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2014 Toronto Gameday HQ

FIELDING The Twins are usually a reliable defensive team, and that shouldn’t change. Mauer has to make the adjustment from catcher to first; stretching for tight outs and digging bouncers out of the dirt. But he already started making the transition last year and was a Gold Glover behind the plate, so it shouldn’t take long. Dozier is one of the best defensive second basemen in the AL, and shortstop Pedro Florimon and third baseman Trevor Plouffe are pretty reliable. As for the outfield, they don’t make many mistakes (three errors last year). STARTING PITCHING This is where the Twins spent most of their money in the offseason, and their success largely hinges on how well the starting unit performs. Ricky Nolasco and Phil Hughes were both brought in to bolster a starting unit that produced the worst ERA (5.26) in all of baseball. Both Nolasco and Hughes have been successful in the majors before (Nolasco won 15 games with the Marlins, Hughes won 18 games with the Yankees), and the Twins are banking on their ability to return to form. Kevin Correia and Mike Pelfrey have also shown promise in the past but both are coming off down years. RELIEF PITCHING The Twins return the core of a bullpen that was one of the few bright spots in 2013. Former starter Glen Perkins, a lefty, is coming off an All-Star season where he saved 36 games and had a 2.30 ERA. Jared Burton and Casey Fien also proved reliable in the late innings, throwing career-highs of 66 and 62 innings respectively. Samuel Deduno could provide another strong arm to the pen and can be used in the starting rotation, and Caleb Thielbar is a solid situational lefty who doesn’t give up many hits. MANAGING Despite losing 90-plus games for a third straight season, the Twins gave manager Ron Gardenhire a two-year extension through 2015 in the off season. It was a surprising move considering the wide-spread speculation that Gardenhire was finished after last year. But he has earned leeway, having led Minnesota since 2002, AKA the glory years. General manager Terry Ryan hasn’t done much to make Gardenhire’s job any easier. But for a small-market team, developing and maximizing talent is paramount, so if Gardenhire can’t get that done soon, changes will be coming in Minnesota. Joe Mauer HANNAH FOSLIEN/GETTY IMAGES SPORT


2014 Toronto Gameday HQ
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