2009 Preview: Minnesota Twins

2008 was a heartbreaking year for the Twins, losing the AL Central by one game. The team was led by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau who both had excellent years offensively. The rest of the team did not flash big numbers, but they were good enough to keep them in contention for the playoffs all the way to the last game of the year. The pitching staff of the Twins was very underrated and had 4 starters win at least11 games (Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn, and Glen Perkins). Solid pitching combined with the excellence of Morneau and Mauer led Minnesota to their 88 - 74 record and 2nd place in the AL Central.

Projected Lineup:
C - Joe Mauer
1B - Justin Morneau
2B - Alexi Casilla
SS - Nick Punto
3B - Joe Crede
LF - Delmon Young
CF - Carlos Gomez
RF - Denard Span
DH - Jason Kubel

Projected Rotation:
#1 - Scott Baker
#2 - Francisco Liriano
#3 - Kevin Slowey
#4 - Nick Blackburn
#5 - Glen Perkins
Closer - Joe Nathan

Position Battles:
#5 Starter - Phillip Humber will challenge for a spot in the rotation this spring, but most likely he will stick to the bullpen and Perkins will be in the 5 spot.

2009 Outlook: Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau should continue their outstanding play in 2009 and lead the team in offense, but they will not be alone. The Twins outfield is very young and has a lot of potential. Carlos Gomez is a speedy center fielder who will steal a lot of bases and should score a lot of runs at the top of the lineup. Delmon Young was a highly touted prospect with Tampa Bay and now he is with the Twins and we are still waiting for his big breakout, which I would not be surprised if that happened this year. He should hit for good average, steal bases, and hit for power and hopefully this is the year that it happens because this kid has a world of talent. Denard Span finally got his chance to play in 2008 and he will look to continue to build on the success that he had. Overall, the offense could be a force to reckon with next year.

The pitching could be even better in 2009 than it was in 2008. The Twins will return all their starters and if Fransisco Liriano can stay healthy, then he should make that rotation even better. The whole group is very underrated, but they get the job done by keeping the team in games. I believe each starter will improve on their win total from the previous year.

Projected Finish: 1st Place, AL Central