In 2013, the Minnesota Twins rotation was essentially in shambles from the get-go. Liam Hendriks started the team's fourth game of the season. Pedro Hernandez started the sixth. Those two combined with Andrew Albers, P.J. Walters and Cole DeVries to make a total of 40 starts for the Twins last year. Now they're all out of the organization, buried in Class AAA for other clubs (or in Korea) and unlikely to spend much if any time in the majors.

The Twins have vastly improved their pitching depth, and that's reflected by the group that lies in waiting at Class AAA should the starting five experience anything resembling last year's plight.

The Rochester Red Wings rotation now includes two of the organization's top 10 prospects in Alex Meyer and Trevor May, both of whom have looked sharp in early action. Kris Johnson, the eventual prize from Pittsburgh in the Justin Morneau deal, has put up a 2.70 ERA over his first two starts. Logan Darnell, who had a strong season between Class AA and Class AAA last year, hurled four scoreless frames in his first start.

TwinsCentric: startribune.com/twins