine, but Franmil Reyes is now ice cold and the rest of the lineup is unwatchable. If this lineup pulls it together, they could be a tough out.
Playoff Contender No. 4: Chicago White Sox (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 5%)
Overall Grade: 3.875
Rotation: 4
Bullpen: 4
Lineup: 4.5
Bench/Intangibles: 3
The Chicago White Sox may be the Twins’ closest competitor for the division crown, but they certainly aren’t as complete of a team as the Twins. The White Sox have a solid rotation, as Lucas Giolito is a good Game 1 starter and Dallas Kuechel and Dylan Cease are very good backup starters.
The bullpen is good, not great, but their lineup is their biggest strength. Tim Anderson, Eloy Jimenez, and MVP candidate Jose Abreu lead the best offensive unit in the AL. They have a good bench too, but they’re winning in spite of their management. That management could be the reason they see a quick postseason exit.
Playoff Contender No. 3: New York Yankees (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 25%)
Overall Grade: 3.875
Rotation: 4.5
Bullpen: 4
Lineup: 3.5
Bench/Intangibles: 3.5
The dreaded New York Yankees improved on paper, but were ravaged by injuries throughout the year. They hobble into the playoffs after getting beat by the Blue Jays, and really don’t look that threatening to anyone outside of Minnesota.
The rotation is good, and Gerrit Cole is one of the best starters in the league, and following him with Masahiro Tanaka and a resurgent J.A. Happ is very impressive. If they need a fourth starter though, there aren’t many options.
The bullpen is good, but has underperformed for the number of big names they have, keeping them from earning a four. The same can be said for their lineup, where D.J. LeMahieu, Luke Voit, and Gio Urshela are the only high performers in 2020.
On top of all this, Aaron Boone has yet to prove he’s a high level playoff manager, and their depth is a little suspect. This is still a very good team, but not one that Twins fans should be afraid of. This simply isn’t their year.
Playoff Contender No: 2: Minnesota Twins
Overall Grade: 4
Rotation: 4.5
Bullpen: 4.5
Lineup: 3.5
Bench/Intangibles: 3.5
For the Minnesota Twins, as our hometown team is getting hot at the right time. The rotation led by a true ace in Kenta Maeda, and followed by Michael Pineda and Jose Berrios, who are getting smoking hot at the right time. The only reason they miss a five is Rich Hill isn’t a perfect fourth starter and there isn’t a lot of postseason experience from starters outside of Hill.
The bullpen is a definite strength, and a couple meltdowns over a long season shouldn’t take away from that. Sergio Romo has loads of playoff experience as a former closer for a three-time World Series champ. Tyler Clippard also offers postseason experience, and the only thing this group lacks is a true lockdown closer. Taylor Rogers is a relief ace, but he hasn’t been great in 2020.
For the lineup, this grade depends on which lineup shows up. The Twins have been producing lately as the team gets healthy, but they spent most of the season struggling mightily. If they keep this hot streak going into the playoffs, this grade will improve too. This group has lots of playoff experience (Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson especially).
The Twins’ bench is good. Marwin Gonzalez and Jake Cave offer good depth when they are used as bench guys, and Ryan Jeffers is fantastic. This roster has been to the playoffs before and is getting another shot to prove themselves. As far as managers go, Rocco Baldelli led this team to 101 wins in 2019 and is on a 100 win pace in 2020. Now it’s time to prove himself in the playoffs.
Playoff Contender No. 1: Tampa Bay Rays (Chance they play the Minnesota Twins first round: 5%)
Overall Grade: 4
Rotation: 4
Bullpen: 4.5
Lineup: 3.5
Bench/Intangibles: 4
There is a reason that the Tampa Bay Rays are headed for the one seed, and that’s because they don’t have any holes. As a team, they are the most complete group in the American League, with a rotation with four good starters, a very deep bullpen with several different guys who can get saves, and a manager who is one of the best in the league.
The only question is the lineup. The team has a deep bench, but they also strikeout a lot and struggle hitting for average. They do get on base a ton, and slug really well, so that shouldn’t matter as much, but as far as teams go, this is a pretty complete unit.
Next. Minnesota Twins: Projecting a Twins Infield for the Playoffs. dark
