Seth Stohs

We heard about Pavano backing out yesterday (Friday) morning. Several members of his family are sick, so he wasn't able to make it. We immediately worked with the Twins on this, and quickly 1991 World Series champ Mike Pagliarulo agreed to take Pavano's spot.

Last night was the Diamond Awards. On Friday afternoon, the Twins hosted their media luncheon. Terry Ryan gave a baseball message which was followed by Dave St. Peter providing a business update. The final thing St. Peter announced was that two people would be inducted into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame in 2016, Torii Hunter and John Gordon.Hunter was announced first. The Twins decided, maybe based upon no one being voted in last year, to remove any waiting period before a player could be voted for their Hall of Fame. That decision was announced after Hunter announced his retirement last November. Hunter returned to the Twins in 2015 for his final season after spending parts of 1997 through 2007 in a Twins uniform. Hunter sits well inside the Top 10 Twins players in most offensive categories including doubles, home runs, RBI and stolen bases. He went to five All Star games as a member of the Twins. There is no question that Torii Hunter is a "first-ballot" Twins Hall of Famer after his Gold Gloves, Silver Sluggers and work throughout the community. St. Peter mentioned that Dan Gladden and Cesar Tovar finished second and third in the voting, respectively. This was also a year in which a veteran's committee held a vote. They voted in long-time radio voice John Gordon to the Hall of Fame. Gordon came to the Twins in 1987 after serving in many broadcasting roles in the big leagues and the minor leagues. He was with the Yankees before coming to the Twins. He worked with Herb Carneal for a few seasons before taking over the #1 radio spot which he held until his retirement following the 2011 season. The Twins radio booth, which is inside the Herb Carneal Press Box, is named for Gordon. He was most famous for this "Touch 'Em All" home run call. Former Twins President Jerry Bell finished second in the veteran's (non-player) voting. Hunter and Gordon will be the 27th and 28th members of the Twins Hall of Fame. They will be inducted in separate ceremonies on the same weekend, July 16-17. Hunter will be inducted on the 16th with Gordon the following day. Other notes from media luncheon: Danny Santana will move to the outfield as well. He may get some time still in the infield.The Twins will have two translators. One will speak Korean and work with the Twins and Park. One will be a Spanish interpreter which is something MLB is requiring for all teams.The Twins will operate in a new facility in the Dominican starting (likely) in September. They'll work with the Philadelphia Phillies.Dave St. Peter pointed out that Glen Perkins just completed his ninth Twins Winter Caravan, which is really good, "But he has a ways to go to catch Tony Oliva who just finished his 56th caravan."Rod Carew will be here tomorrow. He will be interviewed in the Puckett Atrium in the morning and then meet with the media. He and the Twins will be making an announcement about a new program they'll be working with.The Twins have already sold 1.2 million tickets for 2016. They are hoping to surpass 2.3 million. Over 90% renewed.The Twins aren't going to have a ceremony for the 25th anniversary of the 1991 World Series championship though it will be a theme throughout the season. It is also the 25th anniversary of the Twins Community Fund which will also be talked about a lot.There will be 11 spring training games televised on FSN. 14 games will be on the radio.Bert Blyleven is set to do another 100 games in 2016.For fan safety, based on requirements by MLB, the Twins will have 6-7 feet of netting over both dugouts. They will also be replacing the netting behind home plate with higher transparency netting for better visibility. He acknowledged that it has been a controversial topic.If you have any questions, please feel free to ask. I'm sure I missed several things. Twins Fest starts tonight and opening day tickets go on sale at 4. Click here to view the article

It really is an amazing event and if people can, I definitely recommend it.

Berrios is as humble a person as I've ever met for someone who has so much confidence.

