Update

I kind of doubt that anyone has been checking this religiously, but I wanted to post an update. In my last post, I said I planned on looking at each division's offseason moves this far and seeing how they all stack up. I was planning on doing this, but I don't think I will be doing so anymore. I had some things come up, then it was the holidays and I was home for break and didn't feel like sitting at my laptop the whole time, and so on. I'm back at school now and will return to the "I'll post whatever I feel like posting whenever I think of anything interesting" theology.

That being said, I do know I will have a post coming up soon- Twinsfest! The time is almost here for the annual event, and I will be attending once again. As I as done on my sports card forums in the past, I will be posting a summary of my day after the event.

While that is the only post I currently have planned, I hope to think of something interesting to write soon. If anybody is actually reading this, sorry for the change of plans and I hope to get some new content up soon!

Post Winter Meetings, Part 1- AL Central

Tonight, I am starting the first of a 6-part series. Needless to say, the MLB Winter Meetings this year was very eventful, as we saw many players change teams. All of the trades and free agent signings over the past few weeks have changed the feel of each division, some more drastically than others. So, I have decided to take a look at each division and note the adds/reductions from each team in December and how this could effect the upcoming season. This is the first part in this series, beginning with the AL Central. Let's get to it!

1. Minnesota Twins

Additions
Torii Hunter- RF, 39
Shane Robinson- OF,
J.R. Graham- P, 24
Ervin Santana- SP, 32

Departures
Chris Colabello- 1B, 31
Sean Gilmartin- P, 24

The Twins didn't make a lot of noise the past few weeks, but they did land notable free agents Ervin Santana and Torii Hunter. Robinson is another free agent sign, and J.R. Graham joins the Twins after being selected from the Braves in the Rule 5 draft. Chris Colabello parted ways with the organization after being claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays, and prospect Sean Gilmartin was taken by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft.

The Twins haven't drastically improved nor weakened their team thus far in the offseason. The signing that got the most news was bringing Torii Hunter home on a 1 year, $10.5 million deal. While this brings a fan favorite back to the team he spent his first 11 professional seasons with, creating some warm feelings, this doesn't do a lot for the overall improvement of the Twins. Torii will get consistent playing time in right field. While he has shown he still has gas in the tank on offense (.286 batting average, 17 HRs, 83 RBIs last year), his range has drastically worsened since he last played for the Twins. This is not good news, as the Twins haven't had great defense in the outfield of late. That being said, he should help the Twins push more runs across this year and as a Twins fan, it is great to see Torii back home.

Ervin Santana is the 2nd of the two most notable moves this December. Santana will enter the 2015 season as the Twins 2 or 3 starter and should vastly improve their rotation with the ability to throw around 200 innings and strike out 150+ batters. However, Santana is still just a 2/3 starter, and the Twins still lack a true ace, something that they haven't had since the Johan Santana years. Furthermore, the Santana signing creates a surplus of pitchers competing for 2 rotation spots- Ricky Nolasco, Tommy Milone, Trevor May, Mike Pelfrey, and Alex Meyer will all compete for the final 2 spots in the rotation this spring. With this many arms competing for openings in the rotation, don't be surprised to see the Twins trade or release a pitcher or two yet this offseason.

The Twins haven't had a lot of action outside of the Hunter and Santana deals. They signed free agent outfielder Shane Robinson who has MLB experience, but likely won't play a huge role on the team. The Twins outfield is set with Hunter, Arcia, Danny Santana, and Jordan Schafer, but Robinson could see some time as in a backup role. The Twins landed prospect pitcher J.R. Graham through the Rule 5 draft, who is rated as a top 100 prospect, but likely won't play in the major leagues for another year or two.

Finally, the Twins have lost 2 players in December. First is Chris Colabello, who was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays. While Colabello had a fantastic start to the season last year, he cooled down after the first few months and struggled to find his groove again, not seeing much playing time after the All Star break. Secondly, Sean Gilmartin, a AAA prospect, was claimed by the Mets in the Rule 5 draft. Neither move should have much of an effect on the Twins in the upcoming 2015 season.

Overall, the Twins have done a little bit to improve their team, but not a lot. However, they haven't been hurt either. Hunter brings another bat to the starting lineup, and Santana is a welcome addition to the starting rotation, but the Twins still have work to do if they want to compete with the rest of the AL Central.

