It's that time of year when predictions for the season are made. I've come up with some bold predictions for this year. Remember, these are bold predictions, not easy lay up predictions so they may all come true, but they also might prove to be horribly inaccurate come October. These are all realistic possibilities, some may me more likely than others.
1. Brooks Lee starts the most games at second base, and just misses out on the all star game
There has been a lot of talk about who will start at second base. Options include Austin Martin, Eduoard Julien, Brooks Lee and Mickey Gasper. While Gasper has gotten a lot of news lately, and Julien has hit well during Spring Training, I think Lee will be the one to start the most games at second base this year. I'll even go a step further and say he just misses out on the all star game. Lee was an early first round pick for a reason and he is set up to take a big step forward this season.
2. Byron Buxton plays more games than last year and finishes top 10 in AL MVP voting
I know, I know. Predicting a mostly healthy season for Buxton seems a bit far fetched, but he did play more games in 2024 than any other season since 2017. Buxton has shown he can be an elite bat and play platinum glove level defense. He's seemingly healthy to start this year, so I think he will play more games than 2024, and his value will be higher than ever. In 102 games in 2024, Buxton was worth 3.6 bWAR, so if he plays in more games, there is no reason to think he won't be even more valuable this season. If this does happen, a top 10 MVP finish is absolutely in reach.
3. Zebby Matthews grabs hold of a rotation spot and doesn't let go
Matthews got his first taste of the major leagues in 2024, and had mixed results. He gave up a few too many home runs, but lots of young pitchers struggle when first called up. Reminder that Matthews had a meteoric rise through the Twins system, starting the season at High-A and making his debut about four months later. I think Matthews will be called up to make a start, or two, and be good enough that he stays in the rotation. Matthews can take the first part of the season at Triple-A and continue to improve on his development that took a huge step forward this past season.
4. Trevor Larnach takes a huge step forward, cementing himself as a middle of the order bat
A former first round pick, Larnach has shown promise in the past few years and had a solid year in 2024, posting an above average 116 OPS+ while hitting 15 home runs over 400 plate appearances. I think he takes another step forward and truly cements himself as a middle of the order bat for a Twins team looking at him as a potential long term option in the corner outfield. He'll likely get even more games this year and I'm predicting a 3 WAR season from Larnach this year.
5. The Twins win the division with a week left to play
Most projection systems have the Twins winning between 85 and 88 games, which would put them firmly in the discussion for winning the AL Central. Not only am I predicting the Twins win the AL Central, but I am predicting they lock the division up with about a week left to play. Does this mean other teams aren't as good as expected? Maybe. Does this mean the Twins are better than projected? This seems more plausible. The Twins played at a 90+ win pace prior to finishing the year 9-18 over their last 27 games. I think the Twins are a bit more consistent this year, and don't go anywhere near as long between playoff wins as they previously had. Expect a fun-filled year in the AL Central with four teams expected to be pretty competitive.