Last night was a special night at Target Field. For the 11th straight year, the Baseball Writers, the Minnesota Twins and the University of Minnesota worked together with the Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center to present the Diamond Awards. Now when we think of the Diamond Awards, we think of things like the Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year, Rookie of the Year and the various awards handed out to the Twins. And that’ what they are. The night was about celebrating the 2015 season. It was about handing out the hardware to the very deserving recipients.However, on a bigger level, it’s about celebrating baseball and philanthropy. The event sets out to raise money for the University of Minnesota’s innovative research and patient care focused on ALS, ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease. A lot of tremendous work has been done by the doctors and nurses and research personnel over the years. The Twins and this event have raised millions of dollars over these 11 years. Progress has been made, but as they are quick to point out, much more needs to be done. In a feeble attempt to tie that greatly important research to the game of baseball and the Minnesota Twins, I think that Brian Dozier said it best. He told the crowd gathered in the Legends Club that 2015 was a good year. He said that was “a better year, but it’s not where we want to get. We’ve got work to do.” Along with celebrating 2015, the event also allowed discussion of 2016. There was a segment of the program where emcee Cory Provus invited GM Terry Ryan and Manager Paul Molitor to come to the stage and discuss 2016. Those same sentiments were echoed again. 2015 was a good year, but we need to be better in 2016. Molitor said, “We set the bar higher last year. There will be higher expectations this year, and that’s OK.” Later, Provus brought Dozier back to the stage along with Korean slugger Byung Ho Park. Through his interpreter Jay, Park talked about the adjustments he will need to make, but more important, he talked about how it has always been his dream to play over here and he is incredibly excited to get things started next month at spring training. When Provus asked Park if he can dance, no interpreter was needed. Park immediately smiled shook his head and said, “No!” The evening started with Minor League Director Brad Steil presenting the Jim Rantz Award for Minor League Pitcher of the Year. It was the second straight year that Berrios was the recipient of the award, and deservedly so. Berrios, as you would expect made if very clear that his goals for 2016 remain high. For someone so confident, he remains humble, giving all the credit to God and saying that he will patiently wait for that call. Mike Radcliff presented the Sherry Robertson Award for Minor League Player of the Year. As we learned yesterday Kepler was unable to attend because he was sick. He hopes to make it to Target Field later in the weekend for part of Twins Fest. Asked about comparisons physically to former MVP Justin Morneau, Radcliff said, “That is certainly the story we tell when telling Mr. Pohlad that we’re spending some of his money on a 16 year old!” The crowd laughed. Scout humor is great! The Kirby Puckett Award for Alumni Community Service was presented to Julio Becquer. He played for the Senators and came to Minnesota with the Twins in 1961. He retired after the 1963 season. For 30 years, he worked with the Twins Youth Clinics, working 30-50 clinics a year. I remember seeing him still working in the kid zones. He played in just 58 games for the Twins (57 in 1961, and one pinch-running appearance in 1963), but his impact in the community has been amazing. He spoke about how much he enjoyed working with the kids. He also talked about how he’s been retired from baseball for over 50 years which he said can’t be right because the 84-year-old said,”I still look good!” Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates lefty reliever took home the Dick Siebert Award for Upper Midwest Player of the Year. He is from a small town north of Des Moines. He played in the 2014 All-Star game at Target Field and in 2015 he went 4-1 with a 1.91 ERA out of the Pirates pen. He wasn’t in attendance, but he spoke with great gratitude for the honor, especially considering some of the Hall of Fame names who have won the award. Likewise Aaron Hicks wasn’t in attendance. He won the Charles O. Johnson Award for Most Improved Twins player. In a video, he thanked the writers. He also thanked the organization for giving him opportunities and showing patience. Craig Anderson was presented the Play Ball! Minnesota Terry Ryan Award for being a Friend of the Game. He has been coaching baseball at Pine Island High School for 40 years. He also has been a director of summer baseball there. He has twice served as president of the Minnesota High School Baseball Coaches Association and a meber of their advisory board since 1994. And much more. Brian Dozier was presented with the Carl R. Pohlad Award for Outstanding Community Service. Jim Pohlad pulled out a list of all that Dozier and his wife Renae do in the community and it was extensive. He provides many tickets to National Guard members through his Dozier’s Heroes program. He also talked a little about working with Amigos for Christ, the organization he and his wife work with when they