Nick Nelson

I'm looking at the move independent of the Murphy and Hicks acquisitions, which clearly did not pan. On its own this was a good trade. If you were complaining about losing Herrmann last November coming off a season where he posted a .486 OPS, I'd love you to point me to it.

Look, I've been as skeptical of Ryan's conservative bullpen approach as anyone, but when his minor-league deal gambles are excelling while popular offseason targets like Bastardo/Sipp are mired in mediocrity and Storen is getting DFA'd in July, I think it's worth pointing out.

A 24-year-old Palka is of more value to a team in MN's position than a 28-year-old (out of options) Herrmann. I don't think this is a particularly controversial statement. Of course Palka carries uncertainty, as does any prospect, but it seems odd to completely downplay a guy who's on track to hit almost 40 home runs in his first taste of the high minors.

Bottom line is that Herrmann was on his way out, and rightfully so. Ryan got something of actual value for him, which is a win, regardless of what happens going forward. It's pretty amusing to watch some of the hindsight judgments playing out here, though. I had completely forgotten what big Herrmann supporters you all were!

In the wake of his dismissal as general manager, there has been much discussion of Terry Ryan's missteps. Rightfully so. But despite the poor results this year, Ryan did make a few notably good moves, and many were the apparent result of savvy scouting. Amidst the focus on his shortcomings, we'll take a look at a few instances where Ryan's instincts paid off (and may continue to pay off long after he's gone).These five low-key decisions, dating back to the end of last season, all worked out better than anyone would have suspected. Three of them involve bullpen pickups, which is somewhat ironic considering that Ryan's lack of action on that front was a primary source of offseason criticism. Let's give the man his due: Believing in Fernando Abad Most fans, including myself, rolled their eyes when Abad became the highest-profile addition to the Twins bullpen during the offseason. For a team badly needing impact left-handed relievers, bypassing the big names on the market and settling for a guy who couldn't get a major-league deal left something to be desired. As it turns out, the Twins were astute in preferring Abad over the high-priced free agent alternatives. His numbers have been vastly superior to Antonio Bastardo or Tony Sipp, and he came with only a fraction of the contractual commitment. Now, Rob Antony may be able to flip Abad ahead of the deadline for a decent prospect. Signing Robbie Grossman Following a 2015 campaign that was poor across the board, the Astros released Grossman in November. He went on to sign a minor-league deal with the Indians. After six weeks with Cleveland's Triple-A affiliate, seeing no path to the majors, Grossman opted out and became a free agent. Ryan liked what he saw and snagged him, and now the outfielder is looking like a potential piece for the future. He certainly can't be counted on to maintain an .850 OPS long-term, but Grossman brings a skill set that offers good value off the bench. He's a switch-hitter. He's a solid fielder and runner. He has a keen eye at the plate, and walks enough to keep his OBP afloat through hitting slumps. And finally, he's only 26 with plenty of team control left. Uncovering Buddy Boshers Last year, Boshers was pitching in an independent league. He performed very well for the Somerset Patriots, and after the season he drew interest from a few different MLB clubs. No one pushed harder than the Twins, who landed him on a minor-league deal in December. What a find he is turning out to be. The 28-year-old southpaw has excelled consistently this year, whether in Rochester or Minnesota. In 20 appearances with the Red Wings, he has a 1.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 26-to-8 K/BB ratio. In 17 appearances with the Twins, he has a 2.81 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 18-to-3 K/BB. He misses bats, stays in the zone and devastates left-handed hitters. What's not to like? Boshers and Abad have become legitimate lefty bullpen options for the Twins going forward, along with Taylor Rogers who was drafted in TR's first year back at the helm. Give the exiled GM this much: he addressed this particular area effectively, albeit in characteristically subtle fashion. Trading Chris Herrmann for Daniel Palka It's safe to say that Chris Herrmann was not in Minnesota's plans this year, right? He was out of options, with a .530 career OPS, and his fringy receiving skills weren't exactly appealing to a team in need of help behind the plate. Somehow, Ryan managed to flip Herrmann for Palka, whose power-hitting skills have only grown more prolific in a new system. Palka's homer last Wednesday in Rochester was his 25th of the year in the minors. No Twin has more than 17. The 24-year-old put on a show in spring training with his long-ball theatrics and is reinforcing his power-hitting prowess with dominant numbers in Double-A and Triple-A. Acquiring Palka for a player who was on his way out will go down as a big win for Ryan. Betting on Brandon Kintzler Kintzler was once a very effective setup man for the Brewers, but had fallen off in recent years. Ryan believed that there was still something left, and it looks like he was right. With Glen Perkins out for the year, and Kevin Jepsen released, Kintzler has taken over the closer role. He has done a damn good job, converting all eight of his save chances despite lacking dominant stuff. Clearly he isn't a long-term ninth-inning solution but he does have the makings of a quality bullpen arm. The Jared Burton parallels are obvious. Click here to view the article

