Nick Nelson

Jose Berrios ranked as the third-best prospect in Minnesota's stacked system when we put together our preseason list, and he has done plenty this year at Chattanooga to maintain a firm grasp on that spot. He will be one of two players representing the Twins at the Futures Game on July 12th.Age: 21 2015 Stats (AA): 90.1 IP, 8-3, 3.08 ERA, 92-to-24 K/BB, 1.11 WHIP ETA: 2015 2015 Preseason Ranking: 3 What's To Like By now, most Twins fans are familiar with the merits of Berrios. He has pitched extremely well at every level since being drafted 32nd overall as a Puerto Rican high schooler in 2012, and has advanced quickly enough that he already has 23 starts at Double-A under his belt at age 21. Even though it's been nearly a full year since he was first promoted to Double-A, Berrios remains the second-youngest qualified pitcher in the Southern League, where he has excelled. One of the biggest question marks attached to the 6-foot-nothing right-hander was whether his lack of height (and thus, downward plane) might lead to hitters lifting the ball over the fence at the higher levels, but Berrios continues to minimize that concern by keeping it in the yard. He has allowed only six home runs in 15 starts for Chattanooga this year, and in total has yielded eight homers over 134 innings since moving up from Single-A. Just about everything in the young righty's game has been positive. He's missing bats, limiting walks, and holding his own even on days where he doesn't have his best stuff – just once in 15 starts for the Lookouts has he given up more than three earned runs. There was a general sentiment in spring training that Berrios had the most impressive stuff of any pitcher in camp. As usual, that has played out in his results this season. He has been one of the best starters in the Southern League and could probably get it done in the majors right now if a need arose. That's saying something, since as of now he'd be the youngest pitcher to make a start in the big leagues this year (Houston's Lance McCullers, who is six months older, currently holds that distinction). What's Left To Work On At this moment, not much. He hasn't been untouchable every time out and could possibly stand to show a little more consistency, but there isn't really a single thing in Berrios' performance that you can point to as a clear weakness, and that's what makes him the bona fide top pitching prospect in the organization. What's Next Under different circumstances, Berrios might be in line to debut sometime this summer, but with the present logjam in the major-league rotation, it's unclear when an opportunity will arise. The return of Ervin Santana next weekend will oust a quality starter, and Tyler Duffey is also pitching very well above Berrios in Triple-A. The Twins don't benefit a whole lot from letting their young stud cut directly to the front of the line unless they're convinced that he can absolutely blow away MLB hitters right now. Given that he has put in nearly a full season's worth of work at Double-A, the Twins might opt to promote Berrios to Rochester so he can be tested at one more level before reaching The Show. That would probably happen sometime within the next couple weeks – perhaps immediately after he makes his second straight appearance in the Futures Game. Unless things go awry in the Minnesota's starting corps, or the Twins trade a starter or two, Berrios will have a tough time cracking the rotation this year. If he keeps pitching as he has though – and especially if he keeps it going after moving up another level – he would be a candidate to make some bullpen appearances as a September call-up. He certainly will have done plenty to earn it. Click here to view the article

I was nodding in agreement with the above comment until I reached the end. Plouffe made 582 plate appearances last year and is on pace for more than 600 this year. I don't think "fragile" applies. He certainly can't be compared to Buxton, who has missed time with four different significant injuries since the start of the 2014 season. In fact, I don't see any comparisons that work. Bryce Harper has had his woes but has never gone through anything like Buxton's last year-and-a-half.

