From the death sentence also known as contraction to the top of the baseball world? The last time we witnessed anything even close to such a story was with the 1989 Indians. What? You don’t recall? Charlie Sheen was pitching, Tom Berenger was catching and Wesley Snipes was playing centerfield. Remember now? The movie was called Major League.

So, maybe it’s a reach to think the 2002 Twins can make a run for the title. Winning it all when your entire team makes about what Jason Giambi will earn over the next two seasons may be asking too much. But let’s just imagine all the spring training questions are answered affirmatively. That someone -- say, Corey Koskie -- weighs in with a Bret Boone year. That Eric Milton becomes Tom Glavine to Brad Radke’s Greg Maddux and Joe Mays’ John Smoltz. That the Humpdome becomes what it was back in ’87 and ’91 -- the hardest place in baseball to win a game, much less a series. Is it possible that the Twins could win the AL Central? Hmmm ...

INFIELD

The beginning of the end for the Twins last year occurred on July 12 when shortstop Cristian Guzman fell with an injury to his throwing shoulder. “They seemed out of sync after he went down,” says a rival AL Central scout. “Like a football team with a new quarterback.” Guzman was not only missed in the field, where he has one of the best arms at his position since Shawon Dunston, but at the plate, where he hit .302 with 10 home runs. He also stole 25 bases. If Guzman returns to form, the Twins will have the best defensive infield in the AL Central.

First baseman Doug Mientkiewicz won the first of what could be a string of Gold Gloves. His ability to sponge low throws out of the dirt has helped give Guzman, third baseman Koskie and 22-year-old second baseman Luis Rivas the confidence to fire away, because they know a less-than-perfect throw will not end up in the first base dugout. Offensively, only Koskie (26 home runs, 103 RBIs) has shown any power potential, but if Guzman and Rivas (.266, 21 doubles and 31 stolen bases) can get on base consistently, and Mientkiewicz can turn 15 and 74 into 20 and 100, the Twins infield production should be good enough to hold them in contention for a division crown.

OUTFIELD

As in the infield, defense is not a problem in the Twins outfield. In center, Gold Glover Torii Hunter covers more ground than anyone in the game except perhaps Andruw Jones. And in left, Jacque Jones is well above average with the glove. Rightfield is unsettled, though the Twins hope Michael Cuddyer (30 home runs at Double-A New Britain) is going to win the job in spring training. He’s a true third baseman, but talented enough to play a new position. If Cuddyer is not ready, the Twins may have to shop for some type of bargain outfielder with pop (Greg Vaughn?) because, as the scout says, “If you’re going to play in the Metrodome, you have to hit the occasional bomb to compete, because some are going to go out against you.”

Hunter led the team with 27 home runs last year, but the corner outfielders (Jones with 14 HRs and Brian Buchanan with 10 in 197 ABs) did not provide nearly enough juice. Nor did DH David Ortiz, who was once believed to be a 30 and 100 man, but may be running out of chances to realize that potential. Ortiz’s .202 post-All-Star break average means he’ll be on a short leash this spring. The lack of run production from the outfield and DH -- and the little likelihood that GM Terry Ryan will be able to go after a solution -- might haunt the Twins.

CATCHING

No one thought A.J. Pierzynski would hit .289 in the major leagues, as he did last season, and no one’s expecting him to do it again. “For a big strong guy he’s got a very slow bat,” says the scout. But the things that got Pierzynski to the big leagues -- his receiving, throwing and game-calling skill -- are what the Twins want to remain constant. If he plays good defense and falls to .270, the Twins will be delighted.

STARTING PITCHING

The top of the rotation, with Brad Radke (15–11), Eric Milton (15–7) and Joe Mays (17–13), is what pushed the Twins into the Central lead last season and what they hope will separate them from the pack again this year. “None of them are big punchout guys,” says the scout. “But they all possess the stuff, physical and mental, to keep the Twins competitive.” Mays and Milton were firsttime All-Stars last season. If ex-Met Rick Reed finally accepts that he’s a Twin (he requested a trade in the off-season) and can give the Twins 10-12 additional wins from the No. 4 slot, you could be looking at the difference between 85 wins (last year’s total) and 90, which could be enough to settle the Central.

BULLPEN

Here is where all the contraction stuff may come back to haunt the Twins. The team’s one glaring weakness in 2001 got no better in the off-season because the team’s uncertain situation kept Ryan from going out to shop for better options than he had last year. No, we’re not suggesting Ryan would have reeled in a big-time closer or setup man, but an upgrade on a guy like 35-year-old Bobby Wells may not have been out of the question.

For the first half of last season, LaTroy Hawkins (23 saves at the All-Star break) looked like a closer. But after blowing five of his last seven save chances and relinquishing the job to career setup man “Everyday” Eddie Guardado (12 saves in 14 chances), the Twins now pray that Hawkins will have better luck getting his 96 mph fastball over the plate in the seventh and eighth innings than he had in the ninth. Veteran Mike Jackson is in camp for the Twins and has closed games in the past, but Jackson’s probably thrown one too many hard sliders to have much left in his arm. If pennant-race games are truly won and lost in the bullpen, this could be the Twins undoing.

MANAGER

Is it ideal to have a rookie manager like Ron Gardenhire in charge of a young team that’s trying to make a run at the postseason? Of course not. But Gardenhire was absolutely the right choice to run this club. Why? Because the Twins have a bunch of guys who’ve learned how to play at the big league level and taken their whippings over the past three seasons. Gardenhire, with the organization for 11 years, was there every step of the way and has a better feel than any outsider as to just how close the Twins are to taking the next step.

SO?

This is a team with a future. Guys like catcher Joe Mauer, who hit .400 in his first professional season (rookie league Elizabethton), a great double play combination in second baseman Rivas and shortstop Guzman, and Gold Gloves all over the field, give Twins fans a lot to look forward to.

Can they win the Central this year? Sure they can. The Royals and Tigers are awful and the Indians and White Sox are as flawed as the Twins. The Twins are legitimate contenders, not some Hollywood fantasy.

This article appears in the March 18 issue of ESPN The Magazine.