Seth Stohs

Max Kepler was signed way back in 2009, July 2nd, the same day as Jorge Polanco. As you would expect, the young German was a very raw baseball talent, so the Twins were very patient. He spent three years in the rookie leagues before joining Cedar Rapids in the second half of the 2013 season. In 2015, he was the Twins Minor League {layer of the year (and Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Year). He was the Southern League MVP, led the Lookouts to the league’s championship and then was called up to the Twins for the final two weeks of the season. On the season’s final day, he hit a single off of Johnny Cueto for his first Major League hit. He came up to the Twins in April and sat, but when he returned in early June, he was in the lineup nearly every day the rest of the season. He had some impressive moments, and he struggled a lot. You would expect that from a 23-year-old with very little time at AAA.As we embark on the 2017 season, Kepler was handed the right field job. He will hit somewhere in the middle of the lineup. He’ll continue to face growing pains, but he’s a fast learner, and he will make adjustments. So what do you hope or expect to see from Max Kepler in 2017? After 17 homers as a rookie, can he hit more in 2017? Will he hit for a better average? Will we see some of his minor league tendencies, at least the good ones, surface in the big leagues? Be sure to post your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It will be fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS .595 - Against left-handers last year in the big leagues, Kepler struggled. He hit just .203/.273/.322 (.595) against southpaws. Meanwhile, against right-handers, he hit .248/.325/.468 (.792) and hit 15 of his 17 home runs. In the minor leagues, Kepler hit almost as well against lefties as he did against righties, so this is something we will want to watch in 2017. .322/.416/.531 (.947) - Those are Kepler’s slash line numbers from 2015 in AA Chattanooga when he was named the Southern League MVP. It’s not one number, but it’s a good reminder of the type of player many believe that Kepler can become. He filled the stat sheet. He hit for average. He showed an ability to get on base with walks. He hit for power. He had 32 doubles, 13 triples and nine home runs. He added three more homers in the playoffs. To go with the triples, he stole 18 bases as well. He hit lefties as well as right-handers. He also walked 67 times and struck out 63 times. So while Kepler has some improvements and adjustments to make, it’s important to remember why so many people believe in him. PREDICTIONS Max Kepler: 577 at-bats, .273/.336/.458 (.794), 29 doubles, 5 triples, 18 home runs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I have Kepler playing in 150 games, a few in centerfield and a couple likely at DH. He may even play some first base. I think we’ll start seeing some of what he can become. I don’t think his plate discipline will peak yet in his Age-24 season, but it will improve. He had 17 homers last year and he’s still primarily a line drive hitter. However, he makes very hard contact and he’s going to continue to add more and more home run power. I think we’ll see some of that in 2017, but as we move forward, I think he can be a 30 homer hitter. In fact, a month ago on Twitter I posted a “BOLD PREDICTION” saying that Kepler would hit 30 home runs this year. While I doubt it, I would not be terribly surprised if he did. The league will continue to make adjustments to Kepler, so Kepler will need to adjust back. His minor league track record of strong plate discipline and contact should really help him with that. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Max Kepler in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Jorge Polanco Eddie Rosario Byron Buxton Max Kepler Click here to view the article

