Cleveland Indians should have enough fire power to fend off Twins

The Cleveland Indians should be able to contend with the Twins for the AL Central this year.

The Cleveland Indians should have everything they need to challenge the Minnesota Twins for the AL Central crown this year. While the Twins did break the MLB record for most home runs by a team for a season in 2019, the Indians still have plenty of firepower to challenge them for the 2020 season. Even if Francisco Lindor isn’t on the club, the team still has plenty of talent.

Not only is Bradley Zimmer raking the ball better than he ever has at any point post-college, but Tyler Naquin, Franmil Reyes, Jose Ramirez, Jake Bauers, Jordan Luplow are just some of the big names that can influence the outcome of a game. That doesn’t take into account the pitching staff, which is flat out better than the Twins, assuming everyone stays healthy.

The Twins may have a better bullpen and that’s nothing to scoff at, yet bullpens aren’t as reliable as everyday starters. A talent that was once lights out can fall apart quickly if they get off to a shaky start. It happens all the time.

The Indians being competitive isn’t just some made-up idea by a super-fan who constantly says, “This is our year!”, and actually means it. No, there are numerous pundits from all over the world of sports who see the AL Central is one of the best divisions to watch play out due to the top-heaviness of the Indians and Twins.

One of the most respected sports figures that cover baseball, Robert Flores, even agrees that the Indians can compete with the Twins this year. While the season took months to actually start, and there will only be about 37% of the games normally in a season due to the ongoing pandemic, that doesn’t mean this season doesn’t count. The Tribe could actually win it all this year.

Assuming they don’t get off to their typical slow start.