Article: Why Watch the Twins in 2014

[Seth Stohs]

You can view the page at http://www.twinsdaily.com/content.php/2795-Why-Watch-the-Twins-in-2014

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

Most looking forward to seeing if Hicks can continue in the line of good-to-great Twins center fielders. Hughes is my sleeper for a dozen wins and a <4 ERA. Have high hopes for Gibson. Also, bullpens are overrated -- until you don't have one so if the Twins can consistently get to the late innings they will be fairly competitive this year.

[beckmt]

Was hoping to see many young players in the Twins uniforms this year. Will be better to watch when some of the youngsters arrive(between May and July is what I expect).

[troyhobbs]

At least they get the White Sox, that should help

[savvyspy]

Agreed that anything COULD happen but comparing this mess to 1991 is crazy.

 

The 1991 team had Morris, Erickson, Hrbek, Puckett, Mack (one of the most underrated players in Twins history), Chili Davis, Aguilera, Gagne, and Brian Harper.

 

The 2014 team has Mauer and Perkins and that's it.

 

There is no comparison between these two teams. The 91 team was coming off a last place finish but still had 74 wins. And remember the AL West was significantly better than the AL Central is now. Oakland and Chicago were elite teams at the time and the Rangers and Angels were generally pretty solid. I'm not sure the Twins would win 62 games with this roster if they were in the current AL West.

 

That said, the reasons to watch this year would include:

 

Upside

1. Development of Hicks, Pinto, and Arcia

2. Is Hughes better than his years in NY suggest?

3. I am very high on Deduno and Tonkin (he will get called up) and this bullpen

[Dantes929]

Sale is tough but the rest are hittable. If they can at least get off to a quick start they can maybe at least play with a little confidence instead of pressing. Being mediocre and playing with confidence is a world of difference between being mediocre and pressing.

[Dantes929]

This team would compare much better to the 87 team but most closely to the early 80's teams. Anyone that says they saw a world championship developing from those teams is lying or living in a hindsight world. 1990 did have good talent even from being in last place but Morris and Knoblach probably weren't worth 22 wins and Vegas still put the odds at over 100-1 against. There is a huge difference in results from several guys having good years vs. bad years. Hicks hits .280 instead of .200. Florimon hits .245 instead of .220, Plouffe hitting 25 homers instead of 18. Mauer playing and hitting well for 160 games instead of 130, etc, etc. can make a much bigger difference than just one guy having a monster season.

[Halsey Hall]

I'll be hoping for Colabello to have alot of success this year. And won't want to miss an Arcia at bat. Hicks having a solid year will be fun, and Pinto to grow on last years success. I'll be pulling for Dozier to set himself up for a long career. I hate to use the FO's word hope, but I hope for both Kubel and Bartlett to drink from the fountain of youth and contribute.

 

I'd like to see a starter win 10 games this year. If one does, he should be a Cy Young contender.

[DJL44]

Good summary. Mauer is always fun to watch. Hicks, Arcia and Pinto playing well would be exciting. Nolasco, Hughes, Meyer and Gibson could be a decent rotation. It is a rebuilding year but there is hope that the team is better in September than April for the first time in years.

[Guest wabene]

Good summary. Mauer is always fun to watch. Hicks, Arcia and Pinto playing well would be exciting. Nolasco, Hughes, Meyer and Gibson could be a decent rotation. It is a rebuilding year but there is hope that the team is better in September than April for the first time in years.

 

Yes that's what was so hard about last year; how bad they finished. This year could feel more like we are building towards something. That would be great if they are better in the fall. I will be excited to watch the young hitters possibly improve, how will Mauer respond?, the bullpen will be quality and the starting pitching has so opportunities for improvement. So hard to watch last year. Nolasco, Hughes, Gibson and even big Pelf could all make this worth watching. Of course Meyer. The worry I have is a bad start by the hitters creating a funk. Much more confident in the pitching.

[Seth Stohs]

Yes that's what was so hard about last year; how bad they finished.

 

That's the frustrating thing... when Joe Mauer got hurt, the Twins were on pace for 75 wins, which we probably would have been OK with. September was harsh.

[cmathewson]

I believe it's two years in a row they tanked in September, though not as badly in 2012.

[Major League Ready]

Seth,

 

Are there plans to expand TV coverage of the minor league affiliates?

[twinsfan34]

Seth,

 

Are there plans to expand TV coverage of the minor league affiliates?

 

Here's what MiLB.TV offers...

 

Rochester is included...but none of the Twins other affiliates.

 

http://www.milb.com/milb/multimedia/milbtv.jsp#teams

 

EDIT: I should re-state. Those are home games - so you may still see some New Britain or possible Ft. Myers games as long as they are the away opponent for the home teams listed, as I understand it.

[Craig Arko]

For Dick and Bert, of course.

[Physics Guy]

Like any year, I am very happy that it is opening day. While my expectations for this year's squad are not very high, I am excited to see the development of our young guys (Hicks, Arcia and Pinto). If the Twins are better than expected it most likely is due to those three.

[Paul Pleiss]

Why am I watching? Because it's baseball, and it's my hometown team and I'm rooting for the uniforms. This year I'm watching becase I'm enamored with Mike Pelfrey, a baby sasquatch. I think he's a fun guy and I like the idea of him coming back, an underdog. I watch because, unlike the NFL franchise in Minnesota, I believe the organization has a plan for future success, and I want to watch the plan come to fruition. I find myself more and more following players, than specific teams, or finding different teams I want to follow each season, but the Twins will always be MY team. My Twinkies. They are the team that will put me in a bad mood over a bad loss, or over joyed after a gritty win against a dominant opposing pitcher. I am a Twin. And my twin brother and I share a love of the Twins, and that makes it a little bit sweeter. It's baseball. It's darn good baseball, even when it's bad.

 

It should also be noted that it's not just about watching the game, it's also about listening. Cory Provus, Dan the magic man Gladden and the rest of the radio crew do a great job, and most of the time I prefer their game calling to the TV crew. Having the game on the in the background while I'm laying out on the lake, working in the garden, or going into/out of an afternoon nap is pretty darn great.

 

I watch/listen becasue I'm a fan. A FANATIC.

[TwinsTerritory]

Other Reachable Milestones

 

With two wins this season, Ron Gardenhire will reach the 1,000 win total for his career.

 

I know it wasn't meant to be funny, but the first thing that popped into my mind was that calling this reachable implied that it isn't a certainty!

[bdoom5]

I will watch because I want to see the young players. I think Hicks can be a stud. Pinto looks promising. Arcia has some fire in him, to go along with a sweet stroke. I watched the game today and came away with a few observations. Willinghams poor spring performance is carrying over into the reg. season. He looks real tight, and not in a good way. Hicks looks to have confidence, and that means a lot. I wonder why everyone thought Sanos D at 3rd would hold him back. Have those same people seen Plouffe play D? In the first 2 innings he booted one and then just about overthrew Mauer a few plays later. If Joe was an inch shorter it would have been another E5.

[pierre75275]

I am watching the twins this year for guys like Hicks, Colabello, Arcia and Thielbar. I am also watching to a much lesser degree to see if Dozier repeats the success of last year and whether or not Mauer does his usual thing. One thing I am not paying to close attention to this year is the W-L record which this year will only be good enough to determine where the twins pick in 2015