nickschubert

1. Fenway Park - Boston 2. Wrigley Field - Chicago 3. Target Field - Minnesota 4. Colors Field - Colorado 5. PNC Park - Pittsburgh 6. Camden Yards - Baltimore 7. Busch Stadium - St Louis 8. Yankee Stadium - New York 9. Kaufman Stadium - Kansas City 10. Nationals Park - Washington DC

1. Fenway Park - Boston 2. Wrigley Field - Chicago 3. Target Field - Minnesota 4. Colors Field - Colorado 5. PNC Park - Pittsburgh 6. Camden Yards - Baltimore 7. Busch Stadium - St Louis 8. Yankee Stadium - New York 9. Kaufman Stadium - Kansas City 10. Nationals Park - Washington DC

1. Health of Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer 2. Bounce back years from Francisco Liriano, Matt Capps, Denard Span, and Brian Duensing 3. Strong Bullpen - Including Capps, Duensing, Swarzak, Perkins, and others 4. Strong support from the Minor League teams - Many players will contribute this season that start the year in the minors 5. Execution - Go out and win

1. Health of Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer 2. Bounce back years from Francisco Liriano, Matt Capps, Denard Span, and Brian Duensing 3. Strong Bullpen - Including Capps, Duensing, Swarzak, Perkins, and others 4. Strong support from the Minor League teams - Many players will contribute this season that start the year in the minors 5. Execution - Go out and win

Expect Joe Mauer to return to his MVP form in 2012. For the first time in years Mauer is entering Spring Training healthy. The Twins have become accustomed to taking it easy with Mauer. That is no longer the case in 2012. With the losses of Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel in the Twins lineup, Mauer will need to produce big numbers. He is very capable as he has won 3 batting titles and the 2009 American League MVP. The key for Mauer is health, as long as his bat is in the lineup, it doesn't matter where he plays. History repeats itself and so Mauer is very capable to put up big numbers. If he can play in roughly 145 games I would expect him to finish in the top 3 in the MVP voting. Mauer is going to be relied on this year and needs to establish himself as a leader on the team. He was blamed by the entire state for the Twins poor 2011 season. He has a lot to prove in 2012 in order to justify his 8 year - 184 million dollar contract.

Expect Joe Mauer to return to his MVP form in 2012. For the first time in years Mauer is entering Spring Training healthy. The Twins have become accustomed to taking it easy with Mauer. That is no longer the case in 2012. With the losses of Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel in the Twins lineup, Mauer will need to produce big numbers. He is very capable as he has won 3 batting titles and the 2009 American League MVP. The key for Mauer is health, as long as his bat is in the lineup, it doesn't matter where he plays. History repeats itself and so Mauer is very capable to put up big numbers. If he can play in roughly 145 games I would expect him to finish in the top 3 in the MVP voting. Mauer is going to be relied on this year and needs to establish himself as a leader on the team. He was blamed by the entire state for the Twins poor 2011 season. He has a lot to prove in 2012 in order to justify his 8 year - 184 million dollar contract.

The entire state of Minnesota wants Justin Morneau to return to his MVP form. After hearing Morneau talk last week, it sounds like he will never be the same. The last few season he has been affected by various injuries including a severe concussion. He has undergone four surgeries since the end of the 2011 season. We would all love to see the M & M boys back in the lineup. The Twins are much better with Morneau in the lineup, but the reality is that he may not be around for much longer. Possible replacements for Morneau include Joe Mauer, Chris Parmelee, Luke Hughes, and Ryan Doumit. If the Twins can find someone to catch 40 plus games than this would be ideal. If Mauer can catch 100-120 games the Twins would be very happy. He could fill in at first for roughly 30 games. Chris Parmelee proved in September that he can hit at the major league level. He would likely be the favorite to get the majority of the playing time. Luke Hughes is hoping to earn a utility spot out of Spring Training and could also see some time at 1st base. Ryan Doumit was signed as a catcher/outfielder. He can also play 1st base although he has stated that he prefers not to. Much of the Twins success in 2012 will hinge on the health of Justin Morneau.

The entire state of Minnesota wants Justin Morneau to return to his MVP form. After hearing Morneau talk last week, it sounds like he will never be the same. The last few season he has been affected by various injuries including a severe concussion. He has undergone four surgeries since the end of the 2011 season. We would all love to see the M & M boys back in the lineup. The Twins are much better with Morneau in the lineup, but the reality is that he may not be around for much longer. Possible replacements for Morneau include Joe Mauer, Chris Parmelee, Luke Hughes, and Ryan Doumit. If the Twins can find someone to catch 40 plus games than this would be ideal. If Mauer can catch 100-120 games the Twins would be very happy. He could fill in at first for roughly 30 games. Chris Parmelee proved in September that he can hit at the major league level. He would likely be the favorite to get the majority of the playing time. Luke Hughes is hoping to earn a utility spot out of Spring Training and could also see some time at 1st base. Ryan Doumit was signed as a catcher/outfielder. He can also play 1st base although he has stated that he prefers not to. Much of the Twins success in 2012 will hinge on the health of Justin Morneau.

