15 Optimistic Twins Predictions for 2015

[TwinsTerritory]

As we ring in 2015, here are my super optimistic predictions for the Twins big turnaround season. 

 

#1--Alex Meyer gives the Twins no choice but to make him the #5 starter by having a great spring.  As the season progresses, he has some struggles but throws 160 innings with a respectable 4.00 ERA before being shut down in September.

 

#2--Aaron Hicks has another good spring and earns a trip north as part of a CF platoon, but slowly progresses to the point that he collects 450 AB and shows some signs of figuring it out at the plate with a .730 OPS.

 

#3--Trevor Plouffe gets off to a hot start with 8 home runs in April.  He continues to play solid baseball and despite 18 home runs at the All-Star break, he is omitted from the AL All-Star team.  He does have a busy break however, as he is traded to the Padres for a couple of prospects as they attempt to overtake the Dodgers and Giants in the NL West.

 

#4--Miguel Sano follows the the Kennys Vargas route and comes up in July.  After a hot start, he has some struggles and strikes out too much, but still manages to hit 14 second-half home runs and shows that he can handle 3B defensively.

 

#5--Ricky Nolasco rebounds and he and Ervin Santana each give the Twins over 190 innings pitched at a sub-3.75 ERA.  Despite trade rumors, Nolasco is not traded at the deadline as the Twins decide that they are ready to compete for a playoff spot in 2016.

 

#6--Mike Pelfrey locks up a bullpen spot in spring training and after starting as the long reliever, he slowly gains Paul Molitor's trust and becomes a solid 7th/8th inning option.  After clearing waivers, he is traded to the Tigers in late August for a mid-level prospect.

 

#7--Despite allowing a few more walks, Phil Hughes has another solid season and makes Terry Ryan look brilliant for locking him up long term.  Hughes makes the All-Star game as a last minute replacement for Masahiro Tanaka who blows out his elbow in his last start before the All-Star break.

 

#8--Because of Aaron Hicks development, Danny Santana is allowed to play SS everyday.   Despite a drop in BA, he becomes a more patient hitter which allows him to keep his OBP above .350.  As the leadoff hitter, he steals 30 bases and adds 10 home runs.

 

#9--With Joe Mauer's twin daughters finally allowing him to get a good nights sleep, he has his best season since 2009.  He hits "only" .325 but adds some pop with 20 home runs and 100 rbi.  However, most online commenters still feel his contract is preventing the Twins from being competitive.

 

#10--Oswaldo Arcia continues to put it all together and leads the Twins with 28 home runs while hitting .275.  He's a defensively liability, but gets to move back to right field after July 31st because Torii Hunter agrees to waive his no-trade clause and the Twins send him to the Cubs as they make a push to win the NL Central.  The trade allows the Twins to call up...............Eddie Rosario to fill the LF spot.

 

#11--Byron Buxton stays healthy and shows why he is the top prospect in baseball.  Despite clamoring from the fan base, the Twins don't call him up until rosters expand in September.  Buxton proves to be ready for the show and the Twins pencil him in as there center fielder for 2016.

 

#12--Glen Perkins makes another All-Star game and leads an unspectacular, but solid Twins bullpen.  With very few other needs in the 2015-16 offseason, the Twins spend some free agent dollars to sign lefty Antonio Bastardo and righty Wade Davis to team with Perkins, Fien, Burdi, Tonkin, and Thielbar in the bullpen.

 

#13--Brian Dozier has another solid season with a low BA, but high OBP.  With Jorge Polanco and Nick Gordon having great seasons in the minors, the Twins elect not to to lock Dozier up to a long term deal and instead head to arbitration in the off-season.

 

#14--Kennys Vargas has some struggles early in the season and the Twins decide to send him down to AAA because they need to find more at bats for Josmil Pinto.  Pinto begins the season getting at bats at C/DH three days a week, but by hitting .280 with significant power he gets the majority of the DH at bats when he isn't spelling Suzuki behind the plate.  Vargas absolutely rakes in AAA, but doesn't come back up until September due to a lack of available at bats.  This creates a good problem as the Twins enter the off-season with a stockpile of young hitters.

 

#15--The Twins beat the Tigers on the last day of the season to knock the Tigers into a one game tiebreaker with the White Sox for the AL Central title.  The win is also the 81st of the season for the Twins.  After an 11-win improvement, the Twins are the popular sleeper pick to win the AL Central in 2016.

 

 

Here's to having a lot more fun watching the Twins in 2015!!

 

[USNMCPO]

I like this.

[gunnarthor]

Nice list, nothing really crazy in there (except maybe Rosario coming up).  I'd be quite happy with a 81-81 record with the continued improvement of our young players. 

 

I'll add one optimistic prediction - Trevor May leads the team in strike outs and breaks 200ip.

[ashbury]

Fun.  And we'll hold you to this in October.

[Squirrel]

I like your crystal ball, TT! Nothing wrong with heading into the new year, new spring, new season with a little bit of hope

[snarkerbarnyard]

Nothing really seems super improbable, the only improbable thing would be all of this happening in one season. But hey, it's about time we had some good luck!

[Lonestar]

If all of those things happen, the Twins would have one All-Star starting pitcher, two more above average, and one close to average.  They would have a solid bullpen.  And solid to above average performances from Mauer, Dozier, Santana, Plouffe, Arcia, Hicks, and Pinto.

 

Suzuki, Hunter, Schafer, Gibson and May would have to stink pretty badly for that team not to contend in the AL Central.  So there would be no trades. Until the off-season.

