Opening day is just around the corner! Members of the WCCO Radio staff predict how the team will do this season.
Vineeta Sawkar - Morning Show Host
Record: 90-72
Led by potential MVP candidate Byron Buxton, the Minnesota Twins will be the surprise team of the American League. With the expansion of the playoff field, the team's offense will keep them in the hunt all season. Sonny Gray and Joe Ryan will provide a solid 1-2 punch. But free agent Chris Archer will put himself in the running for Comeback Player of the Year! The addition of Carlos Correa is energizing the fan base and the team. The moves show a reload, not rebuild attitude by the front office.
Jimmy Erickson - Executive Producer
Record: 85-77
The Twins will go as far as their pitching (both starters and bullpen) will take them. I see Byron Buxton hitting over 30 home runs and being an All-Star along with shortstop Carlos Correa. The team should be in the mix for one of the added playoff spots in September.
Lindsey Peterson - News Director
Record: 82-80
The Twins will hang with Chicago for most of the season but they really need a couple of additional arms to get into the postseason. The issue by late summer will be pitching depth. The bullpen is going to get stressed and it won't be enough to catch the White Sox. Look for Buxton to stay healthier (relatively) and have a big year, especially with the addition of Correa solidifying the lineup. The Twins will score enough to compete but in the end, the lack of pitching will catch up to the team and they'll limp into second place in the Central just out of the Wild Card (the AL East is loaded so it's the Division or no postseason in 2022).
Dan Edwards - Digital Content Manager
Record: 95-67
The Twins will have no problem scoring runs this season. The league will fear a lineup with Buxton, Correa, Sano...but the key to the season will be the pitching staff. Can the starters stay healthy and eat innings? Will Taylor Rodgers come back to his 2020 form after a finger injury derailed his 2021 season? Limiting runs will be key for hometown nine this season. I believe late-October baseball is in their sights this season.
Joe Hiti - Digital News Producer
Record: 80-82
In my opinion, the Twins have one primary opponent this year, injuries. I don't think the Twins will struggle to put a lineup together capable of scoring runs or making defensive plays in the early part of the season, but I think they will struggle to stay healthy beyond June. If Buxton, Kepler, Sano, and whatever pitching rotation they settle on can stay healthy, the Twins will probably win 90 games. But until we have a season where that happens, I don't want to get my hopes up again, Correa or no Correa, just to be crushed by August.
Dan Cook - Producer of "The Chad Hartman Show"
Record: 85-77
I want to predict a higher win total after the addition of Carlos Correa. Twins fans will love this guy. He’s a legit superstar playing a premium position. In addition to Byron Buxton who looks poised to join Correa in the superstar tier, the Twins should have an offense that scores a fair number of runs, plus above-average to elite defense up the middle. But that pitching staff. Oh, that pitching staff. If the front office manages to go out and add an upper-tier starter and/or a top-notch closer, maybe that win total gets closer to 90 and a potential playoff berth. But as currently constituted? The Twins should be improved over last season, but not enough to make the postseason.