The setting reeked of optimism. The sun baked us as we stood by the bullpen in Fort Myers, watching Jose Berrios throw fastballs. Behind us, Byron Buxton shagged flies with grace rarely seen even in big-league camps.
The future was bright as the glint of spikes in the Florida sun, and then Kent Hrbek leaned over and said, “Yeah, I know they’re good prospects. But it’s hard to depend on prospects.’’
The words were simple and true. After years of celebrating the promise of Buxton, Berrios, Alex Meyer and Miguel Sano, the Twins lost their first nine games of the 2016 season, destroyed hope as well as their ability to compete and prompted a season of dramatic organizational change.