5 Twins questions entering the 2021 season

The Minnesota Twins’ 2021 mission to repeat as AL Central champions officially begins April 1 when the team battles the Milwaukee Brewers on opening day.

After a 36-24 regular-season finish in 2020 ended in another disappointing postseason sweep — this time at the hands of the Houston Astros — the pressure is on the Twins to make a deep postseason run in 2021.

To help the cause, many familiar faces will be back in the Twin Cities, including slugger Nelson Cruz, but Minnesota branched out and signed Alex Colome, J.A. Happ and Andrelton Simmons in free agency to give its core a bit of veteran support.

Here’s five important questions about the 2021 Minnesota Twins:

1) How do Nelson Cruz and Josh Donaldson hold up throughout the season?

Minnesota agreed to a one-year, $13 million contract with Cruz, who turns 41 in July, this offseason to return as the team’s designated hitter. Cruz was remarkable in the 2020 60-game season, hitting .303 with 16 home runs, 33 RBI and 33 runs in 53 games, so there is no clear sign a dropoff is on the horizon but that doesn’t mean the cliff isn’t approaching. Even though aging athletes have been able to better fend off Father Time in recent years, players in their 40s are risky bets. Any slight injury could be the career-ender, even for a marvelous hitter who takes pregame naps. Speaking of aging athletes with injury history, Minnesota did not see much production from Donaldson last season due to a nagging calf injury that limited the third baseman to just 28 games. However, Donaldson played in 155 contests the prior season with the Atlanta Braves, so Twins fans are hoping he can consistently get back on the field once again. If he and Cruz both miss significant time or experience a decline, Minnesota’s lineup would be in trouble.

2) How does the back of the rotation shake out?

Unless some sort of blockbuster trade happens, Kenta Maeda and Jose Berrios will be the Twins’ top-two starting pitchers. Maeda was excellent in his first campaign with Minnesota (2.70 ERA, 10 walks, 80 strikeouts, 0.750 WHIP) and while Berrios was more inconsistent (4.00 ERA, 26 walks, 68 strikeouts, 1.317 WHIP), he showed up in Minnesota’s 3-1 Game 2 loss to the Houston Astros in the playoffs and has proven more in past full seasons. Michael Pineda figures to be the obvious No. 3 starter after a strong finish to last season, so who rounds out the rest of the rotation? The Twins’ decision to sign 38-year-old J.A. Happ to an $8 million one-year deal means he’ll be fourth starting pitcher. So, who’s grabbing the fifth spot? Matt Shoemaker was brought in before spring training to compete. Shoemaker has been solid when healthy over the past four seasons, registering a combined 11-6 record, 4.12 ERA and 8.2 K/9 in 32 starts. The only problem is he hasn’t pitched in more than 78 innings since 2016. His biggest competition will be Randy Dobnak, who went 6-4 with a 4.05 ERA in 2020 after spending a good chunk of the season towards the top of the MLB ERA leaderboards. With the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians set to be tough competition in the AL Central, solid No. 4 and 5 starters could be the difference in a division championship and the wild-card game.

3) How much will we see from Alex Kirilloff and Brent Rooker?

Well, we answered part of this question before the first pitch of the 2021 season was thrown. After batting .129 in spring training (4 for 31), Kirilloff was optioned to the Twins alternate training site last week, meaning he’ll begin the 2021 season away from the big-league club. Although it’s frowned upon among players these days, Minnesota could keep Kirilloff in the minor leagues for a few months to gain a year of service time down the road. Rooker, however, has a great chance to make the 26-man roster and is a contender to start in left field. Rooker batted .316 with six hits and a home run in 21 plate appearances last season and is looking for his first extended stay in The Show to prove he belongs. He’s battling Jake Cave and Kyle Garlick for the starting role in left, although at least two of those players should make the opening day roster. Kirilloff still should contribute in 2021, it’s just not as soon as many would have hoped.

4) What is the impact of Andrelton Simmons?

Simmons is the best defensive shortstop in recent MLB history. FanGraphs’ defensive runs saved metric has Simmons at +191 (the stat was first tracked in 2002), way above second on the list — former Twins shortstop Adam Everett (+119). Even though Simmons has a career .269 batting average, some say his defensive prowess is worthy of Hall of Fame consideration, so if he continues his fielding acumen in 2021 then Minnesota should see a few less runs scored by its opponents. Plus, Simmons hit .297 with the Los Angeles Angels last season (also, .292 in 2018), so his glove won’t be the only positive he brings to Minnesota. On paper, the signing of Simmons to a one-year, $10.5 million deal is a slam dunk since it adds an elite defender and a decent hitter and moves Jorge Polanco to a better-suited spot at second base.

5) Can the Twins win a playoff game?

For most Twins fans, making a deep playoff run is the barometer for success this season. But first, a single postseason win would be nice. The Twins have lost 18 consecutive playoff games, dating back to 2004. Sadly, it’s the longest such streak in North American professional sports. Minnesota clearly has (and has had) the talent to get a playoff victory but it just hasn’t happened. Whether it has been going up against far superior teams, terrible calls down the line or costly errors, it all added up to where the streak is now. In fact, the only other MLB team to not win a playoff game in that span is the Seattle Mariners — and they haven’t even made the postseason since 2001. Not exactly the best company to keep. Division banners are great but when the postseason success is not there, it can feel hollow to so many in the fanbase. Let’s hope it (finally) changes in 2021.