DocBauer

Agree with Roger that it's a lot easier to side with the players if they were more interested in competitive pay across the board and a more level playing field for all teams. The proposals I've seen from them seem to do nothing but allow large market teams to keep more money and raise their payroll even higher with no penalty. How does this help the average team, average player or baseball overall? I'm not on the owners side and have more than a few issues with them on regard to more even revenue sharing and forcing small markets to actually spend it vs pocketing it, etc. In regard to the HOF, I believe I'm correct on saying that has nothing to do with MLB. (Unless they're being covert behind the scenes). The voting in or out is up the baseball writers and not MLB. It's my understanding something like 59 new voters have been added over the past 3yrs and both Bonds and Clemmons saw an increase in votes. Eventually they will get in. But it's the HOF and voters that are keeping them out.

Here in Omaha, I'm blessed with reporters/radio hosts that are smart, intelligent and award winning. What that means is they offer up ideas at times I hadn't thought of, OR, had to be reminded of. From a personal perspective, I don't like cheating, whatever any laws might state. But the simple truth is that Bonds and Clemmons were probably HOF players even before enhancement their last few years. And Cooperstown is not about "good guys", it's a museum about baseball that is not affiliated with MLB. Eventually, these guys will be included. And they should be. They're part of history, even if they cheated for their last few years. And while I don't believe you need something as dramatic as a "hall of shame", I think it's OK to put a giant * next to their name explaining their numbers and inducton.

