kemics

This is why the Twins have such a hard time competing and it's such a surprise and such a struggle when they do; when they are going to pay Plouffe $8 million because his best season was: 244/.307/.435 and calling Eduardo Escobar one of baseballs best shortstops when he hits: .262/.309/.445. A little OBP would be nice.

I like that Rios is "much younger" than Hunter... at 34. lol

I'm not from Minnesota, I've never been there either. I'm a twins fan because my father is a twins fan, he grew up watching Rod Carew smack baseballs all over the field. His fandom of the twins carried over to myself and my brother. Living in South Central Pennsylvania I could transfer to a more local team. The Phillies are a mere hour and a half from my home, in fact we go there a few times a year to catch a game as most of our friends or Philly fans. The Pirates are a few hours West of us and their park is just beautiful, but they haven't been relevant for years. The Orioles are the closest Major League team to us here in Central PA. If you catch traffic right you can be in Baltimore in about an hour, but the Orioles also haven't been relevant since the 80's. The mid 2000's presented us with some unique opportunities, the Phillies were becoming a great team, winning the world series once and playing in another, it's nice to watch a winning baseball team. And the Twins were also winning, so we were travelling to Philly and Baltimore whenever they visited to catch as many games as possible. It was always nice to go to Baltimore and watch the twins beat the snot out of the local team. At most Orioles games there were more fans of opposing teams than there were of the Orioles. In 2010 we were provided with a unique opportunity of seeing the Phillies and the Twins both when they were at their best. Joe Mauer was the reigning AL MVP, Justin Morneau was on his way to another MVP before concussions wrecked his career. The twins were in Philly for a weekend series, it was father's day weekend and happened to be my mother's birthday as well. On Friday the twins lost to the Phillies 9-5. The Phillies went up 8-0 in the second inning chasing starter Nick Blackburn. I can remember receiving texts from my Philly fan friends, "Welcome to Philly Bitch! Title town!" The Phils added another run in the 5th before the twins scored 5 runs in the last four innings to make it closer than it really was. On Saturday we got into Philly, enjoyed some Cheesesteaks, did some site seeing before we went to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We watched that game from the hotel, again the twins were down big after the early innings it was 8-3. The twins got one in the 6th only to give it back in the 7th. I was getting texts again from the Philly fans, it was 9-4 going into the 9th inning. I can remember standing there in my jeans an a white tshirt watching the game and drinking a beer as we tried to hold off going to dinner. Delmon Young hit a nice single to center before Thome (a former Philly) pinch hit for Danny Valencia. Young moved to second on fielder indifference, I remember saying to my brother, "Crap they are walking Thome to get to Punto." They didn't walk Thome, but he did a nice slow trot around the bases after a 466 foot shot. It's 9-6 and Punto(also a former Philly having a great weekend) is up, he gets walked by Contreras. In comes the closer Brad Lidge, he was a gas can in 2010, always stoking that fire. Punto moved to second on another fielder indifference, I can remember cheering again jumping up and down. "I have time for another beer, I'm not leaving this room till the game is over." Kubel popped out to first and then Punto moved to third on a wild pitch by Lidge. Span was up, and he smacked another single to center and Punto scores. It's now 9-7 and Orlando Hudson is up, O-dog was very frustrating this year as proven by his strike out looking in this at bat. But now, it's still 9-7, top of the 9th two outs and the golden boy is up. Joey Mauer, Joey the Gun, The franchise, the best all around player in the game. Span stole second during Hudson's at bat, I'm thinking do they walk Mauer to face Morneau? Both were equally hot at this time. Joe does his usual routine, takes a pitch or two. I think it ended up a full count before Joe Poked one 419 feet to center, tie ballgame. Morneau ends up flying out to left to end the top of the 9th. We are still in our room, I'm completely dressed at this time, but I refuse to leave for our dinner which is in like 15 minutes. Matt Guerrier comes in to pitch the bottom of the 9th. He K's Victorino before allowing back-to-back singles to Polanco and Utley. I hadn't said anything to my Philly friends about the game and the awesome come back, but I'm still getting texts from them, "Game over" after they get 2 men on. Guerrier K's both Howard and Werth to end the inning... Not so fast my friend. In the 10th Drew Butera hits a solo shot as a pinch hitter before back to back ground outs. Punto and Kubel both single, then Span is up. A chance to add to the lead when Span reaches on an infield single. And I don't know whether to be happy about Punto's aggressiveness or angry but he ended the inning getting tug out trying to sneak home. Rauch predictably lets Russ Gload tie the game with two outs, this was about the point