Posted on 3/14/2008 1:20:24 AM

2008 MLB Betting Previews - Minnesota Twins

By Dave Golokhov

The youth movement is on – again – in Minnesota as the Twins continue their Moneyball plan. Perennial Cy Young candidate Johan Santana was shipped off to the New York Mets leaving a rotation chalk full of youngsters.

Of the starting five, none of them spent last year as full-time starters for the Twins. Outside of Livan Hernandez, the Twins are stocked with rookies and sophomores who are expected to carry the load.

The Twins are banking on Francisco Liriano to return healthy from an elbow injury (Tommy John) that cost him all of 2007. They are also hoping Boof Bonser, Scott Baker and Kevin Slowey can pitch effectively and consistently, which can’t be expected from unproven players.

This is a rebuilding project in which some quality prospects will emerge but at this point it is difficult to gage who is reliable and who isn’t.

Relief Pitching:

The bullpen is the Twins strong suit but considering Joe Nathan is in the final season of his contract and the Twins rarely pay their stars what they are worth, you can expect Nathan to be dealt at the trade deadline.

There are plenty of other quality arms in the bank with Pat Neshek, Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon and Matt Guerrier, so losing Nathan will be taken in stride.

Losing Nathan would emphatically state that the Twins are not planning on competing this season.

Hitting:

Just like in the other areas of this team, the batting lineup is also under construction.

Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau are the known products but there are no other guarantees outside of that.

The Twins are banking on Carlos Gomez not only to fill some of the void that Torrii Hunter left behind, but to fill the role as a leadoff man but he is highly unproven.

Minnesota is also hoping that Delmon Young grows into a star and Jason Kubel grows up.

At the bottom of the lineup are Adam Everett and Mike Lamb. Not exactly anyone to get excited about.

Regular Season Win Total: 74

There are going to be a ton of growing pains across the board and manager Ron Gardenhire should have the biggest headache.

He has to determine which youngsters can play at the major league level and which guys need more seasoning. Then he needs to figure out where to slot everyone in the lineup.

Moral has to be pretty low for the Twins, even though they have a lot of fresh meat who is aching for playing time. But realistically, they probably don’t feel great about seeing the franchise players like Torrii Hunter and Johan Santana – two guys that have grown through the organization and earned their stripes with the Twins – get the middle finger from management when they were due to make more money.

The Twins are essentially a farm team who cultivates talent and once they get good, they don’t pay them what their worth.

That being said, Gardenhire keep the cohesion and chemistry better than most managers would but there isn’t enough proven talent for the Twins to be competitive this year.

Baseball Free Picks: Under 74

Go to the BetUS sportsbook today and take a swing at Major League Baseball online betting. We have the most current baseball odds and lines, as well as player, game and series props throughout the MLB baseball season. To help you bet on sports, check out the Free Picks section of the Locker Room for sports betting free picks and predictions. Join BetUS to experience the best in online sports betting action!