Justin Morneau News

Minnesota Twins Justin Morneau is congratulated by teammate Joe Mauer after hitting a three-run homerun off Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Gil Meche during the fourth inning of a baseball game Saturday, April 5, 2008 in Minneapolis.

For years, the BBWAA picks for the Cy Young Awards and MVP were the subject of incredible scorn, especially among the sabermetric community.

One is a power hitter, capable of flicking balls over Yankee Stadium's short porch at will.

Twins fans will have to wait until next week to find out whether Joe Mauer has been voted the American League MVP by the Baseball Writers' Association.

After a charmed season in which they seemed to be able to beat every team in the American League except the Yankees, the Twins now enter the offseason filled with hope and a hunger for more success.A Here are twelve reasons why Twins fans should be optimistic for the future.

While the Hot Stove league sizzles with talk about where this year's crop of newly minted Major League free agents will land, little attention is given to the 500-plus Minor Leaguers who fill the ranks of the six-year Minor League free-agent pool each year.

It was mid-September, and Ron Gardenhire's Twins had lost seven of 10 games, dropping them two games below .500 with 20 games left in the regular season.

NPB Tracker just posted a report from the The Chugoku Shimbun that Justin Huber is close to signing a contract with the Hiroshima Carp.

SI.com's resident experts weigh in with their selections for the eight major awards.

The last time we caught up with Joe Mauer he was cleaning out his Metrodome locker for the last time, the day after the New York Yankees swept his Minnesota Twins out of the postseason.

Joe Mauer has already been named the American League's Player of the Year for 2009 by his fellow players and by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

San Francisco ace Tim Lincecum has an agreement with a prosecutor in his home state of Washington that could settle his misdemeanor marijuana charge, the Columbian in Vancouver, Wash., reported in yesterday's issue.

The 2009 Major League Baseball awards, in a perfect world: AL and NL MVP and Best Player: The real award and the mythical one should both go, in unanimous fashion, to Albert Pujols and Joe Mauer.

First off, a big thanks to everyone for submitting their questions. My e-mail inbox was quickly flooded last week with your numerous inquiries.

Joe Mauer's American League MVP chances hinge on a vote by the Baseball Writers Association of America.

Growing pains continue to be a recurring theme for young Cubs pitchers, whose on-the-job training eventually may lead to on-the-job ulcers for manager Dusty Baker.

It's the first Twins Inbox of the offseason and as always, there are bound to be plenty of questions throughout the winter about the club's plans for next season.

Twins closer Joe Nathan turns 35 next month. He's coming off a season in which he saved 47 games but, for now, is remembered more for the save opportunity he blew Oct.

Proving the theory that there is no off-season in baseball, the Arizona Fall, Venezuelan Winter, Mexican Winter, and Dominican Winter Leagues are already up and running, even before the World Series ends.

In honor of the recent birthday of one of the greatest men ever to be in any way affiliated with sports, John Wooden, it seems appropriate to use his words to start off a piece about myth and reality.