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Every team makes mistakes, but organizations find long-term success by avoiding poor first-round draft picks. As the Metrodome era ended, Minnesota made some draft mistakes. Drafting baseball players isn’t an exact science as teams employ different strategies. Minnesota missed out on baseball’s best player, and they passed on two players that eventually wore a Twins uniform. 2005 Draft Twins Selection: Matt Garza (25th pick) Left on the Board: Colby Rasmus (28th pick) Seven players from the 2005 Draft have accumulated more than 30 WAR, including four players north of 40 WAR. Garza played in 152 big-league games and helped the Rays to a World Series run. He ended up in Tampa as part of the deal involving Delmon Young. The Cardinals took Rasmus three picks after Garza, and he played in over 1000 big-league games. Other players the Twins passed on include Jed Lowrie and Clay Buchholz, who Boston took in the supplemental first round. Garza wasn’t a terrible pick, but his best playing days came outside the Twins organization. 2006 Draft Twins Selection: Chris Parmelee (20th pick) Left on the Board: Ian Kennedy (21st pick) Parmelee played in over 300 big-league games, ranking in the top-10 out of players in the 2006 first round. During his Twins tenure, Parmelee didn’t provide a lot of value as a corner outfielder with limited defensive skills. Players of his ilk need to mash the ball, and that didn’t happen as he posted a .717 OPS for his career. The Yankees selected Ian Kennedy one pick after Parmelee, and he has the fifth-highest WAR total among 2006 first-round picks. Adam Ottavino and Andrew Miller were still available, so Minnesota had plenty of pitching options with the 20th overall pick. 2007 Draft Twins Selection: Ben Revere (28th pick) Left on the Board: Josh Donaldson (44th pick) It’s certainly intriguing to think the Twins had a chance to add Donaldson at the beginning of his professional career. The Cubs drafted him as a catcher from Auburn, and he has posted the highest WAR total among players in the 2007 first round. That ranks him ahead of players like David Price, Jason Heyward, and Madison Bumgarner. If Minnesota went in a different direction, Todd Frazier was also available with the 28th pick. Revere accumulated nearly 8.0 WAR in over 850 big-league games, but his skill set was limited, and some of the other available players had a higher ceiling. 2008 Draft Twins Selection: Aaron Hicks (14th pick) Left on the Board: Lance Lynn (39th pick) Hicks fit Minnesota’s mold of taking toolsy high school outfielders, and he’s gone on to have a respectable big-league career. Unfortunately, his best seasons have come in a Yankees uniform where his OPS is over 100 points higher than with the Twins. Out of players left on the board, only three players have accumulated more WAR than Hicks, including Lance Lynn, Wade Miley, and Jake Odorizzi. Lynn’s WAR total ranks second to Buster Posey among first-round picks that signed from the 2008 draft. Twins fans likely have a bad taste in their mouth after Lynn was terrible in 20 games for Minnesota. He has finished in the top-6 for the AL Cy Young in the last three seasons, and now he is torturing Twins fans by pitching well for the White Sox. 2009 Draft Twins Selection: Kyle Gibson (22nd pick) Left on the Board: Mike Trout (25h pick) The Twins weren’t the only team to pass over the best player of the current generation, but it doesn’t make it sting any less. Gibson was a solid, safe pick based on his college experience and potential as a starting pitcher. Besides Trout, Minnesota made the correct pick as no other available players have accumulated more WAR. Gibson earned his first All-Star nod last season, and he has pitched over 1300 big-league innings. On some bad Twins teams, he was the lone bright spot in the rotation. Books will be written about Trout’s greatness, and many teams likely wish they had a chance to reevaluate the high school outfielder from New Jersey. Which of these players was the best pick for the Twins? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES — 2010-2015 Drafts MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

