The 2015 Major League Baseball season begins Monday for most teams in the league. Last year, the Kansas City Royals surprised the nation when they ended their 29-year post-season drought by not only making it to the MLB Playoffs, but by earning a trip to the World Series. In a seven-game series, the San Francisco Giants reigned victorious over the Royals, winning their third league championship since 2010.
South Dakota has always shown a lot of loyalty towards the Minnesota Twins, with the exception of the southwest part of the state, which tends to lean towards the Colorado Rockies. Being that South Dakota has no professional sports team, citizens of the state will display a variety of fandom towards baseball, football, and basketball franchises.
This season the Minnesota Twins are expected to once again struggle as both ESPN and Fox Sports predict the Twins to finish last in the American League Central division, and near the bottom of the league standings.
During the off-season the Twins brought longtime outfielder and nine-time golden glove winner Torii Hunter back to Minnesota. Being that he’s 39-years old, he'll likely be more of a locker room leader than a statistical leader.
Another big acquisition for the Twins this off-season was the signing of pitcher Ervin Santana (LA Angels 2005-12, KC Royals 2013, and Atlanta Braves 2014) to a four-year, $54 million contract. Santana was expected to strengthen Minnesota’s starting pitching rotation. However, last week he tested positive for PED’s (Performance Enhancing Drugs) and he is now suspended for the first 80 games of the 2015 season. The Twins just can’t seem to catch a break…
Minnesota hasn’t won a divisional title or made the post-season since 2010, and with a new manager in Paul Molitor, more struggles could be on the horizon for the Twins.
In a recent article with the Argus Leader, sports writer Matt Zimmer labeled said, “If everyone on the Twins has a career year, they might have a shot to make the playoffs.”
Zimmer also sat down with SDPB’s Karl Gehrke on Monday for Dakota Midday.
Below are MLB divisional predictions from Fox Sports and Matt Zimmer with the Argus Leader. Do you agree with the experts? How do you think the Twins will do this season? Will we see another surprise team in 2015, similar to the 2014 Kansas City Royals? Comment below...
Fox Sports Predictions
NL East
- Washington Nationals
- New York Mets
- Miami Marlins
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Cincinnati Reds
- Chicago Cubs
- Milwaukee Brewers
NL West
- LA Dodgers
- San Diego Padres
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
- Arizona Diamondbacks
AL East
- Toronto Blue Jays
- Boston Red Sox
- Baltimore Orioles
- New York Yankees
- Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central
- Chicago White Sox
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers
- Kansas City Royals
- Minnesota Twins
AL West
- Seattle Mariners
- LA Angels
- Oakland Athletics
- Houston Astros
- Texas Rangers
Matt Zimmer (Argus Leader) Predictions
NL East
- Washington Nationals
- New York Mets
- Miami Marlins
- Atlanta Braves
- Philadelphia Phillies
NL Central
- St. Louis Cardinals
- Pittsburgh Pirates
- Milwaukee Brewers
- Cincinnati Reds
- Chicago Cubs
NL West
- LA Dodgers
- San Diego Padres*
- San Francisco Giants
- Colorado Rockies
- Arizona Diamondbacks
AL East
- Baltimore Orioles
- Boston Red Sox*
- Toronto Blue Jays
- New York Yankees
- Tampa Bay Rays
AL Central
- Cleveland Indians
- Detroit Tigers*
- Chicago White Sox
- Kansas City Royals
- Minnesota Twins
AL West
- Seattle Mariners
- Oakland A's
- LA Angels
- Houston Astros
- Texas Rangers
