Good-bye, Tyler Jay

The Twins in a sense closed the book Monday on a failed draft strategy by selling Tyler Jay to the Cincinnati Reds.

Jay was the Twins' first round pick in 2015, number six overall, a lefty who had been a dominant reliever for Illinois. At the time, it was thought that he could be very fast to the majors, and since the Twins were contending for a wild-card spot that year, there was some appeal to getting a bullpen reinforcement.

Didn't happen. Jay spluttered in high A out of the pen. Perhaps, had he dominated immediately in Fort Myers as he had in the Big Ten, the fast-track would have materialized. Or maybe not.

The Twins organization, then led by Terry Ryan, was conducting a multi-year experiment of sorts by drafting college relievers in an effort to add velocity to their pitching inventory. Some they kept as relievers; some they tried to turn into starters. Jay was one of the latter group. Starting didn't take. He developed arm problems and barely pitched at all in 2017. The new front office ended the Jay-as-starter approach, but returning to the bullpen didn't improve his pitching either.

The Twins really didn't get much out of the college relievers emphasis. Tyler Duffey -- another reliever-turned-starter-turned-reliever -- might be establishing a place for himself in the Minnesota bullpen. Jake Reed and Sam Clay are still in the organization but haven't gotten berths on the 40-man roster yet, and I expect they're destined for minor-league free agency.

J.T. Chargois, Luke Bard and John Curtiss have become up-and-down guys in other organizations. Nick Burdi is on the Pirates injured list and may be having a career crisis. And a bunch of others -- Michael Cedarroth, Mason Melotakas, Zack Jones -- from the 2012-2014 drafts are simply out of baseball.

The Twins moved Jay along to another organization on the same day that Seth Stohs reported that a handful of players had been released out of extended spring training. They're making room in the minors for the new crop of draftees. In Jay's case, his roster spot in Double-A will go to somebody in A ball, making room for a draftee or extended spring pitcher.