Nick Nelson

* The Twins' offense has been a very pleasant surprise in the first week of the season. Though it hasn't always been pretty, and sloppy play from opposing defenses in Chicago and Cleveland were undeniable contributors, the Twins have scored 38 runs through their first six games. The biggest story in the lineup is Chris Colabello. He has already piled up 11 RBI in five starts after hitting .349 in spring play. This guy is just sitting dead red. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Colabello has struck out five times in 24 plate appearances (a promising early reduction from last year's sky-high 32 percent K-rate) and he's batting .500 on balls in play. Obviously that's not sustainable, but it speaks to how well he's driving the ball. He's been an unexpected anchor in the Twins' lineup, and right now he's appointment viewing for fans. Colabello feels like the biggest singular reason the Twins are at 3-3 after a season-opening road trip where the weather was crisp but the play often was not. Shaded by all the crazy elements of his journey, Collabello's immense success right off the bat has been energizing for a fan base that was notably subdued at the outset of the season. * Jason Kubel's fast start has been largely overshadowed by the heroics of Colabello, but it's no less encouraging. Kubel has been in the starting lineup for three games, and has delivered multiple hits in each. Sunday's 2-for-4 effort lifted his average to .412. While you can only put so much stock into these things, Kubel showed distinct improvement over the course of spring camp. He was whiffing constantly in the early games, but by the later weeks was connecting with frequency. I remember being struck by Ron Gardenhire's answer to a question about Kubel after a Grapefruit League game in Ft. Myers. "I worry about some things, I don't worry about Kube," he said. "Kube can hit. He's always been able to hit. If he just goes out and gets his swinging in and gets comfortable, the guy can light it up, I know that. He's healthy, I know he can hit." It was a particularly matter-of-fact response about a player who was designated for assignment by one team and benched by another during a challenging 2013, but Gardy echoes Kubel's assertion that a lingering quad injury was primarily responsible for those struggles. If that proves to be the case, he could turn out to be quite a find, because Kubel was an above-average hitter (by OPS+) for six straight seasons prior to last year. Gardenhire has done a good job of playing match-ups and deploying the righty-masher strategically so far, but that essentially goes out the window now that Josh Willingham and Oswaldo Arcia are both batting sore wrists. For the time being, it appears that Kubel will be a regular in the outfield. Hopefully the manager's confidence continues to be rewarded. Photo by David Banks, USA TODAY Sports * While these early games have been marked by a refreshing uptick in offense, it's been the same old story for the pitching staff. After leading the majors in hits allowed in 2013, the Twins have allowed double-digit knocks in each of their first six contests. The first turn through the rotation produced one quality start, from (who else?) Kevin Correia. On Sunday, Ricky Nolasco delivered his second straight clunky outing -- an inauspicious debut for the prized offseason acquisition. Nolasco throws a lot of breaking stuff, and in his first two starts we've seen too many flat pitches and floaters. But at the same time, this is a guy who's pitched in southern Florida for the last eight years, and is now trying to spin all kinds of pitches in the chill of the springtime Midwest. I suspect that as the weather heats up, so too will Nolasco. The rotation could use a stabilizing force.

Here in the Twin Cities, there's about a foot of fresh snow on the ground. Fortunately, the Twins won't be trying to open their season here for a few more days. However, it's also a rainy day in Cleveland, calling into question whether the Twins and Indians will get in their first matchup of the season at Progressive Field. Either way, you can come escape from all the harsh realities of early April weather and join me for a live interactive chat here at 2:00 PM today (Friday). [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] If there's a game going on, I'll offer insights and observations to those who are stuck at work and can't watch. Otherwise it will simply be an open conversation about the opening week. Share thoughts, ask questions or vent frustrations. Whatever your flavor, please join us!