we realized that Rauch was not the answer at closer. In the 11th, Hudson K'd again before Mauer walked and the Morneau was intentionally walked. Rauch sacrificed to first moved Mauer and Morneau over before Delmon Young singled to short scoring Mauer. Tolbert then slams one to left for a double, Young and Morneau scored before Tolbert gets gunned down trying to stretch it to a triple. The bottom of the 11th isn't too eventful, Rauch gets two quick outs before an Utley double. Then Howard K's to end the game. 13-10 the twins win, and we head off to dinner. Sunday's game was a matinee, and it was hot. I can remember it was like 95 degrees out, and 101 on the field. We had tickets down the first base line about 3 rows back, we also had some in right field as there were eight of us. Sunday's game was never really in doubt. Pavano was his dominate self much like most of 2010. He out dueled Roy Halladay in the heat, throwing a complete game, 4 hitter. His only mistake a solo home run to Wilson Valdez. We stayed for the whole game, celebrating fathers day by beating the Phillies who were favorites to win it all 2-1 in the series at their home park. The Philly fans in our section were mostly cordial, they asked if we were from Minnesota, said how much they liked Mauer and that the twins are a "Model Franchise." As we were leaving the stadium and walking towards the gates a stadium employee walked up to us and said, "Great weekend of baseball, see you in the world series." That's where we were at, favorites to represent the American League in the world series. That was before a Morneau concussion ended his season, before a stupid trade for Matt Capps got rid of our best backup catching prospect to save Joe's knees and before Bill Smith ran the franchise into the ground. Less than two short seasons ago, WE were the favorites. We didn't get to the world series that year, and I'm not sure when we will get there again. Mauer and Morneau's primes were ruined by terrible moves by the franchise and a lack of planning for the future. With the twins best prospects 3-4 years away, Mauer will be an average first baseman who is station to station and Morneau will probably be a vegetable. I was at the Twins and Orioles game this past Saturday, and instead of watching the putrid showing in the field by the twins, I thought back to that series. We aren't that team anymore, we are a shell of that team. Instead we are a team that get's heckled by the damn Oriole fans. Some guy in a tie-dyed shirt and his drunk friend 10 seats away were leading chants of "Willlinnggggggggg HAM!" I thought to myself, yeah that's his name who cares? Apparently Josh cared as he had two errors. In the 7th inning as they got louder I saw Josh peer back towards the wall, he probably wanted to be back in Oakland. I want to go back to the good ole days, only 2 years ago.

I'm not from Minnesota, I've never been there either. I'm a twins fan because my father is a twins fan, he grew up watching Rod Carew smack baseballs all over the field. His fandom of the twins carried over to myself and my brother. Living in South Central Pennsylvania I could transfer to a more local team. The Phillies are a mere hour and a half from my home, in fact we go there a few times a year to catch a game as most of our friends or Philly fans. The Pirates are a few hours West of us and their park is just beautiful, but they haven't been relevant for years. The Orioles are the closest Major League team to us here in Central PA. If you catch traffic right you can be in Baltimore in about an hour, but the Orioles also haven't been relevant since the 80's. The mid 2000's presented us with some unique opportunities, the Phillies were becoming a great team, winning the world series once and playing in another, it's nice to watch a winning baseball team. And the Twins were also winning, so we were travelling to Philly and Baltimore whenever they visited to catch as many games as possible. It was always nice to go to Baltimore and watch the twins beat the snot out of the local team. At most Orioles games there were more fans of opposing teams than there were of the Orioles. In 2010 we were provided with a unique opportunity of seeing the Phillies and the Twins both when they were at their best. Joe Mauer was the reigning AL MVP, Justin Morneau was on his way to another MVP before concussions wrecked his career. The twins were in Philly for a weekend series, it was father's day weekend and happened to be my mother's birthday as well. On Friday the twins lost to the Phillies 9-5. The Phillies went up 8-0 in the second inning chasing starter Nick Blackburn. I can remember receiving texts from my Philly fan friends, "Welcome to Philly Bitch! Title town!" The Phils added another run in the 5th before the twins scored 5 runs in the last four innings to make it closer than it really was. On Saturday we got into Philly, enjoyed some Cheesesteaks, did some site seeing before we went to our hotel to get ready for dinner. We watched that game from the hotel, again the twins were down big after the early innings it was 8-3. The twins got one in the 6th only to give it back in the 7th. I was getting texts again from the Philly fans, it was 9-4 going into the 9th inning. I can remember standing there in my jeans an a white tshirt