Monday, March
22, 2010
Roster
Projections:
Minnesota Twins
Alright, Opening Day is just
two weeks away. The minor league seasons will begin in about 2 ½ weeks. It’s late
time for me to post my roster projections. I know a lot of people in the cities
of the Twins affiliates appreciate this, having an idea of who they may be able
to see in their home stadium this year. Today I will be posting my projected
Twins roster. Tomorrow I’ll post my projection on the Rochester Roster and so
on through the week until I post my projected Beloit roster on Friday.
So here we go, starting with,
the Minnesota Twins:
The Hitters
|
Minnesota |
|
|
C |
Joe Mauer |
|
1B |
Justin Morneau |
|
2B |
Orlando Hudson |
|
3B |
Brendan Harris |
|
SS |
JJ Hardy |
|
LF |
Delmon
Young |
|
CF |
Denard Span |
|
RF |
Michael Cuddyer |
|
DH |
Jason Kubel |
|
Bu C |
Drew Butera |
|
Bu IF |
Nick Punto |
|
Bu IF,OF |
Alexi Casilla |
|
Bench |
Jim Thome |
|
DL |
(Jose Morales) |
Analysis: I guess there really aren’t any surprises here. Yes, Nick Punto
will likely start at 3B just as much as Brendan
Harris. I think as long as he isn’t traded, Alexi Casilla will make the roster
because he is out of options and they don’t want to lose him for nothing. And,
I think I’ve been fairly clear on my thoughts that Wilson Ramos needs at bats and time behind the plate, so being a
backup, even for a short time, makes no sense. Mauer, Morneau,
Hudson, Hardy, Young, Span, Cuddyer, Kubel, Thome. This is a
pretty exciting lineup that is going to score a lot of runs.
The Pitchers
|
Minnesota |
|
|
SP |
Scott Baker |
|
SP |
Nick Blackburn |
|
SP |
Kevin Slowey |
|
SP |
Carl Pavano |
|
SP |
Francisco Liriano |
|
|
|
|
CL |
Matt Guerrier |
|
8L |
Jose Mijares |
|
8R |
Jon Rauch |
|
BP |
Jesse Crain |
|
BP |
Pat Neshek |
|
BP |
Anthony Slama |
|
BP |
Clay Condrey |
|
DL |
(Joe Nathan) |
Analysis: Starting Five looks set and looks really good. We’ve spent the last
couple of months trying to convince ourselves that Francisco Liriano could turn things around, and so far, so good.
The other four are just very solid, if not underrated. I put Matt Guerrier in the closer’s role, just because he did such
a good job in the 8th inning (often against the other team’s best
hitters), that there is no reason to think he can’t do it in the 9th
inning. If not, Jon Rauch, Jesse Crain or even Pat Neshek can get the job done. My thoughts on Neshek’s return have changed somewhat. He appears to be
back and continues to get better and stronger. I now believe that he will make
this roster, and who knows, by midseason, he could be closing too. Clay Condrey hasn’t been very good in spring, but he was
solid for the Phillies the last three years, so I trust that over six or seven
innings in March. Finally, the final bullpen spot may be determined by how much
Gardy wants a second left-hander. If he is insistent
upon it, then Brian Duensing is the guy. If
he’s looking for the best relief pitcher, then Anthony Slama
is the guy. Slama hasn’t pitched much this spring,
but when he has, he has done well. It will be good to see him facing some big
league hitters the next couple of weeks.
If you would like, you can e-mail
me, or feel free to leave
your comments here.