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Four Years Of Futility: How Did The Twins Get Here?

By Ted Schwerzler |
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If you follow the Minnesota Twins in even the most casual sense, you are more than aware that the past four seasons have been anything but good. Having lost 90 or more games every season since 2011, the Twins have been in a dark place. Realistically though, we can now look back to the reasons that the futility has taken place. With the ability to evaluate draft picks, it is why the organization went through what it has.

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Recently, we looked at the opening day rosters of each Twins team from 2011 onward. Looking at the talent at the major league level, it could be expected that struggles would take place going into the season. Now taking a look at what talent was on the horizon, and what it has turned out to be, we can provide even a little more context.

Considering it takes a while for talent to reach the major league level, let’s compare the 2010 and 2011 drafts, to those most recent.

Nov 2, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Minnesota Twins second baseman Eddie Rosario against the East during the Fall Stars Game at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Twins 2010 MLB Draft Highlights (1st pick 21st overall)

In the 2010 draft, the Twins once again found themselves in the midst of a solid season, and coming off of a good one in 2009. With a pick in the bottom third of the first round, the Twins would have to rely on hitting on each of their top picks. Unfortunately, they missed more often than they didn’t.

Now 2015, Alex Wimmers is 26 years old, and has yet to appear above the Double-A level. He owns a 4.13 career ERA across five professional seasons. He does have an impressive 10.1 K/9 ratio, but has struggled mightily with consistency. In 2014, Wimmers posted his best mark at 3.96, but started only eight of the 31 games he appeared in. Should he ever reach the majors, seemingly a long-shot now, it would appear to be in a relief role.

Goodrum was selected out of high school, and played his first professional season at the age of 18. Now nearing 23, he has yet to surpass Single-A Fort Myers. He regressed a season ago, slashing just .249/.337/.336, and his career line isn’t far off from that. At this point, Goodrum would need a massive turnaround to be able to crack a major league roster.

The Twins will watch Dean turn 26 this season, and the hope would be that he can get back to Triple-A Rochester. After making six starts in 2013, Dean stayed at Double-A New Britain last year. His 4.81 ERA was a step back, and he doesn’t miss enough bats to be that ineffective. In 2014, he also served up a horrid 20 home runs in just 144 innings.

Looking like the lone gem of the list, Eddie Rosario appears poised to crack the major leagues in 2015. He tore up the Arizona Fall League this season, and had he not been suspended a year ago, he could have pushed for playing time in 2014. Now shifted to outfield, his .294/.343/.485 career line should be ready to be an outfield option for the big club.

Only Achter was able to reach the majors of this group thus far. Last season, he appeared in seven games for the Twins down the stretch. He compiled a 3.27 ERA at the MLB level in 11 innings pitched. Although too hittable in 2014, his 2.92 career ERA in the minors suggests he could prove to be a relief option again in the future. As a 46th round pick, Achter definitely deserves a tip of the hat.

Credit: knuckleballsblog.com

Twins 2011 MLB Draft Highlights (1st pick 30th overall)

If you’re looking at those names and wondering why you aren’t familiar with any of them, that’s more than a fair question. At this point, the expectation would be at least one of these players would have major league experience. Unfortunately, the closest one would be Nick Burdi, who didn’t sign in 2011 and was again drafted in 2014.

Levi Michael showed signs of resurgence in limited time with Fort Myers and New Britain last season. He will be in a make or break year in 2015, with an outside chance at becoming a utility option for the big club in 2016. That’s not at all an ideal situation for your first round draft choice to fall into.

Right now, Harrison is 22 and has yet to advance past Fort Myers. His career .269/.368/.404 slash line isn’t horrible, but the power took a huge hit as he only hit three home runs last year (after hitting 15 the year before). Boyd is still in Cedar Rapids at 22, and just failed his second drug test. The Twins could be looking to move on from him at any moment.

Rounding out the top picks, Boer cracked New-Britain for two games to end the 2014 season. Now a full-time reliever, he will likely start in Double-A. His career 5.14 ERA is ugly, though a 3.99 ERA in 2014 was a step forward.

As we noted, Burdi was drafted out of high school, but went on to play for Lousiville prior to being selected by the Twins again in 2014.

Oct. 14, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton plays for the Salt River Rafters during an Arizona Fall League game against the Surprise Saguaros at Salt River Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Twins 2012 Draft Highlights (1st pick 2nd overall)

The stark contrast in draft quality begins, and while much of that can be attributed to positioning, the turnaround of the farm system is the group to benefit.

Obviously the track record of Buxton is well noted. He’s arguably the best prospect in baseball, and the Twins got that pick absolutely right. He is ready to push for the centerfield spot in 2015, and would have likely been an even more realistic option had he not dealt with injuries throughout 2014. Expect a clean bill of health this year, and the excitement to only build.

Berrios was a high pick, but never garnered the attention he was deserving of until he broke out last season. Pitching across all three levels of the farm system, Berrios fully entrenched himself onto the nation scene. He will have a prove it year this season to solidify that last year was no outlier.

Drafted out of college, Bard should have been somewhat of a quick riser. He’s now 23 and hasn’t surpassed rookie ball. The younger brother of Daniel Bard, Luke has dealt with injuries, and has thrown only 19 innings in two major league seasons. He failed to pitch at all in 2014.