travel to Central America and help build schools and provide clean water systems. Torii Hunter was presented with two awards. He was named the Bob Allison Award winner for Twins Leadership. He also won the Mike Augustin Media Good Guy Award for the fourth time. As you can imagine, his speech and time on stage was good for a lot of laughs, but he also said a lot of very good things. He talked about his relationship with the media, and he talked about how he and Mike Berardino are good now. In fact he said that they’re probably going to go skinny dipping together sometime. (Note - I talked to Mike afterward, and he denied that report!) Hunter was also asked who the leader will be in 2016. He talked about the qualities of a leader, and how a leader must first serve before he can lead. He talked about how leadership can’t and shouldn’t be forced. He then said that he spent a lot of time talking with Brian Dozier throughout the season last year and that he can and will be a strong leader. The winner of the Jim Kaat Award for Twins Defensive Player of the Year was Eddie Rosario. The outfielder was terrific wherever he played and talked about throwing runners out. He was unable to answer whether he enjoyed hitting a home run or throwing out a runner at home plate more. When asked about his debut, and the first pitch home run off of Scott Kazmir, Rosario made the crowd laugh and cheer. He said “Ever since I was a little boy, I wanted to play in the major leagues. Since then I’ve always told myself that when I get there, I would swing at the first pitch.” Kyle Gibson won the Joseph W. Haynes Award as Twins Pitcher of the Year. He talked about being out on the caravan and kids telling him they would want to hit against him and that he couldn’t strike them out. He said he told them “Yeah, but I bet I can get you to hit a ground ball!” Always humble, Gibson talked about needing to continue to improve. When asked about his dancing and whether he was the team’s worst dancer, he said, “No! (Mike) Pelfrey was by far the worst dancer, but I was right down there at the bottom. You can ask my wife. I’m a really bad dancer.” Miguel Sano was also presented with two awards. He was named the Bill Boni Award winner as the Twins Most Outstanding Rookie. He also won the Calvin R. Griffith Award for Most Valuable Twin. He talked a lot about how happy he was when he finally got that call, and how it was a dream come true. Provus talked about his first big league hit, and whether we’ll all remember that - as big as he is - that his first hit was an infield single. The final award of the evening was presented by Patrick Reusse. Tom Kelly was given the Herb Carneal Lifetime Achievement Award. Reusse talked about his first - and only - home run in his career as a Twins player. He spoke of his coaching and managerial career, obviously highlighting those Twins championships in 1987 and 1991. He talked about all the really bad pitching he managed for the next eight seasons and how he didn’t leave the team then. He talked about how the team started getting good and competing again before he turned the team over to Ron Gardenhire ready to compete. He also talked about the opportunities that Kelly had to manage other teams, but that he turned them down. He has been helpful to Gardenhire and now Paul Molitor, not only instructing at spring training and in the minor leagues, but when they have needs. It’s obviously a well-deserved recognition. Kelly, as you would expect, told stories and made people laugh. His theme when talking about the 2016 season, or any season, was that he - or now Molitor - sure look a lot smarter when the players, and specifically the pitchers, are good! But again, the evening is about baseball, but also about philanthropy. It’s an opportunity to raise money for the University of Minnesota’s Bob Allison Ataxia Research Center (BAARC). As noted, there has been progress. How can you help? Well, if you want to make a gift or volunteer your time, you can visit give.umn.edu/neuro to learn more about the University of Minnesota’s resarch on brain, nerv, and muscular disorders, and to find out how you can help. You can also check out the Diamond Awards website for more. It was a tremendous night at Target Field. I spent the evening with my dad and my brother. We had a good meal and talked to a lot of people. We learned a bit about some of the great research that the University of Minnesota is doing. We heard from a lot of terrific Twins players and personnel. We laughed and enjoyed an evening thinking about baseball. Speaking of thinking about baseball, Twins Fest starts tonight at Target Field and goes throughout the weekend. It is a great opportunity to see Target Field, and parts of Target Field that you have not previously seen. It’s a chance to rub elbows and interact with Twins players. It’s a chance to be in a place and talk about baseball with hundred of other Twins fans. It’s also an event in which funds raised go to the Twins Community Fund which does really terrific things throughout Twins Territory. Finally, Cory Provus emceed the event last night and did a terrific job. Dick Bremer emceed all of the previous Diamond Awards but was unable to attend this time. Bremer’s mother-in-law passed away a couple of days ago. So we certainly send out best wishes and thoughts to the Bremer family. Click here to view the article

