Nick Nelson

He was also pitching against the best offense in baseball, at the tail of a season where he logged 197 total innings -- his most since 2013. Proclaiming that Darvish is a choke artist on the big stage is pretty flimsy, especially considering how brilliantly he pitched in the NLDS and NLCS.

Call it a hot take. I'm fine with that. It's been cold out, and the frozen state of affairs this offseason is only deepening the chill. But I've become convinced that the Twins are destined to sign Yu Darvish. And while it's very possible that my desperation for something – anything – to happen this winter is driving me into delirium, I really don't think it's a totally baseless prognostication. When hundreds of Minnesota baseball diehards congregate at the Winter Meltdown in a couple of weeks, I think we'll all be celebrating the biggest free agency splash in Twins franchise history.What leads me to this conclusion? Well, part of it is wishful thinking, I'll admit. Darvish would be an awesome fit on the Twins and would lift them to serious championship contender status almost instantly. I badly want to see it, so long as the price makes any sense. But there are also plenty of legitimate indications that this could very realistically go down. I'll lay out the two biggest ones, and you can add your own (or dispute mine) in the comments. Only Eyes For Yu The Twins have been openly connected to Darvish throughout the offseason, and GM Thad Levine hasn't been shy about his pursuit. But there've been few other substantive rumors tying Minnesota to any other prominent free agents. A rumbling of trade buzz here and there, sure, but despite their outward interest in adding a frontline starter, the Twins have been conspicuously silent in relation to other free agent starters like Jake Arrieta, Alex Cobb and Lance Lynn. Meanwhile, they've been operating as a team that's gearing up for a big spend. Fernando Rodney and Zach Duke were both low-dollar one year commitments. The Twins have added around $7 million in salary by signing them, but offset part of it by shedding ByungHo Park's contract. So right now they are treading water below $100 million in committed payroll, at a time where they're making their contention push in earnest. Darvish in No Hurry Last week it was reported that Darvish's and his reps had yet to meet with the Twins front office, and that the two sides "don't see it as necessary -- not yet anyway." Many took this as a sign the Twins aren't really in the running for Darvish. We're headlong into January now and there hasn't even been a meeting? Sounds unpromising. But, in my irrationally and unfoundedly optimistic state, I'm clinging to the hypothetical premise I laid out in the forums here at Twins Daily last month: "Here's what is playing out right now – from my hopeful view: Levine has a good enough relationship with Darvish and his agent that the two sides have kept an open line of communication. Thad signaled early on that his interest was very serious, and Darvish's camp indicated that the interest was mutual. So over the past couple of weeks, Darvish has been meeting with other legit suitors to hear their pitches and receive their offers. Now he'll be able to go into a meeting with the Twins knowing full well what else is out there, and what his options are. Meanwhile, Levine will know exactly what kind of bids he's up against. No matter how you look at it, I think Minnesota meeting with Darvish later in the process rather than earlier almost has to be viewed as a good thing... as long as it actually happens." It was a shot in the dark at the time, but nothing that's happened since has made it feel any less plausible. Darvish has met with the Cubs. He's met with the Astros. Neither of those engagements resulted in remotely immediate action, and the Yankees seem to be distantly waiting for the righty's price to drop. The Twins are said to be prepared to offer a "market deal" to Darvish. And as it happens, through all of his courting elsewhere, the realities of his market have become pretty much solidified. It's clear that Minnesota is at least interested in a meeting with Darvish. And while jaded Twins fans love to opt toward the ol' "he's just not that into you" quip, it's kinda silly to think he'd actually be opposed to linking up, given that he evidently hasn't been blown away by any other suitors. It's almost as though Darvish is biding his time, content in the knowledge that his destination is set, and a meeting is merely a formality. What say you? Click here to view the article

In a vacuum, yes. But you on the open market you could acquire a top-tier younger player for Mauer's $23M, and you'd control him for more than one year. These are the primary factors in this evaluation. Mauer plays a position where offense is abundant, and defense is relatively less important, for a restricting price. By no means am I trying to say Joe Mauer is worthless, or not an integral part of the 2018 lineup. This is a big picture type of analysis.

