With the 2011 season just around the corner the Twins have a bullpen with more questions than an evening with Kevin Smith. During the off-season the Twins lost Matt Guerrier, Jon Rauch and Brian Fuentes without picking up any major replacements. Allowing so many arms go could really hurt the Twins in 2011 or it could be a vote of confidence in the men coming up in the system.
Joe Nathan's return should fill a hole but his effectiveness returning from surgery is still a question mark. Matt Capps is the only reliable pitcher without any injury concerns attached. With more holes than a Michael Bay film the bullpen in Minnesota should offer extended looks for a couple young arms. A few of the players who could get a look:
Anthony Slama - A minor league strikeout machine, Slama has nothing left to prove in the minors. He can be a bit wild at times but has solid stuff and knows how to get outs. If Slama somehow manages to keep batters from getting base hits the way he has in the minors he could find himself in the closer discussion a few years down the line.
Kyle Waldrop - A former starting pitching prospect, Waldrop has nicely transitioned into a relief pitcher. He has solid control and does a nice job of keeping the ball in the park but lacks the strikeout upside to be anything more than a middle reliever.
Billy Bullock - Rapidly making his way up the organization ranks, Making it to AA in his second pro season the 6'6" righty struck out 60 batters in 36.2 IP while in New Britain. He will need to get a better grasp on his control to be a dominant reliever in the majors. The Twins system isn't very deep with quality bullpen arms but it remains unlikely we'll see Billy Bullock in the majors in 2011. He is however still an arm to watch in the Twins system.