CC Shines Wildly in Debut

CC Sabathia received at least four standing ovations from the 42,000+ sellout crowd at Miller Park Tuesday night (10,000 tickets sold in 24 hours) during his debut against the Colorado Rockies, which he won 7-3.

"I get riled up, I have to let it out," he said.

One Less Question Mark for Twins Rotation

The competition for the Minnesota Twins' rotation has become an all-out dogfight. With the retirement of Brad Radke and the season-ending Tommy John surgery of Francisco Liriano, the Twins are left with 24 wins and 283 innings from 2006 that they must replace.

After pitching seven scoreless innings over his last two starts with a 3.38 ERA so far this spring, Boof Bonser has secured himself a spot as the club's third starter behind Ace Johan Santana and a revamped Carlos Silva. After that, it's wide open.

The final two spots will likely become a battle between one guy trying to redeem his career, one trying to lower an ERA that has hovered around 5.00 over the last few seasons and another trying to prove he's really ready for the majors this time.

After struggling with weight, inconsistency and serious legal issues over the past couple of seasons, 30-year-old Sidney Ponson is set to revive his career. The right-hander says that offseason surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow makes him feel like a new man. If nothing else, he has some big league experience on his side.

The 33-year-old Ramon Ortiz, whose repertoire includes a fastball, slider and changeup, may have a better shot at making the roster than Ponson, as he has big league experience, as well, but a better resume. The righty led the Washington Nationals last season with 15 quality starts, including a no-no which was lost in the ninth inning against the St. Louis Cardinals.

Matt Garza, who went from Class-A to the majors last season, likes to throw heat. All the time. So, he's working on mixing up his pitches and getting a little less of the plate on his sinkers.

Those three are just the tip of the iceberg. Let's not forget about Kevin Slowey, a control pitcher who owns a 1.96 minor league ERA; lefty Glen Perkins, a University of Minnesota graduate; and Scott Baker, who has been working for two seasons to become the pitcher that the Twins organization has long expected.

At this point, the projected rotation is different from everyone's perspective. For me, it is: Santana, Silva, Bonser, Ortiz and Ponson... I guess.

[Minnesota Twins]

Questions For 2007

The American League Central will only get tougher in this coming year and the Twins have some major questions to answer, along with some tough re-building choices ahead of them.

Detroit followed up its World Series appearance by adding Gary Sheffield as DH to an already muscular lineup. The White Sox have re-amped their bullpen by adding David Aardsma, Andrew Sisco and Gavin Floyd, while also making room for budding star Brandon McCarthy for Freddy Garcia. Cleveland added outfielder David Dellucci along with some bullpen help; even Kansas City spent some dough by signing starter Gil Meche to a five-year, $55 million deal.

Considering Minnesota's biggest losses this past season - rookie phenom Francisco Liriano to Tommy John surgery and dependable veteran Brad Radke to retirement - fans are left questioning the depth and stability of the Twins' starting rotation.

Of course, two-time Cy Young Award winner Johan Santana will lead the pitching staff, but behind him follows a series of question marks.

Boof Bonser is expected to take the #2 spot, with his experience limited to one season. Carlos Silva is coming off one of his worst seasons ever, and the other two spots may be filled by the much-improved Matt Garza and hopefully, talented lefty Glen Perkins.

The Twins' apparent goal for the offseason was to add at least one veteran arm to that group. With the price tag on many free agents and the desire for young talent, a decent trade or pick-up was next to impossible for such a small-market team. While the club has remained fairly quiet, they did add infielder free agent Jeff Cirillo and Rule 5 Draft choice Alejandro Machado.

A steady dose of offense always helps to lighten a pitchers' load. Minnesota saw a bunch of young stars emerge in the lineup, as AL MVP Justin Morneau, AL Batting Champ Joe Mauer, and 100-RBIer Michael Cuddyer all had breakout seasons.

The infield appears to be stocked, with Jason Bartlett holding down the shortstop spot and Nick Punto locking up third base for the upcoming season. Luis Castillo proved he could stay healthy at second base and Morneau has drastically improved his defense.

Torii Hunter will once again rule the center of the outfield after the Twins picked up his $12 million option for 2007. Cuddy finally earned a permanent starting spot in right field, but a hole still remains in left field. The Twins brought back Rondell White (why?) to possibly take that spot, with questions surrounding Jason Kubel's unstable knees and the loss of Shannon Stewart. Jason Tyner and fan favorite Leeeeeew Ford, along with promising rookies Denard Span and Alex Romero are a few other possibilities for the outfield chart.

One of 2006's best bullpens will return in full force, only without righty Willie Eyre, who was released last month. A second lefty to take some burden off of Dennys Reyes would be welcome, as well.

There is still plenty of talent on the club, so don't count them out of the ALC race just yet. GM Terry Ryan has a history of making moves after the New Year, but if he doesn't, the Twins will have to stick with what they've got: a boatload of youngins'. Minnesota has long relied on its farm system for digging up talent, so the inability to acquire a big bat or strong arm is nothing new.

2007 Rotation Still Question For Twins

At the very top of the Twins' Christmas List this year, is another starting pitcher. When asked what five would fill out the Twins' 2007 staff if Ron Gardenhire had to act right now, the skipper chuckled,

"Next question. I don't even know the first three [starters] yet. Let me give you three, and then we'll go for the other two."

During Gardy's twenty minute media interview on Wednesday, this was the main topic of conversation. Clearly, there are some gaping holes to fill.

The only sure bets in Minnesota's rotation are Johan Santana, Boof Bonser and Carlos Silva. The other two spots are open to competition between Matt Garza, Scott Baker and Glen Perkins, unless of course, the Twins add another arm before the start of Spring Training.

Minnesota has been looking for an extra arm, but the only name that has surfaced publicly is right-hander Jason Jennings of the Rockies. Trade talks between Colorado and the list of clubs interested in Jennings is huge, leaving few options for the Twins in what seems to be a highly competitive market this year.

Terry Ryan says that the club has its eye on at least six different pitchers that they feel would be a good fit in the Twin Cities, but with their shallow pockets and the high demand for starters around the league, the Twins could be left to defend for themselves.

This will force the big dogs to get creative, working with some of what they already have. Matt Guerrier doesn't seem to be a consideration, but Gardy did mention Dennys Reyes as a last resort, if the team gets down to very few options. They would also love to add another lefty in relief, to lighten Reyes' load in the bullpen.

Baby, Please Don't Go:

Any announcement concerning Brad Radke's retirement has yet to come, so many have been speculating about a possible return by the veteran, which would be awesome. Wishful thinking though, if you ask me. We would all love Radke to come back for one more year, and word on the street is that the Twins are trying to talk him into returning. The chances of that actually happening are slim.

Also, the Twins are considering bringing back Rondell White as their starting left fielder, while possibly putting lefty Jason Kubel in the designated hitter's spot if no extra bats are added in the off season.