A glance at the Twins' big league rotation shows how much fruit the club's farm system has already borne: Scott Baker, Kevin Slowey, Nick Blackburn and Glen Perkins are all homegrown, while the fifth member of the rotation, Francisco Liriano, is in his fourth year with Minnesota since arriving via a trade.

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That may not be good news for the up-and-coming starting pitchers still in the Twins system, of which there are too many to list in this package. But there is plenty of room in the Minnesota bullpen right now, and some of the organization's most intriguing upper-level arms are relievers. Some starters could also see their roles change for now.

The Twins have also nabbed two exciting young outfielders -- Aaron Hicks (2008) and Ben Revere (2007) -- with their last two No. 1 picks.

With a .543 winning percentage, the Minnesota system ranked sixth in the Minors with just one team finishing below .500. Its short-season Elizabethton club has produced dynasty-level numbers with a 41-25 record (in four years, it has compiled a 181-78 record).

Brian Duensing, LHP
The 2008 Team USA member could be a surprise addition to the wide-open bullpen this spring. A starter throughout his career, he worked in that role in the Olympics after going 5-11 with a 4.28 ERA in the Triple-A Rochester rotation. He was a third-round pick out of Nebraska in 2005.

Jose Mijares, LHP
Though he has had some control problems this spring that might prompt a return to Rochester, look for Mijares to play a big role in the bullpen this year. The hard-throwing Venezuelan posted an 0.87 ERA in his 10-game big league debut last fall.

Kevin Mulvey, RHP
One of the pitchers acquired from the Mets in the Johan Santana trade, the former Villanova ace has been quietly effective with a 3.77 ERA in 27 starts at Rochester last summer and a 3.32 mark at Double-A Binghamton in 2007. With his four-pitch arsenal he could help the Twins' rotation or bullpen when the need arises.

David Bromberg, RHP
A 32nd-round pick in 2005 who signed as a draft-and-follow the next summer, the 6-foot-5 Bromberg led the Minors in 2008 -- his first full season -- with 177 strikeouts in 150 innings at Beloit. The 21-year-old is still working on his command.

Rob Delaney, RHP
A non-drafted free agent out of St. John's in 2006, Delaney was MLB.com's Minor League Relief Pitcher of the Year in 2008 after posting a combined 1.23 ERA and 18 saves at Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A New Britain. His bread and butter is a heavy sinker.

Anthony Slama, RHP
Coming out of the Fort Myers 'pen, Slama collected 25 saves and posted a 1.01 ERA for the Miracle. He ranked among the Minor League leaders with 13.94 strikeouts per nine innings and a .173 average-against. He has yet to allow a regular-season home run after 103 career innings.

Top Picks

2008: Aaron Hicks, OF
A switch-hitter with a plus arm, Hicks was the 14th overall pick and hit .318 with four homers, 27 RBIs and 12 steals over 45 games in his Gulf Coast League debut. He is a great athlete with good plate discipline, and at 19 will likely make his full-season debut at Beloit.

2007: Ben Revere, OF
The 28th overall pick out of high school in Kentucky, Revere won the 2008 Minor League batting crown by hitting .379 at Class A Beloit. He missed time down the stretch with a now-healed knee injury. His 44 stolen bases led the Twins organization and helped make him the Midwest League's MVP.

2006: Chris Parmelee, OF/1B
Selected out of high school in Florida with the 20th overall pick, Parmelee is one of the top pure power prospects in the system. He was hitting .239 with 14 homers and 49 RBIs in 69 games before a broken wrist cost him the second half of the 2008 season.

2008 Draft Recap

RHP Carlos Gutierrez (1) has quickly emerged as one of the most promising starters in the system despite having worked as a closer at the University of Miami (Fla.). He went right to Fort Myers after signing and posted a 2.10 ERA in 16 games. ... RHP Shooter Hunt (1S) from Tulane posted an 0.47 ERA in four starts at Elizabethton, allowing four hits in 19 innings while fanning 34. He also made seven starts at Beloit, recording a 5.46 ERA. ... RHP Bobby Lanigan (3) out of Adelphi led the system with a 2.78 ERA at Elizabethton and struck out 65 while walking nine in 74 1/3 innings. ... Cincinnati product LHP Daniel Osterbrock (7) was the Appalachian League Pitcher of the Year after going 7-2 with a 3.00 ERA and 104 strikeouts while walking eight in 75 innings. His 12.48 strikeouts per nine innings ranked second among all Minor League starters. ... OF Evan Bigley (10), out of Oral Roberts, hit .300 (10th-best in the Twins system) with 14 homers and 47 RBIs at Elizabethton.

Hitter of the Year -- OF Aaron Hicks
Hicks gets our nod, just edging out 2008 winner Ben Revere. We look forward to watching this exciting switch-hitter light it up in his full-season debut.

Pitcher of the Year -- RHP Carlos Gutierrez
The Twins have several up-and-coming starting pitchers who should put up good numbers, but none have the electric stuff of the first-rounder from Miami.

The Twins are looking for big comeback years from a slew of top prospects who missed significant time in 2008 due to injuries, including OF Joe Benson (stress fracture in his back), OF/1B Chris Parmelee (broken wrist), OF Rene Tosoni (fractured foot), 3B Deibinson Romero (broken leg) and 1B Hank Sanchez (knee surgery). Early reports on all of them are positive and they will likely break camp with full-season clubs.. ... The news wasn't as good for two other prospects. IF Steven Tolleson, who had a fine 2008 and is an upper-level infield prospect, has been plagued by an oblique injury and hip flexor that sidelined him most of the spring. And 7-1 RHP Loek Van Mil is still recovering from an elbow injury. He's been rehabbing and extending his long-toss program in hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery. ... Keep an eye on healthy but unheralded RHP Michael McCardell, a fifth-rounder out of Kutztown State in 2007. He led the Twins system in ERA last summer with a 2.86 at Beloit and fanned 139 in 135 1/3 innings while walking just 25.

"It's hard to sign six-year free agent starting pitchers. They don't want to come here because of the five young starters we have locked in. Obviously we have to have people with some experience to pitch at Triple-A, but I can understand where they're coming from."

--Jim Rantz, Minnesota Twins director of Minor Leagues