Twins' Tyler Duffey: Emerging as leading fifth starter candidate

Duffey gave up one unearned run over six innings with ten strikeouts in a minor league game Saturday. He appears to be the leading candidate for Minnesota's fifth starter job as a result, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Analysis:

Duffey has a 3.86 ERA with a 6:1 K:BB in 11.2 innings in big league spring training games. He excelled in the minor league start Saturday, while Adalberto Mejia did not fare as well against minor leaguers. Although Duffey may have the lead in the competition, it's still not clear what the Twins will decide to do as Jose Berrios could also figure into the mix. However, Berrios may need time in Triple-A after failing to pitch enough innings while playing for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic.