Twins pitchers Duffey, Mejia battle Berrios for No. 5 spot
Minnesota Twins pitcher Adalberto Mejia is making a strong claim to the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.
Ervin Santana, Phil Hughes, Kyle Gibson and Hector Santiago are locked in, but the competition for the final spot in the Minnesota Twins' starting rotation is heating up.
With Trevor May lost for the season and Jose Berrios competing for Puerto Rico at the World Baseball Classic, Tyler Duffey and Adalberto Mejia have manager Paul Molitor's full attention.
So far, they've both made a strong case.
Mejia shined last week in 3 2/3 innings of work, working his fastball, slider, sinker and change-up to the tune of eight strikeouts against a St. Louis Cardinals lineup that featured four major leaguers.
Duffey responded with a strong outing Monday, throwing five scoreless innings against a fully-loaded Toronto Blue Jays lineup.
Naturally, Mejia entered the game in relief.
He allowed just three hits in four innings of work -- two of which were solo home runs -- and now has a 1.88 ERA this spring through 14 1/3 innings.
The two are pushing hard for Berrios' spot in the lineup after the talked-about prospect struggled to acclimate in his rookie season, posting an 8.02 ERA in 58 1/3 innings.
The Twins acquired Mejia -- then Baseball America's No. 91-ranked prospect -- from the San Francisco Giants last season as part of the Eduardo Nunez deal.
He made just one appearance for the Twins following the trade, facing 11 batters and allowing five hits and two earned runs through 2 1/3 innings of work.
A fifth-round pick of the Twins back in 2012, Duffey is an old hand in the Twins' organization by comparison.
He had a promising rookie season in 2015, going 5-1 with a 3.10 ERA and a 1.310 WHIP in 10 starts, but struggled in his sophomore campaign, as his ERA ballooned to 6.43.
Berrios has pitched in one game for Puerto Rico, winning his lone start while allowing three runs on two hits in five innings, with one walk and six strikeouts.
Another potential option, Ryan Vogelsong, asked for and received his release Tuesday, perhaps sensing that the end was nigh after posting a 7.27 ERA in 8 /23 innings.
The 39 year old was attempting a comeback with the Twins after signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates last season.
