Pre season Twins predictions......................

[luckyworm]

I think all 4 guys will get there at bats this year. With injuries and hot/cold streaks all 4 outfielders will get ample playing time. If a guy is playing well, Gardy will have him in the lineup. And one of the outfielders will likely DH when they are facing a tough lefty or if Kubel is struggling. The twins have a nice 4 man rotation in the outfield and that includes Gomez. Remember Gomez, Young and Span only have 1-2 years of ML experience. They all struggled at times last year whether it was at the plate or in the field. Gomez did struggle more last season, but give the guy a break. It was his first full season.

[UdeLakeTom]

Luckyworm...welcome to baseball forum. Nice post, you will get used to some of the Gardy wannabees and have fun here.

[Jarrod32]

What the Twins should do...go with an OF of Young, Gomez, and Span and platoon Cuddyer (right) and Kubel (left) at DH. You can get Cuddy into RF once or twice per week and move Span around to get all the outfielders a day off now and then.

Or, go with an OF of Young, Gomez, and Cuddyer with Span - as the 4th outfielder - getting into each OF position at least once per week. Everyone plays 4-5 days per week (also rotating into the DH slot).

I don't quite understand why everyone wants to throw a 23-year old outfielder who hit .288 and .290 in his first two full seasons in the majors under the bus already. This guy is going to be a stud in the major leagues for years to come. His track record is much stronger than Span's is.

Predictions:

Gomez will have a higher batting average than Span this season.

Young will double his HR total from last year (from 10 to at least 20), and have a higher batting average than Span and Gomez.

If the Twins starting pitchers can pick up where they left off, and the bullpen can be adequate to above average, the Twins have the best team top-to-bottom in the AL central and should be strong contenders for the division title.

[KMR85]

I think the Twins should let Gomez sit for the time being. Maybe he can watch Span play some of those deep fly balls. I don't know how many times I saw Gomez run up for a fly ball, only to have it go over his head. And this was at the end of the season, not the beginning. Hopefully Young can put some balls in the seats a little earlier this year too. IF Crede can play most of the season at 3B, they should have a good team. I might be in the minority here, but the Twins should retire LeCroy's number and put his picture up with a batting helmet on. The guy looked like a cartoon with that thing on his mellon.

[fishyguy]

Here is a more scientific look at Cuddyer's arm and his place in the best arms in baseball. Taken from http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/article/best-outfield-arms-of-2007/

Right Fielders

The gold medal for the best right field arm of 2007 goes to Mike Cuddyer. Let's break down Cuddyer's opportunities to see how he did it.

Cuddyer, Mike - MIN - RF

Situatation | Opps | H K | Hexp Kexp

S-1B | 58 | 33 6 | 33.9 0.7

S-2B | 37 | 16 5 | 12.1 2.6

D-1B | 34 | 20 4 | 20.1 1.5

OF-3B | 16 | 5 0 | 3.8 0.8

OF-2B | 19 | 10 0 | 10.9 0.5

Overall | 164 | 84 15 | 80.8 6.1

Notation:

Opps - number of opportunities

H - Hold: runner did not take extra base.

K - Kill: runner (or batter) thrown out on bases.

Hexp - Expected Holds based on league average play.

Kexp - Expected Kills based on league average play.

Here's the thing about saving your team runs with your arm: it sure helps if you can gun down more than your share of base runners. Holding a runner is great, but after the play he's still out there on base, isn't he? Throw him out and you can be sure of one thing: that runner is not going to score. Cuddyer nailed 15 base runners when his expectation was only six. He also picked up one run from extra assists. Cuddyer was also above average in holding runners, but it was the kills that helped the most.

[WalleyeGuy85]

no matter how could cuddy might be the injury has bit him bad throughout his career especially last year, i say trade him and keep young because the second we get rid of him he will tear it up for another team give the kid some time to come into his own. As far as the bat incident how many of us made some not so good decsions growing up?

[zamboni]

As far as the bat incident how many of us made some not so good decsions growing up?

It happened in the minor leagues, NOT Little League. He was well over 18+ years old, plenty grown up already. PLUS, it wasn't an instinct, spur of the moment thing- he had been ejected and already walked away before he threw it. He had plenty of time to think about what he was doing.

[hanronson]

My Twins predictions are:

I will get tickets to no less than 5 games this year. Including October 4th for the last REGULAR season game, but it won't be the last played in the metrodome this year!

Span: will start and lead off and play slightly better than last year, but will remain in the lead off spot all season.

Gomez: Slightly smarter but will strike out plenty again this year. Expect some great fielding plays which will continue to keep him in the lineup batting near the bottom.

Mauer: Just another all-star year, Wins a gold glove, but finishes 2nd or 3rd in batting title race.

Morneau: DOESN'T SLUMP IN SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER and is the leader as we make the playoffs.

Crede: A nice addition at 3rd and ends 15 - 20 hr's. But will see playing time given ti Buscher as well.

Casilla: Will bat 2nd and hit about .280 and play almost every day.

Punto: Will not win a gold glove despite being worthy of the award. Has a year similiar to last at the plate.

Cuddyer: Will play a bigger role in this teams success that many think. He will have a nice year with numbers similiar to Crede. (PROVIDED BOTH STAY HEALTHY)

Kubel has a nice year primarily as a DH but gets occasional playing time as well.

Young doesn't get much playing time unless Cuddyer gets injured. Possibly traded before year is over.

Starting Pitching improves and starters each win 1 to 2 more games a piece.

Middle Relievers: Better than last year but perhaps the weakest part of our team.

Nathan: Closes the door and wins almost 40 games.

A September Call-Up will give a spark to the team in a close race down the stretch.

TWINS WIN DIVISION, beyond that I'm just a fan cheering the rest of the way!

If Nathan can close the door and win almost 40 games then he might just win the Cy Young. (Sorry, I couldn't resist)