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Minnesota Twins

Fifth in the AL Central

2012 Record : 66-96

The Twins have finished at the bottom of the AL standings for the past two years, a legacy of Bill Smith’s constant mistakes during his spell as General Manager.

Joe Mauer and Josh Willingham were positive stories in 2012. Mauer was coming off a down season which included numerous injuries, but hit .319 and played in 145 games, while The Hammer made the decision not to offer contracts to popular duo Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel a little bit easier to bear.

Starting pitching, however, was horrendous. Moves have been made to sort out that particular problem, with outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere traded for three starting pitchers, however Vance Worley is the only one who will make the Opening Day roster. Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey arrive too and are an upgrade on the mish-mash of last season. The Twins made good moves and will improve, but it would be no surprise to see them near the bottom of the American League yet again.

INCOMINGS

IF Tommy Field – Waivers (COL)
RHP Kevin Correia – Free Agent (PIT)
RHP Alex Meyer – Trade (WAS)
RHP Josh Roenicke – Waivers (COL)
RHP Trevor May – Trade (PHI)
RHP Mike Pelfrey – Free Agent (NYM)
RHP Ryan Pressly – Rule 5 (BOS)
RHP Vance Worley – Trade (PHI)

OUTGOINGS

IF Alexi Casilla – Waivers (BAL)
IF Tommy Field – Waivers (LAA)
OF Ben Revere – Trade (PHI)
OF Denard Span – Trade (WAS)
RHP Scott Baker – Free Agent (CHC)
RHP Matt Capps – Free Agent (CLE)
RHP Carlos Gutierrez – Waivers (CHC)

Outfielders

It’s all change in the Twins outfield, but it was the area of the roster that had the greatest depth. While Span and Revere will be sorely missed, the situation seems healthy in the long run. Josh Willingham is the big name and could be considered trade bait should his form, and that of the Twins, follow much the same path as 2012. The 34-year-old hit 35 homers in his Twins debut year, a career high.

Darin Mastroianni impressed as the fourth outfielder last year and will bat lead-off. A .252 batting average may not be great for that position, but he proved a valuable speedster, both defensively and on the bases. Chris Pamelee should start at right field. He batted .338 with 17 homers in 64 games at Triple-A last season, but couldn’t replicate those stats with the Twins.

Brandon Boggs could be the fourth outfielder if the Twins decide to keep their vast array of talented youngsters in the Minors for consistent game time. Aaron Hicks hit three homers in one game during Spring Training, while Joe Benson, Oswaldo Arcia and Byron Buxton are all top ten prospects.

Infielders

Justin Morneau is finally healthy during Spring Training and all signs point to him having a big season in his contract year. He was batting .345 with 18 homers before concussion cut short his 2010 season at the midway point and has struggled since then.

Trevor Plouffe had a monster June and July in 2012, before injuries struck. A .235 batting average wasn’t great, but his 24 homers were a pleasant surprise. The middle infield is the big question during Spring Training. 39-year-old Jamey Carroll and Pedro Florimon are the favourites for the starting jobs, but Eduardo Escobar and Brian Dozier will be pushing hard.

A terrific World Baseball Classic for Italy has seen 29-year-old Chris Collabello shoot up the depth chart. Having previously played in the Canadian leagues, and having his first season in the Minors in 2012 (.284, 19 homers at Double-A) he could be one of the feel good stories of the year if he makes it to the big leagues following his baseball odyssey.

Catchers

Joe Mauer appears back to his best, hitting .319 with more walks than strikeouts in 2012, while Ryan Doumit will be the primary DH and back-up catcher. The ex-Pirate was a success in his debut Twins year, hitting 18 homers. Drew Butera is also set to make the roster. He is a terrific defensive catcher, but a career .183 batting average is poor.

Starters

The Twins traded for three starters and signed numerous free-agents to Minor league deals with Spring invites. Vance Worley will be the likely no.1 starter, especially since Scott Diamond won’t be fit for Opening Day. Worley went 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA for the Phillies last season, but the 25-year-old wasn’t fully healthy.

Diamond didn’t even start the year on the roster, but ended it as the only Twins pitcher guaranteed to return for 2013. Proof, if it were needed, that the Twins starters were severely under-par last season. He is currently out injured but had a commendable 3.40 ERA in 27 starts last year. Kevin Correia was signed from Pittsburgh, but a career 4.54 ERA in the National League is hardly something to get excited about.

After those three, it appears to be a case of the best pitchers in Spring will get the nod. Mike Pelfrey, who made just three starts with the Mets last year due to injury, seems to be the favourite, while the likes of Liam Hendriks, Brian Duensing, Cole deVries and former first round pick Kyle Gibson are also options.

Relievers

Glen Perkins will be the closer, having thrived in the role last season after Capps went down injured. It’s a far cry from only 3-4 years ago when the Minnesota native threatened to sue the team after suggesting they deliberately demoting him to the Minors in order to save money.

While the rotation was poor, the bullpen was solid and will be largely unchanged. Jared Burton and Casey Fien (combined 2.14 ERA, 0.94 WHIP) are the set-up men, while Josh Roenicke and Alex Burnett will be solid middle relievers. Anthony Slama could also finally get his chance. With a career 1.99 ERA and 100 saves in the minors, it seems bizarre that the 29-year-old has just seven big league appearances.