Seth Stohs

Hmmm... interesting question... probably not real good... And honestly, from that picture of Matt Williams, I never noticed that he had glasses.

It’s just two weeks from the start of spring training in Florida and Arizona. However, if you like watching baseball, there is a WBC Qualifier tournament that started on Thursday in Australia (Wednesday night in the States). There are 14 players with Minnesota Twins ties in this tournament (11 from Australia, 3 from South Africa). As you recall, the first World Baseball Classic was in 2006. Japan topped Cuba for that championship. In 2009, Japan won again. In 2013, it was the Dominican Republic that claimed the title. Team USA has finished fourth place once, their only trip to the Final Four.Certainly there is no surprise that Team Australia is littered with players with Twins connections. The Twins and legendary scout Howie Norsetter have always signed players from Down Under. Briefly, here are the players who have spent time in the Twins system who are on the Australian team. James Beresford played in the ABL after the holidays for Joe Vavra’s Melbourne Aces team. First, it allowed Beresford more time in front of one of the Twins coaches, but it also helped him prepare for this tournament. Beresford has been in the Twins organization since signing in 2005. He was an International League All-Star for the Rochester Red Wings in 2015 and will return again to the organization in 2016. Todd Van Steensel has been in the Twins organization twice. He pitched for Elizabethton in 2011 but was released after the season. He returned before the 2014 season after becoming a strong relief pitcher prospect while pitching in the ABL and in Europe. He has put up strong numbers the last two seasons, including more than a strikeout per inning. He should move up to Chattanooga for the 2016 season. Sam Gibbons has a nice showing once he was promoted to Cedar Rapids in 2015. He posted a 2.89 ERA as a 21-year-old in 15 starts. He signed with the Twins in July of 2011. He is certainly one to watch in 2016. Logan Wade signed with the Twins as a 19-year-old in 2011. He was the number three hitter and shortstop for the Brisbane Bandits team that just won the Claxton Shield (ABL championship) last week. Apparently his father has five Claxton Shield titles. Wade played in Ft. Myers last year. Aaron Whitefield was also on that championship Brisbane team. He is a 19-year-old who signed with the Twins in May. He has been playing baseball now for about a year now after playing softball for years. In fact he’s represented Australia in international softball tournaments. At 6-4 and 200 pounds with very good speed, he is certainly intriguing. He played in just seven games in the GCL in 2015. Luke Hughes signed with the Twins in 2002 and gradually worked his way up the system.In 2010, as a 25-year-old he made his major league debut and in his first at-bat, he homered against Max Scherzer. He played in 96 games for the Twins in 2011 and hit seven homers. He played just four games for the Twins in 2012 before being DFAd and claimed by the A’s. He has not played in the big leagues since 2012. He has played for Perth each winter. Allan de San Miguel signed as a 16-year-old catcher in 2004. Out of necessity, he played 11 games for Ft. Myers as a 17-year-old in 2005, but overall, his progression through the Twins system was slow. An organizational player, in 2009 he actually played games for Beloit, Ft. Myers, New Britain and Rochester. After the 2010 season he moved on to the Orioles. In 2015, he was back with the Twins, providing some catching depth and getting a few games in for Rochester. He remains a free agent. Peter Moylan may not be a name you necessarily associate with the Twins. However, that is where he made his US start. Kind of. He signed with the Twins as a 16-year-old in 1995. He pitched for the GCL Twins in 1996 and 1997, and posted ERAs of 4.08 and 4.05. The Twins let him go, and he did not play again in the States until 2006 when he went to AAA for the Braves and despite a 6.83 ERA in 35 games, he debuted in the big leagues with 15 games. He has played in eight big league seasons since, only missing the 2014 season due to Tommy John surgery. Trent Oeltjen signed with the Twins in 2000. He slowly worked his way up the system. Two