[Halsey Hall]

I like it all!  Have to be optimistic this time of the year. 

[DocBauer]

That Damn Mauer!

[DocBauer]

I actually agree with almost everything here

Vargas stays up and begins first full season of what will be an excellent career. Nolasco IS traded, to make room for May or Meyer, whichever wasn't already in the rotation. A little less GR8 power from Mauer but YES.

[Twodogs]

No way Mauer hits 20 homeruns and hits .325.  I could see .325 and 7 homeruns or .290 and 20 homeruns.  It would be nice but I just dont see it.  Here's to hoping though

[stringer bell]

If all of those optimistic predictions came through, the Twins would win a lot more than 81 games. While I understand that things have to click, I think this year's Twins should set their sights higher than break even.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Nice list, nothing really crazy in there (except maybe Rosario coming up).  I'd be quite happy with a 81-81 record with the continued improvement of our young players. 

 

I'll add one optimistic prediction - Trevor May leads the team in strike outs and breaks 200ip.

Mauer hitting 20. That's the crazy part

 

I think you could sub out May for Meyer on this list (minus the Sept shutdown), but in general, I think most of us would be pretty happy if that was the season.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I'm looking forward to all of these things!

[Platoon]

If I could choreograph the season, it would go pretty much like you have predicted. Not to be a wet blanket, but our main choreographer is TR. He is not noted for being agressively innovative. If he had been in charge of Riverdance, they would have not been allowed to wear those noisy metal tips on their shoes!

[goulik]

Enjoyable list, fun to read but Hunter is retiring here.

 

My optimistic predictions:

Rosario comes North out of Spring Training

Escobar is traded before the season starts for a minor leaguer in A ball on some teams prospect list

[Target Field of Dreams]

If all of those optimistic predictions came through, the Twins would win a lot more than 81 games. While I understand that things have to click, I think this year's Twins should set their sights higher than break even.

Agreed...If all of this happened, the Twins would have solid pitching to go with a top 5 offense. Unless their Defense is one of the worst in history, they win a lot more than 81 games. I would love to see it, but think likely about half of this will happen and the team will finish with 81-84 wins which I would be happy with.

[shs_59]

..... Although Vargas will probably start the yr. in AAA, with Hunter and possilby 1 other now in the fold.

 

Nolasco to the Cubs this off-season? if we eat 6-9 Million of the remainder of the deal.

 

So basically the Cubs would be getting Nolasco for 3 yrs at $30 Million .

They could send us Edwin Jackson's sad deal with only 1 yr left on it back....and a C+ prospect.

[diehardtwinsfan]

Nolasco is untradeable right now.

[Danchat]

So this list is like the best case scenario for the Twins this season...

 

This makes me want to write the "15 Pessimistic Twins Predictions for 2015", where every prediction is the worst case scenario.

[Thrylos]

Other than #3, #11 and #12, which are optimistic, I'd say that this list is pretty conservative

[Craig Arko]

So this list is like the best case scenario for the Twins this season...

 

This makes me want to write the "15 Pessimistic Twins Predictions for 2015", where every prediction is the worst case scenario.

Do most of them start in North Korea?

[Thrylos]

Here, I changed them to optimistic ones...

 

#1--Alex Meyer gives the Twins no choice but to make him the #1 starter by having a great spring.  As the season progresses, he throws 200+ innings with a 2.95 ERA and an All-Star game appearance.

 

#2--Aaron Hicks has another good spring and earns a trip north as the starting Centerfielder, repeating his 2012 New Britain performance (.286/.384/.460 30 SB and 15 HR)

#4--Miguel Sano has a tremendous Spring Training and becomes the Twins starting third baseman improving on the .294/.366/.512, 33 HR season that Miguel Cabrera has as a 21 year old for the Marlins, while playing similar third base.

#6--Mike Pelfrey locks up a bullpen spot in spring training with high 90s heat and a plus curve off the pen  and he enshrines himself as the Twins' closer, bettering Joe Nathan's first season as a closer (age 29, 1.62 ERA, 44 Saves, 0.982 WHIP)

#8--Because of Aaron Hicks development, Eduardo Escobar is allowed to play SS everyday where he repeats his 2013 AAA performance .307/.380/.500 with 1 double at every 11 PAs  finishing the season with 45 doubles.

#13--Brian Dozier has another solid season with a low BA, but high OBP.  With Levi Michael tearing the cover off the ball in AA, the Twins trade him, Danny Santana, Max Kepler and Ricky Nolasco to the Washington Senators for Jordan Zimmerman, giving them an 1-2 punch with Meyer and a rotation that includes Hughes, Santana and Gibson in their push for the post season

#15--The Twins beat the Tigers on the last day of the season to get home field advantage for the AL postseason and further, in which they win all home games and lose all road games as a homage to '87 and '91.

[Major League Ready]

Let's be really optimistic and add a little wrinkle.  Sano tears it up and shows a solid glove at 3rd.  Meyer starts at AAA and pitches to a sub 2 ERA.  The Twins trade Plouffe and Nolasco to SF for Crick, Susac, and Meija. Meyer and Sano take over the spots vacated by the trade.  

 

I seriously doubt SF would trade 3 of their top 5 prospects but as long as were are being optimistic, lets hope for a big score.  

[akmanak]

I stopped reading after it mentioned Mauer batting .325 with 20 homers. I am hoping the Twins play .500 ball next year.