2009 has the potential to be a big season, the last season at the Metrodome with a chance to give it a proper send out by being able to celebrate on the field.
It was a long and slow off season for the Twins. There were many rumors of trades and free agent signings then came and went. I believe their patience payed off as they eventually signed their man in Joe Crede.
He will fill a spot on the hot corner that has been empty since the says of Gary Gaetti and Corey Koskie. He has the reputation of playing an impeccable third base and has proved he can hit the cover off the ball.
His defense will make it very difficult to get a ball out of the left side of the infield, and his bat provides the lineup with another 20-plus Homerun hitter.
Another Free Agent signing at the beginning of spring training was Luis Ayala. He will provide more depth and experience in the late innings that has been filled by Pat Neshek in the past and will take some workload off Matt Guerrier and allow Jesse Crain to focus on the setup role for Joe Nathan. In that role, he should be very successful.
Rounding out the bullpen this season should Brian Duensing and Craig Breslow, filling in and eating innings from the sixth inning on. When healthy, expect Boof Bonser to fill in the long relief role to be able to come in and get some outs.
Let's also not forget about Jose Mijares, who is down in Rochester to work on getting his weight and pitches down and once ready to be called on will look to continue on the success he provided when use last season.
Another key to the success of the Twins offense this season will be Delmon Young. His production last season came in spurts. There were many games he just looked lost and struggled from trying too hard to prove he was worth trading for.
After the All-Star break, he provided 7 HR, 33 RBI with a .297 BA and .432 Slugging percentage when he became more relaxed. Look for this season to be more in line with his past and come close to hitting 20 HR's and drive in 80-90 Runs.
A return to health for Michael Cuddyer will be a nice addition to the offense. He can put up numbers of a .280 BA 20 HR 100 RBI as he has provided in past seasons for the Twins, their offense will be just fine.
Youngsters Denard Span and Carlos Gomez will provide some speed in the outfield and on the bases. They can be quite a distraction for the pitchers when they reach the bases leading to more fat fastballs for the lineup behind them.
The rotation will look to build upon being one of the best in the American League. Scott Baker and Fransisco Liriano make a great right-lefty, one-two punch to get things started.
Rounding out the rotation is Glenn Perkins, who was had 12 wins along with four losses and should expect numbers better than that this season.
Kevin Slowey went 12-11 last season with most of those losses the result of low run support. He has had a very strong spring and they say that he has the best stuff on the staff.
Nick Blackburn will be at the end of the rotation and look to improve upon his 11-11 record with 4.05 ERA. All in all, this staff will be better and stronger being able to learn from last year's performances and experiences they each had.
Even with Scott Baker missing the opening day assignment due to some shoulder stiffness, it has said to not be a concern for the team and was held out as a precautionary reason.
I would prefer for him to miss a start in April and be healthy for the big games down the stretch in September and October.
We all know the potential of the Twins M&M Boys (Mauer and Morneau) as they have performed to their potential the past few years together and can expect more of the same this year from them.
Once again, it has been said that Mauer is healthy enough to play if the games were at the end of the season where they are in the key part of the season, but it's best to let him recover and be at 100 percent for a longer stretch of the season and to let his back heal with the stress that will be put upon it from catching regularly during the season.
Scoring more runs and strengthening the bullpen will add to more wins and put them over the top to win the AL Central by 5-8 games this season and march into the playoffs as a division winner.
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