Seth Stohs

I've corrected my wording. According to Polanco's statement, he requested B12 and an iron supplement. But yes, he tested positive for Stanozolol.

It shouldn't effect his career at all. When he served his 80 game suspension, he'll be in good standing with the team and the league. They're going to support him in this.

FORT MYERS - On Monday morning, Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco met with Twins media following news that broke on Sunday night that he had been suspended by Major League Baseball for 80 games for violating the league's performance-enhancing drug policy. Polanco did not address the specifics of his situation, but wanted the focus of his comments to be an apology to the organization, his teammates, fans and his home country of the Dominican Republic.Jorge Polanco began his comments by making an apology. "I’m here to say that I’m really sorry to be in this situation. I wanted to apologize to the entire Twins organization, my fans, my family and my country the Dominican Republic." Polanco said that he learned about the failed drug test "a month ago." On Sunday, he reached out to Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and manager Paul Molitor. According to Falvey, it was completely ironic that the Twins signed veteran shortstop Erick Aybar on February 23rd, four days shy of a month ago. "Aybar was something that was in the mix already." Only recently Polanco decided to drop his appeal, a decision that was not easy for him. "It was very difficult to drop the appeal, but out of respect to the organization, I did it. I just want to move forward." Falvey noted that Polanco requested a meeting with him and manager Paul Molitor to own up to the situation. "It's obviously disappointing. We all know Jorge. He's a good kid. He made a mistake. He owned it. He wanted to tell us. He wanted to be the person to break that news to us. He didn't want it to come from his agent or anything else. He asked for that." He will not be able to rejoin the Twins on the field until the end of June, Polanco will stay in Ft. Myers throughout the suspension. Polanco said, "I’m going to stay in Ft. Myers. I’m going to keep preparing for when I can come back this season and help the Minnesota Twins." While he did not want to go into too many details, Polanco noted that he is fully aware of how the Stanozolol got into his system. (according to his statement, he requested a vitamin B12 and an iron supplement.) "Yes, I know how everything happened. I won’t go into details. Today’s not the day to discuss those things. Today’s the day for me to be here in front of you guys and the Twins organization and my fans and just apologize." Polanco was joined by his agent, Ulises Cabrera from Octagon agency. After Polanco spoke, Cabrera discussed his client. "You guys know Jorge really well. I would imagine you would consider Jorge one of the better guys, and one of the more educated guys, and one of the most respectful guys." He continued discussing how Polanco feels about this situation, "It's been difficult for him. He feels a tremendous responsibility to the organization. He loves the Twins organization. They're the team that has believed in him since Day 1, so it’s a very difficult situation to deal with For a 24-year-old to be able to handle himself as he has is impressive. I think it’s consistent with who he is as a person." The specifics of his return are not known, but Cabrera said that Polanco will continue to work to be ready to help the Twins when he gets back. "The immediate plan is for (Jorge) to continue to work out and make sure he’s in baseball shape so when his opportunity comes, he’s ready to go and contribute to the greatest extent possible to the team in the back half of the season." The hope is that when Polanco returns, he can take off right away the way he did over the final two months of the 2017 season. Unfortunately, along with the suspension, he will be ineligible for the Twins if they do make a playoff run. Falvey provided some more detail to what Polanco can do while suspended. "When we break camp, he'll stay here in extended. He can play in those extended spring training games. He can work out, and then as we get closer, he'll go on a normal position player rehab assignment." A "normal" position player rehab assignment is 20 games. Falvey noted that the organization will continue to support him. "You think of a baseball team like a family. Family members make mistakes. Now it's the opportunity to support him going forward, and there's every expectation he'll work his tail of to be ready when that 81st game of the season comes." Click here to view the article

I think Molitor's quotes on Gordon's defense are probably pretty telling. Just no reason at all to rush him when they have the likes of Escobar, Adrianza and Aybar.

Croby's a journeyman who last pitched in the big leagues six years ago. He'd be a fun story to follow. But he's well down the relief pitcher list. There is a lot of depth at every position, something they should be happy about. The OF situation in Rochester will be interesting with the potential of Granite, Cave, Buss, Wade, LaMarre, Heisey all in the picture.

The minor league complex is just across the parking lot from the big league facilities. The minor league practices (9:30-11:45) and games (usually 1:00) are free for fans to watch. The one caveat is that if the big league club has a home game, it will cost you to park in the parking lot. "Access" to big leaguers ... depends on what you mean. I mean, Hammond Stadium isn't always open, but they often practice on "Stelly's Field" which provides an up-close look at practices.

