MLB SHOWDOWN 2019 SET -- Minnesota Twins

The 2019 Minnesota Twins won the Central Division going 101-61 this season. In a season known for the long ball, this squad was all about bombs, and set a new Major League record with 307 home runs this season. The also set the record for the best record ever to get the third seed in the playoffs, showing how strong the top of the American League was this past season. Sadly for these Twins the season ended after a 3 game sweep by the Yankees in the first round of the playoffs.

If you want to play Nelson Cruz in the outfield instead of the DH role it will cost your defense 2 points, but better than -5

Lineup: As noted earlier, Bombs Bombs and more Bombs, this record setting team's charts show how powerful they truly are. When facing this squad you want high control pitchers to minimize the amount of charts allowed, but this team will put plenty of runs on the board if your dice is not on your side. While Kepler may not be the ideal lead off hitter, i slotted him here because I felt he should hit in the top 5. but nowhere else seemed like a good fit. Polanco hitting second sets the table for a power trio in Nelson Cruz and his beautiful card, The ever powerful Mitch Garver and finally Miguel Sano. If you get through the power trio, a pair of 7 OB hitters can deal plenty of damage, Rosario with his power, and Byron Buxton with his crazy speed and amazing chart with a single+ at 9, and doubling at 10. I can see him being an absolute steal for someone in a draft for his value. Turning the lineup over is Luis Arraez who can potentially be the lead off hitter, but I liked him in this spot to give Kepler some opportunities to knock him in. 

Bench: If the starting line up didn't have enough power, turn to the bench where CJ Cron and Jonathan Schoop have 7ob 16+ HR power.

Rotation: Not the flashiest rotation, or a dominant ace like we have seen from the teams so far, but with the runs this team should score, they might be enough to guide them to victory. Jose Berrios is the top dog in the rotation, with one less IP, a similar card Jake Odorizzi is right behind him to give the Twins a decent 1-2 punch. Michael Pineda brings a unique control 5 out through 14 card that seems like a good value to snag a control 5 pitcher for late in the rotation. Kyle Gibson and Martin Perez round out the rotation before turning it over to the bullpen. Some great additions at the trade deadline like Sergio Romo didn't get the shine that they should have in the post season due to the sweep, but this bullpen is full loaded.

Bullpen: Much like the Cardinals and their stellar bullpen, this Twins bullpen might be even better with no weak links even at the end. Two tier 2 relievers in Taylor Rogers and Tyler Duffey start things off for this bullpen as the set up and closer roles. After that is four tier 3 relievers looking to help the starters get out of tough situations and extend the game to get to the two studs at the end of the game. 

Conclusion: I really like this Twins team, the amount of homers they can hit would make a showdown series tons of fun to play out. I like the idea of having this style of bullpen to save the end of the rotation in close games, while Berrios should give them some rest on his starts. Much like the other top teams in this season the Twins come in with an average of 293 points per player, putting them below the Astros and Nationals but still among the leagues elite.