The hometown Minnesota Twins are coming off one of the worst seasons in recent memory. The Twins became a staple of late season playoff pushes; in 2011 the squad was fending off triple digits in the loss column. The full roster reported for spring training last week in an attempt to distance themselves from the 63-99 record they accrued in 2011.

Twins fan favorites Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Joe Nathan have signed with the Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks and Texas Rangers respectively. Nathan and Kubel had both been Twins since 2004 and Cuddyer had been a Twin for over a decade. The departure of these veterans has opened up starting windows for a younger unit of Twins. Here is a look at the potental starting lineup for the Twins in 2012:

 

Denard Span CF

2011 stats: 70 games, .264 batting average, 2 home runs, 16 RBIs, 6 stolen bases

Span suffered a severe concussion on a collision at home plate causing him to miss the majority of the 2011 season. The Twins desperately need him to return to his 2010 form and become the leader of the outfield as the most tenured Twins outfielder on the roster.

 

Ben Revere LF

2011 stats: 117 games, .267 batting average, 0 home runs, 30 RBIs, 34 stolen bases)

Revere will be the every day left fielder and the Twins will rely on his exceptional range in the outfield and speed on the base paths. Manager Ron Gardenhire would like to see his arm strength improve in the outfield along with additional patience at the plate.

 

Joe Mauer C

2011 stats: 82 games, .287 batting average, 3 home runs, 30 RBIs, 0 stolen bases

Mauer is entering the second season of a contract that pays him over 22 million dollars per year. A .287 batting average with only three home runs is not going to cut it in 2012 for the Twins superstar. Mauer faced a laundry list of injuries in 2011, and there is speculation that he may need to make a permanent move to first base if the team wants to see him playing a full season. This season and the Twins’s future success or demise rides on the resurgence or continued mediocrity of Mauer.

 

Justin Morneau 1B

2011 stats: 69 games, .227 batting average, 4 home runs, 30 RBIs, 0 stolen bases

Morneau has recently suffered numerous concussions and upon reporting to spring training last week said, “I’m obviously not going to continue to mess around with this if it continues to be a problem. There comes a point where you can only torture yourself for so long.’’ Look for Jamey Carrol and Ryan Doumit to fill in at first base if Morneau experiences significant missed time again this season.

 

Josh Willingham RF

2011 stats: 136 games, .246 batting average, 29 home runs, 98 RBIs, 4 stolen bases

Willingham posted tremendous power numbers with the Oakland Athletics in 2011 earning him a three year, 21 million dollar contract with the Twins. His 29 homeruns in 2011 are more than Span, Revere, Mauer, Morneau, Plouffe, Nishioka and Casilla combined for last season. The Twins hope Willingham can fill the power void vacated by the Cuddyer’s departure.

 

Danny Valencia 3B

2011 stats: 154 games, .246 batting average, 15 home runs, 72 RBIs, 2 stolen bases

Valencia was one of the only Twins to play the majority of the season in 2011. For 2012 success Valencia will need to improve his defense and raise his batting average while hopefully remaining healthy.

 

Trevor Plouffe DH

2011 stats: 81 games, .238 batting average, 8 home runs, 31 RBIs, 3 stolen bases 

Plouffe likely will get a large number of starts as the designated hitter because the team likes his power potential. Mauer will also get numerous DH starts along with Jamey Carrol.

 

Tsuyoshi Nishioka 2B

2011 stats: 68 games, .226 batting average, 0 home runs, 19 RBIs, 2 stolen bases

Nishioka’s first season in major league baseball was a complete disappointment. He failed miserably at playing shortstop, he failed at the plate and did nothing on the base path. The hope is T-Nish will feel more comfortable at second base and maybe will show Twins fans he is worth something.

 

Alexi Casilla SS

2011 stats: 97 games, .260 batting average, 2 home runs, 21 RBIs, 15 stolen bases

Casilla is at best an average pro-shortstop. At times he can be a tremendous defender but has never hit over .281 in a full season. The hope is that with a full time role he can improve all facets of his game.

If everything breaks right and the Twins dodge the injury bug that bit them so badly in 2011 they can unite behind dualistic MVP campaigns by Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Although the Detroit Tigers improved drastically in the offseason and appear to be the clear-cut American League central favorite, a Mauer and Morneau resurgence coupled with a dominant pitching campaign could see the Twins in the mix for the playoffs again.