Offseason grade thus far: B/B- (Brought back Torii Hunter and signed a quality starting pitcher)


2. Chicago White Sox

Additions
Matt Heindenreich- P, 23
Rob Brantly- C, 25
Jeff Samardzija- SP, 29
Michael Ynoa- SP, 23
David Robertson- CL, 29
Andre Rienzo- P, 26

Departures
Scott Snodgrass- P, 25
Scott Carroll- P, 30
Chris Bassitt- P, 25
Josh Phegley- C, 26
Rangel Ravelo- 1B/3B, 22
Marcus Semien- INF, 24
Dan Jennings- P, 27

The White Sox have made arguably the best additions of the AL Central. They added Jeff Samardzija, who is an instant upgrade to the starting rotation, and prospect starter Michael Ynoa, who could be a great pitcher in a couple of years. Claiming catcher Rob Brantly off of waivers from the Marlins allowed them to be comfortable trading for Samardzija and Ynoa, as they sent catcher Phegly, pitcher Bassitt, and infielders Semien and Ravelo to the Athletics in return.

Their biggest addition is obviously Jeff Samardzija. Despite the fact he has not posted a winning record since 2011, he is a great addition to the Sox's rotation. He racks up both innings and strikeouts, topping 200 in both categories in both 2012 and 2013. They also locked down a great closer by signing David Robertson to a 4-year, $46 million contract. While the majority of their other additions are minor leaguers that likely won't see time in the pros this year, the White Sox have done a great job adding talent to their team without losing much at the game time. They are making a strong push to contend for the AL Central division title very soon.

Offseason grade thus far: A- (Added All-Star pitcher and top-10 closer without giving up much in return)


3. Cleveland Indians

Additions
Destin Hood- OF, 24
Adam Moore- C, 30
Brandon Moss- 1B, 31
Jerry Sands- OF/1B, 27
Brett Hayes- C, 30

Departures
Joe Wendle- 2B, 24

The most notable (only notable, really) move this offseason for the Indians has been All-Star first baseman Brandon Moss. The slugger provides the Indians with a lot more power, as they add a 20+ HR, 80+ RBI man. They stole Moss, really, sending only Joe Wendle to the Athletics for their part of the trade. Wendle is not a loss at all, as he has never played above AA in the minors, and the Tribe have Jason Kipnis holding down 2nd base. Other than trading for Brandon Moss, the Indians have had a quiet offseason, moving largely minor league players. Cleveland missed the 2nd wild card spot in the AL last year by just a few games, and they didn't have many spots to fill in the offseason. I'm not sure if the Moss trade alone pushes them into the postseason, but the trade helped a bubble team a lot. The Indians should be at the top half of the AL Central once again this coming year.

Offseason grade thus far: B+ (With no gaping holes to fill, added top 1st baseman)


4. Detroit Tigers

Additions
Alberto Cabrera- P, 26
Shane Greene- P, 26
Yoenis Cespedes- LF, 29
Alex Wilson- P, 28
Gabe Speier- P, 19
Alfedro Simon- SP. 33

Departures
Domingo Leyba- INF, 19
Robbie Ray- P, 23
Rick Porcello- SP, 25
Eugino Suarez- SS, 23
Jonathan Crawford- P, 23

If the White Sox haven't had the best offseason so far, the Tigers make a strong case for the title. Their key additions have been slugger Cespedes and All-Star starter Simon. Like the White Sox, the Tigers have done a good job at getting a lot of talent without giving up a lot in return. While they traded away an above-average starter in Rick Porcello, they signed a good starter to replace him with Simon, and managed to land Cespedes as well. Outside of Porcello, the Tigers haven't given away much this offseason. They lose Suarez, who played in over 80 games at shortstop for them last year, but the Tigers should be much happier with their additions than their losses this far. Landing a young power hitting outfielder and an All-Star starter highlight a great offseason so far for the Tigers.

Offseason grade thus far: A- (Added All-Star starter and power hitting outfielder while really only losing 1 starter)

5. Kansas City Royals

Additions
Dany Geraldo- P, 19
Luke Hochavar- P, 31
Jandel Gustave- P, 22
Yohan Pino- SP, 30

Departures
Francisley Bueno- P, 33

The largest news that the Royals have made this offseason came when Billy Bulter signed with Oakland. Other than that, the Royals have pretty much done nothing notable. They have dealt mainly in minor league players this December. This is not good news for Royals fans, Although they made a World Series appearance this year, the way this offseason is going, they will not be back there next year. There is still a lot of offseason left, but this far, it has been disappointing for Royals fans.

Offseason grade this far: C- (Have done nothing to improve team in a division where all teams have gotten better since the end of the 2013 season)


And there you have it! My offseason grades of the AL Central this far. Here's a recap:

1. Chicago White Sox: A/A-
2. Detroit Tigers: A-
3. Cleveland Indians: B+
4. Minnesota Twins: B/B-
5. Kansas City Royals: C-

Here's a few quick takes on the AL Central based on the moves the clubs have made in December:

-Most improved team- Chicago White Sox (Samardzija, Robertson)
-Least improved team- Kansas City Royals (No significant adds)
-Best addition in the division- Brandon Moss, Indians (Fantastic first baseman added for just a minor league infielder)
-My pick for division champion- Detroit Tigers (Improved an already-great starting rotation and added a powerful outfielder)
-My predicted standings for 2015 season-

