MLB Preview 2012: 10 Questions for the 2012 Minnesota Twins

The 2012 Minnesota Twins are looking to rebound from one of the most disastrous seasons in franchise history. One season removed from 99 losses and a slew of injuries, the Twins will face the important question of whether or not 2011 was a fluke.

Despite all the failure last season, hope springs eternal in the spring. That's especially the case in baseball where it's possible that the Twins could go first-to-worst in any given season. Try that in the NBA, NFL, or any other professional sport for that matter.

So even though the Twins were one of the worst teams in Major League Baseball in 2011, fans are hoping that they can rebound in 2012. To do that, the Twins will have to answer many questions as we head deep into the 2012 season.

Who Will Play First Base for the Twins?

For years, Justin Morneau has anchored first base for the Minnesota Twins. Since his debut in the 2003 season, Morneau has given the Twins an elite power bat and Gold Glove caliber defense almost every day. Of course, that all changed when Morneau suffered a concussion on July 7, 2010.

Morneau missed the rest of the 2010 season after that concussion and was limited to 69 games in 2011 due to another concussion and several other injuries. While Morneau was once a rock at first base, his body has started to break down.

The result of last season was that Morneau took every precaution to make sure he was ready to go for this season. Still, when Morneau reported to Spring Training, he mentioned that he was still leery about his symptoms coming back.

This has led to the Twins giving Morneau more time at designated hitter this spring. While this is a good thing as Morneau might be able to contribute to the power-starved Twins lineup on a more regular basis, the Twins must find a replacement if Morneau is unable to start in the field.

The two candidates to replace Morneau at first are free-agent acquisition Ryan Doumit and prospect Chris Parmelee.

Doumit has limited experience at first base, but can provide a solid bat if the Twins decide to go that route. However, the Twins may be interested in using Chris Parmelee instead.

Parmelee has followed up a scorching September with a scorching spring and has found himself in the race to make the club out of Spring Training. While Doumit does has the Major League experience the Twins may look for, Parmelee may have the most potential and could get the call to be the first baseman.

How Will the Outfield Shape Up for the Twins?

For years, the Twins have had two reliable outfield options in Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel. 2012 will mark a changing of the guard in the Twins' outfield as both Cuddyer and Kubel left for bigger free-agent contracts.

The first move the Twins made was signing Josh Willingham to the richest free-agent contract in Twins history at three years and $21 million. Willingham will hope to make up for some of the power lost from the two departures, but Twins fans thought that would come from right field.

Instead, Twins manager Ron Gardenhire has named Willingham his starting left fielder, where he has spent most of his career. With Denard Span a lock to be the center fielder, the move leaves a trio of players in a battle to replace Cuddyer in left field.

Ben Revere made a huge impact in 2011 as he came up and stole 34 bases. However, Revere needs to work on his .310 on-base percentage and his weak throwing arm, which enabled opponents to go from first to third on a consistent basis. Revere's arm alone would suggest that putting him in right field wouldn't work.

Then there's the option of Chris Parmelee. As mentioned on the previous slide, Parmelee is competing to become the Twins' starting first baseman if Justin Morneau can't be in the field on a consistent basis. Putting Parmelee in right field would allow the Twins to play him every day when Joe Mauer needs a DH day.

The most intriguing option may be converted shortstop Trevor Plouffe. After doing his best Chuck Knoblauch impersonation all over the Twins infield in 2011, the Twins have decided to throw Plouffe in the outfield.

The hope is that Plouffe can have similar results to Alex Gordon, who moved from third base to left field for the Kansas City Royals and finally realized his potential.

If Plouffe can get comfortable in the outfield, there's a chance we could see his monstrous .313/15 HR/33 RBI line from Triple-A Rochester bleed through to the Major Leagues.

Can the Twins Get Back to Playing Fundamental Defense?

Another downfall for the Twins in 2012 was the inability to make the routine plays on defense. In some cases, that could be why the pitch-to-contact pitching staff was so bad last year. The pitchers for the Twins rely on their defense, and when the defense isn't up to par, you have 2011.

