Seth Stohs

Whether it is on Twitter, Facebook, or just talking to people here in Ft. Myers or back home, there is one question that seems to come up most frequently at this time of year. At what point to results (statistics) start to matter in spring training? It’s a good and fair question. So, I asked Twins GM Terry Ryan for his input. We often see a big leaguer hitting .170 and a minor league free agent signing hitting .350 in spring and inevitably, we’ll get the questions. And it is a good question, so it’s one I wanted to discuss a little bit.We all understand that established, veteran players use spring training to get prepared for the start of the regular season. A starting pitcher may choose to go with nothing but fastballs the first time out, wanting to work on mechanics, work in and out, up and down, whatever it may be. The next outing, which will be more pitches, he may choose to use a pattern of fastball, changeup, curveball. That way, in 45 pitches, he is throwing 15 of each of his pitches. In the third start, They may try to see how going back-to-back changeups work by throwing three in a row. Each veteran pitcher kind of has a plan and works with the pitching coach and the catchers to establish how they can accomplish that in a spring start. Again, the goal is to ramp up so that by Opening Day, he is full go, ready to throw 100 pitches and use his pitches effectively. Veteran hitters like Joe Mauer or Trevor Plouffe or Brian Dozier also work on aspects of their games in preparation for the season. Joe Mauer likes to see a lot of pitches, and that’s worked for him. Brian Dozier may work on staying inside pitches and using the whole field. Whether they hit .100 or .400, they’ll be in the lineup Opening Day and again it’s most important that they be ready then. For the veterans, it is almost completely about process. Doing what they need to do to prepare for the season. The same isn’t necessarily true for the minor league free agents or the minor leaguers who are in big league camp. That is especially true this spring with the Twins. They had fewer position battles and question marks heading into this season than previous seasons. There are only a select few positions and spots on the roster that are even available. While the process is still the same, the urgency changes. For guys like Oswaldo Arcia, Danny Santana and Michael Tonkin (who are all out of options), spring is very important. Danny Santana has to show that he can play defense around the infield and outfield while showing that he can hit better than he did in 2015. Oswaldo Arcia has to show that 2014 was just a bad year, one to forget and move forward from. He has to take better at-bats and show he can have some value in the outfield. Michael Tonkin has shown that he can dominate hitters in AAA but this is yet to translate in the big leagues. The Twins have a lot of quality arms competing for the last couple of spots in the bullpen, so Tonkin will have to show something on the mound. Brandon Kintzler was signed as a minor league free agent after missing most of the 2015 season with a knee injury. He has to show that he’s healthy and able to jump right back into a bullpen with success. Guys like Buddy Boshers and Dan Runzler have plenty to show as well. Not only are they minor league signings but both pitched in independent baseball in 2015 which (right or wrong) may be something they will have to overcome. Then you’ve got the young players who are very close, trying to establish themselves as big leaguers. For Byron Buxton, it is about the process. It’s about showing that he can work a count, lay off those tough two-strike pitches and put together quality at- bats so that his athleticism can take over. Following Sunday’s game, Paul Molitor said of Buxton, “I think he’s seeing the ball better. Recognition is getting better. That’s going to be a huge part of how quickly he’s going to be able to develop offensively. Bat speed and those types of things. Trying to keep the ball in the zone with two strikes.” All part of the process. For guys like Ryan Pressly, JR Graham, Ryan O’Rourke and the like, it is about results. The Twins have to decide whether to have two lefties in the bullpen or three. If they have just one lefty available to set up for Glen Perkins, another right-hander (obviously) would fill that spot. These guys have some experience and varying levels of success. All certainly could fill a role if asked. But something is going to have to differentiate the eventual “winners” of the final bullpen spots. For them, results are going to matter, especially over the next couple of weeks. For younger players, guys like Yorman Landa, Randy Rosario, Adam Brett Walker, Alex Swim, JT