Byron Buxton looked different this year. On the Winter Caravan, at Twins Fest or throughout Spring Training, Buxton looked much more relaxed, much more comfortable. it’s amazing the effect of success can have on a person. After struggles and demotions marred much of his first two seasons, he came back up on September 1st last year and showed the promise so many had hoped for since he was the #2 overall pick in 2012. In fact, he was probably much better in September than anyone would have ever thought. Not only did he show his great speed, but he showed the power that many wondered if he would ever be able to show.It was assumed coming into spring training that Buxton would hit either first or ninth in the lineup. But his continues solid showing and confidence in spring training caused manager Paul Molitor to consider putting him in the #3 spot in the lineup. Buxton routinely turns regular singles into doubles, and doubles into triples. The ball comes off his bat and it becomes must-watch TV So what do you expect to see from Byron Buxton in 2017? Has he taken The Step to stardom, or will he find struggles? Most likely the answer is somewhere in between. So aside from outstanding defense (which we believe is a given), what do you predict for Buxton this season? Be sure to post your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS .561 - When Byron Buxton was optioned to Rochester in early August, he was hitting .193/.247/.315 (.561) in 63 games played. He came back up on September 1st, and over the final 29 games, he hit .287/.357/.653 (1.011) with 17 extra base hits, including nine homers. He raised his season OPS from .561 to .714. 31.9%, 35.6% - Striking out is something that Byron Buxton has done a lot in his young major league career. In his first season, he struck out 31.9% of the time. In 2016, he struck out 35.6% of his plate appearances. Even during his hot stretch in September, he struck out 38 times in 113 plate appearances (33.6%). While he was overmatched much of the time, it isn’t something that I think is a long-term risk. His strikeout rates in Low A, High A and AA were all under 20% Hopefully Buxton will be able to cut down on his strikeouts without it affecting his aggressiveness. PREDICTIONS Byron Buxton: 553 at-bats, .266/.316/.463 (.779), 31 doubles, 12 triples, 18 home runs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Byron Buxton, despite a 93 OPS+ in 2016, his bWAR was 1.9 because of his defense. Byron Buxton has tremendous value to the Twins even if his offense is just MLB average. As the Twins signed Jason Castro to help improve the pitching, having Byron Buxton manning centerfield on a nearly everyday basis. I have Buxton playing in 154 games. Hopefully that is low. If what we saw in in September is a sign of things to come, not that he needs to post a 1.000 OPS all the time, then there are exciting times ahead of the Twins and their fans. As I wrote above, his ability to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples will certainly help with his slugging percentage. I think he will approach what would be very close to another Twins single-season strikeouts record, though a healthy Sano will make that nothing to worry about for Buxton. If Paul Molitor puts him in the #3 spot in the order, with speed and on-base guys in front of him, he should be able to drive in a lot of runs. I think a Gold Glove and an All Star berth are possible in 2017, and there will be several of each in years to come. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Byron Buxton in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Jorge Polanco Eddie Rosario Byron Buxton Click here to view the article

