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Minnesota Twins

Rotation
1 Johan Santana: Mr. Cy Young again. Best arm in the majors. No weaknesses.
2 Boof Bonser: Needs to keep his walk rate down. Best case scenario: 3.60 ERA.
3 Carlos Silva: Relies on his defense and luck for success. Expect his ERA to fall between 2005's and 2006's, closer to 2006.
4. Ramon Ortiz: Mediocre control. Sub par strikeout rate. Struggles w/ the home run. ERA around 5.00.

5 Matt Garza: Good upside. Sub-4.00 ERA a possibility. Must cut his walk rate.
6 Scott Baker: Good control. Mid-4.00s ERA sounds about right.
CL Joe Nathan: Strikeout rate out of this world. Unhittable. Pinpoint control. The complete package.

Lineup
C Joe Mauer: Most valuable player in the AL. 20 HR potential along w/ Gold-Glove caliber defense. Sky-high OBP.
1B Justin Morneau: Star that was mistaken for a superstar last season. Could definitely hit 40+ HRs.
2B Luis Castillo: Average hitter. Gets on-base and has good speed.
3B Nick Punto: In his prime years. Borderline-starter. Average glove.
SS Jason Bartlett: If he can improve upon last season's offensive output, his glove could make him an All-Star.
LF Rondell White: Can't they learn? White does not belong in a starting lineup.
CF Torii Hunter: Defense has declined to average. 30/20 potential. Solid starter who could make a run at an MVP if healthy.
RF Mike Cuddyer: No defensive ability. Last season was as good as his bat will get.
DH Jason Kubel: Good shot at 20 HRs. OBP needs to get into the mid-.300s to justify his spot.

Conclusion: Other than the embarrassing hole in LF with White, the lineup is solid from top to bottom. Castillo doesn't have power, but he gets on base more than often enough to be a good leadoff hitter. Mauer is the best hitter at his position. Cuddyer, Morneau, and Hunter aren't the most dangerous middle of an order, but they get the job done. The defense is solid around the field, except for Cuddyer and White. There isn't much depth to the bench. The rotation features the best starter in the world, followed by four back-of-the-rotation pitchers. Luckily, the bullpen is insanely strong and deep. Rincon, Crain, Neshek, Reyes, and Guerrier are all effective arms. All of them except for Guerrier have the dominance to close games. Such a deep pen relieves pressure from the starters, but the starters need to go deep enough in the games to keep the bullpen from wearing out early in the season.

Projection: 91-71 2nd in the AL Central

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