Paul Pleiss

This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com in it's entirety. ----------------- December 16, 2011 Michael Cuddyer signed a 3-year $31.5million dollar deal to play for the Colorado Rockies and for me, as well as for many other Twins fans, this was a sad day. I think the Rockies paid too much and I think the addition of Josh Willingham is an upgrade, but that’s not where I want to go with this. As a fan, the departure of Cuddyer was especially loathsome because Cuddy was my favorite Twin, and had been for awhile. I can’t think of many Twins players who I’ve liked more than Cuddyer, except of course for Kirby Puckett. I’ll continue to follow Cuddyer, both on twitter (@Mcuddy3) and on the field, but now there’s a void in my life. I no longer have a favorite Twins player. http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/04/6137500.jpg Something must be done to fix this problem, there’s a hole in my baseball world and it needs to be filled. No one on the current 25-man roster really jumps out at me, so I’m going to need to take a closer look. There are a couple of guys in the minor league that I really like, but who knows if they’ll even pan out and make it up to the bigs for more than a cup of coffee. I need a favorite Twin, and I need one now. What am I looking for in a favorite player? I’m on twitter, a lot, so a player who interacts with fans on Twitter is a big plus. I’m looking for a player who gets regular playing time and has some history with the team, someone that seems to be a regular Joe and a good person. I want Michael Cuddyer, but he’s gone gone gone. I want someone who speaks their mind but not in an Ocho Cinco way (@ochocinco). Let’s take a look at the candidates for my favorite player. Jamey Carroll, Ryan Doumit, Josh Willingham, Sean Burroughs, thanks for playing, but none of you have yet to play a single meaningful pitch for the Twins so you’re out of the running for my favorite player before things even begin. NEXT! Pitchers, I’m sorry but I’ve never been a pitcher, and I don’t think I could ever fully commit to having a pitcher as a favorite player. I’m going to have to pass. Sorry guys, you just don’t make the cut. Carl Pavano, bring back the stash and maybe we can talk. No stash, no love. NEXT! Joe Mauer was drafted with the first overall pick in 2001 and debuted 3 years later in 2004. He is everyone’s favorite, a hometown kid who’s turned into just a fantastic baseball player, 3 time AL batting champ, and he’s signed through 2018. But, he just doesn’t have what I’m looking for in a favorite player. He does shampoo commercials, he’s not on twitter and generally is just a pretty quiet guy. I need more excitement, I need more! Joe Mauer, you’re great, you’re too good for me, it’s not you, it’s me. NEXT! Justin Morneau was drafted by the Twins in the third round of the 1999 draft and made his debut 4 years later in 2003 and has mashed 185 taters for the Twins in the last 9 years. He’s Canadian and under contract until the end of next season. This guy seems like a great choice for my favorite player, but he’s been injured for most of the last 2 seasons and there are concerns that his concussion symptoms may not be behind him leading him to comment that he may have to hang up the cleats if the problem continues. I can’t go through this favorite player choosing every season, I need a long term commitment. Thank you Justin Morneau, but no thank you. NEXT! Denard Span was drafted in the first round in 2002 and debuted with the Twins in 2008, he’s under contract for the next three seasons and he’s on Twitter (@thisisDSpan). He’s a flashy player who makes great plays in the field and he gets on base, even Billy Beane would love this guy. When he’s up to bat people say “Let’s get Denarded.” Awesome, but he’s not for me. Unlike Morneau, I’m not too worried about any lingering effects from his concussion last season, but I just dont have any buzz for Denard. I need to actually be a fan of my favorite player, there needs to be some sort of personal connection and with D. Span I’ve got nothing. NEXT! Danny Valencia (@DannyValencia19) was drafted in the 19th round of the 2006 draft and debuted in 2010 and put up great numbers the rest of the season. He went to college at the University of Miami so I know that he knows how to have a good time. I’ve been living in the Miami area for the last three years and if there’s one thing that people do well in Miami, it’s party. Danny’s a bit of a hard egg, anyone who Ron Gardenhire doesn’t like must be doing something wrong, right? Or maybe he’s just got a bit of an edginess about him. I like you Dan-o, and I think third base is a pretty neat position, but I’m going to pass. NEXT! Trevor Plouffe (@TPlouffe24) signed with the Twins after being drafted in the first round of the 2004 draft and then debuted with the club in 2010. Plouffe who has some power will, at least to be, always be called “Babe Plouffe” although he’s only hit 10HR in 103 career games in the big league, so maybe that’s unfair. Regardless, Plouffe is a prior middle infielder and I have an irrational dislike for middle infielders. Plouffe will probably be with the Twins for quite some time, Trevor Plouffe, I’m not quite ready to dismiss you, but I must move on down the road. NEXT! Alexi Casilla is not on twitter and he’s a middle-infielder. That’s 2 strikes against him already. Casilla signed as a free agent with the Anaheim Angels 2003 and in 2005 was traded to the Twins in exchange for J.C. Romero and then debuted with the Twins the following year. Casilla has almost no power, 71 XBH (10HR) in 1281 at-bats. Not exactly an offensive monster but the Twins have actually used him as a DH 17 times during his six years with the Twins. Alexi also has terrible facial hair, and as a