Minnesota Twins 2008 review and look ahead

Oct 2, 2008 - 10:12 AM By Chris Bellamy PA SportsTicker Staff Writer

No one could have blamed the Minnesota Twins for missing out on the playoffs this year. After all, competing in a division that includes juggernaut World Series contenders like the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians doesn't leave much room for error.

OK, so the American League Central wasn't quite what it was cracked up to be.

But after last year's Twins slipped below .500 for the first time since 2000, what could anyone expect of this year's version after the offseason departures of Johan Santana and Torii Hunter?

As it turns out, expectations were far too low thanks to a solid, no-name pitching staff and a surprisingly capable offense that scored the fourth-most runs in the major leagues.

And there was a little bit of smoke and a few mirrors thrown in for good measure.

After climbing back into contention in the final week of the regular season with a three-game sweep of the rival Chicago White Sox, Minnesota finally saw its season come to an end with a 1-0 loss in Tuesday's one-game playoff at Chicago.

WHAT WENT WRONG?: The booming metropolis of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Sure, it may be big enough for the Republican National Convention, but it's not big enough for America's own National Pastime. At least in terms of market size.

The Twins, who have deftly avoided the small-market pitfalls of such moribund franchises as the Kansas City Royals, Cincinnati Reds and Pittsburgh Pirates over the last decade, knew they couldn't afford to keep Santana long-term, so they dealt him to the New York Mets this offseason for Carlos Gomez and three prospects.

While the team did fine without him, it's hard to imagine how the team could have been worse off this season with the two-time Cy Young Award winner - Gomez's hefty .258 batting average and .296 on-base percentage notwithstanding.

That's the way it goes with baseball's financial structure.

Minnesota also couldn't afford Hunter, who signed a lucrative free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

Other than that, not much went wrong for the Twins. Ron Gardenhire's group "overachieved" again - to the point that it's going to get harder and harder to ever accuse them of overachieving again.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER: Of all the youth among Minnesota's starting pitchers, free agent signee Livan Hernandez was the exception - the one guy with playoff experience who could provide leadership and direction.

Instead, he was a four-alarm disaster, giving up 199 hits in 132 2/3 innings and posting a 5.48 ERA before getting cut loose after four months. Amazingly, he still wound up with a 10-8 record for the Twins.

BEST PLAYER: With all due respect to Joe Mauer and his nine juicy home runs, the Twins live and die by Justin Morneau's bat.

The All-Star first baseman put together another MVP-type season, finishing second in the American League with 129 RBI and a career-high 74 extra-base hits. He also played in all 163 games.

REASON TO BELIEVE: This season in and of itself is a reason to believe.

If a pitching rotation of Scott Baker, Nick Blackburn, Kevin Slowey and Glen Perkins can keep a team in contention, imagine what a full season from a fully recovered Francisco Liriano can do (one can only assume the Mets, Red Sox, Yankees and Angels are licking their chops for his eventual free agency).

If a lineup that contains exactly one true run-producer can wind up as the fourth-highest scoring team in baseball, imagine what one more bat could do for the Twins.

FUTURE BRIGHTNESS: Practically by default, the Twins' modus operandi is all about stockpiling young talent.

With baseball's market conditions the way they are, the franchise can't afford to keep everyone long-term. So the Twins want as many prospects as possible - quantity over quality, even, hence the logic of the Santana trade.

While there are no David Prices or Cameron Maybins or Matt LaPortas looming for the Twins, they have a huge crop of young talent and just have to hope enough of them pan out.

Among those are Denard Span, who was called up to the big leagues at the end of June and solidified himself at the top of the batting order, hitting .294 with 47 RBI and 18 steals. Span is the closest to being a full-time contributor at the major league level, but Minnesota is stocked in outfield talent with Ben Revere, Aaron Hicks and Joe Benson at the lower levels of the minors.

Another interesting prospect is righthanded pitcher Anthony Slama, who is being groomed as a potential future closer. The former 39th-round draft pick was practically unhittable at Class A Fort Myers this season, posting a 1.01 ERA and striking out an astonishing 110 hitters in 71 innings while recording 25 saves.