Minnesota Twins seek a change of fortune in 2013 - MLB Update
Much of the off-season talks regarding the Minnesota Twins were about pitchers. At one point in time, the only pitcher they had listed for the 2013 opening rotation was Scott Diamond. That, however, has changed quite quickly.
The team has signed Kevin Correia as they have acquired Vance Worley and reliever Trevor May for Ben Revere from the Philadelphia Phillies and also have added Alex Meyer for Denard Span from the Washington Nationals.
With some strong pitching arms added, the Twins are expected to arrest the slide they have experienced in the last two years in the Major League. A solid starting rotation will certainly settle some nerves in the Twins’ dugout.
However, the final shape of the pitching unit will only be known probably sometime after Spring Training. There is a likelihood that the team may still look for some pitchers via trade route and they certainly have the chips to pull off a high profile deal.
The team also made changes in the coaching staff after the 2012 season. Those who came on board include Tom Brunansky as the hitting coach for the Minnesota ball club, Terry Steinbach who took charge of the bench duties and Bobby Cuellar will be looking
after the bullpen.
The trio was associated with Minor League teams before they were called to the big leagues as coaches. All three have had favourable reviews from the players they have coached in the Minors as their impact in the Majors will be crucial for the Twins’ success.
There are some questions as to who will be taking the centre-field since the Minnesota ball club has shipped Ben Revere to Philadelphia and Denard Span to Washington in trade for pitchers. This is an area the Twins will have to give a serious thought. Darin
Mastroianni may hold the spot at the start of the season. Some other guys will certainly get a chance on the position in Spring Training certainly so there is no certainty about this spot either.
Many baseball quarters are suggesting this season could be the end of the road for Twins’ manager Ron Gardenhire. The manager has been long associated with the Minnesota ball club but recently he has told the Twins’ general manager Terry Ryan that he does
not deserve a contract extension, which expired in 2012.
Ron won the American League Manager of the Year in 2010 and has won six Division titles with the team. However, the last two seasons have been rough and the Twins’ performance has been going down. If the 2013 season is as bad as the previous two, he will
most likely be parting ways with the team after 12 seasons of association.
Minnesota Twins are a strong team that has the ability to bounce back in the next season. One hopes that they can perform well in the 2013 season and live up to the fans expectations.
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