Things slow down as we get older, it’s a fact of life. Much has been made of Phil Hughes’ radar gun readings this spring, but pitchers have been being forced to learn how to pitch with diminished velocity for ages. This is nothing new. The good news is you don’t have to look too far back to find a pitcher who successfully reinvented himself after losing a few ticks on his fastball. Just last season, CC Sabathia reemerged for the Yankees, logging a 3.91 ERA over 30 starts. His ERA the previous three seasons combined had been nearly a run higher.Mike Axisa did a great year-end writeup for River Ave Blues on Sabathia in which he highlighted three key ingredients that contributed to the new and improved CC: 1) His new knee brace; 2) His new cutter, and; 3) His sobriety. Here’s with how Sabathia explained his success to Newsday’s Anthony Rieberin August. “I have more choices. I can use my changeup, I can throw the backdoor slider, my cutter, obviously. I’m more well-equipped with what I have now.” Sabathia and Hughes are two different people and very different pitchers, but I think Twins fans can look to CC’s turnaround as a source of optimism. It sounds like Hughes is finally healthy and he’s working hard on evolving his pitching repertoire. Back in January, Nick Nelson was already warning people not to sleep on Hughes. Considering the amount of work Hughes has been able to get in this spring. I wasn’t ready to hop aboard the comeback train quite yet at that point, but after seeing the amount of work Hughes has been able to log this spring, I’m starting to come around. Yes, even despite some pretty ugly numbers, I’m encouraged about what we’ve seen from Hughes. He has a 6.55 ERA and has given up seven home runs in 22 official innings this spring, but he’s put in a ton of work on his breaking and offspeed pitches. Mike Berardino sent out a Tweet during Hughes’ most recent outing on Monday saying that of his final 24 pitches, Hughes threw just five fastballs. A few months ago I would have confidently bet against Hughes even being ready for the season. Yet here we are, just a few days from the opener, and one could argue he actually appears to be the starter most ready to go out and give the Twins 100 pitches. That’s remarkable considering what he’s been through since June. It’s easy to forget all of Hughes’ most recent injuries don’t have anything directly to do with his pitching arm. His 2016 season ended when a batted ball fractured his leg. He underwent surgery to remove a rib in order to correct thoracic outlet syndrome. That should help solve his issues with nerves and blood vessels that resulted in numbness in his pitching hand. But it’s not like there was anything wrong structurally with Hughes’ elbow or shoulder. Now before people try to have me committed, I’d just like to temper enthusiasm. Even after a successful reinvention, Sabathia is never going to get back to being a perennial Cy Young contender. The Phil Hughes of 2014 is gone, and he’s probably never coming back. Over the past two seasons Hughes has a 4.83 ERA and opposing hitters have teed off on him to the tune of a .296/.320/.502 line. He needs to improve, but coming off a season in which Twins starters posted a league-worst 5.39 ERA, the bar in which we measure Hughes’ success doesn’t need to be set at his 2014 levels. Sabathia’s turnaround was the result of him basically abandoning his four seamer and instead leaning on the cutter. Hughes already features a cutter, but he’s trying to develop his changeup this spring in the hopes that added wrinkle can be the magic ingredient that keeps hitters off balance. This much is for sure: even if he’s 100 percent healthy Hughes cannot continue to pitch the way he has the past two seasons and expect better results. I think we can conclude that his average fastball velocity probably isn’t getting back to over 93 mph like it was in 2014. The good news is he and Neil Allen appear to be well aware of that fact. Here’s what Allen told Mike Berardino earlier this month: “It’s hard for a veteran guy who’s been doing things one way for as many years as he has to change. But we’ve got to make him change.” To Hughes’ credit, he appears to be buying into the evolution. The results haven’t always pretty, but as he explained to La Velle E. Neal III after a recent rocky outing, spring training is the perfect time to tinker. “Obviously I’ve had my struggles the last couple of years and I’m not satisfied with just hoping things will get better because of surgery or something like that. I’m actively trying to become a better pitcher all around. There’s not a better time than spring training to start working on stuff and incorporate different things and get a feel for new pitches you are trying to work on.” Even if he gets off to a rough start, I’m hoping Hughes remains committed to reinventing himself. The Twins have him under contract for another $13.2 million over each of the next two seasons. It may not be this year, but sometime over the life of that contract the Twins are going to look to Hughes to be a contributing member of a winning rotation. I anticipate there to be some rough patches, but it makes all the sense in the world for the Twins to give Hughes every opportunity to solve the riddle of what he needs to do to reinvent himself. It may seem like a long shot, but if CC Sabathia can reignite his career, why not Phil Hughes? Click here to view the article

Because it's a team game... And guys need days off for physical, mental or other reasons.

Confidence is something that Eddie Rosario has never really lacked, especially on the baseball field. As Paul Molitor said earlier this spring after Rosario had a three-hit night for Puerto Rico in the WBC “we all know it, Rosie loves the big lights.” That goes back to his days in Elizabethton where he and Miguel Sano put on an incredible power display and Rosario was named Appy League MVP. Rosario moved up the ranks quickly until his 50-game suspension before the 2014 season. However, he was called up early in 2015 and finished 6th in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and had double-digits in many offensive and defensive categories. However, early in 2016, Rosario was sent down to Rochester for a month, needing to reclaim his game. He came back and was better. He was a star on the Puerto Rican WBC team, performing well both offensively and defensively. He hit for power, provided a game-winning RBI in the semi-finals game in extra innings, and showed off his rocket arm. Twins fans knew of Rosario, but the WBC made him a household name.Can the WBC performance push Rosario to a big season for the Twins in 2017? We shall see, but let’s at least put together some predictions and see how we look at the end of the season. Below you will find my predictions (or guesses, if you prefer) for Eddie Rosario’s 2017 season. Consider posting your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS 3.2, 3.4 - These are the walk rates for Rosario in his first two MLB seasons. That is remarkably low. His IsoD (Isolated Discipline) is just .024 over those two years. As interesting, or maybe more interesting, Rosario has swung at an incredible 46% of pitches that are outside of the strike zone according to Pitch F/X. .738, .724 - Rosario has posted a .738 OPS against right-handers and a .724 OPS against left-handers. To this point, he has not shown a significant platoon split. PREDICTIONS Eddie Rosario: 516 at-bats, .274/.306/.452 (.749), 29 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because of Rosario’s lack of platoon splits, he should be able to play most every day. However, they need to get other guys some playing time and I think that will happen primarily in left field (as opposed to center or right, and often if the centerfielder gets the day off, Rosario can take over there). Because of his extreme aggressiveness and lack of strike zone knowledge, he is certainly more likely to have some extreme streaks in the season. But I do believe he will take a step forward in 2017. He is now 25 and has more playing time. Hopefully he learned from playing with the likes of Carlos Beltran, Angel Pagan and Yadier Molina in the WBC. I think he can show more power, particularly doubles power. In 2016, Rosario showed his inconsistency and over-aggressiveness on offense and defense. While he has a strong arm, he was more erratic. Hopefully he’ll be able to maintain his energy while finding a way to relax a bit more and not try to do too much. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Eddie Rosario in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Jorge Polanco Eddie Rosario Click here to view the article

