Search the Community

Relief pitchers tend to burn bright and die out quickly as the league adjusts to their pitching tendencies. Tyler Duffey and Caleb Thielbar fit this mold, and they are following a similar path as previous Twins relievers. Every team enters the season with a bullpen pecking order, but relievers can be inconsistent, especially in small sample sizes. In recent years, Duffey and Thielbar have been vital members of the Twins bullpen, but both have struggled this season. Here’s a look back at three former relievers that burned bright before falling on hard times. Pat Neshek Twins Peak: Neshek quickly became a fan favorite with his side-arm delivery and early success. During his first two big-league seasons, he posted a 2.68 ERA with a 0.93 WHIP while striking out 127 batters in 107 1/3 innings. He’d make two appearances with the Twins in the 2006 playoffs, but he struggled to find postseason success like many Twins pitchers. During the 2007 season, Neshek was one of five AL players included on the All-Star Final Vote ballot, but he’d fall short of making the team. Neshek established himself as a reliable late-inning reliever before he faced some big-league struggles. Twins Struggles: From 2008 to 2010, Neshek was limited to fewer than 25 big-league innings, and those innings were ineffective. During the 2008 season, he made 15 appearances and allowed seven earned runs before an injury shut him down. Minnesota tried having him rehab, but his 2009 season was wiped out as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. Neshek returned to the mound in 2010 and spent most of the season at Triple-A. His final 11 appearances for the Twins resulted in a 5.00 ERA with a 1.67 WHIP. Even with his Twins tenured ending, Neshek’s career was far from over as he made multiple All-Star appearances and pitched until the 2019 season. Juan Rincón Twins Peak: Rincón pitched parts of eight seasons in Minnesota, but his peak came from 2004 to 2006. He posted a 2.66 ERA during those three years with a 1.19 WHIP and 255 strikeouts across 233 1/3 innings. He was one of Ron Gardenhire’s most reliable late-inning options as the team won multiple AL Central titles. Rincón pitched in three different playoff series and posted a 5.19 ERA in 8 appearances, but four of his five earned runs were in the 2004 ALDS against the Yankees. As he entered his age-28 season, things started to go south for Rincón. Twins Struggles: During his final season and a half in Minnesota, Rincón hit a performance wall. In 2007, his ERA jumped from 2.91 to 5.13 while his strikeout rate dropped and his walk rate increased. Things went even worse during the 2008 season as his ERA was north of 6.00. Minnesota granted him his free agency at the end of June, and he signed with Cleveland two days later. After leaving the Twins, he pitched 93 more big-league innings for the Indians, Tigers, and Rockies, but he never posted an ERA lower than 4.50 with any of the teams. José Mijares Twins Peak: Mijares surprised many during the 2008 season as he made ten appearances and allowed one earned run with a 0.29 WHIP. In the 2009 season, he took on an even more prominent bullpen role. Over 61 2/3 innings, he posted a 2.34 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP with a 55-to-23 strikeout to walk ratio. Mijares, a left-handed pitcher, was particularly effective against lefties as they hit .155/.228/.252 (.481) against him in 2009. He was very successful in an era where left-handed specialists played vital bullpen roles. Twins Struggles: Some of his struggles started during the 2009 ALDS as he couldn’t make it through one full inning without allowing a run. Mijares saw his ERA rise by over an entire run for the 2010 season, and then it went up to 4.59 for the 2011 season. He was never a strikeout machine, but his K/9 dropped from 7.7 to 5.5 in his final Twins season. Mijares made three appearances during the 2010 playoffs and didn’t allow an earned run. After leaving Minnesota, he pitched parts of two seasons with the Royals and Giants while helping San Francisco win the 2012 World Series. Are you worried that Duffey and Thielbar will follow the path of these former relievers? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

A lot has changed in a week. The Twins made a trade. And the Twins have fallen in the races for the American League Central and for the wild card. The team is now at 49-49, a .500 record for the first time in months. They are 3 ½ games back of Cleveland now, and two games behind second-place Kansas City. They are also two games back of Kansas City for the second Wild Card spot. The Rays are in between, one game ahead of the Twins. The team is not out of it, but man, by the end of this week, they could go from buyer to seller.After reviewing which players may be available in trades from the NL Westand NL Central, today, we want to review the NL Eastern Division. STANDINGS Washington Nationals 59-38 Atlanta Braves 47-50 12.0 GB New York Mets 45-51 13.5 GB Miami Marlins 45-52 14.0 GB Philadelphia Phillies 34-62 24.5 GB So, I think it’s safe to say that the Nationals will win the division. In the wild card, the Chicago Cubs are five games behind the second wild card team. Then the Pirates are 7.5 games back. Atlanta is tied with St. Louis, 8.5 games back of a wild card berth. The Mets are 10 games back, and the Marlins are 10.5 games back. THE BUYERS Clearly the Nationals are, or at least were, buyers. Last week, they acquired some bullpen help, trading for RHP Ryan Madson and LHP Sean Doolittle from the A’s. Do they have other needs? Will they remain busy? The Nationals may need some outfielders as they have several on the disabled list right now. Also, Stephen Strasburg left his start this weekend, so they may be in need of more starting pitching, even if Strasburg is OK. THE SELLERS The division is interesting. Clearly there is going to be just one team that will make the playoffs from the NL East. The other teams all appear to be looking to sell at least to some level, but there are a couple of teams that seem to think they’re not too far off and may buy at the same time. The Braves It took about four days to go from “Close” to “Complete,” but the Twins and Atlanta worked out a deal that sent the Twins lefty Jaime Garcia and catcher Anthony Recker in exchange for Twins RHP prospect Huascar Ynoa. Garcia is a rental player, so Atlanta was happy to deal him for a young, high-ceiling pitching prospect like Ynoa who is years off. It’s a strategy they’ve used in recent years. But once in a while, we read a rumor that says that Atlanta is also a serious candidate for acquiring Sonny Gray. While it may not make sense for a sub-.500 team, the Braves do have a whole bunch of young pitching prospects that Oakland should be looking for. There could be a match, though many teams will be going after Gray. It’s strange to hear that they may have interest in Gray while at the same time there continue to be rumors that they could listen on Julio Teheran. They could get a huge return for Teheran, similar to what they would have to give up for Gray. Maybe there is a three-team possibility there somewhere. 42-year-old R.A. Dickey could be a possibility to be traded. The return wouldn’t be large, but they could get something from a team wanting an innings-eater at the back of their rotation. Closer Joe Johnson has had another strong season. He’s owed a miniscule $4.5 million in 2018. Old friend Kurt Suzuki is having a nice season for Atlanta as well. He could be a backup catcher for some team. Brandon Phillips is on the last year of his long-term deal. He’s got the no-trade clause but he was willing to give that up to go to Atlanta to start the season. The Mets The Mets have quite a few position players who could be dealt at the deadline. The biggest name is probably Jay Bruce who has 25 home runs. Also, Curtis Granderson, who has lost playing time this year, could interest some teams as a bench bat, part-time DH and clubhouse leader. Finally, Lucas Duda is having a strong season again after a couple of tough ones. He makes too much sense to go to the Yankees. All three are free agents at the end of the year. Asdrubal Cabrera is likely to be traded. He has an option for 2018 and has now played all of the infield positions. On the mound, reliever Addison Reed should draw some interest from a variety of teams. He also is a free agent at season’s end. So is left-hander Jerry Blevins. The Marlins There sure are a lot of denials being tossed around between the Yankees and the Marlins as it relates to Giancarlo Stanton. It’s a long-short that anything would happen, but it is the Yankees, so you never know. AJ Ramos, the Marlins closer, could be dealt. And after they received four prospects in exchange for David Phelps, they are right to expect a huge haul for Ramos. Dan Straily another pitcher who will warrant a lot of attention. He’s controllable for a few years yet and the journeyman is having a decent year for the Marlins. Edison Volquez has thrown a no-hitter this year, and he’s spent time on the disabled list too. He’s a veteran who has pitched in the playoffs in recent years, so he’ll draw some interest as well. The Phillies The Phillies seemed to think that they might compete in 2017. In short… No. They are arguably the worst team in baseball, and they should be looking to sell off veterans and start over. Of course, then we read that they are interested in acquiring Dee Gordon from the Marlins. So, they clearly aren’t looking at a big rebuild. Pat Neshek is the most likely Phillies player to be traded. The reliever has a 1.12 ERA this season, and he’s a free agent at the end of the year. They shouldn’t get a huge return for him, and yet because so many teams are interested, they’ll get a nice haul. Joaquin Benoit is a couple of notches below Neshek in the pecking order, but he’s another reliever who could be dealt. The team also has Howie Kendrick who is hitting .353 and playing a variety of positions. Daniel Nava is also having a solid season and isn’t making much money. A playoff team could use his bat off the bench. SUMMARY Well, the Twins have already made a trade with a team in the NL East, the Braves. Could they possibly make another deal in that division? Obviously I think the Twins focus at this point will be bullpen help. There are a few names to watch. Pat Neshek is the most obvious, but it’s possible they could be in on the likes of AJ Ramos or Joaquin Benoit. Click here to view the article

'The two most important things in life are good friends and a strong bullpen.'--- Bob Lemon, Hall of Fame Pitcher The Twins bullpen would hardly be called strong this season. In fact, Minnesota's relief core has been somewhat of a revolving door with a well-worn path between Rochester and Target Field. As Nick wrote about on Monday, Brandon Kintzler might be the bullpen's unlikely hero but the team is going to need some second-half help to stay in contention. Are there internal options that could be added to the mix? Could any injured players be making a comeback? Who is out there on the trade market? Let's take a look at how the bullpen could be bolstered.The Injured Phil Hughes has been making rehab appearances for Rochester and it sounds like he could be joining the Twins as soon as the end of the this week. He will make one more appearance on Wednesday before being activated by the club. In three Triple-A appearances (3 IP), Hughes has allowed one run on three hits with one strikeout and two walks. He wants to contribute this season and the bullpen is his best option since he has some lingering symptoms of the shoulder weakness that caused him to have surgery last season. While Hughes is close to impacting the Twins, former closer Glen Perkins seems much further away from making a return. Manager Paul Molitor told reporters on Monday that Perkins could resume throwing after he receives a cortisone shot. This could come as early as Tuesday but there are no guarantees for Perkins. At this point, it seems like a long-shot for him to make an appearance this season. The Minors Ryan Pressly has struggled in his big league time this season, posting an 8.18 ERA with a 1.41 WHIP. In five Triple-A appearances (eight IP), he has yet to allow a run while converting all three save opportunities. He has given up more walks (three) than hits (two) to go along with 12 strikeouts and a .080 opponents' batting average. Those numbers might be tough for the front office to ignore. Michael Tonkin and John Curtiss are two other names to watch in the second-half. Like Pressly, Tonkin has struggled during his big league action this season. He has a 6.55 ERA and a 13 to 10 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 11 innings. With Rochester, he's posted a 2.81 ERA and a 23 to 9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Curtiss was dominating as Chattanooga's closer before being promoted to Triple-A. For the season, he has allowed two earned runs (0.99 ERA) with 38 strikeouts over 27.1 innings. The Reunion Possibilities Former fan favorite Pat Neshek is currently on a bad Philadelphia team and his name has already been surfacing in trade rumors. The side-winding hurler has a 0.59 ERA to go along with a 0.783 WHIP that would be attractive to any team in contention. He is in the final year of a three-year contract so he will be a free agent at season's end. This makes it hard for a team to surrender multiple prospects for a player who will make only a handful of appearances during the stretch run. Another former Twin, Anthony Swarzak has been performing very well out of the White Sox bullpen. His 2.94 ERA is his best mark since 2013 with the Twins. Swarzak has also been posting a SO/9 rate higher than his career average and a career-best 1.10 WHIP. Like Neshek, he will be a free agent at the end of the season so trading multiple prospects probably doesn't make sense. He also currently plays on a division rival so that can make a trade less likely. Other options are available and it still remains to be seen how the new front office regime will handle the trade deadline. Do they want to go all-in on a club that is surprisingly in the playoff hunt? How do you think the front office should sort through the second-half bullpen options? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. Click here to view the article

The bullpen has been an issue for the Twins during the first half of the 2017 season. While expectations were not high going into the season coming off of a 103-loss season, the Twins are above .500 as the All-Star Game approaches. Following the All-Star break, Twins Daily will be a great place for Twins fans to keep up with the rumors. Who are some of the players that the Twins could acquire from other organizations if they are buyers? How about if they become sellers? Which prospects might the Twins be willing to trade?Two relievers are believed to be on the market already, playing on teams that are clearly playing for the future. They are relief pitchers who could make the Twins bullpen stronger during the second half. In addition to their tremendous on-field statistics, these two players are #OneOfUs. Brooklyn Park grad Pat Neshek and Chaska High School alum Brad Hand are having great seasons. On Sunday, both were named to the National League All-Star squads, and not just because their teams had to have one representative. Today we consider why these are guys who could help the Twins, and what it might cost to get them. DISCLAIMER: I know there is a sentiment among many Twins Daily readers that ‘bringing back the band’ or acquiring guys who are “one of us” is a bad thing. However, I tend to believe that if the player remains good and can help a team win, then it just doesn’t matter. If Pat Neshek and/or Brad Hand can help the Twins win games in 2017, I don’t care if they’re from Minnesota or Texas. Australia or Venezuela. They happen to be from Minnesota. In the Twins history, we’ve seen both sides of this. Terry Steinbach and Dave Winfield being brought back worked out. Bringing back Jason Kubel and Jason Bartlett didn’t pan out. We’ve seen how Twins fans can turn on players when they don’t become what we thought they might, or they didn’t measure up in some way. We’ve seen one of the top five hitters in the organization’s history and a Minnesotan bashed to a crazy, unfair degree, in part because he’s from Minnesota. Imagine the scrutiny Kent Hrbek might have endured had he played during the age of Twitter. PAT NESHEK Let’s start with Pat Neshek since he’s got a bit of a double whammy. Not only is he from Minnesota, he was drafted by the Twins in 1999 and 2002, and played in the big leagues for the Twins between 2006 and 2010. He came up and used his funky delivery to dominate hitters immediately. He had Tommy John and missed most of 2008, all of 2009, and most of 2010. The Twins let him go in the spring of 2011 and he bounced around a bit. He took off again in 2014 with the Cardinals. In fact, that’s the year that he made his first All-Star appearance, ironically in Target Field. He signed a two-year deal with the Astros, with an option for 2017. After he was traded to the Phillies, they picked up his option for this year at $6.5 million. He will be a free agent at the end of the season. Neshek will turn 37 in September. This year, he has worked 32.1 innings for the Phillies. He’s struck out 8.2 per nine, a K-rate of 26.1%. He’s walked just 2.1 per nine. He’s given up just two home runs this season. He has a 1.39 ERA and a 0.87 WHIP. If you enjoy FIP and xFIP, his numbers are 2.41 and 3.59. He has a WAR of 1.1 already this season. From sidearm, Neshek has thrown 49.7% fastballs with an average velocity of 90.1. He has also thrown 47% sliders at 83.1 mph. He throws a changeup too, but just 3% of the time. 73% of his 491 pitches have been strikes. The Phillies are 28-55, so there is little reason for them to hold on to a veteran with an expiring contract in the second half. BRAD HAND Likewise, the Padres are just 36-48 at the halfway point of the season. They have three Rule 5 players on their roster and a plan to continue adding more young talent. Brad Hand was the second-round pick of the Marlins way back in 2008 out of high school. He signed and by June of 2011, he was a 21-year-old in the big leagues. He struggled with the Marlins, particularly as a starter. Last spring, the Marlins DFAd him and he ended up with the Padres. He’s become one of the better, and most used, relievers in baseball. Last year, he posted a 2.92 ERA over a league-leading 82 games. This year, he’s already pitched in 40 games and has a 2.42 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP. He has struck out 11.2 per nine innings while walking just 2.4 per nine. He’s given up less than a home run per nine innings. His FIP is 2.88, with an xFIP of 2.96. He’s pitched to a WAR of 1.0. Hand throws 49% fastballs at an average of 93.3 mph. He also throws his slider about 45% of the time, at 82 mph. His third pitch is more of a slow curve ball, which he throws just six percent of the time. Hand turned 27 in spring training. 2017 was his first year of arbitration and he’s making just shy of $1.4 million. In 2018, he will again be arbitration-eligible for the second time.He’ll have his third and final arbitration in 2019 before having the potential to become a free agent after the 2019 World Series. WHAT IT MIGHT TAKE There are reportedly several teams evaluating and considering acquiring Neshek including the Nationals. The belief is that it won’t take a ton to get Neshek, a “low level prospect.” Because there are other teams interested, the price could get raised a bit. I would guess it would take a top 20 prospect. To acquire Hand, it is likely to cost the Twins (or another team) much more. He’s nearly ten years younger and has two-and-a-half years under a team’s control. There is value in that. There is no other reason for the Padres to trade him, other that they can ask for the world for him and sell very high. He would likely require a top 10 prospect and a second or even a third piece. Do the Twins have the pieces to make these moves? No question. Do they want to outbid other teams and match the requirements of the teams? That we don’t know. Would the Twins have any desire to acquire One of Us, maybe even Two of Us? What would you do? How much (and name names) would you be willing to give up for these two guys? Click here to view the article

This was originally published at FoulPlaybyPlay.com, @FoulPlaybyPlay on Twitter. Last week I urged the Minnesota Twins front office to acquire pitching — any pitching — and not to wait too long in doing so. Well, here are five pitchers the Twins could target if they want to remain competitive this season, but most of them will cost something you might not like to lose. Pat Neshek Neshek is familiar to Twins fans, and his side-armed delivery should play well out of a Twins bullpen that can’t miss bats. He misses plenty (8.4 K/p) despite going on 37. He’s a free agent at year’s end and playing on a bad team in rebuilding mode. I can’t imagine Philadelphia would have interest in bringing back Neshek, so the Twins should bring him home. It’s only money after all (over $6 million per year, so $4 million as of this writing). But with the year Neshek’s having (.797 WHIP), the Phillies could ask for a lot. So what do they need? Well, starting pitching, which the Twins can’t afford to lose. The Phillies seem set on letting 22-year-old, third baseman Maikel Franco work through his struggles (68 OPS+). But the Phillies also have a 30-year-old, light-hitting, bad defensive right fielder who will be a free agent at the end of the year. Michael Saunders (73 OPS+) is not the future. Of Philly’s minor league outfielders, center fielder Cameron Perkins (26) is closest, and he’s more likely to take light-hitting, center fielder Odubel Herrera’s place (82 OPS+). Nick Williams fits the bill as a power-hitting right fielder (11 HRs and 10 2Bs for a .515 slugging percentage). He’s even got okay range and has logged quite a few innings in right field. Anyways, it’s going to be hard to find something to pluck from Rochester unless you’re talking about Daniel Palka, and I doubt that’d be enough. So now we’re looking at something more complicated than a one-for-one deal, which isn’t really a problem. David Phelps Phelps is another one who will cost the Twins plenty because Miami won’t want to give up his final arbitration year for anything less than young, starting pitching. I got nothing. Drew Storen Storen is quietly having a pretty good year (196 ERA+) but a regression is on the horizon given the massive difference between his ERA (2.25) and FIP (3.80). He can still miss bats, though (7.5 K/9). But the Reds need the same thing as everyone else: starting pitching. Brad Hand San Diego is a most interesting trade partner because they have glaring need at shortstop, and the Twins have a really good, young one in Nick Gordon. He’s untouchable, however. Sam Dyson It sure seems like the Twins are the perfect landing spot for Texas Ranger relief pitcher Sam Dyson. The Twins are in the mix and the Rangers are nearing a deal, according to Darren Wolfson. GM Thad Levine came over from Texas, and Dyson could probably use a change of scenery (10.80 ERA, 9.05 FIP). He’s given up more homers this season (6) than last (5) for a HR/9 of 3.2, but maybe the depths of Target Field, where nothing but rain drops, will help Dyson get back on track. It’s pretty sad that the best the Twins front office might be able to do to fix a broken bullpen and bending rotation is picking up a guy allowing 16.7 hits per nine innings, but trading for any kind of pitching is expensive. I can’t imagine any team with a competent reliever giving him up for anything else than high-upside, starting pitchers (think Kevin Jepsen for Chih-Wei Hu). Hey, the Twins should get Glen Perkins back in mid-June, though, which will be nice now that Brandon Kintzler is becoming Brandon Kintzler. And Joe Nathan is available. He only allowed 10.7 hits per nine innings in AAA before being released by the Nationals. He was striking out 8.4 batters per nine, though. I guess I’m saying the options suck, and the Twins are stuck. Hey, at least they claimed Chris Heston, right (12.66 FIP, 23 ERA+, 5.4 HR/9, 25.2 H/9, 5.4 K/9 this year and last)?

The Twins have drafted ten players so far in the 2015 first-year players draft (Rule 4 draft). After making two picks on Monday night and eight on Tuesday afternoon, the Twins will draft thirty players on Wednesday. Yesterday, I showed that there are many examples of very good MLB players that have been drafted in rounds three through ten. Today, I’ll show that there are several big leaguers who have been selected in rounds 11 through 40 as well. As you’ll see, many of these players decided not to sign for the low-dollar signing bonuses of the late rounds. They choose to go to college and may get drafted again. However, those are just as impressive when you consider that one of the scouts saw him and thought he was worth drafting.Continue on to read some of the Twins top picks from rounds 11 through 40. 11th Round 1967 – Al Hrabosky – LHP – High School in California – WAR 10-6 Hrabosky didn’t sign after he was drafted by the Twins. He went to Cal State-Fullerton. Two years later, he was a first-round pick by the Cardinals. The Mad Hungarian had a 13 year big league career in which he won 64 games and added 97 saves. In 1975, he went 13-3 with a 1.66 ERA and 22 saves in 97.1 innings. It was a different era of relief pitchers. Honorable Mention: Jerry Reed (1973), David Dellucci (1994), Evan Meek (2002) Current: Nelson Molina (2013), Taylor Rogers (2012), Tyler Kuresa (2010) Last year: Tanner English 12th Round 1993 – Alex Cora – SS – High School in Puerto Rico – WAR 7.0 Cora also chose not to sign at the time, choosing to go to the University of Miami. Three years later, he was selected in the third round. He spent 14 seasons in the big leagues. After being the Dodgers starting shortstop for a couple of seasons, he was their starting second baseman for a couple of years. He remained in the big leagues for another half-dozen years in a utility role. Honorable