watching the game and drinking a beer as we tried to hold off going to dinner. Delmon Young hit a nice single to center before Thome (a former Philly) pinch hit for Danny Valencia. Young moved to second on fielder indifference, I remember saying to my brother, "Crap they are walking Thome to get to Punto." They didn't walk Thome, but he did a nice slow trot around the bases after a 466 foot shot. It's 9-6 and Punto(also a former Philly having a great weekend) is up, he gets walked by Contreras. In comes the closer Brad Lidge, he was a gas can in 2010, always stoking that fire. Punto moved to second on another fielder indifference, I can remember cheering again jumping up and down. "I have time for another beer, I'm not leaving this room till the game is over." Kubel popped out to first and then Punto moved to third on a wild pitch by Lidge. Span was up, and he smacked another single to center and Punto scores. It's now 9-7 and Orlando Hudson is up, O-dog was very frustrating this year as proven by his strike out looking in this at bat. But now, it's still 9-7, top of the 9th two outs and the golden boy is up. Joey Mauer, Joey the Gun, The franchise, the best all around player in the game. Span stole second during Hudson's at bat, I'm thinking do they walk Mauer to face Morneau? Both were equally hot at this time. Joe does his usual routine, takes a pitch or two. I think it ended up a full count before Joe Poked one 419 feet to center, tie ballgame. Morneau ends up flying out to left to end the top of the 9th. We are still in our room, I'm completely dressed at this time, but I refuse to leave for our dinner which is in like 15 minutes. Matt Guerrier comes in to pitch the bottom of the 9th. He K's Victorino before allowing back-to-back singles to Polanco and Utley. I hadn't said anything to my Philly friends about the game and the awesome come back, but I'm still getting texts from them, "Game over" after they get 2 men on. Guerrier K's both Howard and Werth to end the inning... Not so fast my friend. In the 10th Drew Butera hits a solo shot as a pinch hitter before back to back ground outs. Punto and Kubel both single, then Span is up. A chance to add to the lead when Span reaches on an infield single. And I don't know whether to be happy about Punto's aggressiveness or angry but he ended the inning getting tug out trying to sneak home. Rauch predictably lets Russ Gload tie the game with two outs, this was about the point we realized that Rauch was not the answer at closer. In the 11th, Hudson K'd again before Mauer walked and the Morneau was intentionally walked. Rauch sacrificed to first moved Mauer and Morneau over before Delmon Young singled to short scoring Mauer. Tolbert then slams one to left for a double, Young and Morneau scored before Tolbert gets gunned down trying to stretch it to a triple. The bottom of the 11th isn't too eventful, Rauch gets two quick outs before an Utley double. Then Howard K's to end the game. 13-10 the twins win, and we head off to dinner. Sunday's game was a matinee, and it was hot. I can remember it was like 95 degrees out, and 101 on the field. We had tickets down the first base line about 3 rows back, we also had some in right field as there were eight of us. Sunday's game was never really in doubt. Pavano was his dominate self much like most of 2010. He out dueled Roy Halladay in the heat, throwing a complete game, 4 hitter. His only mistake a solo home run to Wilson Valdez. We stayed for the whole game, celebrating fathers day by beating the Phillies who were favorites to win it all 2-1 in the series at their home park. The Philly fans in our section were mostly cordial, they asked if we were from Minnesota, said how much they liked Mauer and that the twins are a "Model Franchise." As we were leaving the stadium and walking towards the gates a stadium employee walked up to us and said, "Great weekend of baseball, see you in the world series." That's where we were at, favorites to represent the American League in the world series. That was before a Morneau concussion ended his season, before a stupid trade for Matt Capps got rid of our best backup catching prospect to save Joe's knees and before Bill Smith ran the franchise into the ground. Less than two short seasons ago, WE were the favorites. We didn't get to the world series that year, and I'm not sure when we will get there again. Mauer and Morneau's primes were ruined by terrible moves by the franchise and a lack of planning for the future. With the twins best prospects 3-4 years away, Mauer will be an average first baseman who is station to station and Morneau will probably be a vegetable. I was at the Twins and Orioles game this past Saturday, and instead of watching the putrid showing in the field by the twins, I thought back to that series. We aren't that team anymore, we are a shell of that team. Instead we are a team that get's heckled by the damn Oriole fans. Some guy in a tie-dyed shirt and his drunk friend 10 seats away were leading chants of "Willlinnggggggggg HAM!" I thought to myself, yeah that's his name who cares? Apparently Josh cared as he had two errors. In the 7th inning as they got louder I saw Josh peer back towards the wall, he probably wanted to be back in Oakland. I want to go back to the good ole days, only 2 years ago.

