SteemSports Presenter:
SteemSports Editor:
he Twins were one of the most surprising and biggest success stories of the 2017 baseball season. A year removed from finishing a cringe-inducing 59-103 and predicted by most pundits to finish last in the American League Central, the Twins finished 85-77, good for second place in the division and landing them one of the coveted Wild Card spots. Unfortunately, the dream ended there as they fell to the Yankees 8-4.
Impact Additions:
Logan Morrison, Jake Odorizzi, Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed
Key Departures:
Hector Santiago, Bartolo Colon, Glen Perkins, Matt Belisle
Projected Lineup:
2B - Brian Dozier
1B - Joe Mauer
3B - Miguel Sano
DH - Logan Morrison
CF - Byron Buxton
LF - Eddie Rosario
SS - Jorge Polanco
RF - Max Kepler
C - Jason Castro
Projected Rotation:
Ervin Santana (DL until late May)
Jose Berrios
Jake Odorizzi
Kyle Gibson
Phil Hughes
Projected Closer:
Fernando Rodney
Addison Reed
Despite having an offense that looked underwhelming on paper, the Twins managed to score 815 runs during the 2017 regular season, good for seventh most among all MLB teams. Brian Dozier had another terrific season atop the lineup while Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario had breakout years, beginning to live up to their massive potential. The Twins weren’t content to trot out the same lineup again in 2018 though and hope for the best, they plucked Logan Morrison off of the free agent market at a considerable discount. LoMo clubbed 38 homers for the Rays in 2017 and adds a dimension of power that was lacking from the middle of the Twins’ lineup.
In addition to the kids in the lineup showing their stuff in 2017, the Twins also had a veteran experience a career renaissance in Joe Mauer. The 34-year-old will never be confused for a power-hitting first baseman, but he delivered his best performance since 2013, slashing .305/.384/.417 in his 141 games. He’s still locked into the two-hole against right-handed pitching and as long as he’s able to keep getting on base, the Twins will be just fine there.
The Twins were also able to upgrade their pitching staff over the winter. They inked Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke to free agent deals to bolster the back end of their bullpen, which was a weakness at various points during the 2017 campaign. They also upgraded their starting rotation, acquiring Jake Odorizzi from the Rays. Once Ervin Santana returns, that gives the Twins a legit top three starters, something they haven’t had in Minnesota since the days of Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano.
Fantasy Sleeper - Logan Morrison - 1B
It feels odd calling someone a sleeper after they slashed .246/.353/.516 with a career-high 38 homers and 85 RBI across 149 games in 2017, but here we are. The Twins were actually a tremendous landing spot for Morrison, as he’ll see close to everyday at-bats in the middle of a lineup that does a nice job getting on base ahead of him. He isn’t likely to approach 40 homers again, but 25-28 bombs and 90+ RBI look like a steal at his current ADP of 306. Get your shares now as his stock will continue to rise as the season approaches.
Fantasy Bust - Byron Buxton - OF
Let me first preface this by saying that I love Byron Buxton. I think that he’s immensely talented and is going to be a superstar in this league. His inclusion as a bust here is entirely due to his current cost in drafts. Buxton is currently being selected at the end of the third round in 15-team leagues, and that’s simply too high for my liking. Yes, he had a massive second half in 2017 and has the upside to finish as the top overall player in all of fantasy baseball. This is a player that still has flaws in his game though. He still struck out nearly 30% of the time last year and plays his home games in a park that isn’t conducive to right-handed power. He also had only 120 combined runs and RBI in 2017. Those counting stats in 2018 will be dependent on where he hits in the lineup. If he bats fifth, as I project, he should see a nice bump in RBI. He’s a major asset in stolen bases and should slug 15-20 homers, but he’s projected to be around league average in the other three categories. In the third round, I’m still looking for five-category production from my hitters, and Buxton simply isn’t likely to provide that.
Team Projection
While the Twins may have overachieved slightly in 2017, their roster looks much stronger and deeper heading into the 2018 campaign. It doesn’t hurt that they’ll also be playing in the worst division in baseball, as the Tigers, Royals and White Sox are all rebuilding, leaving the Twins and Indians to battle it out for the division. I expect the Twins to fall short of the Indians, but to once again secure a Wild Card berth.