Many Twins fans have expressed disappointment in the Twins lack of spending. Do the Twins need to spend more money? The answer to this is no. The 2012 payroll is sitting at roughly 100 million, which ranks among the top in all of baseball. Also, spending more money does not always translate to wins, for example the 2011 Twins. The Twins will now have the flexibility to make a trade at the trading deadline and have the chance to acquire more talent. Finally, when Terry Ryan was in his first stint as General Manager, his payroll never topped 71 million. The Twins had a lot of success during his first tenure, and it shows that more money does not necessarily mean more wins. The Twins will be out to prove people wrong in 2012.

Many Twins fans have expressed disappointment in the Twins lack of spending. Do the Twins need to spend more money? The answer to this is no. The 2012 payroll is sitting at roughly 100 million, which ranks among the top in all of baseball. Also, spending more money does not always translate to wins, for example the 2011 Twins. The Twins will now have the flexibility to make a trade at the trading deadline and have the chance to acquire more talent. Finally, when Terry Ryan was in his first stint as General Manager, his payroll never topped 71 million. The Twins had a lot of success during his first tenure, and it shows that more money does not necessarily mean more wins. The Twins will be out to prove people wrong in 2012.

The Minnesota Twins will win the AL Central in 2012. They have not made the flashiest moves this offseason, but they have made the right ones. While the Detroit Tigers get all of the attention, the Twins will fly under the radar. Under Ron Gardenhire, the Twins have become accustomed to being overlooked. The Twins need to keep in mind that history repeats itself. The Tigers will not win because they lack a solid defense. The old saying is "defense wins championships" and that's exactly what the Twins have. With Miguel Cabrera moving to 3rd base, the Tigers will lack range all over the infield. Many of the Twins will bounce back from a tough 2011. They will regain the their winning ways and win the 2012 American League Central Divison.

The Minnesota Twins will win the AL Central in 2012. They have not made the flashiest moves this offseason, but they have made the right ones. While the Detroit Tigers get all of the attention, the Twins will fly under the radar. Under Ron Gardenhire, the Twins have become accustomed to being overlooked. The Twins need to keep in mind that history repeats itself. The Tigers will not win because they lack a solid defense. The old saying is "defense wins championships" and that's exactly what the Twins have. With Miguel Cabrera moving to 3rd base, the Tigers will lack range all over the infield. Many of the Twins will bounce back from a tough 2011. They will regain the their winning ways and win the 2012 American League Central Divison.

It is easy to question the motive behind some of the moves that the Twins have made. Many people get caught up in the moment and feel that a move needs to be made. After Prince Fielder signed with the Tigers, many fans expressed disappointment in the Twins' front office. I assure you that Terry Ryan knows what he is doing. He is responsible for six division titles and much of the success over the past decade. He did it by building from within, not by making a big splash in Free Agency. The Twins signed Josh Willingham to a 3 year - 21 million dollar deal. This proves that Ryan is willing to go out and spend money. It was very hard to lose Cuddyer and Kubel but Ryan has found solid replacements. Terry Ryan was also very smart to sign Joel Zumaya. While this didn't work out, it was still a very smart move. The Twins only owe Zumaya $400,000, and if he would have stayed healthy he could have provided a lot of stability to the bullpen. It might be easy to criticize Ryan right now, but let's see how the Twins play over the first 3 months.

It is easy to question the motive behind some of the moves that the Twins have made. Many people get caught up in the moment and feel that a move needs to be made. After Prince Fielder signed with the Tigers, many fans expressed disappointment in the Twins' front office. I assure you that Terry Ryan knows what he is doing. He is responsible for six division titles and much of the success over the past decade. He did it by building from within, not by making a big splash in Free Agency. The Twins signed Josh Willingham to a 3 year - 21 million dollar deal. This proves that Ryan is willing to go out and spend money. It was very hard to lose Cuddyer and Kubel but Ryan has found solid replacements. Terry Ryan was also very smart to sign Joel Zumaya. While this didn't work out, it was still a very smart move. The Twins only owe Zumaya $400,000, and if he would have stayed healthy he could have provided a lot of stability to the bullpen. It might be easy to criticize Ryan right now, but let's see how the Twins play over the first 3 months.