Twins Team Preview: The Painful Rebuilding Effort Continues

2013 Minnesota Twins Preview

After a run of six division championships in nine years, the Twins suffered a second consecutive last-place finish with more than 95 losses in 2012 and have begun a major rebuilding effort. Coming off a 2010 division championship, the 2011 Twins team surprisingly struggled to 96 losses. But that decline was largely to due injuries. There was a case to be made that the Twins could rebound in 2012 if the lineup and starting rotation stayed healthy. The lineup stayed healthy and improved in 2012 and the Twins scored 701 runs from 619 in 2011. However, the starting rotation didn't stay healthy and there was a lack of pitching talent ready in the high minors to fill the void. The pitching staff gave up an ugly 831 runs - second worst in the A.L., and a decline from 801 runs allowed in 2011.

Minnesota's success the previous decade was largely driven by the development of home-grown talent - especially the ability to develop back-of-th

You've reached the end of our free article preview.
See below to find out how you can read the full version of this article.

---