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Home - Baseball Betting
2006 Minnesota Twins
Predictions
When you
look at our 2006 Minnesota Twins predictions remember that they have dominated the AL Central in recent years but they
backslid slightly in 2005 to just 83 wins after posting over 90 wins in
each of their previous 3 seasons. With the AL Central continuing to
improve, pushing the AL East for the best division in baseball, the
Minnesota Twins will have their work cut out for them again this year.
The time for the Twins on top of this division probably has passed with
both the Indians and White Sox taking over and pushing them to the
middle of the pack.
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Keep in mind that the Twins were just 16-21 versus the World Champion
White Sox and emerging Cleveland Indians last season. They will have to
do a better job against the top teams in the division if they want to
get back to their AL Central dominance. One sign of a good team is
beating the teams that you are supposed to beat. The Twins were very
successful against the remainder of their division foes, the Tigers and
Royals, winning 24 of 38 games. You can expect this inner-division
dominance to continue, especially at home, as Minnesota is a remarkable
108-49 as a home favorite within their division the past 5 seasons.
You can
also expect another big season from ace Johan Santana. When he’s on the
hill, the Twins are a safe bet. You can fully expect him to continue the
dominance he has shown over the last two seasons this year. Brad Radke
struggled for him last year, going 9-12 and Carlos Silva was just 9-8.
Both of these guys were hampered by the injury bug and you can fully
plan on them making a solid recovery this year and having decent
seasons. Their bullpen anchor Joe Nathan is almost as good as they get,
last year he put up 43 saves with 2.70 ERA.
The
batting lineup needs to improve if the Twins are going to make an effort
to jump up the standings. Catcher Joe Mauer and first baseman Justin
Morneau are young guns who should continue to improve, but they are
going to need Shannon Stewart and Tori Hunter to step it up and regain
their old form. The additions to the lineup are Luis Castillo and
Rondell White, too guys that are past their prime and are probably past
the point of being able to contribute effectively to the team.
It doesn’t appear that Minnesota will be able to get back over the hump
in the division as Cleveland continues to improve and could emerge as
the division front runner, although I think the White Sox’s pitching
staff keeps them at the top. No one thought the White Sox had a chance
in 2005, and most, including me are counting the Twins out in 2006, but
their ability to play small ball and their stellar defensive play keeps
them in every game. If they can win their close ones, the Twins could be
the surprise in the AL Central this season.
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