Nothing wrong with those takes. They're very reasonable. I personally don't hold Pressly in quite the same regard as Duffey in terms of realistic upside from the bullpen, and I still view May as a quality starter candidate. Just need to see a little more from Busenitz, Littell and Thorpe although they have solid cases no doubt.

Eh, I don't really hold it against a guy when he experiences those kinds of issues while operating in a completely unfamiliar role that his body isn't trained for. And those back issues were isolated to 2016 so to me it doesn't qualify him as "injury prone." His health record prior to that season was quite phenomenal. But I'm not assessing based on last year, I'm assessing based on their value to the franchise going forward. I realize this requires a good bit of subjectivity, and I get why people disagree based on 2017 outcomes, but Duffey and May are both highly capable arms under control for 3-4 more years. I think they'll both be big contributors to the staff during that span while Mauer is (hopefully) a marginal 2018 upgrade over what they'd otherwise run out at first base for 2018, and he also occupies about a quarter of their payroll.

Question for you: If the Twins suddenly didn't have Mauer available to them, how much worse off are they? Move Sano to first, start Escobar at 3rd, find a DH or just use Grossman. And then you've got an extra 23 mil to spend elsewhere. He's a fine player but he's just not indispensable to the franchise in any way at this point. ? The UCL tear was literally May's first arm injury in his career.

I'm glad this topic arose, because it was definitely one of the main thinkers that hit me as I compiled the list. First of all, I love Joe Mauer, and he redeemed himself in a big way last year. I'm glad to have him in the lineup. No doubt about that. HOWEVER, I look at it this way: if you could dump him and his $23M salary this year and replace it with, say, Carlos Santana + a $3M reliever, you'd do that 10 out of 10 times, no? Or what if you could sign another solid slugging 1B for a fraction of Santana's price, and then have even more to spend elsewhere? The fact is that an average-ish first baseman in his mid-30s who is extremely expensive -- and whose contract makes him unmoveable -- has little practical value for a team that's trying to build with a big-picture view. Mauer has some uncommon skills -- he's among the best defenders and most disciplined hitters at his position -- but the full package is pretty replaceable. Yes, I'd say more so than Kirilloff, May, Duffey, etc. I didn't really rank beyond 20 but I will say that some of the players who just missed the cut were Garver, Escobar, Thorpe, Rooker, Enlow, and Graterol. Anyone else that people feel deserves consideration? (The question about Dozier playing third is a good one and probably deserving of its own longer thread/discussion)

