Minnesota Twins: Six players poised for breakout seasons

5. Adalberto Mejía

Adalberto Mejía is the lone starting pitcher on this list, although prospects Fernando Romero and Stephen Gonsalves could enter into the breakout discussion in 2018. Nevertheless, the big man is realistically the only left-handed option the Twins have for the rotation unless they acquire one through free agency or trade.

While there’s a chance that could happen, Mejía isn’t an awful pitcher to have in the back end of a rotation. In 2017, he started 21 games and put together a modest 4-7 record with a 4.50 ERA. The only real knock on his season was that he only managed to complete 98 innings in those starts. As a result, he averaged less than five innings a start, which isn’t ideal for a starting pitcher.

Even so, Mejía could easily fix that problem by making better pitches, primarily in the strike zone. Essentially, he took himself out of games early by pitching out of the strike zone resulting in 44 walks.

Related Story: What could the Twins rotation look like in 2018?

Overall, the lefty may never become an elite starter in the big leagues, but he undoubtedly has a good chance of becoming a consistent starter in the back end of a rotation. Given most managers like to have a left-hander in their starting rotation, this bodes well for Mejía heading into 2018. If he could provide a steady arm in the fourth or fifth spot, Minnesota should be in much better shape over the course of the season.