And Zumaya is already hurt, looks like this is the road we are headed down...

Thanks, I wanted to present conflicting view points. Obviously I hope the twins are successful and my first post is correct, but the above could absolutely be the reality.

Why the twins won’t win the central. With spring comes optimism, every team has a .500 record, everyone is healthy, everyone has a chance. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend.” The twins have no chance in 2012. Missing from the lineup is their longtime closer Joe Nathan, who after a rough start in 2012 pulled it all together during the end of the year. Instead the Twins decided to give Matt Capps money and throw him the 9th inning, cause that went so well in 2011. Michael Cuddyer, who’s magic tricks were a clubhouse favorite, and who’s versatility was used all over the field. He’s gone too, arguably the twins best hitter over the last 2 years, playing in Colorado. Jason Kubel once blasted a homerun against Mariano Rivera to give the twins a win against the Yankees for the first time in what seems like forever, he’s gone too. Delmon Young was a #1 pick a while ago and two years ago was a potential MVP candidate, he struggled at the beginning of last year, but once he was traded he was so valuable for the Detroit Tigers in their playoff run. He’s no longer with the twins either. Instead we have a lineup of health issues, and guys who’ve never played the position they are going to be playing this year. Or if they did play it, they played it poorly. Let’s go position by position. C Joe Mauer – Joe’s legs have to be a concern, he’s no longer a catcher with speed, he’s a catcher, period. He might hit .320 but he’s not driving guys in and he’s not legging out doubles anymore. Not with two cement blocks on his feet. 1B Justin Morneau – I have some advice for Morneau; hit the one in the middle. It’s clear he suffers from Corey Koskie syndrome; a concussion has ended his career. He’s never going to be the player he once was. 2B Alexi Casilla/Tsuyoshi Nishioka – do I need to elaborate? Nishi played six games at second last year, and he suffered a broken leg doing a routine double play turn. Good news is his noodle arm might have to chuck baseballs from across the diamond as the Twins have him playing a bit of third. Casilla? Aren’t we tired of this experiment? It’s like touching the stove, you do it once, it hurts you stop. You don’t go back and keep touching it. 3B Danny Valencia – My 21 year old sister who stopped playing softball at age 13 could play better defense at third than Valencia. SS Jamey Carroll – he’s old, he should be a DH or 1B at his age. I can see him and Nishi running into each other at 2nd and both breaking legs. RF Josh Willingham – The twins biggest offseason signing, he’s barely played RF before, but sure lets write him down in there in permanent marker for the next three years. At least he might him 30 homeruns. CF Denard Span – what he lacks at the plate he makes up for in the field, except he reportedly has bad days resulting from a concussion last June. He’s in the same boat as Morneau. See you next year. LF Ben Revere – If he throws it his hardest he might be able to get the ball from LF to CF, but no further, oh and his OBP will probably be below .300 again. DH Ryan Doumit – He’s never played a full season because he’s always hurt. Welcome to Minnesota Ryan, you’ll fit in perfectly. SP1 Carl Pavano – can he please grow the mustache back? At least then he was fun to look at even though you knew he was a few starts from a 4.50 ERA. Hey, he’s the twins Ace! SP2 Francisco Liriano – At 28 if you are still trying to figure out your mechanics, you’re not in good shape. He’s so two faced, no idea which pitcher you will get. SP3 Scott Baker – Another guy who can’t seem to stay healthy, if he is healthy, he’s good. IF IF IF SP4 Nick Blackburn – I don’t even know why he’s here; do the twins have no other pitchers? Looking forward to 5-12 with a 4.89 ERA. SP5 Jason Marquis – uhm, why not go after Roy Oswalt? Instead get the guy no one else wanted? He’ll eat innings, great, but he’ll give up 5 runs each time out. CL Matt Capps – I really wanted Joe Nathan back, guarantee Joe saves more games than Matt. SU Joel Zumaya – last time he pitched it was at target field and his arm exploded, good omen. SU Glen Perkins – I’m convinced last year was all luck for Glenn. No way he puts those numbers up again. MR Brian Duensing – I’m sure he’s thrilled to be here. MR Alex Burnett – 5.51 ERA in 66 games. MR Kyle Waldrop – 5.72 ERA in 7 games. Do I think they will lose 99 games? No, they have some talent, but will they win the division? Absolutely not, this team is stuck rebuilding while its core players are in their primes.

