i think the battle of who to be the twins 5th starter is going to be a doozy. I would have to say that i think going into spring training scott baker,livian hernandez,francisco liriano(if his health allows)and boof bonser are the favorites for the first 4 but the 5th spot should be a battle and each of them have their good and bad spots.
1. Kevin Slowey-i think he goes in the favorite after going 4-1 after his late season recall and he put up good stats in rochester. hes the future for the twins but he will have to show it on the mound.
2. Glen Perkins- He really showed alot last year before shoulder problems derailed his season. alot depends on how he gets back from that and if he is able to get the velocity back that he lost from the shoulder.
3. Philip Humber-He has showed flashes of why he was drafted 4th overall in the 2004 draft but since having tommy john surgury hasnt been able to get the velocity back that will be interesting to see if he can get the velocity back.
4. Nick Blackburn- He has all the talent in the world and he had a phenomenal season last year in Rochester. however when he got called up he struggled with the twins so he needs to show that hes ready to make the stepup.
There are many others that i think could make the jump but i think those are the main 4 canidates. i welcome feedback on this and if you have any questions just email me at travis_aune@yahoo.com.
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Not bad Travis. Pretty good stuff. I'll have to bookmark your site.
The Twins starting 5 is going to be one of the most interesting stories in baseball this spring, IMO. This team has a plethora of MLB-ready talent ready to compete for 5 open spots. Yes, Baker & Bonser are almost shoe-ins for 2 of the 5 spots and Livan, based on the money, should be the front runner for a 3rd spot. I'm not so sure Liriano is going to be handed a spot unless he dominates this spring like he did in '06. Tommy John pitchers often need a year of adjustment to get back to form and the Twins might let him spend 2008 in Rochester to regain that form. The Twins want Perkins to start and I think that makes him a front-runner to earn the 4 or 5 spot. Plus with Slowey, Humber, Mulvey, Blackburn, etc. being MLB-ready... I, for one, would not be opposed to going into the year with a young rotation, 1-5. I really don't see Livan regaining his form from 3-4 years ago and think he could be relegated to bullpen duty if enough young guys step up this spring. If I had to pick a 5 now, I would say we'll see Baker, Bonser, Slowey, Humber, & Hernandez as the starting 5 going into the season, but I expect to see Livan struggle and lose his job to Mulvey, Liriano, Perkins, or Blackburn. It's anyone's guess who will leave FL with the team, but that's my guess.
Well, I didn't sign up for Google until after I posted, but the above "anonymous" post is from me.
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