How did the Twins get this good?

*Photo from the Edwardsville Intelligencer*

   Their 9-1 victory last night was just the latest example of how good the Twins have been this year. They have the best record in MLB at 23-12, despite the fact that last year was utterly forgettable for the Twins. You may be wondering just how they got this good. This post will hopefully help explain just how these Twins got good. 

Aggressive approach at the plate

   On opening day, the Twins were facing Corey Kluber of the Cleveland Indians, who only need 79 pitches over 7 innings. The Twins swung at more than half of Kluber's pitches, recording velocities of 95 mph off the bat, even though the Twins only got 2 runs that game. CJ Cron said that "I think right off the bat, we kind of showed we're not afraid to swing." The Twins have been one of the most free swinging teams in baseball, and their .815 OPS is third in the majors. The Twins have seemingly not suffered any adverse effects from this approach. The Twins have swung at pitches at a higher rate than all but 3 teams. They've increased their swing rate by more than 3 percent, which is the highest jump of any club. This leads to putting the ball in play, which can bring good things, as the Twins have shown. This also could be a reason behind their homer parade.

The 2018 offseason

   The Twins re-structured their team this offseason. Joe Mauer retired and they traded away Brian Dozier at last year's trade deadline. They picked up Nelson Cruz, CJ Cron, Jonathan Schoop, and super utility man Marwin Gonzalez. So far, this seems to have translated to success. Schoop, who had a bad time in Milwaukee last year, now has returned to his homer hitting self. Cron has also raked at the plate, as has Cruz. Gonzalez has had a tough time at the plate to start off the year, but with the way everyone else is performing, it hasn't affected the Twins much. The front office re-structured the lineup with first place in mind, and it's paying off. They also got these guys at a cheap price, which helps too. 

The young corps

   Byron Buxton is back. His success at the plate and in the field is another big reason for the Twins success. Max Kepler has looked better as well. Jorge Polanco can't stop mashing the ball. Miguel Sano is out for a bit, but that hasn't seemed to matter at any point, as Buxton, Polanco, and Kepler have all looked like franchise leaders this season. My prediction is this: The Twins will keep this up and win the AL Central this year.