Things learned from first half of Twins 2020 season

We are officially midway through the Minnesota Twins’ 2020 season.

While the Twins have a record of 20-10 and, like most of us expected, stand alone in first place in the American League Central, it’s been an interesting ride so far. There have been a few surprises, a couple of disappointments and of course, plenty of bombas at Target Field. Let’s dive in.

Depth is more important this year than ever

Luckily, the Twins haven’t dealt with any COVID-19 related issues on their roster since opening day, something that teams like St. Louis and Miami can’t say. However, the months away from baseball due to the coronavirus combined with the shortened 60-game season has been tough on players’ bodies, specifically pitchers. Jake Odorizzi, Homer Bailey and Rich Hill have all spent time on the injured list. So have position players Josh Donaldson, Byron Buxton and Mitch Garver. The Twins’ depth has been the most impressive part of their 20-10 record, as guys like Marwin Gonzalez, Jake Cave and newly acquired Ildemaro Vargas have filled in admirably.

Outside of Rogers’ struggles, the bullpen has been lights out

Yes, Taylor Rogers has blown a couple of games in the ninth inning. But other than his occasional blunder, the Twins bullpen has been ridiculously good. Tyler Duffey has allowed one run and five hits over 11 innings while fanning 14 batters and walking none. Thirty-seven-year-old Sergio Romo has logged a 0.77 WHIP and 1.74 ERA over 10 1/3 innings, all while being the most energetic player on the field. But how about the unsung heroes? Caleb Thielbar, who was coaching at Augustana and hadn’t pitched in the big leagues since 2015, won’t be named an All-Star any time soon but his 2.35 ERA and nine strikeouts in 7 2/3 IP have been more than adequate. Sean Poppen and Jorge Alcala have also come in and kept the Twins in ballgames. Whenever a guy like Cody Stashak or Zack Littell has gone down with an injury, Minnesota’s deep bullpen has found someone to fill in and not miss a beat.

The lineup is mostly slump-proof

The Bomba Squad is still the Bomba Squad, but Minnesota’s offense hasn’t been exactly firing on all cylinders throughout the year. Josh Donaldson hasn’t done much of anything (.182 BA) in seven games and Miguel Sano is finally starting to show life at the plate after 26 games. As a team, the Twins rank tied for in homers (42) in MLB, 10th in runs scored (140),  tied for 14th in batting average (.245) and tied for 17th in on-base percentage (.323) entering Tuesday’s games. But what they’ve been great at is hitting in big spots. With runners in scoring position, Minnesota leads MLB with a .414 OBP and ranks third with a .297 BA and .916 OPS. The Twins have simply done enough to win ballgames. Through 30 games, Minnesota actually has a better run differential this year (+41) than last year (+24).

Nelson Cruz is on his way to a second straight team MVP nod

Cruz was named the Twins’ 2019 MVP after notching a .311/.392/.639 slash line with 41 homers and 108 RBI. Nothing’s changed. Through the 29 games he’s appeared in, the 40-year-old designated hitter is batting .340/.429/.699 with 11 homers and 27 RBI. He leads the AL in homers and the majors in slugging, total bases (206) and OPS (1.128). Age is just a number after all.

Randy Dobnak is the ace we never knew we needed

A feel-good story from 2019, Dobnak was the former Uber driver who went from High-A Fort Myers to starting Game 2 of the ALDS at Yankee Stadium in a single season. A cute story indeed. However, Dobnak has proved he’s much more than that. In an all-or-nothing baseball world with strikeouts aplenty, Dobnak ranks in the 11th percentile in K% and the 15th percentile in whiff%. He simply gets batters to hit ground balls (62.4% of the time) and trusts his defense behind him. The results: a 5-1 record, 1.78 ERA and 1.022 WHIP.