During his brief time in a big-league uniform, Byron Buxton has shown all the things that turned him into the nation's most heralded prospect. He has tracked down tough fly balls, unleashed rocket throws, and motored around the bases like Sonic the Hedgehog – legs a blur, arms askew. The intensity and speed that define Buxton's game make him an absolute joy to watch. They are also proving to be his biggest downfall.In 2014, Buxton lost significant time to three different injuries: a sprained wrist, a concussion and a dislocated finger. The mishaps struck three totally separate parts of the young outfielder's body, but they did share one thing in common: All were suffered in situations where Buxton was going all-out to make a play. He sprained his left wrist while diving after a liner in center during spring training, and then re-aggravated the injury shortly after returning in May while sliding into third base. In July, he was concussed – knocked unconscious momentarily, actually – in a collision with a fellow outfielder while he was sprinting at full speed for a fly ball. He later dislocated his right middle finger in the Arizona Fall League while once again diving for a ball in the outfield. On Tuesday night, Buxton sprained his thumb on this play, barreling into second base at high velocity on a steal: Call it what you want to call it: hustle, recklessness, maybe even in some cases bad technique – it's what makes Buxton the player he is. He goes all out trying to catch balls in spring training and the AFL so you know he's going to put it all on the line in a major-league ballgame. It's hard to imagine his coaches ever asking him to take it down a notch. But is Buxton's wiry body – generously listed at 190 pounds – capable of handling the inherent punishment that comes along with this style of play? So far, the evidence suggests no. This latest malady is expected to sideline Buxton for at least a month, according to Paul Molitor, so the young phenom is going to lose another large chunk of a crucial development year. In the scope of this season, it's a bummer of a setback. In the bigger picture, it's an extremely alarming trend. Click here to view the article

That might be true on average, I'm just not sure it is in this case. Gonsalves is a big kid who's still growing into his body. In any case, I think his velocity plays up because of his size and release point.

Part of it is that these rankings are based on more than this season's production alone. The other part is that we're looking at player types. All things being equal, you're going to value a guy who projects as a big LH starter that misses bats over a guy who projects to be a solid offensive corner OF. He's also still only 20, so I don't think it's safe to assume he's done adding velocity. I mean, he threw 36 innings in Low A last year so calling this his "second go around" doesn't seem entirely fair. And this wasn't just putting up numbers. This was flat-out domination.

A 6-foot-5 left-handed pitcher with a fastball in the 90s and good command is a rare breed. Throw in spectacular results at his first full-season stop in the minors and you've got a player whose stock is rapidly on the rise. Stephen Gonsalves ranked 13th in our preseason prospect rankings and after a tremendous first half, he's now bordering on the Top 5 in our midseason update.Age: 20 2015 Stats (A/A+): 64 IP, 7-1, 1.83 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, 81/21 K/BB ETA: 2018 2015 Preseason Ranking: 13 What's To Like There was a lot to like about Gonsalves as a dominating high school hurler in Southern California, to the point that many projected him as a first- or second-round pick in the 2013 draft, but he dropped to the fourth mostly due to off-the-field issues. The Twins selected him 110th overall and enticed him to forego a scholarship offer at the University of San Diego with a $700,000 signing bonus that was nearly $250K over slot. Since signing, Gonsalves has performed very much like a first-round talent deserving of that lucrative bonus. By the end of his first full pro season last year, he was at Low-A Cedar Rapids and pitching well. He started there again this year and did more than pitch well, with some of the most ridiculous numbers you'll see: In nine starts for the Kernels, he went 6-1 with a 1.15 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 77-to-15 K/BB ratio over 55 innings. His 12.6 K/9 rate led the entire organization. Gonsalves was particularly untouchable over his last three starts at Cedar Rapids, allowing zero earned runs and six hits over 19 innings with 30 strikeouts, and leaving the Twins with little choice but to promote him to the Florida State League, where he became one of just 10 players aged 20 or younger to throw a pitch. What's Left To Work On Since joining the Ft. Myers Miracle, Gonsalves has experienced the first real adversity of his pro career, failing to demonstrate the same superiority that was regularly on display in the Midwest League. What can't be emphasized enough, though, is the age and experience differential at this level of competition. The average player in the FSL is 23 years old; Gonsalves doesn't turn 21 until next month. He needs to make adjustments, and refine his control against more advanced hitters (he has issued six walks over nine innings in his first two starts), but there's little reason to think he can't do so given his ability and his history. What's Next Gonsalves will almost surely finish out this season at Ft. Myers, and unless he finishes extremely strong he seems likely to start there again in 2016. If he can reach Double-A by the end of next year, at which point he'll be 22, that would be a good scenario, putting him on track to reach the majors potentially in 2017 but more likely in 2018. That, of course, is if everything goes to plan and he avoids injury. Big "ifs," and Gonsalves has a long ways to go, which is why excitement should still be tempered for the time being. But right now, he's showing all the signs of developing into a big, overpowering lefty starter. TD Top Prospect #10 - Alex Meyer TD Top Prospect #9 - Max Kepler TD Top Prospect #8 - Eddie Rosario TD Top Prospect #7 - Nick Gordon Click here to view the article

