Minnesota Twins: Potential Leaders Not Named Mauer or Morneau

The Minnesota Twins could be like a ship without a rudder, drifting aimlessly as they try to recover from their 99-loss season and turn things around as they prepare for only their third season at Target Field.

The team lost a long-time leader when right fielder/first baseman Michael Cuddyer signed with the Colorado Rockies. With two former league MVPs still a part of the roster, it shouldn't be that much of an issue, but when these two players are Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer, it is.

No doubt when the Twins' big first baseman is healthy, he is an automatic leader on the field. For Mauer, with his quiet, local-boy-done-good persona, he's been reluctant to step into the role of team leader.

The problem is that the M&M Boys only played in a combined 151 games last season, and since 2008, when Morneau played in all 163 games and Mauer in 146, their playing time has diminished every year.

As well, the Twins no longer have the presence of 21-year veteran Jim Thome to help provide an experienced voice in the clubhouse. 

In the presence of a vacuum, something or someone will fill the void. 

This is a tenuous time for the Twins. If the wrong player steps up, with an attitude that does not foster the synergy needed in a winning locker room, it could do more harm than good.

The ideal scenario would be if Morneau can return to the lineup and contribute as he did before his concussion in 2010. On July 7 of that season, he was leading the Twins with a .345 average with 18 home runs and 56 RBIs—on a pace that would have earned him serious consideration for his second MVP award.

Short of that happening, the Twins need someone to step up and become the player that the team rallies behind.

Here are seven players who could step up and take on the clubhouse leadership.

An Unlikely Leader: Luke Hughes

Luke Hughes enters spring training with a huge task—out of options, he either has to make the Twins or be placed on waivers and look for another team.

After playing three different positions defensively in 96 games last season, his most likely role would be that as the utility infielder.

The import from Australia has demonstrated some power, from the home run he hit in his debut on April 28, 2010, to leading the Twins' round-trippers last spring with six. His seven home runs from last season are the second-most of any returning Twin from 2011.

The problem is his .224 career batting average.

Hughes was having a very good offseason playing for his hometown team, the Perth Heat. In 19 games, he was hitting .344 with four home runs and 19 RBIs. That was before he injured his shoulder in a close play at home, barreling into the opposing team's catcher.

That play has kept him out of spring training until recently.

If he can put together another good exhibition season and make the club as the utility infielder, he could fill the role much like Nick Punto, leading by example and giving it everything he has on every play. 

A Youth Movement in Leadership: Chris Parmelee

Chris Parmelee has a lot of promise, much like another Twins' first baseman, Justin Morneau.

Parmelee, who made his major league debut with the Twins as a September call up last season, hit .355 in 21 games with four home runs and 14 RBIs. 

Having played no higher than Double-A ball, Parmelee makes the Twins as an insurance policy for Morneau, who has been struggling to recover from two concussions in the last two seasons.

Although very limited, Parmelee's numbers from last season compare favorably with another departed Twin, Jim Thome.

He averaged 19.0 at-bats per home run in those 21 games. Compare that to Thome, who averaged 17.2 at-bats per home run. 

Parmelee hit a home run every 5.25 games, while Thome hit one every 4.8 games while in Minnesota.

If he has a breakout year, making it impossible for manager Ron Gardenhire to keep him out of the lineup, he could be the on-the-field leader the Twins have not had since Morneau was at his best.

Time to Step Up Like a Veteran: Alexi Casilla

Alexi Casilla is pegged to be the Twins' starting second baseman. The decision was made by manager Ron Gardenhire and general manager Terry Ryan even before the beginning of spring training.

This was more due to the result of Tsuyoshi Nishioka's poor play than a statement of confidence in Casilla.

This will be Casilla's seventh season with the Twins. His best year was 2008, when he played in a career-high 98 games. He finished with a career-best .281 average with seven home runs and 50 RBIs.

Turning 27 this summer, he should be hitting his prime. A season with an average around .280 amd at least 50 RBIs and 20 stolen bases would be a huge lift for the Twins.

It's time for Casilla to step up and play like a veteran, proving he can be an everyday player and a leader the Twins can count on.

The Next Coming of Kirby Puckett: Ben Revere

Comparing Ben Revere to Kirby Puckett may be a little premature.

In 1984, Puckett made his debut with the Twins. In 128 games, he finished his rookie season batting .296 with 12 doubles, 31 RBIs and 14 stolen bases.

Last season Revere played in 117 games, mostly in center for the injured Denard Span. He hit .267, with nine doubles, 30 RBIs and a team-high 34 stolen bases.

Focusing on improving his bunting skills, Revere could become a disruptive force at the plate and on the bases.

If he can continue to develop and improve, like Puckett did, Revere could easily become a leader in the same mold as Puckett, who won two World Series in five years with the Twins. 

Making a Comeback at the Top of the Order: Denard Span

Denard Span's best season was when he had some competition for the center field position. In 2009 he was listed behind Carlos Gomez as the Twins' center fielder and split time across all three outfield positions.

He finished that season with the second-highest batting average on the team, only behind Joe Mauer, who won his third batting title hitting .365.

Since then his numbers have slipped, and last season Span was limited to only 70 games after suffering a concussion. Rookie Ben Revere did an exceptional job filling in for him in the outfield and at the plate.

Hopefully, Span is feeling a little bit of pressure to perform as spring training progresses. Even though he has been given back the starting job in center and is penciled in to lead off the Twins' batting order, he knows there will be a lot of fans watching the progress of Revere.

Span has the chance to set the tone for the Twins as the lead-off hitter. He needs to rebound from his disappointing, injury-plagued season from 2011 and contribute like he did while competing for a starting position. 

By doing this, he can step up and provide some much needed leadership to a potentially young team.

The Replacement: Josh Willingham

The Twins so badly want Josh Willingham to be Michael Cuddyer's replacement in the lineup that they are moving him from left field to right—a position he has played in only 35 games, while playing 662 in left.

The Twins lost their longest tenured player when Cuddyer, an 11-year veteran with the Twins, signed with the Rockies.

While Cuddyer made his major league debut three years before Willingham, they have very similar stats.

Over the past six seasons, Cuddyer has averaged 136 games, batting .272 with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs, and Willingham has played in 128 games per season, hitting .262 with 22 home runs and 72 RBIs.

Willingham is not as defensively versatile as Cuddyer, and has never been to the playoffs. It will be a challenge for the Minnesota newcomer to step into a new clubhouse and command they same type of respect Cuddyer had.

If Willingham can quickly become comfortable playing at Target Field with his new team and deliver the same results he is capable of, he should win over the fans and teammates.

Minnesota's Iron Man: Danny Valencia

As Danny Valencia opens his second full season as the Twins' starting third baseman, after taking over in June of 2010, he has the opportunity to fill the void at third the Twins have experienced since the departure of Corey Koskie in 2004.

Since then, the Twins have tried Michael Cuddyer, Nick Punto, Brian Buscher, Brendan Harris, Joe Crede and Mike Lamb.

While his defense needs to improve, Valencia has the potential to be another big bat in the middle of the Twins' lineup. Last season he led the Twins with 72 RBI's, playing in 154 games.

Like second baseman Alexi Casilla, Valencia is only 26 years old and just hitting his prime. If the Twins are going to turn things around in 2012, it will be fueled by the bat of Valencia.