Ha! My bad. I've been typing "Aderlin Mejia" for 4-5 years, and "Adalberto Mejia" only going back to last August. Bear with me!

They know exactly what they're doing. No doubt about that. And, it's just a short-term thing. Also, when you have this short of a bench, a guy like Santana - even if he's not great in any defensive spot - has value.

I personally think that's the best spot for him, and he could do very well out there.

My guess is that he isn't guaranteed anything. They'll likely get his oblique healthy and send him out on a full 20-day rehab and see what they see at that time, offensively and defensively.

Reports out of Ft. Myers tell us that the Twins have made their final roster cuts and we know the - at least tentative - Opening Day roster. (Please note that the Twins have not made these moves official yet, so it is subject to some editing if we learn anything more.) Adalberto Mejia is the 5th starter.Tyler Duffey will pitch out of the bullpen.Chris Gimenez will be added to the 40-man roster and be the backup catcher.John Ryan Murphy was optioned.Byungho Park was reassigned to minor league camp. (as were JB Shuck, Matt Hague, Bengie Gonzalez, Ben Paulsen, and Eddy Rodriguez)It is not yet known whether Kennys Vargas has been optioned or whether he'll start the season on the Disabled List.What does it all mean?In a strange and surprising decision, the Twins have decided to start the season with 13 pitchers. Mejia has won the fifth starter job, but Duffey is also on the roster. With two off days in the first nine days of the season, it's an interesting decision to go with 13 pitchers. It certainly limits Paul Molitor's bench, but then again, it isn't as if there are guys on the roster that will be used as pinch hitters. The core of the lineup is comprised of guys that won't be pinch hit for. But it is limiting, no doubt. With Park heading to AAA to start the season and Vargas seemingly on the DL, it means that the Twins primary Designated Hitter will be Robbie Grossman (a move I discussed in our forums two weeks ago, and yet am a bit surprised about). If Park was on the 40-man roster, there would be no doubt that he would be on the roster, but since he isn't, many will be very surprised by the decision. He hit over .350 and hit six home runs. Though, as we always remind people, spring training stats don't matter. So here is the Twins tentative Opening Day roster: Starting Pitchers: Ervin Santana Hector Santiago Kyle Gibson Phil Hughes Adalberto Mejia Bullpen: Brandon Kintzler Matt Belisle Ryan Pressly Taylor Rogers Craig Breslow Michael Tonkin Justin Haley Tyler Duffey Ryan O'Rourke (DL) Catchers: Jason Castro Chris Gimenez Infielders: Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Jorge Polanco Eduardo Escobar Ehire Adrianza (DL) Outfielders: Eddie Rosario Byron Buxton Max Kepler Robbie Grossman Danny Santana So there you have it. A long, extended (due to WBC) spring training is all-but-complete. We have our tentative Opening Day roster, and the team will soon travel to Minneapolis for Monday's Opening Day. Why do I keep saying 'tentative Opening Day roster?' It is also likely that Derek Falvey and Thad Levine are fielding phone calls from other teams or agents looking to find roster spots for their players. In reality, it's possible the roster changes by April 3rd. It's also likely the roster is very different even within the next two or three weeks. In fact, John Bonnes flies out of Ft. Myers today, but he was able to be in the clubhouse this morning where he reported the following after the press met with manager Paul Molitor. Molitor referred to the roster as "short term." What do you think? Click here to view the article

