The Minnesota Twins have been following the same old story over the last 10 years. They have dominated the AL Central with six division titles over the last nine seasons, but that is overshadowed by their 12 straight postseason losses.
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 questions with their pitching, but with an offense 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 season.
Projected Lineup
The Twins feel like they have an ideal leadoff hitter in center fielder Denard Span, who stole 26 bases in 30 attempts, but he has to improve his .264 average and .331 OBP.
After Span the Twins are hoping newly acquired second baseman Tsuyoshi Nishioka can really help this offense take off in 2011. Nishioka won the Japanese Series title with the Chiba Lotte Marines last year and won the batting title with a .346 average.
If these two can find a way to consistently get on base, they should have no trouble finding their way to home plate with Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau coming up behind them.
Mauer struggled to live up to the expectations from his 2009 MVP season. He ended the year with a solid .327 average, but his home run totals dropped from 28 to just nine. He's 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. Morneau back healthy will definitely help his cause.
Left fielder Delmon Young took a big step forward in 2010 with a career-high 21 home runs and also led the team with 112 RBI.
DH Jason Kubel produced 21 home runs with 92 RBI last year, but his average went down from .300 to .249, and his OBP dropped from .369 to .323. Minnesota has veteran Jim Thome waiting on the bench if Kubel can't get the job done.
Rounding up the lineup will be shortstop Alexi Casilla and third baseman Danny Valencia, and Minnesota is really counting on these two to come through. Valencia led all rookies with a .311 average, 16 doubles and 37 RBI 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
It's hard telling what you will get out the Twins pitching staff this season, but for this team to compete in the division again in 2011, it has 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 season.
Carl Pavano had an outstanding 2010 season, 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.
Scott Baker and Nick Blackburn figure to round up the back of the rotation. Baker won't wow you with his stuff, but he is consistent and has shown he can win with a 55-42 record in six seasons. Blackburn struggled to find his mechanics last 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: Third Place AL Central
The Twins have taken advantage of a weak division over the past decade. They finished with a 94-68 record 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 take a step back this year, as it failed to address a few needs in the offseason.
The Twins starting staff could easily implode instead of improve because there are a bunch of inconsistent guys across the board. Mauer and Morneau 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, which is why we aren't picking the Twins to win the division this season.
The Twins' MLB odds to win the AL Central are currently listed at +160.
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