FT. MYERS - According to the Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, Twins shortstop Jorge Polanco has been suspended 80 games by Major League Baseball. According to the report, Polanco has been suspended for testing positive for Stanozolol. The suspension will start at the beginning of the season. Below you will find a statement from the Twins and from Jorge Polanco.The Twins have issued a statement. "We were disappointed to learn of the suspension of Jorge Polanco for violating Major League Baseball’s Joint Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. We fully support Major League Baseball’s policy and its efforts to eliminate performance enhancing substances from our game. Per the protocol outlined in the Joint Drug Program, the Minnesota Twins will not comment further on this matter." Jorge Polanco issued his own statement upon the release of the news: Today, I have regretfully accepted my 80-game suspension for testing positive for Stanozolol. To be clear, I did not intentionally consume this steroid. I now know, however, that my intention alone is not a good enough excuse and I will pay the price for my error in judgment. The substance that I requested from my athletic trainer in the Dominican Republic and consented to take was a combination of vitamin B12 and an iron supplement, something that is not unusual or illegal for professional athletes to take. Unfortunately, what I was given was not that supplement and I take full responsibility for what is in my body. Every bone in my body wants to appeal this suspension but out of respect for Derek Falvey, Thad Levine, Paul Molitor, my coaches, my teammates, and the entire Twins organization, I have decided to withdraw my request to appeal and will begin serving my suspension immediately. My hope is that through this extremely disappointing situation other players will learn from my mistake. I hope that those who have believed in me, those within the Twins organization, my teammates, and the fans in Minnesota and in the Dominican Republic will accept my sincere apology. I will continue to train hard every day in the hopes of being able to contribute to winning baseball games with the Twins later this year. The news is very tough for the Twins and their fans. Polanco provided about two Wins Above Replacement last year. He hit .256/.313/.410 (.723) while playing better than expected defense at shortstop. The 24-year-old was especially strong the last two months of the season, After August 1st, he hit .316/.377/.553 (.931) with 15 doubles, ten homers and 42 RBI over the final 55 Twins games. The suspension opens up the possibility for Erick Aybar to make the Opening Day roster and potentially compete with Eduardo Escobar and Ehire Adrianza for innings at shortstop. Tomorrow morning, Polanco and Twins CBO Derek Falvey will be available to discuss the suspension. Click here to view the article

FT. MYERS - Following the Twins 4-3 win at Hammond Stadium on Sunday afternoon, the Twins announced that they had sent six players to minor league camp. Right-handed pitchers Myles Jaye and Jake Reed, catcher Jordan Pacheco, infielder Nick Gordon and outfielders Nick Buss and LaMonte Wade will report to minor league spring training in the next couple of days.The pitchers were told of their demotions before the game on Sunday. The hitters were told following the game. Myles Jaye signed as a free agent with the Twins early in the offseason after making his major-league debut for the Detroit Tigers in 2017. Jake Reed gave up a solo home run on Saturday as part of 1.2 innings of work for the Twins. It was the first run he had given up this spring. Regarding Gordon's spring training, manager Paul Molitor said, "I think he was a lot more comfortable. We saw him swinging the bat pretty well for the most part. We saw him on both sides of the base defensively. There's still some work to be done there in terms of consistency. You have to be pleased with the way he's progressed offensively. His at-bats were really competitive when he got the opportunity to play."' Asked if he would encourage Gordon to play both sides of the infield, Molitor said, "I would advise that they do that, if I get asked." Regarding LaMonte Wade's showing at big league camp, Molitor was clearly impressed. "As advertised. Good strike zone knowledge. He's got a lot of good at- bats as well. He's one of the few guys you see in the game who chokes up as much as he does on the bat for bat control. I think he's here to compete. Defensively, we put him in all three spots. He's probably more comfortable in the corners, but that's OK. He's just another guy who's coming. He knows his future is in front of him." Molitor continued. "He did a really nice job of using some of the resources we provide including the alumni players and our coaching staff and our current outfielders here." Jake Odorizzi struggled some with command, but he threw four scoreless innings. He said that he couldn't get his split-finger command which cost him some walks early. On the back fields, Molitor watched Lance Lynn. He said that he "didn't have the command he had last time out" but he "saved his best for Rosie." Lynn threw four innings without giving up a hit, though he did issue a couple of walks. Eddie Rosario batted each inning against Lynn, and he also played left field. (Below is a video of a Brent Rooker RBI double in which Rosario threw the ball in from the corner.) Asked about how he felt after the throw, Molitor said Rosario told him, "He said that I overthrew the cutoff man, so I must be feeling pretty good." The Twins spring training roster is now at 40 players, including nine non-roster players. Click here to view the article

It's a good camera. I don't know what kind for sure. The video is just with my cell phone.

