Sign In $
MLB

2020 MLB Minnesota Twins World Series Odds & Picks

VegasInsider Staff
VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert
4 minute read

The ‘Bomba Squad’ Will Make the
Twins a Contender Again in 2020

The 2019 season was a banner year for the Minnesota Twins. Minnesota set the MLB record for home runs in a season with 307 dingers, and a whopping 11 players hit at least 10 home runs. Eight of the nine everyday starters finished the year with at least 20 home runs, and nearly all last year’s starters are back.

C.J. Cron and Jonathan Schoop left for division rival Detroit, but the addition of Josh Donaldson ensures that this will be one of the scariest lineups to face in 2020.

2020 Minnesota Twins World Series
Betting Online Odds at FanDuel: +1600

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

2020 Minnesota Twins
Season World Series Odds Overview

Minnesota has the shortest World Series odds in the AL Central. The Twins have the fifth lowest odds to win the World Series of any team at FanDuel, and they have the benefit of playing in the weakest division in the American League. They will have a tough time getting past the Twins and the Yankees in the AL though, and they have lost 16 straight playoff games to the Bronx Bombers.

American League Central

The Twins are odds-on favorites to win the division. Minnesota is -160 to win its second straight AL Central title at FanDuel, and this team’s only competition is Cleveland and Chicago. Detroit and Kansas City will be two of the worst teams in the majors, giving the other three teams a leg up in the race for the Wild Card.

On the Hill

Most of the attention was paid to Minnesota’s hitters in 2019, but the pitching staff was superb too. The Twins set a team record for strikeouts in a season, and all five starters finished the year with at least 135 K’s.

Jose Berrios is the ace of the staff. Berrios was 14-8 with a 3.68 ERA last season, and he threw at least 200 innings for the first time in his career. He wasn’t able to ring up batters at the same rate he did in 2018, but he wasn’t careless with walks, limiting the number of hitters he gave free passes to last year. His production dipped significantly over his last ten starts, and that’s a bit concerning entering this season.

Minnesota was thrilled with the season the club got out of Jake Odorizzi. Odorizzi was an All-Star for the first time in his career, compiling a 15-7 record with a 3.51 ERA in 2019. He had excellent command of his pitches, posting a career-best 10.1 K/9 rate, but some regression is likely in order as left-handed hitters had a .277 average against him. Odorizzi has yet to throw more than 190 innings in a season.

Michael Pineda will be suspended 60 games after testing positive for a banned substance, and that could lead to him missing almost the entire 2020 campaign since it’s sure to be significantly shortened due to the coronavirus. Pineda was the third-best starter in this rotation in 2019, so the Twins will have to make do without him.

At the Plate

Donaldson has hit at least 30 home runs in four of the last five seasons, and the only year he didn’t reach that mark was a season where he missed over 100 games. Donaldson gives the Twins another powerful bat in the middle of the lineup, but he needs to improve his strikeout rate after seeing that number rise for each of the last five seasons. He does draw a lot of walks though, and that will be a boon to whoever is hitting behind him.

Mitch Garver averaged a home run every three games in 2019. He split time with Jason Castro at catcher, but he posted the second-best OPS on the team (.995 OPS) despite playing in only 93 games. His immense power spike from 2018 to 2019 might not be sustainable though, so don’t be surprised to see his power numbers drop in 2020.

On July 1, Nelson Cruz will turn 40 years old, but he is still one of the most feared hitters in the league. Cruz has hit at least 35 home runs in six straight seasons, and he posted a career-high 1.031 OPS in 2019. At this stage of his career, he cannot play the field, so he must be used as a designated hitter whenever he is in the lineup. His numbers will fall off in the near future, but Minnesota is hoping to get one more good season out of Cruz.

2020 Minnesota Twins World Series Projection

The Twins are an interesting team coming into the 2020 season. Many of their hitters posted career-high numbers last year, and it will be hard for them to match that prodigious production in 2020. The back half of the rotation is also a concern, so hold off on betting the Twins to win the World Series.

2020 Minnesota Twins World Series Free Pick:
Wait to see if the power holds up before betting

Odds provided by FanDuel (IN, NJ, PA & WV only)
Subject to Change - T&C's Apply, 21+

Mlb News

VegasInsider Staff

VegasInsider Staff

More from VegasInsider Staff
•