Minnesota Twins: 12 Things the Twins Need for 2012

It's obvious after the Minnesota Twins finished the 2011 season with the second-worst record since the franchise moved to the Twin Cities, the team has plenty of needs.

The team needs a couple of solid starting pitchers, an effective reliever, a power-hitting corner outfielder and an effective middle infield combination.

For general manager Terry Ryan, it appears that the wheeling and dealing is done, and from the looks of things, with no blockbuster deals, the team will be taking a long, slow ride to respectability.

Ryan, taking no big swings to improve the Twins, is relying for the most part, on the current roster of players to improve over last season. The hopes on the 2012 season is that many of these players will return to form that had the Twins winning six division titles over nine seasons.

The only changes to the lineup appear to be Ben Revere taking over one of the corner outfield positions, Josh Willingham the other, and Jamey Carroll manning one of the middle infield positions.

Here are 12 things the Twins need for a successful 2012 season.

Francisco Liriano Needs to Pitch Like It's 2006

Through the first half of the 2006 season, Francisco Liriano was the hottest pitcher this side of Johan Santana.  

In fact, he was even better than the eventual Cy Young winner, leading the American League with a 2.19 ERA, with a 12-3 record at the end of July.

Forearm inflammation in early August led to a trip on the disabled list, and eventually to the operating room, where he had reconstructive surgery to repair the ulna collateral ligament—a procedure better known as Tommy John surgery.

Since then, Liriano has a 34-37 record with a 4.58 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP.

It seems that the Twins keep hoping for Liriano to put together a complete season that rivals the first half of the 2006 season.

He came close in 2010 when he opened the season 3-0 with a 0.98 ERA in four starts to earn the AL Pitcher of the month in April. Unfortunately, he went 11-10 with a 4.09 ERA over the rest of the season.

The Twins need Liriano to become the ace of the starting rotation and dominate from April until October.  

Joe Mauer Needs to Lead the League in Hitting

Another batting title from the 2009 AL MVP catcher Joe Mauer would provide a huge lift for the Twins in 2012. That, and being able to play in more than 140 games in a season—something he has only done once in his career.

Actually, the Twins need Mauer to like exactly like he did in 2009. That year he led the league with a .365 average and had career highs with 28 home runs and 96 RBIs.

That would go a long way to offset a lineup that loses Delmon Young, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Jim Thome who hit 81 home runs in 2010, and 48 in 2011. 

Tsuyoshi Nishioka Needs to Play Like He's in Japan

The Twins big acquisition from last season didn't have the major league debut anyone was hoping for.

Tsuyoshi Nishioka came to Minnesota after eight seasons in Japan with a .293 career batting average. Over his career there he averaged 21 stolen bases and six home runs a season.

After suffering a broken fibula in the first week of the season, he never got fully comfortable in the Twins lineup. In 68 games he only hit .226 with only two stolen bases in six attempts.

if Nishioka can raise his average to anything close to .280, and steal between 15 and 20 bases, he will have redeemed himself.

Danny Valencia Needs to Play Like a Rookie

In 85 games for the Twins in 2010, Danny Valencia hit .311 with seven home runs and 40 RBIs. More importantly, he had only six errors playing third base, finishing with a .973 fielding percentage.

While not great, it was higher than the .949 percentage he had last season when he committed 18 errors in 147 games.

While Valencia's average dropped to .246 in 2011, he did lead the team with 72 RBIs, appearing in a team-high 154 games.

This will be his second full season at the major league level, and the Twins need him to play consistently both defensively and at the plate. 

Justin Morneau Needs to Play Like He Did Before the Concussion

Since suffering the concussion on July 7th, 2010 against the Blue Jays, Justin Morneau has not been the same player.

After playing in only 81 games of the 2010 season, he was limited to even fewer on 2011, playing in only 69 games.

After making his way back to the starting lineup in 2011, Morneau suffered a herniated disc in his neck that required surgery. That was followed by a bone spur in his foot, a sore shoulder, surgery to remove a cyst from his knee, and then another concussion and finally surgery on his wrist.

The Twins really need the Morneau to play like he did in the first half of the 2010 season when he was leading the Twins with a .345 batting average, 18 home runs and 56 RBIs in early July.

Denard Span Needs to Play Like His Job Is on the Line

Denard Span has played his best baseball when he had competition for center field.

In 2008 and 2009, while competing with Carlos Gomez for the starting center fielder position, Span hit .305, with 115 RBIs, and 14 home runs in 238 games—only 103 of them in center field.

Compare that to his performance since earning the center field job in 2010. He's hitting .264, with only five home runs and 74 RBIs, in 223 games—220 of them in center.

Hopefully, Span comes into spring training feeling some pressure from Ben Revere. 

Revere, who started more games in center field last season after Span suffered a concussion, filled in exceptionally well.

