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Minnesota Twins 2017 Minor League Awards

By Benjamin Chase

PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - MARCH 11: The Minnesota Twins warm up before the start of a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Charlotte Sports Complex on March 11, 2013 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images)
PORT CHARLOTTE, FL - MARCH 11: The Minnesota Twins warm up before the start of a Grapefruit League spring training game against the Tampa Bay Rays at the Charlotte Sports Complex on March 11, 2013 in Port Charlotte, Florida. (Photo by J. Meric/Getty Images) /
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Nick Anderson, 26, Fort Myers/Chattanooga

A Minnesota native, Anderson was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 32nd round in 2012. However, Anderson ended up playing in the Frontier League instead, playing in that league until 2015, when the Twins spotted him. Anderson worked his way up the A-ball clubs in 2016, and he was nearly untouchable in Cedar Rapids before finding some difficulty in Fort Myers.

He had no such difficulty with Fort Myers this season, and he really didn’t find any issue with Chattanooga, either. Overall in 2017, Anderson totaled 44 appearances, 54 innings, a 1.00 ERA, 0.78 WHIP, 11 saves, and a 10/57 BB/K ratio. Anderson did not allow a single home run on the entire season.

Others of note: Alan Busenitz, 26, Rochester; Thomas Hackimer, 23,
Cedar Rapids/Fort Myers; Pedro Garcia, 21, GCL; Derek Molina, 19, GCL;
Hector Lujan, 22, Cedar Rapids; John Curtiss, 24, Chattanooga/Rochester;
Alex Wimmers, 28, Rochester; Frandy Torres, 21, DSL; Drew Rucinski, 28, Rochester; Michael Tonkin, 27, Rochester; Logan Lombana, 22, Cedar Rapids; Trevor Hildenberger, 26, Rochester; Todd Van Steensel, 26, Chattanooga; Patrick McGuff, 23, Cedar Rapids; Jake Reed, 24, Chattanooga/Rochester; D.J. Baxendale, 26, Chattanooga/Rochester; Alex Muren, 25, Fort Myers/Chattanooga; Williams Ramirez, 24, Fort Myers; Ryan Mason, 22, Cedar Rapids; Luke Bard, 26, Chattanooga/Rochester

This is a deep group, but it’s also notable just how good the bullpens were for the Twins minor league teams this year, and that’s a big reason why the organization saw the success that they did throughout the minor league system. A number saw their way to the big league club over the year and threw well. Two guys to keep an eye on would be Molina, who was nearly untouchable to close out the year in the GCL, and Lujan, who consistently received praise for his mentality and raw stuff in the closer role for Cedar Rapids.

Next: Left-Handed Reliever

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