man who can rock a beard with the best of them I despise him. NEXT! Chris Parmelee (@CParmeleeAFL) is a California kid who was drafted in 2006 and made his debut last season with the Twins and put up pretty impressive numbers at the end of the year hitting .355 in 21 games, a bright spot on a very dark year for the Twins. Although Parmelee is on Twitter he hasn’t tweeted since 2009. I like Parmelee, and I also like saying his last name, Parmelee. Fantastic. It looks like CP is going to get a chance in 2012 to be the everyday first basemen for the Twins while Justin Morneau takes over the regular DH duties. Parm, which is what I like to call him when I’m talking Twins with other fans, is definitely high on my list for possible favorites. I’ll keep him in mind, but I must press on, NEXT! Ben Revere is on twitter, @BenRevere9 and this just in, he’s fast! With the big smile that’s always plastered across his face it’s fun watching Ben play the game. He may not take the best routes in the outfield, and his arm might be pretty weak (Fangraphs rated it 4/100) but he sure is fast. Revere was drafted in the first round of the 2007 draft and debuted with the Twins in 2010. While Revere only got on base at a .310 OBP last year, his minor league career numbers were much better with a .385. Revere started to get things figured out last season, batting .311 with a .342 OBP. Hopefully Revere has begun to figure out major league http://puckettspond.com/2012/04/05/2012-twins-whos-your-favorite/ and can build on that going into 2012. Ben Revere, you’re on the short list to be my favorite Twin. NEXT! Luke Hughes (@lukehughes38) signed with the Twins as an international free agent in 2002 out of Perth, Australia. Being an Aussie, Hughes says mate, wombat, and all sorts of other fun Australian things. Hughes had a rough go of things with the Twins in 2011, hitting .223 with only 19XBH (7HR) and got on base less than 1/3 of the time. While Hughes has never been a high BA guy he’s never had trouble getting on base with a minor career .330 OBP in the minor leagues. Hopefully 2012 sees Hughes turn things around otherwise he might be wearing a Twins uniform for much longer. NEXT? Visit me at Puckett's Pond to find out who my favorite Twin is going into 2012

http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/03/6072978-300x199.jpgCredit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com -------------------------------------- Last week I reported on the origins of the Pleiss brothers' Twins prospect challenge. A year into the process, a year that saw eight Twins make their MLB debuts, Eric and I decided to make a change to the prospect challenge. A quick review of the rules for the prospect challenge, in case any of you here on the Pond want to join: Each person gets to select a position player for each position, three RHP and three LHP. Any player chosen who debuts in MLB within three years of selection will earn one point. The person with the most points each year is declared the winner. Last year I picked Scott Diamond as one of my selections, and as a Rule-5 draft pick, he was virtually guaranteed to get called up to the Twins for his MLB debut when theyheaded north out of Ft Myers. To prevent easy pickings like this, and to put more emphasis on projections and predictions we made a very simple, and yet very challenging rule change. Going forward, no prospect who has played above AA is elligible for selection in the prospect challenge. In addition to the rule change, a year of following prospects and REALLY following the Twins from the top of the organization on down, I learned a lot that I'll be putting to use for this year's prospect challenge. http://puckettspond.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif Last year both Eric and I both went a little overboard and both selected Miguel Sano. A year later, I see that as without a doubt by worst pick of 2011. Even selecting Sano this year would be a reach, yes, but last year he was still playing in Elizabethton, and for him to debut this year or next would be nothing short of a miracle. Even for Sano to be playing in New Britain would put him well ahead of schedule. It's hard not to pick the A+ prospects when you are unfamiliar with how the minor league system works. A year later I find myself looking hard at the Ft. Myers roster and the performances put in out of Beloit last year, looking for the hidden gems and looking for the guys I think have a shot at making it to Target Field. Last year I picked Tom Stuifbergen and he put in a good 2011 performance racking up a career high 121.2 innings over 24 appearances and was knighted in his native country. Sir Tom Stuifbergen would have again made my prospect challenge list in 2012 if not for a late season emergency start that he made for Rochester effectively removing him from contention for the 2012 prospect challenge. Prospect predicting is no easy game, even first round picks go bust, and yet most of those seemed like the right bet at the time. The rule changes for 2012 have definitely made things more difficult. In 2011 the Twins called a lot of guys up to MLB before they probably should have been there, and those call-ups created plenty of holes in the AAA roster that needed to be filled, at least on a part time basis. With the new rule, all of those guys are now inelligible and trying to find propspects who are less than 3 years out at each position was tough. Without further delay, I give you the 2012 Twins Prospect Challenge selections: [h=1]2012 Prospect Challenge Selections:[/h][TABLE=class: mceItemTable, width: 253] [TD=width: 32] [/TD] [TD=width: 111][h=5]@BaseballPirate[/h][/TD] [TD=width: 110][h=5]@ERolfPleiss[/h][/TD] [h=5]C[/h] [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h] [h=5]Dan