When people talked about the Minnesota Twins top prospects in recent years, the names Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler and Jose Berrios. All the while, Jorge Polanco continued to rise and succeed (and often found his name in the bottom quarter of national Top 100 prospect rankings). In fact, he was the first of the group to get to the big leagues when he was promoted to the big leagues from Ft. Myers in 2014. That was a cup of coffee, and the same thing happened in 2015. It wasn’t until Eduardo Nunez was traded in July that Polanco came up and was handed the keys to a starting job. After coming through the system playing both shortstop and second base, his struggles at shortstop caused the team to move him to second base last year in spring training. However, his opportunity with the Twins came at shortstop. He struggled, so that will be a big story for Polanco and the Twins in 2017.Offensively, Polanco has been very consistent as he’s moved up the organizational ladder. In 132 games in AA, he hit .287/.340/.380 (.719). In 97 AAA games, he hit .278/.329/.433 (.762). So far in 78 big league games, he has hit .284/.340/.429 (.769). Polanco is now out of options. The shortstop job is his. Will he run with it? Can he take the next step and put it all together offensively and defensively? Below you will find my predictions (or guesses, if you prefer) for Jorge Polanco’s 2017 season. Consider posting your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS (-9.3) - That is Jorge Polanco’s defensive WAR according to FanGraphs. And that was in just 69 total games. His UZR/150 came in at (-32.3). Those are the numbers that Polanco will need to overcome defensively. To expect him to be a plus defender probably isn’t fair. To hope that he can be an adequate, or even average, defender is fair. 0.857 - That is Polanco’s OPS against left-handed pitchers. Against right-handers, he posted a .718 OPS. He is a natural right-hander, but he’s had many more at bats left-handed in his career. There is more power right-handed. PREDICTIONS Jorge Polanco: 456 at-bats, .287/.333/.436 (.769), 23 doubles, 6 triples, 11 home runs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Of the starters shown so far, I have Polanco at the fewest games played. First, I think the defense will cause Molitor to want to give him more time off and allow Eduardo Escobar to get into the lineup. I have him playing 135 games. When Polanco was signed, he was a skinny kid. He has grown a lot, topping 200 pounds within the last couple of years. He has developed some power. That’s not to say he’s a 20 homer hitter, but he can certainly hit the teens in homers with more at bats. He’s got good speed to turn singles into doubles and doubles into triples. In the second half last season, Polanco hit all over the lineup. Most of his at bats came in the #2 spot in the lineup. That is a good spot for him. However, I would guess we’ll see him all over the lineup, near the top or the bottom from day-to-day. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Jorge Polanco in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Jorge Polanco Click here to view the article

Might Sano set a record for the Twins in 2016. His 178 strikeouts broke Brian Dozier’s one-year-old record of 148 punchouts in 2015. It was an impressive feat considering he missed the month of June on the Disabled List. Sano enters 2017 knowing he will be back at his more natural position, third base, after last year’s erstwhile attempt in right field. While most consider Sano’s 2016 a down season, he still had 25 home runs. However, after such a strong showing in the final three months of 2015, expectations were very high. Still just 23-years-old, Sano has a ton of potential. His power remains legit, but he’ll need to find a way to put the ball in play more often. That’s the question at the plate. Meanwhile, there are lingering questions about how well he will be able to play third base defensively too.What can Miguel Sano do in 2017? Can he take the next step and put it all together offensively and defensively? Can he come close to the .916 OPS he put up in 80 games as a rookie, or will his OPS be closer to the .781 mark he hit in 2016? Below you will find my predictions (or guesses, if you prefer) for Miguel Sano’s 2017 season. Consider posting your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS 35.5% and 36.0% - These are Miguel Sano’s strikeout rates in his first two MLB seasons. Frankly, these are numbers that really need to drop. It isn’t going to happen over night, and his 43% K-Rate in spring training doesn’t exactly lend itself to much confidence. As disappointing, his walk rate dropped from 15.8% in his freshman season to 10.9% in his second season. 10.9% is still solid, no question about that, but these two numbers are patterns to watch. Consider slugger Chris Carter. He led the the National League with 41 home runs in 2016, yet he had to wait most of the offseason to sign (for just $3 million) in large part because he’s one-dimensional and strikes out a ton. Just once in the last five years has he had a K-rate as high as Sano’s these first two years. He’s been in the 31-32% range except one year he had a 36.2% K-rate. It’s just indicative of why it’s important for Sano to do more than DH and reduce his strikeout rate. 0.896 - That is the fielding percentage Sano had in 42 games in 2017. Not to beat a dead horse, but Sano will have to prove he can handle the position. Personally, I think he’ll be fine, bumping that number closer to 0.940. With the Twins in a transition season, hopefully between a 59-win season and a possible playoff berth, it’s worth giving Sano the full year, but his value is much higher if he can stay at third base. PREDICTIONS Miguel Sano: 553 at-bats, .253/.346/.506 (.852), 32 doubles, 3 triples, 34 home runs. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Part of these numbers is Sano finding a way to stay on the field. I have him playing in 148 games. If he is able to stay at third base and stay healthy, I think he’ll put up some monster numbers, probably even higher than what I have shown here. The key, of course, will be finding a way to put the ball in play more often. Striking out 36% of the time just isn’t a good way to find success. If he is able to play this much I have little doubt that he will be able to put up his first 30-homer season. It will be an interesting season for Miguel Sano, filled with lots of questions. Can he reduce his strikeout rate? How many runs can he drive in? Will he be able to play adequately at third base, or will he be limited to just DHing for the rest of his career? YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Miguel Sano in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Miguel Sano Click here to view the article

