2013 Twins Preview: The Rotation

Vance Worley adds a much needed, high potential arm to the Twins rotation.

(Photo courtesy of: Matthew Straubmuller/Flickr)

Now that the final page of the 2012 calendar has been flipped and we finally enter into a new year, now is when every baseball writer, columnist and blogger will begin breaking down their team's roster as we head into Spring Training which is at this time a mere month an a half away (joy!). Well I'm not different in this as a baseball writer (and I guess now more blogger than anything now that I'm not writing "professionally" anymore) and I plan on breaking down the Minnesota Twins' roster piece by piece starting with their biggest weakness from a year ago, their starting rotation.

For the first time in a very, very long time, the Minnesota Twins will be heading into a new season with a completely revamped rotation. Sure there aren't any future Cy Young winners being added in, but at least we won't have horrible pitchers like Nick Blackburn shoved down our throats anymore.

The 2013 Twins will still have a similar look to the makeup of their pitchers with that same pitch-to-contact mold that they have become so enamored with over the years. Gone are the Carl Pavanos and Nick Blackburns to make room for a slew of bottom tier free agent starting pitchers that hopefully will yield better results.

While it's hard to get too excited about a few of the names that have been signed, the addition of a couple of low-risk, high-reward guys as well as some fantastic young power arms that give the organization hope beyond the 2013 season as the club gets ready to bring up a very talented group of offensive players (we will discuss these guys as the winter rolls on).

So without further ado, lets take a look at how the 2013 rotation will start off the year...

Scott Diamond | LHP

Diamond looks to build on
his 2012 success.

Luckily for Twins fans the only returning member from the disastrous 2012 rotation will be Scott Diamond who will slide in as the staff’s default ace. Not only was the left-hander the most consistent starter last season, he actually had a breakout campaign and exceeded many people’s expectations. 

After being called up in May to stay, Diamond went on to pitch 173 innings while posting a sparkling 3.54 ERA and an abysmal 4.68 K/9. As a pitch-to-contact type guy (something the Twins are very familiar with), Diamond will need to continue to keep the ball down in the zone and mix speeds. 

While it’s unclear yet if Diamond can repeat his success from a year ago, one concern surrounding the youngster is in regards to his off season surgery to remove a bone chip from his pitching elbow. While the club says he will be ready for Spring Training, there’s no telling how long it will take for his arm to get back to full strength. 

Vance Worley | RHP
Speaking of bone chips, by far the best addition of the winter to the Twins’ rotation is a man who also will be returning from a surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow, Vance Worley. 

After going 11-3 with a 3.01 ERA and finishing third in the 2011 Rookie of the Year voting, Worley battled through elbow issues throughout 2012 posting a 6-9 record and 4.20 ERA in only 133 innings before being shut down in September for the surgery. The young right-hander looks to bounce back quickly after being part of the (lopsided in favor of the Twins) deal that brought himself and prospect Trevor May to the Twins for speedy centerfielder Ben Revere on the last day of the Winter Meetings.

Worley has show that when healthy that he can be a very dependable pitcher with good strikeout potential. During his phenomenal 2011 rookie year he posted a K/9 rate of 8.13 which is far superior to any other potential Twins starter. He looks like Nolan Ryan by comparison. Of all the Twins starters he is the one I'm most excited about.

Mike Pelfrey | RHP
Now we come to our big low risk, high reward guy in Mike Pelfrey. Pelfrey, now 28, was signed to a one-year, $4 million contract with $1.5 million in incentives. Win-win for both sides. The problem stems from the fact that, like Diamond and Worley, Pelfrey too is coming back from surgery on his throwing arm. His of course being a bit more serious as he had Tommy John surgery on May 1 after starting the year off with the Mets with a 2.29 ERA through three starts.

The sinkerballer has produced a few good years for the Mets posting a 3.72 ERA in 200.1 innings in 2008 and 3.66 ERA in 204 innings in 2010. So while he's shown flashes of success in the majors, we need to temper our expectations considering he is coming off a major surgery. Here's hoping to a quick recovery.

