The Yankees and Twins: What a difference one year can make

 The Yankees, a year ago today beat the Minnesota Twins by a score of 4-1 at Target Field to pull withing two games of the .500 mark while Twins slid to twenty-six games under .500 for the season. The box score for that game shows just how far both teams have come in such a short time.

The Yankees, on June 16, 2016, fielded a lineup that included Alex Rodriguez (.217 BA, .264 OBP, ,406 SLG ), soon to be traded Carlos Beltran (.273. 309, .546), soon to be traded Brian McCann (.211, .320, .383), and a journeyman first baseman, Ike Davis, who was soon to be released by the Yankees.

Earning a “Hold” in the game was Andrew Miller, who also be traded in July to the Indians. And Mark Teixeira was walking his way through another injury riddled season on his way to retirement.

Yankees fan are familiar with what the Yankees lineup looks like today, and few would have trouble pointing to the differences that mark the reasons why the team is twelve games over .500 this season while leading the American League East by two games over the Boston Red Sox.

The “Twinkies” star is shining too

The lineup the Twins fielded in their loss to the Yankees a year ago, versus the lineup they are putting out there a year later, has only third baseman, Eduardo Escobar, center fielder, Byron Buxton, shortstop Gregory Polanco, and left fielder Robbie Grossman as carryovers from last season.

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And just like the Baby Bombers, they are surprising everyone in the American League Central division with their own version of youth and athleticism,

Presently, the standings show them five games over .500, while continuing to maintain a lead over what, by now, must be an exasperated Cleveland Indians team.

And again, while some would argue that just like the Baby Bombers, they are doing it with smoke and mirrors. And soon the bubble will burst, even though we have now reached the 3/8 pole in the race towards the finish.

And if the Twins can figure out a way to win at home this season, look out. Their record on the road is second best in the American League at 20-9, while their record at Target Field is a perplexing 14-20. Go figure.

Which, if either, of the teams, is smoke and mirrors?

The Twins are not the Bronx Bombers. They do not hit a ton of home runs and outscore opponents in games by a 10-7 margin. And they diametrically opposite the Yankees when it comes to pitching as well.

The Twins find themselves second to the bottom in pitching this season, saved only by the Baltimore Orioles. Meanwhile, the Yankees are at the very top of the American League in team pitching, carrying an ERA of 3.64 while the Twins are at 4.86.

The Twins are a little better in the runs scored department positioned at number eight in the American League. But the Yankees remain at the top of that category too.

Both teams control their destiny

There is excitement building around both the Yankees and the Twins. And when you reach this stage of a season, you are in control of your destiny. And for both teams, no one can displace them from their lodging in first place by keeping pace with them.

The Indians and the Red Sox have the pressure on them, not the other way around. And every time either one of these teams loses, that’s a game that the Pinstripes and Twins can win. And even when they lose, it’s only a push.

Having said that, the season is hardly over for the either the Yankees or the Twins. And that’s because they still have a bunch of games to play against their division rivals. But here again, they Yankees and the Twins only need to look for a split in these remaining games to maintain “no change” in the standings.

But for the Red Sox and the Indians, or dare I say the Royals, these teams must look for two out of three, or even a sweep, to gain ground in a head to head series.

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But no matter what happens, the 2017 season for fans of the Yankees and Twins is a welcome turnaround from where we were last year on June 16.