Teams with a strong farm system often surge at the big league level sooner than expected. The most famous recent examples are the Cubs and Astros, who suddenly reversed years of losing with postseason appearances in 2015, a prelude to winning World Series in the next two seasons.
The Red Sox went from last place in the American League East in 2015 to first place in '16, and they haven't looked back since. The Twins' youngsters needed a little more time to percolate, then sparked a 36-game improvement in '17 that made Minnesota the first big league club to reach the playoffs following a 100-loss season.