Chargois, Mason Melotakis, Engelb Vielma, it’s back to fully being about process. Sure, if they perform well, it can make a strong impression on coaches. That said, they are there to learn from veterans, to work on their games, and to prepare to be better in 2016. They knew they weren’t going to be on the opening day roster, so they needed to use the time to soak up as much information as they could from coaches and veterans to incorporate into their games in 2016 and beyond. To summarize, my response to everyone has been the same. The results in games on the field are much more important to Joe Benson than Joe Mauer. Stats and performance are much more important to Taylor Rogers than it is to Glen Perkins. I ended with that example intentionally. Taylor Rogers was in big league camp last year as a non-roster invite. Last year, he was there solely to soak up information. His situation is different in 2016. Not only is he there to learn as much as he can from veterans and coaches, but he is also one of the guys who is still competing for a spot in the Twins bullpen. So for a guy like that, results and process are both important. Now, that is all my thinking, and it is based on following spring training for years. Listen, there’s a reason that Luke Hughes put up great spring training numbers for a few years. At the time, he was competing for the 24th or 25th spot on the big league roster. Because of that, he was a guy who played a lot, made the road trips and started frequently. The team needed to decide if he should make the roster. He performed. Of course, once the regular season starts, he no longer played much, got very inconsistent playing time and struggled when called upon in that role. That’s probably a good example of the whole Results versus Process conversation as it relates to spring training. It’s why all spring training stats have to be looked at with a bit of context. So while in Ft. Myers, I asked Terry Ryan the same question that I get often at this time of year. I wanted to test my beliefs and thoughts on the subject with the Twins General Manager. “Terry, is there a point in spring training when results becomes more important than process?” We were specifically talking about the bullpen, and Ryan responded by saying, “There are certain guys where the results have been very important to this point. There are other guys where you let the process take place. There are guys that had to perform early and often because of where they are and who they are, and there are guys that you know you don’t have to worry about. One of them is Perkins. Another one is Jepsen. And Fien. Those types of guys that have been here and done it. They might be doing some things that you wouldn’t be get terribly concerned about if they had a horrible outing or two. That’s just the way it is.” That’s not to say that as camp goes along you don’t want to put up the numbers. The numbers should be fine because the process is working. Ryan continued, “You’re always looking for guys to be crisp, and sharp, and throw with some sort of command, but that doesn’t happen all the time. So when you get deeper into the camp and you start approaching the month of April, you’d like to see firm things up. But still, you’re going to take those guys regardless of what they do here, assuming they’re healthy.” When guys get to spring training, they have a good idea of where they are on the roster outlook, and based on that what might be expected of them during the spring. “I’ve said this before. Most of those guys know where they stand as prospects or guys that are on an invite, or guys that have four or five years. For the most part, I don’t think any of those guys are bewildered about who they are and where they’re at in their career.” To give one example of the situation, Ryan mentioned two left-handed relief pitchers who are looking to win a spot on the Opening Day roster, Fernando Abad and Taylor Rogers. “Abad is different than Rogers. Abad’s got three or four years of major league service. Rogers has zero. One’s on the roster (Rogers), the other isn’t (Abad). But they know where they’re at. I don’t have to worry about explaining too much to Taylor Rogers. I talk to him obviously. I know him. Abad’s in here because he’s a free agent who we had interest in. He knows where he’s at. If there’s a guy where it’s a mystery, that’s not good” Despite three left-handed pitchers being sent to minor league camp there are still ten more lefties in search of one, and maybe two, Opening Day jobs with the Twins. Each has his own unique situation and circumstance. And then the regular season starts, and it’s a long haul, a long process, in which results take on a new meaning. Click here to view the article

