Team-by-Team Fantasy Projections: Minnesota Twins

Here are the 2016 MLB fantasy projections for the Minnesota Twins (ZiPS projections courtesy Dan Szymborski; Steamer projections courtesy Jared Cross, Dash Davidson and Peter Rosenbloom; Zeile projections courtesy FantasyPros):

Hitters

C Kurt Suzuki

Suzuki has started 113 or more games at catcher in seven of his last eight seasons. At this point, the dependable backstop is nothing more than a defense-first innings-eater. His hard-hit percentage has steadily fallen since 2012 and he will lose at-bats to recent acquisition John Ryan Murphy.

1B Joe Mauer

Mauer enters his third season since moving to 1B. While his high-OBP profile made him a fantasy MVP at C, his lack of power at 1B doesn't compare well to prototypical corner infielders. The silver lining: he hits well from both sides of the plate and is still an every-day player.

2B Brian Dozier

Dozier will be 29 in mid-May and appears to have settled into a hitter's profile of low average with "juice" stats - homers and steals. That's atypical for a 2B, as is batting in the two-spot. With a bit more speed in front of him and more power behind him, expect Dozier's runs and RBI to trend upwards.

3B Trevor Plouffe

Plouffe has developed into a dependable 3B with just enough pop in his bat to make him a waiver-wire pick-up mid-season, when he inevitably heats up for a stretch. He may not see enough PAs to record his third straight 80-RBI season if Miguel Sano sees time at 3B.

SS Eduardo Escobar

The 12 homers Escobar had in 446 PA last season is likely unsustainable; his hard-hit percentage actually dropped from 29.2% to 28.5%. To his credit, Escobar was more patient at the plate in 2015, but the Twins will want him to provide defense and a little bit of offense from the bottom of the order.

LF Eddie Rosario

Rosario showed enough promise in his rookie year to warrant another year fighting for time in the OF logjam, though he'll have uber-prospect Max Kepler nipping at his heels in Spring Training. Rosario strikes out too much and walks too little to figure into many draft strategies for the time being.

CF Byron Buxton

Buxton is penciled in as the lead-off man and everyday CF. In 46 MLB games in 2015, the speedster hit a paltry .209 with a .250 OBP. His 31.9% strikeout rate didn't help. In 2016, he should be able to see the ball better at the plate and establish himself as one of the game's premier table-setters.

RF Miguel Sano

If Sano can build on the 18 homers and 52 RBIs he hit in just 80 games last season, everyone in the lineup will flourish. The hope is that his offense can make up for his shaky defense now that Byung-ho Park is primed to take over DH duties. He has a chance to instantly become the team's MVP.

DH Byung-ho Park

It's hard to project Park's stats based off his performance in Seoul, but for what it's worth, he posted back-to-back 50-HR seasons and four straight 100-RBI campaigns. Depending on the trajectory of Kepler and the fielding of Sano, Park may have some internal competition for PAs at DH.

Starters

RHP Phil Hughes

Hughes is the de facto Opening Day starter and will often keep the score close while the young offense begins to take shape. He has reached 16 wins in every season in which he's pitched 175 innings. His upside is low but he's still a solid deep-rotation innings-eater in 10-team leagues.

RHP Ervin Santana

Santana missed the first half of 2015 because of a PED suspension and wasn't exactly lights-out in the 108 innings he did pitch, posting a 4.00 ERA. But like Hughes, Santana fills a role as someone who can pitch 175-plus innings, and should reach 15 wins with a decent amount of run support.

RHP Kyle Gibson

The fun never stops in the Twin Cities when Gibson takes the mound. He had a bit of good BABIP luck in 2015, which resulted in a 3.84 ERA over 194.2 IP. His win totals should only rise, but with a 53.4% groundball rate over three seasons and a career high of 6.70 K/9, he's not going to overpower batters.

RHP Ricky Nolasco

Nolasco made just eight starts in 2015; his record (5-2) was decent, but his ERA (6.75) was not. Advanced stats like opponents' BABIP (a huge .392) and fielding-independent pitching (3.51) point to a better pitcher than what the actual results showed, but he'll only be as useful as he is healthy. He's roster-filler in AL-only leagues.

LHP Tommy Milone

The A's sold high on Milone after back-to-back 12-plus-win seasons in 2012 and 2013 and he has battled injuries since. He is still young enough to get healthy and turn in a solid effort but expect him to be challenged for a rotation spot by Tyler Duffey, who had a 3.10 ERA in 13 starts with the Twins last year.

Closer

LHP Glen Perkins

Perkins saved 32 games for the third year in a row despite falling apart late. In the first half, he posted a 1.21 ERA and a .188 BAA; those numbers ballooned to 7.32 and .356 in the second half. It's Perkins' job to lose, but the shelf life on middle-aged relievers can be precariously short.