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LAVELLE NEAL: They're playing against a team in Detroit that is kind of like they are. They have some good players, but they also have some holes that they need to fill. The Twins have a lot of developing ballplayers, like third baseman, Corey Koskie, left fielder, Jacque Jones, center fielder, Torii Hunter, and shortstop, Cristian Guzman, who have played for the last couple of years now. And they're starting to know their way around the league.

And against teams like Detroit and other teams in their division like the Kansas City Royals, the Twins stack up favorably because all three of those teams do not have super duper dangerous players. But the Twins do have a good pitching staff. They got an improving offense, and they will play very good defense. And that may be enough for them to do better in their division than they did a year ago.

SPEAKER: I'm wondering, though, Lavelle, how can the Twins compete when they have the smallest payroll in baseball?

LAVELLE NEAL: Yes, yes. And that's an annual question for a team like this because the Twins have had some of the lower payrolls in the league for the last three seasons. Usually, that is a reflection of the experience level on the team. Because as a player gets more experience in Major League Baseball, they're paid for their service time. So once they get to be three, four, five, six, seven-year professionals, then they have the chance of making a big $3, $4 $5, $10 million a year.

A lot of the Twins players are still in their second, third, maybe fourth year of experience. So they're not really that much expensive. So consequently, the payroll is pretty much lower than other teams. And there's also the fact that they don't have a 40 home run hitter. They don't have a 22 game winner on their pitching staff. But you're usually paid for your experience, and numbers come in second.

SPEAKER: How about manager Tom Kelly? He's working with just a year contract.

LAVELLE NEAL: Yes. And that's different from what's he been working under in the past. Last year was tough on the manager. His father got sick during the season, and he left the club for about a week to attend to him. And then during the offseason, his father had some complications and passed away. Kelly also has had some physical problems himself. He's had an Achilles that continues to bother him over the last couple of years, which makes it hard for him to throw a throw batting practice and move around the infield like he likes to. And he also has been bugged by a bad elbow at spring training.

So he's got a couple of nagging injuries. And I talked to him before he left for spring training. And he said he was going to just see what happens after this year and check himself physically and mentally and see if he wants to continue to manage. He did make a point of saying that he's put in a lot of time to teach these young players how to play the game correctly. And once they start to come into their own, he really doesn't want to walk away. So I wouldn't be surprised if Kelly returns beyond the 2001 season.

SPEAKER: In the past, Lavelle, as you know, TK hasn't done real well with young players. He kind of has a short fuse anyway when it comes to his temper. He seems to have mellowed a little bit, though.

LAVELLE NEAL: It seems so. And I think that's a reflection of some of the guys having more experience. Past spring training camps have been something else because he's really had to go over the basics with some of these players. And in his mind, players should be more polished when they get to the major leagues. So when they show their inexperience, he usually gets a little upset.

But if you ask the players in the clubhouse are they better off for having played for Tom Kelly, almost all of them would say yes. Because he does stress doing the little things correctly. He does stress being a fundamentally sound baseball team. And it helps them out in their careers as well.

SPEAKER: Now, what's your best guess on where the Twins will finish this year?

LAVELLE NEAL: All right. My prediction is that the Twins will win 76 games this year, and they will have a good chance of finishing in third place in their division. That means they will not have the worst record in Major League Baseball like they did a year ago. That means they will not finish in fifth place in the American League Central Division like they did last year. That means that they will be making progress toward becoming a competitive team again. I think that you'll see the Twins start making those steps, this season because they do have an improving team with youngish players who are starting to come into their own.

SPEAKER: All right, sports fans, you heard it here first. Lavelle Neal, making his big prediction.

[CHUCKLES]

LAVELLE NEAL: Oh, boy.

SPEAKER: Lavelle, thanks for joining us.

LAVELLE NEAL: No problem.

SPEAKER: Lavelle Neal covers the Twins for the Star Tribune. By the way, the Twins home opener is April the 9th against the same Detroit Tigers.