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2009 Minnesota Twins Predictions

Written March 3, 2009 by Jason Lowry

Twins Baseball There were few experts that thought the Minnesota Twins had much of a shot at competing in the AL Central last season after they traded away their ace Johan Santana to the Mets and let their long time star center fielder Torii Hunter sign with the Angels in free agency, but with two studs in Justin Morneau and Joe Mauer in the middle of their lineup they found a way to nearly win the division. The Twins lost a one-game playoff to the Chicago White Sox after the two teams both finished the regular season at 88-74. The Twins are hoping that they can once again be in the thick of things, as they have pretty much kept the team intact, but have made one big addition to the hole at third base by signing Joe Crede away from the White Sox. The only other significant addition this team has made is signing free agent relief pitcher Luis Ayala. With no real big losses from 2008, here is a look at the 2009 Minnesota Twins and my prediction on where they will finish in the AL Central this season.

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Offense:

As long as Mauer and Morneau stay healthy the Twins offense should help send the Metrodome out in style, as this is the final season before they move to their new ballpark. Mauer is the team’s catcher, but you wouldn’t guess that by his batting average, as he won his 2nd batting title last season after hitting .328. Mauer doesn’t hit for much power with only 9 home runs, but did drive in 85 runs, and constantly gets on base for Morneau, who nearly won his 2nd AL MVP award, as he finishing 2nd with 23 home runs, 129 RBI and a very solid .300 average while playing in every game for the Twins. The Twins are loaded with talent in the outfield, as they have 4 guys for 3 spots in Denard Span, Carlos Gomez, Michael Cuddyer, and Delmon Young. I think that Gomez earns the center field job after leading the team with 33 stolen bases last season, but does need to work on his strikeout totals, as he easily led the Twins with 142 last season. Cuddyer has great upside if he can stay healthy, as he played in just 71 games last season, but this is a guy who hit an average of 20 home runs and 95 RBI in his previous 2 seasons. That likely leaves Span and Young battling it out during spring training, and while both are former first round picks, you have to like the upside of Young in the long run. Span could be the starter come opening day, but his spot is by no means guaranteed. Joe Crede also has the potential to give this team some more pop in the lineup, as he hit 30 home runs with 94 RBI in 2006, but has hit just 21 home runs and 77 RBI in the last two seasons thanks to injuries. 2B Alexi Casilla and SS Nick Punto will be the key up the middle on defense, and if they can both hit around .280 this season, the Twins will take it. That leaves DH Jason Kubel, who had a good 2008, as he increased his home runs from 13 in 2007 to 20, and 65 RBI in 2007 to 78 last season. If he can accept the everyday role as the DH, this guy could really blossom into a solid hitting in 2009.

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Pitching:

The Twins had five pitchers win at least 10 games last season, and four are back for 2009, as the team lost veteran Livan Hernandez. That shouldn’t be a problem with the young and talented Francisco Liriano likely back to full strength after showing signs of getting back to form at the end of last season. Scott Baker will likely be the ace of this staff to start the season, as he is coming off an 11-4 season with a 3.45 ERA, in just his 2nd full season as a starter. Both Kevin Slowey and Glen Perkins had 12 wins to lead the team last season, but Perkins was much more effective, going 12-4 compared to Slowey, who went 12-11, even though he had the better ERA at 3.99. The final spot will likely belong to Nick Blackburn who was 11-11with a 4.05 ERA in his first extensive look as a starter in this league. The bullpen is solid at the end in the all-star Joe Nathan, but getting the ball in his hands was a problem in 2008, and could once again be a problem in 2009. The team is hoping that the combination of Jesse Crain, Jose Mijares, and Luis Ayala will be able to solve this problem, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the Twins didn’t try and get some kind of help here before the season gets underway.

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Prediction: 1st in AL Central

I think that so much is going for the Twins in 2009, with this being the last year in their historic stadium, and having a team that can really compete. We think that Liriano will be dominant once again for this team, giving them one of the best starting rotations in the division. The offense will do its job, and this team is going to be tough at home. It will be close, but i like the Twins to hold off the rest of the division.

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