Two Week Assumption of Twins Players

Here is a list of some position players and starters and how they have fared so far this year. A lot have room for improvement and only Perkins and maybe Kubel are playing out of their league.

• Denard Span: .300 1 HR 9 RBI 3 SB .397 OBP. He is the prototypical leadoff hitter. I was worried about him regressing, but he takes professional at-bats every single time. He should be exempt from the outfield rotation and leading off every game.
• Alexi Casilla: .196 0 HR 2 RBI 0 SB. He has struggled hitting from the right side, but he has fully come into his own playing second base. With his compact swing and speed, I am not worried about his offense yet. He will benefit a lot from having Mauer bat behind him.
• Justin Morneau: .321 2 HR 9 RBI. Same old, same old. Simply a professional hitter. He is currently on pace for .321-23-104. He is guarenteed to get at least that but should end up even better.
• Jason Kubel: .333 2 HR 12 RBI. Surprise give this guy at-bats and he produces. While his average is likely to drop, there is no reason if he gets plenty of at-bats in the 5 hole once Mauer gets back that he doesn't go .285-25-100.
• Michael Cuddyer: .235 1 HR 5 RBI. Gardenhire loves this guy symbolized by him only sitting one game so far. Why he is not platooned more I have no idea. He takes a lot of bad at-bats. It is too bad that both him and Delmon Young are right handed or else the rotation would be solved.
• Joe Crede: .175 1 HR 3 RBI. A disapointment so far. Very good defensively, but with Buscher and Harris hot so far, I wouldn't mind him sitting a few games. He should hit better once he settles into this team.
• Delmon Young: .212 1 HR 7 RBI. He is oft-maligned and took absolutely terrible at-bats swinging at every pitch. When he gets patient and takes pitches he has more success. He is better than Cuddyer if he does not force it at the plate.
• Carlos Gomez: .200 0 HR 1 RBI 2 SB. He definitely has been more patient at the plate and it is a shame it has not paid off yet. To show how important he is to the offense he has reached base 9 times with 7 hits and 2 walks and he has scored 5 times. He is also the best defensive centerfielder in the AL, he may struggle at times but he should be in the lineup close to every game.
• Brendan Harris: .407 1 HR 2 RBI. He has settled very well into his role as a bench player. He deserves to get spot starts for Casilla, Punto, and Crede. They need to use his bat while he is hitting so well, because it is not likely to last.
• Glen Perkins: 1-1 1.50 ERA 12 K. He is off to a great start and should be 3-0 but has gotten little offense behind him. He may not continue to be an ace but he looks to be a very solid starter and not the #5 starter that he came into the season as.
• Francisco Liriano: 0-3 5.09 ERA 11 K. He just can't seem to break through. In the Seattle start he was undone by a few bad pitches and someone golfing a shot out. In Chicago he was undone by a small strike zone and unraveling in one inning due to not getting calls. He seemed to be closer to reaching his potential by holding the hot Blue Jays to 1 run in 7 innings. He is still the best pitcher on this team.
• Nick Blackburn: 0-1 5.71 ERA 5 K. He is skirting the fine line between Derek Lowe and Carlos Silva. Batters are batting .310 against him. He can give the team innings but he worries me a lot because you can not continue to succeed being that hittable.
• Kevin Slowey: 2-0 5.89 ERA 12 K. Had an absolutely terrible start against the Blue Jays but fared much better against the Angels. He is the type of pitcher who needs to outsmart instead of overwhelm and he has yet to do so this year.
  

MLB Power Rankings - Week 2

1. Chicago Cubs
Previous Rank: 2
Record: 7-4
Took 2 out of 3 from main challengers in St. Louis and the lineup is producing without much help yet from Geovanny Soto, Milton Bradley and Derrek Lee.

2. Los Angeles Dodgers
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 10-3
Simply has the best lineup in the NL and maybe all of the majors. Billingsley and Kershaw have pitched like absolute aces so far.

3. Toronto Blue Jays
Previous Rank: 7
Record: 10-4
Lineup has been amazing so far but the team has yet to play the powers of the AL East and I am still unconvinced they are a legitimate threat to win the AL East.

4. Florida Marlins
Previous Rank: 8
Record: 11-1
Off to a torrid start and could very well win the NL East this year with that pitching staff, but they have already played 6 games against Washington.

5. New York Yankees
Previous Rank: 5
Record: 7-6
This team would be a lot better if they stopped throwing Chein-Ming Wang out there every 5th game. The Yankees are 7-3 in games that Wang does not pitch.

6. Boston Red Sox
Previous Rank: 4
Record: 7-6
They have a decision on what to do with David Ortiz as he is hitting .170 with 0 home runs. He is not the force he used to be.

7. Saint Louis Cardinals
Previous Rank: 14
Record: 8-5
The team is off to a great start due to Albert Pujols (whose Sportscenter commercial I love) in full effect. The question is whether they can survive without Chris Carpenter. They won't win the NL Central but they are a threat to win the Wild Card.

8. Tampa Bay Rays
Previous Rank: 1
Record: 5-8
This team is struggling to get production out of Upton, Crawford and Burrell so far, but the team does not need to panic yet. The bullpen on the other hand is a big issue.

9. Chicago White Sox
Previous Rank: 15
Record: 7-5
Carlos Quentin is mashing just as like last year as he leads the majors with 7 home runs. Just think how many he will hit when it warms up in Chicago. He could hit 50 this year.

