Twins 2012: Starting Over

Joe Mauer (Photo credit: Keith Allison)

The Minnesota Twins open their 2012 Major League Baseball season with a lot of ground to make up.  They lost 99 games last season due to injuries, bad fielding, weak hitting and poor pitching.

What any team would do in a situation like this is to make some major changes.  Not the Twins.  Ron Gardenhire is still their manager.  Joe Mauer is still behind the plate, after flirting with first base last season.  And Terry Ryan, who was their general manager before, is their general manager again.

Oh, there have been some changes.  Joe Nathan, Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel left via free agency for greener pastures.  Tsuyoshi Nishioka, the high-priced phenom from Japan, was sent to the minors.  New arrivals include Josh Willingham, Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit and Jason Marquis.  Free agent pitcher Joel Zumaya had to be cut when he threw out his arm, and now has to have Tommy John surgery.

The pitching staff is a big concern.  This could be Francisco Liriano's last season in Minnesota, depending on how well he pitches.  Scott Baker is injured, and Carl Pavano is at the center of an alleged extortion plot currently under investigation.  With Nathan's departure, that leaves Matt Capps as the team's undisputed closer, for what it's worth.

The Twins will have to rely on the bats of Mauer, Willingham, Doumit and Denard Span if they want any kind of offense this season.  Justin Morneau, who has never really been the same player since his concussion, has been hinting at retirement if things don't improve.  Until then, he's the team's designated hitter.

The Twins won't get anywhere near an American League Central Division title (that'll be Detroit), but they won't lose 99 games, either.  Nevertheless, it'll be a great summer to take in a game at Target Field, if you happen to be a fan of the other team.

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Two games have already been played this season, with Seattle and Oakland splitting a series in Japan that also served as the Mariners Ichiro Suzuki's homecoming.  Two more games will be added at the end of the season, as MLB decided to expand the number of teams to its postseason by two.

Here's what else happened between Game 7 of the World Series and Opening Day:

• Albert Pujols, fresh off a world championship in St. Louis, took his talents to southern California and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
• Manny Ramirez, once his 50-game suspension for failing a drug test is over, will be in an Athletics uniform.
• Ryan Braun, the National League MVP with Milwaukee, doesn't have to serve his suspension right now.
• The Miami Marlins have a new name, new look, new ballpark and new manager in Ozzie Guillen.  Will it mean a new result in the standings?
• The Los Angeles Dodgers are out of bankruptcy, and have new owners that include Magic Johnson.  The New York Mets are still trying to recover from being one of the many victims of Bernie Madoff.
• This is the Houston Astros' 50th and final season in the National League.  They move to the American League next year, where things won't get any easier for one of the worst teams in baseball.

With that, our projected division winners and wild card participants.  Please don't take them to the bank.

American League East  Tampa Bay Rays
                               Central  Detroit Tigers
                               West  Los Angeles Angels
                               Wild Card  Boston Red Sox and Texas Rangers

National League East  Philadelphia Phillies
                             Central  Milwaukee Brewers
                             West  San Francisco Giants
                             Wild Card  Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks