Who Brings Up The End Of The Rotation For The Twins?

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher

against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The highly anticipated debut of Alex Meyer has not yet happened, and in 2015 it will. At this point, it appears that the Twins have fumbled their return for Denard Span. At 25 years old, and having not yet pitched a major league inning, Meyer is toiling away at the Triple-A level. I would expect that to change as the Twins break from Fort Myers for Target Field.

I had tabbed Meyer as my likely 5th starter a few weeks ago, but it appears Paul Molitor doesn’t appear set on that. He has noted he would be ok with Meyer pitching out of the pen to start the year, and it may take a very strong spring by Meyer to change those thoughts.

Although he has struggled with command in the minor leagues (3.8 career BB/9 and 4.4 BB/9 in 2014), control is something that always eludes young pitchers. His elite 10.4 K/9 career mark will play at the major league level, and his control can be refined against top-tier hitters. With a career 3.15 ERA, expecting him to compete somewhere in the mid 3 range in his first season is logical. If Meyer does crack the rotation from the get go, I wouldn’t be surprised to see strikeout numbers above the 170 mark.

With the two most notable names out-of-the-way, who else could factor into the 5th and final rotation spot out of the gate in 2015? Check out who’s next…