Chris Parmelee

Parmelee won the starting right field job out of spring training last season and looked set to establish himself as an everyday regular in the majors. However, a disappointing season where he hit just .228/.309/.354 saw him demoted to Triple-A late in the year and his future with the team is in doubt. Parmelee has crushed the ball at Triple-A (1.102 OPS in 2012), but hasn't sustained any success in the majors outside of a hot September callup in 2011. Whereas he had great plate discipline in the minors, he struggled to put the ball in play in the majors (72 percent contact rate and 81 strikeouts in 294 at-bats). He does draw walks at a good rate (9.9% of plate appearances last season) and has decent power, so there's some hope for a turnaround. However, his defensive limitations hurt his chances at a starting job or winning a reserve role. He'll likely need to prove himself at Triple-A before getting another look in the majors, and his window for a regular job may have closed with a wave of talented hitting prospects in Minnesota's system nearly ready for the majors.

Parmelee crushed the ball in the minors for a second consecutive season, but hit just .229 with a .670 OPS in the majors. Based on Parmelee's strong September in 2011 he began the 2012 season in the majors but slumped and languished on the bench. Once back in the minors, he hit a blistering .338 with 17 home runs and a 1.102 OPS at Triple-A. He did show some improvement in the majors in September when given regular at-bats as he hit .253 with a .750 OPS. Much of Parmelee's struggles in the majors were a result of poor plate discipline. Parmelee has shown outstanding plate discipline in the minors with a career walk rate of 12.4 percent of plate appearances. That fell to 6.4 percent in the majors last season and he also struck out much more than he had in the high minors. Part of the problem may be that the Twins rushed him, having him skip Triple-A initially after his strong 2011 callup (where he hit .355 with a 1.035 OPS). With a full season of Triple-A experience behind him, he may be ready to thrive in the majors. He should be a regular in the lineup as the leading candidate to start in right field after the trades of Denard Span and Ben Revere, but may also get time at first base and DH.

Parmelee may have put himself into position to win a major league job in spring training after his strong September (.355 with five home runs and a 1.035 OPS). He hit much better in Minnesota than in the minors (just a .801 OPS at Double-A in 2011), but he has the power and plate discipline to think it may not be a total fluke. If Justin Morneau's concussion woes continue to be a problem, Parmelee could even be in the mix for a starting job at first base or DH this spring.

Parmelee, the Twins' 2006 first-round draft pick, entered last season as a disappointment and was demoted to Low-A. However, he bounced back with a strong season. He was promoted to Double-A (where he hit .275/.341/.389 with six home runs in 411 at-bats) and then had a strong showing in the Arizona Fall League. It looks like his career has finally turned the corner as he increased his contact rate significantly and had almost as many walks as strikeouts (65:41 K:BB ratio at Double-A). A strong first half at Double-A could put him in the mix for a September callup in 2011.

Parmelee hasn't lived up to his billing as the Twins' 2006 first-round draft pick, but he showed enough skills last season to think he could reach the majors. Parmelee has good power (13 home runs) and a strong eye at the plate. However, he needs to make better contact (109 strikeouts in 422 at-bats) if he's going to continue to advance.

Parmelee, the Twins' first pick in the 2006 draft, struggled at Low-A by hitting .239/.313/.414 but showed good power with 15 home runs and drew walks at a good rate. He also was a better fielder than expected in the outfield, which could help his development since he may not be limited to just first base. So while 2007 was disappointing, he'll be just 20 years old next season.

Parmelee, the Twins first pick in the 2006 draft, hit .227/.370/.273 in 11 games for low-A Beloit as an 18-year-old after tearing up rookie ball with a .279/.369/.532 line. He showed strong command of the strike zone and lots of power potential. A strong full season at Beloit could have him on the fast track to the majors.