The Twins just got done running through a gauntlet. The past two weeks have featured a brutally tough section of the schedule that certainly took its toll. Finally, things are going to get a little easier, starting with Monday night's series opener against the White Sox.Minnesota's last four opponents – Royals, Rangers, Cardinals, Cubs, – have all had high-caliber pitching staffs and records well above .500. Over that 13-game stretch, the Twins went 4-9 while averaging 2.6 runs per game. Now, the White Sox come to town, bringing with them the fewest wins in the AL (30). Chicago's 4.15 team ERA is second-highest in the league. If you take Chris Sale's production out of the mix, that number goes up to 4.39, but unfortunately, the Twins won't be taking his production of the mix. He pitches on Wednesday. Still, there are many reasons to believe that Minnesota's stalled out offense can get back on track at Target Field this week. Let's take an in-depth look at the probable starters and determine which game is your best bet to attend if you want to see some crooked numbers on the scoreboard. Monday, 7:10 PM: LHP John Danks vs. RHP Tommy Milone Here are the last 12 starting pitchers the Twins have faced, along with each one's ERA and WHIP: Chris Young: 2.25, 0.92 Edinson Volquez: 3.33, 1.22 Wandy Rodriguez: 3.20, 1.25 Colby Lewis: 4.08, 1.19 Nick Martinez: 2.77, 1.33 John Lackey: 3.41, 1.22 Michael Wacha: 2.48, 1.04 Carlos Martinez: 2.80, 1.28 Jaime Garcia: 1.76, 0.90 Kyle Hendricks: 4.28, 1.24 Jon Lester: 3.80, 1.34 Jake Arrieta: 3.07, 1.12 I know it can be tempting to get down on the Twins lineup with the slump they've been going through, but that is a pretty ridiculous stretch of mound opponents. You've got to imagine these hitters are excited to take their licks against John Danks, who is more vulnerable than any of the names listed above. In 13 starts, he's 3-7 with a 5.16 ERA and 1.45 WHIP, having allowed 88 hits (including 11 homers) in 75 innings of work. Danks hasn't been a particularly effective pitcher since 2010, but the Sox are locked in to him with his five-year, $65 million contract running through next season. In three June starts, the left-hander is 0-3 with a 6.35 ERA. Opponents are batting .312/.351/.516 against him on the road this year. And Minnesota knocked him around for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in a meeting at Target Field back in early May. This has the makings of a slump-busting offensive night for the Twins, but of course, it's up to the hitters to take advantage. In particular, keep an eye on Brian Dozier, Trevor Plouffe, Torii Hunter, Kurt Suzuki and Byron Buxton. Righty swingers have crushed Danks to the tune of a .909 OPS this season. Tuesday, 7:10 PM: RHP Jeff Samardzija vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey The last time the Twins saw Samardzija, he shut them down at U.S. Cellular Field with eight innings of two-run ball, notching a season-high nine strikeouts. However, that type of performance hasn't exactly been typical for the big right-hander. In his 14 starts this season, Samardzija has allowed 110 hits, most in the American League. If you subtract his gem against the Twins a month ago, his ERA jumps to 4.90, which in today's pitching-dominated game is flat-out terrible. Shark's impeccable control (a remarkable turnaround from his early days) has helped him limit damage to an extent while also enabling him to consistently pitch deep into ballgames, but he is a guy that can be knocked around. Wednesday, 12:10 PM: LHP Chris Sale vs. RHP Phil Hughes This, of course, is a tough assignment. There's no way around it: Sale is one of the best pitchers in baseball, leading the league in strikeouts and WHIP. He has held his opponents to two or fewer runs in 11 of his 14 starts. But… Two of the three starts in which he's given up more than two runs have come against the Twins. In fact, in his only outing at Target Field this year, Sale was blasted for eight runs on nine hits over three innings – by far his worst start of the year and in fact his worst as a big-leaguer. No team has really had much success against Sale over the course of his immensely impressive career, but the Twins have fared better against him than most. Come On Down! Getting out to the ballpark over the past week has been a bit of an expensive proposition. Buxton's debut against the best team in baseball, followed by the Cubs making a rare visit during a beautiful weekend, pushed ticket demand to its highest level since the Home Opener. Now, things settle down a bit for these weekday contests against a familiar foe. You'll find plenty of good prices on Ticket King's resale marketplace for this series, especially for Wednesday's nooner if you can cut out of work (tons of tickets under $20). Click here to view the article