1. Detroit Tigers (Question marks in the bullpen, but one of the best starting rotations in baseball and lots of weapons on offense)
2. Cleveland Indians (Will jump over the Royals after adding power 1st baseman)
3. Kansas City Royals (Still a good team, but hasn't kept up with the rest of the division so far)
4. Chicago White Sox (Added a lot of weapons, but will need a year or two for it all to start to click)
5. Minnesota Twins (Moving in the right direction, but still waiting for prospects Buxton and Sano to lead the team back to the top)


And, there you have it! This has been my mid-December review of the AL Central after the MLB's winter meetings. I'm not sure when I will get the next review posted, but the next division up is the AL West. Thanks for the read!

Danny Santana's Rookie Season- Just How Good Was It?

Any follower of the Twins knows that Danny Santana had a fantastic rookie campaign. If not for Jose Abreu, I am a strong believer that Santana would have gotten serious consideration for last year's Rookie of the Year award. Abreu won the award unanimously, while Santana was overshadowed and only received 1 vote overall, a 2nd place vote. Regardless, his rookie year was great and Santana is already solidified himself in many minds as a core cog in the long term Twins roster. But just how good was Santana's rookie year in comparison to the best rookie seasons in Twins history? Today I'll be taking a look at that question based on Bleacher Report's list of the top 10 Twins rookie seasons (posted after the 2012 season). Here is their list:

10. Kirby Puckett
9. Doug Corbett
8. Danny Valencia
7. John Castino
6. Francisco Liriano
5. Chuck Knoblauch
4. Rod Carew
3. Marty Cordova
2. Kent Hrbek
1. Tony Oliva

Remember, this is solely a comparison of first year seasons, not a guess of who's careers or legacies is/will be better or worse. I'll compare the rookie season of each player in the above list to Danny Santana's rookie year and ultimately place Danny Santana among the others to determine, in my opinion, where his rookie season compares to the best in Twins history. Let's get to it!

Challenger #1- Kirby Puckett (1984)

Advantage- Santana, 11-4

Puckett had the advantage of 27 games and over 150 plate appearances which helped him accumulate 36 more hits than Santana, but Danny still managed to beat him out in doubles, triples, home runs, and RBIs. Santana had the edge on the base paths, stealing 20 bases to Kirby's 14, and getting throw out just 4 times to Kirby's 7. They were similar in both batting average on-base percentage, and wins above replacement (WAR), but Santana's stronger batting average and advantages in all extra-base hits categories give him the nod over Kirby. It remains to be seen if Santana will be able to have as large of an impact on the Twins organization as Puckett had, but his 2013 rookie season bests Puckett's 1984 rookie year.

Victor- Santana

Challenger #2- Doug Corbett (1980)

This is one of several trickier comparisons, as Corbett was the Twins closer in the 1980 season. He finished with a solid 23 saves, notably the same number of saves as Rollie Fingers that season. Corbett posted a solid sub-2.00 ERA and had a very strong 5.7 WAR. He had a shot at even stronger saves and strikeouts, but the Twins finished with a record under .500, finishing 3rd in the American League West Division and not providing Corbett with a lot of save opportunities. I'm giving Santana the edge in this round, due to a larger overall impact on the team and a larger role played during his rookie season.

Victor- Santana

Challenger #3- Danny Valencia (2010)

Advantange- Santana, 10-3-2

Many of Santana's and Valencia's rookies are very close- They hit the same number of home runs and RBIs, and were very close in batting average, walks, and on-base percentage. However, Santana owns the categories of games played, tuns, hits, doubles, steals, WAR, and he takes this round as well.

Victor- Santana

Challenger #4- John Castino (1979)

Advantage- Santana, 8-7

The matchup between Santana and the 1979 Rookie of the Year is a close one. They have very similar stats in triples, home runs, and trade off the advantages in key stats. While Castino played in nearly 50 more games than Santana, Santana manages to hold superior in hits, doubles and home runs. The extra at bats helped Castino hold the trples, strikeouts and walks categories, but may have deflated his batting average a bit. This round is close, but goes to Santana for his advantages in batting average, runs, and WAR.

Victor- Santana

Challenger #5- Francisco Liriano (2006)

While this is another tough comparison to a pitcher, this matchup is very, very close. As great of a season that Santana had, Liriano makes an argument for having a better season. His 12 wins tied Brad Radke for 2nd in the category of the Twins that year, and Liriano's 2.16 was the team's best. He allowed only 29 earned runs in 28 games, pitching Liriano missed chances to improve his numbers even further after injuring an arm and being placed on the disabled list in early August. To that point, he had been in discussion for the AL's Cy Young and Rookie of the Year awards, but missing the majority of the second half of the season due to injury caused him to drop out of discussion. Still, he had a strong enough first half to earn an All-Star selection and finish 3rd in the AL ROY voting. Missing the 2nd half of the year is the main reason why Santana gains back points in this round and manages to tie Liriano's rookie season in my book.

