Minnesota Twins: Projecting the 2020 Opening Day Bullpen

With the season temporarily on hold, we take a look at how the Minnesota Twins bullpen could look when baseball starts up again.

The Minnesota Twins struggled a lot out of the bullpen to begin 2019, but thanks to pitching coach Wes Johnson and the team’s development system, the bullpen found a way to finish the season as one of the five best groups in the league. As the team enters 2020, the bullpen hopes to take another step towards becoming the top group in the league.

In order for this to happen, the team needs some repeated strong performances from 2019 and some more help from the fresh faces. We take a look at who might miss the cut, who could pitch a lot of innings, and more as we take a look at who could make the Minnesota Twins bullpen in 2020.

Missed the Cut:

Fernando Romero (RHP): Fernando Romero only threw 14 innings with the big league club in 2019. He has a good fastball and slider, but his other stuff needs refining. He has had some issues getting his work Visa that are not helping his case to join the bullpen early on. He’ll pitch with the team at some point in 2020, just not right away.

Jorge Alcala (RHP): The No. 19 prospect on Puckett’s Pond’s Top 30 Prospects List and part of the Twins return for trading Ryan Pressly to the Houston Astros, Jorge Alcala has a strong fastball that can touch 98 MPH on the radar gun. He’s close, but he’s not ready to join the major league bullpen just yet.

Sean Poppen (RHP): Armed with a strong slider and above average fastball, Sean Poppen could make an impact soon for the big league club. He’ll be a key innings eater as the season goes on. There just doesn’t seem to be a spot for him now.

Matt Wisler (RHP): Claimed off of waivers by the Twins, Wisler has jumped between a few teams since 2018. His experience and lack of minor league options make him an interesting option, but he will likely get beat out by some of the more talented options on the list.