Twins, Rockies meet in matchup of surprising division leaders
It's a big week for two of the league's most surprising teams.
The Minnesota Twins and Colorado Rockies meet as the leaders of their respective divisions (the American League Central and the National League West, respectively) just a year after finishing in the cellar.
The Twins are the league's most-improved team by winning percentage, boasting a .559 after finishing last season at just .364.
They enter Tuesday's games leading their division by half a game.
The Rockies have improved from .463 to .615, a figure that ranks third in the league, and have a two-game lead in their own division.
| Team | Win% Increase |
| Twins | .195 |
| Astros | .173 |
| Rockies | .152 |
| Diamondbacks | .124 |
| Yankees | .110 |
And while those divisional stakes should make the series interesting, there should be plenty of home runs to go around, too.
This series features the top-two slugging leadoff hitters in the league over the last three seasons in Charlie Blackmon and Brian Dozier.
Blackmon and Dozier lead the league in home runs by a leadoff hitter during that span.
| Player | Home Runs |
| Charlie Blackmon | 73 |
| Brian Dozier | 67 |
| Matt Carpenter | 50 |
| Curtis Granderson | 49 |
| Mookie Betts | 45 |
| Ian Kinsler | 45 |
Meanwhile, Miguel Sano and Mark Reynolds have provided plenty of power as well, and rank among the league's top slugging infielders by OPS (slugging percentage plus on-base percentage).
| Player | Team | OPS |
| Ryan Zimmerman | Nationals | 1.222 |
| Freddie Freeman | Braves | 1.191 |
| Eric Thames | Brewers | 1.128 |
| Miguel Sano | Twins | 1.106 |
| Paul Goldschmidt | Diamondbacks | 1.040 |
| Mark Reynolds | Rockies | 1.028 |
Statistics courtesy of STATS LLC
