Twins Disrespected by ESPN's First-Half Grades

Now that the All-Star Break is behind us, baseball fans and players alike are re-focused on the second half of the 2022 MLB season. One of the teams to continue watching is the Minnesota Twins, who continue to lead the AL Central with a 50-44 record through 94 games.

Unfortunately, not everyone is a fan of what the Twins have accomplished. ESPN's David Schoenfield has given Minnesota a 'B' when it comes to his first-half grades. While that's far from the worst grade, it doesn't help that 10 teams were graded better than the Twins.

Twins First-Half Grade

The Twins finished dead last in the AL Central last year, so seeing them being divisional leaders should be talked about more. Their success has come thanks to their ability to score 4.48 runs per game (T-No. 12) while also having a decent 3.92 team ERA (No. 15).

There is some logic behind why the Twins have a less-than-favorable grade. Schoenfield cites a trade in April that saw them acquire Emilio Pagan and Chris Paddack from the San Diego Padres in exchange for two players and cash as something Minnesota management would like a do-over on.

Pagan has gone 3-4 in 34 relief appearances with the Twins so far, pitching to a career-worst 5.23 ERA. While he has nine saves, he's also blown five opportunities to close out a game. Meanwhile, Paddack's season ended before it could get going after Tommy John surgery on May 18 ended his 2022 campaign.

Despite the failure of a trade, the Twins are still one of the top American League teams and have 68 games to make Schoenfield regret his grade. Perhaps they can add some help at the trade deadline, especially if it's an extra arm to help bolster the starting rotation.

Twins World Series Odds

It looks like oddsmakers are on the same page as Schoenfield when it comes to the Twins having a lot left to prove. FanDuel Sportsbook has Minnesota available at +5000 odds (T-No. 14) to win the 2022 World Series.

Devon Platana is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Devon Platana also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username PepeSilvia0. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.