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The Trifecta
2008, what will it bring for the Twins?
Warning: Pure speculation forthcoming, backed up by little to no facts or expertise. Gotta love blogs!
Minnesota will win 74 games this season.
The Twins lost a few prominent players, as already discussed. And their two big acquisitions, Delmon Young and Livan Hernandez, do not make them better than when they had Hunter and Santana. With that being said, it is hard to imagine the Twins topping their win total from last year.
But on the flip-side, they did bring back their 3-4-5 hitters and their outstanding bullpen. So I don’t think they will be terrible.
Really, their season hinges on a couple of things. One, Carlos Gomez. He is an incredibly exciting player. Early season results show that if he can get on base, he can cause havoc. The trick will be to get on base. He hasn’t played much time in the majors and from what I’ve read, tends to get a little too excited at the plate. But man, when he is on base, he is disruptive. He can steal bases, go from first to third on any single, score from second on any hit and has the speed to score from first. If he figures out how to get on base, he will set the table for Mauer, Cuddyer, Morneau and Young.
The other big question mark for the Twins is their starting pitching. With the exception of Hernandez, who is old, the pitchers are very young. Boof Bonser and Scott Baker have the most experience, but neither one much. The other pitchers are very inexperienced. If the young guys learn quickly and exceed expectations, the Twins have a chance to compete.
And then there is Francisco Liriano, the “franchise.” For a few months two years ago, he was the most dominant pitcher in baseball. Better than Santana. But Liriano is coming off of elbow surgery and has struggled some so far this year. If he can return anywhere close to his previous form, the Twins will have their ace to replace Santana.
Another question mark for the Twins will be if their revamped lineup can perform better than last year. As discussed earlier, Minnesota traded some defense for offense. So far, it has not produced results. With questionable starting pitching, the Twins will need to out-slug their opponents from time to time. They will need to get production out of more people than Mauer, Cuddyer, Morneau and Young.
I think Jason Kubel is ready for a big season, if he gets the chance. He had a really last few months of the season. I would like to see him get the majority of the at-bats at DH, or in the outfield. I think he has the ability to be a everyday player. He could be the key to the offense.
I am just looking for the Twins to be competitive this year. They are building for the future. If they finish over .500, it will be a successful year. After the first few months, when they still might be under the delusion they have a shot to make the playoffs, they should adjust their mindset to prepare for 2009 and 2010.