Throughout the history of the Minnesota Twins, there have been few trades of top prospects in the organization. Minnesota has been forced to build from within and this has meant teams have been required to live and die through prospect development. Brusdar Graterol was clearly a top-100 prospect so how have the Twins done when trading away, or for other top prospects?Wilson Ramos Many fans will be upset when mentioning the Wilson Ramos for Matt Capps trade. Ramos was a top-65 prospect by Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus. He recorded seven hits in his first two professional games, and it seemed like he could team up with Joe Mauer as a tremendous catching duo. Having Mauer still behind the plate made a catching prospect more expendable. Minnesota also needed more relief help during the 2010 campaign. If Capps had helped the Twins to an extended playoff run, his trade might have been forgotten. Instead, Twins fans watched Ramos blossom into an All-Star catcher with the Nationals and Rays. WAR Acquired: 0.9 WAR (Before Capps Resigned) WAR Lost: 10.4 WAR Matt Garza Trading Matt Garza for Delmon Young seemed like a perfect fit for both teams at the time with each player being a highly ranked prospect. Tampa needed more pitching to help them take the next step and Young provided a powerful right-handed bat between Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau in the Twins line-up. Tampa would ride Garza to a World Series run, while the Twins made playoff appearances but Young was never a difference maker. Young, a former number one overall pick, finished second in the 2007 Rookie of the Year voting. After joining Minnesota, he hit .287/.324/.429 (.753) but his bat never reached the potential he showed as a prospect and his defense was atrocious. Garza was the ALCS MVP and provided WAR totals of 3.4 or above in two of his three seasons in Tampa. WAR Acquired: 1.0 WAR WAR Lost: 8.5 WAR Alex Meyer and Trevor May These two trades seemed to get lumped together since they happened in the same off-season. With both trades above, the Twins were sending away top-100 prospects, but these trades were a little different. Minnesota dealt established outfielders Denard Span and Ben Revere in exchange for pitching prospects Alex Meyer and Trevor May along with Vance Worley. Meyer struggled as he moved through the upper levels on the minor leagues and he would only pitch in parts of four seasons in the organization. Eventually, he was traded to the Angels before injuries ended his career. He played 22 games at the big-league level and retired after his age-27 season. When trading for May, the Twins likely saw him as a starting pitching prospect, but he has found his niche in the Twins bullpen. Last season, he posted a sub-3.00 ERA while striking out 79 batters in 64 1/3 innings. He can be a free agent at season’s end so he will have plenty to pitch for during the 2020 campaign. WAR Acquired: -0.6 (Meyer), 2.0 (May), and -1.1 (Worley) WAR Lost: 7.0 (Span) and 4.1 (Revere) How did the Twins fare in these trades involving former top-100 prospects? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

Photo by Ezra Shaw, Getty Images It’s finally happened: the Minnesota Twins have remembered how to hit. Like a bear awakening from it’s winter slumber, the Twins offense seems to have lumbered out of it den, scratched it’s stomach a few times, yawned and proceeded to go about its business. That business seems to be winning. One bear in particular seems to be overjoyed at the opportunity to be out in the warm spring air, basking in the sunlight and devouring some poor creatures to satisfy it's hunger. That bear is Eduardo Nunez, and he’s hungry for baseballs. Over the past seven games Nunez is posting a .545/.600/.682 slash line with some whipped cream and a 1.341 OPS cherry on top. In addition to those “Hey don’t you mean Miguel Sano” type numbers, he also leads the team in batting average, OPS, stolen bases and is tied for most runs scored (albeit his sample size is smaller than most). When a baseball player goes on a streak like the, people always want to know what his secret is. They ask if he modified his swing, if he changed his approach at the plate, if it was extra time in the batting cages, or was it a rum loving Voodoo figure… you know, typical stuff Here at Twins and Losses, we like to take a slightly different journalistic approach when seeking the answers we want and when it comes to Eduardo Nunez we thought we knew just where to look, off the beaten path where no one would ever suspect: the helmet. I recently sat down with Nunez’s helmet and asked a few questions, presented below in the transcribed version of the conversation: Twins and Losses: Thanks for meeting with me Mr. Helmet, it’s a pleasure to speak with you. Nunez’s Helmet: Not a problem, I’m happy to do it. TL: How are the wife and kids? NH: They’re great, Karen is still in the National Pro Pitch softball league, our daughter Marie in college now supporting one of the girls at Stanford and our son Calvin just moved up to Junior League this year. TL: Glad to hear it, you have a lovely family. I hate to just jump right into this but I know you’re short on time so I have to ask, how is it being Eduardo’s helmet? NH: Oof, I knew this was coming. It’s uh… it can be tough at times ya know? It’s an on again off again relationship roller coaster. Sometimes it feels like a rerun of a Lifetime movie. I want to be supportive but I feel like sometimes he just doesn’t want me around. Sure he always comes back eventually but it wears on a helmet. TL: I’m sorry to hear that. You guys have been through a lot together in your