I'm guessing Tommy John surgeons make a bit of money. The Twins have been hit hard, with probably every organization. Though at least the minor leaguers end up doing them in the Twin Cities, not Ft. Myers.

We finished looking at the roster projections through the Minnesota Twins hitters from the big leagues to the extended spring training rosters last week. We projected the starting pitchers on Tuesday. Today we conclude the roster projections by looking at the relief pitchers in the Twins organization. Of course, signings or trades can change these projections, so they are as of right now. There may be injuries around spring training, so these are certainly subject to change. It can be very difficult to project rosters for bullpens. First, with all of the minor league signings, there are too many pitchers for roster spots. There may be some releases, or the Disabled Lists can be used rather liberally. Finally, starters who don’t make starting rotations can be moved to the bullpen. But we’ll attempt this.Are there any prospects with the potential to be impact players down the line? Read on and see what you think, and then let’s discuss below in the comments. MAJOR LEAGUES Glen Perkins, Kevin Jepsen, Trevor May, Casey Fien, Fernando Abad, Ricky Nolasco, Michael Tonkin Arguably the biggest area of concern for the big league club as we look to the 2016. Quite possibly the biggest question mark heading into spring training. When healthy, Glen Perkins has proven to be one of the better relievers in all of baseball. Can he stay healthy for the full season? Kevin Jepsen came to the Twins at the deadline, and he became the most reliable option for the Twins bullpen. Can he continue at that level? Trevor May certainly has the stuff and the demeanor to be a bullpen guy, but is that his role for good going forward? However, in this group of three, the Twins have the makings of a very dominant back-end of the bullpen. When healthy, Casey Fien has been good in the bullpen for the Twins but he hasn’t been healthy the last season and a half. Only 20% of his arbitration contract isn’t guaranteed. So, he’ll need to be ready right in spring training. Michael Tonkin has been very good in AAA the last several years. He has been called up to the Twins many time. He is now out of options. Does that guarantee him a job? Not necessarily. Fernando Abad is a very intriguing minor league signing as Parker noted yesterday. He has the ability to be good, but last year he was very non-good. Can it completely be blamed on tipping pitches? And then there is Ricky Nolasco. If he has a strong camp, could he start? If not, how will he respond physically, mentally and emotionally to being in the bullpen? Other Contenders: Taylor Rogers, Aaron Thompson, Brandon Kintzler MINOR LEAGUES Rochester Red Wings Ryan Pressly, Brandon Kintzler, Alex Meyer, JR Graham, Ryan O’Rourke, Aaron Thompson, Alex Wimmers, Cole Johnson Others: Jason Adam, Dan Runzler, David Martinez As usual, AAA players tend to be pretty familiar names. Most of them have some time in the big leagues, maybe even more. Ryan Pressly was pitching well for the Twins when his season came to an end with injury. He’ll certainly compete for a big league job in spring training. So will veteran Brandon Kintzler who has spent several big league seasons with the Brewers' big league bullpen. He was hurt and missed much of the 2015 season. The Twins signed him on a minor league deal. JR Graham spent all of 2015 with the Twins, but that’s because he had to or the Twins would have likely lost him to Atlanta thanks to Rule 5 rules. He’ll likely head to AAA to start the season as Pressly did a year ago, but get an opportunity to work his way back. Alex Meyer made the move to the bullpen, saw a quick debut in late June and struggled, but he did end fairly strong and we should see plenty of him in 2016 as well. Ryan O’Rourke made his debut in 2015 and showed that he can get left-handers out. He’s a good guy to have around and will also get a shot out of spring training. If used correctly, he has a lot of value. Aaron Thompson was the surprise name from last spring training but he earned an Opening Day spot. After a strong first five weeks, he really struggled for the next six weeks before being sent down. He was DFAd but re-signed with the Twins this offseason. All of these could very well see big league time. Chattanooga Lookouts Nick Burdi, Jake Reed, JT Chargois, Brandon Peterson, Trevor Hildenberger, Corey Williams, Mason Melotakis, Alex Muren Others: Tim Shibuya, Brian Gilbert, Luke Westphal, Todd Van Steensel, Marcus Walden, Buddy Boshers, Raul Fernandez, Matt Summers. There will be some serious talent starting the season in the Lookouts bullpen, and several of these could move up to AAA and even the big leagues relatively quickly. Burdi