We know about the negative trends: three straight years of losing, a spring marked by consistently low offensive output and several veterans whose numbers have been on the decline. Those trends are no fun to think about, especially here in a young season that remains full of possibilities despite some discouraging early signs. Today, let's focus on some positive trends that emerged last year and will hopefully serve as precursors of things to come. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Nolasco's Nifty Second Half Run After being traded from the cellar-dwelling Marlins to the contending Dodgers last summer, Ricky Nolasco went on quite the run. In his first 12 starts with LA, Nolasco went 8-1 with a 2.07 ERA and 62/17 K/BB ratio in 74 innings while holding opponents to a .213 average. He turned in a few clunkers in the final weeks of the season, taking some luster out of his second-half numbers, but the impressive stretch was a reminder that Nolasco can dominate when he's locked in. His overall results last season (best since 2008) certainly seem to bode well, even if his first start for the Twins left a bit to be desired. Colabello's Improved Discipline During his initial exposure to major-league pitching, Chris Colabello looked pretty overwhelmed. Understandably, he seemed rattled early on, posting an atrocious 18-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 55 plate appearances through the end of July. Yikes. The International League MVP made some impressive adjustments at the plate, striking out 40 times against 19 walks in 126 plate appearances from the start of August through the end of the year. Nothing great, but a huge step forward. He continued to control the strike zone well this spring, with 10 strikeouts and eight walks. We know that when Colabello hits the ball he can generate some legit power (that was on display Monday when he drove a double deep to right in the ninth inning) but keeping his K/BB ratio in check will be vital to his success at the plate. Jerry Lai, USA TODAY Sports Escobar's Awakening Serving as a backup infielder for the Twins in the first half last year, Eduardo Escobar was simply brutal at the plate. When he was sent down in mid-July, his batting line was an anemic .214/.268/.328. The demotion to Rochester proved to be just what Escobar needed to jolt his slumbering lumber. In 43 games at Triple-A, he hit .307/.380/.500 with 22 extra-base hits and 17 walks. Very nice all-around production for the 24-year-old. He returned to the Twins as a September call-up and batted .324 the rest of the way. Escobar has never hit much in the past, so it's tough to put too much stock in the strong second-half performance, but he's seen by many as a late bloomer and if he can develop into a remotely effective offensive threat off the bench (or as a replacement for a scuffling infield bat) it would be a big boost for this club. Swarzak Settling In After spending his first few seasons as a swingman and long reliever, Anthony Swarzak transitioned to a full-time relief role last year, and over the course of the season he was given more and more opportunities to pitch in shorter late-game situations. He figures to see more of those chances this year, with Sam Deduno presumably taking over the primary right-handed long man role. That's good news, because Swarzak thrived in full-time relief duty, posting career bests in ERA (2.91), WHIP (1.16), BB/9 (2.1) and K/9 (6.5). He was especially effective in the latter part of the season, putting up a 2.70 ERA while holding opponents to a .603 OPS in the final three months. Pelfrey's Progression Many people are down on Mike Pelfrey due to his overall production in 2013, which certainly wasn't good, but I'm actually feeling confident in his ability to rebound and give the Twins a solid season. He made a too rapid return from Tommy John surgery last spring and it showed in the early months, but in the second half of the campaign he was downright respectable, with a 4.39 ERA and .730 opponents' OPS from July through September. Those are perfectly adequate numbers for a back-end starter making $6 million, and of course, now that he has gone through a normal offseason of rest and preparation, it's possible we haven't seen his best.

For three straight years, the refrain for hopeful Twins fans has been the same: Keep waiting, help is on the way. That can be difficult to accept, especially when few signs of progress are evident on the field. The Twins lost 99 games in 2011, and they've lost 96 in each season since. It wouldn't be too surprising if they lost 90-plus again this year. So why watch? Fortunately, you don't have to look far to find reasons. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] Letting The Kids Play First and foremost, that help we were talking about earlier? It's arriving. Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia are both slated as regulars from the get-go, and Kyle Gibson is in the rotation. Josmil Pinto should appear in the lineup several times per week. These are some of the premier talents the farm system has produced, and they will now have an opportunity to significantly impact outcomes for the major-league club right from the start. More importantly, Alex Meyer and Byron Buxton are not far behind. Meyer will start the year in Triple-A and Buxton -- who rocketed through two levels last year -- will get a late start in Double-A. Either player is a credible candidate for a first-half call-up, offering contingencies that have never been available to the Twins in the past. It's not often that an organization has the best position player prospect in the game and one of the best pitching prospects, both simultaneously on the verge of reaching the majors. These are the things you should embrace if you're having a hard time getting excited about the group that is set to kick off the season at 3:10 on Monday afternoon. Admittedly, that group faces some daunting question marks. Where Are The Runs? Will Jason Kubel and Josh Willingham bounce back from rough years and hit again in the middle of the order? Will Aaron Hicks and Oswaldo Arcia make the adjustments necessary to excel? Will Trevor Plouffe's power return while Brian Dozier's stays? Will Joe Mauer's production improve with a move away from catcher? And can this mishmash bench provide any punch? All these players have shown an ability to perform in the past, so in a way you can see why the Twins are pinning hope on them. For a realist, though, it's difficult to believe that enough of those scenarios will play out the right way for the team to compete, especially after a spring that sent pretty much all the wrong signals. Rotation Rebuilt It will be a shame if the Twins can't score enough, because the pitching staff is finally looking respectable. Minnesota enters the season with a rotation that carries a decent track record and solid upside. It seems unlikely that the team will fly through arms as rapidly as in the past few years, and even if that's the case there is now a level of depth that simply hasn't been available before. At the very least, having starters that don't routinely dig early five-run holes should make the games much more watchable, and if needs should become evident, there are prospects coming and there is a lot of money available to spend. So help is on the way. Unfortunately, it might not be here as immediately as we'd like. The Transition Continues Miguel Sano's Tommy John development was a devastating blow that sadly reflects the present status of the Minnesota Twins -- amazing things are coming, with the potential to fundamentally change a losing culture, but we're just going to have to wait a little bit longer as the goalposts keep inching backward. This year, players currently on the roster and ones that will join along the way have an opportunity to accelerate that timeline, providing a much-needed jolt to a snakebitten franchise that sorely needs one.