Why the twins won’t win the central. With spring comes optimism, every team has a .500 record, everyone is healthy, everyone has a chance. In the words of Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend.” The twins have no chance in 2012. Missing from the lineup is their longtime closer Joe Nathan, who after a rough start in 2012 pulled it all together during the end of the year. Instead the Twins decided to give Matt Capps money and throw him the 9th inning, cause that went so well in 2011. Michael Cuddyer, who’s magic tricks were a clubhouse favorite, and who’s versatility was used all over the field. He’s gone too, arguably the twins best hitter over the last 2 years, playing in Colorado. Jason Kubel once blasted a homerun against Mariano Rivera to give the twins a win against the Yankees for the first time in what seems like forever, he’s gone too. Delmon Young was a #1 pick a while ago and two years ago was a potential MVP candidate, he struggled at the beginning of last year, but once he was traded he was so valuable for the Detroit Tigers in their playoff run. He’s no longer with the twins either. Instead we have a lineup of health issues, and guys who’ve never played the position they are going to be playing this year. Or if they did play it, they played it poorly. Let’s go position by position. C Joe Mauer – Joe’s legs have to be a concern, he’s no longer a catcher with speed, he’s a catcher, period. He might hit .320 but he’s not driving guys in and he’s not legging out doubles anymore. Not with two cement blocks on his feet. 1B Justin Morneau – I have some advice for Morneau; hit the one in the middle. It’s clear he suffers from Corey Koskie syndrome; a concussion has ended his career. He’s never going to be the player he once was. 2B Alexi Casilla/Tsuyoshi Nishioka – do I need to elaborate? Nishi played six games at second last year, and he suffered a broken leg doing a routine double play turn. Good news is his noodle arm might have to chuck baseballs from across the diamond as the Twins have him playing a bit of third. Casilla? Aren’t we tired of this experiment? It’s like touching the stove, you do it once, it hurts you stop. You don’t go back and keep touching it. 3B Danny Valencia – My 21 year old sister who stopped playing softball at age 13 could play better defense at third than Valencia. SS Jamey Carroll – he’s old, he should be a DH or 1B at his age. I can see him and Nishi running into each other at 2nd and both breaking legs. RF Josh Willingham – The twins biggest offseason signing, he’s barely played RF before, but sure lets write him down in there in permanent marker for the next three years. At least he might him 30 homeruns. CF Denard Span – what he lacks at the plate he makes up for in the field, except he reportedly has bad days resulting from a concussion last June. He’s in the same boat as Morneau. See you next year. LF Ben Revere – If he throws it his hardest he might be able to get the ball from LF to CF, but no further, oh and his OBP will probably be below .300 again. DH Ryan Doumit – He’s never played a full season because he’s always hurt. Welcome to Minnesota Ryan, you’ll fit in perfectly. SP1 Carl Pavano – can he please grow the mustache back? At least then he was fun to look at even though you knew he was a few starts from a 4.50 ERA. Hey, he’s the twins Ace! SP2 Francisco Liriano – At 28 if you are still trying to figure out your mechanics, you’re not in good shape. He’s so two faced, no idea which pitcher you will get. SP3 Scott Baker – Another guy who can’t seem to stay healthy, if he is healthy, he’s good. IF IF IF SP4 Nick Blackburn – I don’t even know why he’s here; do the twins have no other pitchers? Looking forward to 5-12 with a 4.89 ERA. SP5 Jason Marquis – uhm, why not go after Roy Oswalt? Instead get the guy no one else wanted? He’ll eat innings, great, but he’ll give up 5 runs each time out. CL Matt Capps – I really wanted Joe Nathan back, guarantee Joe saves more games than Matt. SU Joel Zumaya – last time he pitched it was at target field and his arm exploded, good omen. SU Glen Perkins – I’m convinced last year was all luck for Glenn. No way he puts those numbers up again. MR Brian Duensing – I’m sure he’s thrilled to be here. MR Alex Burnett – 5.51 ERA in 66 games. MR Kyle Waldrop – 5.72 ERA in 7 games. Do I think they will lose 99 games? No, they have some talent, but will they win the division? Absolutely not, this team is stuck rebuilding while its core players are in their primes.

