Yes, the Twins may be the weakest 1st place team out there right now, but that does not make them a bad team. Not with the amount of great pitching performances they're getting right now.
It's actually pretty cathartic, because when I was down in Spring Training a few months ago, I got to see a bunch of Twins pitchers taking drills, and that is a pretty stacked bunch of arms. There were people like Bailey Ober, Josh Winder, Cole Sanda, Jorge Alcala I think and Louie Varland just cavorting around and taking drills. Even if these weren't, like, the name pitchers, like Lopez or Gray or Ryan, they were very good looking players, and big as hell. You see people like that warming up and you think, well either they make something of themselves after all this prep or they don't. And sure enough, in three starts so far Bailey Ober has a 0.98 ERA and 2 wins, so it turns out that they're just that good.
Sonny Gray's still having an excellent season, Pablo Lopez is still as strong as he was in Miami, and though he's gonna miss a few months, Tyler Mahle was handing in great stuff before the injury. I still think the most intriguing case in this rotation is Joe Ryan, a guy the Rays gave up for Nelson Cruz and went on to find himself immediately in Minneapolis. Ryan, so far, is 5-1 with a 2.45 ERA and 47 Ks, and he's begun the season with a 1.6 WAR. Despite missing a few games last season, Ryan has been one of the Twins' most consistent pitchers since coming over here, throws hard but not hard enough to scare team medics, and has yet to have a truly torrid season. The Twins needed a guy like him after losing so many homegrown arms, and he's been just as steady as they've wanted him to be. I know Sonny Gray is the guy they're talking about right now, but if Gray evens out, I do think Ryan will have the bigger and more consistent year of anyone on this team, and it may do his future value some wonders.
With all the great pitchers aiding this team, including relievers like Jhoan Duran, Jorge Lopez and Griffin Jax, it's a pity that so many members of this lineup aren't hitting. Trevor Larnach had a nice start but is now back in AAA. Carlos Correa's hitting below the Mendoza line in his first year on the new contract. Vazquez, after a strong start, went very cold all of the sudden. Really only Buxton and Kepler are doing impressive things right now, and it should be more than that. And, yes, Joey Gallo is hitting for power, but his average is worse than Correa's. It's not looking great, even if the pitching is saving the day a lot.
The Twins' lineup holding them back is something I do worry about, but with the Guardians and Tigers both having slip-ups of their own, there's enough of a margin of error that they should be alright for now. It'd just be nice if this once-power-friendly team could start hitting a little more consistently.
Coming Tonight: A guy who's been a consistent power guy for a team that is clinging hopelessly to their April start.
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