BY: OLIVER TAYLOR

To the surprise of many, the Twins currently lead the AL Central. Despite being 41 games into the season, the Twins have seen a collection of mediocre players significantly elevate their performance. The Cleveland Indians, runner-ups in the 2017 World Series, have gotten off to a slow start, opening the door for the Twins to steal the division.

Miguel Sano has quickly ascended to the best player on the playoff hungry Twins. Currently, Sano leads the Twins in batting average, home runs, RBIs, on-base percentage and total hits. Furthermore, veteran starting pitcher Ervin Santana has seen a career resurgence. In 9 starts, Santana has pitched 61 innings, had 44 strikeouts, sports an extremely impressive 2.07 ERA and accounted for 6 wins. Relief pitcher Brandon Kintzler has accumulated for 11 saves, which ranks as 3rd highest in the league.

Should the Twins decide to commit to trying to make the playoffs, they certainly have the ammunition to pull off some blockbuster trades. The Texas Rangers sit an alarming six games back from the AL West leading Houston. Starting pitcher Yu Darvish has impressed through his 10 starts this year, owning a 5-2 record and a 2.83 ERA. However, Darvish is on an expiring contract. The Rangers could look into being sellers at this year’s deadline. To acquire a legitimate ace on an expiring contract, the asking price would start with a top 50 prospect. The Twins could build a package around their best prospect, shortstop Nick Gordon, who is ranked as the 43rd best prospect.