Why the Twins will win the Central Many have already written the twins off for this year, ESPN has them ranked near the bottom of every power ranking. A team that two years ago was a favorite to reach the World Series as the American League representative, has been left for dead, destined for a rebuild. But when I look at the roster, I don’t see that much of a difference from two years ago. Sure, Minnesota had its problems last year, but could that just have been a chance for the younger guys to get some experience? Can we chalk last season’s debacle up to injuries and bad luck? Gone from the twins of two years ago is a man without a position, Michael Cuddyer, who was overvalued because he could play everywhere. Cuddy had 34 homeruns in 2010/11 despite hitting 32 in 2009. He has never hit above .284, and his best season was arguable 2006 when he posted a .284/362/.504 slash line. What that doesn’t show you is the strikeouts in clutch situations, his disappearance late in games as well as his terrible line in the last half of last season, .263/.312/.438. Also missing is Jason Kubel, who all I can remember of him is one big homerun against Mariano Rivera and a bunch of strikeouts every other time. A liability in the field and a non-threat against lefties makes his loss even easier to take. Jim Thome hit 25 homers two years ago in only 276 at-bats; he also struck out 82 times. Now don’t get me wrong, Thome is a great guy and a wonderful teammate but 82 K’s out of 276 at bats, as well as his best defensive position being on the bench, I can live with his departure. Finally Delmon Young, who only did enough to keep from getting traded and always seemed to be striking out when he could have watched four straight pitches and walked. Don’t even get me started on the pitchers, Nathan is gone and as great a regular season pitcher as he’s been, his horse like pffffffff before he throws a big pitch and the 2 horrid appearances in the 09 playoffs, I never felt safe with him closing the 9th. Jesse Crain is gone; he was the heir apparent to Nathan. I remember watching Crain throw gopher balls to the Yankees again in 2010, one appearance, one out, three hits and two earned runs. But those are not the reasons why the twins will win the division; those reasons lie in the lineup and pitching staff. 1. Denard Span CF – One of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball, his job at the plate is to get on base and run. His career OBP is .361, and he is a lock to steal 20 bases if he plays 140 games. He will also benefit from #2. 2. Jamey Carroll SS – His defense has been called into question, but he’s been serviceable and has to be better than the poo poo platter we’ve been fed the last two years. His ability to move runners as a .278/.356/.358 hitter will benefit Span, moving him to second and third, and Joe Mauer who will be driving them both home. 3. Joe Mauer C – A Finally healthy Joe should be a force this year. I don’t see 28 homeruns in this park, but I do see double digit homers for the season and a ton of doubles. With Span and Carroll on base in front of him Joe’s RBI totals should skyrocket. This is the first year he’s had a decent #2 hitter who can set the table for him. 4. Josh Willingham RF – finally a right handed POWER bat. Michael Cuddyer was not a power bat; he was a guy who hit 32 homeruns once in a dome. Willingham can hit the ball out of the park and the M and M boys will benefit from having a right hander who can hit between them. I see 30 homers and 110 RBIs for Mr. Willingham. 5. Justin Morneau 1B – Here is hoping that Morneau’s concussions are behind him, other than Joe Mauer he is the most important part of this team. He has at times looked lost at the plate, but I’m hoping hunger and health give him one of his best seasons ever. He’s due. 6. Ryan Doumit DH – I’ve always liked Doumit and other than a terrible season in 2009, he’s posted some decent numbers. And like everyone above he needs to stay healthy. Maybe the twins shouldn’t have gone after free agents; maybe they should have gone after a training staff. 7. Danny Valencia 3B – sophomore slump? I sure hope so; if he can get his OBP up to the .320 range and keep hitting double digit homeruns then he’ll fit nicely here in the seven hole. But he has to stay out of Gardenhire’s dog house as far as defense goes. 8. Alexi Casilla/ Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B – I have to think that the twins scouts that have been so good over the years knew what they were getting with Nishioka, and that last year was an aberration. A second year in the United States and with his twins teammates as well as playing with a veteran like Carroll should help. And if he doesn’t improve, there is always Casilla playing second and hitting number eight, which is much better than him hitting second. A .270/.320 line from here wouldn’t be too devastating. 