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Minnesota Twins: Five Bold Predictions for 2016

By Jordan Wickstrom

Jun 19, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins left fielder Eduardo Escobar (5), center fielder Byron Buxton (25), and left fielder Eddie Rosario (20) jump up and celebrate after beating the Chicago Cubs at Target Field. The Twins won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 19, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Minnesota Twins left fielder Eduardo Escobar (5), center fielder Byron Buxton (25), and left fielder Eddie Rosario (20) jump up and celebrate after beating the Chicago Cubs at Target Field. The Twins won 7-2. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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May 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins (15) and Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki (8) celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in an inter-league game at PNC Park. The Twins won 4-3 in thirteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
May 20, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Glen Perkins (15) and Twins catcher Kurt Suzuki (8) celebrate after defeating the Pittsburgh Pirates in an inter-league game at PNC Park. The Twins won 4-3 in thirteen innings. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

THE BULLPEN WILL REBOUND

The Twins have always been able to put together a solid bullpen, which is why last season was such a mystery.

All-Star Glen Perkins was perfect heading into the break but struggled the rest of way with inconsistency and injuries.

A combination of Brian Duensing, Blaine Boyer, Neal Cotts, JR Graham and Ryan O’Rourke were anything but ideal options in relief.

So why do I think the bullpen will rebound?

Well, a healthy Perkins, a full season of Kevin Jepsen and Trevor May in the pen and the potential to see some strikeout pitchers in the mix leave me very optimistic.

This of course is based primarily on the idea that we will see guys like JT Chargois, Alex Meyer and Jake Reed make appearances with the club this season. I believe Meyer will rebound nicely from his brief stint with the Twins last year and a few of the young arms such as Chargois and Reed will show up and, hopefully, use their velocity to miss a few bats.

Meyer has struggled so far this spring but both Reed and Chargois have done well in their limited appearances. None of these three have to necessarily make the roster coming out Spring Training but that shouldn’t prevent them from eventually getting called up and making an impact.

Besides, why else would General Manager Terry Ryan not make a big move for a reliever this offseason? He must have a firm belief the answer to the Twins’ bullpen issues lies within the organization.

Next: Final Predictions

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