We've reached the top five. Over the past week we have run through our choices for 6-through-10, 11-through-15, and 16-through-20. Now, it's time to round out our rankings of the 20 most valuable Minnesota Twins assets. Looking beyond performance to account for age, contract, and future impact, the idea is to determine which players will be most vital to the team's ongoing success (or, most useful as trade chips). Scroll past the break to learn who we view as the franchise's five most absolutely indispensable players, and why.5. Eddie Rosario, OF (26) Baseball is a game that can sometimes require a frustrating among of patience. For the better part of three seasons in the majors, Rosario tantalized with his immense potential. He had all the physical tools to be a star: good speed, outstanding arm, quick wrists, stunning strength, and – perhaps above all – that aggressive and fiercely competitive edge that often separates the great from the good. For the first 250 games of his career, however, Rosario's output was suppressed by an almost legendary lack of discipline. Entering this past season, the outfielder had drawn only 22 unintentional walks in 828 plate appearances, a mind-boggling 2.6 BB%. He continued to swing away in the early portion of 2017, but somewhere along the way there was an epiphany. Rosario certainly didn't become a patient hitter by any stretch, but he suddenly was laying off those truly unhittable offerings with unprecedented consistency. And then, he was an absolute monster. After putting up a .660 OPS in April, Rosario finished at .810 or above in every following month. He showed a flare for the spectacular: a three-homer game in mid-June, a five-hit effort in July, a two-run homer at Yankee Stadium in the AL Wild Card Game. Knowing Eddie, we can expect plenty more of that sort of bravado over the next four seasons before he's eligible for free agency. 4. Miguel Sano, 3B (24) It feels strange to have Sano outside the top three in these rankings. As recently as July, he was on top of the world – an All-Star, Home Run Derby runner-up, on pace for 35 jacks and 100 RBI... all before his 25th birthday. But since then, it's been a rough go. He hurt his shin in early August and barely played afterward. He missed the team's postseason appearance and subsequently had a titanium rod surgically placed in his leg. His commitment to diet/conditioning was publically called into question by a local columnist, and it wasn't the first time. And more recently, Sano was in the headlines last week for all the wrong reasons. I've always counted myself as a huge Sano fan – I love the enthusiasm, the ferocious cuts, the fiery competitiveness – but even I can't deny that his stock has taken a significant ding, causing him to slide down at least two spots from where he'd have been a few months ago. Sano possesses the rare stuff that superstars and MVPs are made of, but at this point he's got some work to do in order to get back on that trajectory. 3. Jose Berrios, RHP (23) The lean, mean, fireballing machine. A beyond-shaky 2016 arrival in the majors generated plenty of concern around Berrios. Were his spinning frisbee pitches too uncontrollable to keep in the zone (5.4 BB/9)? Would his short stature – often cited by doubters as a fatal flaw while he rocketed through the minors – make him too homer-prone (1.9 HR/9)? It takes us back to the Rosario thing... patience. In 2016, Berrios was an overmatched 22-year-old kid struggling to stay afloat. He was openly determined to erase memories of that inauspicious debut, and in 2017 the right-hander did just that. Sent to the minors to open the year, Berrios torched Triple-A for a month, then burst onto the scene in Minnesota with back-to-back gems in May. He had his ups and downs thereafter, but ultimately Berrios had himself a very strong year, holding opponents to a .239 average and sub-700 OPS while notching nearly a strikeout per inning. He doesn't turn 24 until late May and has been amazingly durable. The Twins can own his services through 2022 at least. 