FanPost

How talented are the Twins?

As the name indicates, I frequent TwinkieTown's sister site Canis Hoopus and this is my first post here. I've closely followed every season of the Gardenhire era and followed through disappointments that seemed unfathomable. Joe Nathan turning into LaTroy Hawkins when playing the Yankees. The Twins losing so many playoff games at the dome that their earlier dominance in the World Series years is now the only thing that keeps them near the .500 mark in that stadium. But one constant has occurred: gutsy starting pitching, shaky bullpen work, anemic run production, and huge gaffes.

I'm just trying to get a handle on whether this team is overachieving during their winning seasons to the extent that they're overmatched in the playoffs or if their tendency to choke has cost them a series or two. Since Game 2 of the '02 ALCS, this team has looked like both at times. So my question is this: if the team that played the Yankees was ranked according to talent compared to the rest of the league, where would they rank? How about that same team with Morneau? My gut says they're at least top-6 in the AL and that they underachieved until Morneau got sidelined. And frankly, I'm not sure they're not better than the Rangers or the Tigers considering how they fared against them this year.