and Reed started 2015 with the Lookouts but struggled and went back to Ft. Myers. They both ended the season with a Southern League championship and then an Arizona Fall League championship. For both, if they have control, they could move up quick. Hildenberger was also on that AFL roster. He was our Minor League Reliever of the Year. He began in Cedar Rapids before moving up to the Miracle. Peterson was our reliever of the year in 2014. He was just as good in 2015 between the Miracle and the Lookouts. Corey Williams and Mason Melotakis are two hard-throwing southpaws. Both missed a season after Tommy John surgery. Williams missed 2014 and returned in June. Melotakis missed all of 2015 but rumors from Ft. Myers had him hitting 97 mph at Instructs, so he’ll be at about 19 months since surgery by opening day, so he could be ready much sooner. You also obviously noticed that there are lots of pitchers in that “Other” category. Trying to predict bullpens in the minor leagues is pretty much impossible. The “Others” group has some strong talent in it. Summers throws 95+. Boshers has a big league spring training invite. Shibuya stayed healthy and pitched at three levels.Van Steensel has put up terrific numbers the last two years. These guys should be on rosters. The point of this paragraph is two-fold. First and foremost, I would expect that there will be a lot of pitchers in the upper levels who start the season on the “Disabled List” ready to contribute at the AA or AAA level when someone is hurt or promoted. Ft. Myers Miracle Nick Anderson, Luke Bard, Yorman Landa, Michael Cederoth, Randy LeBlanc, Mike Theofanopoulos, Zach Tillery, Jared Wilson, Cameron Booser Few knew the name Yorman Landa before he was added to the Twins 40-man roster in November - unless you follow Twins Daily, of course. Fully healthy, he reaches into the upper-90s. Speaking of finally healthy, Luke Bard was healthy in 2015.He put together a solid season. He throws hard and has sharp secondary stuff. I think he takes off in 2016. Nick Anderson is 25, from Brainerd and Mayville State, and the Twins signed him late last year out of the independent leagues. He was the Kernels closer through their playoff run. Cederoth started for the Kernels last year, but it may be time for him to move to the bullpen.Cameron Booser, like Cederoth, can hit 99 regularly. Booser is a lefty and his season ended with shoulder surgery. LeBlanc and Tillery pitched well as long-relievers and starters for the 2015 Kernels. Cedar Rapids Kernels Kuo-Hua Lo, Miles Nordgren, Logan Lombana, Jose Abreu, Anthony McIver, Alex Robinson, Tyler Stirewalt After three years in E-Town (Where he was the Appy League reliever of the year last year), Kuo-Hua Lo will move up to the Kernels. Nordgren saw a little time with the Kernels, in the bullpen, Alex Robinson was the Twins 5th round pick out of Maryland last year. The lefty has hit 96 at times. If he has any control, he can dominate.. Logan Lombana (25th) and Anthony McIver (15th) were 2015 draft picks out of college. They ate a lot of innings out of the bullpen for Elizabethton in 2015. Stirewalt was drafted as an athlete who could throw 95. He played football in college before moving to baseball full time. He returned in 2015 from Tommy John surgery. Extended Spring Training Johan Quezada, Max Cordy, Nate Gercken, Miguel Gonzalez, Andrew Vasquez, Hector Lujan, Callan Pearce, Brandon Poulson, Vadim Balam, Luis Hernandez, Onas Farfan Johan Quezada came out of nowhere. He is now 6-8 and throws 100. He grew and got stronger. Poulson was the interesting signing by the Twins following the 2014 draft. He throws hard but the Twins kept him in EST in 2015to continue trying to get him some semblance of control. Farfan missed 2015 due to Tommy John but he should be ready for the start of this season. There are some intriguing, hard-throwing pitchers on this list who could surface in Elizabethton (or maybe even Cedar Rapids) in 2016. SUMMARY There certainly are question marks going into Twins Fest weekend with the Twins bullpen makeup. I do still - naive as it may be - expect the Twins to make another move for a reliever before spring training. There also is some talent at the back end of the bullpen and there is plenty of depth in the upper levels. The Lookouts bullpen is full of high-ceiling reliever options who have a couple of questions to answer but could debut in 2016. Relief Pitcher Rankings: Nick Burdi,JT Chargois,Alex Meyer,Jake Reed,Mason MelotakisTherein completes our look at the 2016 Minnesota Twins Roster Projections. If you missed any of the parts, see the list below: Catchers First Basemen Middle Infielders Third Basemen Outfielders (Upper Levels) Outfielders (Lower Levels) Starting Pitchers Feel free to discuss and ask questions. Click here to view the article

