Puckett's Pond » 2012 season http://puckettspond.com A Minnesota Twins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and More Mon, 20 May 2013 12:52:48 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 12 Twins Predictions for 2012 http://puckettspond.com/2011/12/31/12-twins-predictions-for-2012/ http://puckettspond.com/2011/12/31/12-twins-predictions-for-2012/#comments Sat, 31 Dec 2011 14:08:05 +0000 http://puckettspond.com/?p=6906 Happy New Year!

Are you wondering what’s going to happen to the Twins in 2012? Wonder no more, because I have 12 bold predictions about the year ahead. All 12 are guaranteed to be 100% accurate… unless they turn out to be wrong.

How credible are my predictions? Well, last year I predicted that two AL Central pitchers would throw no-hitters. A big thank you to Francisco Liriano and Justin Verlander for proving me right. I also predicted that the Tigers would make it to the ALCS, and I was right about that, too. Of course, I also predicted they’d be facing the Twins, but hey, nobody’s perfect.

Without further ado, here’s what you can look forward to in 2012:

1. Brian Dozier will be an everyday player in the Majors by the end of the year.

No disrespect to Alexi Casilla and Jamey Carroll, but neither is a long term solution in the Minnesota infield. Brian Dozier was the Twins’ 2011 Minor League Player of the Year, hitting .322 at Ft. Myers and .318 at New Britain and stealing a combined 24 bases. His plate discipline is pretty good, too: 140 career minor league walks against 150 strikeouts. Look for him to start the season at Rochester and earn a call-up sometime in the summer.

2. Liriano will have the best season of his career.

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]]> http://puckettspond.com/2011/12/31/12-twins-predictions-for-2012/feed/ 0 Five Twins Prospects Who Need to Take the Next Step in 2012 http://puckettspond.com/2011/12/29/five-twins-prospects-who-need-to-improve-in-2012/ http://puckettspond.com/2011/12/29/five-twins-prospects-who-need-to-improve-in-2012/#comments Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:08:01 +0000 http://puckettspond.com/?p=6907 Sometimes the most exciting players to watch are minor league prospects. When you watch your team’s Big Leaguers, you usually know what to expect. But minor leaguers are blank slates. They could become superstars, or they could become nobodies. It’s a very thin line.

The Twins have quite a few players in their system who are straddling that line. For the five very talented minor leaguers listed below, 2012 is a make-or-break year. If they make some progress, they could shoot up the prospect rankings. If they regress, they might never make it to the Majors.

I’m hoping for the first option.

Aaron Hicks

Hicks was the team’s top pick in 2008, and at #14 overall, he was the highest draft pick the Twins have had since Joe Mauer in 2001. The Twins have been gushing about his tools and potential ever since, but Hicks hasn’t produced a whole lot in the minors.  Hicks can draw walks and get on base, but he’s yet to exceed eight homers in a minor league season. In 2011 at Ft. Myers, Hicks went .242/.354/.368 with five home runs and 110 strikeouts in 443 at bats. His performance in the Arizona Fall League might be cause for optimism. In 30 games, Hicks hit .294/.400/.559. He only had three homers, but his five triples were a nice accomplishment. (more…)

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