Kevin Correia | RHP

Correia's 51.2% GB was 7th in the NL in '12.
(Photo courtesy: SD Dirk/Flickr)

We finally get to our first healthy member of the rotation (like I said, temper your expectations on the 2013 season, folks) and it only took us until the number four spot to do it(!). The Twins signed Correia to a two-year deal worth $10 million and will provide the staff with another groundball pitcher (better make sure that infield is ready) to join Pelfrey. 

The 32-year old brings a 51.2% groundball rate, which was tied for seventh in the National League last season, on his way to a 4.21 ERA and only 89 strikeouts and a fantastic 46 walks in 171 innings. Basically you’re getting yet another pitch-to-contact guy in a rotation full of them. 

The only worry is that this is Correia’s first stint in the American League after spending the past 10 seasons in the NL. The bright side of things is that Correia has average 12 wins and a 4.51 ERA and 28 starts over the past four seasons which have been on some pretty bad clubs. I’ll take those numbers for a number four starter.

Rich Harden | RHP
My heart wants to tell me that they will give this spot to Kyle Gibson coming right out of Spring Training but my head tells me that it's Harden's job to lose...if he's healthy. My guess is that if Harden's arm is still attached by the start of the regular season that he will begin the year as Minnesota's fifth starter and will eventually give way to Gibson at some point during the summer. Don't forget, Gibson too is coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Harden on the other hand missed the entire 2012 season due to shoulder surgery to repair his right rotator cuff last January. Yup, you guessed it, the fourth member of the Twins upcoming rotation to have surgery over the past calendar year on their pitching arm. I couldn't even make that up.

When healthy (which hasn't been too often for Harden over his career) he has been one of the better strikeout pitchers in baseball. Since 2003 Harden ranks third in all of baseball with 9.2 K/9 behind only Tim Lincecum (9.76) and Clayton Kershaw (9.26) during that span. Pretty good company to be in.

My guess is other in-house options will include Sam Deduno, Liam Hendricks and Cole De Vries but my guess is they will go with a healthy Harden and bringing Gibson out of the bullpen to ease him back in. Remember what they did with Johan Santana and Francisco Liriano? Hopefully they don't wait quite as long with him.

So that's how I see the 2013 rotation shape up for the Minnesota Twins. Not the most exciting cast of characters that you'll see in the majors this summer but much more interesting than the group they trotted out to the mound in 2012. If everyone can be healthy I could see this being a decent squad that can at least keep them competitive. 2014 will be when things really get interesting when players like Gibson, Trevor May, Alex Meyer and others will begin to ascend on the major league squad.

Then it will be time to "Get To Know 'Em" all over again.

Welcome Home Mr. Jones!

The Twins welcomed back an old friend Tuesday as they announced the signing of outfielder Jacque Jones to a minor league contract.

Jones was with the Twins from 1999-2005 and was part of the group that catapulted the Twins back into playoff contention back in 2001. The 35-year old has posted a career .277 average with 165 homers in his 10 big league seasons. After playing Independent baseball all of 2009, Jones is looking for his chance to get back into Major League Baseball after approaching the club this past winter.

What do I think about this? I like it. Jones is a non-roster invitee to Spring Training and has already said he would be willing to start the year in Triple-A Rochester if the Twins decided to keep him aboard. Really you are getting a veteran player who knows what this organization is about and has been on playoff teams in the past. Sounds like a deal to me.

As it stands now, the Twins will most likely break camp with four outfielders - Denard Span, Michael Cuddyer, Jason Kubel (who will primarily DH) and Delmon Young - and most likely won't have the need to carry a fifth on their bench.

I really like the idea of having Jones available in Triple-A should the need arise for him. It's another low-risk, high-reward type scenarios. If nothing else he's a good leader to have teaching those kids who are on the cusp of joining the big leagues.

Putting aside his free-swinging ways, Jones was always a fun player to watch and a good club house guy. It's always nice to see guys get a chance like this to make one last impression especially when its with his former club.

So I say welcome home Jacque. Welcome home.

