2007 MLB Preview: Minnesota Twins

While the Twins will be hampered by the injury of Francisco Liriano and the injury of Brad Radke, the Twins should still be able to compete for a division and AL Pennant thanks to all of the talent returning, as well as some of the talent coming up.

First, the hitting. The Twins are led by the J&J Boys... Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Mauer is the best catcher in the MLB... as he was the MLB Batting Champ last year, has a great eye at the plate, is beginning to grow into his power, and is even a great defensive catcher. But Justin Morneau is pretty good too, coming off of a season in which he was named the AL MVP. He improved his overall plate discipline in 2006, and this allowed him to grow into his power more at the plate.

But these aren't the only pieces of the offense. Also back is RF Mike Cuddyer, who had over 100 RBI last year. Torii Hunter can be streaky but is still a dangerous hitter. Jason Kubel has not proven a lot yet at the Major League level, but his track record suggests he can be a great hitter. Guys like Luis Castillo, Jason Bartlett, and Rondell White all know their roles within the offense. So the Twins have a deep and balanced lineup, with an especially dangerous middle of the order.

Next is the area of concern... starting pitching. At the top of the rotation is Johan Santana, simply the best pitcher in baseball. Next there are a lot of question marks, but also some good potential. Boof Bonser is solid and showed at the end of 2006 that he is a reliable starter. Carlos Silva struggled mightily last year, but showed in 2005 he can do some nice things. After that, it gets hazy.

In all likelihood, there will be many guys competing for the last 2 spots, including: Sidney Ponson, Ramon Ortiz, Matt Garza, Glen Perkins, and Scott Baker. Ponson and Ortiz have been solid in the past (though not lately), while Garzia, Perkins, and Baker have shown they can be solid pitchers at some point. My personal preference is for Garza and Perkins to be the starters, but these things do tend to work themselves out.