That the Minnesota Twins decided to move on from general manager Terry Ryan would not, in and of itself, be all that surprising for any organization that didn't have the same reputation for inscrutable loyalty. It is a results-oriented business, and the results have been dire since Ryan's return. The timing of the move, however, was stunning from any perspective.The Twins removed Ryan from the GM's chair just two weeks ahead of a pivotal trade deadline. In that same chair, he was amidst discussions and negotiations that had been percolating for weeks. The next 10 days could prove extremely important to the future of the franchise. Now, instead of a seasoned veteran highly familiar navigating with the deadline landscape, the burden falls to Rob Antony, who has virtually no experience in this top role. The pressure Antony faces is immense. This is a job that he has eyed for much of his life. He has spent nearly 30 years climbing the ladder with this team. He stated earlier this week that he has always envisioned a day when Ryan would step aside on his own terms and recommend his longtime assistant as successor. Had things played out the way they were supposed to this year, that could have very well come to fruition. Obviously, it isn't what happened. The club collapsed, Ryan was fired, and now Antony carries the dubious distinction of being next-in-command for this precarious regime. He finally has the job he has long coveted, but it's far from certain that he'll be able to keep it beyond the next two months. Earlier this week in the Star Tribune, columnist Pat Reusse wrote that there is "zero chance" of Antony keeping the position long-term. If the premise of Reusse's piece is true, and the dismissal of Ryan was driven by PR considerations, then this only makes sense. Regardless of Antony's qualifications, installing him as the permanent replacement isn't going to excite or rejuvenate a wilting fan base. The Twins would need a splashy outside hire. But, given the critical timing of Antony's installation as interim GM, along with the organization's aforementioned loyalty and preference for promoting from within, I have to believe that the 51-year-old is being given an opportunity to audition. Could he bolster his case with a few savvy moves leading up the deadline and beyond? It's going to be tough to evaluate him on this basis, for a few reasons. First of all, the nature Minnesota's position as sellers means that any moves they make will involve swapping out veterans for prospects. Those deals are almost impossible to evaluate until several years down the line. Secondly, Antony is only picking up where Ryan left off. Very few deadline deals materialize out of nowhere in the final days of July. Seeds have been planted. Antony isn't really operating in full autonomy even though he now has the final say. There were several interesting tidbits within La Velle E. Neal III's Q&A with Antony earlier this week. One that I found particularly noteworthy: Ryan advised, "You might get more action now than we did before because people are going to test you." It's a side of this whole thing that I hadn't really considered. Ryan has always had a shrewd and conservative approach at the deadline, much to the dismay of action-hungry fans. Opposing general managers were undoubtedly reluctant to push him too hard, knowing where such efforts would end up. Antony, though, is a different man. Perhaps he's more willing to pull the trigger. Perhaps that was even a part of the reasoning behind the switch. Will his desire to make a splash and distinguish himself compel him to be more active? Will opportunistic execs around the league seek to take advantage of the new guy? I'll be curious to see how this plays out. One thing is for sure: he's being thrown right into the frying pan. The stakes for Antony and his career are as high as can be. How will the interim GM handle the task? Click here to view the article

When the Twins announced on Monday the stunning midseason dismissal of longtime general manager Terry Ryan, it was a promising signal to fans that the organization is taking its dismal state of affairs very seriously. Unfortunately, that optimism quickly faded once the franchise's remaining top decision-makers began speaking about what's coming next.The problem with removing the GM is that the Twins have lacked foresight to lay the groundwork for such an eventuality. They never surrounded Ryan with new blood, so each of the internal replacement candidates is entrenched in the organizational culture, and to some extent a student of Ryan. The line of succession is stale. They did not replace their team president with a baseball man, so the executive who has the final say on the matter (outside of the owners) remains Dave St. Peter, an individual who inspires little confidence as an evaluator. By his own admission, St. Peter tries to stick to the business side – "we believe strongly that we should let the baseball people make baseball decisions" – but now the top baseball person is gone, and so the responsibility of finding a new general manager falls on decidedly non-baseball people: St. Peter and the ownership. Yes, the same ownership that stays connected from afar, and lacks much knowledge of how teams around the league operate. To reinforce this reality, Jim Pohlad said at a press conference on Monday that he was brushing up on how other front offices are structured by reading their media guides. He also stated that his foremost requirement for a new candidate was that he be "lovable." Given his success in the business world, and the amount of time he has been involved with running a sports franchise, it is almost inconceivable to me that Pohlad would be tone deaf enough not to foresee how these public comments would be perceived by fans, media and basically everyone... but here we are. The rhetoric from St. Peter and the Pohlads makes it difficult to have faith in their aptitude to choose the right person for the job. So does their history. The last time Ryan departed as GM, the same group tabbed Bill Smith as his replacement, and the outcome was brutal. The possibility of keeping on Rob Antony isn't popular, both because of of the Smith experience and because of Minnesota's history of insularity, but it shouldn't be written off quite so hastily. While he has delivered some troubling quotes in the past, that was a long time ago. In my interactions with him, Antony has always come off as being sharp and knowledgeable. He has considerable experience negotiating contracts, and knows the system here inside and out. While this is speculative, I suspect Antony would be more open to the influence of stats guru Jack Goin than was Ryan, a grizzled scout. Perhaps Antony would even push for an expansion of the analytics department. Who knows. The point is: just because he learned under TR does not mean he's the same guy. But hiring Antony without conducting an extensive outside search would be outrageous and unacceptable. Pohlad indicated that the Twins "might" bring in a search firm for assistance, and that's only another reason to hold extreme skepticism toward their approach. Enlisting outside help in this process should be an absolute no-brainer. When you're hedging on that and talking about how you're looking for a lovable guy, how can anyone really believe that this monumentally important task is being treated with the proper gravity? If they want to parlay this pivotal decision into feelings of hope and enthusiasm amongst fans desperate for a positive change in direction, the people running the show at Target Field need to start saying and doing the right things. So far, they are failing. Click here to view the article

The narrative about the Minnesota Twins front office being run as a "country club" took a hit today, as the organization shocked the baseball world by announcing the dismissal of general manager Terry Ryan. He will be replaced by assistant GM Rob Antony on an interim basis.The stunning announcement comes just two weeks ahead of a pivotal trade deadline, meaning that a different leader will oversee this critical opportunity to support and reinforce Minnesota's rebuilding process. Antony has been working in the organization for nearly 30 years, first in the PR and media relations departments before moving into baseball operations and eventually becoming a high-ranking front office executive. He has briefly handled GM duties in the past, when Ryan was absent while battling skin cancer in 2014. It isn't entirely surprising that the Twins decided to part ways with their long-time GM, given the disastrous way that things have played out on the field this year, but the timing is striking. Is Antony auditioning for a permanent gig based on how he handles the deadline and the remainder of the season? Or does the franchise have plans in place for a more comprehensive and competitive successor search during the offseason? (NOTE: According MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Twins plan to launch an extensive GM search within the coming weeks.) We'll keep you updated with new details as they emerge. But for now, here's what we know: Terry Ryan, who has largely been the enduring face of Twins baseball since first taking the GM gig back in 1994, is out. Click here to view the article

