Odds courtesy of OddsShark.com

We are now nearly two months into the 2019 season, meaning we have a pretty good grasp on what teams really are. And it appears that the surprising AL Central leaders, the Minnesota Twins, are for real.

As of this writing, the Twins are just a half-game back of the Houston Astros for the best record in baseball and also trail only Houston for the largest run differential in baseball. Run differential, not a club’s record, generally is the best indicator of a how good/bad a team really is on the season.

Last year, the Twins finished 78-84, which got Manager and Hall of Famer Paul Molitor fired. They hit just 166 home runs, 23rd in the majors. This year? Minnesota is second with 88 dingers under first-year manager Rocco Baldelli. Eight guys have at least seven homers.