Victor- None!

Challenger #6- Chuck Knoblauch (1991)

Advantage- Knoblauch, 8-7

The 1991 AL Rookie of the Year winner gives Santana is closest matchup yet. Knoblauch started off his Hall of Fame career very strong, playing in nearly all of the Twins games and posting a solid .281 batting average. He beats out Santana in runs scored, hits, RBIs, walks, steals and strikeouts, but Santana bests him in batting average, doubles, and WAR. As close as the matchup is, Knoblauch beats out Santana in this round due to his massive role in the Twins 1991 season, including key plays in the Twins 2nd World Series title (including bunting over the winning run in the bottom of 9th in Game 7). Santana's performance comes close but is beat out by Knoblauch's integral part of a World Series-winning team.

Victor- Knoblauch

Challenger #7- Rod Carew (1967)

Advantage- Even, 7-7-1

Danny Santana's rookie stats match up very well to Rod Carew's Rookie of the Year season. One would think that Carew's first of 18 straight All-Star years would leave Santana in the dust, but it is in reality very close. Carew managed to play in more games and earn more plate appearances, which helped him take the slight advantange in hits, home runs, and RBIs. However, Santana still manages to best Carew in runs scored, batting average, doubles, steals, and on-base percentage. This is another close matchup in which I am not entirely sure how to pick a winner. This time around, I have to give the slight edge to Rod Carew for a fantastic rookie year in a Hall of Fame career. It could go either way, but I have to give Carew the nod.

Victor- Carew

Challenger #8- Marty Cordova (1995)

Advantage- Cordova, 7-6-2

Cordova is another Rookie of the Year winner with eerily similar stats to Santana. They scored nearly the game about of runs, were only 13 hits apart from being even, hit the same number of two-baggers, stole the same number of bases, and were nearly dead-on in on-base percentage. Cordova takes the victory in this round, due to his power at the plate that didn't take away and speed on the base paths. Cordova hit many more home runs as Santana and drove in over double the number of runs While Santana is not a power hitter, Cordova still gets the nod as he was able to keep up with Santana in the steals department.

Victor- Cordova

Challenger #9- Kent Hrbek (1981)

Advantage- Hrbek, 8-7

Santana matches up well to the runner-up Rookie of the Year and All-Star first basemen in 1981. Hrbek is another player with a different role than Santana at the plate, hitting many more home runs and RBIs than Santana. While Santana owns Hrbek in doubles, triples, steals, and on-base percentage, this is another close matchup. Hrbek gets bonus points for finishing 2nd in AL ROY voting to Cal Ripken Jr, and narrowly takes the round from Santana.

Victor- Santana

Challenger #10- Tony Oliva (1964)

Advantage- Oliva, 13-2

This is the only matchup in which Danny Santana simply has no change. How is one supposed to top Tony Oliva's rookie year? Tony-O won the AL Rookie of the Year, was named an All-Star, and finished 4th in MVP voting. He led the league in batting average, runs scored, total hits, and doubles while playing in all but one of the Twins games that year. Oliva's first of 8 straight All-Star, MVP-vote earning seasons is simply no match for Danny Santana's rookie year.

Victor- Oliva



And, there you have it! In head-to-head matchup against Bleacher Report's top 10 Twins rookie reasons, Danny Santana posts a 5-4-1 record in many close matchups. If I had to rewrite the list of top Twins rookie performances including Danny Santana's 2014 season, I would have to come to the following conclusion:

11. Kirby Puckett
10. Doug Corbett
9. Danny Valencia
8. John Castino
7. Francisco Liriano
6. Chuck Knoblauch
5. Marty Cordova
4. Danny Santana
3. Rod Carew
2. Kent Hrbek
1. Tony Oliva

Multiple of these matchups have gone either way, but that list reflects my opinions as to the top Twins rookie seasons in history. If this is any indicator as to what Santana's career could produce, wow. Based on rookie seasons alone, he hangs right in there with current Hall of Famers. The only way to tell what will happen is to wait and find out, but if his rookie season is any indication as to what he may be able to do in the years to come, Twins fans everywhere are going to really enjoy watching Danny Santana in the future.

Twins Season Preview- Off-Season Edition

I've decided that I am going to put together a series of Twins Season Previews this year. It will be a set of 3 posts- One today in the off-season, one closer to the beginning of spring training, and one at the end of spring training before the season opener. In each of these 3 entries, I plan on talking about possible scenarios for how the Twins season will pan out, including a look at the team position by position, as well as the team as a whole. I think it will be interesting to take a look at the team a couple different times leading up to the season opener and see how they look. It'll be fun to look back on these posts at the end of the season and see how my predictions matched up with what actually happened. So, without further ado, here is my off-season edition of a Twins season preview!