2. Royce Lewis, SS (18) The baseball world was taken by surprise when the Twins selected prep shortstop Royce Lewis with the No. 1 overall pick in June, bypassing multiple players who were widely ranked above him by analysts. Six months later, the decision looks brilliant, not just because the club applied slot savings to load up later in the draft, but also because early evidence makes a good case for Lewis being the best player taken. He went to the rookie-level Gulf Coast League and dominated with his advanced plate approach and blazing speed. Then he made the rare jump straight to Single-A as an 18-year-old, and more than held his own there (.296/.363/.394 in 18 games). Lewis ranked 39th on Baseball America's mid-season Top 100 list, released shortly after he was drafted, and his impressive work the rest of the way will surely move him further up the pre-2018 list. Lewis is still extremely young but has already entered a rapid ascent. His athleticism is off the charts and his Year 1 performance in the pros helps validate his pedigree as a #1 draft choice. It's unknown whether he'll ultimately end up being a shortstop or center fielder, but either way Lewis stands out as one of the game's most prized assets and (thus far) a slam dunk signature addition by the new front office. 1. Byron Buxton, OF (24) The 2011 Twins season was a pit of utter malaise. Colossal expectations that cratered early on, bilateral leg weakness, the Tsuyoshi Nishioka fiasco, Morneau's lingering concussion effects, Matt Capps... it all amounted to a 99-loss campaign that set off a half-decade of misery. And yet... it was all worth it. Because that catastrophe enabled the Twins to land Byron Buxton in the 2012 MLB draft. After being selected second overall, Buxton quickly gained distinction as the No. 1 prospect in baseball. Despite some injury setbacks while rising through the system, he still was in the major leagues by age 21. While his offensive game took a bit longer to acclimate at the highest level than we'd hoped, by the latter half of 2017, Buxton looked like a comfortable, discerning hitter with power and game-changing speed. And he has already established himself as the most valuable defensive player in the league. Buxton impacts games in so many ways, bringing entirely new levels of entertainment and excitement for the viewer. He received MVP votes and a Gold Glove at in his age-23 season, and I'm guessing he'll be getting plenty more of both in the coming seasons. Humble, likable and hardworking, he's a perfect face for the franchise. The Twins own his rights for the next four years, and if they're smart, they are actively working on an extension right now that will keep him around for even longer. Buxton will be the centerpiece of Minnesota's efforts to forge a World Series winner through 2021 at least. You'll find few superior building blocks around the league. OVERALL RANKINGS 20. Alex Kirilloff, OF (20) 19. Trevor May, RHP (28) 18. Wander Javier, SS (18) 17. Jason Castro, C (30) 16. Tyler Duffey, RHP (27) 15. Taylor Rogers, LHP (27) 14. Adalberto Mejia, LHP (24) 13. Nick Gordon, SS (22) 12. Fernando Romero, RHP (23) 11. Trevor Hildenberger, RHP (27) 10. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP (23) 9. Ervin Santana, RHP (35) 8. Brian Dozier, 2B (30) 7. Max Kepler, OF (24) 6. Jorge Polanco, SS (24) 5. Eddie Rosario, OF (26) 4. Miguel Sano, 3B (24) 3. Jose Berrios, RHP (23) 2. Royce Lewis, SS (18) 1. Byron Buxton, OF (24) Click here to view the article

