The Minnesota Twins entered the 2009 offseason will a lot less open-ended questions than they did one-year ago.  Instead of just Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, the Twins have found that they have plenty of complimentary components in the lineup to support the M & M Boys this coming season.  What can the Twins expect from their strong cast of ballplayers in 2009?

 

Batting champ and All-Star catcher Joe Mauer possesses a balance of patience and gap-power which equates to being on base nearly 40% of his plate appearances.  His 2008 campaign reaffirmed fans that he can indeed last an entire season behind the plate and also hit same-sided pitching (.939 OPS versus LHP).  Don’t count on Mauer to hit more than 10-to-15 home runs but he will contend for the batting title and - more importantly – posting a near .400 OBP. 

 

MVP candidate first baseman Justin Morneau is entering what should be the prime of his career.  His home run totals in 2008 (23) were smaller than anticipated, but he was able to compensate by hitting a career-high in doubles (47).  Expect that a few more of the balls to reach the seats in 2009 as well as hearing his name mentioned for AL MVP. 

 

Designated Hitter Jason Kubel has lived a fairly muddling existence since his 2004 September call-up in which he hit .300 in 67 plate appearances.  A knee injury and subsequent acquisitions of veteran bats in Jeff Cirillo and Craig Monroe impeded Kubel from fully embracing the DH role.  The knee has healed and no veterans have been added meaning Kubel will be the DH for the duration of the 2009 season.  After hitting a career-high 20 home runs in 2008, Kubel is ready to show that the Twins made the right decision signing him to a two-year contract this past offseason.

 

Delmon Young’s initial season in Minnesota disappointed many - mostly because his first home run came in June.  His second-half performance (.297/.345/.432 with 7 home runs) could mean that he is getting more comfortable facing major league pitching.  According to Baseball-Reference.com, his 22-year-old Similarity Scores compare to those of Carl Yastrzemski, Del Ennis and Roberto Clemente so Young has some very good company.  Remember, Young is just 23 years old and has plenty of time to develop into a complete hitter – the Twins will be looking for signs of progress in 2009. 
 

After using stop-gap free agent signing in Adam Everett to field short, the Twins realized that they didn’t  have any options for the position once again going into 2009.  Instead of purchasing another stop-gap on the open market, they re-signed Nick Punto to a two-year, $8 million contract and handed him the keys to short.  Punto provides fine defense however his offense raises concerns considering the last time he was given a starting role he hit .210/.291/.271 as the starting third baseman in 2007. 

 

After Delmon Young in left, the Twins have two outfield positions open for three players.  Michael Cuddyer is getting the most money and Denard Span is getting the most attention which means Carlos Gomez will likely get the short-end of the stick.  Choosing Cuddyer/Span over Span/Gomez means the Twins will use their second-best defensive alignment in the outfield.  Defense aside, Cuddyer can provide pop from the right-side of the plate and is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued 2008 while Span will try to prove that his .387 OBP was legit.  Gomez will be cycled in from time-to-time.