Pitching staff:

1. Phil Hughes- After last year, Hughes has proven that he should be our #1 starter. He had a great year, posting a 16-10 record, 3.52 ERA, a career season-high 186 strikeouts, and a very good 4.3 WAR. I see no reason why he shouldn't be able to repeat last year's performance. He's entering into what could be his prime years at 28 years old, and returning to pitcher friendly Target Field. In a rotations with a lot of question marks, look for Hughes to be the anchor to a staff that has been lacking a true #1 since the Johan Santana days.
2. Ricky Nolasco- Obviously, Nolasco had a poor year last year, managing only a 6-12 record and an ERA over 5.00. However, he easily could have had a much better record, as the Twins lost 5 games where he started and earned a decision. If the Twins are able to give a little more run support, we could have seen Nolasco post a 8-10 or better record. However, you would still generally expect more out of a player that was signed to a 4-year, $49 million deal. That being said, I expect a better year from Nolasco. I don't expect him to win 20 games this year, but I there are multiple signs that point to last year just being a fluke. I am looking for Nolasco to have a good bounce back year and win 10+ games for us and solidify the 2nd slot in our rotation
3. Kyle Gibson- Gibson had a decent 2014 campaign. He showed that he is capable of shutting out MLB teams for 6+ innings, but he needs to work on consistency. In his 13 wins last year, he gave up 0 or 1 runs on 9 different occasions. However, in games where he got the loss, he got shelled, giving 5+ runs in 10 of his 11 losses. So, consistency is something I am looking for Gibson to improve upon in the 2015 season. That being said, he also was the victim of some bad luck last year. In 3 of his starts where he got a no-decision, he went 6+ innings and gave up 0 runs, but the team went on to lose the game. If Gibson can improve on his consistency, and if the Twins can make use of every strong start Gibson gives them, I can see Gibson winning 16+ games and becoming an essential part in our rotation.
4. Tommy Milone- The back of our rotation is iffy right now. Trevor May will get the 5th slot, at least at the beginning of the year, but the 4th slot may be up for grabs right now. At this time, I envision Milone claiming this spot in the rotation. He has the stuff to pitch in the pros, posting a 6-3 record last year before being sent down to the minors by the A's as a result of a couple blockbuster trades that brought them some ace pitchers, pushing Milone out of the rotation. He was then traded to the Twins, where he pitched decent, but wasn't credited with any more wins in 5 starts. Milone pitched decent, but also was the victim of a bit of bad luck, as the Twins won by 14 runs and 6 runs in two of his starts, but he didn't pitch long enough in the game to get a win. In summary, I see Milone returning to form this year and winning 10+ games again as he did in the 2012 and 2013 seasons.
5. Trevor May- May struggled last year. On one hand, he struck out 44 batters in 45+ innings pitched. On the other hand, he gave up 40 earned runs in those 45+ innings. 2015 will be a big year for May, as he tries to prove that he belongs in a big-league rotation. If he wants to do so, he must pitch deeper into games, as in his 9 starts last year, he didn't last through the 5th inning on 4 different occasions. If May struggles in the first third of this season, look for him to move to the bullpen and allow another pitcher, possibly Alex Meyer, take over in the rotation

Closer- Glen Perkins- Perk regressed a little bit last year. He still managed 34 saved, but he was letting a lot more runners on base than he did in the season before. We also saw his ERA jump from 2.30 in 2013 to 3.65 last year. However, his K rate remained strong as he averaged a strikeout every inning pitched, and he made the All-Star team for the 2nd straight year. Perkins should save 30+ games for the Twins again this year, but he is a player to keep an eye on as last year showed signs to worry about. Hopefully it was just a blip on the radar and Perk will come back strong with another All-Star year

Position players:

