3 Reasons the Twins Won’t Lose 90 Games for a 5th Straight Season

Sep 28, 2014; Detroit, MI, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Kyle Gibson (44) pitches in the first inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Had the Minnesota Twins fielded a respectable pitching line-up in 2014, we could be talking about a much better season. Unfortunately, outside of Phil Hughes, they were abysmal.

Opposing teams batted .280 against the Twins, which was dead last in the MLB. The team era (4.57) was second worst in the MLB. They weren’t just bad on the pitchers mound, they were astoundingly bad.

However, like I said earlier, Phil Hughes was a major bright spot in the Twins rotation. He finished with team highs in wins (16), earned run average (3.52) and strikeouts (186). He also walked a staggeringly low 16 batters in 209 innings.

The Twins decided to spend some money this offseason, bringing in veteran pitcher Ervin Santana on a four-year, 55 million dollar contract. Santana might not be an ace, but he will no doubt bring stability to this struggling rotation. He has a career ERA of 4.17 and has proven to be durable and reliable as a starting pitcher.

As expected, it was a very up-and-down year for Kyle Gibson in his first full year as a pro. When he was good, he was really good. Same goes for his bad starts. For example, in June he was lights out, finishing the month with a 3.16 earned run average. In September, his era was 5.64. I look for Gibson to be much more consistent this time around and cement himself as the 3rd man in the rotation.

Pitching will be much better in 2015 and it should translate into more wins.

Next: New Outlook