Twins' projected 2016 lineup

April 2, 2016 at 10:10PM
Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Ervin Santana throws between innings of a spring training baseball game against the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., Thursday, March 10, 2016. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
Ervin Santana will make his first Opening Day start on Monday against the Orioles in Baltimore. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Twins will begin the season with three games at Baltimore and three at Kansas City. The home opener won't come until April 11 against the White Sox, but it will be the start of an eight-game homestand. So get out your scorecards (if you're old-school). With a few exceptions, the names should look familiar.

Projected batting order

1. Brian Dozier, 2B (2015) .236, 28 HR, 77 RBI

Hit only .210 with a .280 OBP after the All-Star break; team is hoping a hip injury was to blame. Surprising power for a middle infielder.

2. Joe Mauer, 1B (2015).265, 10 HR, 66 RBI

Three-time AL batting champion hoping to bounce back closer to his .313 career average. He also struck out a career-high 112 times, but did bat .352 with runners in scoring position.

3. Miguel Sano, RF (2015) .269, 18 HR, 52 RBI

Great power potential, but he will play in the outfield for the first time. His strikeout totals are a bit scary: 119 whiffs in 279 at-bats in 80 games as a rookie last season.

4. Trevor Plouffe, 3B (2015) .244, 22 HR, 86 RBI

He has led the team in RBI each of the past two seasons, prompting the club to move Sano, a natural third baseman, to right field to get both in lineup. Another high-strikeout batter (124).

5. Eddie Rosario, LF (2015) .267, 13 HR, 50 RBI

Has to be more selective after walking just 15 times in 453 at-bats as a rookie and posting a .289 OBP. Good power-speed combination, with 15 triples and 11 stolen bases.

6. Byung Ho Park, DH (*2015) .343, 53 HR, 146 RBI

No one is certain how Park will adjust to major league pitching, but it's likely he will show power and strike out a fair amount; he totaled 105 homers and 303 strikeouts in his final two Korean seasons.

* Korean League

7. Eduardo Escobar, SS (2015) .262, 12 HR, 58 RBI

Will be Opening Day shortstop for the first time with the Twins after the club went with Pedro Florimon and Danny Santana the past two seasons. Good power for a middle infielder.

8. Kurt Suzuki, C (2015) .240, 5 HR, 50 RBI

Twins are hoping that sharing catching duties with John Ryan Murphy will help Suzuki approach his 2014 offensive numbers — .288 with 61 RBI. His OBP decreased from .345 to .296 last season.

9. Byron Buxton, CF (2015) .209, 2 HR, 6 RBI

The No. 2 prospect in all of baseball can run, field and throw. But can he hit major league pitching? He walked only six times while striking out 44, with a .250 OBP, in his first stint with the Twins.

Projected Rotation

RHP Ervin Santana (2015) 7-5, 4.00 ERA

Claimed the Opening Day starter honor with a strong spring. Missed the first 80 games last year for violating MLB drug policy and finished strong, going 4-0 with a 1.75 ERA in five September starts.

RHP Phil Hughes (2015) 11-9, 4.40 ERA

Last season's Opening Day starter didn't earn his first victory until May 4. He landed on the disabled list in mid-August because of lower back inflammation, capping a disappointing season.

RHP Kyle Gibson (2015) 11-11, 3.84 ERA

The righthander led the Twins in innings pitched (194⅔), starts (32), strikeouts (145) and quality starts (17), and he tied Hughes for most victories. Can he make another step this season?

LHP Tommy Milone (2015) 9-5, 3.92 ERA

Doesn't have electric stuff but has solid control and keeps his pitches low. Milone always seems to be in a position of having to prove himself, but his major league record is 41-28 with a 3.97 ERA.

RHP Ricky Nolasco (2015) 5-2, 6.75 ERA

The veteran has been a major disappointment since signing a four-year, $49 million deal before 2014. He had ankle surgery midway through last season.

PROJECTED Bullpen

Kevin Jepsen, setup (2015) 3-6, 2.33 ERA, 15 SAVES

A trade-deadline acquisition from Tampa Bay, Jepsen bailed the Twins out when closer Glen Perkins encountered health problems in the second half last season; he earned 10 saves with the Twins, all from Aug. 21 on.

Glen Perkins, closer (below) (2015) 3-5, 3.32 ERA, 32 saves

The lefty had a 1.21 ERA with 28 saves at the All-Star break, then had a 7.32 ERA and four saves in the second half. He encountered neck and back problems, losing his closer's job as well.


Minnesota Twins' Byung Ho Park, of South Korea, follows the flight of his home run off Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher Gavin Floyd during the second inning of a spring training baseball game Tuesday, March 8, 2016, in Dunedin, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara) ORG XMIT: FLCO114
Newcomer Byung Ho Park was tied for second on the Twins with 13 RBI in Grapefruit League play. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Brian Dozier of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Joe Mauer of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Miguel Sano of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Trevor Plouffe of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Trevor Plouffe of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Eddie Rosario of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Eddie Rosario of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2015 photo of Kurt Suzuki of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the Twins active roster as of Tuesday March 3, 2015, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) ORG XMIT: FLTG273
This is a 2015 photo of Kurt Suzuki of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the Twins active roster as of Tuesday March 3, 2015, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez) ORG XMIT: FLTG273 (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Eduardo Escobar of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Eduardo Escobar of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Phil Hughes of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Phil Hughes of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Kyle Gibson of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Kyle Gibson of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Tommy Milone of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Tommy Milone of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Ricky Nolasco of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Ricky Nolasco of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Kevin Jepsen of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK
This is a 2016 photo of pitcher Kevin Jepsen of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the 2016 active roster as of March 1, 2016, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky) ORG XMIT: OTK (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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