Catcher- Kurt Suzuki- I am optimistic about Suzuki's 2015 season. He was by far our most clutch hitter last year, driving in 61 runs, many of which coming in crucial moments in the game. Suzuki doesn't hit for power, as he has just 70 HRs in his 8 year career. But he showed that he can put up a decent batting average (.288 in 2014), and as mentioned, come through when he needs to. Although there was a lot of talk about the Twins transitioning to Josmil Pinto taking over the catching position, signing Suzuki to a 2-year extension last year showed that they aren't quite ready to hand over the reigns yet. I see the Twins using Suzuki as their main catcher for the next few years, possibly giving Pinto some starts when Suzuki needs a day off. Farther along these 2 years, I can see Suzuki mentoring Pinto and allowing Pinto to take over when Suzuki isn't offered an extension (but I can see Suzuki playing for us for another 3-4 years). However, the 2015 catcher spot will be owned by Suzuki and will be locked down until he completely regresses.
1st base- Joe Mauer- Well, here it comes- The "Mauer needs to stay healthy" talk. Yes, he does. But that's all I'm going to say about his oft-injured past few years. The other pressing issue is the disappearance of his bat last year. Mauer only managed a .277 batting average last year. That isn't bad by any means, and was still 3rd overall of Twins that played in over 50 games last year, but coming from Mauer- Yes, it's bad. Where did his .320+ batting average go? I question if he was playing injured a lot last year. That could explain why his numbers were way down. I hope and believe that last year was more of a fluke. There's no real reason why he wasn't producing last year. I think that he will return to form this year and bring his batting average back up over .300, possibly even contend for another batting title. However, the key to this is staying healthy. If he can do that, we will see a good year out of Mauer
2nd base- Brian Dozier- Dozier was one of, if not THE, brightest spots on our team last year. He hit very well (23 HRs, 71 RBIs), and was a key part of our team. He joined the 20 HR, 20 steals club as well. Additionally, despite getting any recognition, he played stellar defensively. There is no reason why Dozier shouldn't be able to continue his success. If he does so, he may climb the ranks of the league's best 2nd basemen and make a run at an All-Star appearance as well. Dozier has 2nd base locked down for the long run, and the Twins have no reason to consider other options
Shortstop- Eduardo Escobar- I place Escobar here for now, but I see Danny Santana eventually taking over the SS position. I'll talk more about it when I get to the CF slot, but Santana will have to move out of center when Buxton is called up (unless the Twins want to shift Buxton to left). But anyways Eduardo Escobar- This guy was a doubles machine last year. He ended with 35 overall, but it seemed like he would hit a 2-bagger in nearly every game I watched. I see Escobar holding down the shortstop position until Buxton is closer to being ready for the MLB. Then, I think Santana will move to short, and Escobar will be pushed to a utility role. That may happen later on in the 2015 season, or it could be another year or two. Either way, Escobar is solid with the glove, and if he can repeat his .275 batting average from last year, he will be a great asset at short for the Twins
Third base- Trevor Plouffe- Plouffe is another guy that had a pretty good year last year. he made all the people that were saying he was basically only a placeholder until Sano gets called up, myself included, question that statement. I still believe Sano is the long term answer at 3rd, but Plouffe is making himself too good to keep out of the lineup. That isn't an issue yet, as Sano still needs some more time, but Plouffe hit wonderfully last year. He ended 4th in the AL with 40 doubles, and brought in 80 runs. If Plouffe can maintain a hot bat, and maybe bring back some power from his 24-HR 2012 season, it will create an interesting situation when Sano is ready for the pros. In 2015, look for Plouffe to hit well again and for there to be not much uncertainty over 3rd base for the Twins
Left field- Jordan Schafer- Man, can this guy run. He historically hasn't hit well, batting over .250 for the first time in his career last year, but once he gets on base, watch out- He is a threat to steal on every pitch. I'm not sure if Schafer will fit into our long term roster with any bigger of a role than a pinch runner/bench player, but he should get a good number of starts out in left field and center field this year. If the Twins decide to start preparing for the Buxton era and give Danny Santana more games at shortstop, look for Schafer to shift over and cover center field. This year, Schafer should get some good playing time, cover the 9th slot in the batting order, and get a chance to steal a lot of bases
Center field- Danny Santana- I like this kid a lot. He had a fantastic year last year. He played in the shadows of Jose Abreu in the AL Central and didn't get a lot of recognition, but Santana had a ROY-worthy year and would have gotten some votes if not for Abreu. As I mentioned before, I see Santana as our SS of the future. However, I think he will play most of his games in center field again like he did last year. He will eventually shift back to his natural shortstop position, but until Buxton is ready, the Twins can put their best lineup on the field when Santana is playing in center. Wherever he plays, Santana gives the Twins the leadoff batter they were looking for in Aaron Hicks. Santana hit very well (.319 batting average), and gave some good speed once on base (20 steals). The crazy thing is, last year was his rookie year. He played like a veteran, playing well and not making many bad mistakes. I see Santana playing well again this year and establishing himself as an important core to our long term roster
Right Field- Oswaldo Arcia- Oswaldo has played well enough the past 2 seasons to earn himself the starting job in right. However, he still has things he can improve on. He has hit well and with enough power to make opposing pitchers consider how they pitch to him- 20 HRs, 57 RBIs last year. However, he needs to strike out less. He has been rung up over 110 times each of his past two seasons. I see the Twins coaching staff working with him on his discipline at the plate. If he can cut down on the number of pitches he chases out of the zone and force pitchers to throw him strikes, his numbers will improve all around. Either way, Arcia has established himself as our every day right fielder and is a good 5th or 6th slot presence in the batting order
Designated hitter- Kennys Vargas- This kid is freaky strong. He's only 24, but he hits the ball harder than nearly anyone I have ever seen. He only appeared in 53 games last year, but hit 9 homers and knocked in 38 RBIs. Over a full season, he should be able to push 30 HRs and 100 RBIs. Like Arcia, he is prone to strike out (63 Ks in only 53 games), but his main role with the team moving forward will be to mash baseballs into the bleachers. He can play first and let Mauer have a day off if he needs, but Vargas is more well suited to DH and should lock down the cleanup hitter slot in the Twins lineup for many years to come. Man, I'm excited to see what this guy will do