time here in Minnesota, would you say that it’s been a pleasant experience overall? NH: There have been good times and bad times. No one wants to lose 90 games, but when you can start to see hard work hard pay off in the form of an above .500 record last season, you get the feeling you’re on the right track. TL: Eduardo has been one of the hottest hitters for the Twins over the last handful of games, what do you think has contributed to that? NH: I think we finally got on the same wavelength. He always seemed to be thinking a million miles an hour in the batters box and I just needed him to be calm, slow the game down and let the pitches come to him. When I fall, he always picks me back up puts me right where I need to be and I want to do the same for him. TL: Would you say you’re the main factor in his recent success? NH: I certainly can’t take all the credit, that wouldn’t be fair to Bruno and everyone else that’s helped him out from training staff to other teammates, but I will take some. TL: Do you ever get any wisecracks from the other helmets for your acrobatics on the field? NH: I would say I get some, but not really any more than anyone else. Sure I’ll get the occasional “fly boy” or “Humpty Dumpty,” or asked if I’m practicing my tumbling routine for the big regional meet but it’s a give and take kind of clubhouse. Heck, some of those helmets like Joe Mauer’s are so full of pine tar they sound like they’re from the Louisiana Bayou. TL: Is there a legendary helmet, sort of a mythical tale that all the Twins helmets have to know? NH: Mythical? I don’t know about that. I do know that one helmet no one will ever forget would be Ben Revere’s after he pulled that sommersault triple back in 2011. From what I hear, that helmet was talking all spring about how he was going to get Benny the Jet to do it, and no one believed him. He’s more of a frat legend than mythical tale though. TL: That triple will always have a special place in my heart. I heard that his dad made him run bases for an hour after that game. NH: No kidding? TL: I can’t say for certain, but I like to believe it’s true. Do you and Eduardo ever think about going for the record of Most Times Losing a Helmet in a Season? NH: It’s not really something we strive to do… it’s more of an organic experience that we’ve become accustomed to… almost a routine if you will. Sure it never feels good to hit the infield dirt, that stuff is like sandpaper, but whether he’s coming to get me after running out an infield hit, or someone has to hand me to him after a headfirst slide on a steal attempt; as long as he’s safe on base I’m happy to do my part. It’s a rough and tumble lifestyle, but we’re friends and that’s what friend do. TL: He’s lucky to have you. What does a helmet like you do in the off season? Are you out hitting the links with your teammates or taking the family on vacation? NH: I like to keep it pretty low key during my downtime, relax and reflect on the season for a week or two afterwards. You know, what could have been and how to prepare for next year, but after that I turn the baseball side off and enjoy my time off. It’s normally pretty cold around here during the winter months so my options are pretty limited. I’ll play some pond hockey with my son, head over to Afton Alps a few times, and over Christmas break we always take a family vacation to Hawaii. Other than that I’m usually inside binge watching Netflix, or playing MLB The Show. TL: You sir are living the dream. One more thing before we wrap this interview up, are you aware that you’re sort of a cult hero around Twins Territory? NH: I’ll hear stuff around the locker room and I know that people on social media like to keep count of how many times I’ll dismount, or make a Eduardo Nunez Helmet hash tag. I really appreciate the support and my fans, but I’m just the same old helmet I ever was. I put my human on one head at a time. TL: Are you on Twitter at all? NH: Naw, social media isn’t really my thing. I’m aware there are several parody accounts and I find that hysterical, but I’ll let them speak for me. Besides, there’s no way I’d ever reach Boring Joe Mauer status, that dude’s on another level of popularity. TL: They do an excellent job with that account, that’s for sure. Well Mr. Helmet, I thank you for taking some time out of your day to talk to Twins and Losses, it’s been an absolute joy. We hope to catch up with you later on in the season, see how things are going and wish you the best of luck in the season to come. NH: Thank you, it’s been fun. Hopefully in a few months we can talk playoffs. TL: Don’t we all. Well there you have it folks, the definitive Eduardo Nunez Helmet interview. If you’d like to hear more from Twins and Losses visit our website at twinsandlosses.com or find us on Facebook and Twitter. Don’t forget to check out our Twins and Losses Supershow podcast on the 4D Podcast network, also available on iTunes and Spreaker.