He was Minnesota's lone representative at last Tuesday's All Star Game. He has been the team's leadoff hitter, almost exclusively, for two months. While others have endured slumps and demotions, he has kept hitting relentlessly, earning an entrenched status in the daily lineup. But is Eduardo Nunez really the answer at short for the Twins? And if he isn't, then what is the plan?The steady playing time for Nunez has come largely at the expense of Eduardo Escobar, who entered the season as starting shortstop. Some health issues have factored in, including a recent minor hamstring injury, but since the end of May, Escobar has started only 16 of 40 games. It's not like Escobar hasn't been hitting during that span. In his 70 plate appearances dating back to the start of June, he has a .774 OPS; during the same time period Nunez is at .754. There is also little doubt that Escobar is the superior defensive player. Nonetheless, Nunez has elevated himself to the top of the depth chart thanks to his hot start, his persisting effectiveness at the plate, and his dynamic work on the base paths. It's tough to argue with the approach at this time. Escobar has not done a whole lot to distinguish himself and the offense has been clicking nicely with Nunez at the top of the order. But with the trade deadline only two weeks away, the Twins need to determine whether they really think this is a long-term solution. If it's not, they should be trying to get whatever they can for Nunez, while recommitting to Escobar as their starting shortstop until Jorge Polanco, Nick Gordon or another long-term fixture emerges. It's difficult to gauge how the market views Nunez, but as a breakout spark plug type player who is under 30 and can play several positions, there is value. He's a nice asset for a contender. While Escobar hasn't been great this year, the muscle strains have slowed him somewhat, and he still hasn't been terrible. He has a solid track record of performance over the last three seasons, and is two years younger than Nunez. Given his superiority with the mitt and his lengthier window of team control, he is the one I would be betting on. Nunez looks like the definition of a guy that a rebuilding club like the Twins should sell high on. But will they? And what could realistically be expected as a return for such a player who finally seems to be reaching his offensive potential? Click here to view the article

Murphy in the month of May following his demotion (74 PA): .154/.230/.169 Murphy since June 1st (113 PA): .228/.283/.356 :/

http://m.mlb.com/glossary/transactions/vesting-option "In most cases, a vesting option that fails to vest can still be exercised as a club option." I believe this to be the case.

The All Star break is over. Now, with just over two weeks until the deadline, it’s trade season. That much was made clear on Thursday, when the Red Sox dealt a top pitching prospect to San Diego in exchange for impact starter Drew Pomeranz.Boston had been mentioned as a possible destination for Ervin Santana, who suddenly carries intriguing trade value, but is now off the board for starting pitching. And yet, one position where the Red Sox, along with many other contenders, could still use help is catcher. It's a source of offensive weakness across the league. American League catchers collectively have a .671 OPS, which is 60 points lower than the next-worst position (left field). This makes the timing of Kurt Suzuki's astonishing evolution with the bat quite fortuitous. It's difficult to comprehend, but after his scorching last six weeks Suzuki suddenly leads all AL catchers in batting average and ranks third in OPS. Given the generally subpar level of play that we've seen from him over the past two years, it's tempting to pass this off as a fluke. But Suzuki's torrid streak has sustained for quite a while and shows no signs of dissipating. What triggered this shocking turnaround? Optimal health at last? A new bat type? Plain and simple adjustments? Who knows, but this much is clear: Terry Ryan now stands at a point of great leverage. The Case For Trading Suzuki Boston's willingness to surrender Anderson Espinoza, one of the most highly regarded young arms in the minors, for Pomeranz signals that we're looking at a seller's market. The addition of a second wild-card slot means that 19 MLB teams are realistically in the postseason race, and looking for an edge. Picking up a catcher who is in the zone like Suzuki would provide just that. Some teams are flat-out desperate for any kind of offensive threat behind the plate. The Indians, who currently lead the AL Central, have had no choice but to stick with Yan Gomes as their regular despite his .166 average and .516 OPS. The Tigers are chasing them with James McCann – owner of a .208 average and .563 OPS – as their majority backstop. The third-place White Sox are trotting out Dioner Navarro, who is also batting .208. And that's just in this division. The aforementioned Red Sox, who have demonstrated an all-in type of aggressiveness, may fancy the idea of bringing in a well respected and red-hot veteran like Suzuki to bang liners off the Green Monster. He's inexpensive this year. He has a very reasonable $6 million option attached to his contract for next year. His unceasing toughness sets a good example, and pitchers love working with him. It isn't difficult to envision a scenario in which Suzuki garners some significant offers, especially if he keeps raking for a couple more weeks. Can the Twins, now thrust back into rebuilding mode, afford to pass them up? The Case For Keeping Suzuki The problem with giving up Suzuki is that the cupboard is completely bare for 2017. John Ryan Murphy is batting .208 with a .558 OPS in Triple-A, and he qualifies as the next most credible option in the organization as a starting catcher. If the Twins have aspirations of bouncing back and returning to contention next year – and it's not that far-fetched – they either need keep Suzuki and activate his option, or enter the offseason frantically searching for an answer. Are they ready to get into a high-stakes bidding war for Wilson Ramos or Matt Wieters, given the number of clubs seeking such players? Not likely. This team has stuck with Suzuki through some lean times. He stayed in the lineup steadily last year even while posting terrible numbers, and during the offseason, the front office brought in more of a caddy/protege than replacement. Now that he's finally playing up to his potential, and the organization is bereft of contingency plans, it won't be easy to pry Suzuki away. It all comes down to getting an offer that can't be refused. With 17 days remaining until the deadline, we'll see it if comes. Click here to view the article