It is the Ft. Myers work group, and it will likely be the Cedar Rapids roster (at least many of them).

FT. MYERS – As you are preparing to watch the Minnesota Twins take on the Philadelphia Phillies from Hammond Stadium on Fox Sports North today, here are some minor league notes from my first day in Ft. Myers. After arriving in Ft. Myers late on Friday night (or early Saturday morning), it was nice to be able to spend a full day at the Twins minor league facilities. They practiced for a couple of hours before playing games. Today, here is a quick download of minor league notes. The Rochester and Chattanooga rosters traveled to Port Charlotte to take on the AAA and AA affiliates of the Rays. At the Twins facilities, the Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids faced off against the High-A and Low-A rosters of the Rays. Here are my observations and some conversations with people around.Here are some news and notes from the Twins spring training facilities from Saturday, and also from Sunday morning. Notebook In the past, the two minor league games were played side-by-side on the minor league side of the facilities. A person could watch both games by just walking or standing with his head on a swivel. That changed this year. One of the two games is played over on Bill Smith Field, where the Gulf Coast League Twins play their games. The reason is that field has the Trackman system and the Twins are able to get information on more players even this early in spring.On the other field, the Ft. Myers roster played, and its lineup is pretty impressive.Akil Baddoo CFRoyce Lewis SSAlex Kirilloff RFBen Rodriguez 1BJose Miranda 2BAndrew Bechtold 3BDavid Banuelos CTrey Cabbage LFAndy Cosgrove DHTaylor Grzelakowski (“Gelly”) DH/CMost of that roster will start the season in Cedar Rapids. That’s a potentially potent lineup, and it doesn’t even include Wander Javier. On Saturday, Wander Javier participated in running and fielding and infield drills, but he has not yet been hitting. I chatted with Twins farm director Jeremy Zoll this morning, and he said that Javier will be hitting within a few days. His left shoulder flared up a couple of days ago. It’s an injury he missed a little time with last year, so they’re limiting him somewhat. The minor league season starts a week after the major league season starts, so there is time to be patient and he should be able to start the season with the Kernels.Right-handed pitcher Bailey Ober hyper-extended his knee in a fielding drill on Saturday, though it’s not believed to be serious at all. He should be back on a mound soon.There was a really scary moment during the minor league games on Saturday. The Twins new catching coordinator, Tanner Swanson, was going back and forth between the two fields and the two games. Late in the afternoon, he was sitting in the Miracle dugout, surrounded on both sides of the bench by a couple of catchers. A Rays batter lined a ball right through the gap in the Twins dugout. Players bailed, but the ball struck Swanson right on the side of the head. He got up and walked a few feet and sat down and trainers talked to him. Minutes later, he walked out of the dugout and to the minor league clubhouse. He was taken to the hospital as a precaution. Jeremy Zoll told me this morning that Swanson was cleared and is just fine. That’s a great note.While watching early-morning practice on the back fields, I ran into Twins Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and we had a nice chat for ten minutes or so. He’s certainly excited about the talent that can be found throughout the system and insists they want to continue to add to it. We also briefly discussed some of the changes on the minor league side. Nick tweeted a photo earlier in the week showing the new Rapsodo machines that are sometimes in the bullpen. You can also see that they have dummies/cutouts of batters in the bullpen for when pitchers are working. A string hangs from the elbow of the cutout. Falvey verified that the string was to encourage pitchers to work inside. Falvey credited Jim Pohlad for giving them many new technological devices for the minor leagues.One thing you’ll notice if you are down by the minor league fields is that it is louder. During their practices, music blasts from the overhead speakers. Falvey and Zoll said that it should be fun for these guys to come to work and do their jobs. Music obviously can play a big part in that. It’s another advance that is a positive for the conditions for the players. It was just last spring that minor leaguers were able to grow facial hair.A lot of the front office made their way down to the minor league fields on Saturday since the big league club was on the road. I also caught up with Brad Steil. He had been the Twins minor league director for the past five seasons. He received a promotion to Director of Pro Scouting. He noted that he and Jeremy Zoll have had a lot of chats throughout the offseason on players and other minor league topics. In his new role, he will help compile and organize the reports and data that the 12-14 pro scouts provide. On trades of free agents, he will be asked for his input on players and provide a response based on the data that they now have. He is excited about the new challenge.On my first day in Ft. Myers (Saturday), I brought out the camera (as I have in past years). I ended up taking 851 pictures. After clearing out unusable photos, I still had over 650 pictures to work with. I will continue to take pictures throughout the next week - probably not to that quantity, however. If you aren’t already, I’d encourage you to follow Twins Daily on Twitter, where I posted lots of them late last night and early on Sunday morning. I’ll also be posting many of them on the Twins Daily Facebook page, so be sure to Like that page. Until then, here is a small sampling of content from yesterday: Please feel free to ask questions in the Comments below, and if there are questions you would like me ask certain players, leave them here as well. Click here to view the article

