Minnesota Twins: Bartolo Colon deserves to be on the Twins playoff roster
Bartolo Colon made his case for the a spot on the playoff roster with his performance on Sunday afternoon for the Minnesota Twins.
Not to totally overreact to one game, but could Bartolo Colon be the savior for the Minnesota Twins? It isn’t exactly out of the realm of possibility for the club. If Colon could duplicate the way he pitched on the season finale on Sunday afternoon, then there would be no doubt that Colon should be on the team’s playoff roster.
Colon got the start for the Twins on Sunday and really impressed in the outing. Big Sexy pitched 6.1 innings allowing only one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts. It was one, if not the best, outing for Colon since arriving in Minnesota earlier in the season.
There’s a lot of debate on how teams should structure their roster for the one game Wild Card playoff game. It’s not just a typical talking head debate, though. With every different configuration that can be thrown out, there also can be a good reason behind it.
One of the main things is to make sure that you have enough pitching. Teams need to remember to protect themselves from the potential of a drawn out extra-inning affair. Sure, Ervin Santana could be absolutely great, but it the Twins and New York Yankees are tied after nine innings or so, Santana would eventually have to be lifted.
More from Sporting Sota
- Minnesota Twins bullpen will be their downfall
- Top 5 Minnesota Twins Pitching Prospects
- Kyle Rudolph signing gives stability to Minnesota Vikings offense
- Jake Odorizzi’s emergence fueling Twins starting staff
- Former Minnesota Twins player David Ortiz shot
The Twins got Jose Berrios ready to potentially come out of the pen in the Wild Card Game. Berrios made a relief appearance on Saturday for the Twins against Detroit. So to look multiple steps down the road, if the Twins win the Wild Card Game and both Santana and Berrios have to pitch in that game, Colon should be getting a start in the American League Division Series.
It seems like Big Sexy is a big lucky charm for the team, too. I’d imagine that it is hard for a team not to be loose with a guy like Colon in the clubhouse. His presence their alone is probably worth one of the spots on Tuesday night.
His performance in the season finale also shows that he is still one of your best pitchers even at his advanced baseball age. Colon also is one of the few Twins players who have been on the big stage before. It’s almost a no-brainer.
Next: Here's what the Wolves need for success
The Twins have business to take care of before Colon would be needed, obviously. That being said, I’ve felt a lot worse than I would with Colon on the mound for an American League Division Series game. Let’s just hope the Twins will have to make this decision in the coming days.