Re: Minnesota Twins 2010: The Return of Outdoor Baseball
Drove by Target Field last night, it was all lit up, you could see all of the merchandise in the pro-shop store, ready to sell. The plaza area looks awesome. I'm really excited for some baseball now that I saw that!
The more I toss around the closer situation in my head, the more I think that they will end up finding a passable closer within the system. There are several options that have been tossed around and the way I'm thinking is that one of those guys will be able to step into the role and perform. It may take a little bit to figure out which guy that is, but I think it will be ironed out after not too long. I'm hoping that Neshek is able to pitch to the level where he would be capable of closing.
Overall, I think that the Twins have easily the best offense in the division. The line up is solid from top to bottom...errr, 8th
Defensively they should be fine, the infield of Mauer, Morneau, Hudson, Hardy and Punto should be solid defensively. The corner outfielders are probably the biggest question mark, but Cuddyer has a big arm, which is an advantage for him, and Span in center will be great when he focuses on the single position.
Pitching is the biggest question mark. I don't think there is a doubt that this staff has some potential, with all of the young starters in the mix, but are they ready to take the next step? IMO, the Twins can still win the central with the same pitching performance they had last season, but if they want to do more than that (as they should), they will need one or 2 of those guys to step up and be number 1 and number 2 type starters. I'm looking at you Scott Baker.
Bullpen, I don't know, the Nathan thing hurts, not only because we lose Nathan, but its going to take one of the top setup guys to replace him. I think I like the situation better this year than last year, with Neshek coming back, Rauch, and Condrey in the mix. Hopefully they don't have to wear out Guerrier's arm early like they have had to recently.
