The Minnesota Twins are a team in transition heading in to the 2017 season. Brian Dozier, Byron Buxton and Miguel Sano lead a talented but incomplete offense that will be relied on heavily to carry the load for Minnesota this coming season. However, with so many holes on both sides of the baseball it will be difficult for the Twins to contend for a playoff spot just yet unless they get some help from lady luck.
Key Additions: SP Ryan Vogelsong, C Jason Castro, OF Drew Stubbs
Key Losses: C Kurt Suzuki, SP Tommy Milone, 3B Trevor Plouffe
Strengths
Dozier probably won’t hit .280 but his power and speed make him an intriguing hitter that should flourish with more help from Sano and Buxton. Sano has incredible power while Buxton is just scratching the surface after he hit 21 home runs with 18 steals between the majors and minors last season. Minnesota nearly had a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers to move Dozier but he will remain in the twin cities for now and that means the offense should be pretty good. The Twins own an intriguing young core and it will be very interesting to see how they come along this season. Dozier, Sano and Buxton are the obvious names to mention but Max Kepler and Eddie Rosario could contribute more than expected.
Weaknesses
Joe Mauer’s massive contract has really limited the cash-strapped Minnesota franchise as they simply don’t have the money to upgrade at positions of need. More importantly, he’s playing nowhere near the value they’re paying for him ($23 million) as his production has fallen off the table over the last three seasons. His WAR over the last three seasons is 2.1, 1.5 and 2.2. He batted .277 in 2014, .265 in 2015 and .261 in 2016. He’s now 33 years old and appears to be in the twilight of his career. Don’t be surprise if the Twins try to move him because he has now become a full-blown albatross.
Paul Molitor has his work cut out for him entering his third season as the Twins manager as he attempts to maintain a balance between winning games and developing his players. There are a lot of quality pieces in place but the offense still has holes, the starting rotation is likely below average and the bullpen isn’t very good. Minnesota’s decision to sign Ryan Vogelsong is testament to the issues the rotation is dealing with right now. Compounding the problems will be the loss of Trevor May for the season. He tore his UCL in his pitching elbow this week and is very likely to be out the entire year. They were trying to stretch him out as a starter after working as a reliever last year and that turn out well. Now they have yet another hole in the roster.
Meanwhile, Brandon Kintzler could be in line to take over the starting closer role while Glen Perkins recovers from shoulder issues and the bullpen isn’t very deep beyond that.
2017 Minnesota Twins Depth Chart
| Catcher | Jason Castro | John Ryan Murphy | |||
| First Base | Joe Mauer | Kennys Vargas | |||
| Second Base | Brian Dozier | Jorge Polanco | |||
| Third Base | Miguel Sano | Eduardo Escobar | |||
| Shortstop | Jorge Polanco | Eduardo Escobar | Ervin Santana | ||
| Left Field | Eddie Rosario | Robbie Grossman | |||
| Center Field | Byron Buxton | Danny Santana | Eddie Rosario | ||
| Right Field | Max Kepler | Danny Santana | |||
| Designated Hitter | Kennys Vargas | Miguel Sano | Joe Mauer | ||
| Starting Pitcher | Ervin Santana | Hector Santiago | Kyle Gibson | Jose Berrios | Tyler Duffey |
| Relief Pitcher | Glen Perkins | Ryan Pressly | Trevor May | Michael Tonkin | Taylor Rogers |
| Closer | Brandon Kintzler |
Projected Win Total: 70.5
World Series Odds: +12500
Outlook
Baseball fans in Minnesota have a lot to look forward to in terms of potential star power with Buxton potentially in line for a breakout season while Dozier, Sano and even Mauer bring some intriguing potential to the offense. However, the Twins are still a team in transition and that is extremely apparent when it comes to their limited pitching staff. Minnesota might not be much better than the team that finished last season with 103 losses, which marked the worst record in the majors. The Twins might be slightly more entertaining to watch in 2017 but that doesn’t mean they will be that much better in the standings as they deal with another rough year with the hope that there are better days coming in the near future.
Prediction: 70-92
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