First, I want to be very clear I haven't liked every move the FO has made, or not made, in their tenure. Period! I also want to state very clearly that I understand, appreciate, and even agree with "limited" moves that could have been made by the FO coming off tremendous 20219 and 2020 seasons. Even a single, significant pitching acquisition might have made a difference that would have been tangible. I get the frustration, I really do, as I'm about as devout a Twins fan as you will find, and have been for over 40+ years. Maybe my approach is just different than others, but as a fan my goal is NOT to see my team win a WS every year. First of all, just being realistic and not living in a fantasy land, that's impossible for ANY team in ANY sport, even for the biggest market teams. What you CAN TRY TO DO, best you are able, is put together a competitive team to try and win, reach the playoffs, and see what happens. And while that goal is much easier for the Yankees, Dodgers, etc, than teams like the Twins, it doesn't mean you can't TRY for viability and sustainability knowing full well some years are just not going to be your year. When you read the entire quote as offered by Falvey, nothing he says is wrong or inaccurate in any way. He speaks not only year to year, but also looking down the road. What he doesn't say but clearly implies is; the Twins don't believe in a 1yr window to blow up the payroll and the system through FA and trades for that singular year of hope. They clearly believe in a re-build of the system from the ground floor up and I think we've seen massive and even impressive changes along those lines. They believe in building a structure that allows a team to be competitive yearly...as much as possible...adding here and there when a window seems open...but understanding that not every year is going to have a large window. They also, clearly, don't believe in or want to take a "tank" approach to a re-build. And I like that approach! Now, we can easily agree to disagree in an "all in" 1yr approach. And that's fine. I understand and appreciate that approach. I'm just not personally in favor of blowing it up, waiting through a series of non-compeitive years, rebuild best you can, sign some expensive FA, trade young talent to vacate your system for additional pieces,and hope you win before starting all over again. I want my team to have a great system in place, develop young talent to add/replace on my roster, make some smart trades where and when applicable, and make a strong FA move or two when a window is open. I DO believe that being patient can be smart and advantageous in many ways. But I also think our current FO needs to adjust and BE AGGRESSIVE year to year with an EARLY move that can make a difference. It's very easy, IMO, to look back at each of these seasons and pick apart what worked and didn't work. It's also very easy to second guess what was done and not done at the time. And believe me, I've done that myself. To this moment, I have no real issue with how the FO handled 2021 INITIALLY. I felt really good with Happ as a 1yr 4th SP whose success previously could have seen him jump Pineda as the #3. I had no problem with Shoemaker as a cheap #5 option flier, who has had a limited career as being quite good when healthy, to compete with Dobnak and everyone else to at least begin the season. Hope was that a couple arms, besides the surprising Ober, would make an appearance later in the year. I was excited for Simmons as an outstanding SS with an OK bat to solidify the defense and help the staff. I wanted to spend a little more and keep May over adding Colome, but Colome had been very good and was coming off probably his career year. Again, 20/20 hindsight is different than how the plan was laid out. I want to be very clear I am NOT impressed by what the FO has done this current off-season. Even if they were indeed surprised by how quickly things transpired, they are smart enough and experienced enough to have been able to navigate the deep end of the pool, jump in, and make at least ONE significant FA SP signing to offer greater viability to the staff and any sort of competitive opportunity in 2022. I had hoped for a pair of signings in the 3-4yr range that wouldn't break the bank. I felt doing so would STILL allow the promotion and audition of at least a handful of arms through a full season. So I'm a little frustrated/angry and confused by their approach at this point. Unless they are planning on trading young talent for SP to add...which I find unlikely as they've worked so hard to build up the system for future viability and competition sake...I think the plan all along was to have a couple veteran arms to lead the way and roll through the collection of young arms on hand while having a quality lineup and pen. While I am absolutely not saying the Twins are any sort of contender at this point, I can see this approach potentially leading to an 88-92 win team who would at least have a chance to reach the playoffs. And history has shown...'87 Twins and '21 Braves as a couple examples...that anything could happen. Understand, I have no hopes for that kind of surprise at this moment. BUT, getting back to the original topic, is it too late to make changes? I say no, as long as the lockout doesn't extend too far. We're still 3 weeks from ST and at least they are talking. After that, yes, it will be a frenzy. I hope the FO is prepared to make a couple signings that are at least "decent" in nature and a trade or two that make sense. The one potential "big blow" to future plans is a prolonged interruption that keeps young guys on the 40 man away from the field. And we can never forget that we've had late surprises before. But let's play in Rod Serling's Zone for a moment. There are a few really interesting RP options available to add to the pen to augment a healthy Rogers and company, with a plethora of options to roll through on the front side, to have a quality bullpen. DeJong could be had from the Cardinals on a potentially cheap trade to solidify SS for the sort term, pun only slightly intended. Assuming no major move to sign Rodon, there could be another Maeda/Odorizzi deal to add a solid SP to help lead the staff. They could also add someone like Pineda, or Kikuchi to the staff via FA. Maybe both. One provides some stability and one offers that and some upside still. And there will still be opportunity for the kids. And at least you're offering up what looks like a viable ML rotation. Sorry I'm on a soapbox here, I just felt there was a lot to address. I don't think the FO is done. I believe we will see at least one FA SP and maybe two, barring a trade.. I believe we will see a solid RHRP signed. There wil be someone added to SS so Planco can stick at 2B. I think there is a good chance a 4th OF could be signed, and the potential for a surprise there, but banking on it. There's still time to make additions, whether surprising or OK. But I like the lineup, like the potential of the pen with an addition, and LOVE the idea of seeing ALL the young arms coming up. But somewhere, somehow, there needs to be a veteran arm or two added to this staff.

Vallimont. And maybe this year. And maybe with the Twins the 2nd half.

Sorry, I could end up very wrong, but I think people are really sleeping on Strotman. He's got the frame and velocity and reportedly some solid secondary pitches. He seems to be very bright. A couple of seasons ago he was ranked above Ryan before his TJ. Post surgery, he bypassed AA and was promoted straight to AAA after missing 2020 like so many. But for some reason, he keeps getting viewed as some sort of "throw in" with the Cruz trade. Let's take a moment to look at his AAA stats before the trade: 7-2/ 3.39 ERA/ 58.1 IP/ 50H/ 62K/ 33 BB/ .235 AVG/ 1.42 WHIP. Other than his BB being a bit high, indicating he was struggling a bit with control his first full season back after TJ, AND missing 2020, those are some quality numbers. And his numbers at St Paul were disappointing to say the least. And in an interview with Seth recently he talked about maybe trying too hard to make a impression. Maybe. Good for him to not just make excuses, but there's also the real possibility he was running out of gas after missing so much time, PLUS adjusting and moving to a new organization. IF he was an original Twins prospect, and then had an injury like Winder and Duran, etc, and only flashed his 1st half numbers, I think most most of us would be clamoring for him as one of the 1st up options. Recency bias to end 2021 should not be used against Strotman. I think he could be a real surprise in 2022.