Based mostly on the fact that he's already pretty big at age 22, and he's started at first twice as much as in the outfield this year at Chattanooga. But I've heard plenty of reports (including Seth's above) that he can be a fine corner OF.

Standing out among the defining characteristics of the Twins teams that rose to prominence back in the early 2000s were the reliable and steadily productive outfields. It all began with The Soul Patrol – Torii Hunter, Jacque Jones and Matt Lawton – and while the names changed, there was always a sense of stability from year to year. Recently, that has gone amiss. Over the last few seasons, the Twins have handed numerous starts at all three spots to journeyman minor leaguers, cast-offs from other organizations, and ill-suited infielders. Last year, 10 different players started in left field for Minnesota; same thing in right. No one played more 97 games at any outfield position.Up until now, this year has been much of the same. Already we've seen nine different players draw starts in the outfield (for comparison, the season total in 2010 was six) and the results have been ugly. Here's the total production the Twins have gotten from all three positions, compared to the league averages: Position | Twins OPS | AL OPS LF | .628 | .700 CF | .596 | .721 RF | .726 | .755 Right field has been the only position with any kind of stability, and its occupant is likely to be gone after this season. But the arrival of Byron Buxton over the weekend signaled a hopeful shift away from the revolving door routine in Minnesota's outfield. Barring unforeseen circumstances or injury, Buxton will hold down center field regularly for the rest of this season and beyond. And when it comes to addressing the corner spots on either side, the Twins are in the enviable position of sorting through numerous talented young candidates in their search for a solidified unit. Let's run through some of the players who will be in the mix, with a few perhaps surprising names rounding out the list. (This is more of a short-term view, so I won't dig into any of the prospects that are still multiple years away.) Oswaldo Arcia This has been such a tough year for Arcia that it's easy to forget what a tremendous offensive player he has been for his age level. A recent post by Matthew Pouliout on the HardballTalk blog pointed out that Arcia is one of only seven players under the age of 24 with 500-plus MLB at-bats and a career OPS+ above 100. Defense is clearly Arcia's downfall; he profiles better as a DH and that might be where he ends up. But he could be hidden to some extent in right field, especially with strong defenders in center and left. In spite of his difficulties this month, I remain confident Arcia will be quality middle-of-the-lineup bat for many years, though I'm not as confident it will be here. Eddie Rosario His stock dropped to an all-time low when he missed 50 games last year due to a drug suspension and failed to hit after returning, but Rosario's reclamation tour that began in the Arizona Fall League has been in full swing ever since. The 23-year-old stuck around longer than anyone expected in spring training, drawing consistent praise from Paul Molitor, and was the club's first choice when outfield reinforcements were needed from the minors one month in. Since his arrival in the big leagues, Rosario has done plenty to impress. He is one of only five players on the team with an OPS+ above 100, he's been a dynamic threat on the base paths, and his defense has stood out perhaps more than anything. Having Buxton in center and Rosario in a corner is reminiscent of the Hunter/Jones combo that turned the Metrodome outfield into a no-fly zone. Aaron Hicks It's getting harder and harder to believe that Hicks is going to hit enough to be a major league regular, especially in a corner spot. His .594 OPS with the Twins this year is nearly identical to his .604 overall mark in MLB. But as a switch-hitter that offers