Twins have selected righthander Tyler Duffey from Rice University in the fifth round. Duffey shared closing duties with third-round pick J.T. Chargois. But the folks at mlb.com speculated that Duffey could be made a starter because he has the makings of a solid change up. Duffey is 21 and a junior.

Hmmmm. Baseball America has Duffey ranked 388th on their list.

J.T. Chargois is Rice's main closer and projects as a top-two-rounds selection, but it's Duffey who's having a better season in the Owls' bullpen. Entering the Conference USA tournament, Duffey had a superior ERA (1.84 to 2.27), strikeout rate (11.7 per nine innings to 8.8) and opponent average (.172 to .214). He doesn't have Chargois' pure stuff, but Duffey has an 88-92 mph fastball that touches 94 and backs it up with an average slider. He has the makings of a changeup and a durable 6-foot-3, 210-pound frame, so a pro team could give him a chance to start. Scouts also love the way he competes.

That's eight picks for the Twins. Six of them pitchers.