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| A big year from Francisco Liriano could land the Twins in their 3rd straight postseason |
2010 Triple Crown Leaders- Joe Mauer, .327 (3rd AL), Jim Thome, 25 HR (t-18th AL), Delmon Young, 112 RBI (5th AL), Carl Pavano, 17 Wins (t-7th AL), Francisco Liriano, 3.62 ERA (14th AL), Francisco Liriano, 201 K (5th AL)
Key Additions- Tsuyoshi Nishioka (SS), Dusty Hughes (LHP)
Key Losses- Jesse Crain (RHP), Randy Flores (LHP), Matt Guerrier (RHP), JJ Hardy (SS), Orlando Hudson (2B), Ron Mahay (LHP), Jose Morales (C), Nick Punto (3B), Jon Rauch (RHP), Jim Thome (DH)
2011 Projected Record- 80-90 wins, 3rd place AL Central
Manager- Ron Gardenhire (10th season, 803-656)
Best Player- Joe Mauer
Best Pitcher- Francisco Liriano
Biggest Breakout Candidate- Danny Valencia
Biggest Potential Impact Rookie- Tsuyoshi Nishioka
Projected Lineup/Projected Stats
Denard Span, CF- .290/7 HR/55 RBI
Delmon Young, LF- .305/24 HR/110 RBI
Joe Mauer, C- .340/13 HR/85 RBI
Justin Morneau, 1B- .295/25 HR/95 RBI
Michael Cuddyer, RF- .275/20 HR/75 RBI
Jason Kubel, DH- .260/24 HR/80 RBI
Danny Valencia, 3B- .280/10 HR/60 RBI
Tsuyoshi Nishioka, 2B- .270/8 HR/40 RBI
Alexei Casilla, SS- .265/5 HR/45 RBI
Projected Rotation/Projected Stats
Francisco Liriano- 17-9/3.15 ERA/200 K
Carl Pavano- 14-11/3.85 ERA/100 K
Scott Baker- 13-8/3.70 ERA/150 K
Nick Blackburn- 9-12/4.75 ERA/90 K
Kevin Slowey- 12-6/4.15 ERA/125 K
Joe Nathan- 2.60 ERA/30 Saves
Team Outlook- A team that had their bullpen blown up over the offseason has me putting them behind the Tigers and Sox in the Central, but the Central title is not outside the realm of possibility. They have a better offense than the Tigers, and could possibly challenge the White Sox, with Mauer, Morneau (healthy), Young, Cuddyer, and Kubel. I also see Valencia and Nishioka having breakout years and contributing as well. They also have 589 career homers coming off the bench in Jim Thome. The pitching staff is a small cause of concern, with Liriano emerging as the ace of the staff, and of course all that was lost from the 2010 bullpen, but bullpens are the most unpredictable thing in the world, you really can't decide on how good the bullpen is until the summer, when roles are established. The Twins are also right up there with the Angels with the best coaching staff in the bigs as well, headed by 2010 manager of the year Ron Gardenhire. The Twins are a team you can't count out, they'll be right there come the pennant race.
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