Minnesota Twins: 5 Prospects Turning Heads in Spring Training

The Minnesota Twins need some of their prospects to step up. The Twins have been at a lull for talent from their farm system. The clear evidence was from 2011, when several prospects were rushed up to the major leagues and struggled.

However, all is not lost when it comes to the future of the Minnesota Twins. Despite both Triple-A Rochester and Double-A New Britain having horrible seasons, the Twins still have some prospects who have been able to impress the contingent of scouts in Fort Myers.

Some of these players may make their debut later this season, but others might take one more season to be a full-time Minnesota Twin. All we know is, for now, they're doing everything they can to impress and earn that promotion to the major leagues.

Liam Hendriks

Hendriks' name has popped up all over Twins prospect articles over the past couple of months, but those accolades are expected when you're named the 2012 Minor League Pitcher of the Year.

The challenge for guys like Hendriks is to repeat that success and continue to improve as the season progresses. That process starts with spring training, where Hendriks has put on an impressive performance.

After Wednesday's solid four-inning start against the Detroit Tigers, Hendriks has compiled a 2-0 record with a 1.64 earned run average in 11 innings of work.

Twins general manager Terry Ryan said in an interview for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that Hendriks reminds him of another former Twin who was a solid starter, Brad Radke.

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Hendriks has a limited fastball, like Radke, but also can change speeds on the fastball, mix pitches and work the corners. He'll pitch for us this year; it's a question of when.

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When could be sooner rather than later. With Scott Baker having problems with his elbow, Hendriks could open the 2012 season as the Twins' fifth starter if Baker is not ready. If he doesn't make the team out of camp, Twins fans will see Hendriks in 2012.

Chris Parmelee

With the health of Justin Morneau in question, the Twins needed a prospect to step up to be an insurance policy. The Twins had signed Ryan Doumit to be that "in case of emergency" guy at first, but there's doubt that he can be a long-term solution.

That's where the emergence of Chris Parmelee has come in handy. Parmelee was the Twins' first-round pick in the 2006 MLB amateur draft, and made his major-league debut in September. Parmelee would post an OPS of 1.035 in 21 games, and has picked up where he left off this spring.

In 11 games this spring, Parmelee has hit .323 with two home runs and six runs batted in. To boot, Parmelee's performance drew high praise from Terry Ryan.

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Parmelee has been the best of [Dozier, Parmelee and Joe Benson] this spring. He's had good at-bats, and he's played a solid first base. He's taken a big jump forward as a player in the last year.

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The Twins are hoping that Parmelee's improvements continue, as he's shown that he can hit left-handed pitching this spring.

If Morneau goes down, the Twins might not be in as much trouble if Parmelee can continue his hot streak.

Joe Benson

Another player from the 2006 Twins' draft class making noise is second-round pick Joe Benson. The 24-year-old center fielder has routinely been placed on Baseball America's Top 100 prospects list.

In the past couple of seasons, Benson's performance has been good enough to raise eyebrows and earn his MLB debut in September 2011.

Benson got off to a slow start this spring, but has turned it on toward the end, showing Twins scouts his five-tool potential. He's currently hitting .333 with two home runs and 10 runs batted in for the Twins, and even has four steals for a team that wants to return to its small-ball roots.

Terry Ryan also raved about Benson's potential to help the Twins down the road, possibly in July or August.

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He's strong, he can run, he can cover ground. Joe has all those things you like to see, as long as he's not chasing bad pitches.

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The Twins outfield currently seems stacked with Ben Revere and Denard Span both being players who can play a solid center field. However, if Benson lights the world on fire in Triple-A Rochester, there could be a tough decision next offseason on the Twins' starting center fielder.

Kyle Waldrop

When a team like the Twins have bullpen issues, it's possible for a prospect to sneak in the back door and grab a spot. That's what we could be seeing with Kyle Waldrop.

Waldrop was the first-round pick of the 2004 draft and, aside from a short stint with the Twins in September, hasn't gotten a shot to be in the Twins bullpen. 2012 could be the year he makes an impact.

Waldrop is a sinker-ball pitcher who can get people out. So far this spring he has a 1.80 ERA in five games. However, when you're looking at relievers you want to see their WHIP, and Waldrop has an impressive 1.00 in those five innings.

It's an incredibly small sample size, but the Twins need help in their bullpen if they want to compete. Calling Waldrop up may be a bit of an experiment, but they have nothing to lose after Joel Zumaya went down with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.

There could be other obstacles to Waldrop's breakout as a reliever, but the Twins may be willing to give him a look to start the season.

Brian Dozier

Brian Dozier's rise through the Twins system over the past year has been remarkable. In 2011, he was named the Twins' Minor League Hitter of the Year, and he's continued that hot streak through spring training.

There are some scouts in Fort Myers who think that Dozier is the best middle infielder in camp. With competition such as Jamey Carrol, Alexi Casilla and Luke Hughes, that could be a very convincing statement.

Dozier has hit .273 with a home run and two runs batted in, but his offense hasn't been the only thing that's been turning heads. Dozier has shown a professionalism for the Twins at shortstop. He has listened to Jamey Carrol and tried to pick his brain a bit.

There were concerns about his defense and whether he had the arm to play shortstop, but he's played well enough that the Twins expect him to be the shortstop of the future. The only question remaining was if the future was now for Dozier after the Twins sent Tsuyoshi Nishioka to Triple-A Rochester.

That doesn't look to be the case, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, as they reported on Thursday night that Dozier will probably head to Rochester. That's not to say that manager Ron Gardenhire wouldn't mind him being with the major-league club.

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[Dozier's] not going to sit on the bench when we signed Jamey Carroll, I'll tell you that. He's not going to sit up here and be a utility man. He's too good. ... But to play [every day]? Absolutely. I wouldn't be afraid of that at all, to tell you the truth.

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Confidence like that from the manager suggests that Casilla and Carrol will be on a short leash toward the beginning of the season, as the Twins will almost search for reasons to call Dozier up.

The Twins love what they see from Dozier so far, and he could have a respectable rookie year once he gets the call.