The 2015 season was deemed “the year of the prospect” across all of the Major Leagues, as young prospects made their presence felt throughout year. The Chicago Cubs made the early waves, keeping stud power hitter Kris Bryant down for two weeks to avoid Super 2 conditions, and also saw Top 100 players Addison Russell, Jorge Soler, and Kyle Schwarber make their MLB debuts en-route to a Wild Card finish. Shortstop Carlos Correa exploded onto the scene in Houston and helped propel the Astros to their first playoff appearance in ten years. The New York Mets had Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz pitching for them in the postseason, and Michael Conforto hit two home runs in game 4 of the World Series. Corey Seager and Joc Pederson made their debuts with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Francisco Lindor with Cleveland, Joey Gallo with the Rangers… Sorry, I’m out of breath and I haven’t even got to the Twins yet. Needless to say, they were well represented as well as anybody in the “year of the prospect.”

Players who made their Major League debut for the Twins in 2015 included starting pitcher Tyler Duffey; relievers J.R. Graham and Ryan O’Rourke; and position players Eddie Rosario, Miguel Sano, Byron Buxton, and Max Kepler.

From that list Sano, Buxton, and Rosario are locks to be on the 2016 roster, while all the pitchers were in Spring Training camp battling for the final spots in the rotation and bullpen. Max Kepler is destined to begin the year in Rochester, a phone call away (that has already come)

Sano was without a doubt the crowning achievement in their 2015 class, slashing .269/.385/.530 with 18 home runs and 52 RBI in 80 total games after his debut on July 2^nd. Rosario was called up to be a brief “fill-in” for injury, but never left because all he did was collect extra base hits (18 2B’s, 15 3B’s, and 13 HR’s) and throw runners out from left field (16 assists, 2^nd in majors) in 122 games. He introduced himself to all of us by hitting a home run on the first pitch he saw in the majors. In a twist of fate for a devout prospect follower like me, I was sitting in a suite of Globe Life Park watching the Twins lose to the Rangers when the news came down that Byron Buxton was on a plane to Texas for his debut the next day. The logistics didn’t work to stay around another night to catch his debut, but we were in St. Louis the next night to catch his first career hit. You will all remember it was a triple (obviously), but the most (not-so) fascinating thing about it to me was what my ‘stopwatch’ said as he strolled into third (

As we look to a new season, it will be hard to match the string of debuts from Twins farmhands of last year. But whereas 2015 was the year of the position prospect, 2016 is likely to be the year of the pitcher for the home team.

And those arms I’m about to discuss are going to bring some straight fire to an organization infamous for its “throw it over the plate and let ‘em hit it” philosophies that had led to four straight ninety-plus loss seasons.

So let’s take a look at some players that could make (or have already made) their MLB debut for the Minnesota Twins in 2016:

Byung Ho-Park

Park was the Twins only splash move of the offseason, coming over from the NBO in Korea after laying waste to the league for the past three seasons. He brings legitimate power for a foreign league hitter and was not overwhelmed by increased velocity in Spring Training. As the MLB season has gotten underway, it’s been apparent that the adjustment period the Twins brass suggested would be needed is indeed the case, as to this point he has struck out twelve times in twenty-three plate appearances. But he also has shown his power with a 441 foot blast in Kansas City for his first Major League home run. If and when he gets it going, he is going to be fun to watch.

Jose Berrios (TD’s #2 Twins prospect)

Terry Ryan was in Rochester, NY last August to watch Berrios (and granted, others) in action for the Red Wings as MLB rosters were soon to expand for September. Berrios went 7 innings in both of the starts Ryan was on hand for, allowing just one earned run on eight total hits and a single walk, while striking out ten and twelve hitters respectively. Apparently, it didn’t matter if Ryan had saw Cy Young himself in those games as word came down soon after that Berrios was going to be shut down for the year, and not be called up to help the Twins in their push for the postseason. Berrios struggled some in Major League camp this spring, and was unspectacular (besides the 9 K’s) in his season debut with the Red Wings in cold weather, but as soon as a need arises in the Twins rotation and they open up a 40-man roster spot, he should be in the majors to stay. If that comes as soon as May or June, he is a popular pick to be on leader ballots for Rookie of the Year. Tyler Duffey is likely ahead in the pecking order at this point, but performance can change that on a start-to-start basis.

