Biggest Offseason Additions
Ricky Nolasco: The Twins needed a starting pitcher in a very bad way this offseason. They went out and took care of business right away, as the signed Nolasco to a four-year, $49 million contract. This is the largest amount of money the Twins have ever given to a free agent. Nolasco is coming off his greatest season since he joined the majors back in 2006. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline and recorded a 3.52 ERA to go with eight wins and 75 strikeouts. This was a good sign for the Twins, as they have had major problems with their starting rotation in years past.
Phil Hughes: Although Hughes had arguably his worst year in a major league jersey in 2013, this signing isn’t all bad. The Twins signed him to a three-year, $24 million contract. The fact that he got a deal this big was a bit odd to me, but he will have to prove his worth this year. If you’re a Twins fan you probably don’t want to look at his stats from last year but we’re going to take a look anyways. He had an ERA north of five, lost 14 games and allowed 24 home runs. Hughes has never been a great pitcher, as his career ERA is 4.54 but the Twins need starting pitching drastically. This could work out for the Twins in the long run.
Biggest Offseason Losses
Ryan Doumit: The Twins took a big loss when they lost Doumit. They now have no clear starting catcher unless you consider Kurt Suzuki to be a “legit” starter. Doumit is a career .270 hitter but batted only .247 last season. Over the past two seasons he has averaged 16 home runs while driving in 65 men. He is now with the Atlanta Braves and will be a bench player. This hurts the Twins but it is nothing that they cannot rebound from.
Name to Watch in Spring Training: Byron Buxton
If you have not heard of this name yet, then you are really missing out. Buxton is said to be the No. 1 prospect in all of baseball coming into the 2014 season. Almost any top prospects list you look at will have Buxton at the top. He is an outfielder who will one day be the star of the Twins and was the second overall draft pick of the 2012 draft. Buxton has only played at the single and high-A level, but over the past year his numbers were stupid. He hit .334 with 18 triples, 12 homers and 55 stolen bases! This guy has wheels and can really flash the leather out in center field. He likely won’t make the Twins roster this season, but he will still have all eyes on him come March.
Biggest Spring Training Battle: Aaron Hicks vs Byron Buxton for centerfield.
The chances of Buxton getting the call up to the majors this year will likely rest on how well his Spring Training goes and how well Hicks plays. Hicks played in 81 games at center field for the Twins in 2013 and disappointed greatly. He batted .191 and struck out 84 times with only 281 at-bats. He is only 24 years-old which means there is still room for improvement. If Buxton has a great Spring Training the Twins could shock a lot of people and have the 20 year-old Buxton starting in center. Either way this is going to be one intriguing battle between two young talents.
What Went Right in 2013
What went right for the Minnesota Twins in 2013 is a very tough question to answer. They were 30 games under .500 at a mark of 66-96 and lost their final six games. They were worse at home than they were on the road which is also strange. The one thing that went right for the Twins in 2013 was their closer Glen Perkins. He ranked in the top 15 for closers as he recorded 36 saves. He had an ERA of 2.30 and only blew four saves. Perkins was partly the reason for half of the the Twins wins in 2013. Joe Mauer also got back to form last year and led the team in batting average at a mark of .324.
Biggest Area of Improvement in 2014
Clearly the biggest area the Twins need to improve upon is their pitching. The Twins had the second worst team ERA in all of baseball at 4.55! Things did not go right for their pitching staff at all. It helps that they signed two starting pitchers to their roster, but things are looking bleak once again for this Twin City team.