I'd guess 15 games or less... And I think No Suspension is very possible.

He made one start for the Red Wings but went back down to Chattanooga for the playoffs.

I can't believe this still happens. HA!

He's making the start today against the Red Sox. I would think that he is behind Hughes, but that could change too.

I had put Stashak in the Chattanooga rotation and then looked at the work groups and he's working with the relievers this spring.

On Tuesday morning, the Minnesota Twins brass made its second wave of roster cuts. Five pitchers were optioned, and in doing so, there should now be a lot more clarity in the Twins starting rotation. However, it also starts providing clarity on the Rochester and Chattanooga starting staffs when their seasons get started later this month.The Twins optioned left-handers Adalberto Mejia and Stephen Gonsalves, right-handed starter Aaron Slegers and right-handed reliever John Curtiss to AAA-Rochester. In addition, right-hander Fernando Romero was optioned to AA-Chattanooga. The surprise in the bunch of options was certainly Mejia who many thought would at least be given a shot to begin the season as a starter in the Twins Opening Day rotation, as he was a year ago. However, the Lance Lynn signing assured that Mejia would start the season in Rochester. And like the other starters optioned on Tuesday, the reality is that they need to go to minor league camp so that they can get stretched out and be ready to make starts when the minor league seasons start. The Twins Rotation RHP Ervin Santana (DL)RHP Jose BerriosRHP Jake OdorizziRHP Lance LynnRHP Kyle GibsonRHP Phil HughesAs we know, Ervin Santana will start the season on the disabled list. We still don't know who will be the Twins Opening Day starter, not that it is terribly important. We know that Lance Lynn will join Jake Odorizzi, Jose Berrios and Kyle Gibson in the Twins rotation. However, Tuesday's transactions also indicate that if the Twins are to start the season with a fifth starter, it would likely be Phil Hughes, who could also shift to long-relief if they do decide to go with four starters. The Red Wings Rotation With the Twins rotation fairly well determined and the Tuesday transactions, the AAA-Rochester rotation is coming into focus too. LHP Adalberto MejiaLHP Stephen GonsalvesRHP Aaron SlegersRHP Felix JorgeLHP Dietrich EnnsRHP Myles JayeWhile there aren't any lefties in the Twins projected starting rotation, they have several southpaws in their Rochester rotation. Mejia would likely be the first to get called back up to the Twins when there is a need, especially early in the season. Slegers and Jorge each made a couple of starts for the Twins in 2017. While Slegers is closer to really being big-league ready, Jorge is quite talented as well. Enns came over from the Yankees and he made one start for the Twins before getting injured. Gonsalves is the big prospect in this group. By midseason, he could be the guy that the Twins would go to if there is a need. Myles Jaye made a few starts for the Tigers last year, and he remains a non-roster guy in Twins camp. The Lookouts Rotation And as the Red Wings rotation is coming into focus, we're also getting closer to a Lookouts rotation in Chattanooga. RHP Fernando RomeroRHP Zack LittellRHP Kohl StewartLHP Lewis ThorpeRHP Ryan EadesRHP Randy LeBlancFernando Romero made a strong impression in Twins camp again this year, throwing eight no-hit, scoreless innings. While some might be tempted to fast track him to the Twins bullpen, the team is wisely keeping him on a starter's track. They will also continue to take care of his arm. Littell was the MiLB.com starting pitcher of the year in 2017 and also made a good first impression in big league camp. He'll return to the Lookouts where he ended the 2017. Kohl Stewart is sticking with baseball, and if healthy, I would expect to see him take a step forward in 2018. Lewis Thorpe was added to the 40-man roster this year. He spent the second half of 2017 in Ft. Myers and made one start for the Lookouts. Ryan Eades is at minor league spring training working out as a starter. Randy LeBlanc made the trip between Ft. Myers and Chattanooga approximately 327 times during the 2017 season. Depending upon whether the Lookouts go with five of six starters in their rotation, one or both of them could be considered. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We could continue down this path to project the starting staffs for Ft. Myers and Cedar Rapids, but frankly, at this point, there are a lot of options. Some decisions will depend on injuries and players returning and the roles they could be used in early in the season versus later in the season when innings become a question. Also, the guys who start the year at Rochester and Chattanooga have a legitimate shot at pitching in the big leagues in 2018. Click here to view the article