10. New York Mets
Previous Rank: 6
Record: 6-6
They are struggling to find pitching after Johan, but Pelfrey and Maine are better than their 8 and 7 ERA's show. They should still contend in the NL East.

11. Detroit Tigers
Previous Rank: 13
Record: 7-5
This team is playing well and might actually be getting Joel Zumaya back. Miguel Cabrera is an absolute masher.

12. Atlanta Braves
Previous Rank: 9
Record: 6-6
Fell back to earth by getting swept by the Marlins but they still have enough pitching and hitting to compete with the Marlins and the rest of the NL East.

13. Minnesota Twins
Previous Rank: 10
Record: 7-7
The bullpen is a big concern especially with Jesse Crain headed for the DL, but the rotation is starting to look better and if Glen Perkins keeps pitching 8 innings it might not be such a huge problem.

14. Philadelphia Phillies
Previous Rank: 12
Record: 5-6
The lineup is producing as Raul Ibanez has made the transition to Philly very nicely, but if Cole Hamels can not turn it around they have no chance of winning the NL East.

15. Los Angeles Angels
Previous Rank: 3
Record: 4-8
I don't know what this organization did but they seem to be cursed. John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Kelvim Escobar, Dustin Moseley, and Vladimir Guerrero are all on the DL and they have to still deal with the tragedy of Nick Adnehart. If they can get healthy they should still win the AL West.

16. Cincinnati Reds
Previous Rank: 21
Record: 6-5
Is over .500 despite slow starts by Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips, Jonny Cueto, and Edinson Volquez. That could be attributed to playing Pittsburgh, Houston and Milwaukee.

17. Kansas City Royals
Previous Rank: 23
Record: 7-5
Zach Grienke is out of the gates fast with a 34 inning scoreless streak dating back to last year, but they will be without Alex Gordon for two months. I just don't see enough offense to win or compete in the AL Central.

18. Seattle Mariners
Previous Rank: 22
Record: 8-5
The team will hold 1st place in the AL West due to Bedard and Felix until the Angels decide to get healthy and take it back.

19. San Diego Padres
Previous Rank: 27
Record: 9-4
They have not cooled down yet beating the Mets and Phillies, but I still refuse to believe in this team. The only thing is this start will lead to them keeping Peavy and Chris Young until the All-Star break instead of the end of May.

20. Oakland A's
Previous Rank: 19
Record: 5-7
Taking 2 out of 3 from Boston was good and despite of going 1-2 against Toronto holding them to only 10 runs in 3 games is something to hang your hat on. The problem is Holliday and Giambi have yet to hit a home run. The team only has 3 home runs total.

21. Texas Rangers
Previous Rank: 18
Record: 5-7
This team is fun to watch unless you want them to win or you like pitching. 80 runs in 12 games is astonishing. The real astonishing thing is they are doing that while Josh Hamilton and Chris Davis are slumping.

22. Arizona Diamondbacks
Previous Rank: 16
Record: 4-8
The team is really missing Brandon Webb who should be back in the next two weeks, but the question is whether the team can improve on its .215 batting average. The offense will likely keep them from competing with the Dodgers this year.

23. Milwaukee Brewers
Previous Rank: 17
Record: 4-8
A poor start by Yovanni Gallardo has really hurt this team as the pitching staff lacks depth. But a schedule of Mets, Cubs and Reds have also contributed to a slow start.

24. Cleveland Indians
Previous Rank: 20
Record: 4-9
Improved slightly this week taking advantage of the Chein-Ming Wang and a good start by Cliff Lee but the pitching is just not good enough.

25. Baltimore Orioles
Previous Rank: 24
Record: 6-7
The were given a large dose of reality by being swept by the Red Sox. It may be a long season but Adam Jones so far looks like an absolute stud and #1 prospect Matt Wieters should be called up within the month.

26. Pittsburgh Pirates
Previous Rank: 29
Record: 6-6
Great starts by Paul Moholm or Zach Duke and enough pieces in the lineup should make this team not the worst in the MLB.

27. San Francisco Giants
Previous Rank: 26
Record: 4-8
Finally got a good start by Lincecum and Randy Johnson took a no-hitter to the 7th inning. They just don't have the offense to compete but could work it's way up to a .500 team.

28. Colorado Rockies
Previous Rank: 25
Record: 4-7
Terrible bullpen and pitching has been a problem but this team has had to play the Dodgers, Cubs, and the Phillies so far. That would raise any pitching staff's ERA.

29. Houston Astros
Previous Rank: 28
Record: 4-8
Being swept by the Cardinals and the Reds solidifies their status as a second-class citizen in the NL Central. They for some reason used this to give manager Cecil Cooper an extension.

30. Washington Nationals
Previous Rank: 30
Record: 1-10
This franchise is an absolute disgrace as they blew 9th inning leads in all 3 games to the Marlins and even the jersey makers don't care about this team.

Stud of the Week: Ian Kinsler, TEX
Stats: .555 2 HR 6 RBI 6 SB
Honorable Mention: Zach Grienke, Matt Kemp, Carlos Pena, Carlos Quentin, Chad Billingsley, Glen Perkins

Dud of the Week: Chien-Ming Wang, NYY
Stats: 2 Starts 2.1 IP 16 ER 14 Hits 2 K
Dishonorable Mention: Saul Rivera, Zach Miner, Ubaldo Jimenez, Ryan Spilboroghs, Jordan Schafer, Randy Winn