There’s an old adage in baseball that regular-season records get thrown out the window the minute the calendar flips to October and playoff baseball arrives.
That’s probably the sentiment that fans of this year’s Minnesota Twins squad will embrace if things keep rolling as they are at the moment.
That’s because the 2023 Twins currently hold the top spot in the AL Central despite having a 42-43 record; the Guardians are also one game under .500 at 41-42 but Minnesota has a slightly better winning percentage. In the NL Central, the Brewers and Reds are tied at 45-39 (a .536 winning percentage) going into Monday's games. Potentially one of these teams could be one-upping the 2005 Padres as the MLB team with the worst regular season record to make the postseason.
With the AL Central being especially bad this season, and a record just a few games about .500 might be enough win either division. MinnesotaBets.com decided to break from Minnesota sportsbooks updates and look back at the worst regular season teams (86 or fewer wins) to reach the postseason since the MLB expanded to three divisions in 1994, and how deep they went.
Worst MLB Regular Season Teams To Reach Postseason
We utilized historical records from MLB.com and Baseball-Reference.com to construct this list.
Where 2023 Twins Would Rank Among Worst Playoff Teams
The Twins’ current .494 winning percentage would blow the 2005 Padres out of the water as the worst regular season figure of any playoff team.
That Padres team finished the 2005 season with an 82-80 (.506) record, which is roughly two games ahead of where Minnesota currently projects to finish at their current win rate.
Luckily for the Rocco Baldelli-managed club, the Twins currently have the easiest strength of schedule of any MLB team according to Tankathon, at .469, which could make Minnesota’s postseason quest easier.
Should the Twins make the playoffs in 2023, they’ll look to reach the same heights as the 2006 Cardinals, who won the World Series after going 83-78 (.516) during the regular season.
Minnesota will definitely try to avoid the same outcome that five of the 10 MLB teams with the worst regular season win totals did, as each of those squads lost somewhere between the Wild Card round and the World Series.
With just under half of the regular season left to play, there’s still plenty of time for the Twins to turn things around and escape the dungeons of MLB postseason lore.
For now, at least Minnesota’s on pace to shatter a leaguewide record during their 2023 campaign, even if it is one that few would wish to achieve.
There's a chance that the best Minnesota sportsbook apps are live for the 2024 MLB playoffs. If that happens, we will have everything you need to get started.
