2010 MLB season preview: Minnesota Twins

It’s kind of hard to imagine that just a few seasons ago the Twins were a candidate for contraction. Now in 2010 they open a new ball park. Of course giving up the confines of the Homer Dome is one of the big questions facing this team, which will feel like they are in limbo until they can get catcher Joe Mauer’s autograph on a big phat contract extension. They have Mauer for this year, and they might have to make a serious run at a title to keep him. Other random thoughts abut the Twins include the size of their payroll, small market budget my foot.

I cannot believe that they are going to play baseball outside in Minnesota in early April, or late fall. I lie in Detroit, Michigan and I have been to my share of snow interrupted opening days here, I cannot imagine playing baseball outside, that early, further to the north. The Twins have also given up one of their key advantages, they knew how to play in the dome and hit very well there. I cannot imagine, balls flying out of the new park in frigid air like they did in the dome.

While we wait for Mauer to re-up with this team, Twins fans have more anxiety over pitcher Francisco Liriano. Will he be back? Will he resemble the pitcher he was in 2006? He did put on a clinic in Winter Ball, but he was terrible last year and the Twins may need his arm to be considered legitimate World Series contenders.

The last concern for Twins fans is whether or not their bull pen is an elite unit? Closer Joe Nathan struggled late in 2009, and his coming off off-season surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. Two other pitchers in the Twins bullpen are also recovering from off season surgery. However they do have late season edition Jon Rauch for the entire 2010 campaign.

Related Links:

•Minnesota Twins news and notes
•The Business of the MLB
•MLB Complete.com