Last week, we started a series looking at and ranking 53 Minnesota Twins first-round draft picks. In Part 1: 31-53, we saw a lot of reminders that the draft is not a science, many don't make it or do little when they're there. In Part 2: 21-30, we started seeing some players that had some role in the big leagues for at least a little while. Today, we present Part 3: 11-20. In this grouping, you will see quite a few players who have had some solid, though not spectacular, MLB careers. Several of these players are still active and have a chance to move up this chart, maybe even significantly.#20 – 2009 – Kyle Gibson – RHP Gibson fell to the Twins with the 22nd overall pick in 2009, out of the University of Missouri. He was fast-tracked in 2010, pitching for the Miracle, the Rock Cats and ending with the Red Wings. That’s where he began the 2010 season. He started quickly, but he really started struggling and missed time. He had Tommy John surgery and missed most of the 2012 season. He began 2013 with Rochester and went 7-5 with a 2.92 ERA. Despite the setback, he arrived in the big leagues at age 25. Like most, he struggled in his initial big league visit, posting a 2-4 record and a 6.53 ERA in 10 starts. However, in 2014, he made 31 starts and went 13-12. In 13 starts this season, he is 4-5 but has a 3.33 ERA. As he continues, he will likely rise up this list quite a way. MLB WAR: 3.0 #19 – 1967 – Steve Brye – 3B In 1967, the Twins had the 17th overall pick and selected an outfielder from Oakland named Steve Brye. He moved quickly through the minor leagues and debuted as a 21-year-old with nine games in September. Drafted as a third baseman, he played most of his nine-year career in the corner outfield positions. He played over 100 games just once in his career. In 1974, he played in 135 games for the Twins and hit .283/.319/.365 (.683) with 32 doubles. For his career, he hit .258/.309/.365 (.674) with 97 doubles, 13 triples and 30 homers. MLB WAR: 5.5. #18 – 1990 – Todd Ritchie – RHP Ritchie was the 12th overall pick in the 1990 draft. The big name before the draft was Todd Van Poppel, but Ritchie had actually beaten him in high school matchups in Texas. He very slowly worked up the farm system and made his Twins debut out of the bullpen in April, 1997. He pitched to a 4.58 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP in 42 games. The following year, he pitched in 15 games for the Twins before they released him after the season. In something we’ve seen in recent years, the Pirates signed him and he went 15-9 in 26 starts in 1999. He pitched almost 400 innings for the Pirates in 2000 and 2001. He then pitched for the White Sox, the Brewers and the Rays over the next three years. Overall, he went 43-54 with a 4.71 ERA over 835.2 innings in eight big league seasons. MLB WAR: 6.3. #17 – 1980 – Jeff Reed – C The Twins used the 12th overall pick in the 1980 draft to select Reed, a catcher from high school in Illinois. On Opening Day 1984, he made his major league debut with the Twins. He played in 18 games for the Twins that season. Then seven games in 1985. Then he played in 68 games for the Twins in 1986. Before the 1987 season, he was traded with three other players to Montreal for Tom Nieto and Jeff Reardon. He went on to play for 17 seasons in the big leagues, for the Expos, Reds, Giants, Rockies and Cubs. He hit .250/.334/.361 (.695) with 144 doubles, ten triples and 61 homers. Maybe he should be moved up this list because this will be his 14th season as the Elizabethton Twins hitting coach. MLB WAR: 4.5 #16 – 2007 – Ben Revere – OF The Twins were criticized by many when they drafted speedy Ben Revere with the 28th overall pick in the 2007 draft out of high school in Kentucky. He hit .325 in the GCL that year. He hit .379 in Beloit in 2008. He hit .311 in Ft. Myers in 2009. In 2010, he hit .305 in New Britain and received a September call up. He hit .303 in Rochester in 2011, though he spent most of the season with the Twins. He played in 124 games for the Twins in 2012 and hit .294. He stole 74 bases for the Twins Following the 2012 season, he was traded to Philadelphia for Trevor May and Vance Worley. In the three seasons with the Phillies, he’s hit .300/.327/.359, and in 2014 he hit his only two major league homers. He also led the league with 184 hits. He has been a frequent contributor to Web Gems on