I've said both of these things several times this offseason. 1.) I believe JO Berrios will be better than any of the five starting pitchers, and 2.) I believe he will start the season in AAA. I've also said that the Twins have a long history of (right or wrong) not worrying about the service time on Opening Day decisions, so I think he'll get a legitimate chance to make it. But, I think he's going to have to be remarkably good (which he could be) to make it Opening Day.

I tweeted, maybe too many times, that I thought the Twins or Molitor or Vavra or someone picked up a tell from Chris Sale early in the season. The first time they faced him, they lit him up. I said, well, anything can happen. They lit him up all year. To me, that tells me they saw something. I hope that they can help Abad with his tell, because he can be a solid reliever.

Plus, the Portland Mavericks, an independent team in the Northwest League had a left-handed catcher... They were forced out of Portland when the Pacific Coast League brought the Portland Beavers back to Portland... and the Portland Beavers were once an affiliate of the Twins... so, it all makes sense...

If you starts in Ft. Myers, it wouldn't be because of Bencomo. Bencomo is "filler." Stewart is (obviously) still a very good prospect so they just need to do what they think is best for his long-term development. In my opinion, that might be spending a month or two in Ft. Myers before moving up. You could replace Bencomo with someone like David Martinez or Buddy Boshers.

Fair question... You will not receive a physical ticket. However, your name will be on our list/report at The Pourhouse when you get there. WIll basically just need to check in and get your "stuff."

There is no evidence. There are scouting reports, and there is his minor league track record including AAA. But yeah, there is no real proof of it. That's why I used the word "May." Duffey and May weren't nearly the prospects that Berrios is, but again TINSTAAPP, so you never know until they get there. I'm with you on Duffey. I had him ranked in the mid-teens coming into last year. Jeremy was even a little higher, but most didn't have him in their top 30 Twins prospects. But then seeing that curveball on TV and in person and you realize that it is something that is not seen every day. Very rare!

I'm not opposed to that, but he's been told to work out this offseason in preparation for the bullpen.

I WISH that I could adamantly disagree with you on this one... I HOPE this isn't the case. Then again, I still think Nolasco can be a solid, mid-rotation starter when healthy, so I don't know. I do know that Nolasco won't be handed anything... I don't think.

I don't necessarily disagree with this, and that's very well what they might do. The warming-up quickly part is the piece that's an unknown, as well as working every day or two. He'll pitch in more situations as a starter, but that other stuff may have importance as well.

He most likely will. The question is whether he'll come to the States for spring training and Extended Spring Training or just stay in the Dominican until mid-June when the GCL starts.

