Minneapolis Sports

Ask casual fans of the Minnesota Twins who their best starting pitcher is and they'll probably answer Francisco Liriano.

No surprise here, the dynamic lefty captured imaginations with a dominating 2006 before losing all of 2007 to Tommy John surgery and spending most of 2008 at AAA Rochester.

This, of course, doesn't mean they are wrong. Liriano is a horse, no doubt, but whether he can recapture even part of his 2006 form remains to be seen.

During his 13-year tenure as a Major League executive, former Minnesota Twins general manager Terry Ryan acquired the reputation of being a prudent horse trader and a proponent of developing players from within the organization's ranks.

Of course, this  was a philosophy borne of necessity.

Sure, the Minnesota Twins confounded the baseball pundits by nearly capturing the American League Central Division crown in 2008. Off the strength of that performance, which surprised the hardiest of Twins' fans, even Vegas is hopping on Minnesota's bandwagon in 2009.

Is this optimism justified?

There are several troubling signs that 2009 could be a very bumpy ride.

Joe Mauer's health.

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