The Twins have shuffled their infield around a little bit as they gave up on the Tsuyoshi Nishioka experiment by sending him to Triple-A Rochester. They also moved Alexi Casilla back to second base where he shined during the 2008 season for the Twins.

The big question surrounding the Twins defense will be at shortstop. The Twins signed 38-year-old Jamey Carroll to play the position, but he's never been a regular there. Some scouts have suggested that Carroll does not have the arm to play short, and if that's the case, the Twins defense could be in a pickle again.

That makes things very interesting with one of the top prospects in the Twins organization, Brian Dozier, showing a ton of composure in Spring Training. There is even debate that Dozier should be the starter, but the Twins want to see him at Triple-A first before handing him the keys.

There's also Luke Hughes, who has had a good spring for the second consecutive year. However, Hughes' nine HRs in 2011 Spring Training translated into a .223/7/30 season for the Twins.

I think the hope is that Dozier does eventually take the job from Carroll at some point during the season, and then either Casilla heats up and shows flashes of 2008 or Luke Hughes does enough to take the job away from him as well.

If Dozier and Hughes wind up being the middle infield combo by the end of the season, it wouldn't be shocking. The Twins have had a different second base/shortstop combo every year since 2003 when Cristian Guzman and Luis Rivas were speeding around the diamond for the Renaissance Twins.

Can Francisco Liriano Become the Ace of the Twins Staff?

Since Liriano's debut in 2006, this has been the question Twins fans have been asking about Francisco Liriano. Since his 2007 Tommy John surgery, Liriano has been one of the most inconsistent starters on the Twins staff.

Liriano's inconsistencies have not only made Twins fans pull their own hair out, but also Ron Gardenhire's and pitching coach Rick Anderson's as well. Their pleas to have Liriano pitch to contact really messed with his fragile mind, and the result was his second-worst season as a pro next to 2009.

This spring, Liriano has shown hope that he can stand out from the Twins pack of number-five starters. Liriano has gone 1-1 with an earned run average of 2.00 in five starts. However, the most telling number in these games has been four. That's the number of walks Liriano has issued in those five starts.

Liriano is feeling good about himself both mentally and physically (as he was also dealing with a shoulder injury in 2011). If his past performance is any indication, Liriano could be in line for one of his best seasons as he has thrived in even numbered years (32-17, 3.23) as opposed to odd numbered years (15-24, 5.53).

The Twins have brought back the same staff that struggled last season, and the Twins will need someone to step up. Francisco Liriano could be the best candidate to do just that.

Will Matt Capps Rebound from a Tough 2011 Season?

At the end of the 2010 season, it appeared that the Twins had made a pretty solid move in trading for Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals. The Twins envisioned a "double-barrel" shotgun approach to the end of games as Capps would team up with Joe Nathan.

The result was a complete disaster as neither Capps nor Nathan could find his form. This was just one of many problems for the Twins bullpen in 2011, and the Twins elected to go with Capps over the aging Joe Nathan in 2012.

Some people say that Capps wanted to come back to the Twins and prove that 2011 was a fluke. There had been some reports from the Twins clubhouse that Capps was pitching hurt all season and that lead to his poor performance.

If that's true, it's possible that Capps could rebound and give the Twins a solid end-of-game option like he did two seasons ago. If not, the Twins have already signed their backup plan in left-hander Glen Perkins.

The Twins want to make Perkins the closer eventually, but if Capps can perform well those plans could be put on the shelf very quickly.

Which Prospects Will Make an Impact in 2012?

The Twins system has been criticized over the past year for the lack of Major-League-ready prospects that can help the club. While there has been a dearth of top prospects, some of the younger ones are going to start making their debuts in 2012 and could help when their number is called.

The first is Chris Parmelee, who as I've mentioned earlier is competing for both the first base and right field jobs for the Twins.

The second guy to keep an eye on is Brian Dozier, who could make his Twins debut in May if the tandem of Jamey Carroll and Alexi Casilla doesn't produce.

However, the two prospects that will be interesting to watch will be Liam Hendriks and Joe Benson.

Hendriks could get the call at the beginning of the season as Scott Baker recovers from elbow soreness. If Baker has to spend some time on the disabled list at the beginning of the season, the Minor League Pitcher of the Year for 2011 will get a chance to show his stuff at the Major League level in 2012.

