In case fans in Minnesota are confused by that chilly, breezy feeling they may feel when taking in a ballgame in 2010, a quick reminder: that's just the elements. No need to be concerned. Unless, of course, it snows. In that case, finding a baseball may be harder than catching a pop fly lost in the Metrodome roof.
But all things considered, this season looked like it was shaping up well for the AL Central's most consistent team. At least, until this happened.
Let the doom and gloom begin. Writers and fans are already jumping off the wagon, believing that Nathan's bad elbow has positively wrecked Minnesota's season before it even began. But to do so would be unwise. After all, they guy pitches one or (at most) two innings every other day or so. Minnesota is not at a loss for possible replacements for Nathan. Former Nationals closer and Diamondbacks reliever Jon Rauch appears to be the frontrunner if the Twins' All-Star hurler needs surgery.
Should Minnesota decide to look internally for a replacement, there are several arms who could potentially be asked to step up and fill in.
Jon Rauch has the most big league closing experience on the team. The right-hander has 26 career saves in 44 attempts. Most of those came in 2008, when he went 17-for-22 in save opportunites with a 2.98 ERA for the Nationals before being dealt to the D-backs. He went 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA for the Twins over 17 games after coming via trade last August. Rauch isn't ready to consider stepping into that role just yet.
"He's our closer," Rauch said of Nathan. "As of right now, he's still our closer. We expect him to hopefully make a speedy recovery and be back in the bullpen for the start of the season."
The Twins are not ready to panic, because they have a core in place that could challenge even the Yankees and Red Sox for a pennant. So what about the guys that help out in the other eight innings? Well, they look pretty darn good.
More after the jump.
Lest we forget, the Twins have two former Most Valuable Players at their disposal. First baseman Justin Morneau is bouncing back from an injury, but will be a focal point of Ron Gardenhire's offense. And then there is, of course, Minnesota's Golden Boy Joe Mauer, the heart throb of Target Field. (And subject of some great Playstation commercials.)
In addition to those two, the Twins now have a pretty good up-the-middle combination in J.J. Hardy (a former Brewer from just across the border) and Orlando Hudson, who signed with Minnesota as a free agent. Hudson and Hardy give the team a pair of younger options than the departed Orlando Cabrera. Hudson is also great with the leather, having garnered a Gold Glove award in 2009 despite being dropped from the Dodgers' lineup for much of September and the postseason. The Twins are getting a great character guy in Hudson (as if this team could be any more likable), as well as a still-productive bat and another veteran. Hudson and Hardy--aside from sounding like a 70's cop duo TV show--are the kind of role palyers that make a good team great.
Another bit of upside for the team is that they didn't lose much in the offseason. The speedy Carlos Gomez was traded away to get Hardy. Boof Bonser--he of great name but not-so-great stuff--is also gone, but the pitching staff looks to be in decent shape. Outside of Carl Pavano (who most people know for all the wrong reasons), there aren't many recognizable names on this staff. But arms like Scott Baker, Brian Duensing, and Kevin Slowey were good enough to rally the Twins to a division title. Slowey's 10-3 performance was especially surprising.
Despite Nathan's untimely injury, this is a team that has reason to be optimistic. It's playing in one of the weaker divisions in baseball, and will probably only face a concentrated challenge from the Tigers. The Royals and Indians are a long way from contending, and the White Sox are always a question mark. Target Field is brand new and sparkling, and will promote interest and national recognition for a franchise that tends to do things the right way. And it's got a whole year of Joe Mauer to look forward to.
How could anyone not love that?
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