View The MLB Cappers Leaderboard For 2009 \u00a0– Picks Packages for 2010 On Sale Now! \u2014\u2013><\/strong><\/p>\n They\u2019ve changed the way they do it, but the Minnesota Twins keep winning. In recent years, led by Johan Santana and pre-surgery Francisco Liriano, the Twinkie philosophy was to dominate via pitching and win plenty of 3-2 games. Last season, after the pitching staff encountered one disaster after another, the bats came to life. All of a sudden, the Twins enter 2010 as one of the American League\u2019s better offensive teams.<\/p>\n Joe Mauer\u2019s raw ability was never in question. We saw from the moment he entered the majors that he had the eye and contact ability to become this generation\u2019s Tony Gwynn, an elite hitter who enjoyed life north of .350 one year after another. But the power caught most of us off guard last year. Mauer exploded for 28 homers and won the AL MVP award.<\/p>\n He paces the offense but he\u2019s truly not alone. Justin Morneau is another former MVP; while he\u2019s prone to slumps, he\u2019s still a reliable 100-RBI producer. Denard Span is a solid leadoff man, Michael Cuddyer provides decent pop down in the order and both Delmon Young and J.J. Hardy are still young enough to become post-hype stars. Perhaps the most interesting (and under the radar) development last season was that of Jason Kubel. The former top prospect put it all together and led the team with 103 RBI. Given his pedigree, it wouldn\u2019t be a stretch for him to at least flirt with that success again.<\/p>\n The Twinkies will score. But they won the AL Central last season by winning plenty of 6-5 games. In other words, the starting staff didn\u2019t do its part. Scott Baker is a quality pitcher but his extreme flyball tendencies led to an off 2009; he\u2019s really a great No. 2 starter forced into a No. 1 role. Carl Pavano and Nick Blackburn occupy the \u201cinnings eater\u201d spots in the rotation and at least won\u2019t\u00a0kill<\/em> the Twinkies. The final spot may up for grabs but Liriano will obviously earn it if he can even be half the pitcher he was before his 2006 Tommy John Surgery.<\/p>\n The Twins bullpen is money in the bank, right? Joe Nathan is among baseball\u2019s top closers and his supporting crew, including Matt Guerrier and Jesse Crain, is reliable as ever? Well, not so fast. Breaking news as of this morning: Nathan has a torn ulnar collateral ligament and may undergo Tommy John surgery. In all likelihood, he\u2019s done for 2010. That\u2019s a massive blow to Minny\u2019s relief pitching.<\/p>\n Unless you count Nathan, the Twins didn\u2019t lose any significant pieces from their division-winning 2009 roster. However, let\u2019s remember that they needed a play-in game to edge Detroit in the Central. Let\u2019s also remember that the White Sox won the division the year before that and should be much healthier this season. Since Chicago\u2019s bats almost match Minnesota\u2019s and the White Sox have a superior starting rotation, I see the Twins falling\u00a0just <\/em>short this season. Nathan\u2019s injury makes that all the more likely.<\/p>\nMLB Team Preview \u2013 Minnesota Twins<\/h3>\n
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<\/a>Kevin Slowey looked like the next Brad Radke in his breakout 2008 season, walking just 24 batters in 27 starts. He jumped out to a 10-3 record in 2009 but a broken wrist ended his season in July. Only time will tell if he can regain his impeccable command of the strike zone.<\/p>\n