Dave T

Nah, don't look at it that way. This could be really, really rough in April. We'll be fine once the real starters show up.

Hicks got another catch-em-out--throw-em-out double play today. Denard who?

The original five: 1) The Twins will use more than 10 starting pitchers. I agree, but I'm not troubled by it. Add Diamond and Gibson to the five we're starting with and you're up to 7. Pitchers missing starts + September call-ups get you to 10 easily. 2) Aaron Hicks will be optioned to Rochester at some point this year. Not a chance. Did you see that double-play-that-wasn't? Hicks outran a fly ball in the gap, then threw on the run (running towards the foul line) to first base for a double play. All for naught because a balk was called. Nevertheless, we finally have a CF that can throw the ball! Let Buxton play LF. 3) At least two players that go north will be traded by the July 31 trade deadline. I would love to see Correia traded. That would mean we don't need him any more. OK, I'm dreaming. If we're sellers at the deadline, I think Willingham and Carroll and your choice of veteran pitchers could be traded. Make room for more youngsters. 4) Pedro Florimon will not start 100 games at SS for the 2013 Twins. This could be true. I haven't seen enough of Escobar, but they say he's a better fielder. That's all we need from SS. 5) Brian Dozier will establish himself as a major league regular at second base. Agreed. Now my predictions: 1. The starting pitching will be better than last year, and could be a lot better if Gibson returns to form. 2. Morneau and Mauer are both going to have monster years. If the rest of the lineup does as well as it did last year (in the aggregate), we will score 100 more runs. 3. Dozier will establish himself as an average-hitting, superior-fielding second baseman. 4. Hicks will establish himself as an average-hitting, superior-fielding CF and come in third for ROY honors. 5. Parmalee will be a bust, and end up platooning with Mastroianni in RF. 6. Twins will win 81 games.

The Twins need starters. Plus, Deduno is just so f*#king fun to watch when he's on. 3-2 pitch, OK here it comes right down the middle.... not!!!

My preference is, Hicks in CF and Mastro in right. Let Parmalee come off the bench.

I am not ruling out Mauer hitting some dingers. During his MVP year, if you pitched to him on the inner half of the plate, he often pulled the ball. Maybe he'll start doing that again. I don't see him hitting homers to left though.

By mid-season, the Twins will have improved more than the Tigers did. Which means the Tigers won't win as many games against us as they did last year. I will take the under.

Lol, that's a cute emoticon!

Hicks hit 3 home runs today, Morneau looks to be healthy again, Mauer is hitting well. I think we will score more runs than last year. The middle infield is looking solid, Plouffe is hitting, damn. The pitching still sucks. One more good pitcher and we're a threat to win the division. I was hoping that would be Gibson, but he has a long ways to go. Still, the Twins will be fun to watch, even when they lose.

My condolences to you for picking the wrong game to watch today. Hicks goes deep 3 times!!

This is one of those chicken-and-egg arguments. Do the Twins have a chance to be a winning ballclub this year? Heck yes, if they improve their starting pitching and find a center fielder. I would be OK sending Gibson and Hicks down if they weren't critical to the team's success THIS year. If 140 innings is all Gibson can give us, I'll take it, starting in April.

From Phil Mackey's on-line chat today: "Honestly, the service clock thing isn't a huge deal. Teams hold players back to make sure they don't become arbitration-eligible after their second year, which really only saves a couple millions bucks in many cases. "2013 is about showing improvement. Fans should be excited to watch a lot of these young dudes play." My opinion: Bring the best team north. Fans have a right to watch the best of these young dudes play.

Carroll has been a very useful player to the Twins. If he continues playing well, I hope his $2m option DOES vest for 2014 -- he earned it.

Exactly. The best players should be up here. Get over it.

My money is on Gibson. Too early to tell -- we need to see more starts from these guys.

I don't agree. I think the Twins will fire up a marketing campaign around their new young pitchers. I think it'll work, too.

Compared to last year's starters, yes he is.

The Fort Myers Trio The Florida Flashes -- naw, everyone will say The Florida Flashers The Flycatchers* The Twins Triplets I am kinda liking Speed, Shock, and Swift. *Wikipedia says there are over 400 different types of birds in the "clade" Tyrant Flycatcher. How about Pewee, Shrike, and Kiskadee?

Gibson needs to come north with the Twins. The reason: He looks to be our best pitcher. If he stays in the minors for a couple of months, it's an absolutely unmistakeable signal from the front office that "we give up for 2013". Your single ticket sales will dry up, and next year's season ticket sales will be down as well. The Twins would lose a lot more money in lost ticket sales than they would gain by keeping control of Gibson for an extra year. On the other hand, if he comes north, a lot of the games he pitches will probably sell out (unless he turns into a bust). This guy will help me forget two seasons of really awful pitching.

Who is this guy Theilbar? Should Perkins be looking over his shoulder?

Thank you thrylos for organizing all this information. The Twins pitching staff is a pretty big mystery to me this year. I am looking forward to your updates about both the starters and the relievers. I can't remember another year when the Twins pitching staff had so many spots up for grabs.

Mauer will walk into the HOF on the first ballot, even if he finishes his career as a DH. What is this "nearly a lock" B.S. Now, I think you can argue he is overpaid, considering the decline in his innings as a catcher. But with the ridiculous contracts being handed out to free agents these days, that argument is over as well. There's more money than talent in baseball these days.

If this is such a bad signing, why were other teams also chasing Correia? I think he picked the right year to be a free agent.

I am just fine with letting Hicks get some experience in AAA before being called up. Let Mastroianni and Benson fight it out for a couple months.

Nick - thank you for writing what I've been thinking. We're two pitchers and maybe a shortstop away from credibility as a contender in the AL Central. How much does R.A. Dickey want, again?