[Photo courtesy of MarkKelley/Flickr]

MLB10: The Show

Since I'm still giddy over the Orlando Hudson signing and there's really no other news to report tonight, I thought I'd share this video clip for the upcoming game MLB10: The Show which will be released in a few weeks.

The clip is of the Detroit Tigers vs. Minnesota Twins at the new Target Field. It's of a few plays including a home run that is under review. The reason I'm showing you is to see Target Field as well as to see how great this game looks. Check back tomorrow for a real update. Enjoy...

Video Games | MLB 10: The Show | Umpire Video Review Gameplay HD

XBox 360 | Playstation 3 | Nintendo Wii

[Video courtesy of Gametrailers.com]

Thome & O-Dog Solidify Lineup

How funny is it when an entire fan base (and the baseball world in general) gasps anytime you make a signing that actually makes it in the headlines section of sports websites?

Well the Twins have now done it twice over the past couple of weeks as they have added a future Hall of Famer in Jim Thome to beef up their bench and DH spot and now a Gold Glove winning All-Star second baseman in the O-Dog Orlando Hudson.

I have been begging the Twins to sign Hudson for weeks and even broke down their current roster options for second base and discussed how truly pathetic they were. But this changes everything. Here's a look at Minnesota's projected lineup...

1.) Denard Span, CF
2.) Orlando Hudson, 2B
3.) Joe Mauer, C
4.) Justin Morneau, 1B
5.) Michael Cuddyer, RF
6.) Jason Kubel, DH
7.) Delmon Young, LF
8.) JJ Hardy, SS
9.) Nick Punto, 3B

Bench: Jim Thome, Brendan Harris, Jose Morales, Matt Tolbert

Of course I have made it very clear I want to see Jim Thome in the lineup with Kubel in left at least three times a week including against any tough righties. But even with their normal projected lineup, that is pretty strong. The addition of Hudson clearly makes them the favorites in the AL Central over the weakened Tigers and punchless White Sox.

The bottom line is that we as Twins fans appreciate what the organization is trying to do. Not only are they trying to show our franchise player Joe Mauer that they are committed to winning, but they are also trying to show that to us. After all these years of our continued dedication to this club, after all the stupid attempts to fill holes on our roster with names like Tony Batista, Ramon Ortiz and Sidney Ponson, they are finally starting to put the pieces together to help us compete with the New York's and Boston's of the world.

2010 is going to be a fun year.

[Photo courtesy of Doug Wallick/Flickr]

Sources: Hudson, Twins on Verge of Contract

Well as if the Jim Thome signing wasn't enough excitement for one winter, now it appears as if the Twins may actually be about to add a legitimate second baseman to their roster for the first time since, um, Chuck Knoblauch?

From ESPN.com:

Orlando Hudson is on the verge of a one-year, $5 million deal with the Minnesota Twins, sources told ESPN.

There are details to be worked out on the contract, but Hudson has chosen the Twins over the Indians and Nationals.

First we trade for an everyday offensive shortstop in JJ Hardy. Then we sign a powerful future Hall of Famer to DH and pinch hit for us in Jim Thome. And now it appears we are about to add a real second baseman to the mix and all of this on the brink of opening our brand-spankin' new stadium this April (oh and we're on the verge of signing one of the top players in baseball to a contract for around $200 million).

Is this all real? Can someone pinch me? Are you sure these are our Minnesota Twins? Because I'm pretty sure this is not how we have done business for the past couple decades.

I really don't know what to do with myself. I can't remember the last time the Twins were rumored as suitors for impact type free agents and then actually got them. And we've done it twice in the past couple weeks!

As with the Thome signing, I will wait until this becomes official before digging into any Hudson impacts again. But what I will say is that this is a helluva time to be a Twins fan!

[Photo courtesy of Malingering]

Source: Mauer, Twins Agree To 10-Year Contract

Well it looks as if it may finally become a reality...

A source tells WCCO-TV's Mark Rosen that American League MVP Joe Mauer has come to a preliminary agreement with the Minnesota Twins for a 10-year contract extension.

I will wait until things are official and we see dollar amounts before going into complete analysis mode. Needless to say I am more giddy than a teenage girl at a Jonas Brothers concert.