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Minneapolis is the home to Super Bowl LII. OK, that’s enough about football… But, lots of baseball fans and baseball players are a fan of football, and millions upon millions will be watching the game on Sunday. As we have done the last few years, we have collected the predictions of many current, former and future Twins players. At this point, 85 players and other Twins personnel have sent in their predictions. We have predictions from 2017 draft picks, minor league veterans and several major leaguers including Denard Span, Danny Valencia, Mike Trombley, LaTroy Hawkins and more. So check out the predictions below if only for a walk down memory lane. There are some names that you’ll remember from the past. But first, here’s my prediction. That Eagles defense is legit. I predict three field goals for the Patriots, and a couple of second half touchdowns. The Patriots defense is not as good, but the Eagles will also be held to two field goals, but I think they’ll score three touchdowns. Eagles 27, Patriots 23. MVP - Jay Ajayi.Let’s get to the predictions you came to see, those of the Twins players and personnel from the past, the present and the future. Prospects, big leaguers and suspects, enjoy these predictions. Taylor Grzelakowski (Catcher signed in 2017, played in GCL) - 27-14 Patriots! Hector Lujan (RHP was the closer for Kernels in 2017) - The Eagles win without a doubt. The final score is gonna be 31-17. Tyler Watson (LHP acquired from Nationals in Brandon Kintzler trade) - The Patriots are gonna win 31-17. Sean Miller (infielder spent 2017 with Ft. Myers, then played in the Arizona Fall League) - Well this is a tough one! You can’t go against Tom Brady. I’m going to have to say the Patriots win 34-24. Joe Rosenstein (RHP signed in 2017, played in GCL) - I think it’s gonna be 34-30 Eagles with Nick Foles as MVP! Alex Perez (infielder split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - I believe the Patriots will go back to back and beat the Eagles 24-17. Tom Brady wins again and hopefully rides off into the sunset and retires. Dolphin fans would much appreciate this… Bryan Sammons (Twins 8th round pick in 2017, pitched in E-Town and Cedar Rapids) - 28-24 Eagles. I think Nick Foles will step up and the Eagles defense will do what it's been doing all season. Jared Finkel (RHP was 2017 draft pick and pitched in Elizabethton) - 35-27 Patriots, I’m a huge Giants fan and I want Eli to be the only QB to take down Brady in the Super Bowl. Zack Jones (RHP was Twins 4th round pick in 2012) - Eagles 31-28 Trey Cabbage (3B/OF split 2017 between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - I don’t really have a preference, but I think the Pats will pull it out 27-17 Ethan Mildren (former Twins RHP prospect) - As a Steeler guy, it's tough to pick one of these teams, but I'll say 24-20 Eagles Casey Scoggins (former Twins OF prospect) - Eagles win 27-24. Tom Brady has an “off” game. Eagles fans climb light poles and celebrate into next season. Akil Baddoo (OF was 2nd round pick in 2017, split season between GCL and E-Town. Twins Daily Short-Season Minor League Hitter of the Year) - 21-17 Eagles. Jonathan Rodriguez (1B helped Chattanooga to share of Southern League title, recently signed with Marlins) - 27-17 Patriots winning. AJ Achter (RHP spent parts of 2014-2015 with Twins, Angels in 2016. He was just named the pitching coach for Eastern Michigan U) - I'll go Patriots 21-13. Patrick McGuff (RHP spent much of 2017 in Cedar Rapids bullpen) - Gotta go Patriots 34-17. Ryan O’Rourke (LHP dominated LHH for the Twins in 2015 and 2016 and missed 2017 with Tommy John surgery. Signed with the Baltimore Orioles) - Patriots 28 Eagles 3. Shane Carrier (OF split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Elizabethton) - I’ve got the Patriots winning 23-20. Alex Meyer (former Twins pitcher traded to Angels. Recovering from shoulder surgery) - I’ll go with the Pats 31-20! Brent Rooker (OF was 2017 draft pick and hit 18 homers between E-Town and Ft. Myers) - 31-23 Pats. Eagles will lead 17-10 at halftime, Brady throws 3 TD’s in the 2nd half. Travis Harrison (former OF prospect of Twins) - I have the Patriots winning 24 17. Tom Brady is the best of all time. As a Cowboy fan, I can't stand the Eagles. Trevor May (RHP for Twins 2014-2016. Missed 2017 with Tommy John. Will return in 2018) - 27-17 Pats. David Banuelos (Catcher acquired