It’s been about 10 days since I posted my first 2018 Minnesota Twins Roster Projection of spring training. It’s time to update it. We’ve got more data points, and yesterday the team made its first roster transactions by sending six players down to minor league camp. We’ve had more quotes from manager Paul Molitor and occasional quotes from the front office. While there won’t be - and frankly shouldn’t be - a lot of change between the first roster projection and the Opening Day roster, we can try to read between the lines to try to figure out those final roster spots.Here is my updated attempt at projecting the Twins Opening Day roster for 2018… I encourage you to read my thoughts, develop your own and then post your thoughts and projections in the comments below. Questions still up in the air: Will the Twins sign any of the remaining free agents, starting pitcher or other, before Opening Day?Will the Twins go with a four-man rotation or a five-man rotation to start the season? Of course, this likely means the difference between a 12-man pitching staff and a 13-man pitching staff. Of course, that means the difference between four bench bats and just three bench bats.THE HITTERS (13) Catchers (2): Jason Castro, Mitch Garver Next in Line: Bobby Wilson Jason Castro will be the primary catcher. He will likely catch 110-120 games, so the question will be who can start behind the plate in the other 40-50 games. You may also have noticed that I’ve gone so far as to say that Mitch Garver is a given. To this point, the front office has not provided Mitch Garver with any real competition for the #2 catcher spot. As you know, I believe that is the right decision. If there would be an injury to either Castro or Garver before Opening Day, MLB-veteran Bobby Wilson is the catcher in-house that would likely take the backup catcher spot. Depending on the type of injury and the expected length of time for return, Jonathan Lucroy remains a free agent. Infielders (7): Joe Mauer, Brian Dozier, Jorge Polanco, Eduardo Escobar, Logan Morrison, Ehire Adrianza, Erick Aybar, Miguel Sano (DL or suspended) Next in line: Nick Gordon Mauer at first. Dozier at second. Polanco at shortstop. Morrison at DH. That stuff we know. We also know that Miguel Sano will be the primary third baseman when he is able to play. He’s already been playing third base in spring games, so it would appear that he may not be a DL candidate at the start of the season. That leaves the MLB investigation as the question mark out there. If Sano is suspended, Eduardo Escobar takes over as the starting third baseman. Ehire Adrianza would move up to the primary utility infielder role, and I still believe that Erick Aybar would be the favorite to take a second utility role. But again, depends on how many bench bats the team has. Again, this leaves Kennys Vargas off the roster, especially due to his redundancy with Mauer and Morrison. He is out of options, so it will be interesting to see how the Vargas situation plays out. While guys like Gregorio Petit and Taylor Featherston will head to Rochester and hope for an opportunity in-season if needed. But if a middle infielder gets hurt, Nick Gordon just might be the guy to get an opportunity. Outfielders (4): Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Robbie Grossman Next in line: Zack Granite, LaMonte Wade They’re going to be part of a “Nothing falls but raindrops” bobblehead series. The starting outfield remains intact from last year. Rosario had a bit of a breakout season in 2017. Byron Buxton was tremendous in the second half and won not only the Gold Glove but the Platinum Glove as well in 2017. Kepler had a similar 2017 as he had in 2016, and we’re all hoping that he’ll take a step forward in 2018. The defense is strong. With the additions of Morrison and Aybar, the fourth outfield spot is now up for grabs. Robbie Grossman and Zack Granite are the two options, so there may be a bit of a competition. Right now, I’m projecting Grossman mostly because he’s out of options and Granite has two options remaining. While Granite has been able to hit left-handers pretty well in his pro career, Grossman has traditionally been quite good against southpaws. That would make Granite the first in line to come up if there is an injury as his defense is elite, and he can play all three outfield positions real well. LaMonte Wade isn’t yet on the 40-man roster, but he can make an impression when