The Twins will be somewhat of a mystery this year as they enter their rebuilding mode after trading Johan Santana and losing Tori Hunter. Their staple over the years have been pitching and defense, which they will look to continue under Ron Gardenhire’s management.
The strongest part of the team will be their bullpen. That won’t be the case if they are over-used because the starters can’t go deep into games. They are led by their all star closer Joe Nathan (37 saves last year) who is almost a sure thing. Matt Guerrier was a workhorse last year and logged 88 innings with a 2.35 ERA. Pat Neshek pitched well in 2007 and Dennys Reyes adds additional depth.
The big question is their starting pitching. The Twins picked up Livan Hernandez and he is an innings eater. Other than Hernandez they don’t know what they will get from their young pitchers. Boof Bonser and Nick Blackburn will need to pitch well to solidify the rotation. If they don’t, it will be a long season for Minnesota.
Eventually their young pitchers will pay dividends, but probably not this year. Their offense will be anchored by veterans Justin Morneau, and Joe Mauer. Carlos Gomez replaces Tori Hunter in center-field, and it will be a learning process as he tries to find his way at the plate and in the field. Mike Lamb comes over from Houston to man third base and provide leadership.
With so many young players, the Twins will have a better idea of where they are in the middle of the season. They need to find out who their future stars will be and let them get experience now so they can contend in the future.
Projected finish - 5th place.
The American League Central is shaping up to be a two team race, with the White Sox looking to crash the party.
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