Rohlfing[/h] [h=5]1B[/h] [h=5]Michael Gonzales[/h] [h=5]Danny Rams*[/h] [h=5]2B[/h] [h=5]Danny Santana[/h] [h=5]Yangervis Solarte[/h] [h=5]3B[/h] [h=5]Travis Harrison[/h] [h=5]James Beresford*[/h] [h=5]SS[/h] [h=5]Brian Dozier*[/h] [h=5]Brian Dozier[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Oswaldo Arcia[/h] [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Aaron Hicks[/h] [h=5]Aaron Hicks*[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Angel Morales*[/h] [h=5]Mark Dolenc[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Adrian Salcedo[/h] [h=5]B.J. Hermsen[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h] [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h] [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h] [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Logan Darnell[/h] [h=5]Dan Osterbrock*[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Pat Dean*[/h] [h=5]Pat Dean[/h] [/TABLE] *players selected on my 2011 list I invite Twins fans everywhere to join me in my prospect predictions. Post your selections below or on the Puckett's Pond Facebook page. __________________ Check out Puckett’s Pond on Facebook Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/03/6072978-300x199.jpgCredit: Derick E. Hingle-US PRESSWIRE This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com -------------------------------------- Last week I reported on the origins of the Pleiss brothers' Twins prospect challenge. A year into the process, a year that saw eight Twins make their MLB debuts, Eric and I decided to make a change to the prospect challenge. A quick review of the rules for the prospect challenge, in case any of you here on the Pond want to join: Each person gets to select a position player for each position, three RHP and three LHP. Any player chosen who debuts in MLB within three years of selection will earn one point. The person with the most points each year is declared the winner. Last year I picked Scott Diamond as one of my selections, and as a Rule-5 draft pick, he was virtually guaranteed to get called up to the Twins for his MLB debut when theyheaded north out of Ft Myers. To prevent easy pickings like this, and to put more emphasis on projections and predictions we made a very simple, and yet very challenging rule change. Going forward, no prospect who has played above AA is elligible for selection in the prospect challenge. In addition to the rule change, a year of following prospects and REALLY following the Twins from the top of the organization on down, I learned a lot that I'll be putting to use for this year's prospect challenge. http://puckettspond.com/wp-includes/js/tinymce/plugins/wordpress/img/trans.gif Last year both Eric and I both went a little overboard and both selected Miguel Sano. A year later, I see that as without a doubt by worst pick of 2011. Even selecting Sano this year would be a reach, yes, but last year he was still playing in Elizabethton, and for him to debut this year or next would be nothing short of a miracle. Even for Sano to be playing in New Britain would put him well ahead of schedule. It's hard not to pick the A+ prospects when you are unfamiliar with how the minor league system works. A year later I find myself looking hard at the Ft. Myers roster and the performances put in out of Beloit last year, looking for the hidden gems and looking for the guys I think have a shot at making it to Target Field. Last year I picked Tom Stuifbergen and he put in a good 2011 performance racking up a career high 121.2 innings over 24 appearances and was knighted in his native country. Sir Tom Stuifbergen would have again made my prospect challenge list in 2012 if not for a late season emergency start that he made for Rochester effectively removing him from contention for the 2012 prospect challenge. Prospect predicting is no easy game, even first round picks go bust, and yet most of those seemed like the right bet at the time. The rule changes for 2012 have definitely made things more difficult. In 2011 the Twins called a lot of guys up to MLB before they probably should have been there, and those call-ups created plenty of holes in the AAA roster that needed to be filled, at least on a part time basis. With the new rule, all of those guys are now inelligible and trying to find propspects who are less than 3 years out at each position was tough. Without further delay, I give you the 2012 Twins Prospect Challenge selections: [h=1]2012 Prospect Challenge Selections:[/h][TABLE=class: mceItemTable, width: 253] [TD=width: 32] [/TD] [TD=width: 111][h=5]@BaseballPirate[/h][/TD] [TD=width: 110][h=5]@ERolfPleiss[/h][/TD] [h=5]C[/h] [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h] [h=5]Dan Rohlfing[/h] [h=5]1B[/h] [h=5]Michael Gonzales[/h] [h=5]Danny Rams*[/h] [h=5]2B[/h] [h=5]Danny Santana[/h] [h=5]Yangervis Solarte[/h] [h=5]3B[/h] [h=5]Travis Harrison[/h] [h=5]James Beresford*[/h] [h=5]SS[/h] [h=5]Brian Dozier*[/h] [h=5]Brian Dozier[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Oswaldo Arcia[/h] [h=5]Chris Herrmann[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Aaron Hicks[/h] [h=5]Aaron Hicks*[/h] [h=5]OF[/h] [h=5]Angel Morales*[/h] [h=5]Mark Dolenc[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Adrian Salcedo[/h] [h=5]B.J. Hermsen[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h] [h=5]Alex Wimmers[/h] [h=5]RHP[/h] [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h] [h=5]Bobby Lanigan[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h] [h=5]Andrew Albers[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Logan Darnell[/h] [h=5]Dan Osterbrock*[/h] [h=5]LHP[/h] [h=5]Pat Dean*[/h] [h=5]Pat Dean[/h] [/TABLE] *players selected on my 2011 list I invite Twins fans everywhere to join me in my prospect predictions. Post your selections below or on the Puckett's Pond Facebook page. __________________ Check out Puckett’s Pond on Facebook Follow @BaseballPirate on Twitter