He's pitched really well, and he's not on the 40 man roster. Chargois is on the 40 man roster. That's why he's heading down earlier.

Also have to assume that neither Suzuki or Murphy wanted to make the trip to Jupiter today. I would think Turner and Garver will head to minor league camp soon, probably even by Wednesday.

Good trip so far. It is HOT though. Ha! I think they'll see how the Tonkin situation plays out. I think he'd be #1 unless they take him up north. If not, then I would say Strong is most likely. I haven't seen Vielma this year. I have seen him, and I would expect he'll play tomorrow.

FT. MYERS, Fla - Following Sunday’s game at Hammond Stadium, the Twins announced that five players had been reassigned to minor league camp. On Monday morning, Paul Molitor and Terry Ryan informed seven more players that their time in big league camp this year was complete. The Twins optioned outfielder Adam Brett Walker, LHP Pat Dean, and LHP Mike Strong to Rochester. LHP Mason Melotakis and RHP JT Chargois were optioned to Chattanooga. RHP Yorman Landa and LHP Randy Rosario were optioned to Ft. Myers.Those seven players optioned from the 40-man roster on Monday are part of the first round of cuts which included SS Engelb Vielma, C Alex Swim, RHP Jake Reed, IF/OF Reynaldo Rodriguez, and IF Heiker Meneses. Combined, that is a lot of players, and yet there really weren’t any surprises. This is the point, three weeks from Opening Day, when it is important to have a more manageable roster. Simply, hitters that will (or could) make the team need more plate appearances, starters work longer, and relief pitchers need more consistent work.These players were all long shots to make the Opening Day roster, and now they will head to the minor league complex and start preparing with their team for the 2016 season. It is normal that players on the 40-man roster with little shot of making the big league roster are sent down fairly early in camp. Along with prepping with their teammates and getting at-bats, if a 40-man roster player has a major injury at big league camp, he gets a big league salary for time on the disabled list. The experience working with the big league coaching staff and veteran players is still very valuable for them. Randy Rosario has the world of potential in his left arm, but he finished last year in Cedar Rapids. 2016 will be his first full season back from Tommy John surgery. Yorman Landa is in a similar boat. After missing time in the 2014 season, Landa returned to Cedar Rapids midseason and was terrific. He, like Rosario, will likely begin the season in Ft. Myers with the Miracle JT Chargois showed his upper-90s fastball and three pitch mix. He could head to Chattanooga or Rochester. If he can harness his control, he has a chance to be special. Mason Melotakis has electric stuff, but just coming back from Tommy John surgery and not pitching at all in 2015, he will need to get some innings under his belt to continue shaking off rust as well as continue to develop. Pat Dean will return to Rochester where he will start. He had a bit of a breakout season in Rochester last year and hopes to build off of it. He credited his numbers to improving his curve ball and slider. Minnesota native Mike Strong will work in the bullpen, either at Rochester or Chattanooga. He was added to the 40-man roster in late January. The final player from the 40 man roster to be sent down is outfielder Adam Brett Walker who has had limited at-bats. There are still a lot of outfielders in Twins camp and some big decisions to make. Walker needs to start accumulating some plate appearances to work on the things he has learned in his time in camp. As you can see from that group there is a lot of potential but none of them have played very much this spring so they need to get some playing time at minor league camp before the season. The Twins now have 52 players remaining in camp (19 non-roster). There are 24 pitchers (8 non-roster), 7 catchers (4 non-roster), 11 infielders (3 non-roster) and 10 outfielders (4 non-roster). Click here to view the article

The message from the Twins most of the offseason, but especially strong since Twins Fest was that they all wanted Buxton to take the job and something strange would have to happen for it not to happen. Following the game, Molitor pointed out Buxton's better at bats. He actually said he had to talk to him about base running, when he didn't initially tag and go to 3B on a fly out to CF. But that's a teachable moment. Buxton is a different person in camp this year that in the past, and he's bigger and stronger. There'll be some rough patches, no doubt, but he'll be alright.

Rogers isn't even a possibility for coming off of the 40 man. His odds of making the opening day roster have likely decreased, but he's not coming off the 40 man.

1.) Yes, the Twins will continue to pay him. 2.) He hit .324/.404/.476 (.880) when his 2013 season ended with the concussion. 3.) They'll pay him. 4.) No, you spend the money because it is his salary. 5.) The Twins, and every team, know what they're getting into with all these deals. Injury is part of that risk. So is decline. Should Mauer be able to ask for the $30 million he earned in those seasons with he was making league minimum, or less than $10 million?

It's not football. There is no restructuring of contracts. Yes, they will pay him $23 million for the next 3 seasons. (unless he retires and they do some buyout or something) Also, you essentially said that he has coasted since signing the contract... but remind me what he was hitting when he went down with the concussion? Also, you say he's essentially coased

I mean, yes and no. Players reassigned are not on the 40 man roster, so as the roster keeps getting trimmed, and the team wants some backups to come over from minor league camp, these guys could come back. 40 man roster guys can't play in spring training games after they are optioned. However, I'd also say that they will now be working with the minor league coaches, and the major league staff works with those still in camp. But, they're a couple hundred yards away, so it's not like they're far away.

I would say... check back here tomorrow morning... Notice that that five transactions announced were all "reassignments." No 40-man roster guys. When I was trying to figure out how many would be sent down today, my list grew to 17. So, I would expect that there will be at least 5-6 players optioned tomorrow, and possibly a couple more reassigned. Will be interesting.

