In the modern era of teams tanking for draft picks, you don't see teams like the Twins very often. 2011, year after winning the division, they finish in last. 2017, year after they lose 100 games, they're in the AL wild card game. For the Twins, there is no tanking. There are good seasons and bad seasons. But neither one changes the team dynamic...which is refreshing.
This team, which is engineered as a contender, as opposed to last year's tank-ready...second place team, is still led by the same people, like Jose Berrios, Eddie Rosario and Byron Buxton, but...specific changes have been made to ensure that, if a second-place finish is going to happen this year, that it's going to be a competitive second place. For instance- Nelson Cruz is the DH. Which means that however many clutch wins they weren't having last year have been added on to the final win tally. Cruz is ridiculous at this point, hitting home runs while still hitting for average.
But...the most startling development has been the emphasis on using Willians Astudillo more often. Now the fans have embraced him, which was a foregone conclusion, and his bench numbers have been so insane that the Tortuga sightings have upstaged pretty much everything else worth talking about. This includes Jose Berrios' great start, Michael Pineda's return, Jorge Polanco's cycle, and countless other things that should be getting attention. No, everybody loves La Tortuga. And why shouldn't they? Astudillo is tons of fun, and hopefully will squeeze into a starting role somewhere.
This is a sharp, impressive team, and will hopefully endure competition from Cleveland and Detroit. But...having Cruz and Astudillo certainly helps.
Coming Tonight: After Gerrit Cole left, there was a need for a young fireballer in Pittsburgh. Luckily they had someone for the task.
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