from Mariners for international slot money) - I’m going to say Eagles are going to win 24-21. Travis Blankenhorn (2B/3B prospect spent 2017 with Cedar Rapids) - 28-24 Patriots. I want the Eagles to win, but I can’t bet against the goat Tom Brady. Zack Granite (Twins OF made his MLB debut in 2017) - 27-17 Pats. Dick Bremer (The TV voice of Twins Baseball for Fox Sports North) - With a moderate degree of certainty, I'm predicting the Patriots will win 24-10. With absolute certainty, I'm predicting that I will ignore the halftime show for the 52nd consecutive year. Landon Leach (RHP was Twins 2nd round pick in 2017, pitched in GCL) - I’m predicting 28-24 victory for New England Patriots. Trey Vavra (former Twins prospect) - I’m out of the loop but here’s a guess, 35-31 Patriots? Alex Robles (infielder was Twins 2017 draft pick after hitting and pitching in college) - Although I’m hoping the Eagles prove me wrong, I’m gonna go Patriots over Eagles 31-24. Mat Batts (former Twins LHP prospect) - Patriots 30-17 Todd Van Steensel (RHP pitched for Chattanooga in 2017) - Patriots 31, Eagles 17 - I don’t know much about football, but I know Brady wins Super Bowls when he isn’t playing the Giants. Kevin Garcia (catcher played mostly in 2017, a little in AA) - Not going to lie, I think Brady is unstoppable in the playoffs. Now, the Eagles defense has been doing a great job but without their starting QB, I have to take the Patriots. 24-20 Patriots. Taylor Rogers (Twins LH Relief Pitcher 2016, 2017) - Since it’s not the broncos let’s go Patriots by 3. 27-24 Luke Bard (Twins RHP prospect, Angels Rule 5 pick) - 24-27 Eagles! Randy Dobnak (signed in 2017, RHP pitched for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - 35-24 Patriots. The GOAT Tom Brady will once again be on top, connecting with Gronk for 2 TDs. The Eagles may score first, but the Patriots will tear through the defense mostly during the 2nd half! Andrew Bechtold (2017 draft pick played in Elizabethton) - 27-17 Eagles!! Nick Foles leads Philadelphia to its first super bowl in franchise history, eagles defenses shuts down the great Tom Brady who after the game considers retirement from the beat down he just received by the Eagles D line, Doug Peterson wins coach of the year. Eagles fans flood the streets of Philly all week for the biggest party in US history, go birds baby!!! Logan Darnell (Twins LHP, debuted in 2014)- Eagles -28 O’Rourke/Pats-20 - I think between the regulated footballs, no spy cameras, and even officiating, we have a backup QB take his team to a Super Bowl win, much like the college football championship! Virgil Vasquez (RHP pitched for Tigers, Pirates, then pitched in Twins system in 2013, 2014, about to start his 3rd season as GCL pitching coach) - Low scoring first half, both teams come out firing second half. Foles struggles to throw tough passes and ends up throwing a pick, costing the Eagles the game. End score Patriots 27-21 Eagles. Brady = G.O.A.T. Zach Featherstone (2016 draft pick as hitter, transitioned to the mound in 2017) - I’m going 31-23 Patriots. You just can’t bet against Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. It’s hard to go against the best. Mike Trombley (RHP worked 365 games for the Twins between 1992 and 1999, and briefly in 2012) - I’m a New England guy. Pats roll 31-17. Robbie Incmikoski (former Fox Sports North sideline reporter, now with ROOT Sports in Pittsburgh) - I'm gonna take the Eagles, 24-21. That was the score of Super Bowl 39 when the Pats beat Philly. Plus, Tom Brady gets there pretty much every year anyways....and it's time to parade down Broad Street! LaTroy Hawkins (RHP for Twins from 1995-2003 before pitching for 11 other teams until 2015. Twins Special Assistant to Baseball Operations) - 27-21 Patriots. Lewis Thorpe (Australian LHP returned to the mound in 2017 after Tommy John surgery) - Patriots by 14. Jacob Pearson (2017 draft pick by Angels, acquired by Twins for international slot money) - Patriots 34-30. Cody Stashak (Twins RHP prospect split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - 24-17 Eagles. Eagles fan so I’m going with them. DJ Baxendale (Twins RHP prospect split 2017 between Rochester and Chattanooga) - Brady is gonna need another finger! Go Pats! 27-21. Steve Singleton (Twins infield prospect 2006-11, hitting coach for Ft. Myers) - Eagles 32, Patriots 31. David Hurlbut (Twins LHP prospect 2011-2017. Spent 2017 in Rochester. Signed with