Minnesota Twins Roster Projection 3.0

Let’s start with the hitters and then get to the pitchers:

HITTERS

Catcher (2) - Kurt Suzuki/John Ryan Murphy - Barring injury, these two roster spots were never really in doubt. Suzuki will start the season as the team’s starter, and Murphy will be the backup.

Depth: John Hicks is on the 40-man roster. He will head to Rochester as the Twins #3 catcher, ready when needed. Juan Centeno is not on the 40-man roster, but he has made a strong impression in spring training both with his offense and defense. Beyond that, Stuart Turner and Mitch Garver will both start in Chattanooga.

First Base (1) - Joe Mauer - He’s the guy. His defense is solid, and hopefully his third season after his concussion will be a step forward again for him. Most important, let’s hope his eyesight and clarity is there. If so, he’s an ideal fit in the #2 spot in the lineup, able to get on base in front of Miguel Sano.

Depth: Byung Ho Park will spell Mauer at first base from time to time. Kennys Vargas goes to AAA where he will play most every day and provide depth at first base and DH.

Second Base (1) - Brian Dozier - No question here. Dozier earned his spot on the 2015 All-Star team and even homered in his one plate appearance. Dozier worked hard again in the offseason and obviously hopes to put together a full, consistent season.

Depth: Jorge Polanco and James Beresford will both be at Rochester and both can play second base. Polanco has more pop in his bat while Beresford can provide singles and better defense. Both will likely move around the diamond more in 2016, making themselves more valuable.

Third Base (1) - Trevor Plouffe - The Twins stood by Plouffe as their third baseman, and he hopes to return the favor with another strong season. He will hit in the middle of the lineup and wants to be a run producer. Defensively, he is quite solid.

Depth: While manager Paul Molitor has said that Miguel Sano likely will not play third base this year, that obviously can change depending upon the situation. If Plouffe were to be out for an extended period of time, Sano could move back there. However, for days off and such, Eduardo Nunez will play there.

Shortstop (1) - Eduardo Escobar - The last two seasons Escobar began the year as a utility guy. In the second half of each season, he played very well. Finally, he is getting the opportunity. He may not have great range but he makes the plays at shortstop. He has been a doubles machine as well.

Depth - Eduardo Nunez and Danny Santana can play shortstop and all around the infield. Ryan and Molitor would likely feel quite comfortable if they needed to go to Wilfredo Tovar. Jorge Polanco would likely get the first crack should Escobar be out for an extended time.

Left Field (1) - Eddie Rosario - The outfield isn’t completely set, but Eddie Rosario will be in it. He has played some in center, but has been in left field the majority of the time. Pitchers can count on his defense, and he showed a strong, accurate arm. Some are worried about his offense as he does not walk and swings at most everything. But, the numbers he put up in 2015 were not out of line with what he has done in the past (unlike Danny Santana who put up numbers that were unrealistic for him).

Center Field (1) - Byron Buxton - It’s really been clear all along, at least since Twins Fest that the Twins had every intention of Buxton being their Opening Day center fielder. In the majors last year he had not put up much offense, that still appears to be the case. They will likely let him struggle some with the bat and enjoy the defense he provides in center.

Right Field (1) - Miguel Sano - We can agree or disagree with the offseason decision to put Sano out in right field, but it is what is going to happen. I’ve said all along that I think he’ll be just fine out there. There will be a few ugly moments in the transition, but that’s all right. Big picture is that his bat is in the lineup, in the middle of the lineup.

Depth: Max Kepler will likely be the guy promoted to start at any of the three positions.

Designated Hitter (1) - Byung Ho Park - Heading into spring training, how Park would transition to the big leagues was one of the biggest stories. Although we shall see what happens during the regular season, no one is wondering whether or not he’ll start the season in AAA anymore.

Bench (4) - Backup Catcher, Eduardo Nunez, Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana - Santana can play six defensive positions and run well. Nunez can play three infield positions, two outfield positions and did all right as a pinch hitter last year too. Arcia is the question mark still and yet there isn’t an obvious choice ahead of him. If the Twins were to unload Arcia via trade, that might open up things for Ryan Sweeney or Darin Mastroianni who can play all three positions. There is a lot of talk right now about Carlos Quentin being a possibility if Arcia were out of the picture. However, he is really limited to first base and DH spots. He would be pretty strictly a bat off the bench, which wouldn’t be a bad thing.