9. Ben Revere LF – He’s got a great glove and range, but his arm is questionable. Needs to bring his average and OBP up, he’s not going to hit many homeruns but with a full season should steal 40 or more bases which will create opportunities for the top of the lineup. Pitching 1. Carl Pavano – He’s not an ace, and he’s not really better than average, but I feel like he’s the only pitcher on the staff that can really handle opening day besides Scott Baker. He looks like a 10-10 season with an ERA in the 4’s which might not be too terrible if the bats can hit. 2. Francisco Liriano – It seems as though he alternates horrible seasons with good ones and last year was a horrible season. So the way I see it he is due. Gardy has to learn to not leave him in, what cost the twins the 2010 playoffs against the Yankees was Gardy leaving Liriano in to face Teixeira. Double digit wins, 200 plus strikeouts and an era in the mid 3’s sounds great. 3. Scott Baker – He was on his way to possibly making it into the Cy Young award race when arm problems derailed his season. He wins games, he strikes out a few guys, and he needs to stay healthy. 4. Nick Blackburn – He’s really a fifth starter, he doesn’t strike out anyone, and he usually ends up with a .500 record. I’ve said enough about him. 5. Jason Marquis – The big free agency pitching pickup for the twins. He won double digit games every year from 2004 till 2009 but in 2010 injuries started taking their toll. If he’s healthy, he eats innings and joining him with Pavano to eat innings sounds good to me. Relief Matt Capps CL – Injuries are what derailed Capps last year, before that in 2010 he saved 42 games including 16 with the twins while having a 2.00 ERA after being traded for. The talent is there, the stats are there. He just needs to be healthy. Glen Perkins SU – I always thought Perkins would make his way into a starters role, but that never happened and last year he ended up being the twins best reliever. If he’s able to continue progressing as a reliever, he could be very dangerous in the 8th inning. Joel Zumaya MR – Another “if he’s healthy” guy, hopefully his arm doesn’t fly off in the middle of a pitch, he’s young, he has talent, and his a low risk high reward guy. He could flourish in the 7th inning. Others – Alex Burnett, Kyle Waldrop and Brian Duensing are being given the nod by me here, but the twins have a lot of young pitchers waiting for another shot in the majors, here is hoping that those arms are hungry to prove themselves once again this year. What you don’t see above is that the twins are young. More than half the players above are 28 years old or younger. They are in their primes and should be producing the best numbers of their career. There is no reason the twins cannot win the central and if things fall into place make a run in the playoffs. You have two former MVP winners, power in RF and 3B, Speed all over the place, as well as a potential Cy Young candidate and two guys who will eat innings. If the majority of these guys play a full season, it could be a wonderful year for the Minnesota Twins.

Why the Twins will win the Central Many have already written the twins off for this year, ESPN has them ranked near the bottom of every power ranking. A team that two years ago was a favorite to reach the World Series as the American League representative, has been left for dead, destined for a rebuild. But when I look at the roster, I don’t see that much of a difference from two years ago. Sure, Minnesota had its problems last year, but could that just have been a chance for the younger guys to get some experience? Can we chalk last season’s debacle up to injuries and bad luck? Gone from the twins of two years ago is a man without a position, Michael Cuddyer, who was overvalued because he could play everywhere. Cuddy had 34 homeruns in 2010/11 despite hitting 32 in 2009. He has never hit above .284, and his best season was arguable 2006 when he posted a .284/362/.504 slash line. What that doesn’t show you is the strikeouts in clutch situations, his disappearance late in games as well as his terrible line in the last half of last season, .263/.312/.438. Also missing is Jason Kubel, who all I can remember of him is one big homerun against Mariano Rivera and a bunch of strikeouts every other time. A liability in the field and a non-threat against lefties makes his loss even easier to take. Jim Thome hit 25 homers two years ago in only 276 at-bats; he also struck out 82 times. Now don’t get me wrong, Thome is a great guy and a wonderful teammate but 82 K’s out of 276 at bats, as well as his best defensive position being on the bench, I can live with his departure. Finally Delmon Young, who only did enough to keep from getting traded and always seemed to be striking out when he could have watched four straight pitches and walked. Don’t even get me started on the pitchers, Nathan is gone and as great a regular season pitcher as he’s been, his horse like pffffffff before he throws a big pitch and the 2 horrid appearances in the 09 playoffs, I never felt safe with him closing the 9th. Jesse Crain is gone; he was the heir apparent to Nathan. I remember watching Crain throw gopher balls to the Yankees again in 2010, one appearance, one out, three hits and two earned runs. But those are not the reasons why the twins will win the division; those reasons lie in the lineup and pitching staff. 1. Denard Span CF – One of the best defensive centerfielders in baseball, his job at the plate is to get on base and run. His career OBP is .361, and he is a lock to steal 20 bases if he plays 140 games. He will also benefit from #2. 