http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/04/iPhone-predictions.jpgWhat does 2012 hold for the Twins? This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com ------------------------- After a disappointing 99 loss season fans across Twins Territory are eager to put the 2011 season behind them. The wait is over Twins fans; our beloved Twins take the field Friday in Baltimore to do battle with the Orioles and attempt to kick start 2012 with a W. What will 2012 bring for the Twins and how will the 2012 season play out for the AL Central teams and across the nation? AL Central Predictions: 1. Detroit Tigers, 96-66 In January Victor Martinez suffered an off-season workout injury tearing his left ACL. The Tigers wasted little time and quickly filled the void in their lineup by signing Prince Fielder to a 9-year $214mil deal. The move came as a surprise to most baseball fans as the Tigers were already set at 1B with Miguel Cabrera, arguably the best hitter in the AL in 2011. Cabrera will move across the diamond to 3B this season and the opening day lineup for the Tigers will feature a lot of power. The Tigers will score a lot of runs this season, but even with the addition of Prince Fielder the Tigers will still be missing V-Mart (who had 52 XBH and 103 RBI last season) in their lineup. The Tigers are the most complete team in the division and have the best bullpen and top lineup in the central and a closer who hasn't blown a save since 2010. The Tigers should are clear favorites to win the AL Central in 2012. For more on the Tigers check out Fansided's Motor City Bengals site. Best baseball name on the roster: Al Alburquerque. 2. Cleveland Indians, 83-79 In 2011 the Indians got off to a hot start and all across the nation fans were talking about Cleveland and their 30-15 start. Unfortunately, the nation was asking "when are the Indians going to fall apart?" and they did, losing the last four games of the season to finish the season 80-82. In 2012 the Tribe are out to prove that their hot start from 2011 was not a fluke. Cleveland brought in Casey Kotchman from the Rays to play 1B and with a budding star behind the plate in Carlos Santana, all-star SS Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Kipnis at 2B the Indians will have a solid infield defense, and they'll need to play well because the Indians starters led the AL in ground ball rate, inducing ground balls a whopping 48.3% of the time. If Grady Sizemore can stay healthy and play at the level this club needs him to, the Tribe will be in competition for the AL Central Crown until mid-August. It will be interesting to see how the Roberto Hernandez (aka Fausto Carmona) saga plays out as he tries to obtain a visa to enter the US under his real name. For more Cleveland Indians news than you could ever want, make sure to check out Wahoo's On First. Most likely to hit 40 home runs: Carlos Santana Note: former Twin Kevin Slowey, who was acquired from the Rockies this off-season after being traded from the Twins was unable to secure a spot in the starting rotation for the Indians and will start the season in AAA. 3. Minnesota Twins, 81-81 The Twins offseason was busy, starting off with the replacement of BIll Smith with the man he replaced, Terry Ryan. The Twins lost some key components of winning Twins teams of the past as Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Joe Nathan all left for greener pastures. Terry Ryan went to work signing free agents Jason Willingham and Ryan Doumit to bring some big bats back into the lineup and Jamey Carroll to improve the defense at SS. The Twins also brought in veteran pitcher Jason Marquis who they hope can stay healthy and be a back of the rotation innings eater. The key for this team is the health of Mauer and Morneau. Mauer looks to be back to his smooth swinging self this spring, and although Morneau is slated to be used primarily as the DH early this season, he has found his swing and has started to put a hurt on the ball late in spring training. I look for the Twins to over perform on the vegas expectations this year (Vegas over/under for the Twins is 72.5 per http://www.betfirms.com) and get up to .500. While hopes for another AL Central crown are slim, look for the Twins to get back to playing small ball and playing good defense. While 81 wins might not be spectacular, it sure beats the heck out of 63. The Twins starting pitching could shine if Liriano and Baker both play at their best and Pavano and Marquis are both able to stay healthy and pitch 200+ innings. The Twins will need the starters to eat a lot of innings with so many question marks in the bullpen. Glen Perkins and Matt Capps are cemented into the late inning rolls, but aside from those two the rest of the pen looks to be a mess. The Twins will need Capps to bounce back form a rough 2011 season to be the shut down closer they traded for in 2010. Best off-season move: Re-hiring Terry Ryan as GM 4. Kansas City Royals, 77-85 The Royals finished last season with 71 victories, good enough for fourth place in the AL Central and although they have a seemingly endless supply of top tier prospects who are coming up to the major league, the team is just not ready to contend for an AL Central crown. Many are predicting the Royals to finish above .500 for the first time since 2003 but I don't see that happening in 2012. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer will anchor the infield for the Royals and KC will need big numbers from both of them to get their record up near .500. The loss of pitcher Joakim Soria and catcher Salvador Perez were major blows to this team this offseason, but expectations are still up in Kansas City. The Royals will be an improved club in 2012, but I'm not looking for them to make a move in the division until 2013 and beyond. Look out Twins Territory, the Royals are coming. Want to know more? Check out Kings of Kauffman for all your Royals news. Fun Royals Fact: In the last 17 years the Royals have had one winning season, 2003. In both 2002 and 2004 the Royals lost 100+ games. 5. Chicago White Sox, 72-9 The White Sox are going to be bad this season, really bad, 2011 Twins bad. The White Sox managed to scrape together 79 wins last season, but that was before the departure of Mark Buehrle, Omar Vizquel, Juan Pierre, Carlos Guentin and the always colorful Ozzie Guillen. The White Sox GM Kenny Williams insists that the team is not rebuilding, but the departure of so many stars this offseason speaks otherwise. The White Sox starting pitching staff will still be productive this season, even with the loss of Buehrle. I expect John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Philip Humber to all win 10+ games, and Jake Peavy could go as high as 15 or 16 if he stays healthy. 22 year old Chris Sale will be moving to the rotation for the first time this season after posting a 2.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP last season out of the bullpen. Offense for the Southsiders will be tougher to come by. Alex Rios and Adam Dunn both stumbled mightily last season and even their all-star SS Alexei Ramirez had a down year in 2011. Will their offense be able to turn it around in 2012? Is Adam Dunn done or was last season just a fluke? Veterans Paul Konerko and A.J. Perzynski should both continue to produce for the White Stockings, but new Chicago manger Robin Ventura will need some help from the rest of the lineup for 2012 to be a success for the Southsiders. Check out Southside Showdown for all your White Sox info throughout the season. Best name in franchise history: Pants Rowland. Pants was the manager for the White Sox from 1915-1918 and in 1917 he coached the team to their only 100 win season in franchise history and a World Series title. American League playoff contenders: 1. New York Yankees (East), 94-68 2. Detroit Tigers (Central), 96-66 3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (West), 94-68 4. Tampa Bay Rays (Wild Card 1), 92-71 5. Texas Rangers (Wild Card 2), 91-72* *Texas wins a 1 game playoff against the Boston Red Sox National League playoff contenders: 1. Philadelphia Phillies (East), 94-68 2. Cincinnati Reds (Central), 86-76 3. Arizona Diamondbacks (West), 89-73 4. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card 1), 87-75 5. St Louis Cardinals (Wild Card 2), 85-77 World Series: The AL will win the 2012 All-Star game and as a result, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will host Jason Kubel and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. The Angels potent combination of pitching and offense will make quick work of the Diamondbacks and win the series in 5 making the huge payroll increase worth every penny. WS MVP: Jered Weaver Individual Awards: AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera NL MVP: Joey Votto AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw AL Rookie of the Year: Matt Moore NL Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper AL Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly

http://puckettspond.com/files/2012/04/iPhone-predictions.jpgWhat does 2012 hold for the Twins? This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com ------------------------- After a disappointing 99 loss season fans across Twins Territory are eager to put the 2011 season behind them. The wait is over Twins fans; our beloved Twins take the field Friday in Baltimore to do battle with the Orioles and attempt to kick start 2012 with a W. What will 2012 bring for the Twins and how will the 2012 season play out for the AL Central teams and across the nation? AL Central Predictions: 1. Detroit Tigers, 96-66 In January Victor Martinez suffered an off-season workout injury tearing his left ACL. The Tigers wasted little time and quickly filled the void in their lineup by signing Prince Fielder to a 9-year $214mil deal. The move came as a surprise to most baseball fans as the Tigers were already set at 1B with Miguel Cabrera, arguably the best hitter in the AL in 2011. Cabrera will move across the diamond to 3B this season and the opening day lineup for the Tigers will feature a lot of power. The Tigers will score a lot of runs this season, but even with the addition of Prince Fielder the Tigers will still be missing V-Mart (who had 52 XBH and 103 RBI last season) in their lineup. The Tigers are the most complete team in the division and have the best bullpen and top lineup in the central and a closer who hasn't blown a save since 2010. The Tigers should are clear favorites to win the AL Central in 2012. For more on the Tigers check out Fansided's Motor City Bengals site. Best baseball name on the roster: Al Alburquerque. 