Hot Stove:  A rundown of each team in the offseason and what they are looking to improve in 2012. 

Minnesota Twins:            The next team we will look at in the AL Central is the Minnesota Twins.

Projected Starting Lineup:

1B            Justin Morneau

2B            Alexi Casilla

SS            Jamey Carroll

3B            Danny Valencia

LF            Ben Revere

CF            Denard Span

RF            Josh Willingham

C              Joe Mauer

DH           Rene Tosoni

Projected Starting Rotation:

Carl Pavano

Francisco Liriano

Brian Duensing

Jason Marquis

Scott Baker

Projected Batting Order:

CF            Denard Span

2B            Alexi Casilla

C              Joe Mauer

1B            Justin Morneau

RF            Josh Willingham

3B            Danny Valencia

LF            Ben Revere

SS            Jamey Carroll

DH           Rene Tosoni

The Twins had a very disappointing 2011.  At 63-99, they had the worst record in the American League.  Injury was mostly to blame as their two best offensive players Mauer and Morneau missed a ton of time.  But there was concern that their supporting cast was able to do so little without them.  And the ones that did perform (Cuddyer, Kubel and Thome) are no longer with the team.  Mauer and Morneau are the heart of this club.  If they perform, then this club can compete.  But even if they are playing at an All Star level, they need the players around them to step up their game if they are going to make any noise in an improved AL Central.

With Morneau and Mauer out for the majority of last season, it was up to other players to step up and perform.  Unfortunately, 3 of the 4 who stepped up best have since left the club.  Michael Cuddyer led this team in AVG and HR and was second in RBI.  Jason Kubel was second in AVG and third in HR and RBI.  And Thome slugged himself into consideration with 12 HR in limited ABs and a great 351 OBP.  The only other hitter who made any noise in this lineup last year was third baseman Danny Valencia, who led the team with 72 RBI.  That came with 15 HR, but also a 246 AVG.  He needs help, as he’s young and can’t carry this offense alone.  Left fielder Ben Revere played pretty well hitting 267 last season.  He didn’t have any power (0 HR) but he did chip in 30 RBI and 34 SBs.  Alexi Casilla only played in 97 games last year hitting 260 with 2 HR, 21 RBI, 52 R and 15 SBs.  If he can stay healthy he can play either second or short.  They liked his numbers and hope he can add to them in a full season.  His partner up the middle, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, didn’t play well in limited games last season.  He hit 226 with 19 RBI, 14 R and 2 SBs.  They weren’t pleased with what their big free agent acquisition gave them in 2011.  He’s going to have to fight for his starting job.  Casilla could take time, mainly at second and Jamey Carroll looks to rob him of time at short.  Carroll played well in LA last year hitting 290 with 17 RBI, 52 R and 10 SBs for the Dodgers last season.  The veteran isn’t a star, but hits for high AVG and can get on base and score runs.  I’d expect him to play a lot this season, unless Nishioka really turns it on.  In the center field, Denard Span also missed a lot of playing time.  He only played in 70 games with a 264 AVG, 37 R and 6 SBs.  He’s been solid at the top of this lineup for the last two years and they hope that a healthy season of him can see plus AVG, 100 R and 25 SBs.  The last member of this outfield is free agent Josh Willingham.  Willingham hit 246 with 29 HR, 98 RBI and 69 R for the Oakland Athletics last year.  He was a big prize to go after, and his power is pretty consistent, especially if he can flirt with 30 HR in a pitchers park like the Oakland Coliseum.  They hope that power will translate in Target Field as he backs up the M brothers.  And that brings us to the former batting champ and MVP.  Mauer is arguably the best offensive catcher in baseball.  While his power has never been where people thought it would be, he consistently hits for a tremendous AVG and drives in runs.  In his best season in 2009, he hit 365 with 28 HR and 96 RBI.  When healthy, he should hit over 300 with 15-20 HR and 70+ RBI.  They need that output, as he’s their number three hitter and the best player on this club.  The former MVP Morneau is hoping to finally be healthy.  Since suffering a concussion in late 2009, Morneau has been unable to play a full season.  Even in his limited time he’s hit for plus AVG and great power.  In 2009 he had 30 HR and 100 RBI. However, last year wasn’t great as he hit only 227 with 4 HR.  Morneau’s been dealing with concussion symptoms for so long that he’s not sure he can come back.  But if he can stay healthy he anchors this lineup, hitting cleanup.  And they need those 30 HR and that plus AVG if they are going to even be in the discussion for the playoffs.

