Pat Neskek has turned into an excellent eighth inning option in a bullpen that has been the Twins' one true strength.

Following six straight years of above-0.500 ball for the Twins, they slipped back to 79 – 83 in 2007. And with the exodus of Torii Hunter to free agency, the impending loss of Johan Santana coupled with the lack of offensive talent in the upper Minors, the glass might be half empty for Minnesota in the near future. The good news is that the construction of the new stadium is on track and scheduled to be ready for the start of the 2010 season.

What Went Right

Torii Hunter had a very solid year, posting career highs in at-bats, doubles, runs and RBI. Unfortunately, there are $90 million reasons why Minnesota will not have the benefit of his services for 2008.

While Johan Santana had his highest ERA since 2001, he was still an ace posting a 3.33 ERA with 235 Ks. He also started at least 33 games for the fourth straight year. However, he is a reasonable bet to get traded during the coming months which will surely worsen their solid staff ERA of a year ago. In addition, Carlos Silva rebounded from a subpar 2006 season to post a better than league average ERA and ate more than 200 innings pitched.

The bullpen was, once again, quite solid for the Twins. Unheralded Matt Guerrier moved up the bullpen pecking order during the season and posted a 2.35 ERA in 88 innings – all in relief. Pat Neshek is now a solid eighth inning pitcher, allowing only 44 hits in over 70 innings. Closer Joe Nathan, though not as dominating as last season, was stellar in saving 37 games with an ERA under 2.00.

The Twins have an interesting cadre of fairly young arms, led by Matt Garza. The aforementioned Garza, who was the team’s first round pick in 2005, posted a 3.69 ERA in 83 innings pitched during the second half of the season and is the player they are counting on to move to the next level. Scott Baker dramatically improved his home run rate allowed from 2006 and became a league average pitcher in 2007. Baker, who will be 26 next season, could move forward again in 2008. Kevin Slowey pitched very well in the minors and finished up solidly with the Twins, compiling an ERA of 3.3 in nearly 30 September innings. He will only be 23 when the season starts in April, so there are things to be optimistic about with Slowey.

Finally, Jason Kubel played quite well down the stretch and he is a good bet to be the starter in left field for Minnesota. Kubel’s highest SLG percentage of the season, 0.450, was earned during his last at-bat of the year.

What Went Wrong

Nick Punto had a 0.271 SLG average in 2007. Those things happen, of course, but he was allowed to do this in 472 at-bats…with most of those coming at third base. That is just plain wrong.

Production from three key offensive players also dipped in 2007 relative to 2006: Justin Morneau, Michael Cuddyer and Joe Mauer. The latter, Mauer, missed about a month with injury and lost over 50 points in batting average. Cuddyer also spent time on the DL with a sprained thumb during the middle of the season.

The Twins gave 12 players at least one start at DH in 2007. And while some of that is to rest full-time players, the trio Jason Tyner, Jeff Cirillo and Mike Redmond combined for 53 of those starts… which is a third of a season!  This just shows some sort of organizational deficiency in identifying how to most effectively use the designated hitter spot. Heck, we are talking about a team that finished next to last in doubles, home runs, and SLG in the AL (and play in stadium that used to be called the “Homer Dome”). Mind boggling, to say the least.

Luis Castillo played his first game for the Mets on July 31 after the Twins traded him. At that point, Minnesota was in third place in the AL Central, six games off the pace. This particular move essentially tells the players on the team that we have given up on the season. Castillo was their leadoff hitter and their starting second baseman. Can you blame Torii Hunter for leaving and for Johan Santana to (almost) be an ex-Twin?

The Twins wasted seven starts on Sidney Ponson at the beginning of the season. His performance was predictable, but why the Twins actually thought he would be an effective starter is a head-scratcher. Even worse, it can send messages to younger pitchers that, regardless of their spring performance, the organization will side with experience. This might have been a reason for Matt Garza’s poor start to 2007 in Triple-A (note: Garza had a 1.50 ERA during the spring, while Ponson was at 4.30)