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The Minnesota Twins have surprised many by starting the 2026 MLB season with an 11-9 record, placing them atop the AL Central. They received an 'A+' grade from Bleacher Report for their performance in the first 20 games.
Twins earn 'A+' grade for surprising start to 2026 MLB season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Coming into the 2026 MLB season, the Minnesota Twins were looked at as one of the league's worst teams. Not just from a 2026 standpoint, but from an optimism standpoint overall.
And when Pablo Lopez went down before the year with a season-ending injury, the vibes were in a terrible spot. However, they're 11-9 on the year, sitting atop the AL Central in a surprisingly good start to the season.
Amid such a surprising start to 2026, Bleacher Report's Kerry Miller gave the Twins an "A+" grade for their first 20 games of the year.
"Is it just a hot start, or could this be the surprise team of the 2026 campaign? Either way, it's an A+ at this juncture," Miller writes.
If fans were told they would see the Twins atop the AL Central standings 20 games into the year before the season, it would've been incredibly hard to believe.
Thanks to 104 runs scored, one of the best marks in all of baseball, the Twins are 11-9 with a lot more promise than most would've expected.
But it's not just the offense that's producing well this year. The pitching staff is also showing up. Most notably, the Twins are getting some incredible production from two young starters.
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Mick Abel has a 3.98 ERA on the year following his seven-inning shutout of the with 10 strikeouts. has a 1.25 ERA in four starts as well, with no outing allowing more than one earned run so far this season.
The Minnesota Twins earned an 'A+' grade due to their unexpected 11-9 start, which has them leading the AL Central despite low preseason expectations.
The Minnesota Twins started the 2026 MLB season with an 11-9 record.
The Twins faced a setback when pitcher Pablo Lopez suffered a season-ending injury, yet they have managed to perform well despite this challenge.

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Joe Ryan has a 3.29 ERA as well, which makes for a strong three-man group that's more than made up for the struggles from Simeon Woods Richardson and Bailey Ober.
Add in the offense led by Ryan Kreidler (.953 OPS), Tristan Gray (.880), Trevor Larnach (.869), and Ryan Jeffers (.846), and the Twins' start to the season has been a massive surprise. Bryon Buxton (.731) isn't even playing that great, and there's this much success.
Even if it might not last, the Twins' hot start to the season has been incredibly fun. This was looking like a very bleak season, and yet, the Twins have impressed and are deserving of this "A+" grade for their unexpected hot start to 2026.