It’s a familiar story for the Twins. The franchise has suffered some lengthy power droughts before. From 1988 through 2005, while the rest of MLB was enjoying a steroid-fueled home run rampage, no Twin managed to hit 30 or more home runs in a season. By contrast, the division rival Indians had 23, 30 homer seasons, and the 2000 Blue Jays alone had four hitters accomplish the feat (Carlos Delgado, Tony Batista, Brad Fulmer, and Jose Cruz). The Twins’ drought ended when Justin Morneau and Torii Hunter topped 30 in 2006, but there still hasn’t been a 35 home run season in Minnesota since 1970. That was the Milwaukee Brewers’ first year of existence, and the Brew Crew has produced  a dozen 35 home run campaigns.

And the Minnesota homer total may drop even further in the near future. Michael Cuddyer led the team with 20 longballs, but he is a free agent this offseason. Jason Kubel, who hit a career high of 28 in 2009, chipped in 12 this year. He’s likely to depart as well. Jim Thome and Delmon Young are already gone. All together, the departures subtract 45 roundtrippers, or 43% of the already pitiful team total. The only proven power threat who remains on the team’s roster is Justin Morneau, and given Morneau’s health situation, the Twins would be foolish to assume that he’ll carry the team with his bat in 2012. (more…)

This is part nine in a series examining every Twins team that has made the playoffs. Whether the current version of the Twins is 20 games over .500 or stuck in last place, fans can always hold onto memories of successful teams past.

Previous articles in the series: 1965, 1969, 1970, 1987, 1991, 2002, 2003, 2004

The Twins had a disapointing season in 2005. Not only did they slump to 83-79 and lose the division crown for the first time since 2001, they watched the rival Chicago White Sox march through the playoffs and sweep the World Series. Two promising young hitters suffered prominent injuries, as Justin Morneau sustained a concussion early in the season and super-prospect Jason Kubel missed what would have been his rookie year with a severe knee injury. The Twins pitched well, but their hitters did not hold up their end of the bargain. As losses piled up, chaos descended on the clubhouse, culminating in a fistfight between Morneau and centerfielder Torii Hunter.

But 2006 was a new year. During the offseason, the Twins added some veteran hitters: sluggers Ruben Sierra, Tony Batista, and Rondell White, and top-of-the-order threat Luis Castillo. The Twins were healthy and talented, and they looked ready to destroy the competition in the AL Central.

So it was a complete surprise to many people when the Twins were well under .500 and 11.5 games out of first place by the end of May. But that wasn’t as surprising as what happened afterward: one of the greatest comebacks in Major League history. (more…)