The Minnesota Twins announced their first batch of cuts from spring training this afternoon. They reassigned five players to minor league camp. Infielders Engelb Vielma, Reynaldo Rodriguez, Heiker Meneses, catcher Alex Swim, and right-handed pitcher Jake Reed will report to the minor league facilities on Monday morning. More transactions are anticipated by the club Monday morning.There were no real surprises among the list of players reassigned. The surprise was that, at this time, the Twins have not officially optioned any players off of their 40-man roster. (Again, expect information on that to come on Monday) Reynaldo Rodriguez is leaving Twins spring training to join the WBC-Qualifying team from Colombia. He will most likely spend the season in Rochester again. Engelb Vielma had a solid showing in his first big league spring. Earlier in the day, he was awarded the organization's top defensive infielder award in the minor leagues. He is likely to spend the season in Chattanooga. Heiker Meneses spent all of last season in Chattanooga and is likely to return there. He played a lot of second base, though he played shortstop when Jorge Polanco was with the Twins or Red Wings. Alex Swim spent last season in Ft. Myers. He could go back there after missing time in the second half due to injury, though he is likely to spend time in Chattanooga as well in 2016. Jake Reed pitched a clean inning today and has been solid in his first big league camp. As Paul Molitor said after the game, it is his command that will need work. He should go back to Chattanooga to start the season, but he could surface in the big leagues late in the season. Feel free to discuss this group, and remember to check back tomorrow for more roster decisions. Click here to view the article

Ha! He's a die-hard!

The Minnesota Twins and Baltimore Orioles are about to begin a spring training game at Hammond Stadium. It is 82 degrees and sunny. I talked to a few players in the clubhouse this morning before heading over to the minor league facilities for a couple of hours. After taking about 180 photos yesterday (see our Twitterand Facebookpages), I took about 205 more this morning.Here are some notes from the day: Chatted with infielder Austrailian James Beresford who has played around the infield this spring. I asked him if he was going to start using that first basemen's mitt around the infield. He laughed. We spent some time talking about playing in the WBC-Qualifier last month. He said it was really important for his country's baseball. There was a lot of anxiety when South Africa took a 4-3 lead in the 6th inning of the final in that series, but Australia came back to win and get a spot in next spring's WBC. Beresford smiled when talking about playing in the national team tournaments as far back as 2009 when he was just 19 or 20. He was the young guy and players like Trent Oeltjen were the "old" guys on the team. He said Oeltjen being part of that team was really great for the team but he now feels like he is the old guy on that roster. After an excessively long 30+ hours of travel to get to Ft. Myers, it took him a little time to adjust. Also, he is now the "old guy" among Australians, and he thinks it's an important role. He talked about taking guys like Logan Wade, Lewis Thorpe and Lachlan Wells out to eat and just talking with them. I also spent a couple of minutes with Joe Benson. As you know, he lives in Chicago, but he has spent most of his time since January in Ft. Myers, often working out at the Twins' facilities. He said it is very familiar being with the organization. A Bears season ticket holder, he said last year was a difficult season for him. I talked to Randy Rosario for a little while too. I thanked him for doing a Q&A for Twins Daily during the offseason. In it, he mentioned that he would often hear from people who had seen him pitch that he reminded them of Francisco LIriano. He said, "I signed with the Twins when I was 16 years old from the Dominican. Fred Guerrero signed me. He said, 'Do you know why I signed you? You look like (Francisco) Liriano at that age." Obviously that is a pretty high standard, but at the same time, Liriano is thin, left-handed, throws real hard and has a sharp slider. The comparison is apt. Let's hope he has a similar career. It was good chatting with righty Alex Meyer before the game as well. With his wedding in November and some other things going on, he did not teach again this offseason. He said he has been taking some online classes the last year or so and will continue to do so. He does hope to do more teaching in future offseasons. Mason Melotakis said he's really enjoyed working in big league camp, working with the veterans and learning from them. He talked a bit about LaTroy Hawkins and said he listened to everything that came from him. When I asked him which veterans he had learned from the most, I was expecting to hear the name of a pitcher. He said that Joe Mauer was the guy he had learned most from, just the way he went about his business. It's also fun to ask him about his parents. At Twins Fest, it looked like his mom and dad were really enjoying the moment. On Twins Fest Friday, they took pictures with Torii Hunter and truly enjoyed every minute. So, I asked Melotakis if his parents had been in Ft. Myers at all. He said they are here now and enjoying every moment. Proud parents. It was assumed that the Twins would be making their first round of cuts on Sunday. The last two years, they have made those moves and informed the players right away in the morning. So, as I got to the ballpark early and was making my way into the clubhouse, Engelb Vielma and Jose Berrios walked by, heading to the minor league complex. As always, Berrios smiled and said, "Good morning, Seth." I responded in kind. I took about three more steps, turned and watched them walk away with my head tilted. Had Berrios been sent down with the first round of cuts? It wasn't long before I found out that the two were heading over to the minor league complex where they were handing out their awards for the 2015 season. The Arizona Fall League championship players were given their rings. Here are the other awards handed out: Jose Berrios - Pitcher of the Year Max Kepler - Hitter of the Year Awards for Defense: Pitcher - Felix Jorge Catcher - Brian Navarreto Infielder - Engelb Vielma Outfielder - Tanner English English also got an award for leading the system in stolen bases. After their normal workout this morning (9:30-11:45), the Twins minor leaguers are playing their first intrasquad games of the season today. They will do the same tomorrow (Monday). On Tuesday, the Twins will start their spring training schedule. What will typically happen is that the AAA and AA teams will travel to play a game against the Orioles' (as an example) AAA and AA teams, while the High-A and Low-A teams will stay in Ft. Myers and play the Orioles' High-A and Low-A teams. Minor Leaguers are currently split into four work groups. As players come down from big league camp, those rosters will change such that they're continuing to work with players they will presumably be teammates with for much of the year. Like I said earlier, I took a lot of pictures and later in the day I'll get those posted to the Twins Daily Twitter accountand/or the Twins Daily Facebookpage. Click here to view the article