SportsCenter and is still just 27 years old. He will continue up this list as well. MLB WAR: 6.0 #15 – 1996 – Travis Lee – 1B The 1996 draft was rather controversial. The Twins selected Lee with the second overall pick out of San Diego State. He was playing for Team USA in the Olympics and the Twins did not tender him a contract within 15 days, so he was deemed a free agent. He then signed a 4 year, $10 million contract with the Diamondbacks. In 1998, he finished third in Rookie of the Year voting. He played nine seasons in the big leagues and hit a combined .256/.337/.408 (.745) with 191 doubles, 16 triples and 115 home runs. He played for Arizona, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees. MLB WAR: 7.2 WAR. #14 – 2004 – Trevor Plouffe – SS Plouffe was the 20th overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft, the first of five Twins first-round picks that year. He signed a day after he turned 18. He advanced step-by-step and was in Triple-A shortly after turning 22 in 2008. He spent all of 2009 in Triple-A. He debuted and played 22 games at shortstop with the Twins in 2010. The team quickly moved him out of shortstop and he played several positions before moving exclusively to third base in 2012. Aside from a couple of rehab stints in Rochester, he has been a full-time big leaguer since 2012. Over the last few seasons, he has continued to improve offensively and defensively at third base. The 29-year-old has plenty of good years ahead of him and will likely move up this list quite a bit. MLB WAR: 7.3 #13 – 1995 – Mark Redman – LHP The Twins drafted Redman out of the University of Oklahoma with the 13th overall pick in 1995. He started in Ft. Myers and pitched well there and in Double-A New Britain. However, he never put up an ERA below 5.05 in Triple-A Salt Lake (does anyone?). He debuted with the Twins late in the 1999 season, and as a rookie in 2000, he went 12-9 with a 4.76 ERA. He made nine starts for the Twins in 2001 before being traded at the deadline to the Tigers for Todd Jones. He made 32 starts for the Tigers. Then he went 14-9 for Florida in 2003, winning a World Series championship. He then spent a year in Oakland and a year in Pittsburgh. He was the Royals All-Star representative in 2006. However, he was a free agent after the season. He played for the Braves and Rockies over the next two years and was done after the 2008 season. In all, he went 68-85 with a 4.85 ERA. MLB WAR: 9.5. #12 – 1994 – Todd Walker – 2B With the eighth overall pick in 1994, the Twins took Todd Walker, a second baseman out of LSU. He was a hitting machine in college. He went straight to Ft. Myers and posted a .938 OPS with ten homers the rest of the way. He hit .290 with 27 doubles and 21 homers in Double-A in 1995. In 135 games in Salt Lake in 1996, he hit 41 doubles, nine triples and 28 homers while posting a .999 OPS. He finished the season with 26 games with the Twins. He split 1997 between Rochester and the big leagues. He then hit .316/.372/.473 (.845) with 41 doubles and 12 homers in 1998. His numbers dropped in 1999. In 2000, he was optioned to Triple-A again. Famously, he did not get along with manager Tom Kelly at all. He wasn’t a good defensive second baseman. Finally, in mid-2000, he was traded to Colorado with Butch Huskey in exchange for Todd Sears. From 2001 to 2007, he hit a combined .289/.349/.439 (.788). Overall, he hit .289/.348/.435 (.783) with 284 doubles, 30 triples and 107 home runs. MLB WAR: 10.5. #11 – 2005 – Matt Garza – RHP The Twins used the 25th overall pick in 2005 on Fresno State righty Matt Garza. He began the 2006 season in Ft. Myers. He made eight starts there, ten starts in Double-A New Britain and then five starts in Triple-A Rochester before ending the season with nine starts for the Twins. He spent the first half of 2007 in Rochester before going 5-7 with a 3.69 ERA. Following the season, he was traded to the Rays with Jason Bartlett for Delmon Young. From 2007 through 2014, he has not posted an ERA over 3.95. He’s struggling with the Brewers this year, but in his career, he is 79-83 with a 3.88 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP. MLB WAR: 15.9 There are some very solid MLB players in this grouping. Coming soon, we'll take a look at the top ten Minnesota Twins first-round draft picks. There are some very good names on that list. Click here to view the article