This is my prediction of what the Minnesota Twins 2012 Lineup will look like.
Batting Position/Player/Fielding Position/Details.
1). Ben Revere, CF. Ben Revere will get the starting job for 2012. He will also overtake Denard Span’s lead-off spot. At the end of the season, he will finish with a .289 average, with 49 RBI’s, and 2 HR’s. (One inside the park) 45 SB’s. Awards: Gold Glove, OF
2). Denard Span, LF. Battling a concussion, Span will not be at full strength in 2012. However he will be able to get on base, very well. His stats at the end of the season will be: .265 BA, .504 OBP, 60 RBI’s, 4 HR’s, 24 SB’s. Awards: N/A
3). Joe Mauer, C. Mauer will finally be back to full strength heading into the 2012 season, and look to mirror what he did in 2009. He will finish the season in the top ten of nearly every offensive category. In addition, he will play over thirty games at first base.
Final Stats: .329 BA, 11 HR’s, 96 RBI’s. Awards: Silver Slugger, C.
4). Michael Cuddyer, 1B. No, I don’t mean Outfield, I don’t mean DH. I mean First Base. Yes, that means Justin Morneau is gone, in my eyes. I’ll explain why in a little bit. Anyway, Cuddyer serves to be extremely valuable to the team, yet again. So much so, that he is named the team MVP.
Final Stats: 26 HR’s, 108 RBI’s, .311 BA. Awards: Player of the Week (2)
5). Jason Kubel, DH. Dang, I sure feel happy being able to type this. But it’s only if everything works out perfectly. Kubel will repeat what he did this season, but without getting hurt. Playing a full season, his final stats will be: .302 BA, 96 RBI’s, 21 HR’s. Awards: N/A
6). Danny Valencia, 3B. Danny V, baby. In 2012, he will finally establish himself as a threat at the plate, even with nobody on. In addition, he will become one of the best clutch hitters in the game, with four walk-off hits. Also, he will only commit 6 errors. Final Stats: .266 BA, 82 RBI’s, 19 HR’s.
Awards: N/A
7). Trevor Plouffe, 2B. Trevor Plouffe will get a starting job in 2012. But here’s the catch. It WON’T be over Tsuyoshi Nishioka. It will be over Alexi Casilla. This might just be the strangest prediction I’ve made thus far, but I think it will happen. I’ll explain why later. He’ll ALSO, much like Valencia, will improve his fielding, and only commit 8 errors. Final Stats: .246 BA, 9 HR’s, 49 RBI’s. Awards: N/A
8). Joe Benson, RF. The Twins will need to fill the hole in the outfield, and let’s face it. Rene Tosoni, and Jason Repko, just aren’t the answer. No matter how decent they seemed. So the Twins will look for a right fielder, and after months in the offseason looking for one, they’ll notice… Wait, we drafted Joe Benson for a reason!! Next thing you know, Benson gets called up and makes a run at Rookie of the Year. This might be a bit of a stretch, but it could easily happen.
Final Stats: 15 HR’s, 39 RBI’s, .290 BA. Awards: Rookie of the Month, fourth place in RoY voting.
9). Tsuyoshi Nishioka, SS. Nishioka will finally, FINALLY, adjust himself to American Baseball. He will play his season like he played the end of the season this year. Only 6 errors, and he will become the single most feared number nine batter in the league.
Final Stats: .301 BA, 38 RBI’s, 1 HR, 14 SB’s. Awards: Gold Glove, SS.
Pitching Rotation
1). Scott Baker
2). Carl Pavano
3). Kevin Slowey
4). Scott Diamond
5). Liam Hendricks
LRP: Brian Duensing
LRP: Anthony Swarzack
MRP: Glen Perkins
MRP: Jose Mijares
CL: Joe Nathan
NOTES
Justin Morneau: Will be released or traded, giving the Twins the salary cap to re-sign BOTH Michael Cuddyer and Jason Kubel.
Francisco Liriano: Will be traded to the Colorado Rockies for top prospects, Wilin Rosario (C), Chad Bettis (RHP), and Juan Nicasio (RHP). Only Wilin Rosario will play a game for the Twins in 2012.
Minnesota Twins: Will win the division in 2012.
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Tell me what ya think!! Also tell me what your line-up would be!! (You don’t need to add all the details)
Oh, I forgot to mention why Plouffe gets the job over Casilla. Lemme explain…
SPRING TRAINING STATS
Trevor Plouffe: .312 BA , 7 HR’s, 16 RBI’s.
Alexi Casilla: .231 BA, 0 HR’s, 7 RBI’s.
Tsuyoshi Nishioka: . 292 BA, 0 HR’s, 9 RBI’s.