Texas)- Patriots over Eagles 24-20. Tyler Wells (Twins RHP prospect, spent 2017 in Cedar Rapids) - 17-24 Patriots! Aaron Slegers (Twins RHP prospect since 2013, debuted in 2017) - Pats by 7. Joe Cronin (Twins infield prospect spent 2nd half in Cedar Rapids, with one game in Ft. Myers) - Pats 27 Eagles 21. Go Pats. Michael Quesada (former Twins catching prospect is now a scout for Twins)- 20-17 Patriots. Dallas Gallant (Twins RHP prospect 2010-2015) - I’m saying the score is going to be 31-21 Patriots. Cory Provus (Twins radio voice) - 28-17, Pats. Danny Valencia (former Twins infielder from 2010-2012. Six teams since then.) - Tom Brady is my guy!! They are winning 28-21. Bryan Haar (former Twins infielder 2012-2015) - I am predicting/hoping the Eagles win 34-24. Keaton Steele (Twins RHP prospect, split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga)- 30-24 Pats. Gregg Olson (14 year reliever, Olson pitched in 11 games in 1997) - Patriots 28-24. Kolton Kendrick (Twins 1B prospect played for Elizabethton in 2017) - 24-17 and I don’t know, this is a tough one between the Patriots and Philly, but I think I’m going with Patriots. Dave St. Peter (Twins President) - 35-21 Pats. Way too much Brady & Gronk. Tanner Vavra (former Twins infield prospect) - You can put me down for Philly 27-21 I want to see a new champ. Callan Pearce (Twins RHP prospect missed 2017 with arm injury) - My predictions for this years Super Bowl is -> Patriots 43 - 28 Eagles. This is nothing new for Tom Brady. Brandon Lopez (Twins infield prospect split 2017 between Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers) - I’m going to go with 21-17 Pats. Dalton Hicks (Twins 1B prospect, 2012-2016) - I'm riding with the Goat! #31-21 #goodguys #Patriots Chris Colabello (Twins 1B/DH in parts of 2013 and 2014) - Pats 31-27. Matt Fox (pitched one game for Twins in 2010) - 31-27 Patriots - I’d like to take the Eagles in this contest, as I am extremely tired of the Patriots winning ways, but after watching “Tom vs. Time” and witnessing how obnoxious Eagles fans are, Go Pats! Grant Balfour (Twins RHP from 2001-2006, also pitched for Rays and A’s) - I got the Patriots winning this one 31-24! Trevor Hildenberger (Twins RHP debuted in 2017 and was team’s Top Rookie) - Patriots 28-24 - I got no other guesses except the Patriots will win again. (sigh*) Clark Beeker (Twins prospecet pitched mostly in Cedar Rapids in 2017) - Patriots- 27, Eagles- 20 - Brady/Belichick go down as the best to ever do it. Angel Morales (Twins OF prospect 2007-2013) - I’ll say Patriots 32-27. Steven Blevins (Twins RHP prospect 2008-2010) - Patriots 31-21. Ryley Widell (Twins LHP prospect and 2017 draft pick, pitched at E-Town) - 24-17 Patriots - The Eagles D will come off strong in the two quarters. However, the Pats will come out strong after halftime to get the win. Alex Kirilloff (Twins top pick in 2016, missed 2017 with Tommy John) - Patriots 38 - Eagles 31! Denard Span (Twins top pick in 2002, OF played for Twins from 2008-2012, Nationals, Giants since) - Eagles 28-24. Tommy Watkins (Twins minor leaguer 1998-2009, hit .357 in nine games for Twins in 2007. Hitting coach in minors, managed Cedar Rapids in 2017. Will manage Chattanooga in 2018) - I’m pulling for the Eagles because of family (Jaylen Watkins) so I’m gonna say it’s an upset Eagles win 24-20. Caleb Hamilton (Twins 2016 draft pick, moved to catcher in 2017, but he can play all over the diamond.) - 28-21 Eagles. All aboard the Nick Foles train! Dan Osterbrock (former Twins LHP prospect, 2008-2011) - Patriots 31 Eagles 21 with Tom Brady winning the MVP. Christian Cavaness (Twins OF prospect spent 2017 in Cedar Rapids) - Patriots 28, Eagles 17. The red zone defenses for both teams is what will be the difference maker. Nick Anderson (Minnesotan is a RHP prospect who split 2017 between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga) - My prediction is 34-17 in favor of the Patriots! “Brady is too good!” Charlie Barnes (2017 draft pick, the LHP pitched for Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids) - 31-24 patriots, Tom Brady pulls it out in the 4th quarter Jeff Manship (RHP for the Twins, 2009-2012) - I predict the Patriots to win by a score of 24-17. Hopefully I'm wrong and the Eagles win. Pat Dean (LHP for 19 games for the Twins in 2016 after being a 3rd round pick in 2010. Pitched in Korea in 2017, will again in 2018) - I'm taking the Pats with a score of 23-17. Chris Mazza (former RHP in Twins system, currently with Marlins, heading to his first MLB spring training) - Eagles 24, Patriots 20. Jake Reed (Twins RH RP prospect, split 2017 between Chattanooga and Rochester) - EAGLES!!!!! UPDATE - Patriots 64, Eagles 21. (This page will be updated through the kickoff of Sunday's game. Check back often. And, let us know below who you think will win on Sunday.) Click here to view the article