PITCHERS

STARTING PITCHERS

Starter 1/2/3 - Ervin Santana/Phil Hughes/Kyle Gibson - No change here. These are the top three.

Starter 4 - Tommy Milone - Milone is often overlooked because he isn’t blessed with a big fastball. However he has put together a real solid career, and another solid spring training. I’m not saying that he is the #4 starter, but I feel like he has earned a spot in the rotation.

Starter 5 - Tyler Duffey - I’m still going to say that Tyler Duffey will start the season in the rotation, but I’m not as certain about that as I was four weeks ago. He hasn’t been bad, but he hasn’t impressed so much this spring. Then again, we know he is working on the change-up and incorporating that into his repertoire. But I don’t think it’s a 100% given at this point either.

Depth: Trevor May was told earlier this week that he will be returning to the bullpen. On Friday, Jose Berrios was sent back to minor league. What was eight pitchers for five spots in now six pitchers for five rotation spots.

Most Twins fans want to dismiss Ricky Nolasco as a rotation guy, but it might be a little early for that. He wasn’t good in his first outing, but he’s been all right since. His most recent start came on the minor league side and he looked quite good. If he’s got his curve ball breaking sharply and command of his fastball, he can be a solid back-of-the-rotation starter. I still think that Duffey will be in the rotation and Nolasco will go to the bullpen, but it’s not as much of a certainty as many want to believe.

Depth: Jose Berrios will be at Rochester to start the season. He’ll have to work out his command issues from this spring, but he should be ready sooner rather than later. Pat Dean will also be in the Rochester rotation.

BULLPEN

Closer (1) - Glen Perkins - No change. The three-time All-Star, who has closed out wins for the American League the last two seasons and then struggled in the second halves. His command is good this spring and his slider is breaking sharply, so he should return to all-star status.

Right-Handed Relievers (5) - Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, Casey Fien, Ryan Pressly, Ricky Nolasco -

Left-Handed Relievers (1) - Fernando Abad -

Jepsen, May and Fien are givens, and Nolasco isn’t likely to be dealt. I think that Abad is a certainty to be added to the 40-man roster at someone’s expense. The elephant in the room for the Twins bullpen scenarios is Michael Tonkin. The right-hander is out of options. He has dominated in AAA, but he has struggled in the big leagues. And, he has struggled mightily this spring. At this point, he is no longer a given to be on the roster. If DFAd, it would be interesting to see if anyone claims him.

Tonkin could get the opportunity solely due to the “Options” thing. However, Ryan Pressly has pitched well, and he was pitching well when his 2015 season came to an end due to injury last year, but it isn’t going to be an easy decision. Veteran Brandon Kintzler has had a solid spring. Taylor Rogers’ name keeps coming up over and over, so he’s definitely a possibility as a second lefty. So is Ryan O’Rourke who is in a way the incumbent and has had a solid spring.

DEPTH - Depth comes from the names above that are sent to Rochester, but also the next wave is getting close. How many of the Nick Burdi, JT Chargois, Jake Reed, Alex Meyer, Mason Melotakis, Brandon Peterson and Corey Williams group will we see throughout 2016?

So there you have my updated roster projection following a week in Ft. Myers. I don’t think there’s anything too surprising. There really are just a couple of jobs up for grabs.

Let’s summarize:

C - Kurt Suzuki

1B - Joe Mauer

2B - Brian Dozier

3B - Trevor Plouffe

SS - Eduardo Escobar

LF - Eddie Rosario

CF - Byron Buxton

RF - Miguel Sano

DH - Byung Ho Park

Bench - John Ryan Murphy, Eduardo Nunez, Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia

Starters - Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson, Tommy Milone, Tyler Duffey

Closer - Glen Perkins

RH Relievers - Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, Casey Fien, Ryan Pressly, Ricky Nolasco

LH Relievers - Fernando Abad

That’s a solid 25-man roster, but what’s really exciting is the depth in the organization of players who are very nearly ready to contribute.