Projected opening day lineup:

C- Kurt Suzuki
1b- Joe Mauer
2b- Brian Dozier
SS- Eduardo Escobar
3b- Trevor Plouffe
LF- Jordan Schafer
CF- Danny Santana
RF- Oswaldo Arcia
DH- Kennys Vargas
Pitcher- Phil Hughes

Projected opening day batting order:

1. Danny Santana
2. Brian Dozier
3. Joe Mauer
4. Kennys Vargas
5. Oswaldo Arcia
6. Trevor Plouffe
7. Kurt Suzuki
8. Eduardo Escobar
9. Jordan Schafer

Overall thoughts for the 2015 season- I think that the Twins are going to be a better team than they were last year. However, it is going to be hard for them to creep back up into the .500 record range and beyond unless their pitchers can have good years and their batters can push more runs across. With all the talk about our core of prospects, right now I doubt Buxton or Sano will make their debuts this year. One guy I think will make his first big-league appearance is Alex Meyer. If Trevor May struggles, I anticipate the Twins moving him to the bullpen and replacing him in the starting lineup with Meyer. Max Kepler could also see some big-league action this year, making appearances in the outfield, either as a backup role, or starting if Schafer struggles. Additionally, if the Twins decide to start giving Danny Santana more playing time at short instead of center, Kepler could see a lot of game time in left field while Schafer shifts to center. No matter what happens with the preparations for the Byron Buxton era, the Twins' success this year is going to rely on two things. First, starting pitching. Our starters need to give us a chance to win ballgames. Secondly, our veterans (Mauer, Suzuki, Plouffe) need to play as they are capable of, and our young guys (Santana, Vargas) need to play to their potential. We desperately need to give our pitchers some run support to work with. Best case scenario, our starters pitch well and our lineup produces runs, and we can get back into the 70-80 win range. Worse case scenario, our pitchers continue to struggle, and our position players can't get runs across the plate and we end the year with 90 losses again.

That's my off-season edition of the Twins season preview! The next edition of a season preview will come closer to the beginning of spring training. Until then, I'll discuss whatever is on my mind at the time of my posts. Thanks much for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

91 days until spring training!

Welcomes and Introductions

Welcome to the first post of my new blog, Dugout Discussions!

Thank you for making your way to my blog, I hope you will enjoy it! As this is my first post on this blog, I thought it would be appropriate to start with some general introductions of what I intend to post on this blog, as well as some background about myself. Let's get right to it!

As you probably inferred from the title of my blog, I will generally be posting topics related to baseball. As you will find out later on in my introduction of myself below, I am also a baseball card fanatic, so I may be posting card-related entries as well. However, as of now, my main purpose for this blog will be to share my thoughts on various subjects in the baseball world. I plan on sharing my opinions, analyzing various plays, trades, games, series, etc through the year, and trying to provide an enjoyable yet insightful look at baseball. That being said, I may find over time that I want to include posts relating to other subjects For example, I am a big hockey fan as well as baseball, so I am kind of expecting that I will post some hockey-related entries somewhere along the way. I won't hesitate to post these non-baseball related entries, as I want this blog to be an enjoyable experience for both whoever happens to be reading this, as well as myself. However, do feel that the majority of my post here are going to be baseball related in some way, and 99% of my posts will be sports-related. I hope that you find my entries to be entertaining and interesting, thanks for visiting my first post!

Now, let's get to an introduction of myself so you can have an idea of what I am like:

Name: Matt

Nickname/Online Alias: Hollywood42

Why Hollywood42? Back in my days of elementary school in-house baseball, I used to wear sunglasses all the time, no matter what. So, the first nickname I had was "Shades". Not very creative, but it felt well. That all changed one day when we were playing our weekly Tuesday night game, and I stood in the wrong on-deck circle and almost got nailed by a foul ball. As the ball flew in the direction of my sunglasses-bearing self, the opposing coach yelled "Heads up, Hollywood!" And it stuck. From then on, I was known as Hollywood. I am no longer playing competitive baseball, but some of the guys I played travel ball with still call me Hollywood. The "42" in my name also comes from my baseball playing career, although it's not nearly as exciting of a story. 42 just happened to be the number I picked the first year I played travel baseball, so it was the number I wore for the majority of my baseball career. Hence, Hollywood42!