Nick Burdi (TD’s #10 Twins prospect)

I was able to catch Burdi in Cedar Rapids two years ago (http://twinsdaily.com/_/minnesota-twins-news/minnesota-twins-minor-leagues/color-me-and-joe-mauer-impressed-r2962), and he is as exciting of relief prospect to watch throw as you will find. Some bad news came down at the end of Spring Training where he held his own in the big league camp, when he was shut down with some “forearm tightness.” Anything injury related to the pitching arm of Twins hurler’s rightfully should have one concerned, but to this point there have been no indications something worse is going on. That’s the good news. The bad news is the injury has delayed Burdi’s 2016 debut, but when he is back on the mound he’ll likely find himself in AA to start, with a quick promotion to AAA in the cards if he performs as he had in the Arizona Fall League and this Spring. We hear all the talk about the big arms coming up in the Twins system, and Burdi’s is the cream of the crop. I have little doubts he’ll be closing games for the Twins in the future and I can’t wait to see three digits on the gun at Target Field.

J.T. Chargois (TD’s #15 Twins prospect)

Chargois was also impressive in Spring camp with the Twins, pitching four innings and allowing just one hit. Like Burdi, Shaggy brings big velocity in the mid-90’s and a swing-and-miss breaking ball that has allowed him to rack up 75 strikeouts in 64 career innings in the minors before the start of this season, a rate of 10.5 K’s/9IP. In Chattanooga to start the year, he’s made two appearances and has been just about as dominant as possible, striking out five of the six hitters he’s faced and allowing no baserunners. He could also be a quick call up to AAA, and then the doorstep of the majors and is already on the 40-man roster so his path to an MLB debut is easier than some others on this list.

Taylor Rogers (TD’s #16 Twins prospect)

With Glen Perkins hitting the disabled list, lefty Rogers is on his way to Minnesota as I write this. While he doesn’t bring as big of an arm as others on this list, he has displayed one skill throughout his minor league career that is more than intriguing, and that’s his sheer dominance of same-handed hitters. Up to this point, they’ve managed just a .499 OPS against him in the minors and he’s struck out a whopping 30% of them. Obviously he hasn’t been as good vs. right-handers, but unlike some other lefty specialists he is able to get them out and a good enough clip to have remained a starter throughout his MiLB progression. He’ll likely work the middle innings out of the Twins bullpen and be brought in for the tough lefty assignments in later innings.

Jake Reed (TD’s #20 Twins prospect)

Another reliever with a mid-90’s arm, Reed made a name for himself in 2014 after being drafted in the 5^th round by allowing just one earned run in 31 IP between Elizabethton and Cedar Rapids. Reed had some struggles at AA in 2015 that saw him earn a demotion back to Fort Myers (so did Burdi), but earned his way back to AA after a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League for the second season in a row. Torii Hunter was a big fan of his work in Spring Training, calling him “nasty” during an interview on one of the television broadcasts, and this is helped by his somewhat unorthodox looking delivery (low arm slot). Brad Brach of the Orioles reminded me of him a little bit while I was out in Baltimore for the Season opener, to give you an idea of what I’ve seen in Reed.

Adam Brett Walker (TD’s #11 Twins prospect)

Walker is perhaps the most divisive prospect in the Twins system, as he brings Miguel Sano level power and production despite striking out at an alarming rate in his MiLB career. He’s led every league he’s ever played at in home runs in the minors, and in 2015 at Chattanooga, his 31 homers led the league by 14 in that category. His 105 RBI’s in the Southern League were also 31 more than the next player on the list. The large caveat there is his 195 strikeouts in 133 games led the league by 57 as well. He hasn’t had a great walk rate to go along with the HR’s and K’s that might make him somewhat of a poor man’s Jim Thome, but it has been on the uptick since he’s been in the system, posting a rate mark of 9.1% in 2015. If he can get on base at a clip around .300 when he makes it to the majors, his power should play enough to be a useful bat in the lineup. That is the key thing he needs to work on in AAA this year. He was added to the 40-man roster in the offseason, so at a minimum we should see him in September if he’s still crushing bombs at Frontier Field in Rochester.