After running through our rankings for Nos. 11-15 and Nos. 16-20 last week, it's time to break into the Top 10 most valuable assets for the Minnesota Twins. Looking beyond performance to account for age, contract, and future impact, the idea is to determine which players will be most vital to the team's ongoing success (or, most useful as trade chips). Read on past the fold to find out who I picked for spots six through 10, and why.10. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP (23) He doesn't have the same spellbinding upside as Fernando Romero, but Gonsalves ranks a few spots ahead of his fellow top pitching prospect because at this point he seems considerably more likely to reach his ceiling. The left-hander is coming off yet another fantastic season that saw him graduate to Triple-A just one month after his 23rd birthday. In five starts with Rochester, Gonsalves delivered three excellent outings and two clunkers, but this came on the heels of a brilliant 15-start stretch at Chattanooga (8-3, 2.68 ERA, 1.03 WHIP). While he lacks remarkable velocity or breaking stuff, the 6-foot-5 southpaw attacks the zone with a somewhat deceptive release and that's brought him success at pretty much every level. Most importantly, his strong 2017 campaign quieted shoulder concerns that caused him to get a late start to the season. 9. Ervin Santana, RHP (35) Gonsalves might be the future. Santana is the now. He's 35 and only under contract for one or two years, but Erv was easily the best performer on the 2017 staff and has generally been a godsend for the Twins rotation since joining up in July of 2015. Heading into the new season, he's the most reliable and trusted commodity on the staff, although his age, career workload (2,400 innings and counting), and seemingly unsustainable formula (4.02 FIP in 2016/17) cast some doubt on his continued high-end effectiveness. The Twins basically have Santana on a one-year deal for $13.5 million with a team option (automatically activated if he hits 200 innings in 2018). Any team would be beyond ecstatic to get him on such a contract if he were a free agent right now. 8. Brian Dozier, 2B (30) Over the past two seasons – according to the player valuation algorithm at FanGraphs – Dozier has been worth $47 million and $40 million, respectively. The Twins have gotten him for $9 million, total. He's under control for one more year, and still at a huge bargain ($9 million). In retrospect, that spring 2015 contract extension looks pretty damn good, even though it didn't buy out any free agency. The looming reality of FA limits Dozier's value as an asset, which is otherwise immense: top-tier slugging middle infielder, Gold Glove defender, clubhouse leader in every sense of the word. Minnesota might only have one year left with the reigning back-to-back Twins Daily MVP, but they're awfully glad to have that. 7. Max Kepler, OF (24) In 2016, Kepler burst onto the scene with 17 home runs and a .734 OPS as a 23-year-old rookie. That's quite the accomplishment. With his lean and athletic physique, the sky appeared to be the limit, given his transcendent success in Chattanooga the previous season. But in 2017, Kepler stagnated. He posted nearly identical numbers overall and took a step backward against southpaws, going from ugly to unsightly. But while his production didn't improve as we hoped, it was still perfectly solid. Now, he's heading into his third MLB season as a 25-year-old who has flashed glimpses of All-Star potential, while basically establishing his floor as an average MLB corner outfielder. The Twins control his rights through 2022. 6. Jorge Polanco, SS (24) An outsider would glance at Polanco's progression from 2016 to 2017 and assume his stock dropped, with his OPS falling by 30 points. But the real story is a lot more complicated than that. He reached his all-time low point as a pro at the end of July, with his slash line sagging egregiously to .213/.265/.305. He took a few days off for a mental break and returned on August 2nd with a double – his first extra-base hit in a full month. From there, Polanco took off, raking to the tune of .316/.377/.553 with 10 homers and 42 RBI the rest of the way. The amazing surge restored faith in his bat and then some. But perhaps even more importantly, Polanco showed himself to be a credible option at shortstop. His adequacy was very much in doubt following an erratic 2016 debut at the position, but in 2017 the 24-year-old was plenty serviceable, cutting down the mistakes while improving his range and occasionally making legitimately spectacular plays. We'll need to see him sustain both at the plate and in the field before fully buying into his transformation, but right now he looks like a capable shortstop who can bat third in a very good lineup, and that's a hell of a quality asset with four years of control remaining. RANKINGS THUS FAR 20. Alex Kirilloff, OF (20) 19. Trevor May, RHP (28) 18. Wander Javier, SS (18) 17. Jason Castro, C (30) 16. Tyler Duffey, RHP (27) 15. Taylor Rogers, LHP (27) 14. Adalberto Mejia, LHP (24) 13. Nick Gordon, SS (22) 12. Fernando Romero, RHP (23) 11. Trevor Hildenberger, RHP (27) 10. Stephen Gonsalves, LHP (23) 9. Ervin Santana, RHP (35) 8. Brian Dozier, 2B (30) 7. Max Kepler, OF (24) 6. Jorge Polanco, SS (24) Click here to view the article