I think some people are missing the core point here. The problem, in my mind, is not that they traded a prospect for a midseason upgrade despite being a very borderline contender -- I commend that. The problem also was not a lopsided transaction. Hu was a fair price for ~1.5 years of Jepsen. The problem is in the flawed fundamental thinking. Should they have even been seeking ~1.5 years of any (non-elite) reliever, rather than seeking a straight-up two month rental? Teams that are out of the race don't need to be offered much for guys who are set to be free agents. Look at how much less it cost the Twins to acquire Brian Fuentes a few weeks after they got Capps in 2010.

On Monday, the Twins officially released Kevin Jepsen following a miserable first half. The timing of the move is painful, coming one day after Chih-Wei Hu – the 22-year-old pitching prospect dealt for Jepsen last July – flashed outstanding stuff in the All Star Futures Game. Many will dwell on how bad the trade now looks. Few would have done so at the end of last September. But there is a valuable takeaway here, and it's one that this organization should already have taken away.Hu always had the makings of a nice young pitcher so it's no surprise to see him succeeding in Tampa's system. But Jepsen was also an accomplished veteran reliever with strong numbers, and you have to give up something to get something. It's not like Hu was an elite young talent by any stretch. Would Terry Ryan have needed to part with a prospect of even Hu's caliber, though, if he were merely acquiring a two-month rental of similar ability? Not a chance. The Twins had to step up their offer in order to bring in a player who remained under team control for an additional season. Jepsen's drastic drop-off, from sheer brilliance in 2015 to utter ineptitude in 2016, serves as a reminder that relief pitchers are extremely volatile assets. That is why it makes little sense to pay extra for added commitment. This misstep is made more frustrating because it's a lesson that the Twins have already learned the hard way, and also because it's completely inconsistent with the way Ryan operates otherwise. At the trade deadline in 2010, Minnesota was on the lookout for an established closer as they geared up for a postseason run. Bill Smith infamously gave up catching prospect Wilson Ramos in exchange for Nationals reliever Matt Capps. Ramos was a prized prospect at a high-value position, and seemed like a high price to pay for a good-not-great closer. But the appeal of Capps, and the factor that undoubtedly swayed Smith to surrender Ramos, was the extra year of control. The Twins didn't really know what to expect from Joe Nathan in 2011, when he'd be freshly rehabbed from Tommy John surgery, so they sought added stability in the late innings. The way things played out was essentially a mirror image of what we just witnessed with Jepsen. Capps did his part down the stretch in 2010, filling a key role in the bullpen, but was an unreliable mess the following year. This kind of fluctuation isn't uncommon. Again, relief pitchers are volatile. That trade is now widely viewed as the worst in modern franchise history, since the Twins are bereft of long-term catching options whereas Ramos appeared in last night's All-Star Game. Now, Ryan has fallen into the same trap, albeit to a lesser degree. Clearly, Jepsen's extended control was attractive as the GM looked ahead at an uncertain 2016 bullpen picture. Ryan may have had some inklings about the issues that were beginning to plague Glen Perkins, as well. But the proper approach would have been to pick up a true rental, which would demand a lower return, and regroup in the offseason. There, the trade market is less driven by timing and leverage, while free agents are also available. This brings me to the part that is most irksome. Throughout his tenure, Ryan has consistently eschewed the high-end free agent reliever market, and the reason is always the same. It's not the money, it's the term. He doesn't like making multi-year contract commitments to relief pitchers, given their mercurial nature. Hey, it makes sense. But if that's the mindset, why are you willing to give up prospects – a far more valuable commodity than money – in exchange for that very same thing? This costly inconsistent thinking stands out as a major blemish for the Twins front office. Mistakes happen, but they shouldn't happen twice. Click here to view the article