You have to be pretty bad on in all aspects of the game to finish with the worst record in the league.  And as bad as the Twins’ offense was, their pitching was just as bad.  Not a single pitcher on this staff had double digit wins.  (To be fair 3 guys were tied with 9 Wins).  The best ERA among the starters last season was Carl Pavano’s 4.30.  (He was one of the guys with 9 Wins).  But he did little else well (though I don’t know that “well” should be the adverb attributed to a 4.30 ERA).  His BAA was an atrocious 294, his WHIP was a pedestrian 1.36 and he only struck out 102 hitters in 222 IP (at least he ate up innings).  I guess he’s the ace.  The guy who they were hoping to be the ace didn’t pitch much better.  Francisco Liriano (also a 9 game winner) had some numbers that were better than Pavano, and some that weren’t.  His BAA was much better (249) but his WHIP was not as good (1.49).  He struck out more guys and gave up fewer hits.  But he also walked more guys, and didn’t strand as many runners as Pavano, ending the year with a terrible 5.09 ERA.  Both of these guys need to improve dramatically, as they are expected to be the two best pitchers on this staff.  Scott Baker (underachiever, only won 8 games) led the team with 123 Ks.  Nolan Ryan he was not.  But he was one of the better pitchers on this team last year.  He went 8-6 in 21 starts, with a 3.14 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 248 BAA.  But as good as he was, he’s fighting for a spot in the rotation.  Pavano and Liriano are going to start, as are Brian Duensing and new arrival Jason Marquis.  So Baker is fighting Anthony Swarzak for a spot in the rotation this spring training.  Swarzak was a starter/reliever for the Twins last year.  He had a 4.32 ERA and a 4-7 record.  His 275 BAA left a lot to be desired and his WHIP wasn’t anything special.  If it were me, I’d let this guy be my spot starter/long reliever and let Baker start.  I mentioned the other two starters Duensing and Marquis.  Duensing (the third guy with 9 Wins) had little else worth mentioning.  His ERA was terrible (5.23), the WHIP was also bad (1.52) and the BAA was also pretty weak (299).  So he’s hanging onto his job by virtue of experience, though strong performances from other pitchers could cost him the rotation spot.  The last starter is Jason Marquis who has been unspectacular the last couple of years.  In 20 starts in Washington he went 8-5 with a respectable 3.95 ERA.  Luck was part of it as his 283 BAA was entirely too high.  But he played well enough to be traded to the Diamondbacks at the deadline.  However his luck faded in the desert.  He went 0-1 in 3 starts with a 9.53 ERA, 2.29 WHIP and 386 BAA.  An injury mercifully kept him from making more starts.  Overall he was 8-6 with a 4.43 ERA on the season.  That’s very passable.  If he can pitch like he did in D.C he should be a valuable asset at the back end of this rotation.  But if he struggles, there are plenty of pitchers who are looking to start for this Twins team.  These starters need to play well, because the middle relief for this club doesn’t look great.  The loss of Joel Zumaya was a major blow.  Matt Capps is a solid closer and Glen Perkins should be good to set up, but the other pitchers have a lot to prove this season.  In all, this pitching staff has a lot of improvements to make if they want to help pull their team out of the basement. 

2012 Prediction…The Twins had a huge letdown season last year.  Their two stars got hurt, then after a terrible season a lot of their role players departed.  They have a lot of room for improvement, but are essentially trying to do it with a new team.  While they have every reason to believe they will be better with Mauer and Morneau, they had a 2011 Indianapolis Colts situation on their hands where they were abysmal without their stars.  If these two come back strong, the Twins will be better, but with so many other losses it’s really hard to see them playing October baseball.  I think Detroit wins the division, and I don’t think they have enough wins for a wildcard berth.  Honestly, I think any finish outside of last should be something the Twins should be happy with.

Up next….Los Angeles Angels.