Occupation: I am currently a student attending Luther college (Decorah, Iowa). I am double majoring in Computer Science and Math Applications. I haven't declared a minor yet, but Religion is a possibility.

Location: While school is not in session, I live at home in the suburbs of the Twin Cities in Minnesota. Born and raised there, lived there my whole life.

What are your favorite sports/teams? Baseball will always be my favorite sport. I've been a huge Twins fan since day one, and will always stick with the team through thick and thin. I'm also a big hockey fan, where I cheer on the Wild and the Minnesota Gophers. I'm not a huge fan of pro basketball, but I generally have a halfway decent idea of what's going on in the league. I will, however, follow the Gopher hoops team pretty closely. In the football world, I root for the Vikings, and again the Gophers. It's been rough recently for the purple and gold, but the Gophers have put together a great season for us. That covers the core four sports, but I'll add in that I love watching both the men's and women's USA soccer matches when the World Cup and Olympics roll around.

Do you play any sports? I played baseball (2nd base/shortstop), basketball (wing) and soccer (keeper) for a very long time. I dropped soccer when I before to high school, but I played baseball and basketball into high school. I am no longer playing either of those sports competitively, but I am an O-line cutter on Luther's nationally competitive ultimate frisbee team (LUFDA). Lots of people don't know a lot about ultimate- If you are one of those people, I highly recommend you check out our sport! It's a very fast, intense game with potential for amazing plays on every throw. It's a wonderful sport!

Who are your favorite players? I can never pick just one, so I'll name a few from a couple sports- In the baseball world, I'm fairly certain Justin Morneau will always be my favorite player. I'm also big fans of Chris Herrmann, Michael Cuddyer, and Danny Santana. In the hockey realm, I've found it a lot harder to pick just one or two guys. I liked Jason Zucker a lot (and still do), but there have been a lot of guys on the Wild that I've found myself cheering on a lot too (Parise, Haula, Grandlund, Coyle, Pominville- How am I supposed to stick to one or two?)

You mentioned you collect baseball cards? Yes! Baseball cards has provided a great hobby for me since the day I got a cheap Hank Aaron giveaway card in a box of cereal when I was probably somewhere around 8 years old. I didn't do a whole lot with collecting, outside of buying cards whenever they popped up at garage sales, until I joined my first online trading site when I was 14 years old. I made hundreds of trades on that site, and my collection grew a lot. Since then, I have joined two larger sites (SCF and Blowout, for any reader coming from those sites), and made over 200 trades on those sites combined. Now, I have thousands and thousands of cards in my collection. As you may be able to guess, I focus mainly on collecting Twins cards (but I do go after some others as well- a couple of non-Twins players, Wild hockey cards, etc). It's a great hobby that I really enjoy!

What are a couple of your favorite cards? Why, I'm glad you asked and gave me the opportunity to show a couple off! It's always hard to pick, but I'll show 3 of my favorites:

2013 Panini America's Pastime Black Chris Herrmann 1/1- The only one in the world! Just one of my favorite Herrmann cards.

2005 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Materials Patch Justin Morneau #ed 03/25- A great looking card with a cool patch from a jersey that Morneau once wore.

2009 Ultimate Collection Ultimate Patch Joe Mauer #ed 12/35- By far the coolest patch I have in my collection. This came from part of the Twins logo on a jersey that Mauer wore! I absolutely love this card.

Outside of sports and cards, what do you like to do? Like any other college guy, I enjoy gaming- usually casually, but I'll have those days were I waste 4+ hours gaming. I mostly play the Call of Duty series, NBA/MLB/Madden/Fifa, Skyrim, but one of my favorite all time games that will be very hard to beat is Backyard Baseball 2003. I like listening to music a lot- I'm a rock fan. Some of my favorite bands are Breaking Benjamin, My Darkest Days, Creed, and Ashes Remain. The Foo Fighters will be in town for a concert this summer, and I'm hoping to make it to that- It would be sweet! Other than that, I really love being outside, spending afternoons with my friends throwing around a frisbee, playing soccer, etc.

Do you have any pets? I try not to bring much of my personal life into my posts, but I had to ask this question to myself so I could show off my dog- Her name's Evye, a 3 or 4 year old Golden Retriever. I love her to death!

Photo credits to my sister, as well as incredibly photogenic Evye!
She likes frisbee too!

That's all I have to share in my first post in Dugout Discussions! Thank you for reading my first of many entries, I hope you will stick around and read my future posts! Most all of my posts after this one will be less about me, and more about baseball/other sports. So, check back often for some new posts! My plan is to type up how I think the Twins will do in the 2015 season for my next post. I might do that this afternoon or tonight, but I'm not sure yet. Either way, I hope you check back in the future for my posts! If you find yourself liking what you read, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to my posts to get a notification when I post something new. Thanks much for reading my first blog post on Dugout Discussions! Until next time, take care!