I think he's going to be a relatively slow riser making steady yearly progress. He sure sounds like a good all around athlete with the ability to stick at SS. I think the key for him will be adding some muscle/power to his bat without outgrowing the position physically.

A great article Matt, and well thought out and debated. But I think we have to define what is meant by "career" in this debate. Even if we ignore the greater longevity of Carew...and mnfireman did an interesting 12yr breakdown between the two...his numbers are just better than Puckett's. And then you factor in similar accolades PLUS the longevity and I'd have to say Carew was better. But if we talk about "career" as reaching the mountain top in the sport and individual accomplishment...despite it still being a team game...then Puckett had the better career as he reached and won the WS twice. So in that sense he had the better "career" by reaching that pinnacle. They are both outstanding ballplayers to say the least.

I'm with MN_ExPat. I am a fan and supporter of baseball and want it healthy and growing and being the best it can be. Even now, my "SIDE" is baseball and not the owners or players. But at some point I have to shake my head at the owners. I fully appreciate that it's a business. I would NEVER tell a business owner you shouldn't make money, or lose money, just to put your product out there. But the overall product of MLB is better with competition and excitement for the various fan bases. That excitement allows for growth, which means even MORE MONEY coming in! It's basic business sense. And one of the best things they can do is share the wealth more evenly to create better competition, in other words, a more equitable playing field for all. But I can understand some large market teams hesitant for greater profit sharing because they haven't created a FLOOR that basically forces smaller market teams to spend vs pocketing money shared. So they aren't holding THEMSELVES in check! And while I support the players on a higher annual pay scale, greater yearly guaranteed increases, and some sort of earlier FA for players who reach the league at an older age, I simply can't condone a pervasive attitude about increasing the luxury tax threshold and a universal earlier FA status that caters to the high market teams. It absolutely feels as though they want to cater to the top 20% and let everyone else in their union fend for themselves. Shouldn't they be more concerned about the competitive nature of the game they play, the growth of their profession, and greater financial benefits for their entire union? I don't see an easy answer here only because basic logic seems to be thrown put the window on both sides. And Manfred, being employed by the owners, doesn't have enough love for the game, common sense, or brass, to just remind or inform the owners that they have the ability to make this all work if they just "balance" their own portion of financial responsibility in regard to the health of the game. I'm not on the side of the players for some of the demands they have made. But I think the onus is on ownership to put something together that makes sense for both sides and the good of the game.

I have no issue with his prospect "ranking" dropping because it won't make a bit of difference to him or the Twins. Especially when he makes it. But to put everything in perspective, I believe he played most of 2019 with an injury. I want to say an ankle but can't recall completely. The Twins still thought enough of him to promote him just after mid season. And while he never hit well, he was healthy and ready to go in the AFL where he was the MVP, flashing his potential. I don't know if anyone really knows what he looked like in 2020 over in St Paul but I have yet to hear anything negative. So he was still working and scrimaging with coaches and teammates instead of playing Xbox, as someone referenced. The bad knee before 2021 hurts and slows his development down. But despite no milb season in 2020, he still put in the work. I don't know when he'll be ready, but I fly expect that he WILL make it. And it could be as early as 2023, with a chance of a late 2022 debut. I could care less about anyone's public ranking of him.

About Duran specifically, while he might indeed end up in the pen, after a missed 2020 and elbow issues in 2021...quite possibly due to the lost 2020...baby the guy and his arm all you have to in order to stretch him out and ap him back up. He's not old. His arm is special and his stuff can be filthy. Give him all of this season if you have to, but you absolutely keep him in the rotation.