In 2014, Melotakis made his Double-A debut. He will turn 24 during the 2015 season, and will likely start out in Double-A Chatanooga. His 3.00 career ERA is solid, but his 3.3 BB/9 isn’t a great mark. If Melotakis wants to see the major leagues, he’s going to need a strong 2015 season.

Outside of Miguel Sano, maybe no Twins minor leaguer has their power talked about more than Walker. Launching home runs is his forte, and he’s hit 66 across three professional seasons. He’s 23 now, and his average has been ugly (.259/.312/.484 career line). He needs to cut down on his strikeouts, take more walks, and make contact at a higher rate if he wants to climb the organizational ladder.

Credit: MiLB.com

Twins 2013 Draft Highlights (1st pick 4th overall)

Once again, the Twins found themselves with a top five pick in 2013 following a poor 2012 season. They needed another slam dunk, and thus far, it would appear they got that.

After being taken out of high school, Stewart has been every bit as good as billed. He’s compiled a 2.36 ERA and a 7.2 K/9 ratio in two professional season. He finished last seasons with Cedar Rapids, and his time was cut short due to shoulder fatigue. The issues should be cleared up in 2015, and at just 20 years old, he’s pitched well against older competition. Stewart make waves in Fort Myers this year for the Twins.

Out of LSU, Eades was a college pitcher the Twins should have been able to accelerate. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been good. In 26 games (25 starts) for Cedar Rapids in 2014, he threw to a 5.14 ERA and walked 3.4 batters per nine innings. There hasn’t been much time, if any at all, that Eades has looked like a quality professional starter, and he will need to turn things around fast still playing rookie ball at the age of 23.

A solid backstop for the Twins, Stuart Turner has handled his own in two professional seasons thus far. He’s solid behind the plate, and he’s slashed .256/.329/.378. Power isn’t really his game, but he gets on base at a decent enough clip. Turner will need to continue to develop as he works to climb through the organization. He could start again at Fort Myers, or be bumped up to Double-A Chattanooga to start 2015.

Considering Stewart should have been a slam dunk, Gonsalves may be the biggest pick of this draft. A high school kid when taken, he’s been lights out as a pro. Pitching for Cedar Rapids and Elizabethton last season, he toted a 3.02 ERA. His career 2.39 ERA and 10.4 K/9 are extremely impressive, and he should get a crack at Fort Myers near the end of 2015 if he keeps this up.

Credit: Twins.mlb.com

Twins 2014 Draft Highlights (1st pick 5th overall)

Knowing the organization had glaring pitching issues, the Twins looked to fix that through quality picks. Eight of the Twins first 10 picks in 2014 were all pitchers, and many of them have a chance to contribute at a high level.

The brother of All-Star second basemen, Dee Gordon, Nick highlighted the field of the 2014 class. His father Tom Gordon also adds to a strong pedigree. A broken finger slowed the end of his season, but Gordon hit .294/.333/.366 in his first pro season. His glove is ahead of his bat, but Gordon still remains the odds on favorite to be the Twins shortstop of the future.

Burdi signed with the Twins in 2014, the second time they selected him. A fireballer from Lousiville, he quickly was accelerated to Fort Myers. His 2.66 ERA in his first pro season, along with an outstanding 16.8 K/9 ratio are impressive. He will need to cut down on the walks (4.4 BB/9) but should start the year in Double-A Chattanooga with an outside chance to debut in the back-end of the Twins bullpen in late 2015.

Although not to the same extent of the pitchers before him, Cederoth was a highly regarded talent out of San Diego State. His first professional season ended with him pitching in 11 games for Elizabethton and compiling a 3.55 ERA. He walked too many batters (3.5 BB/9) but struck out a good clip (8.3 K/9). Look for Cederoth to continue to build during his second year in professional baseball.

The start of Sam Clay’s professional career was not what he would have wanted. In 19 games for Elizabethton, Clay walked 5.3 batters per nine innings, while finishing with a 5.59 ERA. On the positive side, he gave up zero home runs and struck out an impressive 13.7 batters per nine innings. He will have to sharpen his outings in 2015 to build upon what was a shaky first season.

One of the strongest value picks of 2014 was Jake Reed. Out of Oregon, Reed pitched in 20 games and was bumped up to Cedar Rapids. He threw to an impressive 0.29 ERA across 31 innings while striking out over 11 batters and walking less than one per nine innings. Combine those numbers with a strong Arizona Fall League performance, and Target Field could be in the sights of Reed near the end of 2015.

Looking over recent drafts as a whole, it is more than apparent how the Twins found themselves in the position they have been in the past four years. Coming off of winning, and low draft selections, paired with misses all over the board, the Twins were forced to take fliers on free agency knowing the influx wasn’t coming from the farm.

Now on the verge of a solid turnaround, the losing has produced higher draft picks that have been much more successful, and Minnesota enters the 2015 season with a lot to be excited about. Having a few prospects from poor drafts to count on, and knowing that recent drafts have provided a strong crop of young talent, the Twins organization is in a good place.

Competitiveness should be expected in 2015, but the horizon looks even brighter.

Next: 2015 Twins: Winning On The Horizon

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