people see him in person. Ryan LaMarre has made a strong impression in his first couple of weeks of games for the Twins, even showing some power. POSSIBLE LINEUPS Here are some potential lineups for when Miguel Sano returns to the roster. Primary lineup versus RHP: Joe Mauer 1B, Brian Dozier 2B, Jorge Polanco SS, Miguel Sano 3B, Logan Morrison DH, Eddie Rosario LF, Byron Buxton CF, Max Kepler RF, Jason Castro C. Versus LHP: Joe Mauer 1B, Brian Dozier 2B, Jorge Polanco SS, Miguel Sano 3B, Logan Morrison DH, Byron Buxton CF, Eddie Rosario LF, Mitch Garver C, Max Kepler/Robbie Grossman RF. THE PITCHERS (12) Starting Pitchers (5): Ervin Santana (DL), Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi, Kyle Gibson, Adalberto Mejia, Phil Hughes Next in line: Aaron Slegers, Stephen Gonsalves, Zack Littell Ervin Santana is out of his cast, and reports from Ft. Myers indicate he remains on pace to be ready to pitch again in late April or early May. Jose Berrios, Jake Odorizzi and Kyle Gibson are givens to make the Opening Day roster. Frankly after that, there are a lot of questions. Will the Twins add another starter? Should they? Obviously recent reports regarding Lance Lynn indicate that the team is willing to add another starter, on the right terms. Jose Berrios appears ready to take another step forward in 2018. The acquisition of Jake Odorizzi was a very nice move for the Twins. And hopefully whatever clicked for Kyle Gibson the last two months last season remains with him through the 2018 season. And then there is the fourth starter spot, and maybe even the fifth starter spot. And maybe that fifth starter will be a long reliever until he is needed for a start. There are a couple of veterans who will be considered. Phil Hughes likely is the front-runner for another shot if he is healthy and has some velocity. Anibal Sanchez’s non-guaranteed contract likely means that he is gone if the Twins don’t have him on the Opening Day roster. In terms of youth, Adalberto Mejia is the likely favorite with Aaron Slegers behind him, though they could flip-flop depending upon opportunity over the next couple of weeks. Next in line will be the young guys. Adalberto Mejia and Aaron Slegers could both wind up in AAA to start the season. Also there will be Stephen Gonsalves who will be ready at some point this season, even as early as June. Fernando Romero is certainly one to watch as well. He’s got dominant stuff and no doubt Paul Molitor would love to see him in his bullpen. I have to think that the powers-that-be see enough bullpen depth that they will continue to push Romero’s path to starting. However, if he starts for half of a season, he could be a strong bullpen addition in the second half. Zack Littell and Felix Jorge were optionedon Wednesday, but we could see both of them in 2018. Bullpen (7): Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed, Trevor Hildenberger, Ryan Pressly, Zack Duke, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey Next in line: Alan Busenitz, John Curtiss, Jake Reed. Gabriel Moya New to the team are veterans Fernando Rodney, Addison Reed and Zack Duke. They will all make the team if healthy. Taylor Rogers and Trevor Hildenberger are also going to be on the roster. Out of options, Ryan Pressly is also going to make the team. And then a lot of talent and a lot of questions. I think Tyler Duffey’s ability and history as a starter in the minor leagues makes him the favorite for the long-reliever role, though his fastball/curveball combination could eventually make him valuable in later innings too. Of course, as long as Tyler Kinley remains on the roster and in the organization, he’s got to be a favorite to make the roster. Right now, it appears that 98 mph fastball is what keeps teams intrigued, but will he be able to contribute to a winning team in 2018? Could the Twins work out a deal with Miami to keep him? Will be an interesting couple of weeks. Meanwhile Alan Busenitz, based on his late-season performance really deserves a legitimate chance to make the Opening Day roster. John Curtiss has some of the best stuff in the organization. Jake Reed gets great movement on his fastball and slider too. And Gabriel Moya will pitch a long time in the big leagues as a strong left-hander. We are likely to see all four of them in a Twins uniform in 2018. What are your thoughts? What does your Opening Day roster look like? Click here to view the article

Thank you...