Ten questions the Twins need to answer

Marlin Levison, Star Tribune

Cover boy and Twins star Joe Mauer signs autographs for Minnesotans watching the firs day of Spring Training.

By LA VELLE E. NEAL III, Star Tribune

Last update: February 19, 2008 - 12:57 AM

Print this story

More from Twins

FORT MYERS, FLA.

You know spring training is near when groundskeeping guru George Toma, sans shirt on sunny days, shows up well before pitchers and catchers report to drag the infield about 10,000 times a day.

The Twins are about to abuse Toma's pristine infield as pitchers and catchers are set for their first workout today, with the first full-squad workout set for Saturday. It's time for the Twins to address all the issues that have popped up since the team went 79-83 last year and watched Torii Hunter, Johan Santana and Carlos Silva leave for various reasons.

Before you head out to start your snow blowers, here's 10 things to monitor as the Twins kick off spring training.

1 WHEN WILL FRANCISCO LIRIANO CONTRIBUTE? Liriano missed all of 2007 because of Tommy John surgery. He needs to regain his sharpness and show he's confident in throwing all his pitches. His visa delay is a bad start but not fatal. He might need extra time to knock off the rust and trust his elbow anyway. If Liriano can regain his form of 2006, the Twins' rotation sets up nicely.

2 IS CARLOS GOMEZ THE ANSWER? Gomez, one of four players the Twins received from the Mets, is the preferred candidate to start in center field, but won't be handed the job. He has blazing speed and plays good defense, but his offense is still a work in progress. Denard Span and Jason Pridie are waiting for a chance if Gomez has a poor spring.

3 WILL THE ROTATION STEP UP? There are only so many true ace pitchers in baseball, making it very hard to replace Santana. But the Twins will try to move on with the help of prospects who have been heralded for many years. Liriano's return from Tommy John surgery is essential, but Scott Baker, Boof Bonser and Glen Perkins are among the Twins prospects who have an opportunity to establish themselves. Can ex-Met Philip Humber win a spot?

4 WILL THE OFFENSE IMPROVE? The Twins scored only 718 runs last season. Since 1999, they have only had one season worse than that. They have added Delmon Young in left, Mike Lamb at third, Brendan Harris at second and Craig Monroe is a potential DH/outfield option. Is it enough? The Twins don't have a true leadoff hitter (Joe Mauer?) and the addition of Adam Everett, a brilliant glove man but poor offensive player, might be similar to having Nick Punto start last season.

5 WHAT'S JOE NATHAN'S FUTURE? The Twins are trying to sign closer Joe Nathan to a contract extension. Talks have bogged down recently after a good start, but Nathan and his agent, Dave Pepe, are willing to talk at any time. Signing Nathan, 33, could set up the bullpen for several seasons.

6 WHAT IS RON GARDENHIRE'S APPROACH? The Twins manager heads into spring training following his first losing season, one in which the offense sputtered, players complained about front office decisions and one in which the Torii Hunter free agent experience was a running sideshow. He will need to find the right touch with this team as they move on without the popular Hunter and Santana. Most importantly, can he remodel his starting rotation and steer Young toward stardom?

7 HOW GOOD CAN DELMON YOUNG BE? He's not proud of some poor decisions in his past, but there's no denying his talent. His plate discipline is a work in progress, but scouts say they believe he can develop into a 40-home run hitter. He runs well and has a strong arm that helped him amass 16 assists last season. Seriously, who will run on Young and Michael Cuddyer this season?

8 HOW WILL JOE MAUER REBOUND? The 2006 batting champion saw his average drop 54 points in 2007. He battled injuries, was called out by Hunter for how he dealt with them and faced suggestions that he should switch positions. He thought he needed hernia surgery after the season but the club announced he wouldn't need surgery. It was learned later that he, indeed, had some sort of surgery. What a year. And he hasn't turned 25 yet.

9 WITH THE REBUILT INFIELD PRODUCE? Lamb will be the 12th Twin to play third base since Corey Koskie left. Shortstop Adam Everett is brilliant with the glove but challenged offensively. Second baseman Brendan Harris should hold his own at the plate. In all, the Twins are giving up a little defense for better offense. Justin Morneau, who had four great months to end 2006 and four good months to start 2007, needs to be a force for six months.

10 CAN THE BULLPEN STALWARTS REBOUND? Jesse Crain missed most of last season because of shoulder surgery but feels great heading into camp. Juan Rincon lost his confidence while having the worst season of his career but was lights-out in winter ball. The bullpen will be as important as ever with such a young rotation to support.