3 reasons why the Twins might be better than you think

If you're a Minnesota baseball fan, it might finally be time for a little rational exuberance.

For the first time in recent years the Twins have raised expectations of the fan base heading into a new season. Most of us are accustomed to tuning out losing baseball by mid-summer. Now, we have hopes of staying tuned in for a fall pennant race.

This club, which lost more than 90 of 162 games in five of the six seasons before last year, made it to the playoffs last year.

It was only a single, wild card play-in game but it was enough to roll out, dust off and hitch up the bandwagon.

Stuff went right last year. The Twins beat teams they weren't supposed to beat. And playing the New York Yankees in that single post-season game made even casual Twins fans sit up and take notice. They hadn't seen a playoff since 2010, Target Field's opening season (yes, when they lost to the Yankees).

Now, after a good 2017 season and a prudently plotted, well-executed off-season, Twins fans are hoping for an entire summer of competitive games and a playoff run in September and October.

Here are three reasons to be appropriately optimistic:

1) Baseball's best athlete wears a Twins uniform

It is Byron Buxton's time. Defensively, the center fielder is as good as they get. He covers more outfield ground than any other player. He has incredible speed and routinely makes the ESPN highlight reel for sliding, diving catches and glove work against and above the wall.

In previous years, Buxton has been inconsistent with a bat in his hands, but in 2017 he showed steady improvement at the plate finishing with a .253 batting average and 16 home runs.

2) The Twins have youthful players with some experience

Buxton at age 24 is still young, and because the Twins have been patient (some might say neglectful) during multiple seasons of rebuilding, he and many of his teammates, although youthful, are at the same time veterans with many games under their belts.

Right fielder Max Kepler is 25, left fielder Eddie Rosario is 26, shortstop Jorge Polanco is 24 and third baseman Miguel Sano is 24. Polanco will miss half of the season serving a suspension for taking a performance-enhancing drug, but the others have honed their fielding and hitting skills and have much to contribute.

As for the Twins seasoned veterans; Brian Dozier is one of the best power-hitting second basemen in baseball, Joe Mauer played nearly flawless first base and hit .305 last year, catcher Jason Castro is strong defensively and super-sub Eduardo Escobar begins the season as the starting shortstop.

3) The team's new management wants to win

Top to bottom, Twins pitching is far better this year. Here, the team's front-office management duo of Derek Falvey and Thad Levine have added some important pieces.

Newcomers Jake Odorizzi and Lance Lynn are starters in the rotation, joining Jose Berrios, Ervin Santana (who starts the season recovering from surgery) and Kyle Gibson.

Newcomers Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zach Duke are a significant upgrade in the bullpen and will compete for innings with returning players Phil Hughes, Trevor Hildenberger, Taylor Rogers and Ryan Pressly.

Falvey and Levine also added Logan Morrison who offers a hefty bat at designated hitter and occasional first base.

Prediction

The Twins should compete for a wild-card playoff spot again this season. If the men of the mound stay healthy and the team gets continued improvement from Buxton, Kepler and Sano, the Twins may give Cleveland a run for a division title in the American League Central Division.

It will be cold and snowy when baseball returns to the Northland Thursday, so we should probably keep our shirts on for the opener. But we are shedding built-up despair and learned negativity.

Phil Picardi is an MPR News newscaster who admits to watching too much sports. But he was right about the Eagles winning the Super Bowl and that the Gophers-Green Bay game in the women's NCAA basketball tournament would be awesome. So, maybe he's on a roll.