Jhoan Duran

Duran impressed the Twins during spring training and made the Opening Day roster as part of the bullpen. It was a role change for the career-long starter, but the rookie adapted quickly and was dominant from the outset. Duran threw a league-leading 392 pitches at 100 mph or greater while averaging a ridiculous 101 mph on his 4-seamer. He complemented his fastball with a knee buckling curve (49.7% whiff percentage) that served as his primary strikeout pitch, leading to a 33.5% strikeout rate. Duran also induced plenty of ground balls (61%) while limiting his free passes (6%) to finish with impressive ratios. With Minnesota struggling to hold leads in the late innings, Duran earned high leverage opportunities rather quickly. He tallied 18 holds on the season, but only finished with eight saves despite the upside for more. Upside is the key word, as he could be a top 5 closer in the league with full-time duties, but there's a greater chance the Twins are more flexible with his role.