Opening Day thoughts on my Minnesota Twins:

Note: all images obtained from a Google image search at google.com

 

 

It’s that time of year again, folks! Happy Opening Day! In the spirit of the beginning of the 2011 season, I thought I’d jot down a few things I’m paying attention to as I anxiously await the final moments before Blue Jays LHP Ricky Romero delivers the first pitch of the season to CF Denard Span:

It'll sure be nice to see #33 back in uniform.

• Don’t think that just because All-Star and 2006 AL MVP 1B Justin Morneau is in the lineup to start the season that he will be back to his old self immediately.  Morneau was an MVP candidate through July 7 of last year, with a .345 BA, .437 OBP, 1.055 OPS, 18 homers and 56 RBI, statistics that were all at or near the top of the leader board in the major leagues; to expect him to immediately deliver that kind of production is ill-conceived at best and downright asinine at worst.  I expect an adjustment period of at least one month for Justin to full get his legs under him, and he may initially negatively affect the Twins lineup batting in such a key spot (cleanup).  I trust the Twins’ medical and coaching staff, and they absolutely have handled this situation properly, but I guess I’m just not quite as optimistic.  I’d love to be wrong, though.

• I think it is also fair to expect a slow start for this club, given the early-season schedule.  The Twins play 15 of their first 20 games on the road, including opening the season in traditional houses-of-horror Toronto and New York.  Of their first 26 games, Minnesota plays 18 games against AL East opponents, with all but one home series against Tampa Bay being played on the road.  The Twins traditionally are less-than-stellar against the AL East (38-65 over the last 3 seasons), and with so many road games, April very well could be a difficult month for our beloved Boys of Summer.

These 2 hold the keys to the middle infield... for now.

• I will be intently watching the production and defensive rapport of new 2B Tsuyoshi Nishioka and holdover SS Alexi Casilla.  Casilla played very well as the every-day second baseman in 2008, but flopped in ’09, causing the front office to go out and sign Orlando Hudson.  Installing him as the every-day shortstop is a big risk, and is a position the Twins could look to upgrade as the season goes on (Jose Reyes, anyone?).  The jury is very much still out on Nishioka as a major league player too, and the Twins are paying him a lot of money to find out what he can do.  But I trust the scouting and player personnel departments of this team, and expect Nishi to make a ton of contact and be the prototypical #2 hitter this team needs.

Can't wait to watch Danny V in action in 2011.

• Can 3B Danny Valencia duplicate his excellent rookie season with a strong sophomore campaign?  2^nd-year players often struggle to make adjustments as pitchers adjust to him, so Danny V could see a regression in his production.  However, he has very little pressure on him batting #8 in the order, and as long as he continues to display outstanding glove work at the hot corner, the Twins can live with a minor decrease in hitting.

• The other big question mark with Minnesota is the sheer amount of turnover that the bullpen underwent into the offseason.  A total of 4 relievers had to be replaced, as RHPs Matt Guerrier (Dodgers), Jesse Crain (White Sox), Jon Rauch (Blue Jays), and Brian Fuentes (A’s) all departed.  The back-end is buoyed by the much-anticipated return of star closer Joe Nathan, as well as returning RHP Matt Capps and LHP Jose Mijares, who lost weight in the offseason and should be much better-conditioned in 2011.  I expect somewhat of an adjustment period for Nathan as well, similar to Morneau, so Capps will be an invaluable member of the ‘pen who likely will be asked to close some games while Nathan re-adjusts to pitching on consecutive days.  RHP Kevin Slowey and LHP Glen Perkins have converted to full-time relievers, and I’m particularly intrigued by Slowey’s potential as a 7^th-inning stopper once he fully transitions to the role, much like Guerrier did earlier in the decade (and assuming he isn’t traded).  I’m still not quite sure of what to make of Perkins as a reliever, if Manship can be anything more than the long man, and what kind of impact new LHP Dusty Hughes will make.  I watched Hughes with Kansas City last season and liked what I saw, and if anyone can get the most out of a pitching staff, it’s pitching coach Rick Anderson.

• And lastly, I love the overall pitching depth this team has.  Neither Slowey nor Perkins could make the rotation, which speaks more to the strength of the 5 that have rotation spots than about Slowey and Perkins.  RHP Jim Hoey (who came over in the J.J. Hardy trade), LHP Scott Diamond (who the Twins picked in the Rule 5 draft and retained following a trade with Atlanta), and RHPs Carlos Gutierrez and Anthony Slama are all bullpen options later in the season as necessary, and should step in without missing a beat.  Oh, and that says nothing of rising star RHP Kyle Gibson, the Twins’ 2009 first-round pick who absolutely could make an appearance in September, if not earlier.  Fear not, Twins fans, the pitching is in good hands.

Cheers to what should be an awesome 2011 season!