Opening Day

The 2008 season marks the start of a new era for the Minnesota Twins. Mainstays Torii Hunter and Johan Santana are both gone, leaving an amalgamation of youngsters to fill their void. The team faces low expectations for the first time since before the 2001 season, but despite a foggy forecast for the '08 campaign, there are plenty of intriguing storylines surrounding this year's Minnesota Twins. Possibly the biggest headline during the season will be the Twins rotation, which turns over four starters from the start of the '07 season. Santana, Carlos Silva, Ramon Ortiz, and Sidney Ponson are all gone, leaving a group of youngsters along with free agent signing Livan Hernandez to stabilize a group that has long been a strength of the team. They have a daunting task ahead of them, but the talent is in place to silence many of the doubters.

Who Is The Staff Ace?
-Livan Hernandez is the default ace by his stature as Opening Day starter, but he is a long shot to finish the year as the Twins best starter. He is a certified innings eater, but that aspect of his game has dipped the past two years, as he has gone from 264 to 216 to 204 innings in the past three seasons. If he fails to go deep into games and save the bullpen on nights he starts he is going to lose a lot of his value. Livan's ERA has also taken a serious nosedive in the past few seasons, dipping nearly a run since he posted a solid 3.98 ERA in 2005. Throw in an ascending WHIP and you have a guy who is likely to disappoint and turn into another guy who the Twins foolishly throw millions at just because he is a veteran who has had a decent career.

Francisco Liriano stands as the Twins most talented starter but cannot be relied on in his first year back from Tommy John. He was understandably rusty during Spring Training and has yet to regain the dominating slider that really made him an elite pitcher in 2006. He'll start the year in Triple-A and likely will not be counted on for more than 25 or so starts in 2007 as they work to limit his innings.

Scott Baker has had solid big league stints in 2005 and 2007 sandwiched by a miserable run in 2006. His combination of experience and stuff make him a serious candidate to be the team's best starter this year. Baker is not overpowering, although he is far from a soft-tosser, but he has excellent command of all of his pitches and really settled in during the second half of 2007. Assuming he is over back problems that limited him during Spring Training, he could be poised for a breakout season and has a great chance to enter 2009 as the Twins #1 starter.

Is The Bullpen Still Elite?
-No, but it is probably pretty damn close. The Twins feature an elite closer, Joe Nathan, and set-up man, Pat Neshek, but they still have a few question marks in both long and middle relief. Juan Rincon, once the Twins top set-up man, has seen a rapid decline in his numbers and really has not been the same pitcher since being suspended for PED's in 2005. Jesse Crain has been a successful and sometimes dominant reliever for the Twins since entering the bigs, but he is coming off rotator cuff surgery and will have to be eased back into his role in the pen. Guerrier is a safe bet to do well in a long relief role but there is a good chance that 2007 stands as his career year. The bullpen is stocked with quality arms and should once again be a team strength, but it might be a year where plenty of arms are shuffled through as we see some familiar faces either demoted or traded.


A re-tooled lineup also takes center stage for the Twins. Delmon Young, Mike Lamb, Brendan Harris, and Carlos Gomez are new faces in the lineup and each, save Gomez, offer an upgrade from their predecessor offensively, although that is not saying much considering who many of them are replacing.

Where Does Young Fit In The Lineup?
-Young is going to bat 5th and his main job is going to be to protect Justin Morneau. Delmon is dripping with potential as a former 1st overall pick who is blessed with 5-tool ability, but has to answer questions about his character and plate discipline as he enters his 2nd big league season. Hitting 5th should provide him ample opportunities to drive in runs and he is likely the lineup's 2nd biggest power threat after Morneau, but he will need to improve his OBP if he really wants to become an elite bat. That should improve as he gets older, and he should be credited for simply holding his own as a 21-year old rookie in 2007, although his minor league numbers suggest he may never truly be a patient hitter. Young is a key piece to the future and if he puts it all together he can become one of the more dangerous hitters in baseball.

Will Brendan Harris Be The Everyday 2nd Baseman?
-I would sure hope so. Nick Punto was a massive liability as an everyday player last year. He can be a valuable asset as a utility guy but really gets exposed with consistent at-bats. Harris provides a much better bat and should be a solid bat in the order if he can duplicate his 2007 season in Tampa Bay. His defense is average at best, but playing 2nd base with Gold Glove candidate Adam Everett at short should alleviate those concerns. Despite his offensive advantage, Harris could still see himself splitting time with Ron Gardenhire's boy-toy. Punto is a Gardy favorite and he will likely see significant playing time, be it at 2nd, 3rd, short, or possibly even in center field. Harris will most certainly lose some playing time, and if he proves himself to be sub-par defensively Punto could usurp the job altogether.