2007 Twins Baseball Preview: Offense
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by user False Prophet
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| Twins Preview: Offense |
| Twins Preview: Pitching |
| Week 1 (April 2-8) |
| Week 2 (April 9-15) |
| Weel 3 (April 16-22) |
It's almost Twins Season, so without further ado, I present to you, my predictions for the 2007 Minnesota Twins. I'll start out with offense, and then work my way through defense and pitching.
1. Luis Castillo
Castillo is a decent leadoff hitter. He should flirt with .300 AVG, and will be a decent all around hitter. my problem with Castillo is that he is not a great hitter. He is hitting first, and I want to have my leadoff hitter getting on base and being better on the basepath than what he's showing.
Overall, Castillo can be a good player. What he brings will effect the rest of the team. IF he can get on base alot and get a few stolen bases, it will help set up Morneau, Hunter, and Cuddyer to do great. If he flops, then the rest of the lineup has to pick up his slack.
2. Nick Punto
Punto is a good hitter. He can steal bases, he can hit decent, he can bunt, and he can make good strategic moves in order to advance runners. I love Punto as an all around player, especially as both a utillity hitter and fielder. Regardless of his stats, he will be able to set up the rest of the lineup for success. He's a great player to help out with a small-ball focused team.
3. Joe Mauer
Can you say MVP? Mauer is not yet to his prime and is hitting .350!!! He is a great hitter, and his average will not go down. Any change will be up for him, as he is getting strong and smarter, lessening the faitigue of being a catcher and making him an overall better hitter. Guess what? Mauers strength is going to increase and on top of his .350+ ANG and to start hitting HR's. Mauer is going to be one of the greatest overall hitters in the league.
4. Justin Morneau
Still one of the better players in the League. Expect him to hit at least 40 HR's and to push 50. 100 RBI's is expected of him, and I'd expect him to drive in at least 130. His batting average may fluctuate, but I still expect him to be over .300. He would be an MVP canidate if not for Mauer. The only thing that worries me is his batting average. Morneau is a good overall hitter, which helps his power. Should his batting average drop significantly, I'd be skeptical about him hiting 20 HR's and 90 RBI's. He will never be a true power hitter like David Ortiz or the likes.
5. Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer is the most crucial part of the twins lineup. How he does will reflect how the twins do. We know what we get out of 1-4,7,8 & 9. Hunter is in a contract year, so his production will not fade, and the only thing that keeps me from inking in him as a 30 HR/100 RBI hitter is his age.
Cuddyer, on the other hand, had a career year last season, and most people don't think he'll hold up. I saw him last year, and I saw him in spring training this year. Nothing appears to have changed, and I can't help but expect him to end with 28-32 HR's and somewhere between 95 and 110 RBI's. I'm a believer in Cuddyer, and expect him to repeat last year's success.
6. Torii Hunter
Hunter is entering the final year of his contract. this worries me for his future as a Twin, but not about his production. Hunter plays for his love of the game. He puts everything he has into every play, and is a veteran leader in the clubhouse. Hunter's batting average is decreasing, but his power is practically the same as it was a few years back.
I'm not sure if he can put up 30 HR's any more, but I think he can come close. Expect 25-30 HR's this season. As far as RBI's go, he'll get his 100 this season, especially if he is healthy.
7. Rondell White
Rondell is a good player. His nembers were flawed last year because he had all sorts of injuries. I expect him to be healty this year, and put up 20 HR's in what will likely be is last year. He can't expect to produce much longer.
8. Jason Kubel
Kubel needs to pull his own weight if he expects to stay in the lineup as the DH. After putting up a 2.79 OBP last season, he needs to hit better to stay in the lineup. Jason Tyner is waiting behind him if he falls, and I don't think that Kubel will last long unless he improves.
Should Kubel improve, he will be a great addition to a solid lineup, that will become a great one with his improvements, and the rest of the team following through with the expectations people have for him. I don't worry about this slot because I know that if he flops, someone will be able to step up and fill his slot.
9. Jason Bartlett
Bartlett is a young player with a high upside. Bartlett hit .309 and had a .379 OBP. These a numbers that can and will improve. I feel that so long as Bartlett goes out there every day and does what he does, then I feel he will become a good number 9 hitter.
I expect Bartlett to hit above .310 this season. He was almost there last year, but fell short. By achieving this, he will give the twins a bit of power at the bottom of the rotation that they need in order to compete. I also think he can push his obp up to .400 this season, which will help especially if Kubel can't follow through with my expectations with him.