speed and premium defense at all three outfield spots, he has the makings of a strong bench option with the upside to eventually turn into a quality starter. He's still only 25 and his production in the minors (particularly in Triple-A this year) leaves no doubt that the offensive ability is there. Max Kepler Signed as a teenager out of Germany back in 2009, Kepler failed to dominate in his initial exposure to pro baseball here in the States. But with his prototypical build, tremendous athleticism and advanced grasp of the strike zone, he was always seen as a guy with the potential to blossom, given a little time. That is exactly what's now happening. Kepler is amidst a breakout season at Double-A, where he's hitting .331/.393/.530. He's flashing power (17 doubles and three homers), speed (five triples and nine steals) and discipline (23-to-19 K/BB). He's hitting lefties (827 OPS), which has been a problem in the past. Kepler is looking like the real deal, and an interesting additional piece in this outfield puzzle. Read Parker Hageman's midseason prospect update on Kepler here. Miguel Sano The notion of Sano moving to an outfield spot, spawned from questions surrounding his ability to stick at third and the entrenched incumbents at Minnesota's infield corners, has been brought up to Twins officials in the past and has never really been downplayed. Terry Ryan and others have been emphatic that the bulking 6'4", 260 lbs. slugger can move well enough to play out there. But up to this point, Sano still has not played a single pro inning at any outfield position, so this remains a theoretical idea. As the names mentioned above suggest, Sano may face no less of a logjam in the outfield corners than the infield ones. Joe Mauer The thinking here is twofold: First, Mauer has a good arm and still moves decently well, assets that go to waste when he's stationed at first base; second, his reduced offensive output plays a little better somewhere like left field -- where the average AL OPS is .706 – than at first base, where it's .792 (highest of any position). The Twins have a number of promising hitters in the system whose best fit appears to be first base, and right now Mauer is blocking them all while providing the worst production in the league for the position. TAKEAWAYS Looking over these candidates, I have three principal takeaways with regard to the Twins' outfield outlook. 1) Arcia seems likely to be traded. The Twins have always valued defense and that's a major shortcoming for Arcia. There have also been indications that the coaching staff isn't always pleased with the slugger's demeanor. If his bat gets going again and draws interest from another club, I could easily see Ryan pulling the trigger. 2) Hicks is running out of time if he hasn't already. Patience is always encouraged with young players, especially a former first-round pick who has produced in the minors, but Hicks is currently failing for a third time in the majors and now the rest of the organization's bright prospective outfield talent has either caught up or passed him. 3) Mauer to left field should be strongly considered. Mainly because at least two people on this list (Kepler and Sano) strike me as better fits at first base than in the outfield, and that's not even mentioning Kennys Vargas, who has no possible landing spot other than first base or DH. Oh, and one other thing: Bringing back Hunter for another year shouldn't even be on the table, regardless of how he produces from here on out. He simply doesn't fit in the scope of what this team is trying to accomplish. What are your thoughts? What are your takeaways from this list, and which alignment would you like to see patrolling Minnesota's outfield for the next several years? Click here to view the article

Ha, I chose a specific focus and stuck with it. Also I honestly think the Twins are going to have a very tough time winning either of these games. Those pitching match-ups are... unfavorable.

