Minnesota Twins

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2002 Finish: 94-67, 1st, AL Central	2002 Payroll: $41,825,357 (26th)

Projected Lineup LF Jacque Jones SS Cristian Guzman 3B Corey Koskie CF Torii Hunter DH Matt LeCroy RF Mike Cuddyer 1B Doug Mientkiewicz C A.J. Pierzynski 2B Luis Rivas Projected Rotation RHP Brad Radke LHP Eric Milton RHP Joe Mays RHP Rick Reed RHP Kyle Lohse CL Eddie Guardado

By Jimmy Traina, SI.com

Are the Minnesota Twins a one-year aberration or legit contenders? We're about to find out.

The downtrodden franchise, once thought to be headed for contraction, shocked the baseball world last year by notching 94 wins, taking the AL Central by 13.5 games and advancing to the American League Championship Series. Playing in the majors' weakest division, Minnesota, led by first-year manager Ron Gardenhire, rode the coattails of emerging superstar Torii Hunter and overcame a slew of injuries to advance to the postseason for the first time since 1991.

The Twins' rebirth hit a crescendo in the Division Series, when they upset the Oakland A's in five games. Minnesota won Game 1 of the ALCS against Anaheim before dropping the next four to end the storybook season.

Now the question is: How far can the small-market Twins go? A franchise with bucks to spend would have acquired the talent needed to take the next step. The Twins, however, are one of the poster-child teams in baseball's class war. The club maintains a payroll of just above $40 million and was basically a nonfactor this offseason. General manager Terry Ryan did not add a single player expected to make any significant contributions.

However, one area Minnesota can improve upon without adding any players is health. The starting pitching was decimated by injuries last season with each of the rotation's three anchors (Brad Radke -- groin, two separate stints on the DL; Eric Milton -- knee, missed a month; Joe Mays -- elbow, missed more than three months) spending considerable time on the shelf. Milton already has experienced a flareup this spring and had surgery on his bum knee. The 27-year-old left-hander could be out until May.

While the starters had a rough time in 2002, the bullpen flourished. The only change is Mike Fetters replacing Mike Jackson. Along with its defense (a major-league low 74 errors last season), Minnesota's strength once again will be the arms of J.C. Romero (9-2, 1.89 ERA), LaTroy Hawkins (6-0, 2.13 ERA), Tony Fiore (10-3, 3.16 ERA) and Eddie Guardado (45 saves, 2.93 ERA).

The release of 1B/DH David Ortiz means more at-bats for the combination of Dustan Mohr, Bobby Kielty, Matt LeCroy and Mike Cuddyer. Mohr and Kielty split time last year at DH and in right field and combined for 24 home runs and 91 RBIs in 672 at-bats.

With Milton out for at least the first month of the season, left-hander Johan Santana will get an opportunity to start. The 23-year-old was impressive out of the bullpen last year and is one of the crown jewels in the organization. His 11.38 strikeouts per nine innings in 2002 was second only to Randy Johnson among hurlers with at least 100 innings pitched. Don't be surprised if Santana makes it tough for the Twins to pull him from the rotation.

Two other players looking to rebound from injury-filled years are infielders Corey Koskie and Luis Rivas. In 2001, Koskie (26 homers and 103 RBIs) became the first Twin since Gary Gaetti in 1987 to hit 20-plus homers and drive in 100-plus RBIs. However, the third baseman's production slipped dramatically last season to 15 homers and 69 RBIs. The 29-year-old was hampered throughout the year by nagging injuries and he spent some time on the DL with a hamstring problem.

Rivas was hit by a pitch on his left wrist in the second game of the season which caused him to miss 93 games. Upon his return, the slick-fielding second baseman never looked as sharp as he did in 2001.

Doug Mientkiewicz's offensive production dropped in almost every offensive category last season.

Power outage
Year	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	K	SB	AVG	OBP	SLG
2001	151	543	77	166	39	1	15	74	67	92	2	.306	.387	.464
2002	143	467	60	122	29	1	10	64	74	69	1	.261	.365	.392

Minnesota's lineup doesn't boast the power and depth that most of the top teams in the AL do, so it's imperative that the club get some production from the bottom third of the order. For that to happen, Mientkiewicz needs to forget about last season and focus on becoming more of a run producer because 10 home runs from your first baseman just doesn't cut it in the big leagues.

He's technically not a rookie (by one at-bat), but outfielder Michael Cuddyer only had 112 at-bats in 2002. That number undoubtedly will increase this year as the 24-year-old has the inside track on the starting right field job. In his limited time last season, Cuddyer hit .259 with four homers and 13 RBIs and opened some eyes in the postseason, when he batted .333 (6 for 18). The ninth overall selection in the 1997 draft could supply some much-needed thump to the lineup. Over his last two minor league seasons, he smacked 52 doubles and 50 home runs.

Arrivals: INF Chris Gomez (free agent), RHP Mike Fetters (free agent).

Departures: RHP Bob Wells (free agent, signed with Tampa Bay), RHP Mike Jackson (free agent, signed with Arizona),1B/DH David Ortiz (released, signed with Boston), INF Jay Canizaro (free agent, signed with Tampa Bay), C Javier Valentin (traded to Milwaukee), RHP Matt Kinney (traded to Milwaukee).

Unless you believe Bartolo Colon automatically makes the Chicago White Sox legit contenders, Minnesota should find it a breeze to stay atop the AL Central. Fifty-six games against Detroit, Kansas City and Cleveland gives the Twins an easier summer than the school kids on vacation. What happens in the postseason is a different story. If the pitchers stay healthy and some of the emerging players (Jacque Jones, Koskie, A.J. Pierzynski) can take their games to a higher level, as Hunter did in 2002, Minnesota will be just as dangerous as any other club in the playoffs.