Twins CEO Jim Pohlad raised an interesting point Monday, when he suggested this team has yet to reach its peak.
"The core group of players are still very young, and we've got a lot of good years [coming]," he said. "So I think the future is very strong, and we will advance past the first round of the playoffs, into the World Series, into the White House."
Pohlad (photo right by Jerry Holt) was speaking to reporters in a conference room at Target Field, and on his way in, he'd seen a picture of his late father, Carl, meeting with President George H.W. Bush at the White House. Scott Erickson was among those in the background. It was right after the Twins won the 1991 World Series.
"I remember those days," Jim Pohlad said. "That was great."
So, are these Twins still that young? I know what Pohlad means. Joe Mauer won't turn 27 until April 19. Jason Kubel turns 28 on May 25. Justin Morneau turns 29 on May 15.
According to Baseball-Reference.com, the Twins had the third-youngest "Batting Age" in the American League last season, at 27.6 years. The site calculates each team's Batting Age, based on how old each player is and how many of the team's at-bats he gets. Each player's listed age for the season is his age as of July 1 of that year, I believe.
But as with most teams with a solid core, the Twins aren't getting any younger. Here are the ages that will be listed on the Twins' team page on Baseball-Reference.com this season:
LINEUP
C -- Joe Mauer 27
1B -- Justin Morneau 29
2B -- Orlando Hudson 32
SS -- J.J. Hardy 27
3B -- Brendan Harris 29
LF -- Delmon Young 24
CF -- Denard Span 26
RF -- Michael Cuddyer 31
DH -- Jason Kubel 28