He's signed for two more years, but if he continues to produce, there's no reason that the Twins wouldn't extend him. I'm not saying they will, but it is certainly possible.

#2 pitcher prospect, probably fits somewhere in the 25-50 range, so I went back 5 years, looks at starting pitcher prospects in that range and named a bunch. I don't know if it's 1-in-6, but based on Dozier coming off of a monster 2016 season and only being offered Jose De Leon (a 25-50 range prospect), it seems like a fair range.

That always sounds good... but... That'd be like the Red Sox trading Dustin Pedroia before the 2012 season in exchange for Jarrod Parker or Manny Banuelos or Mike Montgomery or Zach Wheeler or Brad Peacock. Or Carlos Martinez... but the odds of getting a Carlos Martinez in a 1-for-1 trade probably about 1 in 6 or so... I just think we take the trade Dozier for a #2 type of pitcher has such a low chance of getting a return that comes anywhere close to what Dozier has done and could continue to do for another 4-5 years. Note - just used Pedroia as an example. You could pick Cano or Kinsler in his place if you prefer.

After an offseason of rumors, Brian Dozier is still with the Twins. The second baseman gives the team a reliable bat in their lineup. He put up a career high in batting average and became the only Minnesota Twins player not named Harmon Killebrew to hit over 40 home runs in a season. 2016 was an historic season for Brian Dozier. What will he do for an encore in 2017? Brian Dozier was the Twins 8th round pick in 2009. He was drafted as a senior. Many said he was “too old for his level of competition” to be a prospect. He came up the first time at age 24 and really struggled as a shortstop. He was moved to second base, the defense was sound, and suddenly he started displaying remarkable power. After two very slow months to start 2016. After May 22nd, Dozier was hitting just .199/.284/.318 (.602). Paul Molitor didn’t start him for two straight games, allowing him to clear his head. Over his final 115 games, Dozier hit .291/.356/.621 (.977) with a remarkable 38 home runs.So what will 2017 look like for Brian Dozier? Can he come anywhere near replicating those numbers? Below you will find my predictions (or guesses, if you prefer) for Brian Dozier’s 2017 season. Consider posting your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS 15.3% - According to FanGraphs, Dozier hit the ball to the opposite field just 15.3% of the time, down from 15.6% of the time in 2016. The message to Dozier (from many) early in the season was that he needed to use the whole field. And while that’s never bad advice, Brian Dozier is an extreme pull hitter and that is where he finds the vast majority of his success. $47.2 million - FanGraphs also provides a “Value” to each player for their season. Base on fWAR, they calculate how much that player’s season was worth. Brian Dozier’s 2016 season was worth $47.2 million. (5.9 fWAR) Over this past four seasons, Dozier has been worth a total of $127.9 million. Dozier is in Year 3 of a four year, $20 million contract that bought out his arbitration years. PREDICTIONS Brian Dozier: 574 at-bats, .261/.328/.458 (.786), 37 doubles, 2 triples, 24 home runs. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Over the past three years, Brian Dozier has averaged 156 games played. I believe there is benefit to giving him a few extra days off, but I think Dozier’s going to want to play as much as possible. I have him at 152 games, so a few extra days off. I’m not going to put Dozier at 42 home runs again, in fact, not all that close. But I have his walk total increasing and I anticipate a lot more doubles. I don’t even try to pretend to calculate Runs scored or RBI, but Dozier can pretty much be relied on to score 100 runs. If he’s leading off, he’ll likely end up in the 87-80 RBI range. If he were to his 3rd or 4th, I think he’d surpass 100 RBI. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Brian Dozier in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Joe Mauer Brian Dozier Click here to view the article