That's a really good way to frame it, and aligns with my mindset putting the list together. If you're curious about the latter, John had actually put together his own trade value rankings in the forums just last week. You can check it out here. I had missed that thread, and when John pointed it out to me I had to chuckle. Pretty crazy that we were struck by almost the exact same idea at about the exact same time.

That's actually not unrelated... there were two relievers in this group, and I don't think I'd have ranked them this highly several years ago. But we've seen a number of relief pitchers get almost unprecedented contracts already this offseason and that's reflective of the way these specialized bullpen roles are growing in value around the game. So I'm glad you mentioned it.

Well he was hardly the consensus #1. We ranked him fourth, plenty of others had him somewhere below first. In any case, all a matter of opinion. I'm sure some would place him more highly on this list. I personally foresee Gordon as a likely Orlando Hudson type 2B in the majors. Very solid piece, no doubt, but also not irreplaceable. And because these rankings are more Twins-centric as opposed to neutral trade value assessments, the org's considerable MI depth plays a factor there too.

Earlier this week, we kicked off our countdown of the Twins franchise's 20 most valuable player assets. Looking beyond performance to account for age, contract, and future impact, the idea is to determine which players will be most vital to the team's ongoing success (or, most useful as trade chips). You can check out our choices for 16 through 20 here. Read on for Nos. 11 through 15.15. Taylor Rogers - LHP (27) Shutdown relievers are becoming increasingly coveted commodities in today's game, and Rogers is well on his way to firmly establishing such a rep. Outside of a brutal two-week stretch following the All-Star break, he was lights-out in 2017, following an impressive rookie showing in '16. Rogers eviscerates left-handed hitters and is effective enough against righties to hold his own in a setup role. He's not flashy and not a star, but figures to be an ongoing staple in the Twins bullpen. He's under team control for four more years and probably won't get expensive at any point. 14. Adalberto Mejia - LHP (24) No one would describe Mejia's rookie campaign in 2017 as a resounding success, but making 21 starts and posting a league-average ERA at the age of 24 is nothing to sneeze at. The big lefty's 10.6% swinging strike rate was highest among Twins starters, and he held opponents to three or fewer runs in all but three of his outings. Granted, lasting deep into games was a serious problem; he pitched past the fifth only six times all year, and never after July 17th. But that issue mainly stemmed from his control issues, which weren't characteristic (he averaged 2.1 BB/9 in the minors) and tend to dissipate with experience. With his big sturdy build and quality stuff, Mejia has the makings of a mid-rotation workhorse, and he will be affordably retainable for the next five years. 13. Nick Gordon - SS (22) The shine of a great first half in Chattanooga wore off as the shortstop hurtled back to Earth in the final months, but Gordon still enjoyed an altogether outstanding season as one of the youngest regulars in the Southern League. He's always been a good contact hitter but this year his line drives started to carry, leading to 46 extra-base hits in 122 games (he previously had 74 in 293 games). We're still waiting for his true breakout season at the plate, and he needs to prove he can stick at shortstop, but the former top draft pick is already knocking on the door at age 22, and his floor looks like a solid big-league starter in the middle infield. 12. Fernando Romero - RHP (23) A year ago at this time I'd have been tempted to place Romero among the top five in these rankings. In fact, that would've held true as recently as this past July, when the big right-hander was dominating Double-A hitters with upper-90s FB velocity from an intimidating frame. More than any other pitcher currently in the organization, his profile screams "ace," and around the All-Star break Romero was making a case for a late-season promotion. Unfortunately, he is once again in a position where he must prove his ability to stay on the mound. Romero's performance nosedived in August, and he was shut down at 125 innings with a shoulder impingement. It's been a frustrating run for the oft-injured starter, who missed almost all of 2014 and 2015, but if he can shed the durability concerns he'll be a rotation building block 11. Trevor Hildenberger - RHP (27) It'd be awfully tough for a pitcher who works strictly as a reliever to crack the organization's top ten most valuable assets, but Hildenberger comes close. He's been almost completely untouchable throughout his minor-league career, and in 2017 as a rookie with the Twins he showed the numbers were no mirage. Lending a season-altering assist to a bullpen that desperately needed late-inning reliability, Hildenberger delivered a 3.21 ERA and 1.05 WHIP over 37 appearances. Sample size be damned, there was nothing artificial about his excellence. Hildenberger rarely touches the 90s, but his quirky sidearm delivery, masterful control and legitimately phenomenal changeup make it work, leading to an ideal combination of grounders and strikeouts. The 27-year-old bears every attribute of a closer or high-leverage fireman for years to come, and is controllable through 2022. RANKINGS THUS FAR 20. Alex Kirilloff, OF (20) 19. Trevor May, RHP (28) 18. Wander Javier, SS (18) 17. Jason Castro, C (30) 16. Tyler Duffey, RHP (27) 15. Taylor Rogers, LHP (27) 14. Adalberto Mejia, LHP (24) 13. Nick Gordon, SS (22) 12. Fernando Romero, RHP (23) 11. Trevor Hildenberger, RHP (27) Click here to view the article

In most cases, I think those two angles are interchangeable, but first and foremost this is a ranking of the players' value to the Twins specifically. Not "immediate importance" but in the big picture. Admittedly, that's a tricky exercise – how do you rank 1 more year of Brian Dozier against potentially 6 years of Nick Gordon down the line, or 6 years of Wander Javier further down the line? I tried to weigh established production against very theoretical future production. It's anything but scientific, I'll admit. But I think it opens up some fun discussion.

I don't think I implied that Darvish and his agent are not in complete control -- to me that's a reality that goes without saying. I was only suggesting that his decision to speak to MN later in the process could signal that they're higher on his list of preferences, rather than the other way around as many on this thread seem to believe. Using Apple/Microsoft/Google metaphors doesn't really work. This is MLB free agency. Different ballgame, so to speak.

Of course they are. Your suggestion of signing him before anyone else can talk to him is unrealistic. You don't really believe they were going to meet with the Twins early on, get one (likely unspectacular) offer and decide to sign without talking to other teams?

Here's what is playing out right now – from my hopeful view: Levine has a good enough relationship with Darvish and his agent that the two sides have kept an open line of communication. Thad signaled early on that his interest was very serious, and Darvish's camp indicated that the interest was mutual. So over the past couple of weeks, Darvish has been meeting with other legit suitors to hear their pitches and receive their offers. Now he'll be able to go into a meeting with the Twins knowing full well what else is out there, and what his options are. Meanwhile, Levine will know exactly what kind of bids he's up against. No matter how you look at it, I think Minnesota meeting with Darvish later in the process rather than earlier almost has to be viewed as a good thing... as long as it actually happens.