2. Cleveland Indians, 83-79 In 2011 the Indians got off to a hot start and all across the nation fans were talking about Cleveland and their 30-15 start. Unfortunately, the nation was asking "when are the Indians going to fall apart?" and they did, losing the last four games of the season to finish the season 80-82. In 2012 the Tribe are out to prove that their hot start from 2011 was not a fluke. Cleveland brought in Casey Kotchman from the Rays to play 1B and with a budding star behind the plate in Carlos Santana, all-star SS Asdrubal Cabrera and second baseman Jason Kipnis at 2B the Indians will have a solid infield defense, and they'll need to play well because the Indians starters led the AL in ground ball rate, inducing ground balls a whopping 48.3% of the time. If Grady Sizemore can stay healthy and play at the level this club needs him to, the Tribe will be in competition for the AL Central Crown until mid-August. It will be interesting to see how the Roberto Hernandez (aka Fausto Carmona) saga plays out as he tries to obtain a visa to enter the US under his real name. For more Cleveland Indians news than you could ever want, make sure to check out Wahoo's On First. Most likely to hit 40 home runs: Carlos Santana Note: former Twin Kevin Slowey, who was acquired from the Rockies this off-season after being traded from the Twins was unable to secure a spot in the starting rotation for the Indians and will start the season in AAA. 3. Minnesota Twins, 81-81 The Twins offseason was busy, starting off with the replacement of BIll Smith with the man he replaced, Terry Ryan. The Twins lost some key components of winning Twins teams of the past as Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel and Joe Nathan all left for greener pastures. Terry Ryan went to work signing free agents Jason Willingham and Ryan Doumit to bring some big bats back into the lineup and Jamey Carroll to improve the defense at SS. The Twins also brought in veteran pitcher Jason Marquis who they hope can stay healthy and be a back of the rotation innings eater. The key for this team is the health of Mauer and Morneau. Mauer looks to be back to his smooth swinging self this spring, and although Morneau is slated to be used primarily as the DH early this season, he has found his swing and has started to put a hurt on the ball late in spring training. I look for the Twins to over perform on the vegas expectations this year (Vegas over/under for the Twins is 72.5 per http://www.betfirms.com) and get up to .500. While hopes for another AL Central crown are slim, look for the Twins to get back to playing small ball and playing good defense. While 81 wins might not be spectacular, it sure beats the heck out of 63. The Twins starting pitching could shine if Liriano and Baker both play at their best and Pavano and Marquis are both able to stay healthy and pitch 200+ innings. The Twins will need the starters to eat a lot of innings with so many question marks in the bullpen. Glen Perkins and Matt Capps are cemented into the late inning rolls, but aside from those two the rest of the pen looks to be a mess. The Twins will need Capps to bounce back form a rough 2011 season to be the shut down closer they traded for in 2010. Best off-season move: Re-hiring Terry Ryan as GM 4. Kansas City Royals, 77-85 The Royals finished last season with 71 victories, good enough for fourth place in the AL Central and although they have a seemingly endless supply of top tier prospects who are coming up to the major league, the team is just not ready to contend for an AL Central crown. Many are predicting the Royals to finish above .500 for the first time since 2003 but I don't see that happening in 2012. Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer will anchor the infield for the Royals and KC will need big numbers from both of them to get their record up near .500. The loss of pitcher Joakim Soria and catcher Salvador Perez were major blows to this team this offseason, but expectations are still up in Kansas City. The Royals will be an improved club in 2012, but I'm not looking for them to make a move in the division until 2013 and beyond. Look out Twins Territory, the Royals are coming. Want to know more? Check out Kings of Kauffman for all your Royals news. Fun Royals Fact: In the last 17 years the Royals have had one winning season, 2003. In both 2002 and 2004 the Royals lost 100+ games. 5. Chicago White Sox, 72-9 The White Sox are going to be bad this season, really bad, 2011 Twins bad. The White Sox managed to scrape together 79 wins last season, but that was before the departure of Mark Buehrle, Omar Vizquel, Juan Pierre, Carlos Guentin and the always colorful Ozzie Guillen. The White Sox GM Kenny Williams insists that the team is not rebuilding, but the departure of so many stars this offseason speaks otherwise. The White Sox starting pitching staff will still be productive this season, even with the loss of Buehrle. I expect John Danks, Gavin Floyd and Philip Humber to all win 10+ games, and Jake Peavy could go as high as 15 or 16 if he stays healthy. 22 year old Chris Sale will be moving to the rotation for the first time this season after posting a 2.79 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP last season out of the bullpen. Offense for the Southsiders will be tougher to come by. Alex Rios and Adam Dunn both stumbled mightily last season and even their all-star SS Alexei Ramirez had a down year in 2011. Will their offense be able to turn it around in 2012? Is Adam Dunn done or was last season just a fluke? Veterans Paul Konerko and A.J. Perzynski should both continue to produce for the White Stockings, but new Chicago manger Robin Ventura will need some help from the rest of the lineup for 2012 to be a success for the Southsiders. Check out Southside Showdown for all your White Sox info throughout the season. Best name in franchise history: Pants Rowland. Pants was the manager for the White Sox from 1915-1918 and in 1917 he coached the team to their only 100 win season in franchise history and a World Series title. American League playoff contenders: 1. New York Yankees (East), 94-68 2. Detroit Tigers (Central), 96-66 3. Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (West), 94-68 4. Tampa Bay Rays (Wild Card 1), 92-71 5. Texas Rangers (Wild Card 2), 91-72* *Texas wins a 1 game playoff against the Boston Red Sox National League playoff contenders: 1. Philadelphia Phillies (East), 94-68 2. Cincinnati Reds (Central), 86-76 3. Arizona Diamondbacks (West), 89-73 4. San Francisco Giants (Wild Card 1), 87-75 5. St Louis Cardinals (Wild Card 2), 85-77 World Series: The AL will win the 2012 All-Star game and as a result, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will host Jason Kubel and the Arizona Diamondbacks in the World Series. The Angels potent combination of pitching and offense will make quick work of the Diamondbacks and win the series in 5 making the huge payroll increase worth every penny. WS MVP: Jered Weaver Individual Awards: AL MVP: Miguel Cabrera NL MVP: Joey Votto AL Cy Young: Jered Weaver NL Cy Young: Clayton Kershaw AL Rookie of the Year: Matt Moore NL Rookie of the Year: Bryce Harper AL Manager of the Year: Eric Wedge NL Manager of the Year: Don Mattingly