There are a number of reasons to make the trip out to Target Field for this week's short two-game set against the Cardinals. It's an important series against the best team in baseball with temps in the 70s. But let's be real, you're going because this is your first chance to see Byron Buxton live in a big-league uniform. Ticket King has got you covered.The Twins announced Buxton's promotion from Double-A on Saturday afternoon, and he made his MLB debut in Texas on Sunday, finishing 0-for-4 but scoring the game-winning run when he raced around to score from first on an Eddie Rosario double into the gap. Now, after playing three games on the road, Buxton arrives in Minnesota to play in front of home fans at Target Field for the first time. The momentous event is expected to draw huge crowds on Wednesday and Thursday. Will you be among them? Triple Threat At the time he was called up, Buxton led all of pro baseball with a whopping 12 triples for Chattanooga, so it's only fitting that his first major-league hit on Monday was a three-bagger. It was no cheapie either, but a standup triple hit to left center. Those are rare, but not for this 21-year-old, who gets from home plate to third base as quickly as anyone you've ever seen: With its cavernous power alleys, Target Field is well suited for a triples-hitter like Buxton, so we could very well see him pick up another one during this short series. The Tool Shed The "triple threat" term applies in more than way for this budding star, because Buxton can hurt the opposition in three distinct ways: at the plate, on the base paths and in the field. In parts of four minor-league seasons, he was 92-for-118 on stolen base attempts, including 20-for-22 this year at Double-A. Paul Molitor, who is a noted baserunning guru, has already shown a willingness to give Buxton the green light, so expect to see the young speedster take off if he reaches first base. Defensively, Buxton already has the ability to rank among the league's elite thanks to his instincts, speed, arm and flair for the dramatic. In the spacious center field at Minnesota's home yard, you might see him do something like this: Hitting is probably Buxton's least developed skill out of the three at this point, and we've seen that a little bit with him flailing at some tough breaking balls in his first few games. But he had a .296/.380/.486 line in the minors and he has a penchant for finding the gaps with line drives. When he does so, get ready to watch him fly. Speed Thrills It's always exciting when a top prospect gets called up, but Buxton is truly a different breed. Chances are you've never seen a ballplayer move like this before. His speed rates as an 80 on a 20-80 scale and many scouts have remarked that he's the fastest specimen they have encountered. And while it's fun to watch him dart across a TV screen, to get the full effect you really need to see him run in person. It is a sight to behold. PITCHING MATCH-UPS Wednesday, 7:10 PM: Carlos Martinez vs. Tommy Milone Milone, coming off a brilliant effort against the Rangers last Friday, is an extreme fly ball pitcher who generally allows a lot of contact, so Buxton figures to see some action in center field during this game. Young Buck will have his work cut out for him at the plate against Martinez, a hard-throwing righty who leans heavily on a nasty slider, and owns a 0.80 ERA over his last five starts. Forecast (courtesy Weather.com): High of 74, chance of storms Thursday, 12:10 PM: Jaime Garcia vs. Mike Pelfrey Garcia is a left-hander, albeit not one with much of a platoon split. Buxton was cranking against southpaws in Double-A prior to his call-up, with a .341 average and .537 slugging percentage. Unless he faces a lefty reliever on Tuesday night, this will be Buxton's first opportunity to face a portsider in the majors. Meanwhile, Pelfrey is looking to rebound from his worst start of the season. Forecast: High of 78, mostly sunny Click here to view the article