years in Elizabethton. Two years in Quad Cities. Two years in Ft. Myers. He had a strong 2006 in New Britain and was solid in Rochester in 2007, but he became a free agent and signed with the Diamondbacks. He played 24 games for the Diamondbacks in 2009 and a combined 75 games for the Dodgers between 2010 and 2011. He continued playing AAA ball through the 2014 season. He played for Sydney in the ABL after the 2014 season but announced that it would be his final season. He retired and didn’t play in 2015 but he’s still on their roster. He is one of the more respected players in Australia. Matt Williams pitched in the Twins minor league system starting in 2005 and culminating with 28 games in New Britain in 2010. Since then, he has been one of the better relief pitchers in the Australian Baseball League and has competed in many international competitions. He is arguably best known, however, for a fantastic beard. Download attachment: Matt Williams.jpg Ryan Rowland-Smith never pitched in a regular season game for the Twins or any of their minor league affiliates. However, the Twins picked the then-22-year-old in the December 2004 Rule 5 draft. He went to spring training with the Twins but was returned to Seattle in late March. He debuted with the Mariners in July of 2007 and pitched 115 games for the Mariners between 2007 and 2010. He played AAA ball for five organizations between 2011 and 2013. Arizona signed him before 2014. He made the Opening Day roster but he was released early in the season and hasn’t played since. The Twins have signed a lot of players from Australia and several of them have pitched in the big leagues. Many played for the Twins including Grant Balfour, Glenn Williams, Michael Nakamura, and even Melbourne Ace’s GM Justin Huber. The Phillipines and New Zealand are also in the Sydney WBC Qualifier but they don’t have any Twins connections. However South Africa does have three players with Twins ties. Here is a little bit on each. (Quick Update/Correction - Eric Farris, who got a couple of cups of coffee with the Brewers in 2011 and 2012 and spent 2013-2015 with the Red Wings, was added to the Phillipines roster.) Hein Robb signed with the Twins in 2008 but spent a year pitching in Australia before coming to the States in 2010. He pitched for the GCL Twins in 2010 and 2011. He was with Elizabethton in 2012 and 2013. In 2013, he also pitched in three games for Cedar Rapids. He played independent ball in 2014. He has been on the South African WBC teams since 2009 when he was just 17 years old. Callan Pearce signed with the Twins in July of 2013. He has pitched in the GCL the last two years. He is a great athlete and can throw into the low-90s but he has struggled with his control. 19-year-old Rowan Ebersohn was the starting left fielder and seventh-place hitter for South Africa in their first game of the tournament. Just 5-9 he is stocky, strong and still fast. He played in just 27 games in the GCL and hit just .193, but he showed great improvement even during the three months he was with the team. (In Game 1, Ebersohn went 0-3 with a walk and a hit by pitch.) So there you have it, plenty of reasons to watch the WBC qualifying tournament the next few days. Sure, Team Australia’s games will be played at 2:30 a.m. (Central time) in the United States, but they will be fun to watch. Next month, there will be two more WBC Qualifier Tournaments. In Mexicali, Team Mexico will host the Czech Republic, Nicaragua and Germany. We have already been told that Max Kepler will not be playing for the German team as he will be at Twins big league camp, hoping to earn an Opening Day roster spot. Also in mid-March in Panama City, Panama will host Colombia, France and Spain. The games will be played at Rod Carew Stadium. The fourth WBC Qualifier will not be until late September. In the Bronx, teams from Brazil, Great Britain, Israel and Pakistan will compete for the fourth Qualifier spot in the 2017 WBC. The four teams to win the Qualifiers will join the teams that finished in the top 12 of the 2013 WBC. Those countries are the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Japan, the Netherlands, Cuba, the United States, Italy, Chinese Taipei, South Korea, Venezuela, and Canada. Again, the World Baseball Classic will begin in 2017. Click here to view the article