Somewhere on the horizon, an end is in sight; a merciful conclusion to this horrendous chapter for the Minnesota Twins that has been characterized by losses piling up while mind-boggling injuries have plagued every level of the organization and interest has steadily declined in a team that should be enjoying its renaissance with a beautiful new outdoor ballpark. The Twins keep pointing to a day where their heralded prospects will arrive to usher in a renewed era of competitive baseball, and where the front office will have plenty of money to aggressively supplement and support this talented young core. The problem is that, as we keep inching forward, that day seems to continually move further down the line. [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK] And in the meantime, being a Twins fan just hasn't been very much fun. Now we've reached a point where, even with the season opener just days away, there's less buzz and enthusiasm for local baseball than I can ever remember. Tickets sales are stagnant. Team officials are publicly calling out hitters for uninspiring spring performances. And we're seeing threads pop up here like this one, wondering whether the worst is yet to come for a club that has taken some pretty brutal lumps over the last three years. The negativity that is gripping a sizable portion of the readership has led to some of those inane arguments about what it means to be a "real fan." Here's the truth: There are "real fans" who are trying to look on the bright side, acknowledging the drawbacks of the roster but electing to focus on the legitimate reasons to hope that this club will take steps forward this season and prove to be solidly on the right track. There are also "real fans" who are frustrated and demoralized after three years of unprecedented losing, and by a constant barrage of organizational setbacks, and by ongoing decision-making that can often be described as questionable at best. I place myself in the first group, mostly for the sake of my sanity, but can't find it in myself to denigrate the second. Despite the upgrades to the pitching staff, the Twins were passive in adding to the offense during the offseason, bringing in only a catcher who doesn't hit, a utility candidate who sat out last season and an aging designated hitter coming off the worst year of his career. Twelve months ago, my concern was that while the Twins had made personnel changes on the starting staff -- subbing out Scott Baker, Carl Pavano and Francisco Liriano for Vance Worley, Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey -- it wasn't clear that they'd implemented a significant talent upgrade (health issues aside). This year the same rings true for the offense. Justin Morneau and Ryan Doumit are gone while Jason Kubel and Kurt Suzuki are in, with Joe Mauer shifting to first base full-time. It's tough to be convinced that the Twins have truly improved their lineup on paper, so they're counting on things breaking right and guys bouncing back from bad years. We all saw how that worked out with the rotation in 2013. The most frightening part of it all is the lack of fallback options. There's finally a little depth in the starting corps but few strong contingency options on the other side. If either Brian Dozier or Trevor Plouffe fails to deliver or suffers a major injury, there's no appealing option to step in as an impact starter. If Josmil Pinto doesn't hit, good luck getting any offense from behind the plate. If Josh Willingham's knee acts up or Oswaldo Arcia gets caught in another prolonged mental slump, you're potentially looking at Alex Presley as a regular in a corner spot. Ultimately this team's hopes reside with the top-tier prospects, and even in that department the news is surprisingly discouraging considering that the season hasn't even started. The Big Three already are dealing with various question marks -- Miguel Sano is gone for the year following Tommy John surgery, Alex Meyer is trying to bounce back after losing a third of his '13 season due to shoulder soreness and Byron Buxton is expected to open on the disabled list with a sprained wrist that keeps bothering him, despite repeated insistence from everyone involved that it's no big deal. All that in addition to the uncertain status of No. 5 prospect Eddie Rosario, who will miss the first 50 games of this season after a drug suspension and still hasn't shown up in Twins camp due to what are only being classified as "personal reasons." When beaten Twins fans can't even look to the stacked farm for relief from the bleak realities, you know things are bad. There's still plenty of talent there but with each setback the distance to the goalpost grows, and the team's underwhelming efforts to field a playoff-caliber team in the intermediate make cheering for this club all the more maddening. Maybe worse than maddening. Maybe just flat-out uninteresting.