2012 MLB Season Preview: Minnesota Twins
By John Parent
Forecasting 2012
Even if Morneau and Mauer can return to previous form, the Twins won’t be magically transformed into a 90-win ballclub, though they’d take a huge step in that direction. The division figures to be Detroit’s for the taking, but Minnesota does have enough talent to be relevant for most of the season if all breaks right.
Minnesota should get better with healthy seasons from Span and the M&M boys, but it will be the play of a few others that might ultimately determine how successful the club is. Valencia struggled mightily in his sophomore campaign and the club saw far too little production from Tsuyoshi Nishioka and Alexi Casilla up the middle, and their plethora of backup catchers. Carroll should make an immediate impact on the top of the order with his ability to get on base, but at age 38, durability concerns have to be real. The same can be said of Doumit, who has played in more than 83 games only twice in his seven-year career.
In short, asking for health and relying on the previously unreliable could land Minnesota right back in the basement this season.
While Zumaya’s Spring Training injury could be viewed as a harbinger for the 2012 Twins, we must also consider that guys like Zumaya simply shouldn’t have been counted upon in the first place. The Twins missed more than a few chances to improve their bullpen with low-risk veteran arms like Dan Wheeler or Brad Lidge and instead are holding out hope that a bad 2011 bullpen suddenly becomes good, or at least significantly less bad.
While the signing of Willingham and, to a lesser extent, Carroll should be viewed as clear upgrades for the club, they will miss not having a bat like Cuddyer’s in the lineup, especially so if Valencia fails to bounce-back in 2012.
The Twins face the upcoming season with the offensive talent to score runs in bunches, but only if they can get healthy and stay that way. Even is they do, however, the lackluster starting rotation and porous bullpen will struggle to hold their opponents down.
Best-case scenario is that the M&M boys return to form and Marquis and Pavano once again become inning-eating, ground ball machines. If that happens, the Twins could win 84-86 games. Worst case is that Morneau isn’t healthy, Mauer is forced to play much more first base than anyone would like, Doumit continues to battle injuries, and the bullpen can’t improve. If that happens, the Twins will finish 66-96, last in the Central.
John Parent is the Editorial Director for FanSided MLB. He can be reached via email at john.parent@fansided.com or on twitter @JohnJParent.
Find your team’s 2012 season preview or when it will be published here.
You can follow Call to the Pen on Twitter at @FSCalltothePen or like us here on Facebook.