I don't pretend to know this as well as Jeremy, but I do recall wanting the Twins to take Kevin Gausman in 2012... They took Buxton. I knew Buxton was a great athlete, but some questioned the level of competition he played. Gausman was a front-of-rotation starter who had pitched at LSU. I still really, really like Gausman, but I'm glad the Twins took Buxton. Two years ago, I was completely on the Twins taking Aaron Nola. I think I recall Jeremy was too. But we both knew that the Twins would take Gordon, and now I'm fully comfortable with that, even though I still really like Nola and think that he will have a long and productive MLB career. I would have much preferred it if the Twins had taken Carson Fullmer last year instead of Tyler Jay, but then you read about the Jay slider, and if he can be a starter, it'd be great. Even if he's a reliever, he's their top relief pitching prospect (which says a lot in this organization). The main point of this is that we all pick our favorites, maybe we even watch a little video... but the Twins scouts do their homework. They put in a lot of time watching all of these guys (like every team does, of course). They're going to be right on some and they're going to be wrong on some. That's the nature of writing and talking about humans, much less actually drafting one and then trying to develop them.

Nunez makes the routine plays. He doesn't have much for range. He has a strong arm. Polanco has a little more range, but he often struggles with the routine plays. Many question his arm strength on the left side of the diamond. Santana struggles with routine plays, though he has great range and a very strong arm.

It's a philosophy most teams use, including the successful teams. Each team is going to use 40-50 players in the big leagues every year. Depth is important. So, while not always popular among fans, they have to make some decisions based on the rules of the game including considering options, minor league deals, 40 man roster decisions, etc. to help get through the season. It's kind of the opposite of brainless. It's understanding the system/guidelines and trying to make decisions to get through a season winning as much as they can. I can't explain every single decision, but I know none of them is taken lightly.

I've never advocated mediocre vets first plan. I wrote a story on a veteran relief pitcher who has experienced some big league success for a couple of seasons who has a chance to make the opening day roster. Now that the Twins are winning, I have no problem with going with whoever they think will pitch better at any particular time in the season. If in April they deem that Kintzler/Abad will be able to get outs better than someone like Tonkin/Burdi/Chargois, then I say go with them. I also say that when they think the young guys are ready to be better than the veteran guys, then turn to them.

Unless he has a strong 2016 season at Kentucky, he cost himself a lot of money by going back to college, unless he's drafted in the top 25 picks or so. As a senior, right or wrong, he'll have almost no leverage. I could definitely see the Twins going after him again, unless bridges were burned.

With four picks in the top 80 or so, the Twins could conceivably get a couple of these guys. At Twins Fest, I talked to one Twins official who said that some junior college seasons are already getting underway, so they'll have people traveling for those. I talked to one Twins scout who said that there are many showcases now, including "sports bubbles" in the north which have become more popular. Shore and Boldt were both believed to be holding out for 1st round money, each stating clearly or more than subtly what their signing bonus needed to be. That's why both fell in that draft. Both could easily be first rounders this year. I'd think that Burdi could go in the 3rd or 4th round. Hockin sounds more like a late 2nd day type, though obviously a lot can happen in the next four months.

I think it'd be wise to have him play 2B, 3B, and SS in 2016, maybe even a handful of games at the different outfield positions. Nothing wrong with that. He may be able to hit better than Santana... maybe Nunez, and probably will... Defensively, I don't think he's as good at any of the positions as Santana or Nunez. At least not now.

Of course not... that's why Ryan added the "if they come in and earn it" part of the sentence. None of these guys are guaranteed anything... I think we can make some assumptions that some are more certain than others. It'd be like saying that Alex Meyer should move back to a starter full time because if he's just somewhere between where he was in 2014 and 2015, that'd be a solid starter. No, he's going to try for a bullpen spot in spring and may get another opportunity as a starter in Rochester. Clearly there wasn't a market for any of the three in the offseason (or I'm guessing they would have been OK with moving them), but they're too talented to give up on at 24-26. Worth giving a shot.

Why would the Twins curtail Park's progression by having him play less than half of the time, in a true platoon? I can see Arcia getting a day a week at DH, but they're going to want and need to play Park through his adjustment.

I think they're just trying to provide him with value and make him as valuable to the team as possible. As a backup, being able to play as many positions as possible is a good thing. I have no doubt he'll be a backup in the infield as well.

I think Santana and Nunez are both near locks.

