ESPN.com - Major League Baseball - Minnesota Twins preview


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Thursday, April 5
Minnesota Twins preview

ESPN.com

POWER RANKINGS


	Eric Milton is one of the top lefties in the American League.

Strength of schedule
.511, 2nd in AL
Lineup ranking
14th in AL
Pitching ranking
7th in AL
Prediction
4th in AL Central

The lowdown
2000 record: 69-93 (5th in AL Central)
Runs scored: 748, 13th in AL
Runs allowed: 880, 10th in AL

Three key issues for 2001
1. Where will the power come from? Twins didn't have a 20-homer guy last year and finished last in the majors in home runs.

2. Is Eric Milton ready for a breakout season and improve upon his 13-10 record of last year?

3. Is it time to replace Tom Kelly? 1991 seems like a long time ago.

Three key facts
1. Shortstop Christian Guzman tied a franchise record and led the AL with 20 triples in 2000.

2. Minnesota finished next-to-last in runs scored last season, thanks in large part to an AL-worst .247 batting average with runners in scoring position.

3. The Twins have had just one player hit 20 or more homers in the last five years (Matt Lawton hit 21 in 1998).

RETURNING 2000 STATISTICAL LEADERS

AVG	M. Lawton	.305
HR	J. Jones	19
RBI	M. Lawton	88
RUN	C. Guzman	89
SB	C. Guzman	28
WIN	E. Milton	13
SV	L. Hawkins	14
ERA	B. Radke	4.45
Complete 2000 Statistics: Batting \| Pitching

Tim Kurkjian's scenarios
Best case: The young kids continue to develop, the front of the rotation gets even better, LaTroy Hawkins becomes a top closer and, impossibly, the Twins get the funding for a new ballpark.

Worst case: Hawkins isn't a top closer, the Twins don't score enough runs, they lose 98 games, then the franchise is folded, as are the Expos, in baseball's two-team contraction.

ESPN.com's lineup analysis
Player	Comment	Pos. rank*
C. Guzman, SS	Great arm, great speed, young enough (23) to improve	12
T. Hunter, CF	May be best defensive center fielder in AL	10
M. Lawton, RF	Perfect leadoff hitter, but hits third on this team	7
D. Ortiz, DH	Could be Twins' first 25-HR guy since Hrbek in '93	7
C. Koskie, 3B	No. 4 and No. 5 hitters combined for 27 HRs last year	4
J. Jones, LF	If he improves OBP and SLG, he'll be a good player	14
D. Mientkiewicz, 1B	Sort of a poor man's Wally Joyner or Rico Brogna	14
A.J. Pierzynski, C	Hit .313 between Double-A and Triple-A	14
L. Rivas 2B	Shortstop arm, just 21, may struggle at the plate	13
ESPN.com's pitching staff analysis
B. Radke, RHP	Has at least 213 IP five straight seasons	13
E. Milton, LHP	Allowed 205 hits -- 80 for extra bases	10
M. Redman, LHP	6.51 ERA on 4 days' rest, 3.52 on 5+ days	36
J. Mays, RHP	Will new changeup make him more effective?	53
Middle relief	Underrated group is one of team's strengths	7
L. Hawkins, CL	Was 14-for-14 in saves after becoming closer	10

	Position average (AL rank):	10.55 (14th)
	Pitching index (AL rank):	7.75 (7th)

* Position rank, compiled by ESPN.com's baseball staff, compares each AL team's strength at that position, including platoons, based on players' total projected value (offense, defense, durability) for the 2001 season.

AL position players and bullpens ranked on a 1-14 basis, with 1 being best.
AL starting pitchers ranked on 1-56 basis, with 1 being best. Cumulative rankings of starting pitchers are combined with bullpen and closer for overall pitching index, with more weight given to starters.
In both rankings, 1.00 is the best possible score, 14.00 the worst.

Click here for AL position-by-position rankings.

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