Mention: Pat Meares (1990), Jason Kubel (2000)Current: Ethan Mildren (2013), Alex Muren (2012) Last year: Pat Kelly 13th Round 1991 – Matt Lawton – 2B – Mississippi Gulf Coast CC – WAR 15.0 Lawton debuted with the Twins in 1995 and stayed with the team through mid-2001 when he was traded to the Mets for Rick Reed. He was the Twins All Star representative in 2000. He is one of the more underrated Twins players of the last 20 years (in my opinion). After leaving the Twins, he played for the Mets and then five other teams before retiring following the 2006 season. Honorable Mention: Pete Falcone (1972), Rob Wilfong (1971), Scott Leius (1986)Current: Brandon Peterson (2013), Ryan O’Rourke (2010) Last Year: Zach Tillery 14th Round 1989 – Mike Trombley – RHP – Duke University – WAR 9.2 Trombley debuted with the Twins in 1992. In his first few seasons, he made some starts, but he primarily worked out of the bullpen and found his success there. In his final season with the Twins (1999), he had 24 saves, though he was 2-8. He spent time with Baltimore and the Dodgers before finishing his career back with the Twins for a handful of games. Honorable Mention: Dan Naulty (1992)Current: Zach Granite (2013) Last Year: Tyler Mautner 15th Round 1967 – Rick Dempsey – C – High School in California – WAR – 25.3 Dempsey debuted with the Twins as a 19-year-old in 1969. He played five games in 1970, six games in 1971, 25 games in 1972 before being traded to the Yankees. He was traded a year later to Baltimore and that’s where he found his value. He was the MVP of the 1983 World Series and later was part of the 1988 Dodgers World Series championship team. He continued playing into his 40s. Last Year: Roberto Gonzalez (2015) 16th Round 1980 – Jim Eisenreich – OF – St. Cloud State University – WAR 13.4 Eisenreich played in 48 games for the Twins between 1982 and 1984, but he could not overcome his issues with Tourette’s Syndrome. He left baseball, and played amateur ball for a couple of years. The Royals gave him another shot, and he took advantage. Known as a professional hitter, he hit .296/.349/.410 (.759) over the final ten seasons of his big league career. He went 4-8 in the 1997 Marlins World Series championship series. Honorable Mention: Yonder Alonso (2005), Kolten Wong (2008), Lenny Webster (1982)Current: Brandon Bixler (2013) Last Year: Tyler Kuresa 17th Round 1978 – Kent Hrbek – 1B – Bloomington Kennedy High School – WAR 38.4 The Twins took a home town kid, just down the road from Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington, and he turned out pretty good. Hrbek quickly got to the big leagues, debuting with the Twins as a 21-year-old in August of 1981. He was an All Star and finished second to Cal Ripken in the 1982 Rookie of the Year vote. He finished second in MVP voting in 1984. He was a key contributor to the Twins two World Series championship teams and hit 293 career home runs, all with the Twins. Following his career, he was inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame and still is an ambassador for the Twins organization. Honorable Mention: JJ Putz (1998), Paul Maholm (2000), Chip Hale (1987)Current: Dalton Hicks (2012) Last Year: Mat Batts 18th Round 1973 – Rick Peters – IF – High School in California – WAR 3.2 The Compton, California, native chose not to sign with the Twins out of high school. He went to Arizona State and four years late was the Tigers seventh round pick. He debuted in the Motor City in September of 1979. He played in 133 games and posted a 103 OPS+ that year. He was a part-time utility outfielder in the big leagues in 1983 and 1986 with the A’s. Current: Ryan Walker (2013) Last Year: TJ White 19th Round 2006 – Danny Valencia – 3B – University of Miami – WAR 2.1 Valencia bashed his way up the Twins minor league system. He debuted as a 25-year-old in 2010 and impressed. In 85 games, he hit .311/.351/.448 (.799) with 18 doubles and seven home runs. In 2011, he played in 154 games and hit .246/.294/.383 (.677) with 28 doubles and 15 home runs. He got 34 more games with the Twins in 2012 before being sent to AAA and eventually traded to the Red Sox. He resurfaced with the Orioles in 2013, the Royals in 2014 and has now been with the Blue Jays for the last year. These last three teams have found his value as a left-handed pitcher masher. Current: Jared Wilson (2013) Last Year: Jarrard Poteete 20th Round 1990 – Damian Miller – C – Viterbo University in LaCrosse – WAR 9.0 Drafted in 1990, Miller did not debut with the Twins until a 25-game stint in 1997 as a 27-year-old. That offseason, Miller was selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Expansion Draft. He certainly found himself there and was the catcher for Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling on that 2001 World Series championship team. He continued to be a starting catcher in the big leagues through 2007, finishing his career with three years in Milwaukee. Current: Jason Kanzler (2013), Zack Larson (2012)Last Year: McCarthy Tatum (did not sign, went to Fresno State) 21st Round 1990 – Eddie Guardado – LHP – San Joaquin Delta College – WAR 13.7 Guardado moved quickly through the Twins farm system and debuted as a 22-year-old in 1993. He began his big league career as a