Heading into the offseason, the Minnesota Twins had six players who would be out of options heading into the 2016 season. Two were traded (Aaron Hicks, Chris Herrmann). One was DFAd (Josmil Pinto). There are three players who will report to spring training in two weeks needing to make the 25-man roster or potentially be lost on waivers. Will any of those three make the team, and what type of impact can they have in 2016? Prior to Twins Fest, General Manager addressed the media. Among several other comments, he mentioned the three guys who will be out of options.“We do have three players that are out of options, three guys that I’m hoping will respond. Oswaldo Arcia, Michael Tonkin and Danny Santana. All three of those guys have a spot on this club if they just come in and earn it.” That makes sense. Any pre-spring training Twins Opening Day roster projection typically contains all three of those players. All three were once highly-touted prospects. They were the types of prospects that most wouldn’t have thought would need all three option years and get to this point. So while they had disappointing seasons in 2015, they are all young and still have a lot of potential. -------------------------------------------------------------------- Danny Santana Santana was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November of 2012. He spent the 2013 season in New Britain. He began the 2014 season in Rochester, but in the first week of May he was called up to the big league club. He replaced Mike Pelfrey on the roster, but less than a week later shortstop Pedro Florimon was optioned. A month later, Aaron Hicks was optioned to AA and Danny Santana became the everyday center fielder. He responded by hitting .319/.353/.472 (.824) with 21 doubles, seven triples and seven home runs. An unmaintainable BABIP and a questionable minor league track record (offensively and defensively) meant that he was due for some regression in 2015. However, no one could have predicted just how far Santana’s performance would drop. He hit just .215/.241/.291 (.532) in 101 games. He was basically handed the shortstop job out of spring training and was unable to recreate his 2014 success. Ryan also said that Santana would be making another position change in 2016. “We’re also going to move Danny Santana back into the outfield. We’ll see if we can resurrect Danny. He had a tough year this year. We like him. He’s got skills. Hopefully he will respond.” There has never been any question about Santana’s talent and athleticism. He will also be only 25 years old throughout the 2016 season. While no one thinks or expects him to put up the numbers he did in 2014, he can provide value to the Twins. Santana will likely spend spring training with time at all three outfield positions. While Torii Hunter will spend a lot of time trying to help Miguel Sano transition to right field, I would expect that he will also be working a lot with Santana at all three outfield positions. I think that Santana should still bring his infield glove and get some repetitions at shortstop, second base and even third base. And as Nick wrote yesterday, if Byron Buxton doesn't win the starting center field job out of spring training, Santana may be an option for that job again. Oswaldo Arcia Arcia was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November of 2011. He split 2012 between Ft. Myers and New Britain. In 2013, he began in Rochester but by mid-April, he was up with the Twins. In 97 games, he hit .251/.304/.430 (.734) with 17 doubles and 14 home runs. In 2014, he hit just .231/.300/.452, but he added 20 home runs, as a 23-year-old. Arcia had a very disappointing 2015 season. He played in just 19 games for the Twins and then hit under .200 in Rochester. He didn’t even get a September call-up, and frankly, he didn’t deserve one. He has his shortcomings. He doesn’t hit left-handed pitching. He strikes out too much and doesn’t walk enough. His defense in either corner outfield spot leaves much to be desired. However, that doesn’t mean that he can't provide value for the Twins in 2016, and maybe even beyond. He can play both corner positions. He has little range, but he catches most of what he gets to. He has a good arm. He can hit for a lot of power against right-handed pitchers. He also doesn’t turn 25 until a week into May. With the Twins committed to Miguel Sano in right field, it is likely that Arcia can get a game a week out there, allowing Sano to play some third base or DH. Arcia could be a powerful bat off the bench. If there is an injury in either corner, he could fill in. He would be a good platoon candidate though the Twins certainly aren’t going to put Sano into a platoon. Michael Tonkin After being drafted by the Twins in the 30th round of the 2008 draft, Tonkin signed and began his career as a starter. After spending half of the 2010 season starting for Beloit, he returned for a full season with the Snappers, pitching primarily out of the bullpen. That is where he returned in 2012, and that’s when things started to click. That year, between Beloit and Ft. Myers, he struck out 97 and walked just 20 in 69.1 innings. He was added to the 40-man roster following that season. In 2013, he pitched between New Britain and Rochester and made his big league debut in July. Since then, he has been back and forth between Rochester and the Twins. While he has dominated International League hitters, he has yet to find any consistent success with the Twins. In 102 games for Rochester, he has a 2.65 ERA and nearly ten strikeouts per nine innings. Part of the issue is that he hasn’t spent any real consistent, extended time with the Twins. While the 6-7, 26-year-old throws pretty hard, he has been inconsistent with his slider. Glen Perkins, Trevor May and Kevin Jepsen are lined up in the back end of the bullpen (or course May could theoretically still be used as a starter). Casey Fien looks to rebound. Fernando Abad is one of four left-handed relievers brought in on minor league contracts. Guys like Ryan Pressly and JR Graham will be competing for a spot in the big leagues. And, we all know the names of the hard-throwing relievers that could arrive by midseason. Tonkin isn’t guaranteed a spot, and yet, with his size and the velocity he has on his pitches, if he can gain some semblance of control of his slider, he could start the season pitching in the 5th and 6th inning and be relied upon later in games as the season moves along. --------------------------------------------------------- Being out of options is an interesting place to be for a player. It’s clear that the organization has seen enough to keep you on the roster through three optional seasons. Yet, the player is now in a position where he has to come to spring training ready to make the club. A couple of years ago, Chris Parmelee and Alex Presley were out of options and the team chose to put them through the waiver process at the end of spring training. Four years ago, Trevor Plouffe went to spring training out of options. He began the season as a bench player and less than two months later Danny Valencia was optioned and Plouffe became a starter. It can be scary, but it is a career crossroads that so many experience. As Ryan said, all three of these Twins players can win a spot in spring training. I would venture to say it is likely that all three will make the Opening Day roster unless spring training goes just brutally for them. But they can’t think that anything will be handed to them because even if they are removed from the 40-man roster, 29 other teams can watch them as well. So, what do you think? Will all three be on the Opening Day roster? Click here to view the article

