The future looks bright for the Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins had a great second half of the 2009 season by winning the American League Central Division in spectacular fashion. Whether it was the Detroit Tigers’ inability to seal the deal or the Minnesota Twins struggling in every game, the result was the Twins winning their fifth AL Central title since 2002. The Twins select and develop talent like no other team in baseball.

The boy of the house is sensational receiver Joe Mauer. Mauer could do just about anything he wanted: hit for power with 28 HRs and hit for a .365 batting average. With Mauer at catcher, this makes hitting .365 even more impressive. Mauer might be arguably the best player in baseball overall next to St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols.

Michael Cuddyer leads the Twins in home runs with a career-high 32. Justin Morneau probably would have led the team in home runs again, but he was sidelined with an injury that cost him 27 games. When Morneau played, he hit 30 HR, 100 RBI and a .516 slugging percentage. Jason Kubel also had a career with 28 HRs, 103 RBIs, a .539 slugging percentage and a .300 batting average, all career highs for him.

The Twins ran into a chainsaw on the New York Yankees during the 2009 American League Division Series and were swept. The Twins were on an emotional roller coaster during their role at the end of the regular season and had nothing left to give. Even losing to New York, the Twins should feel good about their season and what they accomplished, instead of focusing on what they didn’t.

The future should bode well for Minnesota: moving to its new stadium in 2010 and possibly signing Joe Mauer for the long haul. There’s no reason the Twins can’t win their sixth AL Central title since 2002 next season.