29 year old switch hitting Nick Punto had the best season of his career in 2006.  He played in 135 games for the Twins last season and he hit .290 with 1 homer, 45 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and a .725 OPS.  He’s been basically a utility man for the Twins but settled in and started 89 games at third base for them last season.  He played 89 games at third base and made 9 errors with slightly below average range.  Look for his defense to improve if the Twins let him concentrate on 3B this season.

37 year old Jeff Cirillo has been brought in to compete with and possibly platoon with Nick Punto.  Cirillo had a great season last year as he played in 112 games and hit .319 with 3 homers, 23 RBIs and a .784 OPS for the Milwaukee Brewers.  Cirillo punished left handed pitching hitting .413 with a .944 OPS against them.  Cirillo played 42 games at third base last season and only made 2 errors while showing decent range.  Look for Cirillo to have another decent season for the Twins.

26 year old switch hitter Luis Rodriguez will also get some time at third base for the Twins.  He really played well on defense at the hot corner as he appeared in 29 games there and didn’t make an error.  He also flashed above average range.

27 year old Jason Bartlett got in Ron Gardenhire’s doghouse in 2005 and started last season in the minors.  Bartlett didn’t pout as he hit .306 in 58 games in AAA ball earning a promotion back to the Twins.  He played really well in 99 games for the Twins as he hit .309 with 2 homers, 32 RBIs, 10 stolen bases and a .760 OPS.  If Bartlett can repeat his success of last season the Twins will be very happy with him.  Bartlett made 13 errors in only 99 games for the Twins last year and his range was a little below average.  He’ll need to tighten up his defensive play this season, but he should hit for a good average again this season.

24 year old Alejandro Machado was selected in the Rule 5 Draft and the Twins would like to keep him.  He played in 116 games in AAA last season and he hit .260 with 4 homers, 32 RBIs, 21 stolen bases and a .702 OPS.  He will likely be the back up shortstop for the Twins if he can handle the job.

29 year old switch hitter Nick Punto played a lot at shortstop last season for the Twins, but he’s the likely starting third baseman this year so he likely won’t play much, if any, at shortstop this season.  He made 2 errors in 26 games at short last season and didn’t show much range.

The Twins are very happy with Luis Castillo at 2B.  He gives them good defense (3 Time Gold Glover with Marlins) and he’s a pesky little hitter.  The 31 year old switch hitter hit .296 last season with 84 runs scored, 3 homers, 49 RBIs, 25 steals and a 728 OPS.  Those are pretty decent numbers for a 2B and he also gave them solid defense as Castillo only made 6 errors in 142 games last season.  His range has dimished a little bit, but that could be because of the fast turf at the MetroDome.  Look for Castillo to have another solid all around season for the Twins.

26 year old switch hitter Luis Rodriguez will be Castillo’s back up this season.  He had an off year for the Twins last season as he only hit .235 with a .637 OPS in 59 games.  The Twins need him to hit better than that if he’s going to stick on the Twins all season.  Rodriguez has below average range at 2B but he only made 1 error in 14 games there.  He also back up at third base for the Twins.  Look for him to hit a little better this season.

22 year old switch hitting Alexi Casilla is a Luis Castillo clone.  He hit .318 in 123 games split between A+AA ball.  He scored 84 runs and stole 50 bases, but he has absolutely no power.  He also is a decent defensive player.  He went 1 for 4  (.250) in 9 games with the Twins last September.  Look for him to start at AAA for the Twins, but if something were to happen to Castillo, he would probably get the call from the Twins.

The Twins want lefty swinging 24 year old Jason Kubel to be their starting DH.  He’s always dominated the minors so he has nothing left to prove in the bush leagues.  He played well early last season but he experienced soreness in both knees that hindered him big time in the second half of the season.  He hit .241 last season with 8 homers and 26 RBIs in only 220 at bats.  Those numbers need to improve for him to keep the job that they will hand him at the start of Spring Training.  His left knee has been reconstructed in the past and he needs it to hold up if he’s going to really show what he’s got.  He could be a big-time DH this season or a gigantic bust and his knees will go a long way in determining which way his season goes.

Look for 29 year old Ken Harvey to get a chance to make the team.  He didn’t play in the majors last season but he has a career .274 batting average with 27 homers and 126 RBIs in 271 major league games, so he can swing the stick.  32 year old Matt LeCroy and 37 year old Jeff Cirillo could also get some at bats at DH.

25 year old lefty swinging Justin Morneau came out of nowhere to dominate for the Twins and win the MVP last season of the American League!  What could he possibly do for an encore after hitting .312, scoring 97 runs, hitting 34 homers, knocking in 130 runs and he had a .934 OPS.  The batting average will probably come down as there was nothing in his past to suggest he could hit like that.  The power will still be there though, in fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if his power numbers went up even to a higher level this season.  He did make 8 errors last season so he could improve a little on defense…..but that’s nitpicking.

If something happened to Morneau, the Twins would likely be done.  Jeff Cirillo or Matt LeCroy would probably take over and it would be a gigantic drop both on offense and defense for the Twins.