5 Advantages to Playing at Target Field

This will be the third season for the Minnesota Twins at their new home, Target Field.

Many argue that it has more disadvantages than advantages for the hometown heroes, but that is simply because the Twins weren't used to the new digs. That and their lineup last season was decimated by injuries.

This year, however, the advantages of Target Field will be abundant, and it is going to give Twins fans something to cheer about.

Defense

Most of the teams that come to Target Field will not be boasting a center fielder that is as defensively talented as Denard Span.

Nor will they be sporting a left fielder as fast as Ben Revere.

Given Josh Willingham in right field, who has a great arm with not-so-great range, it is easy to believe that the Twins will have Span play a little further towards right field than would be normal.

That's OK for this team, though, as Revere has the speed to be able to cover extra distance in left. This gives the Twins a distinct advantage, as their outfielders can simply cover much more of the outfield than other teams are capable of doing.

The Park Plays Big

For a team with a ton of speed, having a big ballpark is a great advantage. Outfielders need to play a little deeper to prevent extra-base hits and when they do, this team has the speed to make them pay for it.

Span and Revere are both capable of going from first to third on a single to the outfield. Or from second to home, for that matter. The best part, though, is that they aren't the only two in the lineup with that kind of speed.

Jamey Carroll has shown this spring that he can still move pretty well for an old-timer, and Alexi Casilla is plenty fast as well. Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who will be coming off the bench for the Twins to start the season, is also a very fast player.

While it is documented that Twins slugger Justin Morneau doesn't like how big the park is, it really doesn't matter. There is much more speed on this team than power.

The Fans

The Twins had a horrible season last year. In most cities, that would mean the fanbase might not come back in full force the next season.

Fortunately for the Twins, the novelty of the new stadium hasn't worn off yet. For some unknown reason, there are still Twins fans that have yet to make it to Target Field.

As long as that is the case, there will be plenty of fans in the stands to cheer on the home team.

Fly Balls Don't Turn into Home Runs

The Twins' pitching staff had the most consistent home-runs-against numbers in the American League in terms of home games versus road games. They gave up 80 big flies at Target Field and 81 on the road.

The team closest to the Twins in the AL in ESPN's MLB Park Factors 2011 for home runs was the Tampa Bay Rays. The Rays had a .903 rating whereas the Twins had a .913 rating. The Rays splits were seven more home runs on the road than at home.

While it is true that a big part of this factor is attributed to the pitching staff, it is very nice knowing that the home and road splits for your pitching staff are going to be very similar.

Joe Mauer

Joe Mauer is the foundation for the Minnesota Twins. He carries a contract that will have him in a Twins uniform until 2018 and will certainly be the highest-paid player they have at all times.

Joe Mauer, contrary to popular belief, will never be a big power hitter. What he is, though, is a great contact hitter who can use all parts of the field and drive the ball well into gaps in the outfield.

Target Field was designed for a hitter like Joe Mauer. It keeps the ball in the yard and gives plenty of room for hard doubles to score a fast player from first base.

In his first season at Target Field, Mauer had a career high in doubles while having 49 less plate appearances than his career high in that category.

If Mauer stays healthy this year, expect him to compete for the league lead in doubles since Target Field was designed specifically with the "Saint Paul Kid" in mind.