Other Notable Names:

Pat Dean – Was protected on the 40-man roster after a 2015 season that saw him lead the International League in Innings Pitched with a sub 3.00 ERA. There’s not an upside beyond a back-of-the rotation starter here, but Dean shares several similarities to one of the guys in front of him on the starting pitching pecking order. Like Tommy Milone, Dean is left-handed and doesn’t throw hard, but consistency still speaks volumes to the Twins, and that’s what Dean has brought already in AAA.

James Beresford

Beresford has spent his past 3 seasons in AAA playing primarily second base for the Red Wings, but has played all around the diamond during his spring training experiences with the Major League club. He has hit for a solid average in each season at AAA, though it comes with little to no pop in his bat. With the defensive chops to field multiple infield positions and be consistent if not spectacular at all of them, a utility role with the Twins is not out of the question if the need arises. If nothing else, I would love to finally see him get a small cup of coffee in September.

Yorman Landa

Landa was quite a surprise addition to the 40-man roster this offseason as he had made just fifteen appearances with the Low-A Cedar Rapids Kernels in 2015 after returning from season ending shoulder surgery the year prior. Those appearances did include a 1.67 ERA and more than a strikeout per inning, but it’s hard to see a scenario where Landa jumps from single-A ball to the majors in his first full season back, let alone stick with another MLB team’s bullpen for an entire season. Like several of the other’s on this list, he brings mid-90’s or higher velocity but has yet to ratchet in his control, walking 5.2 per 9IP in his MiLB career thus far.

Mason Melotakis

Like Landa, Melotakis was also somewhat surprisingly added to the 40-man roster, was in big-league camp with the Twins, and is also returning from a missed season due to injury. In his case it was Tommy John surgery that had him sit out all of 2015, but he’s ready to go at the outset of 2015. The Twins drafted him in the second round of the 2012 draft as a big relief arm from a small school, Northwestern State (Lousiana). They tried him as a starter in Cedar Rapids, but quickly discovered that what made him an attractive pick in the 2^nd round didn’t quite come through in a starting role. Before his surgery, Melotakis was back in a relief role throwing his mid-90’s fastball from the left-side and had earned a mid-season jump to AA.

Randy Rosario (TD’s #19 Twins prospect)

The third surprise add to the 40-man roster front this offseason, was the addition of another lefty in Rosario who has yet to pitch above A-ball. At 21 years old Rosario still holds some projection and the name Francisco Liriano is thrown around as a comparison from coaches, but he’s hardly an asset that required protection at this point of his career. It’s hard to envision Rosario in the Florida State League to start the year, but a quick bump is not out of the question if he’s performing due to his 10 starts already in the Midwest League from 2015.

Tyler Jay (TD’s #5 Twins prospect)

With the Twins transitioning Jay to a starting role that he only a few times took in college at the University of Illinois, it’s highly unlikely Jay will work his way onto the MLB roster. However, there are many that believe he could be the first 2015 draft pick to make it that far due to the quality of his stuff and his advanced command. He was fantastic in his first start of the 2016 season in Fort Myers, working five innings and scattering three hits and three walks with seven K’s. Due to his collegiate career, a dominating first half will have him in AA after the All-Star break, and who knows, if the Twins are in a pennant race near the end of the year, his lefty-arm might be too enticing to keep out of the bullpen in a push.

IF Levi Michael

One of the forgotten first round draft picks of the Twins, Michael has fought the injury bug ever since he’s gotten into the system, playing in only 65 and 63 games each of the past two seasons. When on the field in Chattanooga last year, Michael showed some life with a batting line of .267/.369/.434, good for an OPS basically the same as Adam Brett Walker. He’s back in AA to start 2016 and looking to make the jump to AAA at some point during the season. He is another option for a utility role down the line if he’s performing.

SP/RP Alex Wimmers

The second of the forgotten first round picks is pitcher Alex Wimmers who showed a ton of promise in Fort Myers after being drafted, but quickly fell off the face of the earth the next year. He’s been solid if not spectacular since, working as both a starter and reliever at times. He’s currently working out of the bullpen at AA, where he had a 2.91 ERA and struck out 23 in 21.2 IP in 2015. He doesn’t have the velocity of the other names on this list, but does still have the pedigree of a first round talent looking to come full circle in his development. I would view him as a strong candidate for a September call-up if he posts strong numbers out of the bullpen again.

So there you have it, my picks for Twins who you could see at Target Field in 2016 making their Major League debut. Hopefully for all of them, it goes a little bit like Eddie Rosario’s did last year once they get there!