The Minnesota Twins have struggled this year. They have been swept six times and have only two victories on the road. Instead of building on last year's success, they have brought plenty of things into question. I could spend several days on what the reasons are behind the failures. That would just end up in a lot of head shaking and maybe even some tears. Instead, I intend to start a bar room type discussion. Some of you remember the Twins of the 60s or 70s or even the 80s. For me, it is the 1990s to now. I was born in 1989 and have been alive for 15 losing seasons. Some of those 15 seasons have been worse than the others and at a different time I may rank them accordingly.Today, though, I'm going to pick out the worst players for the Twins at each position, DH included, since 1989. Here are the stipulations. 1. The players have to come from a losing season. 2. They had to have played at least half of their season at the specific position during a losing season. 2a. For the DH position, they had to lead the team in appearances as a DH in that given year. 2b. The starting pitcher had to make at least 15 starts during the season. 3. While the Twins have strung together consecutive losing seasons, I am not allowing players to span seasons. They had to play in a specific year. 4. We are excluding 2016 because we are not even a quarter of the way into the season. We could revisit this at the end of the season. 5. I'm only picking one starting pitcher and no one from the bullpen. Again, that is a post for another time. The rules are set! Let's do this. Catcher - Matt Walbeck 1994 Walbeck was never known for his offense but really had no business ever being a starting catcher. He played in 97 games for the Twins in 1994, starting 89 of them at catcher. He hit a measly .204 and had a minus 20 runs above average. His defense was above league average and he threw out a career high 39 percent of base stealers that season. That still wasn't enough to avoid putting him on this team. Especially when you consider the 1994 Twins had the fifth best team batting average in the American League. First Base - Scott Stahoviak 1997 The Twins thought they had found the first baseman of the future in 1996 when Stahoviak hit .284 with 13 home runs and 30 doubles. Problem was that Stahoviak did not return in 1997. Stahoviak hit .229 in 91 games, was a minus 13 in runs above average and committed seven errors on defense. Stahoviak also struck out a lot. He struck out 114 times in 1996 and 73 times in 1997. His career percentage of at bats that ended in strikeouts was 24. The league average over that time span was 16.3 percent. We should have seen the dramatic drop off. Stahoviak hit .364 on balls put in play in 1996. That dropped to .270 in 1997. The Twins would move on from one tough-to-spell last name to another in the next couple seasons. Second Base - Wally Backman 1989 The Twins probably believed they were getting a middle-of-his-prime player in Wally Backman when they received him in an off-season trade. Backman, at age 28, had hit .303 in 99 games in 1988. He was a veteran and the term "professional" was probably thrown around a bunch of times when describing him. He ended up being pretty terrible in his lone season with the Twins. A .231 average was just the half of it. His WAR, -2.7, and RAA, -18, were both career lows for Backman. He hit .268 on balls put in play and had a .306 on base percentage. Both were well below his career averagesfor those stats. He was never a great defensive second baseman but was solid during his time with the Mets. With the Twins, though, he had a minus 6 total zone fieldiung runs above average. Backman would spend 14 years in the league and never have one more trying than his season with the Twins. He would move on to Pittsburgh the next season and only return to the American League in 1993 when he played 10 games in Seattle. Shortstop - Cristian Guzman 1999 This one was hard. It was between Guzman and 2013 Pedro Florimon. Both were pretty terrible