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Shortly after the lockout ends, Major League Baseball expects to conduct this winter's Rule 5 Draft. Here is a look into the best players the Twins have ever taken in the Rule 5 Draft. Many fans associated Johan Santana as the best Rule 5 Draft pick in Twins history, but the Florida Marlins drafted him and then traded him to Minnesota as part of a pre-arranged deal. So, who are the best Rule 5 Draft picks in Twins history? 5. Gary Wayne, RP Twins WAR: 2.5 Minnesota selected Wayne from the Expos organization in 1988, and he pitched out of the team's bullpen for four seasons. From 1989-1992, he posted a 3.44 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP as he walked nearly four batters per nine innings. As part of the 1991 club, he only made eight appearances and allowed seven earned runs in 12 1/3 innings. He still gets a World Series ring for his contributions to that club. The Twins traded him to Colorado following the 1992 season, and he'd only pitch two more seasons at the big-league level. 4. Mark Salas, C Twins WAR: 2.7 Salas joined the Twins from the Cardinals organization and became the team's starting catcher. He finished eighth in the 1985 AL Rookie of the Year voting after hitting .300/.332/.458 (.791) with 34 extra-base hits in 120 games. During his three seasons in Minnesota, he posted a 103 OPS+, which he couldn't replicate after leaving the Twins. In 1987, he was traded to the Yankees for Joe Niekro, who helped boost the team's second-half rotation on the way to a World Series title. 3. Ryan Pressly, RP Twins WAR: 3.6 Pressly is the most current player on this list as he has become one of the AL's best relievers for most of the last decade. The Twins took Pressly from the Red Sox organization in 2012, and he became a core piece of Minnesota's bullpen for six seasons. From 2013-2018 with the Twins, he posted a 3.75 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and a 112 ERA+. Minnesota traded him to Houston at the 2018 deadline for Gilberto Celestino and Jorge Alcala in a trade that has worked for both teams. 2. Doug Corbett, RP Twins WAR: 8.3 Corbett might be an unknown name to younger fans, but he posted tremendous numbers in a short Twins career. Minnesota drafted Corbett from the Reds organization in 1979. He made an immediate impact in 1980 as he posted a 1.98 ERA in 73 appearances and finished third in the AL Rookie of the Year voting. In 1981, he led the American League in appearances and games finished while also being named to the All-Star team. He was traded to the Angels with Rob Wilfong for Tom Brunansky and Mike Walters the following season. 1. Shane Mack, OF Twins WAR: 19.6 Shane Mack is the clear winner for the best Rule 5 Draft pick in Minnesota Twins history. He was taken in the 1989 Rule 5 Draft from the Padres organization and instantly impacted the team in a big way. In five seasons for the Twins, he hit .309/.375/.479 (.854) with a 130 OPS+. His 1992 season was absurd as he accumulated a 6.5 WAR after posting a 5.0 WAR during the team's World Series run in 1991. He only managed three hits during the 1991 World Series, but he went 6-for-18 with two extra-base hits and three RBI during the ALCS. What memories do you have of the players mentioned above? 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 View full article

Taylor Rogers was an 11th round draft pick back in 2012. Here’s the list of players from that round that have a positive WAR at the big-league level…. Taylor Rogers and that’s it. As the old adage goes, Rogers is left-handed, and he has a pulse. This makes him valuable, but Minnesota had no idea how valuable he would be when they took him that late in the draft. Below is a brief look at the Taylor Rogers story as he has transformed himself into the most valuable reliever on one of the American League’s best teams.Minor Leagues With his college experience, it made sense for Rogers to try to stick as a starting pitcher. During his professional debut (15 appearances), he split time between Elizabethton and Beloit with a 2.27 ERA, a 1.11 WHIP, and a 74 to 17 strikeout to walk ratio. In 2013, he continued to be utilized as a starter. Between Low- and High-A, he posted good numbers as he made 24 starts and posted a 2.88 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP. Over the next two seasons, he would continue to start, and he made multiple trips to the Arizona Fall League. New Britain was his home for all of 2014 as he had a 3.29 ERA and a 1.29 ERA. He made only three appearances in the AFL that season, but he limited batters to four hits and one earned run. He continued to climb the ladder in 2015 as he pitched to a 3.98 ERA at Triple-A. A return trip to the AFL saw him start six games with a 2.88 ERA and a 1.12 WHIP. It was time to see what he could do at the big-league level, but it would come with a new role as a relief pitcher. Rough Transition During his rookie season, Rogers made 57 relief appearances (61 1/3 innings) and had a 3.96 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Batters were making solid contact against him on a regular basis. His 89.7 exit velocity and 40.8% hard hit percentage were in the bottom 6% of the league. Opponents hit .260/.318/.401 (.719) against him that year as he surrendered a career high seven home runs. The 2017 campaign saw Rogers still trying to acclimate to life as a reliever. His WHIP rose to 1.31 and his strikeouts per nine dipped from 9.4 to 7.9. Obviously, this isn’t a good sign in the transition to the bullpen. However, opponent's exit velocity dropped nearly three miles per hour (89.7 to 86.9) and his hard-hit percentage finished at 35.4%. One of the biggest intentional changes was his decreased use of his fastball. He used his four seamer 3.9% of the time, which was a steep drop from 17% in 2016 (see chart below). From this point forward, Rogers made other pitching changes to transform into one of baseball’s best relievers. Among Baseball’s Best Besides his fastball usage, Rogers made two other pitching changes to become dominant. He implemented a slider in 2018 and it has become his second most used pitch during the 2019 campaign. Other than that, his curveball has almost disappeared. He used this pitch over 33% of the time last year and he has only used it 1.3% of the time this season. Download attachment: Tayor Rogers chart.jpeg Rogers has provided unbelievable value to the Twins this season. His 2.78 win probability added (WPA) leads all Twins pitchers. It’s almost a full win higher than Minnesota’s All-Star starters Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi. No position player has a higher total than Rogers. He also might be on pace for one of the best relief seasons in Twins history. Since Target Field opened in 2010, Glen Perkins (2.79 WPA) has the best WPA of any Twin reliever. Jared Burton (2.41 WPA) and Glen Perkins (1.85 WPA) in 2012 have the other top totals. Doug Corbett’s 1980 season was Minnesota’s all-time best WPA mark from a reliever. His 7.58 total is likely untouchable for Rogers, but he could have enough to catch Joe Nathan’s 5.77 WPA for second place all-time. During a record-setting year, Rogers might be the AL’s most valuable reliever. He is the lone AL relief pitcher with a WPA over 2.0 and he is closing in on 3.0. He’s up 0.85 WPA over Alex Colome, the second-place relief arm. Former Twins Liam Hendricks (1.87 WPA) and Ryan Pressly (1.78 WPA) round out the top-four. It’s been quite the journey, but Rogers could end this season as the most valuable reliever in the American League. Do you think Taylor Rogers is the most valuable reliever in the AL? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article