2011 is a year to forget for the MN Twins - except for a few lessons.
1 - You always need a bullpen!
In my opinion, the Twins would have been able to stay on top of the division had they won only half of the 1-run games they lost (40+). Additionally, they wouldn't have been 'spanked' nearly as many times if the BP could protect leads and keep the games close.
2 - Don't rely on 4-5 players to make your season.
4 of the big 5 didn't factor into the season. Mauer, Morneau, Pavano and Kubel were almost non-existent this year. The M-and-M boys (a stolen nickname) should be renamed the "I-and-I" boys - Illness and Injury. On the plus side, the team had to throw some inexperienced players into tight spots...lots of errors, but some valuable experience you can't get in the minors.
3 - Errors kill a good pitching performance.
I don't remember the last time the Twins had this many errors. What happened?
There are many other things I could pick and poke at (highest budget in Twins history - wasted, the Nishioka experiment, the Capps trade, etc) but most would fall under the category of "hindsight is 20/20."
There were a few things which went well:
Minor League-ers got some experience. We know there are some valuable players (or trading pieces) coming out of the farm system. We know who to drop for next year.
Waiting for next year...
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