at the plate but it was Guzman's struggles in the field that give him the edge. He committed 24 errors as a shortstop that season. That ended up being tied for second in the American League for a shortstop and tied fifth most in the AL for any position that season. His batting didn't win him any fans either. He hit .226 with 90 strikeouts. He was striking out in nearly 20 percent of his plate appearances. Considering that he played 131 games in 1999 shows you how committed the Twins were to the young man. It would eventually pay off as he led the league in triples three times and go on to be a career .271 hitter. Third Base - Danny Valencia 2011 Known more for his looks than playing ability, Valencia surprised some people with a strong 2010. His power numbers were solid in 2011 but it was the strikeouts and defense that were down right ugly. He struck out 102 times in 608 plate appearances. He was a team leader in that category. The defense was even worse. Valencia committed 18 errors at third base and had a total zone rating of minus 18. He would never again close in on the nearly 1,300 innings he played in 2011. In defense of Valencia, he was the Twins most consistent player in 2011. His 154 games led a team that was plagued by injury. There really was no other option but to play the guy. Left Field - Josh Willingham 2013 Josh Willingham mashed 35 home runs and drove in 110 RBIs in 2012. Both career highs and numbers the Twins hoped he would duplicate in 2012. Instead they got a .208 hitter that had a runs better than average of minus 15. His homer per at bat rate in 2012 was 14.8. It dropped to 28.8 in 2013. Never a great fielder, Willingham's defensive runs saved above average was minus 8. That number was minus 13 the year prior but you could ignore that when you are driving in 110 runs. The other problem Willingham tended to encounter was injuries and 2013 was no different. Maybe a healthy Willingham, much like the one the Twins had in 2012, would've performed differently. We will never know. Center Field - Rich Becker 1995 Rich Becker's first full season in the majors was one to forget. He was not quite ready for the duties of patrolling the outfield. Add in the pressure of replacing the greatest Twins of all-time in Kirby Puckett and you have the makings of a disaster. Becker's runs above average was minus 24 as a hitter and his .303 on base percentage was the worst of his career. His defense was not terrible but he was taking over for a six-time gold glove winner. Unless you are Torii Hunter, you are not going to win approval based on being average. Becker would improve and hit .279 while driving in 116 runs over the next two seasons. Numbers the Twins would gladly take from their center fielder today. Right Field - Oswaldo Arcia 2014 Arcia hit 20 home runs in 2014 and at the age of 23 was believed to be an up-and-coming power hitter. However, the power numbers belied the reality behind Arica. He struck out 127 times or once every three at-bats. His patience was starting to go away as well as he swung at the 1st pitch 32 percent of the time. He struck out 31 percent of time and would have been 4th in the majors had he qualified. His defense wasn't much better. He had a .975 fielding percentage, well bellow the league average of .986 for a right fielder. He would become way more impatient at the plate the next season and was eventually sent down to the minors. He's back, now, and showing more patience at the plate although the strike outs are still prevalent. Designated Hitter - Ryan Doumit 2013 Doumit led the team with 49 games played as the DH in 2013. He hit .220 with a .351 slugging percentage and just five homers as a DH that season. He also struck out 43 times in 191 at-bats. He split time between there, right field and catcher in 2013. The Twins would trade him in the off-season to the Atlanta Braves. Starting Pitcher - Nick Blackburn 2012 Nick Blackburn appeared in 19 games for the Twins in 2012, all of them starts. He had a 7.39 ERA, a ERA+ of 56, gave up an average of 2.1 home runs per nine innings over the span of 98.2 innings pitched. All 81 runs he gave up were earned and he only once got past the seventh inning. You have to take into account the starting pitching rotation to really appreciate how bad Blackburn was. The Twins had Scott Diamond start 27 games. Francisco Liriano started 17 games. Cole De Vries and Liam Hendriks both started 16 games. Sam Deduno started 15 and P.J. Walters started 12. Of all of those players, only Hendriks and Liarano are still in the league with several being out of the majors by 2013. It might be the Twins worst starting rotation ever. Of course, that is a different discussion for a different post. Click here to view the article