When Joe Mauer makes a start next Monday for the Twins at Target Field, it will be his 13th Opening Day start for the Twins. That will tie Harmon Killebrew for the most in team history. In 2004, Mauer debuted as a 20-year-old kid in 2004. Late next week, Mauer will turn 34 and that will make many of us feel even older than we are. Twins fans are all aware of the date August 19, 2013. The Twins played a make up, interleague game against the Mets. Joe Mauer went 2-4 to raise his stat line to .324/.404/.476 (.880), numbers that would rank as one of the best in his career. Unfortunately, that was the day he took a foul tip to the face mask and suffered a concussion that would alter the rest of his career. The last three seasons he has hit .277, .265 and .261. Obviously there is a large sector of Twins fans that don’t care about any of that. Others will tell you that he was hitting .284/.384/.417 (.801) on August 16th last year. In that game, he strained his quadriceps (both of them) which affected him the rest of the season. Had he just shut it down at that time, that .801 OPS would have been good, something to build some excitement about. Instead, he toughed it out and kept playing through the injury. Over the season’s final six weeks, he barely hit over .100 and his OPS dropped by almost 50 points.So what’s in store for Joe Mauer in 2017? Below you will find my predictions (or guesses, if you prefer) for Joe Mauer’s 2017 season. Hopefully you will consider posting your thoughts and your predictions into the comments below. It’s always fun to take a look at the end of the season and see how our predictions look. KEY NUMBERS .224 (.610) / .272 (.793) - As you would probably guess, these numbers are Mauer’s lefty-righty splits in 2016. Even with the struggles in the final six weeks, Mauer put up solid numbers against right-handers. However, he really struggled against same-siders. Although he’s always hit better against right-handers, he had always put up solid numbers against lefties. The last couple of years, his performance against lefties has dropped. In the second half, Mauer rarely started against lefties, even before the injury. A platoon at first base for the Twins makes a lot of sense due to his production, but also in an attempt to keep those legs with all those catcher innings on them. 87 - When Joe Mauer plays his 87th game of 2017, he will have passed Rod Carew and Tony Oliva and be in fourth place in games played for the Twins. Also, if Mauer accumulates 100 hits this season, he’ll pass Tony Oliva and move into third place on the Twins list. When Mauer walks for the 17th time this year, he’ll pass Kent Hrbek into second place on the Twins list, trailing only Kent Hrbek. He’s already in the Top 10 in most Twins offensive categories. It should be fun watching him pass some of the greats in the Twins history. PREDICTIONS Joe Mauer: 381 at-bats, .281/.350/.404 (.754), 19 doubles, 2 triples, 9 home runs. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I believe that the Twins and specifically Paul Molitor needs to be strict in making himself give Mauer days off, even two a week. Ideally, he’ll give those days off when left-handers start against the Twins. If they can keep his legs strong and put him into situations to succeed, it should show up in his statistics as well. My prediction is that Mauer will play in about 115 games. He’ll continue to walk, though at a slightly lesser rate. He has become a very good defensive first baseman, and that will also be a very important piece to the Twins puzzle if he can help keep the errors down for the left side of the Twins infield. I think Byungho Park will get a lot of playing time at first base throughout 2017, particularly against right-handers. YOUR TURN Your turn. Share your thoughts on and predictions on Joe Mauer in 2017. We can take a look back at the end of the season and see how we did. PREVIOUS PREDICTIONS Jason Castro Click here to view the article