Team preview: Minnesota Twins

Projected lineup

1. CF: Denard Span
2. 2B: Tsuyoshi Nishioka
3. C: Joe Mauer
4. 1B: Justin Morneau
5. LF: Delmon Young
6. RF: Michael Cuddyer
7. DH: Jason Kubel
8. 3B: Danny Valencia
9. SS: Alexi Casilla

Projected rotation

1. SP: Francisco Liriano
2. SP: Carl Pavano
3. SP: Brian Duensing
4. SP: Nick Blackburn
5. SP: Scott Baker/Kevin Slowey
CL: Joe Nathan

Five tips

• Nishioka won a Japanese League batting title last season, and reportedly has the speed to steal 30 bases. Don’t expect any power, though.

• Mauer hit 28 home runs in 2009, and nine last season. His new home park doesn’t help him, but look for a total between 12 and 15 this year. Even without much power, Mauer is still fantasy’s top backstop until either Buster Posey or Carlos Santana knocks him off the throne.

• Morneau is ready to go in spring training after missing the second half of last season with concussion-related symptoms. A healthy Morneau is ninth in our first-base rankings, with Target Field providing more worry than his 2010 injury. He hit four homers at home and 14 on the road last season, and the park appears to hurt left-handed power.

• Stat geeks (like me) don’t like Young because he swings at everything and gets himself out a lot. Some guys are just freaks – see Vladimir Guerrero’s career stats for an example. Young is only age 25, so he can get better. He also has a .292 career batting average, and hit 68 extra-base hits last season. It’s time to like Young for what he is – a solid young hitter – instead of hating him for what he isn’t.

• Liriano’s 3.62 ERA in 2010 was driven upward by bad luck, and will get a lot better. He whiffed more than a batter per inning, showed improved control, and induced a ton of ground balls. He’s a top-10 starter, no matter what anyone else tells you. Believe.

Plus:

• Odd man out: Jim Thome got most of his playing time after Morneau was injured last season. When he played, he showed he could still mash. The Twins are really going to keep Thome on the bench so Cuddyer and Kubel can play every day? I’d worry about those guys if I owned them.

• Top prospects: Righty Kyle Gibson could be in line for a rotation slot if one or two of the Twins’ starters is hurt.

• Backup closer: Nathan appears ready to close, and Matt Capps is Plan B. The roles could flip if Nathan struggles, and the Twins have already said that he won’t pitch three days in a row. Nathan is going late enough in drafts to have some value.