starter, but he was pretty terrible. He made the move to the bullpen and earned the Everyday Eddie moniker. He was a middling, frequently used reliever until 2000 and 2001 when he performed well. Late in 2001, he became the closer. He led the league with 45 saves in 2002. He was an All Star for the Twins in 2002 and 2003. He signed with the Mariners in 2004 and spent time with the Reds, and Rangers before coming back to the Twins in August of 2008. He was recently added to the Twins Hall of Fame, and he is now the Twins bullpen coach. Honorable Mention: JC Romero (1997), Lenny Webster (1985) Current: Tyler Stirewalt (2013) Last year: Onas Farfan 22nd Round 2007 – Mickey Storey – RHP – Florida Atlantic University – WAR 0.3 Storey didn’t sign and a year later he was the A’s 31st round pick. He debuted with 26 relief appearances for Houston in 2012. He pitched in three games for the Blue Jays in 2013. He is currently pitching in the Atlantic League for Somerset. Current: Alex Swim (2013) Last year: Trevor Hildenberger 23rd Round 1999 – Willie Eyre – RHP – College of Eastern Utah – WAR 0.5 Eyre and David Herndon both have 0.5 WAR, but I went with the guy who signed with the Twins. He debuted with the Twins in 2006 and pitched in 75 games over those two seasons. He posted a 5.31 ERA over those two seasons. He got time with the Rangers and the Orioles as well. Current: Zach Hayden (2013), Tim Shibuya (2011), Dallas Gallant (2010) Last Year: Miles Nordgren 24th Round 1998 – Juan Padilla – RHP – Jacksonville University – WAR 1.0 Padilla moved up three levels in his first full season. He reached AAA Rochester in 2003. He moved on to the Yankees organization in 2004 and made his debut as a 27 year old that year. He pitched in 18 games with the Yankees before pitching in 12 games for the Reds. He pitched in 24 games (and posted a 1.49 ERA) for the Mets in 2005. Current: Brandon Easton (2013), Nick Burdi (2011), Michael Quesada (2010) Last Year: Alex Real 25th Round 2003 – John Gaub – LHP – South St. Paul High School – WAR – (-0.1) The choice here was between John Gaub and Adam Johnson. Gaub wins. Neither of them actually signed when they were taken in this round, choosing to go to college. Gaub went to the University of Minnesota and was the Reds 21st round pick in 2006. He pitched in four games (2.2 innings) for the Reds in 2011. Current: Chad Christensen (2013)Last Year: Taylor Hearn (did not sign, went to Oklahoma Baptist, drafted in 5th round on Tuesday) 26th Round 1995 – Corey Koskie – 3B – Kwantlen College – WAR 24.6 Koskie, drafted from Manitoba, debuted as a 25-year-old in September of 1998. He came up and Tom Kelly was afraid to play him at third base. It didn’t take long and he was a very good defensive third baseman. He too may have been one of the more underrated Twins in recent years too. He had really good power, and he had surprising speed. He also took a lot of walks and got on base a lot. He left before the 2005 season as a free agent to play for the Blue Jays. He spent 2006 in Milwaukee until he had a concussion that ended his career way too early. Honorable Mention: Lyman Bostock (1972)Last Year: Blake Schmit 27th Round 1988 – Scott Stahoviak – RHP – High School in Illinois – WAR 1.0 Stahoviak didn’t sign and went to Creighton for three years before the Twins drafted him again, that time as a third baseman. He is often used as part of a mid-90s Twins joke, but considering his 1996 season. In 130 games, he hit .284/.376/.469 (.845) with 30 doubles and 13 home runs. That’s pretty solid. He just never able to replicate those numbers. Honorable Mention: Eric Decker (2009) – drafted out of the University of Minnesota, where he did play baseball (outfielder), he chose football and that seems to have been the right choice for him. Current: Chris Mazza (2011) Last Year: Gabriel Ojeda 28th Round 1987 – Bret Boone – SS – High School in California – WAR 22.6 Boone didn’t sign with the Twins and instead went to USC. Three years later, he was drafted in the 5th round by the Mariners. He played second base and hit a lot of home runs, 252 in his 14 year career. In 2005, he was released by the Mariners and the Twins did sign him. It didn’t go well. In 14 games, he hit .170. Current: David Hurlbut (2011), Nate Hanson (2008) Last Year: Austin Diemer 29th Round 2001 – Nick Blackburn – RHP – Seminole State College – WAR 3.3 Say what you want about how things turned out for Blackburn, but if you can get 137 starts out of a 29th round pick, you’re thrilled. In his first two full seasons, he went 11-11 (both years) with a 4.05 ERA (103 ERA+) and a 4.03 ERA (109 ERA+). The hope was that he could continue to pitch that way, despite the lack of strikeouts. Things went downhill from there. Overall, he went 43-55 with a 4.85 ERA in his six big league seasons. Last Year: Cameron Avila-Leeper (did not sign, went to Delta College)30th Round 2008 – Michael Tonkin – RHP – High School in California – WAR (-0.3) Tonkin has been back and forth from Rochester to Minnesota each of the last three years. He’s done well in the minors but it has not yet transferred to the big league success. That said, he hasn’t been really given any extended looks yet. Current: Tanner Vavra (2013) Last Year: Michael Theofanopoulos 31st