The Twins continually put solid teams onto their Astroturf, one that wins with pitching and defense. Well, that doesn’t really help you out on draft day too much, because you’re probably going to win your league with offense, offense, and a smidgeon of pitching. Let’s take a look at what this team can offer.
The Top Tier
SP Johan Santana – The Twins’ staff ace is probably the only pitcher allowed to go in the first round, which is a major signal of his talent. Last season, he had 238 strikeouts -- which lead the Major Leagues -- in only 231 innings pitched. Whenever a guy has more K’s than IP, he truly is one of the best at that level. Santana has started the last two seasons with some all right stats, but he turned it on the second half, not that it really matters, because he’ll be gone somewhere between the fourth and ninth picks overall.
The Second Tier
OF Torii Hunter – Hunter was on his way to another good season before injuring his ankle jumping for a ball at Fenway Park. The Twins’ center fielder is one of those freaks who can combine power and speed, so look for a 20-20 season at the minimum, maybe even 30-30 if he stays healthy. If he could hit for a higher average, Hunter would move up into the top tier.
C Joe Mauer – Local boy Joe Mauer finally made good on his impressive potential last year, hitting nearly .300 with nine home runs. Perhaps the most important things, however, was that he played a good defense behind the plate and managed to steal thirteen bases. Expect him to improve in every hitting category next year, which definitely will put him into the top 5 of fantasy catchers.
CL Joe Nathan – When the Twins lost Eddie Guardado to free agency after the 2003 season, many of the experts picked for the Twins to fall flat on their faces. After all, the team was giving relative unknown Joe Nathan the closing role. Well, he’s done his job the last two years, saving 87 games at a very cheap price. There’s no reason to expect a decline from him this year, so draft him knowing you’ll get a mid 2 ERA, lots of saves and strikeouts, and an incredible WHIP.
The Third Tier
2B Luis Castillo – The third tier might be too low of a ranking for Castillo, but I’ll put him here anyway due to a horrible (fantasy year) last season. The former Marlin got on base at a .391 clip and walked three times as often as he struck out. That means he’s a cinch for a bunch of stolen bases, if his legs are healthy. I’d say draft him and hope for the best, because he could contribute heartily in three categories.
OF Lew Ford – Last season was a major disappointment for fantasy owners expecting a 20-20 season from Ford. With former super-prospect Jason Kubel coming up soon, and the signing of DH Rondell White, Ford needs a magma-hot spring to get playing time this season. If he does, we’ll see a 20-20 year. If not, then he’ll be relegated to Michael Cuddyer-like bench duties.
SP Brad Radke – If you want a pitcher who won’t win many games, but still throw 200 innings, then Radke is your guy. He won’t strike out many hitters, but on the positive side, we could see a lower ERA this season. His only value comes from the number of innings he throws and his low WHIP, but that might not be enough to make you want him.
OF Shannon Stewart – The Twins’ offense revolves around the guys at the top doing their job. Stewart hasn’t been doing much the last two seasons, due to injuries and ineffectiveness. It seems unlikely that he’ll steal many bases anymore, but he might be a solid contributor in one category next season: runs scored.
OF/DH Rondell White – The oft-injured Rondell White will take over as the Twins’ DH, but will miss time due to injury, you can bet on it. If he gets 400-450 ABs, which is likely, we’ll see 15-18 homers and a decent average. He’s not a starter for your mixed league team, but rather a backup in AL-only leagues.
Question Marks
3B Tony Batista – In his last full season of Major League ball, 2004, Batista hit 32 homers with 110 RBIs for the now-defunct Montreal Expos. These are ridiculous stats from a third baseman. He went to Japan for a season, but Batista was lured back by the Twins’ offer. He’ll hit .240 with 25 bombs and 80 RBIs or he could pull a Bret Boone. We’ll know the answer soon enough.
2B/3B/OF Michael Cuddyer – The 27-year old played a lot of positions last season, which never gave him a chance to get comfortable. However, that means he’ll have plenty of position eligibility this season, and he’s a capable fill-in. In deep leagues, draft him to be on your bench and play him when he’s got a hot hand or you need a fill in, if he gets a chance to play.
SP/RP Francisco Liriano – There’s a lot of hype surrounding this southpaw, so I figured I should discuss him. Swirling around his left arm are comparisons to another Twins’ lefty, Johan Santana. While that may be true, it won’t happen next season. Sorry, Twins fans. He’ll have the chance to get a few starts, which means opportunities at wins and strikeouts, but only expect mid-draft numbers from him.
1B Justin Morneau – He played very well the first half of last season, but ultimately everything went downhill when bone chips in his elbow began to act up. For some unknown reason, the first baseman opted not to have surgery this offseason, which makes it likely that the injury could recur sometime this season. Watch him for a lack of power this Spring Training. If he’s healthy, he’ll put up some good stats. Otherwise, he’s not worth drafting.
Daniel is an AtHomePlate blogger; to see his article archive, click here.