I wouldn't give up on him there completely yet, but it is definitely a struggle. I do think that he got stronger over the offseason in he could do it... it's at least partially in his head right now.

FORT MYERS, Fla. - It’s been a LONG day, but at the end of it, I got to hang out at Hammond Stadium and watch a little baseball today. That is never a bad thing. Over the next eight or nine days, be sure to check out my reports and stories from Ft. Myers. To get started I’m just going to post a couple of quick notes. When you get to the ballpark in the 4th inning of a spring training game, you don’t get to see a ton, but still quite a bit happened. So bear with me as I reflect on a travel day that resulted in watching the Minnesota Twins and the Miami Marlins play baseball.As most of you know, I pretty much live in Canada. To be exact (or pretty close), my house is approximately four miles (as the crow flies) from the Canadian border in Minnesota. I worked on Thursday until about 4:00 and after throwing a few more things into my trunk, I was out of town by 4:30. I had a nine-minute stop to meet my dad along the way. But I arrived at my sister’s house in the west Metro at about 11:30. I crashed before midnight, but setting an alarm for 2:40 a.m. is just wrong on so many levels. I can’t even imagine doing that on a regular basis. But, she agreed to take me to the airport at 3:30. I was at the airport and through security by about 4:30, so that was pretty good, I thought. First flight was at 6:05 a.m. and left on time. We arrived in Atlanta, and I had 15 minutes to spare before they started boarding the connecting flight. It took off on time and I arrived in Ft. Myers by noon (ET, of course). By the time I got my car (which was not a swift process by any means!) and drove over to Hammond Stadium, it was already about 1:45. Of course, the first thing I did was walk over to the minor league complex, just to see if they were still working out. They were. On one field, Jake Mauer was feeding a pitching machine and several players who could spend time with the Cedar Rapids Kernels this year were taking BP. On the next field, Jeff Smith and Jim “Slice” Dwyer were watching a group of likely Miracle batters take batting practice. On the third field, there were a lot of coaches. That’s where the guys who are likely to spend time in extended spring training were. Among them was new GCL hitting coach and former Twins prospect Steve Singleton. I chatted with him for just a few minutes. He’s expressed real excitement about getting to work with the young players this year. He stressed that there is a lot of talent in that group. He talked about the great speed of Emmanuel Morel and Gorge Munoz and some other great athletes. He also talked about the number of power arms that are now in the organization, especially compared to when he was playing. I walked over to the the big league stadium and went inside for the 4th inning. I got in just in time to watch Byung Ho Park launch his third spring training home run. He got all of it. As Molitor said “It was a no-doubter.” Following the game, Molitor mentioned that it was on a fastball inside and Park was able to keep it fair. Pioneer Press scribe Mike Berardino pointed out that all three of his home runs have come on fastballs (94, 92 and this one was 91), and all three of them came when he was playing first base. An inning later, Joe Mauer came to the plate. He worked a long count before ripping a line shot to center field. In dead center, there is “405” printed on the wall, about two feet from the top of the fence. Mauer’s double hit about a foot above that sign. Soon after, Miguel Sano crushed a liner over the left fielder’s head to score a run. The Twins wound up losing the game 6-5, in case anyone was curious. NOTES The game went 3 hours and 28 minutes. In his post-game presser, manager Paul Molitor kicked it off by saying, “What are