I'll throw my hat in the ring ... hopefully others will... these are just my thoughts, based on reading, numbers, and talking to people... C: Turner - so good all around including the art of working with pitchers. Runner-Up: Navarreto. 1B: Mauer - as seen above, there isn't a lot of competition in this category defensively. And, he's solid. 2B: Beresford - 3B: Plouffe - not a lot of competition here either. I think TJ White is solid. SS: Vielma - probably not close when it comes to hands, range, arm, leadership, etc. LF: Rosario - arm, range, routes... very good. CF: Buxton - elite range, arm... RF: Joe Benson - probably the #2 CF, though he's good in the corners too. (OF: If I did just the top three outfielders, I might go with Buxton, Benson and English.) Pitcher: Tim Shibuya, but I would put Kyle Gibson up there with anyone too.

OK.... Mientkiewicz... gotchya... That's constructive, since he's been retired for how long? Let's consider 1st base options in the organization: MLB: Mauer, Park AAA: Vargas, Rodriguez AA: Hicks, Haar Hi-A: Vavra Low-A: Wiel, Minier EST: Diaz, Kendrick Pretty clear that Mauer is the best defensive option in the organization. In fact, the one closest to him is probably Max Kepler...At worst, Mauer is a league average defensive first baseman.

Well, he won't be the starter so if he can post a .600 OPS and play really good defense for 40 games a season, that works for me.

A big 28... that's apparently old! Ha! I'd put Dozier as well at 2B because Polanco isn't very good defensively at 2B either.

I liked that one too. Ha! He's a great dude!

Quality defensive backstop. It was pretty clear that was an area they were trying to improve, and with Murphy and Hicks, they did that.

He hasn't been a great hitter in the minors, but no need to worry about 32 at bats in a debut season either. Important Piece? Probably not, but a 3rd catcher is important for any team to have.