The Twins hit four triples in a game on Sunday, so it only feels right that we start the week with a Three-Bagger column, covering three intriguing storylines. Read on and let's dig in.* Aaron Gleeman wrote a lengthy and thoughtful piece last week on the transformation that Joe Mauer has undergone as a hitter since sustaining a concussion in 2013. There's no assurance it was that brain injury, suffered on a foul tip off the bat of Ike Davis in a meaningless August game, that turned the six-time All Star from a great hitter to a mediocre one, but he was having a very Mauer-esque season at the time it occurred, and has never been the same since. The careers of Mauer and Justin Morneau – "The M&M Boys" – seem inextricably linked. Both reached the majors around the same time. Both rose to the top ranks at their respective positions, and won MVP Awards. And now both have been struck by concussions on seemingly innocuous plays that, evidently, robbed them of their elite offensive ability. The good news is that Morneau did rebound. It took him a few seasons, and he never regained his standing as a dominant slugger, but he did bat .319 last year with Colorado to lead the National League. It may be that patience is required with Mauer... more than we'd like. However, if the primary culprit for Mauer's devolution as a hitter is aging or cumulative leg wear, it may be that what we see is what we're going to get. In that event, the enormous remaining commitment to him becomes a very serious problem. As painful as it is to say, Mauer is currently the worst offensive first baseman in the American League (by OPS). Will he block better young hitters at the game's most bat-driven position for three years sheerly by virtue of his status? It's an uncomfortable topic to ponder. I just hope Joe can improve. * Speaking of Morneau and uncomfortable topics to ponder, the 34-year-old hasn't played for the Rockies since suffering another concussion while diving after a ground ball on May 16th, and has no return in sight. His manager's words 10 days ago were ominous: "It's difficult for Justin, given his history with concussions," manager Walt Weiss said. "This is a process and we have to wait it out." That's heartbreaking, especially when you look back at some of the quotes in this ESPN.com column written by Jim Caple back in March, titled "Concussion fears real for Justin Morneau." Get well, Justin. * Wow, we're off to a depressing start. Let's round things out with a happier note... How about that Brian Dozier? The contract extension signed by Dozier near the end of spring training was mystifying in that it appeared to provide little benefit to the team, other than potential cost savings in the event that the overachieving Dozier somehow got even better. Right now that's exactly the direction things are headed. Dozier's power over the past two years has been very impressive for his position, but now he's taking things to another level. After piling up four more extra-base hits in Texas over the weekend, the infielder now leads the American League with 36. He has an .883 OPS, and with nearly 40 percent of the season in the books, he's on pace for 53 doubles, eight triples, 34 homers and 133 runs scored. These numbers would not only firmly establish Dozier as one of the top second basemen in all of major-league baseball, it would place him squarely in the MVP discussion. Click here to view the article

Let's face it. The events that unfolded at Target Field this week were disheartening, demoralizing and flat-out depressing. This team had a chance to make a real statement by defending first place at home against the division's top contender and came up completely flat, scoring just three times in three games. However, one area that continues to be a (shocking) major strength for the Twins is keeping me from getting overly distraught.Lost in the offensive ineptitude of the past two series has been the enduring effectiveness of the starting rotation. While the Twins have lost five of their last six contests, their starting pitchers have combined for a 3.26 ERA during that span, and have completed six or more innings in every game with the exception of J.R. Graham's spot start against Milwaukee. For the season, the Twins rank ninth in the majors and fourth in the American League with a 3.88 ERA from their starters. That is incredible in the context of the past four years: Year | ERA | MLB Rank 2014 | 5.06 | 30th 2013 | 5.26 | 30th 2012 | 5.40 | 29th 2011 | 4.64 | 26th Not only are the Twins experiencing a monumental turnaround in comparison to the last four years, they're actually on track for their best rotation output in nearly a decade. The last time Minnesota ranked ninth or higher in starting pitching ERA was 2006, when they won 96 games behind the outstanding performances of Francisco Liriano, Brad Radke and Cy Young winner Johan Santana. What might be most impressive about this drastic improvement is that the Twins have done it without their big-money free agent signing (who will enter the fold next month), and without their top pitching prospect (who, by many accounts, is big-league ready). They have also done it with 2014's best starter, Phil Hughes, putting up a rotation-worst 4.81 ERA. To what do we attribute this transformation? Growth through experience for the younger guys? The influence of new pitching coach Neil Allen? Plain old good luck? It is almost certainly a combination of those factors and more, but I see no reason to believe that the bottom is going to fall out any time soon. No one other than Mike Pelfrey is pitching out of his mind, and the Twins have enough quality depth to handle injuries or meltdowns. Experts often say that winning games all begins with starting pitching, while that notion hasn't exactly held up over the last week, it usually proves true in the long term. The lineup won't slump like this forever. The bullpen's issues can be addressed (and that began on Wednesday when the club finally swapped out Tim Stauffer for a superior young arm). The Twins might not be quite ready for legitimate contention, but as long as the rotation maintains its steady and rock solid production, I'm confident they'll remain respectable and relevant throughout the rest of the season. Click here to view the article

Of note: 12th-rounder Alexander (Zander) Wiel homered off Tyler Jay in the Illinois/Vandy game earlier this week.

