Twins '11: Getting To The "Next Level"

Image via WikipediaThe Minnesota Twins enter the 2011 Major League Baseball season as the defending American League Central division champions two years running.  Since they haven't made it past the first round of the postseason since 2002, that's like saying you have the best pie in the entire county, but it wasn't good enough to compete in the State Fair.

Let's start with the pitching.  Carl Pavano, Nick Blackburn and Francisco Liriano are the acknowledged aces of the staff.  But Liriano hasn't been the same pitcher since surgery took him out of one season, so some "experts" are encouraging the Twins  to trade him before he enters free agency.

As for the relievers, Joe Nathan's year off due to Tommy John surgery prompted the Twins to get Matt Capps from the Washington Nationals in mid-season and made him their closer.  Now Nathan is back in his old job, but could always be replaced by Capps should he falter.  Then again . . . Capps blew a ninth inning save opportunity in a pre-season game at Atlanta against the Braves, so that doesn't inspire much confidence.

Justin Morneau is slowly recovering from a concussion that kept him out of the second half of the 2010 season, which left some wondering if he'd come back at all.  The doctors have cleared Morneau to play this season, beginning with a return visit to the scene of his injury, Toronto's Rogers Centre.  But the next time he gets his bell rung, maybe he should just retire.

Joe Mauer seems to have the most endorsements this side of Derek Jeter, appearing in commercials for shampoo, video games and Minnesota tourism.  But has he ever played an entire season behind the plate without injury?

Nick Punto, Pat Neshek and J.J. Hardy are among those who are now former Twins.  The team instead spent some of its Target Field money on a Japanese baseball star named Tsuyoshi Nishioka, who will play second base.  Nishioka, like Ichiro Suzuki and Hideo Matsui before him, will have an entourage of media from his home country chronicling his every move.  Japan needs a distraction right now.

This year, manager Ron Gardenhire's crew will try to get to "the next level" (whatever that means), but they have to win the division first.  The Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers have improved their rosters to the point where it's possible the Twins could be watching the playoffs on TV, instead of losing to the New York Yankees again.

Our division picks:

American League East  New York Yankees
                               Central  Chicago White Sox
                               West  Texas Rangers
                               Wild Card  Boston Red Sox

National League East  Philadelphia Phillies
                             Central  Cincinnati Reds
                             West  San Francisco Giants
                             Wild Card  Colorado Rockies