I’ll be starting a new series and every so often I’ll ask you guys for questions, and I’ll choose a few to answer. I’ll try to do these once a week so you guys can get more questions answered.
Could we see the Twins in the World Series?
It’s very possible with this team. This is one, if not the most talented team in Twins history. The window opened in 2019 and the Twins won 101 games, set a home run record, and won the division. This team is much more talented than last year’s. The only team that stands in the way is the Yankees.
Who do you see being a surprise player to make the Opening Day roster?
I think Nick Gordon is a potential surprise player we could see on the Opening Day roster. Maybe a pitcher like Jorge Alcala too. Both have done well in Triple-A. Alcala has made his MLB debut and has done pretty good in his limited innings. Nick Gordon has yet to make his MLB debut but he will very likely debut sometime in 2020.
Thoughts on our current rotation?
Trading for Kenta Maeda helped us a ton at the position we needed the most help. Berrios, Maeda, and Odorizzi is a very solid 1-2-3. The back end of the rotation by mid-June will be two of Homer Bailey, Rich Hill, Michael Pineda, or Lewis Thorpe, all of which are good options for four and five starters. This rotation is good enough so that it should be able to work with our offense to help win us games.
How much will Marwin Gonzalez play with the addition of Josh Donaldson?
The great part about Marwin Gonzalez is that he’s very versatile. He can play everywhere. I think he’ll still get his fair share of playing time because of his versatility and his defense being so good everywhere. His offense isn’t anything to worry about either. With most of our infield playing many games in a season, it’s likely that Gonzalez will be seeing more time in the outfield rather than the infield.
How would you grade the Twins’ offseason?
I think this offseason has been great, and probably the best in Twins history. We addressed all of our needs with good players like Josh Donaldson and Kenta Maeda, as well as some other players who could make an impact. Overall, I’d say it was an A because of the fact we addressed all of our needs. Maybe if we had gotten one of Zack Wheeler, Madison Bumgarner, or Hyun-Jin Ryu it would be an A+, but this offseason was still really good.
How will the Twins do in 2020 with all their new players?
I think the Twins will improve on their amazing 2020 season. I think they’ll finish with 101-104 wins and come close to their home run record set in 2019. As for the pitchers, I think Kenta Maeda will rebound and have a decent season. I also think Berrios, Odorizzi, and Maeda will combine to be a dominant big three.
Who will be the fifth starter?
There are 4 players in contention for the fifth rotation spot. Jhoulys Chacin, Lewis Thorpe, Devin Smetlzer, and Randy Dobnak. I think it will eventually come down to a competition between Chacin and Thorpe. Of those two, it will likely depend on how they do during Spring Training. I think the Twins could choose to have Thorpe in the rotation because he has been a prospect for a while, and has already proven to be successful at the MLB level.
Who will take the last two spots in the bullpen?
With the Graterol trade, it opens up another spot in the bullpen. Some options are Wisler, Alcala, Thorpe, Smeltzer, Dobnak, Chacin, or very unlikely but maybe even Jake Reed. I think it will be Wisler and Alcala because they’re both young and have shown success at high levels before.
That wraps it up for this week. Check my Instagram story soon for opportunities to give questions for me to possibly answer next week.