Picks for the Twins so far today: 11: Kerby Camacho, C, Carlos Beltran Baseball Academy in Puerto Rico 12: Alexander Wiel, 1B, Vanderbilt University 13. Cody Stashak, RHP, St. John's University Camacho is the Twins' second pick out of Beltran Academy, following 7th-round LHP Jovani Moran. Wiel hit cleanup in the Vandy lineup behind No. 1 overall pick Dansby Swanson. Had 14 HR, 16 doubles and 65 RBI in 66 games this year.

They say that you should never draft for need with a high first-round pick, and I suspect that the Twins did believe that Tyler Jay was the best player on the board when they selected him sixth overall on Monday night. But when you look at the landscape of this organization, it's tough not to notice that the dominating college lefty fills a significant void, whichever role he ends up falling into.Jay still needs to sign, but once that formality is taken care of, his future role becomes the hot topic. He worked almost exclusively as a reliever during his career at the University of Illinois, and while he was perhaps the most dominant collegiate closer in the nation this year, he has no experience handling a full-time starter's workload. Terry Ryan stated that he plans to keep Jay in a relief role for the remainder of this season, but the team has expressed commitment to giving him a shot as a starter going forward. That makes sense; rarely does a club use a Top 10 draft pick on a pitcher who is designated a reliever right out of the gates, and many (though not all) scouts do believe that Jay could start thanks to his deep pitch repertoire, exceptional command and easy throwing motion. A successful path might mirror that of Tyler Duffey, who currently ranks as one of the organization's most MLB-ready pitching prospects. Duffey was the closer for Rice University before being selected by the Twins in the fifth round of the 2012 draft, and finished out that year as a reliever at Elizabethton after signing, but he moved to full-season ball in 2013 and 18 of his 24 appearances came as a starter. He has been starting exclusively since then and has really taken to it, as he's now in Triple-A with a decent shot at debuting in the majors this summer. Duffey, like nearly every top starter in the Twins' system, is a righty. The only left-handers that ranked among my top eight pitching prospects a few weeks ago were Taylor Rogers, who's known more for polish and command than overpowering stuff, and Stephen Gonsalves, a 20-year-old who is still likely several years away from the majors. As a potentially fast-tracked lefty power arm, Jay would provide something that is currently amiss for the Twins if he can start. But he would also do so by remaining in his familiar relief role, and in that capacity he would be geared for a much faster impact with fewer foreseeable obstacles. While the Twins' bullpen has been surprisingly effective this year, it is lacking quality left-handed options. Brian Duensing has been terrible and is probably in his last year with the club. Aaron Thompson and Caleb Thielbar are nothing special. And while the Twins have numerous high-upside relievers developing in the minors, nearly all them throw from the right side. Jay has a chance to fill that void on the big-league club and he has a chance to do it very quickly. Baseball America suggested that the 21-year-old "could be the first player from the draft class to reach the majors if he stays in a relief role." Consider that Brandon Finnegan, the college reliever selected 17th overall by the Royals last year, was up in the majors pitching key innings in September and October, and most consider Jay a superior talent. The Royals sent Finnegan back to the minors to work on starting this year, but the results so far haven't been great, as his control has been a mess and he has yet to complete even five innings in a start. And while Duffey has been a success story up to this point, he's been the exception. Countless other college relievers that the Twins have drafted with thoughts of being converted to starters have failed to stick. Attempting to move Jay into a starting role means gradually extending out his workload (his 66 innings this year are the most he's thrown in a high school or college season) and acclimating his arm to a very set of different demands. It's certainly not impossible, but it could be a lengthy process and the odds aren't stellar. Conversely, he could be pitching in a big-league bullpen by the end of the year and his chances of excelling in that role seem extremely good. Obviously Jay would offer much more value as a starter if it worked out, but a lefty reliever who can dominate hitters from both sides and pitch multiple innings is a quality asset, and for what it's worth the Twins have built considerable starting pitching depth in the minors, which they have added to with some other picks in this draft. What do you think? Would you try Jay as a starter, or would you rather commit to him as a reliever with the idea of getting him up to the big leagues, for good, as quickly as possible? Click here to view the article