your thoughts on pace of game?” I missed Kyle Gibson’s outing. Looking at the numbers, it wasn’t very impressive.He gave up two runs on four hits and three walks in two innings. Molitor said after the game that Gibson was “OK for me.” He was keeping the ball on the ground. His pitch count just kept mounting. Too many 1-0 pitches and deep counts. Randy Rosario came in late in the game, in large part because of Gibson’s short start. It’s clear that his stuff in electric. The first batter he faced was left-handed and he made him look silly on a strikeout. However that was followed by a blooper to right, just out of the reach of a diving Darin Mastroianni, who trapped the ball. The next batter hit a four-hopper through the right side, just out of the reach of a diving Wilfredo Tovar. Then came a solid single up the middle to score a run. But Rosario came back and got the final two he faced, one of them on a strikeout. Jorge Polanco struggled mightily on defense. In fairness he got a lot of opportunities, but concerns about his defense have to be elevated at some point. He mishandled a routine bounding grounder up the middle for an error. He got a second error on a throw that was probably eight feet shy of first base. He was saved of at least one, and possibly two, more errors by nice scoops by Beresford. Following the game, Molitor said that Polanco is “fine, arm-wise. He hasn’t expressed any trouble with his arm. He throws fine in infield. It looks like he rushes during games. After he throws a couple low, you start trying to guide it instead of throwing it.” James Beresford hasn’t played a single game at first base as a professional baseball player, in the regular season. He has played there twice this spring and a little bit last offseason, along with third base and his “normal” spot, second base.. Molitor said, “He made a couple of nice plays… He’s more than competent to play around the infield. Probably not at short too much, though he’d be fine in an emergency. That’s where he started before he moved over to second.” I was somewhat surprised by the shortstop comment. Beresford was signed as a shortstop and played there a lot early in his career. He also was the shortstop for Team Australia in the WBC Qualifier. However, it probably shouldn't be surprising as in the last three years, he has played 340 games at second base, six games at shortstop and five games at third base. Although he was an all-star second baseman for Rochester last year, if his future with the Twins is as a utility infielder, he will need to spend time at all four infield spots. Max Kepler made the start in center field on Friday afternoon. Molitor said that he hasn’t seen a lot of him in center field and hasn’t seen enough plays to fully evaluate. He commented that Byron Buxton will start the next two games in center, and then Kepler will make a start on Monday in Jupiter. He noted that Kepler “is not a burner, but he covers distance with that long stride.” Nick Burdi needed only six pitches to work a scoreless ninth. The first pitch was 96 and the batter reached on a Polanco error. The next pitch was 97 and got a weak grounder to second base for an easy double play. He needed four pitches for the final batter, and they went 97, 99, 84, and 99. Ground ball to shortstop to end the inning. The ‘84’ may have been Burdi’s split-change. The Twins are on the road in Sarasota on Saturday. I’ll stay in Ft. Myers and talk to some players before spending the majority of the day watching the minor league workouts. Be sure to stop back throughout the weekend as I plan to post at least once, and usually twice, each day. Also, I plan to post several pictures on the Twins Daily Facebook page and Twins Daily Twitter feed (and my Twitter feed too, if you want to follow that). The Twins are back home on Sunday afternoon when it is believed the first round of cuts will be made. Click here to view the article