I'm still really confused about Petty's draft slot, though I am super pleased we got him. He seems to compare favorably to Greene coming out of HS ball, but was selected over 20 picks later. IIRC, Greene might have had a little bigger frame when selected. Is that the only reason? Really pleased but puzzled Petty lasted as long as he did, despite the inherent risk that comes with a HS arm. I completely agree with jmlease1 that in addition to perfecting his change, what he has to work on most is learning how to "pitch". And I think that's something a lot of people forget when looking at velocity and sweeping breaking balls and high K rates. Pitching is still an art form to be learned, how to approach and set up hitters, etc. It's not pure stuff. I wouldn't be surprised if he spends all of 2022 at Ft Myers. I also wouldn't be surprised if he spent a month at Cedar Rapids to end the season, especially if the change starts to round in to form. I also wouldn't be surprised if he spends some time in 2023 between A+ and AA working on a 4th offering, a cutter or splitter perhaps, to play off that FB and slider. Even if it was an occasional "show me" pitch, any sort of 4th offering, even mediocre, could really confuse batters.

I'm happy with all 3 choices and think all are very deserving. Gladden, IMO, brought more to the team than defense and some solid but not incredible numbers. He brought hustle, spirit, and a bit of an edge that I think really helped propel both WS teams. (Personally, I like him as the color guy on the radio even if his play by play is a little rough.) I know some are a little down on Gardy and I'm not going to belabor any of the points I've heard before. While he was in charge of some bad teams, I'm not sure how some of those poor teams are his fault. Further, he was the man in charge of some very good, winning, playoff teams. He never got us to the WS, and a few injuries didn't help. The FO might have made a difference if they had added even a couple more depth pieces as well. But I can't deny the success so many of his teams had. I didn't always like everything he said or did, but I can't argue with those good seasons. He was still the man in charge for those good years. Tovar probably should have been in already.

I am OK with the Bundy signing, and was when I'm pretty sure I mentioned somewhere along the line a couple months ago as a flier candidate. I expect no magic and I doubt he will be the 2020 version of himself. But if he can be a mixture of his best Orioles days and 2020, we have a solid #3 who will pitch better than that some days. But I'm just not excited. I don't think Dobnak is done. He FLEW through the system in 2019 before hitting the ML level and looked like he belonged. He was quite good in 2020 and helped stabilize the staff for about 3/4 of that abbreviated season before a bad game where he got squeezed and the defense let him down. IIRC, I want to say he had a slight injury and wasn't quite the same and was sent out. Still not sure I understand his having a great 2021 ST but being squeezed out. I think that was a big mistake that he he never had time to recover from. He didn't seem comfortable as a RP, but did well at St Paul before being promoted again and then getting hurt. I remain totally confused if his new slider was an illusion that was quickly figured out, or was he hurting before officially being injured, or did he just never get in a groove before being injured due to his bouncing around? Combination of all 3?? I agree he could get passed by quickly with all the young arms on the rise, many of which we will see in 2022. But I think he's smart enough, bulldog enough, and has enough stuff to be an OK, solid backend SP without his "new" slider. But I have to see him do it again at this point. But I haven't given up on him yet. Cotton is a mystery man I wasn't crazy about when they got him. Of course, I knew nothing about him. Then I dug in to his history, his stuff and rankings, his injuries, and his "rebirth" as a RP for Texas in AAA and how he finished 2021 in their pen. My first thought then was, why on earth did they let him walk? Healthy again, he's got the stuff to be a legitimate pen option. Now I read discussion he might be a SP sleeper candidate. Maybe. It would be a huge stretch at this point in his career, IMO. There comes a time when certain things just pass you by. I believe he has reached the point in his career where he has a chance to be a quality middle man who can go 1-3IP and be effective but that's probably his ceiling. Of course, he could also be an opener depending on how the Twins approach their 2022 season, but the job is pretty much the same. I honestly can't rank these 3. I believe all of them could "bounce back" to actually contribute, but all in different ways. I think Cotton gets ML time, but the Twins are going to rotate arms all season long for audition and usage sake. That's not necessarily a bad thing. But it's up to Cotton to show enough and prove enough he should STAY up. We need GS and IP. Unless the FO surprises or dazzles us with moves, they will probably add at least one mediocre SP, maybe two. I keep thinking Pineda and either Tyler Anderson or Kikuchi. (For the record, I'm far more interested in Kikuchi and some untapped potential). Even then, there is going to be a lot of opportunity to promote and audition about 10 young arms across the season in various roles. (Starters and relievers). Bundy has ML experience and an uneven portfolio. And his 2nd year option is a "if the light comes on" option and nothing more. Make no mistake about that. Dobber is younger, cheaper, and may have as much upside right now. Twist my arm, I'd pick Dobnak over Bundy as the better bounce back option.

