The Minnesota Twins hold the top spot in the AL Central division while continuing to fight through adversity. Can they press forward through bad weather and tough competition to win the division?

Season Start

The beginning of the 2023 major league baseball season is going swimmingly for the Twins. They won their first seven of 10 games, including back-to-back victories against the World Series champion Houston Astros.

In addition to their Houston victories, they’ve also posted a 4-3 record against the New York Yankees.

Despite Minnesotas’ hot start this season, it’s the cold weather that makes victory seem even sweeter. Twins hitters have done a fantastic job of ignoring the cold and connecting through the early season bitter spells.

At the time of this publication the Twins have hit 62 home runs and a team batting average of .232. They also have a total of 217 runs, which is 12th in all major league baseball.

Some of the top players attributing to such a hot start are as follows:

• Joey Gallo, 1b – Hit 11 home runs and 23 RBI’s. His batting average is light at .213, but will improve throughout the season.

• Byron Buxton, DH – Has moved from center field to designated hitter. Thus far he’s hit nine home runs and 21 RBI’s with a .235 average. Buxton also adds four stolen bases to his excellent hitting.

• Carlos Correa, SS – Correas’ batting average is a tad low at .205, but he’s hit nine homers and contributed with 23 RBI’s.

These three have done an excellent job of setting the tone for the Twins this season, but others have hit well too.

Max Keplar has six homers, and if more runners were on base he’d have more than just 14 RBI’s. Another player undervalued is Trevor Larnach. He’s hit five home runs and a team leading 27 RBI’s.

Wherever you look throughout this Twins lineup you’ll find power and base hitting. But as impressive and well-balanced as the hitting is; the Twins pitching is even better!

Meet The Pitchers

The Twins are one of the best teams in MLB at protecting a lead and it all starts with pitching. They boast the third best pitching staff in all of baseball with a collective 3.40 ERA.

Leading this pack of talented arms is Pablo Lopez. He is 27 years-old and showcases a live arm. Minnesota signed him away from the Miami Marlins this past summer in hopes of him becoming their ace.

Since joining the Twins, Lopez has been impressive. He’s logged 75 strikeouts and a 3.90 ERA — which is third best in the American league.

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Pablo Lopez fights through adversity. While his win/loss record (2-3) hasn’t reflected just how well he’s pitching, improved run support will help his record..

Next on our list of impressive Twins starting pitching is Joe Ryan. He has tremendous command of all of his pitches and his fastball followed by his spliter is an impossible combination to hit.

Ryan has real starting pitcher moxie and you can feel it in the stadium as he takes the mound. He owns a 2.25 ERA and has accrued 66 strikeouts thus far.

He has the lowest WHIP .93 ( Walks And Hits Per Inning Pitched) out of the whole rotation.

His two swan-song performances came against the Astros and Yankees. In each outing he amassed 10 strikeouts and kept batters guessing.

At the ripe age of 26, Joe Ryan has all the makings of a young pitcher ready to make a run at his first CY Young award.

Last but not least of this ‘lights out’ pitching trio is Sonny Gray. He is off to a hot start in 2023 by posting a 1.82 ERA coupled with 66 strikeouts.

Grays’ strengths on the mound are his off-speed pitches. His ability to throw a great changeup followed by an excellent slider holds important value against stacked lineups.

His unblemished record of 4-0 shines bright in a rotation that ranks third in all of baseball. Continuing dominance with his best pitches is key to Minnesota keeping their lead in the AL Central.

As long as the Twins collectively continue to fight through adversity, fans can take a break from swimming in the land of 1,000 lakes and enjoy a ballgame with their family.

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