The Minnesota Twins finished last in the AL Central in 2021, trailing the division-winning Chicago White Sox by 20 games. Even with that poor finish, oddsmakers looked at the Twins as the second-most likely team to win the division in 2022, installing them at +400 to win the division, trailing only the favored White Sox, who came in at -200.
The division was widely expected to be quite poor with the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers all trailing far behind heading into the season. The 2021 season was tough for Minnesota, as it went from leading the division in 2019 and 2020 to finishing 16 games under .500. Stars Nelson Cruz and Jose Berrios were jettisoned during the season as the Twins retooled with 2022 and beyond in mind.
Fast forward a couple of months into the 2022 season and Minnesota sports fans are looking at a team with much shorter odds to win the division. The Twins have combined a strong start of their own with a poor start from the White Sox to jump to the lead in the division. Minnesota, at 36-28, is 2.5 games ahead of the Guardians and 5 games ahead of the White Sox.
With this lead in mind the Twins are now neck and neck with the White Sox to end the season atop the division with odds of +120 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Chicago is at +115. The Twins are currently +3500 to win the World Series as well.
Where Does Minnesota Sports Betting Stand?
Minnesota sports betting is not legal, unfortunately for those wanting to wager on the Twins. Bettors will have to visit border states with legal sports betting — Iowa (with thriving online and retail markets), Wisconsin (retail at some Indian casinos) and South Dakota (retail sports betting at Deadwood casinos). Or they can go up north to Ontario, which has fully regulated sports betting.
Attempts to get mobile and retail sports betting in Minnesota failed to pass through the state Senate before the final day of session in May.
Minnesota HF 778, sponsored by Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Rep. Zack Stephenson, was approved in the state House by a 70-57 margin on May 12, but there were too many hurdles in the Senate.
Latest AL Central World Series Odds
Twins Offense Producing Big Results
Leading Minnesota to its perch atop the division has been the offense, a top 10 unit that excels at both getting on base and driving in runs. Pitching has been fine and certainly not a weakness, but the offense has done the bulk of the work pushing the team to wins.
The top of the batting order has been nothing short of phenomenal, especially with the recent lineup iteration of Luis Arraez, Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa in the first three spots.
Arraez is contending for the hitting title with a league-leading average of .351. His ability to get on base has been otherworldly and he’s setting the table perfectly for Buxton, who leads the team with 18 home runs.
That number is good for second in the entire MLB, trailing only Aaron Judge of the Yankees who has a staggering 24. This trio has been particularly potent recently, starting games off really well for the Twins. The rest of the batting order is decent but it is truly these three studs who are carrying the mail.
Starting Rotation Surprises
The rotation is led by Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray, both of whom have an ERA under 3.00 so far this season. Dylan Bundy and Chris Archer have also delivered quality starts, but not to the level of Ryan or Gray. Ryan took a loss in his last appearance coming off a COVID-19 related absence, but the below average performance is likely attributed to rust after he didn’t play for a couple of weeks with the illness.
Ryan has allowed more than two runs in just two of his nine starts this season, giving Minnesota consistent and reliable innings. Gray has also spent some time on the shelf two separate times, but there don’t seem to be any serious concerns around his injury status so Minnesota will continue to expect strong performances from their two aces.
The Rest of the Season
With the Chicago White Sox rapidly approaching in their rearview mirror but not many other threats in the division, the Minnesota Twins are justifiably among the favorites to win the AL Central.
A push from Chicago feels inevitable but Minnesota has given itself enough cushion to feel comfortable atop the standings and the Twins are even showing themselves to be a viable World Series bet at +3500 for Minnesota bettors.