While RP can indeed just lose it all of a sudden, Rogers is still only 31yo and shown no loss of velocity and never has had any major injury that I can recall. I'd like to think his finger is going to be OK and he'll be his old self again. And that old self is someone I think has another 2-3 really good seasons left. Still, I just can't extend him until I see him throw and feel the finger is going to hold up.

Just wanted to say that Canterino didn't pitch much in 2019 due to his coming off a a college season in which he nearly hit 100 innings. Like most everyone, he missed 2020 except for some instructs and the like. Now, I think he should have jumped to AA to begin the year, but I'm sure he would have been there quickly. But the lost 2020 season affected a lot of pitching prospects and not just in the Twins system. Injuries like TJ can happen to any pitcher at any time. But unless something has happened more serious, potentially, that the Twins know and none of us are privy to, he was shut down as a precautionary move. I think we should accept that at this point. Same with Duran, Winder, etc.

Yes to Ortiz. Yes to Nathan based on the changes of the game the last 10-20yrs and how good he was and how dominate and how he ranks against some other RP in and being considered. At worst, he should get enough votes to remain on the ballot for a while for further consideration. Maybe to Hunter. There was a tremendous OP about his consideration and value about a month ago that really gives pause when you look at awards, numbers and accomplishments and how he ranked vs CF's already enshrined. Seems like an obvious choice. Then you look at things like career BA and OPS and you just aren't as sure. I do enjoy the "if Harold Baines deserved it" argument and there's something to be said for that. I think he's worthy, but he might be a "just worthy" candidate who may need a couple years on the ballot for voters to reflect and appreciate his career more. No to Justin and AJ. AJ had a long, productive and excellent career. I think he was often undervalued. And maybe I'm wrong, but it didn't appear "special" enough to warrant the HOF. Justin is a HOF guy, teammate, representative of MLB, etc. He WAS "special" on the field. He was probably on his way to a potential HOF type career before he/it was curtailed by his concussions. The "what could have been" mantra is well known to even younger Twins fans when you reflect on Oliva, Puckett, Koskie, Mauer and the recently retired Liriano. We should probably also include Santana in the conversation. Now, Puckett made it. Oliva finally did. And if Morneau had been a catcher, SS, CF, or even a quality RF the discussion of a career shortened due to injury might be different. But I think his being 1B ...and a damn fine one...will exclude him from the "what if" worthy of consideration formula. It may not be fair, but it's reality.

All 3 make sense. But are any of these better than the FA options still available that cost $ but zero prospects? I am fully in for someone to help anchor the back end of the bullpen. I simply question the cost/return of a traded for RP vs a contract only for a FA RP that's still out there.

