Minnesota Twins Player Preview: Trevor Plouffe

2016 Outlook

While Plouffe won’t be the entire focus this season, one thing to look out for will be the Sano outfield experiment, how the Twins’ season turns out and how this effects Plouffe. If one of the two previous scenarios begin to fail, the Twins may look to move Plouffe who was the topic of trade rumors this offseason.

Wisely, Ryan felt bringing his production back to this year’s squad was more important than any trade proposition.

Plouffe’s bat will be possibly one of the biggest keys to the Twins’ success. With a lineup loaded with talent and plenty of pop, there shouldn’t be as much pressure on Plouffe to come through with an RBI as he’ll be protected by a slew of big bats.

The ideal lineup – according to me – would have Plouffe batting cleanup while Sano hits third with Mauer hitting second and Dozier leading off. This should provide a nice opportunity for some strong offensive protection by the Twins top four to five batters.

Next: Carlos Quentin Making a Push

We shouldn’t expect Plouffe to hit 30+ homers but a season with 20-25 home runs with 80+ RBIs should be a strong compliment to Sano’s, admittedly high, expected output. However, the biggest question will remain whether Plouffe will be viewed as a long term piece for the Twins. We should get a lot of answers after seeing a full season of Sano in the outfield.