In the summer of 2004, the Twins were in the midst of a run for their third straight AL Central crown. The sudden success on the field meant the club was in the routine of drafting later rather than earlier in the first round of baseball's amateur draft. That June the team focused on shortstop and a scrawny high schooler would be their first pick. Trevor Plouffe grew up in Southern California and was committed to the University of Southern California before the Twins came calling. He was listed as 6-foot-1 and 170 pounds but those might have been a little exaggerated if you look at this photo from shortly after he was drafted.Baseball America wrote this scouting report about Plouffe as he entered the draft. "He has a wiry frame, soft hands and fluid middle-infield actions in the mold of Robin Yount." They went on to say, "His range and arm strength are a notch below Matt Bush, the nation's top prep shortstop, but Plouffe may be a better hitter. He has a flatter swing path and the wrist action needed to drive balls." This prediction would turn out to be true as Bush and two other high school shortstops were taken before Plouffe in that draft. The aforementioned Bush was the first overall pick but he never made the big leagues and ended up serving prison time. Chris Nelson is a bench player who has accumulated a negative WAR over five seasons. Stephen Drew is the only one of the group with a higher WAR than Plouffe and he's played almost twice as many big league games. After being drafted by Minnesota, Plouffe moved through the system while being younger than the competition at every level. In his minor league career, he hit .258/.320/.405 (.725 OPS) while never hitting more than 15 home runs at any level. He made it to Triple-A by age 22 and would make his big league debut at the age of 24. There were plenty of struggles for Plouffe in his first taste of the big leagues. From 2010-2011, he hit .226/.286/.382 (.668 OPS) with 30 extra-base hits in over 360 plate appearances. He also struck out in 26% of his at-bats. His defense at shortstop was also rough, to say the least. According to defensive runs saved, he cost the Twins 14 runs in 2011 alone. Something needed to change. In the winter of 2012, the Twins decided to move Plouffe away from shortstop and shift him to the outfield. The club hoped the move would spark Plouffe much like it did for another first-round pick, Michael Cuddyer. However, he would only play 17 games there that season because Danny Valencia struggled at the plate and Minnesota needed someone for third base. Plouffe had found a new home. Flash-forward to the present day and Plouffe is now the second-longest tenured Twins player behind Joe Mauer. He has nestled himself nicely into a solid everyday regular with improved defense at third base while topping 20 home runs in two of the last four seasons. He also went on one of the most impressive home run tears in team history when he hit 10 home runs in a 14 game stretch during the 2012 campaign. In recent years, there has been rumblings about the possibility of Plouffe being traded to make room for star prospect Miguel Sano. Those rumors never came to fruition and Plouffe's strong defense at third means Sano will play in the outfield this coming season. Plouffe is under team control for the 2016 and 2017 seasons but that still doesn't mean the Twins won't consider moving him over the next handful of years. Minnesota surprised a lot of teams by contending in 2015 even while some of their young prospects were still trying to figure out baseball's highest level. Many feel the Twins will come back to the pack this season. If the Twins are out of the race in mid-July, Plouffe will likely hear his name on the trading block once again and it could make sense to deal him if the price is right. Plouffe has been part of some tough seasons in Minnesota with multiple 90-loss seasons marking the last handful of years. He has transformed from a first-round pick to a failed shortstop to an above average MLB regular. Minnesota stayed the course with Plouffe and it has paid off on the field and in the clubhouse. Click here to view the article