This time next week, spring training will have begun, and we’ll have something concrete to talk about. Until then, here’s one final round of off-season links, speculation, nonsense, etc.

A couple of days ago, Phil Mackey stole my idea for today's post. Unwittingly, of course, since we don't compare notes, and I suggest you take a look. He's the most intrigued by the second and third players on his list. It's a good read.

But I'll also point you to TwinsGeek's article from yesterday, where he points out that options are going to limit the number of players who will be realistically competing for a roster spot. He points out that, as far as position players go, it's unlikely that there's anything for us to speculate over. John also points out a couple of relievers who would require roster spots to avoid needing to be passed through waivers for assignment to Rochester, although in this case there certainly are other players in the mix (and less to lose by risking certain players to waivers).

With those two posts in mind I'm altering my planned course for today, just slightly, by looking at a few players who could provide the Twins with some much needed support this summer.

Trevor Plouffe

Plouffe was an enigmatic in some ways last season. At times he flashed impressive power, like when he homered in his first plate appearance of the season; then he'd botch a play in the field, sometimes more than once in a game. He was streaky, starting out strong and having an especially strong 20-game stretch that lasted to early September. But eventually those upswings would disappear as he'd expand the strike zone.

Will a move to left field help Plouffe? It might. His arm is strong enough to play there, and accuracy isn't quite as important throw-for-throw. His ability to make contact will go a long way towards his ability to make a difference at the plate, and would allow his plus power to show itself. I'm not sure Plouffe is ready for full-time duty, but I do believe he could be more than capable in 300 plate appearances; .260/.320/.430 with 10-12 home runs isn't outside the realm of reality.

More after the jump.

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Who do you think the hardest throwers are that have been on the Twins the past handful of seasons or so? One thing is safe to say; if Joel Zumaya throws even a single pitch in the regular season in 2012, he'll probably vault to the top of the list. That got me thinking: Who are the 20 hardest throwers in Twins history, at least as far as we can get good, reliable data on?

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If you look over at the right hand side of this screen, of the front page, there is a link to Yahoo Sports baseball blog, entitled Big League Stew. Currently, they are having a guest writer every day write the 10 best things about being a fan of such and such a team. I have decided to not wait to talk about the 10 best things about being a Twins fan. They are after the jump.

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Let me start by saying, if you didn't read Jon Marthaler's post yesterday, skip mine for now and go do yourself the favor of reading it. Fantastic, fantastic work.

Done yet? Ok, good. Back to my rambling.

Every offseason carries countless minor league signings for every team. Some get a lot of attention -- specifically if they're formerly successful big leaguers -- while others end up as a bullet point in a news story that few take the time to even read. Fans at Florida and Arizona parks in March who are there as much for the weather as for the game will see a number somewhere in the 80-90 range, hear a name they don't recognize, and maybe flip through the program to read the name they'll soon forget. These guys don't have the chance to make the roster. They're relishing their days in a big league camp, knowing that a roster cut with their name on it is coming, and smiling all the way to the chopping block. They soak up knowledge from veterans and dream of being regulars themselves one day, if they're young enough. For the journeymen who populate camps every year, they might just hope for a cup of coffee in a pinch so that they can tell their wide-eyed grandkids what it was like to make contact on a Justin Verlander heater -- even if it was just a weak foul ball.

As fans, we may often roll our eyes at these signings, ignore them, or sometimes ask "who the [insert expletive of choice] is this guy?" Rarely do we allow ourselves to be caught up in the narrative behind a minor league signing, especially one who will only be competing for a Double-A job, but in my case, Chris Colabello's story was too great to pass up.

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Spring training begins this week. The Seattle Mariners, incredibly, have already reported; they open the season in Japan this year and so they figured they'd better get a jump on things. For the rest of the league, the musical lyricality of the phrase "pitchers and catchers report" trips across the tongue this weekend. The Twins show up Saturday, the first workout for pitchers and catchers is Sunday, and the rest of the team gets in a few days later.

It's sunny where I am, as I write this. It's sunny and the snow has disappeared and it's getting light out when I wake up and the sun is still above the horizon when I leave work. It's kind of impossible for me not to sit down and make a list about baseball, about good baseball things. And as with so many things... it begins with the Cubs.

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