Let's be clear on this: It's a team option that becomes guaranteed if he hits that PA total. The Twins have the choice of activating it if they please regardless of his playing time.

OK. So one of these is false (Duffey has pitched past the 6th in 5 of 14 starts), one is irrelevant (news flash: BABIP and K-rate tend to fluctuate over the season!) and one is made up. Very convincing.

The first three months of this 2016 season were forgettable to say the least. But here in July, as we head into the All-Star break, the Minnesota Twins are finally starting to show some positive signs. In fact, there are more than you might suspect. Let's run through some of the things we can feel good about during baseball's midsummer respite.1. The Twins are finally hitting like we hoped they would. The optimistic view of this team, entering the season, was that a powerful offense and adequate pitching staff could make them competitive. That did not come to fruition for much of the first half, but over the past few weeks it has. In their past 20 games, the Twins have gone 12-8 while averaging 6.7 runs, hitting .288/.357/.510 with 32 homers. Five of those wins have come against a Texas team with the AL's best record. It's too little, too late for this year's squad, already buried by 20 games in the AL Central, but splendid to see nonetheless. 2. No stopping Nunez. Regardless of how you view the sustainability of Eduardo Nunez's brilliance, this has clearly been a great development. Nunez was a non-tender candidate in the offseason as a decent hitter with no real defensive position, but now he'll represent Minnesota in the All Star Game on Tuesday. It's a well deserved honor, because the 29-year-old has been legitimately excellent and continues to show no signs of slowing down. He has turned himself into much more of an asset than anyone would have suspected. 3. Miguel Sano is back at third base and hitting. I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that Sano is the most important piece in the Twins lineup. He was heating up before going down with a hamstring strain at the end of May, with four homers in six games leading up to the injury, and has picked up nicely since returning by posting a .929 OPS with three homers and nine RBI in 10 games. Plus, he's back at the position where he belongs and making some slick plays. It'll be interesting to see what happens when Trevor Plouffe returns from the DL. 4. Max Kepler has been wunderbar! We've grown accustomed to introductory struggles from highly touted young talents. Maybe that's why Kepler's initial surge has been so shocking. Or maybe it's because it is truly astonishing to see a wiry 23-year-old teeing off against major-league pitchers the way he has. Through 46 games in his first real taste MLB competition, Kepler has an .802 OPS, with a 600-PA pace for 29 homers and 121 RBI. 5. Pitching reinforcements continue to reinforce readiness. Obviously, pitching is the area where Minnesota has the furthest to go in order to return to respectability. The jury is out on pretty much every one of their starters, and the bullpen is an amorphous mystery. So it is good news that the organization's best prospects for each unit are doing all the right things. J.T. Chargois pitched in the All-Star Futures Game on Sunday night at Petco Park. Jose Berrios will represent Rochester at the Triple-A All-Star Game on Wednesday in Charlotte. Each has fizzled during brief MLB stints this year, but they are showing every sign of mastery at the highest level of the minors. We will likely see both back in Minnesota soon, and the second half will a provide a relatively low-leverage setting to learn the ropes. If both catch on, the outlook for the 2017 team brightens immensely. 