Heading into the 2012 draft, most 'experts' felt that the draft class was weaker than many in recent years. The Twins draft was obviously good just because of Buxton and having the #2 pick. There were very talented individuals but a feeling that the draft class across baseball (meaning draftable players in high school, college, junior college, etc) was thought to be down.

Good reminder... thank you and I've corrected this.

The 2012 MLB draft was very interesting for the Minnesota Twins and their fans. They had the second overall pick after their first of four straight 90-loss seasons. They had a couple of extra picks due to the loss of Michael Cuddyer to free agency. They had six of the first 100 picks. It was an opportunity for them to gain much-needed talent in the organization. While a large theme from that 2012 draft was the Twins selection of several college relief pitchers, the Twins really got more than that.Generally speaking, if a team can find two or three big leaguers out of any draft, it is a successful draft. It is difficult to get to the big leagues. There are so many levels to work through while trying to develop. There are injuries and there are upper-level breaking pitches. The Twins have already seen big league time from two members of that 2012 class, but there is a lot more to come in terms of high-potential big league contributors. There are no guarantees, of course, but this could go down as one of the best Twins drafts since 1989. With that second-overall pick and shortstop Carlos Correa off the board, the Twins selected the best athlete in the draft, Byron Buxton. In 2013, he played at Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers and was named Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year. A smorgasbord of injuries cost him most of his 2014 season. He came back in 2015 and was inconsistent for two months in AA Chattanooga, but he received the big league call in mid-June. It wasn’t a great showing for Buxton, but despite those struggles, scouts, prospect profilers and the organization still believe that he has huge potential. He remains the favorite to be the Twins Opening Day centerfielder and even if he isn’t, he will be soon and for a long time. He has All Star potential. The Twins had the second pick in the supplemental phase of the 1st round 32nd overall due to the loss of Michael Cuddyer via free agency. With the selection, the Twins made Jose Berrios the highest-drafted high school pitcher from Puerto Rico. While the Twins were thrilled to draft him, most thought he would be drafted dozens of picks later. Berrios has been the Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year the last two years. He has really dominated in High-A, AA and AAA. His prospect status nationally has skyrocketed, and he is now considered one of the top five or six pitching prospects in the game. Many believed the Twins should have called him up late in 2015, but he is certain to get that call sometime early in 2016 and the hope is he can be a top-half-of-the-rotation starter for years to come. Ten picks later, the Twins had another supplement selection because of losing Jason Kubel to free agency. With that pick, they chose RHP Luke Bard from Georgia Tech. Unfortunately Bard pitched very little between 2012 and 2014 due to a variety of arm injuries. He returned in June, pitching in Cedar Rapids. He was able to finish the season staying healthy. He also was working in the mid-90s with his fastball and has good secondary pitches. In 2016, he is a guy to watch as he has the potential to move up a couple of levels. With their second-round draft pick (#63 overall) the Twins took LHP Mason Melotakis. He was given some opportunity to start. Early in the 2014 season, he was moved full-time to the bullpen. However, he experienced elbow issues and later had Tommy John surgery. He missed all of 2015, but when he returned for Instructs in November, he was reportedly clocked at 97 mph. He was added to the 40-man roster. While he is a long-shot to make the Opening Day roster, most believe that he has the ability to be a shut-down lefty reliever, and soon. The Twins had a second, second-round draft pick, 72nd overall. They received the Rockies’ second-round pick (along with the previously mentioned supplemental pick) for Michael Cuddyer. With that pick, the Twins took RH RP JT Chargois from Rice University. As you know, Chargois missed all of 2013 and 2014 due to Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2015 and pitched quite well in Ft. Myers and in Chattanooga where he was the closer when the Lookouts won the Southern League title. He frequently hit 100 mph on the radar gun and has two other plus-pitches. He was added to the 40-man roster and whether he makes the Opening Day roster or not, he could be the first reliever called up to the Twins when needed. The Twins also had the 98th overall pick, and with their third-round pick they chose Adam Brett Walker. He’s been discussed to the extreme here at Twins Daily, so we won’t get into it all again. However, he has led his league in home runs and RBIs in each of his three full minor league seasons and strikeouts the last two years. He hit 31 homers, drove in 106 and struck out 195 times last year in Chattanooga. He was added to the 40-man roster in November. It is possible we’ll be seeing Walker late in 2016. He has a lot of improvements to make and yet we still shouldn’t completely overlook his power potential. With their fourth-round pick, they took Zack Jones who has had an up-and-down career with the Twins. When healthy, he has shown the ability to be a good late-inning reliever due to a mid-90s fastball and a good slider. Control has been an issue. He also has had a couple of injuries and other health issues. He is currently in the Milwaukee Brewers minor league camp as a Rule 5 pick. He has had some shoulder issues this spring, followed by a bout with the flu, so he is yet to throw a bullpen. It is possible that he could be returned to the Twins at some point. With their fifth-round pick (160th overall), the Twins went back to Rice and took co-closer (at Rice) Tyler Duffey. He consistently worked through the Twins system as a starter, pitching well, yet flying a little under most radars. He debuted with the Twins last year against the Blue Jays. It didn’t go well, and he was sent back to Rochester. He made one start for the Red Wings before coming back to the Twins where he was arguably the Twins' best starting pitcher over his final nine starts. His name was penciled into the #4 spot in the rotation coming into spring training though he could spend a little more time in Rochester as well. However, we had seen that Duffey and his curve ball can be a solid Major League starter. In the 10th round, the Twins selected RHP DJ Baxendale out of Arkansas. He experienced a lot of early success in the two levels of A ball in 2013. 