MLB Betting – Minnesota Twins 2020 Season Preview

• Twins World Series odds relatively short at 15/1

• Twins haven’t strung together consecutive winning seasons since 2008-10

• Team has well-equipped arms to solidify pitching staff including Josh Donaldson

• Bookmaker offering generous welcome bonus with maximum of $1000

Last season was a blast for the Minnesota Twins – literally. They reached 100 wins for only the second time in franchise history and set a MLB record by clubbing 307 home runs. The Twins won the AL Central for the first time in nearly a decade but were swept in the playoffs, leaving a sour taste in their mouths after a 23-game improvement from 2018. Looking to take advantage of a championship window that remains open, the Twins added some pieces and are considered among a few teams with a realistic chance of winning the World Series in 2020.

2020 Minnesota Twins At A Glance

Minnesota Twins World Series Odds +1485

Minnesota Twins AL Pennant Odds +736

Minnesota Twins AL Central Odds -170

2020 Minnesota Twins Overview

The Twins are the class of the AL Central and thus are a negative odds favorite to capture the crown again. Getting to the postseason hasn’t been a problem with two visits in the last three years. The issue has been winning games once there. Swept in the ALDS by the Yankees last season the Twins have dropped 16 straight playoff games. That’s right they haven’t won since Game 1 of the 2004 ALDS.

One troubling thing about the Twins is their inconsistency. They haven’t strung together consecutive winning seasons since 2008-10 and their 2017 playoff club was followed by a 78-win disaster. So what leads us to believe they can overcome that troubling trend in 2020? Well, management made a splash during the offseason bringing in Josh Donaldson and some well-equipped arms to solidify the pitching staff.

Donaldson’s bat will help with any regression that’s expected from a team that scored the second-most runs thanks to the home run barrage. The staff was exposed when the offense faltered in the playoffs. Former Dodger hurlers Rich Hill and Kenta Maeda should help stabilize the group and make the Twinkies a sleeper pick to win it all.

Pitching

Chicks dig the long ball and because of that the Twins staff was overshadowed in 2019. The group had the ninth-best ERA at 4.18 and returns its top two starters in Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi. Maeda gets back to a fulltime starters role after bouncing between the bullpen in the overstocked Dodgers rotation, and the delayed start to the season gives Hill a chance to recover.

Homer Bailey, Jhoulys Chacin and Randy Dobnak will get a chance to eat innings on the back end of the rotation. Management made an effort to restock the staff and by all accounts the moves make the Twins stronger.

Continued development from Berrios will go a long way toward helping the Twins repeat. He struggled later in the year but was a solid 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA in 200.1 innings. Odorizzi won a career-best 15 games last year with a 3.51 ERA. Maeda slots in at No. 3 in the rotation with high expectations. He got lost in the shuffle in LA spending more time in the pen the last two years. A full-time starter in 2016 he went 16-11 with a 3.48 ERA.

Led by closer Taylor Rogers, the Twins have a solid group of relievers. The addition of Tyler Clippard gives added depth and experience to a unit that ranked among the top-10 in ERA. Rogers took over last season emerging as one of the best closers with 30 saves and pinpoint control.

Hitting

What more can you say about the Twins offense. They exploded for a MLB record 307 home runs and may have gotten stronger with the addition of Donaldson. Five players hit more than 30 homers last season and they all return. Nelson Cruz popped 41, Max Kepler had 36, Miguel Sano hit 34, Eddie Rosario 32 and Mitch Garver 31. It’s important to note that the Twins struck out the sixth-fewest times, which is quite amazing for a team of long-ballers. When the power numbers decline at least they’ll put the bat on the ball.

C.J. Cron hit 25 homers last year and was allowed to walk to make room for Donaldson. Sano will likely take over at first base with Donaldson manning third. JD bounced back from an injury-plagued 2018 to hit 37 homers with 94 RBIs for the Braves last season. His presence will help a lineup that scored just seven runs while being swept in the LDS last season. We haven’t mentioned Byron Buxton, the gifted outfielder who was shelved with a shoulder injury after 87 games. The lineup is potent and will win a lot of games in 2020.

2020 Minnesota Twins Season Pick

Even with an abbreviated schedule the Twins have the talent to win the AL Central. They mash the baseball like no other team and the pitching staff got seriously upgraded over the offseason. There are also top prospects waiting their turn just in case something drastic happens. I have them as a top team in the AL and wouldn’t be surprised if they made a run at World Series title.

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- Phil Simon, Gambling911.com