6. Robbie Grossman looks like a find. Grossman has now been with the Twins for nearly two full months. His initial hot-hitting period has long since worn off. Since a scorching first couple of weeks with the new club, his BABIP has come down to Earth and his average has dropped precipitously. Yet, after 195 plate appearances, the switch-hitting outfielder still has a .421 on-base percentage. He shows the ability to stay productive offensively even while his bat sags, and that's invaluable for a part-time/bench role. 7. Sophomore slump-busters? Following an impressive rookie showing in 2014, Kennys Vargas endured a dreadful second season that included a demotion straight to Double-A. He was never in consideration for a roster spot this spring and appeared to be on the verge of exiting Minnesota's plans. He wasn't hitting much at Triple-A this year, but he was showing a much improved approach, just as he did last year in Rochester. That has translated thus far during his latest stint in the majors, as Vargas has five walks and two strikeouts through 23 plate appearances. The 25-year-old's power is undeniable and has been on display with all eight of his hits going for extra bases. If he's controlling the strike zone he is a weapon with dominant offensive ability. Then, there's Eddie Rosario. He's still amidst his sophomore season, which started out with a thud as he limped to a .532 OPS in April and May. He went to Triple-A, raked to the tune of an .881 OPS in 41 games, and has gone 12-for-31 with five extra-base hits since being recalled. He is rarely whiffing. I know some people will forever be skeptical of Rosario due to his overt and often hazardous aggressiveness, but if you acknowledge that he'll never be a patient hitter he is doing everything you could ask for right now. 8. A fledgling power pen? If Trevor May, Ryan Pressly and Michael Tonkin hold their pre-break K paces through the end of the year, here's where they would finish on the Twins leaderboard for strikeouts by a reliever since 2009, Joe Nathan's last full season as closer: 1. Michael Tonkin: 98 2. Trevor May: 81 3. Ryan Pressly: 81 4. Glen Perkins, 2012: 78 5. Glen Perkins, 2013: 77 6. Casey Fien, 2013: 73 7. Anthony Swarzak, 2013: 69 8. Glen Perkins, 2011: 65 9. Jesse Crain, 2010: 62 10. Jared Burton, 2013: 61 There's been nothing fluky about the achievement of these impressive and, in recent history, unprecedented strikeout totals for the back-end relievers. May, Pressly and Tonkin all bring upper 90s gas, and blow people away when they're on. Obviously, the results for each have been uneven, but seeing the Twins rank in the top half of the majors in bullpen K/9 is a remarkable and much-needed turnaround. This unit actually might have the makings of a power pen, especially with arms like Chargois and Nick Burdi on the way. 9. Tyler Duffey looks to be straightened out. What to make of Duffey's month-long skid from May 20th through June 21st, in which he was clobbered for a 9.17 ERA over seven starts, pushing him to the brink of a demotion? It's hard to say, but it is the lone stretch of poor performance that he's had over the past two seasons, and he seems to have moved past it. Duffey has won three straight starts with a 2.25 ERA, averaging a strikeout per inning. His rebound certainly counters the narrative that he was a ticking time bomb once big-league hitters figured out his curve. 10. Something has gotten into Kurt Suzuki. After going 3-for-5 with a pair of doubles on Sunday, Suzuki is now hitting .294/.332/.447. Among AL catchers with 200 plate appearances, his .294 average ranks first and his .778 OPS third. If one of the catchers on the All-Star roster were to come up with an injury, Suzuki would have a very legit claim as the top replacement option. This from a guy who was one of the worst starting catchers in the game last year, and entered this June with a .559 OPS. The rejuvenation bolsters Suzuki's value as a trade chip, especially given the dire nature of the catcher position around the league. The Twins might not be inclined to move him though. They have nothing – and I mean nothing – in place behind the plate for 2017. The idea of activating Suzuki's $6 million option now suddenly seems rather appealing. Way more than it did a month ago, anyway. ~~~ This isn't merely scrounging for silver linings among the muck. These developments are truly encouraging and optimism inspiring. The first half was largely a grim spectacle for Twins fans but as we reflect here during the midway breather, there really are a lot of factors to feel pretty dang good about based on the way things are trending. What others would you add to the list? Click here to view the article