After looking at the roster projections through the Minnesota Twins hitters from the big leagues to the extended spring training rosters. Today, and later this week, we’ll conclude the roster projections by looking at the pitchers in the Twins organization. Of course, signings or trades can change these projections, so they are as of right now. There may be injuries around spring training, so these are certainly subject to change.There will be competition for some of these starting jobs, so we’ll see what happens. Are there any prospects with the potential to be impact players down the line? Read on and see what you think, and then let’s discuss below in the comments. MAJOR LEAGUES Ervin Santana, Kyle Gibson, Phil Hughes, Tyler Duffey, Tommy Milone 2015 saw the Twins starting staff improve its cumulative ERA by over a run. They went from easily the worst starting staff in baseball to merely being in the bottom quadrant. Kyle Gibson was chosen by the writers and by Twins Daily as the Twins best pitcher. He posted an ERA+ of 108. Ervin Santana missed the first half of the season with suspension. He came back to mixed results, though he ended strong. His ERA was also slightly above league average. Phil Hughes really struggled with health and wasn’t able to back up his amazing 2014 season. In all likelihood, the right-hander is somewhere in between. Tommy Milone had to go to Rochester for a month. He gave up one run in the month and came back up. Though he’ll never look dominant, he has an uncanny way of getting the job done most times out. Tyler Duffey wasn’t talked about much coming into the 2015 season (except at Twins Daily, of course). After a rough debut, he was the Twins best starting pitcher over the final six weeks of the season. Other Contenders: Trevor May, Ricky Nolasco, JO Berrios. MINOR LEAGUES Rochester Red Wings JO Berrios, Taylor Rogers, Pat Dean, DJ Baxendale, Jason Wheeler Though he may be the Twins best pitcher, JO Berrios is likely to begin the season in Rochester while the other four rotation spots work themselves out. I just don’t think he’ll be in Rochester for too long. Taylor Rogers, if there aren’t any more lefty relievers signed, could legitimately be in the big league bullpen. However, I think the Twins will have him continue to start in AAA until needed in the bullpen with the Twins. Pat Dean had a terrific, shocking 2015 season for the Red Wings. Like Rogers, he was added to the Twins 40-man roster following the season. Jason Wheeler was on the Twins 40-man roster a year ago but really struggled in AAA. He pitched well in AA. After being removed from the 40-man in early September, he led the Lookouts to the Southern League championship. DJ Baxendale has been a decent starter, when healthy, and likely remains in that role a little longer. Chattanooga Lookouts David Hurlbut, Brett Lee, Aaron Slegers, Ryan Eades, Omar Bencomo David Hurlbut and Brett Lee are two very similar pitchers. They’re left-handed, are not overpowering, have strong secondary pitches, and just keep finding success all the way up. Hurlbut went to Venezuela this winter and pitched very well. Aaron Slegers moved up to the Lookouts late in the season after pitching well for Ft. Myers. At 6-10, he isn’t overpowering, but he walks no one. Ryan Eades had an improved season in Ft. Myers in 2015 after a frustrating first full season in 2014 in Cedar Rapids. He’ll look to make the jump to AA. Omar Bencomo was signed late in the season and worked some innings for the Miracle. He’s been around for a long time. He strikes out almost no one, but gets grounders. Ft. Myers Miracle Kohl Stewart, Stephen Gonsalves, Felix Jorge, Tyler Jay, Randy Rosario, John Curtiss Stewart was able to stay healthy for most of the 2015 season which is as important as anything. He continues to not miss bats, though some observers say that most times out, he continued to not give up hard contact. I think staying with the Miracle for a month or two would be beneficial. Gonsalves dominated in Cedar Rapids for two months before moving up to the Miracle. There was some adjustment to the new level. He’s likely to remain with the Miracle for a couple of months before moving up to the Lookouts. Felix Jorge was arguably the most consistent starting pitcher in the entire Twins organization in 2015. He could be counted on for completing at least six innings and giving up two runs or fewer. He’s ready for this jump. Tyler Jay will make his transition to starter in 2016. The Twins are likely to be somewhat cautious with him. My guess is he’ll start for half of the season and then move up to Chattanooga and pitch in the bullpen the rest