It's a new era, all right. Given carte blanche to raze the roster, new Twins bosses Derek Falvey and Thad Levine open the 2017 season with a radically reconfigured club that includes … let's see … just five players who didn't play for the Twins last year. Truthfully, Falvey and Levine are probably the most intriguing Twins employees of 2017, as they evaluate their assets and execute their blueprint for a team that has certainly avoided the weight of expectations following a disastrous, 103-loss crash landing. Here's the team ...
Position players
Joe Mauer, 1B .261, 11 hr, 49 rbi
Paul Molitor hinted that he agrees the time has come to move the three-time batting champ down in the order — all the way to cleanup hitter. Regardless of whether that happens, his still-sharp ability to get on base is valued on a low-OBP team, though he will probably get more days off against lefthanders.
Brian Dozier, 2B .268, 42 hr, 99 rbi
Yes, you Twitter doubters, he hears you. He knows you think his 42 home runs were a fluke, that he's an offensive bubble headed for a burst. Dozier has repeated several times that he intends to prove people wrong, but if he's successful at it he becomes more likely to be marketed at the deadline.
Jorge Polanco, SS .282, 4 hr, 27 rbi
The second-baseman-in-waiting continues to wait for that opportunity, so the Twins have chosen to occupy the 23-year-old by moving him over to shortstop in the interim. Doubts about his range were dispelled in camp, where he looked more than adequate at his new position, and he showed surprising power.