This is probably true, but while the list as somewhat intended as a hierarchy of trade value, it's meant to be specific to the Twins. As alluded in the post, the lack of other clearcut MLB-ready catchers in the organization gave Castro a bit of a bump. And I think you're being a little disingenuous by comparing Castro and Gimenez solely on the basis of 2017. From my view, Duffey's curve was usually on point in 2017, in large part because it played off a far more effective fastball. It cannot be overstated how wretched Duffey's FB was in 2016. In terms of changes in movement and trajectory and all that -- I'm not the best at that sort of analysis so I'll leave it to others, but I will say that by most measures on PitchFX his curve really rebounded this year

May and Duffey were hard to rank. Their results haven't borne out the underlying ability, I don't think, but they've both had things working against them – namely the team's inability to settle on a role for either. May came into camp in 2016 competing for a rotation job but ended up spending the entire year in the bullpen. Ditto for Duffey in 2017. It sure doesn't help a guy succeed when he's unable to properly prepare and train for a particular role, especially when it's a role he hasn't been in for quite a while.

As we prepare to flip the calendar to a new year, it's a good time to take stock. That's exactly the idea behind this new series, which will rank the top 20 players in the Minnesota Twins organization – not by their talent or production necessarily, but by their value as assets. That means we'll be factoring in age, contracts, realistic upside, positional scarcity and other details contributing to the player's long-term indispensability to the Twins franchise. We'll kick off this four-part series with selections for Nos. 16 through 20 below the fold.20. Alex Kirilloff - OF (20) The pure hitting talent is unmistakable. It convinced the Twins to select Kirilloff with the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, and then to send him straight to advanced level rookie ball as an 18-year-old fresh out of high school. The Pittsburgh native answered the challenge, slashing .306/.341/.454 over 55 games in his first exposure to pro competition. But unfortunately, that's all we've seen from him so far. Kirilloff missed the entire 2017 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but he'll be back at full strength in 2018, still only 20 years old and ready to potentially climb the minor-league ranks in a hurry. 19. Trevor May - RHP (28) Like Kirilloff, May isn't fresh in our memories after sitting out all of 2017. But his ability and his track record earn him a place on this list. He has shown solid potential as a starter and posted a dominant strikeout rate out of the bullpen in 2016, although his results and health were inconsistent. Possessing some of the best stuff of anyone on the staff, May was on track to be a valuable rotation contributor last spring before the out-of-nowhere UCL tear in mid-March. There's little reason to think he won't pick up where he left off, even if it's a bit after Opening Day. The Twins need to determine his role and he needs to finally settle into one, but if/when that happens May will probably shoot up this list. Entering his first turn at arbitration, he's still under team control for three years. 18. Wander Javier - SS (18) The Twins signed Javier at age 16 with a $4 million bonus in the summer of 2015 and he has justified the investment ever since. In 50 pro games (between the Gulf Coast and Appalachian Leagues), the shortstop has slashed .301/.381/.497 with good patience, and his quickly developing power suggests he may have a significant ceiling in that department. Everything is looking good so far, but the fact remains that he's only 18 and hasn't played above rookie ball. Much can happen between now and his ETA in the majors, so uncertainty keeps the perceived ceiling of his tantalizing potential in check for now. 17. Jason Castro - C (30) The first major free agent signing from the Falvine Regime has proven to be a success thus far. At the plate, Castro's .720 OPS in 2017 surpassed his career mark by 20 points and was slightly above average for an American League catcher. Behind the plate, he controlled the running game reasonably well and ranked 20th out of 110 MLB backstops in pitch framing per Baseball Prospectus. He's under contract for $8 million each of the next two seasons, qualifying as a nice bargain. Though he's not necessarily a critical long-term cog, Castro is quite important to the Twins for the time being, especially since he's the only catcher who will appear on this list. 16. Tyler Duffey - RHP (27) Duffey has gone through his stumbles and speed bumps since joining the MLB ranks. He excelled during a late-summer debut in 2015 but then struggled mightily as a starter in 2016. This past season he moved over to the bullpen, which always seemed to be his most logical fit, but much like May in 2016 the uneven results belied his quality stuff and impressive whiff rate. Despite the all-too-frequent hiccups, Duffey has consistently had one thing going for him: a bona fide big-league out pitch in his curveball. And he's also got his youth – the righty turns 27 on Wednesday, and won't be eligible for free agency until 2022. After putting up a 3.72 FIP and adding two MPH to his fastball velo in his first year as a reliever since 2012, the future looks bright. Check back later this week when we run down assets 11 through 15 in Part 2. Click here to view the article