Twins need contributions from more than just Brian Dozier

As the 2017 fantasy baseball season approaches, we take a look at the biggest news and story lines from each club. We'll feature one team each weekday ... and we'll finish up on Feb. 15, the first day all teams will have their pitchers and catchers on the field for workouts.

A season that began with playoff aspirations turned into an unmitigated disaster for the Minnesota Twins. Young players who were expected take a step forward all seemed to regress. The only fantasy highlight was the home run explosion from second baseman Brian Dozier, who started so slowly he was dropped in many leagues. The burning question this year is whether or not those young players are now ready to take the next step forward.

2016 at a glance

Record: 59-103 (5th in AL Central)
Hitting: 16th (4.46 R/G)
Pitching: 29th (5.08 ERA)

Arrivals

C Jason Castro
1B Ben Paulsen

Castro hit an anemic .210 last season, but his main asset is behind the plate where the Twins hope his pitch-framing skills will help their embattled starters improve.

Paulsen flamed out last year in Colorado and isn't much more than organizational depth at this point.

Players to watch

2B Brian Dozier
3B/OF Miguel Sano
OF Max Kepler

Dozier set an American League record for home runs by a second baseman with 42, hitting 23 of those after Aug. 1. The Twins fielded trade offers for him all offseason but couldn't work out a deal. So now it looks like he'll stick around -- and possibly drop down in the order from his traditional leadoff spot.

Trade talks cooled, 2B Brian Dozier happy to stay with Twins

The outfield experiment for Sano has mercifully ended with Trevor Plouffe no longer around. Even though he improved on last season's home run total, Sano was a bit of a disappointment as his batting average dipped to .236 and he lost 134 points of OPS from the year before (.915 to .781). Still, he has a ton of raw power that will play in any ballpark. And he's only 23.

Kepler had some huge games, but he seemed to hit the rookie wall down the stretch (.207/.255/.283 in Sept.). But 17 homers in 396 at-bats shows there's a lot to like.

Sleepers

OF Byron Buxton
SP Ervin Santana

Fantasy owners have been waiting for Buxton to start showing some of his immense potential, almost to the point of writing him off as a bust ... at age 23. Don't fall into that trap. He retooled his swing after being sent to the minors and finished with a .287/.357/.653 line (with nine homers) in 101 Sept. at-bats. If he earns the leadoff role, watch out.

Also overlooked in the Twins' dismal season is the strong finish Santana had. In 14 starts, he pitched to a 2.65 ERA and 1.14 WHIP that was obscured by a 4-4 record. Although it was a small sample, his 8.3 K/9 rate over those 88 1/3 innings was higher than he's had in all but one of his 12 MLB seasons.

Bullpen

Closer: Brandon Kintzler
Next: Ryan Pressly/Trevor May

An early injury to Glen Perkins shook up the entire bullpen with Kintzler finally settling into the closer's role and saving 17 of his 20 opportunities. He's not a typical closer in that he relies on getting ground-ball outs over strikeouts (5.8 K/9), but saves are saves in fantasy leagues.

May is the bullpen's big strikeout guy (12.7 K/9) but he battled back issues off and on last season and allowed too many baserunners to be trusted with closing duties.

Position battles

Byung ho Park was a disappointment in his first season with the Twins. A prodigious power hitter in Korea (52 HR in 2014, 53 HR in 2015), he struggled to make consistent contact, was sent to the minors and suffered a season-ending thumb injury. Now healthy, he could see time at first base if Joe Mauer needs a break or at DH in place of Kennys Vargas.

Eddie Rosario also had his season end early with a thumb injury. He struggles against left-handed pitching, so he'll likely platoon with Robbie Grossman.

The Twins have four veteran starters in the rotation, but the fifth spot is up for grabs with Tyler Duffey, Jose Berrios and Adalberto Mejia all possibilities.

Prospects

SP Jose Berrios
SP Adalberto Mejia
SP Stephen Gonsalves
SS Nick Gordon

Berrios dominated in the minors (2.51 ERA, 10.1 K.9 in 111 1/3 IP), but couldn't find the strike zone when he got his chance to start in the majors. The result was a disastrous 8.02 ERA and 1.87 WHIP in 58 1/3 innings with Minnesota. Still only 22, he deserves another opportunity.

Mejia, 23, was the centerpiece in a deal with San Francisco for Eduardo Nunez. He posted a combined 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 22 starts at Class AA and AAA.

Gonsalves, 22, vaulted onto the prospect radar by going 8-1 with a 1.82 ERA after being promoted to Class AA. The lefty will get a look in spring training, but will most likely start at Class AAA.

A first-round pick in 2014 (fifth overall) Gordon is the system's top position player. He held his own as a 20-year-old in High Class A and hit .346 in the Arizona Fall League.

Projected batting order

1. CF Byron Buxton
2. 1B Joe Mauer
3. 2B Brian Dozier
4. 3B Miguel Sano
5. RF Max Kepler
6. DH Kennys Vargas
7. C Jason Castro
8. SS Jorge Polanco
9. LF Eddie Rosario/Robbie Grossman

Projected rotation

1. RHP Ervin Santana
2. LHP Hector Santiago
3. RHP Kyle Gibson
4. RHP Phil Hughes
5. RHP Jose Berrios