It is only a few weeks until pitchers and catchers around the MLB report for Spring Training and that means the 2020 MLB season is fast approaching.
Add to the fact MLB The Show 20 is just seven weeks away, and the first gameplay trailer has dropped, and excitement around the MLB is sky high.
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For Minnesota Twins fans it may be especially high. A year after going 78-84, the Twins went 101-61 and scored a franchise record 939 runs. They may have been dispatched in the ALDS, 3-0 by the New York Yankees, but expectations can be even higher for 2020.
Coming off a poorer season, the Twins weren’t that highly rated at the launch of MLB The Show 19, but how will they look in The Show 20?
Josh Donaldson, 3B
2019 launch rating: 87
2020 prediction: 87
Donaldson was one of a few big ticket free agents this offseason. The Atlanta Braves were keen to re-sign him, and the reigning champion Washington Nationals sorely wanted his services. The Twins won the race, and in doing so completed one of the most devastating starting lineups in baseball.
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Donaldson brings even more power into the Twins’ lineup, and though he’ll be 34 he remains one of the more dangerous hitters in baseball, so should see his ratings stay pretty steady.
Eddie Rosario, LF
2019 launch rating: 84
2020 prediction: 86
Rosario was a big part of the Twins turnaround from 2018 to 2019. The outfielder followed up a very good 2018 season with a better one. He hit 32 homers, up eight, with 109 RBI, up 32, at a .276 average.
He finished the season rated 88 overall, and while he’ll slip from that rating in 2020 due to form, he should see a bump from his 2019 starting rating.
Taylor Rogers, CP
2019 launch rating: 82
2020 prediction: 85
Rogers was a vital part of the 2019 Twins. While they were able to score lots of runs, closing out games was as important as ever and Rogers was very good at doing so. He made 60 appearances, had 30 saves and a 2.61 ERA while striking out 90 batters in 69 innings pitched.
READ MORE: Boston Red Sox player rating predictions
He was a big riser through the 2019 season, going from 82 OVR to 87 OVR (second highest on the team) by the end of the season. I’d expect him to drop a little but remain one of the best players on the roster.
Jake Odorizzi, SP
2019 launch rating: 75
2020 prediction: 84
While it was the Twins’ bats that took the headlines in 2019, and it is setting up to be the same in 2020, their starting pitchers must not be overlooked. Odorizzi has been a steady starter for years, but in 2019 he turned in an All-Star year with a 3.51 ERA, 15 wins and 178 strikeouts.
As a result, while he’ll slip from his 86 OVR The Show 19 end rating, he should see a significant boost from his 2019 starting rating, in doing so making him a very good SP in The Show 20.
Jose Berrios, SP
2019 launch rating: 82
2020 prediction: 83
With the aforementioned focus on the bats in Minnesota, it may be surprising to see another pitcher, making it three of the top five, but Berrios deserves this spot.
READ MORE: Philadelphia Phillies player rating predictions
It is easier being a starting pitcher when your team scores 5.8 runs per game, but his 14 wins, 3.68 ERA and second straight All-Star game should keep him firmly in the 80s OVR.
Minnesota Twins MLB The Show 20 ratings predictions
| Player | Position | 2019 launch rating | 2020 prediction |
| Nelson Cruz | RF/DH | 83 | 83 |
| Mitch Garver | C | 65 | 82 |
| Byron Buxton | CF | 77 | 82 |
| Miguel Sano | 3B | 76 | 82 |
| Max Kepler | RF | 71 | 81 |
| Jorge Polanco | SS | 71 | 77 |
| Luis Arraez | 2B | 66 | 75 |
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