POTENTIALLY, the Twins could have a logjam at reserve infield quite soon. Miranda needs to play, and I believe he will do so, and often, even if he doesn't break camp with the Twins initially in 2022. It's not about service time, but simply room on the roster if everyone is healthy. Gordon has some hit potential, speed, and OK defense across the field. Arraez is a special and different kind of hitter who can fill-in 2/3 spots and be OK defensively and also DH. There's absolutely nothing wrong with your DH being a high average/OB hitter on some days when you have a quality lineup. Steer could be ready by the end of 2022 and would seem prepared for 2023. Julien may not be far behind him. Martin could end up as a super utility player with a great hit tool, OB ability, solid speed and budding power. A younger version of Marwin Gonzalez, if you will. He might also settle in as the LF quite soon with all of that potential and still be able to help cover other positions. But Steer, Julien and Martin aren't ready yet. So I don't feel the redundancy is there YET. And injuries will happen. Depth is important, as is a table setter for the lineup. As others have stated, I'm OK to trade Arraez if the return makes sense. But I'm also not necessarily looking to trade him. All that being said, I'm not interested in extending him now because I want to see how his knees hold up in 2022. There is no rush with him under control at this time. Further, even if he's healthy and has a great season, the development of the players previously mentioned could make the infield in 2023 look very different and very crowded indeed. So I'd hold off an extension for now.

With all due respect to Terry Ryan, who I liked and appreciated very much for what he accomplished, I'm not sure he would have pulled the trigger to add a depth piece or two back in the early 2000's to help us get over the proverbial hump...BUT...I would have LOVED to see what the Twins might have accomplished over a 3-4yr run with a healthy Santana, Liriano and Radke heading the rotation. It could have been wonderful. I feel bad Liriano became a victim to the evil injury baseball gods, but MY GOODNESS how he shined for a brief time! I wish him the best in his retirement.

I won't speak for Seth directly, but as someone who has been following the Twins milb teams/prospects since my teens, the early-mid 80's had a group of Gasser, Bumgarner, Nivens, Banks, Sontag, Newman and Pittman that was highly regarded and expected to give the Twins real hope. Alas, only Banks ever did much of anything, and it wasn't a lot. Newman I belive had some success as a coach. By no means does that mean this group won't be outstanding, just offering up a list that at one time was probably comparable.

Assuming there is anything close to a full season of games played...and hopefully a full 162...the Twins need GS and IP. Adding to the rotation is basically a necessity. And one way or another, it's going to happen. The problem is, we aren't really sure what the plan is the FO has in mind. Other than some rumors about kicking the tires on Gray, and despite this FO always playing things close to the vest, they clearly were out on the FA SP market this year. Now, they could absolutely blow us away and surprise us and sign Rodon, even to a 1yr, and then sign or trade for someone else help fill in the front of the rotation behind him. I'm not expecting that, but I've been surprised by many of their signings in the past, including Donaldson. So you can never say never with our FO. But the issue/problem as I see it, why would they trade for a guy or two, and give up prospects they've worked so hard to draft and trade for, for a couple short term deals of 1 or 2yrs? They could have spent $, kept all their prospects, and still not exceeded 3 or 4yr deals for a number of the FA they passed on. Again, the FO could totally surprise us. They have before. But from the outside looking in it sure appears they are looking to promote/audition/roll through a number of young arms in 2022 to build for the future, while looking for BP pieces that have options and relying on an offense that could/should be potent to "compete". (Debate all you want to about being competitive in this scenario, that's not the point I'm addressing directly at the moment). Cody, I appreciate your work and speculation here, but Oddo is the only guy that makes sense here, IMO. He makes sense because he's familiar to the Twins, and vice versa, has had a solid career that is "proven", and could probably be obtained on the cheap from a Houston team where he doesn't seem to "fit". But the others? I just don't see it. Why not keep your prospects and re-sign Pineda? He's an almost lock for 25-26 GS and 130IP. Tyler Anderson and Kikuchi are LH options that only cost a little $, no prospects, and each pitched over 100 innings in 2021. Kikuchi in particular intrigues me because it seems he hasn't performed yet to what his stuff says should play. How about a 1+1 for a "young-ish" LH that might take another step with a different organization and a different staff? If we're trying to build something, and we aren't going to make major FA signings or major trades because we have so many young arms with potential we need to start seeing and working with, then just re-sign Pineda and sign Kikuchi to go along with Bundy, Ober, Ryan, Dobnak, Winder, Strotman, Balazovic and Sands and add a couple interesting or proven arms for the pen and run with a collection of #3 arms and tons of depth and a deep pen and quality lineup and try to compete in 2022...which COULD happen...and build for 2023. Your finances are FINE in 2023 and beyond to add and make moves. But just don't give up young talent to add to the staff where just $ can add as good or better while you re-tooling said staff.