In 117 games, Revere hit .264, with a team-high 34 stolen bases, more than Span has swiped in any of his seasons. 

The Twins need Span to hit closer to .300 than .260 and have him stealing bases from the top of the order to rival that of Revere.

Matt Capps Needs to Pitch Like an All-Star

With the loss of Joe Nathan, the Twins are placing a lot of hope that Matt Capps can pitch like he did when he made the All-Star team in 2010.

That season he came to the Twins from Washington with a 3-3 record, 26 saves in 47 games, with a 2.74 ERA.

As a Twin he recorded another 16 saves in 27 games with a 2.00 ERA.

During the entire season he only blew six save opportunities in 74 games.  

In 2011, Capps struggled blowing nine save opportunities in 69 appearances. Not only did he lose the closer role, but also the setup role as well. He finished with a 4-7 record, and only 15 saves with a 4.25 ERA.

The Twins need Capps to rebound and have a strong year—if not, it could open the door for Glen Perkins to become the Twins closer.

Perkins led the pitching staff with a 2.48 ERA in 65 appearances, and the first two saves of his career.

Glen Perkins Needs to Stay Dominant

Speaking of Glen Perkins...

The former starter-turned-reliever, had the best season in his six-year career.

He was the Twins most dominant reliever in 2011.

He earned his first save when he took over from Matt Capps with one out in the ninth inning. He would strike out the two batters he faced to preserve the Twins victory over the Brewers on July 3rd.

Two days later he would again replace Capps in the ninth to preserve a 3-2 win over the Rays.

Perkins needs to prove that he has found his role with the Twins, and that as one of the bright spots in a dismal season, his performance was not an anomaly.

Josh Willingham Needs to Make People Forget About Cuddyer

The Twins lost not only one of their most popular players in Michael Cuddyer, but one of their most valuable players. 

Over the past two seasons, Cuddyer played six different positions for the Twins. In 2010 and 2011 he played in 296 games, more than any other Twin. He had a .277 average with 34 home runs and 151 RBIs.

Over those same two years, Josh Willingham, signed as a free agent to play left field, has a .255 average, with 45 home runs and 154 RBIs, playing in 250 games for Oakland and Washington.

In his only season with the A's, Willingham hit 29 home runs and drove in 98 RBIs—both career best for the eight-year veteran.

Willingham does not bring to the Twins the defensive flexibility of Cuddyer, but if he can come close to hitting 30 home runs and 100 RBIs, it will ease the pain of Cuddyer's departure. 

Carl Pavano Needs to Pitch for His Next Contract

The last time Carl Pavano entered a season on the last year of his contract, he won the second most games in a season for his career, had his third lowest ERA and led the league in complete games.

That was 2010 when he led the Twins rotation with a 17-11 record, a 3.75 ERA and seven complete games, pitching 221 innings. 

If Carl Pavano can lead the league in complete games, it will be a huge lift for the Twins who had the worst bullpen in baseball with a 4.51 ERA.

Heading into 2012 Pavano is once again on the last season of the two-year deal he signed with Minnesota a year ago. 

Last season he once again led the Twins with 222 innings pitched, but finished with a 9-13 record and a 4.30 ERA.

If the Twins are to be on the positive side of the win-loss column in 2012, they will need Pavano to pitch like he did in 2010.

If he can do that it will achieve two things—provide more wins for the club, and fewer appearances from the bullpen.

The Twins Need to Part Ways with Nick Blackburn

I truly struggle to understand how Nick Blackburn keeps making the Twins starting rotation. In five seasons he has never finished with a winning record.

He has a 39-46 record and a 4.50 ERA since making his debut with the Twins in September of 2007.

The departed Kevin Slowey had a 39-29 record for the Twins over the same time period—and that includes going 0-8 in 2011 when he struggled with his role after being first demoted to the bullpen, and then to Rochester to pitch with the Triple-A Red Wings.

Scott Baker Needs to Take It to the Next Level

I'll conclude this dozen needs with a baker, Scott Baker that is.

Baker was the only starter for the Twins to have a winning record last season, finishing with an 8-6 record and a 3.14 ERA—second only to Glen Perkins' 2.48 ERA for the Twins.

Over the past four seasons Baker is 46-28 with a 3.92 ERA. He's averaged 28 starts and 169 innings pitched.

For the Twins to be successful in 2012, Baker needs to step up and pitch close to 200 innings with 20 wins. He needs to emerge as the ace the Twins have been looking for.

What Can We Really Expect?

The odds of all 12 of these "needs" happening are slim at best.

Perhaps the best Twins fans can expect in 2012 will be for improved play from Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, consistent pitching from the starters, and one of the younger players to join the team and provide a spark like Danny Valencia did in 2010.

The Twins' best players are getting older, and the rest of the division, with the exception of perhaps the White Sox, is getting better.

For 2012 the Twins will be improved, but there will not be a division title, or playoff appearance for them.