Between the infielders in Beloit and the Pitching in Ft. Myers, the Twins have a lot of good things coming up as the youngsters progress. I hope these guys can stay healthy.

I'm willing to wait on Parm, but I'm not sure Plouffe will ever be even league average as an OF. Dozier should be league-average or better at SS and projects to be a mainstay in the Twins lineup for years to come, I'm excited. I know that a lot of the big organizations have the Twins in the lower half of MLB organizations as far as prospects go, and while we may not have very many STAR caliber players at the top level of our system, it's just as important to push out league average guys to sustain your team and the Twins are doing that, even some guys who will be all-stars down the road. -P

This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com ----------------------------------------- Last year my brother Eric (@ERolfPleiss) and I made a trip down to Ft. Myers to see the Twins play a couple games and get our eyes on some of the up and coming stars of the organization. A couple weeks before the trip we each purchased a copy of Seth Stohs’ (@SethTweets) prospect handbook to help acclimate ourselves with the guys who would be wearing the high numbers at Hammond Stadium. As we worked our way through 170 pages of prospect goodness we each found ourselves drawn to different players and we began exchanging phone calls, e-mails, texts and tweets about who we thought would be the next big thing in Minnesota. After a few of these discussions we decided the only way to settle the debate was to put our predictions down on paper. The winner would be declared the Pleiss family prospect guru and would be entitled to a case of beer at the losers’ expense. The rules for the first year were pretty simple, each of us would choose a player for each position around the diamond along with three right-handed pitchers and three left-handed pitchers. One point would be scored for each of the chosen players who made their MLB debut within three years. Follow the post after the jump to see which players Eric and I choose with our 2011 selections… [h=1]2011 Prospect Challenge Selections:[/h][TABLE=width: 253] [TD=width: 32, align: left][/TD] [TD=width: 111, align: left][h=5]@BaseballPirate[/h][/TD] [TD=width: 110, align: left][h=5]@ERolfPleiss[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]C[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Alexander Soto[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Danny Rams[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]1B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Chris Parmelee[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Chris Parmelee[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]2B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Steve Singleton[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Steve Singleton[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]3B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Miguel Sano[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]James Beresford[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]SS[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Brian Dozier[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Miguel Sano[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Rene Tosoni[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Brian Dinkleman[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Joe Benson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Aaron Hicks[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Angel Morales[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Joe Benson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Gibson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Gibson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Tom Stuifbergen[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Waldrop[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Liam Hendriks[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Carlos Gutierrez[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Scott Diamond[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Martire Garcia[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Dan Osterbrock[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Dan Osterbrock[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Pat Dean[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Tony Davis[/h][/TD] [/TABLE] The Twins had eight rookies make their big league debuts in 2011, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Rene Tosoni, Brian Dinkelman, Scott Diamond, Kyle Waldrop, Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee, and Liam Hendriks. After the first year of competition the score sits at 4 for Eric and 5 for me. With two years left on this list, a lot could change. It will be interesting to see what happens with the young stars on the lists above. Some, like Steve Singleton, are no longer with the Twins, while others will miss the entire 2012 season (Kyle Gibson). Check back to the pond next week to see who the Brothers Pleiss picked for 2012.