Round 1996 – Mike Lamb – C – Cal State-Fullerton – WAR 4.1 Lamb didn’t sign with the Twins at this time, but he would come to the organization late in his career. He went back to school and a year later went in the seventh round. After four years with the Rangers, he became a big on-base percentage guy with the Astros. He posted .800+ OPS three out of four years. He came to the Twins on a two-year deal, but after just 81 games, he was hitting .233/.276/.322 (.598) and was released. Last year: Sam Hilliard (did not sign, went to Wichita State) 32nd Round Not one 32nd round pick of the Twins has made it to the big leagues… yet. Last year: Orynn Veillon (did not sign, went to Louisiana-Lafayette) 33rd Round 1997 – Nick Punto – SS – Saddleback College – WAR 15.3 Punto didn’t sign at this time. A year later, the Phillies made him their 21st round pick. He came to the Twins in the Eric Milton trade and had a polarizing, though very underrated career with the Twins. Though he hasn’t retired, he is not playing this year. He has 14 years in the big leagues. He does a few things very well. He played great defense at three infield positions. With the Twins, he also took good at bats and got on base, most years. Current: Stephen Wickens (2011) Last Year: Trey Vavra 34th Round 1991 – Tim Davis – LHP – Florida State University – WAR 0.8 Davis went back to FSU and was selected by the Mariners in the 6th round a year later. Two years later, he debuted with the M’s. Over the next four seasons, he posted a combined 4.62 ERA in 122.2 innings over 89 games. Current: Bryan Haar (2012) Last Year: Mike Baumann (did not sign, the Mahtomedi pitcher went to Jacksonville University where he went 7-1 with a 2.24 ERA in 84.2 innings – 85 Ks) 35th Round 1996 – Josh Bard – C – High School in Colorado – WAR – 3.2 Bard was a backup catcher (with a few seasons when he was a starter) for ten years in the big leagues. He played for Cleveland, Boston, San Diego, Washington and Seattle. Current: Jared Wilson (2012), David Hurlbut (2009)Last Year: Brad Mathiowetz (did not sign, from Rochester Mayo, went to Des Moines Area CC) 36th Round 1974 – Eric Show – RHP – High School in California – WAR 15.9 Show did not sign and went to UC-Riverside. Four years later, he was the 18th round pick of the San Diego Padres. He played for the Padres from 1981 through 1990 before a partial season with Oakland in 1991. Never an All-Star, he went 101-89 with a 3.66 ERA (99 ERA+), but he had some really good years. Three times he won at least 15 games in a season. Honorable Mention: JD Martinez (2006)Last Year: Kirvin Moesquit (did not sign and went to Seminole State College) 37th Round 1988 – Aaron Sele – RHP – High School in Washington – WAR 20.6 Sele, who was born in Golden Valley, Minnesota, didn’t sign and went to Washington State. It was a good decision for him because three years later he was drafted in the first round by the Boston Red Sox. He was twice an All Star over his 15 year career. He won 15 or more games four times. He won 148 games in his career. Last Year: Tyree Davis38th Round 1992 – Gary Matthews, Jr – 2B – High School in California – WAR 14.2 Son of Sarge didn’t sign with the Twins and went to Mission College. In 1993, he was the Padres 13th round pick. He played for seven teams. Early in his career, he was all over the place. Later in his career, after making some great defensive plays in centerfield, he made some big money. He played 1,281 games over 12 seasons. Honorable Mention: TJ Mathews (1991), Tommy Watkins (1998) Last Year: Brett Doe 39th Round 1994 – Brian Lawrence – RHP – High School in Texas – WAR 8.1 Lawrence didn’t sign and became a 17th round pick in 1998. He spent five seasons with the San Diego Padres. Then in 2007, he made six starts for the Mets. He won 50 games in the big leagues. Honorable Mention: Anthony Slama 2006Last Year: John Jones (did not sign) 40th Round 2007 – Chase Anderson – RHP – North Central Texas College – WAR 1.8 Anderson didn’t sign and was the 2009 ninth round pick of the Diamondbacks. He debuted with the D-Backs in 2014 and went 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA. He has made 11 starts this year, though he has just a 1-1 record. Last Year: Dalton Guthrie (Did Not Sign, son of former Twins RP Mark Guthrie, went to the University of Florida)After the 40th Round The MLB Draft is now 40 rounds. It had been 50, and not too long ago, it went until a team no longer wanted to make picks. Here are a few guys who were drafted after the 40th round: 41st Round – Brian Raabe (1990)42nd Round – Lance Carter (1993)43rd Round – Jason Vargas (2001)45th Round – Pat Neshek (1999), Steve Pearce (2003)46th Round – AJ Achter (2010)48th Round – George Springer (2008)49th Round – Michael Holliman (2003), Brock Peterson (2002)52nd Round – Denny Hocking (1989)It’s Day 3 of the 2015 MLB Draft. As the rounds continue, the odds of a player making it to the Major Leagues, but there are enough examples of players just with the Twins that have made it. Or, even if they don’t sign and go to college, they can move up the draft chart later and get another opportunity. Will any of this year’s late round picks be the next Kent Hrbek, or Aaron Sele? We shall find out. Click here to view the article