Joe Benson is an interesting case, especially if the Twins outfield options fall on their faces. This will be a big season for all outfielders as Benson will look to prove he belongs after getting a cup of coffee from the Twins in 2011.

Both Hendriks and Benson should be on the team by the end of the season, and if the Twins find themselves toward the bottom of the American League Central again, they could have prominent roles by the time September rolls around.

Will Opponents Continue to Hit Well at Target Field?

On the Twins edition of 30 Clubs in 30 Days on the MLB Network, Mitch Williams stated that "Target Field doesn't give up home runs." As you can tell, the MLB Network crew had yet to arrive in Toronto Blue Jays camp, where Jose Bautista would have giggled like a schoolgirl at the mention of the Twins ballpark.

While the Twins have whined and cried about the dimensions at Target Field, opponents have found it to be a launching pad.

Part of it could be the Twins philosophy for their pitchers to "pitch to contact," but last year looked like a bad Dave Chappelle skit that could have been called When Pitching to Contact Goes Wrong.

It could also be that the Twins have simply let the ballpark get into their head. The most glaring examples of this have been in Denard Span and Joe Mauer, who have combined to hit one home run at the new ballpark since it opened in 2010.

Whatever it is, the Twins need to somehow level the playing field so that players like Bautista and his .387/7/12 line in seven games at Target Field don't wind up getting the last laugh.

Will the Twins Have the Arms to Get a Lead to Matt Capps?

Not to excuse Matt Capps from his awful 2011, but a lot of times the Twins struggled just to get a lead to their closer. Often times Twins fans would see Jose Mijares waddle down from the bullpen onto the pitcher's mound and see their lead disappear faster than Mijares' dinner plate at the postgame buffet.

All jokes about Mijares' weight aside, the Twins couldn't find anyone to get outs late in games. The Twins even dug deep into their farm system at the end of the year, and Lester Oliveros and Kyle Waldrop wound up getting shots and struggling.

While the Twins did find a bright spot in Glen Perkins, they still need other guys that can get an out earlier than the eighth inning. The Twins thought they had an ace in the hole by signing Joel Zumaya, but after five minutes of facing live hitters, he tore his UCL and needed Tommy John surgery.

With that, the Twins will have to lean on some younger pitchers and a couple of castoffs in order to fill out their bullpen. The Twins' general manager has been able to find talent to fill the bullpen before, but with the current state the Twins relievers are in, will he be able to do it again?

Will Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer Return to All-Star Form?

It's been a while since Twins fans have been able to see both Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer playing in the same game. In order for the Twins to have any success in 2012, that needs to change.

We've already gone over Morneau's injury history earlier in this slideshow, but there's a possibility that Mauer's health may be more important than Morneau's.

It was a rough year for Mauer as he never really got off the ground following December 2010 surgery on his knee. Although he wasn't ready to catch out of Spring Training, Mauer gave it a try for about a week before going on the disabled list for the now infamous bilateral leg weakness.

Mauer wouldn't make his return until June, and by that time many Twins fans had turned on their former hero. The ridicule didn't get any lighter when Mauer ended his season several weeks early because of pneumonia.

The question will be whether Joe Mauer has gotten the message and will return to All-Star form or maybe even his 2009 MVP form.

The same goes for Morneau. If the Twins can get solid numbers from their two franchise cornerstones, the ride should be much easier than last season. If not, the Twins will slide toward the bottom of the AL Central for the second straight season.

How Many Games Will the Twins Win in 2012?

So with all of the questions surrounding the Twins, there is still one big one to answer. How will the Twins handling of these issues result in the win column? The answer is not very well.

I'm putting the Twins around 75 wins this season, which would put them toward the bottom of the AL Central again.

You'll never hear the Twins say it, but this is a building year as the Twins will wait for some of their lower-level prospects to take jobs from some of the remaining pieces from last year's disaster and watch the progress of some of their really young players in Single-A ball.

However, there is this. Since winning the division in 2003, the Twins have seemed to exceed expectations in even numbered years, and fall short in odd numbered years. While the Twins look like they'll struggle on paper, you never know and that's what makes baseball great.