This post originally appeared at http://www.puckettspond.com ----------------------------------------- Last year my brother Eric (@ERolfPleiss) and I made a trip down to Ft. Myers to see the Twins play a couple games and get our eyes on some of the up and coming stars of the organization. A couple weeks before the trip we each purchased a copy of Seth Stohs’ (@SethTweets) prospect handbook to help acclimate ourselves with the guys who would be wearing the high numbers at Hammond Stadium. As we worked our way through 170 pages of prospect goodness we each found ourselves drawn to different players and we began exchanging phone calls, e-mails, texts and tweets about who we thought would be the next big thing in Minnesota. After a few of these discussions we decided the only way to settle the debate was to put our predictions down on paper. The winner would be declared the Pleiss family prospect guru and would be entitled to a case of beer at the losers’ expense. The rules for the first year were pretty simple, each of us would choose a player for each position around the diamond along with three right-handed pitchers and three left-handed pitchers. One point would be scored for each of the chosen players who made their MLB debut within three years. Follow the post after the jump to see which players Eric and I choose with our 2011 selections… [h=1]2011 Prospect Challenge Selections:[/h][TABLE=width: 253] [TD=width: 32, align: left][/TD] [TD=width: 111, align: left][h=5]@BaseballPirate[/h][/TD] [TD=width: 110, align: left][h=5]@ERolfPleiss[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]C[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Alexander Soto[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Danny Rams[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]1B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Chris Parmelee[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Chris Parmelee[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]2B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Steve Singleton[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Steve Singleton[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]3B[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Miguel Sano[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]James Beresford[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]SS[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Brian Dozier[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Miguel Sano[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Rene Tosoni[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Brian Dinkleman[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Joe Benson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Aaron Hicks[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]OF[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Angel Morales[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Joe Benson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Gibson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Gibson[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Tom Stuifbergen[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Kyle Waldrop[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]RHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Liam Hendriks[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Carlos Gutierrez[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Scott Diamond[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Martire Garcia[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Dan Osterbrock[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Dan Osterbrock[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]LHP[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Pat Dean[/h][/TD] [TD=align: left][h=5]Tony Davis[/h][/TD] [/TABLE] The Twins had eight rookies make their big league debuts in 2011, Tsuyoshi Nishioka, Rene Tosoni, Brian Dinkelman, Scott Diamond, Kyle Waldrop, Joe Benson, Chris Parmelee, and Liam Hendriks. After the first year of competition the score sits at 4 for Eric and 5 for me. With two years left on this list, a lot could change. It will be interesting to see what happens with the young stars on the lists above. Some, like Steve Singleton, are no longer with the Twins, while others will miss the entire 2012 season (Kyle Gibson). Check back to the pond next week to see who the Brothers Pleiss picked for 2012.

The Twins might not be scared of the Yankees, but I cant think of anyone I'd want to face less than those bronx bombers when the weather turns cold in October. Additionally, I think one eyed Jack makes a lot of good points, mostly that the Yankees have been better ball clubs than the Twins when they've played in the post-season, missing Morneau in the line-up in 09 and 10 is a tough lump to swallow.

What is the ceiling for Hendriks? I like what I've seen from the young man and it seems he could be a 2-3 started for the big league club, however I keep seeing reviews that put him a back of the rotation innings eater type. Where's the true value for Hendriks? ______________________________ @baseballpirate Paul Pleiss, staff writer for www.puckettspond.com

I'd have to choose the Rock Cats with an honorable mention for the Miracle. Not very big on the Rochester logo. If I was able to choose any MiLB mascot I would have to pick the Montgomery Biscuits, AA Affiliate for the Tampa Bay Rays, pure awesome.