of the season. Randy Rosario was a surprising add to the Twins 40-man roster after the season. However, after returning to the Kernels after missing 14 months with Tommy John surgery, he was clocked as high as 97. He’s got a good slider too. John Curtiss started some for Cedar Rapids a year ago but struggled with arm issues. He will likely end up in the bullpen, but he’ll get another shot to start. Cedar Rapids Kernels Sam Gibbons, Sam Clay, Keaton Steele, Andro Cutura, Dereck Rodriguez, Cody Stashak, (Lewis Thorpe, Fernando Romero) Sam Gibbons began last season in EST, but when he came up, the Australian right-hander was very good. He ate innings. I can see him starting with the Kernels. The most difficult pitcher on this list is Keaton Steele. He too began in EST, but when he came up, he was also one of the better starters. With a lot of talent at Ft. Myers, however, I feel like he’ll be the first one to move up when one of the Miracle starters moves up. Sam Clay had a difficult 2015 season, particularly struggling with control. He’ll get another chance to start, likely with the Kernels. Andro Cutura was drafted in 2014, but due to injury, he didn’t pitch until 2015 in E-Town. He was very steady. Dereck Rodriguez was named the Appalachian League pitcher of the Year. He saw some time with the Kernels and Miracle before the short season leagues started. Cody Stashak was drafted in 2015 and pitched well with the E-Twins. Not overpowering, he just knows how to pitch. Lewis Thorpe and Fernando Romero are both throwing now and should be ready by June or so. Extended Spring Training Williams Ramirez, Lachlan Wells, Eduardo Del Rosario, Brandon Easton, Jovani Moran, Moises Gomez, Matz Schutte Williams Ramirez was our choice for Twins Daily short-season minor league pitcher of the year. He dominated the GCL. He was older for the level, but he has only been pitching for a couple of years. He’ll move up and could move quickly. Lachlan Wells is a left-hander from Australia who is reminiscent of Lewis Thorpe. he pitched well in the GCL in his debut season and then represented his country in international competition. Eduardo Del Rosario has some upside. He’s pitched in various roles during his time with the Twins, but as he’s grown, he’s been able to eat more innings. Brandon Easton can throw hard (mid-to-upper 90s) and has a chance to start. He struggled with control a year ago in Elizabethton before being shut down to rehab. Jovani Moran was drafted a year ago out of Puerto Rico. He is young and could remain in the GCL, or he could be pushed to E-Town. Moises Gomez will return to the GCL after struggling there in 2015. Schutte signed with the Twins out of The Netherlands. He got limited GCL innings in his pro debut. SUMMARY The Twins have some depth in the big leagues. This rotation is much better than the rotations that we saw over the four 90-loss seasons, but there are a lot of #3s and #4s. Nothing wrong with that. We’ve seen what those types of pitchers make in free agency, but there isn’t a #1 or really even a #2 type. Berrios has a chance to be an upper-rotation starter, though will that happen in 2016? We shall see, and barring something catastrophic, we will see. We can hope also that Gibson can take another step forward, and Duffey can show that those eight final starts are what he and his curveball can be. There is some depth in AAA, and a couple of guys to watch in AA. However, if you’re looking for prospects to follow (beyond Berrios), you’ll want to watch that Ft. Myers roster. There is some serious talent that will be starting for the Miracle. At least in the first half of the season. And there are some more hard-throwers in the lower ranks. Starting Pitcher Rankings: JO Berrios,Stephen Gonsalves,Tyler Jay,Kohl Stewart,Lewis ThorpeLater this week, we’ll finish up our roster projections by considering the options for the bullpens. 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Probably, but that doesn't make him wrong... #3 starters have value... when you have depth, there's no reason to look long-term, but they're not bad to have.

Personally, I prefer Rogers and O'Rourke at the start of the season. IF they want a true LOOGY, O'Rourke would fit the role just fine. So would Rogers, though I think he can be more too. Both are great against lefties, and would have to be used appropriately by the manager. As Nick said, we don't know that would happen. Frankly, none of the names mentioned above can or should hope for more than one year and $2 million. At that amount, any is fine. Thought again, outside of Morales, I don't think any are necessarily better than internal options.