2. Jamey Carroll SS – His defense has been called into question, but he’s been serviceable and has to be better than the poo poo platter we’ve been fed the last two years. His ability to move runners as a .278/.356/.358 hitter will benefit Span, moving him to second and third, and Joe Mauer who will be driving them both home. 3. Joe Mauer C – A Finally healthy Joe should be a force this year. I don’t see 28 homeruns in this park, but I do see double digit homers for the season and a ton of doubles. With Span and Carroll on base in front of him Joe’s RBI totals should skyrocket. This is the first year he’s had a decent #2 hitter who can set the table for him. 4. Josh Willingham RF – finally a right handed POWER bat. Michael Cuddyer was not a power bat; he was a guy who hit 32 homeruns once in a dome. Willingham can hit the ball out of the park and the M and M boys will benefit from having a right hander who can hit between them. I see 30 homers and 110 RBIs for Mr. Willingham. 5. Justin Morneau 1B – Here is hoping that Morneau’s concussions are behind him, other than Joe Mauer he is the most important part of this team. He has at times looked lost at the plate, but I’m hoping hunger and health give him one of his best seasons ever. He’s due. 6. Ryan Doumit DH – I’ve always liked Doumit and other than a terrible season in 2009, he’s posted some decent numbers. And like everyone above he needs to stay healthy. Maybe the twins shouldn’t have gone after free agents; maybe they should have gone after a training staff. 7. Danny Valencia 3B – sophomore slump? I sure hope so; if he can get his OBP up to the .320 range and keep hitting double digit homeruns then he’ll fit nicely here in the seven hole. But he has to stay out of Gardenhire’s dog house as far as defense goes. 8. Alexi Casilla/ Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B – I have to think that the twins scouts that have been so good over the years knew what they were getting with Nishioka, and that last year was an aberration. A second year in the United States and with his twins teammates as well as playing with a veteran like Carroll should help. And if he doesn’t improve, there is always Casilla playing second and hitting number eight, which is much better than him hitting second. A .270/.320 line from here wouldn’t be too devastating. 9. Ben Revere LF – He’s got a great glove and range, but his arm is questionable. Needs to bring his average and OBP up, he’s not going to hit many homeruns but with a full season should steal 40 or more bases which will create opportunities for the top of the lineup. Pitching 1. Carl Pavano – He’s not an ace, and he’s not really better than average, but I feel like he’s the only pitcher on the staff that can really handle opening day besides Scott Baker. He looks like a 10-10 season with an ERA in the 4’s which might not be too terrible if the bats can hit. 2. Francisco Liriano – It seems as though he alternates horrible seasons with good ones and last year was a horrible season. So the way I see it he is due. Gardy has to learn to not leave him in, what cost the twins the 2010 playoffs against the Yankees was Gardy leaving Liriano in to face Teixeira. Double digit wins, 200 plus strikeouts and an era in the mid 3’s sounds great. 3. Scott Baker – He was on his way to possibly making it into the Cy Young award race when arm problems derailed his season. He wins games, he strikes out a few guys, and he needs to stay healthy. 4. Nick Blackburn – He’s really a fifth starter, he doesn’t strike out anyone, and he usually ends up with a .500 record. I’ve said enough about him. 5. Jason Marquis – The big free agency pitching pickup for the twins. He won double digit games every year from 2004 till 2009 but in 2010 injuries started taking their toll. If he’s healthy, he eats innings and joining him with Pavano to eat innings sounds good to me. Relief Matt Capps CL – Injuries are what derailed Capps last year, before that in 2010 he saved 42 games including 16 with the twins while having a 2.00 ERA after being traded for. The talent is there, the stats are there. He just needs to be healthy. Glen Perkins SU – I always thought Perkins would make his way into a starters role, but that never happened and last year he ended up being the twins best reliever. If he’s able to continue progressing as a reliever, he could be very dangerous in the 8th inning. Joel Zumaya MR – Another “if he’s healthy” guy, hopefully his arm doesn’t fly off in the middle of a pitch, he’s young, he has talent, and his a low risk high reward guy. He could flourish in the 7th inning. Others – Alex Burnett, Kyle Waldrop and Brian Duensing are being given the nod by me here, but the twins have a lot of young pitchers waiting for another shot in the majors, here is hoping that those arms are hungry to prove themselves once again this year. What you don’t see above is that the twins are young. More than half the players above are 28 years old or younger. They are in their primes and should be producing the best numbers of their career. There is no reason the twins cannot win the central and if things fall into place make a run in the playoffs. You have two former MVP winners, power in RF and 3B, Speed all over the place, as well as a potential Cy Young candidate and two guys who will eat innings. If the majority of these guys play a full season, it could be a wonderful year for the Minnesota Twins.