The Minnesota Twins have been following the same old story over the last 10 years. They are the kings of the American League Central, but are 0-12 in their last 12 postseason games. The Twins are 20 years removed from their last World Series title and will be out to prove once again that they can win in October. There are concerns with their pitching staff, but with a lineup built around Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, they always have a chance to win the Central. My MLB predictions below will give you a little more insight into how the Twins will fare this year.
Projected Lineup
SEASON 3 PREMIERE
Minnesota feels like they have a solid leadoff hitter in center fielder Denard Span, who stole 26 of 30 bases, but he has to improve off his.264 average and.331 OBP. After Spann Minnesota is hoping newly acquired second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka can really be a spark in the lineup. Nishioka won the Japanese Series title with the Chiba Lotte Mariners last season, and won the batting title with a.346 average. If these two can find a way to consistently get on base, they should score a bunch of runs with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau coming up behind them. Maur struggled to live up to the expectations from his MVP 2009 season. He ended the year with a solid.327 average, but his home run totals dropped from 28 to just nine. Still the premier hitting catcher in the game today.
Morneau's 2010 campaign was cut short due to a concussion that limited him to just 81 games. Morneau was leading the league with a.437 OBP and was second with a 1.055 OPS before his season ended. Minnesota is hoping that Michael Cuddyer will find his power swing that had him hit 32 home runs in 2009, compared to just the 14 he hit last season. A healthy Morneau hitting ahead of him just might do the trick. Left fielder Delmon Young really put together a fine 2010 season with a career-high 21 home runs and also led the team with 112 RBIs. DH Jason Kubel managed 21 home runs with 92 RBIs last year, but his average fell from.300 to.249 and his OBP dropped from.369 to.323. The Twins have veteran Jim Thome waiting on the bench of Kubel struggles even more in 2011. Rounding up the lineup will be shortstop Alexi Casilla and third baseman Danny Valencia, and the Twins are really hoping these two can come through. Valencia led all rookies with a.311 average, 16 doubles, and 37 RBIs after the All-Star break, and could be in for a breakout year. Casilla is a big question mark, he was given the chance to be the starter last season, but couldn't get the job done.
Projected Rotation
Its hard telling what you will get out the Twins pitching rotation this season, but for this team to contend in the Central again in 2011, they have to have a healthy Francisco Liriano on the mound. Liriano is one of the top pitchers in the game when he is full go, and could easily build off his 14-10 record and 3.62 ERA from last year. Carl Pavano turned his career around last season with an amazing performance, going 17-11 with a 3.75 ERA, and will need to be that same pitcher in 2011. Lefty Brian Duensing has the potential to really come on strong this season. He went 10-3 with a 2.62 ERA as a starter and reliever in 2010. Nick Blackburn and Sott Baker figure to round up the back of the rotation. Baker won't wow you with his stuff, but is consistent and has proven he knows how to win with a 55-42 record in six seasons. Blackburn put together a disappointing season, going 10-12 with a 5.42 ERA, but has the stuff to rebound in 2011. If Blackburn struggles again this season, the Twins will likely turn to Kevin Slowey.
2011 Projection: 3rd Place AL Central
The Twins have taken advantage of a weak division over the past decade. They won 94 games in 2010 to win the Central. Repeating in 2011 figures to quite the challenge, especially with the improvements both Chicago and Detroit have made. Look for Minnesota to fall back this season as they failed to address a few needs this offseason. Their starting staff could easily implode instead of improving because there are a bunch of inconsistent guys across the board. Morneau and Mauer have to avoid injuries, their middle-infield experiment must pan out, and closer Joe Nathan must rediscover his pre-Tommy John form. That's a lot of concerns, and the reason we believe they will take a step back in 2011.
2011 Minnesota Twins Season Preview and MLB Predictions SEASON 3 PREMIERE
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