Tsuyoshi Nishioka

Nishioka will take over as the starting second baseman or shortstop for the Twins after coming over from Japan. Minnesota won his rights via the posting system with NPB for a reported $5.3 million bid. He's a speedy contact hitter who is coming off a great year in Japan where he hit .346/.423/.482 with 206 hits (second most in a season in the Pacific League, after Ichiro's 210 in 1994), and finished third in the Pacific League MVP voting. However, he does come over with some risks. Last season was also the first year of his career that Nishioka was consistently healthy. Last season may have also been his peak as he was just a .293/.364/.423 career hitter in Japan. And while he has speed, he hasn't had a great success rate stealing bases (just 66 percent) and after swiping 41 bases in 2005, he hasn't had more than 30 the past five years. Although Nishioka's power has been on the rise over the last three seasons, most Japanese batters that come over slug less in MLB than they do in NPB. Still, Assuming he stays healthy, it's reasonable to expect Nishioka to provide some offense from a middle-infield position. Don't expect much in the way of power, but he'll contribute a solid batting average and score runs as he's likely to hit No. 2 in the order ahead of Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau. Although he played shortstop in Japan, most scouts think he's a better fit for second base in MLB. The Twins will decide this spring if he's best at second base or shortstop, but he'll have a starting job either way.