METS FANS' GUIDE TO THE 2017 PLAYOFFS: MINNESOTA TWINS

by Brian Erni October 03, 2017

This series takes a look at all 10 MLB teams to qualify for the postseason. We'll give them a ranking on a scale of 1-to-10 (1 being the Yankees, 10 being the Mets) to determine who best deserves Mets fans' casual support in the playoffs this year.

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The Team:

The Case: Is there anything better than a team that comes from completely out of nowhere?

Think about where the Twins were at this time last season. They had just finished 59-103(!), dead last in the AL Central. Their All Star second baseman, Brian Dozier, was coming off a 42-homer, 99 RBI season, and it was basically all but assured they would trade him. The crown jewel of their organization, Byron Buxton, was coming off a .225/.284/.430 line in a 92 game debut, looking completely overwhelmed in the process.

I mean, look at this article by a Twins blogger from June 21! JUNE 21!!! Three months ago, Twins fans were getting ready to tap out on this magical run.

But after an 85-77 season, the Twins are in the postseason. It’s the first time ever that a team has lost 100 games and bounced back to make the playoffs the following year. Ever. That’s insane.

Meanwhile, that overwhelmed rookie version you saw of Buxton last year? Yeah, he led the team in WAR (5.1), thanks in part to making highlight reel catches in center field every night (2.8 dWAR).

 

Joe Mauer is still around, oh and by the way, hitting over .300 (.305, to be exact) like it’s 2009. Miguel Sano hits baseballs very, very far. And a rejuvenated Ervin Santana, combined with an electric Jose Berrios, headlines a starting staff that can absolutely scare some teams in a short series.

The Twins haven’t won the World Series since 1991, and have won only two playoff games since 2003. Needless to say, the Twin Cities would be pretty pumped for one big victory on Tuesday night.

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Why to Hate Them: This is a young, likeable team, but for Mets fans, there’s always a little more at play with a franchise with a decade or two-long championship drought. 

The Twins fall into that category of team like the Tigers and Dodgers (and Royals before 2015, ugh) that have their last world title right around the same time as ours, and seeing an end to suffering would amplify how long it’s been for us. It’s like sitting in purgatory and watching your buddy get taken to Heaven.

The Twins have two World Series wins in their pocket (’87 and ’91), but they were stacked together. And as memorable as Jack Morris’ completely game, 10-inning shutout was in Game 7 of the ’91 Series, 26 years is a long time to wait to get back to one.

So as much as Mets fans can relate, if there’s one reason to root against them, it’s that nirvana has eluded us for another season.

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Mets Connections: The Twins have a very popular ex-Met. A right handed pitcher, master of changing speeds, he posted over 4.0 WAR during his time in Queens. Ladies and gentlemen…

What? Not who you were expecting?

Dillon Gee has been solid for the Twins, especially out of the pen, where he’s made his last nine appearances. Gee has held batters to a .252 average and a .311 OBP in his 14 games in relief, and he’s posted a 4.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio (compared to his 1.63 as a starter) as well. With the Yankees sporting some big right handed bats (Gary Sanchez, Aaron Judge), it’s entirely possible we see Gee in a very big spot at the Stadium on Tuesday.

 Oh and yeah, some of you made have heard of this guy, too.

After pitching to an 8.14 ERA for the Braves, Bartolo Colon passed up a chance to come back to the Mets strictly for a shot with a contender. He made the right decision. If this is it for Big Sexy (and it may be, since he has been better, but still relatively ineffective for Minnesota), he gets one final whiff of the postseason. Why not send him out on a high note?

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Rating: 8.5/10. I dare say that every single one of the Mets faithful will be pulling hard for the Twins on Tuesday night, where they’ll look to snap a nine-game postseason losing streak against the Bombers. Their allure might fade if they qualify for the ALDS, since they’ll be matched up with an extremely likely Indians squad. But Minnesota’s one-year turnaround should give the Mets fans reason to be optimistic for 2018. That in and of itself might be enough to root for a long playoff run from the Twinkies.

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PREVIOUSLY: COLORADO ROCKIES, ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS, BOSTON RED SOX, CLEVELAND INDIANS, WASHINGTON NATIONALS, LA DODGERS, HOUSTON ASTROS

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