Despite my urgings, it appears that people are panicking about the Twins. A 5-12 record will do that. I am here to tell you all, however, that it’s not the end of the world, nor is it the end of the season. Here are three reference points for your.
First, back in 1991, the team went 7-10 in their first 17 games, which is only 2 games better than the Twins current pace. Yes, the Twins won the World Series that year, but the season before, they finished in last place in the AL West. The point here is, the season is a long one. Just because a team that struggled the season before is struggling at the beginning of the current season, the season isn’t over.
Second, last season’s record was 6-11 through 17 games. Why is this significant? Because they played a schedule that included the Royals A’s and Blue Jays (twice). It was a tough schedule last season, but significantly easier than the one the Twins have faced this year. They have about the same record, and, outside of the Orioles to start the season, there have been no gimmes on the schedule.
Lastly, look at the Twins roster. They have been healthy on offense, and the bullpen is much improved. There are still some worries in the rotation, obviously, but take a look at the roster from 2002, the last time the Twins won a post season series. The starters’ ERAs were 3.78, 4.23, 4.84 and 4.72. Eventually, Johan Santana stepped in and was dominant, but those other 4 ERAs led the team to a post season berth! I find it hard to believe that the 4 pitchers the team does end up with in the rotation will do much worse than that. And on offense, the team will get more power from Josh Willingham than Jacque Jones, while Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer are significantly better than Doug Mientkiewicz and AJ Pierzynski. That team had Cristian Guzman leading off. This one has Denard Span. (Admittedly, the 2002 team had a much, much better bullpen than the 2012 version)
What’s my point in all this? The team is better than you think, and when they move into May and June, they will definitely show it. A combination of being spoiled by excellent teams through the 2000s, and an improved AL Central just makes everything look a little rough around the edges.
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