A good list. I also would slot Cruz a couple slots higher but can't quibble much with the rankings here. I think this list could have easily gone another couple of spots to include the Maeda and Odorizzi trades. Frankly, I think an arguement could be made that acquiring Alcala, Celestino and Duran were very good moves as well. I know we are just begining to see the potential with those 3, but Alcala is starting to flash. Celestino is looking like a potentially outstanding 4th OF with possible starting potential. And even IF Duran ends up in the BP eventually...and by no means am I saying he will or should at this point...the potential to be dominate is there. I see this/these as examples where the FO hasn't always been right in what they did or didn't do, but a reminder that focusing on merely the negatives is a disappointing exercise without looking at all the positive moves in comparison.

Full confession, I had completely forgotten about him when I read about his signing today. After reading this, it all came back to me. And yes, when he left it looked like the Twins may have made a mistake. But baseball is a beautiful mistress who can be cruel at times and it now looks like the Twins were right at the time. (This happens all across baseball, not just in regard to the Twins). So when someone signs elsewhere, or is rule 5 selected, we have to see how things transpire down the road vs 1yr before we make any sort of "mistake" decision. I see him as nothing more than a depth signing at this point. Just like the ML team, the Saints will have injuries and promotions and will need arms. I just have to believe he's a pen option at this point where his stuff might play up in shorter stints.

Can't thank you enough Seth for these tremendous lists! Just great work and great thought and detail. (Really like the split of pitchers and position players). I was briefly surprised as to Canterino at #1, but as I thought about it, you're right. His stuff and ceiling is as good or better than anyone here. I do think I would have Duran higher based on similar stuff and ceiling. Can't "penalize" him for limited IP but then dismiss Canterino for the same. But I absolutely agree you could really arrange the top 8-10 in just about any order and you wouldn't be wrong. I think the mound is going to be interesting and tantalizing over the next couple of years. Here's hoping for good health in 2022 and a sense of "normalcy" so all these guys can develop and move forward.

Reverse order: 3] Alcala has the stuff, has shown the ability, and he finished strong. The strong finish is key to me. It shows development and confidence. I think he's arrived or is about to. 2] Jeffers has power and has hit in college, in the system, and hit in 2020 SSS. He was drafted, much like Garver, as a bat first catcher with power. And his defense has improved tremendously. (Same as Garver). 2021 did him no favors, nor did Rocco. He was a ML sophomore and we know adjustments have to be made in your 2nd year. And that takes time and adjustments. Being stuck hitting ONLY against RH pitching didn't help his confidence I'm sure. Just letting he and Garver share the spot, with Garver getting some DH time, and just allowing for a natural split of playing time vs boxing anyone in, plus Jeffers just growing, should give the Twins a great duo and Jeffers should continue to grow. 1] Going to admit I'm confused on Dobnak. He is smart, determined, a bulldog, and has some decent stuff. He FLEW through the system and contributed in 2019 and was really good through most of 2020. His slider was changed in ST 2021 so he could be a bit more wicked and K more batters, potentially. ST doesn't always prove anything. But instead of being in the rotation, he was sent to the BP, which he hasn't done before. He stunk, got set down, came back up, then got hurt and was done. But you can't ignore his early returns. Healthy, finding the right approach and grips, etc...and this is also on Johnson...he could be a big "sleeper" as a quality SP in 2022 as a back end SP. He's gone from a solid and surprising SP option to a "nothing" due to a bad and injured 2021? Hmmm....OK. I'm not expecting anything great from him, but shouldn't we allow him to be healthy again and get on the mound and be allowed to prove himself? I think he hasthe smarts and the stuff to be a ML SP if he can control and contain that elusive slider grip. Probably only a back end SP, but we'll see. I just don't want to to dismiss him this early.