2014 was filled with injury and struggles. In 2015, he again missed some starts but experienced some success. He will continue to start in 2016, likely getting to AAA at some point, but I include him in this list still because if he doesn’t make it as a starter he has some stuff that could make him a solid MLB reliever. He generally has had good control. As a starter he works in the low-90s, so it’s possible as a reliever he could reach to the mid-90s. He also has a good slider. In the 11th round, the Twins took a skinny left-hander from the University of Kentucky. Taylor Rogers is still very skinny but he has proven durable as a starter throughout the minors. He was the Twins Daily minor league starting pitcher of the year in 2013 and has moved up a level a year since. He was a solid starter in Rochester and could probably be a back-of-the-rotation starter for many MLB teams. Right now he’d probably be #9 on the Twins starting pitching depth chart. He’s being used as a reliever in spring training and given a real shot at an Opening Day job. He has dominated left-handers in the minor leagues and could have a long, solid career in the big leagues working out of the bullpen. 7th Round: Jorge Fernandez was drafted out of high school in Puerto Rico. At 6-3 and about 200 pounds, he is a very good athlete for a catcher. He has struggled throwing out runners and spent more time playing other positions in 2015 in Cedar Rapids. It sounds like he will be moving to first base. 12th Round: Alex Muren reached AA last year. While he has never been a big strikeout guy, he has been a ground ball machine. Reports from Ft. Myers last year indicated that he was throwing harder than previously, sitting 92-94 and even touching 97 on occasion. He’s still one to watch. 20th Round: Zach Larson. The Twins signed Byron Buxton for just shy of his slot position as the #2 pick. With the extra money, the Twins were able to sign another high school outfielder. He played quite well in 2013 at the rookie leagues. He has spent the last two seasons in Cedar Rapids where he has spent a lot of time on the disabled list. 35th Round: Jared Wilson was an All-Star for Cedar Rapids in 2015. He spent the first half of the season as a starter before moving back to the bullpen in the second half. He will likely spend 2016 in Ft. Myers. 34th Round: Bryan Haar has played third base and first base in his time with the Twins organization. He played at Ft. Myers in 2015 though he missed a lot of time with a couple of injuries. There are 13 members of the Twins 2012 draft remaining in the Twins organization. While that is not a large number, you can see that there are a couple of guys with all-star upsides who will be contributing soon. There are a couple of starting pitchers and several relief pitcher options who can be key contributors to the Twins, several ready for the majors in 2016. Draft picks are really hard to judge for a decade but this class has huge potential for the Twins. Here is a quick look at the number of players drafted by the Twins each year who have remained in the organization the whole time: 2014 - 252013 - 202012 - 132011 - 10 (Levi Michael (1), Travis Harrison (1s), Corey Williams (3), Matt Summers (4), Dereck Rodriguez (6), Jason Wheeler (8), Brett Lee (10), Tim Shibuya (23), David Hurlbut (28), Stephen Wickens (33)2010 - 6 (Alex Wimmers (1), Niko Goodrum (2), Pat Dean (3), Eddie Rosario (4), Logan Darnell (6), Ryan O’Rourke (12))2009 - 2 (Kyle Gibson, Brian Dozier)2008 - 1 (Michael Tonkin)2005-2007 - 02004 - 2 (Trevor Plouffe, Glen Perkins)2002-2003 - 02001 - 1 (Joe Mauer)Again, the draft is a bit of a crapshoot from year to year. As I mentioned earlier, if you can draft, sign and develop one or two big leaguers from any draft, you should be happy. Despite several injuries to many of the 2012 picks, it is very possible that we could see as many as seven players from that draft play for the Twins in 2016. CAN THE 2012 DRAFT CLASS MATCH THE 1989 DRAFT CLASS? I mentioned that 1989 Twins draft class. Eight players drafted by the Twins that year signed and debuted with the Twins. Chuck Knoblauch (1), Denny Neagle (3), Scott Erickson (4), Marty Cordova (10), Dan Mastellar (11), Mike Trombley (14), George Tsamis (15), Denny Hocking (52) all debuted with the Twins. Erickson debuted in mid-1990. Knoblauch was the Rookie of the Year in 1991. Marty Cordova was Rookie of the Year in 1994. Trombley had a long, solid career with eight seasons with the Twins to start his career. Denny Hocking was a utility infielder for the Twins for parts of 11 seasons. Mastellar and Tsamis had cups of coffee. Neagle debuted with the Twins in 1991 before being traded to Pittsburgh that offseason. Can the 2012 Twins draft match that 1989 draft? Obviously we need 15 to 20 years to fully know that answer. Can Byron Buxton be as good as Chuck Knoblauch was the first seven years of his career? Can JO Berrios have the kind of immediate impact for the Twins that Scott Erickson did in 1990 and 1991, and can he sustain that success? Cordova was worth 5.9 bWAR for the Twins in his first two seasons, and he was worth a total of 5.7 bWAR over the five years he spent with the Twins. Could Adam Brett Walker provided similar value? And how many of those extremely talented relievers will be able to match the longevity of Trombley. Trombley also had three seasons with bWAR between 1.9 and 2.2. Time will tell, but there is no question that the Twins and the fans are excited about the talent of this 2012 draft class. Click here to view the article