As we have in recent years, Twins Daily asked past, present and future Minnesota Twins to make their Super Bowl predictions. A lot of the players in the Twins system played football in high school, and are sports fans in general. Find out how some of your favorite players think Super Bowl 50 will go down. (Page will be updated as more players send in their predictions)Below, in no particular order, other than the order I received them in, are the picks of several current, former or future Minnesota Twins. Be sure to make your Super Bowl 50 predictions in the comments below. Some of these answers are great! --------------------------------------------------------------------- James Beresford: Panthers.. Know nothing about football but played in Charlotte last season and loved the city! Logan Wade: I think the Denver Broncos will win by a score of 20-14. Peyton Manning will once again be too good and steer the Broncos around the paddock. Daniel Kihle: Well, since I am a lifetime Denver Broncos fan, I am going with them! I think it is going to be a close game, but Peyton will end up throwing the winning pass late in the game. 24-21 Denver. Dave St. Peter: Denver 24, Carolina 23 .... Manning with an Elway-like ride into the sunset. Zack Larson: Carolina 27 Denver 14. I think it's going to be a defensive game, but Carolina’s Defense is going to pressure Peyton and make him throw some INTs Corey Koskie: Did the Blue Bombers make it? Alex Perez: For Super Bowl 50, I predict that Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers will steam roll the Denver Broncos with a final score of 31-13. Cam Newton and his guys won't be stopped trying to capture that illusive Lombardi Trophy. Corey Williams: 23-16 Broncos Zach Granite: I'm expecting to see a lot of field goals, the Denver Broncos upset the Panthers 23-20 on a walk off 38 yard field goal by McManus. Logan Darnell: Taylor Rogers would kill me if I don't pick the Broncos! The Broncos take it to Panthers 31-21 Jeff Reboulet: Panthers 27 Broncos 17 Lots of turnovers and probably a defensive score for both teams. If Manning can catch Panthers being too aggressive undercutting short routes then it could be a game. Lewis Thorpe: Denver 21 Panthers 24. Hope it's a close game, but I think Cam Newton will have an awesome game. It will be battle of the quarterbacks. Brian Gilbert: I predict Carolina over Denver. With Carolina winning by 10. The final score being 27-17. I expect to see that Denver will score first and will have the lead the majority of the game. The 4th quarter is where Cam Newton will take over the game and the Carolina Panthers will be Super Bowl Champs Steve Singleton: Carolina 38, Denver 16 Tight game in the first half with Denver getting 3 FG's. Carolina leads 14-9 at half. Runs away with it in 24-7 second half. 38-16. Cam Newton MVP. 4 TD, 2 rushing. Blake Schmit: 31-30 Broncos. Peyton leads the Broncos over SuperCam for his second Super Bowl win! Trey Cabbage: I don't have a score prediction, but I have to go with my man "The Sheriff" Peyton Manning. #VFL I'm Tennessee born and UT raised so I have to say Peyton, but I hope Cam has a good game and makes it exciting. Ryan O’Rourke: Carolina 34 Denver 17. Cam takes over with his legs to evade Denver's pass rush. (Should have been 27-24 New England) Travis Blankenhorn: 38-24 Panthers. I think Cam Newton and the Panthers are too much to stop. Trey Vavra: Cam Newton is a beast. Enough said. Panthers 24, Broncos 20 Trevor Hildenberger: Panthers 27 Broncos 13. I expect the Panthers defense to force a couple turnovers and Cam to take advantage of those short fields. Greg Olson with a pair of touchdown catches but Jonathan Stewart wins the MVP. Taylor Rogers: Broncos 27-24! Have to go with the hometown team. Hopefully Peyton Manning can go out like John Elway did. If the defense can slow down Mr. Newton then it will be one of the greatest defenses ever. Jason Adam: Broncos are my team so I'll have to hope that Denver's defense can contain Cam and give Peyton the chance to win it on a last-minute drive. Final score: Denver wins 20 - 17 Stephen Gonsalves: I have Panthers over Broncos 28-17. It will be close and boring in the first half, a defensive grind. Then Super Man Cam will have gotten himself loose and have 1 rushing TD and two through the air. Callan Pearce: I'm not to sure on whose better but I'm going to go for a Panthers 36 -24 Broncos CK Irby: You have to hope for a late 4th quarter, game winning drive from Peyton to cap off his career. Broncos win. 21-17 Tyler Stirewalt: Well, I think I am a little biased in my answer because i have always been a Broncos fan because Elway is my favorite player. So I am going to take the Broncos 24-21. I think it is going to be a big defensive game. Both great defenses with the upper hand going to the Panthers offense. I think Peyton needs to have long drives and keep the ball away from Cam because if you give that man too many opportunities he will score. So Broncos offense has to play better than they have been past couple games establish the run which is very tough against the Panthers. Brett Doe: Peyton Manning pulls the upset winning 21-17, and he rides off into the sunset as a champion! Tanner English: Welp, my team is the Steelers, but since I'm a Carolina boy I'm gonna go with the Panthers. I have no idea about a score, and I don't really even care. I'm honestly more interested in the food that's going to be served at the Super Bowl party I'll be attending. Haha! AJ Murray: My pick is Denver winning 24-21. Expect to see Denver go ahead with a late field goal in the 4th. Alex Meyer: I'll go with 31-20 Panthers. Too much Cam in this one and not enough Peyton. I don't think Peyton has the fairy tale ending, even though I'm hoping he does as a Colts fan. Onas Farfan: I'd like Broncos to win. This could be Peyton's last ride. Score 30-28. Todd Van Steensel: I want the Panthers to win, expect it to be low scoring. Carolina to win 17-13, and Cam Newton dabs his way to an MVP. Matt Fox: I am picking the Carolina Panthers to cover and win 27-17 in a tight game for 3 quarters. A long punt return by Ohio State Buckeye Teddy Ginn sets up another Buckeye Corey Brown for a touchdown midway through the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. Tanner Vavra: I hope the Broncos win so Peyton can finally retire on top like he's trying to. It could happen, but I think Carolina is going to win 20-17 Mat Batts: I will say Broncos win 27-24. They will kick a field goal on their last drive with the clock running down. One final two-minute drill for Peyton Manning. Tim Shibuya: I will have to root for my "hometown" team, the Denver Broncos. They were the closest football team to me growing up, so by default, I always rooted for them. We'll go with the Broncos defeating the Panthers 17-14. Brian Dinkelman: Going with Denver 24-23. With many people expecting Carolina to win, seems like the opposite happens. Plus, would be a good send off for Peyton. Jeff Manship: I'm predicting the Panthers to win. They have shown their dominance all year, so I'm going to go with a score of 34-17. I expect Cam to rise to the occasion and throw for 2 TD's and rush for a TD with over 300 yards passing. Ryan Walker: 28-24 Panthers. They've just been so electric. I don't see the Broncos beating them. LaMonte Wade: 17-14 panthers. Whichever offense can run the ball effectively will win the game in my opinion. Both defenses secondaries are too good to throw on all game. Jared Wilson: I expect to see The Sheriff come out on top and ride off into the sunset after one of the greatest NFL careers the sport has ever seen. He deserves to go out on top. Score: 27-24 Broncos Luke Bard: I hope I can get as close as last year! 31-16 Panthers! AJ Achter: Panthers 31-20. As much as I'd like Peyton to end his career with a win, he and the Broncos offense are going to have trouble keeping pace with Cam and the Panthers. Austin Diemer: Panthers winning 24-17. With two very strong defenses, I think Cam is going to be able to execute more and get the job done. Brandon Peterson: I got the Broncos winning 24-20. I think that the Panthers may win, but really hoping the Broncos do so Peyton can go out with a win. Going to be a good game, Broncos D will win it for them. Adam Brett Walker: I think the score will be 27-21 Carolina with the win. I think Denver will turn the ball earlier which will lead to a a panthers score. After that they will have control of the game and get the win. Bryant Hayman: I think the Broncos are going to take this one 38-35. I think Peyton is going to have a great game, and the defense is going to have a crucial stop late in the game against the Panthers. -------------------------------------------------------------- Unofficial Predictions: 26 have picked the Panthers, 21 have picked the Broncos. Again, please feel free to make your Super Bowl Predictions in the comments below. Click here to view the article